ACCEPTING YOUR GIFT

 If you've been around the Celebration Circle for a while, you probably won't be surprised that my Holiday Gift to you this year is the same one I often extend, in one form or the other. It's the Precious Present. A simple reminder that this present moment is infinitely valuable and precious, containing limitless possibilities and the potential for truly experiencing a "Peace that passes all understanding." It's priceless; not even the richest person in the world can buy this moment. But it's also very fragile and easy to lose track of in the whirl of everyday activity.

 

OFFERING THE GIFT

     That's why I'm inviting you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season and accept this gift of the Precious Present. It's not really mine to give, because only you can give it to yourself, just as only you can receive it. So my gift is simply the process of reminding you of your gift.

 

RECEIVING THE GIFT

     It's not a new gift, yet it's always fresh and sweet - and you're always free to do whatever you want with it. Savor it alone in silence, or share it with a quiet group of meditators; use your Divine Imagination to send it out through a noisy group of friends or wrap it around a whole world full of total strangers, if you'd like. There are no limits to this gift.

     In any case, won't you take a few minutes - or even just a handful of seconds - to breathe calmly, sink into this Precious Present... and send silent affirmations of inner peace, strength and joy to every cell and fiber of your Being... 

 

RE-GIFTING THE GIFT

     And then, if you're willing, maybe you'll even join me in "re-gifting" by sending your awareness of this Precious Present out to someone else, or perhaps direct it to all beings everywhere, literally sending your Inner Joy to the World. It truly is "the gift that keeps on giving" - and is especially welcome at this time of the Winter Solstice, as we affirm Light and Hope in the face of darkness.

With blessings to you and your Loved Ones, and best wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year, 

     Rudi Harst

MARVELOUS NEWS

If you've been reading, you know that we kicked off our Year End Campaign at the end of November with a goal of raising $20,000 by December 31. Well, so far we have raised $14,832.14. THANK YOU to all who have donated and THANK YOU to those that will. Please continue to hold abundance for the Celebration Circle in your heart. And if you would like to help us reach our goal you can make a one time or a recurring donation by clicking here

. Every amount makes a difference! We can do this together because We Are One!

With gratitude for the gift that you are,

     Zet Baer

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

Share Your Love

Dear Friend,

Usually I use this space to tell a story. This time, I'm writing to express deep gratitude for your loving support and to request your continued care for Celebration Circle by making a special year-end donation. Thanks in advance for taking a moment to consider this request!

 

Your continued support will provide the resources we need to share our inclusive, creative approach to spirituality with an ever-growing number of folks who are seeking an affirmative, non-dogmatic spiritual home and a message of unity in these divisive times. You know the difference the Circle can make in our lives!

 

Here's why I'm reaching out to at this time: Our Circle's income is down 15% from last year, while our expenses have risen due to unforeseen events.  Celebration Circle is recuperating from the costs of hiring additional guest speakers and musicians during the months that Zet and I were convalescing from our car wreck.  Most importantly, we had to postpone our annual Sacred Art of Altars fundraiser indefinitely, due to construction delays at the Bijou Theater, resulting in a major loss of revenue.  Add to that the rising cost of supplies and technical services and you get the big picture.

                     

To balance our budget, we need to raise $20,000 by December 31, 2018.  The good news is that since we started our Year End Campaign, we have raised $8,181.14, which is 40% of our goal!!! Those serving on the Council of Stewards are giving out of their own pockets, working diligently to raise funds in various ways, and revising the budget and funding structure for 2019.  With your help, we can accomplish this goal by year's end, and continue to honor and nurture the Sacred in ourselves, each other and all Creation.

 

No doubt you know many people in our community who, like you, have been deeply touched by the Circle's mission to honor and nurture their individual paths and the Oneness of All.  Not everyone in our community is able to make a gift at this time, but if you have the means, please join with us in making the most generous gift you can. You can also pledge your support at this time by making a recurring gift, paid in monthly or weekly installments over the year. 

 

Please consider sharing your love by making a donation today, either by clicking here to donate online or by mailing a check to our office, Celebration Circle, 1830 E. Pyron Ave., San Antonio, TX 78223. With your help, we will continue to affirm that Love is the only Power, as we watch our Circle grow in 2019 and beyond.

 

With gratitude for your past support, and prayers for our future, 

Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

CHOOSING TO MAKE A CHOICE

     Once again, I find myself sitting at my desk feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks, projects and communications demanding my time and attention today. But rather than give in to that feeling, I make a conscious choice to pause, take a few breaths and focus on my purpose for sitting in this chair. I recall my purpose statement, written several years ago, but still resonant in my soul as I remember and repeat it now:  "I am here to experience, explore and express the free flow of Spirit moving to and through me, as I co-create a world of harmony, prosperity and peace now."

 

REMEMBERING TO CHOOSE

     Taking this opportunity to re-frame my tasks in the larger context of my Life Purpose helps me remember that I'm not here just to mark things off my To Do List. This is not a race or a contest that I can win or lose. I'm simply here to do my best to experience, explore and express Life flowing through me. Not just for my own sake, but for the sake of helping co-create a world of harmony, prosperity and peace. To be Present, Peaceful and Prospered. No more, no less.

