Archery

Recently I have started doing archery, which for me is deeply redolent of Robin Hood, Artemis, Shen-I the Excellent Archer, and other mythological figures. When I am doing it, I am totally in the moment, totally focussed on hitting the target, and how my body fits with the bow (though probably insufficiently focussed on the latter). I am not thinking of anything else. For me, archery is embodied spirituality in action.

Spirit of the Woods,
I hear you breathing.
You are in me,
in the wood of the bow,
the taut bowstring,
the flight of the arrow.
I am in the moment,
focussed on the arrow's point.
I am in you, the endless woodland,
where the Hunter and the hunted are one.
May the skill of my arm increase.
May my body move in harmony.
May I be true as my aim is true.
So mote it be.

A prayer for the environment

There have been a lot of messages lately about the nature deities and spirits and the environment, including a dream that I had. Recently, three people posted a thought for the day in the Centre for Pagan Studies Facebook group about Pan. And I also had a message in ritual from the god Frey, who cares for green things.

So this is my prayer:

Lords of Animals, Ladies of the Flowers,
Gods of green growing things and goddesses of wild animals
Teach us to tread lightly on the Earth,
And walk in harmony with Nature.
The earth, the fire, the water, and the air:
All are sacred,
And the fifth sacred thing is spirit.
Once we were wild,
and instinctively knew
how to walk in a sacred manner.
Now there is so much destruction,
that some are already in mourning,
believing that there is no hope.
I still hope, but I also fear.
May our hearts be open to your promptings,
May our hands be ready for your work
May our minds be in the service of healing
So mote it be.

The seeds are sprouting

We are telling ourselves a story of inevitable destruction,
that the environment is doomed,
but the seeds of a new way of life are sprouting
beneath the cracks, beneath the concrete,
and the rivers are rising,
the Earth is protesting,
the winds of change are blowing.

The spirits of place are calling
for a new story, for a new paradigm.
A story of hope, a story of renewal.

Ancient Goddess of Earth,
hear our desire for change,
forgive us for wounding you,
over and over.

We begin today to tell a new story, a story of hope, a story of renewal.
The wheel turns, the fire burns, the winds of change are blowing.
The spirits of place are calling, the seeds of change are growing.
We dare to dream, we dare to hope, we dare to change.

~ Yvonne Aburrow

Inspired by this article by Nafeez Ahmed: The global Transition tipping point has arrived - vive la révolution

And this blogpost by Sophia Bonnie Wodin: Story: the bigger picture

Mother Goddess

Sinking gratefully back into the land,
Into the folds of the Mother,
Her creases in time and reality,
Her magic is a wrinkled apple,
A golden ball dropped from a tree's galaxy of branches
into Her green and fertile lap
where it will decay and then grow into a tree.

O Mother I hear your call,
the wild clear call of the Moon,
the barren and compassionate one
who gazes down upon the Earth,
your green and blue sister.

May I dance with the Sun, Moon and stars;
May I feel their dance within me
and know that it is the One at play in the many -
the dance of being and non-being,
the laughter and tears of the divine at play
in each one of us -
wearing different masks,
now tragic, now comic.

May I hear the song of the stars,
feel the rhythms of the Earth pulse in my body,
lie upon the beloved land
and know that my depths are Her depths
all the way to the ends of the Universe.

17-10-2011, 11.35 am

My christology

“The incarnation is true, not of Christ exclusively, but of Man universally, and God everlastingly.” - James Martineau

My christology is neither high nor low,
but broad and deep.

We are all Christ,
emerging wet and shining
from the River Jordan,
with the light of heaven
shining on us.

We are all Buddha,
reborn each moment,
arising dependent,
Buddha-nature unfolding.

We are all John Barleycorn,
cut down in autumn,
ploughed back into the earth each winter,
putting on green shoots in spring.

We are all Aradia,
bringing her subversive message of hope
to an oppressed people.

We are all messiahs,
and we must all save the world
together, like rainbow warriors.

Let us recognise the work
to which we are called,
and open our sacred hearts to the world.


Yvonne Aburrow
2-7-11, 6.01 am

Notes

• Aradia is the messianic figure supposed to have appeared to Italian witches and taught them the mysteries of Diana
• Christology is what you think the nature of Christ is (in relation to God and humanity)
• John Barleycorn is a dying and resurrecting vegetation spirit in  Wiccan mythology
• The Legend of the Rainbow Warriors is a prophecy of the coming of saviours

(part of the Write for your Life practice developed by Merle Feld)

This day

This day
I desire to make connections
  to sustain a sense of the sacred
  to be graceful and gracious
  to listen to the silences between the words
  to be mindful of the beauty in each moment
  to give thanks for the beauties
    of tree and flower,
    birdsong and laughter,
    friendship and fellowship.

Great Mystery at the heart of all that is,
may I be constantly aware of the wonder and joy
of being awake, alive and aware
and treasure each moment
whatever it brings

and when I fail,
as often happens,
let me not be too hard on myself,
but gently reconnect with the heart of the mystery
sinking gratefully into the soft darkness,
the singing silence.
For each moment we can begin again.
It is never too late.
The time is always now.


23-6-11
7.55am


(Morning - setting an intention)

(part of the Write for your Life practice developed by Merle Feld)

Sunshine after rain

Light unending
Light transforming
Light revealing.

The world is transformed by light
especially after rain.

The rain makes everything seem grey and misty
But it washes the dust and weariness away
And when the sun returns,
everything gleams, fresh and bright,
colours sparkling.

The light renews the world,
transforms it,
reveals its brilliance.

Water and light: sources of life,
refreshment and renewal.

The soul's seasons are like this:
tears and laughter, water and light.

When the tears come,
may they be swiftly followed by laughter,
Laughter that renews and refreshes,
illuminates everything
and reveals the joy,
the inexpressible joy
at the heart of everything.
Amen.



(part of the Write for your Life practice developed by Merle Feld)

Sleep

Where does the mind go during sleep?
Does it rest in the Divine?
Wherever it goes, it returns refreshed
from the shores of forgetfulness.

And what of dreams,
those messengers from the deep?
Beautiful and fearful,
they bring up treasures and horrors
from beneath the sea.

My body sinks thankfully into sleep
like a sloth settling onto a branch.

Let us be grateful
for the gift of sleep
and the healing it brings.

Let us be grateful
for the gift of dreams
and the insights they bring.


1.30 pm
8-6-2011

(part of the Write for your Life practice developed by Merle Feld)

Pain

When pain comes to live in the body
It has a way of taking over
my whole awareness,
making me feel trapped in my body with the pain.

But then there's the gratitude
for the love and concern of friends
who wish me well,
ask how I am,
some of them reaching out of their own pain
to touch me in healing.

And so my awareness moves
from the pain to my heart
opening in gratitude
for the gift of friends,
sending messages of concern.

A true friend is one who shares
pain and laughter
love and companionship
sorrow and joy.

I give thanks for friends.
I give thanks to friends:
manifestations of divine love.

8-6-2011
6.11 pm

(part of the Write for your Life practice developed by Merle Feld)