The Dark Half of the Year
As the days grow short and the nights lengthen in the northern hemisphere, the ancient Celtic tribes of Europe used to hold a celebration they called Samhain (sow-in). The Celts celebrated Samhain to mark the turning of the Wheel of the Year. At Samhain, the entire northern hemisphere officially enters into the dark half of the solar year. This is the time of year when the sun seems to turn away, and night lasts longer and longer. The dark half of our solar year officially begins on November 6th this year.
Samhain actually marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year in times past. At Samhain, the Celts paused and took time to reflect on the past and plan for the new year. They also believed Samhain was a time to connect with and honor loved ones who have crossed over into the land of the dead. And halfway across the world, the people of Mexico and Central America still celebrate Dia de los Metros (Day of the Dead) at this time of year.
Celtic Samhain is not just about celebrating death and those who have passed beyond. It is about celebrating life. The last of the year’s harvest is being gathered up in the fields and orchards now. Samhain is the perfect time to express gratitude to sacred Mother Earth for all the blessings and bounty she has provided for you and your loved ones.
Celebrating Samhain does not have to be complicated. Just take a few moments to pause and offer up a prayer of love and gratitude to those who have died. Go outside and offer gratitude to Mother Earth. Express thanks for everything you have harvested in your life. Simply pause and take a few moments to appreciate all the good that has come your way in the past year.
May the Spirit of peace
bring peace to your house
this Samhain night
and all nights to come.
Who Speaks for our Mother?
From a Shaman’s viewpoint, every part of Earth is alive and has a spirit; each blade of grass, pine tree, fox, flower, stone and drop of water is infused and flowing with spiritual essence and consciousness. Our Earth is a pulsing, flowing living system. And humans are completely interwoven and interdependent with every other form of life on the planet. All of life is interconnected; the idea that humans are separate from other life forms is simply an illusion.
Stone Memories
Our human actions have a huge effect on our Earth Mother. The history of human life is physically and energetically imprinted into the elements of Earth. The elemental structures of Earth hold our human stories of war and violence, love and connection, loss and pain; our mother stores our history within her water, soil and stones. Like a great elemental library, the body of Earth “remembers” the entire history of life on this planet.
Although humans may have long forgotten the stories, our Earth continues to hold the history of all those who lived here before us. These traumatic imprints were created through human neglect and ignorance, and they can continue to haunt us for generations. When a piece of land holds a story of human aggression, loss, disconnection, trauma or suffering, those energies continue to impact the animals and people who live, work and interact with that place years later.
Healing Mama Earth
Without some form of balancing or clearing process, a traumatic event may continue to negatively impact the land and the people who live on the land years later. Earth can stay ‘stuck’ in a state of imbalance for generations. But each of us can help our mother release old traumas and heal.
Whenever we consciously treat our Earth Mama with the love and respect she deserves, we actually help her restore balance and heal. And we heal our own relationship with this beautiful blue planet in the process.
Carl Sagan once asked, “Who speaks for planet Earth?”
It is time for each of us to honor and speak out for Mama Earth.
Connect with Sacred Earth and Sky
A FREE Soul of Nature Tele Call!!
Join Us on
Tuesday October 13, 2015
at 7:00 PM Mountain Time
for
CONNECTING WITH SACRED EARTH AND SKY
∞
Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/5722488733
Or join by phone:
+1 646 568 7788 (US Toll) or +1 415 762 9988 (US Toll)
Meeting ID: 572 248 8733
The Breath of Nature
…I hear the breath of nature;
Mother Earth inhaling and exhaling her love
For all life;
Her wind whispering in my ear.
Attuned to the echo of the Universe,
Its rhythmic hum pulsating through my being,
I too become one with its vibration,
I am still
I feel the peace of heaven on this earth
I see that we are all one with another
All intertwined in the fabric of life.
On this slope, amongst the junipers and pines,I know God.
On this slope, amongst the junipers and pines,I know God.
