1:45 a.m. and getting ready for Giza

It is 1:45 a.m. I actually set my alarm clock for 2:22 a.m to wake to go to the Great Pyramid in Giza, but both my roomie DebRa woke early and thought what the heck might as well get up now rather than sleep and resist the waking of the alarm. So we decided to use all that "extra time" for phoning family and friends for less than 5 minutes. Did you know that even with an international plan on your cell phone..it costs something like $2.50 per minute. People don't talk too much to me already!!

So, I took a few moments to write this about preparation....I'm excited and in anticipation of this..how exciting is this to go into the Great Pyramid by ourselves before it opens in the middle of the night...first of all I suggest you breathe...in the middle of the night is what I typed...now if you told me I would be excited about getting up and going into a dark, cold stone building in the middle of the night I would be like..no way...not happening and yet here I am..up before the birds even want to awake. I just stepped outside and the night sky is so beautiful here.

Someone last evening during our initiation circle suggested that we wear white and I am contemplating how to layer the white clothes on for a very cold Giza desert. See when I planned for this trip...our white day was for the Temple at Philae not the Great Pyramid so I don't have more than one white outfit. And guess what I brought, let me look...

ahhh yes... I have white capri pants, white leggings that were purchased last minute the morning before I left which are too big yeah me for losing more weight boo me for them looking like sweats on me, short sleeve shirt, sleeveless shirt, 3/4's length white shirt and white sweatshirt (don't know how the last two got in my bag, but someone else must have been packing because as you recall I was sick with the flu prior. Anyway, I love you whoever helped me!) So here is my amazing outfit---white leggings topped with capri pants, 3/4 white shirt, white sweatshirt and wool shawl provided by Brittney (again thank you Brittney).

Now, I pray for warm moments since I fear it will be cold, pray for a good breakfast box on the bus, please let there be something good in there..I'm hungry...oh and let me not be claustrophobic..I hear the pyramid can be intimidating for claustrophobic people...

I love how people ask you, "hey are you claustrophobic?" And, they expect an answer and actually look surprised when you respond with, "I don't know..I guess I will find out when I am put in a tiny, narrow passageway with no way out." I am recalling that memory from my first ever MRI...by the way, I wasn't claustrophobic there...I could see an opening near my feet and not to mention they give you something to put over your eyes so you couldn't tell that if you breathe too deeply your chest would hit the top of the machine. hahaha

So I guess it is time to go...the bus is waiting...

Can you see the orbs? All dressed in white and ready to get dirty?
1.10.11

Initiation into the Order of Melchizedek

So we gathered together tonight in the green for our circle. Yes, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I chose to face the sun, knowing that sundown was shortly after. I love going to circle and it is really helpful when each person says there name before speaking because that way we can get to know one another by name otherwise 33 people is an intense number.

We all come prepared with hats, gloves, scarves and blankets alike. We now know that it really is cold in the desert at the evening hour. So Solara An Ra told us that she was guided that her original intention was to have 22 on this trip, but her guides informed her that 33 was number of people that would be on this trip and needed to bring the light into this time and space. We gathered to share our experiences from Saqqara and really began to open with one another.

I love that Solara An Ra's Guides change things up on her in a moment's notice because that happens to me all the time. I mean really we can have a perfectly good topic to do in class as we gather together and last minute they switch it up on me and I am running around trying to find the perfect music and the right information, but all in all it always works out in the end. I have since decided does it really matter about the music? Well, if you ask my students they will say yes that they do not want to dance to Madonna or Abba. Okay, okay, yet again I digress. Onward...

So Solara's guides have decided that we are to be officially initiated into the Order of Melchizedek before going to the Great Pyramid of Giza. I hear the name Melchizedek and my whole body begins to tingle from head to toe--often my guides cover me in tingles to confirm what is being said, but it has so much more meaning to me than I even think...

