Aether
Air
Earth
Fire
9.07.2011
Goddesses of the Elements
This is the second series of images that I discovered in my dusty digital closet. The Elemental Goddess panels were created in 2004.
Goddess Creation Panels
Going thru my image closet... Came across some stuff from 2004 that I thought I would share. This is an early set of mandalas - a five part series of Goddess Creation panels.
Birthing the World of Forms
Birthing the World of Plants
Birthing the World of Animals
Birthing the World of Frequency Keepers
Birthing the World of Ancestors
7.23.2011
Everything is Energy, Everything is Power
The number one Cosmic Law is that everything is Energy, Everything is Power and all that exist in this world are made up of that Power. It comes in all forms, in plants and animals, in people you meet and people you work with, it can be people who irritate you and cause trouble in your world - it can be family, children, lovers, and it should always be first and foremost, yourself.
from Mary Pompeo' blog.
FEEL YOUR ETERNAL GOD PRESENCE RESTING IN YOUR HEART
LOOK AT EVERYONE YOU ENCOUNTER THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY AS A FORM OF GOD PLAYING WITH YOU
GIVE YOUR BLESSING TO EACH PERSON YOU MEET THROUGHOUT THE DAY
GIVE THAT BLESSING A FORM, A SMILE, A GREETING, A FEW EXTRA MINUTES OF YOUR TIME
NOTICE THAT LOVE AND FEAR CAN NOT LIVE IN YOUR HEART AT THE SAME TIME
ENJOY THIS FEELING
LOOK AT EVERYONE YOU ENCOUNTER THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY AS A FORM OF GOD PLAYING WITH YOU
GIVE YOUR BLESSING TO EACH PERSON YOU MEET THROUGHOUT THE DAY
GIVE THAT BLESSING A FORM, A SMILE, A GREETING, A FEW EXTRA MINUTES OF YOUR TIME
NOTICE THAT LOVE AND FEAR CAN NOT LIVE IN YOUR HEART AT THE SAME TIME
ENJOY THIS FEELING
from Mary Pompeo' blog.
6.23.2011
Wake from Your Worldly Sleep
The iris pond has flowered
Before the old temple;
I sell tea this evening
By the water's edge.
It is steeped in the cups
With the moon and stars;
Drink and wake forever
From your worldly sleep.
- Baisao (1675-1763)
Before the old temple;
I sell tea this evening
By the water's edge.
It is steeped in the cups
With the moon and stars;
Drink and wake forever
From your worldly sleep.
- Baisao (1675-1763)
Iris Plant Spirit Mandala
4.10.2011
The End of Suffering
May the sound of this bell penetrate deep into the cosmos
Even in the darkest spots living beings are able to hear it clearly
So that all suffering in them cease,
understanding comes to their heart
And they transcend the path of sorrow and death.
The universal dharma door is already open
The sound of the rising tide is heard clearly
The miracle happens
A beautiful child appears in the heart of the lotus flower
One single drop of this compassionate water is enough
to bring back the refreshing spring to our mountains and rivers.
Listening to the bell I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve
My mind calm, my body relaxed
A smile is born on my lips
Following the sound of the bell, my breath brings me back
to the safe island of mindfulness
In the garden of my heart,
the flowers of peace bloom beautifully.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
4.08.2011
The Greatest Wisdom
The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
-Siddhartha
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
-Siddhartha
3.29.2011
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
- Wendell Berry
via Poem Hunter
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
- Wendell Berry
via Poem Hunter
3.24.2011
"Three Seeds" - Another Take on the 5th Sun?
from Reality Sandwich:
Image by Niffty Neal Fowler
Once upon a time, the tribe of humanity embarked upon a long journey called Separation. It was not a blunder as some - seeing its ravages upon the planet - might think. Nor was it a fall, nor an expression of some innate evil peculiar to the human species.
It was a journey with a purpose: to experience the extremes of Separation, to develop the gifts that come in response to it, and to integrate all of that in a new age of Reunion.
But we knew at the outset that there was danger in this journey: that we might become lost in Separation and never come back. We might become so alienated from nature that we would destroy the very basis of life; we might become so separated from each other that our poor egos, left naked and terrified, would become incapable of rejoining the community of all being.
