Eco Spiritual Blog

Its October 31st, 2008, as I write this, and I am in Chicago where I spent the day as a guest speaker at the Human Empowerment Conference. It has been a sweet and significant day and I am compelled to share it with you!

This is a Hindu event, and I was asked here to participate in the “American Dharma Congress,” a presentation designed to help Hindus explore the possibility that other faith traditions might be “allies in cause.” I spoke, this afternoon, on the topic of “Paganism in America.”

Did I mention how interesting it is that I am here on Halloween? This holiday, whose roots are deeply embedded in the rich soil of the Pagan culture, is a holy-day that invites us to offer gratitude for the gifts of our ancestors, to explore the value of death as a normal and healthy aspect of life, and to understand the importance of endings…and beginnings.

Voices, speaking from five different perspectives, were heard; Romani (Gypsy), Mohawk (Native American), Pagan, Feminist-Yogini, and Hindu.

We spoke about our related wounds, about marginalization and persecution. We spoke about our respective ways of connecting with the Divine in both its masculine and its feminine forms. We spoke about Mother Earth, ecology and sustainable living. We spoke about mysticism, science, and history. We listened and we learned – together.

On this day of endings and beginnings, we asked each other “what has died in order that we can be together in this way, and what will be born from our collaborative sharing?” We were reminded of all that we have to be grateful for in this very moment, which is not the moment of death, nor the moment of birth, but the present “now” that resides between them.

As is always the case for me, when I am blessed to be part of interfaith dialogue, I found myself brought to tears many times throughout the day. It is amazing to delve deeper into the recognition of our similarities. The common ground we discover reassures me that, at some time in our very distant past, we emerged from the same Divine Source – and no matter what path we follow to reconnect with that Source, we are destined to find each other as travel companions along the way!

So, at this very special moment in time, I offer thanks to the ancestors who have given their lives that we might follow our respective paths freely and openly. I am deeply grateful for the doorway that is opening between people of various traditions as a result of our heart-based recognition of each other, and I look forward, with great anticipation, to a future where labels such as Hindu and Pagan are replaced by such references as friend, companion and soul-kin.

On this very special Halloween, I wish you endings and beginnings that awaken you to your true and divine nature – and a few pieces of your favorite candy to sweeten the journey!

Blessed be,

Ahriana

October 3, 2008

Dear Friends,

October has arrived, and along with it, a myriad of magic including Jack-o-Lanterns, Ghouls, Ghosties and Witches. In many cultures, this is the time to celebrate death and honor the ancestors.

When I consider my own ancestry, which is largely European, I am reminded of the “Burning Times” – a period of roughly 400 years in which people accused of practicing certain arts were named “witches” and burned alive.  Many were healers, midwives, herbalist and practitioners of earth-based folk traditions.

Some were women who owned property of value.  Others were individuals whose spirituality was not aligned with those in power.  How did these “witches” become the hook-nosed Halloween hag we see today?

Perhaps the following, written by a 16 year old girl, will give some insight:

The Halloween Witch

Each year they parade her about … the traditional Halloween Witch. Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, and a toothless mouth beneath her disfigured nose. Gnarled, knobby fingers twisted into a claw, protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.

Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind, or merely a Halloween caricature. I disagree. I believe this to be how witches were really seen.

Consider that most witches: were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness, to be presented by the light of day as a confessed witch.

Few, if any, saw a frightened, normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture. To be questioned until she confessed to anything that was suggested to her, and to give names or whatever would stop the questions.

Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed witch. As the witch was paraded through the town, en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned, or disposed of in various other “forms of love,”  all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body. The jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture.

The face, bruised and broken by countless blows, bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone -replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered, disfigured nose. The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken, twisted hands clutched the wagon for support. Fractured fingers locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity gone. This was truly a demon, a bride of Satan, a witch.

I revere this Halloween crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of humanity. Each year I shed tears of respect and remember her involuntary sacrifice in the name of religion.

Written by Angel, 6/99

Do you pray for the healing of others?
Do you have family or spiritual traditions you value and practice?
Do you use herbal healing remedies or “mom’s secret cure for a cold?”
Do you own property someone else might wish was theirs?
Have you ever coached a birthing mother or been present to comfort the dying?
Have you ever had a difference of opinion with a neighbor, a friend or a spouse?

If so, by the standards of our ancestors, you might be a Witch.

Something to think about -hmmm?

“Never again the Burning Times!”

Blessed be,
Rev. Ahriana Platten
Director
Colorado Ecospiritual Center
October 3, 2008

Fall Equinox 2008

Dear Friends,

The Fall Equinox is here, touting the season of balance. Day and night are the same lengths and we are reminded that there is a time for exploring our own equilibrium. While day and night are about as black and white as they can be – twilight separates them. Afternoon and evening blend to create a very sacred and special time of transition.

The twilight is where the real balance occurs.

Balance has been on my mind a lot this week.   I have received a barrage of politically oriented, fear-based email. I’ve sent out a few notes in response but the mountain of opinion being circulated is too much for me to keep up with. I have received email this week disparaging candidates from both sides.

