Finally, in 2015, the new story began to emerge. I was ready and inspired to build my centre and home in the premises. The house was vacated and paperwork was in progress. The house with a heart, also had a mind of its own. Having hosted happy tenants for nearly a decade, it now needed a re-alignment of energy towards the larger purpose it was to serve. As we waited for permissions, the alignment happened, the place became host to a series of weekly workshops, training, several activities and daily processes, including group meditation, all of which culminated in a session on gratitude. Each week saw a good number of people, known and unknown, come and experience great shifts and transformation. For me, it was a period of joy mingled with the sorrow of parting. There was a spurt of energy, that spark of life that lights up the being, just before letting go to death. It is difficult to describe the energy that was present. It was not just alive, it seemed like every aspect of life and death had to be experienced, before the old could make way for the new. One year later, the plans and demolition papers were in place. After paying respects to every nook and cranny, with a heavy heart, I swung the hammer against the wall to begin the demolition. My grief was unbounded and I ran up the stairs one last time to touch and feel each spot I cherished, nestling into the corners that had nurtured and nourished me, sobbing and howling, re-living the memories of so long ago. Memories that had faded, that were fresh, that were buried, all coming alive again together, to meet once more, for that single spurt of breath and life before they were blasted into nothingness.

Destruction was creating new ground for construction. The building had to go, the emotions had to be allowed to surface to be felt, expressed, released, to dissipate, making space for the new. New ideas, thoughts, the building, new memories to evolve, all needed space. Bhoomi pooja was done, promising Vastu purusha that I would be a trustworthy guardian of the land. We wrote affirmative words and statements on pieces of paper and placed them in the soil as the foundation work commenced. I felt hope and excitement. However, hand in hand with that, was the fear of undertaking this marathon venture all on my own. Almost as if to fulfill my expectations, challenges arose and as the building began to rise, so did the challenges. Errors, big and small needed solutions. I was forced to acknowledge the implication of the vernacular saying, "pelli chesi choodu, illu katti choodu" translating to, "conduct a marriage and see, build a house and see" implying what a herculean task it was.

Personally, this period has been one of immense learning and growth. Living as a single person, I do not have everyday triggers to help identify my dark areas that need to heal. This project was my dream, one that was close to my heart, representing my past, delivering in the present and creating for the future. It was one big opportunity to trigger me enough to shake up and uncover old repressed stuff. Situations arose every day that offered me chances to heal different aspects of myself. I acknowledged every difficult person or circumstance as a projection of an aspect within me and I took the opportunity to heal and integrate it. So amidst the problems, chaos, anger and the heartache that ensued, I began to gain balance within. The building and I are both work in progress, growing and unfolding together. However big the challenge, nothing could undermine the magical energy that the place held. The energy was not just retained but enhanced by the hands that laboured to raise the new structure. My heart is filled with gratitude for each worker on site, for the way they immersed themselves in sculpting the building. They were the perfect people to be building a centre for healing, growth, purification and transformation. Disciplined, content, smiling, working in silent harmony, never did they shout or fight or display any disharmony. It was soothing to see smooth and harmonious interaction as different teams worked simultaneously.

The sincerity of their prayers during festivals and pooja days would awaken a chord even in a non ritualistic me. A sense of calm and peace engulfs me on each of my daily visits to the site. In the midst of everything, we celebrated the gruhapravesam and my shashtipoorthi with homams and abhishekam. Purification with fire and water blessings were augmented with the divine voice of Bombay Jayashri who graced the occasion, blessing the building with her sublime singing. I can only describe her singing voice as a channel for Source energy. It simply washed away the fears and resistance Present. Continuing challenges offered me more opportunities for purify and transform. With every challenge came a blessing. When I was left helpless and let down by people I entrusted the projects with, the team heads were unanimous in their determination to support the completion of the building, at the risk of losing the next project. Every misadventure revealed the better side of humanity and instilled new hope. The herculean project loosened me up and allowed me to breathe easy with more trust in life. Not as an intellectual understanding but as experiential wisdom. While work continued on other floors, the ground floor was ready and the workshops commenced in the training hall. Rewind or fast-forward, the response is the same. We are greeted by an awed silence or gasps of wonder as we welcome people into the hall. The old walls have gone but the space remains, the magic stays, the energy prevails. The land that was lovingly bequeathed by my grandfather to empower his daughter, Rathna, continues to serve and empower, not one but many people in their journey of growth and transformation. Honouring the lineage of this nurturing space, it is befitting to name the building Rathna, short for Ratnavali.
Sampoorna