Resonating Malta Voices

Resonating Malta Voices…  Like Bertrum’s voice that I can only imagine resonating in the hypogeum…. These words from the Malta Retreat remembrances’ resonate in my heart.

I have pointed to excerpts here that stood out for me, and found a deep satisfaction in re-reading these accounts.

It was a fun exercise that helped me integrate the verbal expressions of the participants. <3

2010.01.31 07:00 - Malta review: Wol

Wol Euler looks around and grins, remembering faces and voices

  Wol Euler: it's odd, coming to describe 
  it we didn't really *do* very much at all
  Wol Euler: but my impression is that the
  days were full.

  Wol Euler: it was very quiet there, very 
  little traffic, only agricultural noises of 
  machinery and dogs

  Wol Euler: the valley was a few hundred 
  metres across and maybe 2km long, 
  leading westwards to the sea
  Wol Euler: so quiet that we could hear 
  conversation from the other ridge, and  
  sounds from the open end


Wol Euler: it was very windy, but not especially cold. The shutters and doors rattled
Eliza Madrigal smiles
arabella Ella: the wind played at being too

Wol Euler: the second day was silent, from breakfast until dinner
Wol Euler: which was quite a wonderful experience, and a challenge
Wol Euler: We all described feeling an odd pressure to speak, and how this made us much more aware of our surroundings
Wol Euler: we saw and heard much more intensely and actively than usual

Wol Euler thinks. That was something of a peak in the retreat, the silent day seemed to me to cement the group together
Wol Euler: we were much more of an "us" after that, I felt

Wol Euler is smiling again.

arabella Ella: argh ... I miss you all so much :)
Wol Euler: yes, me too ara.
Widget Whiteberry smiles at ara
Eliza Madrigal can't help but smile too

2010.01.31 13:00 - Malta retreat, Pema's remembrances

Pema Pera: Malta itself was a big surprise: for such a small island nation, the variety was stunning

Pema Pera: within an area of roughly ten by twenty miles there was such a variety in cultural and natural history both
Pema Pera: you could walk a few hundred feet and find yourself in a different micro climate
Pema Pera: through the combination of hills and different soil and different wind patterns
Pema Pera: the visit to the hypogeum the first afternoon (while Wol was stuck in the snow) was also an early highlight
Pema Pera: this is an underground place, constructed well over five thousand years ago, before pyramids and Stonehenge

Pema Pera: As for the content of the sessions, as usual it was a mix of explorations/exercises and talking and sharing in between
--BELL--
Pema Pera: typically 5 to 10 minutes of some kind of practice, followed by an hour or so of talking.

Pema Pera: perhaps the most striking aspect of all that I learned was the sense of multiple aspects of reality
Pema Pera: how to put it into words . . . .
Pema Pera: the sense of being fully present within the story of daily life -- and totally accepting that aspect of what is real
Pema Pera: and at the same time the sense of Being which transcends all stories, all realms, all that appears
Pema Pera: and to find ways to acknowledge and appreciate both sides, simultaneously, without any kind of worry or hope or fear or expectation
Pema Pera: very luxuriously, really :-)

Bleu Oleander: how is the sense of Being different from the story of daily life?
Pema Pera: within daily life we feel we have many needs, many plans and prospects and worries, and all that becomes transparent, so the speak, in the Light of Being
Pema Pera: the appearances are still there, but one doesn't feel bound by them to the usual degree
Bleu Oleander: different layers of being?
Pema Pera: different angles, yes, of what is the same thing ultimately
Maxine Walden: does being present in every moment of daily life, being really present there, does that seem to link with Being?
Pema Pera: in the world but not of the world -- in Christianity
Pema Pera: the two truths -- in Buddhism
Pema Pera: yes, that is a natural aspect of it, Maxine
Pema Pera: both a reflection of it, and a kind of portal into it

Pema Pera: listening to what the Universe suggests, each next moment, in wu-wei

Pema Pera: simultaneously a sense of all being okay, and receiving enormous inspiration to improve things
Pema Pera: but no paradox there
Pema Pera: on the level of Being everything is okay

Pema Pera: ah, yes, I introduced three ways of action: control, cultivation, and seeing -- confidence is connected with seeing
Pema Pera: btw, one aspect of the retreat was similar to what happened in the previous two RL PaB retreats: that after a while everybody tended to have a kind of silly smile on their face, happiness without a reason; Mick was especially good at this, radiant really :-)
Wol Euler nods.

