june 2010

Summer is here in full force with luscious warm sunny days and dramatic thunder storms. The night after the exquisite May full moon was one of the most unusual light phenomenon’s I’ve ever seen. Lightning was flashing in all directions just like a psychedelic show. I wasn’t surprised when I read a description of this full moon in Sagittarius period with Uranus in Aries being described as “lightning bolt of awakening” which “electrifies other celestial giants”. This period ushers in “spontaneous innovation, unprecedented originality and adventurous experimentation”. So go for it!

Volume 2, Issue 6
June 2 , 2010 Dear Friends, Summer is here in full force with luscious warm sunny days and dramatic thunder storms. The night after the exquisite May full moon was one of the most unusual light phenomenon’s I’ve ever seen. Lightning was flashing in all directions just like a psychedelic show. I wasn’t surprised when I read a description of this full moon in Sagittarius period with Uranus in Aries being described as “lightning bolt of awakening” which “electrifies other celestial giants”. This period ushers in “spontaneous innovation, unprecedented originality and adventurous experimentation”. So go for it! We want to remind you of the many Plant Communication; Re-claiming Our Birth-rite weekends happening this teaching season. Classes will be held: July 9 -11, Asheville, North Carolina (registration deadline June 18) July 30 – August 1, Ottawa, Canada August 6- 8, Danby, Vermont September 3 – 5, Boulder, Colorado October 22 -24, Vancouver, BC, Canada Here is a brief description of this three day class: Join us for this long weekend of learning to deepen with plants by building relationship to the point of receiving their healing gifts as they become your allies for life. Discover the magnanimous nature of plants and their spirits through sensory awareness, felt sensation, shamanic journeying, spiritual plant bathing and the highly acclaimed form of focused breathing with plants called "Greenbreath". Both practical and profound, this weekend can empower your life. Please visit www.partnereartheducationcenter.com for an in-depth description and details on locations and contact persons. MARK YOUR CALENDAR Green Nations Gathering September 24-26 Visit www.greennations.org for detailed info Labyrinths by Pam Montgomery A Labyrinth is a unicursal path that leads to a central point by weaving back and forth from left to right. Some would say it is a “magical tool” that brings both our left brain analytical mind together with our right brain intuitive consciousness while journeying to the center of our being or the heart of the matter. It has been suggested that the earliest Labyrinth was formed as much as 10,000 years ago. However, rock lined or sketched remains are still present from about 3,300-5,000 years ago. As recent as 300 BCE coins from Knossos, Crete had Labyrinths etched on them. Perhaps the most famous Labyrinth is the one in Chartres Cathedral in France. My first encounter with a Labyrinth was at my friend Carole Guyett’s place in Ireland some years ago. Carole says of the Labyrinth, “A Labyrinth is an ancient symbol of transformation. It is a sacred space, a living Earth Temple, an altar to the Divine Mother, a sacred path, a meditation walk, a journey to the centre, a path of empowerment. Labyrinths guard, activate and amplify the spiritual energies of a place so that a person who walks a Labyrinth can experience a feeling of grace, peace or holiness in their heart, soul and spirit.” I was so inspired by the Labyrinth ceremony she conducted I came home determined to build my own Labyrinth. A couple years later a lovely woman by the name of Jocelyn McDonald came with her children to Sweetwater Sanctuary and helped me lay out a Labyrinth with stakes and string. This crude rendition was enough for me to begin to experience the walking of the Labyrinth on a regular basis. What I have found is that the Labyrinth is a living temple where direct access to spirit is possible. It is a container of sacred space where challenges can be met, questions can be answered, guidance can be received and healing can take place. As Carole suggests, “A labyrinth is a mini-pilgrimage into your own Self: an opportunity to encounter who you are. It symbolizes turning inwards. Each time we go within we are transformed, however slightly. We will have learned something and also been in communion with spirit, which will have altered our innermost being. We turn inwards and this is always followed by a return to the outer or everyday world, bearing the spiritual insights we have gained. More recently I began making Sweetwater Sanctuary plant essences in the Labyrinth with truly amazing results from these preparations. You can learn more about these essences at www.plantspirithealing.com. I also have my students work with the Labyrinth encouraging them to walk it regularly as a way to open to spirit. The Labyrinth in process here at Sweetwater serves as a focal point for some of our ceremonies. There are many kinds of Labyrinths and the one here at Sweetwater is a classical seven tiered one. This gives the added dimension of working with the seven directions and the seven chakras within its structure. Over the years we have begun outlining the paths with stones but it takes hundreds of stones to complete a Labyrinth. As we have grown in relationship with the Labyrinth our desire to complete the paths has grown. With this in mind we would like to invite you to join us on June 21, Summer Solstice, for a day of completing the Labyrinth (carrying lots of stones) culminating in a ceremonial Labyrinth walk. This particular Solstice is also World Peace and Prayer Day and, according to Lakota Chief Arvol Looking Horse, an honoring of sacred sites day. What an auspicious day to complete the Sweetwater Sanctuary Labyrinth!
Partner Earth Education Center 1525 Danby Mountain Road Danby, Vermont 05739 802-293-5996

