Living Ceremony

Guest Post by Vanessa Brown, Retreat Attendee & Collective Circle Member

It’s difficult to put into words just how much transformation can come from a weekend where all we do is eat and breathe into the question of creation, and dig into ourselves in a way we might not in our ordinary reality.

I have been fortunate to have been coming to the Edge since 2005. Each time I think that I have  had the most transformational experience, I realize there is more work to be done.  

When we go home to our regular lives and have to deal with the ins and outs of whatever our lives looks like, it can be difficult to weave the pieces of transformation into our own life story. How do we integrate all that we have done?

Something changed in me. Something deep in the roots of my heart and something that outreached beyond myself. At this time it is unclear what this medicine is, but I know it’s more than words can explain.

Living in a world of distractions can be a blessing, but can also get in the way of creating a happy, constructive life. What distractions are in our lives?

Our higher selves are crying for connection, doing everything possible to connect with us, even making us sick for attention. Dis-ease is really a disconnection from within, telling us something is out of sync or harmony.

Harmonious connection is something we all yearn for.

We may seek it from others whom we believe carry the knowledge we are looking for, when all along it travels within us everywhere. Our heart knows all. There is no need to seek connection from anywhere or anyone else. We only have to create the connection to our heart flame, by entering the silence, where we can hear the messages of our own heart wisdom, that rumbles deep beneath our breast bone. Heart wisdom transcends time and space, yearning for us to connect.

How do we know if we can trust what we hear?

A daily practice of nurturing our heart flame helps us to trust what we hear as we deepen our understanding of the language of the heart . I feel most connected when out in nature, breathing the air around me, touching the ground with my bare feet or sitting next to a tree or rock that calls to me.

As another daily practice, while I am showering, I begin to sing to the waters of my body as a serenade. Caressing my body with words of love, and allowing the water to cascade over my body, which purifies and cleanses me, this is my willingness to nurture ME. Taking the responsibility of self care seriously and with intention.

To integrate all we have done, we must allow our lives to become a living ceremony. Living on the surface in ignorance, is no longer an option. On a daily basis, we must jump in and allow ourselves the gift of expansion by asking what we can do to go deeper into the heart flame of our own being.

Dusting off what no longer serves us, we hollow our bones free of obstruction, fears, worries or anxieties that create separation. We weave the magic of ceremony, healing our hearts, to ensure the flame is alive and well. It is up to each of us to fan our own flames, cleaning our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies, so that when we gather, our experience becomes even more magical and power filled.

Reaching, growing and moving towards wholeness and oneness within our own beings, is the ceremony of our lives. Being in the flow and the flame of our own desires, our intentions embody their own magic, as our rituals become living art. What a magical gift to ourselves and ultimately to our circle.

Offering gratitude in whatever form our heart speaks, carries powerful medicine, that needs to be shared.

We are the like hearted.

We are the weavers.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

We are the light and the hope of the future.

Sha!

Dancing Deer Woman of the Loon Clan

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Home Practice:

Imagine entering the connection to your heart flame within.

What would it be like to allow your life to be a living ceremony?

What daily practice can you incorporate that rekindles the trust in your connection, invoking the medicine of your heart flame, weaving its healing magic throughout your daily grind?

This doesn’t have to be a big process but something that could be simple . If more time is available then you can create a more elaborate ritual.

Once the connection has been made, offer gratitude and maintain this beautiful relationship with your being, uplifted and rooted into the real reality.