“Attachments are strings of the physical world that hold us tied to the consciousness of the physical world.” (xiii) Bridges of Consciousness: Self Discovery in the New Age by Kathy Oddenino.
In my late 20’s, not so long ago, I went along with a group of friends to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to enjoy our friendship and the new experience hang gliding. We gathered on the beach early the next day to sign up and sign out, so to speak to hang glide.
“This is a dangerous sport,” the instructor said. “You need to understand this and sign a waiver." Without thinking in detail about what I was about to do, I signed the waiver. He requested a volunteer to demonstrate how to strap in with the instructor (it was a tandem ride) and glide in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. I raised my hand; in fact, I was the only one to volunteer.
After we were both safely strapped in the harness of the hang glider, attached to a pick-up truck, the truck began to move at a slow speed down the beach. When the truck reached a particular speed, the instructor flipped a switch and the hang glider released from the truck. I felt no panic at this point because even though hang glider released from the truck, I felt a sense of security because there was a long rope tethering us to the truck.
The glider began to rise higher and higher as the air currents went under the wings and picked it up towards the open sky. Then the instructor released the rope that attached to the truck that parked on the beach. My stomach sank and I panicked because I thought I was going to die. I no longer had the rope to keep me safe. I was no longer “attached” by a “string” to the ground. As I let go of the illusion that the rope kept me safe, I began to feel the exhilaration of soaring in complete freedom. The experience of soaring above the clouds over the Atlantic Ocean is a memory that I hold dear in my mind. (Oh yes, I did go for a second ride that day.)
In my late 20’s, not so long ago, I went along with a group of friends to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to enjoy our friendship and the new experience hang gliding. We gathered on the beach early the next day to sign up and sign out, so to speak to hang glide.
“This is a dangerous sport,” the instructor said. “You need to understand this and sign a waiver." Without thinking in detail about what I was about to do, I signed the waiver. He requested a volunteer to demonstrate how to strap in with the instructor (it was a tandem ride) and glide in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. I raised my hand; in fact, I was the only one to volunteer.
After we were both safely strapped in the harness of the hang glider, attached to a pick-up truck, the truck began to move at a slow speed down the beach. When the truck reached a particular speed, the instructor flipped a switch and the hang glider released from the truck. I felt no panic at this point because even though hang glider released from the truck, I felt a sense of security because there was a long rope tethering us to the truck.
The glider began to rise higher and higher as the air currents went under the wings and picked it up towards the open sky. Then the instructor released the rope that attached to the truck that parked on the beach. My stomach sank and I panicked because I thought I was going to die. I no longer had the rope to keep me safe. I was no longer “attached” by a “string” to the ground. As I let go of the illusion that the rope kept me safe, I began to feel the exhilaration of soaring in complete freedom. The experience of soaring above the clouds over the Atlantic Ocean is a memory that I hold dear in my mind. (Oh yes, I did go for a second ride that day.)
Now in my mid-40's, I can understand that experience was just a preview of what was to come as I begin to understand myself as energy. I look forward to soaring in complete exhilaration each day as I experience, acknowledge and understand myself as energy in matter.
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