Meeting 12th December

Today's theme was winter festivals of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions - Advent, Hanukkah and the Islamic New Year.

Eve spoke about the miracle of Hanukkah, where the oil in the Temple was desecrated and there was only enough for one night.  Through a miracle the oil lasted for eight days until more could be obtained.  This is signified by the eight branched candelabrum called a menorah which is lit from a ninth candle at the centre.  Eve lit one of these for us and sang a song in Hebrew.  She had also hidden chocolate "Hannukah gelt" (money) around the room

Jehanne talked about Advent, how her family lit four candles, one for each week of Advent, which also represented Earth, Air, Water and Fire; and how it was an opportunity to go inward and look to the light within.

The speaker for Islam was unfortunately not able to attend, but Neesa spoke a little about the Islamic New Year and the sacred month of Muharram, and how one was to show great generosity at this time.

Then we sang the Islamic, Christian and Jewish parts of the Peace Prayer Mandala:
La illaha il allah hu - there is no god but God
Gloria in excelsis Deo - glory to God in the highest
Shalom - peace

Peter read a poem by Leonard Cohen, "God is Alive, Magic is Afoot" (scroll down on this page to read it).

Then Eve's activity was an honouring of the four directions, north (Earth), east (Air), south (Fire), west (Water) and then the centre (Spirit).  We all spoke our associations with each of the elements and meditated on them.  Then we lit candles for what we wished to reclaim from inside ourselves.

Neesa led us in a dance to the song:
"Between darkness and light I will always walk,
And in every place that I walk
I will open a window of light
And will plant a seed of love"

Rob and Jehanne led us in a round and then sang a song of midwinter.  We also sang Happy Birthday to Matilda who was seven today!

We gathered around the centre to blow out the candles, and sang another birthday song,
"To you we sing,
And happiness we bring,
To celebrate your birth -
An angel here on earth"

Announcements

9th January 2011 - Practical Workshop on Religious Diversity and Musical Connections
Landsdown Hall and Gallery, Stroud 1.30-4.30pm
£10 or £5 low income

Singing sacred music from different traditions.



EXPLORING SACRED TRADITIONS

A few places are available on this ongoing course from 13th January, fortnightly, for 6 weeks at a Stroud venue. 7-9.30pm Thursday evenings. Cost: £65 (£45 conc)

Each week we explore a religion or spiritual path, under the guidance of someone from that faith. They explain some of its principles and beliefs, speak of its meaning for them and lead us in practices such as prayer, meditation, song, dance & ritual. There is plenty of opportunity for discussion and personal sharing, and there will be space to integrate, bridge traditions and deepen.

Contact Neesa Copple on 01453 759689, 07837 403854, neesacopple@gmail.com for further info or to reserve a place.

Meeting 14th November

First, I must apologise for not having sent a reminder this week about today's Celebration of Life.  I will attempt to remember next time, but if you want the date for your diaries it is 12th December, back in the usual room. 

Today's theme was the Dark Night of The Soul.  Moving into the depths of winter is a difficult time, associated with death and darkness, marked in various traditions as Samhain, All Souls Day, Day of the Dead, and today is also Remembrance Day.  But we were called on to remember that these dark times can be rich in experience and growth, and that the dark is needed in order to emerge into the light.

Neesa began with an invocation to Kali, Hindu goddess of Death, and led us in a body prayer to Kali.
Then we sang "Be still and know that day and night, be still and know that dark and light are one holy circle". 
Peter read one of his poems:

Waiting for Winter

There is a channel in time opening before me
And my life flows into it like a river.

Beyond any journey that my thoughts make
There is a territory waiting,
Like a parent, for me to become myself.
The future is a channel in time opening before me
And my life flows into it like a river.

There are gifts there not ready for the taking,
Fruits not grown.
The future is still in the roots,
In the earth waiting for winter,
Waiting for the hard, cold winds to drive me down
Waiting for life to take me down,
For trouble to pull me down
Into my underground self,
To meet the solid darkness
So there can be a spring.

