Monday, September 5, 2016 – 5:45 p.m. I’ve just looked down at my phone, there is a text message, that just said “Thank you for this life changing weekend.” I smile, I am feeling the exhaustion from all that had lead up to and during the Assembly weekend. I felt touched that someone would text to acknowledge, that they had gained greater insights into the tools, and would make changes to their life. I took another sip of my fruit tea drink trying to get hydrated after the Sunday night wine, excellent food, and festivities of the night before at the Prosperos banquet. Rob Klopfenstein on the piano was a wonderful addition to the evening.
My attention returning to my fellow guest at this annual Bar-B-Que party hosted by internationally known music teacher and singer Carver Cossey and his partner Tim Mountain. I found myself in conversation with several noted Librarians from various cities and Universities that I have known over the years, Tim being one of them. While switching off my phone, the conversation turns to a new book by T.V. screen writer Steven Bochco, called Truth is a Total Defense. What perked up my ears was a quote from the book “… Most of us, at some point in life, have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves – to allow our better, or stronger, natures to prevail. It takes courage and hard work, but it’s possible.”
I felt that the last two days of Assembly was about that. I laugh within myself thinking that here is yet another incident of synchronicity – This conversation, the text, the Prosperos Assembly, the E Hula Mau Hula& Chant Competition at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and our co-guest at the Westin Hotel … So much activity, it is no wonder that I am tired.
Sunday, September 4, 2016. This was the 2nd full day of activities for Assembly attendees. The central focus for many presenters was the better understanding and stewardship of; Identity, Ego, Creator, and creation. The morning session opened with the Song “Pure Imagination” sung by Gene Wilder. As emcee, my opening greeting for the Assembly were to reflect on: “[the] I Am [of ourselves] the ability to create govern and manifest thought.”
Heather Williams, H.W., M., was introduced and came to the lectern with her presentation called“Drawing with Empathy.” Heather, besides being a Mentor and teacher for the Prosperos, is also an educator within the Southern California’s middle school system, in San Diego. Heathers School is part of a pilot program, looking for teaching innovations that will encompass a child ability to use critical thinking. Heather’s teaching method includes the use of Art as part of the pilot program to explore critical and creative thinking for the 21 century and beyond.
Heather told us that some of the concepts she was sharing with us, were from her book “Drawing as a sacred activity.” available from online book sellers, as well as further information found on her website –http://www.drawingtogether.com. She took us through the creation process of drawing, by having us draw a hand. This came after, explaining some basics of creating a drawing, beginning with the understanding that there are three different ways to approach creating an art piece. To be aware of the kinds of differences in learning and visual Thinking [i.e. Left and Right Brain Seeing and Thinking taking place within all of us] necessary and available for our use to combine and/or balance in Empathy. She described Empathy as a feeling of connectedness with ‘Other’. Heather suggests when issue arise in our life, call upon your fair witness and: 1) Relax. 2) Tolerate not knowing what to do. 3) Focus on knowing that back and behind appearances is a fundamental Reality that is Whole, Complete and Perfect. You will be Translating the situation from the language of duality to the language of Oneness. Know that out of this situation, only GOOD will come. Furthermore, remember that a greater understanding is ready to reveal itself to you. Heather in her classes, teaches students to listen to the deeper part of themselves. The artist within us who knows how to temporarily suspend judgement and just BE … loving and accepting themselves exactly as they are right now in the midst of change. Know you are the artist in the midst of change, awakening to the artist within. “Our children’s future depends upon our becoming more conscious of our inner life. The Arts can help us do this. The Power is within YOU. Draw it out!”- Heather Williams.
After the short break and medley of music playing the last song being from the musical RENT called “Seasons of Love.” The bell was rung to settle down.
Alana Fennie, was our next presenter and a bit of a surprise. Alana, is a known Instructional Designer that travels for business at various conferences around the world and is considered on the leading edge of ‘next generation’ communications – usually working in developmental environments for University, Non-profit, and Corporate based firms, doing such task as writing static outcomes, assessment evaluations, and/or in discussions on competencies, and “backward” design theory.
Alana’s surprise for us, was that her presentation was on the “Astrological implication of this Assembly for The Prosperos Community,” and to point out key factors for its future. A Prosperos Chart was casted and diagramed for the time when the Assembly began. Alana presented her diagram of the collective constellations based on the Assembly start date and time. and Alana with participation from members in the group were able to spot some insights into long-range processes which seems up for review or reintegration within the Prosperos organization, as well as some therapeutic inner developmental issues both as a group and as individuals highlighted where such areas as: inertia, fantasy, and restriction. The analyses of our community chart reminded me to watch the logic of our emotions, to do straight thinking in the abstract, and together as a community look for techniques that will raise the standard and effectiveness of our School.
William Fennie, H.W., M was our next speaker, the title of his talk was “Walker Between the Worlds.” William is a member of the Prosperos executive council, and developer of the Prosperos Audio Center Website [and the wonderful developer of my personal website}. He is currently an information specialist for the University of Maryland Population Research Center.
William was a member of Thane Walker’s (Dean and Co-founder of the Prosperos) staff during the latter part of Thane’s life in Hawaii. Thane, during that time period, was in development of a class called Metonymy Translation, in which William was in involved.
William over the years since, through continued investigation and honing of Metonymy Translation, continues to encourage others to use the technique in their practice to illuminate the reality of the Self.