We want to remind you of the many Plant Communication; Re-claiming Our Birth-rite weekends happening this teaching season. Classes will be held:

Here is a brief description of this three day class: Join us for this long weekend of learning to deepen with plants by building relationship to the point of receiving their healing gifts as they become your allies for life. Discover the magnanimous nature of plants and their spirits through sensory awareness, felt sensation, shamanic journeying, spiritual plant bathing and the highly acclaimed form of focused breathing with plants called "Greenbreath". Both practical and profound, this weekend can empower your life. Please visit www.partnereartheducationcenter.com for an in-depth description and details on locations and contact persons.

A Labyrinth is a unicursal path that leads to a central point by weaving back and forth from left to right. Some would say it is a “magical tool” that brings both our left brain analytical mind together with our right brain intuitive consciousness while journeying to the center of our being or the heart of the matter. It has been suggested that the earliest Labyrinth was formed as much as 10,000 years ago. However, rock lined or sketched remains are still present from about 3,300-5,000 years ago. As recent as 300 BCE coins from Knossos, Crete had Labyrinths etched on them. Perhaps the most famous Labyrinth is the one in Chartres Cathedral in France.

My first encounter with a Labyrinth was at my friend Carole Guyett’s place in Ireland some years ago. Carole says of the Labyrinth, “A Labyrinth is an ancient symbol of transformation. It is a sacred space, a living Earth Temple, an altar to the Divine Mother, a sacred path, a meditation walk, a journey to the centre, a path of empowerment. Labyrinths guard, activate and amplify the spiritual energies of a place so that a person who walks a Labyrinth can experience a feeling of grace, peace or holiness in their heart, soul and spirit.” I was so inspired by the Labyrinth ceremony she conducted I came home determined to build my own Labyrinth. A couple years later a lovely woman by the name of Jocelyn McDonald came with her children to Sweetwater Sanctuary and helped me lay out a Labyrinth with stakes and string. This crude rendition was enough for me to begin to experience the walking of the Labyrinth on a regular basis. What I have found is that the Labyrinth is a living temple where direct access to spirit is possible. It is a container of sacred space where challenges can be met, questions can be answered, guidance can be received and healing can take place.

As Carole suggests, “A labyrinth is a mini-pilgrimage into your own Self: an opportunity to encounter who you are. It symbolizes turning inwards. Each time we go within we are transformed, however slightly. We will have learned something and also been in communion with spirit, which will have altered our innermost being. We turn inwards and this is always followed by a return to the outer or everyday world, bearing the spiritual insights we have gained.

More recently I began making Sweetwater Sanctuary plant essences in the Labyrinth with truly amazing results from these preparations. You can learn more about these essences at www.plantspirithealing.com. I also have my students work with the Labyrinth encouraging them to walk it regularly as a way to open to spirit. The Labyrinth in process here at Sweetwater serves as a focal point for some of our ceremonies.

There are many kinds of Labyrinths and the one here at Sweetwater is a classical seven tiered one. This gives the added dimension of working with the seven directions and the seven chakras within its structure. Over the years we have begun outlining the paths with stones but it takes hundreds of stones to complete a Labyrinth. As we have grown in relationship with the Labyrinth our desire to complete the paths has grown. With this in mind we would like to invite you to join us on June 21, Summer Solstice, for a day of completing the Labyrinth (carrying lots of stones) culminating in a ceremonial Labyrinth walk. This particular Solstice is also World Peace and Prayer Day and, according to Lakota Chief Arvol Looking Horse, an honoring of sacred sites day. What an auspicious day to complete the Sweetwater Sanctuary Labyrinth!