2021 Closing a Challenging Year

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

We seemingly begin each new year with hopes, dreams, goals, and those nefarious resolutions that are oft whisked away in the buzz of living in an electronic age.  Some of us attempt to reclaim the newness with other New Years, Chinese, Nowruz etc.  Anything to keep hope of unmet aspirations alive. Yet life moves on and we are met by the positive and negative.  Hopefully we’ve learned as in Tao, to not place an uneven emphasis on either.

That illusive quality of time seemed to dissolve in 2021, a numerological 5 year of change.  Just as many of us were celebrating a change in governance, a January political coup taught us how very fragile is our democracy. We witnessed a rise in hatred when love and acceptance were much needed. Conquering a deadly virus seemed within reach and yet we end this year with a troubling variant seemingly taking us back to ground zero.  Frustration over isolation and dramatic change in our usual routines and lifestyle has robbed many of sanity and resulted in concurring increases in violence.

In truth, on a global level, personal, and nationwide, we’ve had a helluva couple years.  It is as if we’ve all worn our clothing inside out and been exposed for our fragility and doused our fledging vanity. So very many isms have defined our daily lives that many feel battle fatigue.

Sorrow with so many deaths has pervaded many families and households. Beyond the usual turnover of aging and disease, the 2019 Virus and subsequent deaths have wrung us out emotionally, and for too many financially. We’ve awakened to a much harsher reality than our somewhat gilded existence prepared us for. Perhaps it is like being deposed.  We suffered the illusion of freedom, abundance, opportunity, growing equality, parity, and very high standard of living compared to the rest of the world. The division from the super haves and the growing have nots has diminished our world Light as a place to legally immigrate too for possibilities.

Yet, 2022 finds us still here!  Despite needed adjustments in socializing, community building, economics, politics, family unity or disparity, trust, and belief in the inherent good of humankind, we’ve had a global shift. So here we are, and the real question is, what are we each going to do about helping our fellow travelers on planet Earth thrive.  We now know we are not alone and what affects each of us, impacts the others.

Global Community will be part of the emphasis of this numerological 6 Year, 2022.  Return to some life affirming values and focus on other, not self, will be another.  Giving not receiving will be hailed as a must if we are all to share in the resources and inherent best interests of our global citizenry. Self, this, and that, must now take a back seat.  I and we will decrease in importance and emphasis on Us will be prominent. Housing may now require the sacrifice of individual domiciles to multiple and shared dwellings.  Less extravagance will need to prevail from richest to marginally less advantaged.

And the gift of the coming year? Service.  That will be the hallmark of saving the planet and our fragile occupants. As many people have discovered, good works and community involvement give us purpose. When other becomes the focus, the niggling issues of unhappiness, depression, grief, lack, abuse, etc. fades in import.

As we tomorrow, welcome 2022, let’s commit to finding our service and offering in all ways so that we can say when it is 12-31-2022, we gave of ourselves to foster hope, resurrect our planet, close our divides, restore global health, and brought that inimitable quality of Love to our precious sphere and its inhabitants.

May 2022 Bless each and every one of you with an important Service that you can provide to others along with health, wellness, and a sense of contentment knowing you contributed to the good of All.

 

 

 

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men

 by Rev. Amari Magdalena

A year is closing, the first year of the 20’s decade. Turned out to be not what we were expecting or wishing for as we rang it in 12 months ago.  Physical, economic, mental, and emotional challenges were presented to us on so many fronts of life that we had come to accept as ‘normal.’ We had a rude awakening!

We had to surrender physical touch with many in our groups.  Many people could no longer go into their work settings. Those that did, because their profession was considered ‘essential,’ were much more exposed to the deadly pandemic that was sweeping across the globe. Others worked from home.

Political battles took horrendously ugly turns as citizen against citizen flashed in mobs on our visual devices.  Families became unraveled over their political differences.  Hate bubbled up along with growing prejudice broadcast in living color from law officers choking a man to death with a neck hold.

We ran out of toilet paper and other essentials as hoarding cleared shelves at our local stores. Supplies of other things we had taken for granted, disappeared.  In most places shutdowns to help prevent the spread, caused local businesses to close as big box stores had better distribution systems to deliver goods survived.

