This morning I was up and ready for sunrise, which appeared in magnificent color under the edge of a gray sky blanket, behind which the sun would soon disappear. After preparing the coffee, I returned outside just to be and breathe in the warm morning. It was then, in the stillness of watching my breath, that I was present to hear the very first drops of light rain falling. When I am present, there is so much beauty and newness presenting itself to my senses. What a contrast to the state of ruminating in my own thoughts that veils the world around me!
”Your generosity offers that which the ocean cannot.
Your kindness is not postponed until tomorrow
I never needed to ask You for anything.
But who needs to ask the SUN for its LIGHT.”
~Rumi
Front Gate (July 29, 2012, around 6 am, Anchorage, AK)
What if I carried the torch of my own Light into my own darkness?
I have cultivated the awareness of the divine Light with my spiritual practices. It is this Light of awareness that provides the torch that can shine through the darkness in my own heart. It is never about looking outside to find fault; it is always looking inside to shine the Light into the cracks and crevices. And– nobody ever said it was going to be easy.
LUGHNASADH is nowadays celebrated in August and, like other feasts of the Celtic year, has essentially settled on a specific, unvarying calendar date. Lughnasa, however, although technically associated with the 1st day of August, in practice has moved to various dates in a period from roughly mid-July to the middle of August. Some of the changes resulted from the confusion of changing from Julian to Gregorian calendars, when the 1st of August became the 11th or 12th of August. Many modern reconstructivists prefer to use a particular lunar phase in Leo to decide on the eact date. Niceties over the precise dating of festivals often vary within the factions of human religions and there is no reason to think that the ancient Celtic religion was any different in this respect.
Sleeping Lady at Sunset (August 8, 2012, 10:17 pm)
Today I joined people all over the world posting photos of today’s sunrises and sunsets in celebration of Bhagavan Nityananda’s Solar Punyatithi (www.siddhayoga.org). Thanks to Brian for driving with me. We watched as the sun, veiled by clouds, skimmed the tops of the Chugach Mountains and painted the inlet waters flamingo. It was a tender, subtle sunrise. The air was chilly and my hands got cold; I wished I had brought gloves. We are descending into fall, with winter close on its heels!
For sunset, I had lots of company. Folks were lined up along the fence facing Sleeping Lady with their cameras. We were all alone with the beauty, yet also joined in a mutual joy. The force of Nature working her magic upon our common humanity!
