Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Range Management • January
“Do what you love to do, and be around things that make you smile. The cows make me smile every day.” – David Jackson
Sunburst is a sanctuary in nature not only for people, but also for flora and fauna, plants and animals, wild and domestic. Management of 4,000 acres of mostly wild land is a challenge. Potential fires, erosion, and useful resources are all taken into consideration, with permaculture in mind. If the land is healthy, the animal ecosystem prospers too. We are all connected.
Overgrowth of flammable foliage is managed with the help of cattle that also fertilizes the land, and develops passable trails for other wildlife and people. Sunburst’s livestock, cattle and horses, are people friendly, especially the horses. You wouldn’t be able to pet a cow, bull or calf, because their tendency is to stay clear of people, although they find people fascinating to watch.
Plant communities have developed with grazing animals throughout history, making grazing animals important to the wellbeing of these plants. The goal is a healthy balance of plants and animals.
It is an initiation of sorts to have Jupiter and Saturn appearing so close to each other in our skies. Not since 1226 has humankind viewed this phenomenon. These two planets stand at the portal between the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) and our solar system’s far off outer planets, and beyond. Their conjunction indicates a “Reality Check,” for us on Earth. They symbolizes the gateway between physical birth and spiritual realization.
Jupiter helped shape the Solar System, and continues to be the planet receiving the most frequent comet impacts. It is an enormous planet, 11 times the radius of Earth, with a mass greater than 2 and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar system combined. It is one of the brightest objects in our night sky.
In Sanskrit, Jupiter is called Guru, It radiates spiritual wisdom, good judgement, free will, beneficence, youthfulness, joy, abundance, and unconditional love. Jupiter gives us a new look at the big picture of our life, and helps us understand how we can fulfill our purpose here. This friendly planet bestows optimism and trust in life, helping us plan and take action for a better life.
Saturn is the second largest planet, Jupiter being the largest. Saturn is the farthest planet from Earth that we can see without a visual aid. Nine times wider than Earth, if Earth was a nickel in size, Saturn would be a volleyball. It has sixty moons and a complex ring system extending far into space.
Saturn is far from the Sun, distant and cold. It is called Shani in Sanskrit, and upholds discipline, responsibility, structure, boundaries and limitations, time, aging and karma, or Law. The law demands that you reap what you sow with your actions, thoughts and desires.
Viewing these giants of our Solar System should inspire us to reexamine our lives, our goals, our values. We are creating our future with every breath. It is wise to let go of what does not serve our highest good, so that which is uplifting and more appropriate can enter and enrich our lives. Being disciplined in our thoughts, actions and intentions is being in harmony with Saturn. Using free will to develop our spiritual nature, and find our best direction in life is being in harmony with Jupiter. These planets in our December sky symbolize the “Reality Check” in which 2020 is culminating.
by Craig Hanson •
by Letha Kiddie •
by Dawn King •
Divine Mother, Heavenly Father,
I invite you to sit with me.
Oh Mighty Spirit, and all your saints and angels,
I pray that you are with me
when I dive deep in meditation.
Let me open my heart, my mind, and my spirit
to your Life so abundant within and around me.
Divine consciousness resides in us. It makes our heart beat. It brings healing where healing is needed in our body and mind. It causes us to breathe when we are unconscious of it. And it directs our lives if we allow it. Divine consciousness, our true Mother and Father, brought us here so that we could experience this world and grow in understanding, so that we could be instruments: hands, mouths, eyes and feet for God to act on this dimension in a divine way.
Most of us think of our face as being what we see in the mirror as we comb our hair in the morning. But in reality, our face is what we see out in front of us. We’re always looking at the mirror of life; it reflects back at us what we need—the love, the lessons, the understanding, the wisdom.
In each of us the divine Consciousness resides. We have the willpower to let it function fully through us, or let our egos blot it out. When divine Conscious is fully alive within us we feel complete; we feel divine joy. We feel love radiating from our hearts and we feel loved. We feel our connection with the infinite abundance that is God.
When my husband and I hike in the beautiful high Sierras, I find my mind is at peace, not caught up in thoughts of work and normal everyday life. We see other people like ourselves, who’ve been hiking the 12,000 foot passes, people who have been camping in nature for a week or more. Talking to these people is like seeing the angel man or woman speaking to you. Their eyes are so clear, and their smiles so bright.
That’s the same consciousness we can have every day when we meditate and connect with Divine Spirit within us. We can consciously feel that Life beating in our hearts, guiding our thoughts, leading us, giving us direction. It’s there for each one of us. All we have to do is open ourselves to it, to let go of what holds us back.
Divine Mother and Father love each of us so dearly. We are their spirit children. Our divine Parents want only the very best for us. They want to see us joyful and happy, doing meaningful work, loving each other, living a balanced life. They want to see us living in harmony with nature and with each other. These opportunities are there for us. It’s only for us to choose them.
by Letha Kiddie •
I love the equinoxes and solstices, time posts of the Earth’s sacred cycles. The equinoxes bring us equal days and nights, reminding us to strive for balance in our lives, and reminding us of the cosmic forces always at work. We especially see this in nature, as Mother Earth strives to keep her elements in check, trying to balance the actions of mankind. Equinoxes are also a signpost of change ahead, leading to either an expansion or a contraction of light and warmth. It gives us time to prepare both physically and emotionally for a shift whether we are conscious of it or not.
These ancient cycles are no longer honored outwardly for their gifts and importance in our lives, but their messaging to our subtle bodies still affects us. If we slow down our frenetic pace we can glimpse something very sweet as the seasons change and bring us a gift. Fall brings us the brilliant colors before the leaves fall from the trees and the abundance of the late harvest. Spring brings us the birds returning to build their nests and the bright colors of early flowers.
Humans have been given the responsibility of balancing their desires with their awe of and gratitude for the natural world, as well as a responsibility to help maintain its delicate balance. We have been named caretakers of the world we live in, including finding balance in our bodies, our homes, and in the communities we build. As we celebrate the changing of the season, let us reflect on the current balance of our lives and adjust accordingly.
