Desert Flowers

The high desert gives birth to a number of colorful wildflowers and this summer with all the extra rain, the hills are greener than usual.  The sunflowers are exceptionally brilliant.  They speckle the landscape and line our driveways.   Yellow flowers have always been my favorite and there is a simple joy that fills me when I see a whole field of yellow flowers dancing in the breeze – dandelions, daffodils, trefoils, asters, groundsels, coltsfoot, black-eyed susans, buttercups, tansy, golden rod or sunflowers – they all delight.

Sunflowers at The Mandala Center

I remember the sunflowers my grandmother planted along the garden on her farm.   They stood so tall and regal.  It seemed as if they knew something that I did not.  Maybe their wisdom comes with their ability simply and fully to live in the moment – in the place they are planted – for the season they are given. Their bright faces constantly look “toward the light” with devout attention.  Could we master such a feat?

It is amazing how the seasons bring forth life – the lush blankets pulsing with eternity – and yet – each flower, each blade of grass, each ladybug, each dragonfly, each person, only has its own season in which to flourish.  Today, let us each take a moment to be grateful for the season we have been given and for the things – great and small that bless our lives.

Plains Sunflowers

To the sunflowers – a poem by Mary Oliver

The Sunflowers

Come with me

into the field of sunflowers.

Their faces are burnished disks,

their dry spines

creak like ship masts,

their green leaves,

so heavy and many,

fill all day with the sticky

sugars of the sun.

Come with me

to visit the sunflowers,

they are shy

but want to be friends;

they have wonderful stories

of when they were young -

the important weather,

the wandering crows.

Don’t be afraid

to ask them questions!

Their bright faces,

which follow the sun,

will listen, and all

those rows of seeds -

each one a new life! -

hope for a deeper acquaintance;

each of them, though it stands

in a crowd of many,

like a separate universe,

is lonely, the long work

of turning their lives

into a celebration

is not easy.  Come

and let us talk with those modest faces,

the simple garments of leaves,

the coarse roots in the earth

so uprightly burning.

(Lori Coon    Executive Director)

Spring Flowers at The Mandala Center

The past few weeks I have been working in my own inner chambers of darkness.  In the past two years I have experienced a lot of change in my life.  Part of me says, “So what? Life always is changing.  Everyone has problems.  Why can’t I just get on with it?” There is another part that emphatically has informed me that I’m not going anywhere until I pay attention to where I have been. I need to spend some time grieving and acknowledging the changes in a more mindful way – giving myself time to grieve, to heal, to remember, and then to move on wholeheartedly.

When I first arrived at The Mandala Center, I read through several years of evaluations that visitors had completed after their stays.   I was surprised by the number of times people referred to “grief” as the motivating emotion that led them to seek out retreat here. An illness, a loss of a loved one, a loss of direction.

When we think of grief we tend to think of it as the result of someone dying.  However, life always is changing and loss comes in many forms.  We may lose our independence, our place in line, our home, or our job.  We may lose our sense of who we are or a long held belief.  Life is an ongoing process of grieving, letting go, healing, trusting, and then picking ourselves back up – over and over.

I long have been intrigued by the idea that NOTHING comes into being without something else passing away.   Even a blank canvas is sacrificed for the beauty of a painting and a patch of wildflowers traded for a manicured yard.  Our beliefs, thoughts, and lifestyles also change.   We may experience the “death” of our TV time in order to exercise our bodies.  We may need to give up the belief that we are “worthless or stupid” in order to find greater inner peace.

Everything exists at the cost of something else….birth, death, and birth again…over and over.  In working with issues of “stress,” I have come to believe there are things that we cannot control but that we can control our perceptions of things.  Resisting what “is” can create a lot of stress. Coming to accept loss as part of life frees us from feeling burdened or punished by it.  It is going to happen over and over and we may as well accept it lovingly and be gentle with ourselves.

This is part of a poem I wrote several years ago called “What Have You Lost?”

Have you ever lost…

Your car keys?
Or Wallet?
Your Identity?
Your belongings to a flood or fire?

Have you lost your child?
Your expectations, dreams or beliefs
of how life could be?
Did you lose your innocence?
What tragedy shattered that place of trust?

Have you lost a part of your body?
A sweater?
A book?
Your dog?
Your paycheck?

