When we put off doing something we really feel a connection to, it can suck the life out of us. If there is something you have felt compelled to do, that may be part of your destiny.
So when that happens, that you keep on pushing something that keeps coming to mind to the back burner, you may feel drained of energy because spirit keeps sending you messages and showing you omens and you keep ignoring them.
Of course, we can always exercise our free will and say that other things are a priority for us now. We can always decide that the idea that seemed great some time in the past is no longer as vibrant or powerful a motivator for us.
If that is true and we are really ready to let go of the old idea, we need to send a clear, conscious communication to spirit and to our selves. A good way to do that is to create a ritual to let go of the old dreams, the old ideas, and clear the space to make way for the new, for what is important to us now. Then we will no longer carry around the baggage of intentions that are not sincere, not acted on, and we let go of those things and move to the front burner that which we really are going to do.
When I was getting out of the advertising business, I gave my portfolio to another freelancer so that she could use the actual display case and try and get business from any of my former customers. I took all my suits and ties to a Goodwill store. I have never had a need for a suit and tie again in all the years since then. When decided to no longer play the sports I used to play, I sold all that equipment. It was very cathartic to do these things.
Another guy I knew burned a drawing of a planned real estate development he had been working on when he got out of the real estate business.
When I used to teach creative writing, people used to sign up for my classes all the time because they had been thinking about writing, but in many cases, not doing it. Actually coming to a class where they had to bring in something they wrote every week created the opportunity to either do it or drop out and forget about it.
I have seen people who changed their spiritual path, so they reorganized their personal library to reflect the path they were currently on, and traded in their old books to used book stores, so that what they had at homes was very focused and supportive of their new direction.
The actions we take reflect what is really going on within us. When we do a personal ritual of transition, we free up our energies to move more swiftly along in the direction we are going.
Let us not live a life of regrets. Let us live a life that reflects our aliveness and the fulfillment of our destiny. If we are not clear on the direction we will take next, we can also do a personal ceremony to ask for direction.
Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Mysteries of Energies
Monday evening kirtan was a great way to get in touch with the spirit within that loves to sing. After a few hours of singing, there is a very mellow vibe that is upbeat and enlivening at the same time. Voices blended in the traditional Hindu style of chanting is a delicious experience. The call and response rhythms is similar to the blues, except with a different intention. Chanting the sacred chants which are embedded with bits of wisdom and lots of love invokes a sacred presence and a presence of mind into those who participate.
Tonight, I went to hear Stan Romanek speak about his experiences with UFOs and alien abductions. Quite fascinating to see the photos and hear voice recordings of other beings in his life. One photo in particular sticks in my mind, that of a girl attending one of his talks who is a hybrid human/ET. She had human features and those distinctly large almond shaped eyes that are common to depictions of ETs.
And there were also quite a number of photos and film clips where the ETs were in and around his house. Then who would not be impressed with his story about how he fell off a ladder and tore his ACL (muscles around the knee). The doctors were prepared to operate, but then one night he got another visit from his ET buddies who fixed his knee for him. His doctor didn't believe it when he called in and said that he no longer needed surgery. The photos showed a line of little scars, sort of round, like puncture marks.
Listening to Stan speak, I get the same impression I got when I heard Whitley Strieber speak, which is that these are normal people who have been exposed to highly unusual adventures, rather than just people who made stuff up to get attention. Clearly, when you read their stories, you can tell that they did not want all this attention from their visitors.
I find a lot of this stuff interesting. I have no idea what it all really means. No idea how it all happens. When I look at presentations like this, or photos of crop circles, or the photos released by the British government of their sightings, it just all seems so amazing. I think it all has something to do with our evolution. I love a good story, and these stories are full of mysterious things and mysterious doings. There is plenty of food for thought in all this. By now, who hasn't seen photos of UFOs?
But that hybrid girl photo is absolutely stunning. That one image is the counterweight to the goofy end of the spectrum. Remember those two old geezers who got on TV several years ago and claimed that they made the crop circles by dragging pieces of wood around fields on ropes? I suspect they had a few snorts of whiskey before coming up with that one, and it would probably would be fun to have a drink with those old guys. That's part of what I like about this stuff. It contains the full spectrum from the silly to the spectacular and sublime.
On Friday, I go back for another joyous jolt of energy contra dancing. The fiddle music, the foot stomping, the whirling and swinging bring the energies back to earth so that we can ground and take off again. Dancing leaves me the same way as singing after a few hours, energized and euphoric and somewhat spent from the effort.
Every bit of it is worth it. There are all kinds of ways to tap into energies, and all kinds of ways to experience them. These are some of the ones that work for me. If you are looking for ways to perk up your energies, there are lots of other ways out there as well.
Earlier in my life, if you would have asked me, I would have told you that all this stuff is too far out for me. Years ago if you would have told me that I would be devoting my attention to doing readings for people, I would have thought you were mistaking me for someone else.
Then again, it is a strange and wonderful world we live in isn't it?
Tonight, I went to hear Stan Romanek speak about his experiences with UFOs and alien abductions. Quite fascinating to see the photos and hear voice recordings of other beings in his life. One photo in particular sticks in my mind, that of a girl attending one of his talks who is a hybrid human/ET. She had human features and those distinctly large almond shaped eyes that are common to depictions of ETs.
And there were also quite a number of photos and film clips where the ETs were in and around his house. Then who would not be impressed with his story about how he fell off a ladder and tore his ACL (muscles around the knee). The doctors were prepared to operate, but then one night he got another visit from his ET buddies who fixed his knee for him. His doctor didn't believe it when he called in and said that he no longer needed surgery. The photos showed a line of little scars, sort of round, like puncture marks.
Listening to Stan speak, I get the same impression I got when I heard Whitley Strieber speak, which is that these are normal people who have been exposed to highly unusual adventures, rather than just people who made stuff up to get attention. Clearly, when you read their stories, you can tell that they did not want all this attention from their visitors.
I find a lot of this stuff interesting. I have no idea what it all really means. No idea how it all happens. When I look at presentations like this, or photos of crop circles, or the photos released by the British government of their sightings, it just all seems so amazing. I think it all has something to do with our evolution. I love a good story, and these stories are full of mysterious things and mysterious doings. There is plenty of food for thought in all this. By now, who hasn't seen photos of UFOs?
But that hybrid girl photo is absolutely stunning. That one image is the counterweight to the goofy end of the spectrum. Remember those two old geezers who got on TV several years ago and claimed that they made the crop circles by dragging pieces of wood around fields on ropes? I suspect they had a few snorts of whiskey before coming up with that one, and it would probably would be fun to have a drink with those old guys. That's part of what I like about this stuff. It contains the full spectrum from the silly to the spectacular and sublime.
On Friday, I go back for another joyous jolt of energy contra dancing. The fiddle music, the foot stomping, the whirling and swinging bring the energies back to earth so that we can ground and take off again. Dancing leaves me the same way as singing after a few hours, energized and euphoric and somewhat spent from the effort.
Every bit of it is worth it. There are all kinds of ways to tap into energies, and all kinds of ways to experience them. These are some of the ones that work for me. If you are looking for ways to perk up your energies, there are lots of other ways out there as well.
Earlier in my life, if you would have asked me, I would have told you that all this stuff is too far out for me. Years ago if you would have told me that I would be devoting my attention to doing readings for people, I would have thought you were mistaking me for someone else.
Then again, it is a strange and wonderful world we live in isn't it?
Friday, December 10, 2010
Dance is the Desire, Expressed
Dancing, any kind of dancing, works to still the mind while you move the body. Once you get up and dance and start to work up a sweat, all the things that were stressful about work, school, or anything else, just seem to fade away.
In this way, it has a cathartic effect. Cleansing, deep down to the bones. By the time I come home from dancing and take a shower or a bath, I feel so clean, so peaceful, so happy, that a state of relaxation sets in, now that the body has stopped moving and the muscles are feeling that good kind of exhaustion from being taken to the limits, and sleep comes easily.
Dancing can be a moving meditation. Why do you think that since ancient times, rituals and ceremonies included dancing? It can alter your state of mind and make an event special.
The body takes on a mind of its own, as it becomes entrained to the music and develops movements that ride the waves of the music. As the body pursues that single focus, there is nothing other than the present, the dance.