 

CHOOSING TO REMEMBER

     Yes, there are still multiple tasks waiting to be handled, and, yes, they are mine to do. And, yes, it's easy for all of this to sound (and feel) a bit grandiose. So what? The fact remains, that over the years, whenever I've been able to be fully present and at peace with whatever/whoever I am faced with, I've experienced an abundance of time and resources to deal with the challenges. I choose to believe that as long as I remember to operate out of a sense of purpose, rather than from my ego, I will be "prospered" - in the original sense of original Latin word prosperare, meaning "to do well." It may or may not involve money, but it always involves a sense of ease and joy.

 

FORGETTING TO CHOOSE

     Of course, I'd forgotten all of this a little while ago. I forget all of this on a regular basis. That's okay, too. Because forgetting just means I get another chance to remember. Whatever tasks or lessons I'm facing, I can exercise my free will to see my circumstances as being onerous or hard - or choose to view them as being opportunities to experience limitless love and abundance of energy in expression. I won't always get to choose the work that needs to be done - but I'm always able to frame it and claim it in a peaceful, powerful and prosperous way. At least, that's my choice, but I'm sticking to it.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do...  

With joy,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

SLOWING DOWN AND FEELING GRATEFUL

It's another busy day. With the comings and goings of Thanksgiving behind us and the winter holidays looming ahead, it feels like some invisible giant has stepped on a Giant Invisible Accelerator in the sky, making everyone and everything speed up all around me.

 

ONE BREATH AT A TIME

So much is happening so quickly that it feels really important to pause periodically throughout the day; to take a few breaths and slow down long enough to give my body, mind and spirit a brief respite from the suddenly-quickened pace of life. To turn within and embrace the many gifts of this season, this place where I dwell, and do my best to learn from them.

 

SEEING WITH FRESH EYES

I find it especially helpful to go outdoors, ideally the first thing in the morning, plus at least once or twice during the day, even if just for a minute or two. To slow down and take off my self-imposed blinders long enough to experience the many minor miracles of nature in action: watch the migratory birds and butterflies make their mysterious way across the sky; walk on the grass, turned brown and crisp underfoot by the recent freeze. Sit beneath the giant hackberry tree, and watch it steadily losing more leaves twirling downward with each passing breeze. Breathe in the bigness of the world outside my head, and tune into the free flow of Spirit moving gently through and all around me. Feel my feet, standing on this particular patch of soil, knowing that a single handful of this dirt contains more living organisms than there are humans living on planet earth. Reminding me that sometime soon, no matter what I do, my body, too, will return to the soil.

 

RETURNING HERE

It usually doesn't take long to re-experience the vastness and variety of Life; to feel both humbled and renewed. Just a few minutes will generally do the trick. Less time than it takes to emerge from the rabbit hole created by a single click on one of the hyper-links embedded in the many e-mails certain to arrive in my inbox today.

So... just as soon as I finish this paragraph, I'm heading back outside for another glimpse at the sky, another reminder of how time flies, another chance to feel grateful to be alive. Wherever you are, whatever you'd planned to do after reading this page... perhaps you'd care to join me in returning to our roots outside and resting in a state of gratitude inside? If not now, perhaps sometime soon. At least, that's my invitation, and I hope you'll accept it.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

A THANKSGIVING DAY GIFT

     Recently, while rummaging through the jam-packed closet located underneath the staircase in our living room, we excavated a large tote box full of photos that had been stuffed in the back of that closet for years, forgotten. A quick peek revealed thousands of photos so we let the box sit in the corner of the dining room, unexamined for a few days longer, because sorting through it seemed like just one more formidable task waiting to be accomplished someday.

 

LIFTING THE LID

     But once the Thanksgiving feast had been eaten and the dishes had all been done, I decided to spend a couple of minutes looking at a few photos. As I settled into my favorite chair and removed the lid, a barrage of memories rose from the top layer of images. Here's Mateo as a toddler, sitting in the garden of our old house in King William; there's young Zet and Rudi, in the first flush of love, both wearing long, dark, curly hair and goofy grins, without a care in the world.  And there's one of our parents, standing together at our wedding, looking bemused, but hopeful. And then those colorful shots of our first trip to Mexico together.

 

RELIVING OLD MEMORIES

     We usually keep our files and papers fairly organized, but for whatever reason, there's absolutely no order among the images stored here. Curiosity aroused, I plunged my hand into the box at random, and grabbed a fistful of photos documenting the six months we lived in Manhattan and our five years in Berkeley. The next fistful contains old promo shots of my days as a rock-'n-roller, along with images of us planting an oak tree at our new house. There are many images of multiple trips to Amsterdam, plus Seattle, Jerusalem and lots of fascinating points in between; but many more of times spent hanging out at home, quietly cooking, gardening, parenting, and playing through the first 25 years of our relationship.

     Time melts, and I ended up spending several hours looking at photos, feeling waves of emotions wash through my heart, bringing questions to mind: what was his name?  Is she still alive?  Where was that restaurant? What made us think THAT was a good idea?

 

RE-THINKING OLD NOTIONS

     I've gotten so used to taking and viewing photos on our smartphones in recent years that I'd all but forgotten what it's like to go through paper prints like this. Just touching them, smelling them, seeing all these images jumbled together like this reminds me how non-linear our lives really are, despite our best attempts to plan and manipulate them into straight lines that will fit our pictures of how they "should" unfold.

