Winter Solstice 2007  

            The world seemly comes to a standstill at this time of year. In fact, the word Solstice means “standing still sun”. The sun does seem to be still……daylight is at its shortest, night it’s longest. The ancient Romans termed the Solstice: The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun”, and had great feasts and parties to welcome the return of the Sun God. In ancient Scandinavia, the winter celebration was called “Yule”, and huge Yule logs were burnt to symbolically restore the warmth and light. Warming foods and beverages were abundant.

            The longest night of the year was then followed by the beginning of the new solar year, and the birthday of the Gods and Goddesses. (I always wondered why the New Year was celebrated in the dead time of the year, and now I know….to bring the year alive again!)

            Christmas used to be a “moveable” feast, much like Easter, since the birth date of the Christ Child was not specifically mentioned in Biblical texts. Pope Julius I decided to permanently move the feast of Christmas to December 25^th in the fourth century. This was the traditional time of the “pagan” celebrations of the Winter Solstice, and the “Sun God’s” triumphant return. The Goddess would birth Her Son, the Sun, and the Light would return again to earth. The Pope hoped to replace the pagan traditions with Christian ones, and succeeded very well.

            So many Christmas traditions have their origin in early Goddess times. The Christmas wreath is in reality the wheel of life, the wheel of fate, which reminds us of the turning of the seasons, and of life. The Christmas tree (or now, in the politically correct terms, the “holiday tree”), was greenery brought in to keep the wood spirits and fairies warm. It was decorated with bells to frighten away evil; and candles, to ward away the darkness. The Yule log brought light and warmth to the home, and reminded the people that the return of the Light, and the Sun God was here. So many common traditions, repackaged, updated, slightly reworded, but the same, since the beginning times. We change so little………..    

            Icy cold mornings, snowy afternoons, quiet evenings, blustery nights. The world settles into a serene quietude that does not occur in other seasons. Light, finally, is gradually being restored into our lives. Warmth, radiance, and security are being restored. We crave the Light, because it has retreated from us. We decorate our homes with garlands of twinkling white and colored lights, we festoon the Yule tree with artificial candle glow, to restore the Light within our homes. The Goddess will birth Her Radiant Child of Light once again.

             This might be the time of year to birth the Light within ourselves. I have a feeling that our tradition of “New Years Resolutions” began as a way of expressing the newness of Light and the New Year.

             As a spiritual exercise in creating Light in your life, you may want to write down in your journal ten of your best qualities. Yes, that is correct, ten of the things you like best about yourself. Write them in the “I am” format: “I am a good listener” or “I am a great and loyal friend” or “I am an excellent organizer”. Whatever your talents and gifts are, write them down. If you would like to choose more than ten: wonderful! Now select two or three of these qualities that you would like to intensify, and bring more Light and Brightness to. If, for example, you select,” I am a devoted friend”, how could you show more devotion to your friends? Who are your friends? Is your next door neighbor a friend? What could be done to make relations more “neighborly’? Is it possible to have friends that you do not personally know, such as residents of a nursing home or prison? Would you be willing to hold your known and unknown friends in daily prayer? Is Mother Earth your friend? How could you show more love and devotion to Her? Is Spiritual Ecology a path you wish to travel? What about the animals? People in other parts of the country, or world? Can you see where this is leading? This is just the beginning; you have other qualities and gifts that will flourish with more attention and respect. Focus on the good parts of you. Your “imperfections” (which may actually be charming eccentricities) perceived will vanish in the Light of your ministrations. Write down your plans for adding to your Light. Celebrate each time you bring more Light to your life, and the lives of others.

            Instead of “resolutions” which are so easily broken and forgotten, and setting a heart up for failure, holding good ideals and ideas in the Light of the Goddess brings peace to your heart. Draw out those beautiful qualities that reside with in you, and assist them in preparing to blossom in the Springtime, which shall arrive soon.

            This is the time of year to withdraw inside our cozy spaces, to reflect and meditate, to read and craft, to play with the children and pets, to pray and reflect, and enjoy the inside world of our homes. Traditionally, this was the time of year for schooling, for the teaching of stories and songs, for the learning of the crafts and trades of the previous generations. Winter is also the time for silent walks on abandoned pathways and trails, cross country skiing, meditatively feeding the birds and following tiny animal trails. Withdraw now into the silence of Winter, and create warmth in your heart.  Enjoy the beauty of this Season of Light. And please enjoy the beauty that is you.

