Morning thoughts: My thoughts on the morning of the final day of Kamana
I really never expected that it was possible to learn SO much in just two short weeks. Although this is the last day of Kamana One according to the book, its really only the beginning of my journey. ( I never really did like goodbyes). I want to challenge myself to be able to do these exercises everyday of my life. If anything Kamana has taught me two core lessons. One is that nature IS all around you and two is that every one of us has the ability to awaken ourselves to do these types of exercises throughout the day. These exercises can be accomplished by anyone, not just the 85 year old field naturalist. All of these exercises are completely natural for us, its just taking the time to unlearn how you normally perceive the world. I think one of the most challenging things about Kamana is the feeling that you don't have enough time during your busy day. The key is finding a way to be able to be fully in tune with your awareness, even in a 200 person lecture hall about 17th Century Art. It is quite the challenge, and something that I hope I will be able to say I can do eventually. These past two weeks have kind of made me feel like, I was living in a fast paced video game, just going through the motions, seeing what I wanted to see, hearing what I wanted to hear and then BAM, the WHOLE world was in front of me. Kamana has made me feel like I'm seeing through a different pair of eyes. Each day I woke up around 7, ready to hear, smell, feel, listen and so excited to be ALIVE. That each day there is something new to learn, and the more I know, the more I find I don't know. If anything, I feel like I have so many questions and am so far from the answer(s). I am by no means saying Kamana wasn't completely overwhelming, because I really felt so behind in some of these skills, but I liked the challenge and eventually realized that I don't need to rush my way through these exercises, that everything takes its time.
It's funny, the raw feeling you get, when you finally feel like you are becoming the person you were meant to be. Thinking about all the people, places and things that have shifted your thinking, perception and awareness, leading you kindly to the right path.
Frankie, what a wonderful exercise this has been for you. I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I hope you will continue to write about your adventures and share them. You have made me think about the way I have been seeing the world. Sometimes you just need a little reminder to get back on track. You know how I feel about living in the moment. Today was the first day in a long time that I went for a hike without music(crazy right) and I was thrilled to hear all I had been missing. Thanks for helping me get back into the groove.
ReplyDeleteGood luck as you continue on this journey .
Hi Fran, I've loved reading your comments as well as Frankie's posts. I was talking about designing rites of passages for teens with a friend and she said we should see teens as these centerpieces for organizing and revitalizing whole communities. I see so many times the development of a young person, the overflowing of energy and that discomfort and yearning for something new and all the experimentation, spill out and galvanize adults and elders to reconnect to their own path.
DeleteFrankie's saying this all here, those big new eyes and charged idealism are infectious. I can't help but think about her as I'm walking through the woods. I imagine her waking up to those new cardinal songs (not just waking up after sleeping, but really waking up, becoming alive) and I stop to investigate a new sound I'm hearing along Route 2 or in the woods (turned out to be a weird anti-pigeon recording next to Petco and later a white-throated sparrow companion call). It's one thing to be charged up, it's another to be able to share that with friends, families and mentors and have it resonate with them. What a gift she's offering us, eh?
There's a Lakota word, Wakan Tanka that translates roughly to the very most lines or ropes that flow through all things. They use the word to indicate elders embodied as the Great Spirit. But the superlative nature of the term talks about threads that exist and collection of them is this hum or energy or ropes that twist and entangle everything together.
DeleteWhat Kamana calls for is connection. Each connection is a thread. The more threads that connect you to that robin outside your door or the spruce in your yard the harder it is to untangle yourself from the ropes. Put another way, the more supports you have and the more connected and embedded in your community you will be. The same is true of people. I find it easy to walk in alignment with the excitement I felt while doing Kamana because I've sought out friends like Zac.
Anyways, your writing is beautiful, your spirit is open, and your path is becoming clearer. I'd say you're moving out of the Southeast and into the South.