Wisdom Circle - Focus Your Attention and Intention

In our Wisdom Circle, January has been the month where we create and share our intentions for the upcoming year.
As the year progresses, we have often found it helpful to re-focus our attention on our intentions in order to energize them and support their development.
By visiting our original intentions and giving them added creative energy and thought, the chances of manifestation increase significantly.
We are careful not to place a 'box' around our intentions, because that doesn't give God and the angels much space to go 'beyond' our finite imaginations and actually give us far greater gifts that we can even conceive.

Surrendering to divine timing is critical.
Wonderful things happening at the wrong time aren't really very wonderful.
Our sense of timing is limited by our world view.
But God's view encompasses things that aren't in our field of vision.
This is where trust comes into play.
Trust takes us from our own sense of urgency to a sense of the perfect timing of God.
Letting the field of possibility have time to be cleared and fertilized is critical to the 'right' answer showing up.
Trust brings us so much closer to experiencing the joy, happiness, peace and serenity that is the essence of who we are.
Trust reminds us that we 'know' who we are and that all manner of miracles are
available to us.
Trust places us in a mode of 'receptivity'...of patient 'waiting'...
Trust sidesteps the need to control and dictate.
Trust creates space for much greater good.
Trust knows no time constraints.
Trust brings sweet peace.
Trust brings more trust.

Trust.

Wisdom Circle - Focus on 'Hope'

I honor my hope and I give it my best energy.
I keep my eyes on my hope and do not let it out of my sight.
I listen to my hope and respect what it teaches me.
I stand strong in my hope and trust in its possibilities.
I become one with my hope and cherish its presence.
Joyce Rupp and Macrina Weiderkehr



Within our Wisdom Circle there are many different subjects discussed and considered.
But we do find that there are often repeating themes.
One of them seems to be Hope.
In every person's life, there are challenges that appear in our paths.
These challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn and grow and from that new wisdom, share with others.
One of the things that supports us through these challenges is the power of Hope.

Hope is truly very under-rated.
It often isn't given enough credit for the power that it gives us as we take on life's challenges.
Hope carries us and it lifts us; it directs us and sustains us.
It is a power beyond ourselves and our current life situations that serves to connect us back with courage and strength.
Hope often shows up when despair has set in.
Because of the way Hope does this, She demonstrates magical qualities.
Hope comes at moments of disillusionment, confusion, distrust, and reminds us of the Spirit that guided us in the past through troubled waters.
Hope also realligns us.
She slips back inside us and reminds us of who we are and Who we belong to.
She wakes us up.
She sets us straight.
She helps us remember what we already know.
She leads us to create connections with others that will re-inspire us.
She opens doors.
She creates potential.
She surrounds us with a Spirit of possibility and innovation.


Hope is a gift we give ourselves.
Hope is also a gift we can give others.
Sometimes Hope is all there is.
Often, Hope is all that is needed.

Wisdom Circle - Unfolding Into More of Itself

The flower in the picture is unfolding...it is in the process of becoming more of itself.
When it started out as a seed, it had a memory of 'who' and 'what' it was to be.
As it grew, more of the 'who' and the 'what' presented itself.
There were effects and conditions along the way that impacted the flower.
The environment, the surroundings, the sun, all added to this process.
It is a beautiful creation of nature, perfectly unique and singular in its display of color and form.

This has been the course of our Wisdom Circle.
Initially, we sensed what it was that the Circle would become...actually, what it truly was already.
The Circle was a place of exploration, sanctuary, healing, support.
As members came and left and new members emerged, the Circle took on new color, energy and form.
And the process continues.
No two Wisdom Circles are the same.
Each holds it own signature of what it is becoming.
Each serves the world in a somewhat different way.
There are learning circles, healing circles, support circles, resilience circles, circles for
peace building, dancing circles, meditation circles, sacred circles and many more.
The magic of the Circle is that it keeps on recreating itself, just like we do.
There are some things that resemble the original form, but other things have been replaced and a metamorphosis has happened.
The Wisdom Circle is a perfect metaphor for life.
It is a wonderful experience in creation, healing and the dynamic flow of change.

