Home is Where The Heart Is

The other title I had for this month's summary of the New Moon Ceremony was you can't make this shit up.  Each month I have a slightly different theme and basically because of a recent experience of rebuilding homes in New Orleans.  While building a fence we were using a level.  And I was struck by the simplicity of seeing how something was in balance and by looking at the bubble you can see if you need to shift a little to the left, right, up or down.  Quite handy tool so as a fan of metaphors, I was started thinking what is my mental/emotional level in life.  What helps me figure out that I need a little tweaking before I go fully our of whack.  And the answer was clearly the Pachakuti Mesa and Meditation, which is what I share every month in the New Moon ceremonies, workshops and individual work with others.

I was inspired to dedicate this month to Home.   The concept of home has always struck me because I clearly remember my first weekend with my teach Oscar Miro-Quesada.  I went in called to go but truly not really knowing what I signed up for.  I often says, I went in with no expectations or attachments and he exceed every one.  And most clearly I left feeling that I had found home.  Being with this community and working with the mesa gave me a profound sense of home on day one and continues to do so.  I have also dabbled in many different traditions and have used that same sense of home as my barometer for anything I integrate into my life.  In fact, when I decided to meet Harshada, my Living Meditation teacher, I wasn't looking for a teacher, but found another sense of home.

I have heard many stories from people on the resonance this theme has had for them and I may be able to right a novel but there are two that I want to share.  On the morning of the ceremony I had received an email from my dear friend/sister Jesse.  She was planning on being a Dream Work participant.  She was picking up the ashes of her dog and wanted to know if we can incorporate the ashes.  I said absolutely.  And after further pondering, I realized the perfection in having the ashes of Franny who had returned home.  The other incredible coincidence is that Jesse put Franny to rest on the same weekend I was in New Orleans.  This wouldn't have been time better if I tried.  Jesse and I sat at my mesa a little and I told her to place the ashes where ever she was call.  As you can see in picture of Franny's ashes, in the southeast.  I know it's because Jesse was called to a piece I call the Nurturing Warrior and you'll also notice the rose quartz skull right next to it.  In shamanism, Death is fully embraced as the metaphorical catalyst for transformation and new beginnings.

Next "coincidence" is related to me.  And I have to go back a year to explain.  Last August my friend was in town from California and introduced me to her work with the Native American Church and Tipi Ceremonies.  After participating I had purchased a heart locket to remind me of the experience.  The day she left and I was in the office I realized that I had lost the locket.  This locket actually screws into the piece that attaches to the chain, so the chain was intact but my heart had loosened and fallen off.  I tried not to get upset and just went on with my morning.  I later realized that while I was on the subway, she had left me a voicemail on my cell phone.  When she had arrived at the airport she stopped in the restroom and out popped my heart.  Apparently when I hugged her good bye the heart fell into her shirt and then pants instead of the street.  I laughed and laughed at the perfection.  I knew my heart was in good hands and would eventually get it back.

So now we go to the ceremony.  The actual new moon was on Wed. evening.  I often use a grace period of 24 hours plus or minus around life.  I was supposed to participate in a conference call and be available on call Wed. evening so I decided to have it Thursday.  My friend flew into NYC on Thursday and was able to come to the ceremony.  Not only was it great to have my soul sister there as that certainly feels like home but at the ceremony she lovingly returned the cedar in a beautiful box/treasure chest filled with cedar and rose petals. As I trusted she took great care of my heart.  And my heart returned home at the perfect time.  And it's experiences like these two that really give me a sense of trust in the perfection of life.   If I tried to coordinate any of it, never would have happened.  As they say, once you make a plan God Laughs.  But when the perfection happens without planning, I know I get a big giggle out of it.




So the ceremony was fabulous if I do say so myself.   As usual we went through the theme of surrender or deconstruction, making sure we clear away the rubble so that we will have a stable base on which to build.  Then we planted seeds and began construction on our new home.  Since rocks represent the element of earth, physicality and structure in my tradition, we worked with stones.  Each attendee chose a stone from a bag that I had from a collection from my different pilgrimages.  In my tradition we refer to the stones as khuyes, which means containers of affection.  And truly they are that and so willing to help us.  For the dream workers, I chose a stone through a dharma pole methodology.  Prior to the ceremony, I wrapped each of the stones with the dream workers surrenderings and put them in the south of the mesa, the direction related to earth/structure/form.  On top of it were the pieces of paper with the seeds.

After the attendees released what no longer served them into the stones they had chosen.  I unwrapped the surrenderings, We dowsed khuyes with florida water and used fire to burn off and transform any remaining density so that we would have a clear base on which to build our homes.  Prior to going through the planting of seeds guided meditation (and each of the dream workers khuyes was on top of your respective seeds),  I reminded the attendees of Luke 6:48 "He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."  So the seeds

It may seem like double dipping, but it wouldn't be a Lulu Loving Life Ceremony if we didn't build a garland of dreams.  So those same seeds that were planted upon the stones/khuyes were transferred into the daisy blossoms and woven.

Now that the oxygen mask was put on ourselves we offered our prayers for others into the green spider mum you'll see.  For the dream workers I printed four participants per origami crane and they were transferred in as well.  (For those that are curious, all of the papers that were printed were burned and the ashes will be offered to a tree outside my apartment that I call the Heart tree, as it has one naturally etched into the bark.)

We closed the ceremony and then went off to the East River where we offered both Franny's ashes as well as the garland of dreams.  I typically take a picture of it in the water; however, because there were many people out on that glorious night I went to a spot that wasn't lit very well.  Although I found a spot that had large rocks exposed.  Because of the poor light, every picture I took came out black.  So your going to have to trust me and I'm hoping if you got this far that means your read my "coincidences" and trust comes a little easier.


Welcome Home and We're Definitely Not In Kansas Any More?