a rooting and arising

"To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." Mary Oliver

On the day before leaving to Mexico I was happy to have a butoh mentoring session with Momo. We journeyed into the park and were drawn to these ancient sycamore trees. It was a perfect opportunity to share with her the challenges of leaving on a holiday when my dad's health is failing and my sister was going to be having a hysterectomy surgery in a few days.

It is always good to be reminded of the importance of taking time for oneself, especially when life is so full. It is impossible to give to others continually without taking time to replenish and nourish...

I also felt a sense of relief when Momo suggested I NOT do a daily dance / blog while away on vacation. I remembered when I had my first butoh session with her a year and a half ago that she told me she spent 10 days in a cabin on the ocean preparing for her performance of 'Mama Ocean' - see film below. Words could not express her connection to the sea as beautifully as her mesmerizing expression through dance... My experience with dancing with her on 11 11 09 (see a previous blog 'My Butoh Journey Began Here...") and this film were two main influences that inspired me to want to practice butoh and apprentice with Momo... I hoped that I could one day dance my soul's connection to Mama earth...

Time in nature allows the environment to seep into you, so that you and the outer world can connect more deeply and then from there the dance expression can arise from a place of authenticity. And so my intention was to let go of the daily blogging, which means time on the computer, to just be present with that which is while away. There is no better place in my mind to connect deeply to the environment than an open air, palapas roofed casita perched above the pacific ocean surrounded by jungle, tropical bird song, butterflies flitting, and of course the night sky after the sun has sunk into the sea...

And so, this dance today was one of connecting to this moment, with Momo, the sycamore and a fallen branch that appeared to be some sort of ancient transportation vehicle... :~) Although butoh is often called the dance of darkness, when Momo and I dance together, it is often one of deep connection through joy and playfulness, as much of this dance was today. Grateful for the opportunity at the end of the dance to let go of my 'heaviness' at the base of the tree, into the roots, with the intention that my cares will be transmuted by the Earth, so that my time in Mexico will be 'lighter.'

“I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.” John Muir

My intention for Mexico is to take the time to be a sponge and let a dance arise after spending time there taking it all in. Looking forward to sharing with you that which arises from the deep earth connection there...

“Most people are on the world, not in it - having no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them - undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” John Muir

Sometimes I feel like the above quote, but, am striving for a deep connection...

Thank you for viewing / reading,

Lee

There is a film in the black space below:

Music: Philip Glass

See my butoh mentor's inspiring blog here: Maureen 'Momo' Freehill