living the questions…
It was a Palm Springs conference in the 90’s when anthropologist Angeles Arrien, spoke directly to my soul. Her lecture topic: commonalities across indigenous cultures in the art of healing. There was one custom that connected several cultures. A person seeking medical attention would go to the village shaman who opened the healing session with this inquiry:
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop dancing?
When did you stop listening to stories?
When did you stop making time for silence?
With knife sharp acuity, each question penetrated and rocked my world. Because right there, in the middle of my life, in a chapter of grow grow grow---marriage, children, career---it was about making it through each day. And then getting up and doing it again. Tantalizing bits and pieces of those four jewels dangled willy nilly in my life. But there was only time to nibble, never to fully digest.
And though it was never a conscious plan, somehow, here in the final chapter, these four treasures are thriving. In fact, in the next three days all four---singing, dancing, stories, silence---are up for a fully digestible experience. So my invitation today is to maybe ask yourself these questions and then simply follow Rilke’s sage advice:
Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you, because then you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now.
So just to stir a desire in you to live these intriguing questions, here are some links to inspire:
· Tonight I am Writing with the Moon at 6:00. I’ve always seemed to carve out time for writing. Even when it was only hasty journal scribbles. And I have loved writing on line in community with Holly Holt. The communal experience encourages me to write my stories, tell my stories and, most importantly, listen to the stories of others. Come join me!
· Wednesday Waves at 6:30 begins again tomorrow. At last! Of the four gems, dancing was most persistently wedged into my life. Even if it was a quick boogie on the living room floor with the kids. After long last, this potent healer is fully manifest…more than 20 years now. Dance is integral to my health and well-being.
· This Thursday I sink into silence for three meditative hours right here at home. This is recommended practice for an extended silent retreat this November at Green Gulch. Somehow, in the midst of all that crazy I began doing 20 minute sits nearly 40 years ago. There was a ten day silent retreat when I turned sixty. Five days for my 75th year feels right.
· Finally, on Thursday night I am singing. I was always in chorus in school. After that it was singing to my children or belting it out in my car or shower. And there was a surprising delightful stint of acapella doo wop in 1991. For the last few months I’ve been in professional trade mode with Bobby Halvorson. I sit at his piano and he teaches me new ways to use my voice and breath. And then he rolls around my studio floor and I teach him new ways to be with his body and breath. It is a match made in heaven since we are both anatomically curious geeky. He is starting a Thursday night community chorus. More info HERE.
So many healing roads we might choose to travel toward healing. It is a coincidence these four have shown up at the same time for me. It is just a moment in time. It is my humble belief that embodiment---the skill of full presence to our somatic experience---is the foundational prerequisite for embarking on any healing road. And an embodied practice is a road in and of itself. Let’s meet on any of these gem-filled roads sprinkled in the calendar.
❤️Bella