Tiny Tashlich, Shallow Water, Deep Cleanse

Sometimes we just do the best we can and everything turns out beautiful! This year's Rosh Hashana's new moon was just too busy to gather, so Juliet took her bread and phone to a streamside in Central Park. Debra climbed down the hill to the stream behind her house with bread and phone. Even tho there was barely any water in the stream, she could make tiny crumbs to float away. Taking turns, we cast off our regrets and bad habits of the past year with Juliet reciting the proper Tashlich prayer in Hebrew.

I'll Lend You a Calendula: Herbal Salve-A-Tion

 

 Beautiful, clean-smelling calendula blossoms, picked late on a sunny morning and steeped for a few weeks in olive oil, infused the oil with their healing properties. We strained away the plant matter, warmed the oil, and mixed in 3-4:1 parts oil to melted beeswax.

Then we poured our fresh salve into small containers to restock our winter supply and to sell to neighbors and friends. Hurray for no more chapped hands, cracked fingers, itchy vaginas, and sore noses!

Celebrating Lammas

Chewing on a head of grass-seed; shelling and popping corn; bringing in the rye... honoring Ceres and Demeter and the beginning of Harvest Season... the mid-point between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. Happy Lammas!

Zikr for Istanbul

traveling companions - Ataturk Airport

In empathy with the people of Turkey after the recent bombing of Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Debra led an informal Zikr (prayers of remembrance) service. We saw slides of her 2014 trip to Turkey with a small group of whirling dervishes to visit their teacher and Rumi's tomb.

She gave a short demonstration and explanation of Sufi turning as a way to focus inward on God and cast off one's worldly attachments.

Then we set an intention of peace and healing for the people of Istanbul and used a large circle of prayer beads to "count," and unite us while calling on Allah to open ourselves to these possibilities. Allah is the Arabic name for the Divine. 

More information about turning practice can be found in the book Women Called to the Path of Rumi: The Way of the Whirling Dervish by trip leader and teacher, Shakina Reinhertz.

Go with the Flow

Inspired by Dana's energy meditation, I took a bath and imagined myself in a boat floating down the river of life. First, I observed the events of the past couple weeks along the shore of the river; what and how my physical body, mind, heart, and energy was doing. Then, "saw" myself drifting on into the future toward the next new moon cycle.... and what I'd like my life and energy to be like in 29 days.

Having just printed wavelike symbols down its center to represent high and low tides as they follow the moon, I kept thinking to my topsy-turvy torah project. More and more, as I work on it,  I'm aware of the earth and season and its close connection to both Jewish and Christian holidays... Christianity's Easter celebration of new life; freedom from limitation.... Jewish Passover; liberation, passing from constriction, through the waters to a new life and liberation... budding trees, greening grass--thawing earth, rain and mud, nesting birds; all singing praises ...all rejoicing in LIFE!

InTENTionality

We set our tent in the branches of a mother maple at Local Farm... a rosy women's space; fluid and free, like our spirits on this warm and breezy day....  Then we repotted house plants

...giving them fresh soil and more space to grow and thrive...

...adding tokens and trinkets ... and a drink of fresh water.

...We finished our fun with a finale feast of pomegranate pops and blueberry muffins. For some, it was a triple header...

inTENTs Experience!

A complete solar eclipse occurred with this Pisces Super New Moon orbiting especially close to the earth, so that her gravitational pull on our bodies and psyches is especially strong.  According to Simone Butler in Moon Circles, this astrological configuration is the perfect time to say NO to whatever things, relationships, actions, and habits that no longer serve our higher selves in order to make way for new insights, healing, and inspiration. She says, "Sometimes YES begins with NO," and recommends giving our souls space to grow and thrive, much like the plants we repotted!

Monkeyshines, Valentines

When she lived in Wisconsin, Grandma Jean and her artist friends always got together this time of year to make valentines. After moving to CT, she tried to continue the tradition by inviting us to celebrate the February new moon by making valentines. Remembering our first gathering of that nature, Rachel organized another new moon valentine-making adventure this year.

Rachel and Darwin had colored thin pieces of cardboard on their woodstove so the crayons melted making vibrant colors, so we could make heart-shaped cut-outs.

Harriet showed us how to use a template to fold and cut two pieces of paper to weave together to form a heart.

We learned to weave our cutouts into heart shaped pockets.

We used Grandma Jean's heart-shaped paper punch to make many small hearts,

Made messes and music,

And decorated lunar postcards.

Inspired, Rachel and Darwin went home and incorporated what they had done into a project for 100's Day: a 10 by 10 woven grid with 100 hearts pinned on!

February 8, 2016  was also the "Chinese lunar New Year," based on the New Moon heralding spring. In the past, this was the only festival for which farmer's would leave their labors to celebrate. The festivities would last for two weeks/the full moon. It remains a time of honoring one's ancestors and deities, as well as holding family reunions. Because the color red represents good fortune, many people give presents of cash in small red envelopes. According to Chinese astrological tradition, this year (4713) is the year of the fire monkey and we can look forward to a year of intense confrontations, great technological advancements, and of women coming into their power.

Big Fish on the Rise

Astro Feng Shui practitioner, Simone Butler  notes that this month's new moon in Capricorn is the ideal time to move forward into our work, self-esteem and higher calling. She recommends "tooting our own horn" by boldly writing a letter or making a blog or facebook post about an issue that really matters to us. And/or showing confidence in our own abilities by approaching an authority about supporting our work.
        I chose this time to post on our local chat group in support of short term rentals. I daily skim over the posts and usually dismiss them, feeling like a big old trout hiding at the bottom of the stream under a rock.
This time, the hue and cry from our local inn-keepers that "its not fair" they have to meet health regs and pay fees that Air BnB's do not, got to pestering me just enough to write about what a wonderful service short-term rentals provide my visitors from out of town... I watched myself slowly leaving the shadows and rising toward the bait... feels good to have writ my peace (piece?) May I continue to sing out this month! In my community and as part of the choir.
     Thank you Simone! I draped the horns of Babe the Blue Ox with red fabric to bring a little fire to my aspirations!