Song of
Avalon: A Newsletter for Spiritual Seekers
Published by FindsForSeekers.com |
|
Song of
Avalon: A Newsletter for Spiritual Seekers
Published by FindsForSeekers.com |
|
|
August is my favorite
month.
I celebrate my birthday, and
the lazy days of summer are in full swing. By August, the
daytime sun generally surrenders to sultry evenings with
just enough cool in the breeze to make lying under the night
sky and listening to the cicadas a pleasurable experience.
In the Celtic calendar, the
season of Lughnasadh arrives with August's waning moon: the
season of first harvest, when the early wheat and the corn
and tomatoes bursting with warm red juices surrender to the
bite of the scythe. The Celts saw the wheat's harvest as
the sacrifice of the god, whose death in the grain gave way
to new life in the form of bread. The harvesting scythe was
the tool of the Reaper, the feminine aspect of the
destructive power that was a necessary element of
transformation. The mystery of the God's surrender to the
Reaper, the necessity of death to make way for new
life, reflects our own constant need for discernment about
what is ripe for release. What little deaths in your own
life might make a space for transformation? What needs to be
"cut down" before it rots? Where are the weeds of busy-ness
and clutter and over-commitment choking out your own true
potential harvest?
In honor of the Celtic Reaper,
we've chosen to focus on
Simplicity this month. We hope you enjoy
Mary Lou's article with suggestions on living more simply,
as well as my poem about my encounter with the Reaper. As
usual we've also gathered a few resources that support our
monthly theme.
May the beginning of this
harvest season inspire you to clear away the clutter in your
mind, your environment and your day to day. True abundance
starts with making space for what really matters to you.
You will harvest your dreams when you cut away what
distracts you from who you really are. Invite the Reaper
into your world and watch what happens in the sacred space
that is your life.
Lughnasadh Blessings, Kim
On Wednesday, August 12, at 12:00pm Central Time
Join Kimberly Schneider, LPC and Spiritual
Director/Soul Friend Mary Lou Schneider for a discussion
of:
Simplicity: Cut Out What's Draining You
and Leave Space for What Matters.
This call is part of our monthly TeleSeminar series
available to participants in our Spiritual Mentorship
program. Please note, since you can request a full
refund on your membership fees if you are not satisfied
within the first 60 days, you can listen in on the call
and explore our other membership benefits at no risk!
For more information about the Spiritual Mentorship
program,
click
here.
Want To Attend One of Our Teleseminars but Not Sure
You're welcome to listen in
on the calls as a non-member for a fee of just $49 per
call. If you decide to join the spiritual mentorship
program within 48 hours of listening in on a call, your
$49 call tuition will be applied toward your spiritual
mentorship program fees.
Featured Products for August
One aspect of simplicity is
protecting ourselves from
energies that weaken our
systems. More and more
people find that they feel
sensitive to the
Electromagnetic Frequencies
emanating from their cell
phones. I love this cell
phone headset from Less EMF
that conducts sound through
an air tube--no wires
feeding EMF's into your ear
and your brain! Everyone who
has bought these tells me
that they no longer have the
sensations of ears burning,
headaches, dizziness, etc.
that they used to get when
using their cell phones.
In A New Earth, Tolle expands on his previous work to explain how the Power of Presence is actually creating a new species of human being that has the capacity to usher in The New Earth. The author offers examples of how to live in the Now, beginning, well....Now!
Click Here To Learn More or
Purchase
In this one-of-a-kind program, James Arthur Ray gives inside information regarding the Path of Power and how to access the Power Trance States of consciousness. After over 2 decades of personal study and experience, James gives tools and techniques to shorten your learning curve and increase your energy. This program is for you if you are completely dedicated to walking the path of all great Initiates. (This program is for the serious student only!) Click Here To Learn More or Purchase
What would it be like to
never be hurried? Could you
drop the word busy from your
vocabulary? What if your
family, friends and
colleagues could experience
you as attentive, focused
and sensitive. Eknath
Easwaran says "a life of
artistic beauty is within
the reach of
everyone." Start 2007 using
the suggestions in this book
and discover the rewards of
living soulfully. ~MLS
Click Here To Learn More or Purchase  Fall
Learning Opportunities with Mary Lou
Everyone needs an "anamchara" (Irish Gaelic for
"soul friend.") Next Fall Mary Lou Schneider
will be drawing upon her anamchara gifts to
offer two classes for women:
Cultivating a Spiritual Practice:
A Year Long Course for Women on
Developing a Personally Meaningful Spiritual
Practice.
