Soaring into to the Fall Term!

With every Ravenclaw that comes through the door we change and grow a little...a new dormitory floor appears...new talents and stories are shared...there are more friendships and more ideas. I know it was just a few days ago I was welcoming new faces to the Tower but it already feels like everyone is right where they belong and part of what the Tower is going to become this term.

Those of you that were in Ravenclaw last term know that we worked hard. It paid off and we brought the Cup home. This term I'd like to challenge each and every one of you to play just as hard. Do you see the difference there? Play not work. When it turns into work you went just a bit too far.

We seem to be off to a great start. I can't wait to see the Alots brought to life and the Second Years keep saying something about penguins...

Can't wait to get started!

♥Isis

Diadem Day 7: Spiritual connection

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
— Rumi

At the beginning of this week, I said that the diadem, a circular crown, would symbolize treating ourselves royally this week. And the 7th chakra, at the very top of the head, is called the crown chakra, for it symbolizes the highest state—regal and glorified, ruling everything within it. The key themes of the 7th chakra are enlightenment, bliss, conscious thought and intelligence, belief systems and worship, spirituality and the sacred, “divine” wisdom, nirvana.

Take some time to be at peace today. If you already meditate, devote some time to your practice. If you have not tried meditation, a short exercise is outlined in this post. Then stretch in child’s pose (and kiss the ground).

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For today:

1. Watch this video. If you have time (it’s Saturday but this runs 28 minutes), here’s a video about the chakra system. This is what one might call “trippy.” All week I’ve been using a book by Anodea Judith, Chakra Balancing, and I want to give credit to her for much of the information I’ve shared with you. But I also want to make a disclaimer: I learned about chakras from studying yoga, and even though I believe that energy travels through the body in ways we still have much to learn about (nervous system, metabolism, acupuncture channels, etc.), I use the chakras as metaphors. It’s my hope that no one has felt I was advocating a particular religious point of view; I value the wisdom from all faith traditions. But if anyone is interested in reading about the chakras from a Judeo-Christian interpretation, you might find the book Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss worth your time.


2. Meditate. Not that long ago, meditators were thought to be a little kooky; now Tibetan Buddhist monks with more than 40,000 hours of meditation under their belts are invited to laboratories to have their brains scanned; their shaved heads bloom with electrodes while university researchers study the influence of meditation on stress and health. And the findings prove that meditation actually changes the brain in measurable ways and can make us more resilient, more compassionate, and happier people.
   
   The purpose of meditation is to still the normal chatter of the mind and concentrate the attention on only the present moment. There are many techniques for meditation. You can regulate your breathe, visualize images, chant mantra, sit quietly and watch your thoughts go by, dance ecstatically, stare at the wall, watch a candle flame, walk a labyrinth…plus dozens more methods. And with meditation's wider acceptance, you'll find countless sources for learning; check the Internet and the public library for books and audio lessons and your community for classes. The book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn is an excellent source of information about “mindfulness meditation," also called insight meditation or Vipassana. In this kind of meditation, one could say that you practice “non-doing.”
   
   To experience a little insight meditation technique, find a place where you can sit comfortably and not be disturbed, and set a kitchen timer for ten minutes. Draw your attention to your breath. Then just sit. Practice being completely open and receptive to whatever comes into the field of your awareness, letting it all come and go, watching, witnessing in silence. I've heard it described as watching clouds move across a vast blue sky. When your mind wanders (it will), just bring it back to the breath, without judging, with no attachment to an outcome or evaluation of whether you’re doing this “right.” Sink into just being.


3. Carry a token. To remind yourself how important self-nurturing is, find a small token that is meaningful to you alone, something that will remind you to care for yourself when things get crazy. It could be a smooth pebble you picked up at the beach, a feather, a special bead or button, an acorn, a ring or pendant, or a small toy. Carry it in your pocket, wear it on a chain or key ring, hang it from your rearview mirror, but somehow carry your token with you as a reminder. Change your token every once in a while, perhaps seasonally.


4. Connect with the truly awesome. Find the darkest place in your neighborhood and gaze up at the night sky. Observe the moon and see if you can spot some planets and the Milky Way galaxy. Then think about the billions of stars beyond that, light years above you, and contemplate your place in the universe. How awesome it is to be a sentient little speck, part of a cosmos too enormous to comprehend. It puts your ego in its place.


5. Create sacred space. When you define something as sacred, you invest it with meaning and treat it with extra care. Choose an area in your home or garden that can be a sacred space or altar. It does not have to be any more elaborate than a tabletop with a flower in a small vase, maybe a photo of a loved one, a candle or a few sea shells. No one needs to know that the right side of your dresser in the bedroom is your sacred space. What makes it special is your intention and attention. Take care to keep it clean, maybe knit a special lace cloth for the area, let it reflect what you love—a special spirit animal for you, natural objects that change with the seasons, colors you love.
   
