Second Ghana Self-realisation Tour Report

7-25 May 2010

(Prepared by Tim Bruce on behalf of the Ghana Tour Team)

Long-term Goals
• To give en-masse Self-realisation and spread Sahaj Yoga in Ghana.
• To help the small collectives in Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi to deepen
and grow and to encourage them to become more active and dynamic.
• To increase access to Sahaj resources.
• To help establish Sahaj culture in Ghana.

Tour Participants (UK)

Obi, Manitu Szerman,Tim Bruce and Gill Woltron (seminar).
Patryk Kozub was unable to come this time and provided support from UK.

Local Ghana yogis

Ghana National Seminar participants = 20 (plus 2 from Nigeria, 2 from Benin)
Weekly programmes in Accra = 20-25
Weekly programmes in Kumasi = 10-15
Yogis meeting together in Takoradi = 5-10
Community programme in Sankor village = 35-40

Overview
In all, the second tour achieved most of what it set out to do in terms of
establishing new yogis and regular meetings across Ghana. We were overjoyed
that so many had continued to meditate regularly since our last visit seven
months before.

The first national Ghana seminar was a great success and by its end, had
attracted 20 local participants. We were very impressed by the depth and speed
at which they learned the techniques and culture of Sahaja Yoga, especially by
their simplicity and heartfelt dedication. By the end of the second day of the
seminar, all participants were able to say all the Sanskrit mantras of the centre,
left and right sides; were able to sing loudly and confidently the full three Maha-
mantras of the Sahasrara; were familiar with the techniques of raising the
kundalini and giving bandhan, foot-soaking, shoe-beating, string burning and
camphor burning; knew about Shri Mataji and knew all about the first three
chakras in detail. By day five they took an active part in havan and puja, were
accustomed to singing bhajans and performing aarti and namaskar to Shri Mataji.
They celebrated the first ever puja to Shri Mataji as Shri Africeshwari (the Mother
and Supreme Ruler of Africa) which was immensely powerful, joyful and deep,
full of singing and dancing. In short, they achieved in five days what most
achieve in a year or more.
Accra collective
Established three years
Weekly Saturday programmes at the National Sahaja Yoga Centre = 20-25

The collective in Accra continues to grow (albeit slowly) and although very few
people remain from the Accra programmes held last May, there were several
new faces. The Accra collective now have a three year lease on the first floor of a
property close to Independence Square which has become their national centre.
Renovation is underway and rather like Shudy Camps or Chelsham Road, is
being funded and carried out by the yogis themselves. At present the property
needs a lot of work, but can still function as a local meeting place for yogis and
new people. The collective now has a treasurer (Christa Dagadu) and its own
bank account. The remaining tour budget was given to the Accra collective to
help towards the ongoing costs of renovating the national centre (around £500).

The National Sahaja Yoga Centre in Accra

Kumasi collective
Newly established
Weekly Saturday programmes in Kumasi = 10-15

As a result of training new yogis ‘how to run meetings’ during the seminar and of
fostering new people at the two follow-up public programmes in Kumasi, we now
have a regular Saturday meeting in Kumasi which is run by two dynamic new
Yuvashakti yogis who live there. These public meetings have been paid for by us
for 8 weeks in a venue that we arranged. The meetings have a regular following
of between 10-15 people. The last meeting gained 3 more new people. This
achievement is all the more impressive when you consider that Joshua and
Lawrence - who are both in their early 20’s - have only ever been to four public
meetings themselves (with a massive seven month gap in the middle!)

Takoradi collective
Newly established
Active yogis = 5-10

A similar story has unfolded in Takoradi. The new yogis who came were older
and more responsible, so we took the decision to encourage them to arrange
their own venue according to their own collective means. They regularly meet
together to meditate among themselves, but have not yet mounted a public
meeting. This should happen in the near future as enthusiasm is high among the
new yogis to get something going in Takoradi. It should be possible for Koby to
visit them from Accra to give them extra support, but not on a regular basis.

Village of Sankor
Community programme = 35-40

People have been meditating individually at home with a photograph of Shri

Mataji and this has had a very positive effect on the life of the village. They
occasionally meet together and meditate collectively, usually at the instigation of
Jacob the chief’s son. Unfortunately Jacob was up-country during the seminar
which meant that in spite of evident enthusiasm from some of the younger
villagers, in the event, no-one came to the seminar from Sankor. However, we
should bear in mind that Sankor village is relatively poor and the journey by bus
just to Accra can take over two hours. Also we concluded that if Jacob (who is a
new yogi himself) doesn’t activate things, things generally don’t happen there.
Beyond the pure desire to grow spiritually, the chief is also anxious to foster links
with the West to help develop his community and another prime motivator is the
need for protection from black magic which is a palpable reality here. So far our
hopes for Sankor have not been realised, but Jacob and his father are very deep
souls with good vibrations, so there is every chance for the future.

