Day 3 starts with a healthy dose of chaos/adventure in the hotel lobby as we get ready to leave. (It’s chaos if the risk outweighs the reward, and adventure if there’s a balance between risk and reward that you happen to like and can brag about afterwards.)

Where are the bus signs? What radio station are we on? (We have an FM radio system so we can broadcast the tour leaders and guides, and everyone brings a radio.) Why are there two “Bus 1” signs but no “Bus 2” signs? (We have everyone assigned to one of six color groups that are doled out to different buses in different combinations each day, with the colors displayed on the bus signs in velcroed color squares, and they rotate every day so that everyone gets a chance to interact with everyone else, and everyone gets a chance to be on the bus with John Morton.) Who’s missing? (We do a bus count every time we board the buses, going down the aisles with each participant calling out a number in consecutive order.) Who doesn’t see their buddy? (There’s also a buddy system so we can more easily figure out who’s missing and where to find them quickly.) Who’s doing Spanish translation and which bus are they on? (A second FM radio channel has Spanish translation.) Who hasn’t checked out of the hotel?

It takes a lot of organization to move 100 people through a foreign country while keeping the trip a non-chaotic adventure. We have the system down to a science, and each year there are new contingencies that help us to refine the system. Most important, the system is fun, with a lot of flexibility built in to make sure that the balance doesn’t go too far to the reward side, creating feelings of monotony and restriction. There are always lots of jumping-off points for laughter and creativity. To me, the nuts and bolts of everything that we’ve inherited from J-R regarding moving through this world are: safety first (making sure people are cared for), and then balance, openness, creativity, oneness (no separation); and inclusivity of basic self (instinctual and fun-loving physicality), conscious self (intelligent self-awareness in the moment) and high self (attunement with spiritual direction). These trips are a learning experience in these qualities, and a unique chance to absorb all of this rapidly in a lovingly protected and guided environment, permeated by grace (a creamy, fluffy bed/cloud/canopy/light-field that softens the blow of any mistake).

We visit the breathtaking golden-domed Baha’i shrine and gardens in Haifa on a steep hillside overlooking the Mediterranean. (There’s Wikipedia for those who want information that I find to be distracting from my unhinged inner process, and photos for those who want a more visceral experience.) Then the Discalced Carmelite Order Muhraqa Monastery on Mount Carmel (supposed site of the events involving the prophet Elijah in the Bible and the defeat of the Ba’al power that had been gaining popularity among the Israelites, fomenting separation and straying from monotheism), and a short but sweet seminar and blessing from John Morton on a cliff-side overlooking the vast field where the Armageddon “movie” is scheduled to be playing (eventually, according to some interpretations of the Bible).

The sites are beautiful and peaceful (the Baha’i Temple reminds me of places in southern California that pioneered the new, tolerant, ecumenical spirituality like Yogananda’s Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades and the Theosophical Society in Ojai) but for me they are essentially a backdrop for the inner Light that we bring to any outer setting. Great places to do spiritual exercises and plant light columns. There’s no avoiding the balance of receiving and giving.

Then another family-style lunch, this time in a Druze restaurant, and back to the hotel for a free afternoon.

View the Photos from PTS Israel Tour Day 3