by Kimberly V. Schneider, M.Ed., J.D., LPC
In the late 90s a small group of women gathered to celebrate the summer solstice. They hungered to create an experience of the numinous that was vital and fresh, while also being rooted in ancient wisdom. They didn’t know what they were doing, exactly. They didn’t let that stop them from dancing out into the night, a night filled with anticipation and hope.
I was there with them. My mind was filled with moss-covered stones, priestesses and monks walking through misty green hills to the music of fairies. In truth, I was in St. Louis, toting a portable CD player and leading a group of people wearing shorts and tennis shoes into a field. But the music coming from the CD player…. now that felt real. That felt like it could have come from the Otherworld.
We sang and we danced and we told stories. We prayed and set intentions.
And we declared: “If we can dream it, we can create it. If we believe it, we can become it.”
I don’t remember what intentions I set that evening. I do know I was lost in the power of the setting sun, the warm wind on my face, our voices joined together. I was experiencing joy and community. A circle of seekers, celebrating our connection with the Divine. And the magical music was that of Irish vocalist Noirin Ni Riain singing, “thugamar fein an samhradh linn…” (“we have brought the summer with us…”) And so we had.
Words have power. Words give rise to emotions. Emotions flow into the MultiVerse and create our reality. How do I know this? Because last summer, I stood with a group of women, including my Mom (who was also at that first gathering)…inside an ancient circle of moss-covered stones. In Ireland. The day after the summer solstice. Listening to Noirin Ni Riain, in person, singing “thugamar fein an samhradh linn.” What I had imagined, in some form, became my life.
Your inner landscape is the template for your outer reality. Words have power. The ancient Celts knew this, which is why storytellers and poets were held in the highest esteem. I am mindful of my words because I know they are turning energy into form. So I feed my mind with regular doses of words that shift my perspective and open me to new possibilities–giving me ideas that become language.
For me, poetry is one of the most transformational ways to experience words.
Which is why my Mom and I are offering our Words of Power: Poetry as a Spiritual Practice retreat on Saturday, August 10th.
One of the things we’ll be talking about that day is how words can shift consciousness. What we believe, becomes. May the peace of a powerful inner landscape be yours!
For more information and to register for the Poetry As a Spiritual Practice retreat, go to http://www.KimberlySchneider.com/poetryretreat or call Mary Lou at 636-399-5942.
Kimberly Schneider is the author of Everything You Need Is Right Here: Five Steps to Manifesting Magic and Miracles. She teaches Communication at Washington University and is a regular contributor to Great Day St. Louis TV. Kimberly and Mary Lou plan to return to Ireland next summer for their third weeklong retreat exploring Celtic Spirituality, including the power of poetry to awaken the soul. Request Kimberly’s free Conscious Manifestation eCourse at www.KimberlySchneider.com and you will also receive a sample chapter of her book!