About 7 years ago, I heard the name Melchizedek because he came to visit me. It was when my gifts began to go full blown. The power the amazement of his energy was so great it filled my bedroom that day. I began to get many visions of things that I had not yet understood nor did any of my human "spiritual teachers" at the time understand. (And no, I did not have many human spiritual teachers because when I started my journey--people were still thinking ego, 3D and money...and many told me when you have the money you can come back and learn from me. That felt like such a slap in my face, but thanks to my beautiful spirit I preserved and continued on. That is how I found the most beautiful help, learning and healing from the ArchAngels...ok again I have gone off on a tangent, but what a wonderful tangent it is!) The point being that I allowed my connection to Melchizedek get placed on the backburner because I felt a little overwhelmed with the all the information that was coming in and it didn't fit with what other human "spiritual teachers" I connected . So over the years, the name kept being within my energy and entering around me all the time.


So here we are tonight being initiated into the Order of Melchizedek. How powerful I thought. Each of us was being "attunded" to perform the initiation on another. I was sitting next to a lovely soul who I was to initiate first and then she me. As I said the words necessary to initiate this beautiful soul, I saw this amazing column of blue light pour down over her and felt her heart open. It felt like I had done this before, initiated someone into the Priesthood. Next it was my turn to be initiated. As I became initiated, I felt my third eye begin to pulsate and energy just flow through me. With my eyes closed, I moved my eyes to look up and saw the sky above with clouds parting and a circular opening in between the clouds with all these beings, faces and angels/guides as they looked at me and said to me in a light, warm, welcoming way.,.,"It's about time." As if I have been evading them all along and I suppose I had been. It was so powerful and wonderful. I felt energy continual flow through me (even as I drifted off to sleep in my bed that night).

We once again went around the circle and shared our initiation experience with one another and in the background, I heard Muslim singing of prayers which seemed a bit shocking at first, but almost complimenting our own toning and connection of our group...like a necessary part of this experience. Then I was jolted when the water fountain nearby turned on. I found they have these absolutely beautiful fountains of water all around the hotel on the green areas, but they only come on at night...how odd I found, but it is a desert, perhaps away to conserve water and not let it all evaporate to the sun? Just an oddity to me...what do I know...I have never been in a desert.,this might be so in Arizona too?

Okay so I am off to dreamland...Solara An Ra has us waking up at 2:30 a.m. to meet at 3:00 a.m. for the bus to our private Showing of the Great Pyramid--we have private entrance and special permission to be there from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. so we will see sunrise at the pyramid...and who says I never see sunrise??

1.9.11

Lunch Anyone?

Lunch anyone? I should say, bread anyone?

On the way out of Saqqara, we had a lunch planned at the Restaurant Pharous. As we exited the bus music was playing (set up especially for the tourists), they played and danced for us as we entered into the restaurant toward our table which was outdoors. Mind you, we were all so hungry. We had eaten breakfast at 6 and it must have been 12:30 by now if not 1:00 (wasn't very good with time on this trip). And guess what they serve us right away? Yes, you guessed it--bread! Homemade fresh bread that is pita like and it is freshly made for each table and boy does it look really good. Now, I am hungry and I just get to watch everyone eat. Meanwhile, as I watch everyone eat bread, I order mint tea which is black tea with a couple of mint leaves thrown on top in a glass. Yuck!! I don't recommend you try it, but if you would like I have the recipe.

So lunch comes out and it is the most amazing falafel I have ever eaten...it was fabulous. I had rice, potatoes and falafel...I know rice and potatoes are weird to have both. The funny thing is that this is the vegetarian meal I opted for and there were no vegetables.

For dessert, they handed out oranges--big, bright orange oranges that were so sweet and juicy...mmmmm.

As we walked out of the restaurant, the music started up again and they wanted a tip, of course. What we didn't notice on the way in was the oven where the woman was making the bread. It was so neat to see how she made it. They probably have made bread like this for 100's of years. The oven looked like a Chimnea...I can't imagine how hot that must be when it is warm out...remember it is cold here in the desert. I think to myself Florida is probably warmer..

1.9.11

Saqqara

Wow! Incredible sight of the Step Pyramid. So we meet at the bus at 7:15 and the bus takes us on a ride to Saqqara. Driving is a little better with the bus since they must have to have some kind of driving permit to lug around a bunch of tourists who fear for their life in cabs, right? I digress.

