"The Divine Feminine in Action"
The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts,
but on how we respond to them.
– Thomas Crum
There is a strange phenomenon in life. It seems that whenever we make a commitment to take on new behavior in our lives, the universe will test us. I made a conscious commitment to embrace and practice aspects of the Divine Feminine in my daily life as a result of attending a powerful woman’s conference called Passion to Action here in Grass Valley. For me these practices include loving, nurturing, listening, communicating, receiving, collaborating, serving, resolving conflict, having compassion for others, honoring diversity and surrendering to what is...
The very next day I started putting together our Sunday Sweat Your Prayers with the theme of honoring and invoking these qualities in ourselves and seeing them in others. Conscious movement is a powerful form of prayer that can open us up to a flood of emotion, sensation and bring up a cacophony of thoughts from the past as we move into a deeper sense of presence and awareness… The outcome of engaging in this process can be very deep, tender and heart opening, and can leave people feeling very vulnerable, exposed and a bit uncomfortable since it is not our common condition.
Whenever you see darkness, there is extraordinary opportunity
for the light to burn brighter.
– Bono
In the closing circle someone brought up a source of controversy for me and many of the other 5Rhythms teachers and students around the world. There is a form of moving meditation called Contact Improv, which is about conscious contact, connection and awareness. It is a beautiful form for both raising awareness and deepening our connection to the sacred other. However, when practiced in a very crowded room, with people who are not being fully aware of their impact on the people around them it can be very dangerous. I have been forced to remind people many times to refrain from lifting each other off the floor, rolling around with each other or engaging in other aspects of Contact that disrespect and threaten the safety and process of others in the room.
Two days earlier I had announced that it needed to stop! No Contact Improv… and explained why. So here we are in a closing circle and the subject comes up again. The energy that the ensuing interactions brought totally altered and agitated the beautiful and blissful state that had been co-created by the intention of the community. I wish I could say that I reacted with my conscious commitment to bring forward the Divine Feminine, but must admit to feeling aggressive and attacked and wanted to respond in kind. Yes, I have my work to do too. Knowing that our internal struggles resonate in the greater global consciousness I knew I needed to find a high road that expressed my commitment to personal and community growth.
Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.
– Richard Bach
I want to create a safe, respectful space for people to experience their own beauty, power and magnificence by consciously putting their body in motion. The 5Rhythms and Soul Motion maps of consciousness, which myself and other teachers have spent years learning and practicing, is about raising our awareness through conscious movement. The lessons don’t stop on the dance floor… I would like to share with you both what I have learned through this and what results have been produced as a result of this challenging opportunity.
The Process I went through included the following:
1. Clarify what I was feeling, thinking and experiencing by writing my experience in my journal and recognizing
my responsibility in creating what happened.
2. Clarify the issues and the needs of all the people involved in the incident.
3. Clarify what I need and want.
4. Get together with neutral parties to attempt to see what I might be missing.
5. Meet with the involved parties to find resolution.
6. Implement actions to insure what I want to have as an outcome happens.
7. Look for the highest good and how to turn the situation into a win-win for all.
8. Look for opportunities to inspire others who may have similar experiences.
The outcomes of this situation:
1. I collaborated with the Contact Improv teacher to create a class and guidelines for appropriate contact in a crowded space.
2. Engaged in mediation with the person with whom I had the conflict and created clear agreements.
3. Changed the structure of the classes to be appropriate for the larger groups.
4. Shared what we did with other teachers from around the world who have been dealing with this issue.
5. Responded to those who had expressed concern over the conflict.
I am happy to say that all of these outcomes have been initiated and that this coming Friday local Contact Improv teacher, Maxima Kahn and I will be teaching a class on appropriate contact in a crowed space. I hope that you will join us.
It is important at this time in our evolution to do all we can on all levels to resolve conflict within ourselves, as well as outwardly, even with people who have different views and perspectives. This may be the most important thing we can do to save civilization. Embracing of the Divine Feminine is at the heart of this process.
With love and blessings,
michael
Another world is not only possible, she is on her way!
On a quiet day, if you listen carefully, you can hear her breathing.
– Arundhati Roy
