INO Maha Mudra Gathering 2024: A Week of Tantric Tapestry and Spiritual Experiences

This past May 20-25 boasted a full house of Initiates, Aspirants and friends of the International Nath Order returning for a third time to Kula Farms in N. Central Florida. This beautiful private property is nestled in a rural riverine area also peppered with cool, clear, cave-fed springs and lush vegetation. All 22 persons in attendance worked together to weave our “tantrik tapestry” of wondrous wyrdglow.

Graciously hosted by Ken and Tara Rawson including the chickens, cows and a rich reptile population, the farm supported us for another productive week of workings, led by Sri Vijayanath.  

The overall pattern of one hour of morning twilight meditation, discussion and some light exercises in the afternoon was good preparation for our evening twilight rituals which consisted of both indoor puja rites and outdoor dhuni rites on alternating nights.

Morning meditation time was silent, allowing participants to be ushered into the day by the clarity of their own focus and the dawn chorus of the surrounding forest, along with the sharing of the Trishul by Sri Vijayanath.  

Coffee, Tea and breakfast followed with plenty of relaxing and stretching on the cozily carpeted lodge floor. Peaches the cat taking full advantage of the numerous friendly invaders of her usual territory.  

Later in the week some participants would use the downtime and return to bed to catch up on sleep, socialize, stretch out on the floor or take a canoe out across the newly arrived swamp (due to recent storms) to the yoga deck and the Suwanee River.  

Sri Vijayanath saw individuals for private meetings at 10am and 3pm for personal questions and discussion of any private matters.

Then before lunch, Vijayanath led discourse and discussion on various topics each day beginning at 11am, until 12:30pm.  Sharing details about Dhuni ritual, Puja process, Mantra, Yantra, Bindu and the advanced and esoteric side of Mudra as a held state.  

After lunch with ample time to digest, participants engaged in some Taoist Chi Gong practice. While this is a completely different focus from that of the INO traditions and methods, it is Sri Vijayanath’s experience and opinion that such cultivation methods are nourishing and supportive to the base energy (chi or prana) of the individual human organism. The THINK being; that when the individual’s prana is nourished and supported, this naturally extends to the efforts and exertions of intensive sadhana, of which much prana is required. Some may also recall that Sri Mahendranath was also known as a Taoist priest as well, and distilled many things from several prominent lineages.

Dinner preceded the evening ritual observances, again with plenty of time to digest. These evening rites were very much the highlight of each day. Inside the lodge, participants sat in two concentric circles arrayed around the Trishul. Activating sacred syllables, many mantras were exploded and when the entire space was appropriately aligned and exalted, the grace poured down from the Bindu of the Kaula Chakra washing over all, a divine countenance.

The night after Puja, participants engaged in Dhuni, which is our fire ritual. This engages the practitioner in a very similar way, yet has a few more moving parts. The shallow cleft in the earth, the Goddess herself exalted by the flame of the Lord kindled within – these operative metaphors are worked with in order to bring the Divine presence into local space. All mantras, fuel and offerings given to the rite are consumed and transmuted. Finally, the embers, mirroring the stars in the sky above, are lovingly fanned until the light of the last one goes out. The ashes then collected and prized as the essence of the rite are used to later consecrate and embody the shakti contained therein.

The weeks workings garnered many personal experiences. The nightly rituals alternated from Puja to Dhuni so that three Puja rites and three Dhuni rites were engaged in total.  From ego adjustments to exalted psychedelic states, the whole of the group continued to work in concert toward the principle of exaltation of the local space and getting to taste the ecstatic flavor of our rich stream of Shakti. For the Guru’s grace we give thanks!

Though the property will remain in possession of the Rawson’s, as stated in the original document of intent for this Gathering event, the decommissioning of Kali Dhuni was completed. After the last ritual’s ashes were collected, participants were encouraged to add a small object, stone, shell or other item along with all objects around the rim of the Dhuni to leave behind there. All of these objects were then pushed into the center of the fire pit. In the two days following, Tara received yantra nyasa tattooing from Sri Viijayanath at the Dhuni, finally offering her blood and the needles used as the last nod to this particular Shakti Site. With help from Acharanath, Soma Devi, and Atma Devi, the Dhuni was decommissioned and backfilled with earth. Banished with intention and marked with a symbol atop the mound, wildflower seeds were sprinkled about by the Devis. So closes Kali Dhuni. The end is important in all things.  

I would like to again thank everyone for their enthusiastic participation, making this final round of workings at Kali Dhuni a spiritual highlight. Guru Om Tat Sat!