You have this moment, this music, this movement, this joy, this peace, this energetic shift that has changed your consciousness. As the body does what the body does, the mind is quieted, and the joy of living comes to the surface, front and center. In this moment, where there is nothing but the dance, there is nothing else to desire, except to feel the dance. The dance is the desire, expressed.
In this way, it has a cathartic effect. Cleansing, deep down to the bones. By the time I come home from dancing and take a shower or a bath, I feel so clean, so peaceful, so happy, that a state of relaxation sets in, now that the body has stopped moving and the muscles are feeling that good kind of exhaustion from being taken to the limits, and sleep comes easily.
Dancing can be a moving meditation. Why do you think that since ancient times, rituals and ceremonies included dancing? It can alter your state of mind and make an event special.
The body takes on a mind of its own, as it becomes entrained to the music and develops movements that ride the waves of the music. As the body pursues that single focus, there is nothing other than the present, the dance.
You have this moment, this music, this movement, this joy, this peace, this energetic shift that has changed your consciousness. As the body does what the body does, the mind is quieted, and the joy of living comes to the surface, front and center. In this moment, where there is nothing but the dance, there is nothing else to desire, except to feel the dance. The dance is the desire, expressed.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Closure
Sometimes there are chapters of our lives that cry out for the proper ending. We feel incomplete or out of sorts unless we can put things in perspective through some word or action that lets us feel that we have completed our work in that part of our life, or said what we really wanted to say in order to let go and move on.
For lack of this aspect of completion, a person could walk around feeling ill at ease in their own skin. Until they reconcile their feelings with what happened, they often may be out of sorts in their dealings with others who had nothing to do with the reason for their upset.
Of course, it is best if you can reach this closure with people in real life who were involved in the events or situation. That is often optimal.
However, sometimes, the person with whom you would like closure is dead, or lives far away, or for other reasons you choose not to contact them.
In that case, closure can be done ritually, through special ceremonies. In one case, I assisted a woman who needed to put to rest her grieving over a miscarriage that had happened a number of years earlier. After the ritual, she found peace with that issue for the first time in years.
In another case, a person needed to release a grievance over an injustice from years before. In another case, a person simply wanted a meaningful ritual to say farewell to a parent who died when they were not there.
I was also present one evening when a person performed a ritual act to signal closure to his old career.
When we do such things, we can experience a feeling of peace that we have acknowledged that a significant part of our life has ended and we say farewell to that as we prepare to begin our next chapter and set out on our next adventure.
Is there an area of your life that you feel needs closure? Have you ever thought about addressing that in a ritual context?
It is a powerful and life affirming act. It can also help us draw wisdom and compassion from those life lessons.
This is a powerful form of alchemy and an act of magic that we perform to transform sadness into a creative force, and bring peace from chaos, to bring understanding and compassion from confusion and hurt.
If you have a feeling that such an act of closure is needed, then the time is now. There is even love among the ruins of what once was, and that is always left to the gleaners who know how to find value and nourishment in the parts that have been left behind.
And it is always the survivors who are the beneficiaries, although the ghosts will often take the ritual as their cue, and take their leave, finally breaking their earthly bonds and moving on. Ghosts are not just spirits of the dead who have not crossed over. Relationships and careers have ghosts too, and sometimes these cast long shadows, until our fires cast enough heat and light to burn them away.
For lack of this aspect of completion, a person could walk around feeling ill at ease in their own skin. Until they reconcile their feelings with what happened, they often may be out of sorts in their dealings with others who had nothing to do with the reason for their upset.
Of course, it is best if you can reach this closure with people in real life who were involved in the events or situation. That is often optimal.
However, sometimes, the person with whom you would like closure is dead, or lives far away, or for other reasons you choose not to contact them.
In that case, closure can be done ritually, through special ceremonies. In one case, I assisted a woman who needed to put to rest her grieving over a miscarriage that had happened a number of years earlier. After the ritual, she found peace with that issue for the first time in years.
In another case, a person needed to release a grievance over an injustice from years before. In another case, a person simply wanted a meaningful ritual to say farewell to a parent who died when they were not there.
I was also present one evening when a person performed a ritual act to signal closure to his old career.
When we do such things, we can experience a feeling of peace that we have acknowledged that a significant part of our life has ended and we say farewell to that as we prepare to begin our next chapter and set out on our next adventure.
Is there an area of your life that you feel needs closure? Have you ever thought about addressing that in a ritual context?
It is a powerful and life affirming act. It can also help us draw wisdom and compassion from those life lessons.
This is a powerful form of alchemy and an act of magic that we perform to transform sadness into a creative force, and bring peace from chaos, to bring understanding and compassion from confusion and hurt.
If you have a feeling that such an act of closure is needed, then the time is now. There is even love among the ruins of what once was, and that is always left to the gleaners who know how to find value and nourishment in the parts that have been left behind.
And it is always the survivors who are the beneficiaries, although the ghosts will often take the ritual as their cue, and take their leave, finally breaking their earthly bonds and moving on. Ghosts are not just spirits of the dead who have not crossed over. Relationships and careers have ghosts too, and sometimes these cast long shadows, until our fires cast enough heat and light to burn them away.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Priest and Priestess
In traditions where ceremonies and rituals are performed by a priest and priestess, there is a unique relationship that goes beyond the bounds of lovers or friends. The relationship begins as student and teacher, but then once the second person learns how to work together to perform their roles, the energies of the two people become very finely attuned at every level, to where they are able to tune into each other and read signals that are communicated psychically.
Although in older traditions, the two are often lovers, husband and wife, or a long term couple, the spiritual connection that is interwoven with it connects them in ways that even long time couples do not achieve, because these connections are formed through conscious effort and consistent practice.
Being part of such a practice opens doors of perception that allow us to appreciate life in subtle ways. Many of these are subtle and can only be known by those who practice.
Working together as priest and priestess, significant life passages are experienced through the container of ritual, allowing participants to process emotionally challenging situations with perspective, understanding and profound assimilation.
I am grateful for being part of such a priest and priestess tradition and for being blessed with incredible women as priestesses in my life, and know that this will always be part of my way, my path in life.
Although in older traditions, the two are often lovers, husband and wife, or a long term couple, the spiritual connection that is interwoven with it connects them in ways that even long time couples do not achieve, because these connections are formed through conscious effort and consistent practice.
Being part of such a practice opens doors of perception that allow us to appreciate life in subtle ways. Many of these are subtle and can only be known by those who practice.
Working together as priest and priestess, significant life passages are experienced through the container of ritual, allowing participants to process emotionally challenging situations with perspective, understanding and profound assimilation.
I am grateful for being part of such a priest and priestess tradition and for being blessed with incredible women as priestesses in my life, and know that this will always be part of my way, my path in life.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Is Your Mask and Costume Temporary or Permanent?
Right now, the weather feels perfect for the mood and the time. Leaves are turning colors, it has been a bit rainy and overcast. Samhain and the Day of the Dead are approaching, and our thoughts turn to wishing those who have crossed the veil a good journey into their next phase of life in the spirit world.
That task is one that feels so right to do. It is good to honor those whose company we have enjoyed in this life. It feels like something we need to do in order to move on and let them move on.
Of course, the mood is not all somber. There are fabulous parties where people create costumes and masks and enter into the altered state induced by the trance of the change in appearances. For that brief time at costume parties, we get to be someone else and see how it feels to view the world from a different perspective and have the world see us from a different perspective.
In these brief windows when we don masks and costumes, part of the persona that may be kept hidden much of the rest of the time, suddenly is brought out to play. There are dreams that lie dormant most of the time, when we want to be someone who lived in a different era, a different world, played a different role.
Sometimes, these expressions are nothing more than a flirtation with a fantasy, but then there are times when we can make these our reality.
If you can imagine a different life for yourself, that is the first step to realizing it. So is your mask and costume representing a temporary or a permanent change?
That task is one that feels so right to do. It is good to honor those whose company we have enjoyed in this life. It feels like something we need to do in order to move on and let them move on.
Of course, the mood is not all somber. There are fabulous parties where people create costumes and masks and enter into the altered state induced by the trance of the change in appearances. For that brief time at costume parties, we get to be someone else and see how it feels to view the world from a different perspective and have the world see us from a different perspective.
In these brief windows when we don masks and costumes, part of the persona that may be kept hidden much of the rest of the time, suddenly is brought out to play. There are dreams that lie dormant most of the time, when we want to be someone who lived in a different era, a different world, played a different role.
