OVERVIEW
It’s the end of a year and the start of a new year. It is a unique time when the past, the present and the future converge for just a moment. We can reflect on what was; we can process and release what is ours to shed; celebrate the Love that showed up for us during the year. We can be in the present moment – be in connection and gratitude. We can look to the future calling in even greater good that is simply awaiting our acknowledgement. The Burning Bowl ceremony is a powerful ritual that guides us through this process and gives us space to set a new or renewed intention. It is the collective consciousness that holds the magic. We are that magic. Join us in releasing the old and welcoming the new. For those that are joining us online we invite you to have a lit candle, paper and pen to be able to do the ritual from where you’re viewing.
TRANSCRIPTION
GORDON DICKINSON
Okay, so I’m Gordon Dickinson, one of your licensed spiritual practitioners, and I’m, I’m here to share reading that’s related to our Burning Bowl service today. Um, burning Bowl ceremony and facilitate a brief meditation and to, um, to offer a blessing for the service to the special service for Burning Bo. And the reading today is by Ernest Holmes, and it’s from the book, essential Ernest Holmes. I am a center in the divine mind, a point of God, conscious life, truth, and action. My affairs are divinely guided and guarded right into the action, into correct results. Everything I do say or think is illuminated by the truth. Actually, it says, stimulated by the truth, but I like them both. Um, there is power in this word that I speak because it is the truth. It is of the truth. Ideas come to me daily and these ideas are divine ideas. They direct me and sustain me. Without effort, I am continuously directed. I am compelled to do the right thing at the right time, to say the right word, at the right time to follow the right course at all times, all suggestions of age, poverty, limitation, or unhappiness is uprooted from my mind and cannot gain entrance to my thought. I am happy, well, and filled with perfect life.
I live in the spirit of truth and I’m conscious that the spirit of truth lives in me. My word is the law unto its own manifestation and will bring to me or cause me to be brought to its fulfillment. And now I invite you to close your eyes, focus on your breath, enter into a time of stillness. I invite you to be here now as we experience peace, gratitude, and openness.
MEDITATION
GORDON DICKINSON
I invite you to return to our shared space as we prepare for the Burning Bowl ritual to release what no longer serves us and to step into a new year. I recognize that we are all one with the spirit that lives within us, that is our source of wholeness, of love, of peace and joy. I know that everyone in this room and everyone participating online is whole, perfect and complete. We are all one with spirit. I I bless this gathering, knowing that the love and peace lives in us and through all of us. I bless our Burning Bull ceremony that offers us an opportunity for releasing the old and welcoming the new I Blessed Cityside community that offers an opportunity for releasing the old and welcoming the new I. Bless the Cityside community in the space of love, healing, and wholeness that the community creates Today. I bless the team that has come together today to make this service happen, including Connie, Linda, Jeffrey, Jamie, Tiffany, page, Greg, Patrick, and Dom. I blessed Judy and John for sharing the message of letting go with us today and for leading us through this Burning Bowl exercise for finding freedom. I bless everyone participating in this service, knowing that we share the gifts we receive from this community, with others, with a broader community in Chicago and beyond. I bless it all and call it good. And so it is.
TYPHANIE MONIQUE, PAIGE KIZER
And so it is. Thank you, Gordon. And I would like to bless Nora. Nora is here with us serving to share her beautiful talent and her sunny self. So my theme as I was thinking about music was definitely introspective and knowing we’re going into this new year, this song just out of the blue, came to me. I was looking for some titles, never had heard it before. It’s by Xavier Rudd, but it’s called Follow the Sun,
Which where the wind blows, this stays down. Breathe,
Breathe
In, set your new, a brand new moon, a brand new, the direction of the birds, the direction of the breathe,
Breathe,
Breathing. Cherish the small bed. Cherish the tomorrow’s a new day for a brand new moon. Set a brand new song when you coming on. You like a heavy wave. When you feel this crazy society heading to the take a straw to the nearest water. Remember your place many moons long before you came. Which way does the wind, what does your heart say? What does your heart say? Yes, blow this day is done.
JOHN ADAMS
Okay, I guess that’s my turn. Good morning everybody. I’m John.
Hi. I feel so funny. Um, Reverend Judy asked me to say a few words before we move into our ceremony. I thought, oh my goodness. You know, I am about receiving, I am about being taught. I am the forever student. I thought, what do I have to offer? The only thing that I can offer you is what I know. And what I know is certainly fueled by things that I’ve read and studied and we’ve talked about in classes and things. But it’s also what I know from my experience. And my experience is really a great teacher. And what I know and what I want you to know is that you are loved. I am loved. We are the beloved. That this love is something that exists. That it is real and that is present and that it is unconditional and that it is, you know, beyond articulation, it’s beyond human imagination.
