John Morton began the Walking in the Light workshop this year with a brilliant question. He said: “How many of you are here for the first time?” A number of people raised their hands. John was one of them. When he did this, there was a pause in the room and then some laughter once we all got the point he was demonstrating. We were all at this workshop for the first time, if we chose, with the opportunity to see with fresh eyes; to renew our commitment to the Christ, to God, to ourselves as divine instruments available to be used.

I live in the middle of Los Angeles in a beautiful historical mansion called Prana. Prana is the home of the Traveler, founded by our beloved John-Roger. It is a Garden of Eden of sorts, located in the “hood” where there are roaring buses, occasional screaming sirens; helicopters, honking horns, and multi-colorful people waiting at the bus stop with their bags and patient children; kids flying by on a skate boards or a blind man walking with a guiding stick, saying “hello” as I walk by.

There is a rhythm of ordinariness here that I enjoy. As I leave my Garden of Eden each morning and step into my eight foot cube of Light and experience the Light going ahead of me, surrounding me and Lighting up everything I see, I am grateful for the Walking in the Light workshop.

One day while I was walking to work there was a young man about 12 or 13 years old, who was mowing the lawn. He appeared to be a person with some type of mental handicap or special need. When I walked pass him, he stopped mowing the lawn and called out to me. He asked if he could give him a hug. My body spontaneously hugged him without thinking. He came with me into the Light cube I use every day. He didn’t want to let me go after a long moment had passed, so I said to him, “Thank you, and it’s time to let go”, so he did reluctantly. I wonder if the Garden of Eden is spilling over into the neighborhood or if the Light is getting into the cracks in the sidewalks, the trees that line the street and the air we all breathe.

This year the Walking in the Light workshop came in as a freedom from I don’t know what, but it was good. The room was like a gigantic Light column where a deep loving presence penetrated the walls, the carpet, John’s voice, the hugs, the eye contact and I experienced so much gratitude for being on this planet with so many loving people doing God’s work in this world.

This is my fifth year working at Peace Theological Seminary and preparing the Walking in the Light workshop with pleasure. I am grateful to have such an amazing job where my biggest responsibility is attuning to the Spirit and trusting the Light to go ahead of me and through me as I walk in this world.
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