A sound healer who plays the didgeridoo in New York City demonstrates vibrational sound healing. Houlton Unitarian Universalist Church is offering a sound healing event the day before the total solar eclipse on April 8th. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
HOULTON, Maine – For Holly Nicknair, the importance of solar eclipses goes beyond astronomy, it’s the energy the event inspires her.
“This is a very powerful time and we feel like we can impact the planet in a very positive way,” said Nicknair, who co-hosted the Unitarian Universalist Church’s Eclipse Fair in Houlton. . Old patterns and the beginning of new patterns. Solar eclipses are the Earth’s way of giving us this experience. ”
The total solar eclipse on April 8th will cover a wide area of the United States from Texas to Maine. This small Aroostook County town, ending in Houlton before crossing the border, is expected to draw 40,000 visitors to view the eclipse.
In planning for this cosmically rare event, Nicknair and other church leaders, including UW Chaplain David Hutchinson, believe now is the time to facilitate the healing journey and come up with offerings of interest to members. I believed there was. University College Church believes in the dignity of: All Peoples and the Houlton Congregation are comprised of members from a variety of religious traditions. The Church supports each member’s spiritual journey, no matter what path it takes.
Nicknair said there is so much division and separation in today’s world that the eclipse provides an opportunity for people to find ways to unify.
Jane Torres, president of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, speaks to church leaders about providing a spiritual element to town events scheduled for the town festival April 5-8. When I approached him, the path was clear.
They ended up hosting the UU Eclipse Fair, which is an umbrella of various events sponsored by the church. It’s the biggest thing the little church in Houlton has ever done.
“The whole fair is a social action that hopes to bring our communities and the planet as a whole into a more balanced state,” Nicknair said. “One of the first events will be a global moment of silence. No matter what you believe, it’s an opportunity for us to come together and take three minutes of silence for the healing of our planet. ”
Part of the larger Eclipse Festival held throughout the town of Houlton, the UU Eclipse Fair features a weekend of music, blues and rock concerts, comforting food like warming curry, and a 100-by-40-foot Metaphysics will include a colorful tent, speakers, daily chants, and events for children.
On Sunday, April 7th, there will be a sound healing offer, and on Monday, April 8th, there will be a full day of mindfulness exercises, including mindfulness meditation, tai chi, qi gong, ecstatic dance and more. Includes healing energy practices.
“For me, it’s all about a healing journey where we’re all in this together,” Nicknair said.
Nicknair, who has been a mindfulness practitioner for more than 20 years, said Monday’s Mindful Movement Day is about practicing mindfulness and cultivating awareness of everything in our bodies, minds, and minds. He said he would introduce the following.
The practice of mindfulness, introduced decades ago by John Cabot Zinn, helps people appreciate what they are experiencing in the moment, rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past. Helps you recognize.
Now, Jin says mindfulness can help heal the planet and combat technology addiction and isolation.
“The concept of mindfulness is the practice of bringing what arises within you to the surface, bringing it together, and letting it pass like a cloud,” Nicknair said. “The value of mindfulness comes when you can say, ‘Oh, I just realized that I’m really angry.’ Instead of acting on all these feelings, I try to counter them. I realized that I could be in that position.”
Mindful Movement Day will be held at Houlton’s Monument Park in the Military Street Amphitheater. It begins with children’s mindfulness at 9 a.m., followed by hourly meditation, yoga, qi gong, tai chi and ecstatic dance, until a full end at 3:32 p.m.
Sound Healing Sunday features Windham Healers Jason and Rebecca Rawind, owners of Ways to Wellness located in the sanctuary of UU Church.
“They will bring all the bowls, gong instruments and tools that they use regularly and will lead the way and foster a relaxed state within us,” she said. “It’s important to cultivate deep relaxation.”
Whether it’s a concert or a mindful movement, events feed our spiritual journey, Nicknair said.
“We didn’t want to give food just because people wanted it. We wanted to create food that truly fed people’s spirits and brought people together. ” she said. “This whole eclipse is much bigger than us. It’s not just about us as the beginnings of humanity, it’s about something much bigger.”
All UU Eclipse Fair events are free to everyone, but donations are appreciated.
