Above and below

A friend and I have been talking lately about the Dark Goddess (or goddesses) and what She represents. As my ecstatic dancing is always exploring my relationship to the divine feminine, I wanted to express some experiences of Her darkness that I've had lately when I dance - the "below" that I connect to when I dance low to the ground and the energy I call up into myself from Mother Earth.

Once I read a book about Hatha Yoga that invited practitioners to use their imaginative minds when they held a pose to uncover the hidden meaning of that pose. Tree pose has always been a favourite of mine and I began visualizing myself as a tree, half of myself visible, above ground, half invisible 'below' the ground, a root system that is a mirror reflection in terms of scope and importance. As I balance in that position, one foot firmly 'planted', I visualize my roots extending down into the earth. My trunk becomes an extention of those roots and I no longer begin at the surface of the floor I stand on. My physical balance improves but so does my spiritual balance as I reflect on some deeper part of myself.

The Dark Goddess is here for me, in the unseen underworld. When I stomp or skip on the ground, I am awakening this part of myself the same way humans have awakened the fertile earth with dance for milleniums as part of their spring planting rituals. When I let my chest beat with the rhythm of the drum and I direct it towards the floor, bending away from my "head" and concentrating on my body connection to the earth, I feel goddess energy fill me and I can move into a "trance" state that is very restoring. I end the session feeling connected, alive, my mind cleared of debris.

I also want to tell readers about a local musician who has launched a successful new album that has some great meditative dance music. Elyse Bruce has teamed up with Gerry Dere to produce "Dreamtime", a project that is raising funds for the Make a Wish Foundation. Her son has an incurable disease, Myasthenia Gravis, and his life has been touched by the foundation. If you want a copy of the cd, Elyse can be reached through Centre Stage Performing Arts, Peterborough at (705) 745-5573. Mayeline and I are now holding our classes at their shared space in Peterborugh Square (with the Tai Chi Assn) and I'd be happy to get you a copy.

Yoga dance workshop

I have mentioned Amrita's beautiful Nritya yoga workshops. Here is an update on her fall session in Montreal.

Oct. 16th and 23rd
1 pm to 4:30 pm
$175
To register, go to:
http://www.ananda-amrita.com/Upcoming%20Events_Fr.htm

Loving, welcoming bodies

With a new fall ecstatic dance session beginning, there has been the usual arrival of new dancers to the group. We are an open collective (or 'tribe' as some members like to say) and new people drop in all the time, needing to be welcomed.  Some may not be that comfortable expressing themselves in movement.

This week I observed several dancers staying for long periods in the corner or sides of the room. We always have the choice to do this and I appreciate when the group leaves me alone to be quiet and reflective when I want to be. Sometimes it is because I am in pain and by back is stopping me from enjoying movement. Many members deal with physical injuries and dancing is another way for us to deal with pain or tightness. Other times it is because an emotion is asking to be felt in stillness. But for newcomers, it can simply be discomfort or shyness.

Several of us interacted from time to time Thursday, inviting new dancers to share more of the space. But one particular interaction caught my attention. A dancer who had been in the corner for a long time was joined first by one dancer, then a second. They just danced beside them, shoulder to shoulder, but not really with them. As if they were just keeping them company.

Then one dancer started to move forward slowly and the other began to follow. It was as if an unspoken invitation to join the space had been offered and accepted. After that, the solitary dancer moved with the others in the room. I felt I had witnessed a beautiful healing moment when someone's aloneness was shared and then dispersed into the group, allowing them to make the shift in their feeling state.

It reminded me not to be so caught up in my own journey all the time but rather to share my body generously with others when I am dancing. Moving with them. Or beside them. Or around them. Whatever way our bodies seem to wish to connect.

Loving, welcoming bodies in movement.