A Full Moon Ceremony

In honor of the super full moon tonight I am sharing a simple ceremony that we do at my house every month.

What is the purpose of spiritual ceremonies and prayers? Are they just meaningless gestures and words, repeated without thought? Do they serve a purpose for those who have left behind the traditional organized religions in favor of a more spiritual one -on -one relationship with God or the Universal Life Energy?

In order to understand the importance that rituals, ceremonies, and prayers play in our spiritual growth it is important to understand the benefits of practicing them in the proper way. If you are not practicing them with emotional energy then they are just words and movements. So a simple background in energy is necessary first:

The Universe is made up of energy. Every physical thing is energy, condensed and formed into everything we see in this world. Beyond what our limited human senses can perceive, the energy of the Universe permeates and interconnects everything. Whenever you feel an emotion it is emitted out as energy from you. This emotional energy forms connections to other energy beings (humans, animals, etc) Think of them as strings. The more emotions you have for someone, the more energetic strings of attachment you have connecting you to each other.

The Universal Life Energy, or all the energy of this Universe combined is what most people call God. The bigger the energy system, the more consciousness it has. God is made up of everything, so it is the Alpha and Omega, omnipotent, and omnipresent~ the beginning and the end, knowing all things and everywhere at the same time.

Now, let's go back to the importance of ceremonies and prayers. Basically, ritualistic words and actions help us to focus on our intent and to elicit an emotional response in alignment with our intent. Intent without emotion is powerless. Prayers without emotion are just words, and ceremonies without emotion are just gestures. The feelings behind the rituals are what drives the results. Think of the prayers as vehicles and emotions as gas. The vehicle has the potential to get you where you want to go, your intent is the destination, but without gas it is just a plan that never gets put into action.

The proper use of ceremonies, then, is to help us to engage our attention and focus on our intent, and to aid us in evoking the emotional energy to drive the intent to fruition. I have found that designing my own prayers and rituals has brought them more personal meaning and enabled me to really get into the mood. The following is a full moon ceremony that I perform with friends every month. Feel free to customize it as you make it your own.

Full Moon Ceremony

RELEASE: The first part is lighting a small outdoor fire at sunset. This ritual involves releasing anything that no longer serves you, emotionally or physically. Some examples would be releasing resentments, anger, emotional pain, unhealthy habits, etc. Each person holds a stick and concentrates on what they wish to release, imagining all the negative emotions and actions going into the stick. Then the sticks are thrown into the fire. As the stick burns, each person brings up as much feeling as possible evoking the emotional release of whatever was ailing them. The feeling of being free of this negative emotion is what is required. It is an act of letting go of the pain and filling the hole with the loving energy of wholeness.

RESPECTS: Then we take time to pay our respects those who have passed, honor the Universal Energy Force for feeling our prayers, and sending white light loving energy out into those we love and then extend out into the world. You can use a prayer something like this:

Oh God, we thank you, and feel gratitude in our hearts for this opportunity to experience this life. (Silent moments of intense loving emotion sent to God)
So let it be...
We send our loving thoughts and loving energy to those who have passed from our lives, and our gratitude for our time spent with them. (Silent moments of intense loving emotion sent to them)
So let it be...
Tonight, specifically, I would like to concentrate and send love to ______. I honor their past presence in my life and am grateful for the experience. (Silent moments of intense loving emotion toward this person.)
So let it be....
Let our loving energy extend out into the world. (Silent moments of intense loving emotion sent to the world.)

REFLECTIONS: Then we take a few minutes to watch the full moon and reflect on our past or present, to find life lessons, and to come to a feeling of gratitude for all that we have experienced. It is advisable to be very specific in this exercise, as trying to reflect on too much may dull the intensity of the emotion.

Suggestions to contemplate:

• your childhood relationship with your Mother, Father, or a sibling.
• Your relationship with an ex-love
• your current relationship with one specific person.
• How a specific event affected you and the lessons you can now see because you experienced it
• A current situation of concern- forming an intent of a loving outcome for all.

REAFFIRMING INTENT: Then we each light an incense stick, while silently repeating our intent for the future. Again it is advisable to work on a specific intent to evoke the intensity of emotion. Think of the end result of your intent. Imagine you are living there now, and how it feels to be living this past dream. Imagine it like you remembering it as strong as a vivid memory. Feel the emotion of your creation as long as possible. As the smoke rises from the incense stick, let it be a representation of your emotional intent rising up to fruition. So let it be...

GRATITUDE: Simple prayer: God we are grateful for Life, Love, and this opportunity to come together as a group and commune with Universal Life and each other. (A few moments of intense feeling and silence) Amen

Then we have group discussion and enjoy each others company.

Be happy, my friends-

Laura Barrette Shannon

author of Be Happy Now: Simple Steps for Enjoying Life

Rising from Darkness

"Adversity is like a strong wind.  It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are." ~ Arthur Golden

In everyone's life, relationships will end, health may decline, and people will pass on.  We all have to deal with loss and grief eventually.  It is important to allow your emotions to flow, to allow yourself to feel any way that you feel, without judging or suppressing your emotions.  Let the emotions flow, then let them go.  The sadness will eventually pass if you process the emotions with the knowledge that this too shall pass.  