Wisdom Circle - Create a Pathway for Form and Flow

Every year in January, our Wisdom Circle creates intentions for the Circle as we look forward to the coming year.
In addition to the creation of intentions, is the important work of crafting a schedule or calendar to create a natural flow of focus areas.
So, we make a list of desired programs for the year, check it twice, and then commence to review the year and choose the perfect time and date in which to place each individual program.
We begin by posting on this calendar, those things that we have defined at important 'repeaters' thoughout the year.
For our group these 'repeaters' have been, walking the Labyrinth as a group at least twice a year, meditating and clearing our 'energy bodies' together at least quarterly, honoring the miracles of the four seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, honoring holy days from other religious traditions, focused study on the Spiritual Laws.
We place these items on our calendar and then proceed to get a 'sense' of what is missing as we view the year.
Do we have enough scheduled time for prayer and meditation?
Do we have time for learning about new discoveries in science and spirituality?
Have we captured enough movement and creative expression?

As we consider 'what is missing', we open to the wisdom of the group as to how to incorporate balance.
We listen to innovative ideas, radical thinking, compassionate concern in order to make sure we are considering a wide spectrum of interests.
We also want to make sure that we open to the guidance of our Creator as we create sacred space for spirituality within our Circle.

Another important concept to create over the scope of the year is spontaneity.
We have found in past years that you can actually overschedule programs and create rigidity and inflexibility as to what wants to just 'show up'.
We have learned that it is important to create space for improvisation, for newness, for wild adventures and for peace.

By taking the time at the beginning of the year to create a pathway for form and flow, we also remove the 'stress' related to creating new programs each week.
This way, everyone knows who is responsible for each program and the Circle takes on the feel of a smooth flowing river with a clear destination...but also with plenty of variety and opportunity for adventure built in.

Since we meet weekly, it also has created an opportunity for many different members to 'lead' or 'call the Circle'.
Individuals have a wonderful opportunity to share their gifts of writing, singing, sharing, and creating with others and this also adds great diversity to the Circle.
We have sensed that this diversity is a powerful strength of our Circle.
The support we demonstrate to all 'brave souls' who are willing to get up and lead a group is also a strength.

There has been enormous growth in each individual 'pilgrim' over the years as well as growth and development in the Circle as a whole.
We, as a group, have chosen to share this part of the journey together and the richness of the experience has been invaluable.
We have come to cherish the 'family' of like-minded souls that come together opening their hearts to what the Creator would teach each week through the stories that are told.

Wisdom Circle - 2008 Intention Ceremony - Take a moment to contemplate what you want to create in your future...

Each year in January, our Wisdom Circle creates a space for an Intention Ceremony.
This gives each person in the group an opportunity to begin the process of active creation for the upcoming year.
Rather than have the new year 'happen to them', this supports the process of active creation.

For the weeks preceding our ceremony, each individual Circle member is asked to focus on all those things that they would like to release in anticipation of the upcoming year.
They are asked to give consideration to those practices or behaviors that contributed to their highest good and which did not.
What things do they want more of in 2008 and what is ready to be a part of the past?
By first taking the time to release and 'let go', more space is created for the 'new', the innovative and the creative to enter.

As we come together for our ceremony, we each write down those things that we wish to commit to making a part of our experience in the new year.
It may be that we will choose to focus on specific spiritual laws that inspire us such as the Law of Surrender, the Law of Peace, the Law of Honor, etc.
We might chose to focus on daily spiritual practices to bring ourselves into greater communion with the Creator.
Whatever is our individual choice for focus becomes the foundation for our intentions.
As we write our intentions, we place them in envelopes in our intention bowl and keep these in a central place in our space all year.
These intentions can be reviewed during the year to determine if we want to make course corrections or adjustments or to simply celebrate our successes.

Just as Tiger the cat is contemplating his prospects for the new year, we have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and create a new beginning.
In every new beginning, comes an opportunity to honor the past and the teachers and experiences that have been part of our experience.
In every new beginning is an opportunity to stretch beyond our comfort zone as we plot our new course.
In every new beginning comes an opportunity to see, feel and touch in larger ways.
In every new beginning enters the possibilities of a whole new chapter in our lives, unlike any we have written before.
In every new beginning, comes the hope of seeing the face of God more clearly, more fully and in everything we experience.

