Egypt… the Land of the Pharaohs
“Whoever lets himself be led by the heart
will never lose his way.”
Egyptian Proverb
It’s time to catch up…
There is a whole different vibe here being in Cairo, Egypt… the land of the Pharaohs. The land of ancient wisdom, where those magnificent pyramids still stand as a testament to the knowledge and practical ‘know how’ needed to create a piece of mathematical perfection. Which incidentally, we would still find impossible to match today!
The name Egypt came originally from the Greek word ‘Aegyptos’ relating to that land close to the River Nile, this was how the Greek’s pronounced the ancient language of the people there. According to the myths and legends this land is known as the ‘Temple of the Soul of Ptah’. So basically the whole of this land was the Temple where Soul of Ptah resided. Ptah was seen as the Highest God of All, and was especially worshipped in Thebes and Memphis. Such was the power of Ptah as the ‘creator god’ and ‘the opener’ that everything of creation is believed to have come from the Universal Mind of the Creator.
Cairo the capital of Egypt is often known as a city of a thousand dreams, it is the largest city in the Arab region with a population of some 22 million people. Built on the banks of the River Nile, it has a dynamic and interesting history and heritage. This has created a magnificent melting pot of ideologies and beliefs and the city has been infused with ancient, traditional and modern traits in all areas of life. The Egyptian civilization spans several millennia. Egypt has witnessed the rise and fall of many empires. After many rulers and invaders have long been and gone… the Egyptians are still here.
The people are kind, helpful and strong. It is no wonder that other Arab countries take the help of Egyptian men for construction projects, moving house and other forms of arduous labour. They simply have the physique for it, and they can stand the heat!
“True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge;
it is an awakening of consciousness which
goes through successive stages.”
Egyptian Proverb
So… this article is not about Cairo tourism, but the things it has taught me as I set about renovating the Lotus House Meditation Centre in Cairo.
Rolling up our sleeves…
Firstly and importantly, I would like to share about the crushing of the ego that comes with physical hard work. When there is no one, except you and one other, to clean and tidy your surroundings which you call ‘home’, then you are forced to roll up your sleeves and just get on with it. There is no one else to turn to and certainly no one to complain to. With the various renovations going on, sometimes it seemed as though we were living in a mini building site!
As I surrendered to the voluntary hard work, I realized that although the body would often get tired, the soul was being purified and uplifted and a feeling of lightness was emerging despite the tasks in front of me. With every surrender to the work, a faith was emerging… the kind that brings lightness and joy, that everything would be fine, and everything would work out on time. I am not implying that one has to be physically active to be purified. But when one applies oneself to a greater purpose, and that demands physical energy and not just mental ideas, then certainly the ego is being crushed. The ego may find excuses to avoid it all, but that is just postponing change and transformation on a deeper level.
See, I believe that when we care about what we do; such as eating right; placing things tidily away; staying organized and disciplined; keeping up cleanliness and hygiene; then we are really caring for and respecting our self, other people and the environment we live in. Which means truly respecting the self. To avoid chores simply because of laziness and carelessness is not respecting the self, therefore the return of energy we get from the tasks we carry out with this attitude are never satisfying. It’s all subtle but at the end its all our creation.
“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop;
idle lips are his mouthpiece.”
Proverb 16:27 – Old Testament
This old adage always proves to be true. Even though sometimes the words of the saying may be different, instead of ‘idle hands’ it becomes ‘idle minds’, either way the message is clear… stay busy in the right way.
Many people travel from the USA to India just to mop the floors of ashrams and wash the dishes, so that they may seek enlightenment. It is not the task of mopping or doing the dishes that is important, in as much as the sense of surrendering to an action. To stop yourself thinking that this task is a waste of your time; or below you; or not worth your attention and energy. When one does go beyond thinking all those thoughts and just enjoys the process and being with the task, then one can look forward to the outcome, one rides on that joy and the chore is not a chore anymore, it becomes a game, a joy, a victory. Why? Because it is not a question of the action so much as the consciousness with which we perform the action.
“If you search for the laws of harmony,
you will find knowledge.”
Egyptian Proverb
In the past few months this is what I have experienced. I am not afraid of hard work, but it’s just that I had been a bit out of practice. Before there were always people to help and others willing to do things, and that was a great support, but when you are starting something new those helping hands are in short supply.
Since the global shutdown I have been busy with writing and zooming… and now because of being focused on this flat, I had to turn my attention away from other things that I would normally do such as writing, recording and zooming and dedicate my full attention to this so that it could be completed. So, apologies for not being active on social media or delivering routinely through my blog. However, this time away from the computer has given me time to reflect. To slow down a little… and to create more space in the day for reflection.
Getting the work done was not easy and could not have been accomplished without my service companion and translator by my side. Hardly anyone speaks English, and definitely not the labourers. She is my spiritual sister and part of the Meditation community and we were in this soup together. Sometimes it was a challenge to get the work moving, and we both had to throw our hands up in the air as workers would not turn up, or they would come much later than arranged. Or work was not done to our satisfaction… despite several explanations and corrections. We were determined not to raise our voices and lose our mental sanity, as we both understood that we will only regret our actions later… and we did not want to create any negative karma! So we were firm and steadfast but not aggressive. So getting things done was always a bit of a challenge, but we got there in the end.
Most Egyptians speak loudly and so there would be no point raising your voice, because they would certainly win the competition! And so the most obvious thing to do would be to keep your cool as much as possible and communicate issues as softly as possible… because that competition you will most likely win! So if they went high, I went low… and that seemed to work.
“Man must learn to increase his sense of responsibility and of the fact that
everything he does will have its consequences.”
Egyptian Proverb
Getting out and about…
Then there are those pleasant fruit traders on the street, some who cajole you into buying more kilos than you need while others give you a baker’s dozen… that is 13, one extra for good luck. But everyone works hard here and they deserve every penny they get.
The fruit and vegetables are absolutely amazing. If there has been one thing I have utterly enjoyed, it has been those fruits and vegetables. I have just completed a three-day fruit fast, so as I bite into a peach, a tomato, or an orange…mmm… everything just tastes so sweet. That is the beauty of the fruit here, you know that you will consistently enjoy the taste of sweetness with each bite. There will be no hit and miss, sometimes sweet or sometimes sour. I think the sweetness has something to do with the land and the energy of this place.
We would not be complete without giving a mention to the local taxi drivers. They seem to imagine that their small run-down autos are super grand prix models! The drivers daringly race through traffic in between cars at great speeds. Luckily, I had my Arabic speaker with me almost always, but I was sure some of them would literally take me for a ride if I had been on my own and if they had the chance! I say this because on one ride, going was half the price of the return journey, with the same route, and when we began to quibble, the driver did what most men do, and that is, raised his voice! So we got off and walked the rest of the way… of course after paying him!
I have been happy to work on this project to create a lovely little meditation space, an oasis of peace for souls to come and recharge their flat and weary batteries. I have no doubt that with all the love that has been injected into every inch of this space, that those very inches will return the favour and become a peace magnet to attract weary travellers on their soul journey.
“The kingdom of heaven is within you; and
whosoever shall know himself shall find it.”
Egyptian Proverb
So all in all… I have enjoyed my little Cairo jaunt and have many fond memories of this place. Interestingly, both Dadi Janki and my mother taught us that wherever you go, live and work as if it is your home and show respect. I have done exactly that and I have been rewarded with many sweet relationships in Cairo; from the ‘bawabs’ to the friends in ‘Uptown Cairo’.
Thank you Cairo… I will never forget what you taught me.
It’s Time… to surrender to the task, to do it with love, and then, and only then to sit back and watch.
© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK