Sunday Gathering January 13, 2019

Energetic Self Care

Please join us Sunday, January 13, 2019, from 10:30am-12:00pm

The topic is Energetic Self Care. We will share different ways to clear your energy field, balance chakras and energies, ground to the earth, and energetic protection, along with why it is important to do this. All skill levels are welcome. Come learn new skills or just practice with the group. We’d love to have you.  

Location:
Laughing Giraffe Therapy Center
100 O'Connor Drive #14, San Jose CA 95128
RSVP @ https://www.meetup.com/Sacred-Foundations-Inc

Sacred Foundations, Inc.
Spiritual Center and School of Divinity
www.sacredfoundations.net

Sunday Gathering 12/9/18

We invite you to join us this Sunday, 12/9/18, at 10:30am
Topic: Energetic Self Care 

Spiritual Gatherings held at
Laughing Giraffe Therapy Center
100 O'Connor Drive #14, San Jose CA 95128
RSVP @ https://www.meetup.com/Sacred-Foundations-Inc

Sacred Foundations, Inc.
Spiritual Center and School of Divinity
www.sacredfoundations.net

What is Christmas?

So what is the history of this holiday?

Let's travel back in time and see.

Photograph by Reverend Steve Waites

After solstice on December 21^st . the darkest night of the year, the renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire as the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun,”  also known as Saturnalia, around December 25^th .

In a nutshell, Saturnalia, associated with Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, liberation and parties was a 10 day period of wine, feasting, gift-giving, and song held across the Roman empire where literally anything was okay and laws were suspended for a brief stretch of time................

Yule

Now lets move on to Yule, the festival of the Sun's rebirth. The Yule log represented the sun and was lit on the eve of Solstice for good luck in the coming year. Other important symbols were Holly wreathes and Mistletoe.

Mistletoe was considered very sacred to the Druids who called it the Healing Bough and believed that it processed great healing power. access to the unseen realms and a sense of immortality to those who hang it over a doorway during this season.

Let's look at other favorites, the Christmas tree. It is said that the lights and ornaments hung on the tree represent the Sun and Moon and stars as they appear on the Cosmic Tree of Life and therefore may help us symbolize and remember the souls of our ancestors at this auspicious time. 

Just gotta like Santa Claus

He’s said to be primarily based on St. Nicholas, a Fourth Century bishop from modern day Turkey. As far as one can tell the modern version of Santa first appeared as a chubby guy in a fur coat in a poem written in 1823 by Clement Moore. I'm sure we all remember the following snippit:-

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse'.........

Things really took off in 1931 when a popular soft drink's company designed a fat, jolly chap dressed in read and white, their corporate colors, and the rest is history and marketing.  

On a personal level this might be the only time of the year that we allow ourselves the luxury and perfect opportunity to reach out to long-distance friends, relatives and loved one's and show them that we care very much about their well being. 

Reverend Steve Waites, M.Th

Sacred Foundations, Inc.

Trustee, Instructor

Reverend Waites has spent a lifetime studying sacred geometry,

leylines and indigenous cultures and rituals.

Family Support - December Asset of the Month

Family provides high levels of love and support. This document is designed to help adults throughout Santa Clara County develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models. Newsletter Content The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.

 The Importance of Family Support Family support refers to the ways that parents, siblings, and extended family show love, encouragement, and comfort to each other—families are the cornerstone of the social support system for youth. A 2011 survey of Santa Clara County youth reveals that while younger youth generally experience and are aware of family support, teenagers do so much less often: 88% of 4th-6th graders reported family support, while only 69% of middle- and high school students reported the asset. Because adolescents require greater autonomy and independence than younger children, effective family support for older youth takes a different form than in earlier years; however, their need for their families is still strong. Adults are challenged to find a balance between giving youth the support they need to navigate their adolescence and the independence they need to develop as individuals. In their book Parenting Teens with Love and Logic, Foster Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay discuss the transition from parenting younger children—who typically require guidance and firm limits—to parenting adolescents, who benefit most from the freedom to make their own decisions within the boundaries of safe, reasonable limits.

According to Cline and Fay, effective parenting in the teenage years requires clearly communicating expectations and consequences while allowing youth to make their own decisions and “own” the results…even if their choices are not the ones that we would have preferred. The following discussion topics can be used to open a dialogue with young people about the ways that they experience family support:

• Does your family provide support in a way that’s meaningful and easy for you to recognize? Why or why not?
 • Do you and your parents treat each other with the same kindness and dignity that you’d expect from your friends?
 • Does your family do things together on a regular basis? Are there any activities that you’d like to share (or be willing to share) with your family? One of the most important things to realize about providing family support to older children is that they need the love and support every bit as much as younger children do, even if they claim that they don’t.

