2008.07.27 07:00 - Smell of Roses

Guardian Rajah couldn't make it this morning and comments below are Gaya Ethaniel’s. Gaya was the first to arrive and doug soon joined her.

My greeting is causing confusion again as it did before for Pema. Or it’s just me who’s confused?

doug Sosa: hi Gaya.
Gaya Ethaniel: _/!\_
doug Sosa: i just understood the typing! wonderful.
Gaya Ethaniel: You mean _/!\_ ?
doug Sosa: yes.
Gaya Ethaniel smiles
Gaya Ethaniel: So that people can either see me bowing to them or symbol in the chat window
Gaya Ethaniel: How are you anyway?
doug Sosa: i didn't know it was a symbol of chat.
doug Sosa: I am fine, except a bit of muscle soreness. long hike yesterday and a few hours inthegarden, and some yoga. Yourself?
Gaya Ethaniel: ? No it's a symbol of greeting, many asian countries ie Thailand as well as buddhists greet each other with hands together in front of them
doug Sosa: yes, but not with asci characters.
Gaya Ethaniel: Well thank you
Gaya Ethaniel is still confused...
doug Sosa: about?
Gaya Ethaniel: asci characters refer to the hands symbol?
Gaya Ethaniel: 'symbol of chat' - not sure what you mean here :)
doug Sosa: yes, asci stands for american standard.. something.. on the compute screen
doug Sosa: so the alphabet plus punctiatiuon ads up to "asci chacter set" and you are using a few of them to represent the hands, elegant.

As soon as the confusion is cleared up, another one attacked us and the appearance of Pia seemed to dissolve it naturally.

Gaya Ethaniel: thanks. got it off from Isen
doug Sosa: "isen"?
Gaya Ethaniel: who's the GOC for this session btw?
Gaya Ethaniel: Isen Enzo - a good friend
doug Sosa: you know all this jargon. I am sure I don't know, i assume that means gardian?
doug Sosa: I haen;t met Enzo.
Gaya Ethaniel: Think it means the guardian on duty
doug Sosa: Sounds medieval.
Gaya Ethaniel: It's Rajah according to my note
doug Sosa: Ah, Enzo is RL name. People have them?
Gaya Ethaniel: He was crashed out in the previous session so maybe he's having problems logging in
Gaya Ethaniel: I just made a note myself from Pema's email - does this answer your question?
Gaya Ethaniel: Really? Enzo is Isen's RL name? I never thought to ask, he's always totally himself so
doug Sosa: No, i meant Enzo in RL and Rajah in SL.
Gaya Ethaniel: Ah... Rajah's RL name is Enzo?
doug Sosa: But we have been confused..
doug Sosa: morning plia.
Gaya Ethaniel: Sorry I'm a little slow in communication
Gaya Ethaniel: _/!\_
doug Sosa: no i am slow in hearing and deciphering! -/\-
doug Sosa: oops.
Pia Iger: morning, Doug and Gaya.
Gaya Ethaniel: np
Gaya Ethaniel: Morning Pia, how are you?
doug Sosa: can't type and turn my head at same time :)
Pia Iger: fine. thanks.
Gaya Ethaniel smiles
Gaya Ethaniel: No matter doug, not important whatever we were just saying anyhow
Gaya Ethaniel: brb
doug Sosa: one of us is fine, one is well, and one hs sore muscles.

While I was off in RL, Della wearing a bright fuchsia bikini joined us. Della seems to be new to PaB and we do the introduction with some diversions appearing here and there.

Della John: hi
Della John: can i come in ?
doug Sosa: hello Della.
doug Sosa: please join.
Pia Iger: Rajah is not here?
Della John: ty
doug Sosa: ty?
Della John: so nice here
Della John: am i interupting?
Pia Iger: ty is thank you.
doug Sosa: yes, people and place.
Pia Iger: not at all.
Pia Iger: Della, we meet here 4 times a day.
Della John: are we allowed to talk ?
Pia Iger: yes, we suppose to talk:)
Della John: ok then are you all spaniish ?
doug Sosa: i thought we were using typing because it made us pay more attention, which is part of the prupose here of Play as Being.. :)
doug Sosa: not spanish is the iberian sense.
Della John: you are Iberian
doug Sosa: is = "in"
doug Sosa: no, norte americano.
doug Sosa: usted?
Della John: usted ? never heard of that
doug Sosa: You look Brazilian
doug Sosa: usted spanish for you (formal).
Della John: i'm German
doug Sosa: we come here in an attitude of communication and meditation, and evey fifteen minutes we pause for a 9sec meditation, and report on our experience.
Della John: Pia and where yre you from ?
Pia Iger: US. Della, you can look at our website http://playasbeing.wordpress.com for what we do here.
Della John: ty
Della John: Gaya are you also American
Gaya Ethaniel: back
Gaya Ethaniel: One sec - scrolling up to see what's been said
Gaya Ethaniel: Oh I'm Korean in UK
doug Sosa: I'm living in North California, originally from NYC.
doug Sosa: So much history we carry, slices through the last half century or so.
Della John: sorry I was reading your web site
Della John: interesting group
doug Sosa: Della you fitright in, quick and open.
Della John: quick and open ?
doug Sosa: quick to grasp, open to being with others.
Della John: i love people
doug Sosa: Part of "here" is reflecting on what we are experiencing.
doug Sosa: chit chat and serious talk move through each other, quite wonderful.
Gaya Ethaniel smiles

We seemed to have found an example from Della about smelling roses to demonstrate what PaB does.