In other words, we foresaw the crisis we face today.
That is why, thousands of years ago, we planted three seeds that would sprout at the time that our journey of Separation reached its extreme. Three seeds, three transmissions from the past to the future, three ways of preserving and transmitting the truth of the world, the self, and how to be human.
Imagine you were alive thirty thousand years ago, and had a vision of all that was to come: symbolic language, naming and labeling the world; agriculture, the domestication of the wild, dominion over other species and the land; the Machine, the mastery of natural forces; the forgetting of how beautiful and perfect the world is; the atomization of society; a world where humans fear even to drink of the streams and rivers, where we live among strangers and don't know the people next door, where we kill across the planet with the touch of a button, where the seas turn black and the air burns our lungs, where we are so broken that we dare not remember that it isn't supposed to be this way.
Imagine you saw it all coming. How would you help people thirty thousand years thence? How would you send information, knowledge, aid over such a vast gulf of time? You see, this actually happened. That is how we came up with the three seeds.
Continue reading 'Three Seeds' here: http://www.realitysandwich.com/three_seeds
Image by Niffty Neal Fowler
Used courtesy of a Creative Commons license
Once upon a time, the tribe of humanity embarked upon a long journey called Separation. It was not a blunder as some - seeing its ravages upon the planet - might think. Nor was it a fall, nor an expression of some innate evil peculiar to the human species.
It was a journey with a purpose: to experience the extremes of Separation, to develop the gifts that come in response to it, and to integrate all of that in a new age of Reunion.
But we knew at the outset that there was danger in this journey: that we might become lost in Separation and never come back. We might become so alienated from nature that we would destroy the very basis of life; we might become so separated from each other that our poor egos, left naked and terrified, would become incapable of rejoining the community of all being.
In other words, we foresaw the crisis we face today.
That is why, thousands of years ago, we planted three seeds that would sprout at the time that our journey of Separation reached its extreme. Three seeds, three transmissions from the past to the future, three ways of preserving and transmitting the truth of the world, the self, and how to be human.
Imagine you were alive thirty thousand years ago, and had a vision of all that was to come: symbolic language, naming and labeling the world; agriculture, the domestication of the wild, dominion over other species and the land; the Machine, the mastery of natural forces; the forgetting of how beautiful and perfect the world is; the atomization of society; a world where humans fear even to drink of the streams and rivers, where we live among strangers and don't know the people next door, where we kill across the planet with the touch of a button, where the seas turn black and the air burns our lungs, where we are so broken that we dare not remember that it isn't supposed to be this way.
Imagine you saw it all coming. How would you help people thirty thousand years thence? How would you send information, knowledge, aid over such a vast gulf of time? You see, this actually happened. That is how we came up with the three seeds.
Continue reading 'Three Seeds' here: http://www.realitysandwich.com/three_seeds
3.06.2011
Nirvana in climate chaos and peak oil
February 28, 2011 By Andrew Durling
http://transitionvoice.com/2011/02/nirvana-in-climate-chaos-and-peak-oil/
How can Buddhism help us deal with fear and anxiety as we face of the converging issues of peak oil and climate change?
One way is to understand that the reality of climate change is inseparable from the actual, specific experiences of living beings here and now.
Climate change is not some external, impersonal phenomenon that exists separately from all other phenomena, and especially from people. It’s actually a dimension of our daily experience, an aspect of the suffering that is an inexorable part of our lives.
In recognizing that climate change is suffering, and that climate change is a pervasive and an increasingly pressing part of our lives, then we have to face up to it in the same way that we have to face up to that ultimate dimension of our suffering: our own death and the loss of all we are and have.
Death be not proud
Facing up to our own death is a good analogy for how we have to learn to face up to climate chaos.
Recognizing the reality of global warming and the horror and fear that it induces offers a moment of clarity. We can then use that clear-eyed recognition to strip away what is meaningless and trivial from our lives and re-focus on what will help us to move with a renewed sense of purpose, beyond the fear, to meaningful action.
