To Learn Truth We Practice Through Relationship

Richard Rohr (Center for Action and Contemplation), in one of his morning contemplation posts writes "We do not think ourselves into a new way of living;  we live ourselves into a new way of thinking."

If we want a new life for ourselves, we must be willing to return again and again to that place where we learn and can practice tools for living in a new way. The place we return to is through our connection with All Our  Relations.  What we learn is Truth. What we experience is Love. We learn to live in relationship with all Creation. We learn to think in the language of love.

Self-Reflection: I commit to practice living in relationship with all of creation in the best way I know how. In this way I wil Learn Truth

We Learn Truth Through the Sense of Touch

We begin the experience of being human through our 5 senses.  The 5 senses are not instincts, but they inform our instincts, and also, the other way around. We begin our learning about what it is to be human with our sense of 'touch'. We learn comfort and pain, hot and cold, hard, soft. Our first experience of being loved or rejected comes through our tactile experience during our birth.

In working with the Cycles of Truth, we begin with Learn Truth and the first of our five senses, touch.  This tactile sense is our first informer as to whether our world is a good and safe place to be. It is the first way we are in relationship with all of our world.

Reflecting on our early experience in the world gives us clues about where we need to update our sensory systems (quite literally).  Jamie Sams' experienced this first cycle of truth as 'Talks With Relations'.  Through the story she tells, she shows how our willingness to step into relationship with all of creation (not just people and our pets) is a tried and true way to Learn Truth AND to open our sense of touch to a higher level of sensitivity and frequency, which brings healing for us and for all we touch...

Self Reflection: I enter a new year of cycles and rhythms. I will be touched by the experience of living my life in rhythm and flow. I will Learn Truth through being present to whatever my life touches.

January New Moon and the Gift of Healing Touch.

Carolyn shares her thoughts on the night of the new moon:  I sat listening to what thoughts make themselves known to me during the time I set aside for my new moon meditation.  Thinking about the gift of the call to Learn Truth that I embrace this month. AND thinking, too, about the gift creator has provided for me through my five senses.

This month the sense we are asked to know better is the sense of touch.  My mind goes to a memory of one of the first times I laid my hands on the skin of a loved one and through that touch received awareness of their pain and the way to relieve it.  Remembering this, and reflecting on the other times my coming in touch with another has been healing for me, or them, and sometimes for both of us, I had this thought:  What if we are beings born as cells of the heart of Creator? What if our bodies are living ‘hearts of the Divine’?  Then this skin of ours, which is the largest organ of our body, is a magnificent receptor and giver of all that is possible of Divine Love.  It is no wonder that intuition is developed through our awareness of touch.  It is of no surprise that we Learn Truth through our willingness to be in relationship with all, and how often our sense of touch (as well as our voice) frames these relationships.  

Self Reflection: Am I open to the gifts which come my way with the willingness to learn truth?

As We Move to a New Year of Truth Cycles...

Being and living the vision for our life: Everything in the universe has a template for it's structure and existence (it's potential and possibility).  We, as human beings, are no different in this sense than rocks, trees the elements and the stars.  We are what we are.  Yet, as human beings, the template of our potential is often co opted by our ego and our thinking brain (a simplistic description; read Ken Wilber's  work on Integral living if you want to know more).  We have brief, fleeting moments of awareness and knowing--where we ARE fully present, and the person we dare  to dream we could be-if/when...makes herself/himself known to us! 

We are already who and what we were created to be.  But...because our sense of self is not in alignment with our 'Divine Template' it only means that we must learn how to bring our vision back from the distance of 'someday' to the present moment.  

We already are the person we sense we are called to be.  We CAN and WILL learn to experience ourselves as this person! How? We start by paying attention to the reaction of our senses in our daily lives.  We notice our preferences, likes, dislikes, prejudices, beliefs.  No judging, just notice.  No judging, just notice.

Self Reflection: The process of becoming who I am is not so much about becoming more, but a process of shedding, letting go, dropping what is not 'me'.

