2011.08.18 13:00 - A Gentle Riot of Flower Petals

The Guardian for this meeting was Eliza Madrigal, filling in for Lia Rikigun. The comments are by Eliza Madrigal, joined by Santoshima, Dash, ContreCourant, Qt, Chi, and Calvino...

This session was alternatively titled "Life is not just one problem after another."

Eliza Madrigal: Hello Dash
Dash Earthboy: hey Eliza
Dash Earthboy: sry I was on a call
Dash Earthboy: how is your day?
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, perfectly fine :) Day is going well thanks
Dash Earthboy: good :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Dash Earthboy: i'm in my motel room hiding from the heat
Dash Earthboy: without heat index it's currently 95F outside
Eliza Madrigal: It seems Korel is the only one who rejoices when the index goes that high
Dash Earthboy: i was trying to keep my house down to 80 to save money before
Dash Earthboy: since i'm paying for this motel room for a week, i've got the inside temp at 73 :)
Eliza Madrigal: live it up! why not
Dash Earthboy: :)
Eliza Madrigal: :))

Dash Earthboy: had two apparently successful interviews this morning
Eliza Madrigal: Great news, so positive feedback then?
Dash Earthboy: both "CSR" positions are really sales
Dash Earthboy: one is working inside calling business to business to set appts
Dash Earthboy: the other is door to door sales here in Loveland for an internet/phone company that has a marvelous product
Dash Earthboy: and it pays at least 4x what the other one does :)
Dash Earthboy: apparently that high roller one is mine subject to passing the drug test tomorrow morning
Dash Earthboy: i may even brave the heat and try to expedite it to this afternoon after this session
Eliza Madrigal: sounds like a good idea...
Eliza Madrigal: would you be going to door after making appointments or knocking...?
Dash Earthboy: here are some additional perks: computer, free connections to the service I'm selling, phone, company uniform...

Eliza Madrigal: Hi Santoshima :)
Dash Earthboy: Hey San

--BELL--

Santoshima Resident: hi Eliza, Dash!
Dash Earthboy: to celebrate my birthday today, I've just had some bourbon street chicken for the first time in 7 years :)
Santoshima Resident: hey happy birthday
Dash Earthboy: what a treat!
Eliza Madrigal: Congratulations Dash, both on birthday and birthday chicken
Santoshima Resident: happy feast!
Dash Earthboy: ty San
Eliza Madrigal: ;-)
Dash Earthboy: ty Eliza
Dash Earthboy: that was one of my son's fav Chinese dishes

Eliza Madrigal: it is interesting to me to hear people's different relationships to their own birthdays
Santoshima Resident: nice
Eliza Madrigal: some celebrate, some hide :)
Dash Earthboy: nothing to hide for me nor my monkey :)

Dash attaches a monkey to his shoulder...

Santoshima Resident: was just going to ask ...
Santoshima Resident: and there the little rascal appeared!
Eliza Madrigal smiles... good to make friends with our distractions
Santoshima Resident: very good!
Eliza Madrigal: and you Santo? Do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Dash Earthboy: old Beatles song too :)
Eliza Madrigal nods
Santoshima Resident: like to walk in the woods or dip into the ocean if possible
Santoshima Resident: say hello to friends
Dash Earthboy: sounds wonderful San!
Santoshima Resident: and thank them in some way
Santoshima Resident: thank my parents

Eliza Madrigal: What wonderful rituals
Santoshima Resident: how about you, Eliza?
Dash Earthboy: when I'm working, I generally bring donuts for everybody I work with
Eliza Madrigal: I've gotten friendlier with my birthday recently
Eliza Madrigal: It was Tuesday and I didn't hide, nor did I use it to measure whether I'd achieved goals or not :)
Dash Earthboy: :)@Eliza
Dash Earthboy: you're not "driven" then :)
Santoshima Resident: :)***
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, I was terrible in early 30s but am learning compassion :))

