Come to the river, wash my soul...

[Lori]

Communing with nature - I love how sensory and visceral the memory of those times can be, literally a voice wrapping inside and throughout you igniting your senses. How powerful nature's beauty?!!!

It's also beautiful, Dee, that you draw on it going forward and are "mindful" to recapture and notice this gift of a thing.

[Lori]

It breaks my heart that Doris is postponed - do they have a new date yet? I love the stories of your experiences there. The river cleansing sounds so spiritually uplifting, MC. I love when the "obstacles" melt away and the experience takes over. One has to be open to it generally, but sometimes it is so palpable it overtakes even those who are unaware or repelling it in some way.

Dee, it will be interesting to see if the songs you wove together sound the same to you now. I will love hearing anything you bring forth from those sessions!

[Dee]

One has to be open to it generally, but sometimes it is so palpable it overtakes even those who are unaware or repelling it in some way.

Openness is everything. If we approach something with openness, trust, and a childlike wonder, we will be instantly rewarded. I sometimes see people struggle with their demons that stop them giving into an experience for ages, dithering on the shore, unable to dive in, or just dipping their toes in. I feel for them, because it’s such a waste of time and opportunity. I know what it’s like because I have a few little voices whispering in my ears myself that I still occasionally need to silence, but it’s coming easier and easier to me to do that. Because by now I’ve learnt that if I let go of my fears of the unknown or that I’m doing something really “weird”, that’s when some of the most extraordinary things can happen. Doris has given me so many experiences like this over the years, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. There’s not much I won’t do after singing as a priestess for a fire ritual, womb steaming in a women’s circle and channeling wordless songs from the earth. These have become some of the greatest highlights of my life and I remember clearly those little voices I had to silence in order to let myself embrace these experiences. So after a while I’ve learnt to trust myself and know that I can handle the “weird”, which are always best achieved by just diving in as a child: curiously, playfully and totally carefree.

Our tickets to this piece of heaven are automatically transferred for next year’s Doris! So that feels nice.

If we are allowed small gatherings by then, perhaps we should just do our own small Doris! Well, that’s an idea!

[Moonchime]

Because by now I’ve learnt that if I let go of my fears of the unknown or that I’m doing something really “weird”, that’s when some of the most extraordinary things can happen.

Absolutely so.
I think the worst fears are probably the ones that are embedded in the fear of failure. Fear can cripple us in so many small ways other than some of the obvious, perhaps more sensible, physical fear of danger; fear of getting it wrong and looking stupid, fear of letting someone down, fear of exclusion, fear of difference, fear of change, fear that you're not who you wish to be - those fears can result in an inability to act, or not being true to who we really are - in case we're not good enough.
Undoubtedly venturing forth and conquering fears of doing something new helps us to become less afraid generally, and have more faith that we can survive going out of our comfort zone; opening up our world and embracing new things - or maybe just embracing the old in a new way.

There’s not much I won’t do after singing as a priestess for a fire ritual, womb steaming in a women’s circle and channeling wordless songs from the earth.

So how about...

Spoiler:

or

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[Dee]

So how about...

Spoiler:

or

Spoiler:

This made me laugh so hard!

Thanks for that, Mz K.

Right. Let me just say that it's not exactly fear that stops me from engaging in either of these two activities. Though, for sure, in the first case, I'd be guaranteed to fare as well the guy in the gif.

Skiing simply doesn't appeal to me like something I'd like to try. Not just that I would be petrified, lol.

It's interesting what we are drawn to, and what we are not. Would you say it's always some kind of fear that stops us from engaging with something we haven't tried before? Could it not be simply just something as simple as "I'd rather do something else"?

Which brings us to flamenco. That's actually really something I'd like to try. I wasn't just making excuses, even if it did seem like it.
I love watching the dance, and it appears to be so much fun to do it, that I'd really like to try one day.
But at Doris, that's always such a huge time commitment, and then it always clashed with something that I'd wanted to do even more. So I'd say, flamenco is definitely on my bucket list, Mz Moonchime, and you can personally hold me to it.

[Moonchime]

It's interesting what we are drawn to, and what we are not. Would you say it's always some kind of fear that stops us from engaging with something we haven't tried before? Could it not be simply just something as simple as "I'd rather do something else"?

Absolutely something as simple as I'd rather not - which is exactly how I felt about womb steaming! No fear -just preference.
I don't think it's always some sort of fear that stops us doing things, it's often a mixture, but for surprise enrichment you probably have to go out of your comfort zone in some way or other.

Which brings us to flamenco.
But at Doris, that's always such a huge time commitment, and then it always clashed with something that I'd wanted to do even more.

Which is why it's just as well Felipe does classes locally every month - out of lockdown.

[Dee]

Tru dat.

I think I had a pretty good excuse last time but I can’t remember now. I think it was simply too much going on. Which seems so crazy right now. How did we even cope with our lives before lockdown?

I went into work today, spent the day with twenty people, kids and colleagues, and I feel utterly exhausted. This is not just normal work exhaustion. It’s so overwhelming! I’m amazed how quickly we get used to not seeing people, a kind of gentle solitude amidst family. Then suddenly so many people!

Anyways. Yes, well argued, Mz MC, and I’ll try to come to the next local flamenco class! Whenever that might be!

[NurseRatched]

Awe-inspiring words. Mary Oliver has this fresh sort of stream of consciousness to her writing. I see and feel her every unique perspective. It's almost painful to read in its poignant simplicity and openness. She allows us to ponder her most intimate questions alongside her. How giving!

I want to share a simple poem by my dad. He wrote it on the back of a painting my mother did of a river and gave to a dear friend of mine as a wedding gift. I will take a photo of a similar painting she did below. I am in the process of losing my dad and find I am emotionally overloaded at the present time to the point of near silence. I know most of you have been through these things and relate fully. My family is in the process of constructing a book for him filled with memories and letters from those he has touched. A beautiful byproduct is that this poem resurfaced - so simple and sweet:

THE RIVER OF LIFE

Embarking together on the "River of Life,"
watch the ever moving and different shore.
View the beauty, the wonder, and the strife,
each making you hold together the more.
The river leads to wherever you allow,
so hold what is yours in high esteem.
Loving one another is the answer to how
your "River of Life" will be a beautiful stream.

J.A.

Oh, this. Reading through tears. Much love.

[Lori]

Thanks, honey, same to you...xoxo