When you have a close look at this packed schedule you’ll understand why I at different times of the day simply want a bed, and at other times I marvel and am completely in love with the design of the course, the excellent group leaders, and the GAMES we play !!
Today was no different.
One of the quotes I heard was by Martin Luther: ‘The truth will increase when you listen to others.’ Which has beautifully played out in my life and also my work.
And so we played the first GAME: ‘What will happen when you put all your cards on the table ?’.....I realized through my answers that the pattern got set very early in my life ‘why bother, no one would be interested anyway’...and so I became self reliant and good at listening to others, very good at what I had hoped to receive from others....undevided interest.
Next question: ‘What is the cost of NOT putting all the cards on the table ?’ My answer: I lost out by not trusting that I am valuable enough to be heard and seen (notice a recurring theme here ?)...and much more....
3rd GAME: sitting with a partner and gazing at his eyes for a while....then stating these observations ‘Being with you I notice.....’ And in the second round: ‘Hearing you I feel....’
Some of the guidelines are: To be in the here and now and stay authentic I need to validate myself, even if others don’t. My body experiences help me to stay authentic. ....This Last statement is especially true for me. Having studied body awareness for so many years I can always completely rely on truthful and immediate body feedback. Sometimes I ignore it when my truth feels too uncomfortable, or I override the messages focusing instead more intently on another person. The result is that I notice very quickly that I loose the connection to the other while most sadly loosing the connection to myself. That is when the body becomes louder and sends me physical pain ! ! Dread !!!double dread! I can’t get away with anything anymore without the body carrying the brunt of my escapes. But ohhh the rewards when I do listen, ....the gifts are : deep feelings of groundedness, a direct connection to Gaia, and a level of comfort that feels utterly complete.
last GAME of the day: 3 people play. One is the Birthday Child, the other two take turns to draw out the birthday child’s story while not loosing one own self in the failitator’s role. Instructions for the facilitator are: I see.....I feel....I imagine...I am curious about...I wonder....I notice....
It was wonderous for me to have two people’s undevided attention for 10 minutes, and then each person summarizing what story they heard.
Here is another statement: ‘Growth does not necessarily happen in comfortable situations but in challenging relationships.
And here is a bonus you can try with a couple of people or by your own: Draw a birthday card for GAIA. To get going without having to make too many decisions of who draws what I took a partners hand holding a crayon and moved it over the paper to leave a line shape, from there the self conscious spell was broken and we drew to our heart’s content. Everyone was happy with the result because in the moment of child like spontaneity we did not give ourselves time to start judging or comparing.
Time to get under my down blanket....
