"Answering Avalon's Call: Honoring the Pilgrim's Path"

Transcription

1 NEWS, VIEWS AND VISIONS FROM T.P.A. SYRACUSE TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY ASSOCIATION...SYRACUSE, NEW YORK TPA / P.O. BOX 122-TP / LIVERPOOL, NY FOUNDED IN THE SPIRIT VOLUME 33 NUMBER 4 APRIL 2018 Join TPA s Facebook Page for last minute updates and much more! Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018 Dinner: 6:00-7:00 Bring: Food & Drink to share. Community Meeting: 7:00 The Gift: 7:30 Place: Emmanuel Episcopal Directions: 400 West Yates St. East Syracuse, NY From 690 take exit 16 N (Thompson Road). Turn Right onto Burnet Ave. At the first light after the railroad overpass, turn Right onto W. Manlius St. Go one block and then turn LEFT onto East Ave (at the Post Office). We're at the corner of West Yates Street and East Avenue, one block north of the East Syracuse post office. The parking lot is just past the Church on East Avenue, with handicapped access through the door closest to the parking lot. Donation: $5.00 Next Meeting: MAY 19, 2018 UPLifted With Dale Gallagher "Answering Avalon's Call: Honoring the Pilgrim's Path" --Carol Ohmart Behan I'm so very delighted to speak at your April gathering sharing my metaphysical experiences as an Earth Pilgrim on this beautiful planet, our Earthhome. My talk will center on my numerous journeys to Glastonbury, England on both personal pilgrimage and as a facilitator to others who also had heard the Call of that sacred place, ancient Avalon. I led these spiritual pilgrimages for ten years from 2006 until It was an extraordinary privilege and always a tremendous adventure each time. The article that follows will offer some of that story and I look forward to elaborating on it on April 21st! Carol Ohmart Behan is a writer, eco-activist, and a teacher of Earth-wisdom through labyrinth and pilgrimage. Her lifelong rural roots inform her work as a celebrant of Earth-honoring ceremony and activism. Answering her own call to Avalon in 2001 led to offering sacred pilgrimages for others to Glastonbury and other sacred sites of Southwest England. With lifelong devotion to teaching and spiritual questing, Carol is a way-shower to those who seek their own sacred path. She lives near Sidney Center in Delaware County on seven acres of beautiful wooded land she calls Lightspring Glen. Find out more about her including details of her most recent book, Answering Avalon's Call: the Mystical Odyssey of an Earth Healer by visiting her website, 1

2 Woman-spirit Rising: the Return of the Great Goddess For those who consider themselves to be Awake, or who at least embrace their Awakening, these are daunting times beyond anything we have ever known. A decade and a half into the new Millennium it is as if we are poised on the brink of a threatening abyss. Around us we are witnessing the unraveling of institutions and social structures. But amidst the chaos of this disintegration, openings are appearing for something hopeful and exciting to emerge. Breakdown must precede breakthrough. For those of us on a spiritual path, being reminded of what the Hopi Elders foretold, that "We are the Ones we've been waiting for...", brings on a rueful grin. On the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump in January, 2017, a magnificent protest of the incoming administrations "anti-everything social-contract policies" engulfed Washington, DC as the Women's Marchon-Washington. It grew exponentially to embrace the entire world, a literal tsunami of women and men raising their voices in solidarity and resistance. The sense of Oneness of heart and spirit remains immeasurable. "Women's rights are Human Rights." Inspiration for this certainly arose from the previous months of protest led by the Water Protectors of Standing Rock and the unified force of Native Peoples who came together to protect and defend not just the sacredness of Water, but of Mother Earth herself. Native voices around the globe are now in the vanguard of the environmental-justice movement. For those of us disconnected from our own indigenous roots, their intimate, deeply-sourced connection to Mother Earth makes their words pulse all the more forcefully to those with ears to hear and hearts open to apprehend. The great Mother Goddess, Gaia, is stirring. The first signs of this re-awakening force appeared within my lifetime. As a child of the 1950s I was old enough to catch echoes of the "Last Great War", its shadows barely shaken off before the foment of the struggles for civil rights, women's equality, and the birth of the environmental movement. It was within these fertile uprootings of societal complacency that I, like many other women of the Baby Boomer-generation, began to hear and heed the call of the Divine Feminine. As someone growing up in a Western culture, the concept of Goddess was unfamiliar but terrifically intriguing. She didn't always have a name, but her awakening presence was undeniable. My explorations revealed that Gaia s resonant heart-source, her Heart Chakra, was to be found in Glastonbury, England, where the mists of Avalon hold ancient secrets and stories. And as is true for so many, from the time I first knew this...first heard of Avalon...I felt its strange and strong pull. In 2001 an opportunity came to attend a writer s retreat in Glastonbury. Without doubting for one minute that I was to go, I excitedly registered for what would become a pilgrimage of heart and soul, and personally transformative beyond my wildest imaginings. Avalon is a place of sacred and ancient reverence of the Goddess centering on Chalice Well Garden and its Holy Well. Beyond the marvelous writing retreat, I was keenly excited that Glastonbury's famous Goddess Conference was also taking place over our first weekend. The final event was a procession from the town centre to Chalice Well, and we were thrilled to be invited to take part. From the pages of Answering Avalon's Call, here is that experience: "So on that sunny, blessedly cooler Sunday morning we excitedly dressed in our Goddess clothes, and stood waiting at the gate of the Abbey House. Soon, there they came along Chilkwell Steet walking to the beat of drums and chanting...dozens and dozens of women in rainbow-hued clothes and carrying huge banners of images of the Goddess.... 2

