Hi everyone,
I know that it does not feel like spring in all places, but here in the
Calling the circle
As we contemplate this last full moon of winter, we call to and honor the spirits of the East, spirits of the coming season, of new beginnings, new starts. Element of air, first breath, cool dawn. The power of life, springing forth. The seeds that are now ready to burst forth from the earth. 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 us 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 summon the spirits of our season, the spirits of North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told, where laws are made. The earth that holds the seeds until they are ready to grow. 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, angels, stars, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. Children of our children, and to the brightest of moons. 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 space.
Where is the Moon?
This full moon is in Virgo, and a full moon in Virgo during Pisces highlights the role of the healer in the world, and the healing needed for the world. It is a time for us to really visualize the changes that we would like to see around us, but also for ourselves. Virgo can also be a powerful ally for making things happen, and with the power of dreams highlighted by Pisces, it is a good time to make dreams a reality. I would like to challenge us all to use this moon to create a vision of a world of abundance rather than lack, which is what we hear so much about lately!
Talking stick
I am strongly aware that this is the last full moon of winter and I am very grateful for it, I have to say. Not just because it has been cold, but from late autumn through this winter it has been a time of intensity: family tragedies, losses, new starts requiring hard work and lots of it, deeply challenging parenting moments. It has also seen some amazing growth: Gary and I deepening our commitment to each other in some interesting ways, the joy of watching Owen evolve and change, an abundance of work that I actually enjoy, the possibility of some really exciting future directions for all of us. I used to always refer to winter not as winter alone but as another winter of my discontent, as for some reason life’s most intense challenges have manifested in winter for me and this winter didn’t disappoint on that front. Maybe it is just about getting older, but I faced this winter with less fear than usual, and for that I am proud of myself.
The full moon in Virgo is well timed for me. In this last month I have decided not to talk about what is happening in the economy as a crisis anymore but to view it as an opportunity. So anytime someone mentions the word recession or crunch or crisis, I immediately flip the words around in my mind. I am not being impractical, I see the changes in the economy and am personally affected by it in a few ways, but I believe that it is an opportunity and that the world living in a state of mass paralysis is certainly not going to help. So, as I slog through my pile of work this week, I want to dedicate at least five minutes to innovative thinking; ways to take advantage of the world the way it now is vs. being afraid of it. And I want to bless the whole world with optimism.
Now I must get back to letting this Virgo moon help me plough through the pile of work that is building up on my desk!
Meditation
Imagine yourself lying under a just flowering cherry blossom tree, on an utterly still late winter’s evening. The moon above you is bright and full, brimming with the force of life. With each breath, the moonlight feels as though it is reaching through you, deep into the earth, then upward into the sky again. As it moves through you and into the earth, you feel it spiraling deep below you, into something of a staircase. You stand up, and begin to wind your way down the staircase of moonlight, beginning on the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then spiraling around to the twelfth and the eleventh, then around to the tenth, then spiraling down and around and inward to the ninth, then the eighth, and around and inward to the seventh, then the sixth. You pause for a moment on the sixth step, leaving anything behind that you don’t choose to take along with you. You notice that you can no longer see the top from here and looking down, you cannot see the bottom. You are in the centre of the spiral, standing in a moment of infinite perfection. Then continuing to spiral down and around to the fifth step, then the fourth, then the third. And around and inward to the second, and then finally the first step. You step off the staircase onto firm ground and head out toward the north.
The sky is bright and clear. You stop to admire the light and color of the moon for a moment before setting off. When you do you begin to walk around a field – a circular path, leading toward a dwelling in the distance, a home that seems to reflect the light of the moon. As you walk along, a word or several words come into your mind and you find yourself repeating them over and again – like a mantra. Finally, you reach the dwelling – a place both ancient and familiar – the home of your wise woman.
As you are about to knock, the door swings open and your wise woman greets you, welcoming you in. She gives you a big hug and leads you further into the dwelling, where she is preparing food and drink. She offers you whatever it is that she has cooked for you, and you sit and eat or drink with her, asking any questions that you may have, or asking for any wisdom that she might wish to share with you.
When you are ready, she leads out of the kitchen and down a hallway with many doors.
As you walk through the door, you step into a library. A librarian takes you by the hand and leads you to a table. On that table are several books – some about you, some about the people you love, some about the world we live in. You choose the books that are right for you to read, asking your wise woman for any guidance if it is unclear. There are also several books with blank pages, for yourself, for those in your life, for the world – and you are able to contribute to those books; to write the chapters in the books that you are meant to write. When you are finished, your wise woman hands you a book that wasn’t there before, a book that she keeps for you. She points you to the wisdom that you need in your life right now.
When you are ready, your wise woman leads you from the room, but knowing that this is a place to which you can always return.
As you reach the front of the house you say your goodbyes to your wise woman, and while in her embrace, she whispers a word or phrase to you to reflect this journey. Perhaps it is the same one that you felt on the path, perhaps a different one. You thank her and then head back out into the night. The light is returning to the moon now, making the path all that much brighter on your return. You make your way back to the doorway and when you are ready, you step through.
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, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that perfect moment in infinity. 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 lying back down onto the earth where you began. And when you are ready you open your eyes.
Prayers for our circle
I have not gotten any specific calls for prayers tonight, although I am saying a private one for a dear friend, hoping that his day is going well!
Much love to all of you,
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