Although it can be challenging to remain connected to preteens and teenagers, the benefits of doing so are immense. This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org

Activities
The activities below offer a starting point to help build and strengthen the asset of family support





For families 

• Make family rules together, and agree on rewards for following the rules and consequences for breaking them.
• Try to eat at least one meal together every day, and set aside at least one evening or weekend day for the family to spend together in a pastime that everyone enjoys or finds valuable. Make the effort to maintain these traditions and rituals even if your children complain about them when they’re older.
• Be sure to recognize your children’s unique talents and encourage their interests, even when they don’t match yours. For example, if they’re interested in animation, check to see if there’s a convention or film festival in your region that you can attend together.
• Look your children in the eyes when you talk to them, and give them all of your attention in conversation.
• Be empathetic about their struggles and concerns—no matter how silly or trivial their problems seem to you, they are significant to your children.
• Praise your children for doing a good job and point out when they’re being helpful.
• At least once a day, try to express that you appreciate and care about your children.
• Be affectionate, but respect their space; older children especially may be uncomfortable about displays of affection in front of non-family members.

For Adults









• Talk with young people about their families and point out the ways that the children are supported and loved. Similarly, when you speak with parents, take time to notice and praise their efforts at providing family support for their children.
 • If you’re an employer, help your staff provide emotional support for their families through release time, sick leave, and creating a positive environment where employees don’t feel that having children is a liability at their job.
• Sponsor activities and events in which the entire family can participate—for example, a picnic or carnival instead of a happy hour.

In schools and youth programs 

• Deliver a unit on families to help young people appreciate and respect all kinds of families.
• Schedule events that bring families together, like open houses or family game nights.
• If possible, schedule speakers and workshops on family life and associated issues.
• Be sure that your staff recognition and acknowledgement of non-traditional families in which a child’s primary caretakers may not be their biological parents.

Resources 

• Project Cornerstone’s Take It Personally is a six-week workshop for adults that focuses on ways that parents and all adults can be more effective and intentional in building assets in young people’s lives. For information on scheduling Take It Personally at your site, contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482.
• “Family camps” are a great way for families to spend time together in a relaxing outdoor environment. Check with your city, YMCA, or faith community to see when family camps are offered.
• Some good books about providing meaningful support to older children include Parenting Preteens with a Purpose: Navigating the Middle Years by Kate Thomsen, M.S., C.A.S.; Why Do They Act That Way? by David Walsh, Ph.D.; How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish; and Parenting at the Speed of Teens, published by Search Institute.

About the Asset-a-Month Program The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. For more information about the Asset-a-Month program, contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482 or info@projectcornerstone.org.

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.

revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net

www.sacredfoundations.net

877-877-4275

POSITIVE CULTURAL IDENTITY- November Asset of the Month

Young people feel comfortable with and proud of their identity, including but not limited to disabilities, ethnicity, faith/religion, family status, gender, language, and sexual orientation.

This document is designed to help adults throughout Silicon Valley develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models.

Newsletter Content

The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.

The Importance of Positive Cultural Identity

It is important for youth to feel that they belong. Positive identity brings self-assurance, a sense of belonging, a positive view of personal future, and better success in school.

Developing a positive cultural identity—a critical element of personal identity—can be difficult for young people, especially when they may be bridging more than one culture.

The way that youth are treated in regard to their ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender directly affects their ability to develop a positive personal identity.

As adults, it’s critical that we model recognition, understanding, and celebrating all cultural identities, including the cultures to which we and/or our children do not belong.

Sharing and celebrating different cultural identities increases self-esteem and promotes cultural competence among all young people. The diversity of Silicon Valley is a benefit to our youth as they are exposed to many different cultures.

The following discussion topics* can help families talk about their cultural identity:

• What is our cultural background?

• What are some things that you value about our culture?

• What are some things about our culture that you would like other people to know?

• Do you know anyone who’s from a different culture? In what ways are your cultures similar and different? Do your cultural differences make it difficult to be friends? How can you share your cultural differences in a positive, nonjudgmental way?

 *Adapted from the Canadian Child Care Federation’s “Supporting Our Children’s Social Well-Being…It’s a Team Effort!” workshop

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

 Activities

The activities below provide ways to build positive cultural identity in youth.