Stereopsis Moon

Stereopsis New Moon , Lisa Kay, 9/30/16

 Looking into a black ceramic crock pot, soaking in my sink, I captured this strange and astounding photo that I titled,  Cyclops. The mandala image was created from the interaction of  vinegar and baking soda. I have been contemplating and wondering about the meaning of this image ever since the new moon. What does this have to do with the moon cycle? What I discovered is that a more fitting name for this mandala is Stereoposis rather than Cylops. This greek term (stereo meaning "solid" and opsis meaning" appearance") refers to one's ability to see with both eyes that which may is hidden from each eye alone.  For me, this is a reminder to stay open to seeing and perceiving with what Educational Philosopher, Maxine Greene has called a "wide-awakeness."

Serving the Child, Serving the Future

Karin, a founding member of our original Moon Cycle Circle and guest blogger, starts off the exploration of the role of 'will' (and true service) on the path to Live Truth.  She shares her personal reflections:

During last month's focus on Serving Truth, I was startled by the assertion that I needed to serve myself. (This flies in the face of my Christian indoctrination.)  It took so much pressure off me to serve, serve, and serve some more until I was spent. Working with Kinders these past two weeks--and I mean, young Kinders--with their joyful and willful expression, has reminded me to be aware of and care for my own inner child.  I intuit that I need to cultivate and give witness to an intermingling of service to them and to service to myself. Therein lies the evolution and healing of Planet and Self--one and the same!

It takes daily contemplation and review of my intentions in order to Serve God/The Good.  My intentions encompass guiding the little ones in learning how to 1) distinguish needs from wants; 2) balance their needs and immediate wants with those of their peers; 3) to assert when they have not been heard, yet also practice strategies of patience and grit when faced with challenges.  Basically, to stre-e-etch both their brains AND their hearts when peers trespass their boundaries and they don't receive immediate gratification--tall orders for any of us, let alone Kinders!

August's focus on Service and September's focus on Awareness of Tomorrow's Dreams in its range of manifestations epitomizes my journey through the cycles.  The image of a giggling-then sleepy-then generous babe Wata-jis in the cradle board (from Jamie Sams story of Setting Sun Woman) captures the essence of a Kinder kid!  This morning I looked at our class pictures and could distinctly envision them as high schoolers!  I need to be aware that their future selves will carry the foundational circuitry and emotions from their Kinder selves!

What exactly is my role?  It's imperative that I pray morning, evening, throughout the day (!) for the words and patience to love them just as they are developmentally (as my young Karin needed and did not always receive). Also important is to give them choice and a measure of responsibility in making those choices.  Tell them in word and deed that I trust them.  Model that I, too, make mistakes, but that we can and will become skillful emotionally and cognitively.  This is a process, an entire life's journey. My co-teacher and I are learning that patience and respect (with respectful consequences for obstinacy!) during this journey are the hardest to practice and model.  But the fruits of our labor are so worth it.

Serve Truth Mandala for the Waxing Moon

The Music of Serve Truth. Lisa Kay, 8.5' x 9", sheet music, watercolor, money plant seed cases, scrabble tiles
Copyright, Lisa Kay

Forgiveness as an Instant Disolver of Anger

From Mary Z: Jamie Sams writes, “In her wisdom, Loves All Things teaches us that we can find the joys of physical life, without trying to escape our pain through becoming addicted to false pleasures or compulsive behavior patterns.”

I have a pattern of diffusing painful situations with humor or flattery only to succumb to internalizing the hard feelings I could not express to another.  Carolyn talked about forgiveness.  If forgiveness is for the self, how does one forgive when the feelings come from within one’s own self?

I only recently realized how angry I was at someone who had taken advantage of me a few months back.  I feel I cannot forgive him without him understanding how hurt I was.  Yet tonight I was finally able to express my feelings in writing.  A weight was lifted when I wrote down the words.  Is that the healing feeling of forgiveness?

I become overwhelmed trying to figure out where I took the wrong turns in life that leave me so unhappy so often in the present.  Focusing on a current emotion and doing something about it fostered a lightness I have not felt in a while.  Can past sins be forgiven by breaking a few patterns in the present?

