Traditional Chinese Medical Secrets of Health and Longevity
With Prajna Paramita Choudry, L.Ac., Dipl.O.M Friday, October 23 6:00-7:00pm FREE (Please RSVP at (510)444-WELL)
This 1-hour class will address how the traditional Chinese/ Taoist Understanding of the body differs formt eh modern scientific and mechanistic view of the body.
Basic TCM theories about the body and health will be covered, including living in harmony with nature, balance of yin and yang, and the body as a microcosm of universal forces. Recommendations for lifestyle and healing, such as specific suggestions regarding diet, rest, exercise, herbs, and acupuncture stem from this holistic understanding of the body and health.
We have been overwhelmed with joy to see our donation barrel for the Alameda County Food Bank filling up this season. So many great donations have come in. Thank you so very much for your support. These are troubling times for many people, and hunger is a real threat to many seniors, families and children here in Alameda County. In a land of plenty, so many go without. Your donations of food will be deeply appreciated, particularly as we approach the holiday season and so many folks are alone and hungry. Believe me- I used to go around to senior centers as part of my work, and I would see looong lines of people gathering on the days when the Alameda County Food Bank truck showed up with free grocery bags of food- for many seniors, they would not have gotten adequate nutrition without this gift. So thank you, thank you, thank you!
It's fall! It's getting colder, it's going to rain (I hope!) and the days are shorter and shorter! I must confess, I love the fall, the snuggly sweaters and the hot tea.
It's not uncommon for folks to get depressed as the days shorten and gray begins to dominate the skies. It's easy to feel down and blue without warmth and sunshine. But, this is also a great time to begin to turn inward. Introspection can be a good thing. When we spend more time indoors, we have more chance to study, to practice meditation, to heal ourselves. We need the quiet to find our inner wisdom. We can reach beyond life and commune with the past, even with those who have gone before. Our ancestors are waiting to be heard, and All Hallows is the time to find them.
There are several exciting opportunities to focus on the deeper, darker side of ourselves this month:
-The Sacred Well's monthly Healing Share will focus on "Balance" in honor of the Fall equinox. We'll look at the clear, outward signs of health and wholeness as well as the still, quiet side. (Tuesday, Oct. 12th, 8-9:30pm @ The Sacred Well, $10 donation)
-Fertile Rituals, a class by Shantell Herndon. <Sacred Well Calendar>For women looking to evoke life from the darkness of their wombs, this class will allow you to know yourself and love yourself in new and exciting ways. (7 Thursdays, beginning Oct. 15th, 7:30-9:30pm @ The Sacred Well, $250)
-CAYA Coven's Samhain ritual. <cayacoven.org> A "dumb supper" honoring our ancestors, and then a theatrical ritual that gives voice to underworld Deities from around the world. (Saturday, Oct. 31st, supper at 7, ritual at 8 @ BFUU Hall, Berkeley, $10-$20 donation)
-Reclaiming's Spiral Dance. <reclaimingspiraldance.org> Find yourself in a room full of altars and witches in a dance to remember those who have passed. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of this ritual. (Saturday, Oct. 31st, 6pm @ Kezar Pavillion, SF, $20-$100 donation, tickets avail. @ The Sacred Well)
-CAYA South Bay Samhain. <cayacoven.org/southbay> Join CAYA South Bay for our first Sabbat and a ritual to honor the passing year. (Saturday, Nov. 7th, 8pm @ First Unitarian Church of San Jose, 160 N. 3rd St., 95112, $10 donation)
-Children's Samhain. <thepaganalliance.org>A ritual for little ones to enjoy this holy time of year. Hosted by the Pagan Alliance and CAYA Sprouts. (Saturday, Nov. 7th, 11am @ Benicia Clocktower, $5 kids, $10 adults, kids under 3, free)
And there's plenty more to find. I hope that you find more about yourself as well. Happy fall, everyone, --Iris
September 26, 2009
Just to Clarify: Ile Orunmila Oshun Temple Service will be this SUNDAY, September 27th from 11am to 12pm. (We are so excited, we got confused about dates) :)
Members of Ile Orunmila Oshun (Temple of Luisah Teish in the Yoruba tradition of Orisha worship) will be gathering at TSW this Saturday, 9/27 at 11 AM to conduct their monthly Temple Service. This month's service is in honor of Aganju, Father of the Volcanos.
