TRULY TOGETHER

"When we serve up the very best of our True Selves to each other, without reservation, judgement or fear, we all enjoy the feast
of Heaven on Earth. Let us give thanks for our blessings, and dig in!"
Karen Abler Carrasco

OHHHHHH the tragedy of humans trying to communicate electronically. As many of you know or are also experiencing, my spiritual community is in the midst of the Shambhacolypse. That's what it feels like anyhow. And when I go online and read the email listserve, Reddit articles and comments, FB posts and convos, I want to pull out my eyelashes and use them to repeatedly poke myself in the eye. It's that devastating. The things being written are a mix of kind and insightful, and vindictive and painful.

I live in a co-housing community, and sometimes (not always) when I read the back and forths on our listserve, I want to throw my computer out the window. When I read the comments beneath some of my favorite Instagram teachers (Rachel Cargle, Layla Saad) same thing. It's like there's this massive MISS that happens. Watch THIS. I think it sums up what I'm saying.

But something MAGIC, like straight up unicorn and rainbows magic happens when we are together. As humans. I've spent so much time with my fellow Shambhala community members as we've sat in the heartbreak and unknown. When we are together, I KNOW in my bones, this is my community. Even if we have different feelings about what's happening, and have been affected in different ways, there's still a way in which we are kind, present, compassionate, tender, raw and real with each other. We are humans. And humans are generally awesome.

Every dance event I facilitate, from weekly Awaken the Dance classes to large religious services such as at Denver's First Unitarian Church- I see this. I see humans being human together, despite differences. I see smiles, warmth, a piece of true knowledge that we are in this together. That even though I believe this and you believe that, on a deeper level, we are all just trying to feel safe, and belong, and get our needs met. And when we're together, the simple act of BEING together meets that in some small way. And isn't that amazing?! It actually does, to me, feel like heaven on earth.

In this day and age, it's so much more convenient to text, Whatsapp, e-mail, etc...I do it too. Daily. But if I want to actually feel/sense/know a human, and be known this way too, it can't be digitally. That's why my life is made up of gatherings, whether in dance, meditation, peer process groups, women's groups, co-ed groups, one on one walk and talks or snuggle puddles on my couch. I deeply encourage you to find the moments of eye contact, conversation, and face to face moments and truly take them in. Truly enjoy them. Because we can. And if we are going to survive as a species, I think we must.