Shaman Medicine Woman: A Contemporary Perspective

Rottweiler Wisdom: Guest Blog Post by Jeremy McDonald

2012-03-02T05:46:00.000-05:00

Photographer Julian Robles

In January of 2009, I had one of my greatest teachers come into my life. I want to share with you how amazing of a teacher he has been for me. I can say this with all confidence because of the tremendous amount of personal growth I have experienced since my Dog Maximus (Max) and I started our journey together. I know some of you are sitting there thinking.. what?? A DOG?!?!?! How can a dog teach you anything??? A few years ago I would have probably agreed with you. However, I can tell you that since Max has been in my life I have learned to be more patient, be a better coach, be better friend and learned how to be kinder to myself. So how did this happen you might ask?

Let me just first say that max when I got him was approximately 6 months old and weighed 80 lbs as a puppy. Now that he is a full grown dog at 125 lbs! I would still consider him to be a big teddy bear. This is not to say that he can not be a handful at times! I just remember when I first got him and I thought to myself. “How am I going to take care of this large dog?” I had doubt, some anxiety.. but in all truth I was excited!

I got him because a friend of mine said that they knew someone that had found a Rottweiler outside in the forest while they were hunting that winter and that they could not keep him and had to find him a new safe home. Because Max had been living outside in the forest he was very insecure with himself and un-sure of where he stood with me at first. Displaying signs that all the books said demonstrated that he was not yet secure with his surroundings. At first, I did tons of research on this breed because I wanted to be able to be the best friend possible to him, and train him in the best possible way. The consistent message from my inner voice that really stuck out to me, was that I really had to be strong with him, but also very loving to show him that he was safe. Then I read that this breed needed a strong but benevolent leader and that he needed to feel secure in his surroundings because of this breeds natural instinct to protect it’s family and environment.

So I started by being consistent with him and always making sure he had a clear understanding of where I was coming from when I asked him to do something. I also gave him tons of love but did not “baby” him so to speak. I found as one article told me that this breed is the “give them an inch and they will take 10 miles breed” Max was no different. He is basically a large child in a large dog body and is goofy, silly, full of energy and constantly loving, but also needs to be re-assured that he is loved.

One day I had a huge epiphany! I had been looking his eyes and I realized that I was looking at the K-9 version of me. My mirror in DOG FORM! What an AH-HA MOMENT! LOL This was a tremendous gift because he reminded me of a time in my life when I was doing drugs, doing things against myself and in those times I felt lost in a forest much like he was when he was found. I had been LOST! Now in my current life I am assured of myself and practice what I call the “self awareness game” I watch Max and hear his thoughts because guess what? He is an aspect of me! So knowing this it teaches me to pay attention to what he is doing! So I can get signs and process those signs within myself.

One day recently I was taking him to the bank with my other dog Molly. Max was so excited that he got to go with me that when I started to open the back of my SUV he jumped before it was even open! Hit the back door and fell back wards. As I jumped to go towards him thinking he might be hurt he jumps back up with this totally “destroyed” look on his face and holding his “paw” up to show that it was hurt and as I watched his paw quiver I immediately went to give him energy to help him heal and ease the pain. When I touched him and gave him energy I felt more like he was really almost felt embarrassed more then anything. I remember thinking is he a Dog or a human to be experiencing these emotions?? Very quickly as I connected with him and patted him on the head his energy changed back to excited and happy. He then waited for me to open the door and jumped up in the car all happy and not hurt.

As I processed this whole scene I remembered not even 20 minutes before hand I was talking with a friend of mine on the phone and we were talking about how big of a kid he really is. It occurred to me how a little kid can get so excited about things and lose track of where they are and what is going on around them. So therefore they are not grounded in what they are doing in the NOW of the moment. So in this case the door was opening and he slammed himself into the door instead of going through it and getting safely in the care with ease.

Here is the really amazing part about the lesson that my “Best Friend” taught me. I often times get so excited because the world around me is “happening” and it seems that my dreams are all unfolding the way I wanted them too. The “DOOR” so to speak is opening and then before it is fully opens or that I am “FULLY” ready I run straight towards the door and what happens? I slam right into it! J Therefore knocking myself out of balance and then having to pick myself up and learn from it. Even sometimes slightly embarrassed about not paying attention.

It is at these points in my life that things are going very well! It seems like the right people are coming into my life and the right experience is coming in my life that I get overly excited! I forget at these times that everything in the NOW of the moment is RIGHT! I had to remember to be exactly what I teach others and understand the phrase I love to practice: “Peace Be Still” and know that I am GOD! Know that all things are happening in a divine flow of what all of consciousness is experiencing in divine timing and divine order! My Dog loves me so much to demonstrate for me such an important lesson of what I have done over and over again to remind me to stay GROUNDED! And Stay in BALANCE with the NOW of the Moment! He is pure SOURCE and pure LOVE! This is how we grow by paying attention to all signs around us and listening to all WISDOM! Even if it comes from our DOG.

What I want to remind you of is that it is the journey to get to our goals that has the greatest gifts and treasures in our lives. Often times we get hung up, on what we think is going to make us happy but then we miss the journey! Often times we as a society and as people get so caught up in the excitement of the possibility of the future that we miss this exact moment and in turn we end up broken hearted and hurt inside. This is why living in the NOW is so vital to a happy existence. So take some time today to really process where you are at with your thoughts and really work on getting your thoughts grounded and balanced.

Jeremy McDonald

Accomplished spiritual healer and teacher Jeremy McDonald has been a

public speaker for over 14 years has designed and delivered many

workshops to assist individuals helping them find peace and joy in

their lives. Looking from an inside soul perspective, they are able to

overcome fears, alchemizing them into love. His clients find balance,

peace, joy and true sublime self love . For accolades of the world

Jeremy is a Reiki Master, EFT Practitioner, Theta healing practitioner

and Life coach. He has served as a Key Note Speaker for Expos,

Colleges, Professional Conferences and just the small Workshop in a living room. Jeremy is the show host of the online radio show, Soul Talk, on v109fm.com, which discusses the transitory experience of knowing ones soul from an inner perspective. Guests range from Spiritual Practitioners, Scientists, Medical Doctors, Musicians and Artists having conversations of the Soul coming together to enjoy the rewards of a soul driven by spirit, and guided by awareness of the self.

In addition, he is the author of the book titled: Peace Be Still due to release in March of 2012. An autographed copy can be reserved now at: www.millionhugs.com/peacebestill.html

The Warrior Spirit on the Medicine Wheel

2012-03-01T05:37:00.000-05:00

The North East spoke of the Inner Wheel is the Warrior Spirit in essence.

(digital imagery by Cherokee Billie)

The life of the spiritual warrior is a challenging one. The basic choice of a warrior it to engage life fully.

The lifepath of anyone who walks within their own truths and attemps to live an impeccable life is in essence living the life of a Warrior spirit. To engage fully means to take responsibity for everything that comes into our lives in order to gain wisdom, but more importantly to find our true selves.

It means that walking the with the warrior spirit you are willing to see from all perspectives including those not of your sight. It means that you are willing to go beyond the obvious aspects of a situation to a deeper than surface life meaning. There is no denial, no acting like a victim; it is making the choice to call the challenges into life not waiting for them. It means becoming aware of the influences of our own past and clearing them fully in order to face new challenges and test with an openness and deeper level of responsibility.

It is then that we become truly receptive to see what you are really confronted with in finding the answer as to why you have called any challenge into your life. It is here that you can learn the best way to work with a challenge and be completely in the flow of the challenge without hesitation.

Whenever you take an action with warrior spirit especially, it reverberates. It is like the proverbial stone thrown into the water. Once the stone is thrown into the air, it cannot be retrieved or changed. The action is done. When the stone hits the water it will cause ripples and each ripple has an effect upon the vibration of everything surrounding it. The ripples go beyond the scope of human sight.

Questions to ask yourself.

Are you willing to follow your own way?

Are you willing to carry a shield and sword? It is said that the warriors shield is their code, their sword enlightenment, will is their armor, the immovable mind their castle, and faith their strength.

Are you willing to seek out challenges of living? Can you see life as challenges rather than drama ‘stories’ to be read? Are you willing to work the mind to conquer the warrior within in order to allow the warrior spirit to emerge?

From Eternal Love to the Dark Side of the Soul - A Look At The Crown Chakra

2012-02-29T05:14:00.000-05:00

Divine Connection Center

The connector to spiritual nature, the crown chakra is also an integral part of the physical body. Though many simply may look at this as the opening to all things spiritual, it is more about alignment of the spirit and body which, when aligned stores an energy reserve. When we pause to think about this chakra from a purely rational perception, we first look at it's location - the brain. The brain, the central nervous system, the muscular system, and even your skin covering are all directly related to this energy chakra.

As we have looked at what the sacrament connection to the centers are, we come to the 7th chakra - the last rites. Looking at the last rites symbolically, we see that it is really the process of retrieving all the parts of your soul from all the parts of your life so there is no unfinished business. What does this process really do? It allows you to release regrets, have closure to relationships, and accept responsibility for actions. Shamanically, we call this soul fragmentation or in the reverse, soul retrieval. Symbolically, the process of 'last rites' can allow the energetic matrix of the soul to become unified long before the end of our physically journey. The truth of last rites is really to allow a soul to live fully in the present moment. To have an intimate connection with the Divine Source with every breath taken.

Interestingly, within alchemy there are also 7 steps. This last step is called coagulation. This is where a new the knowing of an 'oversoul' exists which is the vehicle for your consciousness that incarnates on all levels of reality. This 'oversoul' is the living wisdom that exists within truth through the evolved consciousness. Think of it as the return to the 'Garden of Eden' and experience ecstasy with every breath. The Emerald Tablet describes this as "..you will obtain the Glory of the Whole Universe. All Obscurity will be clear to you. This is the greatest force of all powers, because it overcomes every subtle thing and penetrates every solid thing." It is not a wonder that many would prefer to remain unaware.

As with every energy center, with every level of reality, the knowing can be as difficult to "be" in as the unknowing. This chakra can shake the core and reveal every fear that has ever existed. It can also provide the most comfort and unconditional love ever felt.

From spiritual awakening to spiritual crisis, the conversation on the crown chakra can go from the burning flame of Eternal Love to the Dark Side of the Soul. There is a vast difference between spirituality and religious walks, the energy of this chakra allows all walks to find a spiritual connection that resonates with your soul. Beyond the crown chakra there lies another world of energy vortex's / centers waiting for you to discover them.