     I can't help but smile to think of how much energy I've wasted over the years, fearful about various Big Decisions, thinking they would shape my future. How important it all seemed while trying to decide which job, which house, which spouse to choose, how to get the Big Break that would make my career a success. But seeing these photos reminds me that, in fact, there was no need to stress over the Big Decisions, because my life was actually being shaped by thousands of daily acts and small choices, while the Big Things just sort of happened.

 

RETURNING TO GRATITUDE

    It turned out that my life's work emerged one gig at a time. Zet magically appeared on my first day at a job I hadn't even sought. Years later, we were able to adopt Mateo because Zet's mother's neighbor's sister's lawyer's paralegal assistant happened to know a woman whose daughter was pregnant and hoping to find adoptive parents for a baby she couldn't keep. Then we lucked into finding our current house, at precisely the moment our family had outgrown our previous home. Again and again, it's clear that there was some Force, some Source, something much bigger than me in charge of my life, propelling me forward in ways I couldn't begin to imagine, much less plan. 

     It took quite a while, but eventually I learned that the Big Things will unfold by themselves; my job is to stay as awake and as aware as possible while handling the small, daily tasks, one at a time.

 

REMEMBERING WHY

     Sitting there on Thanksgiving Day, I feel deeply grateful for the many, many blessings of my life: an amazing wife, wonderful children, loving friends, satisfying work, excellent health and much, much more. But at the very top of the list is an awareness and abiding trust in the Sacred Source moving through my life and all of Creation - truly knowing that all is well, as it always has been and always will be. What a gift!  At least, that's my Thanksgiving Story, and I'm sticking to it.

With gratitude and joy,

     Rudi Harst

PS:  Also, please consider joining us for our GivingThanks Potluck Feast next Sunday, November 25, immediately following the Morning Circle. 

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

FEASTING IN GRATITUDE

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, we find ourselves grateful for the many blessings in our lives, and the gift of your presence and participation in the Celebration Circle community is high on our list. We invite you to join us in consciousness as we imagine gathering around one gigantic table with you and all our other Circle family members, sharing a Thanksgiving Feast at the same time and space, feasting together in the spirit of Oneness. Delicious!

 

SAVOR THE FLAVORS

     As much as we like the idea of that metaphysical feast, we also wanted to  extend that energy onto the physical plane by sharing one of our family's favorite recipes for Three Sisters Stew, a hearty, one-pot meal that lends itself to being enjoyed with loved ones.  May you, too, find yourself feeling well-loved and well-fed. Bon apetít!

 

Three Sisters Stew

Among the First People of the Southwest, squash, corn and beans were dietary staples, known as the Three Sisters

 4 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, cut to a medium dice

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1-inch piece of stick cinnamon

1 pinch of ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 30 ounce can tomatoes, chopped; with juice

2+ cups broth, can include juice from tomatoes, beans and corn

1 15 ounce can beans (black, pinto, or kidney); juice reserved

1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn or frozen corn; juice reserved

(Watch the amount of salt in canned foods, they can change taste dramatically.) 

3 cups pumpkins or winter squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 teaspoon chipotle or 2 jalapenos, seeded, finely chopped

Cilantro for garnish

 

Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven;  sauté diced onion until it begins to soften and clear.  Add the garlic, spices and salt; let cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with juice, along with the broth and pumpkin or squash along with broth.  After 20 - 30 minutes, or when the pumpkin is about half cooked--soft but still too firm to eat--add the corn, beans and chili. Cook until the pumpkin is tender.  Check the seasoning, and adjust if necessary. You can also add more broth depending on your choice of stew or soup.  Serve garnished with chopped cilantro. Serves 4 - 6 large bowls of stew, and tastes particularly good with corn bread or tortillas.

 

With Gratitude and Blessings,

Rudi and Zet

PS:  Also, please consider joining us for our GivingThanks Potluck Feast next Sunday, November 25, immediately following the Morning Circle. 

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

HERE AND THERE

Zet and I spent a few days in the Rio Grande Valley this week, where I'd scheduled performances on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday night. Both shows were wonderful, but also mentally challenging for me for a number of reasons, as was the disturbing news of yet another mass shooting in California and the swirl of Election Day results virtually guaranteed to exacerbate the ongoing divisiveness in American politics. 

 

BEING PRESENT 

     I found myself feeling deeply perplexed and puzzled by a variety of personal, professional and political questions as we packed our bags and headed home. Fortunately, we had a chance to visit a historic mansion called Quinta Mazatlán, where we were immediately immersed in the magical spell cast by twenty acres of botanical garden, focused on the native flora and fauna indigenous to the Valley.  Although it is located in the heart of the booming metropolis of McAllen, Quinta Mazatlán is not a manicured, showcase garden, but an eyepopping maze of meandering footpaths leading through an overgrown tangle of thorny brush, mesquite trees and cacti. The sheer ruggedness and harshness of the vegetation is breathtaking; it's hard to imagine such a foreboding landscape being home to a rich, complex network of plants, insects, birds and animals that exists nowhere else on the planet except the Rio Grande Valley.

