Hey Pinkies,

Joy here. Last week, the Marin Pink Posse gathered (and welcomed several new members – hooray!) in the name of Spirit and owning our higher selves. The group was facilitated by Pink Body Image Guru, founder of www.onepinky.com and, as it turns out, spirit-owning rockstar Laura Fenamore. The evening was a mixture of meditation and music, connection and contemplation, inspiration and insight. You Pinkies are invited and encouraged to use this as a guideline, and to adjust, add to, and craft your Posse’s curriculum in a way that awakens your collective spirit.

Forming the Bond

As with other Posse gatherings we began with introductions of ourselves, which included stating our intention for the evening. Each Pinkie brought an object that represented what owning spirituality meant to them, and explained how the object connected to their intention. Laura brought with her a bag of objects from her altars for those (including myself) who didn’t bring an object. It was a magic bag indeed, for I produced from it a heart-shaped piece of coral that spoke to my intention of developing compassion through heart-connection with the entire world (or, ocean of beings). Another woman reached into the bag and pulled out a teeny tiny angel – a micro version of the one she had intended to bring before time ran out to stop at home – representing her connection with her sister who had passed into the spirit realm.

Musical Meditation

As always, introductions served to strengthen our circle, reminding us of the universality of much of what we think and feel. Laura then invited us into a space of “being” versus “doing.” We relaxed, focused on our breath, and meditated while she played a gorgeous piece of music, simply being with whatever emotions, thoughts, or sensations that came up for us in this space of about seven minutes. And lots certainly did come up.

Exploring Beliefs

Fortunately, it was then time to DO – specifically, to write out our answers to a series of questions regarding spirituality:

• What does “owning spirituality” conjure up for you?
• How do you differentiate your spirituality and your religion, or are they both the same?
• If you were to give your spirituality a brand name, what would that name be?
• What are some of your spiritual beliefs and are you proud to share them or do you notice you hide them from others?
• Name one person who represents spirituality for you and tell us why.
• What can’t you afford to put off any longer?
• Can you be spiritual and want things of this world, and still be at peace?

Then, in pairs, we shared with one another what was brought up for us by the meditation and in the act of answering these questions. My biggest surprise was the gap in my beliefs and my actions. I am SO spiritual in what I know, think, and understand; however, my actions and interactions aren’t quite in line with the connections that I am certain exist between all beings. I experienced this in the meditation, most of which was spent using my brain to agonize over a dilemma about the weekend. Regarding the first of the questions, “owning spirituality” conjured the need to take my practices to the next level in a gentle attempt to close that gap.

What about you Pinkies? Have you ever considered these questions before? You are welcome to answer them now, or take them into your own Pink Posse gathering and address them in pairs, or as a group.

A Physical Answer to a Spiritual Question

The circle rose to its collective feet, and Laura revealed three signs hung around the room. One read, “children and animals;” the second, “social time/prayer & meditation;” and the third, “nature or a particular season.” The group was invited to stand next to the sign that felt the most true in terms of where spirituality is most often experienced. Once our clusters were formed, we talked about why we were moved to choose the area we did. I was shocked to find myself beneath “children and animals.” Though my cat and dog bring me more joy than I’ve ever experienced, it was the “children” aspect of the sign that actually drew me. I’ve never really been a “kid person” and have no plans to have a family in the traditional sense; however, in that moment, I acknowledged that there was something about children that evoked a sense of wonder in me. One of the two Pinkies under “social time” explained that for her, having a conversation with another human being was what brought her spirit alive. The largest group gathered beneath the “nature” sign, but each had slightly different reasons for choosing that space. Though all of these spaces held some truth for each of us, the exercise was an amazing experience of where spirit will sometimes lead one, and opened up a new space of contemplation.

A Return to Just Being

It was with this new perspective that we reformed our circle for another musical meditation. As we settled in, Laura played minute-or-so segments from about a dozen songs, each which have moved her deeply throughout her life. We were serenaded by pop bands, country singers, gospel choirs, each bearing a message that we were invited to take into our hearts:“What would I do today if I were brave?” “Calling All Angels,“What a Wonderful World,” “Hold me, like the river Jordan …” Line after line poured into our minds as we absorbed them, held them for a moment as they played, and released them to make way for the next song. After this experience, Laura passed out the lyrics – one song to each Pinkie – and we were invited to choose a line to take away from the evening with us. Mine: “What would you ask, if you knew you could have anything?” Surprising herself and delighting us, Laura serenaded us with her lines from an Elton John song:

Harmony and me
Were pretty good company
Looking for an island
In our boat upon the sea
Harmony, gee I really love you
And I want to love you forever
And dream of the never, never, never leaving harmony
 

Offering

The evening was closed by a joining of hands and an offering of gratitude to the spirit present in the room throughout our time together. Each of us then spoke a word into the middle of the circle – love, connection, friendship, live, mojo – creating a delicious spirit soup which we drank in before heading our separate ways.

So Pinkies, how might you own spirituality? As you can now see there are a number of amazingly simple yet profound ways to approach the topic within your own Pink Posse. What aspects of spirituality do you wish to explore? How do you define it? What moves and expands you? How do you best experience connection with the universe and with others? What questions do you have for your fellow Pinkies? What’s in your heart? The sky’s the limit, and the effect is profound.

Spiritually renewed (with thanks to Laura, Lissa, and the Pink Posse for making it so!),

Joy