I am writing you all on the eve of Imbolc, a sacred cross quarter day (between the winter solstice and the spring equinox) that celebrates the light returning and the promise of spring. Entering a cycle of rebirth and new growth is enhanced by the first eclipse on the New Moon February 6th, 2008. What a blessing to ride that inspired wave of restoration and new possibilities into our first of many initiatory celebrations to honor the feminine spirit within the Thirteen Moons series.

I am honored to share that we have heard from many of you since our introductory workshop on January 26th. Everyone expressed excitement and curiosity about our work together and enthusiasm about the opportunity to get to know the other "great women" who attended the first gathering. What a wonderful weaving of new and familiar strong feminine spirits all committed to healing, growing and learning. I am humbled and in awe of the depth with which each of you is approaching the journey we have embarked on together.

For our next seminar: We will be embracing the most essential and basic birthright -- that we are each a daughter of two mothers, our birth mother and spirit mother. In order to accept the rights and privileges of the second we must clear the energy associated with the first. The two areas that are likely to be most impacted will be the heart and root chakra or energy centers of the whole body self. If you are unfamiliar with the chakra energy center systems, don't worry I will give an overview and it will be covered in the home practice. The element we will be focusing on is Earth.

These first four sessions of the series are dedicated to the recovery and reweaving of our natural essence. This is the foundation that is necessary for true faith, intuition and self confidence to flourish within the self. We hope that you can attend all of these sessions, but you can benefit from coming to any of them, even out of sequence.

Some of you have asked about bringing friends to the next seminar. Please do invite other women you think might benefit from this process. While it is ideal to attend the first session as it is an overview of some principles we will be basing the series on, each session is designed to be a complete experience in and of itself.

Please remember to bring the following items:
~your journal and pen
~water
~a pouch for your gem stone beads
~a shawl or small wrap for the journey if you have one
~a small object or picture/photo that symbolizes mothering or nurturing (not necessarily your birth mother) for the divine feminine altar.

Again, it is a privilege and honor to be part of this extraordinary journey with you. I am looking forward to seeing you all soon. For those of you who must miss our next session, Nancy, our medicine sisters, and I hold you in the circle until you return in March. Nancy will also be in touch soon to go over the logistics regarding the program. As most of you are new to the program here is a review of the basics:

~the location is Yoga Now 742 N. LaSalle Chicago, IL 60610 for more information go to: www.yoganowchicago.com. Please click on the gold coast location for details and to sign up for the seminars. If you park in the lot indicated on the website, please tell them you are going to Yoga Now and then pay Amy at the reception area to receive the reduced parking option. If you park on the street bring plenty of quarters for the meters. There are great public transportation options within blocks of Yoga Now.

~we begin registration at 12:30 p.m. and begin promptly at 1:00 (new intention) and end at 3:45p.m.

Please remember to preregister by Wednesday so that you can avoid an additional $10.00 fee at the door. If you need to reach us by phone, please leave a message at 773-509-4947 or on the day of the event at Yoga Now 321-280-yoga.

With love and many blessings,

Susan