Continued Retreat - April 3, 2020

Dear Friends,

The Mt Shasta Goddess Temple has been closed for shelter-in-place since March 12, and as per Governor Gavin Newsom’s instructions, we are extending our closure until May 3. The past month has been a wave of loss and fear for many in our world. It has been a stressful time, and our hearts are with those suffering with Covid-19 or who have lost someone to the disease. Please know that the Temple Priestesses are sending support from our altars to yours at this hour of your grief.

We are also seeing people creating waves of help, hope, and generosity. This has been true from coast to coast, with friends and sisters offering to make or donate masks and personal protective equipment to those in need of it, with people running errands and bringing food to vulnerable seniors, and with people opening their homes and places of business so that those who have no place to shelter can safely do so. In these acts of kindness, we see the potential for what the world might become, if we steer our hearts toward compassion, generosity, and kindness rather than competition, money-lust, and power-mongering. It is the prayer of the Temple that, after this crisis passes, the people of the world will create stronger systems of nourishment, nurturance, and dignity for all beings.

In the meantime, as Covid-19 continues to move across this nation and around the world, we are offering a weekly practice devoted to the 20th of the 21 Taras: Tara Ritrö Loma Gyönma, Noble Lady of the Mountain Retreat, clothed in leaves, who dispels epidemics and infectious diseases. Join us at 12noon Pacific time each Saturday on my Facebook page for our chanting ceremony for all beings affected by this illness.

Wishing you all health, safety, and well-being,
Yeshe