Driving to Saqqara was an adventure, the road has cars, buses and wagons pulled by donkeys on it. Yes, all are part of the traffic and not to mention people carrying things on their heads and just walking in and out of traffic. Amazing it is somehow an orderly chaos because I did not witness an accident or running over of a person. Still this all feels so surreal. This part of Egypt looks like what you see in movies with the donkey carts on the side of the road selling fruits and vegetables, particularly bright orange oranges, but warning they are not always juicy!

We arrive at the the Step Pyramid of King Joser. It was really cold so I thank Brittney (a wonderful soul and my friend for my Christmas gift) for my beautiful wool shawl as that came in very handy as did the mini-quilt my mother gave to me. To get to the Step Pyramid, you have to walk into this temple like building. It is so tall and there is no roof tons of natural light coming in. There is no way humans with our height or even a little taller could have built this. I mean it looks near impossible. I did take pictures and hope that they are worth posting so you can see. We walk into the entrance, and travel through what appears to be a long hallway with pillars and empty spaces on each side. Our tour guide tells us that it is believed to have had statues in those empty spaces between those columns. We walk the hallway and come out onto the other side of this long “hallway” (I put that in quotes because the hallway isn't a hallway like we know them to be) to what looks like a huge sand covered (not covered that is the earth) courtyard. Completely open space that looks to me to be a huge courtyard surrounded by a large wall of stone and little “areas” cut into maze-like inserts along the outside of the wall for full and partial statues that remain(as much has been destroyed over time as well as pillaged...is that the word? hmmm). It almost reminds me of a Catholic Church...you know the little areas along the outside walls on the way to the altar or front sides surrounding the altar area. The altar in this case would be the step pyramid where we find out that we cannot enter because they are doing restoration.

This pyramid is huge, but I know from what people are saying not as huge as the Great Pyramid in Giza. It is being worked on by many men and I took a picture to give you the idea of the pyramid and how it looks being worked on. And the fact that the men look like ants upon it and only when you focus your eyes in the sunlight you can make out the movement of men...I mean ants don't wear white clothing, or do they? Again, I don't think this was something that humans could have made—at least not alone that is. My spirit tells me that they had a lot of help from star beings...no doubt.

So, we gather in a circle on the cold sand and sit while Solara connects with her Pleaidian Guides and any other energy at Saqqara that has a message for us. I was cold and the last thing I wanted to do was relax and connect with my guides...oh and not to mention there is no place to pee except on the moving bus! So we 33 tourists gather in a circle a bit intimidating to the other tourists there and guards. Our tour guides appear a little nervous as they say they will stand outside the circle and ward off the guards (the guards with machine guns). I think they may have been afraid of being in the circle with these weird people setting up an altar in the middle with crystals and any other precious item we had to share. We begin by alternate nostril breathing (loving it—totally takes me to a natural high vibration quicker than any other form of breathing look out students you are going to learn it too!).

Solara en Ra channels information about this pyramid and about our mission on this trip. Did I mention that this trip is more of a journey to heal Gaia and the sacred sites of Egypt? Our mission is to bring light and love into the very earth of all the places we will visit on this trip. What better way to effect change connect with the high frequencies of light residing in Egypt than to light our path and the path of thousands of people who will tour after us to these places. We ground our light into the earth there and then disperse to look around on our own.

Solara's guides found an area that they would like her to channel a little more as it is more private than the open "courtyard" by the way because of the restoration we are not allowed too close to this pyramid nor inside of it. We all formed a semi circle as she channeled...sometimes it is obvious that she is channeling and surprisingly we don't get into trouble. After she finished the message was about how we must trust that we are meant to be where we are and to trust and honor our highest guidance available while at this ancient place. Much will happen on this journey she shares with us. The second half of her message is about how important self love is to our journey in general not just Egypt—see everyone it is not just me preaching about self love it is something everyone channels which tells me that as a collective of humans on this planet we are not doing a very good job at it. We are in need of the constant reminders to hold that vibration of love. Some of us stay to feel the energy of the statue with our hands not placing our hands on the broken statue, but rather sending and receiving energy. The guards surround us and say no no. They motioned to us no pray no pray. You are not allowed to pray in sacred places in Egypt...apparently not openly. We tried to say we were not praying, instead just feeling the energy, but they didn't understand energy; so instead the guard had each of us stand up in front of the statue for a picture to be taken. They understand traditional tourist things, but not these "crazy people". Thankfully our tour guides were not far from us and helped to explain we were just looking.

