"We see only the loving hollow
Of a tomb which is always a womb:
A perfect, wondering O of beginnings."
__ Catilin Matthews - "Conference of the Trees"
Spiritual space, silence, the emptiness from which all things can be born - these spaces worry us. We are fretful to fill them. As Christmas approaches, we can be pulled into cycles of gift-buying, into hectic socializing and so abandon the empty spaces that our soul needs so badly. From the empty spaces, from tasklessness of a spare afternoon, we can find the place wherein we actually fit. This gap is like a tunnel that joins our world with the otherworld, a tunnel wherein our moments of blankness or emptubess comes the invittion to be ourselves, to bury the old busy self, to give birth to a new self that is sensitive to these precious moments.
This is especially so when we have received a great revelation, or encountered an immense thought, or experienced a world-changing situation: instead of rushing off to complete the next task, we benefit from stopping and allowing the precious, wondering O to envelop us in a circle of calm contemplation. Within this circle, we can re-experience and ponder all that has befallen us, allowing it to connect with the wisdom that is already ours.
Creating sacred space is an art. Consider the forbearance of the artist who stops when the picture is finished rather than painting in yet more, inessential detail. Our own spiritual space needs the same kind of forbearance, needs patience and deep listening for revelation to be made manifest: a wondering O in which profound realizations can dance and sing.
"Be attentive to, and give allowance for, spiritual space to encompass you."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
Our ancestors made stone circles to mark the movements and
interaction of the sun and moon. They understood that what
happens in the heavens affects us on Earth, and saw the moon
as a focus for extraterrestrial energies. The Celts believed that
when the moon was high it was a good time to plant seeds, while when it was low it was time to harvest (modern
biodynamic farmers still apply this rule). Druids would make
lunar calculations to advise poeple when to make a journey or
conceive a child. A bronze-age body was found in a grave in England with a disk on its chest with seven notices on it, which may have been used to make such astrological predictions.
Moonlight and shadow exercise: Go out at the time of the full moon and walk. Notice the effect of moonlight, how it transforms the world, how strangely beight it is and how strong the moonshadow.
The more time you spend in the moonlight, the more refined your lunar consciousness will become. This will help you become more aware of the rhythms and cycles in the sky and in your own body.
[From: "Celtic Inspirations" by Lyn Webster Wilde]
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