Sacred Circle Book Club

                                                           

Another year of reading has begun. Last night was my first book club meeting for the year. Our book club year starts in September and concludes in June. We take the summer off to read our own material. Most of my summer reading was on the subject of homesteading. I LOVED the book called, "Chickens in the Road," by Suzanne McMinn.

                                                          
  
 This author was living my dream of building a homestead with chickens and many other animals, all while raising children. Apparently Suzanne had a successful blog while she was building her homestead which further endeared her to me as I know how much time writing consumes. She has moved to a new farm and I've been meaning to look her up to see if she still blogs. If so, she has a future follower. She writes from the heart and her journey touched me deeply.


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Another book I REALLY enjoyed this summer was, re-reading Barbara Kingsolver's book called, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle...a year of food life."

                                                            



If you haven't read this book and are madly interested in living sustainably by growing your own food and living healthier, this is THE BOOK to read. I liked listening to the audio version too as Barbara, her husband and her daughter narrate the story and bring the stories to life. They feel like family now.

And finally, I cried when I finished reading, "The Dirty Life," by Kristin Kimball. Have you ever been so absorbed in a book, you felt you were one of the characters? I especially loved how they used horses to till the soil and prepare their fields. (I'll mention here that I was  madly in love with horses when I was a teen and I spent many blissful days on the back of my horse, Blondie) I grieved as I read the last page of Kristin's book and I hope someday to have a farm so full of life as they enjoyed on Essex Farm.

                                               

 
Well those are my summer reads and we haven't even talked about my Sacred Circle book club yet. Are my blog posts mini novellas or WHAT!

                                                  



In the fall of 2012, as I waited for the world to end on Dec 21, 2012, (Mayan Calendar prediction) I realized I wanted to start 2013 on the path of connecting deeply with my soul.

During the last 10 years from 2001 and 2011, when I was trying to conceive our last four children, I experienced profound moments of insight and felt touched by many miracles. Now that our Grace, Will, Kathryn and Victoria were safely on the earth, I knew that I wanted to delve into my authentic self and continue to grow as a soul. Not just for me, but for our children. All our children.

The older I get, it seems like the life lessons are on fast forward and I wanted to keep learning at a rapid rate, so I thought joining together with other like-minded women would create that environment of experience and enlightenment. At the end of 2012, I mentioned my desire to a few friends, who wouldn't look at me like I was CRAZY and before I knew it, we were having our first Sacred Circle meeting.

My sisters and I take turns choosing selections, then once a month we meet in our hostess's home and discuss the book choice for the month. These are a few of the books we have read in the past.

Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander\

The Field by Lynn Mctaggert

Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain

The Four Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and son

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer

Well that gives you a glimpse into what we have read in the past. Do you think this genre interests you? Are you intrigued? Are you a student waiting for the teacher to appear? If so, I invite you to join us and read our future selections.

I'm sorry, I didn't get my act together enough to get this out before now as I was busy blogging about making Borscht (hey, nourishing bodies is important too) etc. but if you want to join us here is a look into this year's selections so far. This month, (Sept) we read the book called, "The Hidden Lamp, Stories from 25 centuries of awakened women" by Zenshin Florence Caplow

                                                            

The consensus from those who read this book was, this is the type of book that one needs to read over the course of a year, instead of as a monthly book club selection. The stories evoked some strong reactions in some of our sisters, as women over the centuries have been suppressed and abused as  many of the stories were on this theme.

When we were discussing some of the stories, the thought that being born on this earth as a specific gender is part of our growth as a soul, .....but wouldn't it be great if we could move beyond our gender? I like the following quote from a spiritual teacher:

"When a human being becomes so still that they begin to lose awareness of their gender, and they are simply looking into that abyss where there is no notion of self whatsoever, the world disappears. And that's really the only place to go. It's the only place to remain."

Andrew Cohen

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/andrewcohe271068.html#gXRsR9C2CDhwxmPe.99

Ideally, that is the direction we humans on earth are moving.

Anyway the conclusion with regards to this read was,  if you are interested in delving into these stories at a deeper level and are interested in Buddhism, this would be the book for you.

And now for our NEXT selection...................................drum roll please,

Next month, October 2014, we are reading the book called, "The Places that Scare You: A guide to fearlessness in difficult times" by Pema Chodron 

Here's a quote I relate to by Pema,

“…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.”
― Pema Chödrön

                                                  

I'm looking forward to reading this book by Pema Chodron. I've listened to a few of her audio books and her voice emanates peace and wisdom. Perhaps you too, will resonate with her words.

Will you join me and my other sisters in reading? I'm going to do a blog post after our next meeting and would love to hear your comments on the book....or maybe you have read a wonderful book that has touched your heart and impacted your life. Please share what you are learning. This was one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog, to connect with other like-minded people. All over the world.

The Mayans were right, the world as we know it has ended.  We are now flowing in the direction of living consciously and tapping into our sixth sense, living mindfully with love and compassion in our hearts. We  realize we are connected to all people, all things, to Mother earth and our vibrations are moving in the direction of creating harmony. I personally, believe that one of the reasons we are seeing such evil all over the world now are because there are pockets of fear in the world. Anger and hatred are always the result of great fear. It's my belief that love will prevail. I trust we are rising to live from our highest self.

 I hope reading books, like Pema Chodron"s book above will guide  us in the direction we need to
travel.

   
 

                                        

If all this interests you but you want to hear more about it...check out Dr. Wayne Dyer's Youtube video called, "The Shift."  Dr. Dyer was one of the first teachers I sought and even D enjoys his thoughts and wisdom..... he knows how to reach people from a human level.

Here's a link to Ambition to Meaning, "The Shift"

(If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view this video, if so check out the following link to watch, Dr. Wayne Dyer's, "Ambition to Meaning, The Shift.")

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope  

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