At SpiritFire this year, we held a poetry jam on Friday night. From my perspective, it was WILDLY successful. People brought it in big time: laughter, tears, passion, pain. Original work, Robert Frost, Leonard Cohen, the back of a sugared ginger box ... and so much more.
Poetry speaks to us in deep ways. It says what we've always meant to say but didn't quite know how to articulate. It reveals connections between us and others that we may have kept hidden. It takes off our rose-colored glasses. It shines light into dark corners. It shows us that the darkness has wisdom to offer.
Speaking only for myself ... and knowing that I am saying this LONG before we've done any planning for SpiritFire 2010 ... I think it's safe to say that Soul Expression will be back next year.
So here are some questions ...
What about the circle (set up, guidelines, timing) worked and shouldn't be changed?
What should be done to improve the experience?
How can we keep the magic of the circle alive through the rest of the year?
Comments are welcome. This IS a blog, afterall!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Moon and Solar Eclipse Ritual - 07-21-09
It's a very real, very scientific, astrological and tangible experience we can all see and feel. The New Moon combined with a Solar Eclipse! Some of the best magick can be worked in the time of the New Moon leading up to the Full Moon, when the energy surrounding us is growing in the positive.
So what can we do to celebrate this magickal moment in time? The answer lies withing you. Do the spiritual work yourself, because it is as indivually sacred as unique for you as you are. Spiritual work is not something you can achieve by reading a ritual laid out for you to follow and get the same results as anyone else.
What is it that you want to achieve at this time? Is there something you want to see come to fruition that is deeply important and special to you? Is there something you have been meaning to let go of and embrace the new as you watch two heavenly bodies align as one?
By thinking on these things, or saying these things aloud as you stand or sit under the blanket of stars in the Summer night's sky, hold these feelings close to your heart, and lend your energy to it. Picture those dreams or ideas becoming real. Feel the energy within every fiber of your being, and give that energy out to the Universe. Request gently for the Universe to hear your call.
Eclipses tend to bring big changes. You can see that throughout history how often eclipses have been considered omens and the events that have been linked to eclipses, whether they happened as a result of a natural build-up of forces or people used the eclipse energy to force the event. Astrologically, they tend to have the regenerative effect of Pluto conjunct a House or Planet, sometimes decimating what was there before to remove it from your life and moving you forward to rebirth that area of your life.
Think of a massive light focused through a lens and burning across an area of your life–it will either sear it or illuminate it. Use the time of the eclipse to guide you as to how long your personal ritual will be. Sometimes starting at the beginning of the eclipse, and moving with the enrgy through the duration until its completion helps you achieve the best results.
Whatever you choose to do, whatever you want to achieve, or however big the life change you envision, it is all yours to decide how you lend your energy to it. Many blessings to you, and as always, love and light.
SarahFae
So what can we do to celebrate this magickal moment in time? The answer lies withing you. Do the spiritual work yourself, because it is as indivually sacred as unique for you as you are. Spiritual work is not something you can achieve by reading a ritual laid out for you to follow and get the same results as anyone else.
What is it that you want to achieve at this time? Is there something you want to see come to fruition that is deeply important and special to you? Is there something you have been meaning to let go of and embrace the new as you watch two heavenly bodies align as one?
By thinking on these things, or saying these things aloud as you stand or sit under the blanket of stars in the Summer night's sky, hold these feelings close to your heart, and lend your energy to it. Picture those dreams or ideas becoming real. Feel the energy within every fiber of your being, and give that energy out to the Universe. Request gently for the Universe to hear your call.
Eclipses tend to bring big changes. You can see that throughout history how often eclipses have been considered omens and the events that have been linked to eclipses, whether they happened as a result of a natural build-up of forces or people used the eclipse energy to force the event. Astrologically, they tend to have the regenerative effect of Pluto conjunct a House or Planet, sometimes decimating what was there before to remove it from your life and moving you forward to rebirth that area of your life.
Think of a massive light focused through a lens and burning across an area of your life–it will either sear it or illuminate it. Use the time of the eclipse to guide you as to how long your personal ritual will be. Sometimes starting at the beginning of the eclipse, and moving with the enrgy through the duration until its completion helps you achieve the best results.
Whatever you choose to do, whatever you want to achieve, or however big the life change you envision, it is all yours to decide how you lend your energy to it. Many blessings to you, and as always, love and light.
SarahFae
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Why I think drummers shouldn't call breaks
I admit it, the title of this post is deliberately provocative. Few rules should ever really be absolute. But one of the agreements we tend to have at most fire circles--including SpiritFire--is that the drummers shouldn't just simply call a break and bring a rhythm to a sudden, screeching halt. I've felt that this is a good, logical agreement for several years now, but I observed a perfect example of exactly why it is good at the Rites of Spring last month.
