Encircled In Chi

Arriving at St. John’s University, the quiet peacefulness welcomed us with rolling green hills, lake and forests, away from the bustling crowds of towns and cities. Ah, a place for contemplation, focus, inner growth. And then the joy of friends, hugs, pictures taken and rooms-assigned, unpacking and a first practice.

A huge gymnasium awaited for new teachers, experienced ones, teachers with no conference experience, those in attendance since the beginning of time. We gathered for the first practice, which took us to the quiet within, sinking into joy and essence.

There was a wonderful feeling of flowing together; it was the best first practice I have ever experienced. Some may wonder why I would comment on this. Generally when we come together for workshops or intensives, the first practice is a bit off in its flow. We all have our favorite pace, a bit slower or faster than others we do not practice with often. This year teachers flowed beautifully together.

The Thursday night tea ceremony led by Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji began the very spiritual weekend. Chado, the Way of Tea, has the four principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. These principles also are inner principles of TCC. Thus the stage was set.

When I first started attending conferences, Justin Stone would have an after-lunch spiritual presentation on wonderful topics. When he became unable to attend conferences, the in-depth spiritual presentations seemed to fall away. This year we had several great teacher presentations: “Joyful Feet” by Judy George was a delightful way to get us grounded. The many Enso time sessions were filled with wonderful ideas and helpful hints – from an “Accreditation Framework” and “Practical Tools for Teaching” to “Props in Teaching” and “Seated TCC.” And all of this during the day on Friday.

By Friday evening, I couldn’t imagine what could top the previous night’s tea ceremony, so I almost didn’t go to the evening program. But I had promised to meet someone afterwards, so what a wonderful surprise it was to experience the Dances of Universal Peace, led by two gentlemen. The sense of belonging to the whole of creation through the songs and dances was yet another spiritual ending to the first full day.

Saturday’s Enso time offered more great topics – from “Working with our Habit Energies” and “TCC and Social Media” to “Experience Disability and TCC.”

Another special aspect was that KG gave several talks on the work she does for us: as the editor of The Vital Force, the publisher at Good Karma Publishing, and the maven of social media (so we may connect TCC to web users around the globe). But one very special thing she did was to arrange for 20 teachers to make a short TCC video to be put on the Web. The 20 slots quickly turned into 45 slots. Forty-five teachers ended up participating in videos. Forty-five. She opened up more than twice time planned for us to do that. How do we give thanks for this opportunity? Maybe by writing articles for The Vital Force, offering GKP materials to our students and sharing TCC on the Web?

Walking outside between meeting sites opened up something missing for sometime at past conferences. Strolling from the sleeping rooms to the dining and meeting halls offered the opportunity to talk to teachers we may never have met and gotten to know. There were some great surprises, and these encounters were some of the most touching.

One morning we were to meet outside for practice. There was some confusion, but I think the confusion offered a new opportunity – one of smaller groups practicing together. One was inside, one around a fountain and one by the housing area. Everyone had a nice practice. It was different, but maybe we could continue to do smaller practices on one morning of the conference. With fewer teachers in the circle, it’s a more intimate time.

The rededication ceremony brought us back to the joy of teaching “Joy Thru Movement.” The raffle and silent auction was wild. You’ll have to come next year for the follow-up…