I am disappointed. Our Roots of the Science of Mind tour has been cancelled by the organizer, Spirit Tours. I was really looking forward to the trip for many reasons. Those of us who would have traveled together would have made lasting friendships and memories. We would have visited the place where Ernest Holmes lived as a child. We would have experienced the home in which Emerson had held discussion groups of the greatest thinkers of the time, men and women who later became known as the transcendentalists. We would have visited Walden Pond, where Thoreau wrote his amazing essay. But only one person signed up and Spirit Tours needed more commitment than that.
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| Dr. Heather in New Zealand |
In 2009, our Center hosted a group trip to New Zealand and Australia. There were over 25 of us traveling together. It was organized by the amazing Bunty Peterson, RScP. Sadly, Bunty made her transition the following year. She did us proud for the travel. It was an amazing adventure. She booked all the tour buses and the hotels. She knew what excursions were a “must see” and what we could do without. While on our trip, we prayed and meditated together every morning and had most of our meals together. Bunty kept our costs manageable. Some “wise owls” upgraded their flights and arrived in Auckland in much better shape than the rest of us. We had so much fun together. It was much colder in New Zealand than we were anticipating so the sheep farmer in Dunedin benefited from our situation — most of us bought a lot of warm woolen clothes from the wool boutique. I know I still wear my black sheepskin vest when it is cold here.
We saw Kiwi signs (the bird not the fruit.) We sang together. We laughed. Some of us drank martinis in the deep freeze of the bar “Twenty Below Zero.” We applauded the show of the Maori and the only man, a friend from Baltimore, who volunteered to “play” with them. We sang. We laughed. We
giggled. We were awe-struck in the Sydney Opera House and the beautiful bridge. Then during the Parliament of the World’s Religions, we watched the Buddhists patiently creating the most amazing and intricate design that took the entire 7 days of the conference to create, and we joined them as they scooped up all the colored sand to take to the river, signifying the impermanence of everything (on the physical plane.) We proudly performed with and listened to the Agape choir singing gloriously up-beat, positive songs and got the whole auditorium clapping along.
It was a life-changing time.
I was disappointed about our trip being cancelled but I will get over it. I am still feeling nostalgic about our past experience. I do realize that going on a Roots Tour is a completely different experience than going to New Zealand and Australia.
There were many people who expressed interest in this trip but they didn’t sign up. I want to know why. Was there not enough value? Was it too expensive? Was it too short? Was it the wrong time of year? Are you uninterested in our spiritual roots?
But I will get over this cancellation. We will make new plans and new trips together.
Always there is more life to live and more community to get to know. I am optimistic about our future. I believe in us. We will create new memories and experiences. I need to remind myself that we are creating memories right now, right here.
You could help, especially if you were one of the people who expressed interest in this trip. Let me know. Give us feedback. Where in the world would you like to visit with your spiritual family?
