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| Bluff Head, CT Apacheta - Peruvian Ceremonial Cairn |
Through all time, humans have nurtured their relationship with the Earth,
honoring the seasonal cycles of the year, and giving offerings of gratitude for the sacred forces that nourish life. This
impulse to celebrate, feed and honor the Earth is part of our human inheritance, found in all cultures.
In our Ceremonies, we respect this inherent wisdom and the traditions it has fostered. While
informed by a life-time of participation in Earth-Honoring ceremonies in many traditions, we do not seek to imitate these,
but to honor our own relationship with Spirit by bringing forth what is needed in the moment, for the Earth, the local
habitat, & for the gathered community.
The Sacred Wheel of the Year
The Sacred Wheel of the Year is marked by the 4 major
Cross Points:
Summer Solstice - June 21-23
and the Cross Quarter Days (with their Celtic names)
August 1 - Lammas All holidays begin the evening before at Sundown. The Wheel of the Year is further marked by
The Cycles of the Moon
The New Moon - a time of planting seeds for new visions
The Full Moon - a time of celebrating our Fullness and the ripening of vision and community.
Our Earth-Honoring Ceremonies
As of Sept 2011, will not be having a
regular schedule of community celebrations. But Jeanne may be personally celebrating all of these sacred
times with a simple Ceremony at her home, and if so, would welcome your participation. Just call at least a week in advance.
If you would like to host a ceremony at your home or other location, for a committed group of
at least 4 - 8 people, please e-mail Jeanne at anamcaracenter@earthlink.net.
There is no charge for the ceremonies themselves, though an offering of food, flowers, or some other gift is
always welcome for the nurturance of the gathered community, and to help offset costs. If I need to travel a distance,
traveling costs would need to be covered.
Ceremonial Gatherings
These ceremonial
gatherings are each unique and created in the moment, but some common elements are: opening the circle through calling in
the directions, and inviting the presence of Spirit; unifying our hearts through song and chants, the kindling of fire, bringing
of offerings, sharing our concerns and joys, ritual action that embodies our intentions and prayers, silence to receive guidance,
sharing guidance received, blessing one another, closing the circle with gratitude.
If time permits we may also follow the ceremony with a pot-luck meal and time to get to know one another.
There are times when
we also celebrate these festivals in a contemplative way through retreat days that allow you the opportunity to develop a
deep relationship to the land, to Spirit and to community. Our days include times of solitude, ritual, sharing and celebration
- and always - good healthy food! We
could also celebrate them as an intergenerational family event of 2-3 hours duration, with age-appropriate craft activities
for your children. Let us know if you have children that you would like to introduce to these traditions, and we will plan
ways to include them.
Other Opportunities for Ceremony
Earth Healing Ceremonies
Ceremonies can also be held to help heal
a place that has undergone deep environmental damage - let me know if you know of a place that needs our loving support and
energy, and we'll gather a group to help heal the Earth in that place. to bring a community together in celebration or honoring for whatever occasion
seems to call for Grandfather Fire's healing wisdom.
Water Ceremonies to help cleanse, release, and let go of the old, and allow yourself be reborn into new life.
Working with the Medicine Wheel (A cross-cultural practice of honoring the elemental forces that sustain life and orienting oneself to the sacred cosmos and
one's own soul journey.)
Pilgrimages
to Sacred Sites or Special Local Places.
Building an Apacheta (Peruvian Ceremonial Cairn) at a site that has sacred resonance for you. Apachetas help to link
sacred sites and create an energetic pathway of transformative power within the chakra system of Mother Earth (Pachamama). (See
picture above) See Our Communal Apacheta and Fall Equinox 2009 Open House for information on the building of the apacheta on our land, and how to add a stone to our apacheta)to honor the seasons of our lives
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