Jamie Sams writes, “Forgiving the self for being human…usually dissolved the anger instantly

We All Share the Circle of Connection and Relationship

Carolyn shares:  I'm writing this post just after saying "good night" to a group of women who joined me on this night of the summer solstice and the June full moon. This joining of solstice and full moon hasn't happened for 50 years.  It made the news and was an 'excuse' for a lot of partying.  On our end, These 8 women came all with different connections and from different places. We came to hold ceremony, to share about our current life-both the joys and the challenges, and to bear witness to each woman's request for the next step in her journey.  It didn't matter that some of us didn't know others, or that we came from different circles.  Neither did it matter that we all seemed to have different spiritual traditions. Songs were sung from different ancestries, even in different languages. In this small group, in a few short hours, new truths were spoken and old stories released to grandmother moon.  We committed to flourish and nourish others with the abundance of who we are, just as the solstice celebrations invites and reminds us all to do.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of women are gathering together for ceremony on this evening, and we are all connected. You, reading this post, are connected, too.  I am full of gratitude...and tired. It's near midnight, and way past my bedtime.

Listening to Hear Truth Speak for Herself

Carolyn shares: When I opened Lisa Kay's full moon mandala for May/the cycle of Hear Truth I felt spoken to. Loud and clear!  I didn't feel shouted at, rather beckoned in a way I was compelled to take note of.  What is it that spoke to me?  A few words about working with mandalas might be helpful.  Working with a mandala is a bit like working with a dream.  In both cases, the dreamer (or the viewer of the mandala) becomes each part of the dream/mandala.  We see, sense and feel from each perspective. In this way we are able to interpret for ourselves the meaning it has for us and perhaps the different parts of ourselves.
As I sat in contemplation with Lisa's full moon mandala I recalled how I felt when opening her gift of the May New Moon Mandala-I felt impatient to light all the candles, and wanted to light them one at a time as the moon moved through her waxing phase. Impatience was my predominant feeling-antsy anticipation. I shared about this in a post the next day: Waiting to Hear.

This morning. I entered the mandala from the inside circle. I felt protected by the circle of light.  I felt the light shining upon me in the center of my being, I felt seen and invited to be seen.  I also felt a little in shadow by the light the candles cast. The ring of beads around the center--all my possibilities and potential-or maybe all my experiences, neatly wrapped inside each bead for safe keeping and organization.  I can be so disorganized. Either way, they remain an invitation for further exploration.

I am now the light of the candles-twelve of them.  The light that comes forth from patiently moving through the cycles of the year, the moons, the Truth teachings. Am I willing to be a light in all the ways I am called to be? When I live with the intention of light, I not only am a light for others, I also bring light to my own essence, the core of my being. The strength of the twelve lights in the circle are a strong boundary for me; a protection of sorts. I recognize I am not the source of my own light. I was lit up by another source, by Source.  With humility I remember that.

I am now the ring around the twelve candles.  I am the container holding all together.  The concentric circles remain concentric circles because the securely rest in their container. I sit in contemplation feeling contained, container, flame and wax and wick, twelve times over, the experiences and possibilities of who I am, and my I AM in the center of it all.  In this way I feel connected, I am connected with myself and with all.

Lisa's May Mandala transformed from a concentric space defined in anticipation to Speaking for Herself; a powerful, brilliant voice of reassurance and beckoning truth.

May Full Moon Mandala: She Speaks for Herself

  She speaks for herself: 1

 She speaks for herself: 2

She speaks for herself: 3

A Prayer for the Feast of Life

Creator,

Guide me through my day; help me

 Live fully,
Laugh deeply,

Love heartily,

Manifest abundantly,

Receive unconditionally,

Heal profoundly.

(feel free to add your own...)

Orange; the color for January's Moon and the 3rd Chakra

Carolyn's thoughts: On meditating on Lisa's mandala  I found my mind wandering into the realm of chakras. Hmmm; I know this relates in some way! Orange is the color associated with the second chakra, centered in the abdomen. It is the center holding the energy of relationships (and money and power in relationships). This chakra 'hangs out' between the first chakra at the base of the spine and the third chakra, at the solar plexus. The first chakra, represented in the color red, holds the energy related to our family of origin, culture, country, and ancestry (and the power these hold in our life). The third chakra center for our sense of self and self esteem is associated with the color yellow. Although I have worked with chakra energy for many years, The fullness of Lisa's orange mandala gave me a new awareness of the influence on my origin of birth and my sense of self on how I 'relate' in my relationships.  A healthy vibrant red and a healthy vibrant yellow will come together to support a healthy and vital orange.  Having had some digestive issues recently, I am also contemplating how this all shows up in my physical body.  What is it I need to learn?  I have a gut feeling there are some Truths I am resisting!