Sometimes, these expressions are nothing more than a flirtation with a fantasy, but then there are times when we can make these our reality.
If you can imagine a different life for yourself, that is the first step to realizing it. So is your mask and costume representing a temporary or a permanent change?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Constellations of Remembrance and Joy
Once again, we are on the threshhold of the fall, the autumn, the most deeply felt season.
We begin it by giving thanks for all that we have harvested this year. While for some of us, that may be crops or gardens that we grew that gave us wonderful gifts of flowers, herbs and vegetables, for others it may have been the gift of new friends, new jobs, a new place to live, the recovery of health, and new opportunities.
We are surrounded by the magic of seasonal change as we observe the leaves turning color, and those that don't have much color going from green to brown, trees being stripped of their foliage by the wind to reveal their bones, their skeletons, their stark outline against the sky.
Our journey continues as we honor those we knew who crossed the veil this year, savoring the powerful holidays of the Celtic Samhain (Halloween) and Dia de los Muertos (the Mexican Day of the Dead). These are always moving celebrations, as they should be. We celebrate birthdays, and we should take a day to remember those who have moved on to the next plane of existence, who were once an active and influential part of our life.
When we come to the civic holiday of Thanksgiving, it is really an extension of the celebration of gratitude we begin at the Autumn Equinox, which arrives tomorrow, along with a full moon. Both the seasonal holiday and the civic holiday are part of the same spiritual tide, that of remembrance and acknowledgement.
By the time of Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, we have moved past our mourning, our remembrance, humility and gratitude, and now we are in full blown celebration with many gatherings of friends, family, festive music, special foods and drinks, joking, storytelling, music and dance. And we celebrate the return of the light, the Sun, heralding the new year, the return of hope, the triumph of joy.
There is no constellation of special days of this magnitude anywhere else in our year. As we journey through it, let us be conscious of the ceremonies of thanks for the year past and omens of the planting the seeds of power for the year ahead.
The portrait of our human journey is now painted in saturated colors, and we are privileged to walk once more through this living gallery where the most fantastic images come to life, and we realize that they are us. We are both radiantly alive, sensitive and sensuous, rich with feelings, wisdom and whispered intimations of destiny. We are now in the sacred space where we look both forward, backward and become more centered in our present.
Greetings to autumn and the onset of winter! Light the fires to welcome them and ourselves, home.
We begin it by giving thanks for all that we have harvested this year. While for some of us, that may be crops or gardens that we grew that gave us wonderful gifts of flowers, herbs and vegetables, for others it may have been the gift of new friends, new jobs, a new place to live, the recovery of health, and new opportunities.
We are surrounded by the magic of seasonal change as we observe the leaves turning color, and those that don't have much color going from green to brown, trees being stripped of their foliage by the wind to reveal their bones, their skeletons, their stark outline against the sky.
Our journey continues as we honor those we knew who crossed the veil this year, savoring the powerful holidays of the Celtic Samhain (Halloween) and Dia de los Muertos (the Mexican Day of the Dead). These are always moving celebrations, as they should be. We celebrate birthdays, and we should take a day to remember those who have moved on to the next plane of existence, who were once an active and influential part of our life.
When we come to the civic holiday of Thanksgiving, it is really an extension of the celebration of gratitude we begin at the Autumn Equinox, which arrives tomorrow, along with a full moon. Both the seasonal holiday and the civic holiday are part of the same spiritual tide, that of remembrance and acknowledgement.
By the time of Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, we have moved past our mourning, our remembrance, humility and gratitude, and now we are in full blown celebration with many gatherings of friends, family, festive music, special foods and drinks, joking, storytelling, music and dance. And we celebrate the return of the light, the Sun, heralding the new year, the return of hope, the triumph of joy.
There is no constellation of special days of this magnitude anywhere else in our year. As we journey through it, let us be conscious of the ceremonies of thanks for the year past and omens of the planting the seeds of power for the year ahead.
The portrait of our human journey is now painted in saturated colors, and we are privileged to walk once more through this living gallery where the most fantastic images come to life, and we realize that they are us. We are both radiantly alive, sensitive and sensuous, rich with feelings, wisdom and whispered intimations of destiny. We are now in the sacred space where we look both forward, backward and become more centered in our present.
Greetings to autumn and the onset of winter! Light the fires to welcome them and ourselves, home.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
New Moon Energy
We are in a time of new moon energy, a time for beginning new projects, taking new initiatives. Look at what you want to create in your life and take action steps to bring it into reality now.
Feel the energy surging upward, onward, forward as the moon continues its path to fullness. We are on a path of fullness as well.
Consider the phases of your life already completed, and the possibilities still ahead. Can you see a pattern on how you have built your successes?
What we do in the next phase of our life is result of the movement of energy we facilitate now.
Feel your way toward what you want next in your life. Look inward and outward. Once you are able to visualize your goals more vividly, it is easier to move toward them and take the actions to make them real.
New moons are a perfect time to do this inner work and then let it project into outer work, outward actions. Set the energies in motion and then flow with them to fullness.
Feel the energy surging upward, onward, forward as the moon continues its path to fullness. We are on a path of fullness as well.
Consider the phases of your life already completed, and the possibilities still ahead. Can you see a pattern on how you have built your successes?
What we do in the next phase of our life is result of the movement of energy we facilitate now.
Feel your way toward what you want next in your life. Look inward and outward. Once you are able to visualize your goals more vividly, it is easier to move toward them and take the actions to make them real.
New moons are a perfect time to do this inner work and then let it project into outer work, outward actions. Set the energies in motion and then flow with them to fullness.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Magic of Magic
Most people are fascinated with magic, and one of the most interesting cards in the tarot deck is the Magician, because no other card has gone through such radical transformations between the original decks and the present time. There is a lot of substance here.
The earliest Magician cards depicted a juggler or a stage magician, in other words, an entertainer. A person who lives by his wits, using his slight of hand skills, tell jokes, dazzle audiences with optical illusions. This person is simply using his skills to make a living, using his wits to get by. Not necessarily a metaphysical or spiritual person. Early French cards were named the Bateleur. As a traveling entertainer, he would have more in common with a troubadour than an alchemist.
The Magician as we most commonly perceive him now dates back to the ceremonial magician popularized in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck, where we see a robed figure holding a wand, with the infinity symbol over his head, and on the table before him are the altar tools including the cup, pentacle and sword in addition to the wand he is holding aloft with one hand, while pointing to the ground with the other. His body language suggests the magical incantation, "As above, so below. As within, so without." The ceremonial magician of this tradition is more a descendant of the medieval alchemist or wizard than the entertainer.
A third depiction becoming more common on the Magician card is one that is a shaman, a primal magician dressed in animal skins, antlers, perhaps holding or playing a drum, perhaps with some herbs in the picture. This third type of magician is one who is an intermediary with the spirit world as well as being a ceremonialist.
In all three cases, the Magician can perform feats beyond his appearances. In all three guises, he can accomplish things that ordinary people cannot do. Of course, we can debate about what is ordinary and what abilities we all have. A person who desires to do so can be trained to be a stage magician or a ceremonial magician. Both require dedication and practice.
That is why one of the key words I always associate with the Magician is will. A magician, in any of these aspects, makes things happen.
The genius of this design is how it works in its radical evolution even though it appears to be so very different. In each case, we seek to connect with the supernatural, the realms beyond what we usually see. We want to be amazed. We want to know that life can be more.
This desire for more of life, our willingness to go to great lengths to affect change, is what makes the Magician such a powerful character. The Magician is one who uses his wits plus everything available to him to be able to travel back and forth between the worlds. Whether it is herbs, drums, masks, costumes, smoke and mirrors, decks of cards, mysterious potions, jeweled wands or bouncing balls, the Magician is the guardian at the gateway, the one with the key.
The earliest Magician cards depicted a juggler or a stage magician, in other words, an entertainer. A person who lives by his wits, using his slight of hand skills, tell jokes, dazzle audiences with optical illusions. This person is simply using his skills to make a living, using his wits to get by. Not necessarily a metaphysical or spiritual person. Early French cards were named the Bateleur. As a traveling entertainer, he would have more in common with a troubadour than an alchemist.
The Magician as we most commonly perceive him now dates back to the ceremonial magician popularized in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck, where we see a robed figure holding a wand, with the infinity symbol over his head, and on the table before him are the altar tools including the cup, pentacle and sword in addition to the wand he is holding aloft with one hand, while pointing to the ground with the other. His body language suggests the magical incantation, "As above, so below. As within, so without." The ceremonial magician of this tradition is more a descendant of the medieval alchemist or wizard than the entertainer.