Metonymy is a journey of consciously paying attention to everyday hunches, tips, intuits which is to say that understanding yourself as something more than just the information in your head. It means to know or understand (something) because of what you feel or sense rather than because of evidence: to know or understand (something) through intuition. More in line with a Somatic understanding of yourself. Thane is reported as using this technique often and had an intuit come as just a word – ‘hitchhiker.’ He told one of his assistants, while doing errands on the Big island, to be alert for a ‘hitchhiker.’ That hitchhiker became one of the more efficient and effective staff members in Thanes household. While Metonymy is to shift the balance of believe in what we think we know, likewise the concept Ego needed a second look. William in his talk did a great job of exploring the concept of “Ego” and its function in our life. What I took away from his talk is that most folks are of the belief that Ego is the ‘opinion’ you have about yourself. That idea could lead some to believe that Ego is not necessary and may need getting rid of. William gives a clearer definition of Ego as the vehicle in which we operate in a three-dimensional world. Ego is also that part of the mind that senses and adapts to the real world.
For the Prosperos I would interpret that Ego as that intersection between the unconscious [Caliban], the conscious [Prosperos] and the Supra conscious [Ariel] Reality Self. Ego then is the somatic expression of Consciousness – manifesting, organizing, clarifying, illuminating, mediating and orbiting between that which is so – (Reality) and the 3-dimensional misperception, projection and adaptation to reality. Understand your role as The Creator and The Author of your story. Not anyone else’s but yourself! YOU (local ego self and Essential Self) are the sole author of your reality. When ego alone is authority, someone is above and someone is below. When Essential Self is authority, you recognize yourself in the “other” and you dialogue to find the shared center space of Beingness. Thus Ego is the tool, we use to maneuver though the intersections of narratives in our world, and with the use of Metonymy Translation, our somatic journey leads us to the “I Am” dialogue of the Indescribable Reality Self.
As with most conferences/events of this nature, we find that the Lunch period has to be adjusted as our program has run over a bit. We are instructed that after lunch, to go to the break out areas/and group assigned.
Once back from lunch and in our break out groups, our task was to, with our groups recorder, review, clarify, add and perhaps identify more action items form RHS/ECT process. We, at an appoint time, re-assembled and discussed our finding and summations and about 3:45 pm, adjourned for free time and preparations for our evening Banquet.
It’s 6:45 p.m. I’ve come into the Shoreline Room of the Hotel for our celebratory dinner of the Prosperos 60th year. Rob Klopfenstein has gotten here and is already on the piano playing. I smile and view my Companions, I think yes, but not at the Crossroads, more on a path to our next chapter. The line from Auntie Mame came to mind – “Live, Live, Live, Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Yes, we are here together to celebrate Life. … Everything in life that has happened, has become as a gift, If we choose to accept it as a gifting. Thus allowing us to do more than survive. To thrive. I think I am a somatic being engaged in the story of life. A conscious transition between one condition and another – clearly a movement away from anxiety, inertia and toward freedom in matters relating to everyday life.
The movie Lost Horizon, came to mind again. Looking around I see my fellow students that put forth the effort to be here, no matter how arduous or difficult it seemed. Their efforts were not to escape from fear, danger or death or even about securing safety–that is not why we were here. It was the effort to be in fellowship with likeminded students, to take the action of dropping our masks, thereby being delivered to a very different and unexpected reality. The Transformative power of unlearning in action through fellowship and courage to move forward together, and tonight is our celebration of that journey.
Rob is on the piano, playing a melody of the song, many we have heard from our time together this weekend. “Pure Imagination”, “Love Song”, “Seasons of Love”, “For Good,” and then finally at the end of our evening together he played “To You Sweet Heart Aloha.”
Its morning Monday, September 5, 2016 – 6:43 a.m. I’m not awake yet, just looking for a drink of water. And then pull the cover up and close my eyes for another hour. I think of Al Haferkamp H.W., M., who had after every evening event, conference, dinner or counseling session no matter how late it was, had to rise and be ready in the meeting room by 7 a.m. to provide physical exercise in the form of Qigong, Tai Chi, what we called somatic body breakfast.
It’s 8:43 a.m. and I am in the meeting room awaiting Heather Williams workshop which is the final presentation for the event. As I scan the room I am surprised at the number of students still here for this Workshop. Many times after events of this kind, students are so busy trying to get on their way, that attendance on these last day’s sessions get lost–but not this time. This participant representation chose to be engaged, and were supported by reliable allies from the instinctual side of life present here.
Heather Williams, H.W., M., was introduced and came to the lectern in workshop form with her presentation called “Big Ideas, Essential Questions – Touchstone for Teaching.” Heather went around the room and in break out group fashion, put us into small groups to use a group dynamic approach for coming up with ideas that were one word or one short sentence. Then in a Translation format we process those ideas into critical steps that will be used by us in future session in the understanding and presentation of our teaching.
The Assembly adjourned with Love Song.
Postscript:
Michael Zonta H.W., M., was not able to be with us but sent this message:
“Here’s the talk I would have given at this year’s Prosperos Assembly held over the recent Labor Day weekend. It’s short and sweet:
“We are so privileged to have this teaching (Translation, Releasing the Hidden Splendour, Crown Mysteries, 4th Way, Find Yourself and Live, Lucid Dreaming and so on), to know ourselves (to the best of our ability through self-observation and self-transcendence) as unique expressions of Infinite Mind, unique expressions of God Him/Herself, unique expressions of Life Itself (and not just as reflections, as some have suggested).
“We are not just doddering, old, gray-haired 60- and 70-somethings celebrating our ability to still perambulate around the room.
“We need to take this moment of reunion as an opportunity to refortify our efforts, wipe clean our glasses and resume (or assume) our ministry, directly or indirectly, with the youth (and the youthful) of this country, or whatever country we are part of, with renewed vigor because . . . that’s why we’re here.”
Blessings and Aloha
Calvin