Solstice Meditations 2016
Each year from June 21 until December 21 or thereabouts the amount of light every day gets shorter. And from September through February the darkness is noticeably greater than the light. We are used to this. Some of us barely note it except maybe when it creeps up on us and we notice that we are waiting for a school bus or driving to/from work in full dark instead of with the sun.
For our ancestors these changes were more intensely felt, noticed and celebrated. Without the miracle of electricity the darkness was so much MORE DARK.
We turn on lights, we turn on the furnace and we do not always think about the dangers or the gifts that the dark time of year has to offer us.
However, this year the darkness has seemed much more intense - the heaviness the fear, that we find lurking in corners of our mind and in our hearts; our hopes may seem dim and far away.
Darkness is one of our earliest fears,and the winter cold here in the northern-hemisphere can add to the intensity. It can amplify our other fears. It can be heart-stopping, bone chilling, and can literally freeze us with in-action.
In many pagan/wiccan workings it is important to precisely name those things you wish to remove or bring into your life. Tonight we will do both.
We will name our fears and by doing so we will make their burden a little lighter.
We will raise a spark of hope to nurture through dark time and remind ourselves and each other that we are the key - that together our sparks will light up the future.
First we Acknowledge the Dark as Fear:
For many of us in these past months - the world has changed - things we thought we knew have been turned upside down. We have been sad, angry, and afraid.
We acknowledge that these are valid feelings, but not in our best interest..
Please pick up and hold your Rock in your Hand -
Feel its coldness, its solidity, its heaviness and its shape. As you hold it in your hand feel its weight in the bones of your fingers, your arms. Know that our fears are like this rock. *Feel its shape, Feel its solidness, Feel its Coldness. Let those physical feelings represent our fears. Weighing us down, blocking us from action, magnifying the fear and inaction of each other.
In your mind put now, put a words to the fears that are weighing blocking and freezing you - be as precise as you can be about that...then each one of us will take our stone and place them together and witness our collective burdens as we begin to cast them away.
As the meditation music plays - and as you are ready, process to the “stone table” individually once you have placed your stone remain there until each person has placed theirs in the pile. When we are all circled around the pile we will join hands and on a signal simultaneously speak our fear as a release of that energy.
(Spirit of Tomorrow CD - #12 Polorum Regina)
To complete our banishing we will sing a chant to remind us that nothing in the world stands still and every place which seems like the end turns always to a new beginning.
Make your way back to the main circle while we chant.
Sing Round and Round
Round and Round the Earth is Turning - Turning Always Round to Morning - And from Morning Round to Night
Now that we have cast our fears away from us we will consider the next step in our journey - Remembering our inner fires our spark of humanity
I have adapted our meditation for this section from words of inspiration from a recent essay by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many who are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.
You are right in your assessments. The positions some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against those least able to defend themselves is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Do not lose hope. Know that we were made for these times. We have been learning, practicing, and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.
I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. There have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now. With the ability to signal one another as never before. And Look around! there are millions of boats of righteous souls with you.
In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. We are needed, that is what we can know.
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world, but of stretching to mend the part that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help. It is not given to us to know which acts will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.
What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding and continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.
One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. The light of the soul throws sparks, and to display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these - to be both fierce and to show mercy toward others; are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.
As we listen to the meditative songs we will each go to the altar and light one of the candles to symbolize the spark of our being.
After you light your candle return to your place in the circle
Anonymous 4 Portrait (#18-20)
When everyone has lit a candle
Sing with me once again Round and Round
Our next and final step this night is to remember that together we burn brightly - like our altar of candles - that each spark can light the next and the next. We can each say or do something every day that can be a key to unlock the spark of another. We may never see the consequences of our actions but by unleashing generosity, peace, love, kindness, and brotherhood we are the key to the tomorrow that we seek.
So, For the final portion of our trifold ritual we will frame our intent:
Social Media as we’ve come to know, is a powerful tool - for everyone. Let us use it to spread good news and good deeds. In the past few weeks some items I’ve found inspirational:
From E on PSN:
I may have saved a life this morning.
As I was walking to work to teach my class I saw a young woman and a man in front of me. I couldn't tell from a distance if it was a couple kind of messing around or something else, but when I got closer I could hear them and see her body language. She did not know him and he was grabbing at her, trying to block her path, and loudly saying angry things to her.
I took a breath, no one else was around, and grabbed her hand and said, "Hi! Omg I was looking for you! I haven't seen you in forever!" She held my hand and said my name, she knew me. She was an acquaintance of mine and I hadn't recognized her until that moment.
She went on to detail the act of getting the woman to safety and calling the police. She ended her post with: Look out - I've got my superhero cape on.
The CEO of Penzy’s spice printed the following in their November newsletter:
The open embrace of racism by the Republican Party in this election is now unleashing a wave of ugliness unseen in this country for decades. The American people are taking notice. Let's commit to giving the people a better choice. Our kindness really is our strength.
Let’s just say that unleashed a torrent upon them - and they embraced it - and responded to both the good and the bad commentary - holding their ground and issuing the following statement:
Racism Update: At Penzeys we believe it's not the use of tools that set us on a different path from the rest of the animal world; what has set humanity in motion is cooking.<> The kindness of tens of thousands of generations of cooks created our humanity, but racism, sexism, and homophobia can all very quickly unravel all the goodness cooking puts out into the world. As the voice of cooks, we will never sit idly by while that happens.
A a month of increased sales and accolades from the very cooks they found themselves to represent, the CEO of Penzys wrote an open letter to the CEO’s of other companies stating that standing up for the moral and right thing had done more to help them than hurt them and offered themselves up as an example citing sales numbers etc.
S - from PSN - was singled out for hate in an anonymous letter due to flying a rainbow flag at her home. She told her neighbors about it and they responded by building a wall of pride flags throughout the neighborhood.
S - from PSN wrote that in response to the election her husband had decided to volunteer as an escort for Planned Parenthood.
And there were several examples of people being accosted on trains and finding themselves to have friends in the crowd.
Finally Rev Allison had the following to say about Standing Rock Water Protectors
This is a Prayerful, Ceremonial Camp-
•• Words, prayers, and music of Native People's rise up throughout the day around the Sacred Fire
•• So many people have come from around the country and around the globe to add their prayers in this communion of struggle
This is a Peaceful Camp-
•• We are invited to move at all times with intention, practice, and commitment to non-violence in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
•• Many days there is a non-violent direct action training to be extremely mindful about who we represent and how we represent at all times
•• Water Protectors (not Protesters).
Shaping the reality and intent of our action is important.
Standing Rock is not a protest or a rally or a mob - and it has made a great deal of difference.
At Solstice we are at the time of darkest dark and turning to the light once again. We have a chance at this moment to focus our energy on how we want to move forward.
Please pick a ribbon from the basket and write a word or a phrase about your intentions for the coming year. Listen to our last song which we will play through twice - and join in singing as much as we can the second time through….after which there will be more drumming and a spiral dance.
Make your way to the table to pick a key to thread your ribbon to.
If you have a tree you can hang it as an ornament - and after the season is over hang it somewhere you can see it frequently to remind yourself - we are all in this together, we have strength together and the light is returning.
Dropping Keys - The Levins
Good words.
... more
May the turning of the wheel bring you an easier season (and lighter! ☺ )
❤