“I offer you peace, I offer you love, I offer you friendship.  I see your beauty.  I hear your need.  I feel your feelings.  My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.  I salute that Source in you.  Let us work together for unity and love.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

When I posted yesterday about my plans to participate in a Women’s Energy Retreat, I knew that today’s entry would be anything but ordinary.  The follow-up could begin with any number of examples of the wonderful and positive energy — the love and the unity — shared by thirty women during nine hours together.  I am sure that different experiences touched different people in profound ways; but I would like to share with you the one that keeps resonating for me, even after a refreshing night’s sleep.
We were nearing the close of our time together.  The small clusters of friends who had arrived in separate groups at the start of the day had found some opportunities to discover a little bit about each other.  Although many of us had entered as strangers, our shared experiences had created a sense of unity that made us feel comfortable and warm together.  Now we were going to learn a song and a dance.  We were blessed to have professionals in both voice and dance to lead us; and they moved to the center of the circle and demonstrated what we would be doing — a Dance of Universal Peace.  The words we sang are taken from a poem by Mahmud Shabistari, a 14th-century Sufi poet whose simple language expresses profound depth of Spirit. (The Chamber of Your Heart)
‘This should be fun,’ I thought.  I always have enjoyed folk dancing, because the patterns of steps allow even non-dancers like myself a chance to join others in expressing joy through movement.  The dance was fairly simple.  We would begin by forming a circle.  Pairs of dancers would stand back-to-back with each partner facing one in the next pair.  Then we would begin:

“Go, sweep out the chamber of your heart.”
Partners raise their right arm, curved in front (like someone holding a cape across their face).  They turn clockwise, allowing their arm to sweep the air until they face their partner.  The partners take each other’s hands — right to right, and left to left, so that their arms are crossed.

“Make it ready.”  Partners hold hands between them.
“Make it ready.”  Partners raise their held hands over their heads.

“To be the dwelling place of the Beloved.”  Partners embrace.

“When you depart.”  Hands extended, palms up, toward your partner.
“Love will enter.”  Hands in prayer position; bow to partner.

“Void of yourself.” Arms outstretched behind you as though you are embracing the universe.

“God will display God’s beauty.”  Place hands out toward your partner — right palm down and left palm up.  Touching palms, circle clockwise until each of you is back-to-back with a new partner.

We began again and again, each time with a new partner.  As the words to the song became natural and known and the movements of the dance no longer required us to think, the spirit of the dance began to take over.  I saw myself walking through life and meeting new people as I lived my days.  As I greeted each one with “sweep out the chambers of your heart,” I could see how alike we were.  I could see that each of us is a chamber that can become the dwelling place of the Beloved.  I could feel my heart filling with the Love that connects me with all others.  I could feel a profound sense of caring and sisterhood that made me unashamed to both remind and to be reminded that we must not let our egos be barriers between us.  We must sweep out the chambers of our hearts so that there is nothing to block our view of God’s beauty in each person we meet.
I speak often about the Light that dwells within each of us.  I could not help but think, as we circled and danced and swept out the corners of our hearts that the veils of separation that built barriers between us were lifted.  I could picture looking down on that dance and seeing a moving circle of light, growing brighter and brighter with each new greeting.  It will, no doubt, be days before I stop humming the simple tune.  If we meet, don’t be surprised if I am glowing a bit and don’t be surprised if I encourage you to sweep out the chamber of your heart.