I am fortunate to be spending a few weeks in Goa, on holiday. For a holiday destination, it ticks quite a few boxes – the weather is great, the people are friendly and helpful, and we can eat a top notch curry for around a pound a head! The challenges for me are that the roads and the beaches are busy (so we go 1st thing in the morning whilst it still feels tranquil). Whilst Goa has long been a place for drinking and hedonism, there is still a strong element of spirituality, yoga, massage and meditation. I have not joined up with any groups as yet, but it is a pleasure to do my personal meditation practices in a warm climate in a tropical garden, with the sound of exotic birds and insects around. We have the use of an Enfield motorbike, so we are either cruising along the roads or weaving through the maze of sandy pathways that link the different areas of goa together.
The scenery is a mixture of intense green paddy fields, palm trees, banyans, mixed woods, rivers and beaches, interspersed with gaudily painted houses, restaurants and hotels. Some of the buildings are crumbling and shabby and others brand new. There are patches of litter, open drains, and mangey dogs, contasting with fresh flower decorations and the smell of spices and incense. Health and safety would have a field day with any other electrics, drains, road surfaces, hotel kitchens and road traffic safety, but somehow it operates through a system or organised chaos.
On the wildlife front, we often have frogs in our flat, and snakes in the garden! There are also monkeys, oxen, water buffalo, peacocks and an impressive presence of eagles and kingfishers.
Goa is changing fast, and seems to be largely geared up for the new class of Indians who work in IT, who have plenty of cash to spend during a short holiday from Mumbai, Pune or Bangalore. There is also the large presence of Russian tourism.
India has its own style of 'Feng Shui' called 'Vastu'. I feel it is a shame that Feng Shui is so strongly associated with China, since this may put some people off using it, as they may feel it is not appropriate for thier culture, when really the principles and wisdom of feng shui can be taken and applied to any culture, and adapted to suit any spirituality or outlook on life, including Hindu, Christian, Muslim, seikh, jewish, buddhist, athiest, pagan, animist etc etc. I know this to be true since I have had satisfied clients of almost every religion with feng shui and space clearing. Feng Shui is all about creating harmony between a building, its environment and the people who live there…whilst we arrange the house to bring out the best potential support for health, relationships and wealth, we can include images or shrines that are suitable for that household's individual taste and spirituality.
