The Guardian for this meeting was Maxine Walden. The comments are by Maxine Walden.

This session focussed upon aspects of the just-finished Stuttgart retreat, but perhaps prompted by the presences of an anonymous very large carved pumpkin (jackolantern), we also considered aspects of Halloween.

Yakuzza Lethecus: hi maxine
Maxine Walden: hi, Yaku! How was the retreat?
Yakuzza Lethecus: it was really nice
Maxine Walden: :) so glad!
Maxine Walden: looking forward to hearing about it...
Maxine Walden: tho it is difficult if not impossible to really share in words the personal experience, I imagine
Yakuzza Lethecus: i was a bit split in my thoughts since there were only ppl whom attended the retreat on malta already, but having less participants also created more depth
Yakuzza Lethecus: we´ve been talking about thoughts alot
Maxine Walden: hi, josh
joshposh99 Biscuit: join my group

Not being aware that Josh, one day old in SL, had attended the guardian meeting earlier in the day, not realizing it was a closed meeting, I say

Maxine Walden: Josh, see you are rather new to Second Life
Maxine Walden: what group are you mentioning
Maxine Walden: I will give you a notecard about this group, PlayasBeing
Maxine Walden: ah, having trouble locating them. Yaku, do you have a notecard handy?
Yakuzza Lethecus: yes, moment
Yakuzza Lethecus: i gave it a minute ago
Maxine Walden: ah, thanks. Suddenly forgot how to give a notecard!
Maxine Walden: Josh, this is one of our 4 times a day meeting times; you are very welcome to join us.
Maxine Walden: we talk about a lot of things, but primarily about our experiences trying to explore the nature of reality. We do that primarily by trying to experience this very moment.