My life is always one season or another
One kind of growth, or preparation for growth, after another;
Each one is a new world;
And each one involves dying:
The dying of a heart too tight,
The dying of a mind gone blind,
The dying of a purpose outgrown,
The dying of a self too small,
The dying of a summer whose life is over.

And every time I'm still afraid of dying.


Then I led an activity on doubts, fears and affirmations.  We curled up with our doubts and fears while I read a poem by Edwin Muir, "Ballad of the Soul".  Then everyone found affirmations for themselves to help overcome their doubts and fears; "I am confident", "I am becoming", "I have faith", "The only reality is Love", thinking these to themself as they uncurled from around their doubts and fears, stood and took hands in a circle.  People spoke out their affirmations, and then we sang Amazing Grace.

Then we lit candles in a circle, and Neesa led us in a dance while we sang "Hecate, Ceridwyn, Dark Mother take us in; Hecate, Ceridwyn, let us be reborn".

Rob and Jehanne sang "Stop the world, I want to get on" and "Autumn to Winter", then we finished by standing around the centre and singing "This little light of mine".

Meeting 10th October

Today's theme was Transcendence.

Neesa began with some breathing exercises from the Sufi tradition.
The Earth breath: in and out through the nose
The Water breath: in through the nose, out through the mouth
The Fire breath: in through the mouth, out through the nose
The Air breath: in and out through the mouth
Unity: natural breathing

On the in breath we concentrated on the words "Ya shafi", Divine Healer, and on the out breath "Ya Kafi", Divine Remedy, as we let go of any thoughts or feelings we wished to release.

Then we spoke a Hindu greeting, "I honour the place in you where the entire universe dwells, I honour the place in me where the entire universe dwells.  Namaste, namaste, namaste."

Beth led two songs, "Peace I give to you", where we moved gently around the room and greeted each other with the Namaste gesture (a bow with hands together) while singing.

Peace I give to you, I give you my peace.
Peace I give to you, I give you my peace.
Let it flow to one another, let it flow, let it flow.
Let it flow to one another, let it flow, let it flow.

(Repeat with Hope, Joy, Love).

The second song was a simplified version of the Peace Prayer Mandala, which is a chant in seven parts, each from a different tradition.  The full version is:

Om mani padme hum (Buddhist, the jewel in the lotus)
La ilaha il allah hu (Islamic, there is no god but God)
Shanti, shanti (Hindu, peace)
Shalom (Jewish, peace)
Gloria in excelsis deo (Christian, glory to God in the highest)
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter Kali, Inanna (Feminine traditions, names of the goddesses)
Oh, great Spirit, earth and sky and sea, you are inside and all around me (Earth based traditions)

(Today we just sang the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Earth traditions parts).

Then Peter read his wonderful poem, "In And Out Of Life And Death":

I stand tall at the top of a great mountain,
The air is a great blanket for life’s breathing.
I stand small in a forest of trees.
The earth is the soft rich bed life rests upon.
I have a home here.
The air is dancing with butterflies wings;
My part in creation makes me sing
In  a sounding bowl of bones;
Flesh grows on me like leaves.
Many lifetimes rise and fall like breaths;
As one ends I feel life inside me ready for more,
Behind me and before me they go,
A thread running in and out of space and time.

Out of the past I walk blindly into the future;
Out of troubles I come, going on into more.
At the edge of the unknown I stand
Watching the moon rise out of the night,
Beneath a dome of stars, learning something about infinity.
My heart grows large and loud with fear;
My will says leave the troubles to their time;
My soul listens, writes poetry, and sighs.

Whatever I experience I learn, whatever I learn I become;
Whatever I become I am, whatever I am is all I can be.
The next step is always unknown;
The net of knowledge woven laboriously disappears like smoke
As I go out of the dark into the dawn
And out of the dawn into the dark.
What I have become survives.
Somehow each day is over before it’s begun;
Death is the measure of things,
Of what I have become.
I return to it quietly;
I return from it as a child
Crying out my pain and my joy.

Eve's activity was to draw, write and make a gesture inspired by our thoughts of Transcendence, to the accompaniment of chimes and singing bowl.  We put our pictures around the central space (a beautiful decoration of autumn leaves) and each lit a candle, then stood around in a circle and shared our words and gestures.

