Julie's blog

Honoring Visudha de los Santos

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:47:48 +0000

Visudha de los Santos, creator of Move and Be Moved, has just completed a year long journey with guides Gabrielle Roth, Jonathan Horan, Kathy Altman, Lori Saltzman, Andrea Juhan and 80 dancing colleagues from around the world. I wanted to take a moment, as her friend and witness, to acknowledge this initiation into the sacred territory of a 5Rhythm teacher. She offers herself as a beacon of light, facilitating movement and ritual in Taos and around the country. In my view, this offering is vital.

I started dancing with Visudha many years ago in the Olympia ballroom, even before I knew her. And, eventually, we had our first "road trip" to California and became instant soul sisters. I have witnessed her journey over the years, her dances, her surrender, her work, her play and her continual willingness to travel that higher road - to be beauty, love and light. I love you and I'm proud of you!

And, so, I want to recognize this essential moment in time, this lovely silly delightful preciously fleeting moment. And, honor the person, Visudha, for her devotion to movement meditation, to art and ritual, community conversation, and helping others to free their spirits. Thank you for living in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Congratulations. May we dance together again soon!

Please join me in celebrating Visudha via the e-waves, give her a call, and show up on her dance floor!

Spiritweaves

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:10:49 +0000

In the past six months I've been inspired by many forms of movement practice, widening the circle of movement experiences I have. One that has sparked my curiousity is spiritweaves, a movement practice developed out of both the 5Rhythms & SoulMotion. Anneli & michael molin-skelton are based in Los Angeles and teach around the country. For more information you can go to their website at www.spiritweaves.com

This is what they say about spiritweaves:

spiritweaves ™ is a movement inspiration
extended to all with an impulse
to pray in motion
to dance devotion.
it is a movement invitation
extended to all with a desire to listen
to their own voice
to dance the truth; your choice.
spiritweaves ™ is a dance of improvisation
guided through the lens of your attention
and married to the fire of your intention.
when woven together we are free
to do the dances of
twisting not resisting
rolling rather than controlling
unwinding and unbinding
unraveling as we are traveling
wandering together into the center of who we are.
spiritweaves ™ is a movement liberation
extended to all who are willing
to answer their own calling.
a movement revelation
unmasking the mystery and magic of our own dance.
we will asist, stir, incite, invite and inspire the dance
to be awakened into and throughout our lives
breath, weight, shape, pause, repetition, silence and witnessing
are some of the tools we will employ to engage
and enhance you as a creative event, always unfolding.
emergency: emerge and see what breaks through as
spiritweaves ™
spiritweaves ™ is a prayer in progress constantly being birthed
out of the 5 rhythms® and soul motion ™.

Five Years Too Many

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:51:49 +0000

March 19th will mark 5 years since the invasion of Iraq. And, as a friend recently wrote me "It seems like even though we hear about the war every day, somehow it's almost become just a drone in the background." To see her complete writing go to http://dancingbotanicals.blogspot.com/

There are many different public actions being planned on March 15 and 19th in several cities. (See http://www.5yearstoomany.org/ to find an event near you.)

For myself, dancing feels like the most revolutionary act. As Emma Goldman said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be a part of your revolution" And, I was witness to how dancing and music shut down the Nazi's in Olympia, WA. Dance & music are powerful revolutionary tools.

"There are many different ways to make our voices heard, the important thing is that we do something."

Since moving to Prescott, AZ in the fall of 2007 I have created dance in the desert. The desert is a light-filled, expansive place. On the weekend of March 21st & 22nd we will be dancing the act of Revolution, practicing change, and donating 10% of our profits to 5YearsTooMany. (www.DancingBotanicals.com)

Bombing, invasions and rigged elections are not something most of us want to think about. But, if we don't think about it, talk about it, and dance, imagine the world we will live in 5 years from now.

I encourage you to participate, in whatever way you can, in spreading the 19th across the country, person to person, dance to dance.

