"Dealing with loss is something everyone can relate to. At some point in our lives we all go through periods of pain and abandonment." Oh brother. I knew today's Circle of Love and Compassion session was going to be bad when I heard Kamie was going to be the moderator. Unfortunately this is not something you can know in advance. It's only when you arrive and look up at the sheet on the wall do you discover which class you'll be in and the instructor. At least Mike and Christina were here. I didn't recognize the others and was a little apprehensive after listening to the first couple of "discovery rounds".
Kamie: The point of today's journey is for you to discover your happy place. This is a place of infinite calm, infinite beauty, a place we all have within us. We just need to find it. To begin I want you to visualize the Grand Canyon. Close your eyes now. Relax your muscles. Right now your on a hang glider. Can you feel it? Can you feel the wind in your face and your body so weightless? Now look to your right. Drink in the view. Examine the canyon from head to toe. Do you notice how the color of the wall changes? Very good. Very good. You're doing great. Now chin up. Look above you. What do you see? Do you see what I see? A cloud in the shape of a couch with little heart clouds as pillows. That's where we're headed. That's the first stop.
Ahhh. Happy hour. That's what my friends and I called these types of sessions. It's amazing if you do these sessions with the right people and person leading. My friend Jill told me a story of how one of her sessions centered around a bullet train. She got so wrapped up in the mental place they were headed that for the next three nights she had dreams of having tea and reading papers written in foreign languages and tiny bathrooms. "But do you remember where you were headed?" I asked her. "One time it was Istanbul. Another time Cairo. And the other time I could never find out. The plot of that last dream revolved around finding out where I was going."
But I digress. I need to go back to my glider. God I wish I actually was on a glider in the Grand Canyon.
Kamie: Okay. Good. Very good class. You are all doing so wonderfully today. I'm so proud of you. Alright, now we're going to open our eyes. Slowly. Slowly open them. One at a time. The girls start with the left eye. Boys, the right eye. Okay. Good. Now look around you. I want you to focus on the person sitting across from you. Be nice, give them some of your energy. Smile. Now close your eyes, think of that person flying next to you. We're back in the Grand Canyon, but for only a short while longer. That person is going to be your buddy. We all need spiritual friends, class. That's something I want you to remember. Whatever stream your floating down in life, we all need spiritual friends.
Great Kamie. Awesome. Where did you learn that?
Kamie: It's just you and your buddy. You are gliding near an outcropping. Can you see the trees just beyond that rock with a human-like face? Just beyond those trees is a giant waterfall. That's where we're headed next. For the moment I want you to imagine your buddy's face. I want you to think about how you'd react if you saw a large bird, a pelican say, crash into your buddy's glider. How would you react if their wing broke and they started falling? Do you have a plan in mind? You're buddy is there for you, but you need to be there for him or her too. Good. Very good.
Jesus.
Kamie: Okay people. We're almost to the waterfall. Things are going to change now. The wind is much stronger. Prepare yourself. Remember what we learned about keeping your glider afloat. Last week's training is invaluable. We're about to put it into practice. In a few moments you will face the turbulent winds. If you make it across the gully and to the outcropping, hot sandwiches for lunch await you. If you make it only halfway and stop at the rock above the waterfall, it's cold sandwiches. Either way look out for picnic baskets and nice place to land. On the count of three you're going be to mentally ready and you'll open your eyes. One...Two...Three...
