Bikini Days - Solstice 1973
Jun 9th, 2007 by Hari Simran Kaur
On the way to Summer Solstice 1973, my German travel partner and I stopped in New Mexico at Spence Hot Springs, a hillside dotted with pools of hot mineral water. I thought we were the only ones there in the wild Jemez mountain forest until I heard voices. It was like finding Waldo – the way we all blended in with the vegetation and rocks.
I was so excited to be back at Solstice. As I walked the dirt road from the tent city to the Tantric area, I saw Pangat, a member of my home ashram in Phoenix. She ran up and cheerfully greeted me. She then quickly threw clothes over my hot-pink-bikini clad body, explaining that things had changed since 1970. However, I was determined not to give in to her fear tactics, and persisted in wearing my pink bikini, until I was so sunburned (we had no shelter for Tantric back then) that I turned hot pink, and had to throw clothes on myself!
It was difficult being silent after not seeing everyone for so long.
I took the plunge into the icy stream in the morning before sadhana with a few other crazy polar bears, in lieu of the showers, which were cold water anyway. We weren’t allowed to bathe naked, which I thought was ridiculous.
One morning Black Krishna led sadhana and had us do stretch pose for 7 minutes! I kept up the whole time – I will never forget that – first hating her for the challenge, then loving her for it.
At the end of solstice, I remember the Phoenix bus filling up, as it sat in the tent city, and Kevin Smart/Surya Singh, whom I had known in 1970, hurrying about like a hummingbird, helping others get their things loaded.
It was good to be home.