Then Neesa led a dance "I am alive":
Lai la lai lai lai, I am alive,
Lai la lai lai lai, I am alive,
I am alive
And who is this aliveness that I am?
Could it be the holy, blessed one?


(Have a look at it being performed in this Youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ure-ZkiOM6U )

Jehanne (singing on her own in Rob's absence this week) gave us two songs, and Irish one and an unaccompanied song "Thistledown".



Next meeting will be the 14th November, and we will be in a smaller room, just opposite our usual location.  The theme will be "The dark night of the soul".

Meeting 12th September

Today's meeting celebrated Harvest, Jewish New Year and upcoming International Day of Peace on 21st September.

We began with some songs from Bharati and Dinesh from the Hindu tradition, singing to Lakshmi and Shanti and then the mantra Om Namah Shivaya.
Then Neesa and Peter read us an Aramaic version of The Lord's Prayer, both in Aramaic and the English translation by Neil Douglas-Klotz (you can find a version online here). Peter also shared with us his own version of the Lord's Prayer.
Eve's activity was inspired by Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement on 18th September, and involved us speaking as the voices of plants and animals, telling humanity how we should live.  We each chose a plant or animal and meditated on what that creature would want to say, then these messages were read out to the group.

From the Plant Kingdom:
Twisted Willow - Be still and be.
Dandelion - Give me the earth and the rain and the air, and give me the bees.
Oak tree - Align your spine with the old oak tree.  Cry your frozen tears.  Spread our message around the world, root out your innermost fears.
Silver birch - Be at peace with your surroundings.  Don't chase the wind, listen to it.
Yew tree - Reach into the deep past, dare to reach into the far future.  Bring them together as rebirth in the now.
Tomato - Live in peace with one another and don't try to control other people or deny them what they need.

From the Creatures of the Air:
Bee - Why do you want to destroy beauty?
Buzzard - Get a high view on things!
Eagle - Find other ways of flying.
Seagull - Please take your rubbish home!
Eagle - I come to remind you not to lose yourself in the darkness and pain of life on eath but to soar above into the limitless realm of Great Spirit.

From the Creatures of the Sea:
Dolphin - Stop fishing us out - we live in the sea!
Plankton - I've seen things come and go forever.  I don't feel threatened but I wonder why humans choose this living death over vibrant life.
Mermaid - We've been calling out for aeons and people thought they were being called onto the rocks.  But actually we need understanding and opening to the mystery of life so that our oceands and world remain abundant.
Octopus - No nets!  Stop using nets!  Especially the ones which drag the sea bed.
Crab - Don't be fooled by these claws and this hard shell - underneath lies a sensitive being which feels pain.

From the Creatures of the Earth:
Tiger - Respect the tiger and its home - no more taking away my home and my freedom to roam.  Respect my power, and see it as a reflection of the power that resides within you.  Respect my courage, and see it as a reflection of the courage that resides within you.  Relax!
Cat - Human beings, go back to true human values.  Have no more war, racism and injustice, no more money.  Everybody wants this.
Dog - I love to be free to roam and smell the thousands of odours.  I give you great loyalty; please, give me loyalty too.
Worm - I love to work hard.  Give me the space to work for you.
Fox - You persecute me and call me vermin as you do the seagull, rat, pigeon and squirrel, but we are all kin.  We are survivors. 

Neesa then led us in a Jewish dance as we sang Shalom.
Rob and Jehanne sang two songs for us, The Corn King and Harvest Festival.
Finally we gathered around the centre to wish each other Shana Tova (a good and sweet New Year), and shared apples brought from the gardens of our hosts.

Announcements
Jehanne and Rob are performing on Thursday at 2.30 at Stroud Subscription Rooms as part of Your Musical Memories.  See the Subscription rooms website for more details.

The Bath Peace Ceremony is on September 21st.

Bharati and Dinesh are having an evening of sacred songs on Saturday 18th September at 7.30 at St Lukes Medical Centre.  See their website for more details.

Don't forget Neesa's Sacred Traditions course (see details in previous post).

