Dear Wise Women,
So much to say about our class last night, though I don't think words will come close to describe the magic that transpired. As Leslie put it, "We totally blew the roof off that place last night with our circle of energy. Just wow."
What I've discovered over the past several weeks is that our circle sharing creates an opening for our energy to move towards. A thread is woven between us and then our collective energy weaves this thread into a tapestry of truth and healing. The more we allow this guidance the more divine it becomes. Last night was a perfect example of this. From June and Michelle's serendipitous drawing of the card "voice" to Michelena's call to bring us together.
"VOICE" the card drawn by both June and Michelle and that June so eloquently shared in our circle. I believe that this (extremely powerful) message paved the way for the story of the "Two Birds" to carry such deep meaning for all of us and to evoke such powerful imagery, imagery that inspired Michelena to receive a vision and to act upon the calling to have us entwine our arms.
“This card expresses a desire for you to tell your stories, stories of your life, stories you’ve read, and wisdom you’ve learned through your journey on life’s path. Share your experiences and nourish others with your stories. Touch others with your memories of life however big or small. They are a treasure found in the time capsule of your heart at the precise time and place required, waiting to share and acknowledge who we are in the scheme of things.
Lending an ear will help others to tell more stories. Women need to tell more stories. Open the silent doors of wisdom and power within, and unleash the tales of magic in everyday life the short profound moments of mystery, the everyday humor of our daily experiences, the knowledge of our similar paths. Show each other we are here, ready to stand up and reveal who we are to one another. This will continue feeding our wisdom, nourishing our souls, empowering our beings so that others know that they too walk a worthy and powerful life.
Never underestimate the power of a story. Stories lead us to places of knowing within. Let your stories be heard.”
Earlier today, I was inspired to share on Facebook. I don't post often so I put quite a bit of time and thought into the posts I do share. The words that came to me this morning spoke so clearly to me that I would like to share them here as well:
“A time of endings and beginnings!
Serendipitously the day I signed a rental contract for my new space was also my last day of classes at Wolf Willow Studio.
Two years ago Michelena Bamford welcomed me into her studio and introduced me to her extensive network of friends and clients. Without her support, Practicing Grace Qigong would not be what it is today, and I am truly grateful.
After my cancer recovery I knew with total clarity that I wanted my classes to be a gathering of women. I wanted to facilitate and unleash the sacred power of women gathering in a circle. My vision was to create a space where group sharing invites an opening for healing energy to move towards, and I wanted to allow myself and the group to follow the guidance of this energy into our qigong movements and visualizations.
Over the past nine weeks this vision has truly come to life! Last night’s closing circle was the most perfect culmination of all I have worked towards and dreamed of. To hear comments such as “this circle is about friendship, “this is my weekly trip to the gas pump”, “I’m always amazed how powerful each week is”, truly warmed my heart. Perhaps most powerful was when, Michelena added to our visualization of trees by guiding us to entwine our arms and see ourselves both hugging a large tree and being the tree itself. It was divine and was a perfect punctuation point for me, a transition from being a “teacher” to being a “true facilitator” of women’s circles and of calling forth group energy.”
THE TWO BIRDS
BY MOOJI
Some time ago, I saw a picture depicting a parable from the Bhagavad Gita. It showed two birds in a tree, and one of them was building a nest. This one is flying off collecting things, arranging the twigs—it’s active, doing many things.
Above this bird, on another branch, is a second bird. It looks identical to the first bird, but it’s not building anything. It is just observing. It’s not building a self-image out of its perceiving, and it’s not deeply interested in any aspect of what it sees. Its perceiving is happening quite spontaneously without effort or judgment. There’s a silence there, that feeling of Being without thought. Just looking.
This is a beautiful portrait of who we are.
These two birds are connected. The first bird represents our dynamic being, the self that is engaged in the world, in future and past, in growing. It is the aspect that is living life with the sense of my family, my children, my work, and so on. The second bird represents that conscious witnessing within us. It is the ability to observe life taking place and activities unfolding, but it is not actually doing anything. It is still within the same body, but it is not manipulating. It is not saying, “I hope this, and I fear that.” No, it is very still. It is simply there, and its seeing is panoramic. It sees not only the first bird, but also the wind in the trees, the sky—everything is observed with a kind of neutrality.
Initially the first bird is very identified with building the nest. It may not even be aware of the second bird. But as soon as it is able to be quiet, it becomes aware of the second bird, which is actually itself at a deeper inner level. When the first bird’s mind is synchronized with the second bird, the activities become much more gracious. There is a sense of a unity, a oneness. In that harmony, the work may still happen but without obsession, without fear, without the sense of needing to control things. It is simply happening because life compels this activity to happen. It is as though another power is helping the actions to take place.
The second bird represents the change of perspective from the mode of the person to the state of presence. When we are involved in the activities of life so deeply that it seems that the daily routine is all there is, then we are like this first bird, the nest builder, oblivious to our second bird position.
Come to the second bird position, to the one who is observing, and you will discover that the one who is busy building a life will slowly become more transparent, leaving only the functioning itself. The activities are happening anyway, beautifully, but the sense of doer-ship—which is the ego sense—will fade away. Activities are just happening; our self-image as a person is just happening, but our true Self is not a happening. In fact, the true Self is a third position, which is not a bird, but the space within which both birds are arising and seen.
I wish each of you the most glorious summer and I sincerely hope you can join me in my new digs at St. Stephen's Anglican Church beginning on September 10th.
xo
Patti
St. Stephen's Anglican Church, 1121 - 14 Ave SW