This video features the Sunday “talk” only. Watch the full service on our Facebook page.
BURNING BOWL CEREMONY – Rev. Judy Ranniger-Meza and Denise Maple, LSP
OVERVIEW
Mahatma Gandhi said that, “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” As we have been focusing on stillness and peace this month, join us as we close out this year with the Burning Bowl ritual where we can access that stillness and peace within to discern what no longer serves so that we can invite in what we truly need or desire for 2024.
Come together for this sacred burning bowl ritual to release what no longer serves you and powerfully step into 2024.
TRANSCRIPTION
This transcription was auto-generated, please excuse typos, errors and omissions.
John Adams (00:01):
It is my great pleasure to introduce our speaker today. Who is somebody that some of us know and some of you may not know. It is our practitioner, someone who is part of our practitioner cohort here at Cityside, Denise Maple and Denise serves Cityside remotely. She can be found most days online and offers prayer online as well as other things. And Denise is from my experience, this beautiful, empowered person who makes me and makes others feel empowered with her truth and her wisdom. So I’m very excited to have her share with us today. So Denise is right here online.
Denise Maple (00:42):
Thank you so much, John, and thank you all of you. It’s so nice to be with you one way or another. So today we’ll talk a little bit about peace. Gandhi once said, there is no path to peace. Peace is the path in our modern world. Peace may seem elusive, but it’s really as close as our breath. So I invite you to take a few mindful deep breaths with me and notice a bit more peace emerging in you right now. So let’s do that together, breathing in and out and in and out and in and out.
(01:40):
It’s always there. But what blocks our peace? Often it’s our own attachments. Attachments to the past. Why did that have to happen? And worries of the future, what will happen? Will I be okay? So today we engage in a beloved ritual, the Burning Bowl ceremony to help us find that peace. I first encountered a Burning bowl ceremony at the Zen Buddhist temple in Chicago on a New Year’s Eve at least a decade ago. I don’t even know when it was. And the Burning Bowl is also has similar traditions in the Native American culture via the burden or the worry basket to help release the past in your worries.
(02:33):
The Buddhists call, what we release in this ceremony are defilements, which is kind of a funny word, but it essentially means that which is impure or maybe we can think of them as the fleas that Donna mentioned in the last reading. So it’s not meant to be an indictment on your character or a reason to beat yourself up. It just is meant give you peace, hope, and start on a new path untethered by energetic weight that might be holding you back. And new thought. Churches like us have been hosting Burning Bowl ceremonies for a long time as the year ends, and with a new one right around the corner.
(03:22):
We do it every year and I look forward to it. And this is an ancient ritual, but it’s been modernized over the years and it’s really a wonderful opportunity to release the past and create a clear and sacred place in you in which to invite in the new. So let me briefly explain the ceremony for those that are new to the experience. So what we’re going to do is simply write what we want to release from the past on a piece of paper and burn it. And Reverend Judy’s going to explain the process and walk us through it. So after releasing what no longer serves, we’ll also invite in what we want for 2024. So if you’re at home, you may want to have some paper to write on a pen, maybe a bowl to put it in and maybe some water in case the burning gets away from you.
(04:18):
But it should be fine. You could always burn it outside later and lucky you if you have a fire burning in your fireplace right now. So these ceremonies are really best approached with thoughtful intention and open hearts. And Judy will lead us through a short meditation contemplating all that we wish to purposely leave behind. And this could be something physical or experience like a health issue or relationship, a way of being home, an old habit. It could also be stuck emotions like anger or grief, sadness. And I invite you to hold all these things with care and reverence. After all, they are your life experiences and feelings that have led you where you are right now and who you become. So hold them with acceptance and love and reflect that acceptance and love to yourself. When we accept what has transpired, what could happen, it’s easier to let it go.
(05:29):
And Tenet Han wrote a wonderful book called Anger Wisdom for Cooling the Flames. And in that book, he invites us to hold our anger like a baby until it is soothed. And you can do that with anything you wish to let go. With grace, when we push it away, it just keeps popping back in. So hold it like a baby and let it go. You’re not going to let your baby go, right? But you know what I mean until your baby falls asleep into peace. So after releasing what no longer serves you, you now have a fresh container, which is you to call in what you desire for the new year. And think of this exercise as tilling the earth for your seeds of intention for 2024. Just as a plant needs rich and healthy conditions such as water, sunlight, good soil to grow strong, we need that too. So think of this exercise as the purification of your own soil. In other words, your consciousness with past regrets and worries released, you have a faithful heart open to the expectation of your good. And it’s not selfish to want good for yourself. We are much more capable of serving lovingly and gladly when our cup is full and we offer from the overflow.
