|
|||||||||
| Celebrating the Sabbat, March 20 | |||||||||
| By Patti Wigington | |||||||||
|
Spring has finally arrived! March has roared in like a lion, and if we’re really lucky, it will roll out like a lamb. Meanwhile, on or around March 20th, we have Ostara to celebrate. It’s the time of the vernal equinox if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s a true marker that Spring has come. There are many different ways you can celebrate this Sabbat, depending on your tradition. May your Sabbat be a magical one! |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
| Taking Counsel in a Circle |
by Madisyn Taylor 
The use of a talking stick during counsel assures every voice is heard fully without interruption. When we sit in a circle together and share our thoughts and feelings, we participate in a powerful, unifying practice whose origins stem from the very beginning of human time. All early cultures practiced some form of this ritual, which gives each individual in the group a voice, and at the same time reveals the one voice, and the ultimate unity, of the group. This profound and simple way of talking and listening has experienced a modern rebirth in counseling, social work, and spirituality. Most circles benefit from the presence of a leader who opens the circle by calling in angels, spirit guides, and ancestors – beings of light who will be present with those taking counsel. The leader may announce a theme for the circle, or one may simply evolve from the unstructured expressions of each participant. The circle continues for as long as feels right, at which point the leader may summarize what has been said, perhaps leading everyone in a moment of silence before the circle disbands. One of the most powerful components of this work is the talking stick, which can be any object – a crystal, a flower, or a candle – that is passed around the circle from person to person. The person holding the object speaks until he has fully expressed his feelings, and no one else interjects, interrupts, or even responds until they are holding the stick. This enables people who have a hard time speaking out to express long-buried feelings and points of view. This is powerful because in a community it is often what is not said or acknowledged that causes the most pain and suffering. The circle, which contains no hard edges or angles, is the ideal container for these difficult truths. As we hear the many perspectives the subject at hand inspires, we begin to see that our individual truth is just one of many. Our own hard edges begin to soften as the circle flows from one person to the next, and each wave of words cleanses us of one more layer of mental and emotional armor, freeing us to be closer to the people around us. Try using counsel during your next family meeting, school class, or any setting where you feel a centering communication method is needed. |
| Cooperation |
by Madisyn Taylor
Cooperation is allowed to flow more easily when we let go of the necessity to be right all the time.
Cooperation seems simple: working together toward a common goal for the benefit of all involved. But amazingly it can be quite challenging, even when we have so many successful examples all around us. Human society is based upon the concept of cooperation, but finding a balance to ensure the good of all members of society is difficult. In nature, symbiotic relationships form between unlikely allies: a bee and a flower, a bird and a rhinoceros, small fish and sharks. Yet nature also shows us instances of constant competition in which only the strongest survive. Given the choice, it seems most people would choose the more peaceful path of cooperation. Intellectually, we know that together we can create something greater than what one could do alone, but cooperation still seems to be one of the greatest challenges people face. We don’t always agree on how goals can be reached. Our priorities may be different, or our methods, but in the end, cooperation offers the best chance for success.So how can we learn to cooperate with each other? We can gain greater perspective by trying to understand one another’s point of view, perhaps even putting ourselves in their place. We can search for commonalities as well as differences, and look for the good in different approaches. There is always more than one way of doing things, and some approaches are better suited for certain situations than others. All this is easier when we let go of the necessity to be right and to call others wrong. More important, we must believe that there is a solution that benefits all involved, not just one side. The results of cooperation can be as simple as effortlessly getting everyone in your household to their appointments to large-scale social shifts to changing minds and hearts or policies that affect the future. |
SGC Admin: From our inbox to you; From Readings by Ruby…
Mercury is the planet that rules communication, expression, and our thinking process, and it is shifting gears today as it moves into quick thinking Aries, where it will stay until March 31st. Decisions can be made very quickly in this very fast paced, impulsive energy. Aries teaches all of us no matter your Sun Sign that we can lead and are quick to work on any new ideas or projects we might have. So our thoughts and ideas can be pioneering, as we come up with new things to do and say and we want to be first to know things!