Della John: i am experiencing lonleyness at the moment
doug Sosa: from RL or here with us?
Della John: in rl
Della John: thats why im here
doug Sosa: can be lonely. the world now feels difficult.
doug Sosa: I wish i lived in a palce where i could walkt to friends, through gardens and cafe's..
Della John: smelling the flowers on the way
doug Sosa: is lonliness because of being between relationships?
Gaya Ethaniel: Della, personally I have found PaB is a friendly group where you can have meaningful discussion in SL. Not many people in RL are interested in what we discuss here and I find that quite liberating
Della John: yes it is Doug and ty Gaya
Della John: what do you discus?
Gaya Ethaniel: Pia?
Gaya Ethaniel: Is Pia away?
doug Sosa: it is amazing when, looking back at the end of the day, , being here counts as one of the "real" events of the day.
Pia Iger: no,just listening.
Gaya Ethaniel: If you have a look at the website and under Information, you should be able to see what we do
Gaya Ethaniel smiles
Gaya Ethaniel: I agree doug
doug Sosa: We discuss mostly the experiment of the 9 sec meditations. The idea is to stop every fifteen minutes during the day for 9 sec, let go of all assumptions, and see what happens. and then report here. we are not very disciplined becuase we let the spontaneity free.
Gaya Ethaniel: I'd suggest Della to look at Hints and then FAO
Della John: I tried but nothing happened ?
Gaya Ethaniel: or nutshell...
Gaya Ethaniel: did you feel anything at all?
Gaya Ethaniel: saw something?
Della John: I heard the music and the birds singing in RL
Gaya Ethaniel nods
Gaya Ethaniel: that is not nothing
Gaya Ethaniel: as you practise more, you may experience different things

doug then shares his experience of 9 sec which started to make me wonder. Pia seems to understand what doug has experienced. Alas doug had to leave shortly after and we went back to Della’s smelling roses experience.

doug Sosa: to me i often experience that things are both more preent, and less solid during the 9 sec.
doug Sosa: "present"
Gaya Ethaniel: what do you mean by 'less solid' doug?
Pia Iger: I can understand that, Doug.
doug Sosa: I must excuse myself, aplogies.. brakfast.. get the popovers out of the oven. Della, hope you come back, 7,1,7,1 each day.
Gaya Ethaniel: _/!\_
Della John: I could smell roses
Gaya Ethaniel: Maybe Pia you could share your experience of 'less solid'
Gaya Ethaniel: The roses are nearby you Della?
Della John: no
Della John: there are none here
Gaya Ethaniel: You can imagine the smell?
Della John: i can smell it
Della John: yes
Gaya Ethaniel: Were you doing 9 sec to be able to imagine?
Pia Iger: wow. tha is something got from 9-sec.
Della John: yes
Della John: i can still smell them amazing and so strong
 Gaya Ethaniel: That's good Della. It'd be good to note down if you remember about your experience of 9 sec
Pia Iger: yes. Della,
Gaya Ethaniel: Sorry Pia? I meant how does less solid manifest in your experience
Pia Iger: we are encouraged to write down what we experienced in 9sec
Della John: ok
Della John: i will
Gaya Ethaniel smiles

Pia told us about her experience with 9 sec in regards to doug’s comments ‘less solid.’ And Della leaves soon after.

Pia Iger: 'less solid" to me, is that the things are not that clearcut separated.
Pia Iger: They sort of have the connection together.
Pia Iger: they are unity, or blend in .
Della John: objects Pia ?
Gaya Ethaniel: For me everything seems sort of blurry - is this what you mean?
Pia Iger: not just blurry, more connection. Not just objects, like people on the street, they seems related to each othe, not just single individuals.
Gaya Ethaniel: oh... that is interesting
Della John: i need to leave ty both
Gaya Ethaniel: I wonder what you see when people relate to each other. Is it something you perceive over a period or just a fraction of time?
Gaya Ethaniel: _/!\_
Pia Iger: bye. and come again any time.
Della John: i will its so nice
Della John: and 9 sec i will try
Pia Iger: Gaya, I guess I saw more similarities of ppl, instead of their differences.
Pia Iger: just a feeling, we are all similar.
Gaya Ethaniel: And this feeling occurred after you’ve begun 9 sec?
Pia Iger: I would say I had that before 9 -sec. Now it grows stronger.
Gaya Ethaniel: I see so this feelings are something that develop over a time rather than something that occurs during or immediately after 9 sec
Pia Iger: this particular feeling of ppl, yes.
Gaya Ethaniel: I'd be very interested to know why you think 9 sec has such impact on your understanding of people
Pia Iger: 9-sec sort of takes off the veil we have on the reality, revealing what is actually there.
Gaya Ethaniel nods
Gaya Ethaniel: So you've been able to see how things are more clearly
Pia Iger: you can say that.
Gaya Ethaniel: I see... for me too and I also found other people have had similar experiences which makes me to relate to them better
Pia Iger: yes, it is good that we can share here.
Gaya Ethaniel smiles

Here we ended our conversation to attend the weekly guardian meeting.