White dress…Katherine Butler 2019 IN BUNDLED POSTURES – performance w NEWDANCEALLIANCE My website…Www.barbaramahler.netAlvina calls this “Levitating”Green Dress Series: Summer 2020 QueensboroDanceFestival VIRTUAL EVENT
The working title of this solo is “This is how it happened “Music: Bartok, Sonata for solo violin 117 Meladia ( adagio)This solo dance reaches to make a movement collage of some of my hard to talk about experiences of this pandemic journey. It grazes only the surface.Grateful for this platform. Living and creating on Canarsie ,Munsee Lenape, and Matincock Land.
Thank You Barbara for sharing …. Your amazing and beautiful work!
While WaitingThis solo was created in the pandemic- and we worked with all limitations which included lack of space, distance between us, time, more. We utilized the stool and taped outdoors in the middle of day to day living as the weather permitted. Making use of what life and the situation has given us was the reason we were not on the river. Dancer- Jamie Graham
There’s a powerful Native American Chant celebrating beauty. It is said or sang in circle of people around a Medicine Wheel or Dance of Universal Peace. It goes like this:
I walk with beauty all around me, as I walk the beauty way.
I walk with beauty before me,
I walk with beauty behind me,
I walk with beauty above me,
I walk with beauty below me,
I walk with beauty all around me, as I walk the beauty way.
My thoughts will all be beautiful, HO!,
My words will all be beautiful, HO!
My actions will all be beautiful, HO!
As I walk my life the beauty way.
It comes from Navajo Blessing and here is a link to that information. https://talking-feather.com/home/walk-in-beauty-prayer-from-navajo-blessing/
Here is a link to a You Tube Video of it done by Dances of Universal Peace folks. Enjoy!!!
The Fool is a card on the Major Arcana Tarot Deck. Here is what one source says about it.
The Fool Major Arcana Tarot Card
The Fool depicts a youth walking joyfully into the world. He is taking his first steps, and he is exuberant, joyful, excited. He carries nothing with him except a small sack, caring nothing for the possible dangers that lie in his path. Indeed, he is soon to encounter the first of these possible dangers, for if he takes just a step more, he he topple over the cliff that he is reaching. But this doesn’t seem to concern him – we are unsure whether he is just naive or simply unaware. The dog at his heels barks at him in warning, and if he does not become more aware of his surroundings soon, he may never see all the adventures that he dreams of encountering.
The Fool card is numbered 0, which is considered to be a number of infinite potential. Consider him a blank slate, for The Fool has yet to develop a clear personality. He is the symbol of innocence – his journey to come will shape his character yet.
To see the The Fool generally means a beginning of a new journey, one where you will be filled with optimism and freedom from the usual constraints in life. When we meet him, he approaches each day as an adventure, in an almost childish way. He believes that anything can happen in life and there are many opportunities that are lying out there, in the world, waiting to be explored and developed. He leads a simple life, having no worries, and does not seem troubled by the fact that he cannot tell what he will encounter ahead.
To meet him in a reading can also be seen as a call to the risk-taking part of your own character. He inspires courage, for he understands that every day is a chance to open up new areas in your life, and with that comes a mixture of anticipation, wonder, awe and curiosity. The Fool is there to show that you can never really tell what lies ahead, and you can only greet it with joy.
When this card shows up in a love tarot reading, get ready to embark on a new adventure. The Fool tarot meaning in love signals that you’ll need to experience new things in order to find the romance that you desire. Be willing to take risks, be bold and expand your vision of the world and you may end up finding love in the most unlikely places. Surprises are in store for you.
Since the Fool represents the start of new journeys, it’s tarot meaning in love can be an indicator of new relationships.
As with any new relationship, you may fear rejection, but this card indicates that this should not hold you back. When you open yourself up to the world, even in the face of embarassment or rejection, you may find what you are looking for. In love and relationships, the Fool tells us that we should be confident and have faith that all things will work out well. It tells us that instead of giving up, we keep trying, and look at the world with innocence and wonder. The Fool tarot meaning in love encourages open-eyed innocence and positivity.