Receiving the Fullness of the January Moon; Lisa Kay

Lisa Kay generously shares her creativity and her inspiration for January's moon.  This is how she has added to her mandala from the new moon for January 12, New Moon 

copyright Lisa Kay 2016

In her fullness, in her completeness.

Winter whiteout

The moon is in her fullness.

Listen...

She s/peaks through the trees, difficult to see

Touch...

Her powerful full presence

Smell...

Her rich, ripe reflection

Feel...

Her generous, abundant nature

Sense...

Her sparkling inner fire; her soft, gentle glow

In her fullness, in her completeness.

She is among us.

              

Lisa Kay, January 2016

Coming up to the Full Moon For Learn Truth

Self Reflection: On the New Moon, I named my vision and intention for this cycle's gift of Learn Truth. During the waxing days as the moon moves toward fullness, my vision and intention for these gifts becomes clearer. It begins to unfold.  Even if I wasn't aware of a vision, or set an intention, no worries.  In my spirit and soul, and my longing to be my full self, they are made on my behalf. Now as I approach the Full Moon, I can reflect back on my past two weeks and see what Truth has touched me, and how I am supported in going forward.

Eternal Love - January New Moon Mandala from Lisa

Lisa Kay has been a member of our moon circle group since shortly after we began gathering. Lisa’s wisdom around the moon cycles includes her knowledge of the Celtic medicine wheel.  She is also a gifted artist and writer.  Over this year, Lisa will share the mandalas she creates as she contemplates the Cycles of Truth and rhythms of the moon.  We hope they inspire and bless you on your journey as well.

Here is Lisa's January New Moon Mandala:

The orange flame represents Eternal Love that the great spirit has placed in the heart (core) of every part of creation. Words from the chapter Clan Mother of the First Moon Cycle  and the last two lines of Jamie Sam's poem, Talks with Relations,  "Mother, I see you in the dewdrop, I hear you in the Eagle's call"  holds the circle together. In this mixed media new moon mandala, I layered prismacolor pencils and pastels and collaged dried rose petals and used matches from my morning meditation sessions.  Lisa 

An Invitation

The moon circle journal brings an ancient system of healing and caring for self, others and the earth to the peoples of the modern era.  It is a way for individuals to do their part to bring balance and peace into their life, and learn a natural way to share this balance and peace out in the world.

The journal offers month to month (moon cycle to moon cycle) teachings and practices. In the ancient lineage of tribal cultures across the world these teachings are considered as ‘Gifts of Truth’ and are held as essential qualities each person must develop within themselves to become wholly human.

The elders tell us that every human embarks on this journey toward maturity.  The choice is whether the journeyer is asleep or awake.  Working with this journal process will help the user WAKE-UP to their potential and learn how to embody and live the qualities of character that support their life.

The Moon Circle Journal Project is ready to launch for the 2016 Cycle beginning with the first new moon of the year on January 9, 2016.  Sara and I, along with a few other long time participants of our virtual moon cycle circle group began to talk about ways to support one another.  As we had worked with the moon cycles and shared during our monthly calls we realized we were just scratching the surface of the wisdom contained within this ancient, cross-cultural lineage.  How could we bring this wisdom up to date and relevant to our present day experiences and cultures?

Membership in the Moon Circle Journal includes:

·    *12 months (13 cycles) of calendar and journal pages, (approximately 196 pages in an 11X 8 ½” circa-bound journal)

        *Two recorded 30-minute teachings for each new and full moon (24 recordings)

        * Invitation to participate in a private group sharing teleconferences at 7PMCST on the night of each     new and full moon (24 group sharing sessions)

         *Membership in the Private MoonCycleCircle Face Book page

        *Access to Daily Meditation Posts on the MoonCycleCircle Blog

         *Bonus ‘Become Your Vision’ packet at the completion of your 12 cycles. 

     * Electronic copy of journal pages

The 12 month membership in the Moon Circle Journal Project  is $159
(Membership may begin any time during the year)

The Moon Circle Journal  can also be purchased as a stand-alone product for $49 

***Until our paypal button is ready to accept orders, please contact Carolyn for membership and purchase details.
Alpha test members who have completed the survey will receive $10 off on their purchase.  Carolyn can be emailed at  carolyn@drfaivre.com

The 2016 Moon CIrcle Journal