Scott Chesney's Bio

GLOBETROTTING
TWENTIETH ISSUE - SPRING 2000
SPONSORED BY TYCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
"THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DEVOTION TO MOTION WORLD TOUR"

DESTINATION – GERMANY

Welcome friends as we circle the globe in search of more effective ways to improve the quality of life. During our journey we will explore various forms of complementary medicines and share our findings with you. We will also address accessibility issues and investigate more convenient options to ease the never ending pressures of traveling. In each issue, Globetrotting will have a special section created for today’s youth with an emphasis on educating children and teens on the historical facts of each country. Finally, each issue will contain two trivia questions and some popular words and/or phrases from each country. For more updated news, diary entries, in-depth research results, and pictures from our journey, please visit our website, www.d2motion.com.

We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!!

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #1
Who is the inventor of tourism?

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Do you believe in an incarnation, the Divine Mother in human form placed on Earth to help humanity know and realize the Divine? Hundreds of thousands of people make a pilgrimage to Schaumburg, Germany each year because they believe the incarnation of the Divine Mother lives there. Mother Meera, who will be 40 years old in December, has been holding darshan or self-revelation of the deity to the devotee or attendees for 22 years after coming to Germany from India in 1978. According to one of Mother Meera’s devotees, “There is no difference between the Divine Mother and Mother Meera. Their will is identical and their consciousness is one in the same.” Whether you believe in Mother Meera and her connection with the Divine Mother or not, she has transformed thousands of lives around the world and has a very strong following.

At a very early age, Mother Meera, born Kamala Reddy, was an exceptional child whose spiritual evolution was extremely rapid. She was not religious, followed no guru, and had no special discipline. As far back as she can recall, to about the age of 2, she says that she felt like she was in a different world and went to ‘different lights’ when she was in need of security and safety. At the age of six, she fell senseless for the entire day and from that moment forward, she completely detached from human relations. She would be visited by different energies, powers, gurus, and other supernatural entities that gave her power to advance her consciousness and go beyond the superconscious. The transformations Mother Meera went through during her formative years is extraordinary and continues to this very day. Her work as the incarnation of the Divine Mother is to transform humanity into God, transform time into eternity, and transform matter into Divine Matter. This work is unlimited and endless. According to another one of her devotees, “Her work in our time is to open all people to the power and radiance of the Light of the Supreme so the Divine Will may be done and the Divine Life established on Earth.”

What takes place during a darshan with Mother Meera? First of all, if you ever want to attend a darshan, I suggest that you phone her office at least two months in advance to reserve your seat. Please visit her website (www.mothermeera.com) for more details. Darshan is held Friday - Monday in the evening, beginning at 7:00 and ending around 9:00. About 120 people from all walks of life attend darshan, and arrive very early to obtain prime seating, which is as close to Mother Meera as possible. Once everyone is seated, either on the floor or on a chair, a profound silence fills the air. The silence is peacefully interrupted by the beautiful songs of birds on the countryside of Schaumburg. Minutes later, Mother Meera’s entourage stands up and everyone else, if possible, follows by standing up. Mother Meera then enters the room, with her head down, and proceeds to her chair in the front of the room. The silence is so incredible that you would certainly hear a pin drop. One by one, people line up to receive darshan from Mother Meera. Each individual does pranam, a respectful bow, before Mother Meera by slowly dropping to one’s knees and bowing one’s head in front of her. She then places her fingers on your head for about ten seconds and then removes her fingers. Once she removes her fingers, one proceeds to raise his or head, opens the eyes, and looks into Mother Meera’s eyes, maintaining the silence, of course.

