Journey Through Cancer - Chapter 6

The two weekends prior to this one have been the occasions of powerful spiritual experiences. Nevertheless, I am only just now writing about them. However, that does not diminish the importance of them in my present circumstances. They are part of my spiritual and emotional preparation for what awaits me in the weeks ahead.
First, two weeks ago, I was privileged to participate in the Maitreya Project Relic Tour at Unitarian Universalist Church in Clearwater. When a friend asked me to help months ago, I was thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of bringing something so special here to our region. I thought I would like to do certain jobs for the tour, but I felt that it would be inappropriate to ask for such a consideration. I was fortunate enough to be there for the opening ceremonies on that Friday from the start until closing, Saturday from opening until closing, and Sunday from noon until everything was packed and loaded to go to the next site.
Most Buddhists in the world rarely if ever get the chance to see any relic. If they are fortunate, their temple may have one, but it is most likely to be housed in a statue or stupa. They may get to venerate it but not see it. Here in a church in America were relics from Shakyamuni Buddha, his heart disciples, many of the great teachers of Buddhism to whom we owe our own faith and practice, and even modern holy teachers. We got the opportunity to see and venerate such holy treasures. I was so fortunate to be able to spend so much time in their presence.
On Saturday, when I arrived, I told them I volunteered for “anything that you need” without setting any limit on the jobs that I would do. I was assigned to “security” around the relic display, which was not one of the jobs I would have chosen for myself. After about my fourth time around the table, I realized that I was “circumambulating” the relics and it was my job. Such a great blessing and I received it unasked!
As the day progressed, I found myself filling in for the volunteers who had the jobs I would have asked to have. In fact, between Saturday and Sunday I did every volunteer job inside the room with the relics. As a further blessing, I was never asked to take one of the jobs outside the presence of the relics. Even now, when I reflect on that weekend, I am still amazed at my good fortune throughout the whole weekend.
We were fortunate to have monastics to give blessings with relics of Shakyamuni Buddha through the entire weekend without any long gap of time. I must confess that when the opportunity presented itself, I received blessings each time a different monastic was giving them, except the very last one. In fact I would only approach for another blessing if no one were in line which is the reason that I didn't receive a blessing of the Vietnamese nun who was the last giving them. Between the number of people coming at that particular time and the intensity and carefulness and elaborateness of her blessings, the line never diminished until she was finished.
It was profoundly inspiring to see all the different kinds of Buddhists who came together for this. Furthermore, it was especially inspiring to me to see the great devotion and reverence with which so many approached the relics. We had such a diverse group of people coming through, from the merely curious to the most devout. I found myself explaining the most basic things to some and learning so much from others, sometimes even without words. There were young children whose parents and grandparents were teaching them to make prostrations. There were also the aged and infirm who needed assistance to varying degrees. Moreover, no one could judge from appearances who were very familiar with Buddhism and very devout or who were ignorant of everything about it. There could be a tattooed, pierced teenager with strangely colored hair who approached with the greatest of reverence. There could also be a mature Asian woman who seemed totally unfamiliar with everything going on. Nevertheless, they were all welcomed and embraced by the pervasive loving-kindness that seems to characterize the exhibit and seems to flow from the image of Maitreya Buddha. There was the most dynamic interplay of relics and devotees and monastic and lay person that seemed to build up an almost palpable aura of love and compassion.
Whether it was the “Animal Liberation” that I almost missed (because I had tired myself so much on Saturday being there from opening to closing) or the tenderness of the Buddha Bath ritual or the great outpouring of love that brought together such a collection of relics to inspire us and bless us, the overall effect of this exhibit was an increase of compassion at least in me but hopefully in others as well. However, I must confess that later the great feeling of compassion and loving-kindness was hard to maintain toward the driver who, when we were all being directed into one lane because of a disabled 18-wheeler, ran around everybody in his Hummer expecting to be let in ahead of everyone else. All that I can say in my defense is that I probably did not feel as badly toward him as I might have had I not been just coming from helping to pack up the exhibit and having spent so much time in the presence of such precious relics and having spent so much time with such devout practitioners of Lord Buddha's teachings.
Even now, although the emotions which overwhelmed me at times during the weekend have dissipated, I am still most profoundly changed by this experience in all its parts.

The second event of this interval was Florida Pagan Gathering. Although I was supposed to arrive on the Wednesday of that week, I didn't manage to get there until Thursday morning. The first striking experience was that someone wanted me to be there enough that I didn't have to pay my own registration fee. That day I set up my sister's canopy and the tent she was supposed to sleep in, after which I set up my own tent with a little help from a friend. That afternoon I set up and tended the fire for the Sweat Lodge Ceremony. Although, because we had so many people both nights, I wasn't able to go into the lodge itself, I still participated fully from the outside through my connection with the fire. It is always such a powerful environment for prayer for me. I particularly feel my connectedness to all living things and make contact with deep levels of my own consciousness.
Friday morning I wanted to attend a healing circle but fatigue might have kept me from it had not the universe helped me get up in time. During the night, as might be expected the cool of the night caused my air mattress to be less inflated. As a result of that it developed an “ejection feature.” When I rolled toward one side, it propelled me all the way out of bed with the covers on top of me. As I lay there, I heard my alarm going for its last 5 or 10 seconds. After getting showered and caffeinated, I went to the healing circle where I received healing energy from several modalities and even practiced my Reiki on others. However, after that I had to hurry into town to get paper for my computer printer and then sit down to print out the materials for my workshop. Although I really didn't get to any workshops, I got to listen in on the first part of the introduction to massage workshop which preceded mine at the same location.
My “theory and practice of the Hindu Puja” workshop was well attended and well received.
Immediately, after my workshop, I had to get the fire going for another Sweat Lodge Ceremony which was as well attended as the previous night. Like my experience in the Spring, at this lodge I witnessed the presence of “spirit animals,” a “spirit coyote” and a “spirit bear.” In terms of Native American spirituality this is a great blessing. Unfortunately, although the fire energized me, I still was not able to stay up all that late drumming at the fire circle.
On Saturday my main focus was on the “Radical Recycling” workshop I did together with my sister and her “Introduction to Permaculture” workshop for which I provided “tech support.” Both were well attended and well received. After supper, I went to main ritual, but, when I found myself almost dozing off and, for whatever reason, not feeling any energy being raised, I went on to bed for a “power nap” before going to fire circle for drumming. However, I did not expect to be able to “drum the sun up” as I had at previous festivals. Contrary to my intention, I slept until around 4 AM, when I was awakened by the sound of air coming out of my air mattress and the feeling of descending to the ground. Cold and unable to sleep anymore, I went to the fire circle and “drummed the sun up” again.
Overall the weekend was invigorating both spiritually and physically. So many people that I saw on Sunday as I broke camp or attended closing ritual, told me how much better I looked. I know I felt much better and knew how much I was loved and appreciated.