So we move on by ourselves or groups of two to wherever we feel guided. I found a place on a wall to sit where I grounded my light again and just felt high. It felt amazing to overlook the step pyramid. Meanwhile, all these people kept trying to sell me something it is too much so I learned quickly how to say no, thank you in Arabic. “La, shochkrun” spelling may be way off, but still close enough.

Then, we walked over to where camels were (climbing several steps) because there was an amazing view. I wanted a picture of the camel—just the camel. I heard one of my fellow travelers taking a picture and the man wanted “Bachsheit” (again Arabic spelling is not so great.) which is a tip. He did nothing, but wanted a tip for his camel having had its picture taken. Oy this trip may cost a little more than I expected.

We made our way back through the large “hallway” and Solara suggested that we stand where the statues may have been in between the columns see what we sensed. Did we feel like statues were there? She also instructed us to call light into this “time and space”. Walking down that "hallway", immediately I was guided to walk directly to one of them, not the one I thought I would have been guided to as on the way in I could feel energy all around me pulling me in different directions.

The space between the columns that I was guided to pulled me right in. I stood there and could definitely feel energy pull me in further as I stepped inside. Then, I stood there for a moment calling in the light with my eyes closed and hands out and open; the next thing I know...I opened my eyes and felt like I was plucked back into my body. Whew--what was that? Where did I go? It felt like it was just a couple of minutes, but as I stepped out of the space I didn't recognize a soul as it must have been a long time because no one I know from my group was around me, but there were a bunch of obnoxious tourists running through. Clearly the length of time was a lot longer.

We sure didn't have a traditional breakdown of what this place is, instead we had a beautiful spiritual experience, but I have to say that I look forward to going home and looking up the historical “thoughts” on this place as I am sure it is different than what we are experiencing spiritually.

I walk out to find my peeps in a circle waiting for us slackers (that would be me off in the universe somewhere) to listen to our guide talk about the place. As he talked, I was not listening at all as I was still trying to figure out where I went for that time in between the columns. Amazing...tonight we gather in circle, but since it is much colder than anyone anticipated (glad I was not the only one thinking that it would be warm) we are meeting on the green in a circle at 4:00 p.m.

1.9.11

Ra'chel

Group Circle Meeting...

Tonight we gathered together as a group of 33 for the first time in a circle. This is the official beginning of the trip. I felt a little left out that so people knew each other because they had been on many journeys before with Solara En Ra. This was my first. We gathered together and each person said their name. It was amazing that as each person spoke, they gave their “3-D name” or their spiritual name which they received on other trips, and chose to offer whichever they wanted to be called. When it came to my turn, I gave my name as “Ra'chel”...it just came out of my mouth. By the way, you need to pronounce in the Hebrew way where you clear your throat before pronouncing “chel”. It was amazing. I thought in my head I am April, but my spirit took over and "I am Ra'chel" was what came out. Solara en Ra's guides confirmed that is what I was supposed to be called on this journey. So I was no longer April, but Ra'chel and that is what people began calling me. Phenomenal. We just finished and I am now off to sleep on for the journey tomorrow to Saqqara, the oldest pyramid in Egypt...it is a step pyramid. We have to meet in the lobby at 7 a.m. so good luck to me miss not so early to bed and jet lagged. See you tomorrow night.

1.8.11

Link between Egyptian Spa and George Bush Sr. Who Knew?

So, Carole and I meet for lunch at the hotel restaurant and have an extremely delicious meal. Had my first mango ice cream for dessert....I even took a picture of the meal hopefully, I will be able to upload the picture.