Bright Blessings,

Sharon

Early Autum n 2007  

            I have been contemplating prayer quite a bit lately. Working so diligently on many projects over the course of the summer has provided ample opportunity to think and muse. Digging weeds, stripping old wallpaper, renovating and restoring is the type of semi-mindless work that is perfect for meditative thoughts.

            In particular, prayer in all its many forms has been on the forefront. Our part of the world experienced a long drought this summer, and signs and billboards sprang up all over town, with one common message: Pray for rain! Yes we sorely needed it, and no, the rains did not come. The sky was clear and blue, the plants were dry and withered, and rationing was begun. Finally, the clouds opened late in the summer, and the nourishing rains arrived. And I did not see one sign that said “Thank you for the rain!”

            And the thought came:  when we are asking for stuff, is that the only time we know how to pray? Is the concept of gratitude out of date? Or maybe is prayer out of date?

            Growing up in the Catholic tradition, we had prayers for every day, and every time of day. Every season, every occasion, every tradition, every situation had specific prayers for it. Morning prayers and evening prayers. Prayers before meals and prayers after meals. Prayers for Christmas, and Easter, and St. Valentine’s Day, prayers for St. Joseph’s Day and St. Anne’s Day and St. Bridget’s Day. Every day had its very own saint and special prayers to go with it. There were special blessings for house pets and farm animals, sore throats and other maladies, prayers for the dead, prayers for the newly born, prayers for the sick and injured, prayers for every person on earth.

            I learned that there were many forms of prayer: Prayers of Thanksgiving, Prayer of Adoration, Prayers of Petition, and Prayers of Reparation.

            There were so many beings to pray to: God, Jesus, and of course, His Mother, Mary (she is the favorite; did you know that there are more Churches dedicated to Mary than to Her Son, and all the Saints combined?), and at least a million (more of less)  saints and angels. I felt overwhelmed with love and protection from so many beneficent Holy Ones.

             However, they all seemed so far away. Far away in Heaven and so far away from me.

            One day, my studies lead me to the Prayer of Jesus in his original Aramaic language….we are all familiar with the translated English version of it…..”Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name…..”

            In Aramaic, the language he actually spoke and taught in, however, the prayer is much different:

Oh Birther, Father and Mother of the Cosmos

Focus Your Light within us- make it useful

Create Your reign of unity now

Through our fiery hearts and willing hands

Help us love beyond our ideals.

            I was amazed. This was not the prayer I had said fervently each day. This was something new and yet, older than ancient. God was Mother. God was intimate, peaceful, loving, and so much more. God was Mother. God is Mother.  We were not made of dirt or someone’s left-over body parts, as was stated in old texts.  We were birthed from God, as stated by Her Son. And since males cannot give birth, God became The Goddess to me. A Goddess as close to me as my own body. A Goddess who encompassed us, our world and the Universe with Her love.

            I learned new prayers. Not prayers of asking for stuff, not prayers of complaint, not prayers begging for forgiveness. True prayers. Happy prayers. Prayers of singing, and dancing and poetry. Prayers of joy for being alive. And possibly, most important, prayers of contentment for the joy of being together with Goddess.

            Nowhere was there ever written a prayer for just “hanging out” with the Divine. Not asking for “stuff”, possessions, wealth; not formal petitions and structures, not asking to Power to smite my enemies. Prayers of: Let us be, let us love, and let us enjoy one another. Let’s have a cup of tea, and be together. No agenda, no formula. Let us talk and snuggle and breather in each other’s presence. I learned to love being in the company of the Goddess, and to see Her beauty everywhere.

                        I discovered a prayer, written by Henry Horton, that I thought you might enjoy. It is loosely based on the traditional “Our Father”.

  Our Mother, whose body is the Earth

Sacred is Thy being. Thy gardens grow

Thy will be done in our cities, as it is in nature

Thanks be this day for food and air and water

Forgive us our sins against the Earth, as we are learning to forgive one another.

And surrender us not into extinction, but deliver us from our folly

For thine is the beauty, and the power, and all life, from birth to death

From beginning to end.

So be it forever

Blessed be.