Temple service provides a space for friends and members of Ile Orunmila Oshun and our wider community to learn about the Orisha and worship together. Each month has teaching on a different topic.
To the Yoruba, as is true for most indigenous traditions, the ancestors play a vital role in the health and well being of the community. As we near the Fall season, we honor our ancestors for guiding, protecting and nurturing our spirits and homes. This temple service will focus on the role of the egungun masqueraders and their role in village life. Please bring a picture of a revered ancestor or an object that symbolizes your ancestors to put on the altar.
Join us for a powerful, practical service that will help you better navigate the volcanic activity of change that this time of year brings us all.
Mercury retrograde happens multiple times a year, and every time I hear about someone's car issues, computer issues, travel missteps and lots and lots of arguments.
But does it have to be that way? Whether or not you buy the basic premise of astrology, you still can see that the idea of confusion can do a lot to actually confuse things. Someone asked me today what I was doing to hold it together during this current retrograde. My answer was something to the effect of: "I try to communicate clearly, and if that doesn't work, I try to be patient, and if that doesn't work I try not to scream too loudly." I realized that I had chosen to carry pocket stones for bravery, groundedness, and comfort (tiger eye, garnet and pink calcite, FYI). I knew I needed the help, but I didn't know that I knew, you know?
So, I'm not sure where I heard this, but Retrograde times for me are all about the "Re-". Re-think, Re-view, Re-hash, Re-evaluate. I hold this "backwards" time as a space to go over my priorities, commitments and plans. I study the things I ought to already know. I call friends I haven't spoken to in a while. I hope that my business emails are clear and that my blog entries aren't too rambling.
"In fact, isn't that Mercury-retrograde's job… to buy us a few additional moments (or weeks) to make sure we've got it how we want it before the final version goes to print or the opening-night curtain slides open?"--Astrobarry (from his Taurus horoscope this week; read his full article on current astro-happenings here: http://www.astrobarry.com/2009/sep609.php.)
What do YOU do to make Mercury Retrograde livable? How do you ride the wave of astro-confusion?
They were Mourning Doves, which make one of the most beautiful cooing sounds I have ever heard. "Oooo-eee-ooo-ooo-ooo." I grew up hearing that sound outside my bedroom window in the mornings. It followed me to college, where a pair of doves roosted in the eaves outside my 3rd story apartment roof.
But rarely do I hear the soft sound of Mourning Doves in this urban environment. Occasionally I see a pair at the Berkeley Marina if I go for a morning walk, but that's about it.
Last week, the planning committee for Harvest Home Magick and Music Festival (www.cayaharvesthome.com) was meeting here to hash out the schedule and plan more of the many details we are attending to. All of a sudden there was a great fluttering of wings, and in flew the doves. One flew immediately to the bookshelf and landed atop a dish of black obsidian (a message from my Ancestors, perhaps? A message of protection from Aphrodite?) The other hopelessly fluttered against the window, desperately trying to escape. I watch my friend Molly Blue Dawn lovingly cradle the bird in her bare hands and bring him to the door, where we took flight into the nearby tree. Artemisia and I then graciously ushered his mate out the door by whooshing our skirts. She stepped out into the bright sun, looked confused for a moment, then took flight as well.
I wondered about this pair later: in the crazy traffic hectic noise dirty smog bustling bodies of the city, would she find her mate? Doves do not mate for life, but they do mate monogamously for at least a single season. This partnership may continue into winter if it is promising. No guarantees are made for the following Spring.
I do hope this pair found one another, if that was what was meant to be for their common comfort and survival. Call me a romantic. Call me a Priestess of Aphrodite. I love the love story of it. It was the same day as my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. A good omen. May these doves enjoy many a long mating season, and may my folks enjoy many more joyful years to come. Biology encourages us to seek out another body to help us stay warm. We all have our struggles from time to time. Choosing to stay together for a full season, or a lifetime, involves daily practice. Rose quartz, anyone?
