Tag: shamanism

Newsletter

Blessings of Samhain

Mary Katherine Spain
 I downloaded this image many moons ago from the internet. If you zoom in, you can read the artist’s name. This image reminds me of the woman I am INSIDE, on her best day. It’s a good thing to have a “high self” you’re always striving towards…and never forgetting about.

Hello and Happy Samhain to You! 

As we enter the “Dark Half of the Year” [OCT 31-MAY 1st], or simply ‘winter,’ we are called at this time to slow down. We relish, maybe even take pride in the full sentence of “No, thank you” [I need to rest, be by myself, do nothing]. We tug and then gently pull the threads of gratitude and thinking-about-what-matters through our prayer shawl. 

What prayers are you muttering over the wool? Is it for community, for love to prevail? Maybe you are calling in your tribe to weather the change…maybe you just want things to settle down. 

As I tee-up this most profound  essay written by my dear friend and teacher, Lucille Meltz, I want to invite everyone who reads this newsletter to know that ultimately, we are all responsible for the quality of our relationships, the health of the planet, the cleanliness of our water, and the mental, intellectual and physical health of our children. Prayers for a brighter world are great but it takes action, too. Calls to action can be found anywhere, if you’re looking and listening. For this newsletter, I am gladly handing over my usual space to Lucille who, indeed, is calling out to each of us.

A brief introduction: Lucille is an author, an intuitive guide and the owner of Touch The Soul Life Coaching. She also performs hand analysis and is a dedicated protector of the natural world. Her writing over the years has brought me much joy, inspiration and a few tears and that is why I am so thrilled to offer you her insights this month. 

In the essay below, she shares but a small snippet albeit a powerful one of her experience living through the recent hurricane that ravaged the Western Mountains of North Carolina. This area of my beloved home state is a soul home if there ever was one. It took me about 5 times to get through this essay, so you’ve been forewarned: Get your box of tissues and read on. 

From Lucille: 

Hurricane Helene has been a powerful teacher.

Living in the aftermath of a natural disaster in the mountains of Western North Carolina brings me to a deep reflection of all that was, all that is yet to be, and all that we may still need to learn.

The first hit of this unprecedented storm with torrential rainfalls of up to 30 inches and gale force 90 plus mph winds, causing thousands of ancient towering trees to crash over roadways, cars and homes, was all a devastatingly sudden shock. Buildings, streets, houses, steel and concrete bridges, interstates and all manner of roads and driveways washed out in a flash destroying lives, homes, businesses and all security for untold numbers of residents in mountain towns. And then there were the hundreds of terrifying monstrous landslides whose sound and roar alone traumatized so many, if they were fortunate enough to survive.

The power and terrorizing drama of this epic event has been dubbed by many as one of Biblical proportions.

Now, weeks later, as life resumes and each of us attempts to rebuild “normal”, the process of recovery begins.  But what does that look like?

How do we learn from our experience on the most profound level?

The days immediately after the storm with virtually no or little cell communication, with all power and internet out, no refrigeration for perishable food, no hot water or no water at all, none of us could count on outside help. Fire and police rescue were already overloaded, barely able to handle life and death emergencies. We could not reach family in or out of the state. 

Without our neighbors, many of whom, pre-storm, were almost strangers, life would have been impossible.

In my small condo complex, as the storm ended, people wandered hesitantly outdoors to survey the now almost unrecognizable landscape and immediately reached out to one another. “Are you OK?” “What do you need?” were the questions I heard over and over during those first post storm days.

One neighbor with an outdoor grill bringing a cooked breakfast to another who had no food in the house. Another chasing down and dragging back all the lost recycling and trash bins dangerously close to floating away in the nearby creek. Several of us mopping up the flooded living room of a single neighbor. Many of us checking on the slightly disabled elder resident whose doorway was blocked by an enormous downed tree.  A new resident who I had never met knocking on my door to offer me a spare phone charger because she had heard I did not have one. Those with any extra cash giving or loaning it to others without funds, as we all struggled in a new cash only society, with all banks closed.

Simple, kind, helping deeds and reminders that we were not alone.

We shared meals, rides, checking in on one another about family missing or trapped in other parts of the mountains. Tears were frequent, but so were hugs, and surprisingly enough, at times, even laughter.

In the midst of a total lack of security, many of us forged a new community without regard for age, political values, lifestyle or religious beliefs. It was a terrifying time of uncertainty and yet, also, of saving connections that still lives in my heart as we all seek to return to a more settled life.

And as I now walk my once beautifully tree lined neighborhood, I am deeply saddened by the sight of the gigantic corpses and chopped up remnants of dozens of majestic gigantic oaks and pines that had graced our walkways. The vacuum created by their destruction fills me with a sorrow for their hundreds of years of life, gone in a whiplash, and destroying, with their lives, the habitats of countless birds and land based creatures.