   “Attentiveness is the natural prayer of the soul.”—Malebranche

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Today’s prize is spinning fiber—4 ounces of alpaca combed top from Huacaya Moon (a natural golden camel color) and 2 ounces of Columbia/Border Leicester–cross roving, dyed in sunset colors.

Have a great term, Ravenclaws!

Diadem Day 6: Inner vision

I dwell in Possibility—
A fairer House than Prose—
More numerous of Windows—
Superior—for Doors—
Of Chambers as the Cedars—
Impregnable of Eye—
And for an Everlasting Roof—
The Gambrels of the Sky—
Of Visitors—the fairest—
For Occupation—This—
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise—

Emily Dickinson

Poets like Emily Dickinson have entered the world of possibility and imagination. And you can, too, by exploring the 6th chakra, located between your brows. This is thought to be the center of illumination, the gateway to wisdom, the homeland of intuition, dreams, and visions. Even if you hadn’t heard of the chakra system before, you may have heard about the “third eye” or seen it in depictions of Buddhist and Hindu deities.

The name for this chakra, ajna, means both “to perceive” and “to command.” By learning how to focus the light of consciousness, you can see into the subtler realms of energy and spirit. By tuning into imagination, dreams, and intuition, you can explore your life purpose and goals and shape your future.

As a physical practice today, try palming your eyes. Rub your palms together briskly until you feel your hands become warm. When the heat feels sufficient, place your warmed palms over your eyelids, press gently, and let your eyes bask in the warmth and darkness. After the heat dissipates, you can repeat this, or give your temples and forehead a mini massage.

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For today:

1. Dharana: Concentration with your mind’s eye. This exercise is from Om: A Guide to Meditation and Inner Tranquility by Frank MacHovec (Peter Pauper Press, 1975). You become better at this visualization with practice, as with any meditative method.
   
   “Dharana is knowing, fully knowing. Dharana is one-pointed concentration. It is undistracted, intense involvement with something, putting it in extremely fine focus, being totally occupied with it….”
   
   “The ancients used flowers or fruits to develop dharana. It’s interesting to note that the world’s artists do much the same thing trying to bring to life flowers and fruits in a still-life painting. You can do the same with the oils and canvas of your mind. An apple, orange, banana, or pear will do nicely. Concentrate on it. Touch it, study it closely. Use your sharpened senses. Then close your eyes and duplicate the fruit in your mind as clearly as if your eyes were open and you were looking at it. Make it equally real with or without your eyes being focused on it. As a close to this part of the meditation, experience the fruit by eating it. But eat slowly, savoring it. ”
2. Color. This is the chakra where you get to play with color! Dress colorfully to stimulate your seeing. Take yourself to places that are visually stimulating, pleasing to the eye, or inspiring. Go to your LYS for a color-play day. *Anodea Judith says, “The seven colors associated with the rainbow have become associated with the seven chakras. This is a modern association, as the ancient texts didn't match these colors, yet it's a logical sequence of matching the seven colors in accordance with the natural spectrum, with the reds, oranges, and yellows vibrating at a slower frequency than the greens, blues, and violets of the higher chakras.” The color for the 6th chakra is deep indigo blue-violet. *Here's a website that's fun to explore, with a color for every day of the year. Look up your own color horoscope. Does the color assigned to your day feel right to you?
3. Dreams and imagination. People have been mentioning in the common room lately the vivid and unusual dreams they’ve been having. A journal comes in handy when trying to remember and interpret dreams. Write down as much of your dream as you can as soon as you awaken.You’ll find dream-interpretation resources at the library and online. Here’s one site; I found that many of them were full of intrusive ads. *Imaginative play and daydreaming are, I think, survival skills. Here’s a website that is colorful and fun. Be sure to investigate the menu at the top to explore all the areas.
4. Goals: Vision for the future. Through the power of imagination, you can envision what your life could be in the future. Even though you may have been discouraged from daydreaming, don't let anyone underestimate its importantance. To get what you want, you have to know what you want; you try out ideas in your daydreams and then plan. “Day planner” systems or books about life coaching can guide you through the process of exploring your values and goal setting. Here are some questions to think about: *Do you have a guiding vision for your life?
   *What do you want to have achieved within the next six months? One year? Five years?
   *What is “the larger good” that you are working for?
   *What possibilities do you see that do not yet exist?
   *What changes will need to happen to manifest your dreams?
5. Mandalas. Some of you said you enjoyed the coloring pages from several days ago, so here are some mandalas to color. They originally were used in Hindu and Buddhist art as a meditation device and tool for establishing sacred space. Wikipedia says, “In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective.” Working with mandalas is a very “6th-chakra” activity.

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Today’s prize is especially suited to Ravenclaws: it’s a three-strand bracelet of deep blue sodalite chips and blue crystal beads, made by an artist in Wisconsin. Sodalite is supposed to help one “cultivate detachment from the concerns and worries of everyday life. It can reduce stress and anxiety by allowing one to see one’s reality from a higher, more serene perspective.”

Hope you have a great day, Ravenclaws. Fondoo party tonight, merry beasts!