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OPEN

WHO: Saint Walker and YOU.
WHERE: In every Porter City to make sure imPorts of every city have access to some good old fashioned meditation!
WHEN: Throughout March.
WHAT: As per this post, Saint Walker is offering meditation lessons -- people tagging in needn't respond to that post to participate, however. All of my starters will be geared towards meditation classes, but if you want to play out anything else, feel free to PM me or PP me at feygasm!
WARNINGS: None anticipated.

A: HEROPA

[Heropa is, in truth, where Saint Walker prefers to give his lessons. Not because he lives there - to commute between cities is but a trifling thing - but because it features a quiet, peaceful beach ideal for meditation. While it's possible to meditate no matter the locale, it's always easier for beginners to have nothing but the sounds of nature and Saint Walker's harp to distract them from their task.

Saint Walker is easy enough to spot on the beach, as blue and alien as he is, but even if he goes unnoticed, he's got an eye out for any of his potential students coming towards him. He floats in mid-air, legs crossed and hands resting gently on his knees as he surveys his surroundings.

Even if you're not here for meditation classes, there's certainly no harm in saying hello.]

B: NONAH/MAURTIA FALLS/DE CHIMA

[In the absence of a nearby beach in the remaining Porter cities, Saint Walker has located nearby forests for meditation purposes. It may not be as sunny and warm as Heropa, but the air is clean and fresh, and Saint Walker knows that there's a small river - more of a creek, really - not so far away that they may use to their advantage. To prevent others from getting lost, he lingers at the entrance of the forest, hands wrapped around a thermos of green tea he had made at home, large enough to provide cups for anyone who may decide to attend his lessons.]

C: WILDCARD

[Want to do anything else? Go to the library? To a cafe? Catch him flying about town, or playing his instrument publicly? Just let me know, and I'll be happy to write a starter for you, or respond to one made for me!]

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In that case, I hope that your intellectual curiosity will transform to intellectual engagement over the course of the afternoon. Having an opportunity for self-reflection is, I think, far more useful than most people realize.

First, I think, comes your seating position. Every body has a configuration that is most natural, most comfortable to them, after all; to hold yourself stiffly without regards to the natural state of one's own body is not ideal. I find that bipedal beings such as you and I can assume this position most comfortably cross-legged, with our hands on our knees. Please assume the position, and attempt to relax yourself to the best of your abilities.

[Cross-legged? Goodness, how unrefined this meditation business is. She doesn't believe she's ever sat that way in her life--a princess must look appropriately regal, after all. Then again, she did agree to this, and a princess doesn't go back on her word... and she's already sitting on a rock.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. L'Arachel sets the tea down beside her and crosses her legs, shifting a little to get comfortable, and rests her hands on her knees. For someone who's never meditated before, she has a knack for at least this much of it; her posture is impeccable, and it's not at all forced. She is perfectly relaxed.]

...My, this is comfortable! I believe I understand why the common folk so often sit like this! [She laughs lightly.] You see, I've learned something already! Doubtless I'll be a very quick study!

Perhaps you would be best suited to sitting like this more often, in that case -- in the privacy of your own home, certainly.

[With L'Arachel, he feels that baby steps are best. And though she has requested oneness with her own emotions, with her own thoughts, he decides to begin on a macro scale instead.]

In order to fully be in tune with oneself, you must first be aware of your surroundings. Please, L'Arachel, close your eyes and tell me of what you hear, of what you smell, of what you feel. No detail is insignificant when it comes to becoming attuned with the nature at your very feet.

Becoming attuned with nature... oh, this will be fun!

[It certainly sounds appropriately spiritual, which makes L'Arachel all the more eager to give it a try. Still smiling, she closes her eyes.]

Very well. I can hear that cheerful little brook over there--goodness, that's a delightful sound! Almost like laughter! Oh, and the wind in the branches of the trees... now, that would sound much better if only they had some leaves on them. I can smell... hmm. It smells like spring. I suppose that must be new grass?