I return to the topic of Yaku's experience of the retreat

Maxine Walden: Yaku was just mentioning some of his experiences in a RL retreat, oriented to PlayasBeing, that he attended
Maxine Walden: care to say more about the retreat, Yaku?
Yakuzza Lethecus: yes, i we´ve been talking about monkey´s alot and used that as a metaphor for unhelpful thoughts
Maxine Walden: :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: of course a lot of meditations with specific focus
Yakuzza Lethecus: like being seeing practices with objects around us and visualisations
Yakuzza Lethecus: hey burcce
Maxine Walden: hi, Bruce
Maxine Walden: Yaku is mentioning about the retreat
Yakuzza Lethecus: having a small group really gave more depth to see everyone as a whole in more detail
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Josh -- Hi, Yaku, Hi, Maxine.
Yakuzza Lethecus: at least that was my impression
Bruce Mowbray: Great -- please continue, Yaku.
Maxine Walden: yes, a small group does facilitate in depth focus
joshposh99 Biscuit: what were you doing
joshposh99 Biscuit: bruce
--BELL--
Maxine Walden: Was just IM'ing Josh about the 90 second 'bell'
Bruce Mowbray: Hey Maxine and Yaku -- This is Josh - who came here for the first time this morning.
Maxine Walden: I see, did not know, Bruce. Sorry, Josh, did not know you had been introduced earlier...
joshposh99 Biscuit: i will only be able to come this time because im from london and go to secondary school
Maxine Walden: ah, well great. We may see you at this timeslot
joshposh99 Biscuit: i will 99.9 percent come this time
Maxine Walden: :)
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Bruce Mowbray: Well, you're always welcome here, Josh -- whenever you wish to come.
Yakuzza Lethecus: For example the being seeing practices on the retreat cleared my definition of the phrase ,,being seing" since i constucted it´s sense a little different in the past.
Yakuzza Lethecus: Not by being seeing urself from an outside position but by other subjects.
Yakuzza Lethecus: That was cleared a little through the practices and explainations by pema
Yakuzza Lethecus: Actually, in these moments i know why i should make notes :)
Maxine Walden: :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: there happened so much and so little comes to mind right now :)
Maxine Walden: I know what you mean, Yaku. No pressure meant, just interested about whatever might come to mind.
Maxine Walden: Blub reminds me about repose, quiet, letting allcares seem to vanish, Bruce
Bruce Mowbray: ;-) Blub is happy to hear that, Maxine.
Maxine Walden: :)
Maxine Walden: hi, Steve, your nice outfit again
stevenaia Michinaga: thank you maxine, am appreciateing it more and more
Bruce Mowbray: Hey Steve -- I'd like you to meet Josh -- a young man from London.
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Josh, welcome and nice that you can join us
Bruce Mowbray: Blub
stevenaia Michinaga: I hope you find our little group intriguing
Bruce Mowbray: I'm not sure Josh knows where the chat box is ---
Bruce Mowbray: Can you see this, Josh?
joshposh99 Biscuit: yea
Maxine Walden: ah, there is so much to learn in SL. I also forgot how to give him a notecard just a bit ago.
--BELL--
Maxine Walden: guess we all keep learning, and sometimes forgetting
Bruce Mowbray: Josh's first day in SL -- MUCH to learn, indeed.
joshposh99 Biscuit: yeah guess what time it is now
stevenaia Michinaga: wow, excitng first day of the rest of your Second Life
Maxine Walden: :)
joshposh99 Biscuit: 9.30 pm
Maxine Walden: in London, 9:30pm...and here in SL 1:30pm. Round world
Bruce Mowbray: yeppers.
Bruce Mowbray: Hello, Eos.
Maxine Walden: hi, Eos. Nice to see you; Yaku was sharing a bit about the retreat
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Maxine, Yak, St even, bruce, Josh
joshposh99 Biscuit: hi
Yakuzza Lethecus: hi eos
Maxine Walden: How was it for you? (difficult question, of course)
stevenaia Michinaga: in 130 characters, like Wol
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Maxine Walden: :)
Eos Amaterasu: http://wiki.playasbeing.org/Retreats/2010-10_Stuttgart%2c_DE/Retreat_reports%3a_Stuttgart_2010
Eos Amaterasu: (that's less than 140 characters, I think)
Maxine Walden: :)) yes, did see Wol's report.
Eos Amaterasu: Sorry I missed Yaku's reporting
stevenaia Michinaga: TY eos, I don't use twitter enough
Eos Amaterasu: he was one of the stars of the retreat :-)
Eos Amaterasu: I said a few things at the guardian meeting
Maxine Walden: :))
Eos Amaterasu: btw, there is now a consolidated email list for all participants of any previous RL retreat
Maxine Walden: ah, interesting!
stevenaia Michinaga: how many are on it
Eos Amaterasu: we'll have to add links to sessions where retreatants are telling all
Eos Amaterasu: 22, stevenaia
Maxine Walden: (maybe less than 130 characters, Steve)
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Eos Amaterasu: heh heh
Eos Amaterasu: when we have 140 characters at an RL retreat, that's called a retweet
Maxine Walden: hahaha LOL
stevenaia Michinaga: laughs
Eos Amaterasu: Also, the hotel details are set for the upcoming New Orleans retreat, and will be posted shortly
joshposh99 Biscuit: i have to go now
Eos Amaterasu: bye josh
Yakuzza Lethecus: night josh
Maxine Walden: thanks, Josh, for coming; we will look forward to your next visit
joshposh99 Biscuit: bye ill come back adter school
Bruce Mowbray: Good night, Josh -- See you again, I hope.
Eos Amaterasu is curious as to what Yaku said about the retreat :-)
Bruce Mowbray: Be well and happy, Josh.