Have you lost permission to be who you truly are?
Your creativity? Your passion?
Your community?
Your connection to a greater purpose?
Have you ever lost your mind?

The poem continues but the point is not to make life sound as if it is futile or hopeless or more painful than it already is, but rather to remind us that we are not alone in our loss and grief.  Life is a series of changing experiences we build upon to learn and grow stronger.  Those experiences of change are the foundation upon which we begin to build again and to open ourselves to new possibilities that only can arise out of the loss or destruction of other parts of our lives.   Changes and loss do not erase where we have been.   Nothing ever is lost – only transformed or transitioned into a new experience that most likely would not have been possible without whatever came before it.

The emerging wildflowers here are impossible to miss in the desert landscape…..splashes of yellow, white, purple, blue, orange, and red enliven the pathways at The Mandala Center.   I thought of writing about the wildflowers and their promise of new life and new beginnings.   What I became aware of is that the flowers mirror my own internal awareness – I must pay attention to where I have been and where I have come from before I can move on wholeheartedly.  These flowers sprang forth from the darkness.  Without the time spent waiting cold and hidden under that protective cloak they would not have survived nor burst into bloom now.  The times of darkness - waiting, grieving, feeling pain, struggle, and wrestling with the unknown - are fertile times and are as much a part of the growth process as the actual bursting forth.

In his book Writing Tides, Kent Ira Groff puts it this way:

If you want to find new light, then enter into the dark places in the same old stuff you deal with every day, or in the stuff you keep avoiding. There you will find diamonds ready for the cutting. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah described it in chapter 45: “I will give you treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places.”

It is in the grief and the darkness and the changes of life that our seeds are sown for blossoming – even when we can’t see yet what it is we have planted.  Sometimes the lessons come hard and slow and we must grow to be patient and trusting.   Our willingness to sit with change  and  loss and grief is an act of bravery that can transform our lives into the treasures – the diamonds – that are hidden there.

Pema Chodron in her book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, writes

Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. [Things] come together and fall apart again. Then they come together and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”

Stanley Kunitz’s poem, The Layers, offers us further insight.  Kunitz illustrates in this poem the need for taking time to “look behind” before he can “gather strength to proceed.”  This is wisdom.  This is what I am discovering.  There is nothing to fear.   Rejoice!  Change happens and with it comes opportunity to learn, live and love.

Lori Coon
Executive Director

Being in Nature helps reduce Stress: Stone Cairns at TMC

“Life is what we make of it.
Always has been, always will be.”

Grandma Moses

A few weeks ago, one of our board members, Lani Kyea, asked me to speak at the county luncheon for the Union County Extension Association of New Mexico on the topic of “stress”.  Having only four days to prepare, I went to my file cabinet to pull out some material from past presentations I had given on the topic.  For several years my work focused on stress management and wellness and particularly on the use of self-management tools that were free and accessible to anyone willing to employ them.  Empowering people in regards to their own health and wellness was something that motivated me.

I believe the adage that says “We tend to teach the very things we need to learn ourselves.”   For years, I have had to manage my own stress and the great challenges life placed before me.   We may think we are alone but few of us go through life without suffering mistakes, losses, change, and upheaval.   We are told such obstacles help us develop character, strength, and faith.  That may be true, but it often is hard to see the silver lining in the midst of stress or crisis.    Most of the time, we make our way as best we can.  We can, at any moment, choose to be conscious of the part we play in any life situation.   We are never alone and we are never without choices.

“When you can’t change the world,
you can learn to change your response to it.”
Dr. Robert Eliot, MD

The Mandala Center strives to be a place “out of the ordinary” that offers the space, time, solitude, and support that are needed for us to find our way and “make life what we make of it.”   It is not an escape from life, but rather a retreat into the very heart of matters.   Seeking retreat is a tool to help a person fully experience and feel the deeper callings within and to help evaluate the inner labyrinths to make wise decisions moving forward.   This does not mean we have total control over life, or that we are unwilling to depend on the will of God.  It means that we take responsibility for our own part in living our lives fully and make space within to let the will of God work within us.

Many people call The Mandala Center looking for an individual retreat and seeking a place to heal and recover.  They are suffering from one or more stressors in their lives and need relief.  They know instinctively that they must advocate on behalf of themselves and find “retreat” in their search for inner peace.

