Celebrate the Circle: Full Wolf Moon and Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Photo by Alan Gillespie

The Full moon of January is called atalka - the "Stay Inside Moon" - by the Kalapuya of my area, and the Wolf Moon by others, because of the hungry packs of wolves that used to roam for prey at this time of deep winter. The full Wolf Moon is a good time to ponder what I am hungry for, and how to be resilient.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. The full moon shines her light on everything; use the full moon energy for creatively completing things, and for seeing your next moves, and also to CELEBRATE how far you've come and give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received.

And today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Equality and Service intentions

2. Vision walk

3. Full moon sharing

4. Celebrate stillness

5. Mountain pose meditation

6. Study
7. Freedom Ribbon project
8. Index to MLK Day projects

1. Equality and service intentions:

Today I reaffirm these core values and testimonies that capture the possibility of daily right action and are useful in any situation that arises in daily life:

-I intend to testify for equality, treat every person with respect and love, and work to correct my shortfalls, because the spirit connection and common humanity of all people transcends our differences.

-I intend to serve my community and the world tirelessly, in all the ways I am led by Spirit, because I have the ability to make my community a better place for my family and my neighbors and at the same time grow in skills and compassion.

2. Vision walk:

The full moon shines a bright light on everything, and I might experience intuitive and creative breakthroughs. I might be shocked by the clarity of my insights. I might see some ugliness - the full moon illuminates all the things I've left in the shadows, some heavy truths and some embarrassing mistakes.

Today I'm going to settle in to silence and access my intuitive mind - my connection to the Creator and the Inner Guide - by putting myself into a relaxed, trance-like state, and seeking a leading of the spirit with an open mind and heart.

"Today I call on the Spirit of Light to guide me, bring me clarity and open my eyes. What is the Truth that is coming into focus for me now? What am I longing for; what am I ravenously hungry for? Where will I find it? What is my next step? What beliefs, obstacles, doubts, or attachments are holding me back? Can I release them now?"

3. Full moon sharing:

Yesterday I invited some Friends to worship with me on the topic of Seeking, Hunger, and Nourishment. We shared on these queries:

What am I seeking? What am I hungry for?

What good has come from this past month? Where have I been fed?

What are one or two hungers in my life that I am ready to release?

What do I have to howl about?

4. Celebrate stillness:

My theme for this Bitter Moon cycle continues to be stillness. I've been studying some good books, taking lots of time for contemplation, and working to understand myself better. Today I get to celebrate my accomplishments and reaffirm this theme for the next two weeks.

What better way to celebrate stillness than to have a mini-retreat? Because our MLK Day march was cancelled, I've got hours ahead to read, write, paint, and take a walk.

I've been diligently studying these good books this month, all on the theme of Awareness, and today I'm going to try to read some from each:

"House of Belief", by Kelee Katillac
"Awareness Heals" by Steven Shafarman
"Walk Humbly, Serve Boldly", by Marge Abbott
"The Power of Rite", by Casper Ter Kuile
"Becoming Rooted", by Randly Woodley
"Living Earth Devotional", by Clea Danaan
"How to Love", by Thich Nhat Hanh

5. Mountain Pose Meditation:

Mountain Pose is the foundational pose for all standing yoga postures. It helps improve balance and inner calmness. It seems simple, but it’s important to learn how to do it correctly, so find out how here. Thanks also to a reader for this link: Mountain Pose.

The image of the mountain represents meditation, and the resting of body, mind and spirit. When practicing the Mountain Pose I use this visualization:

Picture my favorite mountain- it’s shape, it’s peaks, the rocks, the trees, the undergrowth.

View from the top of the South Sister.

Imagine that I am this mountain, rising from the surface of the earth; say, “I Am the Mountain.” Feel my splendid stability. I have reached the peak of upward movement, and in stillness I hold my place.

See time passing- day turns into night, the moon rises over me, gradually dawn comes again. The seasons change- snow covers me, rain strikes me, then sun bakes me. My surface changes, but the essence of the mountain remains the same.

6. Study:
Each year I read more of the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year I chose a sermon, “The Death of Evil upon the Seashore,” delivered at the Service of Prayer and Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of St.John the Divine in New York City on May 17, 1956 (one year before I was born). Here are a few excerpts.

"There is hardly anything more obvious than the fact that evil is present in the universe. It projects its nagging, prehensile tentacles into every level of human existence. We may debate over the origin of evil, but only the person victimized with a superficial optimism will debate over its reality. Evil is with us as a stark, grim, and colossal reality."

"There is a Red Sea in history that ultimately comes to carry the forces of goodness to victory, and that same Red Sea closes in to bring doom and destruction to the forces of evil. This is our hope. This is the hope and conviction that all men of goodwill live by. It is at bottom the conviction that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that the whole cosmic universe has spiritual control."

"Let us not despair. Let us not lose faith in man and certainly not in God. We must believe that a prejudiced mind can be changed, and that man, by the grace of God, can be lifted from the valley of hate to the high mountain of love."

"God has a great plan for this world. His purpose is to achieve a world where all men will live together as brothers, and where every man recognizes the dignity and worth of all human personality. He is seeking at every moment of His existence to lift men from the bondage of some evil Egypt, carrying them through the wilderness of discipline, and finally to the promised land of personal and social integration. May it not be that this is entirely within the realm of possibility? I prefer to live by the faith that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

7. Freedom Ribbon project:

This year I'm going to repeat the project I did last year, modeled after the Climate Ribbon, "a massive public art installation and ritual space to grieve all that we stand to lose to Climate Chaos".

Today I will make "Freedom Ribbons" with words and phrases from Martin Luther King's writing, and hang them in my tree with a sign inviting my neighbors to take one home to display near their sidewalks.

Last year they were all taken.