The Mandala Center
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Capulin Sunset February 2010
This is a photo of a recent sunset over the Capulin Volcano. See below for the latest blog entry and a peek at a project from our board retreat! We hope you are enjoying the new website. Thanks for stopping in!! Come visit us!!
Our Local Visitors
The past few weeks I have had some local visitors stopping by. Three turkeys have made their way across the mountain road in front of my home leaving adorable little footprints in the snow. I dug out a bag of bird seed and sprinkled some on the ground outside my office window. They keep coming back and I keep buying more bird seed now. A few days ago I heard a lot of chirping and looked out to find that some of the mountain song birds had found the seed as well. That made me smile. I may have to start getting bigger bags of seed.
Then this morning I woke to the sound of cawing and racket. The noise sounded very near. I walked to the window to find about 30 velvet black ravens scattered about the yard. The turkeys had joined them too. Now there are four turkeys. The slightest movement at the window made the ravens a little cautious. Their instincts honed and tuned to the slightest changes in their surroundings made it seem as if they could see me through the walls of the house. They looked wild and alive with a passion I envy.
I like the “gatherings” that seem to form here outside my window. I sit in the quiet. The sun touches the Pinion and Juniper in the distance while the trees makes deep purple shadows on the snow. I hear the wind and became mesmerized while watching the movements and interactions of the birds. The entire world seems to stand still and be contained in the moment. Nature’s masterful execution of life unfolding creates a sense of rhythm and cyclical dance within me. There is an ebbing and flowing sensation, like the ocean waves – lulling and hypnotizing.
The wisdom of nature makes sense to me. The reflections I see in the birds and the sky and the wind speak to something much deeper within me. I adore the sense of the wild. There is a balance to nature that I am drawn to.
I have come to believe that my spiritual path is all about balance. How do we balance our fears and dreams, our joys and sorrows, our personal goals and the needs of others; our drive to accomplish and our need to rest? I am not even speaking about grand things but rather simple daily things such as how to balance my need to make a simple living with the desire to simply go walk in the woods today. How do I remain true to myself and not offend another? How do I take care of daily tasks while being mindful of daily miracles? Today I don’t have the answers. I am content just to sit and let my mind wander into “no thoughts” – aware of only the rainbow-colored brilliance of the ravens’ wings as they dance in the sun.
The web of life expands out in many directions in a life – softly spinning back into moments such as these that leave me only feeling grateful to have witnessed it. It reminds me of a poem by Harriet Kofalk. She says
“…as I set forth
into the day
the birds sing
with new voices
and I listen
with new ears
and give thanks.”
It also brings to mind a poem by the poet Mary Oliver called “Mindful” which a dear friend once shared with me.
Mindful
Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?
~ Mary Oliver ~
May you find a moment today to be witness to a blade of grass or instructed by a bird. May you weave and weave the web today.
In peace,
Lori Coon
Executive Director
Retreat Mandalas
The Mandala Center board members met in February to work on the budget and yearly plans at the annual retreat. These are the mandalas the board members and staff created together…each mandala being worked on by each member as they were passed around to create the f inished pieces. They were created with water-based oil pastels on colored papers.
The Path (on Sierra Grande)
There are times in our lives that we find the path ahead is not clearly visible. We may try to make plans or follow the cultural customs but most of us discover a time in life when we realize we are walking with a false security. Something happens in our life to shake us up and awaken us. We may feel that things are not what we thought they were and perhaps we have lost our way. Although it may prove to be a time of great growth – very often we are uncomfortable and perplexed.
Some people deal with this uncertainty by planning out every detail – some respond in fear and resistance – some plow forward with wild abandon – some take slow small steps in hopes of catching a glimpse of a clue or sign to lead them. In all cases, we often discover that there are no road maps, no directions, and no sure footing in this life that can make us safe, reduce our risk, or minimize our challenges. We often must summon a greater strength from within and walk forward simply with faith, a desire to do good, a trust in something greater than ourselves, and the willingness to listen to the small quiet voice within our own heart and soul.
