The day is finally here! I’ve been waiting for this one. An evening Spiritual Spa event at Peace Labyrinth & Gardens. While there have been other evening events at the gardens, it has been awhile, and especially in the format of the Day Spa. It makes for a divine way to spend a Saturday evening.
I arrive with my friend Christine around 3:30 p.m. and we are well received at the gate and at the registration table as always. Everyone is always very welcoming in making us feel at home. I make my rounds to greet and meet, and get a place to sit. Filling the airwaves is the flowing, lilting music of MSIA ( Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness) Minister and composer, Steve Chopyak, who will be facilitating this evening. I am excited about what we will hear from Steve and his music. It’s 4:00 o’clock and we are called together into the main salon.
Carol Jones, Director of Programs at Peace Labyrinth and Gardens, welcomes everyone and talks a bit about Prana and its history. Carol then introduces Steve Chopyak and tells us that Steve has been an MSIA Minister for twenty six years, and has been composing music for MSIA for twelve years. We all welcome Steve warmly.
Steve begins with an invocation of Light to call us forward in the presence of Spirit and into a unity of empathy by doing some chanting of the Sanskrit tones — Ani-Hu. Steve then introduces the concept of observing sound, inwardly and outwardly in ways we may or may not have been introduced to.
“What is Music?” “What do we attune ourselves to?” “What do we tune out?” Steve calls our attention to the kinds of sounds we may or may not choose to hear. Those that are in the room, those that are outside. Steve talks about the time when he first started taking piano lessons, and an assignment his teacher gave him to play for a week. It was to explore the sound of middle C. Steve then goes to the piano and plays middle C for us, then continuing with middle C variations so that we might observe the varied movements of that sound and our experience of that. So we get to experience how we hear sound differently, individually, through our own filter of consciousness.
After the middle C experience of attunement, Steve talks about the work he does with MSIA composing music much like one would for films. His compositions can be heard on the Moments of Peace, which are video clips from peace tour travels with John-Roger, the founder of MSIA, and John Morton the spiritual director of MSIA. Steve’s compositions are also on meditation tapes featuring John-Roger or John Morton.
Next, Steve plays a short piece as he enters into the Labyrinth portion of the program. The various ways to walk the Labyrinth are presented, and keeping with the theme of this evening’s event — What do we hear? What are we listening to? At the beginning of a video about labyrinths, I decide to excuse myself and walk the Labyrinth ahead of the group so that I can observe the participants in their labyrinth walking later.
After my walk, I sit on the bench alongside the Labyrinth. I have had the opportunity to observe groups walking the labyrinth before, and yet my experience is that each time is different. Groups tend to have a theme energy of their own. As the participants silently, and slowly make their way to the Labyrinth area each one takes a moment in waiting their turn to step on the Labyrinth with the intention or prayer they want to walk with. I can feel the general consensus of reverence in the silence, and that of joyful devotion to what they are taking part in.
It is a procession of God’s music. I could hear the anticipation, the glee. I am reminded as I observe, what a metaphor for life it is to walk the Labyrinth. Each one has his/her own pace, and presence, in how we go about life, and how we question ourselves. I observe a silent sense of humor with life. I’m watching the various manners in which people walk. I can almost hear the questions people are asking inside. And, much like life, there is a gridlock of traffic at one point, yet everyone is centered, quiet, cooperative, peaceful, and they keep moving. There is a spiritual maturity in the air. I’m hearing inside: “I am ready for this, I love this, I want more of this.” I also hear the whisper of the trees, the birds, wind chimes, the silence of peace, and of course the ice cream truck.
We reconvene in the room quietly and Steve does a blessing, and we start sharing about our experiences. Steve introduces Bob Tackney as the next musical sharing, and says that Bob does a good job of playing what he hears inwardly.
Next is dinner! Carol comes up to tell us about dinner and what time to return for the next part of the evening. Carol guides us in a prayer blessing for dinner and sending Light to all around the world. We head for the dining room and are greeted by the Prana Caf