Part of being happy and enjoying life is learning to move through the low tides without getting stuck.  Some people have a tendency to cling to loss much longer than it is healthy.  There may be thoughts of what-ifs, should-have-beens, or even blame.  All of these thoughts are unhealthy and will not help you move out of the darkness.  There are others who cling to their loss like a victim.  They become attached to their pain.  They think that by letting go of emotional pain, they are dishonoring the relationship- as if by not feeling sad they are expressing to the world that their relationship wasn't that strong.  These types of thoughts can keep them in the darkness for the rest of their lives.  There is no dishonor in moving past grief and being happy again.  When we cling to grief, we dishonor our own life and our own spirit.  I realized this after my eleven year old daughter, Nicole, died in 2000.  There were times when my victim mentality would creep into my mind and tell me lies about how i should never be happy again.  I came to the decision that the best way to honor her memory was to move forward and make the best of my life.  It is then that instead of destroying my life, her death became a catalyst for personal transformation.  It is in this way that your greatest loss can be your greatest gift.  Allow yourself to move through it, instead of getting stuck in it or trying to forget it.  Remember, what seems like a tragic circumstance can be used as a lesson to move you to a higher level of awareness.

Many blessings to those of you that are going through a dark time in your life right now.  Please know that you can move through even the darkest time in your life, if you allow yourself.

Lesson:

You can move through even the darkest time in your life, if you allow yourself.

Exercise:

Ask yourself if you are emotionally stuck in the grief of a personal loss.  If you are, begin to give yourself permission to move through the grief process toward a feeling of peace.  Begin to believe that a devastating loss doesn't have to wound you forever.  Begin to believe that you deserve to be happy again.

Make a conscious choice to steer your trains of thought toward the present and the future when you find yourself focused on what you have lost.

You may find these affirmations helpful:

"It is okay to be happy again."

"I am more than my greatest loss."

"I am grateful for this opportunity to transform myself."

"What does not kill me makes me stronger, 

and compels me to connect with who I am."

"Go is always here to support and strengthen me."

Exercise Helps Elevate Moods

Walking daily will help depression.

Our physical bodies have an effect on our emotional bodies. If we

are physically out of shape, it can have an enormous effect on

how we feel emotionally. When we take steps to stay physically healthy

and fit, we are increasing our emotional health as well.

Exercise doesn’t have to be difficult or vigorous to affect your

emotional body. Exercising, even with just a short walk, will increase

your oxygen intake, relieve stress, and elevate your mood. Walking is

one of the best and easiest activities to relieve stress.

Make walking a daily habit. Even if you only walk for fifteen

minutes, it will make a difference in the way you feel both physically

and emotionally. Walk outside when possible and gain the added benefits

of fresh air and sunshine. Take a friend or family member for a walk

and you’ll have quality bonding time.

As you walk, pay attention to all the sights, sounds, and smells.

This brings your awareness to the present, which makes it a walking

meditation. Make walking a daily habit and you will be exercising your

body and easing your mind at the same time. Walk more and enjoy life

more.

I cannot over emphasize the importance of exercise for those of

you who are prone to depression or are bi-polar. Whenever I feel the

downward pull of my cycle towards depression, if I force myself to keep

walking daily, it really helps to keep me from spiraling further into

depression. Walking is one of my most important tools for maintaining

stability and balance during emotional swings.

Lesson:

Exercise helps elevate moods.

Exercise:

Incorporate some form of exercise into your life. At the very least,

make walking a daily habit. If you start exercising every day, you will

reap the benefits both physically and mentally.

Tree Meditation

Lay under or sit against a tree. Take your hands and feel the cool grass or Earth beneath you. Imagine the intricate root system of life growing under you. You are lying within the life energy of the tree. Feel the energy. Watch the movement and pay attention to the shadows of the leaves as they move. The tree is alive. Connect with this living system of energy.  When other thoughts come to your mind, let them pass through.  A train of thought without a passenger to pick up will fly right by and not stop.  Refocus on your surroundings.  What do you feel? What do you hear?  What do you smell?  Commune with the movement of the leaves as they dance in music of the wind.  What is the song about?

When we take time to reconnect with nature, we are reconnecting with ourselves.  We are not a part from nature, but a part of nature.  Knowing this, you can come home any time.  Be one with nature and be happy, my friends!

Laura Barrette Shannon

Feed the Birds

Bird feeding isn't just for children and old people. Take a few minutes to connect with your natural world by feeding the birds. Watch them fly, watch them eat, watch them interact with each other. Connect with them . We get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget that we are part of nature too. We are not separate or above the natural world.  It is us.  When we are constantly disconnected from our natural surroundings it creates disharmony in our spirit.

Being in balance with nature is an integral part of being spiritually and emotionally balanced.  When we spend time feeling the connection it rejuvenates our spirit and relaxes our mind and body.  