Recently I was speaking to Anna Wolfe, the daughter of Tish Hewitt who made The Mandala Center what it is today. She was talking about riding horses and some of the races she participates in. She spoke about what it was like to be on a horse at night when there were no guiding lights and she knew they were on a treacherous path- both rider and horse tired and weary. She spoke about “feeling” the horse and trusting the horse to lead her and honoring the relationship she had with the horse. She spoke about giving up control (though confident in her own skills) and having courage and a willingness to go on without letting fear take over.
I was imagining that perhaps this is how it is in life and how it is with human relationships, with God; with the Great Mystery. So often our footing seems uncertain, our vision blocked, our sense of self questioned. We must walk in the darkness without fear and “feel” our way with trust and faith that something else or someone else will lovingly accompany us and guide us along the way.
Anna wrote a poem at a time when she felt she needed to follow her inner voice and divine guidance. It was the time when she moved across the country with her family to New Mexico to finish The Mandala Center. She speaks in her own language of faith and offers up her own experience of trusting a greater flow in life even when she could not completely see the path ahead.
Below is the article published in Women’s Perspective on Money and Spirituality – Fall 2003 where she shares her poem.
When Anna Wolfe’s mother died, she left unfinished a project that was dear to her heart – The Mandala Center in New Mexico. Anna finished building the Mandala Center and in essence became her mother’s partner in the creation of this sacred space in the high desert. Her moment of knowing that this is what she was called to do is reflected in her poem, My Answer…
MY ANSWER
Lord, I hear you calling,
Calling me far, far, away.
It is a whisper
That blows through my soul,
And stirs me
To say yes.
Oh, the adventure
You are calling me to.
To the place in the wilderness
Where
You will speak tenderly
To my heart,
And give me my vineyards.
You ask so little of me
Other than
To keep saying yes,
To keep listening to your voice
And placing the next foot
Forward
Like on the labyrinth.
I realize that all I have
Comes from you,
And so is really yours
For us to use together
To do your work.
And so I hold what I have
Loosely
And I listen.
You have also opened me
To your gift of love,
Now showing me
The glorious face of your Son
In each person I meet,
And so I know
We are all one.
Now, after years of
Loving preparation
You have led me
To the very brink
And it is time
For action.
It is time to take
The leap of faith,
As Abraham did
So many years ago.
To arch and leap
As from an aeroplane,
With joyful abandon.
And I must trust.
Trust that your loving arms
Will catch me,
As surely as
The parachute,
And I will be
In the place to which
You are calling me.
So, Lord,
I am surprised and honored
To realize
You have a plan for me.
And I step forward,
Over the edge,
With confidence
And trepidation
To the place we call Mandala.
The confidence
Is God-given,
The trepidation, human.
Yet I am grateful
That I may hear your call
And respond,
For it is the ultimate way
That I may return your love.
By saying yes.
Anna Wolfe, June 1997
(Lori Coon Executive Director)
Art as Meditation
Our Winter Silence Retreat offered a time for individuals to come and relax and renew at special winter prices. We offered home cooked meals and a few special activities such as massage by Pam, yoga by Sasha, and art as meditation by Lori. Here is a photo of our group engaged in the creative process. We did a brief meditation focusing on our breath and then participants “painted their breath” using watercolors. Here are a couple of the finished products. The rest of the time participants shared meals, hiked, read, slept, and visited together. The photo shows Makyla, Faye, and Susan.
Pam's breath.
Ralph's breath
Eagle by Gary Rothstein
Life is full of changes. Death. New beginnings. Transitions and Transformations. I recently watched the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” I was pleasantly surprised at its depth and attention to the human condition. The film offered two messages – “You never know what is coming for you.” and “Nothing ever lasts.” These sentiments can sound a bit depressing, but in reality they speak to our need for mindful attention and appreciation for the moments we do have in life and for the people with whom we share our lives.
This idea of the cyclical and ever changing nature of life has captured me for years. The only thing we can really be sure of is “change.” Helen Keller reminded us, “Security is an illusion.” For me, embracing this unpredictable aspect of life, rather than denying it, has proven beneficial and comforting. During any process of death, there is equally a process of rebirth happening. It is not necessarily something linear as much as simultaneous. An artist will “destroy” a white canvas while giving birth to a painting. A lumberjack will kill a tree to build a house. A negative belief is released in order to heal. We all have to weigh the benefits and costs of each action but there is no escaping this reality of constant birth, death and rebirth.