 

FEELING GRATEFUL

     Strolling slowly and stopping often, I could feel my mind soften, heart open, face muscles slack and relaxed. At the deep cellular level, my body was soothed by what poet Wendall Berry has termed, "the peace of wild things."

    All too soon, it's time to leave this magical place. As we exit the thorny brush, I read one last sign, explaining the various kinds of plants and animals, and their interrelationships with each other and the environment. The bottom line reads "All is one... one is all" - and the truth of it ripples through every cell and fiber of my being, as we turn and head back home, grateful for this reminder.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

CASTING YOUR VOTE

     As an unusually high-stakes, high-voltage election season rolls toward it's conclusion, we strongly urge you to go to the polls and vote your values. But, right now, we're also asking for your vote in a totally different, but very important campaign. One in which you wield enormous power, with the potential for touching many people's lives in a positive way:  Won't you please vote FOR the Celebration Circle this week by making your pledge during our annual Intentional Giving Circle campaign?

 

MAKING A PLEDGE

     For over 26 years, the Circle has consistently worked to honor and nurture awareness of our Oneness, while serving as a "respected model of co-creative community built on shared prosperity, cultural diversity and inclusive spirituality." This vital work is only possible because of the support of individual donors like you. Won't you vote FOR sustaining this vital mission in 2018 and beyond by making your financial pledge to our Intentional Giving Circle?

 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

     When you click on the link below, you are casting your vote FOR a positive, creative and sustainable approach to integrating spiritual principles into your daily life. In doing so, you not only enhance your own life, but you're co-creating a welcoming, nurturing space for countless others to feel supported in the future.

 

MAKING IT WORK

     This weekly newsletter, as well as our Daily Inspiration Circle, Sunday Morning Circle, Wednesday Meditation Circle and a variety of Celebration Circle events are offered free of charge, but require a budget just over $100,000 annually. Please don't assume that someone else will take care of it! And don't think that your gift will be too small to make a difference. This work requires ALL of us. So...please take a moment to vote FOR sustaining the work of the Circle in 2018 and beyond by joining our Intentional Giving Circle.

 

 MAKING IT POSSIBLE

    In any case, thank you for your past support, and for your consideration as we continue to move forward toward our vision, as individuals and as a spiritual community. We are deeply grateful for your companionship on this path.

 

With gratitude and blessings,

Rudi and Zet

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

MORE THAN ENOUGH

     You may have noticed that we haven't said much recently about our 15th Annual Sacred Art of Altars exhibit, originally scheduled to be on display in the Santikos Bijou Gallery from September 1-30. That's because it's still postponed indefinitely, due to the ongoing renovation of the theater's concession/lobby area that was supposed to have been finished by mid-August, but remains incomplete - as it may well be for several months longer. Or not. We simply don't know.

 

NOT AS EXPECTED

     We apologize to the artists who created and donated the many fascinating, richly textured "nichos" for this show. And, frankly, the Circle bank account sorely misses the projected income from our primary fundraising event, specifically timed to compensate for the annual slump in donations that tends to occur during summer. Fortunately, we've always had several months worth of operating expenses stashed in the Circle savings account; unfortunately, we have now spent down much of those funds, although we still have 42 shares of stock in Apple that were donated some years ago and are being held in reserve. 

 

RAISING OUR SIGHTS

     We're telling you this as we (along with many other nonprofit organizations) move into the season for year-end fundraising campaigns. We used to be deeply uncomfortable about asking others for financial support of Celebration Circle, but have come to understand that the deeply poetic, metaphysical work of the Circle can only continue as long as the prosaic, practical and financial foundations of our community are maintained as well.

     This Sunday we begin our Intentional Giving Circle pledge drive for 2019, and we're asking you to commit to a monthly recurring and/or sustaining donation to support the financial life of the Circle through the coming year. Then, beginning next month we will also be conducting our Year End Campaign with a goal of raising $15,000 by December 31.

 

LIFTING OUR VISION

     In short, you'll be seeing the donate button in its many different forms and hearing repeated requests for your financial support for the next few months. Please remember, this is not separate from our work as an inclusive, co-creative interfaith community - it is an integral part of it.

     Having said all that, we don't want to dwell on any sense of lack, nor ask you to make a donation from a perception of missing anything. Instead, we invite you to join us in feeling deep gratitude while affirming the vast field of love, abundance and support, which has sustained the Circle community over the past 26 years. Whether you choose to use the following link to make a one time donation, place cash or checks in the offering bowls on Sunday morning, or become a part of our Intentional Giving Circle, please help us visualize having more than enough resources to continue this work of honoring and nurturing Oneness. 

 

With gratitude and blessings

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

AUTUMN'S TREASURES

photo by Gary O Smith

AUTUMN'S TREASURES 

     At last, the first cool, crisp morning of autumn has arrived in South Texas!  Another summer is drifting out of view under the same clear blue sky that's providing a truly magnificent backdrop for the clusters of migrating butterflies floating by my perch on our back porch. Periodically, a few more hackberry leaves flutter to the ground in slowly swirling spirals, like giant question marks hanging in the air, framing Big Questions I can't begin to answer.

