THE POWER OF CONNECTION

     I'm standing in our backyard, bathing in the early morning sunshine, with the sheer beauty of nature blossoming all around, and the grounding energy of Easter/Passover flowing through me. Once again, I'm experiencing the sensation I wrote about in the following poem while hiking through the Ozark Mountains many years ago:

 

The cold clear creek

mumbles an ancient song

as it tumbles headlong through the mountains

 

I try to sing along, but my tiny human voice is swept aside

by the strong breeze stirring through the trees

by the sheer size of this majestic forest, stretching far past the horizon

by the strident cries of a zealous blue jay

guarding his wooded domain

 

There is nothing to do but remain silent

in the face of such a display of royalty

kneel on the spongy, green woodland floor

and swear a personal oath of loyalty, spilling up and out of me:

"I pledge allegiance to Mother Earth

and to all Beings which walk, fly, swim or stand

One Strand, indivisible,

With love and compassion for All"

 

THE POWER OF PLACE

     At the time, the feelings which this creek fostered and the solemn oath which it imprinted on my soul seemed unique to that particular "power spot" and its breathtaking vista. Since then, however, I've had similar experiences in a variety of locations: from the top of the Rockies to the bottom of the Grand Canyon; from the heart of the Yucatan jungle to the edge of the Bavarian Black Forest; floating on the Dead Sea, and wading in the river that flows through our neighborhood -- and right now, just standing in the back yard. Each is a sacred space in its own way, engendering a sense of awe and wonder. Each one forced me to release my tenuous grasp on the top rung of the "food chain" for a while, and remember that every creature is my relative, every spot is Holy Ground, and that our Oneness is not just a good idea, it is the very ground of our being. 

      As the global debate over climate change, like the climate itself, becomes ever more heated, it's vital that we find ways to release our old roles as dominators and manipulators of the Earth, and embrace new roles as her stewards instead. Such a shift in consciousness requires a massive change in orientation and acculturation occurring one person, one day, one decision at a time.

 

THE POWER OF CHOICE

     It is precisely this kind of incremental, individual shift in perspective that we seek to nurture and support in the Celebration Circle. Week after week, we meet to affirm our willingness to learn new ways of being and seeing. To free ourselves from the grip of our fears and become more compassionate with ourselves, each other and the Earth herself.

 THE POWER OF GATHERING

     That's why I'm so excited that the Circle is co-sponsoring the first-ever Cosmic Mass in San Antonio next Sunday night, April 28th! This upbeat, deeply experiential worship process combines elements of ecstatic dance, guided meditation and sacred ritual. Conceived and presented by noted theologian, Matthew Fox, the Cosmic Mass fosters a deeply spiritual encounter with the Four Directions and contains an urgent call for re-examining our personal and communal relationships to the Earth in the face of global climate change. I really hope you can join us for this important event -- as well as our Sunday Morning Circle earlier that day, where Dr. Fox will be our guest speaker, sharing his vision of the "Order of the Sacred Earth."

     In any case, let's keep meeting, meditating, praying, singing and ritualizing together as we share our strengths, heal our weaknesses, and feed our deep awareness of our connection to the "One Strand, indivisible - with love and compassion for all." 

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.

AWAKE TO THE NEWNESS

     Having moved to South Texas in 1957, I should be used to the ever-changing weather around here by now, but somehow I still found myself feeling astonished by the way spring arrived almost instantaneously this week. The temperatures had remained relatively cool until a few days ago, when a huge rain system brought weather that went from low 50's and stormy, to the low-90's under a brilliant blue sky in less than 24 hours! Today, walking through our neighborhood in the bright sunshine just two days after those dramatic thunderstorms, the plant life along the banks of the river looks outrageously lush and green, growing so rapidly that I can almost see the leaves inching upward in real time.

BEAR WITNESS NOW

     This sudden burst of vibrant plant growth provides a graphic reminder of how freely the creative power of Spirit moves through all of creation at this time of year, regardless of how dark and challenging things might have seemed in seasons past. I'm finding it especially helpful to experience this awareness of rebirth and renewal in the aftermath of my father's recent death, as well as some physical, emotional and spiritual challenges I've been dealing with over the past couple of months. 

      What a blessing it is that Spring magically calls forth the creative energy waiting to be re-awakened and expressed through each of us, whatever shape it may take: poem, prayer, dance, song, sculpture, story. Whether we choose to share our creativity publicly or keep it private matters less than partaking in the creative process itself. Not just for our own sake, but also for the sake of participating in that free flow of energy being re-born within and around us.

     May all beings be blessed by our willingness to see, hear and respond to this gentle invitation being hand-delivered by all of Creation, dressed in the colors of spring. 

With gratitude and blessings,

     Rudi Harst

PS:  Thank you to the many Circle friends who have written, called and reached out to me and my family in the aftermath of my father's passing. I haven't been able to respond to all of your messages personally, but am deeply grateful for this generous outpouring of love and support. His memorial service will be held at 2:00pm this Saturday, April 13, at Faith United Church of Christ, 970 Loop 337 in New Braunfels.

