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Wow that sounds so cool. Do you have a link? I would love to see her. She is the REAL DEAL!

Here's the info on her visit:

http://www.ammadc.org/WashDC2008.asp

I'm going to try to go. I am traveling the weekend prior so it might be a little exhausting for me, but she is a special person and it'd be amazing to see her.

Okay, last post before bed time.

I thought I'd give a report on my trip to see Amma as there has been a lot of discussion about her in the past five years or so.

I drove down Friday night with Chad and Maddie and did not get to DC until about midnight. The next morning I drove another hour or so down to Virginia for the event. It was held in a Hilton.

My friend Darcy who is a long time Amma volunteer was there along with her partner Jess. She traded her darshan ticket with me so I could get hugged pretty much right away. They use a ticket system, much like the deli counter, and you line up as your group is served. The last part of the line is seated, so Maddie and I hopped hopped hopped up the chairs until we were right in front. We couldn't really see Amma as there were around six or eight people standing and kneeling all around her and the people getting hugged. Finally as we approached her we were pretty much forced to our knees by the helpers. They removed and kept our glasses and my purse. They asked us what language we spoke. We told them. The people in front of us were moved to the side. The helpers moved us forward, put a little stool underneath Maddie...seemed kind of overly helpful I guess. Amma clasped me to her ample bosum, face down, and chanted in my ear something that sounded like "da da da." It was a nice, long hug. She was a very Indian woman. I have many friends who speak English and are Americanized, but she was not like this. Then after the hug we got our stuff back and were moved to the side.

The atmosphere in the room was nice, with tables set up selling crafts and photos of Amma at the front and the darshan event at the back. There were a few little weird things, at least to me...necklaces that were in boxes that had been worn by Amma. Nightgowns she had worn you could buy for $200. I know people want these things and that the money goes to charity, but the power people were putting into her seemed off to me. Wherever I went I heard tales that she could read people's minds, recognize people as healers, provide some healing ritual. To me, I felt like it was so strange because what I love about her hugging is that anyone can hug anyone, but how many people WOULD do what she does? To me, to hug anyone and everyone like she does is to say, we all have the power to love one another and all we have to do is decide to turn our attentions that way. To me, that she does something so clearly within everyone's reach, requiring no special powers, is exactly the point.

It was wonderful seeing Marianne and meeting her friend who was also there for the event. I loved hanging out with everyone and the whole feeling around the place. I would love to do this next year and get a hotel room, experience the full on all night long thing. I'm still processing a lot of my feelings about how people acted about her.