Woman's Role As Caretaker: Burden
or Blessing?
This monthly support group is created for anyone
in a caretaker role: providing support to aging
parents, nurturing clients, ministry, anyone
challenged by the demands of caring for others
(work or family).
Click here to read the flyer Classes begin this fall and space is limited--register early to secure your space.  Back
by Popular Demand:
Dancing Our Souls Awake:
A
Creativity
mini-
retreat for Women
You are
Invited
to join
Mary Lou & Kim
for a
Day and a Night
of
dancing between the worlds
through
movement, poetry, meditation, divination, ritual
and sharing. Tap into your creative power,
refresh your Spirit and renew your Soul.
This popular 24 hour mini-retreat sold out in
February so we are repeating it in September,
2007. Register
Now: Only 5 Spaces Left!
For more information about the retreat,
click here.
Lughnasadh
Last night I called upon the Reaper
to show herself to me. I looked to pen and paper, my usual source of illumination, but She was not there.
Appropriately, she called me out of my head and into my body out of my safe bedroom and into the open night where the crickets sang her praises and the dark summer wind whispered her name in my ear.
Last night I called upon the Reaper to show herself to me. And as I looked for her face in the darkness I couldn’t help but wonder
what she would ask in return.
She called me out of my accomplishments and into my insecurities out of understanding and into the unknown where I found myself standing at the mouth of the Labyrinth, the womb of the Dark One
before me.
Last night I called upon the Reaper to show herself to me. I walked the circuitous path,
hoping to touch her Wisdom.
She called me out of ideals and into reality out of my plans and into the moment where I let my blood flow onto the ground beneath me and I fed her earth with the milk of my breast. Last night I called upon the Reaper To show herself to me. Instead she showed me my complex self: the wonderful and the terrible altogether
in this person who is me.
She called me out of pat answers and into the tension of opposites out of duality and into the Wholeness where I found Her— in, and all around me.
©1998, Kimberly V.
Schneider
SIMPLICITY
The dictionary defines simplicity as being "direct, clear; free of pretense or dishonesty; free of vanity, ostentation and undue display; free of secondary complications and distractions. The word free is used three times in the definition. The lyrics to an old Shaker song remind us: 'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free… And yet, although Americans live in the land of the free, few of us experience inner freedom in our daily lives. In a Fortune magazine survey done in 1989, 75% of Americans between the ages of 25-49 said they would like to see our country return to a simpler lifestyle, with less emphasis on material success. In a 1991 Time magazine cover story, 69% of those surveyed said they would like to "slow down and live a more relaxed life." Living a simple life means being free to live authentic lives that reflect what is truly important. Many of us lack the determination to wrest control of our lives from the manipulative demands of the marketplace and workplace. Americans continue to take less vacation time, and when they do they bring their cell phones and laptops with them. They jam-pack that time with activities and return home fatigued rather than rested. Week-ends seldom feel like a real respite. The typical response to the question, "How are you?" is "busy."
As our world becomes increasingly complex and technology
seduces us with promises of greater efficiency and
convenience, we may discover that we have bought a lie. With
all of our advances, have we satisfied our yearnings for
relaxation, rest, meaningful relationships, reflection and
meaningful contribution to our world? Why is it so
challenging to live simply? Is it because simplicity is
counter-cultural? I believe so, and the only way to resist
that pull is to make a conscious decision to live life
differently than the messages our culture delivers.
|
| Copyright 2007 |
on Audio CD