New beginnings are on their way, when the Fool appears in your career tarot reading. If you’ve been looking to start a new career path, change jobs, get a promotion, or even start your own venture, the Fool can be a welcome card to begin your new journey. Even if no new drastic changes are coming your way or planned, this card can feel like a fresh breath of air into old projects. You can be filled with new energy, and new innovative ideas can be put into action now. What is important now is to be very aware of the opportunities that are there, and have the courage to take them when they appear.
When it comes to finances, you may be in a period where you are feeling spontaneous and idealistic. All spending now can be for the purpose of adventure and exploration. Want to go on a trip? Or learn a new skill? It can be easy for you to fund these purchases now. There can be a feeling that you will have all that you need, so there’s no need to worry about the bills, and more emphasis on feeling expansive and curious.
When you land on the reversed Fool in your reading, you can generally find his more negative characteristics being on display. It can mean that you are literally acting like a fool by disregarding the repercussions of your actions. Like the youth depicted in the card, you don’t see how dangerous of a position you find yourself in.
A reversed Fool card can show that you are living in the moment and not planning for the future. The reversed Fool meaning serves as caution that you should be more aware so as not to be taken advantage of. Like the dog in the Rider Waite version, this card is here to alert you on anything that may sound too good to be true.
When the Fool is reversed in a love tarot reading, this card can signal that your bright-eyed, trusting nature may need to be tempered with a dose of caution. Especially when with new lovers, make sure that everything is what it seems to be. You may now be looking at love with rose-tinted glasses, and unable to see a clear picture of the relationship. The reversed Fool tarot meaning in love can also indicate that you or a lover may be a bit too immature right now to handle truly loving relationship.
You may have all the energy in the world, and eagerness to do use that energy, however, you may not quite have the insight to do so without any consequences. Try and be more aware about how your actions affect your colleagues right now, and think before you take action. Other times, the reversed Fool can signal that your current job feels stale and boring, and you may be feeling like it’s time for a change. Sometimes, this indicates that you may feel blocked from actually doing so, or that you need to consider these plans very carefully before making that choice. It may be that there are more dangers than you see right now.
There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when all the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’
A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, ‘Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?’
Then, when the farmer’s son was attempted to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’
Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?
Ah- So…..
PS: “Ah, so” is an informal way to say “Is that right?” or (“Hai” is “Yes”, and “Naruhodo” “I see”). For formal conversation “Ah, so desu ka” is more appropriate as it is a signal of respect to the person talking that you are listening.
I like to think of Ah-So as a space of Equanimity…..Maybe, Maybe Not.
It’s that place that is revered by Masters who warn against extreme responses to anything for we never really know the way of things, do we? If we had made that plane that went down we would not still be alive. If we had stayed with that murderous boyfriend, if, if, if…..There’s a reason why they refer to a tantrum as “blowing a gasket” and folks die of heart attacks and injure their organs by throwing fits. (and other reasons too.)
Ah-So helps me to stop and take pause to consider just what the gift of the assumed bad luck might be. It’s there. We just have to give it time to reveal itself.
In India, there is a story about a kind, quiet man who would pray in the Ganges River every morning. One day after praying, he saw a poisonous spider struggling in the water and cupped his hands to carry it ashore. As he placed the spider on the ground, it stung him. Unknowingly, his prayers for the world diluted the poison.
The next day the same thing happened. On the third day, the kind man was knee deep in the river, and sure enough, there was the spider, legs frantic in the water. As the man went to lift the creature yet again, the spider said, “Why do you keep lifting me? Can’t you see I will sting you even time, because that is what I do?”
There are many reasons to be kind, but perhaps none is as compelling as the spiritual fact that it is what we do. It is how the inner organ of being keeps pumping. Spiders sting. Wolves howl. Ants build small hills that no one sees. And human beings lift each other, no matter the consequence. Even when other beings sting.
Some say this makes us a sort lot that never learns, but to me it holds the same beauty as berries breaking through ice and snow every spring. It is what quietly feeds the world. After all, the berries do not have any sense of purpose or charity. They are not altruistic or self-sacrificing. They simply grow to be delicious because that is what they do.
