New Year’s Eve was a day of quiet peace alternating with great expectation! Our MSIA staff member Donya was in the hospital since the wee hours of the morning, and was soon to give birth to her daughter, even as the world focused on the New Year.
Walking through the Prana dining room was beautiful. It was covered in draped silver cloths! Hanging above in red and silver were the numbers 2011. The rooms in the great hall were filled quickly as folks gathered together, embracing and greeting each other in good cheer.
Sacred Tones on New Year’s Eve is an annual event that especially touches me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve spent time silently alone into the early hours chanting and focusing on God to end the year and greet the new year. I remember from long ago a statement such as “what we focus upon at the end, and in the beginning of the year, will be our focus all year,” so for me it’s God’s Holy Sound to lift into the Lord most high.
Paul Kaye arrived, wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and grinning from ear to ear. Prana was packed! Up on stage, Paul welcomed all. He said how others go to wild parties on New Year’s Eve, while we want to spend time within, this is what MSIA is all about. [Amen!]. He then introduced John Morton, just as he arrived .
Paul asked us just to relax and let go, primarily getting us to focus on our breathing. Then he asked us to come into our center, which could be in our hearts, or in our crowns, or sometimes above our heads. We relaxed into the first meditation, a meditation on breathing by John-Roger.
Yep. Just like childbirth, the first thing to learn is to breathe. Breathe. Relax. Breathe. While our eyes were still closed, Paul then shared about calling in the Light, and we listened to another J-R meditation, “The Light Attunement”, about letting go and lifting up into the golden light. Afterwards, Paul suggested we continue with this letting go process, and gave everyone 5 minutes to share with a neighbor about what we could let go of from this year.
Paul told us that throughout the ages God has given us a way out. Through ancient times, Forgiveness was presented, and then Jesus came along and said to do forgiveness 7 times 70. God’s business IS forgiveness. Therefore it’s our own judgments we’re holding onto, and the way out is to forgive ourselves. We sat in silence, forgiving ourselves inside, and then Paul went on saying that we could stand in the clean sheet consciousness, like a blank slate worked clean, and expand now into the loving inside.
Next we heard more from J-R, this time on Divine Love — it’s our authentic caring. In the focus of Divine Love, Paul asked us to share with our neighbor again, about what is the gift that this year brought us? We examined further our goals, and qualities, and finally, taking out an embossed card and envelope, wrote down what is our New Year’s intention. This is what we could go towards and work for, throughout the new year. We all held the sealed envelopes with our intentions in it, as Paul called in the Light, leading us in prayer and blessing for the highest good.
Paul once again asked us to center in our hearts, breathe, and relax. This was followed by a meditation from J-R, called the So-Hawng Meditation, to bring balance and alignment to the mind and emotions and to bring ourselves into harmony and balance for the new year.
We listened to other excerpts by J-R, and finally Paul shared about the qualities for 2011 focused on Love, Light and Sound. He introduced the HU chant, and we heard J-R do the HU meditation with all of us chanting the HU out loud beautifully! Harmonically, pure, balanced, one tone; one sound, and one voice of many!
Paul thanked everyone for coming, and welcomed us all to the dining room for snacks, coffee and tea. And as I arose to leave, I kept sending Donya the Light as she brings forth her new infant into the new year.
Happy New Year, and a blessed New You,
Marjorie Eaton