Pema Pera: one practice we did came directly from a dream by Lia!

Lia Rikugun: in a dream i had pema suggested a meditation ;)
Lia Rikugun: which we did the next day
Lia Rikugun: i felt it was very powerful, during the dream and afterwards in real life
Maxine Walden: an anticiptory dream, Lia?
Lia Rikugun: looking back it seems like
Maxine Walden: very interesting
Lia Rikugun: i had the feeling to suggest it
Lia Rikugun: i liked it a lot
Pema Pera: interestingly, three days earlier I dreamt going with Lia on a similar exploration, but I didn't tell Lia about that, until she mentioned her dream
Maxine Walden: and that is so interesting, Pema...a kind of meeting in the dream
Maxine Walden: in the dream space...
Lia Rikugun: i like to think of it like this ;)
Pema Pera: :)
Pema Pera: and then Lia discovered an actual staircase, which she hadn't seen yet, behind a door in the retreat room, similar to her dream :)
arabella Ella: perhaps dreams could play a more key role in future retreats Maxine
Lia Rikugun: well you discovered it and showed to me
Lia Rikugun: i still dont understand why it was there!!

2010.02.01 13:00 - Micks treat about the retreat

Mickorod Renard: I noticed today just how much I missed all the retreaters

Mickorod Renard: its amazing how we become so entwined
Bleu Oleander: you all have a special bond!
Mickorod Renard: and our chracters are so similar in ways to how we are in sl too
Wol Euler smiles.
Mickorod Renard: yes,,a special bond

Mickorod Renard: I liked the way we slowly edged into the retreat
Mickorod Renard: as we arived in Malta on diferent days etc

Mickorod Renard: but then we made ourselves comfortable
Mickorod Renard: and most importantly,,the focus
Mickorod Renard: on each other,,and the retreat
Mickorod Renard: all for one and one for all
Mickorod Renard: also, I think of it as a nice meal

Mickorod Renard: lots of different courses

Mickorod Renard: and the joy of being able to take it slow,,and question more in depth about certain processes

Mickorod Renard: and then after the silent day,,we were so full of questions

Mickorod Renard: but I think for me,,it took several days to chill out

Mickorod Renard: many of us must have very hectic lives during regular weeks
Mickorod Renard: and to achieve silence in the mind,,well to a point, must take adjustment

Mickorod Renard: but I would look forward to a longer retreat now

Mickorod Renard: I left the retreat with so many answers,,yet also with a hunger for more

Mickorod Renard: but like a lovely meal,,I was left full but longing for a revisit

Mickorod Renard: visually stimulating, cultural,,and also importantly,,the social and play as being aspect

Wol Euler: MIck, you said that you found many answers, would you tell us a little about that or is it too personal?
Mickorod Renard: so as those who want a light intro,,or those who want total submession could choose
Mickorod Renard: well, some are perhaps a lil personal
Mickorod Renard: but as with many things,,one can loose the path
Mickorod Renard: PaB here can be so diverse in discussion

Mickorod Renard: and if we mix this with Wok and time space and perhaps other sessions outside Kira
Mickorod Renard: then it can become a muddle
Mickorod Renard: the retreat offers a realignment
Wol Euler nods.
Mickorod Renard: a chance to get back on track
Mickorod Renard: this too can also mean opening avenues within ones own structure of understanding

Mickorod Renard: its an open way of seeing,,within anyones beliefs

Mickorod Renard: its a tonic
Tarmel Udimo: nods
Wol Euler nods.

