{"id":88334,"date":"2017-09-13T12:43:52","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T19:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/?p=88334"},"modified":"2018-08-17T17:35:08","modified_gmt":"2018-08-18T00:35:08","slug":"spain-portugal-tour-2017-way-traveler-day-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/88334-spain-portugal-tour-2017-way-traveler-day-4","title":{"rendered":"Spain &#038; Portugal Tour 2017 | The Way of the Traveler | Day 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Madrid, \u00c1vila, El Escorial | Spain<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The morning air is brisk and refreshing as we board the bus for \u00c1vila, Spain.\u00a0The entire town of \u00c1vila is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of the town is filled with 16th Century architecture, and the Roman-style medieval wall still surrounds the town. Upon entering you get the sense of stepping back in time. There is a love affair with Spain blossoming right before our eyes.<\/p>\n<p>At the center of the town is the Cathedral of \u00c1vila, a Gothic structure that is almost a thousand years old. This Romanesque\/ Gothic building is a masterpiece of art and architecture. It was intended to be part of the wall of a fortification, which is why the apse resembles a turret. The doorways are absolutely stunning, with intricate statues and carvings all around the edge. One of the most beautiful parts of the cathedral is the stained glass windows, which date to the 1400s. The vastness of this cathedral is daunting and amazing how much goes into this architecture and how it was even built in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Next is a visit to the Convent of San Jose de \u00c1vila where Saint Theresa founded the order of Carmelitas descalzos. The historic convent and pilgrimage destination was built over the birthplace of Saint Teresa of Avila. The convent contains the possessions and relics of both St. Teresa and her close friend St. John of the Cross in a small museum. An incredibly historic and religiously fascinating landmark, the convent offers a glimpse into the mystic and spiritually contemplative life of St. Teresa, who was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.<\/p>\n<p>Back onto the bus and heading to El Escorial. The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial was once the residence of the monarchs of Spain. The huge complex includes two sets of buildings comprising a monastery, hospital, basilica, university, palace, pantheon, library, and a museum. Another vast, immense building that takes years and years of work to create.<\/p>\n<p>Once again on the bus, and heading to Valle de Los Caldos (Valley of the Fallen). John does a beautiful blessing so stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p>Then on the bus to our surprise, FLAMENCO DANCERS!! WOW, what a glorious night of dinner and enjoying Madrid&#8217;s most famous flamenco dancers. See you all tomorrow. Love to all from Spain.<\/p>\n<p>Love &amp; Light, Julie<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Videos by Julie Lurie<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>\r\n<\/p><p><\/p>\r\n<p><\/p><div id=\"playerContainer\" style=\"max-width:640px; max-height:360px;\"><\/div>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/player.ooyala.com\/v3\/192e666204854b4b8162cc479e80b6a9\"><\/script> <script src=\"\/\/player.ooyala.com\/static\/v4\/stable\/4.14.8\/other-plugin\/playlists.js\"><\/script> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> var ooyalaPlayer; OO.ready(function() { var playerConfiguration = { playlistsPlugin: {\"data\":[\"5ce37162578b48e2a210d621c16a2eb9\"]}, autoplay: false, loop: false, useFirstVideoFromPlaylist: true }; ooyalaPlayer = OO.Player.create('playerContainer', '', playerConfiguration); }); <\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>Touring Photos by David Sand<\/h5>\n<div style=\"max-width: 640px; height: 400px\" class=\"fshow-wrapper\">\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/fshow_orbit_568f69558d682?photosetid=72157686192697870&user_id=71628367%40N07&gallery_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F71628367%40N07%2Fsets%2F72157686192697870%2F\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 400px\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\" mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" border=\"0\">\n<\/iframe>\n<noscript>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHsm4osJ4G\" target=\"_blank\">Click to View<\/a><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>Join Us in Planting Light Columns wherever you are and Light up the World together.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Here are two handouts from John-Roger on &#8220;Light Columns&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/LightColumns_DiscoursesVersion.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here | Planting Light Columns #1 by John-Roger <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/LightColumns_FulfillingTheSpiritualPromise.