3 They reached us and we stepped into the line of marchers. Women smiled their welcome. I felt transported to another Time, barely feeling my feet on the pavement. I was walking next to a woman carrying one of the banners. As we turned the next corner she asked, "Would you like to carry this?" And so I received it, hardly able to say my thanks. The eight-foot tall banner on its slender pole wasn't at all heavy and it floated gently above my head. When we reached Chalice Well, I set the pole on the ground and realized that I hadn't even known what Goddess image I'd carried. I turned it towards me and there was the beautiful image of Mary, the Holy Mother, smiling at me from beneath her blue veil. Oh my So there I was with the dozens and dozens of women, all of us dressed in our Goddess finery, circulating around the shallow Vesica pools at the bottom of the Garden. Such delightful conversations and warm greetings exchanged in all sorts of accents and languages. I wandered happily and came to a small group gathered around someone who had a camera new in that time which had an image screen to instantly display photos. I looked over someone's shoulder to see a shot she had just taken of the scene across the lower pool. In an open space was a hazy but distinct image of a blue veiled woman standing alone looking our way, a stillness about her that was unmistakable to me. Her veil completely covered her face, but it was clear she was regarding us. I raised my head quickly seeing people mostly as they were in the photo, but the space where the woman stood was startlingly empty. There was no sign of a blue-veiled woman. She could not have walked away that fast! I looked down again at the camera's display, and there she was in the photo. A shiver ran through me. Mary was here among us." The immediacy of this connection with the Goddess filled me with wordless wonder and was to be added to nearly every day of that first visit to Avalon. My journey from that late-july weekend 'til now has been a constant, joyful evolution as a woman, a writer, and an Earth-healer. I've been honored to share it in so many ways, ultimately through the book that asked to be written. Or more accurately, that the Great Mother asked me to write, urging that I raise my Voice through my story. All our Voices are needed now. She encourages and challenges us to share our stories, our songs, and our courageous resistance...voices raised together in Oneness of heart, spirit, and unquenchable hope. Carol will have copies of her books available to purchase at our meeting. Answering Avalon's Call - The Mystical Odyssey of an Earth-Healer is published by O Books, ISBN: (The inspiring story of one woman's journey to Glastonbury and spiritual self-discovery.) Glastonbury Tor 3

