Rafting down the river of life.. my typical ,day in/day out, course is quite peaceful and meandering. It is the kind of ride that one can easily get lost in observation..
How the dragonflies dart;
How the sun dapples the waters through lush canopies of vegetation;
How the spray bounces off rocks and makes happy little rainbows;
How the minnows flit and flash while the trouts glide seamlessly;
How the three faces that continuously fill my sight glow and smile;
How their laughter harmonizes with the river song.
This life.. Its a lovely, drowsy kind of passage. It is "Slow the Go" if you know what I mean. Im looking mostly at Heather right there. To clarify.. I have always embraced the creed "Slow and steady wins the race."
Sometimes, however (like this past weekend) my waters merge with another's and my course takes an abrupt turn or gains momentum. Life expands and the senses are engaged.. challenged even, New sights and sounds abound and whiz past at accelerated speeds. This time, however, I am comfortably sitting upon a speedboat. I tied the chub tub up at the fork and climbed aboard a new vessel. Heather stood confident at the helm. She knows those waters well. I was along for the ride... drinking it all in... by the teacup... Or the wine glass.
It was warm and a tad muggy as the kids and I pulled into Burbank. It was much nicer weather than we would have had staying home and facing the "Atmospheric River" that bombarded the region with whipping winds and driving rains. Greg, all the while, was in Vermont enduring the ice and cold while meeting other students in his Masters Program during a week intensive course.
Anyway, we were welcomed to the land of production studios and stars with warm-hearted hospitality as Heather and her son, Hunter, opened their home to us. After settling in and sharing some tea and Pad Thai we were off to our first adventure.. a sound bath at a yoga studio L.A. A sound bath is essentially a meditation session where someone plays gongs and singing bowls while you lie comfortably and listen. The music swirls around you and through you. In one ear, out the other. Rising and falling like the tides. All one needs to do during a sound bath is let the music wash over. The premise of this practice is that the tones and modulation of the sound work as a healing instrument by interacting with our own vibration and energetic frequencies and bring them into tune. (Here is a sample). The results were varied for our group. Connor fell asleep, Willow's experience was rather like fighting demons and she came out very seasick (She recovered quickly enough), I simply floated on the sound. Heather drifted into a deep trance and Hunter got wired. After that we returned home as Heather pointed out museums and the stadium from the freeway. A late night of wine, muffin making and merriment commenced.
The next day we packed up some snackage and headed to the L.A. convention for the Conscious Life Expo. Three floors of Healers/Energy Workers, Psychics, Astrologers, venders of related sorts and tons of workshops. We started out by attending the "Stargate Experience." This was a guided meditation in a room with a huge metal pyramid sculptury thing whose design was based on a sacred geometric pattern. The guided meditation was lead by a pair of channelers. Connor swayed himself in to a quick slumber, Willow was rather doubtful about the validity of the journey. She thought it farcical the moment the man with the microphones voice changed and Althazar's presence was heard. He sounded kind of Scottish actually. I'm not sure how Heather was effected, I can tell you that despite a crumb of doubt, I was gently yet profoundly effected by the experience. Through the process we were guided progressively out to various dimensions (All the way to the 16th or so). We stopped along the way and were introduced to the energy of the angels, and other celestial beings. And as we traveled I could feel these very slight and illusive changes to the energy around us. It was like passing through a fine foggy mist that was not water. At every change of dimension this seemed to occur. I first felt the energy shift around my calves and my shins and once recognized it would then engulf me. And at one point I got a distinct mental image. A nightscape of pyramids like those in Egypt but these were not on Earth. I don't typically envision things this way so it was unexpected but did not feel startling. Then we were talked down. During the process, something else unusual happened. Let me preface this with a little bit of background. I am often slightly weepy and require a regular dapping at the corner of my eye. These are silent unobtrusive tears and they are not problematic.. actually they are a healthy release for me. They happen when my heart strings are played... And honestly.. when aren't my hearstrings being played? My tears are as necessary to me as gentle rain is in Spring. Anyway.. during this experience, sheets of water unexpectedly fell down my cheeks. Literally.. SHEETS! So much release you would expect sobs or sorrow but no. This overflow of tears was rooted in a profound sense of peace.It was an intense magnification of the same feeling I get when I step into a Catholic Cathedral, a country church, a Buddhist monastery, a Sikh Ashram, A Quaker meditation, A drum circle. Really any place where people gather in spirit. But that sense is also there when I step into: The forest, A stream, The Ocean, A Garden. When I behold sunrise and sunset, a flower, a bird, When I hear certain sounds, words, lyrics. When I stop to feel the wind.
After that we traveled down the corridor to another presentation. This one was hosted by Susan Miller. She is a world renowned Astrologer and she was discussing 2015 and all the potential it holds. It was interesting. Turns out Libras need to have more fun. They have been very stuck in work mode for the last 5 years and this year that pattern will break up some and life will be more playful. She instructed Libras to embrace and really use social media. There was a Q and A session afterwards and Heather (a fellow libra although she and I are as opposite as night and day in so many ways!) was one of the few lucky participants that got to take the mike. This is what Susan had to say about Heathers love life which was weighing heavily on her mind the whole weekend.
After that and a recuperative lunch break we returned to the lecture halls to catch the discussion on Starwater given by my scientist crush, Ben Davidson. Heather made me pose with him when she saw me trying to take a picture stealthily through my fingers.
After that we traveled down the corridor to another presentation. This one was hosted by Susan Miller. She is a world renowned Astrologer and she was discussing 2015 and all the potential it holds. It was interesting. Turns out Libras need to have more fun. They have been very stuck in work mode for the last 5 years and this year that pattern will break up some and life will be more playful. She instructed Libras to embrace and really use social media. There was a Q and A session afterwards and Heather (a fellow libra although she and I are as opposite as night and day in so many ways!) was one of the few lucky participants that got to take the mike. This is what Susan had to say about Heathers love life which was weighing heavily on her mind the whole weekend.
After that and a recuperative lunch break we returned to the lecture halls to catch the discussion on Starwater given by my scientist crush, Ben Davidson. Heather made me pose with him when she saw me trying to take a picture stealthily through my fingers.
I am glad she gave me a push. But then she has always been good at getting me out into the world. Which is one of the many things that I adore about her. Anyway, we sat in the front row, Connor fell dead asleep. (I think he must be growing). Ben's lecture spoke to the fact that water is everywhere in the universe. As such, aliens are unlikely to come here seeking to steal it from us. There was more to it but as Heather and Willow found out, Sun science has is own language and if you haven't brushed up on it you can get a little lost. I thought it was great though.
Then we wandered the floors and checked out venders. We met one of Heather's spiritual mentors, Helaine, whose grandson looked incredibly like Con. We tried samples, filled out forms and gabbed with salespeople. Wait.. the gabbing was mostly Heather. That girl can talk! But shes fun to listen to! Anyway, I ended up picking up a little something to take home called the Muzoracle. I still need to look at it a little more before commenting much here but so far I have found it fascinating.
After that we got a night driving tour of various L.A. hot spots like Hollywood Blvd. and "Urban Lights" Art exhibit on Wilshire. Fun Fun Fun.
A collection of the other trip pics I took can be seen here. The next day we enjoyed tea and muffins and set off for home, I can't thank Heather and Hunter enough for their open home and fine company. It was a great trip.
