Sharing Circle
We're All In This Together

Join Our Sharing Circle

Written on August 28, 2009 – 3:04 pm by admin

It’s been a little while since I last posted – there just aren’t enough hours in the day right now. Charis has very kindly reposted her Sharing Circle article for which I am grateful.

I thought it would be worth while taking a few moments to restate the purpose of Sharing Circle. The basic idea is to get people from all over the world talking about their way of life, memories, what they like, what they dislike, hobbies, interests, hints, tips, movies, questions for others etc. Almost anything in fact!

We live in what seems to be such a divided world. Between isolationism and insularity you’d perhaps wonder if we had anything at all in common. Well… we do. And much more than you might think. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the differences between us should one wish to do so, but at the same time we should also be celebrating the similarities. As Sharing Circle’s tag line says…

We’re all in this together.

… and the sooner people realize that the better it will be for all of us. Nationality is nothing but an accident of birth. We are all human beings first.

We get a lot of visitors browsing through the articles here but there’s not enough people getting involved. It doesn’t matter what you post about. Someone somewhere will enjoy reading it.

So stop just sitting there and join in!

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On Letting Go

Written on March 3, 2010 – 6:14 pm by Charis

One of the things I am constantly asked about in my work is how to move beyond a difficult relationship; and how to find closure.

Endings can be one of the most painful parts of life, and very often people either aren’t around or won’t give us the closure we need to “let go” of a relationship or situation. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have to have the participation of someone else to let go – we can create closure for ourselves when we need to.

One of the ways this can be done is through ritual. I am not suggesting that anyone needs to run out and become a Wiccan or anything of the sort (not that there’s anything wrong with Wiccans!) It’s just that there is a reason why ritual has been a part of human behavior in one form or another for all of history. It’s because it is comforting, and it can change our lives.

Here’s a short, easy ritual, to help you “let go” of a situation or relationship that you feel you are too attached to. Take a few moments to calm your mind. Put on music that is soft, and soothing. Picture the person in your minds eye that you wish to let go of, and visualize them surrounded by love and white light.

This can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, as long as you like. Then light a candle -any candle. You don’t have to buy some sort of special healing candle: the important thing is the flame.

If you have a shallow dish nearby, one that is not flammable, you can take a piece of paper and write the person’s name down. (Or a phrase that is significant to you, such as “my relationship with Bob.”) take a few minutes to say to yourself, “I am now letting go of this connection.”

let that sink in for a moment, and then burn the paper.

A simple thing like this can truly make a difference to the energetic bonds between people. If you’re struggling to let go, give it a try.

Remember that we always have the answers we need…and you CAN let go, if you truly need to do so.

I hope this helps someone. Have you ever used a ritual like this?

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A Sense Of Community

Written on December 2, 2009 – 5:23 pm by Charis

One of the most astounding and beneficial aspects of the Internet is, of course, the way in which it makes it easier to connect – sometimes intimately so – with people far away.   As most people know, there are thriving communities around every possible category you can think of online; everything from people who are enthusiastic about collecting Pez Dispensers to people struggling with very serious illnesses and personal problems.

This is one of the reasons why this website was created.  We see ourselves as “citizens of the world,” and we wanted to create a space where folks from a variety of cultures, geographic areas, and personal experiences, could share with each other whatever it is that they wished to share.  Whether that’s a recipe, a memory, or a current struggle, or an affiinity for plastic candy dispensers, we want to hear about it.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Everyone Should Know Tom Lehrer’s Work

Written on October 28, 2009 – 7:41 am by Deborah
Tom Lehrer

Tom Lehrer

It is only because of my wonderful, well-informed husband that I ever even heard of Tom Lehrer – which is a shame, as Lehrer should be a “household name.” Even though Lehrer is an American, and one of those bona-fide genius types (he graduated from Harvard at 18 with a degree in math – and then finished his Master’s degree a year later)  and even though he is a prolific and hysterical lyricist and pianist who gained quite a degree of fame and success in the 1960’s and 70’s – I had never heard his name until fairly recently.  Very likely many of you don’t know him either.  So, I wanted to share an example of his funny- yet devastatingly “speaking truth to power” lyrics.  There are many  more songs of his,  and you’ll find many other lyrics and even videos of his performances online. His albums are still available as well.  I hope some of you will  look into his work, especially my fellow Americans. You may well be glad you did.  Some people, like Lehrer, saw clearly, years ago, the direction the US was (and probably is still) going.  Not only that, he surely kept his sense of humor in the face of it, which is sometimes more than I can muster. Without further ado – a song (with the introduction) that Lehrer performed about 1965.  As a side note, that was the year before my parents got married!  Note too that Lehrer was not bashing the Marines – he did spend time in the service, and I’m not bashing them either; my sister and brother in law are Marines! This song is a comment on our culture, not a  slam on the Marines!   Lehrer said:

“What with President Johnson practicing escalation on the Vietnamese and then the Dominican crisis on top of that it has been a nervous year –  and people have begun to feel like a Christian scientist with appendicitis. Fortunately in times of crisis just like this America always has this number one instrument of diplomacy to fall back on. Here’s a song about it.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Entertainment, Everything Else, Music | Tags: , , , | No Responses

The Joy of Independent Movies

Written on October 17, 2009 – 5:17 pm by Deborah

I have been a theater, music, and film lover as long as I can remember. 

