I attended two events recently that inspired me dearly. Both were rituals to varying degrees. Ritual is a powerful tool for community building, for collective growth and deep individual work. It is not often that I get to witness and participate ritual of this sort, so I wish to share my experiences in writing.
The first event was the Bioneers conference (www.bioneers.org) held October 19-21 in San Rafael. This is an astounding gathering of beings eager to think and act outside conventional boxes, develop sound methods for living, and reinvent the world. The conference touched on permaculture, agricultural systems, energy systems, radical change to economic systems, integrated living (spiritual, movement, meditative, and other practices), organic products, progressive publications, healthy foods, raising children, lobbying government, the California energy crisis, and the list goes on. The speaker lineup this year was incredible. With all the chaos developing around the globe, the timing of this conference was just right, and brought to our awareness the crucial need for rethinking our society.
The folks from Pacific Domes had erected a 34' geodesic dome next to the lagoon. The Bioneers rented the dome as a "chill" space, a quiet room for meditation, napping, Zen sand garden, bodywork, yoga, and movement. The altar erected there was beautiful, with a gorgeous, three-tined bamboo fountain. I was there most of Saturday giving Breema treatments to conference participants who needed a break, presenters, crew, and media types. As I sat at one woman's head working on her neck, I looked up and saw a complete postcard: I'm sitting inside of this beautiful, airy, light dome with a fountain trickling, overlooking the lagoon and willow trees, with hills rising in the background to kiss the white puffy clouds floating through the intensely blue sky. How serene! Giving Breema is always a spiritually and physically rewarding experience, and gives me a delicious opportunity to be present and alive in my body. This gift transmits through the atmosphere which is created to touch my recipient. The responses were wonderful.
Later that night, three of us taught a self-Breema class to a group of about 35 people!! I was astounded at the turnout - the dome was full of people interested in taking a "body break" and finding out more about Breema.
I have not yet described the ritual I mentioned in the opening... for me the whole day became a ritual. Lots of opportunities to look at myself, and watch my reactions as myriads of beautiful boys strolled by! Not many connections on that front, as per my usual story (which I'm trying hard to give up! :) But definitely filled my spirit with the positive vibration of the conference.
That night there was a huge drum circle around this interesting four- sided sculpture. I'd guess about 150 people gathered to shake it all out and get funky. I couldn't help myself gawking at all the amazing dreadhead boys drumming and dancing. Where do these kids GO for the rest of the year?! I'm just not in the right places, I guess. Kind souls, everyone I met and observed that day, and this was my chance to revel in that spirit.
Julia "Butterfly" comes out to tell us that the kids' dance performance is about to begin. From several counties, these kids have come together in an after-school program to develop a dance performance-ritual that they'll now share with the conference participants. At least a thousand people gather in the exhibit hall to watch as these girls perform a tribute to the redwoods, act out various roles and subcultures, do "street theater" and acrobatics and rap their poetry. Awesome experience.
Before the dance performance, however, was an intensely spiritual invocation of the elements by a group known as eARTh Troupe. Four characters embodied the elements of the four directions, and graced us with their beautiful litanies. Each invited us to experience the element embodied. For example, air called on us to breathe deeply with her many times, to feel the connection that air gives us to each other. We all sighed deeply together, which further relaxed the atmosphere in the room. This is a week out of memory now, so the others are less clear, but this troupe definitely created sacred space. They performed later but unfortunately I had to leave and scavenge for food.
The next day I attend a workshop on Permaculture with Penny Livingston of the Permaculture Institute (whom I think is doing or has given trainings along with Starhawk) and Brock Dolman of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. First some salmon theater (haha) and then slide shows of permaculture in action with inspiring stories.
Next I attend a workshop titled "Practical Magic" with Hunter Lovins of Rocky Mountain Institute, Janine Beynus and Walter Link. Of course, as a witch, the title of their workshop caught my attention, though I expected nothing really about magic. The workshop focused on systems thinking and natural capitalism, and was mostly a Q&A session. A few questions about agriculture and the demise of small organic farms, and how to combat corporate farming. A compatriot from dance raised the point that definitions can often get co-opted, particularly "sustainability," so a lively discussion ensued about the power of language and how people's views are shaped by language and particularly the characteristics of those definitions. I really like Hunter, she calls things as they are very matter-of-factly and isn't afraid to offer a new vision and direction.
