The B-note launch took place on Sunday, because Saturday’s event was rained out – I didn’t hear anyone remark about how fortunate it was we had scheduled two events, but a couple of people expressed some satisfaction that the launch event took place at the Free Farm, a gem in the very heart of Baltimore.
We had established ourselves a target of enrolling 50 businesses by the launch date – at the time we created that target we had zero. Five months later there were 53 businesses listed in our directory -- it would have been more but we printed it on Wednesday, so the three businesses that joined after then were not on the list.
The rain which canceled our event in the park was also responsible for the fortuitous meeting with the Mayor (see the excellent photo). From the looks of things, this could turn out to be a productive relationship.
At the Free Farm, the currency association volunteers were effusively happy, and very busy serving the endless stream of customers who converted dollars into B-notes all afternoon. After more than $2400 in transactions they were all exhausted and yet deliriously happy. I don’t think it has dawned on them yet what a huge achievement this is.
Looking back on the weekend, I can see a theme. Unplanned, without any conscious intention on my part, the weekend became a process of purification and new beginnings. A gentle washing away of the mistakes and the residues of mistakes that cluttered the mind, the body, and the surrounding air. And a new birth, into a new way of being and acting, built on a foundation of love and sharing and community. Pretty awesome.
Wandering Baltimore in the rain I made some connections. I ducked out of the rain for a coffee, and was served by Cordelia, the disturbingly beautiful young woman who was just too pretty to talk to when we both worked at the same place, but was great fun to chat with over coffee. Start as we mean to go on.
Later I talked with a psychic who told me the meaning of a recent dream. This dream represents purification by water she told me, and it felt right when she said it. And then I went back out into the rain.
I was early at Yoga Village, but I found a dry secluded place across the street where I meditated for over an hour. A security guard walked past but he gave me little more than a glance, and I was not disturbed at all, which is a good trick when you are outdoors in a big city.
The drum circle started a bit late, so I just had time to go through my usual yoga routine before George and all the drummers began to form the circle. The next two hours were magical. I’ve been part of dozens and dozens of drum circles, but this was really special.
George described the rain as a purification for the whole city – you can imagine how intensely this message penetrated. In the drumming and chanting which followed we two dozen strangers became like one person. For such a simple thing to go so deep was a revelation.
The next event on my schedule was a few yards away. An old, former warehouse had been transformed into a psychedelic fantasy world, and several hundred, mostly young people were out to have a good time with it. I love an event that doesn’t have a bar. People bring drinks with them, of course, but without the bar there is an entirely different focus to the event. People should do this more often.
It was too crowded for me to be comfortable on the dance floor, and there wasn’t a good place for me to store my bag, so I stayed outside for most of the night, hanging around the camp fire. I met loads of people. Initially I found Mike, and we chatted for a while, and several people joined us, so I talked to them, and when they gradually wandered off I just introduced myself to the nearest stranger and kept going. I was telling everyone about the B-note. I’d just start with my spiel about Baltimore getting its own currency today, and after about one minute I switched to answering questions. Without exception, these young people quickly embraced the idea of the B-note. Some of them had a few questions, but there was never even a hint of hostility, just genuine interest.
About three AM I found Damien, and thereby got myself a ride to the after-party, which was good, because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and it was a bit damp for finding a place to sleep outside.
The after party was a lot like the party, except there were comfy chairs. I just carried on talking B-note, and sometimes micro-finance to an ever expanding group of stimulating and intelligent people. Life should always be this good.
After dawn we paused for a couple of hours sleep, before heading to “Localize it!” at the Ash Street Free Farm, where the Currency Association, and the ChilliBrew will be part of the festivities. It was a glorious warm and sunny day, with really clean air, and smiles all round. I changed $20 for Bn22 and traded Bn5 for a meal. I gave away a couple of ones, and I chatted to several people who also swapped out some federal reserve notes for the Bnote. I didn’t see anyone at that event who was not clearly having an excellent time. Kudos to the Free Farm kids and all of the musicians, food vendors, brewers, artists and everyone else who showed up.