Sadness, anger, despair, hate, and depression visited the emotions of many of us as the world we had come to assume permanent began to unravel.  The disease began to spread and reach into sections originally spared as many chose to deny the crisis and leadership labeled it a hoax.  First wave penetrated the populous as medical facilities became overwhelmed.  Pictures of body bags stacked on racks haunted our dreams of reality.

As the pandemic grew exponentially, so did enmity and harsh political oppositions.  We had to fight for the right to vote in absentia.  Yet the election finally happened and a winner by over 7 million votes was evidenced.  Yet, enmity and divide did not abate fueled by denial of the outcome by leadership and cult followers.

Now we have arrived at the closing curtain of 2020 and are holding our breaths with hopes for 2021. Some will imbibe in alcohol or drugs to enter 2021.  Others will hide hoping that a repeat year will not be seen.  Songs of love and peace and holiday lights may remind many of us to breathe and begin to bridge the chasm of divide and reunite with our families.

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men will play loud enough for us to hear over the din of descension.  Many of us will be reminded to set aside our staunch postures of “they are wrong, we’re right” and remember our mission is peace.  Others will, yet to be freed of egoic positions, deny any possibility of reunion.

Yet reunion is no longer a subject of maybe, it is an imperative for salvation.  The salvaging will not be just mere humanity.  The ecological damage to our planet and human sustainability will be demanded of us to remedy.  We will be faced harshly with the reality of what kind of world we will leave to the coming generations who are bluntly holding us responsible for our poor choices.

So, beyond the horns blowing, fireworks exploding, campaign bottles popping and a sigh of relief, will be the loudest call for humanity ever to do a search and rescue operation for Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men.  We can pretend, yet not escape the truth.  Foolishness of submersion in self and fueling division will render a massive annihilation. If seventy-years are to be repeated it will indeed be the war to end all wars.

Thus, I appeal to you this pivotal night to lay down the swords of hatred, division, and separation. Become soldiers for peace. Demand a Department of Peace among our governmental agencies. Check yourself out in terms of your biases.  Be bold enough to embrace differences until you can distill the points of dissention down to commonalities that clearly bring peace among people and goodwill to all sentient beings on the planet. Time for the resurgence of the Flower children’s mantra “Make love not war!”

 They asked her, “What is the key to saving the world?”

She answered: “You! You are the key.  Heal yourself, know yourself, make yourself whole and free.  Release all limits so that your love can flow unconditionally for yourself and the world, this will open the heaven of your heart completely and it will guide you without fail.” Yung Pueblo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Quotation used in El Mundo Bueno: Saving Humanity and Our Glorious Planet by Amari Magdalena

 

Time Passages

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

It seems we are closing the second decade of the 21^st century on a Ring of Fire eclipse.  Though I know time is an illusion and construct of the rational mind, I am struck by this moment.  We might say that time is the way we measure energy which is all around us all of the time. That said, in this material world we attach much to our calendars and timepieces.  And so it is that we close a period of ten years looking to the skies for answers.

Broadcasters seem to agree that it has been the best and worst of times in many ways for different people.  Some have amassed great wealth while others have experienced a shattering of the American Dream of working hard and improving their lot in life.  Poverty and Wealth have both grown somewhat more lopsided. The fabric of citizen unity has suffered rips and tears. Conversely, consciousness has risen steadily during this decade. The new birth of Earth has had its bumps.  Yet, as futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard, noted birth is not always smooth and easy.  Significant upside, we’ve connected globally through social media bringing us the world. This decade, in its close, seems to have been oppositional.  The pendulum which frequently swings to extremes has taken a sharp launch to the right and is in much need of finding middle ground.

We tend to view these passages personally and collectively.  On a personal note, I lost my last parent, four good friends, and other younger relatives. Gained three granddaughters and another grandson. Wrote and published seven books. I made four big moves: one within a state, three others to different states circling from sun to rain to sun.  I’ve held numerous ceremonies celebrating seasons and continued to teach ancient wisdom and pathways to peace.  Evidence suggests I’ve surrendered being paired.  No doubt I’ve accumulated more stuff than I now have room for and see the benefit in simplification.  Moved out of middle age into the elder realm.  Quite a passage!

Where does it leave us to acknowledge that 87,360 hours (5,252,429 minutes) have buzzed by? What do we do with this knowledge of our, and others, memories of chunks of time wrapped in ten years? How do we glean the gold from the dross and offer it to the Gods imploring them for a more promising future? In which way do we celebrate without losing the important lessons. Which Cave Center meditation will assist us in shedding what no longer serves us and igniting a torch of hope for the future?