DANCING THE REVOLUTION

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:49:26 +0000

Black South Africans fought for 40 years to dismantle the oppressive system of apartheid. One of their most potent weapons was toyi-toyi, a militantly exuberant form of singing and dancing. It served to mobilize the energy of crowds at the large protest demonstrations that ultimately broke the will of the white minority rulers. Imagine how confounded their authoritarian minds must have been when confronted by thousands of high-spirited activists passionately singing and dancing in unison.

Sunday Morning in Rainy Olympia

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:36:12 +0000

I'm at B & B coffee shop finishing up the details of life in Olympia. I awoke early and as I breathed in the wet air this morning it filled my body with such sweet smells of life and I realized again, that life is always changing, and this wet world I have loved for over a decade will no longer surround me in a week. The nurturing I have received here to truly become myself will never be forgotten as I step into the next phase of my life, searching for my home. For those of you who haven't tried astrocartograhpy with Rosie Finn, I highly recommend it! She can map out the locations on Earth where you are most suited according to your birth date, time, and location. My love and a poem for you all this rainy Sunday morning....

Buddha in Glory

Center of all centers, core of cores,
almond, that closes tightly in and sweetens,--
this entire world out to all the stars
is your fruit-flesh: we greet you.

Look, you feel how nothing any longer
clings to you; your husk is in infinity,
and there the strong juice stands and crowds.
And from outside a radiance assists it,

for high above, your suns in full splendor
have wheeled blazingly around.
Yet already there's begun inside you
what lasts beyond the suns.

—Ranier Maria Rilke, translated by Edward Snow
from New Poems

Simplicity, Patience, Compassion

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:11:38 +0000

Happy Father's Day to all Fathers.
I opened up to these 2 poems in the Tao Te Ching...

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.

I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate towards yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.

---------
All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
you must learn how to follow them.

The Master is above the people,
and no one feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
and no one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to her.
Because she competes with no one,
no one can compete with her.

Purpose & Perception

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:29:17 +0000

I had a dream about my spirit being bruised recently, it was literally black & blue all over, and there were actually two spirits. Their eyes were windows to the Earthly world. Amazing images for me.

On Saturday, at Cycles, my upper back pain started surfacing. I started feeling like a big ole bear who had been shot in the right shoulder, heading to the river to cool it down. Still strong but wounded.

I'm realizing how much suffering, violence and injustice there is right in my own community, home and heart. I don't need to go to gaza or Africa, or a sweat shop in NYC to find these human actions. We all participate, we all tell lies to ourselves and each other, we all think we're better than Bush and we're really playing the same game, trying to get what we want and willing to hurt others and ourselves to get it.

Sometimes we hurt each other and ourselves by simply contributing to an innacurate perception of a person, making them out to be a rebel or a person who has difficulty with authority (this is a social problem for people of color, esp. black men), or we make ourselves out to be something we are not, it may be as simple as puffing ourselves up (like a pufferfish). We all do it. And, for good reason, we all want to survive those bigger fish and be our biggest best self in this lifetime.

I think the challenge is in our response to perception. Something Vinn Marti said last month has stuck with me "Purpose resides in accuracy of perception and appropriateness of response." To constantly ask ourselves, do I need to puff up right now, what is an appropriate response given the perception I have, and how accurate is that perception truly?

I'm finding that the more I contribute to an accurate perception, an accurate perception of myself and those around me, the clearer the purpose becomes, and the clearer the purpose of the community as a whole becomes. My response is to move toward this accurate perception and clarity of purpose.

Cycles & Bear Medicine

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:11:09 +0000

I just returned from Grass Valley, CA, where I danced the second module of Cycles with Kathy Altman. We danced our teen years. For me these years represented a time of wild revolutionary spirit, the spirit that challenges and learns, tests boundaries and creates its own. We practiced centering in all of it. Needless to say, my wild spirit had a hard time getting to class some days. The Yuba river was calling me! It became a treat before and after dancing. I dipped into the cool water and soaked in the heat of the boulders. I felt like that teenager who is finally free from her parents (but not really)!

