I received a thoughtful thank you email from MEA alum Sheila telling me “I’m inspired by your vision, the words you write, your vulnerability and transparency, the twinkle in your eye (truly, every fireside chat!), and the building of an accessible wisdom school that helps us all connect with each other on our unique yet similar journeys.” She told me how she’s found “anchoring support” with her cohort from a year ago as well as her regional chapter of alums. And, she said that MEA gave her the confidence to pursue her spoken word art form more passionately. I wanted to share this piece she recently wrote and recorded (highly recommend listening to the audio).
Dedicated to the MEA “Courageous Curators” Cohort and our incredible Faculty and Staff
We are travelers and seekers, gatherers of light,
Finding curious connection, we rise into our might…of
Unpredictable expanse, a middle that is vast
We are cultivating, we are kind, deconstructing in our mind,
The unveiling of our hearts, comforting company to which we bind.
Will you rise with me, to greet the day, ponder or pray,
Feel the shimmer and the ray, of the
First streak of sunlight as it graces your cheek, asking
What will you seek, today.
Liminal, transitional, run this Cycle of perpetual…
Renewal, as we shift, crossing lines, next precipice,
The edifice of beginning and ending, middle upending,
We courageously step forward, and trust.
Shall we rise as the catalyst, as yeast to the flour,
Beyond proving, toward expanding, then improving with each hour
Baking together our unique ingredients for fuel and wondrous power
Nourishing the simple and profound delight,
The Power of Yet for us to devour.
What are you willing and ready to burn,
A part of your life not emblazoned because you’ve learned, to
Release it to the universe, witnessed by friends?
Let the flame ignite, take flight, lifted into the night
So that you can see with greater clarity the pure light, that you are.
Could we rise together, out of the ash, step into the world, unabashed?
With wonder swelling, the magic of the telling, compelling and true,
The story of you and the beauty of your presence
Keeping things whole, embodying effervescence
We glimmer with the shimmer of tenacious light beneath our skin
Aching to be seen, revealed, unearthing the Masterpiece Within.
Our palms rise in praise, offering acknowledgment and appreciation,
A shimmering cacophony of validation, our center filled with admiration
Praise for the big p’s, little p’s, emotional adversity
We consciously practice witnessing, in service of community.
If I could, I would, collect all this vibrancy,
Craft and sew, mold and shape, working with the synergy,
Creating majestic robes of adornment, cloaks of journeys, swirls, and twirls
Made from the love and veneration of all these Polished Pearls.
Synchronicity requires noticing, and can you imagine not encountering,
This profound energy from gathering, under the El Pescadero sky
Notice our hearts yearning, just keep learning, wisdom unfolding,
Never doubting our innate calling to be connected and alive.
May our hearts rise with our eyes as we gaze to the skies,
Explore the full constellation to make sense of our lives,
Guiding and navigating toward our own North Stars,
The shifting Polaris, attuning our compass, dancing together as we
Find our way home, to Soul.
I am complete, for now, forever changed by this new view,
And that’s because I shimmer
in the very knowing,
Of you.
-Sheila
Sheila Tallmon is a musician, dancer, hiker, poet, speaker, mentor, and all-around joy-seeker…and spent the majority of her career in youth development/summer camps, most recently as the Executive Director for a camp in the San Juan Islands of Washington state. She was fortuitously led to a life-shaping MEA workshop and is now in a transitional pivot toward a new calling, actively job searching, and grateful to be part of this wise and wonderful community.