stevenaia Michinaga: :), what are you studying?
joshposh99 Biscuit: bye
Yakuzza Lethecus: ah, i watched wol´s report and he covered it already
Yakuzza Lethecus: i was talking about the monkeys and being seeing
Yakuzza Lethecus: as well as the issue that i should take notes in order not to forget things :)
Eos Amaterasu: it's all Lia's fault - she showed up in a monkey t-shirt!
Maxine Walden: :)
Yakuzza Lethecus: when i read wol´s report it feels like a nice reminder of what happened :)
Eos Amaterasu: Yes indeed!
Eos Amaterasu: We did the equivalent of walk and chew gum at the same time
stevenaia Michinaga: I was thinking a retreat scribe would be interesting to have
Eos Amaterasu: ie, practice while talking, discussing
Eos Amaterasu: let awareness be, and let awareness see, while yakking
Maxine Walden: :)
Eos Amaterasu: (not just aimed at Yaku :-)
Maxine Walden: haha
Bruce Mowbray: Believe it or not, there is a Zen tradition that does not meditate -- because they practice "awareness and presence" all the time.
Eos Amaterasu ponders the notion of a retreat scribe
stevenaia Michinaga: Genesis did a nice retreat journal for one of the princeton retreats
Eos Amaterasu: does not formally meditate.... (?)
Bruce Mowbray: [even when talking....]
Eos Amaterasu: indeed, if you can't be that way here, you're not being that way, are you?
Bruce Mowbray agrees with Eos on that.
Bruce Mowbray: Although I've never been to a PaB retreat, I understand there are periods of silence -- and meditation, also?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes and discusion
--BELL--
Bruce Mowbray: None
Eos Amaterasu: Usually the middle day is a silent day
Bruce Mowbray: sry -- that "none" was to clear Blub's name label.
Eos Amaterasu: silent meaning no talking except for "functional talking" like "pass the (what's the german word for salt?)"
Bruce Mowbray: The middle day -- silent -- good "balance' for the retreat, that way.
Yakuzza Lethecus: i need some sleep, night everyone
Eos Amaterasu: 'night Yaku!
Maxine Walden: bye, Yaku, sleep well
stevenaia Michinaga: night YAk
Bruce Mowbray: G'night, Yaku. There goes our hope of learning the German word for salt.
Maxine Walden: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles
Bruce Mowbray: Hello, Qt.
Bruce Mowbray: Hello, mattc
stevenaia Michinaga: Hello Qt
Eos Amaterasu: HI Matt
Bruce Mowbray: Perhaps the jack-o-lantern is scaring folks away. . . .(?)
stevenaia Michinaga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o'-lantern
Eos Amaterasu zooms in on the jaco-o-lantern
stevenaia Michinaga: I'm sure not everyone knows who it's there
Eos Amaterasu: Eeek!
Maxine Walden: ah, maybe so! I could not discern who might have put it here, when I came. Vaguely wondered if it would 'act up' during this session
Bruce Mowbray: Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling, When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling! When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin, Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
Eos Amaterasu is impressed!
Eos Amaterasu: being scary!
Maxine Walden: wonderful poem, Bruce
Bruce Mowbray: I copied it from the link given above.
Eos Amaterasu: Yes, great that you could just pull it out of the.... pumpkin!
Qt Core: to be honest i'm quite disappointed (if not angry) at how much marketing is pushing Halloween here in Italy
Maxine Walden: commercialism...
Bruce Mowbray: yes, they do that with EVERY holiday in America, Qt. Worst of all is Christmas -- and most store here have Christmas decorations up ALREADY.
Eos Amaterasu: whereas actually going to the places that are scary is an archetypal journey
Bruce Mowbray: yukkkkk!
Qt Core: yes, Bruce, but at least Halloween is part of your tradition, here it isn't
Bruce Mowbray: Ih -- sry -- I meant the commercialism is yukkkkk -- not visits to the places.
Eos Amaterasu: :-)
Qt Core: i found some carnival time sweets yesterday in the shop...
Maxine Walden: afraid I have to go. See you all later.
Maxine Walden: bye for now.
Eos Amaterasu: Bye Maxine!
stevenaia Michinaga: bye Maxine, always gtsy
Bruce Mowbray: Halloween is BIG in America -- all the kids go trick-or-treating. . . a tradition that goes back for generations.
Bruce Mowbray: Bye Maxine.
Qt Core: we have traditional celebration (mostly forgotten or ignored) for 21/10 or better 1 and 2 november of the same kind, the passage toward winter, the deads and such that's another reason i'm disappointed in importing a strager one
Qt Core: 31/10
Bruce Mowbray: Our "Halloween" is the traditional "All Saints' Day" eve, of course.
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, all Saints day isn't it (not my religion) strange that it's got all vpmmercial with ghosts and the dead
stevenaia Michinaga: *commercial
--BELL--
Qt Core: probably was the other way around steve, predating a previous pagan/celtic celebration of past generations
stevenaia Michinaga: I suspect there are also roots older than christianity
stevenaia Michinaga: nods
Eos Amaterasu: for sure
Eos Amaterasu: Must go make supper - thanks and bye all!
Bruce Mowbray: Thank you, Eos. Be well.
stevenaia Michinaga: bye Eos
Qt Core: bon apetit eos ;-)
Eos Amaterasu: BTW, Qt, would you come to the Asissi retreat?
Qt Core: at the momen is a go ;-)
Eos Amaterasu: Super!
Eos Amaterasu: Okay, ciao!
Qt Core: ciao
stevenaia Michinaga: I should be off as well
Bruce Mowbray: Me too -- Eos made me hungry.
Bruce Mowbray: dinner time for both of us.
stevenaia Michinaga: me too
Bruce Mowbray: Be well, folks.
Qt Core: i'm appropaching midnight snack ;-)