“It’s a volcano.” said one of the women, proudly displaying the sand mudpie she’d created. ‘Mine’s a castle,’ said another, placing a feather on the highest tower of her sand village. We surveyed the diversity of our artwork. There were moats, rock gardens and stairways, there were bridges, windows and towers. We happily had our photo taken with our creation thanks to Cathy who happened to be passing by, curious as to why 5 grown women had brought buckets and spades to a beach, with no kids in sight.
After 30 minutes or so of play we sat down and reflected on our experience. Prior to this part of the adventure we’d all journeyed inwardly with a guided meditation, exploring our child-like self, and the imaginary worlds we create as children. We’d created an ‘inner sandcastle’ and explored it before embarking on the outer sandcastle. So we’d been primed to play. And play we did.
But it was deeper than that. After the play part we reflected on how we’d played… what had come up for us, and how we’d engaged with each other and the process itself. And the discoveries were rich. Some noticed how they jump in without planning, while others wait and prepare. Some reflected on how their childhoods had not been happy, and yet there were moments of joy and discovery and they were able to connect with that. We all spoke of the letting go process also – when the tide comes in, or someone walks over your sandcastle – how do you feel? We reflected on grief, on joy, and how also, as we contemplate the shifting sands of our own lives, it’s important to honor our emotions.
‘You can’t force sand through an hourglass!’ said one woman very wisely, ‘in fact it stops the flow altogether.’ What does that mean? When we force things we prevent the flow of life, we get stuck, things stop working. There’s so much to learn from sand!!!
This was our monthly Peaceful Woman meetup group, and this time, since the theme was all about sand, we figured the beach was the place to be. And after just two hours, not only had we learnt so much about ourselves and each other, but we’d had lots of fun, and bonded even more deeply. So, it’s summer. I encourage you to get out and play more!!! It’s not just for kids!
http://www.meetup.com/The-Peaceful-Woman-Reno-Tahoe/calendar/13738423/
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