LOVE & TEARS

Today began with a wonderful class filled with 8 students...the number of Infinity. Each of them, even the ones who had to come very late, who arranged to text me so that they could be let in the door, participated in the most incredible class yet! One student I had e-mailed the night before about 'Anam Cara', specifically a website explaining not only what spiritual friendship was, but how that translated into this particular website/community's way of offering Spiritual Directors. That student responded back in surprise saying: "Did you know that I am a spiritual director? And that I am looking for a spiritual director myself?"

Another student I had an intuition about...that she would show up exactly when I was about to get everyone else out of the first shavasana/relaxation period...if I just did the 'Transforming Negativity to Love' meditation first. I went to the door on instinct before she could even begin to text me; she had just taken out her phone and was standing by the door! The rest of the class was a kriya originally taken from GuruRattan Kaur's "Transitions to a Heart-Centered World", but used in Sadhana Singh's book "Everyday Excellence: The Art of Success". It was a kriya originally 'For Immunity', and then Sadhana Singh added it to his program to be used before each of the 8 meditations following. Powerful work from GuruRattan Kaur followed by the meditation series for RASA! This latter was from GuruCharan Singh Khalsa's "21 Stages of Meditation", the manual around which my Tuesday/Thursday day classes is centered along with the Transformation manuals, volumes 1 & 2. 

During the heart meditation of the kriya involving the 'Ardas Bhaee' mantra, I felt guided to have students hold pieces of rose quartz near their hearts. I would never have felt comfortable bringing the crystals into class were it not for my one student who had been to Winter Solstice 2012, and had been bringing her crystals into class. It was powerfully healing. 

After class, I shared chocolate and gave away some of my perfume samples from the 'by Kilian' niche perfume line. Real perfume made the way perfume was made an era ago. Not linear. Perfume that shares its secrets softly, just like the real flower essences gathered in the bouquet that made up the scent. I felt guided to do so as well, thinking of the information on aromatherapy in our textbook. 

After class, I had made plans for lunch with another student, and because it was pouring down rain, yet another student asked if I could provide a ride for her to work at a coffee shop further up Manchester. The rain came heavily and left as if we were in New Orleans...so she didn't need the ride after all, but as a result, we went to lunch there, providing my student unexpectedly with a new resource for dining around her strict dietary requirements. Not only that, but we both found that Mystic Valley's crystal shop was now right across the street, as well as Cheryl's Herbs where we both needed to pick up some things, and Kakao, a local chocolatier where I needed to buy some gifts for friends and chocolate for class on Valentine's Day next week.

After a beautiful and sweet morning and afternoon...

I made the journey to reconnect with my new friend Chela, and procure some more of that lovely 'Love & Tears' perfume with five kinds of Jasmine that is strangely deepening my meditation experience. Jasmine is very good for uplifting mood, relaxing AND energizing, and alleviating depression. I had a sweet, sweet, almost heavenly conversation with Chela about all things spiritual, finding that she is Methodist and looking to take up yoga with a deep spiritual but not religious connection. We talked about the perfume samples I shared, and discussed having her in class to share more about fragrance and its healing powers with the students. When I first met her I told her I had recently seen the phrase "Ape Guru Chela" in Sadhana Singh's book. It is a phrase that means: the student becomes the teacher. She has most definitely become my teacher. This young Methodist girl. Along with my student who is Catholic in the Haitian tradition, the one who loves the author Edwidge Danticat as much as I do. She is my teacher along with Gloria, Sarah and many others who are students. 

Love & Tears pour from my heart when I sit for the Aspect 3 meditation, and I feel as if this Mul Mantra meditation practice/Stress Backpack Meditation No. 6 is kind of like Chanel No. 5...or like 'by Kilian's' "Beyond Love" or "Prelude to Love". Chela explained that Kilian Hennessy, the creator of these perfumes, had created Love & Tears while going through a divorce. I feel that I am divorcing an energy that was never meant to be connected with mine truly...and waiting for the "Prelude to Love" to begin...

But for now...it is "Love & Tears". Love & Tears all the way...as Chela says. As the student says.