My Relationship with God

From Illness to Faith: Awakening my Personal Relationship with God

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” — Joseph Campbell

In 2015, I embarked on my sixth trip to India and experienced one of the most enlightening journeys of my life. India has always been a mecca for spiritual explorations as it is so rich with culture, diversity and spirituality. So my girlfriend and I decided to visit Osho’s Ashram in Pune to meditate and delve into the deeper aspects of ourselves.

During our third week there, I was bitten by a mosquito carrying dengue fever. My energy plummeted, and my consciousness spiraled into a very dark, deep hole as the illness consumed my entire body. My inner guidance urged me not to go to the hospital next door and to face the illness head-on.

I spent the next 6 days in a scorching hot room next to a busy, polluted, congested roadway, teeming with honking cars. My girlfriend needed to go out as our room, unfortunately had no air conditioning and I wanted her to enjoy this amazing meditation resort. Yet, every day that I lay there sweating and unable to move, I felt myself descending deeper into an unforgiving hell.

I didn’t know it was dengue in the beginning and thought I just had a small fever. Yet, after the fifth day, my system became very fragile after a week. I barely had the energy to stand up and walk to the bathroom. By the seventh day, I was lying in bed, feeling myself slipping away from my body and moving towards the Light. I wondered if this was the end of my life. I felt this gentle pull towards the other side which felt so calming and expansive, and then a gentle voice asked me directly, “What is your relationship with God?”