MSIA Ministers, Initiates, and Discourse Subscribers Dinner in Kobe, Japan
Thursday, March 15th
The first of two Spirit of Japan events was held in Kobe, Japan.
Kobe is a port city and our hotel was near the water. In the hotel lobby on the top floor, we enjoyed a sweeping view of the harbor, observing the ships coming and going. During the afternoon the weather was somewhat drizzly, cool and breezy. I could see squalls forming a few miles offshore.
During the afternoon, Initiations and Ordinations were performed. As the afternoon grew late, Ministers, Initiates and one Discourse subscriber were gathering for the evening meal. The dinner was held at a local Chinese restaurant. Interestingly, Chinese food served in Japan is very much adjusted to the Japanese palette: much reduced use of oil, smaller portions with considerable attention to presentation.
As I sat, accompanied by about 12 people, I was enjoying the quiet energy brought forward by the new Initiates and newly ordained Ministers. There was a spirit of joy and quiet anticipation as this was the first time for them to experience John Morton, the Traveler, and his dynamic wife Leigh Taylor-Young in a small and intimate social situation.
As the dinner was being served and the evening advanced, I could sense the growing presence of Spirit in the room, and I anticipated that John Morton would be in action soon. A Discourse subscriber asked a question and John, the Traveler, shifted into gear. The language interpretation to Japanese was provided by Steve Beimel. At this point, a great discourse was started on what would be for many existing MSIA members, the basics on calling in the Light, the different kinds of Light, and the ins and outs of the concept of sending the Light for the Highest Good.
For me, I found this to be a Spirit-filled evening of being bathed in the Light and being grateful for the opportunity to spend time with new MSIA members who brought a beautiful full Light with them. John finished with a beautiful Blessing.
MSIA Seminar in Miki City, Japan
Friday, March 16th
The morning was cool, bright, sunny and clear as we (John, LTY, Steve and Ritsuko Beimel, Elaine Baran and myself) drove about 30km Southwest over some low hills and then mountains and through tunnels to Miki City, Japan.
Here’s some history of Miki City (Source: http://www.city.miki.lg.jp/english/index.html):
The earliest residents of Miki who arrived more than 1300 years ago lived along the banks of the Minogawa River, a vital source of water for crop irrigation. At the end of the 16th Century, Nagaharu Bessho became the lord of the area. Locals began to build their homes close to his castle, and from there the town steadily grew.
In 1580, after defeating Bessho, Hideyoshi Hashiba, later known as Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Unifier of Japan, exempted the people of Miki from paying taxes to facilitate its rebuilding and transition into a hardware-manufacturing town.
In 1954, Miki declared itself a city after the four main towns amalgamated under a single local government. And Miki enlarged its size by merging with Yokawa in 2005. Today Miki boasts many attractive facilities that promote cultural, social, and recreational activities such as Horse Land Park, Mikiyama Forest Park, Greenpia Miki, and the Yamada-Nishiki-no-Sato.
Miki City is known for its hardware and especially knives. More than 160,000 people come to Miki City for a Hardware festival each year. Also, the city is known for its 25 golf courses and a Golf in Japan Museum.
We arrived at the location, Lotus Warahi Light Center, with a bright sun shining down and beautiful clean fresh air, replete with loads of oxygen as is common in Japan. It was very refreshing. The owner, Kunimi Kubota, greeted me at the door and ushered me in. As I entered the facility, I noticed that it was almost full with about 30 souls including us, on tatami mat floors, sitting Japanese style on flat cushions. The view through the windows, as is typical in Japan, was a meticulously and beautifully arranged garden. Simple, yet elegant. A peaceful, yet dynamic feeling was registered in my consciousness.
When I walked in, it was apparent that John was going to give a seminar right away, and that there was little time for pleasantries. I experienced a tidal wave of Spirit coming down and clearing the way for the blessings to come. I was almost speechless at the beauty of the presence that was forming. John was arranging for how the language interpretation was to take place performed by Mathew Shultz (a resident of Kyoto) with assistance as needed by Steve Beimel. He waited long enough for Elaine to set up the video camera, as I bowed to the people seated and found my place next to Elaine for taking pictures. As soon as we were ready, John started immediately.
What followed was a harmonious flow of English and then Japanese by Matthew, and occasional assistance by Steve Beimel, as John delivered the message from Spirit. At one point, I felt as if the Angels of the Traveler had descended and were Ministering to all. After the seminar, we moved to a room upstairs at the facility and tea and scrumptious tea treats were served. During that time, John led the group in another equally beautiful seminar on the Hu and Ani-Hu meditations, teaching the newcomers about how to do spiritual exercises with Steve providing language interpretation. As the group chanted first the Hu and then the Ani-Hu, I experienced the same oneness, inner intimacy, and connectedness with the group as I do when I have chanted with western groups in the US.
When the event was complete, we piled into our car and drove back to Kobe. For me, it was a beautiful, peaceful, harmonious day, and I was grateful to observe and participate in the work of the Spirit in Japan.
