Dolores Whelan, teacher of Celtic spiritual and wisdom traditions guides explorations of how ancient wisdom can form and shape values in which a new society can be formed. Joanna Macy, eco-Buddhist and source teacher for the Great Turning applies this as well to her work. Joanna is one of my teachers and these teachings, across Cosmologies resonate so deeply with me.
Here we are on this turning of the Celtic Wheel, with the planet in peril, and the death culture of mass weaponry filling my news feed with mass shootings in the US occurring weekly.
I vacillate between existential dread, rage, anger and deep enormous grief that feels all consuming.
It takes effort to orient myself as Joanna guides constantly without bypass to remember that to work with our pain for the world, we need to also open our eyes to the enormous wonder of life. That what will fuel and sustain us to move into mutuality and reciprocity is a deep and abiding love for this planet and the diversity of species. To see ourselves as intricately interwoven into the web of life is necessary to shift our own world view away from the status quo.
Honoring the Earth calendar, the Solstice, the Equinox, the cross quarter festivals of the Celtic Wheel help anchor me in this direction.
The last cross quarter festival, Imbolc, witnessed the emergence of snowdrops in my yard. These tiny, delicate flowers that burst through the frozen ground and the layers of leaves win my heart every year. What resilience and strength must these tender blossoms have as their very essence!
Today, on Beltaine, a brief flurry of snow appeared as I walked my dog, me all bundled up, past the dandelions whose audacious yellow popped in response to the gray steel like skies.
I am reminded as I walk, that lament is also an ancient practice of moving from the isolation of grief to finding community, solidarity and the ongoing spiral of healing.
I arrive back home and come to my guitar to work with this enormous bundle of feeling all the feels. Songs emerge from my tears. I come to standing and start to move my body. I feel not only the weight of gravity, but the aliveness that is multi-directional.
Honoring this season of Beltaine, this merging of masculine and feminine energies, this moving outward, to community, exploring passion and power, I renew a commitment to tending to the work of offering my gifts and talents to the world in ways that make sense for me and live into Beloved Community mindset.
Please come with your beautiful offerings.
Enjoy this beautiful piece of art from Dana Driscoll from Druid’s Garden
Please support artists like Dana who are leading us into the permaculture, integrated, reciprocal way of life.