2010.02.02 13:00 - Malta Retreat: Local Organizer's Report

arabella Ella: it seems difficult to get back into the normal way of life after the fantastic experience of the retreat ... this is my feeling and others have shared similar sentiments!
Pema Pera: :)

arabella Ella: Where did the retreat start ...as we had the Hypogeum to ourselves, Paradise suggested we could have our first meditation session there ... in the underground temple cum burial site which dates back nearly 6,000 years. It was a very impressive experience with the eerie subdued lighting which made it all feel quite surreal.
arabella Ella: To add to that feeling, Bertram used the Oracle room to set the scene with his revertebrating voice which sounded like a mysterious force, motivation or urge to drop everything and to simply "Be".

arabella Ella: i think i found Pema's narrative on the way he views PaB ... in a sense 'life as a laboratory' ... most fascinating and illuminating too

Pema Pera: thank you, Arabella! But really we all shared our experiences and inspirations

arabella Ella: yes i think each of us was completely 100 percent trustful and open too
arabella Ella: and as i said earlier there was never any pressure at all
Wol Euler nods.
arabella Ella: each could participate or share as we wished or thought best
arabella Ella: totally free
Pema Pera: yes
Mickorod Renard: and it stays afterwards,,in ones mind

2010.02.03 13:00 - Malta Retreat Revisited

Fefonz Quan: SO from the start it made a celebration of please and peacefulness in the heart

Fefonz Quan: the atmosphere, from the first session, was very causy and comfortable, although many people were new to each other, at least in RL
Fefonz Quan: and i found that the first session was a little like a continuation of the last session of the previous retreat I've been in in August

Fefonz Quan: the next day was the 'silent' day, meaning that we didn't speak (mostly didn't) till the evening meal.
Fefonz Quan: I enjoyed it very much, and found it very calming, peaceful, and also open the mind and spirit by saving the 'directional' energy speech sometimes have, and allowing me to be more open to the other noises, colors, smells and tastes that surrounds us
Fefonz Quan: i found it very easy not to speak, and had some of the most deepest experiences of the retreat that day.

Fefonz Quan: I don't recall exactly the order of the following meditations, but i liked the one considering time, and hope to get more into it.
Fefonz Quan: and we had very exciting visualizing exercises, taking a mind trip to beautiful places together and apart at the same time

Lia Rikugun: the idea i had when I wanted to come to malta to the retreat

Lia Rikugun: was to just experiment with my consciousness in a way
Lia Rikugun: i did some exercises which i call going to my happy place
Lia Rikugun: in a way imagining to be on a grass field and walking around there

Lia Rikugun: so this was something i wanted to concentrate on
Lia Rikugun: pema suggested a similar kind of meditation
Lia Rikugun: where i dont close my eyes and see a different world but where I try to imagine things in the world i see
Lia Rikugun: somehow mixing 2 realities
Lia Rikugun: this was an interesting experience for me
Lia Rikugun: this is what I tried to do during the silent day on wedesday

Lia Rikugun: i saw it (not with my eyes obviously)
Lia Rikugun: but very interesting
Lia Rikugun: so this is what i like to continue
Lia Rikugun: to mix up both experiences of real world and somehow imagined things

Lia Rikugun: another very interesting experience i had

Lia Rikugun: i had a very intense dream on wednesday night
Lia Rikugun: after the silent day


  Lia Rikugun: but what i associated with the meditation
  was to go deeper and deeper
  Lia Rikugun: i saw a stairway in the house i lived when 
  i was a child
  Lia Rikugun: and this was the meditation to go down 
  the stairs
  Lia Rikugun: so thats what i did during the dream
  Lia Rikugun: and slowly step by step going down
  Lia Rikugun: until it got very very loud
  Lia Rikugun: and things were happening around me
  Lia Rikugun: and my first feeling was to leave
  Lia Rikugun: but i stayed i was curious
  Lia Rikugun: i wanted to get to know this feeling in a 
  way
  Lia Rikugun: it was inbetween being frightened and 
  curious
  Lia Rikugun: and i wanted to stay with this feeling for 
  a while longer
  Lia Rikugun: but slowly it went away
  Lia Rikugun: left each single part of my body one after 
  the other
Lia Rikugun: this was such an intense feeling i cannot put it in words

Lia Rikugun: and then at the breakfast table on thursday morning
Lia Rikugun: i was telling wol and eos and pema
Lia Rikugun: and pema tells me he had a similar dream before!
Lia Rikugun: :D
Lia Rikugun: weird no?