For families

• Make sure that your children learn the story of where they come from—including both

family history and the history of their heritage—from an early age.

• Even very young children are aware of racial and cultural differences among people.

Address the issues of stereotypes, myths, and cultural differences in a positive, age appropriate manner.

• It’s normal for young people to explore different aspects of personal identity, including cultural identity. Children, whose parents promote a positive cultural identity, while allowing them the freedom to explore, tend to develop a healthy personal identity.

• Some elements of a child’s identity—such as sexual orientation—might not be shared in common with the rest of the family. Parents should make special efforts to ensure that everyone feels understood, respected, valued, safe, and loved within the family.

For all adults

• Serve as a mentor for youth from your culture. They will benefit from learning how to successfully maintain a positive cultural identity from someone outside their family.

• Help your children maintain a positive attitude about school, and make sure they know that you will be their advocate to resolve any problems or challenges that they encounter.

• Adults should be careful to strike a balance between celebrating the youth’s difference and including the youth as part of the group as a whole. Sometimes, focusing too much on a youth’s differences—no matter how good the intention—can further isolate youth from their peers.

In schools and youth programs

• Support home languages as much as possible. Children who are bilingual in their home language and English tend to maintain a positive connection with their families and cultural communities.

• All students need to be valued and appreciated for their unique characteristics regularly. Be aware of the cultural diversity in your classroom or program, and try to understand its dimensions.

• Make a personal effort to learn about the culture of the youth in your classroom or program. For example, students from cultures where children are not expected to ask questions of adults may have difficulty letting you know when they don’t understand the lesson. Help students understand the culture of your class or program without devaluing their cultures of origin.

• Young people can discover and share their cultural identity through lessons and projects that highlight their cultures and experiences while engaging them in active learning. For example, develop lessons and activities around the gifts that different cultures have given the world, and discuss how “cultural borrowing” allows everyone to thrive.

• Sometimes even the most innocent activities can be exclusionary. For example, celebration of “Crazy Hair Day” may exclude youth whose religion requires that they cover their heads. Be sure that your planned programs and activities take everyone’s culture into account.

Resources

• Project Cornerstone’s Los Dichos program provides a literature-based parent engagement curriculum and comprehensive asset-building training in schools throughout Silicon Valley. This program provides opportunities for parents from different cultures to build positive cultural identity in their own children and others from the same culture while building greater cultural competence for the entire class. For more information, contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482.

• Families with multiracial children can face unique challenges in helping their child develop a positive cultural identity. Many resources are available online for families to support multiracial children:

· American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/multiracial_children 

· Parenting by Strengths web site http://www.parentingbystrengths.com/multiracial_children_and_youth/.

• Families who have adopted children from other cultures may face unique challenges in

promoting positive cultural identity. Several resources exist to support multicultural families, including:

· http://transracial.adoption.com/interracial/racial-cultural-identity.html, which offers parenting tips to help develop stable, happy children with a strong sense of cultural identity.

About the Asset-a-Month Program

The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. For more information about the Asset-a-Month program, contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482 or info@projectcornerstone.org

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.

revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net

www.sacredfoundations.net

877-877-4275

SFI Spiritual Gathering - October 28, 2018

The end of October marks the beginning of a busy holiday season; Halloween, Samhain, All Saints’ Day, All Souls Day, and Día de los Muertos.   

Halloween – October 31st

Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve.  It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival of Samhain; that may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early Church.  Besides your typical trick-or-treating, costume parties, pumpkin carving, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, and scary stories and films, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve includes church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead.

Samhain (saah-win)

As October turns to November, thousands of Witches, Wiccans, Druids, and other Pagans across America, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere observe the sacred time of Samhain. Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End", a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. For many, Samhain is the beginning of the spiritual new year.

Samhain originated in ancient Europe as a Celtic Fire festival. The timing of contemporary Samhain celebrations varies according to spiritual tradition and geography. Many celebrate Samhain over the course of several days and nights, and these extended observances usually include a series of solo rites as well as ceremonies, feasts, and gatherings with family, friends, and spiritual community. In the northern hemisphere, many Pagans celebrate Samhain from sundown on October 31 through November 1.

Others hold Samhain celebrations on the nearest weekend or on the Full or New Moon closest to this time. Some Pagans observe Samhain a bit later, near November 6, to coincide more closely with the astronomical midpoint between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. 