At this point you are probably wondering what Mother Meera is actually doing when she is holding your head and looking into your eyes. As she describes, “On the back of the human being is a white line running up from the toes to the head. In fact, the two lines start from the toes, rise along each leg, joins at the base of the spine, and then become a single line reaching to the top of the head.” When she touches your head the light moves upward in the white line and read like a meter. She can read how much energy you have and where she may be able to help by sending light to a given area of your being. When she looks into your eyes she says, “I am looking into every corner of your being.” She is opening every part of yourself to light and sends healing and power where it is needed. Some people have felt Mother Meera’s energy and power immediately, others have felt the impact of her energy in the near future, and others have felt nothing at all and still continue to feel nothing. Once again, there seems to a strong role played by belief even though Mother Meera has been known to transform non-believers into believers. Some people are visited by Mother Meera in their dreams after attending darshan and are sent profound messages. Other people, who not even heard of Mother before, have been visited by her in their dreams and have then made a pilgrimage to Germany. Some people have asked Mother Meera for healing and their prayers have been answered with Mother Meera not even being in their presence. Other people have asked for money, winning lottery tickets, and other material items and have had their prayers answered by Mother Meera as well. The stories of Mother Meera’s effect on people are endless, just as her work is.

Pat and I attended two darshans during our brief visit to Schaumburg. It was actually the second time I had visited, so these two darshans were my fifth and sixth in the past three years. We both felt very peaceful during both darshans and both experienced a sense of knowing many of the people who filled the room, even though we had not met anyone beforehand. During our private pranam with Mother Meera, we both felt a deeper sense of peace within ourselves. I recall my first visit to her darshans and I was a bit intimidated and felt as if she was “better” or more evolved than I was. My experience during the second trip was quite different. I saw her as my equal, my mirror reflection, and also someone who could bring light into parts of my being that required healing. I truly believe that we all possess that power to help and facilitate healings in others. Ultimately it is the individual who heals him or herself, but people are put into our lives to cast a light into certain areas of our being in which we have chosen to remain in the darkness. Mother Meera is a bright light who can penetrate any darkness and who has the ability to messenger messages to you directly, in ways that only the individual could understand. Yes, we believe in Mother Meera and her loving, healing energy. We don’t get caught up in all the details of what she is or how she became who she is. The bottom line for us is that she is helping people and asking for absolutely nothing in return. I want to leave you with one of the most enlightening responses I have ever witnessed to the question, “Who am I?” Mother Meera answers, “Give up the ‘I’ and you will know.” Words to live by.

NOTE: If you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who you would like us to research or visit, please email us: chesney12@comcast.net

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #2
What is most widely used vegetable in the world?

ACCESSIBILITY
As we were checking in at the airport in Mumbai, India for our Lufthansa Airlines flight to Frankfurt, we were relieved to receive a tag for Scott’s wheelchair stating, “Deliver to Aircraft Upon Arrival.” Folks, this is such a pleasant experience for passengers with disabilities who sometimes never know what to expect when they check in at some countries. After the nine hour flight to Frankfurt, the ground staff was fully informed of the proper protocol for assisting disabled passengers. They immediately brought Scott’s wheelchair to the exit of the aircraft. Best of all, Lufthansa’s special services helped us cut over an hour long waiting line for immigration. What a overwhelming change from the chaos of the international airports in India, to the clean, less crowded, and seemingly more organized setup of Europe’s largest airport, Frankfurt.We asked the employee at the waiting lounge for special assistance, whether they had any printed information for flying with a disability. Although she had a tough time finding something in English, we were given two brochures, one was a step by step procedure for a disabled passenger once they are in the holding area. The best thing about this brochure is that it is translated in 16 different languages, all on one compact piece of paper. This is provided by Lufthansa and is given to all their waiting passengers who speak Portuguese, Greek, Hindi, Thai, and Japanese to name a few. We were also provided with a second brochure called “Guide for the Handicapped Passengers: some helpful hints to simplify your journey.” The guide provides advice to passengers traveling with all types of disabilities (i.e. blind, paralyzed, ill-health). It details what one should do prior to travel, including getting medical clearance from a physician. For your traveling convenience, they suggest you complete a Frequent Traveler’s Medical Card (FREMEC) which contains all relevant medical information to facilitate a smooth transfer and flight.