A third depiction becoming more common on the Magician card is one that is a shaman, a primal magician dressed in animal skins, antlers, perhaps holding or playing a drum, perhaps with some herbs in the picture. This third type of magician is one who is an intermediary with the spirit world as well as being a ceremonialist.
In all three cases, the Magician can perform feats beyond his appearances. In all three guises, he can accomplish things that ordinary people cannot do. Of course, we can debate about what is ordinary and what abilities we all have. A person who desires to do so can be trained to be a stage magician or a ceremonial magician. Both require dedication and practice.
That is why one of the key words I always associate with the Magician is will. A magician, in any of these aspects, makes things happen.
The genius of this design is how it works in its radical evolution even though it appears to be so very different. In each case, we seek to connect with the supernatural, the realms beyond what we usually see. We want to be amazed. We want to know that life can be more.
This desire for more of life, our willingness to go to great lengths to affect change, is what makes the Magician such a powerful character. The Magician is one who uses his wits plus everything available to him to be able to travel back and forth between the worlds. Whether it is herbs, drums, masks, costumes, smoke and mirrors, decks of cards, mysterious potions, jeweled wands or bouncing balls, the Magician is the guardian at the gateway, the one with the key.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Merriment and Maypoles
May 1 is the day that Maypoles were erected in villages and fields and people danced around them, weaving brightly colored ribbons as they danced. The Celts named it Beltane after the god Bel. The Germans refer to the evening leading into it as Walpurgis Night, when witches would gather to welcome in the spring. All of the countries of Europe had similar traditions, with varying folk traditions, and names that reflect each culture.
The reason for these large phallic symbols was to bring joy and fertility to this year's crops. As a symbol for the fertilizing the earth, this was very public and festive and often times other ritual dances also celebrated the earth coming back to life and producing abundantly.
Some people would also have sex in the fields and gardens as a way of using sympathetic magic, their celebratory couplings infusing the fields with their pleasure, their energy and their hopes for a great year.
Given that we are not all farmers or gardeners, still there are seeds that we have planted in our lives this year that we want to grow. Those seeds could be the next stage of our career or job, they could be the seeds of the various relationships we are nurturing. They could be the seeds of success in all aspects of our lives.
Another old tradition is the jumping of the bonfire to signal the return of the heat and fertility into our lives.
Bringing fresh flowers into the house is a way of bringing in the spirit of spring. Flowers send their signal through the whole environment that the colorful fragrant bursting out of energy is all around us.
Although it is barely spring here in Colorado where we had snow this morning, and gardeners do not plant their outdoor gardens until after Mother's Day, when I was in Ireland several years ago at Beltane, the newspapers had photos and stories about welcoming in the first day of summer.
Beltane is the polar opposite of Samhain, or Halloween or Day of the Dead. it seems very fitting that ancient people had one major holiday signaling the beginning of summer dedicated to birth and rebirth, and another exactly six months later, signaling the beginning of winter, and honoring the dead.
In another symbology Beltane and Samhain can be seen as the yin and yang. The energies of the major seasonal shifts signal major shifts within people as well. If we attune our energies to growth right now, and we enjoy the bright colors and energies, we are priming the pump, and affirming that we will bring beautiful creations into being, beginning now.
Celebrate the season with positive thoughts and actions to expand upon our previous successes and build new beginnings where and how we choose.
The reason for these large phallic symbols was to bring joy and fertility to this year's crops. As a symbol for the fertilizing the earth, this was very public and festive and often times other ritual dances also celebrated the earth coming back to life and producing abundantly.
Some people would also have sex in the fields and gardens as a way of using sympathetic magic, their celebratory couplings infusing the fields with their pleasure, their energy and their hopes for a great year.
Given that we are not all farmers or gardeners, still there are seeds that we have planted in our lives this year that we want to grow. Those seeds could be the next stage of our career or job, they could be the seeds of the various relationships we are nurturing. They could be the seeds of success in all aspects of our lives.
Another old tradition is the jumping of the bonfire to signal the return of the heat and fertility into our lives.
Bringing fresh flowers into the house is a way of bringing in the spirit of spring. Flowers send their signal through the whole environment that the colorful fragrant bursting out of energy is all around us.
Although it is barely spring here in Colorado where we had snow this morning, and gardeners do not plant their outdoor gardens until after Mother's Day, when I was in Ireland several years ago at Beltane, the newspapers had photos and stories about welcoming in the first day of summer.
Beltane is the polar opposite of Samhain, or Halloween or Day of the Dead. it seems very fitting that ancient people had one major holiday signaling the beginning of summer dedicated to birth and rebirth, and another exactly six months later, signaling the beginning of winter, and honoring the dead.
In another symbology Beltane and Samhain can be seen as the yin and yang. The energies of the major seasonal shifts signal major shifts within people as well. If we attune our energies to growth right now, and we enjoy the bright colors and energies, we are priming the pump, and affirming that we will bring beautiful creations into being, beginning now.
Celebrate the season with positive thoughts and actions to expand upon our previous successes and build new beginnings where and how we choose.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Full Moon Reflections
Full moons have always held special significance to people because it is such an obvious sign of the cycles of nature, the cycles of life. It comes in a way that we can see with the naked eye and it comes frequently enough that we can remember the entire cycle and notice how it affects us.
By comparison, we sometimes have trouble remembering things that happened years ago. We have to stretch our minds to calculate what year that was we had the bigger than average snowfall, or the year that the drought was especially bad.
We sometimes forget when that was when we moved, if we have moved several times. We have to think hard to remember when we changed careers or jobs if we have done that several times.
So many things elude our easy recall. Not only that, but if we try to extract the important life lessons from many of our experiences and relationships, one memory always seems to lead to another, and we recall things in some seemingly random way.
Our lives often seem to be bursting at the seems with things to do, tasks to prioritize, things to sort out.
Then once a month, the night sky is lit, silently, sweetly, with the full moon that we watch steadily grow, then recede again, until it is hidden in the dark. Waxing, waning, presenting herself in her full glory, reminding us of the comings and goings of life, the things we have intended to do, and the things we have done, from month to month.
Her reminders are gentle. She simply appears and disappears, and we reflect on the natural beauty of the world we live in, both seen and unseen.
We are here for a while to shed our light. We share our selves and our time, for how ever many seasons and cycles we have. Our energy ebbs and flows, the seeds we plant, grow. Sweetness is more often quiet than loud. The light that glows from within is how. We see our way by feeling, with a universe of possibilities as never ending as the luminous night sky.
And the full moon visits us once a month, her mysteries in plain sight.
By comparison, we sometimes have trouble remembering things that happened years ago. We have to stretch our minds to calculate what year that was we had the bigger than average snowfall, or the year that the drought was especially bad.
We sometimes forget when that was when we moved, if we have moved several times. We have to think hard to remember when we changed careers or jobs if we have done that several times.
So many things elude our easy recall. Not only that, but if we try to extract the important life lessons from many of our experiences and relationships, one memory always seems to lead to another, and we recall things in some seemingly random way.
Our lives often seem to be bursting at the seems with things to do, tasks to prioritize, things to sort out.
Then once a month, the night sky is lit, silently, sweetly, with the full moon that we watch steadily grow, then recede again, until it is hidden in the dark. Waxing, waning, presenting herself in her full glory, reminding us of the comings and goings of life, the things we have intended to do, and the things we have done, from month to month.
Her reminders are gentle. She simply appears and disappears, and we reflect on the natural beauty of the world we live in, both seen and unseen.
We are here for a while to shed our light. We share our selves and our time, for how ever many seasons and cycles we have. Our energy ebbs and flows, the seeds we plant, grow. Sweetness is more often quiet than loud. The light that glows from within is how. We see our way by feeling, with a universe of possibilities as never ending as the luminous night sky.
And the full moon visits us once a month, her mysteries in plain sight.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Rituals, Resonance, Remembrance
We know what we know through our senses. One of the important reasons why we use stimulants to our senses of taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell during ritual is so that the experience stays with us.
Spiritual ceremonies always contain sensual elements. There may be frankincense, sandalwood, sage, juniper or some other aromatic herb that is burning. There are bells or gongs that are rung to signal the call to service. There are candles, bonfires or oil lamps.
