Diwali: Trance Storytelling & Sound Journey in Oakland

Trance storytelling, live sound healing & Reiki for Diwali. Rest in the luminous dark with Romona & Virpal. West Oakland, Bay Area.

Diwali: A Celebration of the Luminous Dark

Trance Storytelling & Sound Journey

Across much of India, Diwali is the festival of lights. In Bengal, this same dark moon night belongs to Kali.

On the eve of Kali Puja, we turn toward something different: not the lamp held against the darkness, but the radiance that lives within darkness itself. The luminous dark.

We are living in chaotic times. Our ancestors met chaos with fierceness and wisdom, and we can too. In this gathering, we hear the ancient tale of the Goddess’s battle with the most relentless demon of all.

Through trance storytelling and sound journeying, we drop beneath the surface and, rather than turn toward the light, we discover the innate strength of the deep, fertile dark.

Trance storytelling: Sacred story told over live sound, received not with the mind but with the body, in a deep, dreamlike state of listening.

Sound healing & Reiki: The story is carried on layered, live sound: singing bowls, gong, and other instruments. Sound and vibration help quiet the mind and settle the nervous system into deep rest. Virpal will also weave Reiki, a gentle practice of channeled universal energy, through the sound journey. You stay fully clothed and resting on your mat, with no touch and nothing to do but receive.

What to expect

• Arrival and settling
• Trance storytelling woven with live sound
• Sound healing with Reiki energy support throughout
• Integration and rest

Emotional release, deep relaxation, or energetic shifts may arise. All are welcome and held in an intentional container.

Who it’s for: Open to all. No experience with sound healing, trance work, or Hindu traditions is needed, only a willingness to lie down and listen.

What to bring: A yoga mat, blanket, or anything you'd like to lie down on, and an eye covering if desired for deeper relaxation and immersion, as well as a closed water bottle for hydration.

Energy exchange: $35. Direct payment via Venmo, Zelle, or CashApp is available for community members (message or email virpal@risinglotusreiki.com for details).

Parking & Arrival

• Address: BAMBU Pharm (1 block from W. Oakland BART) exact address sent day before event upon RSVP / ticket purchase
• Arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before start time. Give yourself time to find parking.
• 2 hour street parking 8am-6pm, unlimited after 6pm. BART lot is free on weekends. The neighborhood is safe, however it is not advised to leave valuables visible in your car.
• Shoes off space- BAMBU Pharm is a shoes off space w/ outdoor patio. Socks & Slippers are welcome!
• To participate in BAMBU Pharm events, all guests must fill out our “community roots membership” form once. To save time at the door, here’s the link for them to fill out in advance.: https://forms.gle/WPEkxUxZ6w6XH3q98

For questions: virpal@risinglotusreiki.com

Your Guides:

Romona Mukherjee – Storyteller & Guide

Romona offers counsel for those navigating life's thresholds — moments when the old self begins to dissolve and something deeper begins to stir. With formal training from Columbia University and over two decades of experience in therapeutic practice, she brings the grounded presence of a seasoned clinician into the subtle, soulful realms of personal transformation.

Her storytelling draws from her Bengali roots and study of Shakta teachings, where the Goddess is never only a symbol — she is the river, the moth, the dark moon, and even the random UPS lady. Romona's body of work, The Hidden Current, is a wisdom well for those who trust the quiet knowing of the body, see the mythic beauty in everyday moments, and yearn to know the deeper truth within the mystery of this life. Her work is neither therapy nor coaching, but something older, a re-membering.

To learn more about working with Romona, contact her at romona@therapytoevolve.com

Virpal Kaur is a Reiki Master & Sound Healer

Virpal Kaur is a Reiki Master in the Usui lineage and founder of Rising Lotus Reiki.

Rooted in the Sikh tradition and ancestral healing pathways, she guides individuals back to themselves through sound, energy work, somatic practice, and community-based ritual.

Her offerings include Reiki sessions, sound healing journeys, trainings, women’s circles, ceremonies, and retreats, all designed to support emotional release, nervous system regulation, and reconnection with inner truth. She also crafts herbal remedies rooted in traditional plant wisdom.

Virpal weaves mantra, vibration, and lineage-based wisdom into her facilitation, holding grounded, heart-centered spaces where participants can rest, realign, and receive. This facilitation is further informed by her ongoing somatic integration training, honoring the body not only as a place where experience lives, but as a source of wisdom in its own right, a practice she brings to all who arrive, regardless of where they’re starting from.

Her work is devoted to restoring a sense of sacred interconnectedness, within ourselves, with each other, and with the Earth.

Continue the journey: Private Reiki and somatic integration sessions, Reiki trainings, and women’s circles in the Bay Area. risinglotusreiki.com