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Group Sharing / Submissions for December 26
2025/2026
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Third Sacred Night – 26 December 2025, revisiting March 2025
The physical — As a group, all of us, like a family, went to a very ancient and special place, inhabited for more than four thousand years: a stone circle on the top of a series of moors, with low, herbaceous vegetation. I took photographs of all of us, walking in a line, climbing the hill and then descending. That month, I was surrounded by seed trays, with shoots growing. The first beetroots sprouted in deep red tones; the beans and tomatoes grew steadily in my room, by the window. Samba, the dog, wandered nearby, as did people such as John Brass, the Gold Guilder, and others. One day, we all went out to plant trees. There were daffodils everywhere. At the end of March, my son Mateus came to visit me. In March I saw swans on a nest. Then I saw — we all saw — by the loch in Scotland, a mass gathering of frogs laying eggs; this is called spawning. Near the end of March, I went alone to Hawick and then went to fetch Mateus. Hawick is a small Scottish town near the school. Going to Hawick was special and liberating. I was already a little tired of the course, which was about to finish anyway. I wanted to go to a town, to the wider world out there. When I had that opportunity, I realized that the stillness remained with me, a certain degree of detachment. The soul — Observing that mass gathering of frogs on that sunny day reminded me of the unique vision, of the one soul. There was a strong desire to be guided by the soul, to let go of the personality and ask the soul to guide my steps. Part of this came from the desire to relax, to do nothing, to let the divine guide me. The spirit — Everyone holding a large prayer rosary. All together. Each person holding a bead. I remember that night, once again, feeling glad that a part of me — tired — wanted to stop making sense of everything. To let myself be carried… in trust… relaxed about the unknown. Or… once again, the mystery, the night. The spirit — inspired, in spiro, allowing itself to be breathed. The air decides. In trust, in love. - Maria (England) |
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Early morning, birds singing. The sun shines through. trying to post too. Dreaming is faint and alludes me. - Kathleen (Australia)
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Second picture, Sun not awakening these beauties. - Kathleen (Australia)
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Christmas is conventionally seen as a great spiritual being "sacrificing" themselves to become human so as to save humankind from original sin. This descent is not possible with the work and contribution of other human beings as outlined in the lectures for the second and third nights. Even in the course of redeeming human shortcomings, even when done by a great spiritual being, the work and contribution of human beings is likewise necessary. May we all learn to appreciate that each of us, no matter how small, contributes to the awakening of the Christ in each of us. - Raphael (Philippines)
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2024/2025
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In June this last year, I traveled to Denver for the AWSNA national conference. I spent time there in the Denver Botanical Gardens and looking at home gardens all around the city, observing plants that grow well in the "Front Range" of the Rockies: yarrow, sunset hyssop, sunflowers, yucca, sedum, torch lily. Some of these plants are versions of ones I can grow in Vermont. Most are different, and the feeling they create in me as I study them is completely different than the feeling I have looking at a New England summer garden.
Plants in my garden have so many resources to use, they can be lavish with their blossoms! Plants at that high elevation use resources more efficiently. The image is from the memory of a class campfire in May! - Abigail (Vermont) |
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June was a month where we experienced relative peace and quiet after quite difficult travels. It felt good to be back to a daily routine and a healthy rhythm in spite of a certain uncertainty that was felt like an undercurrent that only sometimes was experienced in full consciousness.
- Conrad and Marjorie (California) |