Our goal here in this reality, the physical world, is to transcend and transmute our illusions to come to know the innate powers within our selves and within a Divine Source. It is vital to remember that each of us is responsible for what we create. To be responsible and accountable we must learn to act and think with love. It is within this love that the wisdom of the ages will come. This is where we walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Fancy Meeting You Here: You Are Both Dark and Light

2012-02-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Elena Kalis

Fancy meeting you here...

You are both dark and light. Just because the light illuminates the darkness does not negate that the darkness exist. It simply means that you cannot see the darkness for the moment. So called “dark characteristics that dwell within the inner world feeds the brilliant “light”. In reality “dark” is sharing its experiences and wisdom with the “light”. The two polar opposites actually dance together, unable to exist without the other, and are truly part of the same whole self. There is a partnership between these seeming opposites within the inner world.

I can remember this conversation as though it transpired just a week ago. Yet, this was a conversation from years ago. At that time I was asked to delve deeper within myself, to look at the parts of my inner world to discern a new perspective on a particular situation. It was suggested, at that time, that I look at my inner world first in a polarity perspective. Ask myself what were the things that I considered to be the “light” characteristics and then consider those things that I considered to be “dark” or shadow characteristics. At that time what this really meant was I was to dive into the shamanic waters and let the open wounds within be stung by the salt of the ocean. The sting to purify the wound.

As I broke the water to catch my breath, it was pointed out (again and again) that what makes any illumination appear brilliant in nature was that it was reflecting from a deep void of darkness – a reflection of itself. The two must dance, they can not exist without one another. The partnership exists for a purpose. The purpose of this swimming exercise was to obtain a perspective.

I was remind back then that delving into the shamanic ocean was always originated with a question. A question of reaction to an action. Regardless of the action – it was my perception of self that answers the question. If I wanted to shift the action – I must shift the perception of self.

The wounds still stinging from the salt waters, I remember the other part of the conversation. It was about healing. Healing is not about curing some ailment, it was about ending a struggle. So in shifting perception of self, seeing a dark beast lurking in the shadow, must be perceived as a gift. A gift from the Divine that had the potential to expand horizons.

The first step of understanding unity is to accept and experience the dynamic nature of perception. There are far more shadows than “pureness” of light or “purness” of darkness. I remember the stern words that if one attempts to negate anything within the inner world, one is stating they are broken. That the Universe, the Divine, screwed up. I can assure you the Divine does not screw up.

As the events of the past two days have been in the shadows, the beast needing to be heard, to be released, I remember a dance. A new perspective obtained and no longer needing to be pushed into the shamanic waters gasping and struggling – diving deep to the ocean floor in the dark murky waters knowing when emerges a deeper understanding will be gifted.

A Sacred Prayer Bundle to Hold Your Prayers

2012-02-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

Prayer bundles are a sacred way to hold prayers and intentions to send to the Spirits. Nearly every culture will have a sacred ceremony in creating a prayer bundle that involve the construction and use of the bundles.
They are known as Bahos, Lung ta, Depachos, Prayer Bundles, and Prayer Sticks. To describe a prayer bundle is a difficult thing. Each bundle is sacred and just as your altar is intention, so to are prayer bundles.
When discussing sacred objects there is always a hesitation in saying more than they are sacred objects with sacred intention. Yet, the ancient medicine is for all and to share a certain amount of description can be shared.

A prayer bundle will usually consist of a certain number of natural wood sticks. Natural wood is wood that is from your natural environment that has been gifted from the tree. Meaning you do not begin a sacred prayer bundle by going out into the woods and cutting branches. You do not begin by going to a home store and buying precut lumber from which you have no indication of the manner it was taken from the earth.
Take the moments to set the sacred intention of finding natural wood upon a walk. Ask the tree's to show you the sticks to be used. When they are revealed, thank the Earth for the gift of the sticks. Thank the tree for allowing and offering itself to you in order to carry your prayers and intentions. It is the same for wood for your fires.

Many times you will find that within the bundle herbs are added for healing purposes. Intent is energy and sacred. With this in mind, sage, sweetgrass or tobacco may be added to your bundle as you are called by Spirit.

Words have power. One can add a hand written statement of intent, request of healing, or prayer of gratitude to the bundle.

It is important to remember as you collect items for your prayer bundle that intent, thoughts, and reason for the bundle are kept in the mind. Your thoughts are powerful energy.

Once all items are collected for the prayer bundle, they can be wrapped in a special cloth and tied with twine. We always wish to be mindful of where all things come from when creating a Prayer Bundle.

The purpose of the prayer bundle is to have the prayers be carried by the Universe to the Great Spirits. While it is my tradition to carry them to the fire to be released as they are returned to ash, there are many ways for the Prayer Bundle to be used.

It can be given to a river to be carried by the water, hung in a high branch of a tree for the winds to carry, or even buried deep in the Earth for Mother Earth to receive.

While this is not any lineage tradition specific, it is the basics of creating a sacred prayer bundle for the healing ceremony. We should always be mindful to hold our own traditions, our own spiritual path as the guidance and direction.

We are holding this ceremony on the full moon, it is not necessary to have a special day or a holy day in which to create a ceremony and prayer bundle. Every day is a special and sacred day, every hour and every moment a sacred hour and sacred moment - it is only necessary to treat it as such in order to create a sacred ceremonial moment.

Creating Sacred Space for Full Moon Healing Ceremony

2012-02-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

An Altar for a Sweat Lodge

It is vital to understand that Sacred Space is not a place, it is an intent. An intent to pause and honor all that is - for all that is is Sacred, thus all space is sacred. Yet, when we speak of ceremony it is deeper in meaning. For many Sacred Space will be calling in of the directions, ancestors, spirits, and guides. It will be creating an altar with Sacred symbols of one's journey.

Whether you are having a sacred ceremony or whether you are offering a simple prayer, that which around you is Sacred Space and tools in which you use are Sacred tools. Nature itself is an altar to Mother Earth and all She gifts. Today, we look at some of the ways in which you can create an altar as a Sacred Tool in preparation for a ceremony.

As an altar is a representation of your intention, of your spiritual interaction, it is personal and it is the most creative aspect of your intention. It represents an invitation for YOUR spiritual guides to work with YOU. It should be beautiful as all of nature is as the spirit guides are being honored - it should reflect your gratitude for their blessings. It can be as simple or as elaborate as YOU desire.

My favorite altar is one that is a evolving one in nature. It is living. It is breathing. Flowers emerge at its base and a small container is perpetually filled with water for birds to come and visit. The large stones heat in the summer sunshine inviting black racer snakes to warm upon their flat surfaces. There is a small piece of handmade pottery that allows for the element of fire to be brought in. A small wind chime was added recently to bring in the sounds of zephyr breezes. It is a personal sanctuary of sacred space.

As you prepare your Sacred Space for this ceremony, spend time creating a small space that reflects your journey - your altar to honor the blessings and gifts given by the Spirit world. Be sure to include gifts to the Spirit world - small flowers, tobacco, sage leaves, or other representations of what is sacred to you. This gift is a thank you, pause for a moment to reflect if you had someone consistently "asking"/praying to you for help and they never paused to say thank you, would you wish to work with them?

If you will listen within the silence of yourself as to how to create your altar, YOUR spirit guides will direct you far more than any person or book. It is truly about your intention. Your intention of what you wish to create in your world. Once your altar space is created, offer a prayer that it will be blessed and that your gift be accepted. Again, your words are your intention.

If done with Sacred intention you will come to find your space as a welcomed stillness to gift the breath of life to you each time you pause to hear the beat of your own heartbeat.

Here is another prayer that was shared with me that comes from another lineage. It is my understanding it was written by Alberto Villoldo, but I have no other reference.

To the winds of the South, Sachamama, Great Serpent,

Wrap your coils of light around us,

Teach us to shed the past the way you shed your skin,

To walk softly on the Earth. Teach us the beauty way.

To the winds of the West, Otorongo, Mother Sister Jaguar,

Protect our medicine space.

Teach us the way of peace, to live impeccably.

Show us the way beyond fear, beyond death.

To the winds of the North, Serokenti, Royal hummingbird, Help us to sip from the source of knowledge,

Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Wise Ancient Ones,

Come and warm your hand by our fires,

Whisper to us in the wind,

We honour you who have come before us,

And you who will come after us, our children’s children.

To the winds of the East, Great Eagle, Condor,

Come to us from the place of the rising Sun.

Bring us your clarity and vision

Keep us under your wing.

Show us the mountains we only dare to dream of.

Teach us to fly wing to wing with the Great Spirit.

Pachamama, Mother Earth,

We’ve gathered for the healing of all your children.

The Stone People, the Plant People,

The four-legged the two-legged, the creepy crawlers,

The finned the furred and winged ones.

All our relations.

Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, to the Star Nations,

God, Goddess, All-that-Is, Great Spirit,

You who are known by a thousand names,

And you who are the un-nameable One.

Thank you for bringing us together

And allowing us to sing the Song of Life.

YOU Are an Energyworker! Guest Blog Post by Lloyd Matthew Thompson

2012-02-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this, I can offer you adouble-your-money-back guarantee that YOU are an energyworker!

All things on all levels are manifested from the samevibrating energy as all other things. Let’s have some fun: gather a fewdifferent objects and spread them out in front of you. The harder, more “solid”objects vibrate at one frequency, while softer and even “invisible” objectsvibrate at another frequency. (Oh— You didn’t pick up an invisible object forthis experiment? Oops.)

If everything is made of energy, how can you perceive themif you are not seeing energy? You can see where something or someone is becauseYOU are reading energy! And if you consider yourself a part of everything, thenthat means you are energy reading energy. You’ve heard the expression “It takesone to know one”— in this case it’s absolutely true!

Reach out and pick up one of those wonderful objects infront of you. How did you do that? Hey— energy! When you extended your energyto “pick up” the object, your energy merged with the energy of the object. Inthat moment, you and the object were One, and the intentions in your energywere communicated to the object’s energy. The object then had a choice— agreeand cooperate with your intentions, or refuse. Have you ever had something justNOT stay put and keep falling off a shelf? Perhaps it did not agree with you!

Every road goes both ways, though! Pause and listen to whatthe object wishes from YOU! Do you agree and cooperate with ITS desires andintentions?

