2016.04.09 19:00 - dropping associations

The Guardian for this meeting was stevenaia Michinaga. The comments are by stevenaia Michinaga.

After a bit of housekeeping discussion with Bleu, a new arrival appeared.

Bleu Oleander: hey steve :)
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Bleu
Bleu Oleander: no visitors tonight?
stevenaia Michinaga: no, but I did post next week :)
Bleu Oleander: oh good :)
stevenaia Michinaga: what are on your hands
Bleu Oleander: a new typing ao thingy
Bleu Oleander: kinda fun
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: shall we set up a WG meeting next Saturday or Sunday?
Bleu Oleander: that would be fine with me
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll pole the current members
stevenaia Michinaga: neet to organize the Paypal accounts, running low
stevenaia Michinaga: need
Bleu Oleander: ah yes
stevenaia Michinaga: 1st order of business :)
Bleu Oleander: should send out an email to the group after you figure out what's needed for the year
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, and request any new interested WG members
stevenaia Michinaga: to the guardians
Bleu Oleander: seems most are willing to stay on
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Bleu Oleander: I don't mind doing the minutes for another term
stevenaia Michinaga: thank you
Bleu Oleander: sure :)
stevenaia Michinaga: we had snow on the East Coast, as far south as Annapolis MD, where I am this weekend, ever been there, a wonderful little town
stevenaia Michinaga: but snow like this is crazy
Bleu Oleander: no I haven't but did hear about the snow!
Bleu Oleander: pretty late for that!
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Bleu Oleander: its been really nice here although its getting a little cooler this week
Bleu Oleander: 60's - 70's :)
stevenaia Michinaga: spring is right around the corner, or so the plants seem to be saying
Bleu Oleander: lots of blooming here
Bleu Oleander: nice spring so far
stevenaia Michinaga: been unable to attend TSK, how have the sessions been going?
Bleu Oleander: this week was very good
Bleu Oleander: just starting chapter 6
stevenaia Michinaga: nice,
stevenaia Michinaga: I look forward to the logs
Bleu Oleander: did you read this week's?
Bleu Oleander: nice session
stevenaia Michinaga: not yet, my schedule has been crazy lastly
Bleu Oleander: btw, I think Eliza said that the guardian mtg will be next sat
Bleu Oleander: so maybe the WG should be the following weekend?
stevenaia Michinaga: jsut to spread things out?
Bleu Oleander: yes
Bleu Oleander: but I'm ok if you want to do it sunday
stevenaia Michinaga: then we can announce requests for new WG members at the guardian meeting
Bleu Oleander: yes
Bleu Oleander: hi Zeke
stevenaia Michinaga: greetings Zeke

--BELL--

Zeke Toshi: Hello
Zeke Toshi: is there a discussion on or just meditationÉ
stevenaia Michinaga: we discuss the nature of reality through meditation
Zeke Toshi: mmm ok
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Bleu Oleander: have you been here before?
Zeke Toshi: nope
Zeke Toshi: I'm going to be quiet now
Bleu Oleander: I'll give you a notecard that explains our group
Bleu Oleander: quiet is ok :)
Zeke Toshi: thanks
stevenaia Michinaga: we record our sessions and post them on the group's wiki. Is it ok to include your comments?
Zeke Toshi: mmhm
stevenaia Michinaga: we have been posting these session for over 8 years
stevenaia Michinaga: sort of as part of our research
stevenaia Michinaga: out little experiment
stevenaia Michinaga: our
Bleu Oleander: we have an art gallery and a theatre where we explore some of our ideas as well
Zeke Toshi nods
Bleu Oleander: so we try to loosen our grip on some of the usual ways we think about ourselves
stevenaia Michinaga: we usually meet for an hour and offer 90 second meditations every 15 minutes as a time to export the nature of reality, we met several times a week, the schedule is on the board and on our group's website
Zeke Toshi: ok thanks
stevenaia Michinaga: do you typically meditate?
Bleu Oleander: so we stop and pause for the 90 secs and report how it feels to drop our usual associates
Bleu Oleander: a bit like mindfulness
Zeke Toshi: ok, not tottally sure what that means but I'll stick around and watch
Bleu Oleander: we all "define" ourselves in certain ways
stevenaia Michinaga: smies, neither do we
stevenaia Michinaga: http://wiki.playasbeing.org
Bleu Oleander: what happens when we drop those associations?
Bleu Oleander: its about becoming more aware really
Bleu Oleander: not following the usual patterns
stevenaia Michinaga: a new perspective on things informs you in new ways
stevenaia Michinaga: so we take it 90 seconds at a time
Bleu Oleander: it becomes interesting when you take short breaks during your day
Bleu Oleander: just to become more aware ... not on automatic
Zeke Toshi: ok.. so what does it mean to drop associations
Bleu Oleander: well for example you might define yourself by nationality, by profession, by other interests
Bleu Oleander: so you would imagine dropping those associations
stevenaia Michinaga: take a moment and observe yourself and your thoughts, and not participate or reacte to them
Bleu Oleander: to see how it would feel
Zeke Toshi: interesting, but a little like shedding my personality because those are touchstones
Bleu Oleander: yes, in a way
Bleu Oleander: not shedding it, just relaxing your hold on it in a way
Bleu Oleander: wearing it lightly
Zeke Toshi: mkay