~Robert Schout, Amongst the Junipers and Pines
Dreaming with the Moon Replay
This Guided Journey was recorded on the evening of September 27, 2015
as the Full Moon rose in the sky and a Lunar Eclipse began.
Dreaming with the Moon Tele Call
Yahoo — a FREE Sacred Earth and Sky Event Tonight!
Join Nancy Lankston online or by phone for…
DREAMING WITH THE MOON
6:30 PM Mountain Time on Sunday Sept 27, 2015
Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/5722488733
Or join by phone:
+1 646 568 7788 (US Toll) or +1 415 762 9988 (US Toll)
Meeting ID: 572 248 8733
☾ ☽
When a Tree Falls…
Structure and Flow
Physical Soul
Your Soul is infinite and formless; unbounded and free. AND for this lifetime, your Soul has chosen to inhabit a physical body here on this physical planet we call Earth. These physical structures define the boundaries of your Soul’s container for this lifetime.
The solid parts of your human body can foster flow or block it completely. Human structure is the container that holds your flow. Without any “solid” physical structure, your life on earth would be a liquid puddle of a life! So it is important to pay attention to not just your Soul, but also the earthy structured part of your human existence; the physical body that your Soul inhabits can make this life constricted and painful, or free and flowing.
The Earthy Miracle of You
Human bodies are walking, talking miracles. Seriously! Do you have ANY idea how astounding it is that you ever developed at all from a single cell into a living, breathing, billion-celled baby? Do you know how many things had to go right for you to end up here on Earth alive in that body of yours? I sometimes wonder why we are not all walking through life in complete and total awe of our miracle bodies.
Every day your body quietly performs miracle upon miracle just to keep you alive; your heart pumps blood to each of your muscles and organs For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week it never stops beating and serving you. You swallow a bite of food and your digestive tract breaks that sandwich down into energy and molecules that your body knows just how to use to repair itself and create new cells – a hundred acts of body maintenance happen without you ever having to consciously get involved. And every single minute you must breathe in air to stay alive. Your amazing lungs lovingly inhale that air, extract the oxygen and then pass it on to your bloodstream so that fresh oxygen gets delivered to each cell in your body.
Can you pause for a moment and focus on the fact you’re your body has been magically created and orchestrated by Spirit? You are a million miracles from head to toe. Take a deep breath in right now and pause long enough to realize how amazing it is that you ever came into form in the first place. A million things had to happen in perfect order for you to ever be conceived and created. And the Universe doesn’t waste that kind of time. You are not a mistake or a surprise or some kind of an oops! You are a miracle.
Your Soul energy chose to come into form on this planet at this time. And everything about you being here now is a miracle. Wrap your arms around yourself and give a little squeeze in honor of the miracle you truly are.
Outer Earth
Get to know your outer landscape; Go outside and stand or sit. Look around. Is the terrain smooth sand or jagged rock or wet swamp? Is that rock beneath your feet or sand? Look around – Is the land where you are soggy and wet or dry as a bone? And does this place on Earth speak to you? What does Mama Earth have to share with you?
Connecting with Earth:
Connect with the earthy physical side of nature by sitting directly on rocks, dirt or grass. If you cannot get outside, lie on the solid floor in your home. Feel the stability and structure of elemental earth. Notice how calming and grounding earth is for your body. Imagine that you can absorb the calm grounded-ness of earth through every pore of your body. Breathe in and allow your body to become as stable and solid as rock; feel the solidity of your bones supporting your organs and muscles.
Allow the stability of ground to permeate every aspect of you with each breath. Drop your attention to the center of your belly as you breathe. As you connect with earth and find your physical center, radiate that calm stability out to the rest of your body, from head to toe. Flow with the stability of earth.
Inner Earth
Go within – get to know your inner landscape, your physical body which is your “home” for this entire lifetime.
Is your body boney or soft?
Light or heavy?
What do you enjoy about your physical body?
What do you dislike?
Is your inner earth fluid and flexible or rigid and immovable?
How does your physical body feel right now; do you have any pain or discomfort?
What does your body want to say to you?