There is a physical touch in the way of greeting or blessing. There is taste in the sharing of food or wine. There are symbolic signals such as special robes that ritual leaders wear. There are sprinklings of holy water.
All of these are about marking the occasion as a special event. Rituals containing these elements stay with us much more powerfully than rituals that are merely a lecture or sermon.
Ritual music that is moving, literally moves us to remember. Rituals that involve drums, tambourines, stomping, clapping, singing, dancing, large groups of harmonious voices, all serve to make the ritual an indelible event.
These elements are found in various combinations in spiritual ceremonies all around the world.
There is a similar reason why bells are rung in steeples, gongs are banged in temples, and shamanic practitioners wear little bells.
There is a similar reason why if we are not dancing around fires, candles or lamps are lit all around the church or temple.
There is a similar reason why a shaman may smudge, temples may light sandalwood incense and churches may walk around swinging a censor filled with burning frankincense and myrrh.
There is a similar reason why earthy religions cut loose with drums and dancing, churches have large choirs, temples have drums, movement and chanting and some churches contain elements percussion, dancing and singing.
There is a similar reason why one religion shares wine and hosts, another bread and wine, some earthy religions share rum, and some shamans use vodka.
We know what we know through our senses. Bringing sensory experiences into ritual makes them more real for us, more memorable, more powerful. That is why a refrain from a song or a whiff of incense can suddenly evoke a spiritual feeling or idea.
Whether you are celebrating some regularly occurring holy day or creating a special personal ritual, bring your senses to your ritual for a more powerful result.
Spiritual ceremonies always contain sensual elements. There may be frankincense, sandalwood, sage, juniper or some other aromatic herb that is burning. There are bells or gongs that are rung to signal the call to service. There are candles, bonfires or oil lamps.
There is a physical touch in the way of greeting or blessing. There is taste in the sharing of food or wine. There are symbolic signals such as special robes that ritual leaders wear. There are sprinklings of holy water.
All of these are about marking the occasion as a special event. Rituals containing these elements stay with us much more powerfully than rituals that are merely a lecture or sermon.
Ritual music that is moving, literally moves us to remember. Rituals that involve drums, tambourines, stomping, clapping, singing, dancing, large groups of harmonious voices, all serve to make the ritual an indelible event.
These elements are found in various combinations in spiritual ceremonies all around the world.
There is a similar reason why bells are rung in steeples, gongs are banged in temples, and shamanic practitioners wear little bells.
There is a similar reason why if we are not dancing around fires, candles or lamps are lit all around the church or temple.
There is a similar reason why a shaman may smudge, temples may light sandalwood incense and churches may walk around swinging a censor filled with burning frankincense and myrrh.
There is a similar reason why earthy religions cut loose with drums and dancing, churches have large choirs, temples have drums, movement and chanting and some churches contain elements percussion, dancing and singing.
There is a similar reason why one religion shares wine and hosts, another bread and wine, some earthy religions share rum, and some shamans use vodka.
We know what we know through our senses. Bringing sensory experiences into ritual makes them more real for us, more memorable, more powerful. That is why a refrain from a song or a whiff of incense can suddenly evoke a spiritual feeling or idea.
Whether you are celebrating some regularly occurring holy day or creating a special personal ritual, bring your senses to your ritual for a more powerful result.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Magic Mushroom Medicine
Chemist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD in 1938 but didn't take his first trip until he accidentally took a taste of it five years later, in 1943, opening a whole new era of drug research.
It should be noted that shamans all around the world had been using various hallucinogenic plants for healing purposes for millennia. But the discovery of LSD opened a new chapter on clinical research into hallucinogens. One of the first uses of it was to treat various forms of mental illness, including alcoholism. Then when the military and CIA discovered it, they tried using it in various covert experiments, which may or may not have been combined with psychic experiments, known as the MK Ultra Program. Whether or not one set of experiments led directly to another or whether they were tangential, there were subsequent experimental programs, including what is known today as Remote Viewing. Although the world had heard of Hofmann's research, the military experiments were not known to the public at that time. The linkage between hallucinogenic drugs and the expansion of the psyche have long been linked.
And then came another group of people who became very excited about the possibilities of hallucinogens. The exuberance of people some of those early researchers like Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later to become Ram Dass)was scorned by various regulators and by other people in academia. In this same time period came the books of Carlos Castaneda, who gave much of the American reading public their first exposure to the subject of shamanism and the use of various "plant allies." Hallucinogens became the recreational drugs of choice for a generation of young people, and given that, serious further research came to a halt for decades.
40 years later, things look different again. Today, researchers are excited about the possible uses of hallucinogens in treating depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. Johns Hopkins Medical School, University of Arizona, Harvard, New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles among others are now researching the usefulness of psilocybin, which is found in certain types of mushrooms, in treating these disorders.
These schools are using money from private non-profit foundations to fund the research. During the last 40 years the growth of hospice movement, the broad acceptance of meditation practices, and perhaps the growing success of the medical marijuana movement are all contributing to a more receptive environment to this type of research now.
How many times have we seen this pattern in history, when the first people to advocate a new concept are ridiculed, then later validated.
Several years ago, I was listening to an interview with another advocate for hallucinogens, Terence McKenna, who had gone in a bit different direction than Leary. In fact, you might say he sort of extended the early work, as one of the people who also championed traditional shamanic substances, such as ayahuasca, which has also become quite well known in the last couple of decades.
McKenna, who was a serious student of the subject, but also quite witty, answered the interviewer's question about the value of hallucinogens. I am paraphrasing from memory here. McKenna said, "We can talk about enlightenment for the next hundred years. We can put it on cereal boxes and milk cartons. But the only thing I know of that can make a person's consciousness stop and turn on a dime is a psilocybin mushroom."
Like marijuana, we appear to be approaching a time when hallucinogens will be seen not only as a recreational drug or a spiritual sacrament, but also as a powerful healing agent.
It should be noted that shamans all around the world had been using various hallucinogenic plants for healing purposes for millennia. But the discovery of LSD opened a new chapter on clinical research into hallucinogens. One of the first uses of it was to treat various forms of mental illness, including alcoholism. Then when the military and CIA discovered it, they tried using it in various covert experiments, which may or may not have been combined with psychic experiments, known as the MK Ultra Program. Whether or not one set of experiments led directly to another or whether they were tangential, there were subsequent experimental programs, including what is known today as Remote Viewing. Although the world had heard of Hofmann's research, the military experiments were not known to the public at that time. The linkage between hallucinogenic drugs and the expansion of the psyche have long been linked.
And then came another group of people who became very excited about the possibilities of hallucinogens. The exuberance of people some of those early researchers like Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later to become Ram Dass)was scorned by various regulators and by other people in academia. In this same time period came the books of Carlos Castaneda, who gave much of the American reading public their first exposure to the subject of shamanism and the use of various "plant allies." Hallucinogens became the recreational drugs of choice for a generation of young people, and given that, serious further research came to a halt for decades.
40 years later, things look different again. Today, researchers are excited about the possible uses of hallucinogens in treating depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. Johns Hopkins Medical School, University of Arizona, Harvard, New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles among others are now researching the usefulness of psilocybin, which is found in certain types of mushrooms, in treating these disorders.
These schools are using money from private non-profit foundations to fund the research. During the last 40 years the growth of hospice movement, the broad acceptance of meditation practices, and perhaps the growing success of the medical marijuana movement are all contributing to a more receptive environment to this type of research now.
How many times have we seen this pattern in history, when the first people to advocate a new concept are ridiculed, then later validated.
Several years ago, I was listening to an interview with another advocate for hallucinogens, Terence McKenna, who had gone in a bit different direction than Leary. In fact, you might say he sort of extended the early work, as one of the people who also championed traditional shamanic substances, such as ayahuasca, which has also become quite well known in the last couple of decades.
McKenna, who was a serious student of the subject, but also quite witty, answered the interviewer's question about the value of hallucinogens. I am paraphrasing from memory here. McKenna said, "We can talk about enlightenment for the next hundred years. We can put it on cereal boxes and milk cartons. But the only thing I know of that can make a person's consciousness stop and turn on a dime is a psilocybin mushroom."