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.

YOU ARE MY OTHER ME

     Every Sunday our Children's Circle engages in activities from the curriculum published by Spiritual Playdate, an educational organization with which we are affiliated. This Mayan-inspired poem by Luis Valdez is a moving example of their response when children see or experience hate in our world, such as the latest example in New Zealand. A quote from their email, "We at Spiritual Playdate firmly believe that we are all part of a human family and that we are all profoundly connected. When hateful or violent acts are committed by one human being against another, we maintain it is because that person sees themselves as separate from the rest. When we understand that we are deeply connected, we grow to understand that loving our neighbor is an act of self-love. It is the Golden Rule and it is not a transaction, it is a transformation!" Reading this, you can see why we are proud to be a part of sharing this consciousness with the next generation of the Circle.

     We are grateful to the many individuals who have taken the time to nurture the Children's Circle over the years. We are particularly thankful to Ava Hawthorne who is currently guiding them each Sunday, as well as parent, Krista Delgado, for taking the lead in preparing lessons for the Spiritual Playdate.

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.

CREATING OUR SPACE

The website says that our Sunday Morning Circle starts at 11AM, but in fact, it really begins at 8:30AM, when Leslie Goddard arrives to unlock the building, begins the setup process, and gets the first pot of coffee ready for all the other volunteers and staffers about to arrive. By 9AM, Sebastian Siller is hard at work, putting out signs in the parking lot, then hauling in all the tables and chairs we use from other rooms, while Jake Mylnar has begun the hour-long process of setting up the sound equipment in time for the members of the Circle Band to move in all their music gear, and be ready for the 10AM soundcheck with Rudi.

 

EACH ONE IN PLACE

     Meanwhile, the Circle Singers have begun arriving for choir practice, and the band is rehearsing their tunes, while Jose Mojica, Kassi Wright, and/or another one of our Board members sets up the Lobby Shop table, and Marie Koenig, is laying out her amazing array of Essential Oils and diffusing an invigorating oil blend which fills the air with healing, harmonious scents.  Across the room, Ava Hawthorne begins preparing for the Children's Circle, while two ushers and a greeter arrive to set out the various handouts, and greet other folks as they filter in, while Karl Franklin sets up the Facebook Live video feed. All the while, Zet Baer has been circulating throughout the space, touching base with each person and aspect of the preparations, making sure everything is in place before 11AM.

 

CLEARING THE SPACE

     From week to week, the names might change at bit, but it always takes about 15-20 people every Sunday morning to set up the space beforehand -- and then it takes all of them (with at least half a dozen others) pitching in for almost an hour afterwards to pack up and clean up (thanks to Joe & Penny Shinners for cleaning up the coffee room each week!), put everything back in place and leave SAY Sí looking like we found it, or better.

 

EXPERIENCING GRACE

     It truly takes a community to create the container for our larger Circle community to gather each Sunday. To transform an art gallery into a Sacred Space where people feel welcome, safe and free to drop their guard and turn within to encounter their Inner Selves. So... the next time you enter the room where Sunday Circle meets, I invite you to take an extra moment or two to step into that space consciously -- and really let yourself bathe in the vast tide pool of Unconditional Love created by the many hands and hearts who helped make this space available to you. May you experience the feeling of grace which is your birthright, and may all who are involved in co-creating our Circle space be blessed by our willingness to do this.

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.

GETTING BACK IN TOUCH

     It was wonderful to visit with my dear friends, David and Karen Hendley, last weekend, and to have David play a couple of his songs in the Circle. In addition to being a talented singer/songwriter and nationally-respected ceramic artist, David was my best friend at Trinity University in the early 1970's. We went our separate ways after graduation; in short order, he moved to California, earned his MFA, became a professional potter and built an amazing homestead and studio on 74 acres of forest land, deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Meanwhile, I drifted around, following my musical inclinations to London, New York and San Francisco, before settling back in San Antonio and co-founding Celebration Circle.

 

LOSING TOUCH

     We completely lost touch with each other for over 20 years, but reconnected instantly when we met again by happenstance at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 2002, as if it had been just a few weeks instead of two decades. While we still don't see each other as much as I'd like, time and distance don't seem to matter that much in our friendship. Although it's usually a year or so between visits, each time we get together, the conversation just picks up right where we left off.

     As usual, last weekend's re-union felt all too brief, although we did have time for a couple of meals and some heart-to-heart talks. One of the things I treasure most about our relationship is the long pauses that often arise in our conversations.  Neither of us has a need to fill the void with social niceties; we simply allow silence to resonate in the space between us until the next topic emerges at its own pace.  Our many years of friendship have taught us to trust the silence, to know that something of real interest will arise in the gap between our words, if we will just give it time.