I was impressed, but there was an odd little netting thing around my lime (took a picture of that too). By the way, this is "Egyptian Salad":

So we get to the Spa and there is no one there and here we have appointments. Then a young man about in his early 20's arrives smiles nicely at us and says “5 minutes”. He comes back with “Happy New Year Guy” from earlier who greets us with Happy New Year again. He tells us that he can't do two massages as he only has one person so the appointment would have to be back to back and we both realize timing wise that wouldn't work because we have to gather at 6 p.m. to begin our adventure by meeting in circle with everyone in this workshop/tour not sure what to call it yet. So, I said would take an hour of reflexology since I love it and that would be fine for me.

Now, we figure that out and we wait. We sit and we wait. Then the young man who cannot stop smiling at us incessantly motions for us to follow him upstairs. We go upstairs and Carol is brought to one room where a woman greets her and me? I am brought to an empty room where again I wait and wait. Finally, Happy New Year comes up and says, “Only Half Hour for Reflexology” I say I paid for one hour. He says, “You only need half hour, I know. It is only your feet it doesn't need an hour.” He says this to me in a very Arabic English accent as if he knows what is best for me. I try to input that I know what reflexology is and want the hour, but he insists half hour so I finally succumb and lay down on this table. He is the one that is doing the session, what is he jack of all trades? Or did he run out of people to work so he rolled up his sleeves to jump right in with a reflexology session? It was all a little weird I thought to myself as I lay there. I think to myself, “whatever as long as I can relax for the half hour.”

Well, do you think I did? Of course not, because Happy New Year wants to tell me a story. He asked if I was American and that was a mistake because he wanted to tell me a story about George Bush Sr. He apparently loves him. He met him several years ago when Bush was visiting Egypt and his back was hurting. The Secret Service called out to order a massage for the President. appy New Year was the man they sent to do a massage on the President(who at the that time was Bush, Sr.). Apparently, they got along well and Bush fell sound asleep snoring (a thing I wanted to be doing, but instead the universe wanted me to hear Happy New Year's story). So, here I was listening to how after the massage, Bush called in security and took a picture with Happy New Year. And a couple of days later, Happy New Year received a package hand delivered to him from the President: it was the picture that had been taken. To this day Happy New Year was proud and happy to know the American President. I on the other hand was half happy because as he talked he did work on my feet, but I just wanted to relax. I did finally relax because I kept closing my eyes half because I was really tired and half because I just didn't want to engage in conversation with Happy New Year.

Finally, it was finished and he said you can wait in the sauna for your friend...tempting since the sauna would be hot because did I mention? Giza in the desert of Egypt was cold during the day and only when the sun was out shining directly upon me was I comfortable. Instead, I found it odd that I could enter a Sauna--I was so tired that I thought it best to take a walk back to my room, which as before I mentioned was a maze and walked to the wrong building, but when I got there had time to grab a hold of my journal and went to get Carol who had a mediocre massage, but at least had the full hour—though from what she said not sure which was worse Happy New Year's reflexology or her massage.

By the way, I am now back in my room getting ready for our meeting, but while I waited for Carol's massage to end. I gathered from conversations (not that I understand Arabic, but I do understand energy and such); that my reflexology was cut short not because that is “all I needed” and that Happy New Year knew what was best for me as he had conveyed, but Happy New Year had to go home. Really????

Okay...going now...more later...
1.8.11

Morning of the first day

It's the next day and after breakfast back in my room. After I wrote the last blog, I went to bed to catch some more sleep. I wake to my roommate who is from New Jersey(she has such an accent you can't help but know she is from New Jersey—God Bless America we all sound so distinctly different!!) to tell me that is nearly 7 a.m. and Solara en Ra is going to guide everyone who arrived early in a meditation out on the green in the morning before we start our day. I being the spiritual being that I am thinks of course I want to experience the meditation. So, I get up and layer myself with clothing...I think I failed to mention that the desert is cold---I mean cold. I am sure I will have more to say later. I step outside my room to a beautiful green courtyard. Oh my goodness, who knew there would be so much green. At first glimpse, it reminds me of Florida with the Palm Trees and green grass not the desert that I thought I came to visit.