Like marijuana, we appear to be approaching a time when hallucinogens will be seen not only as a recreational drug or a spiritual sacrament, but also as a powerful healing agent.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Powerful Placebos
Scientists have recently agreed that the placebo effect is real and powerful. For those of you who have not been waiting for scientific proof, another way to say this is that the mind is a powerful tool. Stimulation of the immune system and the release of hormones can be triggered by our thoughts and feelings.
Why else do you think that sometimes in double blind studies, people who got the placebo did just as well as those who got the "real" medicine?
I have always maintained that sometimes we do need drugs and surgery, but sometimes changing our mindset can heal a wound as well as solving a problem. Relief from pain, anxiety, depression and more can be stimulated by non-invasive techniques. Some of the simple things I have written about before, from music to art walks in nature to reiki to ritual can work wonders.
For many years, the placebo effect was referred to in a context that implied that it was all fake and that only a fool would be happy with a placebo. Interesting that the tables are turned now that scientists have researched and reached the conclusion that the placebo effect can be real.
I know that many people reading this are either healers of some sort or have called on healers for their services. The fact that people choose from this variety of alternative techniques without insurance reimbursement is testimony to their effectiveness.
Here's another point to consider. Sometimes being with a person who seems to really care how you are doing makes a difference. If you feel that the healer is genuine in their concern and their effort, you could start to feel better even before the treatment begins and when you continue with that person, your feelings continue to improve.
Another way of saying it? Love, in the humanitarian sense of compassion and kindness that comes through the healer, is itself part of the healing mechanism.
Example? If you have experienced reiki or another form of energy healing and had nothing more than a drink of water, you could come away feeling much better than you did before the session, yet when you analyze it, what was done? No medicine was ingested, not even a lotion rubbed on the body, nothing more than a simple laying on of hands while the energy flows, and yet, you feel better.
It is my experience that all of this type of healing, when a person is really engaged in the process, is heart energy that is moving and doing the healing work. Heart. This might perfectly fit the definition of placebo.
When a person is going through a significant life change, especially a really trying time, a ritual can also serve as a placebo. The mere fact that you and a facilitator take time out from your daily routine in order to focus on the negative energy and shift it, can lift your spirits and help you creatively embrace and transform the changes in your life. Another placebo to the rescue!
The other joy and beauty that provide a practical aspect: placebos are usually very affordable healing sessions. Whatever it takes to feel better is very much within your reach.
Why else do you think that sometimes in double blind studies, people who got the placebo did just as well as those who got the "real" medicine?
I have always maintained that sometimes we do need drugs and surgery, but sometimes changing our mindset can heal a wound as well as solving a problem. Relief from pain, anxiety, depression and more can be stimulated by non-invasive techniques. Some of the simple things I have written about before, from music to art walks in nature to reiki to ritual can work wonders.
For many years, the placebo effect was referred to in a context that implied that it was all fake and that only a fool would be happy with a placebo. Interesting that the tables are turned now that scientists have researched and reached the conclusion that the placebo effect can be real.
I know that many people reading this are either healers of some sort or have called on healers for their services. The fact that people choose from this variety of alternative techniques without insurance reimbursement is testimony to their effectiveness.
Here's another point to consider. Sometimes being with a person who seems to really care how you are doing makes a difference. If you feel that the healer is genuine in their concern and their effort, you could start to feel better even before the treatment begins and when you continue with that person, your feelings continue to improve.
Another way of saying it? Love, in the humanitarian sense of compassion and kindness that comes through the healer, is itself part of the healing mechanism.
Example? If you have experienced reiki or another form of energy healing and had nothing more than a drink of water, you could come away feeling much better than you did before the session, yet when you analyze it, what was done? No medicine was ingested, not even a lotion rubbed on the body, nothing more than a simple laying on of hands while the energy flows, and yet, you feel better.
It is my experience that all of this type of healing, when a person is really engaged in the process, is heart energy that is moving and doing the healing work. Heart. This might perfectly fit the definition of placebo.
When a person is going through a significant life change, especially a really trying time, a ritual can also serve as a placebo. The mere fact that you and a facilitator take time out from your daily routine in order to focus on the negative energy and shift it, can lift your spirits and help you creatively embrace and transform the changes in your life. Another placebo to the rescue!
The other joy and beauty that provide a practical aspect: placebos are usually very affordable healing sessions. Whatever it takes to feel better is very much within your reach.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Moons for Expansion
We are now in the three day window for celebrating the full moon known as the Storm Moon, which was named for the fitful way that winter begins its transition into spring. The month of February we are wrapping up tomorrow is a perfect example of this, weather whipping back and forth from sunny and clear and 50 to snow, ice and 8 degrees and back again a couple of times.
The energy is making the shift from one season to the next as it always does, but rarely does it simply make the transition in one smooth move. That which has been hibernating, cold and frozen is beginning to feel restless and moves to shake it off. And it will have to try this a few times more before rolling over into spring.
There may have been waves of change we have been feeling and now we may be embracing the changes to come and looking for ways to implement them.
Remember the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland? The Hare Moon doesn't follow just yet, but that fertility energy is all over the place. Enthusiastic and creative, rebounding from winter, picture what would happen if we take the restless energy of this moon and use it to create the next phase of our life.
Rabbits are known for their ravenous appetites, which produces numerous offspring. One of the habits of the mother rabbit is to place her litter in a bunch of different nests so that if a predator finds one them, they do not find all of them at the same time, thereby providing a way to assure that at least some of the offspring to survive.
How is it with your dreams of success, growth or career change? Have you put all your eggs in one basket, or have you sowed seeds in several places to see which ones will grow best? Have you sensed that the career path you have been on has run its course and that it is time for a change? Have you tried more than one way to realize your dreams? Have you even investigated the possibilities for creating your new future off the beaten path?
Spring Equinox, or Easter, which is really an old name for the fertility goddess known by the variant names of Ostara, Estara, or Ishtar, herald the awakening of our spring fertility and growth periods. No wonder that the rabbits have maintained their place in those Easter baskets, along with eggs, the symbol of fertility.
In the national cathedral of Brazil, in Brasilia, over the huge crucifix hanging from the ceiling, is a large stained glass window, in the shape of an egg. I asked the tour guide what that egg was doing there. She replied that it was there because it was the symbol of birth and rebirth.
Even the vegetarians can be happy with the chocolate eggs and rabbits, which still have the ancient symbols of fertility in one of the world's favorite flavors, which comes from a plant.
When you celebrate this Storm Moon, focus on harnessing the great awakening energies to nurture your dreams into realities, using this expansive energy to change your world and welcome in the arrival of the new season of your life.
The energy is making the shift from one season to the next as it always does, but rarely does it simply make the transition in one smooth move. That which has been hibernating, cold and frozen is beginning to feel restless and moves to shake it off. And it will have to try this a few times more before rolling over into spring.
There may have been waves of change we have been feeling and now we may be embracing the changes to come and looking for ways to implement them.
Remember the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland? The Hare Moon doesn't follow just yet, but that fertility energy is all over the place. Enthusiastic and creative, rebounding from winter, picture what would happen if we take the restless energy of this moon and use it to create the next phase of our life.
Rabbits are known for their ravenous appetites, which produces numerous offspring. One of the habits of the mother rabbit is to place her litter in a bunch of different nests so that if a predator finds one them, they do not find all of them at the same time, thereby providing a way to assure that at least some of the offspring to survive.
How is it with your dreams of success, growth or career change? Have you put all your eggs in one basket, or have you sowed seeds in several places to see which ones will grow best? Have you sensed that the career path you have been on has run its course and that it is time for a change? Have you tried more than one way to realize your dreams? Have you even investigated the possibilities for creating your new future off the beaten path?
Spring Equinox, or Easter, which is really an old name for the fertility goddess known by the variant names of Ostara, Estara, or Ishtar, herald the awakening of our spring fertility and growth periods. No wonder that the rabbits have maintained their place in those Easter baskets, along with eggs, the symbol of fertility.
In the national cathedral of Brazil, in Brasilia, over the huge crucifix hanging from the ceiling, is a large stained glass window, in the shape of an egg. I asked the tour guide what that egg was doing there. She replied that it was there because it was the symbol of birth and rebirth.
Even the vegetarians can be happy with the chocolate eggs and rabbits, which still have the ancient symbols of fertility in one of the world's favorite flavors, which comes from a plant.