What bothers me about all of this is not that we all have our opinions, or that we wish to share them, but that the opinions we are passing around, in most cases, are the opinions of other people. Even more bothersome is that, in our desire to serve “what is right,” we pass things on before we do our own research to see if what we are sending is valid and true.

Please trust me when I say I am not pointing fingers.  I have forwarded some of this myself over the past few weeks – and am only now beginning to understand the impact of that choice.  It all feels very fearful and out-of-balance.

This race is important to our future, and I am as ready for a change as many of you are.  It’s really hard for me to slow down and do my homework because my life is busy, and it’s easier to just read what is sent to me and validate my own self-imposed fears. We must be cautious about getting enlisted in the political fear that is gaining momentum like a well-placed snowball headed downhill on a Colorado ski-slope.

Fear derails us.  From a place of fear, we are unable to create what we really want. Modern science has proven the power of our thoughts and emotions.  When we enlist in the fear, we are calling to us what we want to banish. There are people in the political arena who are counting on the fact that fear will make us ineffective – and a lot of the email going around is being generated to create a powerful fear.

When the fear gets too big, we shut down around it, become, apathetic, or feel “too small” to have any influence. We can’t afford to let that happen.

So – what can we do?

We can educate ourselves.  We can stop sending out everyone else’s opinions and formulate our own, which we can share openly.  We can refuse to participate in fearful exchanges.  Instead, we can speak about the real issues at hand.

There are many ways to obtain reliable information about the candidates.  Make sure your sources are unbiased and genuine.  I spent a lot of time at VoteSmart.org, an unbiased website that provides biographical information, voting records, endorsements, even how much money has been raised and from whom.  This is just one of several sites you can visit online.  OnTheIssues.org is another site worthy of exploring.

When someone else’s opinion does cross your desk, find out if what is being said it true before you take it seriously.  Many things can be referenced on snopes.com.   This site can answer such questions as whether Obama is a “Radical Muslim” (no) and if Palin actually said the war is a “task from God” (taken out of context).

And what about the basic fear?  How do we handle that?

At the risk of sounding like a street corner preacher – take it to Spirit.  If you are on this list and receiving this newsletter, chances are, you have some belief in a Creator.  We are a diverse community with many interpretations of who or what that Creator might actually be – however, most of us agree that there is a divine hand at work in our lives.

I have been going to that creative “Source” with a prayer for this election to be fair and just, and for the candidate who will bring change to be elected, so long as that change serves the highest good of All.  I have been asking that the people of this country sense within a desire for integrity and trustworthiness – and that their hearts rather than their wallets lead them.  These are my prayers.   You must find your own.  What I can tell you is that something about returning to Spirit creates calm and ease where fear once lived.

What is helping me, when I feel fearful about the future of our country, is releasing my fear to the Source.  I always come away feeling better.  In the arms of the Divine, I find the twilight – a beautiful place of transition and calm that reminds me that balance is never black or white, but the subtle combination of the two.

I encourage you to educate yourself and vote as your heart leads you.  This country, if it is all we believe it to be, relies on our ability to respect each other’s choices.  I honor your freedom to vote as you choose and appreciate the time you spend preparing to cast an educated ballot in November.

And, because many of you have asked -

I will vote for Obama.  I have done my homework and spent time learning about both candidates, as well as their running-mates.  Obama’s voting record reflects that, in most cases, he has voted the way I would like him to on such issues as war, environment and women’s rights.  I like his vision of the future and I highly recommend his book “The Audacity of Hope” if you are interested in knowing more about that vision.

And, for those of you leaning toward McCain as your candidate of choice, I trust that you will take the time to learn about both candidates and visit their voting histories. I am hopeful that you will make a well-educated decision and that, when you do, you will vote confidently for the candidate whose objectives most match yours.

Our power lies, of course, in our commitment to show up and vote.  As a woman, I am grateful that to have the opportunity and look forward to casting my ballot – a right our great grandmothers did not enjoy.
Blessed be,
Ahriana Platten
Director
Colorado Ecospiritual Center

August 2008

Dear Friends,
Growing up in the Catholic church, I was taught about the holiness of the “House of God.”  Certain behaviors were allowed, others were not, when you entered this sacred building.  A church was a temple, dedicated to all that was sacred – a place you could go to open your heart – a safe and healing place where you could collaborate with the Divine Source.  I still feel this way each time I enter a sacred place-no matter its religious orientation.

Which brings me to the shocking fact that today, in my adult life, it seems that churches are not necessarily safe.  You may or may not know that there was a shooting at a Unitarian Universalist Church in Tennessee recently.  Less than a year ago, in Colorado Springs, there was a shooting at the New Life Church. In both places, life was lost and communities were shattered by grief and injury.  All of this is so far from what seems possible to me in a “House of God,” that I can hardly imagine it.

Imagining became easier last weekend.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of speaking at a church here in my hometown. When I arrived at the church, the gentleman who was assisting with the service let me know that the office had received an “unusual call” and that they were taking some extra security precautions that morning. He explained that they were asking for local police to patrol and assigning extra ushers to watch for anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t say much more. He didn’t need to.  That was enough to set my imagination in motion.