Blessings of Autumn Equinox to you.

I keep you in my heart always.

Sharon

Blessings, Joanna, for all you do to keep this site so lovely!!!         

Summer 2007

            Summer is the season of the Goddess, in all He rich and abundant forms and shapes and colors. It is the season where all the sensations of the senses come to life and are finely tuned. I love looking out and seeing a thousand shades of green. Enormous puffy clouds, the moon and stars at night, swallows performing air acrobatics. What a gift to be able to see. Hearing bird songs, and chainsaws and teenager’s loud speakers blasting their latest version of music, and smaller children at their play. What a gift to be able to hear. The mixture of scents waft by……garden flowers, a barbeque grill scorching dinner, the chlorine of a swimming pool. What a gift to be able to discern scent. The feel of Mother earth beneath my body, the texture of the flowers and shrubs, the softness of the growing puppies ands kittens. What a gift to be able to feel. The blessings of the Goddess are unlimited.

            The Spring-born animals are growing rapidly, enjoying the brightness of the days, and the plethora of good foods to eat. Plants that have lain dormant for months are growing at an astonishing rate. It feels as though there is an ongoing race outside, to see who can get the biggest/tallest/widest in the shortest amount of time.

            I have been observing “the race” from the vantage point of my garden. The weeds are trying valiantly to take over every possible amount of space open, and I am attempting, just as valiantly, to keep them at bay. There was a luxurious rain the evening prior, so now the weeds are in the lead…..for now. Until I suit up in “my armor” of gloves, insect repellent, rake, trowel, and shovel. The weeds don’t stand a chance.

            And as I vigorously yank out the offending visitors to my garden, the reoccurring thought of life and death keeps running through my mind……

            I realized that a great deal of Summer is about letting go and releasing that which is no longer wanted or necessary. My prolific and happy weeds would be just fine in another place or time. But here amidst my flowers, they are unwanted little villains now, vying for precious space, crowding out the poppies and myrtle and bleeding heart And out they go the compost pile……to be transformed and to be reborn at a later time, finding a home in another season, perhaps, in nourishing the vegetable patch. The Wheel of the Seasons turns.

            The beauty of Summer would not be complete if not for the harshness of Winter. The hotness and humidity that are hallmarks of Summer are in stark contrast to Winter’s icy cold dryness. The lush abundance of Summer greenery contrasts the stark white and black and grey landscapes of deep Winter.

            I thought about life and death in my little garden. It was time for the weeds to die, even if they were not ready to go. They would have a second chance at existence later on. Life is change and transformation. The seed transforms to the plant, to the fruit, back to seed, to be transformed once again. Life is not stagnant in Nature. When there is no change, death approaches swiftly. When water becomes stagnant, is it no longer a source of nourishment and life. It brings destruction.  We also must transform, or cease to be.

            In Summer’s warmth we can jump and run and play, or lay back in tall grasses and idly watch the clouds go by. Were you fortunate enough to have a childhood Summer free of the chronic over-scheduling we now inflict upon our children? Do you remember being able to have seemingly unlimited amounts of freedom to explore the neighborhood; stopping to see how far ants can travel with a boulder of a bread crumb on its tiny back, running and shrieking through the sprinkler, riding a rickety bike down the driveway, back inside to pester Mom  for a refreshing orange popsicle? What a gift to have TIME. Were you given that great gift? I truly hope so. If not, give yourself that great gift of time now…..even if it is only a half hour to sit and sip a icy glass of lemonade, and delight all your senses with it.

            The great seasonal feast of Litha quickly approaches. This is the traditional celebration of the Mid Summer Solstice, the Longest Day of the year, June 21^st. Litha brings Summer to it’s official beginning. To celebrate the Sun, and the warmth, and the abundance of Mother Earth’s bounty. Litha also reminds us that the days will start to shorten the next day, on the way to winter’s inevitable return. There is a cycle and a balance to our life on Mother Earth. A time to weed out what is not wanted, a time to enjoy the beauty and pleasures life offers, a time to nurture what we have symbolically and literally planted in our lives.

