The Invitation:

The Experience

From the moment I saw the land from the plane, I knew I was about to enter a sacred space. The mountains and valleys welcomed me from the window. The ride from the Cusco airport, through ancient sites on the way to Pisac, the Sacred Valley, provided me the first opportunity to look around and take in the spiritual energy of the place. I was traveling by taxi with two women from Lima. Marucha and Maria Louisa had heard about the Gathering, and like me, did not know what they were in for, really

My roommate, Mimi, wasn't there. I learned from Diane that she was a white woman from New Jersey who was married to a Black man. Mimi had two kids, younger than me, but Diane thought we'd have a lot to talk about, since I am the product of an interracial marriage and have spent my whole life on the East Coast, not that far from New York. Mimi and several others had come to Peru a few days earlier and gone off on a tour of the Sacred Valley. I took a nap and then decided to venture out for some food. As I was leaving, a taxi arrived. Fredda stepped out, her bright blond hair cascading over her sleek black New York or was it LA, no, South Beach, Miami, outfit. We greeted each other and I invited her to join me for a walk beside the river to the town to eat. She, like I, a few hours prior, was in need of a nap. Off I went. Since I couldn't find the recommended cafŽ, in my jetlagged state, I heeded the invitation of the greeter at a Peruvian restaurant and had my first of many delicious Peruvian meals.

The Gathering officially began the next day. By then, everyone had arrived. We had our introductions over lunch at Clorinda's, a new restaurant, right across the road from Paz y Luz, the B&B and Conference Center. It was near sun set when we gathered in the Conference Center for the first time to start the official Gathering.

My early thoughts on a Gathering such as this were that there would be people representing many different religious traditions and spiritual practices who would share their experiences and create a shared vision. I was excited about that. I grew up and am a member of the United Church of Christ, a liberal Christian denomination. The minister of my home church was a storyteller, and a man who welcomed all people. His manner of preaching was to ask questions. He understood the sacredness of creation, and led us on hikes and retreats beside lakes and in the mountains. There was openness to other religions that I thought was normal until I went to college. In college I learned that that is not often the experience for people growing up in a Christian church. And, even as I met folks from other religious practices, I learned that they too, had experienced more separation through traditions, than opportunities for gathering together. Perhaps because I am the product of two races and cultures coming together, I have always longed for, and sought out places where people can come together and share all of who they are, and from that create unity and understanding. As a result I have been a part of multicultural groups, and interfaith groups. I also know many practitioners of various indigenous practices. I have found I can attend interdenominational (Christian) gatherings, Interfaith (Christian, Jewish, Muslim with an occasional Buddhist) or Spiritual gatherings (pagan, indigenous African, First Nation traditions) It is rare to find an opportunity for all of that to come together. I hoped that would be the case. I wasn't sureWe did share ourselves in our opening ceremony, naming our ancestors, and ourselves and placing our objects on the altar. And, in that experience, we said who we were, minus the trappings of any religious or spiritual labels, mostly. Minus most labels. We were from the US, East and West Coast. We were from Canada and Peru and South Africa. We were all human beings, all seekers, ready to embark on a journey that was both personal and collective.

Three particular experiences stood out for me. The first was working with clay to create the world I envisioned. I took my hunk of wet red earth and headed outside of the conference room to find a spot where my hands could take over from my head. I certainly had an idea of what I wanted to make: a safe place for children, a beautiful world, hands joined together. We were instructed not to think too much and to follow the clay. Good thing. I am not a visual artist. As an adult I have to remind myself not to think so much. It was wonderfully meditative to work with the wet clay and to create. I found that after a while I had fashioned a boat of sorts, with a bridge in the middle and a male and female figure on either side, holding the balance. This surprised me. My rational mind had been saying that what we need in this new world vision is female power and energy. My deeper self, through my creation said, No, what we need is balance between male and female, men and women, hard and soft. That will make the world safe for all the children. As I watched the image unfold, I wondered what changes I can and must make in my life to help manifest that vision.

