Valerie King • In Sunburst’s teachings, twelve aspects of spiritual energy (virtues) are identified, corresponding to the purest energy of the 12 astrological signs. As the year progresses, and the Sun moves through each sign, you may feel the 12 energies. You may also feel that you are being tested by that energy (virtue) of the current astrological month. The sign of Cancer, whose virtue is Perseverance, tells us, “Never give up!”
The spiritual path is a purification of our habits—thought, emotion, and action habits. Little by little, we chip away like a sculptor chips away at a great stone, and reveals a beautiful piece of art. That’s perseverance. Here’s a little story.
I joined Sunburst when I was 18, and soon after took karate, aspiring to earn a black belt. My teacher was wonderful, and I really enjoyed it. Karate was fun. I worked out really hard, and this was perfect for a young person.
After a few years, I’d gotten to brown belt. Then my regular day-to-day work became very intense with lots of long hours. I was getting really tired. On top of working at Sunburst’s warehouse, I was driving the employees’ bus (an old school bus) to and from work. That made my day even longer. Still, I was practicing karate three times a week.
One night at the end of driving the bus home to Sunburst’s property, I was thinking how tired I was. My thoughts were: “Maybe brown belt is good enough. I’ve gone pretty far, and gotten a lot out of it. Maybe that’s fine. I’m just so tired. I feel like I need some kind of break here.”
I brought the bus to a stop, and pulled the lever to open the door. Who was standing right there outside the door, but Norm (Sunburst’s Founder). His face was animated, saying, “Valerie, I am so happy you’re going to be a black belt. You’ll be the first black belt woman in Sunburst, and this is such a good energy….”
I just had to chuckle to myself. Norm was such an open channel for Spirit; it came right through. Spirit was saying, “Finish this. You set a goal; finish it!”
While growing up, I’d often gotten really excited about starting something, but never quite finished it. So I needed to learn how to finish things. Perseverance was important for my spiritual growth.
Sometimes someone’s words really resonate in you, and you know it’s right from Spirit. That’s how they were to me from Norm, and what made him a teacher for me—words that strike me to the bottom of my soul.
Yet, at times we are persevering in manifesting our dreams in a way that’s no longer useful. The cycle is over; it’s time to let that go, and move on.
From almost the time Sunburst started, we had a “common fund” economic system in which we pooled our money; if we needed a coat or shoes, we talked to whoever was administrating the money. This worked pretty well, as long as we were young and didn’t have children. But once people married and had children, it became very difficult; expenses outgrew income. We tried all kinds of different ways to make it work, but were just getting farther and farther into debt.
At that time, my husband and I were in charge of administrating the funds. We would have a certain amount of money we could allot each week, and then a BIG list of requests. “What are we going to cut here?” we’d ask ourselves. It was very difficult, but Jonathan and I were hanging onto this system; we felt it was really important.
Finally, one day Norm came and sat down with us. He said, “You know, I think it’s time to let go of this financial system.”
It was then we realized that the dream we didn’t want to give up on was the dream of keeping Sunburst alive and thriving. But, Sunburst wasn’t ever a financial system, or a social system. It’s a community that came together to build Spiritual consciousness individually and collectively so that the energy would reverberate through the world. I realized I’d been holding onto
an outer thing, when it was really the inner thing that needed to be maintained.
Each sign with its virtue, has a corresponding virtue and sign across the zodiac; they balance each other. The virtue of perseverance (in Cancer) faces the opposite virtue, temperance (in Capricorn). It’s wise to temper our perseverance.
“What are we really holding onto? What is the real dream, and is this the best way to accomplish it?”
O Divine Comforter,
No matter how difficult the path,
I know You have blessed me with the faculties By which I am able to bear what comes to pass. As I journey homeward,
Please hear my soul calling.
I will pursue You every moment of my conscious life.
I will forever persevere, O Spirit Divine,
To develop the willpower to never give up!
I must meet You face to face.
I must hold You in my arms, If You will allow.
You are my Father;
You are my Birth Mother,
The Creator of my soul.
From You have I come forth into this world, Into this sea of faces.
I look for You in every face, O Beloved. Will You please come forth
And reveal Yourself to me Somehow, somewhere, someday?
I will continue to pursue You
In every image and in every place, Until I find You hiding
In the mirror image of my own face.
Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Yoga Retreat of June 12
By Letha Kiddie • There couldn’t have been a more beautiful day for the Sunburst Yoga Retreat, led by Nicole Hoperich (shown above).
A comfortably spaced group gathered in front of the Sunburst Lodge under the blue sky and warm summer sun for a welcoming and introduction. The participants were invited to choose a word that was important to them during the pandemic and made it a focal point of their labyrinth walk, which took place next. The Labyrinth design, which was a gift from Hopi Chief White Bear to Sunburst, is a perfect place to focus on an intention and enjoy a walking meditation.
After the walk, Nicole led the group in a wonderful yoga class, perfect for all levels. Breath-work, heart-opening exercises, and yoga poses, warmed our bodies and our hearts. The class ended with a silent meditation and the gift of a gemstone heart. A picnic lunch in the shade of the Cottonwood trees allowed time for visiting and enjoying the beauty of the Sanctuary, serenaded by birdsong.
