It’s just about a month since Amritamati left Akashavana. Somehow it feels like a lot has happened in these few weeks. Plus ça change plus c’est la meme chôse. (I don’t yet know the equivalent idiom in Español.)
Mumukshu and I said goodbye to Amritamati in Tortosa on 31 July. The date was as had originally been planned (pre Covid). The events that occurred inbetween had been nothing like the plan. I felt sadness in the parting.
The day before I waved goodbye to Satyamuni as she boarded the bus in Valderrobres, en route to Valencia to be the cook and kitchen devi for the Spanish sangha GFR retreat at Suryavana. A first in terms of supporting a retreat within Covid protocols - a first in terms of supporting a Spanish speaking retreat. It sounded like the retreat went really well and was great experience for Satyamuni which she brings back to Akashavana for the benefit of us all...
Another waving goodbye for me on the Wednesday of that week as Mumukshu boarded the bus in Valderrobres for the first leg of her journey to the UK for a visit with family. Which left one. I enjoyed a solitary couple of days spending time at home and up at the retreat centre, gradually getting on with things that need attention up there. Our work up at the retreat centre has taken a very different shape from previous years, naturally informed by the fact that there have been no retreats this year (yet! there’s still a possibility).
Satyamuni returned from the retreat at Suryavana on the Saturday and we were a household of two for the week. On Friday we drove to the coast and met up with Karunavapi for a swim in the sea (fantastic!) and then the three of us came back to the community for a practice weekend centred around the on-line Order convention. We listened to talks, had our own discussions arising from those and zoomed into rituals and meditations. Although I am largely resistant to on-line interactions, I was able to stay open to the sessions and really appreciate both the content and the huge amount of energy and work that had gone into producing the whole on-line programme and event. Being able to practice with my Dharma sisters in physical presence in tandem with etheric connection to the wider Order made all the difference.
We were happy to welcome Mumukshu back from the UK just over a week ago and are in the process of establishing our new community-of-three, gradually settling our feathers into the nest in our new configuration.
And so. It’s nearly September and today we are blessed with cooler air and a breeze. After the scorching heat of the past few weeks it feels welcome. With the breeze whispering the imminent change of season, we are preparing to say farewell to summer and to welcome in the autumn...
‘...On the mountainside a great rock stands, the great vulture circles round. This meeting and parting mark the flow of time...’ Milarepa - Song of Meeting and Parting