abandoning the human stew crew (march 5, 2007)

Saturday night brought a crowd of folks to Slide Ranch to celebrate the Pisces birthdays. After losing track of the number of red wine glasses I'd consumed, I joined the "human stew crew" in the giant cow trough propped over a blazing bonfire. The lack of clothing, floating Eucalyptus leaves, and extreme water temperatures (someone kept showering us with freezing hose water) inspired a conversation about the mind/body connection. As the wine wore off, I realized that perhaps I wasn't doing my body any favors: sitting underwear-clad in a cow trough drinking from wine bottles with a bunch of naked strangers (okay, distant acquaintances) in the middle of the night. Sure enough, I felt pretty out of it the next day.

The following afternoon, my friend Zia and I sprawled out on the deep wooden benches overlooking the Pacific and discussed "alignment." As the sun set, we pondered: are our actions in line with our mind and emotions? are we aware of what we need and do we act on it?

In general, the lifestyle at Slide Ranch seems to keep me rather aligned. I find myself less often acting upon destructive whims that later throw off my sense of existing moment to moment. The environment nurtures me constantly because of the balanced entanglement of relentless change and habitual tasks. Lunar cycles, tides, births of baby lambs, deaths of helpless chickens: all unreliable, all reminders of impermanence. While accepting this, I feed the animals, water the plants, make breakfast, do laundry, go for a run. These actions keep me centered.

So, where do "human stews" fit in? How can I remain aligned when temptation comes? Certainly, fun and love are integral parts of Slide Ranch. But I'm sort of discovering that I don't like excess. Truly, I'd rather go hiking in the redwoods, discover new secret spots, hang out with the goats. Maybe that's the case for most people, but America's sedentary suburban lifestyle isn't conducive so drinking, drugs and eating too much junk food is natural and even coveted.

My point: I really want to work on alignment.