Canyonlands ~ Dances of Universal Peace
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Cathryn Tezha Swann
Female
Cornville, AZ
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Bowl of Saki - July 6
It is the message that proves the messenger, not the claim.Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:
The prophet brings love, the love of God, the Father and Mother of the whole humanity, a love that is life itself. No words nor actions can express that love. The presence of the prophet, his very being, speaks of it, if only the heart had ears to listen. Verily, to the believer all is right, and to the unbeliever all is wrong.
The principal work of the prophet is to glorify the Name of God and to raise humanity from the denseness of the earth, to open the doors of the human heart to the divine beauty which is everywhere manifested and to illuminate souls which are groping in darkness for years. The prophet brings the message of the day, a reform for that particular period in which he is born. A claim of a prophet is nothing to the real prophet. The being of the prophet, the work of the prophet, and the fulfillment of his task is itself the proof of prophethood.
~~~ "Religious Gatheka 10, The Prophet", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)
There was a time when the world was not capable of seeing. Humanity did not have enough realization to recognize the message that is why the claim of prophecy had to be made. But now the world can recognize, sooner or later, what is right and what is wrong. The warner, the master, the messenger of today will not claim. He will only work. He will leave his work to prove for itself whether it is true or false.
http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_32.htm
There was a time when the message was given while the people were waiting for a messenger to come, as happened in the time of Jesus Christ, when they were thousands and thousands waiting for a messenger from above. The Master came, and gave his service to the world, and left again. Some realized what had happened then, and some are still waiting. But the one who claimed to be Alpha and Omega is never absent; sometimes he shows himself, sometimes he keeps in the background. ... The divine message is the answer to the cry of souls individually and collectively; the divine message is life and it is light. The sun does not teach anything, but in its light we learn to know all things. The sun does not cultivate the soil nor does it sow seed, but it helps the plants to grow, to flower, and to bear fruit.
http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/IX/IX_2.htm
~~~ It is the message that proves the messenger, not the claim.
Photos and film of Hazrat Inayat Khan
New for February is a collection of video snippets including seldom seen photographs and rare video of Hazrat Inayat Khan filmed in Suresnes France in late 1926.... more...Part VII - Direct Experience
Part VII - The Cause Behind Every Cause, the seventh installment of a new series of articles entitled "Wedding of Body and Soul --- Embodying Your Life's Purpose": We are instruments of Life, and we have been given the power and ability to choose whether to enjoy the journey or resist it. In order to enjoy the journey, we each must... more...Cathryn Tezha Swann's Page
Profile Information
- About Me:
- Artist, Healer. Lover of Song and Dance - DUP leader in Sedona and Cottonwood, AZ... La illaha il Allah hu!
- Your Canyonlands Story
- Oooooh, that's long and too sweet to put in this brief introductory message. I'll save it for when I have time to write a longer blog entry.
May All Beings Be Well,
May All Beings Be Happy,
Peace, Peace, Peace...
- Website:
- http://www.moonsinger.com
Now I have time to tell my Canyonlands Story...
I've never been a camper. I'm very clear with myself that I love a hot bath and a warm (and dry) bed! I'd heard about these dance camps for a number of years, but I was never inspired to go to one of them. It's CAMPING, after all! NO hot bath, weather changeable, so the bed may be warm - or not - and dry - or not. But when I got the e-mail from Sky Majida about the Fall Canyonlands Dance Camp in September of 2006, something in my heart just sort of jumped out toward it, and I knew in that instant that I had to go. I had no idea why, but it was clear: I had to stretch my concepts of what is ok for me to do. I had to be there.
So I borrowed a tent, Asked for advice about what to take with me from people who had actually done such a thing. And I went. Beautiful weather the day I arrived. Warm and sunny. Friends from my local dance circles, and other newly met beloveds, helped me set up my tent and oriented me to the campground and the layout of the park, the location of the cave where we would dance, etc.
As evening came on, it became cooler.... and cooler.
We went to dance in the cave. The first evening about midway through the Dance, I found myself next to a tall white-haired man with a beautiful baritone singing voice. Very nice! I found myself leaning toward him... listening... harmonizing.
Back in my tent that night, I was awakened by thunder, lightning and rain.... the first cold front of the Fall. Cold. Wet. My worst fears about camping came to pass. I was freezing. Water was seeping in to the bottom of my tent. Oh well. I am here. Meditate, pray, finally go back to sleep.
The next day I awoke and put on about 4 layers of clothes. It continued to rain quite a bit that day. Oh well. I am here. Meditate, pray.
