Monday, July 11, 2011

7/11/11—Letting the Universe Have Your Back

Today's Draw: Two of Swords from the Rohrig Tarot. Peace. Can you remember a time when what seemed to be bad luck turned into good luck? Do you think you can change situations just by your attitude? Have you ever met someone that you think was there to be an angel?

This is a great draw for me because it allows me to talk about my night and I'm just bursting to talk about my night! Tonight I went to see Krishna Das in DC. Krishna Das is one of the best-known chant singers in the world. The concert coincided with the Kalachakra for World Peace that the Dalai Lama and about a billion Rinpoche's and monks were in town for. Anyway, long story short...Richard Gere was also in town and I touched him!!!

But that's not what I'm writing about tonight. The Two of Swords is traditionally about trust, and balance and openness. The Rohrig's Two of Swords speaks of peace after a storm or battle. And those two meanings collided for me tonight. 

Prior to the concert, I met a friend for dinner in Chinatown. We're sitting there for a few minutes and it dawns on me "OMG, I forgot my ticket!". So I have a moment of panic, followed by a few more moments of distraction, then I ask my gut if they will let me in without a ticket and my gut says "yes". So we finish dinner without further distraction. And we walk around the corner to the synagogue, which is the concert venue for the evening. After a few minutes there and telling everyone my situation, someone says "those two men over there are from the synagogue". So I tell them my situation and they let me in the synagogue office. 

This is a very good thing, because Krishna Das is practicing in there. And Sharon Salzberg, who shared the bill with him, is walking around. So I'm in there with the stars of the show. And the guy who was helping me (Michael, like the angel) got me a number to call to get my tickets changed to will call. But before I finish doing that, he says to me "if they won't help you, come looking for me. KD (Krishna Das) doesn't want you to be unhappy."

So that is TERRIBLY cool. In the meantime, I have a lovely conversation with a man smoking a cigar on the steps of the synagogue office. I have no idea why he's there. He had no idea he was at a synagogue and knew nothing of the concert, outside of the line of people. But he's sitting there, smoking and, frankly, flirting with me. But there was something about him, almost...I don't know...mystical. And cigars always remind me of my father. There was something about him that said to me "he's not real...he's here for you." Very odd.

Anyway, I end up getting my ticket at will call and all is well. The people in front of me in line were fabulous...a woman and two boys who were part of a program to teach creative writing to inner-city teens who committed crimes and were jailed as adults...very interesting. Then I get to my seat and next thing you know, Richard Gere is standing by me. I shake his hand. Then a few minutes later, Surya Das comes in with a big shot Rinpoche (such a big shot that everyone is paying attention to him and not Gere) and sits next to Gere. But not even that is the story. 

The story is that I paid for an evening of meditation and transformational chant. And that's what I got. But what I didn't THINK I paid for were some amazing insights that came from the discussions KD and Sharon Salzberg were having on the stage. Between songs, they kind of rested and chatted for our enjoyment and you'd be listening to a story and then BAM! Something wise and wonderful would hit you and stir up your soul. Messages of oneness and love, brotherhood and surrender and faith. I can't count the times my eyes teared up from being touched by Grace tonight. 

There we were in this incredible sacred space—a gorgeous synagogue with stained glass windows and a huge domed ceiling—surrounded by Buddhist "luminaries". Surya Das is saying a prayer and invoking the spirit of the Dalai Lama to bless our hearts. Sharon Salzberg is leading us in meditation that was just transcendent. My friend said she had no idea where she went and I transported to snow capped mountains (like in the card) in utter peace, levitating between peaks in lotus position. And Krishna Das blissed us out through his devotional chant. 

So this evening that started with a forgotten ticket, led to trust that the universe had my back, which led a pair of "angels" that crossed my path, which led to Krishna Das having my back, which led to meeting Richard Gere, which then proceeded with an amazing evening (3 1/2 hours of singing, storytelling and meditation), which led to Grace. 

There was a time that forgotten ticket would have gotten the better of me. In fact, it would have colored my whole evening muddy and I would have been a bitternik and drama queen until everything was resolved and then some. And while it did cause a blip, it was a momentary blip. And it ended up giving me Tierney's Wild Buddhist Two of Swords Adventure featuring Trust, Surrender and Deep Peace. I couldn't have had that without forgetting those tickets...without being open to letting the universe provide. So the moral of the story is that sometimes a stupid move can end up being the best break you can get. :)

6 comments:

  1. Oh my Goddess!!! Tierney's Wild Buddhist Two of Swords Adventure featuring Trust, Surrender and Deep Peace sounds like the best night ever!!! I'm so jealous! What a great night for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And the funny thing is, I almost forgot about it. Remember? I was thinking it might be next week, but I came home and an email from our friend was there reminding me of it. And this man on the steps reminded me of that homeless guy we gave the tarot reading to. Remember? Only this guy didn't seem homeless at all. It wasn't quite as "odd" as that man, in that I seem to remember that man just disappearing from sight quite quickly, which added to his mystique. But this time I walked, so I never turned to around to see if he had dematerialized. :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, I remember that you weren't sure if it was this past Sunday or not and that homeless guy. I love stories like this -- to me it's a sign that you're "in the zone." Whether for one night or an extended period, the Universe has given you such a great message!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hooray! Even the ride home on the subway was kind of magical, because I meant to sit on the side where you can see the monuments on the way out of the city. But I screwed up. And, instead, a big, bright moon popped out and because it was dark and you couldn't see the training veering left or right, it made the moon appear to streak across the sky. Took my breath away. Then when I got home, five of my favorite friends from high school were all online and we chatted until 4am, just laughing and having fun together. Just a good day. Almost didn't want to close my eyes and end it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just seeing this and seeing your site here ~ your story is fabulous! so inspiring and I felt like I was literally there as you described it! you've illustrated so beautifully what a difference our attitude and trust in the universe makes. it allows us to release all resistance to the best that could be for ourselves! when we "get out of our own way', the flow can be amazing. ;D so glad you described it here..

    and congrats on a wonderful blog site too! can't wait to come back and see what yummy tidbits you'll have for us...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Follow by email, Sheila, and you can have it arrive in your mailbox each day. :)

    ReplyDelete