Day 8 & 9

The middle of the tour has been a time of bouncing back and forth between New York and Pennsylvania ~ and with long days of driving, it’s been fairly exhausting.  But the moment I arrive at a venue, all the tiredness falls away as I am caught up in the joy of sharing this work with new communities.  Wednesday’s drive to Castleton-on-Hudson, in the Albany area, was a whirlwind, for sure ~ leaving from Harrisburg, PA, and heading back to Lancaster, PA the following day ~ I hope in the future I will be able to arrange the tour schedule to allow a little more ease of travelling from one place to the next!

My dear sister Tabitha was so very helpful in the planning of this tour, and connected me with Val at Stable Gate Farm & Winery, a beautiful rural space that has become host to a variety of yoga, spirituality, and personal growth events in the countryside near Albany.  The barn is an awesome space, rustic and charming ~ and to play in a space with open doors and windows, allowing in the magic of the countryside as the sun set, what a beautiful night!  The group was intimate, allowing for a deep space of connection to each other and the journey ~ awesome!

During these days of long driving, I encountered a large number of Walmart delivery trucks with a message on the back:  Save Money ~ Live Better.  Personally, I’ve boycotted Walmart for about 15 years, a choice that was strongly reinforced by travelling to China in 2006, and witnessing the reality of what “made in China” meant ~ sweatshops, low wages, questionable treatment of workers, and poor quality of life.  Having plenty of time to contemplate while on the open road, I considered this tagline, and how it truly is a tagline for the American way.  While we culturally focus on more-faster-cheaper consumer culture, we do that on the backs of others who don’t have such entitled options.  I contemplated the reality that this country is built on the backs of many groups of people who have been abused and taken advantage of in the name of the dominant culture having it’s luxuries.  Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Latinos… all have been instrumental in creating the culture that now exists by and large in the US.  With the political turmoil currently happening in this country, and the horrendous state of things in regard to racism, xenophobia, gender and sexual discrimination, and more, taking a moment to consider those words seems like a necessity if we are to evolve into a just and sustainable society.  When we let go of the obsession with saving money, and consider the impact of our often out of control desires on the planet and our fellow humans, we simply cannot continue in this way.

On Thursday, I headed out early, eager to get to Lancaster because Helene, my beloved, would be meeting me there and joining me for the rest of the tour.  I had booked a cute hotel in the heart of Amish country, and couldn’t wait to see her!  She met up with me at the venue, midway through the event, and yay, what a sweet reunion it was!!  After being apart for over a week, I couldn’t have been happier to have her there.

Thursday night’s Sound Medicine Journey was held at the beautiful space, Radiance, in the heart of downtown Lancaster.  Sarah, the owner, is a community herbalist and supporter of holistic wellness and spiritual growth through her amazing shop and event space, and I had been looking so forward to coming to her space for months.  Filled with crystals, metaphysical books, handmade clothing from around the world, and beautiful decorative items to brighten any home or healing space, Radiance has a wonderful bright blue classroom with awesome acoustics!  Our group was ALL women on Thursday night, and the space was packed ~ one woman even asked if I could come back and do a sound journey every other week, even before we began!  It was so nice to receive such a warm welcome to a new community!  One of the most awesome surprises was a visit from two of our Munay-Ki sisters who decided to join us for the Sound Medicine Journey in Lancaster ~ a reunion of hugs and smiles commenced!