My grief is not only for our human habitat. We share a planet with a bountiful number of beings who also now feel the tragic impact of this unprecedented event. 

As human neighbors we came together to survive and assist one another in that survival. Now, individually and collectively, as we look to rebuild, what and how are we rebuilding? What qualities and provisions do we cultivate and store within and without, to create a more complete, prepared future for what may yet come for all of us, every living being?

None of what Hurricane Helene brought us should have been a surprise. On varied levels, through estimates and warnings by countless scientists, we have been told for decades of the process of climate change, what it means, and how it will increase and intensify hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, all manner of natural disasters. And for those of us tuned into it, astrological, psychic predictions and Biblical prophecies have been forewarning us of these times.

We are no longer living in the times of warnings.The future is now; it has arrived.

As our outer landscape has been ravaged, we are being called to cultivate the awareness of our inner landscape, our emotional and spiritual patterns needed to guide us forward.

Almost three weeks after the storm I continually hear of the strength of WNC communities who put aside all differences to help one another. This alone may be one of the most important lessons of our lives. It is the essence of who we are, the primal need to help and support one another. It is the basic power of love that we have been taught in various faiths and beliefs systems, a universal truth. And it may be what saves our world.

While I stood in three hour long grocery lines and waited in mile-long gas lines, a quality which I immediately observed was patience. No one rushed anyone. No one rushed at all. Customers leaving the market routinely walked up and down the long waiting lines to offer their now empty carts to strangers. Store employees cruised the same lines offering bottled water at a time when it was a precious commodity. Phones were barely working, so interpersonal communication surged, smiles happened and all the waiting times felt infinitely shorter.

One of the most delightful events I witnessed was seeing so many children playing outside, biking, running, laughing, engaging in free form physical activity. Schools were closed, phones pretty much useless and kids became kids again. Never had I known that there were so many children in my neighborhood! Nor had I ever seen so many hikers, bike riders, dog walkers, and joggers.

The outdoors, decimated as it felt, called to all of us and we felt not just the refreshing calming peace of sunshine, but the common experience of being together, of all of us having survived a singular disaster.

Patience during a common shared catastrophe built kinder, more united communities in the wake of Helene. Also, compassionate understanding for the fears we all faced. Empathy for those who suffered with us. These are the qualities that reside deep within each of us and surface when we allow ourselves to let go of differences.

Helene is asking us: Why did you have to wait for me to come along to actually exhibit those qualities wholeheartedly, without restraint?

Do we have to keep reliving our fears to remember a basic spiritual tenet, that we are all one?

How and when do we universally acknowledge that patience, compassionate understanding and empathy also are needed by those who do not belong to the human race, but suffer along with us on our shared planet?

In the midst of survival tasks of finding food, caring for another and seeking safety, there is no thought of yesterday’s sorrows or tomorrow’s agenda. The spiritual concept of being present, living in the now is all there is. It becomes essential to focus on only the task at hand, and in doing so, a sense of peace and calm prevails. 

Like so many Helene survivors,I am already gathering physical supplies for future possible disasters. My own consciousness has shifted dramatically in truly recognizing that the scientific predictions and prophecies are playing out right now. That is all important but my greatest, most valuable preparation is from within.

Here in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Helene has come to teach us that the tools of survival are not confined to the physical plane.

Finding peace in the midst of the storm requires first tapping into the peace reserve within our hearts and spirits. All the spiritual practices I have practiced and used for over 45 years served me in more profoundly effective ways than my ice cooler or my flashlights. My decades of meditation, practicing gratitude, positive affirmations, daily prayers, utilizing and expanding my intuition, tuning into nature and offerings of unconditional love are what kept me centered as the chaos swirled around me. And when the almost paralyzing fear arose, as it did for each of us in differing ways, I was usually able to separate out from my ego and seek a place of quiet inner contemplation to recharge and continue on.

My intention post-Helene is not just to stock up on solar lanterns. It is to plunge deeper into my own reserve of spiritual development, to explore and increase my own light within.

Helene has forged an awareness of the strength of my inner landscape, as it has for all who have come together in community, sharing resources, ingenuity, support, helping hands, supplies, sorrow, hopes, and especially, love.

Is it conceivable, in a world of ever increasing catastrophes, that if we actually learn and embrace the lessons that Helene has offered us, we may not need the teachings of more catastrophes? Is it possible that we can defy all the predictions and as an inner and outer connected species, uniting in love and acceptance, we might create a universal conscious energy of light instead of more darkness? 

Might we redefine our survival?

