Poututerangi, Autumn Equinox (Mabon)
For the last few months i have been involved with a womans ritual group.
I always thought I was pretty connected with the seasons and their rhythms but I am amazed since celebrating them through ritual, just how much more in tune I am and how much more meaningful I find my connection with the earth. How i find myself taking more notice of all the plants and their growth, flowering, seed time ect (not just the ones in the garden), how I notice the shifting of the light, the phases of the moon (well the moon calender certainaly helps here too). How I am noticing the movements of the birds and she shifting seasons of our emotional states.
I have become really aware of how I have been expanding and expanding my energy outwards and how much I am looking forward to the winter as an opportunity to journey inwards and nurture my spirit over the quiet months ahead. (helps that we have a toasty warm fire this year..!)
the woman I have been connecting with through ritual are a real blessing in my life and an amazing source of inspiration.
i have looked briefly before at joining pagan groups, but something about it didnt feel like it was truely me, something about the theatrics i think.
anyway, this group has no hierarchy, priest/priestess etc, and we are all encouraged to host a ritual- even us novices to ritual are trusted with the ability to research and design something meaningful and appropriate.
i volunteered with another lady to weave the ritual for autumn equinox and it has been an amazing experiance and really illustrated to me the purpose of ritual and an appreciation and understanding of the reasons why certain things are done.
i wont give a blow by blow account of what the ritual involved, I feel it would detract from some of its sacredness for me.
I wanted to put some photos here that I took of the space we created from before and after the ritual to share with my friends who might be interested and to remind me of this time.
we had wanted this ritual in the bush, but it was important to us to have a fire and there was nowhere we could do that, so we designed this space in the backyard of the friend I was working with.
she lives right on the beach and there is a public access way next door, so the woman were able to walk along the beach and enter the circle from there rather than through the carport which was very nice.
We made lanterns for the woman to take home, a light to carry into the darkness. These made our circle very beautiful.
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happy spring!
Great post and thank you so much for sharing!
I have been blessed to be invited to participate in a number of ceremonies of various religions. I have no formal claimed religion but I am extremely spiritual.
I must say that I have gotten more from the more earth-based religions than the organized traditional forms. Part of it is that I prefer to appreciate the creator (whatever or whomever that is) while out appreciating creation, rather than in some cold man-made structure.
The other problem I have is that what I call the major "desert religions" seem to view the world and nature as a place to be fought and battled instead of understood and worked with. They seem to value conquering over creating. The masculine over the feminine. Just try to read the Bible and you will know what I mean.
I would not call myself a Pagan but then I most certainly am not what you would call a believer in organized religion either. I guess it is the "organized" part of organized religion that I have the most problems with.
I have been fortunate to participate in Inipi (Lakota for Sweat Lodge) as well as vision-questing. These have given me more to me than spending time in a church (but I don't have any problem with that, if that is what someone prefers, as long a they don't force their beliefs upon me).
I am not New Age... maybe Old Age or perhaps even Stone Age is closer.
Right now, ultrarunning is my main spiritual endeavor.
Every soft foot step is a prayer to Ina Maka (Mother Earth), with every breath I give thanks to Wankan Tanka (the Spirit-That-Moves-In-All-Things). As I run, I see the tracks of the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds; above fly the winged ones. The winds of the four directions blow on me; if I am lucky they blow with me (sometimes all of them and in all directions in the same day!)
We really are frail insignificant creatures, us human beings, whether we would like to think of that or not.
When my family and I finally get our place up in the Paha Sapa (Black Hills), we hope to set up our own Inipi (Stone People's Lodge) for ceremonies with friends and family. I hope to go back to Mato Paha soon and give offerings.
I am looking into getting another hoop drum and just ordered a double-drone flute in F# from Ojibway flute maker Odell Borg.
I cannot wait to hear its songs echo off the canyon walls.
A friend traveling through Australia gave me a Didgeridoo but I haven't mastered circular breathing yet. Right now the sounds I make tend more towards the disturbing than the soothing.
Oh well, at least I can make my Native Flute sing.
Thank you again for sharing. The spiral is beautiful.
Enjoy your Autumn as our Spring approaches...
-Mitakuye Oyasin
Bold as love: you mean how did I find the group? luckily for me I already knew the woman through the Steiner school my daughter goes to. 2 of them had recently moved to the area and had been involved with ritual before, so they initiated this new group.
Its nice as half of us are complete newbies so I dont feel quite so alone in my lack of knowledge..
Singing Horse: Im glad the pictures inspire you :)
There are plenty of small personal 'rituals' you can do to strengthen your connection to the earth. we tend to do a lot unconsciously anyway- its just a matter of 'tuning in'..
I have looked at those links you posted, and I can see why you cant wait to get back to Mata Paha, it looks like a very special place. It will be wonderful for you all to get settled and start your garden and tend the animals (as well as run!) in such a sacred area.
as I saw on your blog, your new flute has arrived, Odell Borg seems like a true master and the sound is beautiful.
I regret that I dont play any music- I like to listen to it, and I love to sing but I just have to be satisfied with appreciating others who have that gift for now.. although I have been looking out for a harmonica lately.. :)
I too would hesitate to call myself 'religious' and definitely dont consider myself new age. I like your way of describing it as old age..
For me it is about seeing ourselves as part of a whole, not separate from the land and animals etc.
Your stories of running on the trails inspires me to want to get into the bush for my runs more.. Trouble is, around here, the only way is up if you want to get closer to nature, but the increased fitness gains (eventually, after the first few times when you think you may just die...) would be an added bonus to running in the trees..