update from the pilgrim lover

well life has flown by since the wedding in buenos aires...i managed to get a new passport and a transcript of my visa....big congratulations to the brazilian ministry of foreign affairs for being so helpful and not charging anything!!! i have been loving my new job working in an education project at the bank - much more space to be myself and use my talents while still working on something i believe in! have been giving english lessons in a volunteer project in one of the poorer communities in são paulo...which has been testing my english skills!!! i forgot how to conjugate the verb "to sing"!!

i was happy to celebrate the one year anniversary of a great organization, Tekoha, which my friend, henrique, founded with some of his friends...it was really inspiring to see their new vision of sustainable business that promotes communities and cultural connections in practice and with great visions to grow...congratulations guys!

had lots of laughs at the improvisation comedy "Jogando no Quintal" (Playing in the Garden) where we found out that Brazil won the Latin American World Cup of improvisation comedy. judging by the laughs in the audience that night, they deserved it =) it was funny how some of the funniest moments came from the most simple games, like the alphabet game when you have to start and finish your phrases with words that start with a certain letter. hilarious!

just one more class left in my non-violent communication course...so far the basics have been great but it really needs a lot more practice to be able to use it in real-life, real-time situations...hopefully i can be in the practice class next semester....

was also nice to celebrate the birthdays of some dear friends, sabrina, carol and pablo...

we went to the ANZAC Day dinner hosted by the Kiwi and Aussie consulates here in Brazil...we learnt that there are only 70 Aussies in São Paulo and that around 2000 Aussies come to Brazil as tourists each year...it was at the Hyatt so i guess we were expecting the kiwi shiraz to flow for a bit longer, but was at least nice to hang out with cath and greg - the ultimate example of australasian friendship ;)

and yesterday had a great afternoon playing "the hero's game"...a boardgame developed by a group of brazilian friends who wanted to share the wisdom of universal hero characters to help people deal with their real-life challenges and develop more self-awareness...

in the game each player takes on a character or mask from the world of heroes and then through a series of interactions with cards and other players, gains insights into how to deal with your current challenge...the facilitators reminded us that in the past masks were not necessarily a bad thing - people assumed masks not to hide themselves, but to access the wisdom of the mask they were putting on....and this journey through masks and a hero's journey was amazing!! my challenge was how to live in the present...

i was a pilgrim - one who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place, a traveller, a wanderer - with the call of a "lover" - someone with a profound and total self-acceptance who permits the hero to truly integrate herself with the world, living moments lightly and open to the possibilities of life....right from the beginning when i chose this character (or it chose me!) the insights started flowing....if i think of my itinerant life in these last 7 years, pilgrim is the perfect character for me...and the combination with the lover was exactly the inspiration i needed...being on a continuous journey, creating connections, being a catalyst for change and transformation where you go, commitment, having confidence in your values and your mission and always being available for life's possibiliites...

we passed through various challenges and phases on the journey - prison of beliefs, addictions in the shadows, existential crisis (when you get disconnected from your call), the unknown, rites of passage, sanctuary (places where you can mentally and physically connect with your essence)...and we received energies of compassion, courage, confidence and mastery, as well as powers and protections...

the insights were flowing thick and fast - from the cards and the dialogues with the other players.....i received the power of forgiveness: "If you want to connect yourself with power of forgiveness, it is because you want to delight in your existence" - isnt that just beautiful?? I was reminded that we can always access the courage, confidence, compassion and wisdom that we have gained on our journey so far. That mastery is about nurturing every moment with an elevated consciousness. That it is the time for serenity to be present in all of our relationships, and accept everything that comes from these encounters. That we should follow the unknown, because there we find keys to unlock future challenges and opportunities. If we know what is important, what we value, then we wont get trapped by greed.

the four and a half hours flew by as we played the game that is symbolically shaped as infinity...it was a fun and interactive experience in self-awareness...and now hoping to take the insights forward and apply them on the journey! thanks KK!