--BELL--

stevenaia Michinaga: back to my question, can we include your comments in our log? we can change your name or not include them, either way
Zeke Toshi: yes you may
stevenaia Michinaga: thank you
Bleu Oleander: so if you did pause during that 90 sec break we might compare how it felt for example
Bleu Oleander: we also have sessions where we take a specific topic and discuss it
Zeke Toshi: well It was relaxing but theres a hockey game on tv in the backround so I didn't really meditate deeply
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Bleu Oleander: that's ok though
Bleu Oleander: interesting to note what's going on in the background
stevenaia Michinaga: some use to time to get ice cream
Bleu Oleander: lol
Zeke Toshi: ㋡
Bleu Oleander: what hockey game?
Bleu Oleander: are you a fan?
Zeke Toshi: ice cream doesn't sound like dropping an association
Bleu Oleander: ha!
stevenaia Michinaga: true, but that was an example,
Zeke Toshi: My wifes the fan, I don't mind watching some. This year though our team, theVancouver Canucks suck so thats one association I can drop
Bleu Oleander: lol
Bleu Oleander: I used to be a Rangers fan
Zeke Toshi: I used tobe a calgary fan
Zeke Toshi: they suck too. all the canadian teams are crud this year
Bleu Oleander: I can't get into hockey in AZ tho
stevenaia Michinaga: no teams or no ice?
Bleu Oleander: not a great desert sport :)
Bleu Oleander: we do have a team
Zeke Toshi: Pheonix folded and moved. where are they now?
Zeke Toshi: oh they are still there?
Bleu Oleander: still here Coyotes
Zeke Toshi: mmhmm
Zeke Toshi: i LIKE THEIR JERSIES
Zeke Toshi: ooops
Bleu Oleander: :)
Zeke Toshi: ok someone else talk. This hockey thing is getting us sidetracked
Bleu Oleander: yes :)
Bleu Oleander: happens sometimes
Bleu Oleander: so back to the Play as Being concept
Bleu Oleander: we do refer to what we do here as "play"
Bleu Oleander: kind of a mind play
stevenaia Michinaga: a never ending experiment
Zeke Toshi: I figured that was what was meant
Bleu Oleander: I like to express my ideas using art
stevenaia Michinaga: it keeps us coming back
Zeke Toshi: excuse me. brb
Zeke Toshi: rl
Bleu Oleander: :)
Bleu Oleander: did you list our session tonight steve?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Bleu Oleander: its nice to have some new people drop by
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Zeke Toshi: darn, I have to log. sorry
stevenaia Michinaga: Zeke.. over time we have developed more focused exercises in dropping and observing, much has been written about this on the wili site
Bleu Oleander: nice talking with you
stevenaia Michinaga: hope you return again
Zeke Toshi: I will
Bleu Oleander: take care
Zeke Toshi: Thanks, You too
stevenaia Michinaga: I should be heading out too
Bleu Oleander: yes me too
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll set the WG time and let everyone know
stevenaia Michinaga: night Bleu
Bleu Oleander: ok great
Bleu Oleander: night