KAMA the Sonic Circus
How to show
love to others
Show love to those around you as much as you show love to yourself, and conversely show yourself as much love, care and attention to detail as you show those whom you love or serve. We are all in exchange with each other and with the collective consciousness, and the more loving we can be, the more freedom we will have to find happiness, peace and compassion within the pain of everyday life and the challenges of the modern world.
Here's hoping we all flow through and implement these 10 ways to show love to people around us.
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Listen to those in your life without thinking about what you are going to say next. Be intent upon their words and emotions by holding focused space for what they share. Find genuine interest and common ground in what they share with you.
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Pay attention to the interests of those you care about and create something for them or bring them a small gift of some kind that shows you've been listening.
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Say something truly genuine that you appreciate about their character and how they move in the world. Comments like "You are such a good friend, you always make others feel so loved, appreciated, seen, heard, etc."
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Sit in silence with no expectation next to another human being who is on the same wavelength. Talk to them about meditation and sit in this silent space with them, or listen to a guided meditation video on YouTube. Lose touch with connection to the body or the sense of self and tune into the soul for as long as possible, with closed eyes or open eyes, perhaps focused on a point in the room or a flame. Creating a hum or "OM" sound with the voice from deep beneath the heart may help ground into the body. Discuss what you feel and how the experience affected you with your friends after slowly returning to the body.
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Treat each person as though you have something to learn from them, as though they are teachers.
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Share something humorous or laugh at something funny when people in your life share. Simply share joy by mentioning elements of nature that are enchanting and finding aspects of everyday life that bring small thrills throughout the day.
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Practice gratitude by telling those around you what you are grateful for, both about them and about the universe at large.
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Show humility and genuine care for the other person. Breathe before responding and think of how your words and actions can be supportive and caring in a way you would want to receive.
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Be willing to examine yourself and adapt. Listen to what others tell you, feel what they're feeling, notice how you can improve situations for yourself and others and ask questions when you have them. Know who you are, and stay honest in this so you can accurately understand your relationship to those around you.
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With consent, give hugs, pats on the back, hold hands or put a hand around the shoulder of somebody you're close to when appropriate and welcome to express care. Ask if people want touch and if so, how they might enjoy this and what their boundaries are. Love others by expressing your own boundaries with honesty.
Whether you put these methods into practice on your own directed at yourself or in the presence of others, being grounded and present in these actions will bring you closer to your connections and closer to yourself through others.
Some of my favorite meditation videos to share with friends:
Crystal singing bowls:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FDuDgCZyGUg&feature=share8
Solfeggio frequencies, drum and shakers track: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9eeNxT9XgRg&feature=share8
Solfeggio frequency sleep sounds:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=goyZbut_KFY&feature=share8
Yoga Nidra:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1d6bH-uVIw&feature=share8
Humme Hum Brahm Hum mantra 108 times:
first time with fire
A dip of the fuel, a flick of the fire starter, and she was up in flames. Circular snakes of raging fireballs extended through the fingertips of my dear friend as she created a circle of fire around her in my parents’ empty cement driveway expanse, spinning her pair of fire poi. The roar met my ears for the first time as she weaved miraculously through move after move, flowing with the rhythm of the Above & Beyond track, a 2014 moment that lives on forever.
“Your turn,” she smirked as she handed me the fading fire props and I experienced holding flame for the first time. I never felt the same knowing that something we are told to avoid from fear could actually cause so much delight.
Fire moves through us like a vein, like light dancing with shadows, permeating ideas of day and night, walking a line between the conscious and unconscious, in and out. As the flickered dance reflects off the faces before us, the roar deadens the fear, the inferno spits ashened singe over hair particles, the smell of hot, white gas flares through the nose, like a shot of adrenaline. The inked sky painted with strokes of white-red blaze for a span, circling until smoke billows from the lifeless kevlar wicks.
So, why be in (marginal) danger to fling fiery fans and hoops and flaming balls tethered to cords and chains? What draw could there be to approach the stove top eagerly with a childlike curiosity?
Notably, safety is an important aspect of fire spinning, which includes having a fire blanket handy, a fire extinguisher, a spotter (person to put out the flame if you catch on fire) and keeping all containers of fuel or flammable items well away from the area where the performance occurs. However, the element of danger, the slight burning sensations, the heat of the flames, the look and feel, puts me right in my element as somebody who was born in Ellensburg in the dead of summer, August 11, 1994. Thankfully, I’ve only had to put out a small flame on a pair of pants one time over 8 years of spinning fire.
