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. 

Our Labyrinth

It was a beautiful Sunday morning.  I walked outside.   Nature offers me a sense of the sacred – a church of sorts.  I walked alone.   Alone?  Is that possible?   I wondered about that idea as I walked that morning and was grateful for the solitude.   I walked to the labyrinth here at The Mandala Center.   The labyrinth is a pathway created on the earth.  Our labyrinth is made with stones that form the pathways.  A labyrinth is usually roughly circular in shape and it offers one path to the “center”.  At first glance it can look like a maze and the path is winding but it is not made to “trick” or mislead us.  There is only one way in and one way out but I can assure you that it still challenges the  heart, mind and soul every time you walk it. No journey is ever the same.

We don’t really know why our ancestors created labyrinths – some trace back 3500 years ago.   Today the labyrinth is considered a spiritual tool because it helps us  to “center” ourselves.  Repetition of an act allows the mind to rest and soulfulness to emerge.  Answers tend to surface and confusion dissolves.  Walking the labyrinth is a metaphor for one’s spiritual journey.  The soul is given a space to open and express itself.  Feelings of wholeness and unity are evoked.  Our labyrinth is fashioned after the Chartes Cathedral labyrinth in France.  Many say it was a way to make pilgrimage for those who could not travel great distances physically.

A pilgrimage, according to The American Heritage Dictionary, is “a journey to a sacred place or shrine.  Any long journey or search, especially one of  exalted purpose or moral significance.”  What could be more sacred than journeying to your own “center”?  …to your own inner flame that can illuminate your path all the more?  That Sunday, the labyrinth seemed like a perfect symbol of such a journey right here in the remote, quiet, rural desert plains of New Mexico.

As I made my way through the switchbacks I felt my thoughts melt into awareness.   The grasshoppers flashed their undercoats of orange in an attempt to get out of my way.  Hawks flew overhead.   The sun was warm on my skin and the cattle from our local ranch watched from a distance.   I sat down when I reached the center.     I closed my eyes and a quiet stillness surrounded me.   A paradoxical feeling of being alone and being connected to something  “more” moved my heart.   It was then that I heard a small click.  I opened my eyes to see Eileen, a guest at the Center, taking  a picture of me from behind a bush.   She witnessed me.

Lone Pilgrim - Eileen

I began to walk out of the labyrinth as she walked in.  We never spoke but kept our silence and nodded in recognition of each other in our first passing.   When I finished my walk I sat on a bench nearby and wrote in my journal while Eileen made her own pilgrimage.   It was then that  I took this photograph.   I witnessed  her.   It was one of those significant moments when I realized how vast the universe is around us.  The endless sky and the far off horizon seemed to engulf Eileen….a  lone pilgrim on a journey.  But are we ever really alone?

Hugh Prather, author, minister and counselor said, “To me being alone means togetherness – the re-coming together of me and nature, of me and being, the re-uniting of me with all.  For me solitude especially means putting the parts of me back together – the unifying of myself, whereby I see once more that the little things are little and the big things are big.”

As I watched Eileen I thought about how small and insignificant we can seem.    Over spans of time,  throughout creation, and within the enormity of the cosmos, do our little lives really matter?   But I remembered walking in the labyrinth moments before.   It seemed as if my every step contained the whole universe.  It seemed like each step mattered.  It felt as if I had a reason for being here in this moment.

Tish Hewitt, the woman who designed and built the Casa Mandala Center asked herself two questions.   Who am I? and Why am I here?   We seem to regularly seek the answers to questions such as these.   We seem to WANT our lives to matter.  And they do matter.  Like every drop of water contained within the sea, so our lives each contribute to the whole.

