Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I had a bit of an ‘aha’ moment last weekend at the work that I’d like to share. 

I’ve been doing a bit of a study about what makes our dance works fun, beautiful, and light (I love this), and what is happening in the times they just feel exhausting and like we are slogging through mud (don’t love this so much).  

In the old days, we used to joke about being ‘light junkies’ and ‘bliss ninnies’, because we all kept coming back for that feeling that happened when it was all just perfect and unimaginably gorgeous. Sometimes, though, especially during the Festival Hinarios, it feels just hard, like we just can’t seem to get to that place. 

At last weekend’s work, I felt both the slog and the bliss, at different times, very strongly. During the bulk of the Hinario, I really felt the slogging. It was hard and it felt like the current was full of 3rd chakra energy and frustration and fatigue. And then it changed. When we came back together after the break to sing the last four hymns of the Hinario and Cruzerinho, we were clearly in a very different place as a current. It was strong, full of light, and full of heart…and fun. 

I had conversations this week with Zara and Jonathan to try to learn more about why this happens and how we can strive, as a current, to have even more of our works living in that gorgeous, light, strong heart space. 

What I learned is that the heart space and lightness comes when we are really together as a current; when enough people really know the hymns and we are all singing from our heart spaces, and when the maracas are all right on beat. And that is the difference.

Apparently, what knocks it out is when only a few people are carrying the hymns for the rest of us, and also when there are people whose maracas are missing the beat and the hymn slows down, which happened a lot last week. The energy kind of takes a plunge, and there is a constant pulling and even a frustration in the room, because those who feel responsible for it are trying to pull the energy back up. It feels to me at these moments that we have kind of lost that heart space. 

In order to live more in that blissful and lightful unimaginably gorgeous heart space, we need enough people to show up really knowing and having studied the hymns, having practiced the maraca, and ready to help to create this unity. To bring our best for the current when we come together. Let the Daime give us our strength, let our 3rd chakras serve our hearts and our hearts serve the work. 

So for me, I understand my job better. I am pledging, rather than feeling like I know the hymns ‘well enough’ to follow our leaders, to study harder to really know the hymns well, so that, all linked together, we can all benefit from the elevated place of the current during these works. And I'm going to ask the Daime to help me sing from my heart. Light and bliss.

Let's all own this together!! Anybody feeling called  to join me to help further elevate and bliss out our works? 

Thanks for listening,

Laura