Below I have taken a few excerpts out of a manual I created years ago called Creative Wellness Healing Meditations.   If stress has built up in your life, perhaps the information below can help you start thinking about ways to address it.

“The problem often is not too much stress…it is too little recovery time that causes our problems.” Dr. Nick Hall, neuroscientist and honorary MD

Stress and our body’s response to stress are a normal and healthy aspect of life.  The process is often important to increase our motivation and performance, help us grow, and protect us when our well-being is threatened.  However, problems arise when stress reaches high levels and remain there for extended periods of time OR when our stress responses remain engaged beyond the events that triggered them.

Our lives move at a very fast pace with changes, expectations, demands, and responsibilities.  (A recent article I read indicated that the amount of information a person can now consume from reading one newspaper or watching TV for one day is more information than the average person, only a few hundred years ago, would have been exposed to in a whole lifetime!!)  We push ourselves believing we should be able to do it all and have it all.  We pay for it with headaches, muscle pain, heart attacks, fatigue, sleep disorders, and accidents.

The Journal of Stress Related Research indicates 60% of patients’ visits to the doctor are for stress related syndromes.  The National Mental Health Association says that number is closer to 75-90%.  Prolonged stress or distress often leads to disorders of anxiety and depression – as more than 25 million people experience.

We often feel at the mercy of our life-styles, external demands, and responsibilities.  We can seek medical help or medication but before we let it get that far there are a few things you can do that are free and accessible to you right now – if you chose to do them.

1. Increase your awareness about what causes stress in YOUR life and note how you respond to it without judgment.  Realistically assess what can be eliminated from your life. Do you take on more than you need to?

2. Be honest about your own beliefs and perceptions.  A lot of stress is caused by negative thoughts and worrying about what MIGHT happen. Be in the present moment.

“Most of the stress in my life has been caused by
my own overactive imagination”
Mark Twain.

3.  Accept that life has challenges and adversity.  Make your expectations realistic. Do you set unrealistic goals for yourself?

4. Determine the difference between what you do not have control over and what you do.  We can’t control life in every way but we can always control our responses to it.  We do not have control over others.  We do have control over our own choices, responses, and actions.   This is the wisdom behind the very prominent verse adopted by many recovery programs today.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

4.  Learn and practice some kind of conscious relaxation, meditation, or prayer.  These skills will serve you for a lifetime and make the quality of your life greater.  It does not require hours of silent solitude.  It only requires a few minutes a day and you may even learn to center yourself in the midst of any daily activity.

5. Increase your “Joy” quotient! Be creative!!  Do what you love to do as often as possible.  Put self-care at the top of your list. This does not mean we become overly self-indulgent.  This is not a selfish attitude, but rather a necessary one.  In order to fully engage in life and serve others from a balanced place, we must first find our own place of balance.

Here is a list of SOME of the benefits that you may experience when practicing Conscious and Purposeful Relaxation…

1. Reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels
2. Increases immune system efficiency
3. Reduces pain
4. Heals bone and tissue by allowing blood flow to redistribute and the body to relax
5. Improves memory and concentration
6. Increases creativity
7. Improves sleep and digestion
8. Increases feelings of love, compassion, and acceptance.

“Conscious movement of the breath to achieve a state of relaxed vitality enables us to reach and maintain optimum health.  It is like breathing new life into oneself and reintegrating the mind and body.” Jeffrey Migdow MD

Lori Coon
Executive Director

Pray for Peace

The Mandala Center has dedicated 2010 to Peace.   We will be hosting the Mystical Arts of Tibet in September 2010 for our International Day of Peace event.   Our special events page information should be online soon!!  Keep checking back.  In light of our theme on Peace, I have chosen to offer this Pray for Peace, a poem by Ellen Bass as our blog entry today. 

Pray for Peace

Pray for peace to whom you kneel down to:
Jesus nailed to his wooden or marble or plastic cross,
his suffering face bent to kiss you,
Buddha still under the Bo tree in scorching heat,
Adonai, Allah.  Raise your arms to Mary
that she may lay her palms on our brows,
to Shekiniah, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
to Inanna in her stripped descent.