4 I Was Changed The Vortex on The 4-Tiered Mound on South Hill Madis Senner The introduction to my book Vortices and Spirals ref=sr_1_1s=books&ie=utf8&qid= &sr=1-1&keywords=vortices+and+spirals begins with a transformative experience I had years ago on a mountaintop in Vermont meditating in an energy vortex, what I call a natural vortex. I had attended the Dowsers Convention at the Killington Ski Resort as a speaker earlier that day and was depleted. The space was awful; several lecture rooms even had negative vortices (drain you, create geopathic stress and cancer) in them. So after dinner I left my campsite and let my dowsing L-rods lead me to where I should meditate it was a natural vortex on a mountaintop. Not only did it burn off the clutter and negativity I had taken on earlier; It changed me and gave me something I lacked, or needed. This past Saturday I had another transformative experience while meditating in a natural vortex on a stone mound on South Hill. It changed me. This was a rare event. Even though I meditate in powerful sacred places that have been so for millennia, places with divine aspects of Mother Earth such as Fields of Consciousness and Energy formations. Places with strong imprints, what Hindu Vedanta calls samskaras (the root of our karma) basically memories that cling to the land and facilitate mystical experiences. These places have given me insights, sent me on journeys, provided answers, nourished my soul and raised my consciousness; being blissed out with a spiritual high is a constant given. But changing that quickly was unusual. The Four-Tiered Mound At South Hill In the spring of 2009 I was lead to a four tiered mound on South Hill in High Tor NYS DEC Wildlife Management Area. outdoor/24439.html What I call tiers are like terraces on the side of a hill. It was located on a steep part of the hill in a large thicket and almost unperceivable unless you were next to it; which, given that the thicket with all its brush, prickly trees and the other scrub, is next to impossible unless you know where to look. I marked a trail with ribbons and told only one other person about it. Evidently they or someone else decided to take down all the ribbons marking the trail to it. It broke the connection. Oddly that to which I was guided to, I could no longer find. I lost track. Took a job at Sears selling appliances to pay my bills. Then in 2015 I began to look for it. Several times I wandered all over South Hill walking into thickets, briar patches and similar numerous times. I started from the bottom of South Hill as I did when I originally found it; as well as from the top. Drats I could not find it. Then in the Fall of 2017 I stepped it up. Starting from the top of South Hill I found the large swath of thicket- half a mile, a mile or more in length. I asked my dowsing rods to show me which way (direction) the Earth Prana, what you know as the Life Force/Chi/Prana, was flowing. I did this because the four-tiered stone mound covered Earth Chakras and the Earth Prana would be drawn to those Earth Chakras. I approached this systematically. I found other stone mounds and uncovered Earth Chakras. Imagine a maze with false paths, dead ends that are made up of scrub, briars and trees with large prickles that are like hypodermic needles. With each trip I was able to eliminate a section. Then one weekday towards the end of deer hunting s shotgun season in December, I found it. Now almost nine years later I was back. I had returned with greater knowledge of Mother Earth and many more years of meditating in power spots. I dowsed out a very -positive to extremely -positive vibe, a water dome and an energy vortex. I looked at the stone mound and saw within it stonework that I could now better appreciate and understand its detail. While the stone mound was somewhat disheveled, there were noticeable tiers/terraces, or steps that made up the stone mound. I shot a few videos, took lots of pictures and left. I knew I would not be back until the spring because snow was forecast. I would have to wait to meditate in the energy vortex. 4

5 Then in the Fall of 2017 I stepped it up. Starting from the top of South Hill I found the large swath of thicket half a mile, a mile, or more in length. I asked my dowsing rods to show me which way (direction) the Earth Prana, what you know as the Life Force/Chi/Prana, was flowing. I did this because the four-tiered stone mound covered Earth Chakras and the Earth Prana would be drawn to those Earth Chakras. Finally, Saturday March 31, 2018 I was psyched. Finally my chance had come. My plans were to visit Gossamer Wood drive south along the eastern shore of Canandaigua Lake to South Hill and finish with my friends Bruce and Linda in the southern tier of NY. It was a little after noon when I got to the parking lot on top of South Hill. I met Bill VanDerveer, who informed me that the gorge was icy and covered with snow which made crossing the gorge to get to the stone mound treacherous. Not only was it a great meeting that gave me valuable information, I also got to meet Bill, who grew up in the area and was a font of knowledge about the stone mounds in High Tor. I drove down to the base of the South Hill and began my climb. It was not long before I saw the large swath of thicket. But where to enter? I decided any point was fine. I just needed to get to the other side of the thicket on the topside of the hill and look from there. The climb was steep and I was walking on leaves that made the ground slippery. Fortunately, I brought my hiking poles and did more pulling on my poles than climbing with my legs. After some time I reached the top of the thicket. Now my search got serious, only it was getting late. I found other stone mounds that I had marked, others I had not marked and more. I knew I was close. My rods showed me the direction of the flow of the Life Force, but there were lots of Earth Charkas pulling in the Life Force to them in different areas. With little time left I found it. I regret I am always in a rush, especially times like this. But that is who I am. I said some prayers and spread tobacco. I took out my dowsing rods to find the natural vortex. I put my cushion down. Sat down and began shooting a video. Then I began meditating. The Prize If you are lucky and meditate enough times in a natural vortex, you may transcend time and connect with the spirit of those that created it. You will always connect with their consciousness, but sometimes you do so in a very special way. It is a gift. Think of the movie series The Highlander where Connor Macleod is supposedly killed in inter-clan warfare in the Scottish Highlands hundreds of years ago only to realize he is immortal when he does not die after being stabbed. He learns that he is one of several immortals and that eventually they must kill each other until only one is left. Each time someone decapitates another immortal, he gets The Prize, or a quickening; all the powers and knowledge of the deceased flow into him. In this short video you can see the formation of a vortex to transfer the power of the deceased to Colin. It is the same with a natural vortex. The difference is that the prize is the collective consciousness of the blessed souls that created the vortex their love, their prayers, their focus, their gifts, their abilities.imagine if you could build muscles just by hanging with weight lifters. By meditating in a natural vortex the spiritual gifts and abilities (visionquesting, love, connection to our Mother, aspects of their soul ) of those that created it flow into you. How much depends upon your connection to Mother Earth. You need to be connected to Her. While meditating in the natural vortex on the 4-tiered mound I sensed a busyness to the area. I had several visions and saw many people milling about on the stone mound. I felt really good, relaxed but energized at the same time. That was it. I scrambled down the hill. On the drive to see my friends Linda and Bruce I realized that I had some how been transformed. But how? I felt as though instead of taking a small step forward, I took a leap in my spiritual transformation. 5