A bellowing roar like a cart being pushed up a hill, like Sisyphus with an untamable boulder, the fire circulates and causes a noise that often overpowers the music I spin to. Engulfed in this warm safety, it’s easy to lose track of time, to forget the world. I am wholly focused on my hands, my props, my surroundings and spatial awareness, yet I am feeling the way my feet ground down into the concrete or dirt, the way the chains snake around my arms and legs during wraps, the way the flame feels sending a gust whooshing past my face, moving hair tendrils, and the fear just isn’t there anymore. It allows me to feel powerful and in control.
I hold a great reverence for the fire, especially in how it reacts with other elements like the wind or even the rain. I know at any moment it could take my life or complicate my health, it could burn down a town like Ellensburg in 1889. That won’t happen, but I have to work with the element with careful consideration of its might.
Burning written intentions or lists of things I’m grateful for help me build my relationship with fire itself. In elemental work, there is an exchange, a give and a take. To the fire I give my spiritual practice, my well intentions for the world. Back from it, I receive an unforgettable experience entertaining myself and others, spreading joy, allowing those around me to forget their worldly concerns and focus on an elemental exchange for even just a moment.
Best Ellensburg Parks
for introverts
Whether you want to be in public but don't actually want to be in public, want to be outside while feeling inside, or want to get your dog some fresh air and trot-time without undergoing any human interaction, this may be the review you need. I present to you the Ellensburg introvert’s guide to parks that are easiest to avoid humans in, ranked out of 10, 1 being the most extrovert-friendly and 10 basically being an abandoned lot at midnight.
Rotary Park: 8/10
This multifaceted location has the potential to be an introvert's dream, with lots of winding paths that make it relatively easy to avoid people. Avoid this park during game times and you’ll find more privacy. A wanderer can always just head outward into the expansive fields beyond the paths for more privacy, bonus points if you look up at the sky muttering, "why?" when taking a direct and sharp turn from the beaten path toward the perimeter of the park. Dog parks and the passage to Carey Lake make this a fulfilling destination. The path around the lake bordering the Yakama River offers many little shoot offs to wade or nap on some rocks under the trees with the sound of running water rushing in your ears.
Kiwanis Park: 6.5/10
This iconic Ellensburg family park offers wide, open field space, which is perfect for introverts to idly graze upon in their own little nook. There may be some amount of dog walkers and children, but earlier and later in the day, past sunset or before 8 a.m., you may find some sacred moments to yourself. The abandoned baseball field aesthetic lends itself perfectly to a day alone in the rain. The stream is peaceful with a small path of rocks to walk across; it makes for a nice dip of the toes if one feels so inclined and is a perfect way to tap into the emotional and grounded side of life.
Mountainview Park: 6/10
If you like waiting to use the only non toddler swings around, then this is the place for you. On the plus side, it features soccer fields galore, which make for a great multidirectional getaway if you see somebody and you don't remember if you've met before because at the time you may have met, you were having an anxiety attack about going home too early. This is a solid option for a picnic with a large covered area, but if you want that secluded experience, I suggest sitting close to one of the evergreens on the edges of the field. The see-saw is a great place to feel the weight of loneliness if you have a moment to yourself on the heavy side.
North Alder Street Park: 3/10
Relatively zero hiding places, you may find yourself stuck in a bathroom stall if it comes down to avoiding other random people. The children’s toys are all out in the open with no slide to hide inside in sight. The covered area offers little in ways of privacy and individualism. The circular path surrounding the perimeter of the park is far too inviting for an introvert’s comfort, and it may even spark conversation if one isn’t careful. While it’s a nice park for walking dogs and extroverts, it’s far too exposed for those days you just don’t want to talk.
MacElroy Park: 8.5/10
This somewhat secluded space offers an open field in the center of a walking trail, but somehow doesn’t feel as inviting as North Alder Street Park, which to an introvert, is an attraction. There are some paths meandering through trees on the outskirts of the park that one can wander and explore, and there is a path that leads up Radio Hill on the side of the park farthest away from the entrance. MacElroy has something special to offer introverts, even if solely in its more lonesome feel. You can tell a lot of strange things have gone down there, or maybe that’s just personal, maybe I’m the one who has seen strange things in this place. Regardless, go get lost there. It’s an Ellensburg tradition.
Dear readers and fellow Ellensburgers: do you agree, disagree, love it, hate it or find yourself indifferent? We’d love to hear your best parks for avoiding people or any other angle you have for us in the comments.