Last night I spent a few hours around a fire, sharing thoughts and dreams and hopes with a group of amazing people. Once a month we gather together around our Sacred Fire, forming and strengthening the bonds of our community and reminding ourselves that it is within those bonds that our true hearts lie. The physical presence of the fire warms our bodies and the spiritual presence of that same strengthens our minds and souls.
Last night, as appropriate to the time of year, we spoke of the Winter Solstice and the meaning it holds for each of us. During the winter the seeds and plants wait beneath the Earth, waiting for the promised return of the Sun. We are like those seeds and plants, using the times of darkness for contemplation, learning to know ourselves better, and reaching deep inside ourselves to pull out the ideas and hopes and dreams we want to bring to fruition as the wheel turns and the light returns.
With the light from Grandfather Fire throwing dancing shadows across our huddled forms, we shared our dreams last night. One dream in particular we will be working hard to bring into reality in the coming year. We will be planning and working towards a community garden, growing corn, squash and beans (the Three Sisters), herbs, and maybe even trying our hands at some beekeeping. (I'll be staying away from the bees, just so everyone knows). I'm really excited about this idea. As an apartment dweller, I miss the opportunity to dig in the dirt and remember fondly times spent in my parents' garden or on my uncle's farm. I've already alerted my mother that I'll probably be calling her a lot, picking her brain for canning tips, and bugging my father for his secrets for growing as much as they did in such a small space.
It's not just the idea of getting back to the Earth, literally and figuratively, that has me excited. It's the community interaction, too. I look forward to working with the people I've come to love and admire over the last couple of years. We've shared good food, good conversations, and some jokes that made us laugh and sometimes cringe (not naming any names, Shine). This will be a new sharing that will bring us all even closer as we learn all about growing and harvesting and canning and freezing, ourselves and each other.
We planted our seeds in the dark of winter, sitting around a fire and we will guard them and nurture them as they gather energy, waiting to grow as the Sun returns.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the Sacred Fire Communities, go here: http://www.sacredfirecommunity.org
Last night, as appropriate to the time of year, we spoke of the Winter Solstice and the meaning it holds for each of us. During the winter the seeds and plants wait beneath the Earth, waiting for the promised return of the Sun. We are like those seeds and plants, using the times of darkness for contemplation, learning to know ourselves better, and reaching deep inside ourselves to pull out the ideas and hopes and dreams we want to bring to fruition as the wheel turns and the light returns.
With the light from Grandfather Fire throwing dancing shadows across our huddled forms, we shared our dreams last night. One dream in particular we will be working hard to bring into reality in the coming year. We will be planning and working towards a community garden, growing corn, squash and beans (the Three Sisters), herbs, and maybe even trying our hands at some beekeeping. (I'll be staying away from the bees, just so everyone knows). I'm really excited about this idea. As an apartment dweller, I miss the opportunity to dig in the dirt and remember fondly times spent in my parents' garden or on my uncle's farm. I've already alerted my mother that I'll probably be calling her a lot, picking her brain for canning tips, and bugging my father for his secrets for growing as much as they did in such a small space.
It's not just the idea of getting back to the Earth, literally and figuratively, that has me excited. It's the community interaction, too. I look forward to working with the people I've come to love and admire over the last couple of years. We've shared good food, good conversations, and some jokes that made us laugh and sometimes cringe (not naming any names, Shine). This will be a new sharing that will bring us all even closer as we learn all about growing and harvesting and canning and freezing, ourselves and each other.
We planted our seeds in the dark of winter, sitting around a fire and we will guard them and nurture them as they gather energy, waiting to grow as the Sun returns.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the Sacred Fire Communities, go here: http://www.sacredfirecommunity.org
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