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9/22/10

The group prepares for a major hike.  It will be an hour, straight up.  Our destination is Tango University for Buddhist Studies, one of two universities in the country. Atum asks us to walk in silence.  To reflect on the people who have led us to this point on our respective journeys.

What have I not said to you?  I will say it now, on the side of this mountain, heart full of gratitude and gasping for breath. And then I will say this prayer for you.

May the blessings of God rest upon you.
May God's peace abide in you.
May God's presence illuminate your soul.
Now and forever more.

Surrounded in utter silence except for the sound of my own breath, a bright whinny rings through the wet air.  On the cliff above, a beautiful horse stares directly at me.  I feel the energy flowing between us.  On this mountain, in this silence, if only for today, we are connected.



We pilgrims arrive silently, one by one, at the gates of the Monastery.  Red-robed monks of all ages seem to float along the edges of the slippery cliffs.   I am aware of the trees holding abundant prayers; of the clouds resting among us and us among them; of the wind that becomes breath and vice versa; and of the beloved that sits on every hillside waiting for me.  I am aware.

***
Atum Teaching, Wednesday night

The Center has to hold.

Become attuned to the center, and then stand in my life as order takes place around me. Life, people, events will harmonize themselves around the center.

Holding the center can also mean staying focused on the moment or the person I'm engaged with. Not losing focus, not breaking the field of consciousness; thereby brining people into the field, into the center.
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