We can make plans and temp the Gods!  We can, as Robert Kennedy said, dream dreams that never were and say why not! We can laud the young people coming up with new visions and energy to revive or planet. We can take time to smell the roses, applaud magnificent sunsets, and keep improving our ability to love without conditions while serving our fellow Earthship occupants. We can engage life and not choose to sit this one out. We can forgive and embrace forgetting. Ultimately, we can choose to find beauty each day, express gratitude, extend kind-filled acknowledgements, and enjoy this wondrous illusion. We can foster hope and continue our journeys as Peace Pilgrims until we cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Prognosticators say were headed for glory. Hallelujah! Time passages buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight!  

"You can start anew at any given moment.  Life is just the passage of time and it's up to you to pass it as you please."  Charlotte Eriksson

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." James Taylor

Endings and Beginnings

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

We again arrive at the Gregorian calendar closing of one year and the opening of another.  Though time and space may be illusions, in the material world we live by them.  Perhaps there is a purpose to have this structure of endings and beginnings.  Sometimes we find ourselves in untoward energy or outcomes when nothing seems to be going our way.  A definitive ending date coupled with a specific beginning date can give us hope of the cycle ending.

In the Northern Hemisphere, we also may mourn the compression of daylight as we approach the Winter Solstice.  Thus, we love to celebrate the opening up of light the next day, even by seconds.  These cycles of the sun are also part of our endings and beginnings.  Lyrics from an old song remind us that time is, indeed, slipping into the future.  And, with that future, may come renewed hope.

Though the holy/holidays can be stressful due to extra demands on our energy and time, they also ultimately give us a little spark of new possibilities.  That small ray of hope can often restart the course we are on and provide a sense of upliftment. Somewhere in the sparkling lights, that are all about, our imaginations are energized. We can be restored to a mental space wherein the earth darkness, and our own darkness, gets revved up with brightness. The increasing light after Solstice helps us get out of our cocoons of hibernation.

The New Year often finds us assessing the past and affirming for a different future.  That small spigot of hope, along with the returning light, inspires us to examine our lives and to perhaps be more definitive in recognizing new aspirations.  Resolutions may be written down.  Attention to purpose can become more compelling. We get a little Cosmic nudge.

I feel that to move with grace into the new, it is important to release the old.  Oh, not just the stuff we may label as ‘bad’ or ‘unfortunate,’ rather the contents of the old year.  Writing down the ups and downs helps us gain perspective.  One ceremony, that many new thought and other more progressive churches do, is a Burning Bowl Ceremony on New Year’s Eve.  Attendees write down the things they’d like to release and then consign them to flame.

Another tradition that I’ve done many years is the New Year’s Eve early morning world-wide meditation originated by John Randolph Price. This meditation happens world-wide at the same time.  Unfortunately for those of us on PDT, that is 4am in the morning, YIKES!  That said, the mediation is quite beautiful, powerful, and renewing.  It is a magical way to enter the New Year.  Instead of staying up until midnight 12/31, one gets up at 4:am on 12/31 and meditates for an hour or less. I’ve personally found this to be so renewing, that I choose to sacrifice sleep for inspiration and guidance.

May I suggest that you too choose some tradition, ritual, meditation as the New Year arrives to acknowledge and celebrate the inevitable endings and beginnings that we all experience in our lives. May your journey be so very blessed this year that you truly appreciate the wondrous experience of having a body on a small planet spinning in space.

 I share with you a couple of quotations that are inspiration for all of our endings and beginnings:

"No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! Tha first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun!  Look, it is the first page!  And, it is a beautiful one!"  C. JoyBell C.

And, another quote that also speaks to appreciating not only endings or beginnings but appreciation of the middle moment:

"Beginnings are scary; Endings are usually sad; but it's the middle that counts.  You need to remember that when you find yourself at the Beginning, just give Hope a chance to Float Up; and it Will!"  From the Movie, Hope Floats.

Pick up that Kaleidoscope, point it towards something bright, turn it and let the refraction of light take you into Magic! Then, just put one solid foot in front of the other, and step into your New Beginnings!  Happy New Year!  May you prosper and grow in amazing ways and experience Life with Love and Joy!