~Lucille Meltz, October, 2024
 

FEATURED PRACTITIONER: MARSHA STULTZ
and the HEART LOTUS EVOLUTION

The Heart Lotus Evolution certification program is a deep and powerful transformational process that will change your life. HLE is the original work of Marsha Stultz, having mined her 30-year career of being an energy healer in order to develop it. She works closely with her guides, and they have taught and advised her well.  This 12-day program is offered in 6 weekends over 6 months January-June for healers, artists, parents and anyone ready to transform. It begins in January of 2025.

Based in quantum science, this training is for women and provides techniques to over-ride past programming and let go of old unhealthy patterns. In a safe and nurturing environment, you will learn to: shift to 5th dimensional energy, heal wounded inner child aspects, create paradigm shifts in thinking and living, release thought forms others project on to you, shed limiting belief systems, learn soul retrieval, heal past life trauma, evolve your energy systems, manifest consciously, channel, as well as learn practical hands-on healing techniques, and so much more.

In this time of the Divine Feminine rising, and as the Earth herself is going through a great shift, these tools are essential. 

Read this testimony from my dear friend Martha:

“I initially resisted enrolling in the Heart Lotus Evolution program; I’ve taken a number of trainings over the years and felt like my toolbox was pretty full. Then I remembered what my private session with Marsha was like: such a broad offering of channelling, healing, releasing, reframing and even connecting with my dad who had passed away a year before. 

The training offered guidance in all those practices but also healing and clearing for myself, an amazing upleveling of my own vibration, and a tremendous sense of community and safety in our circle.  Marsha is a gifted and skilled teacher and healer; she met each of our needs with a generous and loving spirit along with her years of experience as a teacher and practitioner.  

It was a profound, uplifting and inspiring experience.”

~Martha Williams, Founder of Soulfire Associates, Shamanic Practitioner, Yoga Instructor and Heart Lotus Evolution certified practitioner

Intrigued? Interested? For more information go to Marsha’s website marshastultz.com or email at marshas@maine.rr.com (you may also text at 207-653-8284) 

WISE WOMEN  (NOT*) TALKING
Honoring the Women (and Men) Who Came Before 
Sunday, November 24th, 2024
Avalon Acres, 12:30-3:30 PM
 

Join us on Sunday, 11/24 for a very Special WWT as we build an Ancestor Altar, learn about the old tradition of a dumb supper, and take a guided journey to gather the wisdom of our lines

November. Ah, sweet Samhain. On November 1st, we enter the ‘dark half of the year.’ This heralds a time of slowing down, inner reflection and counting our blessings.

The leaves are now barely hanging on to their branches as if to ask: What are you clutching that holds no purpose for you now? 

As wise women, we know we must LET GO for things to settle into their rich darkness, compost themselves and grow again come Spring.

November, then, seems like a perfect time to honor the Dead. In fact, I’m very much looking forward to my annual viewing of Coco on Friday night (11/01). “Dia de los Muertos” is a beloved holiday in Mexico and the Latin American countries. How often do you remember the stories your grandmother told you or the hymns your grandfather sang? What special “family tradition” do you recall with pride that your family incorporated into the upcoming holidays? 

On Sunday, November 24th, we will have a slightly more formal circle so that we can take a “time out of time” moment and celebrate the blood and bone ancestors we came from. We will also create a table of our “gratitude” replete with family recipes, favorite dishes your family is fond of, or any other “special treat” that brings to mind family and home. 

WHEN: Sunday, November 24th at Avalon Acres 

TIME: 12:30-3:30 PM* [a little longer than usual] 

WHAT TO BRING: 

  • A dish to share that is somehow special to you: A family favorite, or a dish that was beloved by an ancestor. 
  • Something that one of your ancestors made OR something that they gave you OR something that represents them (in your eyes)
  • A picture of an ancestor 
  • Comfortable clothes for sitting in the barn and a camp chair that is comfortable 
  • Your travel mug for hot tea or coffee, which I will provide 

The farm table will be set with REAL CHINA–I am not messing around! In this vein, feel free to dress up a little, as if you were welcoming a dear family member to supper. 

FMI: Email me! ninepillarshealing@gmail.com 
To read more about what we do in this circle, check out my website page!
 

WATER HONORING RITUAL
PINE POINT BEACH, SCARBORO
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10th at 1 PM 

Join my dear friend and fellow shamanic practitioner, Amylia Jayne, to honor water, one of the four sacred elements! 

We will create a medicine mandala on the beach with shells, driftwood and whatever we find. A brief discussion about the elements and their associated direction will follow, as well as the importance of doing ceremony outside and engaging in ritual with GAIA. Lastly, we will dance! And Sing! Welcoming the changing tides of the ocean and all her beings. 

Amylia is a talented shamanic practitioner and newly accredited Journey Dance Facilitator. I have longed for a partner to conduct ceremony in public space, so that all may witness and “feel the vibe.” Come to witness or participate! 

FMI, email me or text! This event is FREE! 

 (*Meet at 12:50 PM in the municipal parking lot of Pine Point–no need to RSVP, just come!)

