I’m catching up on blogs. I’ve been pretty on top of them through the process, though I certainly could have been more consistent with blogging.

I started the Master Key Experience (MKE) late so it was a few weeks into the program when I joined. It was a bit challenging jumping in late, but I hit the ground running.

It wasn’t long however before I fell behind – I think it was around Thanksgiving when travel and changes in my normal daily routing threw me off of the daily practices I had begun to establish with MKE.

I understand now why many people decide to retake this course. It indeed offers a blueprint, a progression that kick-starts real change and transformation of one’s habits. It is not a magical cookie, it’s not a quick-fix. It requires real commitment and active participation.

As I sit here in mid-February I’m writing my Week 2 Blog that I never submitted. As I reflect, I wonder what advice I would give my Week 2 self? In reality during Week 2, I hadn’t yet joined MKE and didn’t really know about it.

My husband suggested we join the class somewhere around that time. He has done MKE several years ago, continuing more than half-way through the course, but a family death had interrupted his ability to complete it. I’m so glad he suggested we embark on this journey together.

So what would I tell my Week 2 self? I would definitely say to stay the course, and to hold on firmer in those times when life seems to get in the way of these new daily routines that I’m trying to establish.

Don’t let my need for perfection get in the way, just trust the process and keep taking the next step. Stay in rhythm.

I have been practicing a rhythm process called Ta Ke Ti Na for the past 3 years. It is a simple, yet profound group process in which people come together and are led by a guide through a “rhythm journey.”

They stand in a circle stepping, clapping, and using their voices to activate a rhythmic flow – often involving complex polyrhythms. While complex, the process builds gradually so that it is accessible to even people without any specialized music training.

Like MKE it involves a progression, a layering of voice and action. In Ta Ke Ti Na inevitably everyone experiences moments of falling out of step, losing the rhythm. It doesn’t matter how much I practice Ta Ke Ti Na, at some point, usually multiple times, I completely lose it.

It is an intentional feature of the process. It is how I find my way back into rhythm that I’ve found to be the most revealing and transformative part of the process.

Everything in our life is rhythmic, from our breath and pumping of our heart, to the cycle of the day, seasons and planets. I think it’s very cool that the MKE process is designed to last half of a year’s cycle.

The great thing about rhythm is that, like the seasons, it always comes back around. There is always the opportunity to take the next step, to get into the flow.

My husband and I have both fallen out of step during these past 19 or so weeks of MKE. We have helped each other regain stability when one of us loses ground, forgets to do our readings, or complete one of the steps in the MKE progression.

My mastermind partner has also been so vital in helping me stay connected in this process. Sharing this journey with her has helped us both stay on track! I would definitely tell my week 2 self to stay open and in communication.

This has been the hardest part for me. I don’t like people to see me mess up! Ta Ke Ti Na has certainly revealed that to me. Being open, honest, and in communication about my challenges in the MKE process has similarly been challenging.

Ultimately I would tell my Week 2 self to simply take the next step…and the next…and the next; to stop worrying about what happened before, what is coming, or what other people think and embrace the journey.

I would remind myself that we all fall short, lose our flow, fall out of integrity. This is part of the rhythm of life. It’s a feature, not a bug! But when we step back into really living in the flow of our purpose, then we experience that joyful connection, and life-giving power more profoundly.