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a  Virgo New Moon:  August 28, 2000 11:20 GMT 4:20 MDT 6:20 EDT 3:20 PDT 5:20 CDT 20:20 GST August 14/15, 2000

Rituals lift us from mundane concerns and connect us to the greater flow of things.  Our MoonCircles CyberRitual is a monthly experiment in collective attunement -- to each other and the moon.  Across time zones, we collect our creative energies into a healing meditation, as a gift to ourselves and the world. At the New Moon we synchronize in real time "on the astral plane."  At the Full Moon, one by one, we greet Luna at moonrise from our respective spots on earth.  If you can't meet with us at these ritual times, feel free to harmonize at a time of your own convenience, so that our astral voices may continue throughout the moon's waxing and waning cycles, as in a round.

At the center of our Virgo New Moon ritual is the sacred, womb-like chalice known as the Grail.  Before becoming a Christian symbol, the Grail was a pagan one.  Kept by a holy harlot queen named Repanse de Joie (Dispenser of Joy), it was housed in a magnificent mountain temple, built to embody the entire universe.  At its top was a gigantic ruby symbolizing the Holy Rose -- the maternal heart of the world.  Dedicated to the Grail temple and the defense of women were the Knights Templar, a soulful order founded by the queen's son.  Whenever the feminine needed defending, Grail knights would receive orders in fiery letters on the rim of the Grail, then ride to the rescue.  Male or female -- may we be similarly dedicated to rescuing our inner feminine virtues of joyful service this cycle!! 

PREPARATION
Before the exact hour of the CyberRitual, you may wish to find a quiet place where you can protect yourself from intrusion.  Then, as the Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan recommends, take steps to "surround yourself with a zone of silence."  Place a circle of crystals around you, light candles and incense, or play a piece of contemplative music to help shift attention from the periphery, to the quiet center within.  You may wish to recite a prayer or sacred phrase, repeat the New Moon invocation to calm your spirit or practice the Virgo Moon Meditations.  Watching the breath -- inhaling, exhaling -- further deepens the energy. 

RAISING THE ENERGY
You will gradually fill with a mood of sacred expectancy.  Like a curtain parting, imagine a winding stairway before you, gently leading to the top of a sacred mountain.  As you near the summit, you see a magnificent temple, with a spacious interior and graceful columns, open to the sky and surrounding nature.  Within this temple sit a circle of figures, immersed in meditation. Stepping up to the circle, you join in, finding your place among them.

As you join in this meditation, feel linked by the love encircling the group. Within the center sits a wise teacher -- he or she may be in a familiar guise, or a spiritual being not of the earth plane -- guiding the circle in a meditation.  Perhaps it is Repanse de Joie herself!  Wordlessly it becomes clear that everyone has gathered to receive their "holy orders" or unique life mission.  You begin to experience your heart as a crystal clear chalice,  ready to receive a special message concerning your soul's purpose.  Continue this concentration, imagining that your heart is filled with a rich, confident, and peaceful energy. 

HEART OF THE RITUAL
Your attention is drawn to the altar in the center of the circle.  On it sits the legendary Grail, ringed in sparkling gems.  One by one, the members of the circle rise, kneel at the altar, then bathed in celestial light, take up the chalice and discover their message.  Each leaves the same way:  bowing to the Grail, the members of the circle, then to the world beyond the circle.  Now it is your turn.  As you take up the chalice, you are suddenly filled with an overwhelming feeling of love.  You keep your gaze on the ruby rim of the chalice, where slowly, a message about your work in the world will appear.  It may come as an image, a sound, or an invisible knowing.  Take as long as you need to receive this understanding.  When you have your answer, bow to the chalice, the circle, and the world beyond, vowing to be of service to humanity and to keep feeling the joy in your work. 

CLOSING THE RITUAL
As you return to your place in the circle, you notice a quality of deep knowingness and wise intuition pervading the temple.  Close your eyes and enjoy this feeling.  You hear the guide leading the group in a closing prayer.  When you open your eyes, you notice that the temple has dissolved, and you are once again at the bottom of the winding staircase.  Give thanks for your participation in this ritual.  Newly inspired, come back to your home and life.