That night, all bundled up and dancing in the cave again, there was a break between dances when Bernie and Sky Majida were deciding what dance to do next, and musicians were tuning instruments. Dancers waiting, talking quietly or standing in silence, feeling the energy of the previous dance. I looked across the circle and I saw the tall man with the wonderful baritone voice looking thoughtfully back at me. We gazed at each other for a few moments, and then he walked directly to me - through the center of the circle (most people would have walked around the circle) - and he took my left hand with his right. We didn't speak out loud, but in my heart/mind I said, "Oh, there you are. You are the reason I am here." We continued to dance and sing together, staying side by side, for the rest of that evening. After the dance, we introduced ourselves - again, for THIS incarnation - since it was very clear to me that we had known each other in other lives. We felt so comfortable and familiar to each other. And I found out his name - Mark Kurey.
Throughout the rest of the Dance Camp, as the sun came out and things began to dry out, we got better acquainted, beginning to find out about each other's lives. When it was time to go, we exchanged contact info. That day the sun was shining so beautifully and things were warming up, finally :-). We got into our cars and headed for our homes, his in Colorado, mine in Arizona.
Then we began an e-mail and telephone friendship, and exchanged thoughts and observations about life, the things we love, our families, our favorite dances, our lives in our home places.
And then, just two months later, at the end of November, I got a call from Sky Majida telling me that Mark had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital in Grand Junction. Open heart surgery followed. After the surgery I spoke with Mark in the hospital, and he told me he was working out how he would manage his recovery, getting someone to help him for awhile, etc. He sounded good. He seemed to be at peace with his situation.
And then..... the following day, I got another call from Sky Majida telling me Mark had passed away that morning.
Our Sedona Dance was coming up very soon, so I lead Bernie's beautiful heart chakra balancing dance, "Om Hum So Hum," in order of Mark. Two other people in our circle also honored Mark. Another leader who knew Mark led a dance dedicated to him, and one of the dancers, another Canyonlands camper, read from the Sufi Prayers for the Dead. I also did a brief reading, composed of things Mark had said to me in e-mail, and excepts from poems in answer to his words. I found Mark's words much more poignant after his passing. I believe he knew, subconsciously, that his remaining days on the physical plane were few.
Mark wrote to me:
...my teacher, Yogananda......... basically, he just wanted to be surrendered to Divine Mother. I am wondering if maybe Yogananda really had it right? I just want to spend my energy attracting more qualities and energy of God ..... the Divine Mother.
My response is this poem:
How long could the moth flirt
near the mouth of the flame before their lips touch
and the moth's soul
becomes like
a sun.
And does the moth then die? No.
In serving the Divine one is transformed into Her.
What lovers would return to us,
what lovers would not unite beyond belief and annihilate
their separation forever if they
had the power
to do so?
That power our Lady has. How long do you think
you can just flirt with Her before you
dissolve in ecstasy?
Existence spins on Her potter's wheel;
all is being shaped into the Divine.
What lovers would
not want to die
embraced?
~Meister Eckhart, from LOVE POEMS FROM GOD, Daniel Ladinsky, translator. (Because Mark referred to God as the Divine Mother, I changed the gender of God in the poem.)
And Mark wrote:
So I'm paying close attention to each thought and feeling, as if they were my last, as if today were the last day I was on earth, this lovely school.
My response:
Everything is so beautiful!
Everything is so beautiful!
Everything is so beautiful!
I can’t stop saying this truth.
It’s become my mantra about life and death.
When I see through Your eyes,
That’s how everything looks… beautiful.
~Lee Sagari
Goodbye, Dear Friend, so briefly known in this life, but so well known in some other space-time reality. And we will meet again.
______________________________________________
We are travelers in a cosmic journey - star dust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. But the expressions of life are ephemeral, momentary, transient.
Buddha once said "This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky."
We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it is transient. lt is a little parenthesis in eternity. lf we share with caring, light heartedness and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.
~Deepak Chopra
______________________________________________
With Love and Gratitude for Mark, for Canyonlands, for Dances of Universal Peace,
Shakura Cathryn
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Baking in Beauty dates are Friday, July 25 through Monday, July 28. Come on over!
Love & Blessings,
Cathryn
"There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect." ~G.K. Chesterton Delete Comment
It would depend on when , in July, as I will be having my granddaughter here until the middle of July. We will be on vacation in the fall.
Received and sending love back to you,
Lori
There is a happy photo of Mark and Heidi in the batch I just uploaded - it's from about 6 years ago, I think, because Heidi is pretty young in the photo and she is 16 now. Take a look!