Next, observe the SHADE of energy this object holds. Is itblue? Red? Burnt Raw Aquamarine? Energy comes in a wide variety of colors, foryour viewing pleasure!

Now set the object down somewhere different than where youpicked it up and ask a friend to find it. How did they see where it was? Their eyes and brain scanned the room for the energy signature matching “Object!”

But wait! Even if there were no words or body language,could you tell what sort of mood your friend was in? Maybe they were annoyedyou called them in, or perhaps they were ecstatic to receive attention fromyou. Everyone can naturally “pick up” the mood of another— and steer clear ifnecessary! This, too, is energy reading.

Now, if you are STILL not convinced that YOU are anatural-born energyworker, I will be happy to honor the double-your-money-backguarantee I offered in the beginning… as soon as I get the energy in mycalculator to reveal to me what $0 times two comes out to be.

About Lloyd Matthew Thompson

Lloyd Matthew Thompson is far too many things topin down in one label, but among husband, father and artist is spiritualcounselor, metaphysical intuitive and healer. Born and raised in Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, the petals of his Heart are turned toward encouraging others to takeup their own balanced empowerment and potential to live wholly authentic lives.More information about his energyworking practice can be found at www.galaxyenergy.org as well as www.facebook.com/galaxyenergy.

A Prayer to Begin: Full Moon Healing Ceremony

2012-02-27T06:42:00.000-05:00

Altar From Previous Full Moon Healing Ceremony

As we prepare for the Divine Events that will be felt like ripples throughout the world, it is important that each of us take a few moments to prepare ourselves. Every moment of everyday is truly a sacred moment that can be called a ceremony to the Great Spirit. It is the intention of the heart and soul that declares it as such.

A Sacred Fire Ceremony is very much like standing beneath the Sun that warms our Mother Earth, the Eternal Flame of Love from Source combines and radiates a pulse that can be felt all who pause to experience it. A Sacred Fire creates or birthes energy, it is living, it is breathing and it celebrates all of life. It grows and evolves through prayer, mantra, and can be expressed as a healing energetic wave of love for those who are ready to receive it.

To prepare of the blessings of the healing waves of energy that will bathe those who set their intention, we must prepare our hearts and souls to awaken. We must open them to receive. As we do every cell of our being will receive the light energies to awaken and activate the fibers of our own tapestries. We do this by first setting our intentions to receive this living wave of energy.

So today we begin preparing with a a Prayer:

Great Spirit, the Creator of All, we pray to open our hearts, open our souls that we may feel and breathe in the new waves of energy that that now flow to us from the Divine Source of All Things.

We pray that as our Mother Earth awakens and a new global world begins to emerge that you gift us voices to speak out as visionaries that collectively bring the change to fill our worlds with the Eternal Flame of Love. Grant us the gift of transforming the impossible into the possible.

The Great Spirits of Skies we pray that healing happens within each of us preparing for this new journey. A deep healing that releases and purifies the soul from limitations, lack, and old belief systems that no longer serve our higher good.

We pray that we may easily and effortlessly let go of pain and separation, that the Eternal Flames transform them, allowing us as to become a beautiful Phoenix rising up from the ashes to lead the world in the change.

Almighty we pray that you bless us with courage to become fearlessly empowered with your inspiration and passion that we may soar through all spiritual challenges between the worlds as your Divine Warriors.

We pray that you become our bridge of Light to our Divinity giving us the faith and strength to walk as Empowered Souls with Truth, Passion, and Eternal Love.

Spirit of the Skies Above, we are filled with gratitude and overflowing love for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us this past year. For the moments you carried us when we could not walk ourselves, for the moments you radiated love gifting us overflowing joys, and for the moments that you transformed our tears into laughter.

We thank for the beautiful canvas painted across our skies this day and for each one you paint every sunrise and sunset.

It is within this gratitude, it is within this Eternal love that we ask these things. Aho!

In the days leading up to the Full Moon Healing Ceremony, we will go through preparing the prayer bundles, the fire itself, and preparing our own hearts and souls to receive fully.

To join with us in this event, please visit HERE.

Until then,

mwah

Dreamspeak: Flying With Both Wings

2012-02-27T05:18:00.000-05:00

'Butterfly Sailor' by Gennady Privedentsev

Shaman and writer, Martin Prechtel of the Tzutujil people of Guatemala, says that dreaming as one wing of a butterfly and waking is the other. Each wing tells half the story of life to the other, mirroring each other ceaselessly to keep aloft. It is at the heart, where the two wings meet, that the substance of us is ripened.

Unlike the Tzutujil, we live in a society that disregards and even devalues dreams. When one wakes us up in the night pounding on our hearts with urgency, we tell our children it’s just a dream. Though we may have hot tears flowing or physical residue from our wrestling with the night, still we say it isn’t real.

After much practice at forgetting, we are amnesiacs awkwardly trying to take flight with a single wing.

The truth is people are thirsty to share their dreams and, though nobody has told them how important they are, the tribe desperately needs their dreams to make better decisions, to balance out personal and collective lopsidedness.

Meanwhile, the dreams are like lovers, and want nothing more than to be remembered. Any small crumb of thanks we give to honour them makes them come alive in vibrant nightly theatrics. The more we remember them, the more they remember us! And the events of our everyday get plumper with significance.

The woodpecker that flies into your window is trying to get through to you, the warm breeze through the sugar maple is whispering a special secret for your ears only the friend you bump into is no accident for your learning.

I often speak of ‘dreaming it forward,’ which is the practice of bringing dreams down into the material through ceremony, beauty-making and generous giving relevance to the invisible. With enough practice at this, you will feel yourself at the heart of this gorgeous feeding-back loop, from which you can sing truthfully into the greater song of things. After all, my dream fits with her dream fits with his dream to orchestrate the Great Dream.

If we don’t feed the invisible, the heart weakens into depression and what Martin Prechtel calls, “spiritual homelessness.” Like so many of us, it is easy to feel lost and irrelevant in a tribe where our “wilderness” is not allowed to roam. Sure we can get by without dreaming – we may even thrive according to some standards – but in our quiet moments between doings, a sadness erupts on the landscape of us that has gone barren from all the ploughing.

To make beauty from our dreams is to plant seeds in that overworked soil, cultivating life where we have harvested too much. It is slow and courageous work, but the bounty that can grow from it is inestimable.

Soon, the intruders and tyrants that haunted your dreams (and wakes!) reveal themselves to be the fragile ones. It isn’t that you’ve become tougher, but rather more vulnerable – which is real strength in disguise. Your wings, when they fly together, can take you to the home for which you’ve always longed – where the heart flowers in all its regal grief.

Toko-pa

Toko-pa was born on a farmhouse in Devon, England by a midwife to poet-parents. Because they liked the music saying it made, they named her after the Maori deity, Toko-pa, who is the “parent of the mist” according to the Maori creation myth.

She came to Canada at the age of four, where her grandparents settled after the war in Poland, and was raised in a Sufi community in Montreal.

Along with yoga, meditation, Sufi dancing and singing, dreaming was an every day part of her culture. From a very young age, Toko-pa was encouraged to share and explore her vivid dreams.

In her twenties Toko-pa returned to the mystical teachings of Sufism and the study of dreams. For the next six years she became deeply interested in Analytical Psychology and did a 3 year internship at the Jung Foundation of Ontario, while pursuing her studies in spirituality, mythology and shamanism.

In early 2001, she was awarded a scholarship to study with psychophysiologist and lucid dreaming expert, Dr. Stephen LaBerge, in Hawa’ii. She spent the following year writing a documentary series, Awake and Dreaming, which was picked up by Vision TV. In the same year, Toko-pa founded the Dream School in Toronto as a way of sharing dreamworking tools and creating community around dreaming.

Since then, she has lectured, taught and published her writings on dreams as well as helped many individuals in her private dreamworking practice.

Considered an authority on dreams, Toko-pa has been interviewed by CNN News & BBC Radio, and her Dreamspeak column has appeared in publications across Canada and the United States, including elephant journal, Synchronicity Magazine, Vitality Magazine, Aquarius and others. You can find Toko-pa on Facebook or on the Web at www.toko-pa.com

Collective Message by "We The Women" Sacred Lodge Sisters: Self-Love as the Ultimate Radical Act

2012-02-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

Originally posted by "We The Women" on their website, shared here with permission.

"Nurture HerSelf"
Artist Diva Carla Sanders

We The Women spent our Sacred Lodge focused upon the topic of Self-Love as the Ultimate Radical Act. We began the Sacred Lodge following the New Moon Despacho where the focus was upon balancing the energy within - balancing the Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine. From the ashes of the fires, from the ashes of the despacho, that was focused upon this unification of the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine, a clear message revealed itself.

The unification of the energies both individually and collectively this process can shake the foundation. We are seeking the authentic self in order to speak our truths and share our wisdoms with a global world. That voice emerges when we ourselves practice the art of self-love. What is the art of the self-love?

In order to begin this process of self-love, one must truly begin to know their authentic selves. They must “become the expert” of their own bodies, spirits, and minds. One cannot begin to unify within the collective if they have not unified within. It is imperative that we come to be experts on our authentic selves and not on the illusionary version of self that ego and society have created. To truly begin to know self we must come to see the light within as well as the darkness within. We must study ourselves from a sacred witness perspective. The ultimate radical act is coming to love deeply and equally our light and our shadow and to have conversations with the shadow and see all its aspects as a gift. It is through the shadow we experience liberation from the illusion.

This work can be profoundly difficult but the rewards are immense. The focused intent before, during and after this work must be self-love. It must be nurturing of self, supporting of self, and compassion with self. Just as you would gift these experiences to a friend going through a deep transition, YOU must gift them to yourself. Understand this process is so vastly different in experience than many have experienced before. A true "radical rewiring of our systems".

In order to grow into true self love, at first we must have enormous compassion for ourselves. As women, we tend to use guilt as a self-saboteur. When we realize that even our “mistakes” were there for our learning - we did the best we could, with the tools we had and emotions we felt - Put simply, we made the best decisions we could at the time. Our intent was good. And then we learned. It takes a while to learn that what used to serve us quite well, perhaps as a child, no longer does. So thanking ourselves for learning coping mechanisms, and then creating the awareness to let them go, and grow, is part of compassion. Negative, self-sabotaging, guilty, blaming behaviors act as weights on our divine selves. It is difficult, for sure, to both recognize and let go of old patterns of behavior, but when we do, we catapult ourselves into a profound, deep knowing of our true selves and divine nature.