All Saints’ Day (November 1^st) & All Souls Day (November 2^nd)

All Saints' Day is also known as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day, and it's celebrated in many areas of the United States, especially where there are large Roman Catholic populations.

In New Orleans people gather in local cemeteries and decorate graves with flowers. The descendants of French Canadian settlers around St Martinsville, Louisiana, observe this day in the traditional French manner by laying wreaths and bouquets and lighting candles on even the most obscure graves.

All Saints' Day, which is celebrated globally, is closely tied with All Souls’ Day, which was first instituted at a monastery in France in 993 CE and quickly spread among Christians.

All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are also closely linked with Halloween, which is shortened for the name “All Hallows' Eve”. 

In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is observed on the first Sunday in November to remember deceased members of the local church congregation. A candle is lit as each person's name is called out, followed by a prayer offered for each soul.

Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) November 1^st and 2^nd 

The Day of the Dead is not the same as Halloween. While Halloween is celebrated Oct. 31, Day of the Dead is celebrated right after, on Nov. 2. Many communities that celebrate the Day of the Dead also celebrate Halloween.

Day of the Dead originated in ancient Mesoamerica (Mexico and northern Central America) where indigenous groups, including Aztec, Maya and Toltec, had specific times when they commemorated their loved ones who had passed away.

After the Spanish arrived the commemoration of the dead was intertwined with two Spanish holidays: All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Soul’s Day (Nov. 2). Day of the Dead is often celebrated on Nov. 1 as a day to remember children who have passed away, and on Nov. 2 to honor adults.

Today, the Day of the dead is celebrated mostly in Mexico and some parts of Central and South America. Recently it has become increasingly popular among Latino communities abroad, including the United States.

It’s a celebration of life, not death. Ancient Mesoamericans believed that death was part of the journey of life. Rather than death ending life, new life came from death. This cycle is often associated with the cyclical nature of agriculture, whereby crops grow from the ground where the last crop lies buried.

The ofrenda is often the most recognized symbol of the Day of the Dead. This temporary altar is a way for families to honor their loved ones. Pictures of the deceased, along with items that belonged to them, and objects that serve as a reminder of their lives are placed on the Altar. Every ofrenda includes the four elements: water, wind, earth and fire. Water is left in a pitcher so the spirits can quench their thirst. Traditional paper banners represent the wind. Earth is represented by food. Candles are often left in the form of a cross to represent the cardinal directions, so the spirits can find their way.

Ministers Message

This is a good time of year to contemplate the endless cycles of life, death, and rebirth.  We gather the final harvest of our gardens and our fields become brown. Many trees have lost all their leaves and gone dormant.  Darkness overtakes the light of the day as our nights get longer. With the loss of light our temperatures get colder. Through our traditions of Halloween, Samhain, All Saints Day, All Souls Day and Día de los Muertos, we take time to remember and honor the dead.      

Ceremony to honor the dead

Place some fresh rosemary on the Altar for remembrance.

We remember those who have lived and died before us, those who have crossed through the veil and are no longer with us. We remember.

The north is a place of cold

The earth is silent and dark

The east is a land of new beginnings

The place where breath begins

The south is a land of sunlight and fire

who’s flames guide us through the cycles of life

The west is a place of underground rivers

The sea a never-ending, rolling tide

The Wheel of the Year turns once more

and we cycle into darkness

At the end of that darkness comes light

And when it arrives

We will celebrate once more

The gateway between our world and the spirit world is thinnest.

We honor our ancestors and the Ancient Ones.

We honor this time of transition from light to dark, from outward to inward.  

Spirits of our ancestors, we call to you

We know you watch over us always, protecting & guiding us, and we thank you.

We invite you to join us and share your wisdom.

Each person lights a candle for their ancestors and states who they are and their lineage.

I am (name), the son/daughter of (name), grandson/granddaughter of (name), etc. I light this candle for my ancestors, known, unknown & for those who have been forgotten.     

Meditation 

Connect to our ancestors and honor the cycles of life, death and rebirth.

Ribbons - White for life, black/midnight blue for death, red for rebirth.

    Braid or knot your three ribbons together

We bind these strands together remembering those we have lost.

Sharing

Share a special memory, a new message or an experience that came to you while braiding your ribbons.

Give Thanks

We give thank for our ancestors, for their wisdom, guidance and protection.

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

President

Sacred Foundations, Inc.

