I just returned from the Integral Spiritual Experience Year 2: The Future of Love – Evolutionary Integral Relationships! Simply amazing and inspiring – 500 people gathered in Asilomar (Monterey), CA from 30 countries around the world.
I intend to write more, but for now the title of this post is a bit of a placeholder in response to the “conference” (so much more than that) in juxtaposition to one of my reactions to the whole experience.
The energy was astonishing which made it extremely difficult to leave. It was a vacation for me, but the only thing in recent memory for me to compare with was a sublime motorcycle tour I took with a group of 10 friends in 2009. Those friends are also walking their own spiritual paths which was a major contributing factor to my sense of deep satisfaction around that particular tour.
Now rather than 10 close friends on a motorcycle tour, imagine 500 on a tour of the meaning of Love and Relationship in virtually any context you can imagine from romantic all the way to the very force (Love – Eros) that animates the cosmos. Let’s just say I feel like a super saturated solution (thanks Cristina!). For some reason the image of a fully saturated sponge doesn’t seem quite apropos since some of the solids are now falling out of suspension. Perhaps it’s life wringing out the sponge (me).
The temptation is to go back to sleep (unconsciousness). Going from inspiration to a larger calling at the conference to the mudanity of Life is a challenge. The real challenge is in figuring out how to recall that inspiration and remember that Confucius reminds us that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
As noted by Marianne Williamson in Return to Love, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” For me this truly does ring true so that very fear that is the siren call leading back to sleep. Knowing the price of that sleep is much higher than I want to pay again, I am compelled to stay awake and practice in my own fashion and dare to step into my own fullness.
Certainly more on this in the days to come.
Peace and Love in the New Year!