Around the Circle

Here's what's happening AROUND THE CIRCLE

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Soul Food

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." -- Goethe

  In the Celebration Circle we honor and nurture the Sacred in ourselves, each other, and all Creation.

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Thank you, Gary O Smith, for sharing your photos.

Welcome

Alan Cohen** tells the story of a friend who went to the airport to pick up a renowned rabbi. As the two were driving out of the airport parking lot, his friend had to choose between a lane with an electronic payment machine and a lane with an attendant in a booth. The rabbi said "Take the lane where you pay a person." "Why?" asked the driver. "Because any opportunity to make contact with another human being is a blessing from God," answered the rabbi.

Living as we do, in an increasingly automated society, I believe it's vital to reach out to others, friends and strangers alike, and engage in authentic communication. To truly feel the deep blessing of connecting with other people. Of course, it's difficult to do so with everyone, every time. But it really doesn't take much to do it some of the time. A sincere smile, a brief hello, a warm handshake - all are imbued with the potential for being a true gift to the Other(s) as well as ourselves, when we come from the place of remembering our Oneness. When we address each other in the spirit of the Hindu greeting, Namaste� - which roughly translates as "that which is Divine within me greets that which is Divine within you."

For myself, I choose to celebrate this Labor Day Weekend by greeting as many folks as I can from this consciousness, particularly all those laborers, cashiers and clerks that I tend to gaze right past, even while I'm handing them my cash. Perhaps you already do so. In any case, I invite you to consider extending yourself just a bit more in the coming days. To remember that "any opportunity to make contact with another human being is a blessing." It can't hurt to try, right?

With hopes of seeing you around the Circle,
r sig

**I think Alan Cohen is one of the most insightful, delightful and non-dogmatic spiritual teachers of our time. If you don't know his work, check out www.alancohen.com