Spiritual Center and School of Divinity

www.sacredfoundations.net

Spiritual Gatherings held at 10:30 AM

The 2nd & 4th Sunday's of the month

At Laughing Giraffe Therapy Center

100 O'Connor Drive #14, San Jose CA 95128

Join our Meetup Group @ https://www.meetup.com/Sacred-Foundations-Inc

Sacred Foundations, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit church. We affirm the Divine in all its manifestations on earth. We honor all paths and embrace the wisdom of all the Sacred Text across the globe. We believe that only through dialog, education, and community sharing that humanity will find a way to live peacefully together in tolerance and diversity.   

Response to the tragic shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue

At Sacred Foundations, Inc. we affirm the Divine in all its manifestations on earth, honor all faiths and embrace the wisdom of all the Sacred Text across the globe. However, we do have one exception, extremist whose hearts are full of hate and choose to harm others based on that hate.

We stand in love, compassion, and solidarity with our brothers and sisters at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh along with their families, friends, and everyone affected by this tragic act of violence.   

Let us not let hate speech become normalized and end the spread of hate on social media. Let us each do our part to be a beacon of love and light that uplifts all those around us. Let us help those who are hurting so that hate doesn't consume their light. Let us come together and find ways to connect with one another. There is common ground.  Let us open our hearts and minds, listen to understand, and allow compassion to lead the way so that we can create a culture of peace and healing in your communities and around the world. 

May peace be with you and may you feel loved. 

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.
President
Sacred Foundations, Inc.
Spiritual Center and School of Divinity
www.sacredfoundations.net

Positive Family Communication, October Asset of the Month

Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parent(s).

This document is designed to help adults throughout Santa Clara County develop materials and activities to promote the asset of adult role models. 

Newsletter Content

The following text may be used in organizational newsletters. Please include the attribution at the end of the article.

The Importance of Positive Family Communication

Young people who experience positive family communication experience higher self-esteem, decreased substance use, less anxiety and depression, and greater school engagement. However, in Santa Clara County, only 63% of 4th-6th grade students and 33% of 7th- 12th grade students reported in Project Cornerstone’s 2011 survey that they and their parents communicate positively and that they are willing to seek advice from their parents. To help promote this valuable asset, October is Positive Family Communication month in Silicon Valley.

For positive family communication to occur, all family members must be comfortable sharing their needs, wishes, and concerns in an honest and trusting environment without fear of rejection. Establishing positive communication when children are young may help keep the channel open in adolescence. No matter how old your children are, it’s never too late to start!

The following questions can help your family. Encourage your child to answer these questions honestly:

• Who do you enjoy talking with, and why?

• What makes it easier to talk to family members, and what makes it more difficult?

• Which topics are easiest for you to talk about with your parents, and which are more difficult? Why?

The communication skills that young people develop in their families help set the pattern of how they’ll communicate for the rest their lives. Teaching your children to communicate effectively with friends, teachers, co-workers, parents, peers, and others is a lasting legacy that parents can give to their children.

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

 Activities

The activities below are a starting point to help adults find ways to show youth that they are valued and appreciated.

For Families

• Create opportunities for unstructured communications. Sometimes the best conversations occur when you’re side-by-side instead of face-to-face, such as when you’re driving or working together in the kitchen.

• At dinnertime, instead of asking “How was your day?” play Worst and Best, where everyone—including parents—takes turns sharing the worst thing and the best things that happened to them during the day.

• Hold regular family meetings to check in with each other and discuss family issues like holidays or chores. Make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate.

• Try having each parent set an “individual date” with each child where they spend time together away from home somewhere where they can talk, like a restaurant or coffee shop. This kind of one-to-one conversation makes it possible for a young person to discuss issues privately with their parent’s undivided attention.

• Listen more than you talk.

• Positive family communication isn’t just between parents and children—siblings should also be encouraged and supported to communicate with each other openly and effectively.

For Adults

• Model positive, respectful communications at all times.

• Talk to young people about the importance of family communication.

At school or in youth programs

• Send home a list of “conversation starters” with information about the value of positive family communication. (See Resources at the end of this document for suggested books.) • Assign homework that requires students to talk to parents or other family adults.

• Create and deliver a unit on “family” that helps youth understand different kinds of families and appreciate their own.

