Beginner’s mind

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryū Suzuki

In the last few days I’ve witnessed the large power of operating with an open mind as a starter of new things. I stepped into a batey—a PuertoRican Bomba circle—and danced in front of several people who I admire as experts in their craft.

I stepped in not to prove that I was the best—I wasn’t by any means—nor to show off—I wasn’t sure what were the “right moves” to make. I simply brought my whole self to the floor (batey) as an offering to presence and to life itself within that sacred circle.

What followed was a generous swirl of energy that filled my body and the rest with reverence as we witnessed the power of the Buleo (drums), voices, and the dancer, which dictates the direction that the “primo”, the main drummer, plays in the tradition of Bomba.

Though I’ve felt the power of dance in so many spaces—I had yet to experience the twister of love/energy that was alive in that space.

When we as people let our minds get out of the way and with it all of the scary stories that invade our imaginations about what we think will happen, etc, we open ourselves up to a million and more possibilities.

This is how we do it: we acknowledge that all the limitations we’ve put on ourselves are made up. We slowly begin to loosen up those ideas and replace them with affirmations of dignity, self-worth, and compassion for ourselves and others. We renew our minds, as the Bible teaches, with God’s thoughts: thoughts that set us free! And then, one day we are emptied enough to feel the rush of the Force that makes galaxies flow through these sacred bodies. We touch God!

We learn that what we want is also wanting us. So we approach what we most desire—connection, transcendence, peace inside and out—with boldness, stepping into the batey with graceful determination to dance!

The Sufi poet Rumi said it this way:

What we seek is seeking us.

I sought ancestrally rooted community in Bomba.

What is it you seek, my friend?