Originally published on Amani Resources website, January 1, 2013
During the final weeks of December, my husband and I joined Reverend Price of the Trilogy Institute and six others in Mount Shasta, Ca. to celebrate our connection to the Earth, to Spirit and to one another. At the base of one of the Seven Sacred Mountains of the World, we steeped in symbolic revelry. On 12-21-12, we welcomed a day representing the end of the Mayan calendar and beginning of heightened universal awareness. During the winter solstice — a time of cleansing and renewal — we gathered in the North, the height of the Native American Medicine Wheel, and hastened our shift. Visualizing the internal work of winter we buried old patterns and prepared ourselves for the next cycle of reconstruction, purpose and peace. Together we built foundations for new perspectives, new intentions and a new Earth. – Panya
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Soul Story: Shasta Spirit
By Tasneem Grace Tewogbola
Kneeling at the foot of Mount Shasta, lit by the rays of a winter solstice sun, we gather to get new.
Beneath a canopy of towering evergreens and wind-whipped clouds,
in a room warmed by heat and healing, we sit circled like the globe and we praise the miracle of rebirth.
As sister and brother and husbands and wives and partners and friends,
we join at a sacred time, in this sacred place,
to shed all that is old, outdated and overused.
We huddle together, blowing puffs of white smoke,
as divine insights blanket us like freshly fallen snow.
Here, at the base of a slumbering volcano, we exhale fear-speak and inhale truth:
These are the first days, not the last.
We are born again, swaddled soul-deep in beginnings.
We are womb-fresh. Clean. New.
And we are nine.
Five women and four men who represent the sacred number of completion and resolution.
We are nine, each person a creator of sanctuary, a believer of symbolism.
We come nine-strong on 12-21-12, a day with digits that equal nine.
We gather for seven days. Snow holds us captive for two.
Our journey lasts nine days long.
In this Northern zone of fairy trails and roaring quiet,
at the top of the Medicine Wheel,
in this place known by millions worldwide for its ancient atmosphere of clarity,
purity and peace, we unveil ourselves.
Our instincts and idiosyncrasies find a home on this mountain.
Our gifts invite contemplation.
Our gratitude constructs community.
The Lover Unconditional ushers us toward inner peace and acceptance.
The Free Spirit delights with the power of play.
The Storyteller brings soft-spoken sistership.
The Gem speaks of the wonders of surrounding minerals and stone.
The Seer, despite blind eyes, greets everyone with perfect soulsight.
The Seeker celebrates her SpiritWork and natural flow toward joy.
The Wanderer shares culinary creations.
The Old Soul taps into intuition with the ease of an elder.
The Joyous bounces in bliss as Spirit summons her to higher service.
We meditate. We breathe deep. We soak in hot water. We walk in cold air.
We tend our gardens.
Shoveling beneath frigid story and struggle, we find fertile ground soft enough to shift.
We plant seeds and water our consciousness with purpose.
On the Earth’s longest night, faith and courage take root.
We speak life to a great harvest.
Here, in this time of hibernation, we awaken to cyclical revelation.
Nature, Life and Love all whisper the same wisdom ---
on mountain peaks and below:
Beginnings follow the end.
Light illuminates the dark.
Faith defeats doubt
And joy – when we know to await its arrival – rises new in the morning.