And as for what I feel... well, a hard, chilly rock. --Oh, but there's also the breeze! It's a very pleasant spring breeze today.

[She gives a satisfied nod.] There now, how was that?

Very good! Let us listen further.

[Saint Walker closes his eyes, concentrating to better instruct L'Arachel in what she must be listening for, what she must be feeling.]

Above us, there is the sound of a bug's wings rubbing against one another. It is buzzing from leaf to leaf, in search of more food, no doubt. In the distance, a bird is singing its song -- higher, then lower, in a continuous pattern. You yourself are not perfectly still -- do you hear the rustling of your shoes beneath you, or the moving dirt below me?

A bug's wings... my, you weren't kidding when you said no detail was insignificant! [She laughs.] But yes, yes, I hear it! The bird, too--that's a robin, I believe. We have them in my world as well.

[L'Arachel appears to have missed the memo about meditation being a means of quieting oneself; she would be perfectly content to spend this time carrying on a running commentary on everything around them. That's what you do with company, after all. You chat.]

I fear you're quite mistaken about my shoes rustling, though! I am the very picture of stillness! [...She is now.] You must simply have misheard.

Mm.

[That's all he has to say about that, though his smile is inscrutable. It's a skill cultivated across the years, and is necessary when people go to you with their problems; occasionally it was very serious indeed, but he had to look perfectly serene while some villager came to him complaining about his neighbour loitering by his fence unbidden.]

Good. [Where to go next? Deep breathing, perhaps, but that can wait; first, he would like a little more insight.]

And tell me, how does this culmination of the senses make you feel?

[L'Arachel opens her eyes again, a bright smile on her face. It may have been only one word of praise, but it was still praise, and while she's not the least bit surprised to receive it, few things bring her greater joy than having her excellence recognized.]

Why, delighted, of course! How can one feel anything but delighted when immersed in the beauty and splendour of creation? Every warm gust of wind is like the gods' own breath! You must certainly feel it as well. [He is a holy man, after all.]

Now, I do wish that there were more songbirds about... oh, but that can hardly be helped. No, everything else is simply lovely! [She claps her hands together, beaming.] This is going so splendidly, don't you think?

[It's almost funny how pleasant this is. Saint Walker is used to people doubting him, at people calling him overly sentimental or wishy washy, making up meaning where there is none. Trust L'Arachel to barrel into meditation with all of her heart, immediately latching onto the wonders that have been bestowed upon them sheerly through existing, not a cynical bone in her body.]

It is indeed. I am... glad - [is that the right word? Truly, it warms his heart] - that you can derive such joy from the blessings that surround us all. And if nature makes you feel as such, becoming one with nature, I think, will be a pleasant experience for you. Please, close your eyes once more.

But blessings are meant to be enjoyed, are they not? What other emotion could I possibly derive from them? [It's clearly a rhetorical question, given the way she laughs as she asks it.] The gods bless us with the beauty of nature because they wish for us to be happy, and so, I shall be!

[It really is that straightforward, as far as she's concerned, and she'd no doubt be quite astonished to learn that there are those who think so cynically of Saint Walker and his spiritual teachings. They've made nothing but perfect sense thus far.

She closes her eyes again as instructed, still smiling.] Very well, I've mastered listening, now what's the next step?

The next step, L'Arachel, is to listen to yourself, listen to the ways in which you are connected with all that surrounds you.

[Saint Walker welcomes all difficult students, of course, but he has a feeling that L'Arachel may be his most enjoyable one.]

Focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out to the rhythm of the water against the rocks, feel how you are one with the very life that surrounds you.

Breathing? Well, that should certainly be simple enough!

[Not that L'Arachel was expecting any sort of a challenge, of course, being as attuned to spiritual forces as she already is. She happily complies, focusing on the gentle bubbling of the brook and trying to match her breathing to its rhythm.

