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Hello Lovelies!
Yes. You are absolutely right. My effort at blogging has been less than satisfactory. Please interpret my silence NOT as indifference to keeping you abreast of my adventures, rather as evidence of the extremely rich nature of my experience over the past four weeks. At this point the idea of writing is daunting!
The 2 weeks of silat training in Spain kicked my butt. Essentially 6 intense hours of squats and lunges (with a spiritual-energetic component, of course) per day for 13 days. Two weeks later, the bruises and scrapes are healed and my body is still integrating the internal changes. Structurally unwinding, deprogramming, reprogramming…. the best part is my feet - they are so alive, awake, aware, sensing - I can’t bear to put them in shoes, poor things. The really want to be spread out and suctioned, listening to the earth. Even Birkenstocks impede their independence. I feel relief that I have a barefoot type job when I get home.
I spent Easter (my first day in England) in London with my sister and cousin (Melissa and Stephanie), an unplanned and coincidental overlap in trips to London. Delightful to decompress after Spain with my own sister! It was like a short trip home. The next day Steph and I enjoyed a marvellous tea at Claridge’s, a very posh, famous hotel and tea room in London. My first taste of clotted cream. The best parts were the delicate and flavourful tea sandwiches - five varieties. Saw Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, went in the London Eye (the giant ferris wheel thing). Steph is a great touring companion. She’s game to do all the things I want to!
(I’m back in London as of this afternoon (a wonderfully warm day, which permitted a tank top and sandals!!!! No shivering in a heavy restrictive coat!!!), after 2 weeks of jaunting about in the south of the North and in the east of the Southwest. I’ll have four more days here to be a touron. On Wednesday I’m accompanying Steph on a history class excursion to the Tower of London and afterward we’ll go to the theatre to see Les Mis.
Zoomed up to Sheffield on a very cramped bus to visit my marvellous friends Richard and Cristina, where they filled me with treacle and custard, biscuits, tea, etcetera, pudding, double cream, more tea, more etcetera, more tea, more biscuits, more pudding, more etcetera. Richard and Andy Lilley (driver, artist, friend extraordinaire) took me to my first English Pub where I had a BLT (they were out of fish and chips, waaah) and beer in the middle of the afternoon. Wish I could remember what it was called… the Something Arms? Cosy with a real wood fire.
A fortuitous break in the chilly, damp weather sent Rich, Cris, Andy, and wonderfully warm neighbours Mike and Trudy with delightful children Lewis, Jamie, Sophie and fierce, friendly bear dog C____, and I (breath… breath… breath…) scampering out to the Peak District for a magical picnic adventure in the country. We drove, then walked, then went back to the car and drove again cuz we’d stopped too soon (at the open gate that said “closed”), and walked again. Once we got to “Slippery Stones” we were blessed to share the spectacular scenery with only each other and some sheep. It was not warm at all (read cold)… and that didn’t stop the kids (and Rich) from stripping down to their skivvies and heroically plunging, dunking, swimming, splashing in the creek/swimming hole that meandered next to our picnic… until they were shivering, blue lipped, and all smiles. I took a bunch of photos (with my cheap-o k-mart camera) and am hoping that at least a few capture the magic of the day.
Then Cris and I remembered that we and Rich had committed to a meal with some other acquaintances… but we had already stuffed ourselves with this marvellous picnic. I mean really stuffed. 3 chickens, baguette, watercress, crisps, carrots, 2 fresh pies, lots of double cream, and seconds and third of everything… and even after we remembered the next meal we couldn’t stop eating. We had no number to call to cancel. We desperately hoped that the meal in question would be a light tea with refreshments.
We arrived to GIANT heaping plates of pasta with chicken, and wine, and pie. I disembodied myself and blindly ate until my body could hold no more. Until one more bite meant it would all come bubbling back up. It took days for my tummy to go all the way down. Days. Bleagh!!! No more binging for me. Is that all I had to do? Really stuff myself?
Zoomed down to Bath on a very pleasant train to visit my friends Ayres, Marianne, their delightful 13 month old, Mirelle, and Marianne’s parents Anne and David. The family was wonderfully welcoming. The baby is a delight - so bright, mimicking sounds and actions - when she cries it comes from deep, deep inside. I’ve never heard a baby cry so soulfully! Marianne is remarkable as a mother - so much awareness, patience, compassion, love.
Ayres and I drove to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge. It was icy and windy at Stonehenge (I completely lost sensation in my little finger for quite a while). We moseyed as quickly as possible through the handheld audio tour and bee-lined back to the car. Did you know that one third of each stone is underground? They ARE giant! I was impressed by the site - it looks just like the pictures, only better. The Salisbury plain is rolling and green.
Bath is a beautiful city. I saw the Royal Circus and Crescent, toured Royal Crescent #1, the Assembly Rooms and Museum of Costume. Drank some “Bath water” in the Pump Room (it’s supposed to be good for you). The Roman Baths was an amazing place to tour and I’m glad that I was accompanied by my fellow bodyworker and “brother from another mother”, Ayres. The main pool felt like somewhere I’d been as a little girl. The complex was a healing temple dedicated to the Celtic and Roman goddesses, Sulis and Minerva respectively. Architecturally, the place strangely resembles the baths at Esalen, only imagine that all that funky cement is instead carved blocks of stone. And imagine that everyone attending the baths has reverence and gratitude for the power (energetic, spiritual, geothermal… whatever) of the spring. Imagine it was created as a sacred space. The opportunity to see and learn about a place like the Roman Baths at Bath really informs my process about my work - reference any conversations you may have had with me about my alternate reality as priestess in training at the Healing Temple serving the Esalen Acropolis.
Ayres and I drove to Glastonbury and climbed the Tor. The view was spectacular. Green and rolling. I like green and rolling! Again, it was freezing and the wind was strong. Lots of power there - like the intersection of earth and sky- the earth of the Tor (a tall pointy hill in the middle of a flat plan that used to be covered with water - alleged location of the Isle of Avalon), the powerful wind (birds suspended in air, flapping, flapping, not traveling- lean into the wind 45’ and be completely supported by it).
Did a trade with Ayres - the first massage I’ve Given in 4 or 5 weeks. It felt weird. Now that my body has reprogrammed itself (away from the patterns I use as a massage therapist) I am able to feel that I have NOT been using my body well. Moving the old way in this new body feels debilitating.
I realize that I am on this journey to learn to use my body well - to use it in a way that I can maintain functional equivalence AND cultivate physical freedom and opening and posture and lack of restriction. My physical awareness grows and grows.
I realize I am also on this journey to find the climate where my physical body is meant to flourish. I love England - the people, the land, the flora, the traditions - AND the climate is impossible for me! I am chilled to my bones. My skin is chapped and irritated. I’m sniffly nosed and sneezing. I feel my muscles contract against the cold - particularly my shoulders and feet. Cold just won’t do for me. I leave for Bali on Friday.
Love you all,
Maggie
Next issue:
Diet, Movement, and Climate: the Grand Trine
P.S. I will be incommunicado between roughly the 17th and 28th of April.
During this time, and in an emergency only, I can be reached at Nirarta Center
http://www.awareness-bali.com/
enquiries@awareness-bali.com
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I am envious Maggie. Simply envious. I can't wait to hear about Bali! - Christian