Summer 2012 trip begins!

This trip is dedicated to my mother, Ruth, who passed away exactly one month ago. She was quite an adventurer and would have loved Japan, so I keep picturing that she is with me as I move through this friendly and gracious land.

The view out of my 5th story condo. At left is a children's park, complete with a zip line! The sound of cicadas is resounding this time of year. Even with a busy street, and construction, my apartment is amazingly peaceful and quiet. In the morning, It's quite hot and humid here, again, as is usual for the summer.

 

 

 

 

I haven't started work yet, so I went on a excursion to the Institute of Nature Study, a large tract of land within Tokyo which includes natural wetlands and woods. Originally the lands of a 1600s shogun, it stayed wild until the 1950s, when it was set up as a Museum of Nature and Science. Exploring with an eye through my camera lens, I mostly captured close-ups of plants and insects. Here's a few of my favorites. If you click on the image, the photo gets bigger.

I call these "fuzzy hot dog" reeds.

Not sure what kind of fungus these are, but they were quite large. The tree trunk was probably 16" in diameter. When the sun hit the one on the left, the heat caused orange 'dust' to float in the air. Unfortunately, you can't see that in the photo.

Maybe this says, "Joe loves Emily." I'm not sure!

These guys were everywhere. About 3" long from end to end.

I caught this large one as it landed for a moment. Probably 6 or 7" nose to tip of tail. The dark mass between his body and the branch is part of the tree, making the body appear a strange shape.

This one's for Tarin, who has trained me to be compelled to take photos of spiders!

I kept trying to catch this one flying, with wings open. The way they fly is designed to make it difficult for their predators to anticipate their movements, so it was equally effective on me!

Lots of moms with young children were inside exploring nature. This is the favorite mode of transportation. Amazing to watch a woman (often in a short skirt and heels) navigating through traffic with two toddlers! I've even seen one with an additional infant slung across her front.

And finally, on the way home, I couldn't pass up a photo of a sign in the subway. What not to do with your cell phone, and how to stop a train from running over a drunk! Understandable in any language, but the Japanese have a flair for cartoon images and bright colors to draw attention.

Tonight I begin my work, presenting an Evening Seminar. I am excited about this trip, as the two products we have been working on for the past year are now on the market.  

The Spirit Game is a board system, with dice, to give people a tool to have self-introspection about their lives and a tool for calling in their Spirit Team. It was fun to call on my skills as a graphic designer to illustrate the board and design symbols for the dice, and it was a new exercise in letting go of control to have the book translated into Japanese!

There is also a DVD, about 2 hours long, which was filmed last winter. I present 6 topics of inspiration, with stories and guided visualizations. That was perhaps one of the most challenging things I've ever done, as it was all filmed within 1 short day, and under pressure to look good, make no mistakes, and even 'wing it' on a couple of pieces added last minute. Whew! 

Also new for this trip, I will be teaching Level 4, which is a practical application of material learned in Levels 1-3. I am excited to see many return students and see them evolving into healers and teachers.  

Blessings!
Daeryl