Exploring Sacred Traditions

Hello all,
Neesa has asked me to let you know about the following course she is running.  It sounds very interesting, do contact her if you want to know more.
Don't forget the next Celebration of Life is on September 12th at the usual time and place.

EXPLORING SACRED TRADITIONS

Neesa will be facilitating a fortnightly course, Thursdays 7 - 9.30pm, from 7th October until 16th December. It will be held at Kate Collier's house, 30 Bellevue Road, Stroud.  It will take the form of an experiential enquiry into a number of different faiths, through discussion and practice - including meditation, prayer, song, dance and ceremony.  We will be joined for some sessions by representatives of the faith we are studying that week.  Hopefully the course will continue after Christmas.

Cost:  £65  (£45 with concession)

Contact: Neesa on 01453 759689, 07837 403854,  or neesacopple@gmail.com  for further information and to reserve a place.

Recap of meeting on 4th July

The theme centred around gratitude and our relationship with the Earth.

After gathering in silence, the meeting began with Neesa leading us in a body prayer:

All of Creation feeds my soul
Every leaf and every tree feeds my soul
The sun and the moon and the stars feed my soul
All creatures of the earth, the air and the water feed my soul
Everyone that I meet feeds my soul
And I grow strong and wise.

Then Beth led two chants which were songs of gratitude for food, "Blessing on the blossom" and an African chant which means "Welcome to the feast".

Peter repeated his poem about our gathering:

In our gathering life comes to know itself.
In our activities life creates itself.
In our singing life praises itself,
In our dancing life celebrates itself.
In our silence life speaks to us.
In our presence spirit comes to us.
In our prayers we create the future.
in our longing for holiness we become holy.
Seeking mysteries mysteries creep up behind us.

Eve's activity involved us writing a group poem in the style of the Song of Amergin (see http://www.amergin.net/songofamergin.html for one version of the original).  We each wrote a line beginning with "I am...", describing ourself with reference to the natural world.  We each read out our line, and the group repeated back to us, "You are...".  Then we assembled our lines in the centre of the room to make a poem:

I am the song the Earth sings.
I am a bud, waiting to burst forth – but what is my direction, south or north?
I am a tree.
I am the fragrance of the rose.
I am the butterfly that adds beauty to the meadow.
I am the laughter of the sparkling brook.
I am the depth of the oceans; I am the peace of the night sky.
I am an oak, sturdy and strong; the elements batter me but my heart and trunk are one.
I am the field, constant and allowing, celebrating each cycle of life.
I am the nurturing tree. 
I am the lightning that cracks the sky; I bring the rain that clears the air – I am the storm that precedes peace.
I am the sweet, soft fruit that nourishes the soul, and the arms of the wind that rock you to sleep.
I am a stony mountain path leading to a fertile, grassy plateau.
I am the volcano of unruly life in every plant and tree. 
I am a floundering fish, a flapping fish, a flying fish, freeing myself as I swim between moods.
I am the music that flows down the stream; I am the seashore that moves and sings our dreams.
I am the rain to germinate the seeds; I am the hoe to protect the plant from weeds.
I am a bud just starting to unfurl.
I am the crystal within the mountain, shining forth.
I am the sound of a vibrating string.
I am a tree blown by the wind, but my roots hold deep in the Earth.
I am the summer blossom that sings life’s goodness and fullness of heart.
I am the emptiness through which life’s abundance pours.
I am the enemy whom I criticise, revile, ignore and condemn.
I am the friend whom I admire, respect, love and include.
You are who I am and I am you.

(thanks to Jenna for compiling this)

Next Neesa led us in a Dance of Universal Peace calling on the masculine and feminine, "Sita Ram".

Then Jehanne and Rob sang two of their songs, "The Greenway", and one in French.

We ended the morning by gathering around the central candle and singing "This little light of mine".

Welcome to the Celebration of Life blog pages

Hello everyone!  I thought it might be useful to have a web presence for our monthly services, to record what happens and maybe publish some of the poetry and songs and other talent that we bring to these meetings to remind us what we experienced as well as for those who missed the service.