Travelogue of US RoadTrip - Part 12 (Bernalillo, New Mexico)

New Moon Cancer, full Solar Eclipse

I see that there are many places on the planet where I feel very comfortable and could live. This great state of New Mexico is one of these places, probably in the northwest quarter of the state. There is a combination of factors here which thrills me to even consider this place as a potential home; the phenomenal colors of the mountains and wide open feeling of the landscape, Big sky and broad vistas, and the easy feeling of being an artist and writer here. I love the major presence of the native American population and their awareness of the preeminence of nature. The adobe architecture is so calming as I look at them in context with the environment, and, I just feel a Thrill in my body and soul to be here in this place and on this land. The prayer in my heart right now, may it be in my destiny to live and work from this land.

I did the long drive yesterday from Springfield Mo. and arrived around 8pm to this town of Bernalillo. I actually drove all the way up to my campsite near Jemez Springs, knowing it was my first desire to set up camp last night. As suspected, the campsites were full so I gave myself a nice nights sleep in a bed before these next 5 nights of camping.

Pisces horoscope for this eclipse.....”Today’s solar eclipse in your 5th house of creativity encourages you to set aside a block of time for artistic self expression”.....Wow!! That is exactly my plan for this week, 5 nights camping, making drawings and paintings and writing to my hearts content. Nobody knows me here and I hardly speak a word, except for some occasional wonderful human contact and exchanges. This time to be back here in nature and in this yellow and red canyon, well, I can think of no better place for me to be right now. Maybe this is the epicenter of my trip. It seems like writing and making art is my deeper dream and wish for my life. Hmmmmm......and being friends and in love with you All.

Tommaso

Travelogue of US RoadTrip - Part 11 (St. Louis, Mo.)

It is time for me to return to New Mexico and California and I feel that little sadness that this trip of a lifetime is nearly over. Come on Thomas......and then a week at home in Big Sur, and then an Esalen weekend and then Europe for 10 weeks with 3 retreats starting July 26. But still, there is an aloneness on this trip that I am just loving, and even returning to my campsite at Canyon de Jemez feels so perfect.

This thing of saying goodbye until the next time..... I feel so sad to leave this place I could call home. Also the dynamic of ”I could really live here again” and to know this is really true for me. In reality, I’m here in St. Louis for 2 months total in 2010 when added up together and I feel so grateful to have this deep connection with the place where I was born and grew up. I started coming back to St. Louis with regularity say in 1993 or 4 and over the years developed a very strong relationship with the yoga family of St. Louis. So having my blood family and yoga family in St. Louis means I'm always super busy seeing friends and relatives, taking classes and teaching classes, and just Being in this great place on the planet.

I feel very at ease with my roots and family of origin and at peace with the choices I’ve made in life. This has been a process in the last few years, really challenging at times, where I’ve been looking deeply at the decisions I’ve made and the direction I have taken. I’ve taken stock of what I have and don’t have and am in a place of accepting myself where I’m at. Maybe this re-evaluation happens several times in our lives, where we really look and see who we are, and accepting this, we move forward one more time. I feel so deeply grounded to see and accept who I am, and the reality of my life.

Travelogue of US RoadTrip - Part 10 (New Era Michigan and Camp Miniwanca)

Wow, it has been super special and powerful for me to return to this beloved land and place of Camp Miniwanca. Om Namah Shivaya..... and so many Thanks and so much Gratitude to the Land and Lake Michigan, and to the Consciousness of Miniwanca, this Ashram and place of prayer and play and fun. As I walked the Miniwanca beach this evening for sunset, the girl’s camp was gathered there for Versper’ service. Each evening at Miniwanca, the camp gathers for quiet time, singing and some words for contemplation and self-reflection, as the Sun is setting on the lake.

The mantra of Miniwanca is:

My own Self at my very best, all the time.

The symbol is the simple 4 squares cross, actually creating the fifth square in the middle. M-P-S-R, Mental, Physical, Social and Religious, All in Balance for a productive and meaningful life.

It was an interesting perspective to see camp from the perimeter. I could not get onto the camp grounds b/c the Young Boys and Girls camps are in session. Totally out of respect for the place and the programs of Miniwanca, I did not step foot onto the property at all. In the 3 community experiences of my life, there has always been the issues of outsiders wandering into the community grounds and needing to have good boundaries in place for the curious who pass by. This was true of Miniwanca, the ashrams of Siddha Yoga and also at Esalen. I feel the issue is not about insiders and outsiders, exclusion vs. inclusion. More than that, the issue is to preserve and encourage an atmosphere of quiet and calm for the one’s who have chosen to come to that particular retreat center in nature. The community creates a schedule and has some basic and agreed upon rules which facilitates the experience of communal life and inner reflection. Clearly, whenever we are in nature, we are in the Temple of the Supreme Force.

It is as true here at Miniwanca as it is at Esalen or at the ashrams. The beauty of the natural environment is stunning and evokes a deep relaxation within me. I have so appreciated the vistas of Stony Lake and Stony Creek, and have watched a flood of memories pass across the screen of my mind. My time here at Miniwanca was from age 17 - 32, so not the average age when someone goes to camp. Being here was a profound opening in my life and truly the beginning of a spiritual evolution. I think of the many, many heart connections I made with so many people here over the years, as a student and as the teacher. I would say that I grew in self confidence and self esteem, feeling like a loved and valuable member of the human family. I grew up as a Catholic and had a wonderful spiritual upbringing in the Catholic church. And when I came to Miniwanca, I was introduced to the world of Protestant Christianity which struck simply me as a different approach to loving God. At Miniwanca, they were very aware of Embracing Everyone’s path to God, Christian and Non Christian. I had never considered such an idea before and I see that I embraced this attitude full on. This attitude and value has remained to be essentially the most important.