Saturday, April 11, 2015

POETRY IN MOTION


           I must admit that after having produced and performed over 3,000 Celebration Circle weekly gatherings, concerts, classes, retreats and other events over the past twenty three years, there are times when Zet and I ask ourselves why we keep doing this. I can't speak for her, but I often invoke the joy of serving Spirit or living my Life Purpose as being the reason for doing this work, which is what I've been doing professionally, in one form or the other, ever since December 1980.

FEELING STUCK
            However, there are definitely times when the sheer energy it takes to load my car with gear, to coordinate volunteers, to deal with the logistics of the various venues and menus, time and again, gets to be such a strain that the Monkey Mind in my brain goes into overdrive, finding fault with everything I have or haven't done.
            That was certainly true last Saturday night, as I was making my fifth consecutive round trip across Hemisfair Plaza, schlepping sound equipment and refreshments from the street curb to the UNAM building for "Voices, Vibes and Visions," our evening of poetry, music and interactive visual art. Monkey Mind was in particularly fine form; he kept up an intermittent chant of doubt throughout the load-in and setup process, which he raised to a high pitch as the first poet began reading to an audience of just a few dozen people.

FEELING ALIVE
            Fortunately, my initial disappointment over the low attendance was quickly erased by the swirling waves of sweet-but-savory, co-creative energy sweeping through the auditorium, transporting us all to an artistic Nirvana for a couple of hours. What an amazing experience it was to feast on the varied styles of tasty word stew being cooked VVV Poets 2015 Michael Chase Photo
up by such gifted poets (Mariana Aitches, Lahab Assef Al-Jundi, Jim LaVilla-Havelin, Ignacio Magaloni, Natalia Trevino and emcee, Don Mathis), stirred by the amazingly vivid, acrylic-on-canvas portraits that Thom Ricks was painting - and then served up with a whole slew of new songs I co-created on the spot, combining the afore-mentioned poetry, artistry and spirituality with the musicianship of Kevin Lewis (bass), Michael Madison (percussion), and Jake Pacheco (vocals). Everyone present agreed that it was truly a magical event on multiple levels, regardless of how many people were there to witness it.

FEELING GRATEFUL
            Much later, long after the last of the evening's details has been handled, the supplies had been hauled off and the equipment stashed away for the next program, I find myself flooded with gratitude. Not just for the particular blessings of this event, but for the larger gift of my unique career path that has come to include writing, music, movement, meditation, sacred psychology, community and creativity to an extent far beyond anything I could ever have imagined when I began this work 35 years ago. I'm feeling incredibly blessed to be doing this and deeply grateful for the support of so many people (including you, dear reader) that make it possible.

FEELING PRESENT
            Seen from this larger perspective, the trials, doubts and Monkey Mind pouts are all part of this gift, too, for they play an integral role in helping me face up to the shadow side of this work. Compelling me to remember, that I don't want to stay stuck in the yuck of old fears and Thom Ricks painting Jim - WOW photo by Michael Chasepatterns. Encouraging me to release ego attachments to particular outcomes, and trust that the income from any given event or fiscal year is just part of a much larger current that always continues to flow, whatever I do, wherever I go. Inspiring me to stop counting how many people are in attendance and start invoking the immeasurable presence of the countless, supportive souls whose gifts of time, attention and treasure, given so generously over the span of several decades, have helped make this moment possible.
            Hmmm... I'm pretty sure there's a new song, story or poem in there somewhere, just waiting to be written. Or as one of my literary heroes, Garrison Keillor, once said, "Nothing bad ever happens to a writer. Everything is material."

With gratitude and blessings,
                Rudi

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