            The ancients deemed Litha a tremendously important occasion, and built monuments to commemorate it, monuments that are in use to this day. The great edifice of Stonehenge will be the site of ritual prayer and remembrance on June 21^st. There are other sites in other parts of the world that are used to mark the days of solstice and equinox. The days are filled with the possibility of personal transformation, if used wisely and reverently and mindfully. Celebrate the day with fresh strawberries and orange colored produce, feast on local greens on your most beautiful china plates Grace your table with roses, lavender and yarrow. Look and see and feel the healing power these lovely flowers and fruits contain, and appreciate the planet that produces them. And realize that even though we are celebrating the beauty of Light at its peak, Darkness is beginning its journey towards the Winter. Everything changes, all is transformed.

Bright Blessings of Summer.

I keep you in my heart,

Sharon

Spring 2007

             I am completely amazed every year at this time. Spring comes in so quickly. One day the bog is frozen and silent, and the very next day, it comes alive with the sound of frogs and crickets and who-knows –what- all that is living in there. One day, the trees and bushes are bare and forlorn, and again, the very next day….there are buds!! How does this happen? How does Creation know exactly the day it should come alive again after the long winter?

             There is an underlying wisdom to all of Creation. Some personify this wisdom as a Goddess and give Her the name Ostara, She who brings the blessing of warmth and beauty of Spring. She who brought the balance of night and day with the coming of the Spring Equinox. She who brings forth new life and abundance each year with the turning of the seasons.

            Ostara weaves a wonderful story of rebirth and renewal in Spring; some even call this renewal “the resurrection”; life from death. Spring from Winter. The cycle of life continues in brilliance and beauty.

            Traditionally, many cultures and nationalities begin the New Year in mid to late March, in the days of the Julian calendar, the New Year started on March 25^th. This makes perfect sense. Spring is the beginning time, with new life bursting all around. I am sure the bight person who moved the beginning of the year to dark, cold, dreary January had a good reason, but, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why. Winter is dead time, spring is alive. Spring is filled with anticipation and promise. Spring is sweet scents and luscious colors. Spring is new baby chicks and bunnies. Spring is the first white butterfly flittering above. Spring is Life.

            Spring is the perfect time of year for our own personal renewal. Traditionally, this is the time for the Annual Spring Cleaning Event. Houses were torn apart, scrubbed and put back together, sparkling clean. All the dirt and grime from the winter was cleansed away, making the home fresh for the Spring….immaculate windows, fresh carpets, baseboards clean, new paint, cupboards rearranged and scented with fresh shelf paper. Outside, the yard called out for major overhaul…..branches and twigs picked up, old leaves and trash removed, flower beds uncovered. Winter is hard on the garden and yard, and needs to be ritually removed so that new growth may come forth unimpeded.

            In the days of the Goddess, the home was reverently cleansed and blessed. Garbage was hauled away and burnt. Nothing new could be brought into the home until the old and no-longer-useful was cleared away. This can easily be transformed into our lives today. It is always enjoyable to invent a new ritual to make the unpleasurable activities into something more tolerable.

            I realize that we, as women, have come too far in our lives to be relegated back to the kitchen. We have professional and personal goals to achieve, and living life as house maids is not something we aspire to. However, we, as women, are also stuck with the majority of the household tasks. This is a fact. This can be a blessing or a curse, and it all depends on attitude. There is an old saying in Zen Buddhism: “before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.” What needs to be done, needs to be done. It can be done with a curse or a prayer…..but you will find greater joy, if you do your work with a blessing.

            Our home can either be our temple or our crash-pad. And again, it is a matter of intention and attitude. There will always be the household chores. But if these tasks are performed in a spirit of reverence and gratitude….the spirit of renewal can blossom forth. Put on some great music, place a drop of two of essential oils of pine or lavender into your cleaning water, and begin. If you live with someone or “someones”, enlist their assistance, according to their joy, or your needs. If you have children in your home, let them help also, according to their age and ability. Even the smallest toddler can pick up toys and wave a feather duster around. And at the end of the day, celebrate with your or your family’s favorite treat; or dream up a wonderful surprise dinner.  Enjoy the meal together. Feel grateful to be able to have this time together, complete with abundant food and a beautiful living space

            I feel that the preponderance of “clutter controller” and “mess master” services speaks to the need in our lives for the ritual of home renewal. When there are no rituals to bring order out of chaos, it is easy to sink into despair, and feel overwhelmed.    

