Hi Barnaby,
Oh yes, I've had my share of experiences with the karma chameleons, and the various shakti-nirvana-seeking Gayatri geeks. My brother is in Varanasi right now, doing his best to terrorize the Great White pilgrims that have come to get some religion and shit, you know, "release the goddess/serpent within", etc., ad nauseum. I mean, it's good that they try to go to the source, but they also pack all their preconceptions and ill intentions into their expandable, rollable, three-piece luggage sets. There are plenty of dollar-crazed "teachers" waiting there to help them part with their easily-converted currencies.
Yes, there's an awful lot of "yogis", "tantrics", "devis" and "devas" walking the streets of Amerikkka, right next to the medicine men, shamans, and crystal clan mothers, and Indian princesses. I'm surprised these charlatans can find anyone left to peddle their wares to, since everyone and his dog seems to be a spiritual teacher or chief these days.
One thing that both my husband and I have observed is that exploiters often claim to be respectful of and interested in Indian cultures but they do NOT like having real Indians around. And fakers have no sense of humor about themselves - can't stand to be teased, which immediately reveals their lack of experience in and around Indian communities.
That's one of the things that keeps me coming back here - some of the writers here have a good way of taking the piss out of some of these frauds. I often laugh my ass off - oops, sorry, that should be LMAO (when in rome . . .)
I like ska music, too, (though it's appropriation by UK skinheads is unfortunate) but I am not very grounded in it. My choice of "ska" as my name in this forum is just a coincidence and not related to my musical tastes.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! Best, ska