(BELOW: Although you can’t see the ocean, this is me drumming up seals at Biddeford Pool. They came! Katy McLaren can attest! She was there!)

A PERFECT GIFT FOR THAT PERFECT INTROVERT:
The SWEET SUITE!

(what a deal!!!)

Are you looking to give that special someone “an experience,” something that you just can’t find on Amazon? Great! Avalon Acres has the perfect gift!

WINTER GETAWAY at the SWEET SUITE! For $275! (normally $400!) 

  • 2-night stay
  • Enlightened Energy Healing Session with Mary Katherine 
  • Breakfast (Both Mornings!) 

(Other sundries are optional: snow shoes, ceremonial fire, a bottle of wine waiting for you! Offer good for December of 2024, January of 2025, and February of 2025) 

WOW! Book it now! This deal will fill up for week-end slots and the winter school vaca week! 

FMI: email avalonacresofhollis@gmai.com 

AND LASTLY…If it needs to be said, here it is: 

Uncategorized

A Yule Story for your HEART

Mary Katherine Spain

[A GOOD NEWS STORY]

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I’d like you to take a moment and drink in this good news story. Goodness knows we all could use one of those!  

This past September, I traveled to Kentucky to participate in a 5-day Shamanic Intensive designed by one of my beloved shamanic teachers, Barbara Bloecher. This was my second intensive with Barbara in Kentucky, and it was an incredible experience which fed my soul on many levels. Barbara has quite the shamanic community down there and I was blessed to meet several of her students, collaborators and fellow practitioners. It was one of the highlights of my year. 

There was one woman who I met named Laura. Laura told me a story that burst my heart wide open, and a story I have the privilege of sharing with you. 

Laura lives in Louisville, KY with her husband Paul and their 13-yr old son, Joseph. She is the Business Manager at a non-profit organization called JustFaith Ministries, which writes and facilitates social and racial justice work. This was her 3rd intensive. 

The following is the story she told me at the intensive which I asked her to write down for me: 

“Last year, around this time, I was taking the same route daily to check mail at a PO Box for the ministry I’m employed with.  There was a particular off ramp where a gentleman stood with a sign and I would see him several times a week.  There was a particular instance where I knew that if I saw him again, I would stop and ask him if there was anything I could do for him to make his day better.  The next time I saw him standing there, I rolled down my window and said, “I’m stopping by Walgreens.  Is there anything I can get you to make your day a little better?”  His answer was powder deodorant and ear plugs.  The honesty of his answer is what stuck with me more than anything.  While I was at Walgreens, I also picked up a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Christmas Trees.  When I stopped back by to drop his items off, he was elated and so excited for the candy.

I stopped to talk to him a few more times before Christmas last year and once, gave him a Christmas Card with $60 in it.  When I was at the ATM pulling the money, I asked myself, what am I doing?  Yet, I felt it in my gut and heart it was the right thing to do.  He almost cried when I handed it to him, with my phone number.  The next few weeks brought the coldest winter I think I’ve spent in Kentucky and I thought about Stefan daily and wondered how he was.  I knew that he stayed at the Salvation Army shelter in the evenings and over the course of our friendship, learned that he would have to leave the shelter by 5am and find warmth until he took the bus to his panhandling spot, spend all day there and then hop the bus back to the shelter for the 5pm line up.  His schedule fascinated me because I learned that this is what kept him moving and hopeful.

After Christmas, I saw him again and he told me that the $60 that I gave him went towards turning his phone back on.  He said he had lost my number and needed it again.  After that day, we communicated, almost daily.  I’d take him breakfast or lunch.  I’d sit under the underpass in my car and he would talk through my window.  We formed a friendship through the window of my car.

One day, I noticed that his gloves were full of holes and that his hands were red and chapped.  I began asking him what he needed and it was everything.  He had nothing.   This is the day I started the S and Friends wish list. Over the course of two weeks, the amazing people of my spiritual and Facebook communities and well as family and friends, donated enough through the Amazon wish list to provide him with clothes, shoes, a new rain coat, an umbrella, towels, pajamas and so much more.  They also provided these items for a few of his friends, on the streets.

One day, I asked my husband, Paul, if S. could do some work around our house and this led to us having him work for us all Spring.  He did so many tasks that my husband and I let fall behind due to certain circumstances in our lives that we were working through.  S. helped us as much as we helped him.  Before long, the neighbors were talking about how nice our place looked.  Other neighbors began hiring him. A friend of Paul’s sold him an old truck for $1000.  This gave him the ability to drive and work.  Eventually, a friend of mine hired him full time and he is still working for him to this day.

S. still lives at the shelter. He calls us when he has questions about his vehicle or needs advice on other things.  He’s almost like a son that has gone away to college.  My son, Joseph, has been part of this journey and has grown to love S. as well.  The two of them talk football and video games.  It’s a beautiful thing.