The setting should be familiar: a fire, a dance track filed with dances, and musicians on benches at one end of the circle. The drummers, although few in number, were laying down a fairly decent 12/8 rhythm, exactly the kind of groove that promotes trance in dancers. Although the rhythm could have been a little bit tighter in terms of musical precision, several of the dancers were getting pretty deep into the groove. I was watching this with a fair amount of satisfaction from the edge of the circle, taking a turn as a fire tender. Decent rhythm, good response by the dancers, and the appearance of synchronicity between dancers and drummers.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the drummers simply called a break, and everything came to a crashing halt. And I do mean crashing. The dancers were given no warning and no gentle landing. The musicians were done, finito, sayonara baby Elvis has left the building. The dancers were left to fend for themselves, several of them apparently needing to shake themselves back into direct awareness of the circle.
And why did the musicians do this? From where I was standing, it seemed to be because one "alpha" drummer was dissatisfied that the rhythm was not as tight as his musical sensitivities would have liked it to be, and he simply decided that it was time to end the whole thing. He was either unaware of the dancers or simply didn't care about what a break would do to them. The only thing that seemed to matter to him was that he wanted something better, and if he couldn't have it, then the rhythm needed to end that instant. Rather than trying to simplify his playing to help less experienced drummers create a tighter groove, rather than slow the tempo so that everyone could keep up with the pace, rather than fade out, and rather than walk away, he called a break.
We talk a lot about the importance of musicians recognizing that, when at a fire circle, the musicians are playing in service to the dancers. I got to witness why that's so important and exactly what happens when a drummer forgets why he or she is really there.
The setting should be familiar: a fire, a dance track filed with dances, and musicians on benches at one end of the circle. The drummers, although few in number, were laying down a fairly decent 12/8 rhythm, exactly the kind of groove that promotes trance in dancers. Although the rhythm could have been a little bit tighter in terms of musical precision, several of the dancers were getting pretty deep into the groove. I was watching this with a fair amount of satisfaction from the edge of the circle, taking a turn as a fire tender. Decent rhythm, good response by the dancers, and the appearance of synchronicity between dancers and drummers.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the drummers simply called a break, and everything came to a crashing halt. And I do mean crashing. The dancers were given no warning and no gentle landing. The musicians were done, finito, sayonara baby Elvis has left the building. The dancers were left to fend for themselves, several of them apparently needing to shake themselves back into direct awareness of the circle.
And why did the musicians do this? From where I was standing, it seemed to be because one "alpha" drummer was dissatisfied that the rhythm was not as tight as his musical sensitivities would have liked it to be, and he simply decided that it was time to end the whole thing. He was either unaware of the dancers or simply didn't care about what a break would do to them. The only thing that seemed to matter to him was that he wanted something better, and if he couldn't have it, then the rhythm needed to end that instant. Rather than trying to simplify his playing to help less experienced drummers create a tighter groove, rather than slow the tempo so that everyone could keep up with the pace, rather than fade out, and rather than walk away, he called a break.
We talk a lot about the importance of musicians recognizing that, when at a fire circle, the musicians are playing in service to the dancers. I got to witness why that's so important and exactly what happens when a drummer forgets why he or she is really there.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Chanting....
Hello all,
Just back from Rites of Spring. For those of you who are newer to SFF, our fire circle is deeply rooted in the fire at Rites (which, in fact, is arguably the root of most fire circle events now running). What a sweet week.
The best part of the circles for me, which were all pretty mellow and a bit smaller, was the chanting. Rich harmonies. A diversity of songs with no jingles, no pop or theater pieces - but plenty of mantras, affirmations, chants, and some new ones that I hadn't heard before. While sometimes the songs would start up and not quite get going, many of them went strong for a loooong time.
Things I noticed about this - first, the drummers gave a lot of time/space for chanting before they started to play and then when they did play, it was with great care not to overpower those in the circle. True music-making!
Such a simple road to beauty. We win!
Just back from Rites of Spring. For those of you who are newer to SFF, our fire circle is deeply rooted in the fire at Rites (which, in fact, is arguably the root of most fire circle events now running). What a sweet week.
The best part of the circles for me, which were all pretty mellow and a bit smaller, was the chanting. Rich harmonies. A diversity of songs with no jingles, no pop or theater pieces - but plenty of mantras, affirmations, chants, and some new ones that I hadn't heard before. While sometimes the songs would start up and not quite get going, many of them went strong for a loooong time.
