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TheThe Whirling Rainbow Lodge n
Where Women Come Together for Spiritual Growth and Friendship
Are you interested in joining a circle of women who meet once a month following the model of Native American "Moon Lodges"? Two new Whirling Rainbow Lodges are forming at FUSS under the auspices of the Adult Programs Council. It will meet one Sunday evening a month from October 2007 - January 2009 (background teachings plus a 13 "moon" lunar year). Each month is associated with a specific teaching and will be led by one of the thirteen members on a rotating basis.
Many lodges, some associated with UU congregations across the continent, continue for years going deeper into the teachings. Through sharing and shared experiences the participants become very close. Those who have taken "Cakes for the Queen of Heaven" will find this experience equally life-enhancing.
The Whirling Rainbow Lodges take their name from the Hopi Prophecy which states that in the time of the Whirling Rainbow the religious teachings of all people will be shared and will lead to a Great Peace.
For more information or to join:
Check the specifics below before contacting Melinda Perrin (melindaperrin@msn.com) or 377-9197 to answer more questions or to register. Space is limited! There are only a few openings left. We ask for a commitment from the participants to the one meeting a month for 15 months, understanding that people get sick and sometimes there is an emergency.
Where and When:
The next meeting of the combined lodges is Noverm 4th at 7 pm in the second dining room of the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady. Starting in December, one lodge will meet the first Sunday of the month; the other, the second Sunday.
What is a Meeting Like?
- Each meeting starts with a brief ceremony.
- There is a check-in.
- We use a Talking Stick to assure that everyone gets a chance to speak uninterrupted and that each is listened to respectfully.
- All teachings are experiential.
- The first three circle meetings cover basic background information on the Medicine Wheel, the Rainbow Wheel of Peace, Cycles of Truth, and each participant will learn what position they hold on the Wheel for their lodge. These sessions are taught by Melinda Perrin.
- The year-long walk on the Wheel will start in January. At that time "teaching" and organizing responsibilities will be shared. In a circle, everyone is equal and everyone has something important to impart. (Don't worry, you will be ready and there will be a book to help guide you. There are no rights or wrongs.)
- Each meeting closes with a brief ceremony and a healing of the Earth.
The Book:
Everyone will be asked to purchase a copy of The Thirteen Original Clanmothers by Jamie Sams. It costs about $20. Jamie is a Wolf Clan sister trained by Grandmother Twylah Nitsch and this book is based on the material we use plus some additional legends and teachings. It is an excellent companion to the Lodge teachings.
The “Teacher”:
Melinda Perrin, a certified teacher of the Seneca Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge and the Seneca Indian Historical Society, will lead the first three lodges. Under the guidance of Grandmother Twylah Nitsch, Melinda developed the format of the lodges and is the founder of seven Whirling Rainbow Lodges in three states. (Other members have seeded other lodges.) She is a Wisewoman (advisor) with the UUA Central Midwest District's Women & Religion Committee, the President of the Prairyerth UU Fellowship, and was on Adult Programs at FUSS for four years. In addition she apprenticed with several native shamans and herbalists, each for 13 moons.
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