S. was the first person that I asked if he needed anything.  He really was the beginning of the journey.  I believe God had a plan in this to keep me focused and committed.

[I asked Laura what she thought the solution was to house-lessness and the encampment sweeps that several cities across the nation are forced to do. Here’s what she wrote:] 

“The question regarding sweeping the camps and alternatives has always left me at a loss.  I’ve helped people that have just had their camp swept and have been wandering the streets trying to acclimate.  It isn’t pretty.  I don’t know the answer.  I think about it all the time and I just don’t have it.  Sometimes, the city of Louisville gives warnings.  Sometimes they don’t.  When they do give warnings, there are organizations in town that help the camps move, which prevents the people from losing everything.  That is the worst part about sweeping.  People lose everything they own.”

[I asked Laura what myth people get wrong about the unhoused; this is her response:]

“[The myth people get wrong] I learned through meeting S.  Not everyone on the streets is a drug addict.  Not every pan handler is making hundreds of dollars a day.  I was so fascinated by learning, over time, about his [S.’s] schedule and what it consisted of.  He made enough to eat and get a pack of smokes and take the bus every day.  And he did that for years.  He worked odd jobs by people he would meet panhandling but they never amounted to anything that provided him a stable environment.  He’s a good person.  It’s been a year and he’s a good friend.  He’s genuine and loving.  He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever met.  I’m thankful everyday that I met him and he became a part of me and my family’s life.”

What assumptions have you made about people? I know that as hard as I try not to judge people, little assessments still come out, even if they are never voiced or acted upon. Sandra Ingerman, my shamanic teachers’ teacher, says that thoughts carry energy, and are bound to manifest one way or another. 

What experiences have I missed out on, because I judged someone? 

I wonder what the world might be like when we are all able to carry the best thoughts about everybody–including ourselves!–around in our heads and hearts. How might our actions then change, as Laura’s did, when she was brave enough to ask a simple question to a ‘total stranger’? 

This Yule, give the best of yourself to someone. Anyone. They will feel your attention, your care. And they won’t forget it! 

FEATURED PRACTITIONER: DEBRA BLUTH 

Are you looking for that perfect Maine-made flower essence, tea or herbal remedy for the nature-loving loved one in your life? Do you need a little something to help you restore from a long year, or support your immune system through the holidays? Let me introduce you to Debra! 

Debra Bluth is a CCH is a classical homeopath, herbalist, and flower essence practitioner with a private practice in midcoast Maine and online.  She makes many of her own remedies.  She also works through Delta Gardens, a center for flower essence research and practice in NH, and some of the essences she makes are sold through Delta Gardens.  Debra also teaches herbal and flower essence classes and workshops, and recently has been teaching at Viles Arboretum in Augusta.  She has history as a choreographer and improvisational movement artist, and improvisation and contemplative movement practices largely inform her work to this day.  If she’s not with clients or classes, you will find her in the woods and with the plants.  To connect or for appointments, call 617-999-7765, email seedandlegend@gmail.com, or visit www.seedandlegend.com.

*Mark your (summer) calendar! Debra and I are working on a day-long retreat here at Avalon that will involve plant identification, connecting with the spirit of the plant, and dancing the essence together as a group on the land, post walk. We are very excited about this! Although we have not nailed down the specific week-end, it will likely be the 3rd or 4th week-end in July! 

Take a SNEAK PEEK!

at the 2024 calendar at AVALON ACRES! 

[Although I have not yet made web pages that go along with these events, please MARK YOUR CALENDARS for these exciting offerings in 2024!]

02/03 IMBOLC CEREMONY (with Kristi Dawson)

03/23: SHAMANISM AND BREATHWORK (with Brett Aldrich)

04/20: MEDICINE DRUM WORKSHOP (with Jane E. King) 

05/04: BELTANE CEREMONY(with Jacquie Boudreau) 

05/25 & 06/08: NATURE IMMERSION WANDER (with Nancy Anderson) 

06/21: JOURNEY DANCE and SOLSTICE SPIRIT BATHING (with Amylia Jayne)

07/21: (*this date is flexible, we have to see what the flowers are doing): PLANT WALK and FLOWER ESSENCE DANCE (with Debra Bluth) 

08/03: LUGHNASA CEREMONY (with Kristi Dawson) 

Offerings To Be Scheduled: Healing with Horses (with Emily Brooks, my neighbor!); Transmuting Victim Consciousness (with Kat Beaudoin); FALL Nature Immersion Wander (with Nancy Anderson); Avalon Acres Open House and Bonfire; Acts of Kindness circle (with Jeff Edlestein); ON-GOING Monthly Wise Women Talking circles (with Nancy Cole); Astrology and SoulWork (with Amanda Painter); Drum Circles (with Darlene Harvey) 

And if we EVER GET SOME SNOW….

