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| Bright Blessings and Best Wishes for a great 2008 from Cynthia Lee, director of the Mystical Order of the White Rose.
Greetings, friends,
This is the first issue of the Order's newsletter. It contains a news release about a new Beliefnet.com blog on mandalas and the transformative effects of art that was established by David Bookbinder (creator of the Order's mandala); an ethereal, mystical video by Michael J. Carpenter with beautiful and haunting images, music and song lyrics; a true story full of signs and wonders; a poem about a rose and the cycles of life and death; and two weeks worth of "daily office" devotional readings for January 1 through January 14.
The Mystical Order of the White Rose website is still under construction, but it is being slowly but surely being blocked out and filled in and is willing to receive visitors. The website address is: http://www.mysticalwhiterose.com.
The Order was created to provide devotional resources, information, inspiration and a place of connection for mystics and contemplatives, especially those drawn to traditional and/or new forms of western and/or eastern monasticism. Your suggestions and contributions are welcome. Please send them to: mysticalwhiterose@gmail.com. I have become frustrated with my Cox cable email accounts' performance of late, so I created this new gmail email address for the Mystical Order of the White Rose.
Call it being spiritually schizoid if you will, but I feel strongly drawn to both traditional and modern expressions of monasticism, mysticism and contemplative living. Many years ago in Washington, D.C., I attended the first international conference on Gregorian Chant at Catholic University. Naturally a Latin mass took place amid clouds of incense. I was excited and delighted. Barely a week later, I was enthuiastically participating in a conference hosted by "WATER," the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual . We were doing very creative, progressive. leading edge liturgical things and I had a great time there too. Maybe it's a left brain/right brain thing.
I recently purchased "From Clutter to Clarity--Simplifying Life From the Inside Out," by Nancy Twigg on the Internet, using Paypal. Several weeks passed and the book still hadn't arrived, so I contacted Nancy and was informed it had been delivered by USPS on such and such a date and time about three weeks earlier. After searching through the house and my car and not discovering the book, I decided it was probably stolen off of my front porch shortly after being delivered.
. Much to my embarassment, but also relief, the book was unearthed from a pile of clutter by my husband after I started telling him about its disappearance. My telling him about not receiving the book triggered his memory of a white, book-sized package. It was in "his pile," of course, but still, it felt like a very heavy-handed cosmic message about making uncluttering my home and life an high priority New Years resolution for 2008.
Let us all savor the "blank page" of a new year that lies before us and fill it not only with goals but with dreams, gratitude, praise and learning.
Cynthia
"Whatever your life's pursuit--art, poetry, sculpture, music, whatever your occupation may be -- you can be as spiritual as clergy, always living a life of praise."
- by Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inyat Khan from daily quotes from: http://www.gratefulness.org
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL READINGS
Please click on this link to access the daily devotional readings for January 1-14. Once there, you will find a separate link for each day that is "hotlinked" and underlined. Click on the link for the day you want and you will be taken directly to the reading for that day.
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| Update From David Bookbinder
Photo of David Bookbinder (right) by David Tucker
David Bookbinder designed the beautiful White Rose Mandala that is used on this website as the Mystical Order of the White Rose's logo. Learn more about his latest project below.
"I have launched an art-related blog and associated discussion groups on the leading spirituality portal, Beliefnet.com, and I'm looking for your input.
"The blog, which features and is named for my Flower Mandala images, serves as a platform for a much broader discussion of the transforming power of art, with "art" defined in the broadest possible way (visual, literary, performing, popular, classical, modern, ancient, professional, tentative, eternal, spontaneous, etc.).
"I'm hoping to use this forum to generate a lively worldwide discussion among artists, healers, and consumers of art. I am seeking artwork, stories, thoughts, and ideas from both producers and consumers of art about how art has influenced their lives. The blog will consist of my work, work by (and interviews with) guest artists, and excerpts (with permission) from the accompanying discussion groups.
