Back in Mt. Shasta today, I stayed the night at a beautiful body of water that shall remain unnamed to protect it from internet fame.

I decided to make myself tea before departing from the shore of this magnificent spot. The morning breeze and lapping water called me gently to the rocky shore, beneath the shade of one of those miniature high-altitude pine trees that looks more like a curated bonsai than something hewn by nature: the perfect setting for my little jet stove and kettle.

I journaled and pondered for about an hour as I sipped and reheated my tea. Just before waking this morning, I was shown very palpably how thin the line between existence and non existence is, between death and incarnation, and like a giant bell, the realization dawned upon me in the wee hours of the morning, that I am so lucky to be here. The words of Dolores Canon came to mind, where she says that souls stand in line to incarnate on a planet when what’s happening now is happening.

I have been up since 5 AM contemplating how lucky I am to be alive, not to mention that I chose to live in one of the most heretofore peaceful places on earth, despite all its shortcomings. We’ll see what world events have in store for the United States.

Finally, my contemplation was done and my left shoulder was getting a sunburn. I stood up and gathered my things, but felt an innner tug to salute the lake in gratitude before leaving. My teacher, Steve talks about “feeling” things, and people. What he means is to reach out, psychoempathically and read the energy around you. Amazingly, you can actually feel what it’s like to be someone else. Their demeanor, their mood, their body-feel, can actually be felt from the inside out, if you believe what you are picking up on. If they are at ease, you feel it, if they are uncomfortable physically or emotionally, you feel it. Imagine a world where you *can* walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, in about 5 seconds?

Suddenly, as I raised my hands in a prayer and brought them to my forehead, I could feel it all, the entire lake, the trees, the rocks, the water, the sky, the little lake flies landing on my skin. I was all of it.

The tea had opened my heart just enough to facilitate a much deeper opening. I felt my consciousness wrestling with identity as my sense of separation dissolved into the consciousness of the lake, of my entire environment. The sky breathed its sigh of relief as my being let go and aligned to its environment, no longer causing psychic pollution, no longer a stick in the mud, but a lotus.

Now I’m back in town, at a cafe, sipping matcha, writing this. I don’t claim to be enlightened now, far from it, but that sense of being one with the consciousness around me hasn’t left. I’m about to go up the mountain and am so excited for what unfolds up there. The beings there are so beautiful.

Cheers, and remember, be like a hollow bamboo.