Staying in for the day....

Ah, another day of rainy weather, granting total permission to stay (with) in and surrender into the nurturing embrace of Mother Nature as she blesses all living creatures with her down pour of life giving energy. The birds sing, the plants sing and I sing. (In truth, I am listening to Monks singing their wonderful Gregorian chants and my soul sings right along with them).

Where to start…..First things first. Sure enough, as my feminine self invited me back into the realm of exploration and celebration I am indeed noticing a new aspect of her presence. For the last couple of days, as I leave my flat and head down the hill of Buda (not the big round belly of Buddha, but Buda, as in Budapest) and through the neighborhood heading toward the bus line, I encounter many young mothers with their little ones, infants in carriages/strollers and toddlers. I am fortunate in that while here I am able to stay in a neighborhood where the families live their lives and I am able to experience a little taste of it. Personally, I missed this aspect of family life, and then I am reminded of my dear connection to “my girls” and the many wonderful walks we have taken together. I miss Sophie and McBeal and recall our connection. I am grateful to them for giving me the experience of loving and caring for another, so unconditionally. And, to all of the young mothers who give and preserve the gift of life, I give thanks.

My journey with Mother does not end at the bus stop. As life would have it, a couple of days ago, while exploring the website for current events, I discovered that there is an international Goddess Festival taking place this week, right here in Budapest. (Curiously, as my journaling for the day is unfolding I am delighted with the pervasive presence of the Mother, as she is showing up on my journey. Including my most recent personal understanding of the deep connection between global warming/environmental issues and our spiritual awakening which is being prompted by Mother Nature, Herself!)

I attended the opening talk of the Festival last night. A slide presentation was given of the vast representation of the Mother, throughout time and space. Her presence and power has been honored and highly revered throughout the ages. I loved being in the presence of so many woman from around the world, all gathered together in honor of the feminine. The Festival goes on thru Sunday, with a Solstice celebration Saturday evening. I am not sure how much of it I will be attending. With time, I will know and surely have stories to tell.

The day before yesterday, I did indeed connect with Andrew. We got together at 11 AM. Spending the next 10 hours together, there was sufficient time to get somewhat oriented in this wonderful new region of the world. As an ex-pat, who has lived here for the past 17 years, an English teacher, creative writing instructor, lay-historian and a lover of Hungary, I could not have asked for a better guide. While we covered a lot of territory, I will not attempt to share specifics, but rather will do so as I am able to revisit the sites with much more time to integrate the places and experiences ( hopefully with some great pictures!) . Andrew took pretty broad brush strokes as we journeyed thru the streets of Budapest, moving in and out of time, as I peppered him with questions of the ancient past to the current day reality. My wide range of curiosities covering everything from the historical, political, social, environmental, spiritual and psychological life of Hungary. My thirst, for information was satisfied, as I drank it all in. I am still full and welcoming the much needed time to digest it all. And again, I remain so grateful to have the time here, to be able to go back and actually be in some of those pretty amazing places, allowing myself to fully imagine actually being there back thru time. And it is all just a few trams stops away!

One of my favorite parts of the day, was in meeting some of Andrews friends, artists from Hungary, Tigore and Akiram Bansaghi, husband and wife. Tigore comes from a family of artists, at least three generations deep. You can go to their website at http://www.bansaghi.hu/ and see the vastness of their work, including that of his grandfather, father, brother, Akiram and his sons. Quite a wonderful expression of artistic talent. They both spoke good English, even thou Tigore was a little shy about doing so. Akiram left Hungary, after the occupation of the Russians and traveled the world, studying and performing. She was much more confident in sharing her passions. Along with a deep enthusiasm for her art she also expressed a real concern for the well being of her people. Specifically their difficulty in cultivating an inner life. It seems as though the oppression which accompanies the life experience of being “fully provided for”, as in a living in Communist ruled country, without the privilege of finding ones own voice, has led to quite an apathetic society. Self connection not being apart of the inner dialogue, as independent thinking has not been fostered and certainly not encouraged. Perhaps this has something to with all of the graffiti I witnessed on the streets. The raw and rampant unleashing of long held dynamic energy just waiting to do something. Defacing buildings can not compare to the defacing of a soul. Protest takes many shapes and forms. Surely the Hungarians are not the only ones to find difficulty in expressing full potential, as we all live with some form of oppression, it is just that some form are more systemic and obvert than others. Tigore, coming from many generations of free spirits and Akiram who found the courage and the means to escape the political regime and has now returned, together have much to offer as they share their love of life and their love of one another, through their art. My time with them was precious. Surely I will return for another visit, while here.

In honor of freedom and the courage to seize it.