Coming here to New Mexico was a death of sorts in my own life – letting go of old patterns, habits, people, work, friendships and yet I sense nothing is truly gone. It is integrated; transformed. I carry it all with me – whether I like it or not. My good deeds and intentions as well as my faults and sins are all eternally recorded and yet the miracle is that each moment truly is a moment of grace in which we can be reborn a new. We cannot leave our past behind and yet we are not bound by it either. The past never leaves us and the possibility of the future is always present. We are in the eternal “now”.
I lived near Salamanca, NY, the home of the Seneca Nation. I spent time with Grandmother Twylah Nitsch, keeper of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge. She taught me her interpretation of the Medicine Wheel. “Medicine” is our life path – the things in life that teach us and help us grow. It is our lessons, talents, challenges, and choices and our interactions with Spirit, the land and other people. The circle represents all of life – our earth walk and our spirit walk – on our journey to wholeness.
The Medicine Wheel that I was shown designates the east as the sacred door; the place of new beginnings. The east offers us the rising sun, the place of sacred breath and birth ; not just physical birth, but the birth of visions, dreams, and goals. (Various Nations have different interpretations or symbols in the directions.) It is the place of the winged ones – the eagle – who can see far and wide over the land – the bigger picture. The wings are spread open and the heart is exposed to the world. In this place we can feel a bit ungrounded, vulnerable, and uncertain. We can get tossed about or knocked off course easily. Have you ever had a dream or vision and tried to share it with others who did not understand? We can easily be distracted, deterred or feel a need to be protective of our vision when others disapprove. This is a delicate place.
Where are the visions being born in your own life? What have you begun in this new year of 2010 as a resolution or a goal that is now in its infant stage? What dreams do you have that perhaps others people do not share? What has caught your attention in the distance that you cannot quite see yet, nevertheless, is calling for you to explore? What needs to be nurtured and grounded now in your life in order to be made manifest in the world?
It is important for us to have a good grounding cord so we are not soaring only in our visions and dreams but firmly rooted in the earth and in our physical lives. In this way we can offer our unique contribution to life. When we step into the south in the Medicine Wheel we find the “medicine of mouse” which is to be of the earth and see things up close. Mouse is about seeing the details and steps to accomplish something. The south is the place of our daily lives and work and family. It is life exposed in the full noon sun. It is where we labor. The east is only a temporary haven for dreams and visions. They are born there but it is then our job to ground them into form and matter and share them with others. It is hard work.
This birth process can be scary and it is unpredictable. Just like giving birth to a child – we do not know exactly what they will look like or how their personality will be until they are here and allowed to grow. So to, our visions need time and space and most of all nurturing commitment in order to fully mature. I have a sign in my art studio that says “I am your idea. If you do not pay attention to me today I will be gone tomorrow.”
A vision imagined is just a vision unless we can make it manifest in our lives. There is a lot of work to be done but we do not need to do it alone. We can bring our inspirations home and when we live into them we find the world around us makes room, offers support – making the circle bigger. The Mandala of vision begins to take shape crystallizing our thoughts into a reality that is easier to share with others. Our visions gain strength and stability. Other people show up at the right time, opportunities, challenges, and resources light our way. (And sometimes setbacks are blessings.)
This is a quote that Susan, a recent participant visiting The Mandala Center, left for me upon her departure,
“The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred…unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.” Goethe.
For those of you soaring in the east right now; opening and exposing your hearts to new possibilities, I send prayers of support and hope that this New Year brings the Wisdom you seek and the Providence you need. May you make manifest the visions you hold dear. Tish Hewitt manifested her vision here when she began to build The Mandala Center.
Now we are building new visions and moving forward in the process of change and growth. I trust the land, the staff, and the people who journey here, searching for deeper meaning in their own lives, will participate and prepare for the continuing process of rebirth. May the circle bind us in the journey.
Lori Coon, Executive Director
Sunrise on January 20th
The Casa Mandala
The past few weeks our staff has been working hard to “refresh” The Mandala Center for our scheduled guests and upcoming programs. We finally have our water fountain repaired and the sound of water in the Center is so soothing. We hung portraits of the founders, Tish Hewett and Anna Wolfe. We have shined the floors and rearranged some furniture. We hung some interfaith flags in our sanctuary and added some plants. We created a new space for a small gift shop available to guests for the first time. We took care of some maintenance issues.