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here | Planting Light Columns #2 by John-Roger <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join in Visualizing a Light column wherever you are each morning with this map that shows the dates where we will be on tour to connect with the Light action around the planet.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/Livestresam2017SpainTourLightMap.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-88795\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/Livestresam2017SpainTourLightMap.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"399\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/Livestresam2017SpainTourLightMap.png 399w, https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/Livestresam2017SpainTourLightMap-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>David Sand&#8217;s Column<\/h5>\n<p>It\u2019s Day 4. In J-R\u2019s delineation of the symbology of numbers, \u201c4\u201d is solid foundation. I said that after John\u2019s seminar on Day 3 I guessed that the energy would be ramped up, and that was my experience on Day 4. It was also grounded and solidified. We may look like a group of tourists, but that\u2019s not what\u2019s going on under the surface. In my experience, as people encounter us the Spirit moves inside them. Their response to that, and how they deal with it, is a choice. We just keep moving the Spirit inside of us, and moving on. MSIA is a movement, and it\u2019s inner, so it\u2019s not always obvious; it\u2019s spiritual, so it\u2019s all-powerful and it\u2019s everywhere all the time, but not always recognized physically or on the lower levels. And it\u2019s awareness\u2014so it\u2019s everywhere, and it\u2019s easy. All you have to do is be aware, which anybody can do. You don\u2019t have to do anything spectacular, you can just be ordinary, which is available to everyone, and which we\u2019re extraordinarily good at.<\/p>\n<p>We take a bus to \u00c1vila today. What a treat. We\u2019re the Travela\u2019 from \u00c1vila. There\u2019s a joyful energy all over that little town, and especially in the cathedral, where St. Teresa of \u00c1vila hung out from the time she was a child, and this feels like the joy of a playful little kid. (Keka\u2019s kid in the photos is having a good time too, listening on the radio.) I mention to Leigh that it\u2019s probably the only cathedral where I\u2019ve felt really happy, and not like I\u2019m hanging out in an ectoplasmic soup, and she says she\u2019s felt the same thing. She tells me the story of how St. Teresa lost her mother when she was young and in the cathedral she asked if Mary could be her mommy.<\/p>\n<p>The landscape on the way looks a lot like southern California. But one thing you won\u2019t find in California: Fresh juices and fresh baked pastries at a highway rest stop. This is Europe, and that means extraordinary food. To the Spanish this is ordinary, but ordinariness is in the eye of the beholder. How can you be in a \u201cpoor\u201d country and be drinking fresh juices at a highway rest stop? Maybe wealth is a moving target, and it doesn\u2019t always correlate with money.<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s something else extraordinary: On the way to \u00c1vila John stops the tour guide, who\u2019s giving us great historical information, because he wants us to be able to go out of the body to prepare for what we\u2019re going to encounter in \u00c1vila. Where else are you going to find that? But on the outside it looks ordinary, like a bunch of people sleeping on the bus. To me, each Traveler has his own contribution and unique kind of ordinariness on the personality level, and that\u2019s John\u2014it\u2019s a big, bold energy. It doesn\u2019t mess around. So we move on through the semi-arid, hilly landscape traveling inwardly, with maybe a bit less information, and clothed just by our spiritual awareness.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c1vila is a delight\u2014Spirit really grounded in the material, which means a lot of joy. People often think of grounding as heaviness, but to me it\u2019s light, it\u2019s Spirit coming into the material level instead of hanging out above it someplace\u2014and Spirit lightens and illuminates what it encounters. So the earth is vitalized rather than sitting and stewing in its own heaviness. It\u2019s day 4, solid foundation\u2014and things are moving.