May 11, 2021 – New Moon, Next Ecstatic Dance, and a Song to Listen To

Dear Dancing Friends,

Happy Taurus New Moon! . . . which occurred at 12 noon PDT today.

New Moon is a time of new beginnings . . . and allowing whatever wants to come, to come; and whatever want to go, to go.

And this New Moon is particularly potent, as it brings with it, the energies of the Eclipse season which happens in 2 weeks; where we’ll have a Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday, May 26th, followed by a partial Solar Eclipse on Thursday, June 10th.

So as I tune into the energy of this time right now, it feels like we’re in this “in between time” . . . as we navigate the next couple of months (and this year) of what it means to return to normal – if that’s even possible!  So much has changed during this time of Covid . . . and while this time has been hard in so many ways, and brought so much suffering; I know for me, there have also been unexpected gifts as well . . . and through it all, I am not the same.  We are not the same.  But maybe together, we can create a NEW normal . . . or even if we want to be normal! 

In one of my last emails, I spoke about how uncomfortable these “in between” places can be . . . when we’re not quite where we want to be . . . and definitely not where we were.  It reminds me of the times when my Mom and Dad would take us – me, my two brothers and my sister – on a road trip, and inevitably one of us would shout out from the back of our station wagon in a rather loud and pained voice, “ARE WE THERE YET?”  And although there were times when I was anxious to get there, there were other times, when I would really enjoy those road trips; just looking out the window at all the beautiful scenery that was right there in front of me . . experiencing some kind “bardo” time . . . that is, until one of my brothers would start poking me or would let one rip!

Trungpa Rinpoche tells us that the Tibetan word “bar do” literally means “between two” . . . and although it’s popularly taken to refer to the after-death state; its’ principal meaning is the nowness in every moment of time; the continually moving point between past and future.  Thus, bardo occurs at every moment of time, and to understand it, is to understand the development of consciousness.  At every moment, there is an opportunity to understand bardo, and the key to its’ understanding is NOWNESS.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.” – Lao Tzu

So maybe during this “Taurus” season, we can take a little space & time to relax a bit; taking especially good care of ourselves and these wonderful bodies that support us on this journey; and use this time to calm and prepare our nervous systems for whatever lies ahead . . . and especially for what lies in this moment.

And speaking about what lies ahead, I will be having the next FREE ONLINE Ecstatic Dance on Sunday, May 23rd from 10:30am-12:30pm PDT to help support us through these eclipses.

*** And I am open to holding space for an outdoor dance if anyone would like to help support that and I would love any help or ideas.

NOT SURE WHAT’S NEXT?  Here’s a link to a song to listen to (and move to if you feel inspired) to support you in Be ing in this “place of not knowing.”  (And if you haven’t seen it yet, “Little Voice” on Apple TV is worth watching.  You can sign up for a free week.  Just remember to cancel after the free week!)

I Don’t Know Anything (From the Apple TV+ Original Series “Little Voice”)

Peace & Love, Diane