Sacred Circles

Welcome

No matter our age, gender, sex, race or any other way that we label each other, we’re all here to grow—personally and spiritually. For me, spirituality has claimed a significant place in my life; a place that had me, much to my family’s consternation and concern, leave a great job and good money, as well as a lifestyle that looked  as if I was living ‘the good life.’

While living a spiritually based life may have a different where we may acknowledge each other and the sacredness of all life. We come together in Circle as equals—with no one higher or more important than another, where our hearts, our longings, our insights and our voices matter. This kind of coming together is, indeed, a sacred act.

This is a place to ramble – to wander into the forest of our thoughts and imaginings; to envision the world we want to create—for ourselves, for all life as well as for the young ones who are here now and those yet to come. The vision for this section is multi-fold; as a home place—a place to rest and to consider the things that are ‘top of mind’ for each of us. I hope you will accept this invitation and participate with me in envisioning a kinder, gentler, more loving world; a world where everyone is valued, appreciated and seen as the precious and beautiful being they really are. With dignity and respect for all.

Top of Mind

Right now, top of mind for many is a growing awareness of racism and what POC, especially Blacks, have had to contend with throughout history. We are in the midst of worldwide protests, peaceful as well as not, where people of all ethnicities, ages and genders are coming together to protest the rampant killing and discrimination of Black people. In rapid succession, in a matter of weeks, three innocent Black people — Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd were set upon by vigilantes or racist police. The death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, caught on video by a bystander, shocked the world and  incited a nationwide call for the end to racism, inequality and police immunity. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has caught fire as funerals and memorials to George Floyd took place in the U.S. as well as around the world. To many people, Black and White, this movement has real legs and has already resulted in monumental changes to the systemic racism under which People of Color (POC) have endured.

For Our Mother Earth

The next top of mind for me is our mother, the earth. I am, and have been for most of my adult life, a committed amateur environmentalist. I have always loved being outdoors, walking amidst the tall trees in the public park next to our home as a child, climbing trees in our yard, riding my bicycle, and skating on the rocky little creek behind our house in Winter. My love for the outdoors was further cemented when I lived in Northern California where I learned to appreciate the beauty of Live Oak trees against wheat-gold colored hillsides and small, yet fragrant Eucalyptus stands. Living near the Redwoods during my last few years in Northern California, I came to value the wonder and majesty of a single ancient, massive Redwood tree, let alone huge groves!

So, one of the things you’ll find here is an abiding love, gratitude and respect for the earth—our true home, whose abundant gifts and grace we all too often take for granted. With undeniable indicators that we humans have created a dangerous imbalance—one that threatens all life on earth—a majority of people are waking up while others are increasing their greed and disrespect for our Earth home. I offer this section as a place to share our concerns as well as our hopes for the future. As dire as things currently look for planet earth, I hold out the hope that enough of us will take the necessary actions to help ‘turn this ship around’—through our votes and other actions—to return our Earth home to its proper balance.

Honoring the Feminine Principle

Which leads me to my next love. Along with my strong intention to not only share my appreciation of the natural world with you, I hope to ignite in you the remembrance of a time, long, long ago, when the feminine was honored for her strength as well as her beauty.

As anyone who is reading this might already know, every person on this planet naturally carries both masculine and feminine qualities; manifest as gentle strength (males) coupled with the fury of a mother bear (females). That fierce mother bear in me finds her expression in response to the patriarchal system—the power over everything system—that has gotten us to this state of societal and environmental imbalance.

Part of my work in the world is to help us, both women and men, remember that there was a time when the feminine was honored and celebrated. A time before the objectification and abuse of the feminine, embodied as earth and woman.

That reality was centuries ago; at a time when women and men were considered equal and could freely love each other. A time when lovemaking was considered a sacred and beautiful sharing of hearts.

Those times, I believe, were simpler—times of peace and prosperity; times known now as the Goddess Times. Stay tuned to learn more about what happened to those times, those principles and those people . . . and how women are now reclaiming the virtues and values of those times.

Awakening to the Truth of Who You (and all of us) Are

And so, last but certainly not least, is the foundation of all that I hope to do and be in this world—a world where more and more of us awaken to the truth that we are, ultimately, Spirit. The understanding that we are Spiritual Beings having a human experience is more than a saying. It is the truth.

Like so many others, much of my life was one of seeking; seeking a sense of fulfillment and lasting joy and happiness. As we grow from infancy to adulthood, our needs also grow . . . and somewhere along the line, we start believing that our joy and happiness are dependent on objects, experiences, and relationships. That belief can cause us to seek happiness in things—in cars, houses, jobs, money, relationships, sex and certain other promising experiences.

If we’re lucky, we eventually discover that the happiness borne of things is fleeting. We notice that all too soon the joy we experience in acquiring the next new thing subsides, and our life becomes one of searching for that next new thing that will bring us permanent happiness.