Stitched in the colours of the four directions sat as a reminder of the balance needed to live in peace and harmony – the eagle feather, a rock, a bible and empty chair.
Advent is, in the church, a time of preparation and of waiting. We each go about this in our own way and for me, most often as minister, it usually means a lot of busyness. This is a time when there are concerts and special services, extra visits that need to be made, parties for a variety of groups and then there are the things that happen like illness and death that are not planned but must be tended to. Most years, I do not take the time to really listen to spirit and prepare in the way that perhaps I should. However, this year was different. Although there is still the busyness that begins for me this week, last week I had the privilege of stepping away and connecting to spirit in a way that was transforming.
Last Thursday I made my way to a discernment weekend for Indigenous Ministers at Five Oaks Retreat Center and this morning I would like to share a little of that time with you. While most of those gathered were Indigenous, most also have other cultures and traditions as part of their heritage. Our time was spent in talking and healing circles and times of intentional connection with the Great Spirit. Each person around the circle was committed to and in love with the church but held the pain of centuries of wrong in their beings. I heard the constant pull of joy and sorrow. For some the pain and horror of the residential schools was fresh and visceral and anger spilled into the sacred circle where it was held in tenderness and love. No words would make it better or change the reality that has marked the lives of generations, yet there was a deep and profound connection to sacred mystery, mother earth and to one another.
On the table a cloth, stitched in the colours of the four directions sat as a reminder of the balance needed to live in peace and harmony. The eagle feather spoke of the power and beauty of Creator and the spirit that lifts us up. A rock connected us to the earth, the foundation upon which we stand, formed and shaped by generations of earth’s movement and the source of our being, and the Bible called us into story, story that has shaped and molded, called and directed, empowered and transformed. Sitting in the circle a chair remained vacant as a space for the ancestors and here there was a sense of safety. Each voice was honoured, each story held and spirit could be seen, felt and heard as it weaved among us. This weekend I was reminded and reconnected with spirit that speaks of possibility and promise and is imbued with hope. A perfect start to Advent!
I leave you with the piece that I wrote as I reflected on the weekend and my walk with spirit:
With excitement and with fear I took to the skies
Into mystery and possibility where new wisdom lies
A stranger in a strange land, I seek to know the way
I wonder if I even belong and if I’ll have the words to say.
Then I step onto the land and the river beacons me
reminding me of life and love, a place to simply be
I breath the air, touch the earth and Creators song is sung
I know deep within my soul, a spirit journey I’ve begun
Connected in a circle and sacred is the space
begins a time together filled with love and grace
Each person speaks their inner truth and I begin to hear
that our stories intertwine and I have no need to fear
Through these times the spirit weaves
and upon the soul a mark it leaves
For me, the spirit nudges then screams into my ear
calling me to risk again and leave behind my fears
And so I leave this sacred space, shaken to my core
Empowered to step outside, embrace what will be more.
As you make your way through this Advent season I pray that you will make the time to sit in your sacred circle and listen for spirit that can reignite your light and illumine your world.
Blessings
Valerie
❤️
What a magnificent poem Rev Valerie…. Profoundly moving and personal and I thank you for sharing. Sending long held hugs and love across the miles,
Catherine
Blessings my friend. Returning that love and those hugs and wishing you a blessing filled Hanukkah.