It doesn't take her long, and she soon finds that it's quite enjoyable to just listen to the lapping of the water, to fantasize about all the far-off places it may have been, to smell the scent of spring in the air... yes, it's truly a glorious day to be one with nature.

...Except that this rock seems to be getting harder by the minute, and eventually she finds herself shifting a little, trying to resituate herself comfortably. This particular part of nature would be much easier to become one with if only it were squishier.]

You are losing focus, and concentrating on your physical shell instead of your spiritual centre, L'Arachel, [he says, quietly, voice unobtrusive but still very much audible. Typically he uses different definitions of what is happening, for not everyone else is as religious as he is, but he knows that L'Arachel of all people will understand what he means.]

Focus on the sounds of the water. If you are attuned enough with your surroundings, your physical discomfort will become immaterial.

[L'Arachel opens her eyes again when Saint Walker speaks, shaking her head.]

No, no, this won't do. I will focus much more effectively without physical discomfort. Just a moment.

[She unbuttons her jacket and slips it off, folding it up neatly and setting it down. She's got a light sweater on underneath, so she's not concerned about getting cold; no, right now the jacket will be much more useful as a cushion. Repositioning herself on it, she smiles triumphantly.]

There we are! There's nothing that says my physical shell and my spiritual centre cannot both be happy, is there? [A light laugh, and she closes her eyes once more.] Now, let's get back to meditating!

Once you have been centered enough, where you are, how you feel will be immaterial to the transcendence of your mind's eye, [Saint Walker can't help but point out.] Make no mistake, L'Arachel, I encourage all of my students to make themselves as comfortable as possible, but I believe that in the future, you will be more than capable of meditating no matter what your surroundings may be.

[This is their first lesson, however, and they are already in less comfortable surroundings than his formal students, bereft of the quiet studio, of the curiously squishy yoga mats, of the cultivated atmosphere that they seem to find so reassuring. It is artificial to Saint Walker, but he accomplishes his goal based on what they find comforting, and comfortable.]

Do you understand?

Oh yes, I understand perfectly! [L'Arachel nods, all cheerful smiles. Phrases like 'the transcendence of your mind's eye' might throw the less ecclesiastical for a loop, but not so for the likes of her! This kind of language is as good as poetry to her, and she drinks it up.

Still, Saint Walker does need to be corrected on one important point.]

Of course, I'm quite certain that I would already be capable of meditating in most any circumstances, if I wished to. I'm picking it up just as quickly as I'd expected! But there's simply no need to be uncomfortable at the moment, you see.

[Translation: 'I could do it if I wanted to, I just don't want to.']

Is that so? It is an advanced skill and you are, after all, a beginner.

[Which is to say, Saint Walker is perfectly happy to call L'Arachel on what may be a bluff, if only to prove to her that there is still more for her to learn yet, particularly about a practice that she has not had much experience in doing.]

I should like to see it. Surely a learning experience counts as a need to attempt it, correct?

It does not. [L'Arachel's smile evaporates as she corrects him with a wag of her finger, raising her chin in defiance.] I have no need to prove myself to you or to anyone, and I'm disappointed that you would doubt my word.

...But I will prove it to you. Not because I am in any way obligated to, but because I want to. I shall teach you the hard way to have faith in me and in my capabilities!

[She slides her jacket out from under her, pointedly plunking herself back down on the hard rock, and shoots Walker an obstinate look that clearly says 'challenge accepted'.]

Shall we continue, then?

[Oh. Oh, dear. It's actually difficult to keep from laughing, but while he laughs at those such as Razer, he knows that L'Arachel will have half a mind to walk off. He will laugh at her at a later date, perhaps, because her reaction is so terribly funny, and so clearly a product of her age.

He had known for a fact that his challenge would work, and work it has, after all, so he dips his head and continues.]