It is, it is. Think about anybody that you may have encountered in your life who has looked at you with the eyes of love, even just for a moment. And then imagine that expanded to the entire universe, looking at you and knowing and presenting that love, knowing that I am loved and you are loved exactly as we are right where we are for everything that we are. And everything that we aren’t for everything that we’ve done and everything that we didn’t do. You know, for all the times we showed up as our best selves and all the times we failed ourselves, the ways in which we are all put together in the most beautiful, amazing ways, the way we have created ourselves and, and created the way we want to be in the world, and the ways in which we are broken, we step into that experience.
And out of that love comes this amazing gift. Probably the biggest gift we could ever get, which is the gift of free will. We are given free will, we have free agency. We are free of any kind of godly control, if you will. You know, there’s this, um, philosophy that, uh, shows up in Judaism. It shows up in other philosophies. It’s this idea that, um, God steps back, the source steps back and gives us space so that we can practice our free will. We can have this free. Will we have agency to make any choices we want? We’ve seen it show up at this past year in 2022, people showing up in the world, in, in beautiful ways, people showing up in the world in really questionable ways. We get to choose. So we get to choose whether we turn to love or we turn away from love.
And so today, as we go into our ceremony, we do this practice, we get to step into this idea of letting go of what no longer serves us, letting go of what we did our best when we were in that moment. We did the best we could and now we’re in a new consciousness. What I love about this idea of being in the new and calling in the new is that it’s fresh, it’s exciting, it’s brand new. And it can also be that space of stepping out of our comfort zone, stepping into something new can be, can be, um, stressful, right? Because what we had, what was was very familiar. I know my way around here, it may be painful, it may be a situation that I can’t stand, but I know it, I know what it is, I know what it isn’t. And I know my way stepping into something new.
I have no idea. But we step into it and we turn to love and we bring that love with us. And so now we are co-creating what is happening in our lives. We’re co-creating with that love, light, laughter, joy, God source, whatever your word. We’re in that harmonious co-creation. And we can create anything. We can do anything. We can be anything. And I like that in our teaching. We teach that a lot. You know, anything is possible. But what I will say about that, for me anyway, in my experience and what I know is that I have to be in integrity with myself. I can create anything, but my consciousness is my consciousness. I have to be in integrity with myself, which means I can see somebody else and watch their path and kind of go, oh my God, that’s phenomenal. And I want that, but I can’t be them.
I can only be me. I can only express me everything that I am, this physical expression, the age that I am, the personality. All that is, is a, is an expression of my consciousness. And my consciousness is what is. And so I express everything from that. And so I co-create from that. So I stay in integrity with who I am and I express from that. And it’s amazing. We can from that place, really do what anything. Um, one of the things that I wanted to share with you about this ceremony and about what we’re about to embark on is this idea of ritual. You know, I had a, I have a, I have a teacher, uh, who suggested this. And I really like this idea that ritual itself is not the thing that is sacred. The ritual points to the sacred. And so as we go into the ceremony, what I invite you to understand is the ceremony itself is just a, an exercise, a way for us to find our way psychologically, emotionally, mentally, into that which is sacred, to connect to the sacred.
But the ceremony itself is isn’t the sacred thing. So you get to choose whether you participate in this ceremony on a superficial level. Like yeah, write something down on the paper and I’ll burn and whatever. Or you get to really connect and really embrace and really feel your way into it. Feeling is one of those really important components to our manifestation feeling. Because our, our thoughts are complex, right? We’re spiritual beings having a human experience. We’re very complex. So our thoughts are complex, right? If we think I am abundant, I am abundant, I am abundant. What comes up when I hold that thought is everything that goes with it, all my feelings, my subconscious, my, my uh, history, my memories, my family dynamics, my collective sociological consciousness all comes up and tells me a lot about it, right? I’m, um, I’m originally from a small town in nowhere, <laugh>.
