Thursday, July 22, 2010

Verticles



My old cohort, colleague, covener and friend Anne Hill wrote a great post the other day about getting up again. She is a dream interpreter extraordinaire. She teaches about dreams, writes books and articles for the Huffington Post about dreams. Anne knows, better than most of us, about (as someone I love always says) "giving up" on consciousness in order to lie down and enter dreamtime. (There always is some kind of surrender involved in going to sleep, isn't there? As a kid I begged every night to be allowed to stay up just a little later, didn't you? I find I still want to stay up too late, even when I need the sleep.)

Anne also holds a black belt in Aikido. She knows all about how to fall, but also how to get up again after a fall. She gracefully embodies the idea of "fall down once, get up twice." Her post is excellent and provocative, well worth reading.

As always, Anne has me thinking. I tend to tilt against life; maybe that's part of my passionate engagement with all things. I tilt against the weather, against the things I'm "against." Even with all that I love, there is an angle of intent involved. When I see something beautiful, I tend to fall into it or at least towards it. Some kind of beauty-inspired gravity pulls me irresistably. I sense the gravity and go with it. Sometimes I push, another form of falling into, though definitely not as graceful.

Perhaps the truth is that I'm rather impatient. But whatever the reasons for all my tilting, falling and pushing, yesterday after I read Anne's post, the thought came to me, "Well. No wonder I metaphorically fall down so often! No wonder I have to say to myself all the time, fall down once, get up twice." Hmmm.

This morning I'm meeting a friend who is going to take me into one of my favorite spaces on earth, the interior of the U.S. Capitol rotunda. I used to go all the time, sit around, meditate or whatever. But since 9/11 I've only been once.

Needless to say I am so excited. It's like seeing an old friend after a long separation. I'm going to try to remember NOT to lean into the experience, I'm going to try NOT to tilt, fall or push. Maybe I should do what one of my spirit guides always suggests: Stand up straight, put your shoulders back, lift your chin, suck in your gut and walk tall into the experience. Yeah. That sounds right, right? I say yes.

15 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

Love that cloud dragon looking down on the Capitol. The clouds lately have been truly fabulous.

A Concerned Citizen said...

I can't wait! (: )

Tess Kincaid said...

I like to swan dive into experiences! Take lots of pics of the Capitol for us.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Sounds interesting Reya, will go and check out your friends words. I've never been to DC so haven't seen the rotunda but if it's one of your fav's, it must be something. Hope you have a lovely day - chin up and all.

ellen abbott said...

Love that first cloud pic. they are amazing.

I too want to stay up too late. and then I moan about sleeping late since I sleep about 9 hours. I always wanted to be one of those people who only need about 5 hours of sleep a night.

I think I tend to take things head on without hesitation.

Anonymous said...

Embrace, fall into, surrender........
it all sounds rather passionate
which is wonderful.....

So many images dredged up from dreams.
I'm a big leftover- Jungian- collective- unconscious sort of person......which is why, I think, that we can connect with others and why
ISOLATION is such torture.

Yes, the clouds have been stunning of late.

Have a super-duper time at the Capitol.

The Bug said...

Just last night I stayed up nearly an hour later than necessary for no good reason (ok, there was a baseball game on, but it's not the playoffs or anything). I wonder if I do that because I know my dreams will be full & busy?

I have this image, now, of a Reya in full twirl in the middle of the rotunda - and falling down in an ecstatic heap. That probably won't happen - will it?

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Val said...

still thinking about Barry and your last post - this is great too - wonderful how the bologosphere is a community whether we meet or not - we care. so amazing really. glad to see Adrianne in here too. Ah me life is flashing by. anyway thanks xxx

Angela said...

We have never met, Reya (yet), but you sometimes appear in my dreams, like a good friend who just walks in and shares some time with me.
Me, I can`t wait to go to sleep at night because I am looking forward to my enchanted dreams!
And I often dream of flying, about ten metres (30 feet) above the ground. And I laugh when people tell me this is not possible. (The ones in my dream. Not you, though)
Falling down and getting up? I learned that, too, when I practiced judo. Once you know it you are not afraid of falling anymore.
Cheers to you, my friend Reya.

steven said...

reya the clouds have been sweet and fulsome here too! they're reaching that point where they're getting into my head! i have to see them. watch them. the capitol. what goes on in there? i wanna see and i would really like to know! steven

Elizabeth said...

I do not think TG's comment is thought provoking.....more sneaky
oh well

Kerry said...

Your skies are so dramatic, as though to say "Look up Look up, Look up!" I hope you have a good restorative time in the rotunda, a place I have never been.

Reya Mellicker said...

TG's comment is gone. I'm still processing the journey to the rotunda. What a whole lot of energy. Wow.

Anonymous said...
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