6 You Can Too I tell you this because you to can transcend time and connect with the consciousness of others by meditating in a natural vortex. You need to develop a bond with our Mother and shift your focus towards Her. That connection is paramount. Unless you develop that bond, meditating in a natural vortex will at best be a mediocre affair. You need to develop sentience of Mother Earth; to sense and feel Her emanations. You should also eliminate things that are harmful to our Mother, such as technology. It is a well-known fact that too much time on cell phones and technology makes you less empathetic and less compassionate. That is because technology disconnects us from our Mother and all of Her soul-nourishing nutrients She showers us with. Technology suffocates your soul, by robbing you of nourishment. Using technology while trying to spiritually advance or connect with Mother Earth is like trying to be a long distance runner while you are smoking cigarettes. You will also have to learn basic geomancy skills of dowsing for an energy vortex in order to find one in the wilderness. I am sure many of you think that I am nuts and asking for the impossible. Really? Think about all the eastern mystics and texts that teach about all the karma and future lifetimes you take on with one life time of bad actions. Technology puts bad karma and future lives on hyper drive. Think about it. I am telling you about one of the most transformative and wonderful consciousness-raising experiences that you can have. That I have had. You to can have what I experienced on South Hill that last Saturday of March of You just need to heed my advice. Hug your Mother and get rid of things that harm Her. New Pictures of the 4-Tiered Mound on South Hill, Recommended Reading: The following are my works: Vortices and Spirals Sacred Sites in North Star Country ref=asap_bc?ie=utf8 has a whole section on High Tor. I have several videos on energy vortices on my YouTube channel MotherEarthPrayers especially Energy Vortexes--Cosmic Prana If a few people are interested, I will teach a weekend experiential workshop, Geomancy Earth Magic-- Vortices, Water Domes/Veins, Connectors, a Thin Veil where you will learn about the magic in our relationship with Mother Earth, what some call Earth Magic, where we can co-create a new birth with Her. An energy vortex is a prime example. Natural Vortex Videos. In the next few weeks I will posting a few videos on natural vortices including the four tiered mound on my YouTube Channel, MotherEarthPrayers Blessings, Madis On Sat. May 19 the Syracuse Community Choir is having their Cafe night and silent auction at St. Pauls. It is their main fundraiser of the month and usually good food and a lot of fun. Check the SCC website for details. 6

7 From: Dale and Nancy Gallagher: Dear TPA friend, participant, consider PLORKING Playing and Working in TPA s 2018 / 2019 programs Experience why TOGETHER we make a difference! Every month, nine or more folks plork together to put on an event to nourish their bodies, inform their minds, and fill their spirit with love Every month there is a gift from someone in the local community who wants to share a talent, a skill, an intention, a meditation Program coordination, newsletter invitations, host preparations and thank you notes from introductions to clean up, It all gets done Once a month, the Humanistic / Transpersonal Association of Syracuse for the past 38 years has offered itself a tasty, zesty, healthy potluck dinner followed by a speaker s informative presentation The event is open to all who are interested New folks are as welcomed as are those reconnecting, returning many times over Every month there s a speaker with an interesting topic and a different group becomes responsible for that event which, in the end, benefits themselves and every one attending Take, March 2018 TPA gathering, for example, there was Nancy, Kiki and Evy who agreed on program topic, date, time and venue There was Sue who diligently worked on the Transcender newsletter sending it out inviting people to attend, show up, enjoy Evy, Dave and Mark set up our venue at the Friend s Meeting House in Syracuse Nancy facilitated the Community Meeting Martin introduced our speaker Virginia Waldron Joanne lead us in our closing circle dedicated to Betsy Yavits Joe lead at cleanup and Dale, after the fact, paid our bills This past March TPA dinner and program presentation which is now a pleasant memory for those who attended was co-created by many in the background and foreground As we often said in our beginning AHP / TPA days, We are the setting, the actors, the scene, the script. We are the entire production, the reviews, the play Today, let s celebrate the joys in our co-creations for some 38 years Let s thank one another for AHP / TPA gatherings that have benefitted us, our relationships with one another, our local and our global communities! Thank You, everyone! Your assistance continues being appreciated by all! Call / Text Nancy & Dale Gallagher at Tell us how and in which month(s) you want to help. 7

