Opening Ceremony, as Remembered by Lion Kimbro

January 16: What are we not talking about? Where are we stuck?

Convened by Ashley Cooper and Stephen Feig
Attended by Stephen Silha and Michael Cook

We first looked at the surface of broad topics that each of us notices not being talked about and areas within our selves that we are stuck. Politics, attraction, gender concerns, frustration, and much more. The entire session seemed to be a flow back and forth from deepening listening to our own personal experiences and opening space for us to be the antennas of the group, hearing that which it is that we as a whole are not talking about.

“By pulling the invisible visible, we elucidate the powers of creation.” 

A predominant theme we noticed was the amount of stuck energy generated from people confronting challenges operating in areas outside of their expertise. Many of us came to this salon with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. To push our growing edge is to act outside of that expertise. 

Another area of stuckness is DOUBT about what one is hearing. Doubting capacity to discern if a burning issue is a personal issue or a collective issue. A reoccurring question: “How do I own and recognize the personal?” “How do I own and recognize the collective?” At the core it is about being connected to Source. We noticed a theme of feeling ‘Not Enough’ that feeds doubt, lack of communication, and fear of talking about and admitting the stuckness.

The things we are not talking about are the areas in which we are stuck.

An observation was made that some felt invited to show up with all the gifts and wisdom that they had to offer, but did not feel invited in with their stuckness. They were intimidated by all that they ‘should be.’

We explored the masks we are wearing. The mask of expertise. The mask of satisfaction. The mask of understanding.

Sinking deeper into vulnerability and willingness, we asked the question, “What is present?” We explored the presence of suffering. The suffering of not naming suffering as suffering.

Being in authenticity. We noticed that when one is not being authentic there can be a tendency to fall into a role of Victim. Others are doing something to prohibit our ability to be authentic, to stand up for what we most love. The flip side to that was the role of Messenger, bringing an authentic voice to the surface, recognizing that it may or may not be received.

Isn’t it time to become authentic? Do we want to evolve? What is authentic?

The frustration of meditating amongst the noise.

Expectations: We noticed expectations of what might show up. We saw value in laying the expectations out so that when they don’t show up there is no personal attachment.

When patterns continue to arise, often it points to something not being said.

Evolution is hard. Persistence is important.

Trying to be still and act from stillness as a reflection of a greater force.

How do we be with discomfort?

When we are not speaking, maybe it’s because we need to dance or have other aspects of expression.

We ended the session dancing together in our own space, and then dancing together with our bodies making some sort of physical contact, and then a group hug. . . Moving from the words into the body.