COMMUNION

Sundays were made for communion. Too preachy for you this early in this early in the week? Deal with it! JK JK!... but I will say don't judge just yet, hear me out. 

First lets talk definition- 

COM·MUN·ION
kəˈmyo͞onyən/Submit
noun: communion; noun: Communion; noun: Holy Communion

1.the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.

2.the service of Christian worship at which bread and wine are consecrated and shared.

Sure, when I was little I LOVED Communion Sunday for all its religious, traditional meaning. I liked the ritual of the sacrament, the passing of the plate, partaking in the bread and the 'wine'* (aka grape juice). I also like the fact that my dad was an usher (not the pop star, the man who passed the 'plates' of bread and juice down the pews**). Because my dad was an usher we got to help clean up the tiny cups, shoved into the seats after the service, collecting towers of Welches stained thimbles as they waved precariously in our child sized fists. We ALSO got to take the left over bread and 'wine' home, which I was a big fan of as we didn't get proper Welches (in the plastic jug) all that often, we had the frozen kind you mixed with water which was never as good (do you remember that stuff!? Better question... do they still make it!***)

In the years since bobby socks and dressing in my 'Sunday best' I have adjusted my views on spirituality and religion. My heart is far more open and accepting and I see communion as a beautiful metaphor to be taken as a reminder or love. We could get more into that but it would take a lot of peeling back the layers of faith and mystery and theology which is a whole other thing. 

Now, let's talk about the reason I brought up communion- I can't help but feel as though my entire day (last Sunday) was spent IN communion. It is a real communion... one which goes more with the first definition, an exchange of thoughts and feelings. Allow me to explain-

To kick things off, Drew and I had the immense privilege of having our Auras photographed. This may sound like voodoo hippie bullshit, but it is science and beauty colliding into one magical thing. The lovely ladies behind Radiant Human travel all over the country with a camera (designed in the 1970s) that photographs your energy... literally. You place your hands on two metal plates that read the electric currents flowing from your body and translates them into the colors of your Aura. So incredible right!? Christina (the radiant human behind this project) then explains what the colors mean and how they apply to you... When she told us what our Auras meant I nearly cried (actually that's a lie, I 100% teared up). It reflected so many things that I know to be true in myself and seeing them projected onto a photograph was a very emotional experience. 

From that mystical moment Drew and I went to the Farmers Market where we chatted with a farmer from Northern California who raises livestock (all the things free livestock). He was clear eyed, happy, and energetic. He was kind and honest and he believes in the work that he is doing... I nearly quit my life to go work for the man on the spot. 

We then had our dear friends Bobby and Elsie over for lunch. You know those people you love seeing and always have THE BEST chats with but rarely get to see because you are both so busy? That is Bobby and Elsie. Every time we get to hang out it is always magical and for that I am so very grateful. ANYWAYS... the conversations were challenging, life giving, and full of hope (this is a whole other post I will write, but I needed to bring it up all the same). There was connection and there was communion and it was wonderful.

That evening Drew and I went to church... You guys... I haven't been to church in ages. I've been in churches, I've been in temples, I've wept at shrines, and gone on hikes in nature (which I feel IS my church) but I couldn't tell you the last time I sat through a sermon. 

Richard Rohr, the Franciscan Monk, was speaking which is what pulled us to attend. He is a mystic and explains life and light, energy and love in a way that makes my heart ache with recognition. He spoke of connecting and engaging life and how that act is sacred (and how disconnection is the opposite of that and it keeps you from truly experiencing life and love and energy... he would call this disconnection sin... but that is a massive topic I can not fully engage upon with out backup). 

The thing about this day, one which was spent in such (full) communion with people and ideas we love, is that we almost didn't do any of it. We were tiered from the week and nearly canceled our plans, which means we wouldn't have gone to the farmers market, which means we wouldn't have passed by the store where the aura photos were being taken, which means we wouldn't have met the farmer, had friends over for lunch or gone to church... I am struck by how the world works some times. 

...I have lost all of you haven't I? If not, way to stick with it. 

To sum things up, I will say this- whether it be passing the time with friends, sitting alone with yourself and listening to the quiet whispers or going to the farmers market and connecting with the people who grow your food (which keeps you ALIVE mind you), there is communion there. There is something sacred about those things and when you connect to it life becomes so much... more. 

What do you think? Where do you find communion? What ideas, actions, feelings fall under that umbrella? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

xx

*I grew up in Baptist and Bible churches, we were too conservative to serve real wine

**a pew is a hard wooden bench upon which you sit to listen to a pastor, preacher, father, etc. speak. They are hella uncomfortable 90% of the time and make every small child giggle due to the implications of their name (pew... like p-ewwwwww... like this shit stinks... get it? no? fine.)

***Is frozen juice concentrate still a thing!? You know the stuff I'm talking about right? It comes in a strange tube, thawed and then mixed with water to resemble juice in some way? I'm not convinced, I think it is poser juice that is watery and full of too much sugar.