“Awakening of the heart”…

by Jason S.

There was an atmosphere of quiet intensity when I arrived. Indeed this force of intention to work was pervasive throughout the seminar with Jose Reyes in Niederkumbd.

My first vision of Jose was through tired eyes after more than 30 hours of sleepless travel. Nevertheless I was struck by the sincerity of his inquiry in our initial interview. He had questions about my experience and relayed the first of many exhortations, worded in innumerable ways, but always reiterating the same message: We need to awaken and open the heart; there is an unimaginable richness and abundance available if we can only connect to the Presence that sustains us always and in everything; that Presence is closer to us than we are to ourselves; it is ever-waiting for us to take the one step away from our many altercating selves and into the Presence of the One.

The first day of work established a rhythm of intense effort punctuated by social breaks and delicious meals overseen by Katiuska, whose powerful quiet strength supported the event at least to the degree of Jose's more active role. Every time I glanced at Katiuska I found her present, alert and, of course, beautiful.

The work with Zikr was profound. After 15 years of intermittent efforts in the Work, I was struck by the infusion of vitality engendered by Zikr practice. It felt like the ingredient that has always been missing from G's teaching. The awakening of the heart through Zikr quickly knit the group into a community. The Zikr created an palpable atmosphere of authenticity and care among the group of about 30 people.

Considering that this was a public seminar open to all, the being-level of the group that gathered was remarkably high. There was a spirit of readiness that made quick work of plumbing the depths of each shared experience. People from many countries, lineages and degrees of experience came together remarkably quickly into a harmonious working organism.

In part, I attribute the readiness of the group readiness to Jose's approach of gently challenging the group, and then stepping back to see what happened. It was clear that he has immense knowledge and experience to draw from. It was also clear that he was not hampered by a plan. As a result he was able to follow the lead of the group, ever-drawing us to new depths. He directed in-the-moment, improvising choreography for Zikr and Movements and giving rich impromptu teachings in response to questions posed in the "general meeting". The spontaneous character of the direction gave the whole event the sense of being a vast living experiment.

The demonstration of Movements toward the end of the event gave the group a "goal" toward which to work. It was clear that the focus was more on our inner work than the technical perfection of the Movements.

Still, the experience of transmitting the Movements and our work to spectators "sealed" the event for me, as I made the effort to demonstrate what I had learned both inwardly and outwardly--to impart what we had become to others.

Now home, several days after the end of the event, I have an enduring energy that makes returning to the Presence in my ordinary life actually possible. After 8 days of work in those extraordinary conditions, I am also left with a gratitude that has in its core a wish to work; work to be a servant of that Truth that we addressed again and again during our work at Niederkumbd.

Jason