^z 21st November 2023 at 7:34am
Notes from a meditation retreat on 8 March 2015 in Bethesda Maryland, facilitated by Patricia Long:
| A single raindrop Falls Onto a quiet pond. A wave spreads, reflects, Multiplies, fades. Waters again are still. Yet beneath the surface, Invisible in the depths ... | Nine people sit in a circle on a Sunday morning. Within minutes they Talk — share — glimpse Each other's Fears — prayers — guilts — joys Tears flow. | Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance, when you're perfectly free. — Rumi, the Sufi poet |
| "This is the most real part of life." "There's more bandwidth here." "We're more aware." | Notice again. Pay attention — to attention itself. | A deliberate shift: From thinking to experiencing. Meditation is not something you do. You don't do sleep. |
| Keep squeezing drops of the Sun From your prayers and work and music And from your companions' beautiful laughter. — Hafez, the Persian poet | There's nourishment, safety, strength, inspiration. Relief, and awe. Emptiness, void. Letting go of hopes. Letting go of worries. Thoughts slow. Breathe in love. Breathe out fear. | A two minute practice is fine. Pet the cat. Watch the fish. Standing is just as good as sitting. Om Namah Shivayah |
(cf. Meditation Retreat (2014-01-28), Meditation - Sound, Music, Silence (2014-10-06), ...) - ^z - 2015-03-19