Lia Rikugun: during the day we wanted to do another meditation
Lia Rikugun: and pema asked around what should we do?
Lia Rikugun: fefonz suggested to do a meditation holding hands
Lia Rikugun: and then i suggested while we do this we can also do the meditation from the dream
Lia Rikugun: and i felt it was very powerful in a way

Mickorod Renard: was this the going down the steps?
Lia Rikugun: yes with holding hands
Mickorod Renard: I thought it was fun,,I seemed to be being led down

Lia Rikugun: pema and arabella i think opened a door
Lia Rikugun: in the farmhouse
Lia Rikugun: in the room where we meditated
Lia Rikugun: we havent opened the door before
Lia Rikugun: and the funny thing was that there was a staircase
Lia Rikugun: everybody had imagined to go down a staircase
Lia Rikugun: and now we really find one
Wol Euler smiles.
Lia Rikugun: i had the serious question that it was maybe not there before
Lia Rikugun: the thing is i can never know

Lia Rikugun: so i guess i come back with more questions
Lia Rikugun: about what is real and not

Lia Rikugun: so in a way i am questioning more the reality i see every day
Lia Rikugun: which keeps my brain working
Lia Rikugun: and fresh in a way
Lia Rikugun: but
Lia Rikugun: there does not seem to be any possibility for any proof of any reality
Lia Rikugun: this is maybe the best part

Lia Rikugun: this keeps you thinking and questioning

Lia Rikugun: in the end of the retreat i felt a very strong connection to everybody
Lia Rikugun: but i cannot explain why

2010.02.05 13:00 - Malta - Yaku´s session

Yakuzza Lethecus: so in had a meeting at the farmhouse for 2-3 hrs even on the first day and it was really nice to see so many nice ppl
Yakuzza Lethecus: nobody turned out to be worse then expected
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Liza Deischer: :-)
Lia Rikugun: hehe
Bertram Jacobus: :o))
Pema Pera is wondering what Yaku expected . . . .
Wol Euler: :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: oh it was complicated

--BELL--
Yakuzza Lethecus: oh, my thoughts "i still don't really know   
what play as being is all about", "does my english work in real 
life" , "they are all so old"
Eos Amaterasu: :-)
Stim Morane: :)
Wol Euler snorts
Storm Nordwind: pah!
Yakuzza Lethecus: so many tiny things that take out my "being in the moment" LOL

Yakuzza Lethecus: most facinating was obviously the silent day
Pema Pera: in what way, Yaku?
Yakuzza Lethecus: the waitress in the morning, the attemps to communicate in a different way
Yakuzza Lethecus: many thoughts about what it really mean to be silent
Yakuzza Lethecus: because i thought in language all day long

Yakuzza Lethecus: for me the whole concept of pab was still a bit strange, even when i have a guardian slot around here
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Zen Arado: what way strange Yaku?
Yakuzza Lethecus: sitting in a circle in a virtual world every evening between chat and i dunno
Liza Deischer: :-)
Yakuzza Lethecus: it's hard to explain
Yakuzza Lethecus: there are just emotions that it feels interesting and gives something to me
Yakuzza Lethecus: while i just can't explain what in words

arabella Ella: what did you think of the various exercises we did led by Lia, Bert and Fefonz?

