Category: Prayers

Mojo Monday ~ ~ Letters & Prayers for Shiloh’s Rite of Passage

Michelle Fairchild
On Saturday, December 11th an evening reception was held in honor of Shiloh Sophia McCloud.
Part of the ritual included the creation of a ceremonial treasure chest that was to include letters, prayers, and testimonials honoring our Chief Laughing Cloud.
If you already wrote something for this treasure chest please share with us or feel free to write something to Shiloh now.

If you attended the event perhaps share with us a taste of your experience.
Here is the letter I sent to be part of the treasure chest:
The only word that I could speak upon entering The Wisdom House gallery was “WOW!” I was in awe of Shiloh’s art and then as I explored her journals and spoke with Mary McDonald I felt something stir in my soul. In the following months I would visit Shiloh’s web site to view her art and to learn more about the Cosmic Cowgirls and when I learned of the Bountiful Conference in October 2008 I was drawn to attend.
The first time I heard Shiloh speak at the conference my response was again “WOW!” It was incredible to see that not only her art represented a “wowness”, but so did the woman who created that art.
Months later while framing a print of Shiloh’s to display in my home, one of my 3 year old daughters asked to see what I was doing. I turned over the piece of art and the one word out of her little girl mouth was “WOW!” I actually wrote to Shiloh of that experience because here again that word “WOW!” was coming from the mouth of a mere baby whose own young soul was stirred by what she saw.
My heart knew no other path than to become a Cosmic Cowgirl and over the course of the past two years as I have taken painting classes, Sparked, attended conferences, written blogs and articles and interacted with other Cosmic Cowgirls, I have also been blessed to have grown to know Shiloh more personally. I have been so incredibly impressed and inspired by this remarkable woman who is firmly grounded (while wearing her red cowgirl boots no doubt) and yet is also reaching for the stars and encouraging everyone in her presence to do the same.
I would like to share a poem/song called Remember Your Wow-ness by a writer who is also a personal friend of Shiloh. It is by Patricia L. Reilly and appears in her book Words Made Flesh.
Remember Your Wow-ness

Verse 1
Do you ever look up at the night sky and say WOW?
Well you’re made of the same WOW-ness as the night sky.

Verse 2
Do you ever get lost in it’s bigness and say WOW?
Well you’re made of the same WOW-ness as the big sky.

Verse 3
Do you ever feel held by its darkness and say WOW?
Well you”re made of the same WOW-ness as the dark sky.

Verse 4
Do you feel the tug of the full moon and say WOW?
Well you’re made of the same WOW-ness as the full moon.

Verse 5
Do you ever try to count the stars and say WOW?
Well you’re made of the same WOW-ness as the night star.

Voice Choir
You are composed of the same stuff as the Milky Way.
You are an exquisite dimension of the Galaxy’s development.
You are a space the Universe fashioned to feel its own grandeur.
You are an individualize expression of WOW. WOW!
Thank you Shiloh for all the “WOW” you add to our world and the Universe!
much love ~ Michelle Fairchild

Mojo Monday ~ Dia De Los Muertos

Michelle Fairchild
 Cosmic Skull Girl by Michelle Fairchild
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember family and friends who have died. The celebration occurs in connection with the Catholic holidays All Saints’ Day on November 1st and All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. In Mexico infants and children are usually honored on November 1st and in fact this day is often referred to as either Dia de los Inocentes or Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Innocents or Day of the Little Angels.) Deceased adults are honored on November 2nd.
Though this celebration is currently associated with Catholic holidays, scholars have actually traced the beginnings of Dia De Los Muertos to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a Goddess named Mictecacihuatl.
Traditions for the holiday involve creating or building altars to honor the deceased. Commonly placed on the altars are sugar skulls (sweet confections), marigolds and favorite foods of the deceased. Family and friends then take these items to the graves of their dead loved ones and present them as gifts.
Here is a video showing people in Oaxaca celebrating Day of the Dead and another well-done video of Dia de los Muertos being celebrated in San Francisco.
Have you have celebrated Day of the Dead in the past or if you will be participating in a celebration this year?

Do you have any family or friends who you would honor and pray for during this holiday? If you would like share their names and if you want also a note about them.

Have you ever created any art in the Dia de los Muertos style? If you have share a photo of your creations. If you haven’t consider making something this week. Perhaps you might even want to create an altar to honor family and friends who have died.