Ithaca's Ceremonial Embers Still Glow--Just Posted

http://www.jubileeinitiative.org/SacredIthaca.html

Ithaca’s Ceremonial Embers Still Burn--Ithaca NY
One of the many places of Prayer in Upstate NY.

One cannot help but be amazed by numerous places of worship clustered together on Ithaca’s east side. They outnumber anything one would expect to find in a town center. I believe that this has to do with the numerous fields of consciousness that can be found in the area as well as a rekindling of spirit planted by Native Americans. Once a place takes on an identity, becomes a worship site, a home, a meeting place, etc. that consciousness remains. I call this a place’s geographic samskaras--its vibe. It appears that Ithaca’s east side was previously peppered with Native American ceremonial sites.

When traveling it was Native American custom to stop and pray or conduct ceremonies along the way. The intersection of trails was a favored spot for this. I often find ceremonial sites, prayer circles and sacred fires that once glowed at the intersection of trails; most notably at the home of the Where the People Gather community in Parish, NY I have found dozens of ceremonial/Sacred sites near where several Native American trails once intersected. Whenever we pray we begin to raise the Kundalini energy within our base chakra; similarly Mother Earth sends her Kundalini energy to a place if we pray long and hard enough there. This energy leaves a dowseable energy line and a very loving space to tap into and add to it. (Read:The Ability to be Transformed.)

“Old Indian Trails in Tompkins County” by W. Glenn Norris (1969 Dewitt Historical Society) has within it a map that shows numerous trails converging on Ithaca with several intersecting on the city’s east side. I believe that several of these trails intersected at Dewitt Park on the east side near the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca. Norris noted that Native Americans have inhabited the area from at least 3,000 BC with the Lamoka. So there is a lot history and spirit to the area.

Ithaca is a unique place that has attracted the eclectic and those looking for spiritual alternatives. For example, Madame Blavatsky came to Ithaca within days of founding the Theosophical society to rest and think things out. See also our review of the Foundation of Light. The following is a survey of three places of worship in Ithaca that offer an alternative as well as a good spiritual experience.

Namgyal Buddhist Monastery

Namgyal Buddhist Monastery, 412 North Aurora Street, is the North American Seat for his holiness the Dali Lama. It offers studies in Tibetan Buddhism and group meditation (Friday evenings, additional evenings and Sundays as well—check website). Programs and times run to coincide with Cornell and Ithaca college campus schedules. Several Buddhist monks with little grasp of the English language live there so contacting the center could be challenging—they are cordial but depend upon the local Tibetan community to answer questions.

Namgyal has a great vibe to it. The area around the monastery is unfortunately blanked with negative samskaras, but once you get within ten feet of the monastery you will see a dramatic change to the positive. This is because of all the praying and meditating that has gone on inside. Walk in and you will feel it. Good Work Monks and friends. This would be an excellent place to go if you trying to learn how to mediate. The Monastery sits on a single field of consciousness that is very nice. A new monastery is being built at Tibet Road off of Rte 79 near Ithaca College. . A preliminary survey of the new location indicates that we will be writing it up once it opens.

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca

First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 North Aurora is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. I know of the church because it is a meeting place for Catholic workers and others dedicated to social justice. The church is very accepting of alternative views and religious philosophy. Check the web site for services, meetings and other programs.

The church office next door affords easy access to the sanctuary. The sanctuary sits on a stacked (2) field of consciousness. Within the sanctuary there are numerous spirit keepers and other Native American sites. As you enter the sanctuary the area by the last pew on the left is particularly strong.

Tara House

Tara House, 101 Linn Street next to the waterfalls at Cascadilla Park gorge is a Buddhist sanctuary in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. It offers Sunday morning meditations and other programs.
Tara House sits on a single field of consciousness and has a positive samskara.

Peace,Madis Senner

Buffalo on Saturday January 26, 2008

I will be presenting and speaking (12 Noon) at the Buffalo Psychic Fair this Saturaday 1/26/08 at the Heartstone Manor. For more information go to: http://www.evolvingessenceeast.com/fairs.html

Finger Lakes Survey--Owasco, Otisco, Cayuga

After my talk at the Universalist Unitarian church in Auburn yesterday we surveyed several places around Owasco, Otisco and eastern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. It was a very cold and windy day with wind chills below zero—but the sun was out bright and beautiful.

Most of the area we surveyed is covered with negative geographic samskaras http://www.jubileeinitiative.org/Samskaras.html . We did find some places that are worth further investigation and should possibly be written up.