 

BEYOND MEASURE

     As much as I'm enjoying this pleasant temperature, I can't help but be aware that it's due in part to a cool front formed in conjunction with the arrival of Hurricane Michael, wreaking havoc along the Gulf Coast just hundreds miles from here. It could just as easily have made landfall much nearer to us, as other hurricanes have in the past, but it didn't. I don't pretend to understand the complexities of climate change or meteorology; all I know is that the same winds that helped bring this deliciously cool breeze wafting through our house today also brought devastation to countless home and families living not that far away. 

 

SIMPLE PLEASURE

    Just another reminder of how everything and everyone is inter-related; how complicated even the most simple-seeming event can be, with consequences and circumstances I really can't begin to predict or plan, much less understand. Whether they are random thoughts about falling leaves and weather patterns, or more disturbing things like national politics, Supreme Court picks, global warming and nuclear arming, I'm tempted to let them disturb my mind and sadden my heart. Instead, I suddenly remember the words from a favorite bumper sticker that my sweet pal, Zet, quoted on her way out the door earlier this morning: "Life's too mysterious - don't take it so serious!"

SINGING FEATHERS

     Right on cue, an unidentified songbird, hidden from view in a nearby tree, launches into a lilting melody, as if personally delivering an invitation to be grateful for this day, this breeze, this moment. Reminding me that all is well, and all shall be well. That whatever the circumstances and however I feel about them, all of life is truly a gift, but only if I'm ready and willing to receive it. And, right now, I am. How about you?

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

FOCUSED ON BLESSINGS

     It's hard to believe that it was just a year ago this week that Zet and I experienced the high-speed car wreck that altered our lives drastically. Seems so much longer. Of course, we're grateful to have survived it, but it was fascinating to discover that the physical, financial and emotional consequences of being t-boned at 75mph in a rural setting, many miles from home, could turn out to be such a blessing. I now have a much deeper appreciation for Zet, our family, friends and physical well-being; such gratitude for the many, many ways in which we were loved and supported by countless loved ones and total strangers alike in our time of need. We also received such strong affirmations of our work with Celebration Circle, and our roles as cultural/spiritual activists in general, that I truly doubt I will ever again question the vast field of love and underlying goodness surrounding us and our mission.

 

LOOKING BACK

     Speaking of our work, I remember clearly that one of the very first things I thought about after being released from the hospital in the wee hours of the morning was whether or not I should get on the phone and cancel our annual Circle Fall Retreat at Slumber Falls Camp. It was the obvious thing to do, given that the retreat was scheduled for the following weekend, and our lives had been totally upended. And, yet, there I was, engaged in a spirited internal debate, trying to figure out some other alternative to cancellation, because the it's always been such a special and meaningful weekend, such an integral part of the Circle community.

 

LOOKING FORWARD

     Unfortunately, we had no choice but to cancel it. But, fortunately, the year has sped by, and it's almost time for the Fall Retreat next weekend, and I'm REALLY looking forward to it. While the Circle offers a rich variety of spiritually-oriented gatherings and resources throughout the year, I truly believe that our low-key, low-cost, but deeply soul-satisfying weekend retreats are among our very best offerings. There's something so special about basking in the heartwarming Circle vibes in such a relaxed, refreshing setting for a whole weekend, located less than an hour's drive from San Antonio, yet far, far away from the stressors of daily life.

 

LOOKING INWARD

     I really hope you'll join us for these splendid days in nature, as we relax, contemplate, meditate, create, pray, play and feast together. If you haven't registered yet, it's not too late. And, if you can't make it for the whole weekend, consider just coming out for the day on Saturday. After all, this is the perfect time and space for reflecting on your life, while enjoying the turning of the seasons in South Texas, breathing in the crisp, clean Hill Country air, watching the leaves fall and listening to the river's song, while opening your heart to the many blessings you're bound to encounter there.

     In any case, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, please know that I am deeply grateful for your support and companionship along the spiritual path we're travelling together in and around the Celebration Circle.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

ALL THIS AND MORE

Today we have been given

one more day to be of service

one more hour to love with heart wide open

one more breath to savor the sweetness in the air, as summer turns to autumn

and autumn turns our attention to the swift passage of time

Let us pause and remember how truly blessed we are

to be able to serve others in ways that may or may not seem to matter

to feel love flowing to and through those who surround us

to breathe in all the peace and power available to us now

and now...

and now...

 

May All Beings be blessed by our willingness to experience and express this now
and now...

and now...

With gratitude,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

THIS LITTLE LIGHT

     Last week, 17 year-old, Kaylee Foster was crowned Homecoming Queen of Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi. After her coronation during halftime of the annual homecoming game, she took off her tiara, donned her football helmet, and proceeded to lead the Ocean Springs Greyhounds to a 13-12 victory by kicking the game-winning extra point in overtime (having kicked two field goals earlier in the game)!

     Reading about this game made my heart smile. At a time when so many folks are talking about the horrors of sexual abuse and gender discrimination, I believe that Kaylee's story is a wonderful affirmation of the positive ways in which our culture is evolving, too - and that everything is possible for those who are willing to stay focused on their dreams.

