By Edie Weinstein-Moser
Still reverberating from a wondrous experience , the seeds for which were planted a few months back and perhaps eons before. When I was asked to offer my PR and Marketing Services to promote an event withMichael Beckwith and Rickie Byars Beckwith from Agape International Spiritual Center based in Los Angeles, my initial thoughts were “Oh goody! Piece of cake!” Little did I know that it wouldn’t simply be a light and fluffy assignment…well, I sorta suspected.
I called the group of us from Common Ground Fellowship, (an interfaith community in the Philadelphia area) working on the project: Team Transformation since I knew that we were all being ‘worked’ by the energy of it and that we would be alchemically transformed as a result. Wow, did that ever bear out. Of course, I can only speak for myself, but my sense is that the others might say something similar. It stretched me in all kinds of ways that I had never considered. It sharpened my communication skills, since I had to find all manner of creative ways to express a similar message. It allowed me the chance to be assertive in asking for what I want…that was to have the seats in the awesome Tindley Temple filled…and they were:) It presented me with a test of my visioning/intention setting skils. It gave me the gift of knowing, that no matter what…all was/is inDivine Order. Not just faith, but an absolute KNOWING that all was well.
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts was to be smack dab in the middle of an ego-storm. I allowed my buttons to get pushed each time a media contact didn’t jump on board with enthusiam to cover the story and each time someone said they wouldn’t be there and each time, someone wanted me to do something counter to what I had in mind. Little brat that ego can be at times! What was even more insidious and less blatant was the sense that somehow it all fell on me to fill the seats. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Within short order, I really GOT that this was way bigger than me, way bigger than the mind chatter that Michael spoke of last night, the conversation that we are having with our minds, when we are out taking a walk. He shared that when intention meets condition, all manner of miracles occur.
As I sat in the pews that night, I had two competing inclinations…one to keep looking at the stage, not wanting to miss a drop of what was going on up there and being pulled to witness what was going on all around me, the radiantly beautiful Earth Mother Rickie, resplendent in flowing rainbow garb, belting out waves of song, the celestial choir comprised of folks from different faith communities in PA, NJ and DE, the clergy from various traditions, sharing their blessings, the musicians carrying us on magic carpets of notes and chords, drum beat rhythms and the reaching in and grabbing the common heart we share with the words of Michael. THAT was the real story; the response of the people singing, dancing, praying, laughing and smiling. THAT’s why we put our hearts and souls into this wondrous event. What these folks will carry out into their daily lives, matters BIG TIME…they got it, they truly did. I kept thinking, “We threw this party and look who all showed up!”
Something else jumped out at me from part of Michael’s message…he said that delay is not denial. Last year, I was asked by a magazine to interview MIchael. Through Deva Premal and Miten, I connected with his secretary Maria who was attempting to schedule the interview and was rooting for it to happen, but Michael’s publisher voted for more main stream coverage. I was feeling disapointment and then surrendered the interview. Fast forward and I come on board as PR Goddess…hmmm…wonder how I could get Michael interviewed? Wisdom Magazine (one of the venues for which I am a free lance journalist), agreed to have Michael in the August issue. It occurred to me tonight that had the original interview request from a year ago been granted, it would not have had the impact that this one did, since this one helped to promote the event. The intention was always there, the conditions just had to be right, as Michael said. When he had finishd signing his last book, I sat with him and shared that story and another about seed planting that I did 20 years ago that led to interviewing another friend of his, His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He smiled in recognition, I imagine, at the perfection of those two experiences.
Then two cool things happened on the way home. I was parked at 15th and Catherine, a few blocks from the Temple and when I first got out of the car, I noticed a penny lying on the street next to the sidewalk I didn’t pick it up. When I got back to the car, it was still there, but it had invited a REALLY good friend…a $20 bill! It was folded and lying right next to the penny. As I was driving home long about 1 a.m., there was a sobriety check point. I don’t drink alcohol, but if they had stopped me, I would have had to say that I was God-intoxicated:) Good thing was, they were stopping cars on the other side of the road:)
At the after-even gathering, I was talking with a friend who is a leader in the transformational community and he mused that he didn’t know most of the people there. As I looked around, I realized that I didn’t either. That may come as a shock to friends who fervently believe that I do and who send me messages that begin with “You who know everyone…” when they want to check out a connection. What was great about that awareness, is that this event…bigger than any of the individuals present, created whole new families of choice.
I am so deeply grateful for having been invited to the party and delighted that I said yes! Michael challenged us to ask how we could grow, give and celebrate each day. A no brainer, literally. As the party growers (wow, I was about to type party go-ers and instead ‘growers’ came through), flowed from the bulding and out into the streets of Philadelphia, I KNOW beyond any questioning, that they are forever changed.
To learn more about Common Ground Fellowship, go to www.commongroundfellowship.com and Agape International www.agapelive.com To read the interview with Michael Beckwith, go to: www.wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/1232/
Nice post!