Along a Coastal Road

Along a Coastal Road
Photo by Reverend Steve Waites

Friday, September 28, 2018

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

A Time For Reflection


Fall which begins at the festival of Lammas or first harvest , finally brings us back full circle to the ancient new year. The fiery aspects that were so apparent during the long hot summer months are beginning to the wane. The toil of harvesting the crops is in full swing, for it is now a race against time as the days become shorter and the first chill winds from the north begin to make their presence known.

Autumn can be an enigmatic time of the year, when we find ourselves caught between the extremes of movement and rest. It is also a season of intense color as the trees shed their leaves and life slowly slips back into that secret realm of silence that is invisible to the human eye. We know in our hearts that all life must surrender, even humankind, because the cycle of outward action and creation is complete.

We are within the twilight realm and it is now an appropriate time to look back over the year to honestly review our achievements.  Thus we learn, and from learning comes a deeper understanding of ourselves and our relationship to others in the community at large.




To be in right relationship with our environment and to be at peace is in fact our divine
birthright , for we tend to live in a society which puts much emphasis on filling every hour of every day with some seemingly useful activity, that we very soon arrive at a point where it becomes almost impossible to just let go and be at rest. 



Would it not be wonderful to just love life and regain the ability to indulge in the innocence and joy that is understood so well by our inner-child.  Great teachers and Sages throughout the ages have taught that the most powerful force in the universe is love and to understand and embrace love will set us free. In becoming free we learn to forgive ourselves and in forgiving ourselves we make room to forgive others who are of course the reflections and mirrors of the self.

Thus there is no such thing as co-incidence, in this or for that matter any other world, for we are contained within a vast interconnected web of energy.  By looking beyond the duality of the physical realm we begin to understand that it is the absolute purity of the soul that allows
each of us to be at one with the God, Goddess, all that is and all that will ever be.

First draft 1996 updated September 2018



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.



Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Sunday September 9th Spiritual Gathering, The New Moon Engery


Sacred Foundations, Inc.
 Spiritual Gathering Sunday, September 9, 2018
Rev. Felecia Mulvany, D.D.

The New Moon, September 9, 2018 at 11:01 AM PDT. From what I have read, this new moon is a good time to anchor intentions around what we are releasing and leaving behind. This energy pulls us inward, toward our own thoughts, feelings, and decisions, and supports our action towards new inspirations and breakthroughs. This is a time to release karmic debts that are holding us back, that keep us from standing firm in the light of consciousness.  It’s important not to get stuck in the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we create to protect us against suffering, that keep us from being truthful with ourselves.  

What keeps us stuck in old patterns? What keeps us from letting go and embracing change?  Is it fear of the unknown? Fear of failure? Is it emotional pain? It’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of pain and despair.  Pain is a part of life. What’s important is that we take time to listen to what our pain is trying to tell us. To discover what patterns we tend to get lost in, and to trust the process.

Most of the time, carrying our burdens is a choice. Things like a chemical imbalance can sometimes take that choice away but even then we still have choices.  When we expand our trust in ourselves, and in the energetic support of creation, we have an opportunity to move past the blocks that keep us stuck, the blocks we have created for ourselves. We have the ability to break down the walls that keep our pain in the dark. We all have the strength and ability to break through old wounds, fears, and limiting beliefs if we choose to do so.

In order to create something new, we must make room for it by releasing something old. What is it you would like to create for yourself? What kind of changes are you willing to embrace in order to make room for this new creation? What old, outdated belief about yourself can you let go of today to create that space?

We can think of our emotions as a form of intelligence.  We can take time to learn the language of our emotions and listen to their messages. We can cultivated a healthy relationship with them and learn to see how they affect every aspect of our lives. We can take responsibility for how we play a role in our emotional patterns in order to break free from repeating them over and over, keeping us from feeling deeply joyful and loved. It’s okay to feel vulnerable and to be the witness of our own suffering.  Once we do that, bring that suffering into the light, we can share it with someone we trust.  That’s how we take our power back, and give ourselves the opportunity for true healing, making room for the new.  

Let us expand our consciousness so we open ourselves up to positive changes in our lives. Let this new possibility unwind, open, and breathe.  Give it permission to awaken and grow, allowing our pain and suffering to be transmuted into rich compost that nourishes this new growth and to bear the sweetest and juiciest fruit.

There is no perfect way to do any of this. There is only your way. The way that works for you, and only you know what that is. You only need to trust and be open.  Like all things new, it takes practice. And the more you do it the easier it becomes.     


Candle Lighting  (I light this candle as a symbol of my bright spirit, may it guide me on my personal spiritual path.)

MeditationRelease the old to make room for the new




Let go of any tension, fear, and doubt you may be holding in your body. Allow yourself to be divinely guided. What situation, story, or belief is holding you back from feeling content in some part of your life? What is causing your suffering? Is there something you are afraid of?  What is your part in it? What is the story you tell yourself about it? Are you in any kind of pain?  What is that pain, fear, suffering, or discontentment trying to tell you? What do you want to say to it? Create a dialog so you may understand it.  Open your heart and send it love and compassion. Surround yourself with love and compassion.  What do you need to do to heal and release it? You may ask one of your spirit guides or angels from the highest light to support you in the process. You are loved and valued. You are deserving of love and contentment. The world is blessed by your presence here. Let that which is blocking you from love and contentment dissolve. If you need to be more forceful, tear it down, burn it, demolish it. Give it to the Divine Creator. It no longer serves you. Just let it go. Imagine it being transmuted into rich compost preparing the soil for new growth. Feel the lightening, the freedom of the release. Feel the excitement and joy of what is to come.  

  



What do we want to create in our lives?







Now that you have space, let’s fill that space with something more positive.  What positive thing are you longing for? Imagine it. What does it look like? Know it is happening now. Feel it in your physical body. Feel it in your mental body. Feel it in your emotional body. Feel it in your spiritual body. If you have resistance of any kind, just love that knowing that it will come when the time is right.   

Spiritual Gatherings Please join us at 10:30 AMon the 2nd & 4th Sunday'sof the month atLaughing Giraffe Therapy100 O'Connor Drive #14San Jose CA 95128 



Reverend Felecia Mulvany, D.D.
President, Sacred Foundations, Inc.

revmulvany@sacredfoundations.net
www.sacredfoundations.net

877-877-4275