In July of 1996 while on spiritual retreat in Western Colorado, I discovered the Dances of Universal Peace. Within an hour, I knew the Dances would be in my life forever. I was 36 then and at a real turning point in my life. The Dances were exactly what I needed. I attended every Dance Circle and Event I could find while out West, including the weeklong Wilderness Dance Camp in Utah. The pull toward the Dances continually grew stronger and stronger.
When I returned to Michigan that autumn, I ordered several Dance tapes, instruction booklets, and the Dance Leader Certification packet from PeaceWorks and the "teenage angst" guitar came out of the attic. By November I was playing guitar for other leaders; by January I was leading Dances at others' gatherings; and on March 1, 1997 I produced and hosted my first Dance Evening. There was only one week to get the word out, yet over 50 people attended, indicating to me that the Universe supported my desire to lead. I learned a most important lesson that evening - when one's actions are from a truly humble position, the magic of Spirit abounds.
In April I "found" my Dance Mentor and officially joined the certification program offered by the Mentor Teachers Guild for the Dances of Universal Peace in May. I then spent the remainder of 1997 traveling throughout the West attending as many Dance related circles and camps as I could arrange/afford, over a dozen camps and 20 circles in all. I gained much priceless experience playing guitar and/or leading at nearly every one.
During meditation sometime late in 1996, I had a "vision" of leading business people in a Dance around a corporate boardroom table. Little did I know at that time, just how soon I might be in a position to realize that vision. Then, just about a year later, feelings of "it's time" (to start offering workshops) started creeping into my meditations.
By December 1997, my meditations had become crowded with insistent urges/longings to lead. I was even receiving very specific information on how to structure the workshops, what Dances to concentrate on, and even workshop titles. 1998 through 2000 was largely spent traveling around the continent attending Sufi/Dance events and leading workshops.
In 2001, I settled in Santa Cruz, California and also received my Dance Leader Certification. As part of the Santa Cruz Dance leading team, I am blessed to be part of a community that Dances weekly. And while the Dancing around the corporate boardroom table vision has not yet come to fruition, I suspect it is still out there in my future.
Much love and light to all,
Dave Nur-al-Haqq
Copyright ©1998-2002 Dave Walker. This document can be freely distributed provided this copyright notice remains.
May 10, 2002