Fourth Day of Christmas

This is the fourth day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. I'm in Sabbath mode, spending these Twelve Days doing as little work as possible, resting, reflecting, and finding peace within.

Today is Sunday so I will be engaged with my community, and also have friends coming for dinner!

Agenda:

1. Kwanza principle

2

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Light a candle for community

3. Read "The Ongo Book"

4. Soyal retreat practices for community

5. Community brainstorm

6. Have a Spirit Guide trance

7. Christmas pudding

1. Kwanza principle:

The third day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of ujima (oo-JEE-mah), which is collective work and responsibility. Ujima is teamwork, working together for others and helping my neighbors.

Ujima reminds me of my obligation to my community, society, and world, and to the past, present and future. Imagine if all my actions flowed from the actions of those who came before me, and were considerate of all those who will come after me! That would be a life of great integrity and compassion!

Ujima creates synergy- creative cooperation, open-minded teamwork, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. We each bring all of our personal experience and expertise to the table, and join together to produce far better results than we could as individuals.

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Light a candle for community:

At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them, meditate and write about my priorities, and make plans for the coming year based on guidance from the Spirits. 

Today I will review my testimony of Community / Unity: Commit to moving forward together, with Light and Love, not letting our differences prevent cooperation.

Today I light a red candle for community, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world. I ask:

How do I foster love, truth, and harmony within my community? How do I help to create a radically inclusive culture in my community?

When problems and conflicts arise, how do I work to resolve them in a spirit of love and humility? How do I let go of my individual desires and let Universal Love lead us to unity?

How can our community provide the best combination of safety and challenge to encourage spiritual growth?

How do I open myself to the diversity of culture, language, and expressions of faith in my world community?

4. Read "The Ongo Book":

This fall I took a 12-week non-violent communication class using this book by Catherine Madden and Jesse Weiss Chu (2022), and now I am going back through it slowly, focussing on the solo practices.

But I must remember that this process is meant to be used in community! The goal is to learn how to be present with my feelings in the middle of a heated discussion; to face my emotional wounds; to take ownership of my beliefs and how they affect others; to empathize with the needs of others; and speak up for my own needs.

The introduction says, "What if peace, compassion, and wisdom weren't just nice words that you visit from time to time, but your actual day-to-day experience? What if your home was your temple and your life was your spiritual teacher?"

The solo practices are meant to be done 5 days a week - 3 practices alternating with 2 "Rememberings", meant to allow you to go deeper. I'll try to stick to this schedule, with next Sunday being my Day One. 

5. Soyal retreat practices for community:

This Christmas I am using the Soyal Way of Being as a guide for my days; that is, I'm keeping Mother Earth in my thoughts as I move quietly and respectfully about my days, in order to establish the right mood for the coming year, and reach a unity of everything in the universe. Each day I will fit in some reading and writing, some focused walking, and some order-creation. At the end of the day I will brainstorm some goals and resolutions for 2026, based on guidance from God.

My practices today are:

1. Reorder my social spaces to create an inviting space for friends. 
2. Waltz Walk in the neighborhood (using the mantra Guide-ing-Light), and use movement and mindfulness to connect to creative energy and my guiding light.
3. Grub just a bit to gently connect to Mother Nature; seed a space with new lawn and cover it with mulch.

6. Community brainstorm:

I would like my community to be one of love, trust, compassion, and forbearance, where differences are respected and every voice is valued; where we inspire, nurture, and support our concerns for peace, social justice, and environmental action. I know that it is my responsibility to model this ideal as best I can.

My ideas for unity and community goals for next year so far are:

• Continue to grow in leadership, teamwork and equanimity skills. Learn ways to inspire hope for myself and my community, with my witness for the earth.
• Listen patiently and seek the truth which other people’s opinions may contain for me. Listen to the needs under the emotion, and respond gently and with compassion.
• Do not allow the strength of my convictions to betray me into making statements or allegations that are unfair or untrue. Think it possible that I may be mistaken.
• Cultivate affectionate regard and mutual care for others in my community and look for occasions to gather with them, affirming a common life that leads to a deeper unity.
• Be generous with my time; say yes to community service.

7. Have a Spirit Guide trance:

A couple of year's ago I found this article by Jade Grigori, a Shaman teacher, about Winter Solstice in the indigenous north:

Winter Solstice: A Time of the Shaman’s Gift Bringing

"The underlying aspects of the various cultural Winter Solstice celebrations lies rooted deep in Shamanic origins. Amongst the Saami (Laplanders) and Siberians, Buryats and Altaic tribes, all of the far northern climes, there was and is a very common motif in the Shamanic practices surrounding the Winter Solstice ceremonies."

The shaman was called on by the people to go into a deep trance, helped along with mushrooms and/or shamanic drumming. The purpose was to access and deal with burdens of Inner Darkness:

"At the time of the Winter Solstice the days have descended into the depths of darkness. It is at this moment, however, that the Sun begins to return, and with it, the days begin to lengthen. As the days become longer more light radiates into the world. This natural rhythm of the dance of Earth and Sun is a trigger within our psyche.

As all the things that have remained hidden in the darkness begin to be revealed in the greater light of day, so do all the things that we tend to hide in our own Inner Darkness begin to be brought forth into activity as the days lengthen, just as seeds left in the darkness beneath the soil begin to sprout and grow in response to the emerging light. Generations upon generations of experiencing this cycle of our own Soul’s dynamic led the people of ancient cultures to utilize the very same patterns of nature to deal effectively with their burdens of pain and suffering, of anguish and trauma that had laid hidden within the Inner Darkness of their own Soul."

Jade suggests that we can use Winter Solstice ceremonies to release our burdens and the grudges we hold, forgive the debts owed us, and start fresh - be reborn, accepting how things are.

The Shaman also receives a symbolic gift for each person, which he or she sings into the Soul Essence of each person, as a blessing and a gift of the Spirit.

"The ceremonies performed at the Winter Solstice are powerful in their transformative effect. They are empowering of each participant in the awakening of each to their own inherent spiritual gifts. They are ceremonies of compassion and liberation, ceremonies of blessing, well-being and abundance in the year to come."

I plan to perform my own interpretation of a Spirit-Guide ceremony today, with an intention to receive a message or a gift or an insight of some kind, from my Inner Guide. As a Quaker, I've got lots of experience in listening to the small, still voice, but this is a different thing: I am going to be directive, and specific. 

I'm going to focus on the painful community and family events in my life that have resurfaced recently. I will call on the Spirit of Love to guide me in the New Year, and ask "What is the pain of the season telling me? What is mine to heal this year?"

8. Christmas pudding:

Because we had our big family Christmas feast early, in the noon-time, before Christmas, we did not light the Christmas pudding. I plan to light it tonight after a potluck meal with some dear friends! 

I will reheat it, by steaming it again for about an hour, then slide it out of the pudding basin onto a plate.

Then we will put some brandy into a metal ladle (about 1/4-cup), heat it over a candle flame until it steams a bit, set it on fire with a match, and pour the flaming brandy over the warm pudding.

This is really worth the effort! We turn the lights out and the blue flame dances all over the pudding for a minute or more.