As for us, if things fall, we will reach for them. If things break, we will try to put them together. If loved ones cry, we will try to soothe them — because that is what we do. I have often reached out, and sometimes it feels like a mistake. Sometimes, like the quiet man lifting the spider, I have been stung. But it doesn’t matter, because that is what I do. That is what we do. It is the reaching our that is more important than the sting. In truth, I’d rather be fooled than not believe.
Nemo continues with several opportunities for consideration:
Recall a time when you were kind for no reason.
It could have been as simple as picking up what a stranger dropped. Or leaving an apple in the path of hungry birds.
Meditate on what such acts have done for you. After being kind have you felt lighter, more energized, younger, more open in your heart?
September 2001: The World Trade Center had been demolished and living in New Jersey many people I knew were at the scene. Everyone in the world was shocked, numb, dumbfounded, grief-stricken. Triages were set up all over to relieve symptoms of shock and stress and grief. Many therapists of all kinds volunteered their time to help the wounded. My regular clients came to me like lost wounded souls and I felt like I needed more to offer. I asked my acupressure mentor to please come up with something. The acupressure teachers of Soul Lightening International (now Insight Acupressure) led by Aminah Raheem of Borrego Springs, California got together here on the east coast one day and created a new protocol to serve the world in relieving shock and stress. It is called SEVA. SEVA means service in Sanscrit and the protocol was created to relieve suffering and stress and to promote general relaxation. SEVA is a simple acupressure treatment created for anyone to give or receive.
A SEVA treatment can be administered in just a few minutes or can be extended 20-30 minutes, depending on the circumstances. It can be given in a therapists office but was truly designed to be given whenever and wherever it is needed. My friend Missy helped a runner who was down and in shock on the street on a very hot day to revitalize even while EMT’s were standing by. She reconnected his vital energies to come back to the here and now.
Receiving SEVA is a very calming and centering experience. It can relieve post traumatic stress syndrome. It can provide a turning point for an individual to move toward true healing at the deepest levels.
Clinical Acupressure ( which is an ancient healing modality from China and Asia using finger pressure to acupoints on the body) enhances the free flow of the body’s vital energy, activates it’s own recuperative abilities and diminishes congestion. It can address a multitude of symptoms including back problems, headaches, respiratory, digestive and systemic problems as well as colds, flus, allergies and physical injuries. This treatment modality will facilitate,but should not replace, delay or interfere with medical treatment. This work uses the knowledge of ancient traditions combined with contemporary understanding to promote health and self-responsibility for wellness.
I implemented SEVA right away and the results were immediate. I saw the difference in people who received treatment as opposed to those who hadn’t and my heart ached for those who hadn’t sought treatment of any kind. Many divorces happened after 9/11..moving and displacement…many health issues are still happening. After 9/ 11 most people I know who sought treatment used several modalities to balance themselves as they found necessary; chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, acupressure, yoga, psychotherapy, spiritual guidance, homeopathy, and nutritional counseling and more were sought out to alleviate a myriad of complaints including respiratory, fear, shock, confusion, digestive, muscular, etc. SEVA allowed the unraveling and peace to begin to find a way through from the other side of pandemonium.
I am a certified SEVA instructor and I and my colleagues are teaching SEVA in schools, hospitals, PTA’s, and communities so everyone can know the relief and health building that is possible through acupressure. It has been a terrific addition to the community if someone is so disposed to volunteer it to Women’s or Men’s Shelter’s for instance. A Seva 1: Self-Care Class runs 3 hours. If you would like to learn SEVA or to set up a group demo let me know and it will be arranged. I am available at Art of Holistic Masssage (AOHMassage) in Naples FL. 732-266-5276.
Since 2001, The Good Points Program for Self-Care has been developed and Seva is one of the releases that is taught among about 25 others by various teachers for Insight Acupressure in our Acupressure for Anyone Program.Insight Acupressure for more info.. Namaste.
