Lights Out!

On Saturday, March 27, at 8:30pm local time, we are being asked to participate in EarthHour, a one-hour lights-out reminder of our global need for renewable energy sources. This is the fourth year of this event and it turns me on that billions of people and organizations will turn off their lights in a cascading effect around the planet. Imagine what that might look like from space! (Of course now that we have Google, we probably won't have to imagine it, Google will probably find a way to map it for us.)

That's another thing that turns me on, Google. Well, not just Google but the entire internet, the entire web that connects us instantaneously as if we were truly - and maybe we are - one huge organism, one Being with billions of ways of presenting Itself.

Using only candlelight for an hour sounds like a lovely way to begin Saturday evening. Whether in a romantic setting or simply with friends and family, candles not only alter the visual environment, they often bring a change of mood, a closeness, a slowing down of the busy-ness of life. We could all use that for an hour!

I've heard that the flame of a candle can be seen throughout the cosmos, which means that angels, and beings in other dimensions, might also appreciate this worldwide, hourlong turn off of electricity. Hmm. I suppose not just the lights should go off, but our use of the internet itself, don't you think? I love when making calls via Skype, it says how many millions of others are also using it. If everyone held back from using electronic communication for the hour, that number could be tracked as well, time zone by time zone. How about no emails or texting or even phone calls. Plan to be with a friend at that time, face-to-face. Now THAT would be a huge turn-on, an hour of ONLY face-to-face communication.

One final thing that EarthHour reminds me of is a Jewish meditation and a Native American chant, both of which celebrate the Divine LIGHT as being within us and all around us. Perhaps in the darkness we will find it easier to access this inner light.

Acknowledging Presence: I See You

From today's Intimacy Retreats newsletter....

In the movie Avatar. a three-word phrase is used to acknowledge the true presence of another. The phrase is "I see you." How similar in feeling that is to "Namaste," the Sanskrit word we use at Intimacy Retreats when honoring our partner. Namaste translates as "bow," and indeed we do bow toward our beloved. The deeper meaning is even more significant. It is a spiritual acknowledgement. It is a seeing of the other as a beautiful expression of soul. In that place of soulness, we are One. This is the bliss of love.

At our retreats in Mexico, we use a Mayan expression, In Lak'ech, which means "I am your other you." Not only do I see you, but I am so connected to you, that we are One. While each is a unique expression of that Oneness, together we share who we are.

To truly see another, we must be in touch with our own authentic presence. A simple, three-word sentence that expresses such presence is "I am here." In Hebrew it is "Hineni," said by Moses as he stood before the burning bush. At our workshops, we use this as a powerful statement of committed connection. When we are facing our partner, looking into each other's eyes and aligning our hearts and bodies, "I am here" creates a timeless moment of shared presence.

Try saying these phrases with your beloved. Sit or stand in front of each other (naked is good!). If you have attended an Intimacy Retreat, use one of the Tantra Tai Chi positions or movements, or "Peaceful Passion." Look into each other's eyes. Let your beloved see into you. (Intimacy = Into-Me-See). Awaken love.