 

GATHERING IN THE DARK

     I mention this because this weekend we'll be celebrating the Autumn Equinox with our annual Underground Sounds concert in the Cave Without a Name on Saturday night, as well as our Sunday Morning Circle. In addition to offering up a potent brew of resonant music performed in a stunning environment, the concert provides a powerful opportunity to re-affirm your dreams, and deepen your sense of abundance and balance during the upcoming season of harvest. There's something so uniquely empowering about gathering in the dark, moist womb of Mother Earth, 100 feet underground, surrounded by a multitude of magnificent stalagmites and stalactites, as well as fellow travelers on the path of Spirit.

 

LIVING IN THE LIGHT

     And when, halfway through the concert, the lights are turned off and we're plunged into pitch-black darkness, there's something deeply moving about letting the rhythms of the music wash through you and lift up your dreams and visions of what you're choosing to co-create in life. I really hope you'll be able to join us in the Cave on Saturday night for this amazing experience; tickets are available on the Cave Without A Name

 website.

      If not, perhaps you can connect with us on Sunday morning, whether in person or on-line through Facebook Live, as we continue to open ourselves to this rich, liminal time for manifesting our hearts' desires through uplifting words, music and meditation. It just wouldn't be the same without you!

 

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

SEEING CLEARLY

     My friend, Daniel, had cataract surgery last week. He's been needing it for years, but kept putting it off because of his fears. Fears about how much it might hurt, how much it might cost. Worried that something might go wrong. Thanks to advances in medical techniques, the chances of that happening these days is miniscule. Still, the very idea of having a doctor cut into his eye was more than he could deal with. So he didn't. For several years. Until recently his vision became so cloudy that it was hard for him to read a book, and even harder to drive at night.

 

CHOOSING CHANGE

     So he finally had the surgery on his left eye last week - and sure enough, it turned out to be no big deal. He said it was over before he knew it. Painless. It made an immediate difference in his vision which has continued to improve in recent days. Now he's looking forward to having the same surgery on his other eye next week.

     Talking to him made me think of the way we tend to put off making changes in our lives, whether out of fear of the unknown or a resistance to release the known. Hanging on to the current state of affairs, choosing to feel comfortable with our discomfort, rather than taking the risk to step out of our comfort zone. Choosing our habits over our health and well-being.

 

ASKING QUESTIONS

     As we move toward the first day of autumn next week, and the shifting energies which that represents, I find myself asking: "What potentially positive changes have I been avoiding in my life?" I don't claim to have any easy answers, but it seems like an important question to ask, and now seems like the perfect time to ask it. So, I'll take the liberty of asking you this question as well:  "What potentially positive changes have you been avoiding in your life?" It's as good a time as any to find some new answers. 

     At least, that's my story, but I'm sticking to it.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

Did you know that it's Hunger Awareness Month?

The City of San Antonio's Faith-Based Initiative is spending September focused on hunger awareness in SA.  In order to support those who are hungry and food insecure in our city, Celebration Circle has created an actionable way of showing compassion by hosting a food drive this month. 

The San Antonio Food Bank has a list of the 12 most wanted foods. Shelves are at historic lows and the high utility bills from the summer only add to increased food insecurity in San Antonio.  

 

Financially, it has also been a historically low summer for the Circle. We know that the principle, as you give so shall you receive, is a reality. So we have created this opportunity to give to others.

Share this with friends and neighbors or host your own food drive.  It is a simple yet impactful way to make a difference, giving and receiving, together. As we remember, We Are One!

 

Please bring any of the following to Sunday morning Circle or Wednesday night Meditation:

 

Peanut Butter, Cereal, Tuna, Beans, Rice, Mac & Cheese, Chili, Canned Stews, Canned Soups, Canned Luncheon Meats, Full Meals Can/Box, Pop Top Food Items.

 

In joy,

Zet Baer

WHEN ONE TREE FALLS

     A huge hackberry tree in our backyard was blown over by Hurricane Harvey, exactly a year ago this week. We're very fortunate that it missed our living room by just a few feet, but we definitely miss the cooling shade it cast on the house. It also provided a lovely curtain of greenery right outside the double glass doors of our upstairs bedroom, giving us the illusion of waking up in a tree house every morning. So, it's loss created a big vacuum in the backyard -- or so it seemed at the time.

 OTHER TREES THRIVE

     But in the intervening months, the small anaqua tree that had been growing very slowly as understory beneath the hackberry underwent a sudden growth support, adding 30% to its height - as did the small, red oak tree that had been slowly inching upward in the shade on the east side of the hackberry. And the large stump itself keeps sprouting shoots, despite being cut back every time we mow the grass, in addition to the dozens of tiny hackberry trees that keep popping up all around that newly-opened area of the yard.

     In short, the vacuum created by that one tree has created space for multiple others to thrive. The old adage says, "When one door closes, another one opens" - but in this case, I'm invited to see that "When one tree falls, other trees have an opportunity to thrive."

 NEW OPPORTUNITIES

     That certainly was true last year, when we cancelled our Sunday Circle due to Hurricane Harvey, and wound up doing our first-ever Facebook Live video, which drew over 300 viewers and initiated our weekly live on-line broadcast, it was something I had been resisting for years, and has proved to be very popular.