Our way of thinking is quick and spontaneous, and so is the way we talk and communicate. We tend to speak directly in this energy, as we can be more bold and assertive with Mercury in Aries. We don’t have the patience for mulling over ideas, as the decisions we do make now are often driven by our need for instant gratification! We can be more quick, direct, and candid in our conversations, and some folks might think we even sound crude at times. This is a more aggressive kind of energy, especially if you come across other folks who oppose or argue about your opinions or ideas. And you might think they will just accept your opinions at first, but when you realize they don’t you can feel frustrated and angry. We’re more sensitive and defensive under this influence, because we are attached to our ideas. So think before you speak or make that Facebook post! Ha!
Details can become an issue because even though we will pay extra close attention to them if we really need to focus, but we are moving so much more quickly under the Mercury in Aries energy that we refuse to listen to others more often and immediately dismiss what we think is irrelevant. Only to discover later we missed important or prudent information. But our charm and style can get us through.
When we express ourselves we can be much more straightforward, and even if you’re normally shy you might just tell someone exactly what you think during this cycle! Those of you who already express themselves out loud should try to rein it in and be careful to not go all wild and crazy or you can lose friendships or hurt someone you care for.
This is a great time to start something new, because we aren’t attached to worn-out, older, outdated ideas, and generally speaking we adopt a different more fiery, enthusiastic kind of attitude. New projects and ideas are taken head on now with strong enthusiasm. It’s all to easy to have our hands in many different pots, as we start new projects and jump around to each of them before finishing. We can always feel or seem busy under Mercury in Aries. We might be on one path mentally towards a goal to suddenly change our mind or opinions, especially if something sounds more appealing, new, or exciting.
If anyone expresses some sort of criticism or negative feedback we can take it extremely personal now. But we are not afraid of a challenge or fight if the need arrises, especially if it’s a mental showdown. We can be more intelligent but also more idealistic, and if we get excited about something we can promote it strongly, because we are full of energy and are highly motivated now. But overall we are more fun and enthusiastic, which can be highly infectious.
With the Sun currently in Pisces through March 20th, you may wonder why folks seem agitated or frustrated, as we can come off as harsh and impatient. Because decisions are made so quickly, you may not understand why others sort of stay on the fence around your ideas, and don’t work with you as easily. So it’s a good time to keep working on communication and playing fair and try to be patient.
~Ruby
SGC Admin: When we lose a loved one, it is difficult to say goodbye, we will always miss them.. and choosing the most thoughtful or ideal way to intern or release our loved ones isn’t always easy…Our family recently said goodbye to a loved ones “earth suit” in the most beautiful and peaceful way .. From the back a small boat into the clear ocean water of Key West surrounded by mangroves…
Captain Victoria and Dancing Dolphin Spirits Charter services was the right choice for us and we feel it was right for our loved one too..
Captain Victoria also offers other charter tours beside memorial ones… :)
The moment we met Captain Victoria and her assistant Kandy we felt comfortable. Captain Victoria and Kandy guided us on board and helped us to stow our things.. They even produced blankets, just in case the wind was cooler than we had dressed for.
We really weren’t sure what to expect, but we are so glad we said goodbye to our loved one this way… Captain Victoria took us out to see the dolphins, they came, it was magical… :) we felt blessed and joyful… We even saw an Osprey fly right across the bow… it was amazing…
We chose a beautiful Mangrove grove… the water was clear, everything was just right… Captain Victoria explained the importance of the Mangroves to the whole life cycle… :) A spiritual and healing feather ceremony was held, it was calming, soothing and peaceful…
Captain Victoria has many years of experience, she looks at the water like we would look at a road map… Her knowledge is boundless, and it is wise to listen well when she speaks… :)
Kandi (If she is there on your charter) is kind and caring, always at hand when needed, taking photo’s and video’s and happy to answer questions and keep you comfortable, while Captain Victoria guides the boat… and wow it’s wild … :)
For more information, pricing or to book a charter with Captain Victoria please check out
Serenity's Gift Cove (sgc) 