I write this text following the first day of spring (March 20, 2022) and after last night's event at the venue of the Old Town Center for the Arts, in Cottonwood, Arizona. This event, organized by the Center of Universal Light (CUL), was the celebration of the celestial happening that starts the spring, known as The Spring Equinox when the sun is directly above the equator on its way to awaken the northern hemisphere from its winter slumber. It was such an exhilarating event that I couldn't resist putting my impressions and associations on the "electronic" paper.
The content of this purposeful encounter was “prolific” visually, melodically, and linguistically. It included a brief message, varied musical performances from extraordinary musicians, aerial dance, poetry reading, colorful and evocative background meanderings, crystal bowl sound healing meditation, and an interactive spring ritual of seed “planting.”
Kimberly Kelley, spiritual director of CUL, opened the program with the message in which she said that The Spring Equinox had been celebrated in many cultures and traditions as a time of renewal and the equal importance of God and Goddess in the changing season. She spoke in detail of Eostre (Ostara), the goddess of springtime and new beginnings in the tradition of the Anglo-Saxon ancestors. She pointed out that the name of Easter was finally adopted, which preceded Christianity and the resurrection story of Jesus. Many Ostara symbols are related to the fertility of the spring season. Because of this, the entire program was planned around the seeds of spring that begin to stir in the belly of Mother Earth at the time of the land's awakening.
Some meaningful coincidences started the day. Even if it was not forecasted, the rain had blessed the dry land of our region. On route to the program, Tina and I were awarded by the double rainbow. It was so big and so bright. I had to take the photo when we stopped the car at the red light. During the program, one of the participants mentioned the rain and the rainbow in talking about rain rituals indigenous people practiced when planting seeds in drylands without any irrigation. He reported that his Hopi Indian friends communicate with clouds to bring the rain to the seeds. Their way is alien to our western mind steeped in the logic of cause and effect, not the ecology of nature.
This narration reminded me of the book Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer by Gregg Braden. * In it, he tells the story involving his Navajo friend David who invited him to “pray rain.” When they came to a circle made of stones, David took off his shoes and entered the circle. After paying tribute to his ancestors, he placed his hands in front of his face in a prayerful position and stood still for a few moments. Then he gave Braden a signal that they could leave now. Gregg was surprised and said, “I thought you were going to pray for rain!” David corrected him, “No, I said that I would pray rain. If I had prayed for rain, it could never happen.” * He went on to say that when we ask for something to happen, we empower the things we don't have. Prayer for rain empowers the drought. Instead, David visualized rain and how it felt on his body, under his naked feet, what it smelled like on the earthen walls in his village, and how it felt to walk in the fields of corn chest high. He ended the prayer by expressing gratitude to nature for the opportunity to participate in creation.
You're probably wondering if the rain came. Yes, it did, and with that in large quantities after a prolonged drought in the high deserts of New Mexico. Thus the lost mode of prayer simply invites us to feel a clear and powerful feeling as if our prayers have already been answered. The trick is that we must become what we choose to experience in our lives. For example, if we want peace, we must feel gratitude for the peace that already exists in our lives. This type of powerful prayer is a full-body experience, involving all of the senses. Braden indicates that scientific evidence (quantum theory) suggests that what we feel inside our bodies is carried into the world beyond our bodies. This wisdom was expressed by Samuel Shoemaker when he said: “Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things.” **
The crystal bowl sound healing meditation was centered around the three primary energies which represent the law of cycles and rhythms: creation, transformation, and completion. Kimberly, who was guiding the meditation pointed out, “These energies are important to understand because you can either work with them or against them. Either way, the energy is flowing. You’ll learn to ride it, or you’ll get tossed like sand in an ocean wave.” And with these words and the pure sound of singing bowl vibration we were transported to the ancient healing tradition that brings harmony through oscillation and resonance. I felt that the balance of all three energies had been completed within my energy body by the time Diane Rose Thunder announced the end of the session with the loud high-pitched cleansing sound of Tibetan bells.