Our newsletter should be mailed next week and it has a list of all our upcoming events and some articles about things going on this year. (If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be please call or email us.) Our new website is up and we are still working on finishing touches. We are in the middle of updating our guest guide which we hope to post on the website as well. Our cooks, Marsha and Sasha are busy getting kitchen protocol in order and new meal plans for 2010.
We do hope you will take some time to browse our website and blog and call us if you have any questions. We do look forward to meeting you and serving you. We are very excited about 2010 – a year we have dedicated to PEACE. More information about our International Day of Peace event in September 2010 will be coming. We will be posting it on our special events page. Keep checking back! Happy New Year!
Tinsel Trees
This is a story told by one of our visitors about her experience here at The Mandala Center in 2005. When I read this story I loved it because I believe it represents a way we are often guided and healed in our lives – gently, subtly, and symbolically. Very seldom does “wisdom” just descend upon us on one great swoop. In addition, we can miss the small whispers of wisdom when they do come if we are not paying attention. We can plant seeds along the way and remain mindful of the unfolding process of our lives. This seemed like the perfect story to share for this season – a celebration of light and hope. Dear Mary, Thanks for paying attention.
I felt lost, without direction. I was at a crossroads in my life when I found The Mandala Center. I arranged for an individual three day retreat, hoping the time alone would result in a blaze of wisdom, a big solid answer, a definite arrow pointing in the new direction. Unfortunately, when I drove away after three days I still was feeling lost. The only unusual bit of “LIGHT” had come from the sparkle of a strand of tinsel hanging from a juniper tree. I did not recognize the lesson and wisdom that tiny light held at the time – but now I do.
My first morning at The Mandala Center, as I walked along the gravel road, I noticed a pathway of sorts off to the left. There was no sign inviting or forbidding me to follow it. I decided to follow it. I soon noticed a few strands of tinsel sparkling in the breeze from one of the junipers. As I approached to investigate, I noticed more tinsel on another juniper further ahead. And then even more. A Tinsel Trail? This was interesting. Had children been playing here? I decided to follow this trail.
It finally led me to a white cross, about three feet high, planted in the ground at the top of a drop. Down below was a semicircle of wooden benches in this seemingly open and untamed land. My curiosity peaked. I decided to go down to these benches. As the descent was too steep at this spot, I circled around and found a “path” down to this outdoor chapel area. This unexpected discovery totally amazed me. I remained for a while absorbing the details.
Later I learned that Jake and Dolores Lujan, the original homesteaders of the ranch on which the center sits, had built the shrine in honor of Jake’s dad, Lorenzo Lujan. Every year on the feast day of St. Lawrence, the family would gather and a priest would say mass and give communion. The director at The Mandala Center told me they had tried to resume this tradition, inviting the community back for the occasion. She said, “They marked a path to the altar with the tinsel a few years ago as people were getting lost.” All I thought at the time was how interesting this all was, and I wrote it in my journal.
TWO YEARS LATER, in response to the newsletter asking how The Mandala Center may have impacted its visitors, I decided to sift through my journal entries to see if there was anything I could contribute. These words jumped off the page at me: THE TINSEL MARKED THE WAY AS SOME PEOPLE WERE GETTING LOST.
LOST – that word described me at the time of my retreat. That strand of tinsel held a great lesson for me about being lost and finding my way. Its sparkle was tiny. I could easily have missed it or dismissed it as nothing. But I didn’t. Something inside of me said to take a closer look into this tinsel, to follow this “trail” in spite of my fears, in spite of not having any idea where it might lead. I let the sparkle guide me. The discovery of a hidden, very simple, outdoor chapel almost overwhelmed me back then. I had thought, with the wide open sloping land around The Mandala Center, I could see everything. Obviously, I could not.
Today, I still live and work in the same place I did two years ago. A blaze of wisdom has not yet propelled me forward into a complete transformation. But now I have this lesson of the sparkling tinsel to reflect upon. Courage, curiosity, and responding to a tiny inner voice when something out of place, out of the ordinary, catches my attention seems to be part of the lesson. Maybe a blaze of wisdom is really an accumulation of tiny sparkles.