On Sunday, after swimming in the river and soaking in some heat, we were headed to a potluck in our car and a big black bear crossed right in front of us and went up the steep slope next to the road. It was stunning. That strong bear, solitary, wild and so centered (even amongst the highway, cars and gauking eyes).

When I returned home I had an email waiting from a fellow dancer. He said he had a dream and we danced together. Then, when he awoke, he went for a walk and came close to the most beautiful, powerful bear he'd ever seen. This was Sunday morning on the East coast, the same day I saw the bear.

As I continue opening to the mysterious moving meditation that I am, I continue to get these awe inspiring reminders of the power that we can all access, the medicine we hold in our hearts, minds and bodies. When we meditate, however we do it, we open up the possibility of connecting to this powerful medicine, whether it be bear medicine or snake medicine or raven medicine or....(it's truly endless)

As shaman we dance and the medicine moves and is moved by us!

Tribal Gift Journey

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:55:39 +0000

As the person who coordinated the tribal gift to Amara and Sara I want to share a bit of the journey with all of you...

First, I want to say that the gifts presented to Amara and Sara on New Years Weekend are truly from the whole tribe, Olympia and beyond! I received donations anywhere from $2 to $100 starting in November. On New Years Day, I received the $40 I spent over our collective funds! I was amazed.

As for the ideas....the idea for the tree symbol on the blanket originated in Bellingham. I emailed Jenny Macke about our plans and she immediately emailed back with an idea...the symbol of the tree with branches and roots reaching out into our lives, communities, and families as Amara and Sara have done. I took the idea to Visudha who immediately had a vision and drew it up...Shari Trnka was very excited about it all and is a magical seamstress so we gave her half our collection in exchange for her work to create the blanket...Shari decided the bare branches needed leaves and came up with the idea to have us all pitch in our wool/cashmere sweaters and cut leaves and pin them to the tree. She sewed the leaves on (lots of stitching! I gave her some chocolate damiana liqeuer as a tip but if anyone can offer massage please do!) and the blanket was given to Amara and Sara.

At the same time, Liz helped from the inside to guide the purchase of the more practical gifts…the ideas that surfaced were wool rugs, bookcases, possibly DJ Traktor, a good surge protector came up after the deck blew out during the storms…I have a friend who gets the best rugs from Mexico and I had her send pictures for us to look at. The warm gold colors and zapotec stars reminded me of the Pagano's. I also spent some time researching the Monster products and wasn’t sure which surge protector to get but decided to go with the one we had the exact amount of money for.

The idea behind the pedicures came from Margit but was paid for by our collective funds. I was pleased to hear that this will be Amara's first pedicure - yeah! The other beautiful piece of this gift were the cards created by Bill up in Vancouver. I had saved those cards for a couple years and decided this was the time to use them!

Service

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 05:20:44 +0000

Recently I realized the underlying reason for wanting to guide others in moving meditation practice. I want to facilitate movement. In moving more on the dance floor I have experienced more movement in my life, my relationships... More movement in my feet, more movement in my hips and more movement in my emotions. I want to share this movement with others.

When I first started I THOUGHT I moved a great deal. In fact, I'd traveled to great distances such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Greece, Beijing, Spain....but on the dance floor I traveled home. HOME. IN and OUT. I found myself. I became centered. And then I extended myself out to another, and another. I moved from my core connected to all before me, all around me, and all to be.

Facilitating others to move more is a guiding light for me. It holds all of the other things I wish for such as "stomping out illusion by continually dancing" and connection. If I am a part of the motion I am alive. Everything that separates me vanishes. Remembering this guiding light is an anchor for me, holding me steady and true to the simple reason I serve...motion.