Yakuzza Lethecus: i considered me even more as watching what happended and i tried to understand and to integrate the things i saw
Yakuzza Lethecus: even if i can or if i am even supposed to understand everything
Wol Euler smiles and shakes her head.
Yakuzza Lethecus: can we really describe everything in words, what does budda nature mean, do we all know moment's when we already found our budda nature ?
Yakuzza Lethecus: just not allowing ourselves to get back to that
Yakuzza Lethecus: so are we grasping for something maybe getting upset for not finding it while the key is to loose all grasping and being and appreciate where we are

Yakuzza Lethecus: so another issue was the ability to keep everything present
Yakuzza Lethecus: the week was very nice and everyone had time to listen to everyone
Yakuzza Lethecus: how to apply something like that in real life

2010.02.06 07:00 - Malta Retreat: Bertram's report

Bertram Jacobus: The retreat was to me often a matter of several perspectives – so on the one hand i was not surprised to find out, that what i had expected (not much exspecting, not limiting, but from former experiences with meeting people from the net in rl) seemed to be the reality.
Bertram Jacobus: On the other hand so much what we were allowed to share in Malta was even more then i had expected ! :

Bertram Jacobus: For me especially, I got some more intense impressions of what play as being can cause : may be a view, for example, at "always look at the bright side of life" (!) ;o) .
Bertram Jacobus: whereas that is only one aspect, for sure, but important to me : getting this brighter view looks like a life time task for me and here and now, with pab and the retreat, i get stuff and examples, so to say "material" to work with and to strengthen the good sides of being.

Bertram Jacobus: But i must admit, my felt problems with the english language made it a bit exhausting for me – as i had feared in advance - and so at the second day of our being together i had a phase of being quite tired – But –
Bertram Jacobus: but ! ;-)
Bertram Jacobus: that seemed not to be a problem to anyone of the others – wonderful ! It was, as everything, so free : we could walk around a bit in the nice landscape if we wanted to, sit together, trying out practises, being quite, talk – all so free
--BELL--
Bertram Jacobus: I think, i won't be able to tell all my impressions and experiences in this here giving time; it was so much !
Bertram Jacobus: Ara showed us a bit of her isle, the great culture of this little land, the hypogeum, where we were allowed to listen only to the 6000 years old vibes down there with only little lights, and as may be already told, i was asked to make some very deep voice sounds which i learned a bit in tibetan buddhist tradition
Bertram Jacobus: because there was a room, where was said, deep frequencies would sound there very special

Bertram Jacobus: Another intense day may have been the silent day.
Bertram Jacobus: And again i had some very different impressions : on the one hand i found it very natural, nearly normal to have such a day,
Bertram Jacobus: may be also because i had some quiet experiences with others before here and there in my life, but, on the other hand, it came again and again into my conciousness,
Bertram Jacobus: that it is very unusual and seldom, that people come together and share their hours in such a way and it was wonderful. I liked it very much.

2010.02.06 13:00 - Our extraordinary duckiness (Paradise reports on Malta)

Paradise Tennant: the one I found myself puzzling on the most was Pema's discussion on a concept of " no time "

Paradise Tennant: on the retreat my favourite day was the silent day .. sitting out in the sunshine looking at the valley - sort of embracing its beauty - not exactly no time but slower indeend

Paradise Tennant: did anyone else here .. find moments of no time during the retreat :) ?

arabella Ella: i think time definitely took on a different perspective for me ... I did not wear a watch and that helped
Bertram Jacobus: i even don't think about such feelings then paradise - may be ? ... ;-)
Wol Euler nods. Time as a way of viewing the world pretty well stopped for me that week
arabella Ella: i think some of us just let time 'be'
Paradise Tennant: that is a great way to phrase it arabella :)
Paradise Tennant: just let time be :)
arabella Ella smiles
Eos Amaterasu: perhaps letting _all_ of time be is timeless time

Paradise Tennant: well I came away with many impressions ... and questions .. and perhaps a sense of oneness :) of shared resonance of shared contextuality :)

Paradise Tennant: being able to spend time in person .. sharing thoughts and sometimes just being .. gave those days a certain shine :)
Paradise Tennant: a kind of luminosity :)
Paradise Tennant: and perhaps there was no surprise to how compatible the group was :) - the mix of ideas attitudes .. all in balance in a way
Paradise Tennant: the second question I came away with .. was how causality works in pab ... in buddism there is karma .. an interdependence and sometimes long reaching impact of our thoughts and actions ....