     NEW SPACES

     Similarly, when I first heard a few months ago that the SAY Sí building where the Circle meets on Sundays was being sold, it felt like there would be a gaping hole in the Circle's future. Oh, no! Move out of this beautiful gallery space??? But before I had a chance to get bummed out, the executive director of SAY Sí invited the Circle to make the move with them to their brand new, much larger space. He also explained that the new location would include a magnificent meeting space, with excellent acoustics and sight lines designed specifically for gatherings like ours (unlike our current space, which was designed primarily as an art gallery, with difficult acoustics and visual elements that we wrestle with every Sunday).

     I am not at liberty to disclose the new location yet (though it will probably be made public soon), and it will be at least two years before the new space is fully renovated and the move is made, but it sure is exciting to think of the possibilities!

 NEW VIEWS

     Knowing this also made it a little easier when the general manager of the Bijou Theater informed us this week that their construction/renovation project is behind schedule, so our 15th Annual Sacred Art of Altars exhibit will have to be postponed until at least October. He was very apologetic, and promised that ours would be the very first exhibit, once construction is finished. Yet again, it seemed like a bummer when we first heard the news, until we realized that whenever our show does finally open, we will undoubtedly benefit from the splash of press attention, public awareness and fresh energy surrounding the newly remodeled space. Hmmm... on further reflection, I'm pretty sure that "When one tree falls, other trees thrive." At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

LOOKING WITH NEW EYES

     Zet and I recently spent a lot of time looking for a small replica of the Alamo to include in the altar I was making for the Circle's annual Sacred Art of Altars show. Because this year's exhibit coincides with San Antonio's Tricentennial celebration, I wanted to create an altar that remembered the Alamo as an ever-evolving symbol of the struggle over property rights and power that's been at the center of our city's history for 300 hundred years and counting.

 LOOKING BUT NOT SEEING

     I took three separate trips downtown to scour numerous tourists souvenir shops for just the right Alamo-shaped tchotchke to glue into my altar. I found hundreds of them, of course, but none had just the right shape, size and color to fit my vision or my budget.

     Then, one morning last week, Zet came into the office, wearing a big grin and holding a beautiful night light, featuring a vintage postcard-sized, silk screened image of the Alamo. It was exactly what we had been searching for over the past few weeks. And the reason she was laughing was because she'd "found" it on our kitchen counter, where it has been plugged into the electrical outlet located behind our salt and peppershakers every day for the past several years! We both laughed till we cried, feeling foolish for having spent all that time and energy searching for an elusive something that's been right under our noses all along.

 LOOKING AROUND

     Reflecting on the incident afterwards, I couldn't help but smile to think of how easy it is to miss seeing things that are "hidden from view" in plain sight. Whether it's a physical object we're missing, or some desirable course of action it's time to embrace - or some challenging patterns of behavior we're being asked to release - it's all too easy to overlook the cues and clues right in front of us.

 LOOKING WITHIN

     As we wave farewell to summer and move toward the season of harvest, I invite you to look within and around you to see if there's something that Life is asking you to view (or review) with new eyes. Some new passion or possibility waiting for you to re-discover. Or perhaps some limited way of thinking you're ready to let go of.  

 LOOKING FORWARD

     As for me, I took the "discovery" of the night light as a reminder to do something about the fact that we have way too many sweet, neat and yet completely unnecessary possessions cluttering up our kitchen (and living room, office, guest room, storage shed, etc.). Time to do some de-cluttering. Who knows what other art projects or possibilities will emerge from the realm of the unseen?

     With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

ANYWAY

It's another blistering hot day in summer

The simple act of stepping outside into the harsh sunlight and crossing

the scorching pavement

can take your breath away if you're not paying attention.

Don't let it.

Breathe anyway.

 

A news bulletin flashes across the screen,

telling of another mass-murderer's rampage,

another massive outbreak of suffering crawls off the screen

and into your throat, threatening to lodge in your heart and

take away your faith in humanity.

Don't let it.

Have faith anyway.

 

The phone rings. A loved one has been rushed to the emergency room

she may not make it through the night.

A flash flood of tears threatens to drown your Light.

Don't let it.

Shine your Light anyway.

 

You sit down to meditate, eager to get calm and centered

in the middle of all these muddled thoughts,

while a flashing storm crashes through your brain

full of images and darkly imaged outcomes,

threatening to drown out the Still Small Voice of Love.

Don't let it.

Love anyway.

At least, that's my choice, and I'm sticking to it.

With gratitude and blessings,

    Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

AT THE BEACH

     Almost every week I fill this space with a story or a reflection I've written. But this week I've been dealing with a source of stress that I let consume my time and energy. In response, I chose to focus on creating a song about the possibility of re-visiting the island of Isla Mujeres, located off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, where Zet and I have spent some truly delicious time in the past. Writing and singing this song is my way of getting as close to the beach as possible, while helping me stay cool mentally in the midst of this fierce summer heat we're having in San Antonio. It's also a powerful, fun-filled way of affirming that Zet and I will get to be there on vacation again sometime soon.

 

YOU'RE INVITED

     I'm taking the liberty of  sharing this song with you here, as a way off affirming that you, too, deserve to manifest your heart's desire(s), whatever that may be. In any case, I hope that hearing and seeing this little video clip of the song makes your heart smile, as it did mine when I wrote and recorded this video. Enjoy! 

