Equinox Ceremony 2009
Crystal of Peace Mandala
The Prism of Light Opens
Crystal of Peace Mandala
The Prism of Light Opens
A second call was sounded across the city of light to join in ceremony on the
Spring Equinox to dedicate the four foot Crystal of Peace Mandala. This mandala originated two months ago as the next stage in the unfolding vision that began on Summer Solstice 2008 when we created an ethereal Prism of Light in southwestern Florida. The Prism of Light opens in this mandala revealing in the center, a faceted flower of life which is known as the blueprint of creation in Sacred Geometry. As crystal beings of light ourselves, the mandala reflects the opening we're each experiencing in our consciousness as we move from denser carbon form to the diamond light of dwellers in the new earth.In the week preceding the Equinox, the Mandala was imbued with the blessings and hopes for peace at several of the Prism Anchor locations which included the Women's Meditation Group, Radiance of Sarasota, Rising Tide, Anchoring Light, and the Wheel of Conscious Creation. Then on Friday evening, over 100 attendees joined in a sacred ceremony of renewal, rebirth and springtime as we celebrated the Vernal Equinox at Unity's Labyrinth.
Holy Ground
Holy space was set by toning two large Tibetan Gongs during the smudging. Then the heartbeat of the Mother Drum sounded as many walked the labyrinth. Some of the original Anchors of the Prism held the directional positions while Reverend Zan Butterfly Deerwoman opened the portals for the guides, spirits, totems and ascended masters to join us from the unseen world to the seen world. The children of the Prism and the Peace Poles (Ian and his sister Mikayla, Jeremiah and his sister Akaysiiyah) lit the ceremonial candles honoring the directions and the ancestors.
The circle was aglow with song and dancing. Kimberly Braun sang two songs representing the setting of holy ground and of being One with all. Marguerite Barnett dressed in brilliant emerald green wings and face-paint, blessed us with a Dance to Mother Earth's Springtime. Then Shahabuddin David Less, spiritual leader of Rising Tide International, honored the ceremony and gathering with blessings for the season and then leading us in a breathing meditation for the rebirth of ourselves and the earth. Our written visions for peace were taken to the center of the circle where the children offered them into the fire.
The Crystal Opens in Half
We knew this would be not only a powerful ceremony but also that the 
energy would be very spiritual. In preparation for it, a special 9" quartz crystal was purchased so that it could be displayed on the altar with the Mandala. Representative of the original Prism of Light, it was placed at the base of the mandala throughout the ceremony. This crystal held and gathered the combined energies and blessings of all those in the circle. Thirty-six hours later, when picking up the quartz crystal from where it had been placed on our personal altar at home, it shifted very gently and separated into two identical pieces, looking like a pair of perfect book-ends. The two sides can be placed together revealing no separation, yet they can be pulled apart into two distinct pieces. In the ceremony on Friday night, we shared that the Crystal of Peace was the next step in the unfolding of the Prism of Light. We shared that the Crystal of Peace was an "opening" for each of us to become crystals ourselves. We shared that on the Equinox the hours of daylight and darkness were in perfect balance and alignment. It's clear that the power and energetic blessings of that ceremony indeed opened the 9 inch quartz crystal as though in confirmation of what we had accomplished as a community on March 20th.
Deep Appreciation to All
For all those who made this ceremony sacred, none of this could have been accomplished without your help, either as participants or as attendees. Thank you to everyone who heard the call and participated - Madri Wilson for annointing us with Lotus Oil from Egypt and to those who helped her bless the four quadrants, Sherry Flanagan, Elizabeth Jacoby, and Linda Williams; to Joanne Driscoll and Pat Ready for smudging; to Linda Pupke for holding the heartbeat of the Mother Drum. To our gracious directional anchors, Rev. Jim Toole of Radiance of Sarasota, Rev. Eileen Kemp of the Wheel of Conscious Creation, Pam and David 
Cooper, Rev. Dusty James and Stan Welch; to our FireTenders - Lee D'Ovies and Lisa Nelson. And of course to the children, Ian and Mikayla Bowling and Jeremiah and Akaysiiyah Dunbar for anchoring the Peace Poles. Deep appreciation to Kimberly Braun for singing, and Dr. Marguerite Barnett for dancing, and Rev. Zan Butterfly
Deerwoman for opening and closing the ceremony. Special heartfelt gratitude to Shahabuddin David Less for your presence and for holding us sacred in beacons of love and respect. You gently inspire us to become more than we are.And last but not least, we are grateful to Reverend Elizabeth Thompson and the members of Unity Church of Sarasota who continue to offer the labyrinth to our extended community for these ceremonies and celebrations. We are sincerely grateful.
The Crystal of Peace Mandala will be painted by this community at Wellness Fest on May 2 then made available to you for your spiritual gatherings. Please mark your calendars to attend Wellness Fest and bring your prayers for peace which will be painted into the mandala.
If you'd like to enjoy the event through more photos, please click on these two links: http://equinoxceremony2009.shutterfly.com/
or http://gallery.me.com/themagicheart#100439
Blessings and gratitude and love to all who joined with us in ceremony, jo