(07:03):
So as later as you contemplate what you want to release, please try not to judge yourself for perceived mistakes. Shortfalls. We’re all human. So do this with an intention of forgiveness for others and yourself. You can reflect on what didn’t go well as a hoped. When you feel ready, you’ll write things down, maybe like anger at the past, judgment of others in yourself, unhealthy habits, fear. Maybe that fear is holding you back and it’s okay to be specific on each item because nobody has to see this. I once walked through one of my spiritual practitioner clients through this ritual and I love it so much. And she had just completed her cancer treatments and was ready to leave that behind and know herself as health, wellness, peace, love. And she delightedly burned that paper in containing everything she wanted to release and I could see her spirit lift and her hope and resolve for a peaceful, vibrant future, really solidify and I continue had and continue to have perfect faith in her wholeness and health. She found peace in that moment and at any moment she can go back to that feeling and experience and know her truth and peace. And I wish that for you as you experience the Burning Bowl ceremony we have planned today.
(08:44):
I have also had to face my own fears to find peace. Just this morning I received a call from my mom telling me that my sister is in the hospital and we get the impression that it’s not life-threatening, but we’re still very concerned. I may be leaving shortly to go to the hospital to be with her. What I want to share with you about that is what I did after I found out I asked for prayer from my prayer partners, I consciously turned it over to spirit and my piece is a bit rattled in the moment as you can see, but it was lighter by turning it over to God and asking for my community to know a revelation of wholeness and healing for my sister. Peace for me, and I’m open to knowing this for her as well and peace for myself. So please remember the power of prayer. I wouldn’t have been able to do this today without it. And we offer prayer online after service and in the room in person. So let your community and the universe support your intentions for the service, for life and for your peace. Peace be with you my friend.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (10:25):
Thank you so much to Denise for showing up today during such a difficult time. So as we prepare to begin our ritual, we are going to be led in song by our music team. We will sing this song together, acapella and in around. So I don’t know if you remember singing songs in a round in music class, but I’ll explain that a little bit more in a minute. The song we are going to sing is Don Nobis pum grant us Peace, a beautiful Latin hymn and it means grant us peace. So after we sing the song, I will begin a meditation that will take us into our Burning Bowl ritual. So this is how we are going to do it. Greg will lead us in the song first to teach it to us. We’ll sing along with him and once we get it down, it’s pretty easy song in terms of the words it repeats, Donna Nobis pum over and over again.
(11:26):
So here’s how we will do the round part after we learn the song, the two rows on this side of the room and those two people on that couch are going to follow Greg, whatever Greg sings you sing, don’t follow anyone else. All right, this side of the room two Rosen up and that couch are going to follow Ms. Page. So again, she’s your leader. Don’t listen to anyone else. Only follow her. Everyone else from behind the second row in the back will follow Dom. That’s Dom again. You know what I’m going to say? Follow your leader. So this is beautiful and it is a wonderful and beautiful invitation for us to begin to bring peace into our You’re in there, do everybody behind.
Greg Woods (12:32):
You’re with Dom, you’re in good hands.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (12:35):
Sorry, someone got confused. Thought I was clear. So this is a beautiful way to invite the peace into our consciousness and into our hearts as we create the container for our burning bowl ritual.
Greg Woods (12:55):
Alright, as it is before noon, we will do this a couple steps lower than usual. There are three stanzas to this, three individual lines that we will each sing when we sing the whole thing, but I want to make sure we touch on those first. So the first one sounds like this just that much. Sing that with us. Everybody
(13:31):
Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
(13:50):
The next part goes like this.
(14:08):
Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. (repeat)
(14:25):
Last one’s a little tricky. It sounds like this.
(14:45):
Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
(14:45):
So that’s it simply. Can we sing from the beginning to the end altogether? Then we’ll try it with the round. Let’s maybe move over by our people. Come to my window. Alright. All right, here we go. Altogether all three stanzas in succession. 1, 2, 3.
(15:10):
Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
(16:07):
All right, we’re going to do it in the round now and we’re going to start everybody on that first one and then my group is going to move on. You follow me, I’ll make a hand motion and then everybody else continue singing that first one. Once again, follow Paige and follow Dom. Once we move on, Paige will cue you. You go onto to the second one when we’re on the third one. And then finally, once Paige’s group is on the third one or on the second one, Dom’s group moves on to the second one. And then at the very end we just kind of loop the final one and find a chord that feels comfortable at the very, very end. Yeah, can we try it? Alright, everybody together on the first line pages group sings the first line twice. Dom’s group sings first line three times and then moves on. That’s all that’s happening? Yeah. Here we go. Can I get a fresh D? Thank you. Here we go. Everybody together on the first one. Oh, you want to see that… Latin? Here we go, everyone together. Oh, 1, 2, 3. Here we go.