Letting go of thinking we have to do everything perfectly is one of the greatest gifts of self-love. The reality is that we are hard wired to look for obstacles, negatives, things to worry about - in order to survive. Blaming self for “knowing better” or “making mistakes” makes us into a victim. It is simply taking one small step after another that allows us to turn toward the light, the positive, the fulfillment that is our divine inheritance. We have to first overcome our biology for survival and to realize, just like the fight or flight response, it has an infinitely smaller purpose in our lives at this stage of our evolution, but it is still imprinted on us.

Self-love means creating new imprints, new neurological pathways of default responses, and knowing we are more than our biology.   Having the emotional and psychological discipline to recognize when we are caving in to an old habit that no longer serves us is a big step toward facing our divine selves, and loving ourselves.

The best way to get past that monkey mind of ours is finding quiet, contemplative, meditative time; a ritual which exposes our soul and spirit to as much positive reinforcement as possible. Give yourself time to really get in touch with your divine self - and fall in love. Use compassion to bridge the gap between guilt and giving ourselves that gift of self-love - because it is then that you are celebrating life to the fullest. Loving ourselves is the greatest gift you can give yourself, and the world.

Self-Love and compassion is the message which resounded from the ashes. Yet, to truly be a radical act – one must add in Radical Acceptance by giving permission to our hearts and spirit to accept that reality is what it is, to accept that everything has a cause, and to accept that life can be worth living even when there's pain.   It is in doing this radical acceptance that we are honoring the sacred directions by letting go of all belief systems that do not serve us any longer, of accepting and embracing the PRESENT and no longer live in the past nor dream in the future of what ifs. The Radical Act is what we do to our hearts and spirits NOW from the lessons of the past. It is in the HOW of the walk in the Future. We must choose and begin to act acceptance of self-love. It is the act of self-love that honors all life as sacred. All parts of self must be embraced in self-love; the infant, the child, the teenager, the younger adult, the adult, the elder, and even the present and future self. We must accept fully as part of individual story all the parts of self, including every success, failure, error, truthful insight, embarrassment, hurt, and wound. Every moment is sacred and must be honored. We must choose to accept and love the sacred self if we are to create a life of acceptance and understanding in compassion for others.

When the practice of self-love is placed into action, the Sacred Feminine is restored to its natural order. The paradigm of imbalance has left generations where achievement has only been won by following a competitive, aggressive masculine model, which has contorted the Sacred Feminine energy, it has denied the Sacred Feminine wisdom, strained the psyche of women, and left their souls starving.  The martyrdom model of service and the competitive model of achievement have unbalanced the natural order of creative masculine and feminine energies in modern societies.

Sacred Feminine energy, women in general, have learned to give of their own sustenance, of their very body, often times until they are left physically and emotionally spent. Feeling depleted and empty, we look for validation, approval, and worthiness from others outside of self. Not finding it in the external, one is left feeling shamed, blaming self, and overcompensating to fill the emptiness.

We must GIVE to self what you seek in the external. You MUST give yourself love, attention, pleasure, support and appreciation. It is an act of sacred devotion to Love yourself. Spirit requires this devotion from you, because Spirit needs your gifts poured out into the world as service. In truth, you can only give and serve from your surplus, your overflowing full cup. It is Self-Love that feeds you and fills your cup to overflowing. When you know this, you make decisions and follow through with action guided by Self-Love.

Here's where the miracle happens.

When you have filled yourself up with Self-Love--Pleasure, Nutrition, Rest, Healthy Boundaries, Wealth, Self-Appreciation, Spiritual practice--The most radical act of Self-Love is to give your love to another, especially one who challenges you to love, one you may not want to love, one you have "issues" with. This generosity opens the floodgates and fills your brimming cup to overflow.

Truly such radical Self-Love will stir up the shadow as no other. To deeply feel into the sacred Self, to be able to see and express our value, beauty, and power, this is to experience the very essence of the Divine Feminine.

This is why women make Circle. We need Circle to do this work in the Light and Shadow.

The magic and miracle of being a woman--the gift of the Circle-- is that our Shadow turns us toward the Light. What we see in our Sisters is the Light of our own Love reflected. The Divine Feminine lives and breathes thru each of us. Her vibration is expressed both individually and collectively. When we choose to recognize and honor the Divine Feminine, we are choosing to recognize and honor our own sacred Selves.

This is the powerful WE of Women. This is the powerful Divine Feminine – for She is We and WE are She. We are all holy children – the daughters, the priestess, the Goddess container, the sacred chalice of all mysteries, the Great Mother of All That Is. There is no separation.

When Self-Loving, individually powerful Women gather in Circle to stir each other's shadows, support each other's growth, reflect each other's Light, and work together, Sacred Feminine power is reclaimed in the collective body. She emerges as a loving, transformative planetary energy. In response, the unbalanced masculine can regain right relationship to the Feminine as Sacred Masculine. (Healing Self-Love in men needs the awakened Feminine to activate.) Natural order and balance is restored.

That's how Radical Self-Love changes the world. It is the only thing that can.

The Weekly Vibe From the Sky~ with Laurissa Heller

2012-02-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

The Weekly Vibe From the Sky~

All systems go. There is a formation of astrological points of which astrologers call a kite in the sky at this time. There is an Earth trine between the Moon, Mid-Heaven, and Mars. This energy will give you a boost of pragmatic vibration. Earth energy likes form, to make sure ideas have evidence, and it is very uneasy with high flying acts that will float away when the presentation is complete.

This is an excellent energy combo for completing worldly business. You may be so focused on work that relationships fall to the side for a couple of days while you reconsider how to put the puzzle of your work together. It may even come to you counting little parts and putting them in particular order, so you can see what you are working with. What is real, what will really amount to something, and how can that become your future?

These are all questions that will be searched and combed as the week begins.

I have come to understand that in my own life, spiritual transformation is about living the every day life by washing the dishes, picking up clothing, and appreciating every moment as it is, but I have always been a dreamer. Knowing the deep abyss of Universal love has always been at my finger tips. There are many things that just don’t make sense to me about living here (I have Neptune on my ascendant and had very weak tribal connections as a child). I have frolicked in the Universal playground at a young age, and have had many dreams about crossing an upper bridge to the other side, only to be told to go back and travel the lower bridge, it is just as important.

It was clear that I wouldn’t be allowed to stay unless I went to the lower bridge to cross. Symbolically I understood this to mean my lower chakras. At the time, my self empowerment was very low because of my continuous boundary issues. My relationships with others was based on co-dependence, and my tribe didn’t accept me as I was, partly because I didn’t know who I was. My journey was laid out clearly by the guidance, my astrology chart, and my experience of life.

I am on the path of living in form. To love unconditionally, but to hold my boundaries with others, to empower my self worth with my true calling, and to not fear ugliness of being human. To have compassion for my flaws, and to find the beauty of walking on this planet.

There is a balance of flying with Spirit and living in the sweet smelling mud of Gaia. We all have our own unique journey of becoming, mine happens to be learning to deal with form. This is why I have such love and respect for the middle path, but I also know astrology holds some really potent information about understanding the contract of incarnation. Here is to being here and now-- and to you for being a compassionate warrior of life.

Eastern Philosophy ~ Western Living ~ Infusion Astrology

Laurissa Heller - Vibes From The Sky

Laurissa Heller is an astrologer and a 500 hour (Yoga Alliance Certified) teacher in Annapolis, as well as a meditation teacher. She assists people with their personal questions about life through her own unique style that she likes to call Infusion Astrology. Blending her yoga and meditation philosophy with her skills as an intuitive astrologer gives her a different perspective on a person’s chart. Her readings inform people of the different powers that they encompass as part of their incarnation. It is significant to understand how traits and qualities that have been imprinted can be used to benefit life’s journey. She likes to combine her varied background to give her clients in-depth, detailed readings which empower them to make informed decisions. Laurissa’s workshops, personal readings, and classes allow fellow travelers to guide their development in a very empowering way.

Laurissa has taught various types of yoga for over ten years throughout the Baltimore, Washington area. She has studied with Robert Ohotto, (Intuitive Strategist and Astrologer), Beryl B. Birch, a long list of yoga teachers, Carolyn Myss (author of Sacred Contracts), and Lynn Bell who teaches at the Center for Psychological Astrology in London. Laurissa considers Liz Greene, teacher, and founder of the Center for Psychological Astrology, to be one of her primary teachers through her many books. She has studied with Lama Surya Das. She also belongs to the National Council for Geocosmic Research Inc.

Eastern Philosophy ~ Western Living ~ Infusion Astrology

If you are interested in learning more about Laurissa’s work, you can check out her blogtalkradio show on a weekly basis, as she integrates the symbolic world of astrology and ritual into every day living topics with her co-host Deb Kabin, Earthmotherholisticevents.com.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theweeklyvibe

Weekly Message from Agni: Develop Clear Pictures

2012-02-26T06:36:00.000-05:00

Weekly Message from Agni - 2/26/2012

This week:

Stay calm. Reduce the noise inside your head.

Get rid of what distracts you.

Develop clear pictures of your future.

Have a blessed week.

Love and light, Agni

You Can Reach Agni on Facebook by visiting

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agni

To find out more about Akashic Readings by Agni visit here: http://jesus-the-book.com/akashic-readings/

“Jesus The forgotten Years”,  the long-awaited sequel to  “Jesus The Book” is now online. by Durga Holzhauser and Agni. (Order here)

Weekly Meditation Series: Peace Meditation by Sharon Fallon Shreve Peace Meditation by Sharon Fallon Shreve Peace Meditation by Sharon Fallon Shreve

2012-02-25T06:19:00.000-05:00

It has been said we cannot be all things to all people. Perhaps not in the outer realms, yet when we choose to let go of attachment and become still all things are indeed possible.

Take a few moments from your day or evening and allow your sacred Self to let go of anything absent of love. Begin this mediatation with several deep, cleansing breaths. Fill your lungs with vital life-force energy, then slowly, on the out-breath, see and feel anything which does not contain a peaceful vibration leaving your body.

Feel into any disappointment..…now let that go
Feel into any resentment..… now let that go
Feel into any anger..…now let that go
Feel into any fear…..now let that go

You are now an empty, sacred container ready to enter, experience, and manifest peace in the inner realms.