Dash Earthboy: i explained at the interviews that making mucho money is not my primary motivation
Eliza Madrigal: Money isn't sufficient as a core value
Dash Earthboy: that's hard for salespeople to hear
Santoshima Resident: break it to them gently
Dash Earthboy: hey Contre
Eliza Madrigal: haha
ContreCourant Resident: Hi
Eliza Madrigal: Just because one doesn't make money the primary motivator for oneself doesn't prevent them from making someone else a lot of money, or even themselves
Dash Earthboy: right
Eliza Madrigal: :) Hi ContreCourant
Santoshima Resident: check
ContreCourant Resident: Hi Eliza
Santoshima Resident: hi ContreC
ContreCourant Resident: Hello Santoshima
Santoshima Resident: gtsy again
ContreCourant Resident: Thank you
ContreCourant Resident: gtsy?
Santoshima Resident: very "good to see you" ~
ContreCourant Resident: oh. thank you GTSY!

ContreCourant Resident: Is that a kimono Eliza?
Eliza Madrigal: Oh... maybe. I changed but it may not show in your viewer
Eliza Madrigal: To myself I'm wearing all black... so to you am I in red?
Santoshima Resident: it's very lovely, however it's supposed to appear: red from over here
ContreCourant Resident: You are wearing a long red um dress kimono like thing.
Dash Earthboy: Hey Qt
Eliza Madrigal: Thank you :) Hope all the pieces are in tact
Qt Core: Hi all
Santoshima Resident: all in place
Santoshima Resident: hi Qt
Dash Earthboy: yes, Eliza, you're in red to me too :)
Eliza Madrigal: it is my Sakura Dreams costume from the Molecule Theater

Eliza Madrigal: Hi Qt... person with whom I share a birthday :))
Eliza Madrigal: Today is Dash's

ContreCourant Resident: what is Sakura?
Qt Core: ;-)
ContreCourant Resident: Happy Birthday Dash!
Eliza Madrigal: Sakura is cherry blossom
Qt Core: Happy birthday!
Eliza Madrigal: Sunshine (a guardian here) designed a dance piece for the opening of the theater... was gorgeous

--BELL--

ContreCourant Resident: Sounds really nice
ContreCourant Resident: It must be hard to dance in those shoes Eliza!
Eliza Madrigal: quite!
Eliza Madrigal: It took many practice sessions to learn
Eliza Madrigal: ;-)
ContreCourant Resident: ankle twisters!
Eliza Madrigal: hehe, yes
Eliza Madrigal: but they also force one to be controlled
Eliza Madrigal: to move slowly, so they have their charms
Santoshima Resident: wow, a zoom view has revealed their amazingness

ContreCourant Resident: I see flowers falling - it's raining flowers!
Eliza Madrigal grins, yes cherry blossoms
ContreCourant Resident: or maybe snowing flowers
ContreCourant Resident: Sakura!
Eliza Madrigal: letting our thoughts settle like snow

ContreCourant Resident: how do you get your thoughts to settle? I find that hard!!
Qt Core: but still unsettled and wondering where they go instead than hit the floor
ContreCourant Resident: Oh thanks Eliza!
ContreCourant Resident: they melt?
Dash Earthboy: ty Eliza :)

Eliza Madrigal: there is an expression 'free in their place'

I share the script that Sunshine made, for sakura to fall...

ContreCourant Resident: What do I do with this script?
Eliza Madrigal: If you wear it, you will snow sakura too
Eliza Madrigal: wherever you go :)
ContreCourant Resident: Oh. I just right click on the box?
Dash Earthboy: flower power :)
Eliza Madrigal: yeah man
Eliza Madrigal: Yes, Contre :)
Eliza Madrigal: and then click 'wear'
ContreCourant Resident: ok
ContreCourant Resident: Hmm I am wearing it

Santoshima Resident: if we were to all wear simultaneously?
Eliza Madrigal: and probably snowing, though a few of us are so it is hard to tell :)
Santoshima Resident: a riot of flower petals?
Eliza Madrigal: we do seem to have a lot now
ContreCourant Resident: nothing seems to be happening
Eliza Madrigal: it happens gently
ContreCourant Resident: or maybe it is!
Eliza Madrigal: hah, yes Santo, what a great expression
ContreCourant Resident: a gentle riot