Upon arriving in Frankfurt, our hotel had sent a taxi (Taxi Addi) to pick us up in a station wagon style car, suitable for us and our luggage. The taxi company has a predetermined price to and from the airport. The cost of transportation from the airport is one of the most pricey expenses for us. If we had not pre-arranged transportation then we are at the mercy of the taxi drivers, who 99% of the time, end up overcharging us, and we have no real recourse after reaching our destination. Therefore, we have been trying to organize transportation with the help of the hotel and our travel agent back home, The Travel Connection. The majority of the taxi drivers here are not apprehensive about picking up disabled passengers, so getting a taxi in Limburg did not become a hassle like Athens. There are specific accessible taxi / vans available, however, if you can transfer into a regular car, you’ll save yourself some money. The special accessible vans cost much more than a regular taxi; for example a ride to our hotel from the airport in a regular taxi is a set price of about $50.00 (USD), whereas if we were to hire a special taxi, the cost would have been $120.00 (USD) for the 45 minute drive. So, rest assured if you require an accessible mode of transportation, it is available at a cost.

As is the case with the majority of the countries, our primary mode of transportation within the Limburg area is by taxi. There are accessible busses for the locals and the adventuresome, but our hotel, The Hotel Mercure Limburg was only a 15 minute taxi ride to Mother Meera’s Darshans. The entire town of Limburg is pretty manageable if you are in a wheelchair, provided you are able to have an assistant with you, or able to clear two inch curbs. The majority of the streets have curb cuts and designated areas of crossing for the disabled, however you may encounter rare two inch curbs.

While in Limburg, we had one of our first experience with language barriers thus far. Maybe because it is such a small city outside of Frankfurt, we found that the majority of people we encountered did not speak English. It’s a good thing Scott & I were equipped with our little travel book and our own style of sign language which has allowed us to communicate quite proficiently to anyone in the world. With that in mind, we tried to locate disabled organizations and guide books for the disabled within the Limburg area, but came up empty handed. It seems to us that there are definite plans in place to cater to the disabled, there’s just no uniform way of finding details about the specifics in Limburg. After an extensive search on the Internet, exhausting the phone book and our concierge, we still were unable to speak with anyone regarding accessibility here in Limburg. If we had traveled to a major city in Germany, maybe this information would have been easier to obtain. However, if you do plan on coming to Limburg, be prepared to see friendly people, cobblestone sidewalks, beautiful hills, sheep and lots of sausage. This town kind of reminds me of my favorite movie, The Sound of Music: “The hills are alive...la la la la.”

Our thanks go to the staff at The Hotel Mercure Limburg, to our friendly taxi drivers from Taxi Addi, and the employees at Lufthansa Airlines for their assistance.

PROPER NAME OF COUNTRY Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Facts:
Also known as Germany (pop. 81,992,000 (1996e)

Capital - Berlin

Time difference - 6 hours ahead of eastern standard time (USA)

Political Leader - Gerhard Schroeder

Political System - liberal democratic federal republic

Currency - Deutschmark (1.9 equal to US dollar at time of print) Main trading partners - France, the Netherlands, Ireland Main agricultural products - potatoes, sugar, beet Age distribution - 16.1% are of the age of 15 or younger (year)

Ethnic distribution - predominantly German, Danish & Slavic ethnic minorities in the North, 1.9 million officially recognized Gastarbeiter (guest workers), Turks, Greeks, Italians, & Yugoslavs; by 1993 Germany received more than 200,000 refugees fleeing Yugoslav civil war.

Language - German

Religion - 43% Protestant (Lutheran), 36% Roman Catholic Education - 12 years (compulsory)

Literacy rate - 100% men; 100 % women (1995)

Unemployment rate - 9% (1996)

Life expectancy - 74 men; 80 women (1995-2000)

T.V. sets - 564 per 1,000 people (1995)

Radios - 944 per 1,000 people (1995)

Historic dates:

1000BC Germanic tribes from Scandinavia began to settle the region between rivers Rhine, Elbe, and Danube.

9AD Romans tried and failed to conquer Germanic tribes. 5^th century Germanic tribes plundered Rome, overran western Europe & divided it into tribal kingdoms

772-804 After series of fierce wars, Charlemagne extended Frankish authority over Germany, subjugated Saxons, imposed Christianity, and took title of Holy Roman emperor.