Creating a Conscious New Year 2017

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

For many of us, each New Year starts with gusto and intention to make significant changes. At first, we are enthusiastic and leap into the new.  For a while, we may follow our plans and bask in the new energies.  Then life happens and slowly, imperceptibly old patterns reemerge and our intentions are slipping through our fingers.  The year begins to feel old not new.

Perhaps if we had a focal point for each month and posted our intention predominantly in several places in our reality-bathroom, office, car, refrigerator with a picture that clearly depicted our intention, we could stay on task despite outer interference.

Following are some suggestions for each month of 2017!  Here's to a New Year of coalitions and community building!

January-Capricorn A foundation month.  Initiate with others in creating communities that benefit the common good—gather in groups as “heart tanks” not “think tanks.”  Make group decisions that feel right and are devoid of ego.  Document your groups process to serve as a turn-key for others.  "We are co-creating communities of love, compassion and inclusiveness."

February-Aquarius A thinking month.  Move away from simply intellectual thinking and transform thoughts towards the greater good of your community, country, and planet.  Become aware which thoughts move you and others away from your Heart.  "We replace negative thoughts with heart-centered messages of good."

                                                                                     

March-Pisces A creative month.  Imagine that you and others are building a hands-around-the-globe community that embraces the unique gifts of each person while benefiting all.  Let your imagination focus on what we can create that contributes to the Universal Good.  "Feelings from our Higher Hearts hold the power of creation."

April-Aires A high energy month.  See ways that you and others can energize and motivate people in our lives and groups to feel more recognized, appreciated and valued.  Imagine everyone feeling like their talents and abilities are important.  [“You is kind, you is smart, you is important” The Help] "We see and behold the genius in everyone we encounter."

May-Taurus A hearth and home month.  Find ways to make your home so warm and inclusive that everyone who enters feel embraced.  Clean out the old; embrace Feng Shui or other principals of energy flow.  Open your space to more gatherings.  Offer food and drink for nourishment.  Imagine your home as a living Heart.  "Our homes are welcome oases of peace and beauty."

  

June-Gemini A dual nature’s month.  Get to know the oppositional sides of yourself and your group. Bring them to peace with each another. Sit down with people whose beliefs are 180 degrees from yours to find common ground for building bridges across your differences. Time to surrender analyzing everything. Trust your feelings.  " We accept all parts of ourselves to create harmony within our communities."

July- Cancer A security month.  Discover ways to make your community feel more secure-emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually.  Co-Vision lives that feel free from worry and fear. Help others release fear and worry. End subscriptions to media agencies that promote fear and worry. “Wherever we are Spirit is and all is well."

August-Leo A feeling of royalty month.  See how you can form community relationships in which member reigns as integral, valued and important.  Create more equity in your community through interdependence.  Share the power of two or more. Foster benevolence in any leadership. "All here are valued, honored and esteemed."

September-Virgo An orderly month.  Partner with others to master managing chaos as it is presented locally or globally.  Soften criticism and create pathways for ways to compliment everyone. Gather a bundle of compliments and generously gift them. Acknowledge, by name, people in service industries. "We speak only good towards others."

October-Libra A balance month.  Seek greater balance in working with others in your family, groups, and community.  Focus on the ‘we’ and the greater ‘us.’ Practice reciprocity as an infinity of give and take.  See the scales of balance in your lives become perfectly even.  "We choose balance over chaos everywhere."

November-Scorpio An intense month.  Lighten up in all your relationships; find the humor in inflamed situations.  How can you care more without emoting negative feelings?  Be willing to change entrenched patterns that are draining everyone. Change your perspectives on the holidays. See them as time of sharing Light.  "We joyfully celebrate all traditions of Light."

December-Sagittarius A fun and travel month.  See how you can contribute to making your communities feel good.  Discover where in your community there is need for nourishment and upliftment.  What Universal fun can you initiate under this influence?  "Our hearts are happy when we contribute."

2017 is a Universal 1 year.  Beginnings abound. Time, as Tennyson said, to dreams those dreams that never were and say “Why Not!” Surrender the “I,” develop the collective “We,” and affirm for the Universal “Us.”

This is the Year of Greater Community.  Build alliances for positive and inclusive change in building increasingly interdependent relationships personally, nationally, and globally. One World, One Planet, One People. “Imagine all the people, living life in peace.”

[Note:  Updated from Shaman Talk: A Nagual Woman's Wisdom]