And, uh, we would identify ourselves as working class, a working class person. Nothing wrong with that, that’s beautiful. But when I try to reconcile that with abundance, when I try to reconcile that with wealth, if I try to hold those two things together, strange things can happen. And so in a way I have to step into a new, something new into a new identity. Stepping into being a minister and training, which is what Reverend Amy likes to call me. I feel so self-conscious about that title, but oh, well, um, stepping into that, stepping into ministerial school and saying yes to that means I have to show up differently. Not because there’s something different about me from, you know, six months ago, but because I’m holding myself different in the world, I’m stepping into something different. So today is an invitation to change your identity, to step into a new way of being. You will not be the same even if you don’t do the ritual. You’re not gonna be the same today as you were a year ago, but now we get to set our intention. So what is your intention that you are setting for yourself? What are you co-creating with that love? Are you turning to love and co-creating that in your life? What does that look like for you?
So just take a breath and feel your way into it. Feel your way into that love that is always present and always here and always expressing and just know that it is. And if you can’t know that it is because of whatever’s going on in your life experience. Know that I know that it is, and maybe that’s enough. Know that I believe it and I know Reverend Amy believes it, and I know Reverend Linda believes it. I know Connie believes it. That’s enough. What are you calling forward? What are you saying goodbye to? What is your new level of freedom? Your new level of what space are you making for yourself? How deeply do you want to take this ritual today? It’s up to you. It’s your choice. It’s always your choice. So I wanna invite Reverend Judy up who’s going to facilitate our ritual and we’ll move into this experience together.
REV JUDY
Thank you, John. That was beautiful. So with the um, mute beautiful singing bowls in the background, I now invite you into a place of stillness. Bring your mind and your body into a state of quiet and peace. Letting go of what has come before and what will come after this present moment. Be here now. Begin to focus on your breath, not having to do anything about it. Simply noticing, allow this awareness of your breath to extend to any of the places in your mind and body that are tense or tight or jittery or busy. And simply invite them to loosen, to relax. Allow this awareness to bring you into your inner world. Imagine that your breath is taking you deeper and deeper into this inner landscape, to the places in you that hold worry, anxiety, or fear. The places in you that may feel exhausted or tired, perhaps hopeless about what you are seeking in your life, the places in you that feel stuck, even the places in you that may hold anger or resentment. Allow yourself to notice it all in this place of awareness. Begin to see the part of you that feels most in need of your attention.
You may identify it as an experience you are having that you do not like. It may be the part of you that you are the most upset about, the most of extra troubled by. It may be the part or experience that confuses you the most about why it is still here. Why it causes this pain and disruption in your life. It may be a part that is blocking a sense of peace. Let that part of you come to the fore. Notice that this part or this experience seems to be in the way of your happiness or fulfillment in some way, or of feeling at peace. It seems to be the thing that is blocking your progress, preventing you from that which you seek. As you keep your awareness on this part, I invite you to consider that what is in the way is the way. Simply repeat this to yourself silently. Now, what is in the way is the way. What is in the way is the way. What is in the way is the way. See if you can begin to see this part of you or this experience as something that is trying to help you, even though it has caused pain or angst or frustration in you,
Begin to understand that there is a reason for it being there. Can you begin to relate to this part of yourself, this you experience you are having in a different way? Can you begin to be curious about why it is here? Maybe you can even bring some compassion to it. As you sit in this time of reflection, see if you can listen to this part and see if it can communicate to you why it is here, why this experience has shown up in your life. If you’re receiving some information from it, thank it for its willingness to communicate with you. If you are not receiving any information, that is fine too. Simply stay in a place of openness toward it. Your open-hearted awareness will help it to reveal itself at a later time. Extending gratitude and compassion to this part or experience for what it has been trying to teach you or do for you. Now see if it is ready to be released. If it seems ready. If you are ready, write this down on the flash paper provided. Stay very attuned to yourself here and really notice if this part or experience is ready to be released. It may not be and that is fine. If it is not. Simply see if you can release the frustration or anger you have toward it. Any worry or anxiety you have about it being here.
See if you can release your resent resistance toward it and write that down on your paper to be released into the flame. If you can release these feelings, release the resentment, you’ll be open and available for any messages or awarenesses you need about this part or experience in your life. As we place whatever has arisen for us in the flame today, we invite that spirit of openness, receptivity, and clarity into our essence. As we begin this brand new year of 2023, I invite the practitioners in the room who will be holding space throughout the burning process to begin the line at the back of the room and come forward to have their paper placed in the flame. As others are ready, join the line at the back of the room and begin to make your way up to the altar to have your paper deposited into the flame.
