MORE THAN JUST HEARTS AND FLOWERS

Nellie Harst & Rudi Harst

    This Sunday is Mother's Day, and economists are predicting another record year of spending across the nation for this special day. Last year, Americans spent an average of $172 per family on buying Mom jewelry, flowers, gift cards and meals, totaling approximately $21 billion - and there's every reason to believe that this year's total will be significantly higher.

     Not that there's anything wrong with buying stuff. I'm pretty sure that my son, Mateo, and I will do something special for Zet this weekend, and it's a safe bet that some of her favorite foods and flowers will be involved, and that money will be spent.

MORE THAN EVER

     But, celebrating Mother's Day can involve much more than just buying presents, sending cards or heaping sweet words on one special person. Because this day is also a great opportunity to feel our deep spiritual connection to the Divine Mother, and digest the complex stew of thoughts, feelings and energies which she engenders.

     I believe that's why Mother's Day is usually one of our best-attended Sunday Circles of the year. As we build a communal altar with photos and mementos of our mothers, bring up fond memories, and send forth blessings to our loved ones, the room inevitably gets filled to the brim with deep feelings, songs, poems, and prayers focused on our collective experience of the Divine Mother - as well as our individual Mothers.

 MORE THAN YOU KNOW 

     But, I also know that every year there are a number of people who hesitate to attend our Mother's Day Circle. Perhaps they're still grieving their recently deceased Loved One. Or, perhaps because they had painful, dysfunctional relationships with their parent(s) - and are therefore reluctant to attend such a "happy space," where everyone else seems so much more positive.

     Should you happen to feel like that this Sunday, please consider attending anyway. Because as much as we enjoy focusing on peace, love and joy in the Circle, we also affirm the power that can come from facing and embracing the full spectrum of our thoughts and feelings in the context of the shared rituals, poetry, artistry, songs and silence we foster in the Circle. That's because our purpose is to honor and nurture the Sacred in ourselves, each other and ALL Creation - not just the fun stuff, the good feelings and smiley faces - but the dark places, the shadow spaces and the healing graces, too.

 MORE PERSPECTIVES

     To that end, we are very fortunate to have Dr. Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba as our guest speaker this Sunday, sharing her deep, cross-cultural insight into the nature of the Divine Mother - not just as a historical figure, but as a vital force in contemporary spirituality as well. She is one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, having conducted extensive research and fieldwork throughout Europe, the Near East and Latin America for over 20 years.

     In any case, wherever you are and however you choose to celebrate Mother's Day, I hope you will take a few moments to join us in consciousness on Sunday morning, as together we embrace the Divine Mother alive in us all.

With love and blessings,

      Rudi