843 Treaty of Verdun divided the Holy Roman Empire into three with the eastern portion corresponding to modern Germany.

1517 Martin Luther began the Reformation, Emperor Charles V tried to suppress Protestantism; civil war ensued

1618-48 Thirty Years’ War

1792 Holy Roman Empire abolished

1870-71 Franco-Prussian War; S. German states agreed to German unification.

1914 Germany encouraged Austrian attack on Serbia that started WWI; Germany invaded Belgium & France

1918 Germany defeated

1919 Treaty of Versailles: Germany lost land to France, Denmark & Poland.

1922-23 Hyperinflation: in 1922, one dollar was worth 50 marks; in 1923, one dollar was worth 2.5 trillion marks.

1929 Start of economic slump caused mass unemployment & brought Germany close to revolution

1933 Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Party, became chancellor.

1934 Hitler took title of ‘Fuhrer’ (leader), murdered rivals, and created one-party state with militaristic & racist ideology; rearmament reduced unemployment.

1939-41 German invasion of Poland started WWII; Germany defeated France 1940, attacked USSR & pursued extermination of Jewish people.

1945 Germany defeated & deprived of its conquests; eastern land transferred to Poland; USA, USSR, UK & France established zones of occupation.

1949 Partition of Germany: US, French, & British zones in West Germany became Federal Republic of Germany; Soviet zone in East Germany became communist German Democratic Republic.

1955 West Germany became a member of NATO; East Germany joined the Warsaw Pact.

1961 East Germany constructed Berlin Wall to prevent emigration to West Berlin (part of West Germany).

1989 Mass exodus of East Germans to West Germany via Hungary; East Germany opened frontiers, including Berlin Wall.

1990 Collapse of communist regime in East Germany; reunification of Germany with Helmut Kohl as chancellor.

2000 D2M visits the town of Limburg to take part in Mother Meera’s Darshans.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE
I recently stumbled across a saying that has so much meaning and carries an abundance of energy. Before I dive into this one, please know how powerful our choice of words are and the effect that they not only have on others, but also have on ourselves. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Tying the knot,” as another way of saying, “Getting married?” Well,‘in America it is a very popular saying and as I said before, carries so much energy. You see, many people, especially males, are very nervous when their wedding date approaches. While some see marriage as a new beginning, many people see it as an ending to a part of their lives. This is true, to a degree. Many people feel that a “commitment” is a restriction of their freedom. It is such a change in one’s life that the mind will run the gamut of excuses to create fear, apprehension, and tons of uncertainty. This is natural when any kind of major change enters the picture of one’s life. So, getting back to “tying the knot,” how is this knot tied or how is this not going to be tied? There are many different types of knots that I learned how to tie when I was in Cub Scouts; some which are very loose, others that are secure, but somewhat loose, and others which are the tightest and can not be broken. What type of knot does your marriage represent or if you are not married yet, what type of knot do you want your marriage to be? The next time you hear someone ask another person when he or she is going to tie the knot, notice the facial expressions on both the sender of the message and the receiver. I will bet you that there is some hidden agenda that either party is playing out in their minds...and it probably has some energy related to that “c” word....commitment!!

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!!
We will be traveling Amsterdam, Holland, Lisbon, Portugal and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the next month. If you or any of your family, friends, and/or colleagues have contacts (alternative medicine practitioners, hotels, children, or simply friends and family) in these countries, please email us and let them know we are coming! Thanks for your support!

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY??
Please email us your thoughts, questions, comments, and/or suggestions about our newsletter and world tour. In addition, if you know people who can benefit from receiving future issues of “Globetrotting,” please forward their email addresses to us or simply forward the newsletter to them. You can reach us at chesney12@comcast.net

NEXT ISSUE!!:
Click on that email in two weeks when we tell you about Stockholm, Sweden. This is the home base of the Karolinska Institute, an organization dedicated to research for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. This is the home of blondes where Pratiksha sticks out like a sore thumb and where people love to eat muesli, yoghurt and smorgasbord. Until next time, keep globetrotting in your world!!

D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS
Trivia Answer # 1 - Thomas Cook established the first travel agency in the 1800s.
Trivia Answer # 2 - The onion is the most widely used vegetable in the world.

Thank you for listening and we’ll visit you again in two weeks!
Scott & Pratiksha Chesney

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