If you live near a beach or a park, make an effort to spend some time relaxing there, connecting with the wild life.  If you are lucky enough to have a yard with wildlife, set up a bird feeder or bird bath.  One of my favorite outdoor meditations is to just sit in my own backyard and feel the connection around me.  It draws you mind away from everything else for a little while.  You will feel refreshed and recharged.   And besides being a great outdoor meditation it's a relaxing way to give back to nature. It's cold outside, feed the birds and feed your spirit too!

Laura Barrette Shannon

Holiday Happiness Recipe

Holiday Happiness Recipe

Ingredients:  Spirit, Family, Friends, Presence

The key to making Happy Holidays is to remember the meaning behind the Holidays is based in spiritual traditions.  The purpose of all the Holidays this season is to honor and celebrate Spirit.  If we look at the word Holiday it is a combination of Holy and day, thus a Holiday is a Holy day by definition.  So the main ingredient in our recipe for happy Holidays is to remember why we are celebrating in the first place. Take time to ponder the spiritual significance of your faith as you perform the various rituals of the Holy day.  In addition to any customary practices of the Holiday, you may wish to incorporate some personal reflection time, where you can relax as well as renew your spirit.  Try this simple fire meditation:

Light the Fire Within:

Oh, Lord, we honor thee, With fire burning bright Reflecting the warm delight In our hearts tonight.

Tonight, light a candle or sit by an open fire, and take a few minutes to connect with Spirit. Concentrate on the flickering of the flames, as you gently release the outside world.  Breath deeply and slowly, allowing all thoughts to flow by without attachment.  Relax into the light.  Feel the love of Spirit in the warmth.  Relax and rejuvenate your soul. ♥ ♥ ♥

The next ingredient in our Happy Holidays is to mix together family, friends, and presence.  Of all the holidays past, what I remember most is the warmth and love I felt at the many family feasts and friendly gatherings. I remember not the physical presents, but the physical presence of those I loved and those who loved me.  It is not the temporary toy or gift certificate that you will recall many years later.  You will remember the love, the acceptance, the laughter, and the joy of being together.  Give the gift of presence and you give the gift of loving memories for a lifetime.

My friends, make the Holidays Happy,  

many blessings~

Laura

The Power of Silence

In Eastern cultures it is a natural part of growing up.  Their children are taught, and regularly practice meditation to calm the soul and connect with spirit.  They understand the value and necessity of silencing the body and mind for mental health.  The importance of balance is well understood and actively practiced.  

Silence is music to the soul.   Our culture, especially this time of year, bombards us with audio and visual stimuli and the stress of over scheduled agendas.  Too much physical and mental activity drowns out our still small voice of intuition, disconnecting us from Spirit.  Take a few minutes every day to just BE. In the sounds of silence you will feel the calming stillness of inner peace.  

Silence...

quietly sings

breathes peace

frees thought

brings release

Silence...

connects one

to the source

allows unity

guides course

Silence...

relaxes mind

clears chatter

relieves worry

so fears shatter

Silence...

charges soul

renews self

taps knowledge

of innate wealth

(From Awakening Perception, 2006)

Exercise:

Sit or lay still, relaxing your body.  Breath deeply and slowly.  Concentrate on your breath as it fills your body with oxygenating life force.  Feel the stress leaving your body as you exhale.  You can do this simple stress relieving exercise any time you feel overwhelmed, or just want to reconnect with Spirit.  Even just a few minutes will help regain emotional and spiritual balance.  Start practicing this simple meditation every day and you will begin to embrace silence as your sanctuary.

Remember to Relax

In honor of Labor Day let us be reminded of the importance of balancing work and relaxation. Many households need two incomes or multiple jobs to make ends meet. This can create stress and feelings of being over worked. Learn to incorporate mini relaxation breaks throughout the day to de-stress and relax. Here are some 5 minute break ideas:
* Get up and walk, going outside if possible. Even a... brief 5 minute walk will stretch your legs and boost your energy.
* Go outside and sit in the sunlight for a few minutes. Think of nothing but what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Relax.
* Rainy? Take a mini visual vacation: Sit somewhere with light, imagine yourself somewhere sunny, really FEEL the sunshine on your face, breathe deeply, energize, enjoy!
* If your job lacks socialization, take a few minutes to call someone to stay socialized. If your job involves an abundance of communication, take a few minutes to just be alone and breath deeply.
Happy Labor Day!

Laura Barrette Shannon

Eat Happy!

(photo from img.letmeget.net)

EAT HAPPY- When we make healthy food choices we not only promote a healthy body, we give our bodies what they need for a healthy mind. Foods that aid mood regulation are high in Omega-3 fatty acids (such as avocado, coconut, soy, flax seed, and fish), and high in nutrition (fresh fruits and vegetables). Foods that can work against you are high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup, most junk food, and fast foods. These tend to fluctuate the blood sugar levels to extremes which creates irritability and fatigue. 

 Learn to eat happy, and be happy, my Friends,

  Laura Barrette Shannon