THE POOLS OF DORIAN RAY

Oscar Wilde’s classic cautionary tale about pride and vanity, “The Portrait of Dorian Gray”, featured a handsome, wealthy young man in Victorian London, who seems his soul for eternal youth and beauty. You’ve seen the movie, probably. His age and debauchery are transferred to his portrait, which he must hide, as it reveals his increasing evilness. Pretty cool. 
Of course, it all goes to shit in the end.

Fresh from my own downfall, yoga/martial arts school purgatory, recovery at the VA and a Vipassana eye-opener, I arrived at Harbin Hot Springs on 1-1-01. I was 57 and in pretty good shape. Went to work in housekeeping. Up and down that canyon. Lost any flab in a month. Assigned to live, first in the candidate dorm, which was a few steps from the world-famous pools, and then in a private cabin, one of only four that were only a few steps further from the blessed waters. And, of course, there were sundecks by the pools, where naked people relaxed in unself-conscious heaven. On the sundeck or the cool lawn below, I practiced my yoga and mastered it. My Chi was stirred. Shiva & Shakti energy flowed throughout Harbin. You could feel it at the dances twice a week, in the public places, the workshops….

After 14 years, I retired from full-time work. I was 71. I  kept some part-time work to maintain my residency, access and camaraderie with the guests and Harbinites. But on September 12, 2015, It all ended with the Valley Fire. Harbin was burned, part of the billion-dollar catastrophe. I didn’t notice the effects right away. We were all in shock. And I have the most ideal domestic life. But, at my age, even with consistent yoga and the amazing TLC and nutritional delights provided by my wife, entropy sets in without a miraculous offset. Dorian Gray had his portrait. 

Just walking around Harbin was great exercise; it’s in a canyon with a healthy grade. The people…I miss all the friendly greetings. Frequent massage, available steps from my door at a great price. But the battery, for me, were the pools. Warm, hot, cold, repeat.… Quan Yin at the top, ready to receive the mantra I’d received from Amma. My practice, my devotion to the Divine Mother, all focused in that place.

 believe that I’ll be fine, when the pools at Harbin are re-opened, and I can plug in. Because those pools hold my youth and vitality. Blessings be.

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