Hawk or Wolf, or the Great Whale, Record Keeper
of time before, time now, time ahead.  Pray.  Bow down
to terriers and shepherds and Siamese cats.
Fields of artichokes and elegant strawberries.

Pray to the bus driver who takes you to work,
pray on the bus, pray for everyone riding that bus
and for everyone riding buses all over the world.
If you haven’t been on a bus in a long time,
climb down a few steps, drop some silver, and pray.

Waiting in lines for the movies, for the ATM,
for your latte and croissant, offer your plea.
Make your eating and drinking a supplication.
Make your slicing of carrots a holy act,
each translucent layer of the onion, a deeper prayer.

Make the brushing of your hair
a prayer, every strand its own voice
singing in the choir on your head.
AS you wash your face, the water slipping
through your fingers, a prayer: water,
softest thing on earth, gentleness
that wears away rocks.

Making love, of course, is already a prayer.
Skin and open mouths worshipping that skin,
the fragile case we are poured into,
each caress a season of peace.

If you’re hungry, pray.  If you’re tired
Pray to Gandhi and Dorothy Day.
Shakespeare.  Sappho. Sojourner Truth.
Pray to the angels and the ghost of your grandfather.

When you walk to your car, to the mailbox,
to the video store, let each step
be a prayer that we all keep our legs,
that we do not blow off anyone else’s legs.
Or crush their skulls.
And if you are riding on a bicycle
or a skateboard, in a wheelchair, each revolution
of the wheels a prayer that as the earth revolves
we do less harm, less harm, less harm.

And as you work, typing with a new manicure,
a tiny palm tree painted on one pearlescent nail,
or delivering soda, or drawing good blood
into rubber-caped vials, writing on a blackboard
with yellow chalk, twirling pizzas, Pray for Peace.

With each breath in, take in the faith of those
who have believed when belief seemed foolish,
who persevered. With each breath out, cherish.

Pull weeds for peace, turn over in your sleep for peace,
feed the birds for peace, each shiny seed
that spills onto the earth another second of peace.
Wash your dishes, call your mother, drink wine.

Shovel leaves or snow or trash from your sidewalk.
Make a path. Fold a photo of a dead child
around your Visa card. Gnaw your crust
of prayer, scoop your prayer water from the gutter.
Mumble along like a crazy person, stumbling
your prayer for peace through the streets. 

Ellen Bass

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

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)

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

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 21^st, the daytime is at its peak and they have their shortest night.  We ALL DO NOT experience December 21^st in the same way.  The Southern Hemisphere is celebrating its Summer Solstice on December 21^st 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 21^st is the time of Winter Solstice we are correct, but it is also correct to say December 21^st 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.

• Iran – Shabe Yalda – celebration of the rebirth of the sun; people gather to tell stories and read poetry all night
• Judaism – 8 Day festival of Hanukkah (variations in spelling) – Festival/ Feast of Lights; a candle lighting ritual.
• West African – Kwanzaa – Dec 26-Jan1, 7 day candle lighting ritual.  
• Native American – Soyal – 20 days celebration – giving aid and honor to the sun upon its return and giving thanks for its willingness to give strength to “budding life”.
• Christianity – the celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth – son of God – the bringer of hope and the Light of Christ.
• Finland, Norway, Sweden – celebrate Beiwe Festival – the celebration of the Sun Goddess of fertility and sanity…who rides in the sky on reindeer bones.
• Japan (since 7^th Century)  Amaterasu Celebration – honoring the Sun Goddess who re-emerges from her seclusion in a cave.
• Scotland – Hogmanay Celebration – a celebration of solstice/sun and a time of gift giving.
• Celtic- Cornish – Newfoundland – Mummers Day, Dec 26^th– a celebration with masquerade to keep dark forces at bay and to ensure the “light” reigns over darkness. 
• Ancient Western Slavic – Karachun Celebration when Hors, the Sun God dies around Dec 21-22 and is defeated by the dark.  The Slavs dance a ritual chain dance called Horo, until the new sun God is resurrected on Dec 23^rd to ensure life on earth. 
• Early Germans/Alps – Perchta Ritual is in honor of the Goddess Hertha – Goddess of Light…and the decorations are firs and evergreens.  Baked breads and gifts are given…
• Ancient Sumerian – Zagmuk Festival – observation of the Sun God Marduk’s battle and victory over darkness.