Examining the ways things have come to me, I'll look at what's in my life now and trace back to the instigating event.
Lisa
About a year and a half ago, my friend Judith asked me to attend a Solstice concert in Oakland. Or was it an Equinox concert? Lots of wonderful music, and it was produced in part by Lisa Rafel. I think I put my name on an email list to get updates. Nothing happened, and I forgot about it. Then in the fall of 2008, I got an email announcing a class called The Five Worlds. It sounded intriguing; I signed up and went. Now I am in a group of women who study wih Lisa, and I've done one individual session with her. It was life transforming. I found the place of "no need" from which I can shine my light. It's all so new, I don't know how it'll turn out. But I've had some dreams that tell me I'm on the right path.
Dream Work and North of Eden
This is the most important work I've ever done (though I wonder if the work with Lisa may overtake it). In June, 2003, I was matched with a man from Ohio by Moveon.org, which invited its members to participate in a set of phone conversations. The man and I became friends through the conversation, and in 2006, he mentioned he did dream work. I asked about it and said I had an interest and made time to find out more. Then one night I had a dream that I was running from a cosmic force in the sky which wanted to kill me. I ran onto a yacht, got below deck and hid. In the middle of the night, I woke up and wrote down four words on a paper so I could remember the dream and record it in full. I wrote, "Cosmic force, run, boat, hide" and went back to sleep. In the morning, I remembered the words, but when I looked at the paper, it was blank. That night I called and made a dream work appointment, and for the last three years, I have been deepy involved in this life transforming work.
Finding my Wallet at the Detroit Airport
I still look back on this with awe. I was changing planes in Detroit. I got out my laptop, got out my credit card holder and input my card number to their wireless service, did my business, shut down the laptop, and went for a walk. The terminals in the Detroit airport are so long, there is a light rail system inside to ferry passengers around. I walked and walked and soon came to a Harley Davidson store. My brother in law Bob has a Harley, and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to get his Christmas present here? A Harley shirt from the Motor City! I walked inside the store, and they didn't have the one I liked in his size. So, I gave up and started to walk out, and I noticed the Detroit Harley dealer is named "Bob's Bikes". Uh oh. I just knew I had to get a shirt there, and I did find one I liked, and in the right size. I went to fish out my credit card holder, and it was not there. Oh my GAWD, I had left it back on the seat (miles away) where I had used my laptop! What are the chances I'd find it, in Detroit of all places? I ran back, and there it was, on the seat.
But that's not the miracle. The miracle was the presence of the Harley Store and the name of the dealer, "Bob's Bikes". Were it not for the fact that I just had to have the shirt, I would never have found my wallet, which had my driver's license along with the credit cards.
Biodanza
Here's another community and practice that is so integral to my life, I cannot imagine not doing it. I went for a massage with a man named Rainbowheart, about 4 or 5 years ago. For some reason, he mentioned that he did this dancing, and he thought I'd be interested in it. He took me to the firs class. I liked it so much, I came again. And again. Now I have been doing it for years, can work at an intermediate/advanced level, and I cannot imagine not having this activity and community in my life. Rainbowheart has since moved to Thailand, and has passed on from this world, but I remember him every so often as I sit with the community before we dance.
Mostly Motets
I've been a choral singer for many years, but I've never had a good opinion of myself. However, when we lost our music director where I'd been singing and an interim director came in, I learned that I did ok. I sang well! I started developing enough confidence that, when I saw an email announcement that Mostly Motets was looking for altos, I decided that, since I missed early Renaissance music, I'd audition. I never audition! But I did anyway, figuring that if I didn't make it, the worst that would happen was that my life wouldn't change. Well, I made it. And I'm singing with this amazing group of only 14 people. Who knows where this will take me?