The Yoga retreat ended with a gratitude circle, full of gratitude for Nicole’s wonderful class, gratitude for everyone who participated, gratitude for the peace and beauty of the sanctuary, and gratitude for the hopeful future of more Sunburst gatherings.
by Sibylle Custer • When we sit together to sing to God and to meditate at Sunburst Sanctuary, something very special is going on. We disengage ourselves from the world we live in. Our daily jobs fall behind us; our relationships fall away—they are not that important now. The skills that we have learned or that we were born with are not important, they are not with us right now. Our personality falls away, too. If we are assertive or gentle, have a short fuse or can endure a lot, it doesn’t matter at all. What is left of us, when we let go of this ego? Who are we, if none of that counts?
If we put our fingers on the pulse of our wrist, we feel something moving in there. It is life energy inside of us, life that we have not created, life that we receive. This doesn’t come from anything that we are doing. While we are living our daily lives, we are sustained by divine energy every day, and in this very moment. We are created beings. We would not exist if it was withdrawn. None of us!
Meditation is making the effort to get in contact with our Creator, to reach out to the energy that feeds us, that is our true being. There is a way to see God right now, right here, and we have the chance to make that contact. We are thankful, created beings that want to get in touch with our Creator. We are thankful we know how to do it. It doesn’t matter how much we have meditated before. It doesn’t matter if we are new at trying to do it or we have practiced a long time. Here and now is our unique effort, our unique chance.
Dearest Spirit, help us to be still. Give us ears to hear you now. Give us eyes to perceive you. Give us abundant love that we let flow back to you. Amen
photo and text by Dawn King • A recent note from my friend Dori asked:“Do you know about the Wesak? It is on May 26 this year… a major celebration of the Buddha’s birthday and occurs on the May full Moon. It is believed that the Buddha energy and Christ energy converge during the full Moon. One ritual is to put out water in a crystal container to capture this energy. Then sip on it throughout the year.”
Thank you, Dori! 2021’s Wesak full Moon is especially powerful because it’s particularly close to the Earth (a Super Moon). Earth’s shadow will cause a total eclipse of the full Moon. The Moon will appear red in color for about 14 minutes. It can be viewed in the western US, western South America and in South-East Asia. The maximum eclipse will be visible at 4:18 on the west coast of the U.S.
Physically, for planet Earth it may be the trigger for a near-future seismic event, and/or flooding, maybe a tsunami. Since a full view of the eclipse is centered over the Pacific Ocean, that is where such events may occur.
Physically, for our bodies we may experience surges of energy, which could cause us to feel anxious. Pay attention to the body’s needs in regard to diet, exercise, rest, and meditation. Walking a labyrinth (like that at Sunburst) can help bring us into harmony with the Universe.
Mentally, we need to be alert today, as always, for whatever message the Universe is conveying to us. Here’s an example of how the Universe gave me a helpful message:
For weeks I’d been trying to complete the online application for a renewal of my driver’s license, and finally, simply to get an appointment and take the required written test. After filling out all the forms numerous times on my computer, but never getting the needed confirmation of completion, I prayed about it one night before going to sleep. Prompted by a dream just before waking in the morning, I decided to simply “Show up!”…that morning, as instructed in the dream.
I joined the beginning of the day’s long line at my local DMV office. After a couple of minutes, I noticed the person ahead of me had on a sweatshirt with “Victory” printed on the back of it—a good sign! When I was finally admitted, the clerk asked, “Did you study the handbook?”
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“We’re waiving written tests today,” she smiled. Finally, I was out the door; this ordeal was over, thanks to following the Universe’s promptings.
Emotionally, the full Moon is associated with amplified emotions. However, being the Wesak full Moon it could trigger emotions of a more spiritual nature. We all long for wholeness, or feeling complete. This may be experienced as loneliness. Only a connection with our true nature, a soul connection, will satisfy this longing. Getting in touch with one’s pure Self, one’s inmost heart, can make a world of difference. Meditation can lead us forward in this effort.
Spiritually, we can be hopeful that a real breakthrough is possible around this time. Some have likened this May 26th, 2021 to a time of “psychic reset,” like rebooting a computer. I certainly hope that’s the case. We each could use a reset in our understanding of life, in our ability to see through the eyes of Spirit…through God’s loving eyes.
“…Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.” – Kahlil Gibran
Light On Sunburst Sanctuary•Spring Opening Event Text and Photos by Letha Kiddie•On May 15th, Sunburst Sanctuary reopened for its first event since the Covid pandemic began. A small group of hikers gathered at the medicine wheel for an inspiring introduction to the intricacies of the circle and the cross symbol, which is a part of the Sunburst mandala. Elena took us on a journey through each of the four segments, symbolizing the four directions, seasons, races, elements, and stages of life on Earth. Afterward an offering was made and intentions were set for the hike through Mother Earth’s springtime beauty. Craig led us on a pristine trail to a hidden meadow where we gathered for lunch under a beautiful grove of oak trees. The hike ended at the Hopi labyrinth with an explanation of its history and meaning, as well as personal time to reflect while tracing its path. Gathering together with kindred souls brought joy to everyone who participated and the Earth rejoiced to have people enjoying her springtime wonders.