UPCOMING EVENTS AT AVALON 

WISE WOMEN TALKING 

SNOW SHOE! 

SATURDAY DECEMBER 30th

1PM-3:30 PM 

Let’s take our talk into the wild, snowy landscape of hemlock, pine, birch, maple and oak and feel the very last of 2023 leave our bones…

Arrive before 1 PM to get settled and change into your snowshoes. We’ll hit the trail together and walk in silence for a little bit, contemplating these “inner landscapes”: 

__Our greatest accomplishment in 2023 (be it physical, mental, financial, spiritual or otherwise!) 

__Our hardest lesson of 2023 (but well worth it!!) 

__What inspires our Souls

__How do we practice simplicity amidst the chaos of these times? 

We will pause in the woods at a designated “power spot” to discuss the above and speak to anything else that needs to be shared and witnessed. Offerings will be given to the land and a song will be offered as well to the Spirit of Avalon. 

After heading back to the barn, we will gather for tea and crumpets (likely poundcake). Participants will be on their merry way before it gets dark! 

IMBOLC: Making an Altar to Brigid at the Sacred Waters 

With Fellow Celtic Shamanic Practitioner, Kristi Dawson 

Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 

[details are forthcoming about this ceremony; Kristi and I are coming up with some special rituals and considering how weather may play a role! Stay tuned!]

YULE 2023/2024: A JOURNAL PROMPT FOR YOU! 

Still with me, loves? Great. Let’s do some writing. 

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR. Probably not for the same reason that a lot of people do but that’s ok. What I love is: the ‘JANUS SURGE,’ the opportunity to stand at that sacred threshold of the old and yet-to-be, the feeling that we have ‘made it through’ another year. Janus is the Roman God of gates, doorways, beginnings, duality, and passages, who could look backwards and forward at the same time. I also feel that time stands still here at Yule (and Solstice means ‘Sun Standing Still’). It is a time-out-of-time where our busy routines can be set aside, where we can take stock of the finer treasures of our lives. Surely a season of giving, it is also a time to GIVE YOURSELF STILLNESS. 

Giving yourself the gift of TIME, dip that quill in ye olde ink pot and pick one (or both!) of these prompts: 

__Taking Stock of Treasures: As you contemplate the past year, list your greatest accomplishments, whether they are accomplishments of the mind, body, heart, or pocketbook. What negative pattern did you finally break? Who did you forgive? What new routine did you incorporate that enhances your life? Did you get a new look, finally throw out ALL the socks with holes? WHATEVER you did that feels like a personal feat, a measure of your strength, write about it in detail. We never give ourselves enough credit for our small or large accomplishments. 

__Dreaming Onward: Imagine it is December (date you’re reading this) 2024. And you’re about to sit down and do the above journal prompt about all the great things you did, acquired, mastered or otherwise rocked out of the park in 2024. What’s on the list? Pretend you are ALREADY THERE, taking stock of your amazing achievements and treasures of 2024. After writing the list, take a moment to look at this imagined 2024 life. What are you really excited about accomplishing? What gets your heart rate up on this list? Circle it, make a collage, paint something with words and symbols that represent that feeling, that accomplishment. And put it somewhere you will see it often. 

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS for that LOVER OF BOOKS! 

Do you know this guy? This is my friend and fellow writer, Clif Travers. Clif got his book of short stories, The Stones of Riverton, published this year! And IT IS FABULOUS. 

Clif Travers is a visual artist and writer living in Portland, Maine. His writing has been featured in Underwood Press, Freeze Frame Fiction, Coffin Bell Journal, Crack the Spine Anthology, Dime Show Review, and Sonora Review, among others. Clif received his MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine, and he teaches creative writing at Writerfest in New York, The Writing Center in Gloucester Massachusetts, the MWPA in Portland, Maine, and Maine Media in Camden, Maine. Clif just started his new post this week at Portland Magazine as Asst. Editor/Writer! 

To see more of Clif’s work, check out his website: http://cliftravers.com/

To order The Stones of Riverton: Kelly’s Books on the Go or Amazon 

STILL NEED A GOOD REASON TO MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY? 

My dear sweet husband, Michael, is working hard to establish Avalon Acres as a producer of delicious, organically grown food. It takes A LOT to grow food, much less the sustainable way [“no till” practice] that we do. One of his highlights this year was getting our beautiful produce (and eggs!) to the Woodsford Corner Farmers Market in Portland. He met some other farmers (yah!), made some new contacts, and introduced Avalon to greater Portland. 

But Woodsford Farmers Market is in its nascent stage of establishing itself. If you love fresh, Maine-grown food and want to support the local economy, please consider donating to their campaign to keep the market going in 2024! 

Click here for more details and to donate! 