8 Saturday, May 19 FREE ANNUAL KIDS' CONCERT Tykes of all ages are invited to bring their grown-ups! First Presbyterian Church (Dobson Hall community room), 97 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles [map], 10:00 a.m. Free community event. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Masterworks Chorale of Skaneateles MasterWorks Choralewww.masterworkscny.org AZIZ GOKSEL is a member of this esteemed singing group. Sunday, May 20 ALL THAT JAZZ AND MORE! A sparkling tribute to American's golden age of song, when lyrics told a story, melodies were unforgettable, harmonies were lush, and swing was king! Springside Inn, 6141 W. Lake Rd., Auburn, 6:00 p.m. Tickets $70. Includes beverages, appetizers, full dinner, entertainment, and tax-deductible donation to MasterWorks Chorale. Advance ticket sales begin in From Nancy and Dale: Here s sharing two weekly intentions from our ongoing Power Group of 8. We are grateful to Dr. Lynne McTaggert and Dr. Joe Dispenza's contributions to our growth and development and we look forward to sharing more re: intention and healing at our next May 19th TPA presentation...uplifted with Dale Gallagher. Interested in joining the next Power of 8 group? Contact / Text: Nancy Gallagher at

9 .Our last meeting featured Virginia Waldron. She delivered a masterful powerpoint presentation explaining many aspects of past life regression. She also shared some of her own past life regression experiences that definitely led to important life changes for her. (Ask her about how she feels about FISH the next time you see her!) Several of us in her audience also shared experiences we had had. She answered our many curious questions....above is Sue Savion at the local Syracuse March for Our Lives event. It is one of the many things that have been keeping her busy lately. (Read Sue s blog at quotingmatilda.com that will give you fascinating information about Marjory Stoneman Douglas.)...She gave a well-received presentation on her trip to Alaska from a few years ago that emphasized the cultures of the indigenous Alaskan people she encountered..ask Sue for tickets to the upcoming Women Transcending Boundaries fundraiser at Sycamore Hills Gardens outside of Marcellus on Sunday, May 20th. It is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. Just ask anyone who has ever been there. Tickets are $6 now but the price will increase to $12 on May 10th. Children under six are free...frank Colella: Germany trip update: Funeral services went very well, and time spent with Helga's family did much to bring closure to this whole tragedy... I cannot send any photos right now because my connection is so slow, but I should be able to upload some later. And, there will be a video later, probably a link to Youtube. Anyway, life goes on, and I'm now heading out to Hannover, where my nephew, Simone, lives... he is buying a camper/rv, which is at my disposal for the rest of my time here. My plan is to have no plan, and simply travel wherever I feel like... I call it "Zen vacation"... thanks, again, for all your support and kind words... NAMASTE!!...Gabrielle Antoni: I do admit, life is good. My recovery from hip surgery is almost complete! And my brother and I moved our mother into a Senior Citizen Home and we cleaned out her apartment. She loves her new room, staff, food and location in the centre of town. All is well. One week ago in the Allgäuer Alps, yesterday at the National Mall in Washington DC to see the Cherry Blossoms. Millions of blossoms, and thousand of visitors enjoying them..also on vacation are Joanne and John Verone. After a stop in NYC, they cruised to Florida where it is sunny and warm...nancy Gallagher is celebrating her birthday Wednesday, April 18th. She welcomes one and all to her home. 2:00 pm. Text or give her a call if you plan to celebrate with her....remember: to consider donating to Stacey Emmons Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) for which she volunteers (semmons@syr.edu) AND send Healing Energy to Betsy Yavitts. 9

10 April 21st: PRESENTER: Carol Ohmart Behan HOSTING: Joanne and John Verone HOST HELPERS: Elaine Chandler COMMUNITY MEETING: Nancy Gallagher CLEAN UP: Stacy Emmons CLOSING CIRCLE: Carol Ohmart Behan Share your news for the newsletter any time. Send to Susan Savion. or Phone: or If you are a recipient of snail mail newsletters, please remit $15 to cover the expenses. TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY ASSN. FIRST CLASS 10