It has been a delight to share life with the folks at ElderSpirit for the last several months. ElderSpirit at Abingdon, Virginia is an intentional community of elders who are living together and supporting one another as they age. They contacted me for assistance creating a series of rituals centered in the natural world. The rituals were to be interfaith and have a spiritual focus. The Harvest Festival was the second event and celebrated not only the harvest but the local farmers. I didn't count but there must have been at least 50 people who attended with half coming from ElderSpirit and the rest from the local community. We gathered in the Spirit House for singing, readings, and sharing of harvest experiences. (I shared about my butternut squash which you read about in an earlier posting.) Then we blessed the gardens and gathered outside to paint pumpkins, faces, make corn husk dolls, and gourd birdhouses. A light supper was served with most offerings made of either corn or pumpkin. You can experience some of the fun in the video posted above. To learn more about ElderSpirit go to www.elderspirit.net.
Thanks to all the folks at ElderSpirit who made this year's Harvest Festival a day which I will never forget. It was simply FUN!
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