Inauguration Day, 2009

Inauguration Day, 20th January, 2009

I have never done this, but the phase that is ending feels so long; and the phase beginning feels so critical, it seemed to transcend moons. So, for this very special occasion, I hope you will join me in creating a perfect circle of peace, hope and harmony around the new US president, Barack Obama.


Calling the circle
We summon the spirits of the East, spirits of Springtime, the dawn with all of its promise of new beginnings, new starts. Spirits of balance that we celebrate tonight. Element of air, the power of life, springing forth. We call the spirits of the East and ask them to join our circle.

We call now to the spirits of the South, spirits of strength, power, warmth, clarity, motivation, energy, movement. Element of fire, bright fires lit at midday. The power of light, illuminating us. The fire that is our passion, burning deeply within is always. We call the spirits of the South and ask them to join our circle.

And we call to the Spirits of the West. Spirits of our deepest feelings, our strongest emotions, our truest love. A sunset over a calm ocean, a still lake reflecting back the sky, the still waters that run deep, deep within. Element of water, emanating the power of love. We call to the spirits of the West and ask them to join our circle.

Now we call the spirits of the North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told. Element of earth, grounding us. Power of law, karma, ancestral wisdom, we call to the spirits of the North and we ask them to join our circle.

And we call to those spirits above us, the moon in her many faces, angels, stars, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. Children of our children. We call the spirits above and ask them to join us.

And we call to the spirits below us, to the earth that grounds us and keeps us steady, the green kingdom with its deep roots and to the lava beneath the crust that impassions us. We call the spirits below and ask them to join us.

Finally, we call to the spirits of the center, where all the directions meet and merge and where they meet and merge in each one of us. The central flame. The sacred spirit. This circle is closed, a safe and sacred circle where everyone is welcome and free to express themselves.

Inauguration thoughts/Talking stick
I have been trying to do things today, my normal life things, but am finding it very difficult. I am electric with anticipation for this afternoon, to join with the literally billions of other people who are transfixed by Barack Obama and what he might be able to bring to the world.

Funny enough, for me, this stopped being about race ages ago, although I don’t deny the accomplishment and to see a face standing up there that looks so much more like the faces around the world than any other American president makes me feel a great deal of hope for our future relationships with other countries and cultures. But for me, it is much more than that. It is his ability to see both sides of a coin, the thoughtful way in which he turns over a problem, reaching out to anyone who might have a solution that impresses me so much. He is not dogmatic. He doesn’t swagger. He just seems to think and listen and decide and lead. He is obviously an inspirational speaker too, which doesn’t hurt. But his ability to see past the country’s divisions, so deeply emphasized and exploited over the years, and to almost refuse to acknowledge that those divisions exist is what has been able to bring healing and hope to a very troubled country and clearly what we we desperately needed.

I was dismayed a few weeks back hearing that “liberals” (to use a term you hear kicked around a lot - hard to know what exactly is meant with such a bucket term) were not happy with some of PRESIDENT Obama's cabinet appointments and policy shifts; there was even concern about the choice of minister for the inauguration and for me, that is a total by-product of the political us-against-them hegemony of the modern political era, sewn into us for decades. Just because liberal beliefs are closer to my own does not make that sort of thing any less divisive and destructive. But Barack Obama just keeps looking past it seemingly, preparing to govern all of us, not just the ones that share his views. He keeps listening and refining his views as he goes along, determining the right courses of action based upon where we are, not where we have been. And that is the crux of what I admire so much. I don’t know how I’d be if I were ever called upon to lead in that way, but I like to think I’d be like that.

I know that the expectation heaped upon him is huge, and in our celebrity-obsessed culture it is easy to see why he is a natural celebrity. I would like to think though that if he is effective, if he is able to show us where our common ground is instead of our divisions, if we are in turn able to take that same approach as a society, it is hard to imagine how much good could be achieved. The nice part of that vision is that it takes the responsibility off of this one man and places it back where it also belongs: squarely on our shoulders.