Resources

• The following books offer practical tips on creating and improving family communication:

o How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk

o The Essential Guide to Talking with Teens

o Conversations on the Go: Clever Questions to Keep Teens and Grown-Ups Talking

 • The Parent Further web site covers several topics related to positive family communication, including tips on how to talk about emotions, developing listening skills, and the impact (positive and negative) of digital technologies on communication. For more information, visit http://www.parentfurther.com/parenting-matters/familycommunication  

About the Asset-a-Month Program

The goals of the Silicon Valley Asset-a-Month program are to help align adults throughout our diverse community in their efforts to promote positive youth development by fostering developmental assets. For more information about the Asset-a-Month program, contact Project Cornerstone at (408) 351-6482 or info@projectcornerstone.org. 

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.

revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net

www.sacredfoundations.net

877-877-4275

SFI Spiritual Gathering - Recap 9/ 23/ 2018

Fall Equinox

September 22, at 6:54 PM was the Fall Equinox in the northern hemisphere. The meaning of the Latin word for equinox is “equal night.”  On the equinox, the length of day and night are equal as the sun shines directly on the equator. Our daylight will become a little shorter each day until the Winter Solstice.     

There are three ancient monuments built to honor the equinoxes and solstices.

· The sacred Intihuatana stone in Machu Picchu, Peru, accurately indicates the two equinoxes. When the sun sits directly over the stone it creates no shadow.  

· The giant Mayan pyramid, Chichen Itza, in Mexico looks as if a snake made of light is slithering down the steps of the pyramid during the equinoxes.

· The set of giant stones laid out in concentric rings called Stonehenge, in England, was also built with the equinoxes and solstices in mind.

On the Fall equinox, we honor change and new intentions. It’s a shifting of the duration of light and dark, from warn to cool, when the leaves on the trees turn bright colors of red, orange and yellow and then fall to the ground to become compost for spring growth, and a time when birds and butterflies migrate, following the warmth of the sun.

The Harvest of the Earth

This is also a time to honor the harvest, the harvest of the earth’s bounty as well as our personal harvests, to be in gratitude for the abundance of life.  It is a time when both humans and animals prepare for the cold winter months when much of the earth is resting. Our personal harvest could be the fruits of our own labor along with the lessons we have learned from our life experiences, relationships and events. Many people gather together to share foods prepared from their harvests and to express their gratitude.  An attitude of gratefulness helps bring more abundance into our life.

Change requires letting go so this is a good time to honor any big changes currently happening in your life. Ceremony and ritual is a great way to embracing change, fully opening yourself up to accepting change while releasing old patterns that are keeping you from moving forward.   

Candle Ceremony - To Seek the Divine Balance

Light both candles, and say the following:

The black candle represents darkness and pain and things we are willing to eliminate from our life. Honor the balance of day and night, dark and light

The white candle represents the light and joy and all the abundance we wish to bring forth. Seek balance in life as balance is found in the Universe.

Close your eyes and reflect on the following question as I ask them:

· What are things I am glad to have in my life?

· What seeds did I sow in the spring and then nurtured all summer?  

· What have I been spending my time and energy cultivating?  

· Is it related to my home, garden, job, income, health, family, partner, friend, community, spirituality, finding balance, happiness, joy, love,?

· What am I ready to harvest?

Write down the following:

· At least one thing you are ready to let go of

· At least one thing you are truly grateful for

· At least one change you are ready to embrace  

Take a few more minutes to meditate on the candle flame, focusing on what you have written.

Take your list home and either burn it, allowing the smoke to carry what you have written into the hands of the Divine creator.  Or you can bury it within the earth so it can decompose to become fertilizer for new growth in the spring.   

The recognition of gratitude is a gift that keeps on giving because it reminds us of all the ways we are fortunate.  You may also choose to recognize the people in your life you are grateful for. Send them a note, tell them in person or over the phone how much you appreciate them and what they have done or been for you.

Closing with Reverend Mulvany's variation on the Buddhist Metta Prayer

May I be filled with loving-kindness

May I be well

May I be peaceful and at ease

May I be happy

May I be free

May you be filled with loving-kindness

May you be well

May you be peaceful and at ease

May you be happy

May you be free

May we be filled with loving-kindness

May we be well

May we be peaceful and at ease

May we be happy

May we be free

May all beings everywhere, known and unknown, be filled with loving-kindness

May they be well

May they be peaceful and at ease

May they be happy

May they be free

Spiritual Gatherings Please join us at 10:30 AM on the 2nd & 4th Sunday's of the month at Laughing Giraffe Therapy 100 O'Connor Drive #14 San Jose CA 95128 

Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.

revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net

www.sacredfoundations.net

877-877-4275