It happened fifteen years ago, but I can still remember how excited I was when a group of Celebration Circle friends traveled to Houston to hear the Dalai Lama speak.  A long drive in a crowded van was followed by a seemingly endless wait in line to get into a huge college gymnasium with terrible acoustics, which made it difficult to understand this revered Buddhist leader speaking in his heavy, Tibetan accent.  But none of that mattered.  Powerful vibrations of Love and Joy came shining through His Holiness, filling the hall as he urged us all to take heart.  To discover/recover our own capacity for love and compassion.  To focus not on him, but on his message of inner peace as the path to world peace.  It was very moving, and his eloquent lessons made the journey seem well worthwhile.
 
Afterwards, we found ourselves drawn into a cluster of people standing outside the stage door where the Dalai Lama’s limousine was parked, hoping for a closer look at him.   My wife, Zet, and several other people in our party, pressed in nearer, and motioned me to join them, but my observer-self chose to hang back.  Suddenly the door swung open and a small army of attendants, police and bodyguards began clearing a path, trying their best to move him from the building into the car as quickly as possible - but he would have none of it.  He was clearly enjoying the personal interactions, taking his time in shaking hands, bowing repeatedly, kneeling on the ground to play with a baby, smiling sweetly from ear to ear.
 
Eventually, the motorcade drove off, and a joyous afterglow descended on those of us left standing in the driveway.  My friends were excited to have gotten so close to him, especially Zet, who was wearing a huge smile and the white, silk scarf which the Dalai Lama had held and blessed for her.   Suddenly, my joyfulness evaporated, as I began beating myself up for not having pressed forward along with my friends for this rare opportunity to have physical contact with such a holy man.  If only…
 
And then, just as suddenly, I found myself chuckling at the irony of the situation.  We had driven 200 miles, stood patiently in long lines, endured terrible acoustics and long waits, just so we could hear, see and touch a sage whose main message was:  “Don’t look to me; look to your own heart and your own life.”  And now here I was, busy kicking myself for not having touched him.  What a good joke!  What a lesson!
 
Time and again in the years since then, I’ve seen how easy it is to make such errors.  To mistake the messenger for the message, to glorify the teacher instead of the teachings.  To engage in a meditation technique for the pleasurable sensations involved, rather than staying open to what it might reveal at a deeper, more subtle level.  To encounter perfectly viable metaphysical tools, such as crystals, Tarot cards, yoga poses or breathwork techniques intended to help us get focused on the inner movements of Spirit - and wind up focusing on the tools themselves instead.
 
As we prepare to celebrate the Circle’s 18th Birthday this weekend, it’s rewarding to look back at the wide variety of spiritual teachers, teachings and techniques that we’ve welcomed and learned from over the years.  Along the way, I’ve done what I could as Spiritual Director to remind us (myself included!) to take responsibility for our own inner growth.  To avoid the trap of looking to any one teacher or technique as having The Answer.  To remember that personal growth is an ongoing process of rediscovering our own Wholeness, something which each of us must engage by ourselves, AND we don’t have to do it alone.  Support is invaluable, and readily available in the context of a spiritual community like the Celebration Circle!
 
I sure hope you’ll be able to join us for our Birthday celebration, which is going to be Big Fun.  But more than just being an enjoyable day, we’ll be marking an important milestone in the Circle’s process of maturation. As we turn eighteen and emerge from our “teenage years” as a community, there’s a heightened sense of group identity, as well as a deepening of spirit, and the desire to be of service to others.  We’ll be addressing these areas of growth during our Annual Meeting on Sunday afternoon.  For now, let me just say how pleased I am to be walking this path of spiritual community alongside you.  It’s been an amazing adventure so far — with much more ahead — and I’m deeply grateful for your love and support which help make it all possible.
 
With blessings and hopes of seeing you around the Circle,

Rudolf