Gently close your eyes and feel into the center of your Self….the very core of your being.
Feel the peace present in this sacred space. It is always there. You need only access it.
This peace feels safe and familiar. It is peace profound. Take a moment to breathe into this peace. Then see it begin to expand, filling your entire being with incredible illumination.
Now breathe out this peace-filled light, and see it filling the room where you are.
You are now sitting in a room of complete luminosity, bathed in the frequency of pure peace.

You are now a sacred vessel of transformation.

Deeply breathe in again. On your out-breath see this peace-filled light going out into your entire community…reaching every neighbor…every shopkeeper…all creatures great and small. See all that is, engulfed in light…feel into your compassionate, heart-felt love for them.

From this place of peace, expand your breath and exhale its light to reach out to your entire nation. See your light encompassing your government, all of its officials, and lawmakers.
Breathe in your power, then breathe out, seeing your luminosity creating more clarity for these officials… removing ego, enabling them to make decisions for the greater good of all.

Now lovingly envision our entire world…all people…all nations. Breathe in your deep soul-love for all humanity. On your exhalation, see all war, sickness, hunger, and poverty being carried away by the wind of Great Spirit who lives and breathes thru you. See the people, in all the nations, being embraced and healed by your Light. Envision all coming together in peace… living together in complete harmony… fed by the prosperity and abundance of all that is.

Lastly, expand your Light breathing it up and out into the entire Universe… all the way to the galactic core. Slowly blow out your deepest breath while witnessing all planets, stars, suns, and moons orbiting and revolving with ease, moving with grace. See your omnipotent Light inter-connecting all galaxies. Feel into the love and power of Universal peace.

See and feel the power of ONE light. Your Light. And so it is.

Sharon Fallon Shreve  is a modern-day Priestess whose heart and heritage are deeply rooted in ancient Ireland & Celtic spirituality. Her studies and experiences
in mysticism are what fuel her passionate desire to serve humankind. She is a keeper
of the Sacred Flame, a Lady of the Woods, and a compassionate healer who works with
the energies of the emerald ray.

Sharon was ordained an Interfaith Minister by he council of The Esoteric Theological Seminary of M. I. C.  in August, 2000.  She is also a Magdalene (High) Priestess and an associate in the Madonna Ministry.  A deeply dedicated Lightworker, Sharon founded Illumined Ways™, the inspiration for her ministry.

Additionally, Sharon is a writer, speaker, facilitator, and Spiritual Empowerment Coach.  She is also a Rosicrucian and practitioner of meditation.  Sharon has studied with Deepak Chopra, M.D.,as well as at The Institute for the Advancement of Service, and completed training and served as a Unity Chaplain.  In 2003 she earned certification in the Integrated Awareness Technique™ (a nationally acclaimed course developed to enhance intuition), and in June of 2005 completed an 18-month internship in The Priest~ess Process™ and The High Priest~ess Process™.   In August of 2007, Sharon moved forward to earn certification and became a Certified Priest~ess Process™ Facilitator.

You can reach Sharon at her website or on Facebook.

Friday Guest Post: Waking Up to Your TRUE VOICE By Sherryl Frauenglass

2012-02-24T07:07:00.000-05:00

If you’re like most of us, you’ve spent many years internalizing the voices of others. There was a good reason that you developed this system of coping. It worked to keep you safe when you were a child and couldn’t take care of yourself. Those voices kept you from starving, helped you to choose a safe path across a busy street and prevented you from burning yourself on a hot stove. But now these voices speak only to the part of you that remembers the past. It speaks to the fear-filled, frozen parts of you and can prevent you from living the life you were meant to live.

I’ve developed some fun and easy techniques to help you separate those “other” voices from who you really are. They have helped me, and many others, to remember the True Voice that speaks from the heart.

#1 IDENTIFY THE “PEANUT GALLERY”

Begin to notice and identify those voices that you have internalized over the years. Notice what these voices have been telling you.

o Parents

§ Mom- You never finish anything. You’re a quitter.

§ Dad- Let me do that for you. You’re not strong enough.

o Family members

§ Brother- You’re ugly (said to you when he was 12)

§ Uncle Joe- Every family has a black sheep. I guess you’re ours.

o Friends

§ You’re such a “copycat”.

§ No one is going to like you if you say that.

§ Don’t be a weirdo.

o Teachers

§ That’s not how proper young ladies behave.

§ You colored that tree wrong. There’s no such thing as a tree with pink leaves and a purple trunk.

o Gurus

§ THIS is the path to enlightenment.

§ You must suffer in order to grow.

o Clergy and religious leaders

§ You better behave properly or you will burn in hell.

§ God will be very disappointed in you for _________.

o Media

§ This is what beautiful looks like!

§ You’re too_____________

§ You’re not enough _____________

§ Fix yourself. We’ll show you how.

o Government

§ You don’t need to question us. We know what’s best for you.

o Charismatic leaders

§ I have found the answer for myself and if you follow me, you too can have what I have.

§ Follow my 7 easy steps and you’ll be (rich, secure, married, happy, free, perfect)

#2 IS IT TRUE?

Question those internalized voices.

o Am I a quitter? What things have I followed through on and been successful with?

o Am I really ugly? Was my brother taking out his own problems on me back then?

o How many times, REALLY have people stopped liking me because I was speaking my truth? Do I really want people around me who don’t like hearing the truth of what I have to say?

o Is there really such a thing as the “right way” to color a tree when it comes to expressing oneself through art?

o Do I believe that there is one path for everyone?

o Do I like the way photo-shopped models in magazines look or do I think real is more beautiful?

o Do I like the way the government runs things? Do I like the way they spend my tax dollars?

o Does someone else really have the answer for me?

#3 CALL IT LIKE IT IS

Choose a name, phrase or images that snaps you out of thinking that they are yours.

o Perhaps you imagine that those voices are like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoons “whaa, whaa, whaa, whaa”.

o Create a little catch phrase that diffuses the voice.

§ “Thanks for sharing but you can go sit in the corner now”

§ “Talk to the hand…”

§ “Oh, it’s YOU again…Bye, bye!”

o Envision a symbol that represents those other voices. Choose something that lightens you up and brings you back to the moment.

§ Imagine a balloon popping.

§ See the voice as a pesky fly that goes “splat” into a window.

§ Picture a monkey that swings away on the treetops until it’s gone from view.

# 4 LET IT OUT

Occasionally you may need to give those voices a podium and let them rant!

o Write a letter and address it to “The Complaint Department of the Universe”. Set a timer and give yourself no more than 10 minutes to complain and get down on yourself as much as you want. Let the voices go wild. I am often laughing by the time I’m done and read how ridiculous those voices sound!

o Call a friend and ask them to listen for 5 minutes and then ask them to cut you off. Do the same thing as above. Let it all out and then step back and have a laugh!

#5 PRACTICE (but have FUN!)

This does not have to take a long time or be a great struggle or effort. You can shift in an instant!

Get comfortable asking yourself, “How do I feel in this moment?” Those other voices don’t exist in the present.
Have fun! The more “lightly” you take this, the more it just becomes a game rather than a heavy burden that you’re trying to unload. I have had a great time setting an hourly “check-in” chime that sounds like a cuckoo, making up silly voices and images, and having lots of laughs sharing my journey and comparing notes with friends.

There is a place for each of us and our opinions, brilliance and uniqueness. The world is waiting to hear YOUR True Voice!

BIO:

Sherryl Frauenglass is a visionary leader, intuitive coach and integrated channel. She is passionate about assisting others to remember who they are, expand their vision of what’s possible and to live a life of complete joy and freedom.

Sherryl brings more than advice to her clients. She goes beyond the mind level and speaks to the client’s true self, assisting them to transcend perceived obstacles, shifting her clients into a more authentic relationship with themselves, so that they have a greater sense of freedom and can be all that they came here to be in the world.

Sherryl assists you by providing divinely-guided intuitive coaching, awakening guidance and multidimensional communication.

For more information on private sessions and packages designed to fit your needs,

Email: sherryl@truevoicecommunications.com

Webiste: www.truevoicecommunications.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AWomansTrueVoice and www.facebook.com/WideAwakeNetwork

A stone Embedded in the Arch is Removed - Symbolic Meanings in Sacred Moments and the Ripples of Action

2012-02-24T04:59:00.000-05:00

Is it metaphysically speaking or metaphorically speaking? Life is interesting especially when we slow down enough to really absorb everything that is happening in the breathes. Take notice of the daily happenings that we seem to take for granted. Take inhalations to see how a simple action ripples out in our own life. One choice - seemingly inconsequential - can have ripples that affect every aspect of the internal life and the external. The key is pausing.

Some of you know that about three weeks ago I injured my foot. Not serious, but enough to get my momentary attention and cause some intense pain. I was out playing in the yard with my "babies" (my dogs). I somehow stepped wrong and pulled a tendon in my left foot arch. I paused (more like cried out in pain) and after the moment passed, I made the conscious decision to allow the body to heal itself with the help of ice and staying off it.

** The injury was to the left foot. The foot itself is the foundation of how we stand. It can be representative of our foundation in life. Consider the functionality of feet - they are our stability, the dictate our pace of movement, and our physical transportation. It is our connection with what our life is based upon metaphorically speaking.

A week later still unable to walk without the assistance of crutches, I headed off to the doctors. After x-rays and MRI's, it was determined that I had torn a tendon (posterior tibial tendon) in the arch of the foot.

** What is an arch representative? Arch is a symbolic representation of an opening, a passage way or an initiation. In Masonry the arch construction is as symbolic as it gets. The properties of the arch are designed specifically to withstand considerable deformation caused by the earth moving. There are a variety of types of arches that have been created from the elliptical arch to the segmental arch - all with their various reasoning of construction. Yet all arches have a few key implements - the type of blocks. The bonding between the blocks provide for spreading the load. So one could look at the arch of the foot as the foundation which provides for connection and the spreading of the load as one walks through a passage way or initiation.

I went home determined with focused intention to not allow the minor setback truly slow me down. A choice. I had things to do, places to go, and all that life stuff.

Approximately two weeks later I finally pause and found myself as a foot doctor. As he looks at the foot and begins to explain the intricate workings of this fascinating part of the body we take for granted many times, he stops and looks up at me. "Did you know that you have a small stone embedded in your arch?"
"Excuse me?" Quite literally there was a small stone chip that had embedded itself in the arch of my foot. Okay, so now he has my attention (I was not missing the symbolism nor was I missing the intense pain of having it removed.

