THE POSTCARD THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

In 1977, I attended a pivotal workshop for me, at the Oasis Center in Chicago, led by the philosopher/writer, Sam Keen, whose books - among them “Beginnings without End”, “Telling Your Story”, and “Apology for Wonder “ - I had found very helpful at the time.  Halfway through the workshop, he had us all lie down. Then he asked us to visualize how we felt in our bodies from the inside – not how they looked, but how we felt. And he guided us through each body part, encouraging us to feel what our inner experience was - of the shape, size, density, color, perhaps emotion felt in each part. After the extended self-exploration, he gave each of us a piece of large, newsprint-sized paper and crayons and asked us to draw in color what we had experienced as our self-image.  I drew a body which was proportionate and surprisingly large, given my usual image of myself as small person.  And the colors were mostly bright except around the bottom of my ribcage and my jaw and teeth – both were black – indicating some tension I chronically felt there.

He then walked around the room of about 30 people and went to each person, briefly looked at their drawing, and shared in a matter of just seconds, what were, for me at least, incredible insights into each person’s nature, their challenges and their strengths of character.  He pointed out truths about me that I was unaware of until then, ones deep, powerful and undeniable. He explained that he was simply using his study of the chakras to help him understand each person better.

I was flabbergasted.  After the workshop I got his address from a friend, wrote Sam Keen and asked him where did he get those insights from?  To my delight, he sent me back a typed response on a little postcard:

To this day, I have been asking myself what the chakras are trying to say. How wonderful to have a question and assignment that you can explore for 50 or more years.  I think it was Sam Keen that said any question you can answer in one lifetime is probably not a very good question.

Well, the other great and lasting effect on me was his saying, “Best of luck and pluck”.  We all need a bit of luck, but even more so we need a willingness to pluck – a truth, a rabbit out of a hat, a string on a guitar, a song out the air.  We keep on plucking and sometimes have the good luck of touching the truth that resides within in us or that is out there, or playing or listening to the songs within us or of the spheres, and sometimes hearing what those chakras are trying to say.

Best of luck and pluck to you!