My gifts are simply what I bring that day to the dance, what I have to offer...my vulnerability, my mothering energy, my calmness, my own two eyes drinking you in, trust...

Serve and Remember
Love...Forgive...Love
These are the words of our elders.

The Cosmic Dance

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:53:02 +0000

In the July issue of Plants & Planets Rosie Finn reminds us that mind and spirit are separate, and yet, we can have a body-mind-spirit connection.

She continues, "In some esoteric theory, it is believed that the highest state of being is the Sun and then out through the planets one by one....first there is light (the Sun), then there is the word/thought (Mercury). Then there is the heart/feelings (Venus). Then there is the body (Earth). So Mercury is thought and the use of thought as the first expression of spirit."

As mercury goes retrograde (typically a time of mis-communication, technical difficulties, etc.) Rosie encourages us to use our perception to change both the past and the future. "Just as the past is only in our minds as a series of thoughts and perceptions, the future too is only in our minds as a series of possibilities. If increasing our ability to perceive allows us to rewrite the past, it allows us to open to greater possibilities in the future. And all of this happens in this moment."

For me, there is no greater way to keep my mind-body-heart connected, spinning around a core of light, re-creating and creating my perception and therefore my past, future and present moment....than to dance :)

Gifts from Mixin' Music

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 05:32:31 +0000

I've started helping put together music for a few 5Rhythms classes and being the DJ, standing behind the music mixer, is a whole new world. The first night I had this huge realization that it truly is SO difficult to show up and move (even though my teacher Sara has probably said something to this effect 50 times in my presence). I could see how we all show up desiring to dance and most of us barely move! We need each other and the music to help us step out of our patterns, move in new ways, and reconnect to our core, our two feet, our heart...and REALLY MOVE! It amazes me.

This past Sunday I also realized how special the moments are when we receive and give gifts. A person I had never met handed me a chocolate bar (while I was at the DJ stand) and in that prized moment I realized all of the reasons we give gifts (to say thank you, to be seen, to honor someone, to love, to communicate, to connect). I also realized that the moments themselves - when I have been given gifts or given a gift - are some of the most special moments I've had in my life. That exchange of love sticks with me.

The Edge (2004)

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 20:07:38 +0000

The edge that I walk...is seemingly solid ground that melts to sand. By day I walk a life that I have been taught is secure and makes my parents beam with pride. By night, the solid ground melts to sand and it is here, dancing under the moonlight, with stars at my feet that my soul is joyful. I am awakened to my true path and purpose. I know love. And yet, fear and responsibility pulls me back onto the solid ground. In times of fear I find the dance continues to teach me to live to satisfy my soul. It teases me out into the sand. I long to spend my days dancing with the plants. I want to trust my passions will more than sustain me and serve a greater purpose. I continue to walk the solid ground, knowing there is more, and growing more uncomfortable. I “prepare�? and “contemplate�? the sustainability of spending my days in the desert. Do I have enough knowledge to survive? Resistance is my partner, I feel the fear and longingly look over an expansive desert full of light, wanting so much to be alive, trust my heart, be in love, and dance fearlessly among the stars.

Embodied Soul

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 06:17:26 +0000

This past weekend I came face to face with how I still seek perfection in my spiritual practice (not my physical so much anymore). I was reminded that as a Catholic I simply went to church every week and asked for forgiveness...everything was pretty clean cut and simple. In the 5rhythms practice I face myself and my spiritual growth isn't so straight forward. In particular, I am up against the part of me that is a fool. I resist the fool - especially in front of others I don't know - fools get laughed at - why would I want to be laughed at? Even though I enjoy laughing at others?! The fool isn't neat, tidy or perfect - the fool lets it all out for others to see. At the same time, I can see this is exactly what I need to embody my soul....I need all that messy stuff to come out and be laughed at in order to dive deep into my soul. In essence the 5rhythms, as my spiritual practice, tricks, teases and tickles me into my soul. In the end I play the perfect fool...no matter what I do, say, or dance...