Catch-up Syria-Orkney part 3: Deir Mar Musa

Image: The path to Deir Mar Musa (Mar Musa Monastery), Syrian Desert.

Some parts of my journey are smooth, some are rough, some are rough AND tough. Yet I would not want to miss any of the 'rough parts' for anything in the world as they often hold the greatest rewards. Walking up the steep path to Deir Mar Musa, with a fever in 35c heat was worth the effort. Mar Musa is one of those amazing places on earth where one is welcomed without questions, allowed to just be. What a gift!

Image: Deir Mar Musa (Mar Musa Monastery), Syrian Desert.

This ancient place was "rediscovered" by Father Paolo, an Italian priest,in the 80's and given a new lease of life. It is a stop on the Abraham Path Initiative, a concept as interesting as the Monastery itself. I spend a week at Mar Musa, enjoyed the solitude of a cool cave room, great company during the delicious shared meals with the residents and the many visitors, the meditative quality of the old church and the unusual experience of witnessing a catholic mass being conducted in Arabic.

Image: a Syrian Catholic contemporary icon. Interesting to see an icon with text in a language associated with Islam, uniting the two just like that!

My time there provided much needed healing time. I healed the fevers and even better the underlying emotional baggage. I sobbed, old sobs from deep within my being, they did not need any tears, they were silent, yet I felt the power they had over me all those years. As I was able to let them surface and release, with that my fevers were released as well and I was able to continue my physical journey through Syria in good health.

Image: my reflection in the door handle of the gate of Deir Mar Musa.

Bardo (Tibetan) means intermediate, transitional or in-between state. Usually it refers to state between death and (re-) birth. In the west Bardo refers to times when a usual way of life is suspended such as during a retreat or as I have done by going on a long journey. It is a way to remove external constraints of daily life to free up time to focus on the bigger picture of one's life. It can also be a time during which one will be presented with challenges because habitual patterns do not always work in new situations or different cultures, so one is forced to review and change. This often leads to new insights and growth, accompanied by 'growing pains' or maybe 'healing pains'. I like to call it spiritual growth as I regard each challenge and the insights gained from such challenges as a step towards the blueprint of my Soul.