And so, on this inauguration day, I want to surround Barack Obama, his family, his advisers and all of our leaders in the world, with love, with light, with our power. That the wisdom of our collective light can join his and serve as a beacon wherever we are and whatever we do.


Meditation
Imagine yourself lying on the ground beneath a beautiful but leafless old oak tree, in the middle of a field, under a starry, windless sky. The ground feels cold, but all around you are the beginnings of Spring, small plants forming a soft green carpet. As you breathe in and out feel that you are breathing in time with the stars, that you are a part of the setting that surrounds you. Then allow yourself to imagine that you are getting smaller – smaller and smaller until you are so small that you can stand up and walk into the tree that you were lying underneath. Walking into the tree, looking up, note the vast branch system, how tall and high it is, looking down, note the vast root system, reaching down into the earth farther than you can see. Then, notice that one of the roots is larger than the others, and resembles a spiral staircase. Imagine then stepping onto the 13th step, the step of transformation, then spiraling down and around and inward to the 12th step, then down and around to the 11th and the 10th, spiraling down and around and inward to the 9th, then the 8th, then around and inward to the 7th and the 6th step. Then, pausing on the sixth step, note that as you look up you can no longer see the top, and looking down, that you can no longer see the bottom. You are standing in the middle of the spiral, in a moment of infinite perfection. If there is anything that you are carrying that you don’t want to take with you on your journey, you can leave it on this step. Continuing then to the 5th step and the 4th, spiraling around to the 3rd and the 2nd and then finally the 1st step, then stepping into a clearing with four doorways, each pointing in one of the four directions. Imagine yourself walking down the pathway that heads east.

It is dawn, and the sun is just peeking over the horizon – coloring the sky pink and gold. The landscape is gentle and green with the beginnings of new plants; there are early flowers just beginning to poke up over the grass. The pathway that you are walking on is lined with violets, and you make your way along it as it snakes its way upward around a tall hill. You make your way toward the top, feeling the new life teeming all around you in the valley below. When you reach the top, you see that others have gathered already – friends, guides, ancestors, and you join them in the circle. Your wise woman arrives last, stepping into the centre, with Barack Obama.

All is quiet for a while, feeling the powerful silence build until it takes on almost a sound of its own. All the while, the sunlight is increasing, until the circle is completely illumined in a golden dawn’s light. Those in the circle are illuminated, each brightly reflecting love. They have come with a message for Barack Obama, and in turn, each one speaks. When they finish, you are able to speak to them as well, ask questions, or just speak whatever truth is on your mind.

Then, your wise woman calls you into the center of the circle, where she has prepared the ground for seeds. She asks you to plant the seeds for those things that you would like to see growing in your life. Then each person in the circle plants seeds for you as well, which they will nurture and support on your behalf. You return to the circle and join hands with the others until the sun is high in the sky. You feel the hope of spring surrounding everyone and everything on the earth.

When you feel that your time in the circle is complete, your wise woman leads you out of the circle and to a beautiful stone table that has appeared, filled with all kinds of food and drink, and those in your circle join you at the table for a beautiful inaugural celebration. You can converse freely with everyone present.

When the meal is finished and it is time to go, you once again surround Barack Obama, focusing love, light, wisdom and power on him. Finally, you say goodbye to your wise woman, and head away from the circle, back along the path lined with violets. The sun has fully risen now, and the path is more brightly lit than before. When you reach the doorway to the east, you step through back toward the staircase.

Stepping back up onto the first step, spiraling upward and outward to the second step and the third, and upward and outward to the fourth step and the fifth. Then spiraling around to the sixth step, and pausing now on the sixth step, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that moment of infinite perfection. Climbing now to the seventh and upward to the eighth, upward and outward to the ninth, then the tenth, and around to the eleventh and the twelfth and then finally to the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then back into to the tree. Stepping out of the tree, you find your place beneath it, again enjoying the sweet night air. Then feeling your consciousness return to the space you are in, and, when ready opening your eyes.

Prayers for our circle
Prayers for our world, for ourselves, for the future – that it be very bright!

Much love,

Tara