And Happy Holidays! 

Uncategorized

Soulful Solstice, Here You Are

Mary Katherine Spain
A new Day is Dawning…

Winter Solstice Newsletter 2021 

“We get to carry each other…” 

~U2, “One” 

It is a privilege to take care of each other. Bono didn’t write We Carry Each Other; he wrote We GET to Carry Each Other, like it’s a special mission, a task entrusted to us by Creator.  We are not obliged; no one is going to lose their house or job if they don’t stop for a motorist on the side of the road, stick a fiver in the hand of that homeless guy on the corner or forget to bring a lonely neighbor a piece of pie. But we do anyway. We GET to take care of each other, to carry one another through the times we’re living in. 

One thing that Winter brings on in me is the sense of stillness, of quiet. When we think about the privilege of taking care of each other, let’s not forget what a privilege it is to take care of ourselves. To compost the guilt we may feel when we politely say, ‘No thank you’ to invites and events and classes and workshops and dates, outings, concerts, or shows. Even a walk with a friend might feel, for some, a bit too much of a commitment. Winter is a time for receiving. We GET to settle in, pour some hot water over our favorite teabag and keep it simple. We might go to bed at 7:30, 8 PM–every night, if we want. If you’re lucky enough to have a beloved furbaby and a fireplace, BONUS! You’ve got a recipe for deep self-care. 

This year, like last, has been one for the books. A real doozie! In my youthful 50 years of being on the planet, I have never witnessed so much uncertainty by so many–myself included. Do you know ANYONE not experiencing regular waves of despair if not measurable anxiety right now? I know lots of people–strong people–who are doing everything they can to stay hopeful, to “keep their vibration up.” These are the same people who are giving themselves permission to “feel it all.” And we know what happens when we deny an aspect of our reality or our lived experience: it gets jammed into the Shadow which then has free-reign to incite us to act unconsciously. 

But what if ‘feeling it all’ sounds horrible, like the very words might be code for complete destabilization? Haven’t we seen and felt enough? There’s the rub, the riddle of 2021 (and probably our challenge for 2022 as well): How do we allow the full gamut of feelings and emotions to be acknowledged and possibly even felt and still function? How do we avoid shutting down completely if we are courageous enough in staring down the political circus, Covid-hell, tornadoes, sex-trafficing, starving polar bears, refugees fleeing war, refugees fleeing gang violence, wildfires gulping up great swaths of land, rivers and ocean water choking with debris and plastic, addictions of every kind, burnt-out teachers (God Bless’em), heroic (and also burnt out) doctors and nurses…I could go on. Michael told me that last Friday, December 17th, was ‘National Shoot Up Your School Day.’ I don’t even know what to do with that. And I haven’t even mentioned the climate calamity. 

I call this ability to NOT turn away from injustice while maintaining self-dominion BEING A WAKEFUL WITNESS. Shamans are especially good at it, as they are extremely sensitive yet their possession of The Self–in all of its forms–is intact, strong. I also have borrowed a term from Caitlin Mathews for this ability: Walking the Middle Way. To stand up, be seen, feel, respond with compassion, be okay with ambiguity…and to understand THOUGHT precedes FORM.

What you focus on is where your energy is. 

We are at a choice point, folks. Well, we’ve been at several choice points over the last 20 months! Our reality is crumbling, and I’m not interested in sugar coating it. I AM interested in learning more about being a wakeful witness, about walking the middle way. In shamanic terms, we are experiencing a global dismemberment: when the psyche is torn apart so that something new and more expansive can emerge. Since we’ve essentially finished Year Two of the break-down stage, can we please just remember the old adage of psychotherapists: Things happen FOR you instead of TO you. 

And let’s be careful and cognizant of aligning with language that talks about “when this is all over” or “when things go back to normal.” This language sets us up for disempowerment because it constructs a reality around the idea that the present time is somehow inferior to some other future “time.” We don’t want our language to be a delivery system that gives our power away. 

Lucky for us, it’s Winter. A time to scale down our delusions and trust our insights and instincts. Not everyone likes the cold–I get it. But from an archetypal perspective, we actually have a chance in this frozen, bleak period to surrender to What Is, to practice being the Wakeful Witness. Not to cowboy up and tell one another “You got this!” 

We get to find out what lasts in the winter. And…Only Love Lasts. Everything else is eaten, and dies with the cold. 

How potent can you make your inner life this winter? 

