The last weekend of July, Sunburst residents and attendees were busy at our annual Summer Kriya Retreat. It is one of our favorite events because we get to share the things that are near and dear to our hearts: love for spirit, love for each other and love for the Earth. It is a great time to establish a meditation practice, or to rededicate and re-inspire our existing practice. Three foundation techniques of meditation are taught. Restorative and pranayama yoga, as well as devotional singing are some of the other activities offered.
As with all Sunburst events, nurturing, healthy meals were served at this year’s summer Kriya event. Much of the food had been grown on Sunburst’s Organic Farm. Mealtimes in the beautiful lodge dining room were relaxed and people had a chance to visit and get to know each other better.
One of the concluding ceremonies included a new garden dedication on the Sanctuary premises. This community garden will be used by residents and visitors alike, and help provide food for Sunburst’s weekly Sunday brunches. (Every Sunday morning service is followed by a brunch.) The new garden has a Hopi sun design with three beds indicating each of the four directions. In the center of the garden a tree was planted to represent the beginning or emergence of creation. Everyone present planted sunflower seeds in the garden. These flowers are known to track the sun—their faces turn throughout the day—much the same way that we are striving to track the spiritual sun that shines within us.
Heiko, Steven, Jake and Helge planting the center tree in the new Hopi garden.
The main event of the weekend was Kriya initiation during which the ancient Sun technique of meditation was passed on to the participants. I have been receiving this technique for almost forty years, and am always in awe of the sacred energy filling the room. The very act of breathing light into our bodies is both profound and uplifting. I always leave feeling a deep connection to all of the spiritual beings that have paved the way before us, including our own dear teacher, Norman Paulsen.
The last weekend of many months at the Sunburst Sanctuary is dedicated to nurturing and restorative activities such as yoga, hiking, meditation, and occasional classes. The pristine beauty and peacefulness of the surrounding land adds much to the experience of relaxing and recharging our batteries. Abundant wildlife such as deer and wild turkeys can be seen in the meadows around the landscaped lodge grounds.
The lodge itself was built in 1998 by a number of Sunburst residents, including John Henry McCaughey. Beautiful pine paneling lines the inside walls. Douglas fir rafters and trusses support the high ceilings. The outside of the building has redwood siding and Douglas fir posts. One of the things that make this building so striking is that the dimensions of the two main rooms are based upon sacred geometry.
Memorial Day weekend featured two presentations on sacred geometry by Craig Hanson. Saturday afternoon he discussed the vesica pisces, and we learned how to accurately draw this seed image, which is part of the Sunburst mandala. We colored our drawings, each of us creating unique artwork. In the evening we enjoyed a beautiful and informative slideshow in which Craig gave a short overview of sacred geometry. The “thumbprint of God” was Sunburst founder Norman Paulsen’s name for the golden proportion. Craig’s slides illustrated this repeating, aesthetically pleasing theme in nature. Included were plants, crystals, snowflakes, the structures of our bodies, and its adaptation in ancient architecture.
Vegetarian meals were specially prepared during the weekend by Kira Slade, who has studied and taught the benefits of simple core foods that serve to heal and harmonize the body, mind and spirit. Meals are an important part of Celebrate Life weekends as they provide time to get to know each other and to socialize.
Sunburst yoga classes on these special weekends offer an opportunity to do something wonderful for yourself. Restorative yoga with Dawn King on Friday evenings is for anyone who wants to sleep like a baby afterwards. It’s a safe and supportive environment in which to totally “let go” and relax. Patty Paulsen’s Saturday Yoga class gets all bodily systems into sync, up and running more smoothly.
If you have a chance to attend one of these weekends, prepare to be renewed, relaxed and recharged!
Easter Sunday dawned bright and beautiful at the Sunburst Sanctuary. All was in readiness for a wonderful Easter service, led by Jake and Missy Collier, and for a lovely Sunday brunch prepared by a team of Sunburst residents.
Our beautiful Easter flower arrangement had a golden egg as the centerpiece.
The morning began early with a walking meditation around the Sunburst labyrinth, where people greeted the dawning of Easter, a time of new hope and renewal of all life. Being a sacred time in many of the world’s great spiritual traditions, during his inspirational talk Jake made reference to the universality of Jesus’ message, so beautifully spoken in parables to his disciples.
Norman Paulsen, beloved teacher and founder of Sunburst, had a deep connection to Jesus, as did his spiritual teacher Paramahansa Yogananda. Norm had received many powerful dreams and visions of Jesus during his life, and had called upon him for inspiration, direction, and guidance. So Easter has always held special meaning to Sunburst.
Many children arrived and excitedly awaited the annual Easter egg hunt, led by Heiko Wirtz, Emily Johnson, Elena Anderson and Lucinda Kinch.
