Does Disney Reflect the Habits of Creation?

We went to Disney World to celebrate my granddaughter's 5 th birthday. I was having difficulty answering the question, where do I see one of the four "habits" being lived out in this fantasy world of make believe. Was it even worth trying? It was great fun amid the man made adventures and thrills; like living in a made up world that delights and tantalizes the senses with every turn.

It wasn't until the parade that any connection became apparent. This year's theme at Disney is "celebration". Come and celebrate with us! If it is your birthday you get free admission to the park and allowed to get on the rides first. Everyone, seeing the Happy Birthday button, announces "Happy Birthday" as you pass by! The parade was large floats of animals and colors and lots of dancing characters. Parade goers were encouraged to join in dancing right on the street.

Next we attended the Lion King production in Animal Kingdom. Again, large floats with animated creatures of the jungle were propelled onto the stadium floor as dancers and acrobats careened from overhead onto the stage. The lights dimmed and the evil spirits of the dark world were avenged by good animal characters once again bringing light to the world and joy to the heart.

Life is a celebration. Nature celebrates with every season and every blooming. Humankind has always copied nature arranging it's festivals around the changing seasons. And when creation shows its dark side; when we couldn't explain the catastrophe we acted them out in dance and rituals. This is how we have always coped. We have celebrated.

Celebrating Community with ElderSpirit

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!