As you return to your seat, take a piece of polish class back with you. I invite you to take a moment to pause as your paper is deposited in the flame to honor that moment. If it feels right, you can bow or say namaste. You can place your hand over your heart, whatever feels right for you. There will be practitioners standing on either side of the altar to offer prayer for those of who of you who wish it. And there are practitioners on the side. For anyone who wishes to receive it are you gotta take the polished glass, take a piece of polished glass. If you did not receive a take a piece of polished glass with you, please come up and get one. So I invite you to stay in a place of reflection. Now, I invite you now to look at the polished glass in your hand and begin to reflect upon it.
You’ll see that it is round in shape, and as a wedding ring is often said to symbolize everlasting love. So too does this glass symbolize the ever-present everlasting nature of source of the divine of creative force energy whose very nature is love. You will also note that this rounded piece of glass is transparent as you see the palm of your hand through it. There are two qualities of transparency that I invite you to reflect upon. There is the transparency of your spirit, of your nature that is expressed, and that which you now bring to mind as what you wish to bring into your experience in this coming year. Your innermost nature is known, it is seen, it is responded to by this life force, energy, by this love. The second quality of this transparency I bring to your attention is the conscious decision you can now bring to release or have step aside, any parts of yourself that may still be present, that block this expression of your deepest nature, of your wholeness.
For we know that it is in alignment with this universal love that good flows into our lives. And it is in this true alignment. We also discover what is truly meant for us to have or to express or to achieve. So I invite you to reflect on those qualities of yourself that most align with these qualities of spirit. Is it your loving nature that most aligns with this spirit? Is it the piece that you embody that surrounds yourself and others with calm and serenity? Is that creative spark within you that creates beauty and brings pleasure and wonder to the world? Is it the freedom of your mind and the expansiveness of your nature that allows for openings in with within yourself for more love, more peace, more creativity, more beauty? Is it in the place in you that connects deeply to yourself, to others, and to this universal force?
Whatever it is about you that you recognize, and this is essential in the as aspect of your nature, I invite you to recognize that these are the qualities of spirit of this universal love and that they flow into and through us. So in this place of recognition, the invitation is to unite with this force, with this energy, to align with it, to first discern that which is in your greatest and highest good for this coming year. And then in this place of transparency and openness, allow this force to work on you, for you and through you in this coming year to bring this good into your life. And for those who may sense resistance within themselves or find this experience of recognizing positive aspects of their nature or in the aligning of their nature to spirit difficult, I simply invite you to stay in a place of compassion and not judgment of yourself. What is not apparent now can become so as you say, gentle with yourself and available to information as it is revealed to you. And so now we pray to affirm that which we know to be true. And so I know that to pray is essentially to connect with the divine presence.
And I know that this divine presence is here in the quiet and in the stillness, in the peace and the joy. I know it is in the freedom that has been created as we have released the burdens. And that which no longer serves into the flame, allowing space for divine wisdom and clarity to come into our experience, for us to discern what is ours to have, what is ours to do, what we are to be. And I know this divine presence as the eternal indescribable love that is here. It is here now and always.
CONNIE HOUDEK
And we are one. We are one in this divine spirit. We are holy and completely connected. We are connected by the unconditional love that is always an ever flowing through us around and is. We are one in the peace, the wisdom and knowledge of the divine. We are one. We are connected in this perfect flowing, energetic field of love. The love and light that flows through us brings us to one. We are one.
JOHN ADAMS
So I just take a breath and breathe into this and I invite you to do the same. And just know and recognize your own power that you’re stepping into this powerful, powerful place of knowing that you have full agency full choice to say yes, to love, to say yes to this love expressing in and through and for you in ways expected and unexpected. And so I know in a affirm for each and every single person that that intention that is being set, that idea, that vision, that that that picture that is being held in mind is absolutely being made manifest right here, right now. I know that each and every single person is receiving exactly what they need. The resources, the love, the, the camaraderie, the synchronicities are showing up in ways expected and unexpected. I know that this year unfolds, each day unfolding, giving way to greater and greater experiences of love.
And that the invitation is always presenting itself to step back into love, step back into love, step back into love. And so I know that there is a power here that is moving in and through this community, in and through all of us as we hold this collective consciousness now for ourselves and for each other. And so I say yes to this, I say yes to this great good that is being made manifest right now. And I am so grateful for it. I am so grateful for all that is. I’m so grateful for the unfolding of this prayer. I am so grateful for the fulfillment of this prayer. I am so grateful for Cityside. I am so grateful for this community and I am so grateful for this consciousness. And with that, I release all of this into the action of law, allowing it to go, allowing it to be free, allowing it and knowing that it is done. And I confirm this by simply saying, and so it is.