However, lately, I’ve become mostly a very unapologetic film buff, and I’ve watched all or part of movies that many people wouldn’t touch with a barge pole:  up to and including, say, films like “Weasels Rip My Flesh” and “Ankle Biters.”  It’s important to know, though that movies don’t at all have to be big mega-budget Hollywood numbers to be deeply and seriously enjoyable. Read the rest of this entry »

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Memories of Paris

Written on September 28, 2009 – 7:28 am by admin

When I was around 11 (which seems like a lifetime ago in some ways and just yesterday in others) I experienced my very first trip abroad. Back then there were not the modern options of travel from the UK to France such as the channel tunnel and unless you were rich flying was out of the question for a family and so we went by car.

I have always loved traveling by car – even back then – so for me it was quite an adventure. Having driven to Dover (well, my father did anyway lol) we went on a car ferry to Calais and then the adventure started in earnest.

We were on the opposite side of the road of course (the UK drives on the left) so that was very different. Everything seemed so different, which is quite amazing when you think about it as France is only a few miles from the UK, but different it was. Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Childhood, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | No Responses

Icelandic Proverb: Anyone else know more?

Written on September 15, 2009 – 8:32 am by Charis

I’ve heard a bit about Iceland and what it’s like to live there. It’s my understanding that the landscape there has a stark beauty, that the people there are very kind, friendly, and in many ways extremely open-minded.

I’ve also been told that they have the most incredible fireworks of perhaps anywhere else in the world, on New Year’s Day. Families spend hundreds of dollars on fireworks for the occasion!

and I’m offering the following proverb from Iceland which I just ran across:

It is difficult to steal when the boss is a thief.

Funny thing is, it’s really applicable to business in the USA, too, no?

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A Canadian Recipe – Butter Tarts

Written on September 3, 2009 – 9:24 am by Charis
Canadian Butter Tarts

Canadian Butter Tarts

I’ve never had one, or heard of them, but apparently Butter Tarts are a Canadian tradition. I ran across this old(ish) recipe and it sounds too good not to make some day, and I thought I’d share. What are some of the traditional recipes where YOU are from?

Apparently a national (Canadian) contest in the 1970’s concluded that these butter tarts were the best. They/the recipe is originally from Wilkie’s Bakery in Orillia, Ontario.

Notes that I’ve seen on this and other Butter tart recipes may seem self evident but as I am one of those cooks that is still learning, I know that lots of things that seem self-evident to experienced cooks really aren’t always clear to we neophytes. So here’s the note: One cannot use margarine to make butter tarts! Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Everything Else, Hints & Tips | Tags: , , , | No Responses

Coincidence or God’s Hand?

Written on August 15, 2009 – 12:33 pm by Charis

(Guest Post By Terri Burton)

Last year I went to a yard sale and bought a birdhouse that was high in the air on a pole and the sellers could not get it down.  I went ahead and paid for it and they told me to come back in a few days and they would have it ready for me.  When I went back no one was home and the bird house was still up in the air.  I left a note on the garage door and was headed back to my car when I saw a woman going to her mailbox across the street.  She started walking toward me and so I met her half way.  She began by telling me that the woman that had lived in the house where the sale was had died of cancer several months ago and that her grown children were having the sale.  She shared with me what a good neighbor the woman had been and how they were able to talk and share because they both had cancer.  She opened up and talked with me about being in her early fifties, that her cancer had advanced and the doctor had told her several months ago that she would be dead within six months.  Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Adulthood, Everything Else, Memories | Tags: , , , , | No Responses

What Is a Sharing Circle?

Written on August 8, 2009 – 9:37 am by Charis

It is my understanding that in first nation traditions, (Native American and other indigenous peoples) that one of the things they would do is to come together in a sharing circle. A sharing circle is an opportunity to come together and talk about what is on your mind and heart, what you want the community to know, and things of that nature. These sharing circles doubtless brought and kept their communities closer together. In modern mainstream America, one of the things that are said again and again in surveys is that people feel isolated and they feel no sense of community. That is what this website, I think, is about…to give people a chance and space to share their feelings, thoughts, and their knowledge.
But a “sharing circle” was not the only kind of circle that some first nation peoples held.

They also had gatherings that were called something like “teaching circles,” where the younger people in the community could come together and ask questions of the elders and receive their teachings. I believe that too is one of the reasons that this website exists. I hope that people of any age will feel free to ask questions here and to speak their minds, and that the community will give them thoughtful responses, just they would have received in a Native American circle.

We are all in this life together and to my mind there is a great deal that we can learn from the teachings, philosophies, and traditions of first nation people.

All are welcome here at this sharing circle, I am sure. Young, old, and any nation of origin. Share whatever you like…that’s the whole point!

Categories: Everything Else | Tags: , | 1 Response