Yes, I think we shall! [None of his amusement shows blatantly, but there is a brightness to his tone, a certain widening of his eyes that betrays his true emotions, but only if one is watching carefully.]

Close your eyes once more, L'Arachel, and once again, focus on remaining still -- despite any discomfort you may feel.

[Whatever amusement slips through in Saint Walker's tone or expression goes unnoticed by L'Arachel, simply because she's not expecting any. She hasn't said or done anything even remotely funny, after all. No doubt he's just a persistently cheery sort. She assumes the proper position and closes her eyes yet again, her head still held high.

He's sure to notice, however, that she's no longer as relaxed as she was earlier. This is now about much more than just meditating; it's about proving Saint Walker wrong. While she does believe that she has no need to prove anything to him, she has decided to do so anyway, and that means she's not going to move a muscle until he has learned to take her at her word. She's not listening to the water or matching her breathing to its rhythm; she sits like a statue, all her thought bent on simply not moving.

She is the Princess L'Arachel. If she chooses not to move, she will not move, and if Walker needs to see that for himself in order to believe it, then she'll show him.]

[Oh, dear. Saint Walker sees what's happening here. L'Arachel has defined meditating as not moving, which is not quite true. They remain still for this incarnation, certainly, but stillness is simply a lack of fidgeting; there are many meditators who simply move with the breath of the wind, quietly swaying to and fro as they become one with those around them.

L'Arachel's back is stiff, and her breathing irregular.

Saint Walker doesn't speak. He merely dips his hand in the water - swish, it goes, interrupting its flow - lifts his hand, and waits a full two seconds for L'Arachel to notice before flicking a few droplets at her.]

[The sound of Saint Walker's hand in the water causes L'Arachel to crack one eye open. Surely opening one eye doesn't count as moving. She snaps it shut again as he flicks cold water droplets in her direction, and huffs quietly, tensing her jaw. But she doesn't move.

Normally this is where she'd berate him for his rudeness. Flicking water at a princess? Is he mocking her? The nerve! And she may yet berate him--but not right now. Right now she is proving that she can meditate. Focus on remaining still, he said, and that's precisely what she's going to do.

Perhaps... perhaps this is even part of the process. A test of her spiritual fortitude. If that's the case, it is a test she intends to pass!]

[Oh. Oh, dear. This is entirely too funny, but Saint Walker restrains himself from laughing, even as her jaw tenses. L'Arachel is adorable, though she doesn't mean to be, and that makes her all the cuter.]

L'Arachel, [he says, gently.] Meditation is not merely about staying still. To move organically is, in fact, an important part of it. It is about finding your center, and being one with the world around you. I merely flicked water at you to see whether or not you have taken the meaning of meditation to heart.

[Which, clearly, she hasn't.]

[L'Arachel opens her eyes at the sound of her name, and since it seems that Saint Walker's interruption is meant to signal a break in meditating, she allows herself to move again. And promptly folds her arms. So it wasn't a test of her spiritual fortitude after all? How disappointing.]

I was proving a point. Focus on remaining still, you said. And did I not do so, in spite of your dreadfully rude attempt to distract me? Have I now proven to you that I am capable of an impressive degree of focus?

[Or an impressive degree of stubbornness. But they're meant as rhetorical questions--obviously the only acceptable answer is 'yes'. She reaches for her jacket and seats herself on it once again, satisfied that she's gotten her message across.]

If you have now learned better than to doubt me, we may continue.

Your focus, L'Arachel, was never in question. Merely your ability to meditate, which has very little to do with focus alone; if that were the case, all the great scholars and all the great scientists would be able to do so with ease, when quite the opposite is the case.

But, as I said, if you find that some cushioning is useful in your endeavors to meditate, then by all means, use it.

[But he will not, in fact, allow her to get away with thinking that this was an unequivocal success for her. That simply is not how meditation works!]

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lightandglory - 2016-04-28 03:00 (UTC) - Expand

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