Prayer

Samhain Greetings my friends,

The time period, between Oct. 31st and Nov. 2nd is one of the most widely celebrated ancient traditions honoring our ongoing connection with loved ones who have passed. Samhain heralds the thinning of the veil between the seen and unseen worlds; for example, the celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico.  Honoring our ancestors with love and gratitude has always been the theme of this time. Given all the dilemmas we face now, we need our beloved guides’ help more than ever.

It had been a long time since our culture has turned towards the elders, or looked clearly at the wisdom of our ancestors.  We have become used to instant information, quick internet sound bites and the rush of caffeine infused adrenal experiences.

Celebrate ABUNDANCE my friends,
August 2nd is Lammas, the first of three festivals celebrating Mother Earth’s bounty. Baking loaves from the first grains and offering them at a communal meal has always been central to these gatherings, going back to thousands of years before the Common Era.
The Celts called this time Lughnasadh (loo-na-sa), Native Americans called
it the Green Corn Festival and in Slavic Regions it is called the feast of the
Big Glad Woman. Ireland celebrates Lammas as Big Sunday and farming
communities gather at hundreds of traditional hilltop sites to set up craft
fairs, feast, play games, and dance. A part of every one of these gatherings is a ceremonial meal where the first fruits of the harvest are shared in gratitude.

Merry Midsummer my Friends,

June 20th is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Latitudes. Also known as Midsummer, this Solstice (meaning ‘Sun stands still’) is when the Sun is at its peak, creating the longest day of the year. It is also one of the eight great spokes on the Celtic wheel of seasons, and celebrated in some way in all cultures. Midsummer’s Eve is the zenith of summer; the felt sense of Beauty is everywhere.

The Pandemic is easing now and as we emerge from our cocoons there is a deep need to transform our inner pain from fear, loss and trauma into a new sense of who we are and what truly matters to us. The practice of choosing Beauty which Gregg Braden, in The Wisdom Codes describes as a force of nature that has the power to transform the chemistry in our bodies, is essential to our recovery, building the resilience necessary to fully emerge as wiser, more conscious humans.