** What is the stone embedded in the archway representative of?

The end of the visit found me getting a couple of injections in the foot to block the nerve pain being caused from not only the tendons being torn (but not detached), the removal of the stone embedded near a nerve, and the severe pain caused from the nerve center located on the heel of the foot being 'jammed up'.

**Could this have been avoided if paused when it first occurred? What is so critical that Spirit really needed to get my attention? What does the stone embedded into the arch mean? What is the symbolic nature of the left foot? The ankle that contains my animal totem tat that has tiny additions with each gateway crosses in my journey?

Many questions demanding some time to pause and reflect on the single choice made, the ripples it caused, and the direction to move in. The feet carry us, the move us to grow, expand and explore. The injury of the foot asks to look at the path - is it the right path? Is the pace correct? Is the balance equal? Deeper still - the feet can represent our humility in life - is ego and humility in balance? What is life choices being based upon? There are many questions to reflect, contemplate, and meditate upon.

The true life lesson - Every action has a reaction. Every reaction is a ripple that touches every part of life within and externally. Every moment has a sacred purpose and meaning - what we do with the moment truly determines the sacredness of the soul.

The Wisdom Spoke: Define Yourself - Weekly Medicine Wheel Thought

2012-02-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

The wisdom spoke at its essence is about the power held by your thoughts. The mental and reasoning abilities that contribute to your beliefs and attitudes in life will challenge you to have an open mind, receive internal messages consciously and subconsciously, and to act upon the directions given.

It is called the wisdom spoke. This spoke teaches us that with our minds we can command energy to become matter. Thoughts are energy. This is really a bridge to the Divine. It is how we handle changes within our minds. The true essence at its very core is simple. No one can determine your life path – Except YOU. You make the choice of whether to live in the conscious state or to remain “asleep”. The ultimate goal of this spoke is the ability to handle any and all changes in life without fear. Simply to trust the moment has a message of truth. It is simply our job to discover that truth. Becoming conscious is being able to change the rules by which you live by and the beliefs you have towards a path that is for your highest Divine purpose.

This week ask yourself:

What behaviors do I consistently act upon that cause others to react towards me in a non-desirable way? What are the thoughts I have prior to the behavior?

What beliefs do I have that no longer serve the undesired behavior? What other beliefs do I have that no longer serve my Divine purpose? Why can’t I let them go? What are the thoughts that arise when I start to let them go?

What beliefs do I have that cause me to interpret and perceive others negatively? What are the thoughts around those beliefs?

What attitudes do I consistently have that cause me to give away my power?

This spoke is an act of power to simply walk, coming to see the authentic truth of your own power and how perceptions of others can influence your own power.

When Spirit Asks a Water Person to Work with Fire: Weekly Fire Keeper's Message

2012-02-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

During the last quarter of 2011, continuing to this day, Spirit has asked me to work with fire. I am a being of water and earth--Pisces, Scorpio rising-- with a chart full of water, air, and earth, and one planet in fiery Leo: Pluto.

The revelation of Fire is a personal one. All our private revelations have their resonant message for the People, therefore, i share this oracle with you that it may illuminate how Spirit speaks to you, and how all oracles work together.

11/11/11 

The Kundalini Yoga Sisters were working with fire krias, body and breath, as I made the sacred fire for their sweat lodge on the other side of the Mountain. My firekeeper was in the Kundalini practice with the Sisters, so it fell to me, the dance chief and water pourer, to work with the fire.

The firewood delivery was greener than expected, and we had 24 hours of torrential rain. Soaked earth, wet wood. It would take a fire to dry the wood before the wood could heat the stones. I prepared “treats” for the Fire beings: fatwood, pine cones, and firestarter chunks wrapped in newspaper. The fire beings were pleased and came to my aid.

What a hungry fire! Tending it was like hand feeding an alligator. I spent two hours inside the fire circle, giving myself to the fire. Eyes watering from the smoke, hair singed, legs burning hot, snot flowing, I laughed at myself. Lodge keeping is a medicine of mud, blood, smoke and snot. We fear nothing, we who work with the elements. We are Medicine Women. Nothing phases us.

The fire roared to life at last, though still voracious and demanding. I could feel the stones warming. The thick mist coalesced into soft rain. When a water person works with fire, the water comes to help. Thank you Water, my element, for your TLC with the fire. God has a sense of humor.

Then I felt it. The Kundalini Sisters had finished their practice 5 miles a way, and were loading into cars to come to the land. The fire ceased its demands, and blazed like a glowing oven. The energy flowed easily, I felt ease and peace, and the Grandmothers and Grandfathers rapidly began to glow red hot.

The women arrived in their finery to celebrate this auspicous day, 11/11/11, the first breath of the new Age of Aquarius. They were enacting a sacred marriage of the Feminine and Masculine on this day, in the womb of the sweat lodge, and I was honored to hold space for them.  My sooty, wet fire keeper clothes came off to reveal the white dress of a dance chief. I washed the sisterhood with sage smoke and we gather around the fire, the Masculine Shiva, and sang a chant to Shakti. Carried by the Masculine into the womb of the Feminine, we prayed in a traditional way to the four directions. We emerged reborn, carried by the medicine of the Sacred Union that brings forth rebirthing every lodge ceremony.

12/12/12

On the full moon of December 10, I was called to create a sweat lodge ceremony. This was to be a solo lodge. I laid the fire during the daylight, with intent to sweat under the full moonlight.

I  could NOT light the FIRE.

For hours I worked on that fire. The firebeings came to enjoy the “treats” I made, and the wood did not ignite. PIne and cedar kindling did not ignite! At 2 am I gave up and went to bed.

This never happens. One does not open ceremony with tobacco and prayers and walk away from it. Certainly not abandon it! And yet, the fire was refusing to work with me under the moonlight.  I planned to do it the following night, on the 11th, with the moon still bright, but as it drew time, I took measure of my exhaustion and heeded the message to go to bed.

I was awakened before dawn with a clear message: go make your sweat lodge now. In the dim light, I remade the fire, with fresh treats for the fire beings. As the sun rose over the mountain, the fire caught, and burned with ease. Merrily I tended the fire, and prepared my small solo lodge to receive my body. Working in the sun, feeling its warming rays penetrating the cold air, I received the medicine: Bring my medicine into the light. Work with the Sun energy for a time. Illuminate that in myself which as been hidden.

This magic came on the morning of 12/12/12. It feels like a completion of a hollowing out process that began on 11/11/11. I fell ill the night of November 11th, a mysterious illness that left me emply and unable to eat. I was nearly a month recovering from this malady that hollowed me out. I finally received the medicine that I was being cleansed of old drama, pain, and patterns. Only then did my digestion return to normal and I regained strength. I was given a visceral, physical experience of the Hollow Bone.

On 12/12/12, fully recovered from my illness, I am given the gift of Sun. The masculine light to help me share my work with people. The Fire is still revealing my relationship with it. Today in writing this message, it focused its lens on Pluto, my one planet in a Fire Sign, located at my midheaven. Pluto, the farthest planet from the Sun, is about to be illuminated in my life!

About Diva Carla

Diva Carla is an artist and healer. She keeps a sweat lodge and a Peace Chamber in Maine. She walks with people through deep transformation in their healing around sexuality, money, and Self-Love.   Diva Carla Is an orgasmic alchemy healer. She serves people who are committed to Reclaiming their True Power.  Visit her on Facebook at 
https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimYourTruePowerwithDivaCarla

http://orgasmicalchemy.com/

HOPE PEACE CHAMBER

Hope Peace Chamber is a sacred space for sound healing. People come to the Peace Chamber to chant for peace, within themselves, and for the world. They come to the Peace Chamber to celebrate peace and healing for the earth and all who live here. Join us in the world wide sacred community of Peace.

https://www.facebook.com/hopepeacechamber

Warrior LadyBugs Come To Visit

2012-02-22T15:40:00.001-05:00

It is always interesting to me the symbolic meaning of nature and the animals that their with us. While many have these great animal totems like the wolf, tiger and bear, it has been my journey to have sometimes the smallest of animal teachers. We often think that bigger is better in society today, yet, I can say my latest experience may just shift your perspective.

Here in Florida the weather has made its shift into the soft zephyr breezes, the sun brilliant but still not radiating the summer heat. So we are enjoying flinging the windows open to feel that breeze and blow out the stagnant air of winter. My afternoon down time on the porch swing is filled with small hummingbirds returning to feed on the blossoming Bottle brush and many other songs sing out. Perfect for the afternoon naps I am so fond of taking.

For the past week I have awoken to tiny touches on my cheek. At first it causes a flutter of the heart (one never knows what might be crawling on you from Brown Recluse spiders to the small poisionous snakes), then you realize it is simply a friendly creepie crawlie. The first few times I did not take the moment to notice, that was until today. I dozed for a few moments to be awoken to half a dozen ladybugs sitting patiently on my face. After the fear factor settled, I paused to reflect. Over the past week or so I have literally been inidated with ladybugs whether on my porch or sitting in my living room. Nearly every room I have come across them.

The gardner in me is doing the happy dance as these tiny friends remove other "friends" that eat my flowers. While I am all for the cycle of life, I still have the greedy nature of wanting to relish and savor the blossoms without having the leaves all eaten.

But what is the symbolic meaning of all the ladybugs as they obviously wanted to get my attention today and made sure that I paused. While many will tell you the generic version of luck or love, I asked my guides. There was at first a simple observation of the insect. The deep red shell - much darker than what I normally see in nature (most are an orangey red). Tiny wings that are hidden until flight (which if you watch is actually rather clumsy). Black spots upon the back. What do they represent as most had varrying numbers - so it was not a set pattern?

My research on line says: The wings are said to be symbolic of a cloak one wears and the spots the joys and sorrows within that have been experienced. The Lady bug is considered to be a symbol of fire and of the Sun. The life span is relatively short. What could that be teaching? Life is short, we need to let go of the sorrows, the worries, the fears and trust in the Great Spirit. All of life is a gift of renewal and regeneration.