Until that moment, there was something about the above-mentioned church shootings that was outside my own reality.  While I definitely felt compassion for those who were killed or injured, for the families, and for the communities who were so deeply affected – and even though I held them in my prayers – there was a distance between “them” and me.  This Sunday, that distance was as close as my own breath.

As I sat in the front of the church waiting for the service to begin, I wondered how we (humanity) came to such desperation.  How did we come to believe violence would fix things?  I wondered for how many years and decades and centuries we have struck out at one another when we feel disempowered, angry and fearful.  Sure, we can make this about one individual who was described as “distraught” – but, in truth, it is about all of us and the state of our society.  It is about our beliefs and our values.  Whether it is the person who “goes postal,” the man who attacks a church congregation, or a woman who throws a fist at a spouse, lover or child – it is about the violence we have grown so accustomed to in our world and our justifications for using violence to resolve our differences.

I began thinking about my children who so enjoy their video games – and how many of those games are all about fighting “the bad guy.”  There is no thought to it. Winning is all about eye-hand coordination and speed. The bad guy is determined by the game, not by the child.  How often do we let the opinion of others determine the “bad guys” in our lives.

I thought about the movies we watch and the media’s way of glorifying carnage – and wondered why we watch, over and over, paying good money to become more and more desensitized.

I considered whether I should say something to friends who came to share sacred space with me that morning – or should tell my sweet husband who was in the building with our darling little boy.

I wondered what I would do if someone came forward firing a gun. The whole scene played before my eyes and I ran several options through my mind. In the end, I sat, in the stillness of that “House of God”, and opened my heart to the Divine.  Call it faith.  Call it guidance.  Whatever it was, I felt completely peaceful and calm, ready to share the message Spirit would call forth from me. I recalled the phrase “There, but by the Grace of God, go I” and I thought of all the ministers I have come to know and love from so many different faith paths. I offered a short prayer for all of them, and for myself, and the service began.

I am happy to say that, with the exception of a stubborn CD that refused to play the right song, the service was uneventful. Nothing but smiling faces looking back at me. Message delivered. Hearts connected. Laughter shared. When it was over, I hugged my family and gave thanks for the Grace that blessed us with safety.

Now you might think that, after Sunday’s experience, I would have given up my childhood notions about the “House of God” but the reality is, I have not. Each of us has a responsibility to envision the world we desire to live in – and to live from that vision, allowing our vision to direct our choices and actions.

Last Sunday, I stood in the possibility of fear and violence.  It is not what I desire.  I clearly see a world where each Church and Temple is safe and sacred. I will live differently, in order to manifest that vision.  Can you see it?  Hold that vision strong. Together, we are creating our reality.

Blessed be,
Ahriana Platten
Director
Colorado Ecospiritual Center

May 1st, 2008

Today is May Day – and its snowing in Colorado!  Life is good!  Mark is loving his new job, school is almost over for the kids, and we made an offer on a house “up the hill” in the mountains.  Its amazing what can happen in a short thirty days! Thanks to all of you for your calls, hugs, and support in this time of change!

Today is a Pagan holiday, known by many earth-based traditions as “Beltane.”  This ecstatic holiday observes a celebration of fertility and creation, highlighting the physical joys of womanhood, manhood and sacred union. The seed of new life that was planted at the Vernal Equinox is awakening and the world revels in the joy of birth.

Beltane is a terrific opportunity to enrich any aspect of your life requiring fertilization.  What would nourish you, so that you can bring forth what you most desire?  Can you engage in the pleasures of life with wild abandon, really allowing yourself to seek your deepest awareness?

This is a time to welcome the return of life’s pleasures shared by all living things, and to share those pleasures most generously with one another. The gates between the worlds are open, and we can connect with the life-spirits of plants, animals, fairies and devas, and the Mysterious Ones, all those beings who awaken us to the deeper mysteries that are discovered by those willing to look for them. The Goddess is birthing abundantly and we are not only present, but a part of this miraculous happening.

So how does the snow fit into this day which is traditionally one that marks Spring’s “bursting forth?”

For me, it is amazing to recognize the tenacity of the life forms here in the Rockies. Despite the snow, leaves are budding, flowers are blooming, and birds are singing a song that warms and regenerates all that will listen.  Fresh green grass peeks out from under frosty white crystalline flakes, refusing to be discouraged in its climb toward the sun.

Spring is a time of determination and effort.  Those things which threaten to slow us down, or seem to stop us altogether, are often the very things that will provide us with what we need to drink deeply of the sweet nectar of life – just as the snow will soon become nourishing moisture for all the burgeoning life it blankets.

We, ourselves, are reaching toward the light and warmth of summer – and today, we are reminded to welcome change, no matter how it “shows up.” Through the challenges of life, we birth a new way of living.   For this, I am grateful!

On this May Day, I wish you a new adventure, an awakening of your own, an opening to the abundance just waiting for you to welcome it into your sacred garden!  May you be blessed with an easy and gentle birthing of your heart’s deepest desire.

Blessed be – and Happy Beltaine!