• by Dawn King • You, too, can experience the wild beauty of a retreat at Sunburst Sanctuary; just give the office a call. Here’s what it’s like early most mornings.
Each morning brings a new opportunity to engage with Life. At Sunburst Sanctuary, we generally start the day in group meditation at the Temple, with residents and visitors in attendance. Most mornings find my husband, Al, and I joining in.
We live not far from the temple on Sunburst’s large property, which is also a wildlife sanctuary. Because deer would eat all the landscaping, some yards, or neighborhoods, and the Temple/Lodge area are fenced. Most mornings we walk to and from group meditations, taking a longer-than-necessary route by staying on the all-weather road. In this way, we begin our day with a beneficial walk immersed in Nature.
Some mornings are quiet with fog shrouding the surrounding hills. Most days, however, reveal the wild animals with whom we share this land. A recent fall day was particularly spectacular.
Just beyond our yard, a flock of noisy turkey hens pecked through the numerous fallen leaves. [See Photo] They called to each other; some were up the hill, some at the edge of the field. A few flew over a fence, and into a neighboring yard. Al and I walked on.
Not far from home, we saw black shapes moving in the big field. These soon turned and ran on—wild pigs in their frequent trek toward a neighboring property. Next there were grazing mule deer, often curious spectators to our daily walks. While eating, walking, or resting, they watch us off and on, and keep their distance. Most of them already know us as harmless passersby.
After morning meditation and during our walk home, normally there are fewer wild creatures to see, but this day was different. Right in the Lodge gardens, the whole flock of turkey hens had gathered. We were nearly stepping over them to make our way out of the side gate toward the road. That was certainly unusual.
In another two minutes we were midway down the main road, and noticing a half-dozen deer running full tilt toward the Lodge. This was strange. We marveled at their graceful giant leaps, as though they had springs on their feet—Boing! Boing! Boing!—resembling the agile bounding of kangaroos. I wished my feet and legs were as springy.
Now they were turning to cross the road on either side of us. This was all taking place very quickly. Now we saw the reason for their flight. A beautiful, darkly marked coyote was tearing across the field in full pursuit. He didn’t even see Al and I; his gaze was fixed on the deer.
The coyote raced far enough behind, that I couldn’t imagine he or she would catch the deer. I said as much to Al, and he responded, “Maybe there’s more coyotes ahead laying in ambush.” Wow! Some wild drama was playing out before us.
Needing to walk on home, we imagined the deer got away; in fact I think I’ve seen the same group since then. Every day isn’t like this. Some days are so quiet you might be startled by a bird pecking in search of an insect, or a lizard scurrying away.
Most mornings we walk silently through the mist, or the breathtaking beauty of sunrise, lost in our own thoughts, or intensely engrossed in the joy of being immersed in Nature. Any nearby horses or cows usually look up to see what we’re doing, and we often exchange hellos.
• by Dawn King • We know how magnets work; south poles repel each other, but are magnetic to north poles. Did you know this applies to astrological Sun signs as well? I suppose it’s because being with a person of the same astrological Sun sign could be like being with yourself—same old, same old—or, nothing different to find new and interesting. Actually, I find it comforting to be with others who have the same Sun sign as myself. I can relax and enjoy our similarities.
But I didn’t intend to write about Sun signs exactly; this article is actually about Virtues, in particular the Sunburst Virtues that go with the zodiacal Sun signs. Yes, each zodiacal sign can be associated with a particular Virtue. Norman Paulsen, the founder of Sunburst, revealed these 12 Virtues and their zodiacal associations. He explained that these Virtues are the Divine Creator’s personality. As children of the Creator, we can assimilate and express these Virtues to exemplify our true own divine nature.
During the year when our Sun in the sky is transiting each tropical zodiacal sign, we are challenged to focus on the associated Virtue. During 50 plus years of my life in Sunburst, I’ve found these monthly challenges to be real!
On Sunday, May 18, 2025, Sandy Anderson led Sunburst’s Sunday service. She talked about the Virtue of the zodiacal month Taurus (4/19 – 5/20), which was near its end (they vary slightly year to year). Taurus is the month of Patience. Our challenge has been to be patient, and not fall into the trap of getting angry. Yes, each month has its temptation as well.
Of course, the sign we’re born under naturally challenges us to remain steadfast to its Virtue. Furthermore, in my experience and that of other long-time Sunbursters, we’ve found out something else also happens. The zodiacal sign opposite our Sun sign can also challenge us to manifest its Virtue!
So, if you are a Taurus (wonderful earth sign), you not only need to be patient, and keep your cool, you need to embrace the courage of Scorpio. You will most likely find courage is an important trait you need to exemplify. Incidents will come up to prove this out. Here is a list of the Sun signs, their tropical dates in 2025, their Virtues, and their temptations.
At the least, you can notice which Virtue you should focus on during the coming month, and see if it doesn’t challenge you during the time shown. it’s much food for contemplation. Have fun with it!
• by Dawn King • One of my favorite books in childhood was The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. The 1930 edition’s cover is shown in part above. It was a wonderfully imaginative tale of escape from a dreary existence into a delightful world of water. Since I wanted to grow up to become a mermaid this suited me.
In a recent blog I wrote: We are each inhabiting a physical body that is 60 – 70% liquid. This body has its own electromagnetic structure that is sensitive to solar storms and other influences—the Moon’s tidal influence for instance.
Oceanographic Magazine says:
“Our bodies have been shaped and formed by water; we have an ocean inside us. Like the Earth, we are 70% saltwater. In 1897 French physician Rene Quinton discovered a 98% match between our blood plasma and sea water…. Like our mammalian cousins, dolphins and seals, we too have evolutionary aquatic markers.
Take for example our brains. Simply looking at water changes our brain wave frequency, putting us in a more meditative state. Consider our nervous and endocrine systems. Cold water stimulates the vagus nerve, calming our fight or flight response, lowering cortisol and releasing feel-good hormones.”
Wow! No wonder we like to go to the beach or lake, or maybe to walk in the rain. And no wonder the element of water is associated with our emotions.
Perhaps you are familiar with Dr. Masaru Emoto who wrote a book called The Hidden Messages in Water. His experiments with water were an illustration of how our thoughts affect our surroundings. A review states:
“He found that water from clear springs and water exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns, while polluted water and water exposed to negative thoughts forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. Emoto believes that since people are 70 percent water, and the Earth is 70 percent water, we can heal our planet and ourselves by consciously expressing love and goodwill.”
Reflecting on that statement reinforces my concern that my self-talk, my thoughts, affect my physical body in more ways than I realized. I’m programming the water molecules in my body by thinking positive or negative. Of course, keeping my body’s water content “unpolluted” by ingesting healthy liquids and solids would also be helpful.
So…be mindful of how you are programming your body’s cells. And always remember the symptoms of dehydration, which we can experience at any time of the year. Some of them are:
Early signs: Headache, thirst, dry mouth, dark urine
More severe symptoms: Dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, reduced urination.
Yes, we are each encouraged to drink 8 glasses (64 ounces +/-) of water each day for optimum health. According to an early study, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%. Even our bones are 31% water. So let’s keep our miraculous bodies healthy by staying hydrated, and thinking all the positive, loving, and peaceful thoughts with which we’d like to fill the world.
