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".