Ode!
Maybe that last "exercise" was too hard. :)
Remember though it is about you and not your parents, your moment of conception, of "dropping in."
I am reading Ode Magazine this morning.
Many people are honored. One is Gay Luce. I am familiar with her Nine Gates Mystery School because it is offered near where I live, but I learn that she has now set it up for young people.
She says, "Our society says, "You may not express your sadness, your worries - you can't have any emotion except cheer. I realized the youth needed a place where they could feel accepted and loved unconditionally."
Ode says:
Kids in the program learn to connect to their emotions and their spirits through a series of exercises and rituals drawn for the world's spiritual traditions. In a loving communal atmosphere, they learn skills like meditation, creating sacred space, self-hypnosis, emotional release and non-violent communication. Parents say their children come back transformed from moody teenagers into self-aware, loving young people. The school's effect on students is mysterious even to Luce. "The students have these explosions of confidence. It's like magic to me."
Yesterday, I spent with a lovely group of people. I see the demands we put on ourselves that lead to war. There are many ways for each of us to cultivate peace within, peace that is vital, nourishing, alive. Today, at 10:30 in each time zone has been designated a time to pause to pray for and request peaceful resolution in the Middle East. May solutions reveal and found.