The rooster (or in this case hen) crows!

Yesterday was the Buddhist and/or Chinese New Year. There were celebrations of many kinds: meditation, talks, drink, food, socializing, etc, to welcome in the year of the wooden cock (yes, I know!). My day started at 7 am with a group meditation practice at the centre in Halifax, then breakfast, socializing, more mediation, then over to Pier 21, that stage that has hosted much activity, men coming from all over the world recently to talk here, one Tibetan from Vancouver, one Tibetan from (currently) here (mostly), and a Texan.

At the Pier we listened to the telephone company conducting an international hookup between the 101 Shambhala Buddhist meditation centres around the world. And then in his address Mipham Rinpoche, the director and head of the organization, encouraged us to develop compassionate thought and action over the coming year.

It was all very moving and friendly, cheerful, soft. (I had wet, teary eyes throughout.) Leaving the building I heard a couple mention they needed a ride home. So I offered my services, happy to have more than just me and artwork in my large vehicle. When they gave me directions to their house, I mentioned that, yes, I knew where they lived. I told the woman I had had a reading with her many years ago (she is a respected psychic astrologer in Halifax). And then, without censoring my comments at all, I said: �You killed off most of my family, but they are still alive, thankfully.� (She really had said many things to me that day which were all wrong, including a car accident for me that I missed, divorces that didn�t happen, children that weren�t conceived, and the family members who, thankfully, haven�t died.)

Fortunately, she was sitting in the back seat so I didn�t have to look at her after that uncensored outburst! I did quickly change the subject to more neutral topics to try to make amends, be more compassionate, but it was actually something I had been wanting to say for those many years after that misguided reading. And maybe it was misguided to tell her how off she was after that many years but I certainly hadn�t planned it nor knew that I could be so blunt with her.

But, nevertheless, in many ways I am thankful for how awful the reading was. It broke my addiction to thinking someone else had an answer to my puzzling life journey!

Posted by leya at February 10, 2005 07:16 PM