Seeds were the theme of the program, symbolically and literally representing the awakening of nature in the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth from the potentials that we all possess as spiritual beings. The seeds contain the blueprint for what is to come. Upon entering the building of the Old Town Center for the Arts, each one of us received a small container full of seeds. Toward the end of the program, there was a spring ritual during which three protagonists came forward and poured their seeds in a large glass bowl stating their intentions for abundance, world peace, and health, respectively. We were asked to formulate our intention with the seeds we carried home. They could be planted in the garden, spread out in the "field of dreams", or imbued with the life force flowing the abundance into our lives and the world. During the ritual, I held the container with seeds in my hands and visualized each seed achieving its full potential. I felt the warmth of my hands emanating the vital energy of plenitude to those tiny potentialities of life. At that moment, I was sensing the harmony with the planet and its ecology.
The program ended in a big way, with the music of Max Ribner & 1st Language band. They were the surprise guests prepared to live up to their reputation of the day before in the same place. Their music unleashed in each of us the energy of a great party dancing, singing, and having fun. The resonance of the trumpet, the keyboard, the bass guitar, and the drums was stimulating and invigorating. It was the perfect way to celebrate the bounty brought into our lives during this season of plenty.
And now, back to the spring equinox. Did you celebrate as well? I can say for my part that I did not give much attention to this day and its symbolism before coming to Arizona and joining the Center for Universal Light. Why? I think I was too immersed in the linear time flow, so deeply rooted in our everyday living. Urban life artificially prolongs the day, and the impact of the season is reduced by the constant supply of fresh produce. However, life in North Dakota changes drastically when the 6-month winter season arrives. In fact, there are only two time periods there. I call them the frozen land season and the outdoor season, respectively. But this is a separate story that I will leave for some other occasion. What I wanted to point out here is that we, the people of western civilization, and increasingly people from the East, North, and South, have lost the cyclical, natural, seasonal, daily rhythm at the expense of health because our physiology continues to align with the biological clock that exists in all bodily cells. One cannot go against nature. We now know that disturbed circadian rhythms, whether due to living conditions (e.g. shift work, jet lag), habits, or natural processes (e.g. aging) can lead to sleep disorders and metabolic perturbations manifesting as obesity, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The gifts of “progress.”
Relatively recently, a central biological clock has been discovered that manages other clocks, the smaller ones, present in all organs and cells. It is a minuscule part of the brain (a total of 20,000 cells) located just above where the optic nerves intersect. It is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus and is no larger than a quarter of a cubic millimeter. It is very close to the optic nerve so that it can obtain information directly from the eye where there are specialized cells that react only to light and give this information to suprachiasmatic cells. They then regulate the production of melatonin in the pineal gland depending on whether it is day or night. Melatonin, the so-called darkness hormone, is, therefore, a signal that it is time to go to bed or get out of it.
From this brief account, it is clear that the human body, like life in general, is closely related to the cycles of nature. Therefore, if you want to be more attuned to nature, connect with it. Watch for changes in plants and animals related to day and night, as well as seasonal changes. Reduce the impact of artificial lighting on your life and respect what your body instructs you about sleep, nutrition, movement, and other cyclic activities.
If you like what I write, then begin to celebrate the spring equinox or at least Easter, but not like the Christians, but as pagans do, who first celebrated it. They painted eggs with bright colors as a salutation to the sun and the coming of the warmer days or took the rabbit as a symbol of fertility. It is in this spirit that I conclude this text with the words I send to my family last Easter. I wrote:
I wish you a moment of reflection on this special day which to me symbolizes evolution and spiritual growth in this season of nature's renewal. The power of oneness is transformational, both personally and transpersonally. Start this day with a meditation that brings you in touch with your true hidden potential to manifest beauty, love, and peace. May that be so.
* Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer: The Hidden Power of Beauty, Blessing, Wisdom, and Hurt, by Gregg Braden, Hay House, 2006
** I Stand by the Door, by Helen Smith Shoemaker, Harper & Row, 1967
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