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE

     This week, Zet & I had the good fortune to attend Astronomy In the Park, a sky watch gathering hosted every Wednesday night by the San Antonio Astronomical Association, weather permitting. This free event takes place in the darkened parking lot of Rimkus Park in Leon Valley, which offers a relatively unobstructed view of the night sky, thanks to an extensive greenbelt with minimal lighting. There was a particularly large and enthusiastic crowd, due to the fact that Mars was closer to the Earth (and therefore, bigger and brighter) than it had been in 15 years. I've been to a couple of such stargazing parties over the years, as well as the McDonald Observatory in West Texas, but this was by far my best experience ever, thanks to an astronomer named Steve, who was extremely patient, kind and generous with his extensive knowledge of astronomy, as well as his very powerful scope, mounted on a computer-controlled, motorized stand that made it relatively easy to shift focus from one point in the sky to another.

 

LITTLE STAR

     That telescope afforded us a really good look at the swirling blanket of red dust that's been covering the surface of Mars this week, as well as showing the rings of Saturn and the bands of Jupiter in spectacular detail. But, even more thrilling for me was when Steve directed our attention to M13, a globular star cluster in the constellation of Hercules I'd never noticed or heard of before. Although I've long loved looking up at the stars and feeling entranced by the sheer immensity of it all, this was my first opportunity to view one of those distant points of light with sufficient time, technology and visual resolution to get a hint of the true enormity, complexity and mystery of what I'm seeing - and not seeing.

 

HOW I WONDER

     To the untrained, naked eye, M13 looks like just another one of the many bright spots of light in the Milky Way, albeit one with slightly fuzzy edges. But thanks to Steve's generosity, I was able to get a glimpse of its true vastness, as that "little spot of light" resolved into a sprawling, multi-layered cloud measuring 125 light years in diameter, containing 200,000 individual stars, with countless planets and comets orbiting them, collective sending light that has travelled 130,000 trillion miles across space to reach my eyes 8,000,000 Earth years later as a mere twinkle!

     I had to stop and catch my breath. What an exhilarating, but humbling experience! What a stark reminder of how much there is to see beyond what I think I see; how much more there is to know than what I think I know.

 

WHAT WE ARE

      I would gladly have stayed a lot longer and learned more, but the host of the event announced that the park's entrance gate would soon be closing. As the loose-knit group of friendly strangers began to disperse and wander off in different directions across the dark parking lot, I couldn't help but see each one of us as being like M13, infinitely more complex, dynamic and mysterious than can be readily observed with the casual, judgmental eye I usually employ. How easy it is to forget that fact; how important it is to remember. May I be reminded of this lesson each time I look up at the night sky in the years to come.

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.

COMPUTER SOLUTIONS

     Although I spend big chunks of my time on the computer, I know very little about it and mostly use it for sending/receiving emails and as a word processor. It can be difficult to deal with computers under the best of conditions, but when something on my desktop, smartphone, printer, or tablet doesn't work, it's mighty easy to get frustrated and feel totally lost in the thicket of drop-down screens, unknown ip addresses, forgotten passwords and nonsensical security questions I have to wade through. And then there are the interminable wait times on the phone involved in getting tech support from someone who's reading from an indecipherable script that seems only vaguely related to the specific trouble with my router, modem, extender, service provider... arrrgghh!!

 

ASKING FOR HELP

     I don't think I've ever gotten as mad at any person as I've gotten with my computer and myself in the middle of techno meltdowns! It's embarrassing to admit, especially to myself, but this has been an Achilles Heel for years. So, when I started having intermittent trouble with e-mails on my desktop a couple of weeks ago, I did my best to ignore it at as long as I could, because I didn't want to get into another rage-fest. Finally, as the problems grew, I decided to take some time to sit quietly at my computer, and affirm that some helpful person would come and provide the support needed. And sure enough, the next night a long-time acquaintance, Flavio Vilches, attended the weekly Meditation Circle, as he had several times over the years. But this time, he mentioned in passing that he's an Information Technology specialist, who's operated his own IT support firm for since 1999.  In all the years I've seen Flavio at various spiritual gatherings around town, I never knew that!

 

RECEIVING SUPPORT

     Upon hearing of the problem, Flavio immediately offered to help. But somehow my inner resistance to dealing with my techno-phobia was so strong I STILL managed to create reasons to put Flavio's visit off for another two weeks. But when it finally couldn't be delayed any longer, he came to the Circle office and magic happened. He was so calm, cool and friendly, so insistently pleasant in the face of my computer anxiety, that it just sort of melted over the course of the two hours he spent patiently dealing with various Help Desks and drop-down screens required to fix the problem. He was also able to explain what he was doing in terms that I could understand; if this same situation arises again, I might be able to handle it myself. And if I can't, I now have a kind, capable and resourceful friend to ask for help.

 

REMEMBERING TO ASK

     Of course, I'm grateful to Flavio, and would happily recommend him, should you or your small business need help with computer issues someday. But, more than that, I am so grateful for the reminder that Life always provides loving support, if only I'm willing to ask for and receive it. May you, too, feel yourself surrounded by helping hands and hearts, in whatever circumstances you may face.

With joy,

     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.