While the whole world has been in lockdown, Sunburst sanctuary has been busy keeping the home fires burning.
Shown below: Sean, Curtis and Al construct a hoop house for frost protection of young plants; finished hoop house shown above.
Mowing the roadways, painting the Sunburst kitchen (Craig on scaffold above), and getting the permaculture garden planted for spring and summer are just a few of the projects that have been happening. Below, David is shown while moving equipment.
Although meditations have been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, Sunburst ministers have recorded short talks that you can find on Sunburst’s YouTube channel. There is a continued effort on everyone’s part to meditate at home and to project a positive outcome to this challenging time.
The names in our prayer circle are given out each week so that we can all send light and healing energy to those in need. Please feel free to email the Sunburst office at [email protected] to add someone to the list who you feel could use some extra support. We miss our friends and look forward to being together again to share in the joy and inspiration of Spirit! Meanwhile, feel free to reach out and connect by phone or email.
Every little moment you spend with God
will be spent to your best advantage;
and whatever you achieve
with the desire to please God in your heart
will stand unto eternity.
by Letha Kiddie • Outside my fence blooms a 100 year old rose. Every spring, without fail, it explodes in pink flowers blessing all who walk by.
The amazing part of this story is that the rose, which was planted at an original homestead on this land, was left alone for many many long years to fend for itself. Many long summers came and went and yet this rose survived.
It was only after we moved in and were deciding on a perimeter fence that I noticed the very small and withered vine struggling to bloom in spite of no water.
Although we weren’t able to include it within our fence line, the hopeful rose sent its roots into our yard in search of life (water). Within 1 year it had covered a portion of our fence and bloomed joyfully for each year after.
What a wonderful example of being willing to give
our gift to others, whether small or large, and
consistently show up for others with our love and friendship. Nature is here to remind us of this every spring.
Although Jesus spoke to the multitudes, there was only a small group that were his true followers and students. The multitudes of people who listened to Jesus, and even welcomed him into Jerusalem, were looking for an earthly leader, someone who might rise to political power and bring them relief from their difficult situation. But that’s not why Jesus came. He came to show a way that we might find an eternal salvation, to find heaven wherever we are, and forever more.
Unlike the money changers at the temple and the Pharisees, and many other people who interacted with him during his life, Jesus unfailingly stood for virtue. He was a light in this world through his example and what he taught. He loved God with all his heart and soul, showing us that we all would be right to do so as well.
Jesus loved his neighbor as himself, even forgiving those who persecuted him. Unlike politicians and those representing the day’s religious orders, he wasn’t looking for what the world could give him, or how he could manipulate the people around him. He was trying to show the way to become all that any human could be, to step up to one’s full height as a virtuous son or daughter of the one Creator. His message was that we could each attain to the Christ consciousness he exemplified.
So many are adrift today, or living in fear, not knowing how best to go on, how to find happiness, love, or security. They don’t realize who they truly are and what their purpose is here. It is a blessing and comfort to be a student of, and to embrace the spiritual truths that Jesus embodied. Through his example we can realize the immortality of our own souls, and the eternal values that should guide our lives.
To whatever extent we invite it, Christ consciousness will be present in our hearts, minds, and actions. We have the opportunity to wear the comfort and joy of the eternal Christ Light by following, as best we can, the teachings of our brother Jesus each moment of every day.
One of the saving graces of this quarantine time is finding joy in Mother Nature.
A simple walk can bring a smile to your face, taking time to notice how green the hills are, how many birds are singing, and how the clouds move across the sky.
If you happen to live in a place where you find yourself housebound, then it becomes a matter of spending time on your deck, in your garden, or even at a sunny window—wherever nature can greet you.
Even though we humans are struggling, Mother Nature continues with her work, bringing beauty and joy to the world!
The Spring Equinox of 2020 marked not only the first day of the spring, but also the seriousness of the coronavirus Covid-19, which had begun spreading through our country. Our Sunburst Sanctuary gathering at the labyrinth was a quiet one, reflected in the few people who attended, and by Mother Nature with her ‘dragon breath’ currents flowing across the land. ~ Letha Kiddie
Ischa Beharry: Reflecting on the current affairs of our country and the world a week ago, the following thought came to me — that the Divine is behind it, is acting through it and will be involved after it. Whenever I receive such thoughts, I make no attempt to analyze, dissect, rationalize or intellectualize them. They’ve come always as answers to my own personal questions and, as such, I trust them completely. In truth, I desperately needed an answer as to “Why this worldwide pandemic, and what might society and the world at large learn from it?” What is the overall spiritual lesson embedded in it that might help elevate humanity at all levels of its existence? Well, “ask, and it shall be given.” The following is an excerpt from an article by Paramhansa Yogananda entitled, A Vision for World Harmony, that addresses most eloquently both my questions:
“Though we may seem divided by race, creed, color, class, and political prejudices, still, as children of the one God we are able in our souls to feel brotherhood and world unity.… In our hearts we can all learn to be free from hate and selfishness. Let us pray for harmony among the nations, that they march hand in hand through the gate of a fair new civilization.”
“World fellowship” seems a very simple phrase, but in these two words is the panacea for all the individual, social, and political ills that are threatening the world’s material, mental, moral, and spiritual happiness.… World fellowship alone can banish hatred and prevent wars. World fellowship alone can stabilize prosperity for all mankind. Therefore I say to you, bring that fellowship into your hearts by communing with God.… As soon as you feel God in your heart, you will contribute to world civilization as no king or politician has ever done before.
I believe a time will come when in greater understanding we shall have no boundaries anymore. We shall call the Earth our country; and we shall, by a process of justice and international assembly, distribute unselfishly the goods of the world according to the needs of the people. But equality cannot be established by force; it must come from the heart. The greatest blessing would be to develop international understanding by which we may realize this truth.
I believe that if every citizen in the world is taught to commune with God (not merely to know Him intellectually), then peace can reign; not before. When by persistence in meditation you realize God through communion with Him, your heart is prepared to embrace all humanity. Therefore, my friends, resolve that you will love the world as your own nation, and that you will love your nation as you love your family. Through this understanding you will help to establish a world family on the indestructible foundation of wisdom.
by Dawn King
Silence pervades the room where we sit together in morning meditation. Outwardly, there seems to be nothing moving, but my inner senses inform me differently. We are not alone. This is not a surprise in the temple at Sunburst Sanctuary, where meditation has taken place daily for many years, and amidst a group whose individuals have been meditating deeply for up to 50 years.
On this particular morning, a Friday, we will not verbally be speaking the names in our prayer circle, though they are still acknowledged and reverberating in the ethers. What did surprise me today, was seeing a number of spirits moving through the room offering healing to those of us in attendance. I will call them angels, for lack of more information, and I feel blessed to have seen and experienced them. My joy was to have a smiling etheric face come close to mine and plant a kiss upon my cheek. Remembering this kiss, I have to smile, myself. What a blessing!
Every weekday morning, people show up at the Sunburst Sanctuary temple for meditation from 6:30 to 7 a.m.. Some days, no sound vibrates in the room until the ending bell. Some days we are led in a beautiful prayer, or treated to inspiring spoken words. Three days a week, we verbally acknowledge those in our prayer circle. Join us, in person or in Spirit as we meditate. You will be glad that you did.
