Georg, Irena Tweedie, Me and The Big Old House It was a little over ten years ago when Georg and met in person for the first time (in this lifetime). Its a story that will be told in an upcoming book, but I will share a little bit which I feel is very relevant this morning as I celebrate the opening of my home studio. It was late June of 2003 when I arrived at the YREC retreat centre in Manton, CA, as a volunteer. It was our first in-person meeting and from the start it was obvious we were kindred spirits and that our (past) lives had been deeply intertwined. Georg would tell me stories of his time in the UK and the person that changed his life forever. One day, after a very long day of working outside in 110F temps, Georg gifted me a book that changed my life. Up to that point, I hadn’t heard much about Irena Tweedie, but when he handed me Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master, I started to cry. Now I understand the tears may have come because it was a gift from a friend, but it seemed deeper than that to me. I disappeared into my room and read all night long. I felt I had come “home” yet again and I wondered how many “homes” do we really have. The next morning, I knocked on Georg’s office door and asked him if he had time to talk. I sat on the sofa, but didn’t say a word. He knew the book had deeply moved me and he waited for my questions. All I said was “Please, tell me more.” and I continued to sit quietly. Georg told me that Irena was an incredible teacher with this big old house in London. People would just show up and want to sit in her presence. He said she just had “this way to her” and it was kind of like being “bathed in light”. She always had tea and cookies for people and she treated students like she was their mother. The story is much longer and I’ll save it for the book, but for now, let’s just say, Irena was an extremely influential person in Georg’s early years and he often thought of her as he grew older. As Georg told me stories, I laughed and tears streamed down my face. How could I feel so close to someone I had never met? Suddenly, Georg looked at me and said, “Brenda, you remind me of Irena. I wish you could have met her because I know you two would have been inseparable. She would have loved you so much!” I guess that might be why he wanted to gift me the book. It’s interesting because Georg gifted me several books during that time and everyone of those people – dead and alive – have become an integral part of my life, and in some cases, so much so that it has resulted in projects together! How did the stories affect me? Well, even before Georg shared his stories of his time with Irena, I had always wanted a big old house with an “open door policy”. A place where people could come and receive teachings, practice, and of course, have tea and cookies and the occasional meal. A situation where people supported me so that I could offer them whatever I could. I envisioned the place as the perfect balance of “giving and receiving”. That was what Irena had when Georg knew her. During my years with Georg we talked about how that could happen, and in many ways, that is what he wanted for me all along. He knew it was a deep heart-wish of mine and something that needed to happen in this lifetime. Six months before Georg left his body, we made the big-old-house-dream happen. It’s a lovely light and love filled house and it sits on a beautiful one acre lot along the Frenchman River, and overlooks some of the most beautiful hills I’ve ever seen. I remember how excited we were the evening we moved in. We felt we had come “home”...again. Over the past year and a half I’ve had some Buddhist philosophy classes, meditation classes, a retreat and various rituals here, but it wasn’t until last night when I reopened the space to the public that I felt a presence that went way beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I felt Georg sitting with me as I taught my first two hour class in a long time, I felt Irena smiling and gazing at me with “those eyes of gold” and I felt all my spiritual teachers guiding me as I made my first offering here as One. After the students left I sat in the middle of the room and cried. It was dark, the candles flickered and there was a beautiful silence I had never witnessed before. In that very raw moment, I took a deep breath in, and as I exhaled and let go more deeply, I realized everything is going to be okay.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 15:59:28 +0000
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