(17:10):
Everyone singing: Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
(17:27):
You guys stay. We move on.
(17:28):
Everyone singing:Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. (repeat)
(18:21):
Everybody on the last one.
(18:22):
Everyone singing:Dona nobis pacem, pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem. Dona nobis pacem.
(18:44):
Beautiful.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (18:58):
As we have sung so beautifully, Dona Nobis pacem grant us peace. We allow ourselves to stay in that place of peace reminding ourselves again of Gandhi’s words. There is no path to peace. Peace is the path. So I invite you now to close your eyes, have a soft gaze or turn within in a way that is most comfortable for you. Repeating silently to yourself. There is no path to peace. Peace is the path. There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.
(19:42):
There is no path to peace. Peace is the path. I invite you now to notice your breath, allowing it to slow and deepen with each breath. Allow it to take you deeper into that still peaceful place within you. If your mind is active or you become aware of emotions welling up, simply allow the thoughts or the feelings to come. You can use your breath to gently breathe into them and allow them to move through or lessen if they do not, not to worry. Continue to believe slowly and rhythmically, allowing yourself to expand so that the thoughts and the emotions can sit next to a peaceful place within you. Perhaps they will allow the peace within you to surround them like a gentle hug.
(20:41):
Accessing this peace, I invite you now to begin to walk along a path that you envision in your mind’s eye walking peacefully. Follow this path to a place in nature, perhaps a forest glade or on a hilltop or by a stream or lake. Perhaps your path leads you to a beautiful cathedral or a meditation room. It might be your own backyard. Wherever it is, see yourself in front of an altar you find there. You can envision whatever type of altar you wish. However simple or elaborate you wish to make it. You might find that the altar you come to presents itself to you without you having to envision it.
(21:26):
Once you’re at your altar, pause there standing or sitting, and allow yourself to still even further in this stillness, let whatever needs to be released to rise up within you. Allow whatever, even if you came with this ritual with something to release in mind, pause here and connect with it. Allow whatever is wanting to be released to show itself to you. Whether it is your original intention or something different as what is to be released makes its presence known. Invite it to be there with you, whether it has been painful or something that has been fulfilling and life giving but is just its time to move on from you. Spend some time here with it, whatever it is, painful or pleasant. See if you can discern its gifts. What did this circumstance, situation, loss or condition teach you? Was there something for you to learn in it?
(22:39):
What meaning can you make of what happened or what you have experienced this past year or maybe for many years, a lifetime? Perhaps releasing pain and feelings related to the death of a loved one or someone who is near death can be very difficult. If this is your situation, see if there is any part of this experience that is ready to be released. Some of the pain, any negative feelings or judgments you might have against yourself or others related to this loved one, some of the fear associated with being without them, perhaps the pain is ready to move on so that you can feel more fully the love that they are within you, not clouded by all of the pain and the loss of their absence. This readiness applies to anything that you are here to release today. If something does not feel like it can be released in its entirety, see what aspect of it is ready to be something that keeps you attached to this memory event condition or situation perhaps. And see if you can release that. I’m going to pause here so that you can now write on your flash paper what it is you want to release.
(25:38):
We will now begin the process. We will now begin to process up to the burning bowl on the altar in the front of the room to place our papers in the flame. For those in the room, I’m going to invite you in a moment to form two lines in the back of the room on either side if our ushers will go in place. Now they’re going to send you up one at a time to place your paper in the flame. And after you do that, please pick up a stone from the altar. This is an inspiration stone. They have words on them. They’re turned over on purpose. So no peeking. Just grab one and at that point you can return to your seats if you choose. This next part is by invitation only. So if it feels comfortable, please feel free to take your stone and go to the microphone and speak it into the microphone. Now this is going to, you can say something like, for 2024, I embrace celebrate. Or you can say, my word for the 2024 is peace. So if it feels comfortable, please do that and don’t rush off at that point. Stay there for a second so that your community can offer you support and people in the seats can do this by a handout in blessing, hand over your heart, maybe a brief bow or maybe just a compassionate look.
(27:19):
Just a quick word for our live streamers. We want you in the room for this ritual as well. So we invite you to drop what you’re releasing into the chat. We have practitioners in the room who are monitoring that and they will release a paper for you into the flame. They’ll also pick up an inspiration stone for you and let you know what your word is. Now we’re not going to mail stones to you, so you’re going to have to write those down so you remember. And to start this out, I have invited Reverend Linda start at the back to show us how this goes because there’s a couple of steps. So Linda will go first and she will also take your papers from you because we don’t want anybody’s fingers to get burned, so she’ll take them and put ’em in the flame.
