Yesterday Friday August 28th we could have our August Goma. The weather was a very purifying and vibrant rain and several new guests attended. After the ceremony, we enjoyed tea and mochi in the indoor dojo (which is relatively rare as we typically gather outside) and great conversation.
One regular participant, a modern orthodox Jewish man, commented on how non denominational he finds the ceremony and mentioned that he could see light emanating from within the shrine. Another first time participant commented that she could see a border of light around the perimeter of the dojo and went into an instant meditative state when the ceremony began. It is always nice to hear participants recount the magic of the ceremony.
This time we had no assistants who were able to attend so we were not able to enjoy the full effect of the chanting but I think everyone had a good experience.
Please join us next month and note that at the September and October fire ceremonies, we enjoy hot apple cider and will likely sit around a campfire after the October ceremony which will be our two year anniversary.