Meaning and Authenticity

D and I had a new experience last week. We went to a Drumming Circle. Total fun. There were about 12 of us, sitting on chairs in a circle. Lots of different types of drums were available for us to choose, and even other kinds of percussion instruments, and a native American flute. At the back of the room were some large pretty scarves and ribbons and a huge gong. (Oh, that gong was absolutely Amazing. The vibration went from the tip of my toes to the top of my head!) The guy who welcomed us was the leader (even though he said there was no leader), and he started us off by playing a huge drum--deep, low tones. Just random beats and we all followed suit with our own random beats that all seemed to echo the main beat, it seemed to me.... ...Several crescendos that arose on their own... ...then it would die down again... ...get chaotic... ....come into a new kind of syncopated rhythm... ....over and over again.... ....and finally everything just got quiet and that was the end of that ...

I went to an afternoon of Interplay yesterday. It's an amazing experience. The leader for the afternoon, Rebecca, explained that the whole idea of Interplay is play --to have some fun with movement, rhythm, voice and vocalizing....And it IS fun--I had a great time. As we move and let go, however, some deep emotions may come forth. People find themselves crying or angry or sullen for reasons they might be conscious of, or not. Our bodies carry unexpressed emotion. Our cells have their own kind of wisdom. I knew everyone there, except Rebecca the leader, [Jan, your dear friend JT was there] so I felt safe from the get-go. Interplay has four basic movements: swing, thrust, hang and...4th--oops, can't remember. Anyway, one of the most interesting moments came when we were doing hand movements with a partner. As the music played we were touching hand to hand, and moving, dancing--at some points I led, and at other times, my friend K led. Much of the time we had our eyes closed, but...