 

FEELING TOUCHED

     I mention this aspect of my relationship with David as a metaphor for the similar presence of silence and willingness to trust that I am cultivating in my relationship with Spirit.  At the risk of over-simplification, I believe the process of spiritual growth requires me to turn inward, enter the sacred silence and trust the profound sense of mystery I encounter there.  Not just once or twice, but continually, time and again, day after day. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not -- as was the case with the story of my thumb and surgery, which I discussed in last week's newsletter.

 

STAYING IN TOUCH

     This week has brought a different set of choices and challenges; but my underlying story remains the same. I'm so grateful for my deeply personal relationship with this impersonal and infinitely mysterious Source that is beyond naming or explaining, but remains unfailingly Present. However often I may forget, I have an abiding faith that I will always be led to the next right step, and that the perfect person, place or thing will always emerge, as long as I can resist the urge to make it happen "my way" or according to my time line. At least, that's my story, and I'm glad to be sharing it with 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.

ALL SHALL BE WELL

     My left thumb started hurting a couple of years ago, shortly before the car wreck Zet and I experienced. Because we both had more painful and pressing injuries to deal with after the wreck, I delayed taking action on the hand, until the pain increased to the point where the thumb locked up and became immobilized. An orthopedic hand specialist diagnosed it as Trigger Finger, a common occupational hazard for long-time musicians, massage therapists and others who use their hands extensively. Repetitive use can cause the main tendon that runs through the affected finger to develop a knot, which then can't slide through the protective sheath surrounding the tendon, eventually causing the finger to lock in place.

 

CONSIDERING SURGERY

     The doctor recommended a surgical procedure which is fairly common, involving an incision at the base of the thumb, and has 96% average success rate. However, in about 3% of the cases, the surgery doesn't help; and less than 1% of the time, the situation gets worse, with some patients suffering permanent nerve damage and/or stiffness in the finger. Sounded dangerous to me.

     I'm fairly risk-aversive by nature, and generally avoid allopathic medicine by habit, so I decided against the surgery, consulted other experts, tried dietary changes and experimented with finger exercises to no avail, before finally electing to have a steroid injection. That effectively reduced the pain for several months, but eventually it returned, just as the doctor had predicted it. He recommended surgery once again, saying he'd performed this identical procedure several thousand times over the years, without failure, and that I'd almost certainly be playing guitar without pain within a couple of weeks.

 

CHOOSING TO FOCUS

     Still, I delayed taking action, not wanting to risk being one of the rare patients whose condition worsens after surgery. But after a couple more months of pain, I finally realized how silly it was to keep worrying about the 1% chance of failure, versus the 96% chance of success. Instead, why not focus on my Soul Purpose, which is "to experience, explore and express the free flow of Spirit moving through me" and which DEFINITELY includes my love of playing guitar. Why not concentrate on trusting the Holy Mystery, rather than on my trust in a surgeon - or lack thereof.

 

FEELING THE DIFFERENCE

     That's how I wound up at the TSAOG outpatient clinic yesterday morning, where I received excellent service and compassionate care, resulting in a relatively painless operation that literally took ten minutes from incision to finish. I went home with my hand heavily bandaged and a prescription for a narcotic painkiller which proved to be completely unnecessary. Instead I took a 1M dose of homeopathic Arnica and one Acetaminophen, applied an ice pack and some essential oils, then enjoyed a good night's sleep. I awoke feeling well-rested and pleasantly surprised by how good my hand felt, all things considered. I didn't need any additional Acetaminophen, and was even able to play a few chords on the guitar, albeit gingerly. Yes!

 

AFFIRMING MY FAITH

     In the aftermath of all that, I feel humbled once again by how easy it was to let myself be run by my fears and resistance to change. And how simple it was to make a new choice to focus on faith instead, with a willingness to trust in the ever-evolving mystery of life unfolding within and around me. That's why I'm taking this opportunity to tell you my story, and affirm that all is well, and all shall be well - today, tomorrow and always. For this awareness -- and yet another opportunity to remember -- I give thanks.

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.

Robert Crazy Horse Moreno

Robert Crazy Horse Moreno, 

 beloved brother in Spirit, passed from the physical plane early Monday morning, January 28th, surrounded by his loving family and friends. He was healthy and full of life until two weeks ago, when he contracted a viral lung infection from which he did not recover. Crazy Horse was a steadfast member of the Celebration Circle community for almost twenty years, always grounding the energy of our gatherings with his clear, calm and loving presence. A respected Apache elder and chief, he was a very humble, kind and generous man, who will be greatly missed.

His family has invited all members of the Celebration Circle to attend a memorial service for Crazy Horse  this Saturday,

February 2, at 1:30pm 

 at Castillo Mission Funeral Home, 520 N. General McMullen, San Antonio  78218  

Visitation also from Noon - 6:00pm.

Interment will be at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date.