This is the first of several writing pieces surrounding a weekend retreat located at the Temenos Center for Wholeness with Tudor, Oshun and Malidoma Some.
Day One
The Kitchen
For immediate arousal in the kitchen, start with heat and an iron skillet. Then, proceed by adding two ingredients: chopped onions and minced garlic. Listen to that sizzle. If you want to have a flavorful base for an entrée, that pair can do no wrong. However, they are most odoriferous and fair warning…their combined aroma, when sautéed together, can sashay its way through the kitchen like an exotic belly dancer and may be intoxicating to some. Though on this particular night, I was looking for a different type of distraction. More along the lines of the ‘provocation of tears’ kind and was most grateful for the large box of onions assigned to me. Prior to chopping, I received a text message from someone whom I had been spending a lot of time with and without giving reason, canceled last minute. After that, the vegetable(s) with their multiple layers were a welcome release for my frustration and barely tepid mood. They also provided a perfect excuse for any salty streams running down my cheeks.
An hour in, the kitchen’s silence a comforting companion, I couldn’t help but notice the living room begin to fill with people. Inevitably, one by one, they trickled into the kitchen to get tea or to offer their assistance in preparing the food and within minutes my onionesque solitude was replaced with people chopping, laughing, talking and singing.
At the ‘Island’ where most of the activity was taking place, I stood at the edge right next to Kristin, one of the drummers, who had been continuously humming softly underneath her breath. At first, I was thoroughly annoyed at my seclusion of frustration and aggravation being interrupted but then I began to direct it towards Kristin, even resenting her musical murmurs. Thankfully, her song found its way in somehow. Everything pulsated and slowed down for a few seconds. A sort of calmness and acceptance flowed through me. The sounds of the kitchen in the background coupled with the melody and its power became stronger and stronger. I closed my eyes and listened with a silent reverence. Finally, I embraced the symphony as if it were an old friend I had quarreled with and whom I was eager to make amends and welcomed it to find residence in the gaping holes within me.
Suddenly, Time shifted into overdrive and I realized that I was now a few feet away from the Island of knives and conversation. It took me a second to recover but the awe of the scene bewitched me. I stood in admiration. This signified to me a perfect display of a beautiful chaos. My eyes saw only love and gratitude, my smile swept inward and I was left with feeling honored at bearing witness to the magnificence of what was before me. Like all cherry blossoms, it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
I sensed an additional pair of eyes and glanced up to see Kristin acknowledging everything with a nod and knowing glance. We turned our focus back to the others, observing together, sharing a moment of recognition as our smiles resembled a reflected mirror image. She leaned close and whispered, her story leaving echoes in my ear.
How apropos it was,
our stories intertwining like branches of an oak tree,
for it was she who awoke that desire in me
to shift my disappointment to delight…
to join in….
to ride along the melodies and harmonious waves
on yet another path towards enlightenment….
singing a coming together of united souls for each other,
for ourselves,
for the Magic
and for the Awakened Dream that is Life.
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