When you celebrate this Storm Moon, focus on harnessing the great awakening energies to nurture your dreams into realities, using this expansive energy to change your world and welcome in the arrival of the new season of your life.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sweating It Out
I have in the past been in sweats myself, and no one got hurt, no one died. I have led sweats myself, and no one got hurt and no one died. I have also been to firewalks. I have walked on fire and saw many others do it without getting hurt or dying.
I used to lead drumming circles and there were always people who came because they liked the energy and the feel of the circles, but had no training or experience with percussion instruments and drums. And yet, eventually, they all participated.
In each case, I always gave people permission to quit if they did not feel like they could keep up with everyone else. It was always my experience that they would get some value out of it even if they had to withdraw and sit out for the balance of the event.
If they were in a sweat and they said they needed to get out, they were let out so they could get fresh air, water and something to eat. They would sit with the firekeepers. When people were at a firewalk and didn't feel ready to do it, they were encouraged to simply sit on the side and watch other people. There is a lesson for people in that way too.
Drumming circles posed no possibility of physical danger as did a sweat or firewalk, but it was my experience, and I led drumming circles for years, that if you let a person join in when they are ready to join in, or leave when they want to leave that they will get value from the experience, and in most cases, when they felt ready, their energy would blend into the circle beautifully.
I no longer facilitate such events simply because I am focused on other things now.
Tarot readings, tarot teaching and dealing in tarot decks is my public activity right now and that is very rewarding. The daily challenge I set for myself writing on this blog is another.
I do a lot of one-on-one coaching and consultations which I offer in a private setting, and you can read more about those on my website. Some people do great in big workshops and others flourish in the one-on-one environment.
The key to all of these personal development challenges is to know what it is you really want to do and to give yourself permission to quit if you feel that it is time to quit. Focus your attention on what it is you really feel most important to do.
Nobody needs to walk on fire, spend hours in a sweat, climb mountains, go on vision quests, fast in the wilderness, jump out of airplanes, deep sea dive, drink ayahuasca or eat mushrooms. These are all just tactics we use to break through limitations.
We have all kinds of challenges in life and our first task is to decide which ones we need to meet.
For some people letting go of their concerns about not having the most beautiful voice, or not knowing the finer points of music will allow them to listen to others, join in, let their energy flow, experience joy and visionary states. It was said by another drum master that a person who does not know how to drum is one who does not know how to listen.
When I used to teach creative writing, one of the comments I heard often from new students is that they did not know if they could write. But after I told them that they had permission to write whatever they wanted and not to censor themselves, suddenly those very same people were writing good stories. They just had to let themselves go.
For some people, decluttering their own home and office so that they only have what they really want and really use would be a far more cathartic and valuable experience than walking on fire or sitting in a sweat.
There are those who hold onto every souvenir, every scrap of paper, old magazines, old newspapers, clothing that they have not worn in years, equipment from sports they no longer play and will never play again, broken appliances, and other things they have never gotten around to fixing. A person in this situation is really needing some coaching and support in the art of letting go.
For some people, learning to let themselves experience the ecstasy of orgasm on a regular basis would be far more beneficial than walking on fire or sitting through a sweat.
Each of us has different challenges to sweat out. Which one is most important to tackle first? Choose. Now if you want help doing it, ask.
I used to lead drumming circles and there were always people who came because they liked the energy and the feel of the circles, but had no training or experience with percussion instruments and drums. And yet, eventually, they all participated.
In each case, I always gave people permission to quit if they did not feel like they could keep up with everyone else. It was always my experience that they would get some value out of it even if they had to withdraw and sit out for the balance of the event.
If they were in a sweat and they said they needed to get out, they were let out so they could get fresh air, water and something to eat. They would sit with the firekeepers. When people were at a firewalk and didn't feel ready to do it, they were encouraged to simply sit on the side and watch other people. There is a lesson for people in that way too.
Drumming circles posed no possibility of physical danger as did a sweat or firewalk, but it was my experience, and I led drumming circles for years, that if you let a person join in when they are ready to join in, or leave when they want to leave that they will get value from the experience, and in most cases, when they felt ready, their energy would blend into the circle beautifully.
I no longer facilitate such events simply because I am focused on other things now.
Tarot readings, tarot teaching and dealing in tarot decks is my public activity right now and that is very rewarding. The daily challenge I set for myself writing on this blog is another.
I do a lot of one-on-one coaching and consultations which I offer in a private setting, and you can read more about those on my website. Some people do great in big workshops and others flourish in the one-on-one environment.
The key to all of these personal development challenges is to know what it is you really want to do and to give yourself permission to quit if you feel that it is time to quit. Focus your attention on what it is you really feel most important to do.
Nobody needs to walk on fire, spend hours in a sweat, climb mountains, go on vision quests, fast in the wilderness, jump out of airplanes, deep sea dive, drink ayahuasca or eat mushrooms. These are all just tactics we use to break through limitations.
We have all kinds of challenges in life and our first task is to decide which ones we need to meet.
For some people letting go of their concerns about not having the most beautiful voice, or not knowing the finer points of music will allow them to listen to others, join in, let their energy flow, experience joy and visionary states. It was said by another drum master that a person who does not know how to drum is one who does not know how to listen.
When I used to teach creative writing, one of the comments I heard often from new students is that they did not know if they could write. But after I told them that they had permission to write whatever they wanted and not to censor themselves, suddenly those very same people were writing good stories. They just had to let themselves go.
For some people, decluttering their own home and office so that they only have what they really want and really use would be a far more cathartic and valuable experience than walking on fire or sitting in a sweat.
There are those who hold onto every souvenir, every scrap of paper, old magazines, old newspapers, clothing that they have not worn in years, equipment from sports they no longer play and will never play again, broken appliances, and other things they have never gotten around to fixing. A person in this situation is really needing some coaching and support in the art of letting go.
For some people, learning to let themselves experience the ecstasy of orgasm on a regular basis would be far more beneficial than walking on fire or sitting through a sweat.
Each of us has different challenges to sweat out. Which one is most important to tackle first? Choose. Now if you want help doing it, ask.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Primal Multi-tasking
It is interesting how we multi-task all day because there are so many things to do, and we have to pay attention to several things going on at once. Yet, when nature shifts her energies, it is easy to observe how we feel the surges of energy that come with spring, the anticipation of longer days and warming weather can stir us and shift our attention.
It is like the full moon nights, when people just feel like being still and gazing at her for a while. She calls to us, no matter what else we are doing. Our primal instinct draws our attention to the full moon because we have been watching the movements of the moon and the seasons ever since caveman days.
Although most of us have shifted our attention from being farmers or hunter/gatherers, when paying close attention to these things meant life or death to ways of earning a living that are disconnected from the natural cycles of things. Ye we still feel called to it, and that is why winter draws us in and spring brings us out. And the moon stirs our souls.
No matter how hi-tech we get and how much we multi-task, our primal instincts will always beckon, and nature always gives us the energy we need, whether we know enough to ask for it or not.
It is like the full moon nights, when people just feel like being still and gazing at her for a while. She calls to us, no matter what else we are doing. Our primal instinct draws our attention to the full moon because we have been watching the movements of the moon and the seasons ever since caveman days.
Although most of us have shifted our attention from being farmers or hunter/gatherers, when paying close attention to these things meant life or death to ways of earning a living that are disconnected from the natural cycles of things. Ye we still feel called to it, and that is why winter draws us in and spring brings us out. And the moon stirs our souls.
No matter how hi-tech we get and how much we multi-task, our primal instincts will always beckon, and nature always gives us the energy we need, whether we know enough to ask for it or not.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Heaven, Earth & In Between
Here is a story that you might find as fascinating as I do. Many of you might be surprised to learn that when Igor Stravinsky's ballet, The Rites of Spring premiered in Paris in May of 1913, it caused riots in the audience. Nijinsky's choreography, the costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich coupled with the primal tones and atypically heavy use of percussion and dissonance roused unusual passions in the classical audiences. There were catcalls, whistles, fistfights, people storming out of the theatre. Many people obviously were quite shocked and taken aback by this tour de force. How could all these intense feelings be stoked by a ballet?
The actual translation of the title Le sacre du printemps, Tableaux de la Russie païenne would be Sacred Spring, Pictures from Pagan Russia.
Rites of Spring has been performed many times since then, with different choreographers and conductors interpreting it, but no performance since the first has had the same impact. Many people have grown to love it as one of the great ballets and one of the most popular pieces of classical music.