Eliza Madrigal: Shall we continue with the question of how thoughts might settle?
ContreCourant Resident: yes please
Santoshima Resident: sure
ContreCourant Resident: mine go a mile a minute
Eliza Madrigal: I wonder if they might do that on their own if we do nothing to stop them
ContreCourant Resident: maybe both
Eliza Madrigal nods
ContreCourant Resident: like breathing
Dash Earthboy: chai tea seems to help me settle racing thoughts
Eliza Madrigal: very counter-intuitive to do nothing with thoughts
Eliza Madrigal: mmm
Dash Earthboy: or green tea

ContreCourant Resident: green tea will sharpen my mind but wont stop the thoughts
Qt Core: sometimes unfocus your sight as in don't watch anything specific helps too
Dash Earthboy: yah
ContreCourant Resident: yes?
ContreCourant Resident: that stops thoughts?
Eliza Madrigal: mmm I like that Qt
Eliza Madrigal: 'soft focus'

Dash Earthboy: maybe that's why drinking the tea helps me not focus on other stuff
Eliza Madrigal: yes it may be a 'ritual' for you Dash
Dash Earthboy: yep
ContreCourant Resident: yes. focussing on one thing can help-like a mandala
Eliza Madrigal: puts up a context
ContreCourant Resident: but it's hard to focus on one thing

Santoshima Resident: "sweep as you will, you cannot empty the mind" mr. dogen zenji

Qt Core: if you watch the tea inside the cup, maybe we are doing the same things in two different ways (i'n not a great tea drinker)
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Dash Earthboy: :)
ContreCourant Resident: who is dogenzenji?
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, there is a wonderful story... a little long but I will give a link here for later
Eliza Madrigal listens to Santo and <3 Dogen
Dash Earthboy: hey Cal
Dash Earthboy: hey Chi
Calvino Rabeni: Dash :)
Qt Core: Hi Calvino!

I missed Santoshima sharing the link during the session ...

Santoshima Resident: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen
 

--BELL--
 

Eliza Madrigal: Hey Cal :)
Dash Earthboy: oh my, we're up to 97F during just this session
Santoshima Resident: hello Chi and Cal
Qt Core: Hi Chi
Chi Aho: Hello, everyone!
Calvino Rabeni: Hi everyone :)
Dash Earthboy: what's shakin' Cal?

Eliza Madrigal: Here is the link to the Story of Tea
Eliza Madrigal: http://zebra.sc.edu/smell/story_tea.html
Eliza Madrigal: (for later)
Dash Earthboy: ty Eliza

Calvino Rabeni: I think Boulder CO is a pretty nice area to live in, have you explored it?
Eliza Madrigal: Re Dogen, would you like to say more Santo?
ContreCourant Resident: hello Chi and calvino
Dash Earthboy: not yet Cal
Eliza Madrigal: ah yes it is wonderful
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Chi :)
Dash Earthboy: Cal I'm still in Loveland
Santoshima Resident: Loveland is such a great name. Dogen: worth reading thinking about ...
ContreCourant Resident: Why ar you talking about Boulder Calvino?
Eliza Madrigal: :)

Dash Earthboy: had two interviews in Ft. Collins this morning
Calvino Rabeni: I mentioned Boulder because I'd heard the Dash was migrating and looking for a place to settle
Dash Earthboy: yes
ContreCourant Resident: Dogen, Coulder, Ft Collins, mind calming....wo many topics
 

Eliza Madrigal: yes :) We've been talking about thought settling/stopping Cal
Eliza Madrigal: What is your best guidance?
Eliza Madrigal: the best advice I've been given about thoughts is not to try to stop them ("we're not bug zappers after all" he said) but "greet them with inclusive awareness"... with welcome, I guess

Calvino Rabeni: Learn one's emotional predispositions, they often drive thought
Eliza Madrigal: that helped a lot during meditations and also in the in-between times

Calvino Rabeni: I think it takes emotional work
Eliza Madrigal: say more?
ContreCourant Resident: hmmm emotional predispositions...?
ContreCourant Resident: If one is worried or anxious we think more?
Eliza Madrigal: do you mean one's 'type' of responsiveness? general patterns?

