To Prajna on dance symbolism and spiritual symbolism/reality

[Guest guest]

Prajna wrote:

 

You know, I don't know if any of you are or were dancers, but I used to do

ballet and modern professionally, and there is an interesting point which

comes up in Martha Graham's choreography. There is a classic Graham movement

called "Pleadings," where the dancer contracts the abdominals, as if being

punched in the stomach, and then exposes the jugular and wrists. She said that

when

two animals fight to the death, there is a moment when one of them realizes

it is going to die, and in that moment it surrenders and exposes the jugular.

She was fascinated with this type of surrender

 

 

Dear Prajna ~ I loved reading about this. My main field of study in college

was fine art, but a lot of the artists, including me, were in a love affair

with dance also. This was probably because the very eccentric art history

teacher exposed us to other art forms and not just visual art and also because

my

sister studied with Eric Hawkins for awhile in NYC. I love Eric Hawkins and I

love Martha Graham. I did a bit of dance performance, but I called it

performance art because it was always solo, not with a troop, and then I

incorporated into my interest in Native American culture in developing a

performance

piece called the Earth Blessing Ceremony, which is a very participatory piece.

 

The movement you describe is very powerful. It creates a powerful image as

well as a powerful idea. We all know the Ego must go, and we all struggle

against it. For quite some time I was a student of shamanism, and this is

still

a part of my spiritual path. I kept having this "vision"ary experience where

an eagle would be diving towards my throat. It terrified me, yet at the same

time I knew that this symbolic death represented the death of the ego. In

talking it over with my therapist, he said, "why don't you let the eagle finish

his work?" He was a very understanding therapist. So one day, as I was lying

down, I fell into the visionary state, and I saw the eagle coming. I lifted my

head back, exposing my throat, saying, ok, I am ready now. And actually, the

eagle first took my eyes and then tore my throat open, and "I" "died." Of

course, I didn't really die, and I still struggle with my ego, but this was a

huge transition for me. Many of my fears simply disappeared. It was a very

powerful experience.

 

I think Mother is sometimes the dove and sometimes the eagle; sometimes she

wants our hearts and sometimes she wants our throats (ego). Actually she wants

everything, ultimately ... for if we turn all concern for results of our

actions over to Amma, then we are releasing ourselves from the cycle of black

and white dualism. We live in dualism, but we experience union. I wish I was

there, but I have experienced it often enough to make me want it more and more.

Jai Ma ~ Linda

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Linda, What a beautiful and chilling image!

Dana

 

In a message dated 6/19/2005 3:12:44 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

Ammachi writes:

 

talking it over with my therapist, he said, "why don't you let the eagle

finish

his work?" He was a very understanding therapist. So one day, as I was lying

 

down, I fell into the visionary state, and I saw the eagle coming. I lifted

my

head back, exposing my throat, saying, ok, I am ready now. And actually, the

eagle first took my eyes and then tore my throat open, and "I" "died." Of

course, I didn't really die, and I still struggle with my ego, but this was

a

huge transition for me. Many of my fears simply disappeared. It was a very

powerful experience.