The unimaginable blessing of St. Petka

It was way back in 1998 when this life-transforming direct experience of Grace happened, and yet it is only now that I feel the time is right to share it…

The Church of St. Petka (or Paraskeva) is a true place of power with an amazing energy, located within the historic Kalemegdan park (also known as Belgrade fortress), the largest park and most important historical monument in Belgrade.

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/europe/kalemegdan-citadel.shtml

If you get a chance to go to Belgrade, aside from strolling through this beautiful park overlooking the confluence of Danube and Sava river, you should definitely experience the vibrations of this amazing Church as well and get the blessings of St. Petka. Her presence indeed can be felt there. In fact, the whole area around the Church and the little hill top nearby has an amazing vibration – whoever goes there feels refreshed and cleansed, although many probably don’t know why.

Moreover, there is a miraculous spring of water which appeared in front of the church with Her blessings. This water has special healing properties – small bottles with this healing water are distributed in the church.

Many people have had and continue having profound spiritual experiences at this humble little church of St. Petka – I remember reading the story of a Serbian soldier who was wounded and surrounded by the enemy. He prayed to St. Petka to protect him – he had nowhere to run as the enemy soldiers already surrounded him. The moment he thought his life is over, he suddenly realized that, even though they were standing right in front of him, the enemy soldiers could not see him! St. Petka protected him with a shield which made him invisible…

I would hereby like to share with you the experience I had in Dec 2008, an experience I will never forget…

That was the only time in my life when I sank so low that I did not care whether I would continue living or not. I totally lost my compass and what’s even worse, totally lost my self-respect. My mind made a big deal out of a mistake I made and a sort of a self-destructive mechanism got activated within me – there was no escape from my inner enemy and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Roaming around aimlessly all over Kalemegdan park on a cold winter day, I felt a pull to go to one specific area down the stairs covered with snow. I noticed a cute little building there and felt I should go inside. The moment I entered I realized it’s a Church. There was nobody inside and I took my time to carefully explore the frescos that cover the church walls and its ceiling/dome. It felt pleasant, with a beautiful vibe of loving intimacy. I was carrying a big load on my heart and simply I could not take it anymore.

The moment I noticed a painting with a compassionate expression of a frail saint dressed in black clothes of a renunciate, I looked into her eyes and started praying intensely, sharing all my sorrow with her. At that time I did not even know this was St. Petka (St. Paraskeva) a Christian saint and martyr (in brief, she lived in the 2nd century A.D. Born in a rich family, she divided up all her possessions among the poor and performed intense penance in the dessert. Due to her purity, she was given the blessing to perform miracles, which she used mainly for healing of the blind, deaf, etc. She was tortured by the Romans and her physical life ended in the year 140 when she was beheaded. During her life she performed many miracles, but even today she helps all those who pray to her with faith). I pleaded to her to help me start loving myself again and take me out of the quagmire I was in. My eyes were filling up with tears and thus my vision could have been slightly blurred, but at one moment I became breathless upon realizing – her eyes BECAME ALIVE. I will never forget those eyes and the intense compassion they radiated. They were a true fountain of bliss which, within seconds, melted all the negativities within me.

At that moment all my inner brakes were gone and I sobbed loudly, bowing to her and asking her to bless me. And then all the crying stopped – I felt a big internal shift. I could not really pinpoint what that was because my analytical mind simply stopped functioning. I just enjoyed the incredible state I was in – super energized and flooded with immense love. I felt expanded and totally blissful. There was no more pain and definitely no thoughts – I just was, blissfully aware of everything around me, witnessing every breath of mine, simply being. My breathing was very slow and I was not even blinking. My awareness was spread all around me and there was a sense of oneness with the entire creation. At one point I moved towards the door – like a queen in a big flowing gown, I walked gracefully towards the stairs covered with snow. It was as if I was moving in slow motion. As I was witnessing myself climbing the stairs, my legs were doing the job of climbing but I could not feel my leg muscles being utilized. I was like a big cloud, much more than just the physical body – this feeling of lightness and bliss was overwhelming.

The piercing cold wind ‘Kosava’ sure was blowing like every winter and my hair was flowing in the air, but I could not feel any cold on my face or anywhere else – as if I was within a huge glass shield filled with pure bliss! As I ‘floated’ through the entire Kalemegdan park with a blissful smile, I witnessed that whoever passed by me would turn. I was seeing only a portion of that with my physical eyes, but after they would pass me I could sense/see that they turned in wonder. I was aware of everything in 360 degrees around me…

This continued during the entire walk through the park and it was only when I entered the busy ‘Knez Mihajlova Street’ buzzing with people that the ‘glass shield’ suddenly disappeared. The cold Kosava wind made its presence known right away. I touched my face and just stood there, filled with awe and excitement, ‘digesting’ the experience. There was no trace of my self-hatred or any negative feeling whatsoever. My mind was not able to explain what just happened. All I knew was that I was as down as I could be and St. Petka uplifted me in the way I never thought was possible.

In the language of Christian Church, St. Petka is a saint and a martyr, while in spiritual terms she is a great Master who operates from higher realms of consciousness and continues to shower her blessings on those who connect with her with faith and an ‘open cup’.

What I didn’t know back in 1998 was that the blessing of St. Petka was not reserved to that singular experience. Ten years later, I recognized this blissful state once again – it marked another milestone in my life, the sacred moment when Mohanji initiated me into Shaktipat long-distance, i.e. astrally. After lying down for a couple of hours feeling as if I’m blissfully ‘floating on the waves’, I was asked to drive through the busy streets of Dubai, from Deira to Bur Dubai area, to conduct the Power of Purity meditation. Again, I was in this amazing expanded state, my eyes were ‘off focus’ due to intense energy in higher chakras. I was not even blinking, simply staring off focus and driving, but could see/sense everything around me. Driving in such a state would have been totally scary if the faith and surrender were not there. The energy was so strong and overwhelming that I felt I was burning in it, especially my spine. Mohanji was in Oman at that time and, even though I knew he is with me through this experience, I felt like contacted him over the phone as well to convey that the heat is becoming overwhelming. I thought he was joking when he told me I should have an ice-cream. I somehow reached my destination and stormed into the nearby supermarket – the moment I had the ice-cream I indeed felt better and settled into the experience. 🙂

Two years later, again, I recognized this most beautiful state which reminded me of St. Petka’s blessing – as always, it happened when least expected. There was a small group of us in Muscat who gathered to perform Pada Pooja (worship of the feet of the Master) to Mohanji. I was not familiar with the chants and I did not know about the subtle connection between the third eye and big toe, but the moment after I bowed to Mohanji touching his big toe (through which immense energy was oozing out) with my third eye/forehead, I felt a very powerful energy which catapulted me into this most beautiful blissful state once again. I barely managed to sit down and there I was again, in this most wonderful expanded state, as if within a huge ‘glass shield’ of purest beingness and bliss.

The journey continues on this Path of Pathlessness – there are no expectations, only deep gratitude and a deep desire to serve as the instrument of this Grace…

Love & Light,

Biba