Auburn, NY has some phenomenal features but unfortunately much of the area is now caked over with very negative samskaras. A lot of great souls have been attracted to the area such has Harriet Tubman, Frances and William Seward,…Ft. Hill cemetery sits on an old Spirit Keepers http://www.jubileeinitiative.org/SpiritKeepers.html site consisting of several mounds and numerous fields and stacked fields of consciousness http://www.gaiassoul.org/ . Unfortunately, a Cayuga Indian chief decided to turn this most sacred of sites into a military fort. Then settlers built a cemetery upon it. All of which make parts of it quite nasty.

Emerson Park http://www.co.cayuga.ny.us/parks/emerson/directions.html on the northern shore Owasco Lake has some nice features. Nothing outstanding—but nice. Great views of the lake. The vibe or samskaras were, okay for most of the park. A single field of consciousness is found by the trees near the dog run area; a little north of there.
I found one Spirit Keepers site (where they prayed) by the trees. The fact that not a lot of sacred sites existed in an area with such majestic landscapes and FT. Hill was full of them tells me that Spirit Keepers were more attuned with and concerned with mother earth than those that followed, particularly settlers. Today we are all too quick to build a place of worship, or perceive of the sacred, at a place that has pleasant aesthetic features rather than a place that allows for a soulful connection.

Union Springs http://www.co.cayuga.ny.us/unionsprings/ rests on the eastern shore of Onondaga Lake. In the center of the town is a park where a Cayuga village once stood. A few Haudenosaunee sacred sites can be found on the burm at the lake side of the pond.

Great Gully Falls, Union Springs http://www.naturalhighs.net/waterfalls/falls02/greatgully.htm a mile or so south of Union Springs on rte 90 just below the intersection with Great Gully Road, about a 100 feet south of the monuments to the Sullivan campaign of massacre. Several Native sacred sites can be found on the ledge to the north where the falls begins. The area is overwhelmed by the negative samskaras http://www.jubileeinitiative.org/Samskaras.htm created by all the killing and violence that has occurred in the area. Very Bad! One must wonder whether this was the work of Sullivan himself or a place where violence has gone on for eons before.

Long Point State Park http://www.hikercentral.com/campgrounds/108357.html the samskaras were so bad and the wind so bitter that we did not spend much time there. As I have said before, waterside locations have been inhabited for eons and have been fought over for eons—creating a very bad vibe. And unless they have some positive features of mother earth and people that have inhabited the places have earnestly taken prayer to heart they are generally to be avoided. A Bad vibe.

Sherwood—Holland Stone Store Museum—Underground Railroad Site--http://www.rootsweb.com/~nycayuga/howland/index.htm SWEET!! The museum was closed when we were there. It sits on a stacked (3) filed of consciousness http://www.gaiassoul.org/ and has got a great vibe. This place definitely deserves another look and some soulful time. Retired Oswego Historian Judy Wellman spoke about the store and her work in Sherwood at a conference last summer in Auburn on the women’s movement.
The Holland Stone store underscores the notion that people are drawn to place and the place shapes their consciousness.

Moravia United Methodist Church http://www.christumcmoravia.org/ --we were pleasantly surprised while driving through Moravia and drawn to the city center and the UMC church. The church was closed when we were there, but we could tell that it sits on a stacked field of consciousness (3) http://www.gaiassoul.org/ and has a great vibe. I found a few sacred sites outside the church and I imagine that there are more inside. The church is definitely worth a visit and a possible write-up.

Skinner Hill Road out of Moravia http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=skinner+hill+road+moravia&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl is just north of the Fillmore Glen and may even be next to DEC land that is part of the park. It had a good vibe and there appeared to be several fields of consciousness. I need to go back in the spring and summer and take look. It holds promise.


Otisco Lake Park http://syr-area.com/cny-parks/otisco-lake-park.html There is a stacked field of consciousness (2) on the northern side of the park near the water. There are also numerous sacred sites by the water. It was getting late, but the park needs to be visited again.

All said we had a very fruitful and fun day

Sacred Space talk—Sunday January 20th 10:30 AM

Sacred Space talk—Sunday January 20th 10:30 AM

Auburn, N.Y., Unitarian-Universalist Church, 607 N. Seward
http://www.geocities.com/auburnnyuu/

Friends,

All are welcome to attend a talk I will be giving at the Auburn Unitarian-Universalist church on sacred space. Topics to be covered include; what is sacred space, the importance of sacred space, enhancing and benefiting from sacred space, unique sacred spaces in upstate NY and other UUA churches in the area. I will point out the unique features of the Auburn UUA church and offer participants the chance to experience and feel these special places themselves.

Church service is expected to last an hour, which includes my talk on sacred space (45 minutes). Refreshments will be served afterwards and I will stay to answer questions.

Peace,
Madis Senner

PS---Does anyone have a lap top and a projector I could borrow for a presentation in Buffalo for January 26th? If so, please contact madiss(at)verizon.net , 315-463-5369 Thanks.