Opening Up

This may be the best title for this post, or it may not be. I had a hard time with this one and had to settle on something.  

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends.

First, the Chapel Theatre play festival closed – always a bittersweet moment after the dedicated rehearsals and adrenaline rush of opening night. It’s an odd and rarified feeling being on stage, even a small stage, with all those lights on you, not seeing who is in the audience. We received wonderful feedback and the process was a terrific experience!

Then I watched my friend, Paula Vail, interview Anton Grosz, author of HANDBOOK for a NEW CONSCIOUSNESS: The NEXT STEP in Human Evolution among many other books. Here’s the interview: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=paula+vail+with+anton+grosz&type=E210US714G0#id=1&vid=9ba05e6914b7290fa10ee58edc822bcb&action=click

Finally, my husband and I spent a weekend on the Washington Peninsula as we’re considering where to move after he retires.

And, I’m a voice teacher.

What might these four things possibly have in common?

I’ll start by talking about the concept of Oneness, which I delved into in the last chapter of my latest book: https://www.laurahandke.com/post/chapter-six-on-oneness.

To me, Anton Grosz – having returned from a near-death experience – is able to describe the concept of Oneness in a way that actually makes sense to we mere mortals – both in the interview with Paula and in his latest book, which I have read. I bought three more copies before I even read it – just because I knew it was important. Let me know if you want one.

We are not separate leaves. We are one tree.

This is one way to help look at the reality/nature of Oneness. We can either operate out of the ego/mind/personality side of us (more left-brain centered), always seeking the soul side where truth, peace and our eternal spirit (more right-brain centered) reside...or we can open enough that the two sides start to become integrated, and our sense of separation/duality begins to dissipate.

That is a glorious place to be.

The ego/mind/personality wants it to be all about us, like we’re the only leaf on the tree that means anything. Well, there might be a few other leaves like us we want to hang out with, those who resemble us on the same branch. But the rest of those awful leaves that are doing terrible things – well, we don’t want anything to do with those leaves now, do we?

That’s how most of us live and operate in the world. It’s inescapable in the headlines right now – more blatantly obvious than I have ever experienced in this lifetime. And-It-Is-Completely-Exhausting. Forget cruel, forget illegal, forget all of that – it’s exhausting and impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. It has never worked, never, ever will, and is impossible to maintain because there are no separate leaves. We’re all just a tree.

That leaf you’re hitting at?

It’s you.

So, here’s a little tip I’ve learned.

The left human side can become the observer (picture putting yourself in an observer role) of what’s going on in your life at any given moment, without being all sucked up in drama. If you’re a theatre buff like me, put yourself in that seat right before the curtain opens. Hockey fan? Maybe you’re hearing the calliope machine.

For me, it’s been like – sitting on the sofa in the living room doing some songs on karaoke that I can sing and be completely conscious of singing on the one side, while the other part of me can understand my husband is in the kitchen asking me a question. I find that imagining an infinity sign (like a number eight lying on its side) with energy going back and forth between your brain hemispheres helps a lot. When this kind of experience happens, I’m connecting with the spirit of the people who created the song and become a part of it. I’m not alone singing; I’m part of a unified vibration.  

I wish I had known this back in high school when I always wanted to have a solo but was always terrified when I was given one! And to any vocal student I gave bad advice to, not yet having realized this, I apologize.

Likewise, the trust that immediately formed between Dan, me, and Marie – our director – in END OF LIFE SEX is not something a person can plan. We all came in with Marla’s great script and open hearts. None of us had a rigid idea or agenda ahead of time. And magic happened.

George and I could have stuck to a strict schedule on the Washington peninsula. We didn’t – we allowed ourselves to open up, drive around, and see what we saw. That led to a house we liked, and a meeting with a realtor we trust.

Opening up means opening up to a force greater than yourself. I don’t care what you call it. God. Jesus. Buddha. Mohammad. Krishna. Mother Theresa. Joan of Arc. Mary, a Magdalen. Mother Mary. The Force. The Prime Directive. Saint Valentine? Higher Wisdom, Angels, Spirit Guides...all of it. We’re all the same thing. None of us are divided by religion, gender, skin color, past backgrounds or anything else at all.

We’re just all a big tree.

Open up to that, and experience what happens.

Let me know on the blog!

Love Your Voice & Voice Your Love,

Laura