All in all, it was a day to remember: the brilliant sunlit day, the sweet soulful music, the deep meditation followed by the breaking of bread and the sharing of food, the exuberant sounds of children with their Easter baskets… Many reasons to rejoice once again!
In celebration of Spring Equinox, the heart opening Dances of Universal Peace came to the Sunburst Sanctuary, led by Yarrow Nelson, his wife Kara, and Dorene Garven. Participants included loyal peace dancers and musicians from San Luis Obispo and Ojai, as well as Sunburst regulars. The absorbing songs and circle dances were uplifting and inspiring, giving one a sense of timeless unity with all humankind.
The Dances of Universal Peace were originally made popular by Samuel Lewis, a spiritual teacher and dance student who combined his two passions in an effort to harmonize and bring peace to the often turbulent interfacing of the world’s great religions. By combining simple chants (of multiple faiths) with heartfelt dance movements, “Sufi Sam” believed that we could access a deeper sense of peace within ourselves and in our interactions with other belief systems.
Today there are hundreds of groups celebrating The Dances of Universal Peace throughout the world.
We are blessed to host this dedicated group at Sunburst twice a year.
Many participants arrived from all directions to partake of this joyful event. Every one of us left with a renewed dedication to the practice of peace—within ourselves and through our interactions with others as well as our environment. Thank you, Yarrow, Kara, Dorene, Tim and everyone who participated for your beautiful offering. And thanks to everyone who dances, sings and prays for universal peace!
In celebration of the Spring Equinox, people gathered at Sunburst’s labyrinth to greet the sunrise and to pay homage to the ages old tradition of ushering in a new season with intention and gratitude.
The first day of spring—when the days and nights are of equal length—signals the time when earth begins to warm and birds return with their singing. The importance of these warming days cannot be underestimated in the planting of crops and germination of seeds.
Spring Equinox is one of the four solar markings of our year. Just as dawn is the time of new light, Spring Equinox is the time of new life. Sunburst residents traditionally celebrate the changing of seasons with a meditation, followed by a ceremony at the Sanctuary labyrinth. (The labyrinth is based on an ancient Hopi design.) Participants share a moment of silence and prayer acknowledging the four forces and four directions, before walking the labyrinth. Sometimes walking is accompanied by drumming or Native American style flute.
Three standing stones distinguish the Sunburst labyrinth as a solar calendar. They echo other sites such as Stonehenge, where the ancients—who knew the importance of day lengths—observed the changing seasons. Similarly, on equinox and solstice mornings, at the Sunburst Sanctuary we gather to celebrate the rising sun, the new season it brings, and to give thanks to the Creator for abundant life. All are welcome to participate in the next ceremony, which will take place in June for Summer Solstice.
With a huge Christmas tree glowing in the corner of the Lodge by a roaring fire, we took our seats on the evening of December 31 for an annual Sunburst New Year’s tradition: the beautiful and magical Fire Ceremony. Many people sat quietly in the soft light, pondering their intentions for 2012.
The Fire Ceremony is the culmination of Sunburst’s transformative year-end Light & Renewal retreat, in which participants are initiated into or renew their practice of the powerful Kriya Yoga meditation technique, as taught to founder Norm Paulsen by his teacher Paramahansa Yogananda. After three days of group meditations, thought-provoking classes, restorative yoga, lovingly prepared meals, supportive fellowship, and time in nature, the ceremony finds us ripe with new understanding and the desire to move forward with strong purpose in our daily lives.
Craig Hanson, who led the event, offered beautiful readings in his special heartfelt way, and explained the symbols of the ceremony, including the seeds, the fire, and the exquisite quartz crystals he provided for all of us to take home as a reminder of our New Year’s intentions. As each person took a moment alone in front of the big stone fireplace, casting the seeds of a new life into the flames and then choosing a crystal to solidify that intent, Val King took up her guitar and harmonium to lead us in songs and chants that supported and enhanced the whole experience.
Jake Collier talking about Kriya Yoga
When all of us had finished our trip to the fire, Craig asked if anyone wanted to share their experiences. There were quite a few who took him up on the offer, leading to some heart-opening revelations, spontaneous performances, lots of laughter, and deep expressions of gratitude.
As we begin 2012, a year that both spiritual leaders and ordinary people sense will bring much change to our world, the Fire Ceremony and the Kriya retreat are welcome chances to hone in on what matters most to each of us. As a group, the beautiful Light & Renewal participants seemed to reach a common consensus on what’s important right now: to stay focused on being calm, to become aware of the joy present in each moment, and to inspire ourselves and those around us to realize our divine nature and stay true to our own highest purpose: rediscovering the pure Self within.
What better way to launch this momentous time in human history than among a big crowd of generous, loving, funny, open spirits? Thank you to everyone who organized and participated in this fantastic event!
Sunburst wishes all of our friends and family a beautiful 2012 and beyond.