Eos Amaterasu: but everyone seemed pretty relaxed, and very appreciative of the day, of silence opening things up
Wol Euler: it did feel a bit perilously loose, unstructured, unwrapped at first
Wol Euler: but that didn't last
Paradise Tennant: interesting watching structure emerge from being :)
Eos Amaterasu: trust the space

2010.02.07 13:00 - Malta Review: Eos

Eos Amaterasu: I think these reporting sessions have been themselves remarkable
Eos Amaterasu: the attendance and quality of presence and listening and sharing has been really strong
Eos Amaterasu: a carryover of the retreat through SL, and from SL extending retreat / appreciation atmosphere

Eos Amaterasu: I'm constantly impressed by the different styles people bring to this exploration
Eos Amaterasu: and how trusting in the process, which I think means caring for it and attending to it but also leaving it open
Eos Amaterasu: brings completely unexpected results
Eos Amaterasu: I get the impression that this was transformative and a step forward for many

Eos Amaterasu: We played a lot with stories, and imagery, and dialoguing with those
Eos Amaterasu: such as through Lia's explorations
Eos Amaterasu: Fefonz had a great line, "stories are more sculpting reality than describing it"

Eos Amaterasu: Wol also talked about architecture as embodying a kind of story
  Eos Amaterasu: Compared to last 
  August's California retreat, we did 
  fewer "structured", or sequenced, 
  exercises
  Eos Amaterasu: this was a bit more 
  chaotic (partly because we did not stay 
  "on site" the whole time, but did a lot of
  moving back and forth)
  Eos Amaterasu: the approaches to 
  appreciating being arose more from the
  participants

  Eos Amaterasu: As everyone has said, 
  the silent day allowed things to arise, be
  perceived
  Eos Amaterasu: Interesting that retreat 
  can include cutting down inputs, away 
                                                              from things, but also reducing outputs, creating more stuff
Eos Amaterasu: making the process of ourselves generating narrative, often reactively, more obvious
Eos Amaterasu: The silent day was also a bit more of a scattering of people, walking around, on their own or with others (Pema and Eos to the two special hills, Mick making sure Arabella didn't fall if the earth collapsesd :-)
arabella Ella giggles

Eos Amaterasu: how about we discuss....?
Eos Amaterasu: "malta almond cookies / first taste still sticks embedded / in no time fullness"

Widget Whiteberry: Eos, if I may, what were the most moving moments for you?

Eos Amaterasu: hmm...
Eos Amaterasu: there was sometimes a very strong sense of presence in the middle of the circle of people, being silent
Eos Amaterasu: I recall that especially the last day
Eos Amaterasu: also just meeting and getting to know some of the AVs in real life, and the depth of their stories, lives
Eos Amaterasu: what they are bring to this and sharing
Eos Amaterasu: the exploration down the stairs with Lia, inside the circle of hands holding as suggested by Fefonz
Eos Amaterasu: the power of these simple explorations, and the willingness to jump in and discover, and how much capacity for that there is / we have
Eos Amaterasu: I think we have something really intriguing and unique going on with these SL/RL/SL practices, and going back and forth

Widget Whiteberry: Can you say more about SL/RL/SL practices? I've only experienced PaB inworld
Eos Amaterasu: Well, I've found that doing RL retreat then re-inspires being here in SL doing sessions
Eos Amaterasu: and being in SL lets you kind of pop out of RL to take it less for granted, see with newer eyes
Eos Amaterasu: and also questions what is being in either world/life

Eos Amaterasu: knowing the RL people reveals a lot of richness, complexity, history
Eos Amaterasu: and that also reflects off the SL persona
Eos Amaterasu: we're always kind of avatar-ing

Eos Amaterasu: maybe in RL there are more "bottom lines" that are important to us (we can't just re-rez)
Eos Amaterasu: and so the exploration touches and opens that, more to our core.