<\/p>\n<p>In the afternoon it\u2019s El Escorial, which has functioned as a royal residence, monastery, library, museum, etc., (\u201cno photos inside please\u201d). Outside we encounter the kids from a nearby school. Inside is some beautiful art and architecture, but especially after the transcendent quality of \u00c1vila, I don\u2019t get much of a vibe from it. A friendly, interesting political\/religious\/mental energy. Suits of armor and art on the walls, long sunny halls and beautiful courtyards, dead kings, old books, the look and feel of a military school run by a church\u2014that odd mixture of army and clergy that seems to be everywhere in Spain. And then we go to the Valley of the Fallen, a monstrous, windowless underground cathedral carved deep inside a mountain, built by Franco, with gargantuan sculpture that\u2019s a bizarre mix of mannerism, socialist realism, and art deco: intimidating, god-sized people who seem to be capable of anything. More confusion of spirituality and military, but this one has a sinister feeling that\u2019s very different from El Escorial, where the spirituality feels genuine. To me, the Valley of the Fallen is an example of un-groundedness deep in the ground, earth and spirit separated. It feels like a bunker. No, It\u2019s a church. No, it\u2019s a bunker, no it\u2019s a church\u2026it\u2019s a church AND a bunker! I can\u2019t wait to get out of there, and many in the group express the same thing. Once again, no photos inside, so there are just a few photos of the exterior. Now I should say something positive about it. I remember being at the worst movie I\u2019d ever seen with J-R, who always managed to spin everything to the positive, and coming out of there wondering how he\u2019d ever spin this one. Somebody in our group asked him how he liked the movie, and he said, \u201cit was very observable\u201d. So I\u2019ll say that there are beautiful views of the countryside from the outside.<\/p>\n<p>In the evening there\u2019s a great dinner in a crowded theater that includes a performance of what\u2019s said to be the best flamenco in Spain. It\u2019s the old, original style of flamenco that has a kabuki-like, dreamy, dramatic quality, combined with graceful and expressive hand gestures reminiscent of Indian dance, and a chorus of three singers encouraging the dancers to greater and greater levels of surrender. It\u2019s a tour-de-force of precision, flow, eroticism and emotional intensity\u2014the real groundedness, spirit meeting the earth. To me personally, it looks and sounds like people grimacing and writhing in the throes of some kind of disease, but then I\u2019m what J-R used to call a \u201csano-type\u201d\u2014uncomfortable with extreme emotion and more at home in a position of observation. But the effect on our group is astounding. It\u2019s a release, a chance to cut loose and pour the spirit into their bodies, to ground it in the flesh. We\u2019re in the street laughing and yelling. You can see it in the boisterous, glowing faces in the photos at the end. It\u2019s a perfect ending to a day of integrating the heights of the seminar the night before.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>We Would Love To Hear From You<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/my.cbox.ws\/MSIALiveEvents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here | to Chat with us during the Tour!<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:MSIALive1@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here | to Email us at MSIALive1@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h5><strong>Would you like to receive email updates for the Tour?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/confirmsubscription.com\/h\/i\/72E606A41823AC8E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Add your email address to the OPT-IN list to receive email updates. When we have new posts you will receive and email in your inbox. Click the banner to Subscribe and Join the Celebration!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/confirmsubscription.com\/h\/i\/72E606A41823AC8E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-88790\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017LivestreamSpainPortugalTourUpdatesBanner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"932\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017LivestreamSpainPortugalTourUpdatesBanner.jpg 932w, https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017LivestreamSpainPortugalTourUpdatesBanner-300x101.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017LivestreamSpainPortugalTourUpdatesBanner-768x259.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017LivestreamSpainPortugalTourUpdatesBanner-578x195.jpg 578w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Madrid, \u00c1vila, El Escorial | Spain The morning air is brisk and refreshing as we board the bus for \u00c1vila, Spain.\u00a0The entire town of \u00c1vila is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of the town is filled with 16th Century architecture, and the Roman-style medieval wall still surrounds the town. Upon entering you get [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":88873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[1590,1593,89,418],"class_list":["post-88334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ndh-archives","tag-iberia","tag-livestream","tag-msia","tag-soultranscendence"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}