2008.10.11 07:00 - Relate to 'Relatedness'

Pia Iger as the guardian on call and she provides this log.

Who are the early birds on Saturday morning?

Maxine Walden: hi, Pia
Pia Iger: Hi, Maxine, Steve,
stevenaia Michinaga: morning Maxine, Pia
Maxine Walden: oh, and Steve, hi, sorry did not see you at first
stevenaia Michinaga: just appeared
Pia Iger: long time no seeing, Maxine
Maxine Walden: yes, Pia, just got back from two weeks away from SL and email mostly as well. Nice to be back
Maxine Walden: Was visiting Italy, Florence mostly
stevenaia Michinaga: an interesting vacation I hope
Maxine Walden: very interesting views/experiences with the people but also with the extraordinary art there
Maxine Walden: have some budding/emerging thoughts about the experience with art as an expression of Being
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, my favorite distractions, art, tends to remind me of this place, seeing other peoples perspectives through text (here ) and art (in museums)
Maxine Walden: yes, interesting parallel experiences, Steve

Catch up with happenings of our group.

Maxine Walden: I see that so much has been happening here, with the wiki and the Kira Cafe
stevenaia Michinaga: I think our thought are parallel on that
stevenaia Michinaga: I missed the opening bash at the cafe
Maxine Walden: I have yet to visit the cafe, sounds really fine though
stevenaia Michinaga: Storm did a massive project
Maxine Walden: yes, he seems to have a kind of magic doesn't he?
stevenaia Michinaga: I don;t see him much, but ran into him at a session the other day

A question that loomed in my mind, too.

stevenaia Michinaga: Maxine Walden: have some budding/emerging thoughts about the experience with art as an expression of Being, would you care to share what you have thus far?
stevenaia Michinaga: I find discussion tend to clarify my thinking
Pia Iger: I can imagine, if I go to vocation now, I would see things with very new eyes.
Maxine Walden: well, let's see what thoughts are available: what is coming to mind is the experience of viewing Michelangelo's monumental sculpture, David, again. It is as or more riveting than when I first saw it now about 40 years ago. Something just captures one, and not just me, but everyone around in the room.
Maxine Walden: My feeling was that for me part of my experience was out of fantasy and expectation, wondering what it would be like to see again, but when little kids right nearby were awestruck I had to think of what the artist and the work, the sculpture does in 'reaching out' to each individual

What has Steve been thinking about Being?

stevenaia Michinaga: I was thinking about Being in a different light, in line with reaching out.. after a discussion the other night, as if Being was what fills the spaces of thought outside the mind, a special kind of omnipresent dark matter , like connective tissue that we all have access to and are part of
stevenaia Michinaga: wonders what it is and if it's still there if we aren't
Maxine Walden: I am erasing what I was writing because I really like your thought about Being as dark matter; actually have been thinking something similar, but from a slightly different angle
Maxine Walden: For years I have been intrigued with the aspects of the unconscious processes which seem to reach beyond our conscious mind, beyond our individuality and maybe that approaches the 'dark matter' concept you are considering
Pia Iger: It does resonate with some of my perception.
stevenaia Michinaga: not sure dark or matter are worthy representations of the concept since it is neither, maybe unseen force or energy might be better
Pia Iger: When I do 9 sec, I can see the 'vibration' in the surroundings.
Pia Iger: the energy and the liveliness
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, again, the words are what are difficult
stevenaia Michinaga: love energy
Maxine Walden: interesting, Pia and Steve, we do seem to be thinking/perceiving in a similar way, and yes words are difficult. Energy may be the best description

Steve put on a new tag: Love and Energy.

stevenaia Michinaga: opps, there already is such a group
stevenaia Michinaga: ..smiles Love and Energy
Pia Iger: smiles, too.
stevenaia Michinaga: Energy and Love rather
stevenaia Michinaga: seems redundant

Then there is difficulty with love and energy?

Maxine Walden: It seems to me that there is an ever-present sea of energy, possibility that we tap into or not...but maybe we perceive it as energy or love depending upon our circumstances in the moment
stevenaia Michinaga: I felt Pema point was a convergence of thought within the group , which seems to be happening
Pia Iger: the convergence also shows in that I could understand better what Pema or others talked about.
Pia Iger: a couple months ago, I would be very confused what they said.
stevenaia Michinaga: there are people who have difficulty with love and the energy it transmit within and without an individual and within a group
stevenaia Michinaga: yet, love of art, people, things is very directed and intense
Maxine Walden: yes, different relationships or perceptions about 'love' perhaps, feeling threatened or imposed upon by it
Pia Iger ponders why people have difficulty with love and the energy?
stevenaia Michinaga: I find it compounds itself, more love creates more love, a chain reaction of intensity
Maxine Walden: But it feels that we all are 'in relation' in some way, whether we accept it or not, feel nourished or bothered by it. How we relate to that 'relatedness' seems important
Maxine Walden: Oh, I can see why some people are bothered by 'love': they feel that their independence and autonomy are being intruded upon...something like that
Pia Iger: then what can help us to accept the relatedness better?
Maxine Walden: When I feel very tired or pre-occupied I can feel that way, 'just want to be left alone'. I think that recognizing the vulnerability to 'wishing to be left alone' is very helpful re accepting the relatedness, and seeing that it is one's own difficulty at the moment and not that of the love/relatedness
Pia Iger: good point!
stevenaia Michinaga: thinking, I call that being crankie, noticing it and droping it
Maxine Walden: glad it makes sense, Pia. I felt a little self-exposing just then, but maybe it is a human thing
Maxine Walden: yes, agree, Steve, being crankie when one feels shorn or under-resourced
stevenaia Michinaga: but I try to catch myself and bring myself back from "crankie"
Maxine Walden: how does that work, Steve, is it easy to do?
Maxine Walden: Just a few hours ago, just off the plane from Italy I felt so tired I could not pull myself back from 'crankie', just had to get some rest. But maybe you are talking about another kind of crankie
stevenaia Michinaga: hmmm, easy, no, learned.... reflecting on it;s impact on those who surround me is a geed place to begin to draw back from crankieland
stevenaia Michinaga: *great place
stevenaia Michinaga: I thought I only type badly at night
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Maxine Walden: lol, I type badly at any hour, Steve
Pia Iger: I see the noticing or recognizing as crucial part, they can help  prevent the crankiness growing wild. Once you notice your mood, you can see you have OPTIONS of reaction.
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Maxine Walden: I agree, Pia, that the noticing is vital and gives options; sometimes when really shorn noticing does not seem to be available. That seems to be a reactive place, and for me just a bit ago, rest was all that helped. But that may not be a frequent occurrence'
Maxine Walden: ..not a frequent occurrence to be so shorn that noticing is not possible
Maxine Walden: noticing may be part of Being in terms of participating with aspects of ourselves, as we do others