Calvino Rabeni: At least for certain thoughts that are repetitive, they are driven by some underlying emotional issue... that appears if one tries to "stop" them
ContreCourant Resident: the issue appears?
Calvino Rabeni: Specific issues can be the doorway to understanding something more general
Eliza Madrigal: ah so rather than try to stop the thought, go deeper, find the root... which is hard when thoughts get in the way!

Calvino Rabeni: Yes, by "appears" I mean, the emotional feeling could arise or intensify
ContreCourant Resident: so if my thoughts wont settle I look into my feelings?
Chi Aho: A specific example may help
Eliza Madrigal nods
Calvino Rabeni: Going deeper can be aided by body sensing, since emotions link body and thinking (etc.) into a coordinated whole

ContreCourant Resident: feel your body, your emotions and your thoughts all at once?
Calvino Rabeni: All at once can be hard without an encompassing awareness
Calvino Rabeni: I'd say as much as that encompassing awareness can handle
Calvino Rabeni: that
Calvino Rabeni: seems all that is possible
Eliza Madrigal: yes what are we feeding... seems we could give attention to awareness and allow awareness to open thoughts
Calvino Rabeni: but maybe, or so they say, awareness practices can enlarge that ability
Eliza Madrigal: so that they settle rather than spin
ContreCourant Resident: so instead of getting rid of your thoughts you examine them and see what happens?

Qt Core: that is nice but sometimes one hasn't the time or the strength for that and just need to try to have some mental quiet
Calvino Rabeni: Simple things such as getting enough sleep can enlarge the capacity of awareness
Eliza Madrigal smiles Qt, and tea
Eliza Madrigal: or a film :)

Qt Core: or just have to concentrate on work... or on the boring priest sermon ;-)

ContreCourant Resident: so many of my thoughts are problem-solving ones- like planning dinner or going over a converasation that was bothersome
Eliza Madrigal nods
ContreCourant Resident: worrying away
Calvino Rabeni: Problem solving can sometimes be a compulsive preoccupation
Eliza Madrigal: they 'carry us away' literally
Calvino Rabeni: Life isn't just one problem after another
Dash Earthboy: good to hear some put thought into what they have for dinner :)
ContreCourant Resident: :-)
Chi Aho: So, Contre, finally a concrete example - which might suggest your need for things to run more smoothly than they might have
Qt Core: now that things get interesting i have to go, bye all
Eliza Madrigal: :)) Bye Qt
Dash Earthboy: bye Qt
Chi Aho: bye, qt
Calvino Rabeni: I heard a quote today - "the default mode in our culture is individual brains with technological solutions to problems" ...
Santoshima Resident: bye Qt

Eliza Madrigal: It is time for Ways of Knowing workshop too
Qt Core: (lovely quote Cal)
ContreCourant Resident: I have to go as well I'm afraid but thank you for all your suggestions
ContreCourant Resident: What is the Ways of Knowing workshop?
Eliza Madrigal: Lovely session everyone, thanks so much
Eliza Madrigal: Happy Birthday Dash
Dash Earthboy: thank you all...pax et bonum
Eliza Madrigal: best with your endeavors
Santoshima Resident: ty Eliza and everyone
Chi Aho: Off to the ways of knowing

--BELL--

Santoshima Resident: so long
Calvino Rabeni: Self-compassion can clear a lot of "space" by stopping the interal "wars" between different parts of oneself
Eliza Madrigal: Bye Santoshima, Chi, Cal, Contre, Dash, Qt
ContreCourant Resident: Bye Happy Birthday Dash!
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, nice Cal
Calvino Rabeni: A lot of the "noise" is some kind of internal conflict
ContreCourant Resident: Nice Cal. Thank you
Calvino Rabeni: http://www.self-compassion.org/test-your-self-compassion-level.html
ContreCourant Resident: It's true
Eliza Madrigal: _/!\_
Calvino Rabeni: I'm off to the Ways Of Knowing, thanks everyone
Santoshima Resident: shantih
Calvino Rabeni: _/!\_