Posted by Michael Finkelstein | October 15th, 2012

Blackberry Moon

Today concludes another successful Group Juice Fast at SunRaven, and what better way to transition back into the mainstream than with a moment of reflection?

The Group Juice Fast Program at SunRaven goes well beyond simpler “cleanses”. Our fast includes gatherings and introspection, experiential activities and fascinating discussions, in an effort to remove not only the toxins from our bodies, but the sludge that exists in our emotional and mental spaces as well.  It’s in this way that we “free space up,” if you will, recharging and rebooting our own personal computer – our mind, our body and our soul all included. And today, as we conclude with our “break fast,” I encourage the participants to reflect on what happened in order to prepare for the next step: to pick up and return to living life; this time, perhaps, in a bit more balance and with more skill.

And, how fitting that this month’s new moon for the Choctaw is the Blackberry moon. Blackberries, one of the tastiest and most satisfying fruits Mother Nature offers us, beckon us to go back to basics and extract the sweet juice of life. The Choctaw, like their Native brothers understood that the simple, delicious and nourishing nectar of the land provide us with all we need to thrive and grow. It was in that spirit that the SunRaven Autumnal Group Juice Fast was held.

But, I also can’t help but to notice the irony here, as the word blackberry for most now conjures up something entirely different. And while the device with the same name is useful for connection, it and its even more popular cousins have become the root of our disconnection. Just think of the last time you were out to dinner with family or friends, or taking that beautiful ride down a winding country road. Was everyone present and connected? More likely at one point or the other, all were focused on a small keyboard in their lap instead.

Indeed, “The BlackBerry,” the original “smart phone” has left us completely dependent and reliant on its nectar, but this temptation is more like the forbidden fruit that Eve ate in the Garden of Eden. There was a knowledge lying aptly in that apple, but, in the end, she would have been better off without it.  Similarly, we are drawn to our BlackBerries when we know we shouldn’t be, and often this creates more harm than good. And although the emergence of this technology has enabled precious communication and made distress signals heard that would not have been otherwise, we cannot deny the addiction, craving and lure of immediate gratification this “miracle device” entrains — all of which are detrimental to the clarity and purity we so desperately need in order to succeed in that very world.

The message is clear: as we sustain ourselves on nature’s juice through the end of our autumn fast and beyond, let’s remember what the Blackberry moon represents, and truly have a go at disconnecting from the ever-calling “BlackBerry” lives we live.