A Sacred Place (LynnK)

Yesterday, members of a cyberspace community called Romex came together for a "Vigil." We do this two or three times a year, usually around the time of a solstice or equinox, feeding into the energy vibrating from the billions of humans who have celebrated the change of seasons.

On this occasion, we chose a day that marked the start of Ramadan, the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, and the World Unity Day of Prayer. Nothing like channeling as much energy as possible! And like the others who participate in our Vigil, I was (as always) energized, weepy, inspired, challenged, and amazed. Mostly, I was grateful to be part of this remarkable community.

Way back in 1991, the infancy of on-line communication for us common people, I invested my meager savings in a hefty two-floppy-disk Leading Edge computer and personally installed a pitiful little modem. That was skin to doing thoracic surgery for a non-techie like me. (And tech stuff hasn’t gotten any easier, sez me who has spent the entire week trying to transition to high-speed cable!) Anyway, the above photo is me with my LE computer, red hair, and fashionable muu-muu. Posting it is an Act of Humility.

Back them I was an isolated would-be writer, desperate for information and like-minded company. I would have walked through fire to join the Genie Romance Exchange. Prodigy had a similar community, and perhaps there were others. But it was Genie that flourished, growing to a home for hundreds of romance writers and becoming influential among writer organizations.

One of my first acts on Romex, once I got up the nerve, was to write a gushy (but sincere) fan letter to the least gushy person I know, Jo Beverley. I still cringe to think of it. I also met, on-line, Alicia Rasley, who remains a close friend. Susan Wiggs became a role model, although I never came near to matching the example she set. Over the years, I have made a great many friends on Romex. We all wish we had more time to spend with one another.

Technology soon bypassed the original group, though. Genie’s Dos-based platform couldn’t access the World Wide Web, and at the turn of the millennium, it vanished into primitive-tech history. By then, membership had dwindled as well. I barely noticed, being tromped on by cancer at the time.

Happily, a few stalwart people (prominent among them, the intrepid Jo Beverley) recognized the value of preserving our community and established a new base of operation for those who remained. Most of us are writers, some unpublished, some NYT Best-Sellers, and all levels in between. We have a few "pure" readers as well, and they help keep us sane.

So do our Vigils. For a 24-hour period, each half-hour adopted by a Romexer, we unite in spirit with our fellows, review the Vigil Requests gathered for our attention, and send prayers/good thoughts/healing energy/rituals/whatever-works-for-us into the Universe. At the end of a session, each of us passes the torch to the next participant.

Ours is an eclectic group . . . to say the least. Not every persuasion is represented, alas, but we’ve got quite a few of them. All sorts of Christians, Wiccans, Jews, Skeptics, Searchers, Atheists, Whatevers. Some speak openly of their faiths or lack there-of. Some don’t. What matters is this: Acceptance. Respect. We value each person for who she is. Nothing sappy about it.

Which is why we can come together for a Vigil. Well, sometimes, some of us get a little sappy as we turn our thoughts and energies to the needs of our sisters. When they post to the Request List, we learn a little about what they are going through with their families, jobs, health, pets, and personal trials. There are Gratitude posts as well, for past requests that have been fulfilled. At times, people open up to their insecurities, fears, hopes, and dreams. We embrace them all.

Some of us have created rituals for our Vigil times. I light three candles. One is white, for peace and healing. One is red, a Saint Michael the Archangel candle, representing my own prayer for truth and justice. And a pale yellow candle honors St. Joseph, patron of workers (and careers). I also set the water to flowing in my fountain and choose music for my session. This morning it was Mozart’s Great Mass in C.

For some reason, after my session was done, I put a funny little image into the fountain and took another picture. It’s a wind-up nun, which Anne Stuart (Sister Krissie) brought to the RWA Conference and told me to keep.

She must have been in my subconscious mind. Later in the day, as I read Romex posts from others taking part in the Vigil, I saw a message from Krissie asking for someone to join her in her evening session. I immediately knew it was supposed to be me and posted that I’d be there. And so I was. By the way, the music was Bach’s Magnificat. Krissie is nothing if not magnificent.

Our psychically attuned members have experiences I cannot imagine. Being an ordinary sod, I just plug away, and sometimes get a little transported by the music and burbling water and candle flames. Mostly, though, I feel grateful for the community we nurture and the trust we share.

As a long-time Romexer put it, we should all recognize "...the importance of creating a sacred space in our lives and going into it for restoration."