"Breathing in life, breathing out connection"

By Raine Barker New Thought News Service           Spare and elegant pagan dances, led by T. Thorn Coyle, were among the morning choices Friday at the Parliament.  No materials were required, simply an open mind and a willing body.  Participants kicked the practice off by centering themselves with a brief meditation and focus on breathing, and then moved into the dancing. Pagan dancing 101, perfect for people who can't dance. The element of air was the first to be represented, along with the idea of opening consciousness to the world. The dance felt like flying, and looked like it, too. Arms out and behind us like wings, and then brought back in and cupped in front of our face, we soared through the dance. It was a pleasant way to begin the morning. Fire was next, bringing passion and intensity. The movements evoked flames; we held our arms in front of us and waved them back and forth while our bodies swayed from side to side. The invigorating motions brought fiery passion into our day. Water flowed forth next, bringing with it tranquility. We made wave-like motions with our arms, their graceful curves arching over our heads in an alternating rhythm. Earth, the next element to be represented, provided a grounding experience. We gathered our arms to ourselves, bent at the waist to form a cave, symbolically scooped up the power of the earth and brought it back to ourselves. Spirit was more complex; the only words used during the ritual were spoken during this part of the dance: "As above, so below. As within, so without." We ended the morning in a communal spiral dance, while we sang a simple tune. "Air, fire, water, earth … air, fire, water, earth!" As we moved and sang, the volume increased, and we sang in harmony. The process finished on one long note, and we were energized for the day.