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05/02/2002 Archived Entry: "3/31/02 Prescott Day 1"

I was sitting on the porch of a Tibetan Buddhist Temple high up in the mountains in the Arizona desert. Huge vistas unfolded in every direction. It was cloudy night, and the full moon ducked in and out of the clouds. We could see as far as the San Francisco Peaks, way off in the distance, as the moonlight glistened off its snow-covered crest.

There was a wind, and the many Tibetan prayer flags flapped in the breeze, creating a sound as hypnotic as ocean waves breaking on the beach. The students, who had been requested to maintain silence after dinner, drifted one by one to join me. We all sat in silence watching and listening to the spectacle before us. Perhaps twenty minutes went by, maybe longer. The silence and the not-silence of the flapping flags filled us each with a sense of sacredness. Then we went into the Temple. Each of us, in a somewhat altered state of being, bowing as we entered.

It was an elegant and dramatic beginning to a Creating Our Future workshop I was leading for a group of Prescott College students. Inside, we sat in a circle, holding hands in silence. After a while, I asked, "Why are you here? What are you seeking? What would you like to be different about yourself when you leave? We slowly went around the circle. Each person saying their name, and answering the questions, to the best of their ability. There would be no responses, no cross conversation, no advice offered. We were there to hear each other, to witness, as it were, each other’s unfolding. Other related questions followed. After a while, it seemed time to shift the energy, as we had been sitting long enough, and this was all new stuff to most of the participants.

We stood up and played one of the many silly Name Games. Each person was to step into the circle, and say their name along with a motion, which we would all copy as we repeated the person’s name. Some were shy, with little motions, others bold and dramatic. Most were funny, and there was much laughter. We took a break, and then broke into two smaller groups.

Now the questions would get harder. First, I asked, "What is your biggest fear and concern for our existence on the planet?" Then, "What do you feel you would need to change about yourself to be able to work more effectively?" And, finally, when I was sure enough trust had been built up: "What wound or scars do you bear to your sense of self esteem, to your emotional well being, to your psyche, to your sense of self?"

Hearts opened. Barriers broke. In some cases, things were said that had never been spoken before. It was now quite late. As there was a Full Moon, we did the Great Tantric Healing Circle, a powerful ritual which can only be done on the Full or New Moon, and which requires a minimum of eleven people. Each person chants once with everyone repeating the chant, going around the unbroken circle. We sat and sent our prayers out to friends and loved ones in need of healing energy, to all the beings on the planet, and to ourselves. Then a massage circle. Five minutes clockwise, and five minutes counter-clockwise. A little more chanting, and a long and rich silence. A closing prayer is offered: "May our hearts be open. May we be blessed to ever live in an attitude of gratitude."

It was after midnight, and the first session was over. Outside, heavier clouds veiled the moon. Late that night, it would rain for the first time in months.