When I feel lost, lost from myself, I need to remember to let the sparkles guide me back. There is so much more to discover about me. But I have to take a few risks; dare to go some place that intrigues me even though it also scares me a little. Go slowly, notice things, question the unusual, the out of the ordinary. The sparkles lead me to myself. If I know who I am, I am not lost.
Mary Larkin
Mandala Winter
When Monica, our operations manager, asked me to come to dinner for Christmas Eve she informed me that she would be preparing the celebratory meal that they have in Finland. I then thought about all the various cultural and religious traditions around the world especially at this season of Winter Solstice, Yule, and Christmas. There is, quite possibly, a universal acknowledgement of this special time of the year steeped in a variety of beliefs – connected to nature’s rhythms, the returning birth of the sun/son, and the “light” of the world. This LIGHT is seen as necessary to our physical, mental and spiritual survival in various ways.
Upon further reflection on this topic another thought surfaced that held significance for me.
In the Northern Hemisphere, during Winter Solstice, we experience the least amount of daylight and the longest night. Yet, in the Southern Hemisphere, on December 21st, the daytime is at its peak and they have their shortest night. We ALL DO NOT experience December 21st in the same way. The Southern Hemisphere is celebrating its Summer Solstice on December 21st while we in the Northern Hemisphere are celebrating our Winter Solstice!! I was suddenly feeling enlightened by this fact.
I can understand how easy it is, and perhaps also how necessary it is, for humans to most often focus only on their own limited perspective in life – their own “piece” of the world as they experience it. Our narrow view and experience of the world is usually determined by the culture we are born into, the people we are in contact with, and the natural world around us. There is nothing wrong with having our own perspective, but a danger can come if we decide to believe that the way we experience the world is the “only way” or the only “truth.”
This reminds me of a story I heard once about three blind men who encountered an elephant. One touched the trunk, one touched the leg and one had the tail. When asked to describe what an elephant looked like, each man correctly gave a description from his own experience. A debate ensued about who was “right”. They were all “right” even though their descriptions did not sound the same. In addition, from their separate vantage points they could not fully describe what an elephant truly looked like in its entirety. If they had combined their descriptions they may have been closer to the truth, but even then, there could be some unseen aspect of “the elephant” that required acceptance of their sensory limitations, a greater desire for peace than “rightness”, and a good dose of “blind faith.”
If we say December 21st is the time of Winter Solstice we are correct, but it is also correct to say December 21st is the time of Summer Solstice. At first, this sounds impossible until we realize the “truth” is greater than either of the experienced perspectives.
As I think about our cultural and religious celebrations, I am aware of how easy it can be to narrow our perspective down to our own experience. Can we open to the loving possibility that other people have experiences, beliefs, and practices different from our own, but perhaps still hold part of a greater story? A greater oneness? A greater united wholeness that perhaps no single person, because of our limitations, gets to witness in its entirety? Without giving up our own view, can we grow in understanding from others?
Faced with our incapacity to grasp the “whole,” it is no wonder we grasp hold of the little piece of the world as we come to know it. BUT, is it possible to celebrate our unique perspectives without diminishing the experiences of others? In theory such openness sounds ideal, but in practice it does not seem to come so naturally. We often need to consciously and mindfully work at it. May this season open our hearts to such a task.
Whatever your religion, heritage, country, celebratory practices or beliefs are on this holiday season, those of us here at The Mandala Center send PEACE and LIGHT your way, in hopes of spreading love in your life, greater understanding in the world…and joy all around…
Blessings and Peace,
Lori Coon
Executive Director
P.S. Here is a list of SOME December celebrations in the NORTHERN Hemisphere– in honor of our diversity and in recognition of our common experience.
Although the ways of celebrating vary, there are strong central themes expressed around the world during the Winter Solstice. These celebrations include references to and symbols of birth, the hero, the reassurance of continued life on earth, the time of giving and gathering, the time of balancing the forces of light/dark, yin/yang, and death/rebirth – and an overwhelming attention to the sun and to the importance of LIGHT in the world.