Emerge

Today was clear, skies blue, and no wind! The temperature at 52 degrees fahrenheit was lower than if felt to the body. Today is Wednesday.

Moving through the world these days feels different. There is something shifting that is unsettling and unseen. The news report the same events about conflict, cheating, and disarray. Nothing new in the news.

People are connecting in different ways - more information (in the head) and less capacity for understanding (heart and spirit), and certainly less collaboration and cooperation in the world (hands). While it seems there are a lot of things happening in the name of being in service, there seems to be less opportunity for people to put their bodies into the action. There are innumerable calls into virtual space and very little chance to move into spaces together for no reason, other than to be a part of the social space that used to be every day, and is quickly disappearing.

This past weekend was an exception as the spring equinox inspired a gathering in Compton to bring people together to break bread, to engage in ceremony, and to remember to find a way to reconnect in real time/space. The evening moved people into a circle where percussive instruments - Djembe drums, rattles, Ghana marimba zylophones, and an assortment of other sound-making objects allowed the circle to come into one rhythm. A conversation took place that was possible without words, yet deeply connected for those who felt the vibration of life and stories and histories.

Another gathering happened over the past few days. We moved into an old-time space called a "movie theater" which allowed for an experience of being in a reality that is clearly fading from our social encounters. Going to see an animated movie to lighten the heaviness of the times, had a heavy impact. Perhaps it was the experience of seeing few people, of sitting in seats that are more appropriate for home spaces than a movie house, of seeing the far-out prices of food/beverage that used to be the fun stuff of going to a movie, and then watching animation filled with color and movement (mostly violent movement). All of it made it impossible to stay through to the end. No more going to a movie theater. Maybe plays will be different.

Meeting strangers for brief encounters whether at the farmers market, a grocery store, a shop for gifts and cards - is fading away. Everything is moving toward a reality that will allow each one to curate a life that will fulfill a momentary individual need in the most convenient way. But what about the chance encounters that come out of simply being in a world where people need to take care of daily needs? Will these go away because everything can be done with an app?

Real engagement and interactions in real time are invitations to build our capacity for greater understanding. We may not be able to change conditions in the world into what we might wish, but certainly we must find ways for each of us to offer our energy to make the change that is needed. So it's time to emerge – get up, get out, and share your beautiful life energy with this world.