Things I noticed about this - first, the drummers gave a lot of time/space for chanting before they started to play and then when they did play, it was with great care not to overpower those in the circle. True music-making!
Such a simple road to beauty. We win!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A favor, if you would...
Hello all,
Well before we head off to Rites, I figured I'd write in and say hello! I hope your spring is beautiful and getting warmer.
Registrations are going great for SpiritFire, and there are many unexpected surprises with folks deciding to come this year - wow. It makes me so grateful!
I am writing to share an experience or two from last year, when I had a couple of unfortunately sad but necessary issues at the beginning of the event, and I'd like to ask your help in making sure we don't have to repeat the scenario. Basically, folks become more and more open and ready for fire circles and family as the summer progresses, and often don't find out about an event until very close to it's start. Last year I had some very wonderful people contact me either directly or on behalf of friends who decided they wanted to go - but registration was closed, and I'd already sent head and meal counts to our gracious hosts. It was unfortunately not possible to "squeeze them in" at that point.
On Wednesday after closing circle, I was also approached by a beautiful soul who had been invited to come along to the event by another registered person, who assumed their friend would be able to register on site. It broke my heart, because despite the person's long journey and transportation issues that arose, I wasn't able to accommodate them. Telling them this was a very hard thing to do, but no other ethical option was available. I hope this person finds their way to us this year in time!
My request to all of you is this - if you know of folks who might want to come, let them know about SpiritFire earlier on, and encourage them to register earlier too! Once registration closes, we cannot add more participants. Please do not invite them to just show up on site, or encourage them to write after registration has closed. It causes us much heartache to turn folks away, when some pre-planning could have created a different outcome.
Our final, last minute, absolutely solid deadline is July 25th. From July 16 - 25 we can accept ONLINE registrations only, and will not receive mailed applications in time to add them. If folk aren't sure about their plans, please do direct them to our website -- http://spiritfirefestival.org -- and again, encourage them to register early so they can be a part of the bliss!
Thanks for your support and help spreading the word and helping folks find us in time - see you very soon!
Love, Josselyne
Well before we head off to Rites, I figured I'd write in and say hello! I hope your spring is beautiful and getting warmer.
Registrations are going great for SpiritFire, and there are many unexpected surprises with folks deciding to come this year - wow. It makes me so grateful!
I am writing to share an experience or two from last year, when I had a couple of unfortunately sad but necessary issues at the beginning of the event, and I'd like to ask your help in making sure we don't have to repeat the scenario. Basically, folks become more and more open and ready for fire circles and family as the summer progresses, and often don't find out about an event until very close to it's start. Last year I had some very wonderful people contact me either directly or on behalf of friends who decided they wanted to go - but registration was closed, and I'd already sent head and meal counts to our gracious hosts. It was unfortunately not possible to "squeeze them in" at that point.
On Wednesday after closing circle, I was also approached by a beautiful soul who had been invited to come along to the event by another registered person, who assumed their friend would be able to register on site. It broke my heart, because despite the person's long journey and transportation issues that arose, I wasn't able to accommodate them. Telling them this was a very hard thing to do, but no other ethical option was available. I hope this person finds their way to us this year in time!
My request to all of you is this - if you know of folks who might want to come, let them know about SpiritFire earlier on, and encourage them to register earlier too! Once registration closes, we cannot add more participants. Please do not invite them to just show up on site, or encourage them to write after registration has closed. It causes us much heartache to turn folks away, when some pre-planning could have created a different outcome.
Our final, last minute, absolutely solid deadline is July 25th. From July 16 - 25 we can accept ONLINE registrations only, and will not receive mailed applications in time to add them. If folk aren't sure about their plans, please do direct them to our website -- http://spiritfirefestival.org -- and again, encourage them to register early so they can be a part of the bliss!
Thanks for your support and help spreading the word and helping folks find us in time - see you very soon!
Love, Josselyne
Sunday, May 17, 2009
What Distance?
We are having a strangely beautiful and transformative weekend. The magic began with a gig on Friday night. Everyone in the band was connected - to each other, to the audience, and to the music. It was both effortless and powerful, and it seemed everyone was reflecting that back to us. Connection.
Several of our beloved friends joined us at our home after the show where the music continued. There we performed our latest favorite by Tina Malia, a song called "Heal This Land." The energy of the song filled the room. Our beloveds became a part of the song and together we experienced the song playing us. We were connected.
