JANUARY, 2025

by Marta Lopez Astrain

One year ago, just before the Wood Dragon Year started with its evolutionary energy, Carisa O’Kelly together with enthusiastic practitioners painted a wonderful Mandala in Tsegyalgar West Gönpa and was finished just in time for the annual Losar celebration with a course of the Dance of the Three Vajras. The Wheel of Dharma was turned and the Dance of the Vajra was present once more at the Gar. Now, one year after the wonderful manifestation of a Mandala and with the Wood Dragon Year coming to an end, we had the opportunity to participate in the Winter Retreat of Tsegyalgar West with Vajra Dance teacher Carisa O’Kelly. From January 19th to 29th we practiced and delved into the three Vajra Dances of the Earth Mandala.

When one arrives at the Gar you immediately become fully aware of an ongoing cleansing process of your three dimensions. Your elements integrate with all what is going on here. The enveloping sound of silence of this space, the sound of our daily collective practices of Guruyoga and the dance melodies, the deep blue sky and warm sun shining every morning, the cool wind, the old rocks wrapped around by the beautiful fig trees that bring us memories of our dearest Nina Robinson practicing Mandarava, the old Tamarindos and the Pochotas in YabYum, where a hanging hammock is inviting you to watch the vast night sky with all the stars and planets shining above, or lie down in the afternoon and listen to the sound of cow bells or hummingbirds being territorial or laughter present here and there.

Relaxing, singing and dancing. In the first days of the retreat Carisa started with the Dance that Benefits all Beings and she made emphasis on the importance of listening carefully trying to recognize and reproduce each melody and, by integrating the internal and the external sound, realizing the timing of each movement and the magnificence of the Mudra of compassion and unconditional giving.

Practicing and deepening the Dance of the Song of the Vajra. Each one with its own attention and capacity was able to correct, clarify and attain stability with this dance. When you find out that there is something you have not been doing right, a Mudra or the position of your feet on the Mandala or the correct way to do the turnings, it becomes so naturally clear how to refresh it, just as in our daily lives. We had the chance to listen and dance to different melodies, some slower and other faster, one of them was only with the music, no words, somehow difficult to follow. When we danced during the Ganapuja the melody was very fast and we were all doing our best but some laughter caught us, as if joyful dakas and dakinis were surrounding us. This dance is such a wonderful challenge but at the same time it gives us the chance to experience what “abandon the disease of an effort” means.

The Dance of the Three Vajras. This dance is cherry on top of cake! Or in Spanish: “la cereza del pastel”. For the first time I experienced Pavo energy, it was strong and so moving and I just had to stop and observe what was happening within my whirling state. By then we had a full Mandala with six Pamo energies and six Pavo energies. Dancing the long version of the Dance of the Three Vajras and with the accumulated energy of all the practices we had been doing, gave us the opportunity to experience as Janina commented: a “collective state of contemplation”, and this is absolutely awesome.

We also enjoyed two other activities. Carisa proposed watching a wonderful video that contains a selection of teachings on the Vajra Dance given by our Teacher between 1991 and 1999 and an interview with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu by Prima Mai. We can only be so grateful after watching the explanations of his dreams, how the Mandala and the dances took form and how he began to teach them.

Then, to finish our retreat and just before we left the Gar, we were invited to play the Liberation Game; goodness gracious!!! This is a serious game, it leaves you really pondering on life, after life and maybe lives before, and it is also so much fun. Deep deep thanks to our beloved Teacher, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu for all his Teachings, his presence then and now; thanks to Carisa for her loving kindness and for being an amazing Vajra Dance teacher; thanks to our Vajra sisters and brothers that organized this retreat and last but not least, thanks to Lulu, who cooked delicious and Sattvic food for all of us. We could all be so grateful for having the privilege to participate and do collective practice. OM AH HUM