Recently I was asked to lead a Circle of Life workshop during a spiritual retreat at the outskirts of a fishermen village in Malta: Marsa Xlokk. Surrounded with a group that regularly meditates, this self-development exercise entered an inspiring dimension.
The Life Circle is a mandala used as a self_developmentinspirational and motivational tool to remind us of what an amount of time we spend in useful activities and how much of our time we devote to truly life enriching habits and endavours. The participants are encouraged to contemplate three areas of their lives: physical, mental/emotional and spiritual and to write or draw within the circle their life supporting / enriching habits and their life destructive / wasteful activities or patterns.
Wow! What a Full Moon that was! How many times you have exclaimed this! The one in January this year was the second January moon known as a Blue Moon. They are SUPERMOONS with the Moon being at it's closest point to the earth making the Full Moon brighter. What a magic filled event is to soak in its light and beauty. We all know that the Moon has a profound influence upon us. Many say that the highest energy occurs at the Full Moon.
Have you had a chance to meditate, absorb its beauty and its energy? Have you had a chance to pay your respect?
Have you ever wondered why do we get so exited around this time of the year, dress into skeletons and run around streets in a search of red lanterns and hollow pumpkins, screaming seeing dead men walking, witches laughing, demons trembling and the sick bleeding.
The dead, the sick, the ghosts symbolically exit their graves and enter the world of living in the shape of masks walking aimless through the streets. All the cultures at all ages gave their due respect to death, to ancestors, or are scared of the consequences if they do not.
Both early Buddhists and the Indians burn the bodies of their dead so that the soul does not linger around the body for too long. After death, preparing the dead for the funeral fire, the Lamas (monks) chant for hours to help the soul leave the body. It is believed that for the first 4 days the dead person is not even aware that he or she is dead. During the ‘departure’, the person sees and feels all that they have ever done during their life time. It is believed that a spiritual practitioner will have no fear nor regrets at the time of death and will die in a state of peace.
A wand with two serpents twined around it, surmounted by two small wings. the caduceus or magic wand of the Greek god HermesRoman Mercury, messenger of gods, protector of alchemy. The wand represents power and the two snakes wisdom. The Greek Hermes found his analogue in Egypt as the ancient Wisdom God Thoth, as Taaut of the Phoenicians, all linked with the magic rod with twin snakes.
Trees were respected since the beginning of time. Different cultures acknowledged the magic powers within ancient trees and performed various rituals around them. A tree can simply bewitch you offering a sense of mystery and magic, taking you into the journey of green respect towards this witness of time passing, into the wisdom of its mature being. Its roots lie deep in the ground. The leaves draw energy from the sunlight. The trunk is strong and wide. What is the tree hiding: ancient secrets, ghosts, goblins, spirits, ferries or just squirrels?
Druids were priests of an ancient Celtic religious order. They thought that the oak tree is sacred and they carried out their religious rituals in oak forests. They chose the deepest parts of woodlands for their most sacred places.
The Pagans used the Yew tree as the focus of their worship. Apparently, the Yew has a particular quality that inspires a feeling of awe.
The Greeks and Romans decorated their dwellings with ivy, taking evergreen plants into their houses acknowledging their magical qualities.
The Christmas tree is a symbol adopted by Christian tradition, referring to the salvation that Jesus brought to the world by his birth.
Ancient Slav Zodiac
According to the Ancient Slav Zodiac we all have our Tree Signs. Find the date of your birth and enjoy the spiritual meaning of the Tree that protects you.
