~Pagan Summer Camp (week 2)~

[_ktg_]

Howdy Campers! The sun is shining and welcome to week 2!
Building off of week 1 and our daily practices and our "DO IT" now theme, this week is about giving thanks and gratitude.

Gratitude - (def) a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
(from wikipedia) Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

This week is not really a structured class, in as much as a reminder to get out and give thanks to all that is around us. Everyone of us has a unique way of saying "thank you" to the earth, the elements, friends, family, lovers, and ourselves and this week will serve to help us all incorporate giving thanks on a daily basis.

Campers - welcome to week 2!

[_ktg_]

Day 1 - Earth

Rise & Shine Campers, it is a glorious day 1 of week 2! Welcome to many of you especially after a possibly late night, ringing in the new moon

The focus of our gratitude today will be on the earth, as an element or the great mother, or gaia or however you choose to recognize her.

For a more indepth discussion about the earth - check out the 2007 camp thread.

For today - take 5-10 minutes and focus on the earth. Go outside, lay in the grass, feel the dirt in between your toes, feel the warmth of stone in the sun. Take these moments, close your eyes and give thanks for 3 things the earth provides.

Or give thanks at your earth alter, hug a tree or brew some summertime tea, drink it and offer some to the earth, giving thanks for all that is provided.

The important thing is ... Do It Now, Do It Today

[Aeress]

I spent the morning gathering berries with DD,and though my allergies were awful we stayed outside for an additional twenty minutes playing with playdough. Those simple connections are very helpful to me!

I am grateful for the cooler weather, 80's with a great breez!

[_ktg_]

I'm excited to get out on my lunch hour and just sit in the grass, feel the breeze and I'll probably hug a tree.

Already this morning has been quite hectic, so this exercise will help me get it back in perspective.

[aweynsayl]

i am so grateful for week two of camp! squee!

perfect activity planned for this evening-- replacing some faded annuals with fresh summer blooms in the garden.

i love to light incense while i'm in the garden, and i refill my "shell" offering bowl with fresh water.

i'll be sending some love towards the hills, where a fire burned several acres over the weekend. it's healed from worse fires, i know it will heal from this... need to get out and visit that area. i'll talk with dh about doing that soon! (yes, i know, not "now"... but it's a start!)

thank you for starting this!

[Indigo73]

I got a few moments outside this morning while letting the dog out. I usually just stand at the door because I am multi-tasking but this moring, I wandered down to the deck and sat a few minutes and listened. Was nice, guess I was in-tune with this morning's theme even though I just read it.

[wombatclay]

I'm grateful for camp!

I've been enjoying my itty bitty earthy altar... I'll see if I can get outside today though. It's a bit cooler (something more to be thankful for )

[_ktg_]

Went outside to just connect, and stood under a wonderfully shady tree, shoes off, skirt blowing in the breeze.

I leaned into her and just let go of the tension and said thank you. I'm saving the hugs for my home -its a bit awkward at work to hug trees!

[Ambystoma]

I'm grateful for the way the sun came into my bathroom via the skylight while I was in the shower. It woke me up this morning! Guess I will go work in my potted garden on the patio while A naps to appreciate the earth.

Edited by Ambystoma - 5/26/11 at 12:04pm

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by _ktg_

Howdy Campers! The sun is shining and welcome to week 2!
Building off of week 1 and our daily practices and our "DO IT" now theme, this week is about giving thanks and gratitude.

Gratitude - (def) a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
(from wikipedia) Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

I have totally got the gratitude thing going on by the truckloads at the moment. I've been starting every day with a few minutes focusing on my TM, and then on the things I'm grateful for. I have an envelop on my map that is my gratitude envelop and I try to put something in it a couple of times a week to remind myself to focus on the good things that are coming my way!

Originally Posted by _ktg_

For today - take 5-10 minutes and focus on the earth. Go outside, lay in the grass, feel the dirt in between your toes, feel the warmth of stone in the sun. Take these moments, close your eyes and give thanks for 3 things the earth provides.