Libya
By chance we found ourselves in Libya for two days and were able to meet with
Mr Selim Ezeway, a semi-retired businessman from Tripoli who received
realisation at the Arabic Sahaja Yoga Centre in Vienna, which is run by Franz
Mekyna and Edith Peterman. He divides his time between Dubai, Vienna and
Tripoli, but expressed his hope that we would one day hold such programmes in
Tripoli and that he would help us to do so. Gunter Woltron also knows him.
Risk factors
With the exception of one visiting lady from Ivory Coast who came to meetings in
Accra for a short while, we have not been aware of any further attempts from
outside the country to influence the development of Sahaja Yoga in Ghana. But
that does not mean that we do not expect them in the future. Unlike the last tour,
we did not face any immediate threat from anyone from Benin or Ivory Coast,
although we faced continued vibrational attacks at regular intervals especially on
the left side, left Swadhishthana, right Void and particularly on the left Heart
(hence the importance of invoking Shiva’s protection). It was regrettable that we
were not able to hold a UK collective havan before our departure and this was an
error that we should not repeat. Our difficulty in arriving in Ghana in the first place
after a two day delay in Libya indicates the level of negativity at work in West
Africa. The day after we left Tripoli airport there was a fatal plane crash and the
untimely death of Lionel Ekwe (Shri Mataji’s appointed Coordinator of Cameroon)
reminds us of the potential dangers.

West Africa is still a tale of two yogas: Sahaja Yoga and its counterfeit. Especially
in Benin and Ivory Coast, as they are French-speaking countries, Yogis are not
listening to Shri Mataji’s talks, DVDs or reading transcripts and are therefore
following priest-like leaders who have not been sanctioned by Shri Mataji, but
positioned by Alga. They believe that Sahaja Yoga is finished, that Shri Mataji’s
incarnation is over and that Alga is Her heir in Africa. We have experienced first
hand how these apparent yogis have used black magic and have felt its effects.
They are so entangled in it, so completely identified with it, that they cannot rid
themselves of it. As a result, they are dragging Sahaja Yoga and the Nirmala
Vidya tattwa in West Africa down. The people of Ghana have been protected by
their innocence, by the ganas and by the English language, because they can
understand directly Shri Mataji’s words and the effect they have upon them.

Looking Forward
With ongoing vibrational support from the UK and the world collective, Ghana
should flourish. We intend to return to Ghana within 6-12 months to continue to
nurture the collective growth and to spread Sahaj Yoga into the North of Ghana.
Majid Golpour has indicated that he wants to evolve a common Anglo-French
approach to spreading Sahaja Yoga in Africa, which we believe is a vital step to
establishing Sahaja Yoga in its true form. We also suggest a possible meeting of
all the people running programmes in Africa to meet at Guru puja to evolve a
united way forward. We need to be more active in Africa and we have to be there
physically in person to work it out. We are also from Shri Shiva’s country so we
have a special responsibility, not only because Shri Saraswati is Shiva’s sister,
but because as His children we enjoy Shiva’s protection. It is with Shri Shiva’s
powers that we will be victorious over all the challenges in Africa.

Jai Shri Africeshwari! Jai Shri Mataji!

Participants in the first Ghana national seminar in Accra

Tour route

Tour blog & SY Ghana website:

www.realiseghana2010.wordpress.com
www.meditationghana.com
 GHANA TOUR 7-25 MAY 2010
Tour Diary

DATE DETAILS
Fri 7 Depart LGW 12.30, unscheduled stopover in Malta due to
adverse sandstorm. Arrive late in Tripoli to miss connecting flight
Sat 8 Prolonged Stopover in Libya
Sun 9 Meeting Mr. Selim Ezeway in Tripoli
Arrive in Accra 21.35
Mon 10 Community programme in village of Sankor
Tues 11 Travel to Takoradi
Programme in Takoradi
Weds 12 Programme in Takoradi
Thurs 13 Travel to Kumasi
Programme in Kumasi
Fri 14 Programme in Kumasi
Sat 15 Travel to Accra
Accra regular weekly programme at local centre
Sun 16 Seminar preparations/people gather from across Ghana,
Nigeria and Benin.
Mon 17 Ghana National Seminar programme begins
Tues 18
Weds 19 Meeting with British Council (TEV)
Thurs 20 Havan
Fri 21 Puja
Seminar programme ends
Sat 22 People travel home from seminar
Accra regular weekly programme at local centre
Sun 23 Clean seminar venue/spend time with remaining yogis
Mon 24 Available time
Depart Accra 23.05
Tues 25 Stopover in Tripoli, arrive LGW 11.00

KEY
Travel
Programmes
Seminar