Linda Jackson (28:31):
For 2024, I embrace courage.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (28:45):
You can begin to line up now, please.
Speaker (29:04):
For this next year, I embrace blessings
Greg Woods (29:25):
2024 I am embracing gratitude
Speaker (29:50):
For 2024. I embrace breathe
(30:11):
For 2024, I embrace belief
(30:34):
For 2024, I embrace imagine
(30:53):
For 2024, I embrace gratitude.
(31:10):
For 2024, I embrace courage
(31:33):
For 2024. I embrace peace .
(31:54):
For 2024 I embrace gratitude.
(32:20):
For 2024, I embrace faith.
(32:41):
For 2024, I embrace inspire
(33:02):
For 2024 I embrace blessings.
(33:26):
For 2024, I embrace hope.
(33:49):
My word is hope.
(34:13):
For 2024, my word is gratitude.
(34:37):
For 2024, I embrace celebrate.
(34:59):
For 2024, I embrace breath.
(35:25):
For 2024, I embrace family.
(35:49):
For 2024, I embrace believe.
(36:08):
For 2024, I embrace family.
(36:31):
My word for 2024 is success.
(36:55):
For 2024, I embrace the word balance.
(37:15):
For 2024, I embrace gratitude.
(37:54):
In 2024, I embrace dance.
(38:12):
For 2024, I embrace balance.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (38:27):
John is going to be releasing several for the people online and he’s going to take several stones.
John Adams (38:34):
For Catherine 2024, the word is inspire.
(38:53):
For AJ, the word is faith.
(39:09):
And for me the word is healing.
Speaker (39:35):
For 2024, my word is celebrate.
(40:05):
For 2024, my word is healing
(40:30):
My word for 2024, and I need a lot of it – is balance.
(40:54):
For 2024 I embrace Breathe.
(41:20):
My word for 2024 is dream.
(41:41):
For 2024, my word is celebrate.
(42:02):
For 2024, my word is hope.
Judy Ranniger-Meza (42:23):
For 2024, I embrace gratitude
(42:43):
As we close our ritual. I invite you now to extend the peace that you have connected to within yourself out to a world in desperate need of peace. Our readings today remind us that in an agitated world to be in the presence of a single person who is at peace can feel remarkably healing. And that our moral duty is to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world. Before I close this out in prayer, I would want to just invite everyone to stay after this ritual ends. After we leave, after the last song, stay in the room for prayer. We have our wonderful practitioners lined up on the wall. There they are ready to give prayer. I can’t think of a better way to really walk powerfully into 2024 with clarity and with intention, then getting a powerful prayer from one of these practitioners.
(43:52):
So I invite you to do that and to stay for the workshop that Reverend Linda is facilitating again right after service. It’s on vision boards and it is another way to really clarify what wants to express in your life. And she will lead you through the spiritual practice of visioning to support bringing your vision into manifestation. So I can’t think of a better way to spend New Year’s Eve than doing this visioning practice. So if you haven’t signed up, no worries, we’ll sign you up in the room. And even people online can join this. So just close us out in prayer. So does breathing again into that place of peace, that place of stillness that we’ve been connected to throughout this ritual, knowing that this is our source. That this is the one life, the one peace, the one love, the one power, the one wisdom in back of all life. It is always and everywhere present, everywhere. And when it is my life, it is your life. It is all of life. Throughout creation.
(45:07):
We are one with it. We are never separate from it. It is our truth. It is our deepest and most abiding peace. And it is from this place of oneness, this connection to this peace, to this source, to God that I speak this word for us as we leave this service today, ending 2023 and moving powerfully into 2024. Whatever we have released, whatever still remains to be released, maybe not, it didn’t quite all get released today, but we know that this peace, this love, this grace, this power is with us each and every day, each and every moment. And as Denise reminded us, even in her pain, she turned to prayer. To get that support, to get that love and that power to move through the difficult moments as we know there will be in 2024, we know there will be challenges. And I just affirm for us that we are all connected, all making ourselves available, open at the top to source, to love, to peace, to guide us, to support us, to move us through. And so I’m so grateful that this is the truth for each and every one of us. The truth for us individually and the truth for us as a collective, this wonderful community called Cityside. And we individually and collectively move into 2024 in peace and love and joy and wholeness. I’m so grateful for this and I release it and call it good. And together we say, and so it is.