            Spring is a good time for renewal in our personal life….body, mind and spirit. Beginning with our living space, our lives may enjoy a major transformation, and begin to move into greater levels of peace, serenity and gratitude. Many religious traditions use the weeks preceding Spring as a cleansing time for the soul. This is a time to weed out negative traits and practices for those that are more fulfilling and joy-filled. Some practices involved “giving up” a favorite item, such as a favorite food or activity, to strengthen the soul. Others add an activity, such as an extra prayer time or community service, or a mind-fullness walk; again, to strengthen the soul. You may enjoy the challenge of adding such an activity to your own spiritual practices.

             Our hearts enjoy a renewal in the Spring. To paraphrase the poet “in spring a young person’s fancy turns to love.” And love it is. The world looks fresher, and more vibrant, and easier to love. There is hope, which signals the beginnings of love. And there is beauty, which is food for the soul and spirit. Enjoying the loveliness of Nature enriches every aspect of us.

             Each season has its own particular beauty, but Spring alone carries the promise of rebirth and renewal. Spring’s special charm the promise of newness it holds. Spring brings forth babies of all kinds, from bugs to birds to bunnies, and all are delightful in their own way. It is almost impossible to resist a baby!

            Enjoy this sacred, beautiful season of Spring, and all the wonders of the Goddess in your life.

Bright Spring Blessings,

Sharon

Early Spring 2007

            My Father died almost one year ago. How very strange it is to write that. How very strange it is to experience it. A year. Could it have been that long ago, when Dad was so sick? It seems like only yesterday. And yet, it seems as though I have lived a hundred lifetimes since that day. I understand now the common practice of allowing a year for mourning, a year for wearing mourning clothes, a year to be allowed to grieve. I have needed this year to begin the healing journey process.

            There has been an entire year of “firsts” we must live through when someone  beloved dies.  The First Thanksgiving without Dad. The First Christmas without Dad.  My first Birthday without Dad. Dad was born on New Year’s Eve, and he took the New Year Celebration with him, for the entire family.  The First Easter without Dad will soon arrive. And very soon, we arrive at the First Anniversary of his Death. The man I adored for my entire life has been gone for one year. I adore him, and always will, even though he is somewhere, someplace, somewhen, somehow, that I do not understand.

            This year of mourning has also been a search for the meaning and understanding of life and death. What happens when we die? What part of us leaves? Where does that part of us go? Heaven? Is there a Heaven, or is it just a fairytale, like Santa and the Tooth Fairy? Or, maybe “it “doesn’t go anywhere, and we just die dead. We just die dead like all other life dies. But do we die?

            My sisters and I held Dad constantly during his last days. There was always a caress, a kiss, a song, a touch. Dad never did like to be alone, and we kept a constant vigil. We all knew exactly when his last breath left his body. There was an instant knowing:  “Dad is gone”. It was like a door slamming shut. Gone. Gone Gone. The presence of Dad, the essence of Dad, the being of Dad was gone. The body we knew so well lay still, and we reverently cleaned and changed the clothes. But Daddy, where are you?

            Prayer and meditation, reading the words of mystics and sages, and the teachings of the Goddess, have opened doors to understanding the “whys” of death. We all die. It is the common thread that binds us all together. We all live and we all die. This is the cycle of life. From life comes death, and from death, life is reborn. The Goddess gives vivid illustration of this: from the bitter depths of Winter when Earth is cold and seemingly dead, comes the new, fresh beginning of life. Spring is the celebration of life is all its myriad forms. The tree felled in Autumn, laying dead on the ground all Winter is now home for tiny animals and insects. From roots and branches creep moss and lichen and grasses. Life from death.  The enormous realization that all life is essentially One Life. Each of us is a part of everything. We are all truly One. One with each other, one with all life, and one with our planet, Mother Earth.  We are all a part of this great cycle of life and rebirth, and as such, we live forever. We live in the circle of life.

            My Father lives on in each of his six children. He lives in his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And in their children, yet to be born. He lives in his words and the stories we remember and share. He lives in the trees and stars and water and plants and animals. He lives in all I see and feel and touch. He lives on in you, because we are all One. In the known and the unknown, the physical and the spiritual, the now, and the yet-to-be. This is the great mystery of life. This is the blessings and gift of Spring.

I keep you in my heart.

Bright Spring Blessings.