I decided to stay in Portland, Maine for a few nights because the dance group, Cosmic Creations, which I occasionally attended, was meeting on Tuesday. I had also been told about a fire spinning group that I wanted to join that met on Wednesday. While in Portland, I visited a cute little beach and then started driving around trying to find a place I could possibly camp. I came across a park called Bug Light Park. It looked like a nice place right next to the ocean, and I didn't see any signs around that said no overnight parking. There was also a little patch of woods nearby, so I figured that would be a perfect spot to pitch a tent if I just left early in the morning.
I pitched my tent and went to bed shortly after the sunset. I was sleeping pretty well until around midnight when I heard footsteps approaching my tent. Next thing I know, there were lights shining on my tent, but no one was saying anything. I grabbed my taser in one hand and my pepper spray in the other and thought: shit, am I about to get jumped?
Finally someone spoke and said, “this is the police, come out of the tent!” I was relieved that it was the police, but also a little annoyed because I was just trying to sleep. I came out of my tent and they asked me what I was doing there, which seemed like a silly question since I was obviously sleeping in my tent. I talked to them and told them I was just traveling about and thought this was an okay place to sleep. They informed me that there was indeed a sign at the entrance that said the park was closed after dark.
Luckily for me, though, one of the officers said that they would let me stay the rest of the night and make sure no one bothered me, but I better be gone the next day. I was extremely grateful and drifted peacefully back to sleep.
The next day I woke up early so I could clear out my tent before too many people got there. Then I took advantage of the paved trail that wound through and around the park. I grabbed my rollerblades and bladed around for a while enjoying the fresh air off of the ocean.
I had a little extra time in the morning so I called up my friend Nate who I had met previously on my travels at a cannabis farm. We ended up meeting up at Noyes Mountain trail to go for a hike. It was a two hour scenic hike through the woods. At the top it opened up to a beautiful little overlook. After our hike we had both worked up an appetite, so we decided to check out a little cafe called Cafe Nomad. To my delight they had gluten free bread so I ended up getting a delicious veggie burger.
That afternoon I met up with the girls from Cosmic Creations. The group was getting together to celebrate the fall equinox. Tegan, the girl who led the group, had a friend who had access to a cave near her home that we planned to go to. We gathered at her friend's dance studio and all followed each other out to the cave. It was a short hike through the woods. We stopped at the top of a cliff area where we could see a small bit of the entrance to the cave in the valley below. After taking in the beauty, we ventured on through the woods until we came to the entrance of the cave.
I was expecting a little cave, but realized that was not the case at all. This cave was huge. The initial large, circular opening led to multiple other passageways to walk through. We all started exploring around the caves. Some of the girls sang songs and their voices echoed off the walls, bouncing the sound back to them. While we were there we planned to do a few different dances and do some chants.
For the first dance all the girls lined up in different spots at the entrance of the cave. We planned on doing an improv dance where we would each take turns dancing while the others stood frozen. After we all took our turns dancing individually, we would all dance about the cave until the music stopped and then freeze in the positions we were in. It all came together beautifully and it was so much fun to be a part of this group and to dance along with them.
The next thing we wanted to do was our chant. We wanted to do it in an upper area of the cave, but it was too dark. Luckily for us, one of the girls, Emma, had candles with her that she had made. We all took the candles and placed them in a circle and joined hands around them. We chanted for the solstice. Afterward, some of the girls sang different notes, harmonizing with each other as the cave amplified the sounds around us. It made me feel as if I was wrapped in a blanket of music.
Some of the girls who were regulars in the dance group had prepared a dance to a song called Medicine Woman. They joined together by the entrance of the cave and performed as the rest of us watched. Some of the girls spun fire while others took the opportunity to explore a little more and take pictures while inside the cave. We could have stayed there for hours, but the sun was starting to set so we had to make our way back. On the way out we all gathered at a cliff's edge and sat talking about the full moon and how it was in Pisces. The Pisces full moon can often heighten emotions, and we talked about how it was affecting us, and about the different things we would be doing for the fall equinox, and in the upcoming months.
As we all went to leave, one of my good friends, Vanessa, offered to let me come back to her house that night to stay. I gratefully accepted. When we arrived at her house we made tea and laid in bed talking for hours about the different energies we could feel inside the cave.
The next day I spent time relaxing with Vanessa and her mom. We sat around the table, talking and enjoying each other's company. Vanessa and her Mom made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. I ate until my stomach felt like it couldn’t take anymore. I so enjoyed having a day of relaxation after being on the go so much. That night was when the fire spinning group I had been told about was meeting in Portland, Maine. This was going to be my first time attending. I found the park and the stage they gathered at with ease. I was a little nervous walking up because I didn’t know anyone, and my friend Myra, who had told me about it, wasn't there yet. I started chatting with a few people and watched as everyone took turns on the stage spinning fire. They were all absolutely amazing. One guy even started breakdancing with his fire spinning tools in his hands. Once Myra got there she asked me if I wanted to try spinning. I was nervous to try because everyone there was so amazing, and I’ve only done it a few times when people had handed me random props and told me to give it a try.
Myra said that she would go up with me and we could spin together. She had palm torches that she offered to let me use, and she borrowed another pair from a friend for herself. Palm torches are a fire spinning device that have an elastic band that attach to your hand. They have a little metal plate that sits on your palm and then a short metal bar that comes a few inches from your hand and then the wick at the end. With this kind of fire spinning, it’s more of a dance with fire in your hands. I was nervous, but everyone there was really nice and encouraging. I went up and actually spun for my legit first time. I don't know how good it looked, but I felt great! It was amazing dancing as the fire seemed to shoot up from my hands. I hope to get a pair of palm torches for myself so I can learn and practice more.
The night I returned to Vanessa's house to spend one more night. When I arrived she was making gluten free cookies, which was extremely exciting to me. With my healthy eating and gluten free diet, I don’t often get to eat cookies! We ate some cookies, then went to bed, chatting for a few hours before actually falling asleep. I was so grateful to spend time there relaxing with my closest friend in an actual bed in a cozy house. It was just what I needed to warm my body and heart.
Comments