My guides shared further that the bright red shell is representative of our thoughts, our passions and the spots the rebirth of manifestation of those thoughts and passions. Whenever we stand at the threshold of possibilities, the appearance of the ladybug indicates that if we make the choice before us it will succeed, grow, and flourish. All that holds you back is your own self. The threshold has no barriers except your own fear. She is a Warrior - a powerful one at that - if you choose to see her that way. She embues the Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine in balance revealing to all who pause long enough to see that which lies beneath the cloak. (The rest of the message was a personal message not relevant for this blog post).

Looking back to the nature of the Ladybug it is much like many insects it goes through the process of larvae into the adult beetle we are accustomed to seeing. It shares that we too can transform our life if we step though that threshold. It eats large quantities of food (aphids) which actually eat and destroy other plants. So in some ways it is a protectoress warrior. So as we step through this threshold, if we allow the Ladybug, she can consume and eat our unwanted fears and worries leaving the path open to new horizons.

So I will take my tiny animal friends as the poewrful warrior as my totem animal guide for the day and learn sometimes big things come in small packages. Thank you Great Spirit for the gift of the Ladybugs today.

Bubbles and Clouds in the Third Eye: Weekly Chakra Series

2012-02-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

The brow. The Third Eye. The Power of the Mind. This is the center that blends the conscious with the unconscious, the spiritual center to where the conscious mind can lead to the wisdom of the subconscious mind. It is also where "false" truths can be misconstrued as intuition. So the first question is always what wisdom is. Wisdom is what is acquired by detached experience. Huh? When you have an experience in which you can transcend it into an experiment without the attachment of feelings or perception, it is then you begin to experience wisdom. A real example: Symbolic sight. When you see something in symbolism and can translate the meaning through spiritual language. The Universal Truth that thought always comes before the form. All creation begins with an energetic thought. Ever hear be careful what you think as it may become what you are?

When you look at this center from the world of sacraments it is really an ordination. This is the center that archetypal perspective calls you to become a servant to the world whether that is as a mother, a teacher, a healer, or a Shaman (smiles). To be ordained really means that you honor the truth that each soul makes a deeply significant contribution to the world through the quality of their life. This center focuses the mind on Seeking the Truth of All Life. Not a separate truth of individuals or religious paths, but the truth that we are all interconnected.

The biggest two areas that I see when working with others on this energy center are bubbles and clouds.

The clouds come when one attempts to do an archaeological dig to excavate fears. The first idea to grasp is that consciousness is really the ability to release the old (the origin of the fear) and embrace the new (spiritual truth) with the awareness that all things are interconnected, interrelated, and in a circle of life. So becoming conscious truly means living fully in the breath of the moment. This is difficult to stretch into. To release a fear is simpler than to release the origin of the fear. Anything we hold within our consciousness will either create or destroy the health of the physical body as well as the mental and spiritual health of the mind and soul.

The origin of the fear may be so deep either within the energy system that we may not even realize it exists, it may be buried in the social or culture tribe we live in or it may even be buried ancestral lineage that it has become a truth in our cells. It sounds daunting to excavate, but truthfully it is not as complicated as it sounds. One can start by asking yourself questions like what belief you currently hold that causes you to perceive the actions of others in a negative way. Watch and be sure to journal your perceptions of others. At times it is easier to experiment with others before self. By watching your own perceptions and reactions to others behaviors, you can begin to excavate your own beliefs. Ask yourself about attitudes that you currently hold that take your power away or what judgments you hold. Do you fear change itself?

The bubbles are the thoughts that get in the way of even being able to hear your own self think. With so many thoughts in the mind it is no wonder many cannot hear the whispers in the winds. While it is normal to have thought bubbles, to have so many that it begins to cause headaches, insomnia, or attention deficit issues is not only unhealthy it can cause a myriad of other symptoms.

Clearing the bubbles and clouds that block the flow of energy through the sixth chakra can lead to Divine inspiration and the ability to begin to learn the translation process of spiritual language. The consciousness and sub consciousness unification through ordination will lead to a path of service that will bring you to your inherent desire to full your purpose.

*** Here is a link to a guided meditation for clearing the chakra's that I did a while back

http://soundcloud.com/sacredsoulshaman/guided-journey-to-cleanse-the

SELF Love: The Ultimate Radical Act

2012-02-22T05:57:00.002-05:00

Photographer and Digital Artist
Michael R. Kramer

In this lifetime, i have been abused, ignored,  refused, and subdued.  By both others and myself, in equal measure.  Yet, i have begun to transmute that energy of denial, disdain, and victimhood into a wave of self love unimagined by a younger me.  An Authentic me.  And now that i have undertaken this journey to self-love, i very firmly believe that SELF-LOVE IS THE ULTIMATE RADICAL ACT.

It is the ultimate radical act  because the process, with its two parts and many steps, often can fly against prevailing wisdom, current societal norms, gender socialization, marketing, media, and, frankly, many current beliefs delivered in the form of contemporary organized religion.

In order to love myself, i first had to truly get to know my SELF.  I had to  become the expert of me, and understand how it is that i and my body, spirit, and mind work.  But in doing this, automatically it meant that i was now in opposition to many in my family who believed they had the full, true picture of me and many friends who were still interested in self-annihilation.  All but the wisest of teachers and most practiced physicians, who felt neither challenged nor disrespected by my assertion that i knew me best.

This is hard work, and it means that ultimately, it was i who had to become my own wisest teacher and my most gifted healer.  I had to became the sociologist of myself, studying myself in my own natural habitat.  As objectively as possible, I reported back to myself on my native culture and programming, the ways in which i handled outside influences, and the many ways in which I learned to adapt to my harsh environment.  There were many guides and sherpas along with me for my journey, but still i chose (the only choice) to carry the heaviest pack and walk the last mile alone.

Once I fully embraced this first step of my journey (still not entirely complete), the ability to offer myself LOVE and compassion began to flow naturally, and quite by surprise.  Now that I can really see how i got to this very moment in my life, I also can see the strength forged from suffering; the liberation from belief imprisonment; and the compassion releasing me from fixed feelings about myself and others.

I can offer this freely to myself, past and present, as well as the teacher who "corrected" my handedness, the father who "corrected" everything else; the doctor who poisoned me with medicines; the belittling bosses, bad friends and worse boyfriends.

And always now, as I form a thought about myself or another, I call upon the buddhist benchmarks:

Is is true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary [to share]?

This work requires true bravery.  At times, it requires both blinders and earplugs.  It requires opting out of a lot of background noise, conflicting belief and other stimuli that do not serve your journey.

Current life is full of messages that can make it impossible to feel as though we are doing the right thing:

slow down (but not at work or at home);

eat well (at your cubicle);

limit spending (by responding to our offer for 20% off EVERYTHING);

look great at any age (by injecting rubber into your cheeks and lips);

step away from your desk (with smartphone in hand);

have a baby (and please make sure to look like you never gave birth).

For many of us, this work requires a radical rewiring of our systems; but it is the only work worth doing, as it is the only way to live the complete life that we have been given, and the only way to be truly ourselves, thereby creating the space and comfort for others to do so as well.

Now, I can offer to the world my true and complete self, with the hope that whomever reads this feels the comfort and safety to do so as well:

I am an earth mother with a caesarean scar.

I am no longer a woman who failed to give birth the "right way."

I am an educated woman whose work cannot be taught.

I no longer need to keep tacking on degrees, trainings, and certifications in order to legitimize my innate healing gift.

I am an omnivore.

I am no longer a vegan who made herself sicker by eating the wrong foods for her body.

I am not conflicted, I am well-rounded and open-minded. 

I know when what I want is not what I need.

I offer my SELF LOVE.

Even now, as I am writing this, niggling thoughts of doubt are creeping in.

Is this too long? maybe.

Too personal? definitely.

Liberating? absolutely.

Blessings to you, my fellow travelers.

Jennifer Storey

Sacred Lodge Sister

We The Women

About Jennifer

Jennifer Storey is an intuitive healer, practicing energetic medicine and psychology in western Massachusetts.  Her passion is helping women, children, men, and fellow practitioners to discover and resolve the root causes of their condition. 

Jennifer is a mother, teacher, artist, social justice activist, and student of traditional Tibetan medicine. She is a Reiki Master of

New Moon Despacho Message from Opening Ceremony

2012-02-21T06:17:00.001-05:00

Artist Pamela Cail of REA Energy Art

A new birth. A revelation for all into unity. An emerging of a balanced soul. Authentic voices singing in harmony. The pendulum of life moving into the center once more. The animals pausing to roar their wisdom. Tree's whispering their leaves. Humanity is awakening to a sacredness forgotten.

Each day a sacred remembering of what was. It may cause the body to tremble as the fully awareness of the nature of life is recalled. Deep within the knowledge embedded in our souls that is begining to flower into reality. Mother Earth may tremble, our foundation unsettled, as the flower bursts through the frozen ground.

The past of exclusion of some, the neglect of others, the denial of many is a pain that has left many experiecing wounding of the soul. In the birth of the awareness is healing those wounds. Judgment and self in tolerance being left aside. The cascading waterfalls washing away the dust and grime of the oppression of our own authentic beings. The individual wounds that heal will heal the collective wounds. The bridges built creating a vision for tomorrow full of unity and love for one another. Within this unity and love, the abundance of joy of life returns. The dance returns.

Weekly Energy Thought: The Sacred Union and the New Moon Despacho

2012-02-20T09:02:00.002-05:00

Artist MeKenzie Martin

As we prepare to enter ceremony for our Sacred Union Despacho (being hosted by Karen Chrappa of A Structure for Spirit and We The Women Sacred Lodge Sister) I wished to share a few thoughts about this particular ceremony's intentions.

"We gather ... to harmonize and integrate our Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine. We ceremonially offer our intentions to bring Sacred Union to heart and mind and plant the seeds of self-love so our actions may be informed from our deep knowing and our life may shape itself from the deepest expressions of our heart."

Each ceremony is sacred, sacred in space and sacred in intention. Each ceremony is a personal experience in connection with others and with the Creator. It is a time to reflect and give expressions of gratitude for the blessings in life. Karen shares, "bringing together in sacred union the highest expression of your Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine essence. A union of the heart and mind.”

The question many have asked is what is a Sacred Union? What does it mean? And more importantly, how do I make it occur?

First allow me to say we do not make things occur, rather any ceremony, any spiritual path, is allow it to occur, we allow it to flow. Another simple confusion is that this is not about the relationship of partners.

This is about the Sacred Union within.

Let us first talk about what is the Feminine and the Masculine in this context of sacredness.