I sat there amazed at Eileen, amazed at each of us brave enough and willing to make the pilgrimages we do in our lives – while overcoming fear, grief, pain, suffering, obstacles and setbacks.   On this day Eileen and I had witnessed each other on our journeys and I believe it all matters.  So I sat there feeling blessed as I witnessed someone else reach her “center” for a few moments that Sunday morning – knowing that her willingness to make the journey somehow helped me as well – somehow helped us all.   I turned my attention back to my journal and when I looked up again I smiled.   There in the labyrinth walked another person.  Randi, another guest,  joined the silence as she approached the entrance of the labyrinth.  As Eileen was coming out, Randi began her own journey in.   I know that we may not be at the same place at the same time on the path and we may seem to walk alone for a stretch of time, but truly we are all pilgrims traveling together, for one another, and we are never alone.
In peace,   Lori Coon    Executive Director

Single flower at The Mandala Center - petals radiating from the "center"

When I first arrived here I was thinking about the name  – The Mandala Center.   I believe the symbol of the Mandala is absolutely perfect for this place, but that is another story for another day.  What really stood out for me originally was the word “Center”.   I speculated on why the founders chose the word “center.”  Why not The Mandala “Retreat” or The Mandala “Institute”?  It seemed significant to me that the word “center” was chosen.   As I thought about it I realized the play on words.  This is The Mandala Center and yet, in the art form of the Mandala which is most often depicted as a circle there is always a “center”.   It is the “center” of the Mandala or the mandala’s Center.  The center – point of balance, point in the middle – the point from which all else is focused, and from which all else emerges.

Charles Gilchrist, a Mandala artist and teacher of sacred geometry, in his YouTube video called Introduction to Sacred Geometry, names the “single point” Unity Consciousness – the center point.   He says, “This is the place of single pointedness.  It is a place of “at –onement” – atonement, undivided.”  This makes me think of the center point as a place of amendment, integration, and wholeness.   These are aspects of the ancient Mandala itself.   Gilchrist goes on to say, “It is the single flame that resides in all of us and unfolds into duality and returns to unity.”   This is what our lives are all about.  We experience the paradox of living through our very awareness that we are individuals in a dualistic world yet we are connected by a oneness – a single pointedness – a center that lives in us all.

I can feel that kind of wisdom here in the short 8 weeks since I arrived.  I can feel the ebbing and flowing between heaven and earth here at 7000 feet with the great expanse of sky and solid volcanic rocks beneath me.   I can feel how small we really are in the universe and yet how our every step is meaningful.  We, as humans, have a need to ground ourselves in daily life and yet soar with Spirit when we are moved to do so.   People who come to The Mandala Center are looking for balance, renewal, and understanding.  They want to bring their inner lives into harmony with their outer lives to better serve the world around them.   The “center” is that middle point – the axis on which all things turn and evolve – balanced and focused, the calm in the chaos, the place that reminds us we are not alone.

Robert Johnson, writer and scholar of psychology, in his book, Balancing Heaven and Earth, writes “…the central challenge for me was in learning how to balance the [realms of heaven and earth].  Over time I came to appreciate that a middle place in which both heaven and earth are honored is not only the safest place, it is the ecstatic place, the holy place.  If one works faithfully and patiently at this task of balancing heaven and earth – eventually one may even realize something more remarkable: that the two worlds are in fact one.”

Thomas Merton said, “The geographical pilgrimage is the symbolic acting out of an inner journey.  The inner journey is the interpolation of the meaning and signs of the outer pilgrimage.  One can have one without the other – but it is best to have both.”  I believe we are all pilgrims – traveling within and without to the places that hold meaning for us in our lives.

This is what The Mandala Center offers – a sanctuary for pilgrims outwardly traveling together on the human journey who also seek to venture inward – to their  center – the point of oneness and unity.   From our “Center” – from the balanced place of mindful awareness – the holy place – the point of wholeness – we radiate out into the world…and all things are possible.

In peace, Lori Coon, Executive Director

The Mandala Center

Thank you for visiting our blog!

INTERVIEWS WITH OUR PRESENTERS ARE TO THE RIGHT ON OUR “INTERVIEWS”  pages.

Listening to the Voice Within with Bob Stice October 28-31 see his interview on Interviews 1 page!

Travel Photography
with Steve Larese
October 14-17th, 2010

Writing a Way Open: Contemplative
Writing with Peter Anderson
October 14-17th, 2010