Maxine made a unique connection of Being and crankiness.

Maxine Walden: 'leave me alone' for whatever reason may be a kind of refusal to interact with Being
Maxine Walden: refusal to recognize Being
Maxine Walden: Don't want to focus too much on this, but perhaps at times we regress to early evolution when there was more reactivity, more action, less thought. The notion of our evolution over time seems meaningful to me
stevenaia Michinaga: I think we can only guess at that one but it makes sense
Maxine Walden: (notice I have been the only one talking for a few minutes; wondering if others are being put off in some way)
stevenaia Michinaga: not at all
Pia Iger not following the part of 'refusal to interact with Being'. listening and hope it will be clearer to me.
stevenaia Michinaga: I am wondering how these thoughtful pauses will work in RL next week
Maxine Walden: next week at the Pabfest? that RL?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
stevenaia Michinaga: it;s hard to be "open" when crankie, difficult to interact with much of yourself let alone the outside world and Being
Pia Iger: so it's legitimate to have some alone time for everyone.
stevenaia Michinaga: if only to see life from one perspective and move to another
Maxine Walden: I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and hope that in RL we may be as accepting as we are in SL of each other. Oh, yes, alone time is so important, Pia
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, I'm eating now so I don't look like this in Rl, ...smile
Pia Iger: I always feel body plays important part too. even after we get new perspective, we still need give some time to our body to reset.
Pia Iger: Our mind turned the corner, but our body need to adjust, too.
Maxine Walden: Agree, Pia, so many adjustments re change, and body and mind are not always in synchrony

Steve's mind was still on our next weekend's RL gathering.

stevenaia Michinaga: I suspect a day together will be most interesting
Pia Iger: I know I will enjoy it.
Pia Iger: whatever surprise comes up.
Maxine Walden: yes, agree; to see the RL figures behind the SL ones. The multiple layers of reality, yes, very interesting
stevenaia Michinaga: I found, once I have met people in Rl, they remain their RL images, the avatars fade here
Maxine Walden: That is very interesting, Steve, I have wondered that, as I have not had any previous experience with RL vs SL
Pia Iger: I felt a bit pity that I would have to give up my imagination of each one of you.
Maxine Walden: Oh, Pia? Can you say more?
stevenaia Michinaga: well, I do admit, I still adore Adams avatar even after I met him
Pia Iger: for example, I have a vivid image of xxx in my mind. once I see RL person, I know that image can't stand any more
Maxine Walden: I see, yes, that may be. It will be interesting to see what meaning/fate the avatars have for us after meeting
Maxine Walden: maybe we will have the experience of the challenge of 'reality' vs our 'imagination' re avatars.

Here I removed some lines of personal information.
Almost time to the hour, but I can't help posing another question.
Pema came in then.

Pia Iger: I have another question for Maxine, about time, if you have any new thoughts after seeing the historical sites, arts in Italy. (an hour already, maybe we can continue next time)
Pia Iger: Pema is here.
Pema Pera: Hi there!
stevenaia Michinaga: and bring a slide show(powerpoint) of your travels for an evening activity, Maxine
stevenaia Michinaga: hello pema
Maxine Walden: Really looking forward to our meeting. I will need to go in a minute. Yes, about time, I am more ...oh,hi Pema
Pema Pera: sorry to come in so late!
Pema Pera: Good seeing you again Maxine
Maxine Walden: yes, so much to share, and have actually had some added thoughts about time...
Maxine Walden: yes, very good to see you Pema
stevenaia Michinaga: it has been a while pema, sorry for the mix up yesterday
stevenaia Michinaga: now... about those dinner plans... (jokingly)
Pema Pera: np Steve :)
Pema Pera: hehehe

As usual, Maxine could depict her thoughts with a few sentences.

Maxine Walden: just a thought, Pia, the art I saw in Florence, seems to make time less relevant. That may be a thought we could consider more with more time
Pema Pera: Did you see Assisi, Maxine?
Maxine Walden: the art of 500 years ago seems to pertinent to this moment, to the human moment, or so it seemed to me
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, art, thoughts, are truly timeless
Maxine Walden: and focused one's attention so that it speaks to one, or one speaks to it...or the flow of Being...sort of like that 'dark matter' or energy/love we spoke about earlier this hour
Maxine Walden: Well, sorry to have to go, RL tugging at the sleeve. But will see everyone in a week if not sooner
Pia Iger: have a good day, Maxine
Maxine Walden: bye for now
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, looking forward to it
Pema Pera: bye Maxine!
Pia Iger: I need to go too. It was a good talk today.
Pema Pera: Bye Pia!
stevenaia Michinaga: bye Pia