The Joy Of The Present Moment
'We're nearly there' I said as reassuringly as I could, I think though, that there may be too many times that someone hears 'we're nearly there', when 'there' never seems to arrive...
'This is all part of the process' Jane laughed as we sat in the car by the road side, waiting for her tummy to settle again enough to take another few hairpins... 'Julia's going to say soon, you see I told you there was nowhere to get to...!'
Anadi and I had risen early today and zoomed down the mountain to Malaga airport, we made it in record time, me driving... We had left later than intended but still arrived in time to be waiting by the barriers as Jane appeared for another three days of 'deepening work' in the mountains...
We emerged from the cool of the airport into the sizzling heat... 'Are you ready for this' I alerted Jane as the wall of heat hit us...
Straight to the beach for breakfast where we had a conversation about taking ourselves way out of our physical comfort zone, and how it can put us in a vulnerable state that opens up more willingness to 'let go'...
We all swam to the buoy and back, it was way out to sea... But just before we set off, Anadi announced quite calmly... 'There's a jelly fish there Jane, I just touched it...'
Jane saw it and swam swiftly to the shore, I didn't see it, but also made a speedy exit anyway...
Regardless of our apprehension around unexpected jelly fish in the sea, the totem especially for Jane and Anadi, whose path the jelly fish crossed was profound:
'Be open and honest with yourself and allow others to see it. Through this transparency everyone has the opportunity to grow!
You are being asked to allow yourself to shine from within. Allow those around you to see who you really are and reach out to them with love and affection. There is no need to feel vulnerable when you come from the heart because the heart knows that love is the power and strength from which we all grow. Trusting your heart and its guidance is key for you right now so go with the flow'!
We all reconvened and continued with mission... 'Swim to the buoy and back', maybe we wouldn't have done so, had we read the 'stop press mail on line' report of the invasion today, of the mauve stinger jelly fish on the Malaga Coast line... Beaches were being closed to protect the public from its painful sting, from tentacles reaching a length of three metres...!
After lunch, under a parasol, we decided that Jane's and my 'planning session' would be better conducted in the cool of her hotel in Bubion, rather than on a beach where, even under the parasol, Jane, who is very fair of skin, was feeling rather that she was 'wilting'.
Anadi drove us now and sped along the motorway, 'there's our mountain...', we turned right to head up the winding road, with about fifteen miles of hairpins ahead of us....
Suddenly Jane spotted two goats on the path, I saw them, but this time it was Anadi who didn't....
The goat totem very fittingly spoke this wisdom to us...
'Know that you can move through this difficult terrain and go where others cannot. Have faith and trust your path.
It is letting you know that this is a time to begin new climbs and new endeavours. Take your time and plan your course. Look closely at what is ahead so that you can be surefooted along your course. Goat can also be letting you know that perhaps its time to stretch and reach for new heights. Are your goals high enough? Do you deserve more?
And Jane has booked in three days with me to explore just this... Where to next? New climbs and new endeavours.
However at almost the same time we saw the goats on our path, I noticed Jane wasn't looking that well...
I had sat in the back of the car hoping that being in the front seat might prevent someone fresh from a flight, in extreme heat, feeling unwell with the winding hairpin road....
I was wrong...!
Our progress to the top became more tranquil, as we stopped frequently to sit under an olive tree, or stand in some shade and wait until the nausea had passed from Jane's body...
What a start to her time here in the mountains!
This is what she and I discovered about the emotional basis of motion sickness: 'It represents lack of trust and fear of losing control and is often caused by an underlying fear of death or loss of control. Symptoms parallel those of mild panic or anxiety. You want to take control in order to avoid being caught in a new situation from which you wouldn't know how to escape. This keeps you from fully experiencing the joy and exhilaration of the present moment.'
Despite the distress for Jane of feeling unwell, each time we stopped was a special moment in time. No rush, no pressure to get anywhere or to arrive at our destination...
Anadi sat happily in the car (with the air con blowing mightily) and she and I sat together under a tree or on the verge, finding little slivers of shade where we could, and stillness, no movement...
I put my hands on her and could feel the feelings within her body in my body; I was reminded of yesterday's writing where I recognised that all that is required is to clear within me any part of me that does not want to lose control, that does not trust, that fears death or a new situation from which I might not know how to escape...'
And we sat together feeling the energy move and shift and release...
On the side of a mountain in Spain...