The second powerful experience came from playing a game. One afternoon, after lunch, Monica, from Peru, volunteered to lead the afternoon activity. She started by presenting a lecture of sorts, which presented a theoretical look at our physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual selves. It was a thorough, formal presentation that included diagrams on a white board. Some of us even took notes! Then she invited us to play a game. We pushed back or chairs and stood in a circle. We learned three new words: Ha (breath in Hawaiian) Hondo, and Pea. Each word had a command and we were challenged to pay attention. Ha, meant, pass the word and the energy to the person beside you. Keep the flow going. Hondon meant to stop and change direction. Pea meant we were to skip the next person and keep it going. All of this was to be done quickly, to keep the energy moving around the circle. It was fun and funny to watch this group engage in the game. I have played versions of it with theatre groups, and have always marveled at our ability or lack thereof, to truly pay attention. Then Monica added another element: anyone who messed up the flow was to be eliminated. And that is where the conflict began. Diane was uncomfortable with this added command, and stepped out in solidarity with the first one out. And, we in the circle struggled with old ideas and feelings connected to competition and being left out and staying in the game and having fun and feeling pressured

As I paid attention to that, and reflected later, I wondered about this game as a metaphor for grown up spiritual beings longing to create a world where there is a beautiful flow. Where no one is skipped over, turned away from, or, worse yet, put out, because of his or her inability to go with the flow. And yet, that seems to be what our human struggle is: We do all of those things to other people all the time. There is always a group of people that determines the flow. Groups of people and individuals are constantly looked over, rejected, and excluded by others. Perhaps it is our biological make up. We see it in natural selection, and the reality of survival of the fittest in the animal world. But, perhaps the lesson from this game is how we, as conscious people seeking a new world, take this information and pay attention to where it plays out in our own lives. Can we make a big circle where we can keep the flow going? One where even reversals, and skips don't stop the energy, just keep it moving in a way where there is no elimination?Would that be a good thing? Is that the point of the game? I wonder..

Dancing with Wendy was the third thing that had a profound impact on me. I am a cerebral person. I experience the world through thought and words, primarily through my mind. Sometimes that wearies me. I was excited and nervous about the movement session. Nervous because once before I took a yoga class. I was attempting a pose when the instructor came over and adjusted my body slightly. The next thing I knew, I was crying and I had no idea why. I knew only that my body must have been holding onto some hurts that needed release. Knowing I had need of healing, I wondered what the dancing would do. I was glad not to have to speak. I was grateful for the early morning and the music and sun light that filled the conference room. I was relieved by Wendys gentle and encouraging guidance, as she warmed us up, and told us not to worry about whether or not we could dance.

She invited us simply to move our bodies as we wanted to and felt comfortable. Then, she led us through a series of movements that allowed me to enter into the body, while at the same time, connecting to the mind. As we brought our body center low to the earth, she asked questions about what things in our lives grounded us. As we reached heaven ward, she asked what we longed for. She invited us to toss our hands and arms from side to side and encouraged us to release that which needed releasing. I wept with every throw. We followed our hands around the room, each of our fingers held meaning: our ring fingers signified our commitments, our pinkies our edge. My thoughts came and went as I danced out my life. I whirled and leapt around in the space, body and mind connected. I was only barely conscious of the others as we orbited each other. It was a moving meditation that brought tears and laughter, clarity and release. By the end, I was cleansed.

Perhaps because of the cleansing, I was able to participate in the Reiki session later that day. Several in the group had wanted to do Reiki and had asked if there were Reiki practitioners in the room. I hadn't said a word, although I have Reiki II. My thoughts were, It's been such a long time since I've done any Reiki. I don't remember anything. I can't really do that. I am not that kind of healer, really. But, later, after the dancing and the breath work Howard led us in were done, my channels were open. When we gathered for the session, I raised my hand to help. I did what I had been attuned to do and found the energy moving through me. I watched as healing happened.

Lessons; Learning: