#19 The Fellowship: Weird Thursday

Oh Hello Wonderful Human!

This last week, I was hard at work. I ran a health week and ironically, watched my actual health deteriorate. Event planning is no joke.

But my energy for life increased. I was in my genius. I was doing me. There’s a both/and.

And we are in it…

Weird Thursday: The Experience

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The movie stopped. A bright light from the back of the Theater illuminated a red telephone below the screen.

Everyone looked around, confused. What was happening?

Ring. Ring. Ring.

~~

Welcome to Weird Thursday: A Sci-Fi Experience.

The event I was most excited about creating this week.

Nobody knew what to expect. Not even me.

Our Goal: Disrupt people’s patterns

We'd hyped it all week. "It's going to be more than just a movie," we promised.

As a teaser, we revealed the first 10 minutes would feature breathwork.

The Theme: Reclaim your health. The Movie: The Matrix.

The night came and fifty people filtered into the theater.

The breathwork settled everyone in, and then the movie began.

About 30 minutes in comes that scene—Neo facing his choice between the red pill (unknown adventure that changes everything) and the blue pill (stay comfortable, stay the same).

If anyone’s seen the Matrix (I’m still yet to actually watch it), about 30 minutes in comes that scene.

Neo faces a choice between #1 the red pill (unknown adventure that changes everything) and #2 the blue pill (stay comfortable, stay the same).

As that scene unfolded on screen, the movie cut to black.

Our bright flashlight illuminated the red telephone center stage.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Confusion rippled through the audience. No one moved.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A few people stood up.

Ring. Ring.

Suddenly, someone bolted from the back row. He ran on stage and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?”

"I'm giving you a choice. Red pill or Blue pill to reclaim your health. Red pill: hang up, take one person with you, and leave quietly for an adventure. Blue pill: return to your seat and enjoy the movie. What do you choose?"

“Red.”

He grabbed the person closest to him and headed for the exit.

As they left, the phone rang again.

This time multiple people rushed the stage curious to know who was on the other end.

A gentleman picked up the phone.

"Uh... hello?"

Same choice. Same response: "Red."

Four people total. Two guys, two girls.

They found themselves in the back lobby where two cars waited.

They each got in.

They drove to a nearby hotel where I was awaiting.

Phase two began.

The four individuals stood in front of me. Some smiling, some still unsure.

Swimsuits were laid out on a table for each of them.

"Change into these and come back."

They proceeded to change and return back to the conference room.

When they returned, I walked them outside.

As they turned the corner there were: two cold plunges, one sauna, and two tables. One with notebooks and pens, the other with towels.

"Grab a notebook, grab a towel, and sit in these four chairs."

I looked at each of them. "You chose to be at Edge Esmeralda this month. You chose to show up to the theater not knowing what to expect. Whether you answered that phone or got dragged along, you're here for a reason.

"You have a choice: this can be just another thing you do, or it can be an experience that changes something in you.

"In your notebook, there is a question. It reads: One area of my health I want to reclaim is ______ and I am no longer willing to accept ______.

"You have three minutes. What you put into this is what you'll get out of it.

"Go."

After they wrote their declarations, I had them line up in front of the sauna.

"Before you enter, you need to cross a threshold.

You've written this declaration for yourself. Now you get to share it with these five people around you. It’s an opportunity to bring us into your journey."

One by one, they spoke their truth and stepped into the heat.

Inside the sauna, each person got three minutes to share the deeper story behind their declaration. Then the group had three minutes to respond.

There were only two rules:

1. Speak in "I" statements

2. No advice unless explicitly requested

Over the next 30 minutes, seemingly surface topics were unraveled to reveal deeper truths.

For one person, what seemed like simple procrastination around sleep but by minute two of sharing revealed itself as a pattern of self-sabotage, a refusal to allow oneself the joy of being rested.

Powerful.

When we finally emerged, all of us plunged into the cold water to seal our declarations.

As we got out of the sauna we all took a dip in the cold plunge to solidify these declarations.

We closed by committing to one immediate action.

Something to ensure this wouldn't just be "another night" but a genuine launch pad toward our next evolution.

It was marvelous.

Looking back, we had set up the container for this to happen, but all the words spoken and the transformation flowed from intuition and trust.

A trust of myself and the team to deliver what those four people needed in that moment.

I think we did that.

Structure sets the scene. Flow and intuition determine the magnitude of the experience.

So I'm curious: Is there an area of your health you'd want to reclaim?

My Declaration

I walked away from this week a more confident person.

I did the thing. I'd never executed a full week of events before, but I did it.

I was tired. My days were packed. But I was in my genius.

How do I know? Because my energy kept rising. My appreciation for life deepened daily. People started looking to me for answers.

I was stepping into the moment.

In the sauna that night, my declaration was: I want to reclaim my value. I bring a shit ton to the table. I was no longer willing to accept not standing up for myself.

No more "I'm so grateful for this opportunity, whatever you want, I'll do because you're giving me this chance."

As I write this, it’s not a felt sense yet, but I'm open to receiving it.

How fascinating.

I did the thing. I am love. I am light. I am a whole lot of goodness.

To this incredible journey of life. I don't want to be anywhere else than right here, right now.

Thank you God.

And that wraps another edition of The Fellowship. It's been a joy hearing from some of you who read these! Please share this with others who'll resonate.

Movie That Continues To Elude Me: The Matrix haha (in due time).

Peace and Love to you!

Ben

If you’re new, welcome! I'm Ben! This newsletter is all about exploring my curiosities and sharing the things that most energize, challenge, and inform my life.

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Missed past editions? Start with Nerf Gun Fight: Fun & Play, The Power of Now, Man In The Mirror.