New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| Throughout history, women and men have withdrawn (retreated) from the world around them in order to contemplate problems, focus energy, or engage in spiritual growth. You, too, can invoke the power of the cloistered retreat, and the settling energy of the New (Dark) Moon provides a perfect opportunity. Your retreat can be anywhere from hours to days long. Arrange a time and place off your usual radar screen, giving you the quiet needed to reflect and evaluate. Timing your retreat with the Dark Moon will "sync" your efforts with her gathering energies. Identify a purpose for your getaway: you may want time to study, meditate, or practice a magical skill. Or, perhaps you're completing a period of initiation or transition and would like time to reflect. Go alone, and begin your retreat with an agenda, but leave time for spontaneity. Eat lightly to keep your mind unbound. Leave the computer and cell phone behind. While on retreat, embrace the silence. Listen to it. Welcome it. Allow yourself to hear and respond to your own inner voice, the well from which personal growth and insight spring. Be ready for the moments of revelation that gift you with new knowledge and directions.
Holiday lore: Today is the first day of the season for climbing Mt. Fuji in Yamabiraki, Japan. Mt. Fuji is the highest peak in Japan and is revered in Japanese culture. Considered the foremother or grandmother of Japan, Fuji is an ancient fire goddess of the indigenous Ainu people. In modern times, the Ainu mostly resided on the northern island of Hokkaido. The name Fuji was derived from an Ainu word that means "fire" or "deity of fire." Each year since the Meiji era, a summer festival has been held to proclaim the beginning of the climbing season and to pray for the safety of local inhabitants and visitors or pilgrims to the sacred mountain. The two-month climbing season begins today and ends on August 30. |
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