Another ritual that really moved me at this conference was the Closing Ceremony. Astrologer Caroline Casey presided with her poignant sense of humor, and gave us a great speech on the cosmic tidbits relevant to all of us in the present day. I can't call up all her jokes, but the funniest was her comparison of Dubya to bin Laden. Power-hungry character with a desire for revenge, access to lots of money and weapons of destruction, and strong ties to the oil-controlling families of the Middle East. "Great, we are waging war on Shadow. Jungian analyst needed on White House Cabinet, please apply."
The ritual opened with a riotous drum procession that had everyone in the exhibit hall shaking and waving their hands. Caroline spoke, then thanked all the crews, presenters, and organizers. Then several folks on stage approached the mic and shared some short piece of wisdom, or a quote from a famous philosopher or activist. If you agreed with what was said, you would raise your hands high and exclaim "ashé" (whatever language this comes from, I'm sure I have it spelled wrong, but whatever). Forgive me, I have no memory for what was actually said, save an interesting quote from, I believe, Woodrow Wilson? oh I can't remember, former president anyway, that if the people want peace, the government had best stand out of the way and let them have it. So Caroline started out, we all yelp "Ashé!" and the drummers start in with a big booty shaking rhythm. Everyone dances around, smiling, actually looking at each other, making warm eye contact. A whistle blows, the drumming stop, and the cycle continues.
Every year a group of witches known as the Reclaiming community puts on a big public ritual in San Francisco for Samhain, the pagan new year, the darkest point in the year when the veil between the worlds is thin and the ancestors can visit this world. Various contortions of this old pagan holiday give us Halloween, which occurs on the same day. Yesterday was the logical time to hold the event, a weekend when many can attend, and the crowd grew to upwards of 2,000. Once again, this was a spectacular event. And I guess the word "spectacle" belongs in there, too, because it's always a pageantry of street theater, elaborate costumes and performance, with some really beauitful litany.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the ritual, one because I simply shouldn't given the nature of that kind of work, and two because a public ritual like this is best experienced directly. Indeed ritual is about participation, not observation. Being public, there were people there more out of curiosity than personal pagan leanings, or interest in "trying something new." Indeed there were also lots of witches, and of course lots of Reclaiming folk.
The chorus was stunning and well-rehearsed. Starhawk once again led the Spiral Dance, in which everyone in attendance joins hands to make a chain that then snakes in and spirals around like following a labyrinth.
The altars were once again incredible. North, earth, was partially dedicated to Judy Foster, a witch, food activist and friend of many pagans who passed just over a year ago. Water was a combination of a flowing fountain, blue fabric, and a declaration of water rights. The invocation of water had a political bent to it, which struck home for me that the next global crisis will center around life's most precious and necessary resource. Fire was very.. um.. sexual :) Air was breathtaking, no pun intended, and my whole body responded to the space as soon as I entered it. There were altars for the victims of the WTC bombings, for Afghanistan, for the forests, the animals, and Faeries. There was a "graveyard" at the entrance with short quips, witticisms, and nuggets of wisdom written on them. I still find it amazing that such a community exists, can come together with this kind of vision, and put on such a ritual as this.
I find that while my trances can be deep, I have trouble with the alpha state of consciousness. One moment there can be a guided visualization, or a connected sense of higher self, and the next moment can be a fleeting dream image that seems to have no meaning. Really it's like falling asleep, and I find that I do fall lightly asleep during trance. I was able, somewhat, to discern between these two states. And I did have an amazing moment with an ancestor and was given a golden nugget of wisdom, almost like a power object that I can continue to carry with me.
A cool bit of serendipity.. during the ritual I sat next to two boys who appeared to be a couple. At one point we turn to meet at least three of our neighbors and greet them. I turn to one of these boys, who recognizes me from my picture on the net, and we realize that we're both on an e-group together. I ended up joining up with them for the Spiral Dance. Sometimes I lose faith in the Internet as a medium for meeting people, but I really can't lose faith in San Francisco and the Bay Area, for truly amazing and often bizarre things happen here. And such serendipitous moments seem to be plenty for the asking, and only require receptivity and surrender.
So now I'm left feeling like I should say something profound about ritual. Ritual can indeed be profound, but the act of it and the magic that it creates and opens is the real stuff of life. Do it. Create a simple ritual for yourself that you can perform in your own space, whether alone or with friends, that give you that connection to self, body, breath, connectedness, and community. We live in a society that, consciously or not, continually tries to dismantle that knowledge of our power place. It is our duty to strengthen it and incite change, invite transformation, and look a little deeper into ourselves.
Blessings to all.
10/28/01