In every new beginning, God is.

Wisdom Circle - Let There Be Light!

Light is such an amazing element of Nature.
It's ability to dissipate darkness is so powerful and absolute.
This is true of our own Light.
Staying connected to the Divine Light is what dissipates the darkness in our lives absolutely.

This past week, our Wisdom Circle celebrated the beauty, power and the wonder of the Light.
We learned about different traditions and how they celebrate this time of year.
We remembered the Christ and the new hope that was brought into the world.

We remembered also that within Mother Nature, our days will become longer now and the nights will become shorter.
More Light will infuse the world and all of us as well.

We began our Circle this night by sitting in a darkened room, with only one candle lit in the center.
Each of us chose a colored candle and lit our individual candle from the one at the center, the Source.
We sat silently in the Circle, in gratitude for the Light in the world and within each of us.
Then we were asked to remember a loss, something that connected us with an aspect of ourselves we needed to let go.
We went around the Circle and spoke of our loss...for some it was 'loss of control', for others it was about loss of a job or loss of health.
As we finished our description of the 'loss' and its 'gift' to us in wisdom, we blew out our candles one by one and sat in the quiet of the darkness.
The darkness cradled us in her peacefulness and in her depth of acceptance.
We honored all of the experiences that were shared.

We then went around the Circle again, this time sharing a gift or a blessing that had been received.
As we spoke of the gift, we re - lit our candle.
For some, the 'gift' was found in the loss that had been shared earlier.
For others, the 'gift' was an opportunity that had been offered, a friendship, a surprise...
When we completed a 'round', we found ourselves in a lighted room.
The Spirit of gratitude filled our space as we remembered the gift of challenges, losses, blessings equally.
We remembered those experiences and people that had been our greatest teachers.
We remembered how fortunate we are to be gifted with Life and the opportunity to serve.

May we never forget that which has been so freely given to us...the gift of Love from our Creator and the invitation to full partnership in the re - creation of the world into a space of peace, light, love, wisdom and beauty.

Wisdom Circle - Teaching Each Other

“Let me see the world through your eyes, hear the world as you hear it.

Let us teach each other, support each other, inspire each other, and heal each other.

Let us make visible to ourselves, and then to the world, how much we care.”

Charles Garfield

Cindy Spring

Sedonia Cahil

One of my favorite books on Wisdom Circles was written by Charles Garfield,

Cindy Spring, and Sedonna Cahil.

They have captured the heart of 'how to' create and maintain a Circle.

Their vision seems to have been to write a book that serves as a guide to anyone interested in learning how to develop a Wisdom Circle of their own.

They speak about 'teaching each other' by sharing how we each see the world, hear the world and feel the world.

It is by sharing our unique experiences that we broaden our world view.

By opening ourselves to the way others view life, work, fun, adventure, we come to a larger sense of what is possible.

We may also sense a deeper meaning to life, an alternate pathway of thinking, a new approach to dealing with challenges.

We can increase our learning from others' experiences rather than having to experience everything ourselves.

There are some real advantages to this.

Inspiring each other is another natural outgrowth of a Wisdom Circle.

It is our experience that you cannot share a Circle with other folk week after week, month after month, year after year, without finding great inspiration from other lives well lived.

When someone goes through a traumatic event and shares their story, all are blessed from the experience of sensing and learning from the events second hand.

When someone shares their joy, fear, 'leaps of faith', we can 'live it' through them.

We can capture the emotion of joy or peace or hope.

We can remember what it 'feels' like and then make the transfer into our own lives.

We have also found that the lessons we each learn within the Wisdom Circle we are able to 'bridge' into our daily lives.

We can carry forward wisdom from the Circle, and make applications to our work, to our families, to our personal spiritual journeys.

The Circle serves as a microcosm of the world.

As we learn to love more deeply within the Circle, we can love more deeply anywhere.

As we learn to live more fully within the Circle, we can live more fully anywhere.

As we learn to trust more completely within the Circle, we can trust more completely anywhere.

As we learn to surrender the total essence of who we are within the Circle, we can experience the freedom of full surrender anywhere.