Lillith Avalon's call from Vegas this morning thrust us deep into the vortex of this phenomenon. She had just left Mayfire and was crackling with raw, naked energy. After relating her powerful and transformative weekend to us over speaker phone, Lillith announced that she was sending her extraordinary energy to us. Here's where things got a bit strange. Somewhere between Lillith's breath and the silence that followed the trees began to bend with a sudden breeze, and a Baltimore oriole began to sing very loudly close to the deck where we sat...then another chimed in, and then another. They were singing to us! In that moment, those of us on the receiving end of Lillith's transmission became fully aware of our connection - not only to Lillith, but to the land, to the sky, to the world, to the universe. The distance between us melted. We wouldn't have been any closer if she were sitting with us on the deck.
Deep in our hearts we know we are all always connected. But the magic becomes engaged upon the awareness of that connection. Those of us who were present when Lillith breathed her fire magic from Nevada to Massachussets received a transformative reminder that we truly do live in a realm of unlimited possibilities. Worlds open when we open, when we recognize our connection.
So, where exactly lies the distance between us?
Lisa and Brett
Several of our beloved friends joined us at our home after the show where the music continued. There we performed our latest favorite by Tina Malia, a song called "Heal This Land." The energy of the song filled the room. Our beloveds became a part of the song and together we experienced the song playing us. We were connected.
Lillith Avalon's call from Vegas this morning thrust us deep into the vortex of this phenomenon. She had just left Mayfire and was crackling with raw, naked energy. After relating her powerful and transformative weekend to us over speaker phone, Lillith announced that she was sending her extraordinary energy to us. Here's where things got a bit strange. Somewhere between Lillith's breath and the silence that followed the trees began to bend with a sudden breeze, and a Baltimore oriole began to sing very loudly close to the deck where we sat...then another chimed in, and then another. They were singing to us! In that moment, those of us on the receiving end of Lillith's transmission became fully aware of our connection - not only to Lillith, but to the land, to the sky, to the world, to the universe. The distance between us melted. We wouldn't have been any closer if she were sitting with us on the deck.
Deep in our hearts we know we are all always connected. But the magic becomes engaged upon the awareness of that connection. Those of us who were present when Lillith breathed her fire magic from Nevada to Massachussets received a transformative reminder that we truly do live in a realm of unlimited possibilities. Worlds open when we open, when we recognize our connection.
So, where exactly lies the distance between us?
Lisa and Brett
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Gifts From The Universe
Often times when life gets going too fast, I find that sitting outside and looking up at the trees and sky is so helpful. It reminds me of how small I am in the Universe, yet how important, as we all are, on the imprint of time. We leave our mark in some way on the world with our abilities, no matter what they might be. Different art forms in music, fire spinning, painting, teaching, listening... these we all contribute to each other while allowing ourselves to open our hearts and our gifts with ourselves.
Listening to the rain drops change the rate that they are falling, and the sound they make as they come in contact with the leaves and the ground is so calming. It brings a bit of the drumming we do when gathered at fire circles together to mind. It encourages me to pick up a djembe and rock out with the symphony nature is creating and inviting me to participate in. It reminds me to listen to the world around me, as I often may forget to do when the every day routine gets a bit too much to bear.
I had a moment a week ago when the afternoon sun was so warm and the sky was free of clouds, to get outside and just be in the moment. So I did. I sat down on the grass, kicked off my shoes, tilted my chin up towards the sky and closed my eyes. I heard the birds chirping when I hadn't noticed them before. I heard the water from the grass hissing slightly as the sun was evaporating it. I heard my breathing become slower and steadier and at that moment I realized that I was relaxing. Mother Nature sure knows her stuff!
So when you find yourself in those moments where you don't know what else to do with what you are feeling, find a nice comfy spot outside. Close your eyes, relax, and begin to receive your gifts from the Universe.
love and light,
SarahFae
Listening to the rain drops change the rate that they are falling, and the sound they make as they come in contact with the leaves and the ground is so calming. It brings a bit of the drumming we do when gathered at fire circles together to mind. It encourages me to pick up a djembe and rock out with the symphony nature is creating and inviting me to participate in. It reminds me to listen to the world around me, as I often may forget to do when the every day routine gets a bit too much to bear.
I had a moment a week ago when the afternoon sun was so warm and the sky was free of clouds, to get outside and just be in the moment. So I did. I sat down on the grass, kicked off my shoes, tilted my chin up towards the sky and closed my eyes. I heard the birds chirping when I hadn't noticed them before. I heard the water from the grass hissing slightly as the sun was evaporating it. I heard my breathing become slower and steadier and at that moment I realized that I was relaxing. Mother Nature sure knows her stuff!
So when you find yourself in those moments where you don't know what else to do with what you are feeling, find a nice comfy spot outside. Close your eyes, relax, and begin to receive your gifts from the Universe.
love and light,
SarahFae
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