The primal energies of the return of spring is part of our nature. How we celebrate it and mark the change of seasons will vary among people and cultures, but the calling is always there, with the genetic memories of our bodies.
Another story involving classical music caught my eye today. The Houston Symphony this past weekend performed Gustav Holst's The Planets while NASA film of the planets was shown.
What is amazing here is that this music came from the same time period as The Rites of Spring, at which there were still only seven known planets. Holst was inspired more by the ancient gods and goddesses the planets were named for than the actual planets in that he never had the ability to see them through the kinds of telescopes and cameras we have. He drew his inspiration from classical mythology, but remember, the planets were named for characters that people had strong feelings about. To name your heavenly bodies and the days of the week after these shows how much the stories of the myths were part of people's daily lives. Picture a world where a day every week was dedicated to Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn. It was a sense of perspective, of organization. The characters inspired people to name the biggest visions in the sky after them. It was this immenseness that Holst tried to capture in The Planets in this popular and evocative tone poem.
When you listen to the music, the majestic pulse and sense of melody actually creates seven different characters, seven different sonic portraits. When you look at space shots and listen to the music, see if you do not agree that he has captured the immensity and gravity of the scope of his subjects.
Remarkable how perceptive the human imagination is, and how powerful our creativity when we unleash it. Our relation to the energies of our world are quite amazingly reflected in these two works which manage to evoke deep feelings in listeners without any words. These potent non-verbal communications conjure up the mystery and awe of living on this planet. Appreciating being on this earth and looking out beyond it to try and see and comprehend what is there, these are lofty goals, and sometimes creative spirits are able to touch both heaven and earth and everything in between simultaneously.
The actual translation of the title Le sacre du printemps, Tableaux de la Russie païenne would be Sacred Spring, Pictures from Pagan Russia.
Rites of Spring has been performed many times since then, with different choreographers and conductors interpreting it, but no performance since the first has had the same impact. Many people have grown to love it as one of the great ballets and one of the most popular pieces of classical music.
The primal energies of the return of spring is part of our nature. How we celebrate it and mark the change of seasons will vary among people and cultures, but the calling is always there, with the genetic memories of our bodies.
Another story involving classical music caught my eye today. The Houston Symphony this past weekend performed Gustav Holst's The Planets while NASA film of the planets was shown.
What is amazing here is that this music came from the same time period as The Rites of Spring, at which there were still only seven known planets. Holst was inspired more by the ancient gods and goddesses the planets were named for than the actual planets in that he never had the ability to see them through the kinds of telescopes and cameras we have. He drew his inspiration from classical mythology, but remember, the planets were named for characters that people had strong feelings about. To name your heavenly bodies and the days of the week after these shows how much the stories of the myths were part of people's daily lives. Picture a world where a day every week was dedicated to Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn. It was a sense of perspective, of organization. The characters inspired people to name the biggest visions in the sky after them. It was this immenseness that Holst tried to capture in The Planets in this popular and evocative tone poem.
When you listen to the music, the majestic pulse and sense of melody actually creates seven different characters, seven different sonic portraits. When you look at space shots and listen to the music, see if you do not agree that he has captured the immensity and gravity of the scope of his subjects.
Remarkable how perceptive the human imagination is, and how powerful our creativity when we unleash it. Our relation to the energies of our world are quite amazingly reflected in these two works which manage to evoke deep feelings in listeners without any words. These potent non-verbal communications conjure up the mystery and awe of living on this planet. Appreciating being on this earth and looking out beyond it to try and see and comprehend what is there, these are lofty goals, and sometimes creative spirits are able to touch both heaven and earth and everything in between simultaneously.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Hail Spring Fever!
The idea of spring cleaning goes back to the ancient Romans. February was time for purification and cleansing. Time to clear out the clutter and debris and get ready for the new growth in spring, which naturally leads to the spring fertility rituals.
Centuries before there was a Valentine's Day, there was a Lupercalia, a very popular festival celebrated at mid February, featuring the return of the Horny Old Goat. Did he ever really go away?
It was a very bawdy, primal festival featuring lusty play and fetish toys such as little whips that were used to arouse erotic energies.
Yes, it was a randy celebration of the rites of spring that makes all the giving of greeting cards, chocolates and roses boring by comparison.
In short,the ancients cleared the way for a vigorous rebound of energy to shake off the lethargy that resulted from all the overabundance of food and drink during the Yule holidays, leaping into the new year with a wink and some lip-smacking lust.
Hail Spring Fever!
Centuries before there was a Valentine's Day, there was a Lupercalia, a very popular festival celebrated at mid February, featuring the return of the Horny Old Goat. Did he ever really go away?
It was a very bawdy, primal festival featuring lusty play and fetish toys such as little whips that were used to arouse erotic energies.
Yes, it was a randy celebration of the rites of spring that makes all the giving of greeting cards, chocolates and roses boring by comparison.
In short,the ancients cleared the way for a vigorous rebound of energy to shake off the lethargy that resulted from all the overabundance of food and drink during the Yule holidays, leaping into the new year with a wink and some lip-smacking lust.
Hail Spring Fever!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Horny Old Goat
This evening I stopped by the tasting room at Left Hand Brewery. There are other good local breweries in Colorado too, but Left Hand is on the way home from the grocery in the neighborhood where I live, and I had been wanting to do this for a while. Glad I did. They have a few flavors there that are not available in six packs, so I tried one of these, a Rye Bock. It was delicious and gave a pleasant buzz.
I like the idea of supporting a locally owned business that makes a good product and employs people right here. I like to buy locally produced fruits, vegetables, milk, beeswax, weed and honey too.
After a day's work, sometimes a good beer is the perfect thing. When I was growing up in Chicago, there had been a long history of independent breweries and beer gardens, but it changed when the last independent, Meister Brau, was bought by Miller. Miester Brau used to make a bock beer every spring, and traditionally, bock is only a spring beer. They had also created Lite Beer, which has been a big winner for Miller, although I think they quit making the bock beer years ago, or maybe I just haven't been living in parts of the country where they sell it.
Yes, I am enjoying the renaissance of microbreweries.
This may seem strange to you, but in old Europe, February 1 signaled the beginning of spring. Groundhog Day originated in Germany. The Celtic celebration of Imbolc also comes on this day. So here we are at the first day of spring, celebrating with a drink of bock beer. I still miss the daffodils that would always be in bloom by this date when I lived in Georgia. As a harbinger of spring, what could be better than a sun yellow flower with a sweet scent?
The legend on the Rye Bock bottle says that it was traditional for farmers to feed their goats rye in the spring to make them a little more randy. I didn't know they needed help with that. They say the Bavarians originated the idea of putting rye in beer along with the hops. How's this for a beer label? "Will our Rye Bock exacerbate your spring fever? Maybe not, but trying out old folklore never tasted so good."
Don't know about you, but this felt like a great way to welcome in spring, especially following this gorgeous full Wolf Moon. Here's to all you old goats and goatesses!
I like the idea of supporting a locally owned business that makes a good product and employs people right here. I like to buy locally produced fruits, vegetables, milk, beeswax, weed and honey too.
After a day's work, sometimes a good beer is the perfect thing. When I was growing up in Chicago, there had been a long history of independent breweries and beer gardens, but it changed when the last independent, Meister Brau, was bought by Miller. Miester Brau used to make a bock beer every spring, and traditionally, bock is only a spring beer. They had also created Lite Beer, which has been a big winner for Miller, although I think they quit making the bock beer years ago, or maybe I just haven't been living in parts of the country where they sell it.
Yes, I am enjoying the renaissance of microbreweries.
This may seem strange to you, but in old Europe, February 1 signaled the beginning of spring. Groundhog Day originated in Germany. The Celtic celebration of Imbolc also comes on this day. So here we are at the first day of spring, celebrating with a drink of bock beer. I still miss the daffodils that would always be in bloom by this date when I lived in Georgia. As a harbinger of spring, what could be better than a sun yellow flower with a sweet scent?
The legend on the Rye Bock bottle says that it was traditional for farmers to feed their goats rye in the spring to make them a little more randy. I didn't know they needed help with that. They say the Bavarians originated the idea of putting rye in beer along with the hops. How's this for a beer label? "Will our Rye Bock exacerbate your spring fever? Maybe not, but trying out old folklore never tasted so good."
Don't know about you, but this felt like a great way to welcome in spring, especially following this gorgeous full Wolf Moon. Here's to all you old goats and goatesses!
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