Though a day late, I was moved to share this writing. We pray for earth’s renewal. We pray for continued growth, abundance and viable life on our planet. In our current suffering, we hold high our vision of renewal, rebirth and purity of spirit. – Shirley Riga
Happy Beltane -.this celebration is half way between the Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It is the time the earth is fertilized, pollinated, nests are being built, sprouting is happening. We are celebrating the beginnings of a new generation and the continuing of life. – Diane Vella
A poem by Cindy Ruda, 2018
The Earth knows
all the seeds
that ever were planted
so peace is already planted
justice, too, is there
beside empathy and reverence
the seeds of awareness
lie next to willingness
and in a neighbor field
are wisdom, trust and care
the sprouts of every variety
summoning our attention
the season urges us
to sow the seeds long planted
to nurture and watch them grow
Beltane is upon us and we are greeted with the reminder of the Earth’s enduring powers of renewal. In this season of love and connection—even in these trying times—we remember that we are still in community, that we can still reach out, create art, send letters, write love songs, and notice what is thriving in the world. Let us plant the gardens of our future, because we know that what grows in the dark will burst through thick earth with color and life. – from We’Moon blessings
PARTICIPANTS’ REFLECTIONS:
In Los Angeles, the sky never looked so blue. In thinking about restoration, we can rethink everything, even what kind of eulogy we want. We can be living mindful of what we are all about. Being my authentic self.
The seeds that I want to nurture, kindness, hope, peace, and justice.
I heard the line “the earth's enduring power to heal”. I think of the healing in my own life. This reading gives me hope.
A seed I planted was to send my grandchildren letters to encourage them to be my penpal during this pandemic. My five-year-old granddaughter is sending me love letters.
This reminds us of the ability to connect through mail and through sharing. Our humanness wants to touch our loved ones, but we can feel the depth of our connections
It’s a bright sunny day here
This group is very grounding. My anxiety is high, I spend my days calming down. Friday nights used to be a time to go night skating with my daughter. It’s closed now. So we went to the mall to Target, wearing masks, just to get out. When we came out of the stores, we saw a big rainbow that we stored in our memory
On some days, I have spent the whole fifteen-minute meditation in anxiety and pulling myself back from the anxiety. By rescuing myself instead of losing myself, I am in a more mindful place. I encourage you to have this awareness when you can’t stop the anxiety from rising. Fear is very bossy
I am reminded to stay with it. Mindfulness is a process. We have increased awareness as a result. I saw a new bird yesterday. And I saw the rainbow too.
My refrigerator died yesterday and I’m going to lose everything in it, but I'm not panicking. It’s about being in acceptance.
Our egos don’t want to let go
I want to share how important community is to me. I cherish your words and appreciate your different personalities. I have felt overcome by sadness and fear, and I know it's not mine.
I’ve also been practicing separating from that outside sadness. As empaths, we can feel it, and it opens up our fear and anger and own sadness. Keep breathing
The poem and its images were wonderful. The idea of seeds already being planted is a powerful metaphor for awareness and trust.
Goddess image by Josephine Wall