TIPS FOR A NOURISHING and SOULFUL WINTER 

  • Start your day off in a way that you cherish. Sleep resets us. A restful night’s sleep can make the day ahead exciting and filled with magic. However, when we don’t get good, uninterrupted sleep, things feel a bit off and we’re prone to look at life’s limitations instead of life’s possibilities. Now, as a woman who feels like she won the lottery when she gets a really good night’s sleep, I decided to be more mindful of how my day starts–regardless of how I’m waking up. Whether it’s lighting a candle and making a simple intention for the day, sipping coffee alone or with your journal or getting right on the stationary bike, start your day YOUR WAY. When you do this, you’re sending a message of empowerment to your operating system. YOU get to set the tone. If it’s not “your” day, then whose is it? 
  • Ask for help. A friend of mine who suffers from chronic depression and chronic pain said to me a few years ago, “Pain makes you pay attention.” If you’ve ever had a back injury, a migraine, sciatica or even an ingrown fingernail, it’s hard to ignore it. Once the pain is gone, we feel like we’ve gotten our lives back! I agree with my friend–pain colors all other experiences. 

But what about emotional pain? It’s much easier to ignore than physical pain because it is nebulous and unformed. It shows up like an invisible rash you’re too self-conscious to scratch. It might look like depression, guilt, overreacting, over-eating (or limiting food to try and control something), binge-watching Netflix, sloth, self-criticism, reluctance to allow undesirable feelings to emerge, judgment of self and others, over-serving with drugs or alcohol..the list goes on. Where it is hard to modulate to physical pain, it’s kinda easy to modulate to emotional pain. Especially these days when the low-hanging fruit is about the only thing we have to nosh on. 

In the cold, long night of Winter, in the blanket of Yuletide, ask yourself the hard question: Where have I gotten conditioned to my emotional pain? If the lens is muddy, ask a trusted friend where they think you’ve gotten too accustomed to the stubborn creature of emotional pain. Treat your emotional pain like you would a debilitating back injury: see a doctor, or in this case, a therapist. Ask for help through prayer, hot-yoga, automatic writing–whatever speaks to you! Allow your emotional pain the attention it deserves so that it can dissipate.

Attention is, afterall, just love. 

  • Give it up to your teachers. I took a workshop online (Zoom, of course) over the spring with one of my beloved teachers, Barbara Bloecher. It was on the Medicine Wheel and Barbara opened the circle with a note of thanks to all of her teachers, especially the one who had taught her the most about the Medicine Wheel. I loved this idea! And adopted this practice of thanking one’s teachers as a way to open sacred space. 

The other day when I was closing my yoga practice, I remembered this exercise of gratitude. I sat up, got comfy, closed my eyes and started to thank all of my teachers. I started with my shamanic teachers, my therapist, my dream coach, my sweet husband. I went through family members then old bosses and co-workers. Then the children in my life, kids I babysat 40 years ago! I thanked friends that taught me something in my younger life–a jewelry-maker friend who’d shown me how to bead. I thanked my ex-boyfriends, grade school teachers, even the mailman! I thanked the weather, the seasons! There are literally so many teachers in our lives! And I didn’t just think about them or “send them gratitude.” I got really in touch with how they showed up, what they shared with me specifically, how I have integrated their wisdom and the gifts that they freely gave. 

By the end of this tour of gratitude, I could have blinded someone with the light that was beaming out of me! I was swimming in unconditional love. 

And it made me think about how giving one’s time can save someone, can make a difference that truly changes someone’s life. 

So, this Solstice, take a moment to FEEL what a privilege it is to take care of each other and yourself. Light a candle and reflect on all that you have learned from 2021 and when you blow that candle out, imagine all of those lessons firmly anchored inside of you. And then, go outside and look up. Look to the Ancient Ones calling us home to ourselves. And know that you are supported, even in these dark days of quiet contemplation and uncertainty.

Be watchful, and witness.  

Shine On, 
Mary Katherine 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! 

After a very hard decision to not teach at UNE this Spring, a fantastic opportunity fell in my lap! I am teaming up and co-teaching a series called Sacred Storytelling Immersion with House of Indigo Publisher and Intuitive Coach Jessica Verrill. Jess and I have known each other for over 10 years and are excited to collaborate on this project! 

If you have something to say, wisdom to share through written expression, and are ready to RISE UP and be seen, heard, and acknowledged for the soulful seeker you are, this class is for you! 

Class starts in January 2022! To learn more or to register, click here 

COMING SOON! 

My calendar is sprouting with possibilities for 2022! I am currently planning and fine-tuning events, workshops, ceremony and several classes here at Avalon and beyond. From hula-hooping parties to glamping beta-testers to retreats at Borestone to drum making workshops (and SO MUCH MORE!), I will be letting you know through these newsletters as well as my website calendar what’s on the horizon.  Stay tuned! 



Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer? Nine Pillars has your Gift Certificate ready to go! 

And finally…
From time to time, I like to direct my readers to the Resources page on my website. It’s a landing spot for several practitioners I know and work with. Do you need some acupuncture, chiropractic care? How about a private yoga lesson?  Maybe you’re in search of a new therapist? Check out the list; it may get you through the holidays and beyond…

RESOURCES