The Sacred Feminine

The Sacred Feminine is about the womb from which all things emerge. It is about the energy of the process which occurs - the energy signatures. Let's look at the symbology. The womb, it carries, nurtures, and protects the new life. It is the essence of love. It is the receptive energy of life. It is attraction not assertion. It is co creation and responsiveness, not independent energy. The womb is carried, impregnated by another. It is fluid and flowing so that the energy can grow. It is the sacred chalice. And this is simply the womb symbology.

The Sacred Feminine is the cycle of life from birth through death. She is the wild, untamed forces of nature; yet she is also the surrender of life. The Sacred Feminine energy truly is the power of unity, the relatedness of all things. The Sacred Feminine is the weaver to bring all things to oneness.

The Sacred Masculine

The Sacred Masculine energy is what sets all things into motion. The will power to make a choice and choose a direction. It is the active energy that challenges us to push further; yet it is also the foundation of stability and structure in life. The focused intention. It is the Father energy that is the protector of all things and the provider. It is the system of energy that summons the courage to go beyond all self-imposed limits to tune into the soul's purpose in life.

The Sacred Masculine allows for us to transverse, like a warrior, through the inner and outer worlds that are even beyond the worlds that exist in the physical.

The Sacred Union

To have the womb birth, one needs both the Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine. The balance is to be grateful for both, allow both to rise equally and to unify both within. Neither inferior to the other, both equal in necessity.

To enter into a Sacred Union within, one must be willing to do the shadow work of both the Sacred Feminine and the Sacred Masculine. It is a conscious awareness that allows this union. The shadow work allows for a look into what are the underdeveloped aspects of energy and what are the overdeveloped aspects of the energy. This self-introspection can be difficult and leave one feeling raw and vulnerable; yet it is necessary to understand that the realization of having both energies is only the first step.

Ask yourself: Which side of you feels more alive? What is the difference in how you focus your intent?

The feminine energy is the left side of the body with our feelings and emotions; while the right side of the body is our logical and will power. When we are looking at the wisdom of each we are inviting the power of the spirit world to reveal to us where we need to work on the balancing and many times the releasing.

I shared last week about the process of awakening and how it occurs. To reemphasize, One must find the authentic enlightenment - find the sacred within. It will not be found in the external. I shared; all relationships in life are based upon the relationship with self. The energy within must be balanced in both energies, but we must go further than simply balancing - they must integrate with one another are unify.

I was asked about the integration process. Here is the thing, we already have both energies within us, and the unification or the integration process is simply an allowing in sacred intention of what already exists. It is about stepping into the flow that surrounds us all and allowing it to carry us rather than trying to fight it, force it, manipulate the energy.

The intent of this ceremony is to facilitate that sacred intention of allowing the Sacred Union to organically occur within. It is my hope this answered some of the questions. If you want to join in on the ceremony this evening, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/172711979510397/.

Message for 2012 Text: It is not a luxury any longer to consider becoming awakened

2012-02-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is a message from a Fire Journey done for "The Weekly Vibe" Radio Show Listeners. This is the written version of the audio link.

It is not a luxury any longer to consider becoming awakened – either you will become awakened and work within your own soul and travel towards your own enlightenment or you will become an Earthen compost meaning you will not survive the rising of vibration – you will simply compost your own self into soil for others to grow from.

It is vital that all begin to understand where this awakening begins and how it occurs. People are looking to the external, looking for some guru to give them the magic words that will spontaneously create some profound shift. This is the old paradigm of the world – needing the instant fix, the instant gratification. To become awakened, to find the authentic enlightenment that is a necessity to ascend to a higher vibrational frequency, a person MUST find the sacred. Find the sacred space that it uniquely their own.

Sacred space is not a place, but an intent. An intent of sacredness, of holding all things sacred and holy, is created when one goes into the mystery of self. The Divine mystery of authenticity of who an individual is at their core. It is coming when we as a society will be demanded of to return to holding all things sacred. If a person cannot find the sacred within – they will not find it in the external. It is not about being religious or ritualistic – it is about a deep knowing that from the air that you breath to the food you nourish the body with – it is all one. This is not new wisdom. This is the wisdom from the ancients, yet human society has stopped applying the knowledge of the ancients and thus lost the wisdom.

Return of wisdom. Remember wisdom is only knowledge applied. We each have the knowledge, the wisdom, already within us. We must slow down and listen to our own souls. Remember the Great Dream within, remember the knowledge we already have and begin to shift into applying it to all aspects of life.

We are all related is not a nice saying. We are all here to walk together towards the awe of life as one. This means we are in awe of self, in awe of one another, in awe of our winged relations, in awe of the flower blooming, and in awe of the sacred. Our Mother Earth and our Grandfather Sky not only cry for this, the time is coming when they will demand it of the two legged’s that walk the lands.

While we are all looking for answers, for ways to create our dreams, and to bring into reality a better world, we forget that the first and most vital aspect of change is that it begins within. All relationships are based upon the relationship with self. Your soul is sacred. It knows all things you need to know. Yet most do not even acknowledge it exists, let along listen and develop a relationship with the soul self. Compost. That is what occurs when things are left untouched, unrecognized, and unloved. It eats itself and returns to the Mother Earth. This is where we are headed if we do not return to standing in awe of the sacredness that is within.

Once we acknowledge and begin to develop a relationship, we must go further. There is a great need to balance the within. We hear so much about the Sacred Feminine. I must share that there is too a Sacred Masculine. It is only when both, in equality, are balanced and united that the true balance occurs. So many speak of the rise of the Sacred Feminine as though it has not existed; it is simply a rebalance that is needed. This rebalance allows for integration and unity to occur. We have existed in duality for so long, we see these rebalancing times as something new – a revolution. The revolution is to return to unity. Every human being has both Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine energies within.

Everyone must balance. Spending all time in the feminine leaves one just as unbalanced as has been in the masculine. Unity – they must merge into one energy.

Perceptions aside, the energies that are here are here. They are demanding we awaken. They are demanding we remember the sacredness of all life so that we can rebalance and unite within. It is through this that our realities will change – whether we agree, acknowledge, or awaken to them.

Weekly Message From Agni: Did we end the war in our own heart?

2012-02-19T08:51:00.002-05:00

Weekly Message from Agni - 2/19/2012

This week:

Did we end the war in our own heart?

Did we become peace?

Does this peace give guidance in our world?

Let us answer all these questions with YES end of the week.

Have a blessed week.

Love and light, Agni

You Can Reach Agni on Facebook by visiting

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agni

To find out more about Akashic Readings by Agni visit here: http://jesus-the-book.com/akashic-readings/

“Jesus The forgotten Years”,  the long-awaited sequel to  “Jesus The Book” is now online. by Durga Holzhauser and Agni. (Order here)

Vibe From the Sky with Laurissa Heller: Week Feb. 20

2012-02-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Vibe From the Sky
with
Laurissa Heller

Dreaming is an art onto itself. It is the artistic expression of the soul in its most intimate form of communicating with you. Many times it is the bridge from the unconscious to the conscious. Symbols are the language of the Soul. Words cannot always go into the higher vibration of consciousness because it is difficult articulate the space and lightness.

With a stellium of planets in Pisces, the world my feel heavy at this time in your journey, and the ability to express yourself may prove to be an obstacle. However, the soul is fully engaged and will be feeding you symbolic information at a fiery rate. Dreams are an opening because the ego falls away at night, mostly, and the soul has an opportunity to bring information without the ego organizing and picking apart the meaning. There is a free flow of streaming.

Years ago I started dreaming about a past life which completely freaked me out because I wasn’t sure I believed in past lives. Over time, it became clear as to why my soul was delivering this message to me. The role I was playing in my past life, was part of my healing in this one, and it continues to be.

The more I trusted the messages, the more my soul would show me. My master guide began to show up in my dreams and guide me to places and into different vibrations. I became so obsessed with the dream world, that I was losing my footing in this one.

This is a difficult feeling when you have three children. Slowly I had to pull myself out of the obsession with this space. I wanted to be on that vibration and not here. Yogis and yoginis talk about this place, and I alluded to it earlier this week when I wrote about Whitney H. This is my confession, as there is guilt involved with admitting that you would rather be in another place when your babes are here. Not to mention the power loss of being present. There is a similarity between the dream state and meditation, both are parts of the collective unconscious which I happen to believe is the gateway to freedom and the place which has no words to describe it.

I stopped meditating for awhile, so my feet would be planted on the ground. I started wearing hematite so there would be no doubt about my vibrational state. Slowly I have moved my way back into meditation and continue to live a balanced life (well mostly). I was lucky enough to have made the journey back to my children to be fully present to them.

I have mentioned this mystical energy more than once this year, but it cannot be stated enough-- the inner compass will prove to be a needed tool for this time. It will be very easy to be swept up in the change, the beauty, the higher vibration.....but we must stay focused on the here and now. We came here for a reason. It is the time for Mystics without Monasteries (C. Myss wording) to be the ambassadors for the new way.

It should be made clear that meditation and dreams are an imperative part of the journey. I fell into a trap and needed to adjust my balance, and I mention it here because we are all travelers working with energy.

The planets are aligned in such a way that would make it easy for us to drop everything and float away. Stay with the transformation and see it through. It is the contract that we all signed up for as a collective.

Stay well and know that many travelers are working together as part of the movement. It always gives me comfort to know that we are on the path together.

Eastern Philosophy ~ Western Living ~ Infusion Astrology

About Laurissa:

Laurissa is an astrologer who likes to work with people to help them find answers to life's questions through her own interpretation called Infusion Astrology. She pulls from yoga, buddhism, astrology, intuition, and life to help guide people through their decision making processes.

Relationships, Work, Family, Children, Travel and Location for Living are all part of her offering as part of her Infusion Astrology Readings. Her mission is to enhance people's awareness in their own lives so that they are able to live to their fullest potential. Her philosophy is that by taking care of ourselves and recharging our own batteries we are better able to assist the people who are in our lives and extend that energy into the environment as well.

Laurissa offers Astrology Guidance and is an Educator of Conscious Living and Yoga Meditation Teacher (500 Hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher) and has been practicing yoga and meditation for nearly a decade.

To find out more information about workshops offerings and private sessions, visit her website at www.tribaltree.org or visit her facebook page .

You can also catch "The Weekly Vibe" show on BlogTalk Radio where Laurissa and Deb Kabin (Earthmother Holistic Events) The Weekly Vibe Show