Solara En Ra had already started the meditation when I joined them. I pulled up a chair and joined in. It was a great alternate nostril breathing technique that we started with that I will take home and teach my students when I get back as it is very powerful and it is more than the yoga definition of alternate nostril breathing as it a pituitary and pineal activation and brings the left and right brain into balance. In addition to making you feel like you are high. I have to say that I enjoyed it. We finished up and everyone said we would meet at breakfast. The people who arrived a day earlier had already caught up on their jet lag and planned a trip to the Cairo Museum as there is a shuttle from our hotel. I being the trooper who never wants to miss out on anything immediately says yes I would like to do that and then ten minutes later as the reality of jetlag set in, said, “I will make that decision closer to noon”.

Breakfast was this beautiful room filled with all kinds of breads and pastries. It was almost like an American breakfast. The first thing I order is a not only one large bottle of water, but two. I need to rehydrate from the last two days of travel. I then order a tea, which there is only one type of tea available. Black tea—so black that I actually was concerned that it was coffee, but it was tea. Really, really strong tea. My roommate and I join others that were having breakfast—all was very overwhelming and I thought how am I going to remember everyone's name. I of course have egg, potato and yogurt for my breakfast as the plethora of bread enticed me, but as you know or may not know I am gluten sensitive. So, I just watched as everyone enjoyed their bread.

I quickly found out that my roommate knew many people there already from previous Solara En Ra's teachings, workshops and trips so it made me feel a little left out. The more they planned their trip to the museum, the more I was dreading the thought of walking around, but I really want to see the museum.

After breakfast, my roommate informs me that we have to give a tip to everyone—well no not everyone (not yourself), but to everyone who apparently walks by and says hello. hahaha But all I have with me are big Egyptian Pounds that look pretty to say the least and to say the most—are much more than the American Dollars I had. I exchanged my money at JFK and the rate was something like $1 US is worth 5.8 Egyptian Pounds (woohoo the first time in a long time that I felt financially wealthy). So we make our way over to the bank across from our hotel. Our Hotel is in Giza so we are not in Cairo and we are far enough away from a city (which I didn't know the night before on my drive because as you may recall it was dark and dangerous. hahaha). So, at the bank is a little man behind a glass wall and a security that looks like he is sleeping, but sitting in a chair with a machine gun gives enough of a presence that hey he could be sleeping. I must say the man at the bank looks bored with his job, but it is his job. We walk over to look at the little shops beside the bank. Wow are the Egyptians salesman. They are quite annoying hovering over you and from what I was told these guys were not as bad as they can get. But, there are things I wanted to look at, but showing just a slight interest gives them more reason to harass I mean sell to you. That was exhausting to say the least.

Well, I met another woman who walked with me and my roommate over to exchange our money. She and I opted to not go to Cairo for the museum and just rest because like me she arrived the night before. We had a couple of hours to make a decision about what we wanted to do so we took a walk around the hotel grounds. It was a very large hotel with a lot of greenery and everything was set up in a maze so it was hard to find our room once you left it because it was a left here, right there and left again. Carol, my new found friend, and I decide to walk over to the hotel's spa and book massages for the afternoon. Yes, they have a spa here. We walk in and immediately are greeted by a man saying “Happy New Year!” Weird, it is January 8th and they are still greeting with Happy New Year.

And, on a side note, I arrived on Epiphany (the holiday that I mentioned earlier in my blog) and apparently for Coptic Christians it is such a big holiday that they have a large festival and celebration. Being a white chick in an Arabic country they seem to assume that I am Christian and keep telling Carole and me Merry Christmas and all about the festivities of Epiphany...the day that I arrived in Cairo there was a huge parade and celebration in honor of the Christ child.

So, we decided to book appointments for a massage for the afternoon. I am back in my room resting until we meet for lunch...so I best go get some rest now as I am getting sleepy....
1.8.11