Around Again Spins the Circle- June 2023

Circles, Labyrinths, Meditation, Tarot of the Month, Writing Update, & so much more!

Jun 16, 2023

Good afternoon!

One of the reasons I publish this newsletter is to offer you a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on ideas that I hope are helpful to you. In this edition, I want to circle back to a topic I touched on some time ago: circles. New circles in the spirals of my life are spinning, and I wonder if you’re finding circles spinning differently in your life right now too.

You may know that one of the ways I learn important lessons is through song lyrics. I woke up recently, as I have in the past, with Harry Chapin singing “All My Life’s a Circle” in my ear. The next morning Joni Mitchell sang “The Circle Game” to me. A day or so later, Rosanne Cash awakened me with “The Wheel.” The video of this song is filled with images from Tarot. I knew it was time to pay attention again to the circles in my life.

The labyrinth has been an enduring symbol in my life for many years. We celebrated World Labyrinth Day in May, and I am blessed to have walked, as I have many times, a replica of the 11-circuit Chartres Cathedral labyrinth etched into the sanctuary floor of a church near me. As I circled inward toward the center, I prayed for guidance to release that which is no longer needed in my life. As I meditated in the labyrinth center, I listened for the answer to my prayer, and as I circled my way out from the center, I received a clue about the guidance I needed. I hope you have opportunities to experience gifts from the labyrinth.

When I was a child, a lovely, kind priest gave me two rosaries – one made of olive wood beads, which he meant for my mother and one made of amethyst beads that he gave to me. As a result, I have respected for many years the devotion many people have to praying the rosary, and have had a cursory understanding of it.

After re-reading The Way of the Rose by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn (the book suggestion in my February 2023 newsletter), I decided to explore how – or if – the rosary might speak to me. Talk about wider circles! The notion of praying with beads dates far back earlier than Christianity. As I work with this amazing symbol, I’m grateful to learn new layers to the spirals of connections among world beliefs and cultures. Most of all, I am learning a new way to connect with my own spirit.

Of course, there’s the ever-spinning wheel of the year, as we approach Solstice – Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Summer Solstice occurs Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 10:57 am Eastern US time, as the Sun crosses the Tropic of Cancer. From this longest day of the year, until Winter Solstice in December, the amount of light each day shortens in the Northern Hemisphere. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere. May the spinning of the seasons be joyous for you!

Recently I lost a ring that I cherish. It is a replica of the well cover at Chalice Well Gardens in Glastonbury, UK. A twining circle of vines encases two interlocking circles, called Vesica Pisces (vessel of the fish). Vesica Pisces is the basic building block of sacred geometry. A rod of connection runs through the center, representing humanity’s connection to the divine. I did not know until later that losing this ring was part of the answer to my prayer as I walked the labyrinth.

My wonderful friend Brian in Glastonbury spent considerable time and energy purchasing and shipping me a replacement Vesica Pisces ring from Chalice Well Gardens. I am so grateful. Another circle is complete, and now is the time for a new circle to spin.

Meditation Thoughts

Click on the link below for your FREE monthly meditation recording, “Around Again Spins the Circle.” I’m so happy to connect with you and I’m grateful that you have taken a course with me and subscribe to this newsletter!

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If you missed my last newsletter, you can read it here.

Simple Gifts- May 2023

Tarot Key of the Month

Once again, Tarot teaches us to pay attention to connections among belief systems, cultures, and symbols. Because one is the number of new beginnings in numerology, The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes a new phase of learning along The Fool’s journey. As The Wheel of Fortune spins, there is a reminder for you to find a balance between that which you perceive to be negative and positive and to realize that light and dark are two sides of the same energy that is ever-spinning in the universe.

Three wheels turn within each other, signifying creative force, power, and the physical world, just as you saw in the tiers in the Hierophant’s crown. Adorning the corners of the key are four animals that represent the four fixed signs of the zodiac: the bull of Taurus, the lion of Leo, the eagle of Scorpio, and the man/angel of Aquarius. These beings also represent the four elements of, respectively, Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. The Sphinx appears as she did in The Chariot Key, this time at the top of the Wheel, representing balance and choice. The Egyptian snake god of transmutation and the jackal-headed god of intelligence spin the wheel ever onward.

Writing Update

I’m excited about the works I have in progress, some of which I anticipate being published soon. In the meantime, you can view links to my published work on my website:
https://debbowen.com/author/

You also can click here to read my most recent creative nonfiction works, “Mending Nets” in Salvation South:
https://www.salvationsouth.com/mending-nets-north-carolina-barrier-island/?mc_cid=c4bb217ffc&mc_eid=fae2a9a622

And “A Talisman for Poseidon,” also in Salvation South:
https://www.salvationsouth.com/a-talisman-from-poseidon-hurricane-donna-1960/

Podcast

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Deb Bowen, Author
PsychicTeachers
Witches of the Shore

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