Braiding Sweet Gratitudes

Let me begin by saying... I am sorry that it has been so long since I have brought voice to this blog. Sorry to the small handful of friends who are kind enough to take time from their busy existence to humor my writing endeavor, but probably more sorry for myself.

This blog was meant to be a Spiritual Practice for me born out of a gratitude journalling exercise from my UU Wellspring experience. The assignment was to keep a journal for 2 weeks on what gave me joy. The entries could be as simple as a phrase or a bulleted list, or a stream of consciousness, whatever felt right. I found that in this process, I began to search for the things each day that gave me joy, knowing that I had to write them down in my journal. In doing so, my daily experiences were reframed in a way that I have never forgotten, or abandoned.

Since my last blog entry, there have been a series of events in my life that have kept me from returning here. Loss of loved ones, stresses of daily life, crisis and upheaval, but through it all I tried to keep one foot firmly planted in looking for bright spots in which to recharge my soul. Which brings me back here, finally.

During my time away, I have become completely absorbed in a Spiritual journey that has brought me to a deeper connection with Mother Earth and with my Native American/Southern European Pagan roots. It started with a class called Cakes for the Queen of Heaven guiding me to reconnect with my divine feminine spirit, and has now led me to be part of an Earth Circles group called the Whirling Rainbow Lodge. Whirling Rainbow is based on the Native American sisterhood teachings of the 13 Original Clan Mothers as told in the book by the same name by Jamie Sams. The Lodge has been a spiritual learning experience for me as each month we discover and honor the native feminine wisdom of the Clan Mothers as it relates to the cycles of the moon, and the special totems and talents of each Clan Mother. The process has led me to a fuller understanding of my place in the web of existence and a stronger belief that each living thing has a specific role as teacher and family member.

As my spiritual focus has changed I find that I am much more awake to the natural world around me and to my relationship with that natural world. I am suddenly more aware of the sensual experience that is nature. The warmth of the sun on my skin, the smell of the air as the wind blows, the sounds of birds and leaves, the taste of wild herbs from the earth, and the gift of the presence of relations such as animals and rocks. My way of praying has changed as well. Now my prayers are all about gratitude, for Grandfather Sun who lights my day and gives me warmth, for Grandmother Moon who lights my night and connects me to the rhythms of nature through her cycles, for Mother Earth for all of her many gifts that help to sustain all living things and most of all to the Great Spirit for all of creation.

Iroquois Prayer of Thanks

We return thanks to our mother, the earth,
which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars,
which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun,
that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in Whom is embodied all goodness,
and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.

Aho ( I take your prayers as my prayers)