The Baltimore Evolver Spore was the next event on my schedule, and that was a very short drive away, although the route is a wriggly line on a map. Jason was supposed to be following us, but half way there we noticed he wasn’t behind us so we headed back to pick him up. We were all chatting in the car when Damien said, “what am I supposed to be doing right now?”, “Oh I remember, looking for that guy”. Jason was right in front of us when Damien spoke. On another weekend that would have been a weird co-incidence, but at this point it was just what you expect.
Ahh. The Spore. It was the spore that brought me to Baltimore in the first place. A group of very bright people whose aim is to consciously evolve to the next level for humanity, getting ahead of the huge and inevitable changes which are transforming our world. The spores take place all over the USA and in several other countries every month, and generally we all focus on the same subject, but all the events are unique. Baltimore Spore is always even better than you thought it was going to be, and Sunday night was no exception.
Once more I arrived at the Yoga Village with just enough time to perform my usual daily yoga routine before the event got underway. At this point in the day, I was a bit sleep deprived, but in high momentum and fully engaged with my surroundings. Robin asked me if I could lead a short meditation to start the event, and I accepted the invitation without hesitation. On all previous occasions I have declined to lead a meditation because I believe the process is too important for anyone who lacks the proper training. I have been through seven ten-day intensives and I know the deep and serious study that brings great rewards cannot be encapsulated in a short talk. So I usually decline when someone asks, but this is a spore – most of the people here are already serious students of meditation, there is no question of trivializing the matter.
Robin brought the gathering to order and after a short introduction I led the group in a brief experience of “anna panna” meditation, which is ideally suited to learning in five minutes, and has the effect of bringing one into calm, centered awareness. It is a technique that some meditators use for a few minutes at the start of an hour’s Vipassana meditation, and it can be used to bring one’s self back to focus if the mind wanders during a session.
I seated myself at the front of the room, cross legged on a blanket, before Robin opened the meeting, so I didn’t have to move. I just closed my eyes and started to meditate, describing what I was doing to the group in front of me. After about five minutes, I opened my eyes to a vision that filled me with joy and surprise, and one I hope to see many, many more times. The whole room was filled with beautiful spiritual beings, all deeply centered, calm, disciplined, dignified, awe-inspiring. I remarked that I could see we were about to have a really good event, and of course, I was not disappointed.
The three speakers were very different, and each was brilliantly stimulating. Spores are always like this – you never know what to expect except that it will be unlike anything else. Tim Boucher illustrated his talk with dozens of really interesting photographic images, and some of the questions which followed demonstrated the wide range of creativity of spore participants. Regina communicated the basic outlines of permaculture, and had the entire group (must have been around 50 of us) participate in a challenging and mind expanding exercise to further deepen the experience. I have been present for half-day workshops where less was achieved.
Jennifer, visiting from the New York headquarters, gave an entirely different perspective, exposing for group discussion the synchronicity increasingly present in electronic communications, and suggesting ways to enhance and widen the accessibility of such events.
It cannot really get any better than this, except when it does, and the meal we all had at Kings Pizza was one of those occasions. Evolver had booked a table for fifteen, but in the end we had the whole restaurant. Another of those alcohol free events, which are surprisingly lively but never degenerate into the raucous or decibel challenged.
Before the check arrived I launched an ever growing money pile around the table. Everybody added to the pile, and when the owner arrived with individual checks printed out we asked him for a grand total instead. Our goal was to have a money pile that was the exact right amount for the bill and the tip. It almost feels redundant to say that was just what happened.
Another friend provided me with a couch and a blanket, and after another in a series of long fruitful conversations I grabbed a few hours sleep before the walk along the river to the bus-stop.
I stopped by the river when I found a nice flat rock in a secluded spot. This second outdoor meditation was even more beautiful than the first. The vista of trees and river that greeted me at the end of the sit was joyful, and the traffic noise seemed to disappear into the birdsong. I noticed someone watching me from far enough away I didn’t know they were there when I was meditating, but that person left quickly enough that I suspect she was embarrassed to be discovered. Maybe she photographed me, I couldn’t say.
I picked up my bike from where it had been stored since January. The train/bus/train journey I made to get into Baltimore had revealed a route for bringing my wheels back to where I am living – a small bonus event. I have to wait a short while at the metro station, because you can’t take a bike on the train during rush-hour, but I made up that much time by riding, not walking, from the station to my house. I stayed awake long enough to eat.
