October 26, 2019

 

 

Good Morning All,

 

And a vibrant morning it is indeed!  As the temperatures fall the refreshing cool air lures us outside to celebrate the change of seasons. We begin the gradual descent into our inner life and the time of introspection that comes with the shorter days and longer nights.  For myself, this transition from the bright dazzling heat and long days of summer is often challenging.  As I harvest zinnias in there bold pink, orange, magenta, white, firey orange and sunshine yellow blooms, clearing away the heavy leggy stems, trimming them back, in hopes they will send up another batch of cheery babies I find a bee nestled deep in the petals drunk with pollen and slumber.  Alas, the zinnias' days are numbered. With only one straggling tomatoe plant left, and peppers ripe for the picking, the summer garden is ready to be tucked in.  The colors of autumn are replacing the pervasive green in the surrounding forest as pine needles and leaves flurry about, swirling to the ground, floating like feathers in the wind. I know that next week our manipulation of  the illusion we call time will occur; and we will find ourselves in the dark again. These vivacious colors of summer will be replaced by earthy speckled tones of orange, umber, burgundy and red, the scent of wood smoke will fill the air, the crackle of logs burning in the woodstove. The oppressive heat of too hot, dry, summer days will succumb to the welcome warmth of the wood stove. I am grateful for the rains that returned watering the parched earth. The creeks are beginning to flow again and the circle of life continues.

 

I have returned from my magical journey to Salt Spring Island where I was in retreat with 34 women from near and far, and far it was.  Part of the adventure was getting there by plane, car and two ferries. Arriving early at Stowell Lake Farm I felt I had entered into a fairytale before I met a single person.  The land and buildings are cared for with such love that I felt immediately coccooned in an embrace of bounty.  The inside spaces constructed with the finest craftsmanship so that even a door frame held beauty, each line and curve brought the eye to a place of serenity. The outside areas just brimming with plants that literally sing as you walk by them with birds bursting out in flocks to feed on the late season fruits. A grandmother weeping willow tree holds court by the Farm Stand with the presence of a cathedral and a vast inner sanctum where devas and faeries surely celebrate the seasons under the shelter of her fringe.  I offered my gratitude to the land for her succulent welcome there within this green temple. Shortly thereafter, others arrived and we gathered with Toko-Pa Turner (author of "Belonging"), who wove her mystical and earthy dreamspace with us for three days of community building.  Our theme was the Jungian concept of Sophia which Toko-Pa describes as "a numinous power that emerges from a coherent, divine source and knows which way to go. We can call this 'power from below' because it is elemental, and quite physical."  It is a power with, not a power over, a power that is encouraging of life, love, and  collaboration. The root of Sophia derives from ancient Greek meanly wisdom, and from philosophy which is essentially the love of wisdom. We nurtured our inner knowing, our personal manifestation of Sophia, via our dreams and the physical world of synchronicity which many traditions use as signposts, affirmations, or flags to help us to find our way, to navigate by, as Castaneda also taught. We learned to allow ourselves to be known by wisdom, to let wisdom know through us, to be the instrument guiding us. My teacher, Rockingbear, referred to this as "being the hollow bone for spirit" saying that it is not us, but moves through us. We were encouraged to ask ourselves, be it of our dreams, our lives, our loves and losses, "Which way does the energy want to move?"  Can we get out of our own way and let it move through us or can we choose it rather than resisting it?  And can we let go gracefully, passionately, fully when it is time to grieve a loss?

 

I have come back inspired to start a DREAM GROUP to explore our dreams more fully; and to learn how to harvest the deep nourishment they bring to us. If you are interested in being a part of this dreamwork group let me know. When we have a few people ready to begin we will find a time that is suitable to the group. Most likely we will begin in the New Year.

 

You are invited to come to the Anuual Day of The Dead Fire Ceremony here on Sunday November 3 at 4:30pm (see below for details).  We will join in community, sharing food, stories, laughter, tears, song while being with the alchemy of the elements as we heal our ancestral lines and witness each other.  We have an opportunity to do more work of healing the hurts and wounds of our ancestors who came before us while clearing the path for those who are following in our footsteps.  We can unburden our hearts and souls so that we can fly more freely into the dark nights that await us and deeper into the dreamtime of our soul's journey.  Be sure to RSVP by Oct 30 if you are planning on coming so we will be prepared to greet you. If it is raining we will gather around the woodstove. 

 

There has been a request for a Women's Sweat Lodge on December 7 and there is room for additional women if you are interested in that.  Not sure if the Autman will bring a Lodge before that but it could happen....  We will also have a Lodge to bring in the New Year, date TBA. May each of you find the perfect set of "right actions" to boost your evolution and the saving of our gorgeous planet. We are all needed to keep the momentum for positive change and healing, now more than ever. 

May the Fall Equinox usher in peace, equinimity, joy, renewal, depth of feeling and thought along with its cooler temps.  I look forward to seeing you soon.

 

With love and gratitude,

Miriam