"Please share your art and your stories, thoughts, and feelings as comments on the blog, as posts in the discussion groups, or directly via e-mail to me at phototransformations@verizon.net. I'd also appreciate your passing this message on to anyone you think might be interested in the topic of the healing and transforming power of art."
Links:
Flower Mandalas blog: http://blog.beliefnet.com/flowermandalas
Art, Healing, and Transformation group: http://community.beliefnet.com/ArtandTransformation
Flower Mandalas Project group: http://community.beliefnet.com/flowermandalas
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| Angels Forever Video
My friend Juan Loren Zerimar (that's his photo to the right) wrote the music for the "Angels Forever" video below and wrote as well as sang the songs on the video.
Here is a "news release" about the video, followed by the video link.
"As we move into an ever expanding cyber world where almost any part of our planet is accessible within seconds vie the Internet, cell phones, and other forms of communication, where virtual realities can be created with computer programs, and where even historical events can be remodeled using photography and video editing programs, the possibility of realities beyond the physical world—something that has been taught by mystics and saints for centuries—becomes a much more palpable potential.
This potential however, also creates an inner questioning of our purpose as human beings in a universe which, although in terms of communication seems to be growing smaller and more accessible, in terms of possibilities is becoming ever more infinite.
Digital photographer/artist Michael J. Carpenter has created a video presentation of "evolutional art" in which astral, angelic landscapes evolve from one image to the next, exploring the possibilities of other realms, set to a haunting song of devotion and longing for enlightenment.
Please visit this art installation by clicking: "Angels Forever"* Music and lyrics by Juan Loren Zerimar, lorenzerimar@yahoo.com
Signs and Wonders
by Juan Loren Zerimar
Every day I sing the Ave Maria to the Virgin Mary (Mother Divine) as an act of faith and devotion.
Every day, I also walk up from my house to the top of a nearby hill where two main roads cross, and you can see in 360 degrees for miles. Right at the crossing there is a beautiful restaurant called the Summit House.
Today, Christmas, the walk was absolutely beautiful it was clear, crisp, sunny and breezy, with little traffic and little noise on the road. I kept thinking how beautiful it was. When I got to the restaurant, I found it was closed for the holiday, so I had this silly idea to go over to the garden, where they have a gazebo that overlooks the valley, and sing to the Virgin from there.
Just as I finished singing the Ave Maria a huge flock of bright, pure white birds flew past me from the east. I took it as a little sign of approval from Mother Divine.
I walked down from the gazebo back to the street, where there is a little park. From the park you can see the roof of my house. To my surprise all of the birds were flying in a circle over my house. For about five minutes I watched them. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, they left their holding pattern and flew past me back towards the east from where they came.
I then was sure Mother Divine was smiling.
P.S. A friend sent me this picture, but I thought it fit the story: http://hotshorturl.com/ng46
Written by Juan Loren Zerimar on December 25, 2007 -- Copyright 2007 -- All Rights Reserved You can contact Juan Loren Zerimar at: lorenzerimar@yahoo.com. Juan composes "soul music"-- music that pours forth from his soul and deeply touches the souls of those who listen to it. You can experience his soul-stirring, lush and lyrical music and songs on this video: "Angels Forever"* and listen to his song: "A Place Where I Belong" below. A_Place_Where_I_Belong1.mp3
Rose Wearing Ragged (a poem)
Rose
wearing ragged
round the edges, your petals
dingy, brown
mottled and pocked,
do not grieve your lost
beauty and perfection
for truly your sullied shell
your outer ring of decay
and death is soon to be
whirled away by the wind and
wrenched to the ground by the rain.
Unblemished
again
fresh petals
uncurling from
your coiled heart
you will proudly preen,
graciously accept tribute --
renewed in radiance
restored
wholly beautiful
at perfect peace
As blood flows
from the womb and
tears from the eyes
as the snake sheds
its skin and the
soul its disguise
so all that is
unneeded and outgrown dies;
so all excess
of feeling
of love
of pain
is gathered up
and released
again and again.
-- by Cynthia Kiteley Lee,
Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved
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