Or give thanks at your earth alter, hug a tree or brew some summertime tea, drink it and offer some to the earth, giving thanks for all that is provided.

The important thing is ... Do It Now, Do It Today

On my way out NOW! The boys & I might scrounge about to see what we can find to create an earth altar of our own. I'll be drinking wintertime coffee though

back for more later!

[kittywitty]

Week 2

I am not feeling particularly grateful about anything today, though. I'm the Grinch today.

[Valerie.Qc]

I went outside to get the mail and took a moment to feel the grass under my feet, the tiny breeze that made the leaves dance on the trees, the warmth of the sun on my skin...

And I did a silent prayer, giving thanks to the Earth for her gifts , then I head back into the house and let the gratitude reach my taste buds with a bowl of pasta salad made with some veggies from our garden.

[saphire]

I am grateful for the wind that brought cooler temps to us- but not too strong of a wind. Thankful for that too, it gets very windy here. And for #3 I'm thankful for longer daylight hours!

[Aeress]

I am thankful for the earth, and the wonderful organic coffee and the growers who raise it in an sustainable method so I keep drinking coffee.

[_ktg_]

~ }{ day 2 }{~

Good Morning Campers! Such a wonderful start yesterday and today to keep the momentum... here we go!

Such amazing thanks being given, and in different ways!

Exercise:

Take a moment, grab a pen, and paper and while you're having coffee, tea, munching on cereal, typing a response here and make a list of 5 things which bring you JOY

Think small, think large, think in between

Write them down - fold the paper over, and say thank you for having those in your life! Or stick them in your gratitude envelope.

Extra credit for today - Create a gratitude envelope to collect all these joyful moments, memories, inspirations! You can make it fancy with glitter, glue, buttons, ribbons or simple

Hang in a place in your home (fridge, bulletin board, bedroom) to remind yourself of this exercise on a daily basis if you would like.

Ready, set... GO

[wombatclay]

I love the gratitude envelope idea! I made a folder on my desktop titled JOY and am going to keep these lists there... I'll see it more often, it wont get lost, and I'll be able to c/p or add photos from other sources. Thank you for the inspiration!

joy list number one-

1 my dh
2 my kiddos
3 books, libraries
4 mdc (especially the pagan circle)
5 chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirl

[aweynsayl]

ahh, crafting project! i've got loads of wonderful glitter left over from our egg projects this spring, and 5 really nice envelopes from my TM cards.... i can just see it hanging in our new kitchen..... squeee!

let's see.... 5 things that bring me joy:

1. ds running back and forth helping dh and me with the house--fetching the tape, the hammer, etc...
2. sitting at fro yo with my boys (frozen treats, imo, always belong on this list!)
3. camp & the other pagan threads
4. watching my dh working on his work projects-- he gets so enthusiastic, it's adorable
5. sunsets and sunrises-- pink and bright and eternally hopeful!

[Ambystoma]

Ooh, I'm really into the envelope idea!

My 5:
1. the way DS gets shy when he laughs and covers his face with his little hands
2. DH's days off where our whole family sleeps in and DH gets me an iced coffee
3. A new romance novel
4. the treefrogs that live in my patio area croaking before bed
5. planning hopes and goals for our future with DH

[BellaLuna Rayne]

I was @ work all day yesterday so I missed the start of this week, boo.

My 5:
1) DBF and how we can just be total dorks together.
2) My nephew and playing with him.
3) Books!
4) Long talks with DBF about us, the future, etc.
5) My job oddly, my manager is so much fun.

[Maiasaura]

I am trying to do two days in one, since I was traveling all day yesterday and didn't have a chance to be online.

So when I read day one, a few minutes ago, I went out on the porch and cleaned out my rubber tree plant. When I had a cat (YAY, did I tell y'all I found her a home?) I put upside-down wooden skewers in there to prevent her from digging in the soil. So I just went out and removed those, and I cleaned up the fallen leaves, and there are some pretty rocks in there already. I want to add more. Maybe some crystals too

On to day two now