On the Road Again 2011 - Blog 24

July 1st ( Canada Day) is not a day that I go out of my way to celebrate. I am immensely proud of being a Canadian, but like most of my fellow patriots - it is not something that I spend a lot of time talking about. At the Gathering one of the first questions asked is "where are you from?". Seldom is the answer 'Canada", so when I met a fellow Canadian it is sort of a big deal. On July 1st there was a fellow Canuk walking around with a big Maple Leaf Flag. Everyone made sure that he and I connected. We made a point of talking for awhile. But for most members of the Family at a National Gathering the big day is the fourth of July.

The morning is quiet as most people try to meditate for world peace for at least  awhile. It is an impressive site to see 1,000s of people sitting quietly, all with the same focus. Of course not everyone is quiet or in other ways support this focus. But I think the majority do. Some of the more committed were there at the edge of the meadow from the moment the sun rose. Sometime near noon everyone joined hands to form some sort of rough circle. At all Gatherings this process can take some time but in Washington this process took even longer than normal as we had to circle around a large swampy area that contained some rare plants that we were asked not to walk on. We couldn't cross over this area, but had to go around it.  The meadow area was huge.  I could barely see people on the other side. As we waited for the circled to be joined, we ohmed. What a marvelous sound. To hear 1,000s of people with all of the the harmonies that evolvedis really not describable. It is as beuatiful and as sacred as any pother church music.

We all omed for awhile, and then sometime around noon the children had their parade. After that it was a party.

Lemonade and watermelons were distributed. ( which was nice as it was hot and many had been fasting since sun-up). Folks sat around and chatted, danced and sang. It was really a magical time. It is extraordinary to think that this ritual of praying for world peace and then in some strange way celebrating the birth of a nation (especially amongst people who as a rule are not, to say the least, pro-government) has be going on for 40 years. There are paradoxes within the Family and this is one of them. They pray for world peace with an intense belief in the power of a unified voice, then celebrate the birth of a nation that has seldom been a peace.

It was a fun time. I got to meet lots of people, renew some old friendships (including meeting someone from Virginia who I had meet at the World Gathering in Quebec in 2004)  and hear some of the older folks tell their stories.It is the Family at its best, or at least at its most mythological. Folks are dressed up in their brightest clothing ( or in some cases nothing at all), clothing that they brought special just for this occasion. I wear a white homemade shirt with a necklace that was given to me by a special friend. I only wear it at such events. People are relaxed. People thinking about food or fire wood or about whether the pipes from the well are working. People are just enjoying the atmosphere, enjoying being with their Family.