A weekend of meditation and dancing
Very much what I needed.
I definitely did need to spend a day just centering and meditating and reflecting. The indoor sitting and walking meditation were peaceful, and the outdoor walking meditation was breathtaking. The DoM was being held near the Bolton Heritage Land Trust, and walking over there, listening to the birds, and just observing the details of the land was wonderful.
The Dharma talk brought up some things I really needed to hear and be reminded of, most of all that it's utterly counterproductive to "should" oneself to death over things one actually enjoys and finds great benefit from. Dancing. Exercising. Meditating.
I'd never done a Dharma Share before. That was something I was very un-ready for. We paired off and each person had five solid minutes to share ... whatever. Five minutes of uninterrupted stream-of-consciousness talking about what sort of things had come up for me was ... challenging. But the woman I ended up partnered with was very encouraging and I did find value in the process.
I also discovered there is a sangha much closer than the one I visited last summer that I may visit once clinicals are over.
I was also reminded, however, that as much as Buddhist thought and practice influence my path, I am not and will likely never be Buddhist. I'm far too much a theist, and my relationship to Kwan Yin as a Goddess rather than Boddhisattva is something I really, really wish I could find local community support for, unlikely though that is. Talking with my friend on the way back, we both agreed that it would be so very much simpler to walk a single path, and while she's closer to doing so than I am, neither of us seem to "fit" on one pre-defined path.
It was sheer impulse and desperation that had me schedule a one-on-one session with my bellydance instructor to work on this choreography. The only time that worked was this morning, after I got off work. I was surprised, actually, at how energized I was, and a good thing, too. Definitely much-needed. I'd played the song and played with the song until I thought I knew it in and out, but she brought me back to the nuts and bolts of breaking down the segments or movements of the music and determining what I'm trying to convey with each.
We got about halfway through the song and brainstormed a bit on what sorts of movements and things could work with the rest. I'd stopped at CVS and picked up one of those one-time-use camcorders, and she recorded me doing what we'd worked out so far so that I could look at it and work out what I want to keep and what I want to change. Also made a follow-up appointment to see her on Friday before my massage.
It's fairly simple in terms of movement vocabulary, but that's what it needs to be. Thargelia comes every year, and I can make it more elaborate next time perhaps. Or not. Maybe simple is best.
Costuming shall be fun. I'm borrowing a white and gold petal skirt and trying to figure out what to put with it. She thought I had a top that could be made to work, but I'm not finding it. My new white shell could work, maybe, though sleeves would be good, especially flowy sleeves. A quick look over on Discout Dance Supply and other sites actually had me drooling over some of the liturgical dancewear that could work really, really well. If I had all kinds of money. And a minimum of seven weeks for manufacture and delivery of this lovely one. Again, maybe for next year or if it seems like something I'd use more than once. I already have a closet full of costumes gathering dust, after all. I don't usually lean towards white or gold, though, and that is the most logical color palette for Thargelia. Like red and green for Christmas.
But even all the wibbling about how to make it all work is energizing in its way and something I've really missed.
Amazing how I went to the Day of Mindfulness hoping to swing the pendulum a bit towards striking a balance with the Hellenism that's really starting to dominate my practice ... and then right back to focusing on preparing for Thargelia. Dance does speak to my soul in a way few things do, writing being another. So I suppose that's not terribly surprising. A tad ironic though.
And now to get cracking on studying for tomorrow's exam. I feel pretty good about it, but not quite good enough to just take a pass on the last-minute review ritual.
I definitely did need to spend a day just centering and meditating and reflecting. The indoor sitting and walking meditation were peaceful, and the outdoor walking meditation was breathtaking. The DoM was being held near the Bolton Heritage Land Trust, and walking over there, listening to the birds, and just observing the details of the land was wonderful.
The Dharma talk brought up some things I really needed to hear and be reminded of, most of all that it's utterly counterproductive to "should" oneself to death over things one actually enjoys and finds great benefit from. Dancing. Exercising. Meditating.
I'd never done a Dharma Share before. That was something I was very un-ready for. We paired off and each person had five solid minutes to share ... whatever. Five minutes of uninterrupted stream-of-consciousness talking about what sort of things had come up for me was ... challenging. But the woman I ended up partnered with was very encouraging and I did find value in the process.
I also discovered there is a sangha much closer than the one I visited last summer that I may visit once clinicals are over.
I was also reminded, however, that as much as Buddhist thought and practice influence my path, I am not and will likely never be Buddhist. I'm far too much a theist, and my relationship to Kwan Yin as a Goddess rather than Boddhisattva is something I really, really wish I could find local community support for, unlikely though that is. Talking with my friend on the way back, we both agreed that it would be so very much simpler to walk a single path, and while she's closer to doing so than I am, neither of us seem to "fit" on one pre-defined path.
It was sheer impulse and desperation that had me schedule a one-on-one session with my bellydance instructor to work on this choreography. The only time that worked was this morning, after I got off work. I was surprised, actually, at how energized I was, and a good thing, too. Definitely much-needed. I'd played the song and played with the song until I thought I knew it in and out, but she brought me back to the nuts and bolts of breaking down the segments or movements of the music and determining what I'm trying to convey with each.
We got about halfway through the song and brainstormed a bit on what sorts of movements and things could work with the rest. I'd stopped at CVS and picked up one of those one-time-use camcorders, and she recorded me doing what we'd worked out so far so that I could look at it and work out what I want to keep and what I want to change. Also made a follow-up appointment to see her on Friday before my massage.
It's fairly simple in terms of movement vocabulary, but that's what it needs to be. Thargelia comes every year, and I can make it more elaborate next time perhaps. Or not. Maybe simple is best.
Costuming shall be fun. I'm borrowing a white and gold petal skirt and trying to figure out what to put with it. She thought I had a top that could be made to work, but I'm not finding it. My new white shell could work, maybe, though sleeves would be good, especially flowy sleeves. A quick look over on Discout Dance Supply and other sites actually had me drooling over some of the liturgical dancewear that could work really, really well. If I had all kinds of money. And a minimum of seven weeks for manufacture and delivery of this lovely one. Again, maybe for next year or if it seems like something I'd use more than once. I already have a closet full of costumes gathering dust, after all. I don't usually lean towards white or gold, though, and that is the most logical color palette for Thargelia. Like red and green for Christmas.
But even all the wibbling about how to make it all work is energizing in its way and something I've really missed.
Amazing how I went to the Day of Mindfulness hoping to swing the pendulum a bit towards striking a balance with the Hellenism that's really starting to dominate my practice ... and then right back to focusing on preparing for Thargelia. Dance does speak to my soul in a way few things do, writing being another. So I suppose that's not terribly surprising. A tad ironic though.
And now to get cracking on studying for tomorrow's exam. I feel pretty good about it, but not quite good enough to just take a pass on the last-minute review ritual.