It snowed the first night we were here. We couldn't believe
it. We were so
exhausted we both thought we were in some kind of Bardo dream,
where all
the color had been replaced with white. And then. Reality. It
was freezing
cold. Fortunately we had coaxed our Beloved Elephant down the
steep, rock
pitted road into the camp. We were miles away from anywhere, used
to be
cattle country, Our central propane driven heater popped on and
in moments
we were toasty warm. We were concerned about the rest of the retreatants
however, most of them in tents.
No need to worry. They are a hardy bunch and in no time the
southwestern
sun had warmed us all up. The facilities are simple here, but
oh so much
love goes into the upkeep we are coasting on it, and the practices
keep
plunging us deeper into the silence and the joy.
I know our last report was from New Zealand. That chapter went
by so fast
there wasn't a moment to keep you up to date. It was as if someone
jacked
up the speed and we seemed to be going way faster than it could
possibly be
comfortable. Anahata finished two video projects; a small scrapbook
of
images of the South India pilgrimage and.......The Dance of the
Goddess, a
training video for learning the Dance of Tara's Qualities.
This video is amazing. The kaleidoscopic images are such a perfect
statement of what this dance is, in its depth and breadth of participation.
Of course it took much more time than we had anticipated and my
three weeks
in Hawaii got reduced to twelve days. Instead of languishing on
the beach
in between casual swipes at renovating the cabin on our Kanaio
land, I was
flying up and down the hill trying to "get it all done".
Meanwhile Anahata
remained in New Zealand to complete the finishing touches on the
videos.
I arrived on Maui just in time for the last ceremonies of Lama
Tenzin's
passing. The last of the 49 days was celebrated with prayer and
lunch. So
many old friends I had not seen in years. And then on the full
moon we
sailed out to distribute some of his ashes. There was a wicked
wind and we
had to cling to the coast and huddle in a small cove. It was a
poignant
time. Lama Tenzin was so beloved by so many. How do you say goodbye
and
still honor his relentless teachings about impermanence, equanimity.
We
shed our impermanent equanimous tears and found no consolation
in the
rollicking sea. Not a single whale rose to console us and even
the moon was
not fast enough as we raced back to land to get out of the wind.
On the
horizon, a small rainbow hovered till the sun set. Lama Tenzin
did not want
any fuss but he let us know in small ways of the magic he possessed.
Speaking of magic, friends magically appeared to help me renovate
my
retreat cabin. I had promised Lama Tenzin the last time I saw
him that I
would do a month Tara Retreat. My schedule opens up in June. We
painted and
pounded, fixed walls and roof, a new carpet, lots of electrical
tweaking
and voila, my retreat cabin will be ready June 20th when I plan
to fly in
from Portland. When we return to the mainland in August the cabin
will be
available for retreatants should you perhaps be interested in
doing a
retreat. Let me know. Mo'o, the resident caretaker of the land
is ready
and willing to facilitate.
Despite the rush I was able to get into the ocean with my dearest
mermaid
friends. The whales were singing so loudly it felt that we could
touch
them. The sea was crystal clear and in the distance we could see
the whales
breaching, leaving great splashes of water as they leapt about.
One morning
we saw three turtles and many colorful spectacular fish as we
played
mermaid games and absorbed the incredible wonder of Mother Maui.
Anahata and I were reunited at our dear friend Peggy's house in
Tucson. The
desert was in full bloom and so were the roses surrounding her
guest
cottage. We were happily reunited with our Beloved Elephant as
well and got
her some new cushions made. Velvet moss green. Yummy. And then....we
taught
three classes, packed up our boxes and boxes and bags and.....rolled
off
down the road. Headed your way? We hope that we will be able to
catch up
on sleep at some point. I have tried to keep some space in our
schedule.
A day or two, here or there.
Tomorrow we will lead earth centered dances.....last time we were
here we saw seven eagles and watched a six foot snake shed it's
skin.
We pray we may continue to receive Tara's loving protection and
guidance. We pray we may be able to coax our BE back up the treacherous
hill. We pray you may be happy and fulfilled.
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