It's March?! How did that happen??
Now that I've been out of the tropics for two winters, I realize that I have been much more focused on seasonal changes than I had been for several years. This is perhaps one of the most potent periods for me, Imbolc to Spring Equinox, for it's delightful to see the afternoon light linger just a wee bit more each day.
Common advice/inspiration for this time of year is to take stock of our seeds, so to speak, and start planting the ones that we can and plan--specifically--to plant the rest when the time is right. Specificity is a good focus word for me this year. It's easy for me (many of us?) to frame my desires in the abstract, but of course without concrete, specific plans--and planting!--nothing comes of it.
So, my questions to all y'all are what you would like to see manifest this year at SpiritFire. Or what you *plan* on manifesting. Do you use SFF as a yearly benchmark, like I do? In other words, ok, by SpiritFire I'm going to shed an inch off of my waist. (Blimey! Now it's witnessed! Now I *really* have to do it!!) What about plans for the event and community itself? Like, ok, a few years ago, (insert cool thing) happened at SFF. Could I somehow bring (cool thing or variation thereof) back?
This would of course apply to the other side, the stuff we write on the feedback forms for staff and say, hey, that thing, um, with the people, and, um, the stuff...sucked...can that not happen? I don't know that we need to go down that path--there's something kinda cool about focusing on what we specifically want to *do* *create* *cocreate* etc, as opposed to focusing on what we don't want. I guess the balance would be, if something wasn't working for you last year, or hasn't been working for you for awhile--what is your plan to make it mo' betta'?
Music ... movement ... voice ... and service: The pathways to Spirit
3 comments:
Greetings Beloveds,
One thing that was discussed by a few of us post SFF "08 included desire for greater presence and trust for folks who are are in trance or "popping". There were several people who's experience left them feeling unsupported and in some moments literally alone. I know someone was doing a great job trying to cover ground last year, but I think it is difficult for one or two people to need to be "on" for a whole night. It seemed like many of the folks who'd been very strong in presence witnessing in '07 needed an understandable break last year and also a need to "let go" and be involved and evolve differently in '08.
One of the possibilities that came up was to hold a pathways workshop on how to witness and hold space for people in trance. For anyone who may feel uncomfortable or uneducated as to what is happening or simply wish to walk this pathway at the circle.
This way,if there were enough people wanting to be involved, perhaps we could create greater strength and safety for all as a team throughout the night. One possibility was to consider four different quadrants of the circle and have one person watching each section for a few hours at a time.
Then, a new person could take over that area for another few hours, so no one feels like they need to be "on" for the whole night with a hyper awareness of watching for those who may be needing extra support as they slip into trance.
I would be happy to be involved and co-support such a workshop, but don't feel like I know enough about trance work to actually lead.
If there are others who had similar experiences or have your own ideas on the subject, I'd love to hear them
Blissings to all,
Wendy Moon.
Hey Wendy,
Agreed, it's a good idea to have a group consensus about how to work with folks who go 'out' in some way. Here are some thoughts for all of you to consider as we explore this:
1. This year, we'll have a few additional people present who tend to work on that side of things. Yay! I think that will in itself be a huge help.
2. We can use the pathway of Seva workshop on Thursday to explore this, for sure. Maybe an affinity group also, for those who want to check in?
I totally agree that no one person should be "responsible" for holding that energy - the Well and associated happening belong to everyone, and we are stronger when we work together.
At the same time, I would also say it's good to remain conscious that 1-2 folks supporting someone who is in the circle doing work is often enough - any more often blocks the movement of the circle and therefore the energy. It can also happen if someone 'drops' and is on the ground - it'd be good to get a group mind about how to make sure that person is moved somewhere safe and out of the direct flow of energy, and that they have no more than what they need as far as rattlers, etc. Sometimes groups of rattlers/energy contributers (for lack of a better word) have been so big that they've spilled all the way back over the edge of the circle, and it is like a distraction on the road, with everyone slowing down to look... how can we manage that?
Lovely that this is being discussed here! Looking forward to hearing ideas and inspirations.
Joss,
Thanks for responding here. Glad you mentioned the "roadblocking" that can happen with and over abundance of folks supporting.
Many times I've seen watchful eyes and souls checking around the fire for those who may be stepping "out",most often in the dance track.
What I'd like to encourage is maybe more of this around the well and surrounding area.
While many of us feel comfortable and confident...and ABLE to get ourselves there, sometimes it's nice to know someone is aware of us being in process. I speak from my own personal experience as well as at least one other person who felt well, really alone in the experience. For me, it pushed me beyond my own illusion of separation and back into the fire circle with the perfect chant to draw me back in. However this is not always true for everyone. Other folks mentioned going "out" and coming back alone with no support whatsoever which can feel very raw and vulnerable.
So, I'm curious how we can create more support if someone isn't able to ask for support while still respecting the space they may need to process.
When we see folks lying down after and resting, they usually have one person present with them.
If someone were alone in that general area, how might we respond with more validation of their presence while maintaining respect for their needs? (asking if there's anything they need comes to mind)
I like the idea of an affinity group, my first year I was slightly in awe of how many folks were checking "out". I also was frustrated I seemed unable to let myself go enough to have this experience too. (not that I had any BIG expectations as a newbie;)
I'd love to talk more with people who experience this to have a deeper understanding of what is happening and offer this to anyone who may be attending their first fire circle.
Glad we can discuss this so far in advance and in such an open, conscious and caring way.
Peace,
Wendy
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