So many people who find out that they have a terminal illness go on to fill what time they have left doing what they always really wanted but never got around to. Ironically, overcoming the often overly suppressed (but often mentally disruptive) fear of death can be the prelude to a more joyful and fulfilling life, as philosophers, psychologists and religious teachers have told us through the ages.
In the same way, helping ourselves and others to overcome the denial or suppression of the reality of climate change can help to create the motivation to engage in ways of living that are more fulfilling and creative than before.
http://transitionvoice.com/2011/02/nirvana-in-climate-chaos-and-peak-oil/
Medicine Wheel
How can Buddhism help us deal with fear and anxiety as we face of the converging issues of peak oil and climate change?
One way is to understand that the reality of climate change is inseparable from the actual, specific experiences of living beings here and now.
Climate change is not some external, impersonal phenomenon that exists separately from all other phenomena, and especially from people. It’s actually a dimension of our daily experience, an aspect of the suffering that is an inexorable part of our lives.
In recognizing that climate change is suffering, and that climate change is a pervasive and an increasingly pressing part of our lives, then we have to face up to it in the same way that we have to face up to that ultimate dimension of our suffering: our own death and the loss of all we are and have.
Death be not proud
Facing up to our own death is a good analogy for how we have to learn to face up to climate chaos.
Recognizing the reality of global warming and the horror and fear that it induces offers a moment of clarity. We can then use that clear-eyed recognition to strip away what is meaningless and trivial from our lives and re-focus on what will help us to move with a renewed sense of purpose, beyond the fear, to meaningful action.
So many people who find out that they have a terminal illness go on to fill what time they have left doing what they always really wanted but never got around to. Ironically, overcoming the often overly suppressed (but often mentally disruptive) fear of death can be the prelude to a more joyful and fulfilling life, as philosophers, psychologists and religious teachers have told us through the ages.
In the same way, helping ourselves and others to overcome the denial or suppression of the reality of climate change can help to create the motivation to engage in ways of living that are more fulfilling and creative than before.
2.03.2011
Buddhist Prayer for Peace
May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses — the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Repeat this prayer with offerings during this time when so many in our world are struggling to walk the path of freedom and leave the realms of suffering behind. May we embody Pure Land energies for the benefit of all sentient beings. May we serve those around us to the best of our ability with wisdom and with compassionate hearts.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses — the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Celestial Protectors
Repeat this prayer with offerings during this time when so many in our world are struggling to walk the path of freedom and leave the realms of suffering behind. May we embody Pure Land energies for the benefit of all sentient beings. May we serve those around us to the best of our ability with wisdom and with compassionate hearts.
12.26.2010
Solstice Skies
Lunar Eclipse in the Dark Rift
This eclipse occurring on the Winter Solstice is important in that it is one which is amplified by conjunction with the Galactic Core (Sagittarius A black hole) of our galaxy. As the Milky Way rotates over the year, it becomes aligned vertically across the plane of the Ecliptic and across our horizon. The Dark Rift dust clouds of the central galactic region now form a direct path connecting the earth realm with the realm of the ancestors - The Dark Road or the Royal Road of the Maya. They saw this configuration with the galactic band perpendicularly crossing the Ecliptic as "The Rising Up of the World Tree." Due to the coming end of the current 5000+ year long Long Count, the current alignment is a sign of the final calendar cycles leading up to 2012 transformations.
Nearby in the sky, the constellation of the Pleiades helps mark this period. The Pleiades is seen to be the fiery rattle of a great sky snake, here in combat with a owl protector. The snake and owl (or hawk) totem pair are key symbols for Mesoamerican cultures throughout Mexico & Central America.)
12.21.2010
Winter Solstice Full Moon Eclipse
This morning at 3:17AM EST was it --- the mid-point of a 70 minute Full Moon totality in the western skies. The night was cold and windy as we gathered around a fire pit. I placed tobacco, copal incense, and a dried brugmansia flower as offerings.
An offering prayer:
Accept these offerings as a sign of respect and in deepest gratitude. We honor you spirits of the Land and spirits of the Sky. We honor you Elementals of the East, the West, the South and the North; animal spirits, plant spirits, who walk amongst us to guide and protect. We honor you, ancestors and lineage masters who have walked the Path before us. We honor the Sun and the Moon. We especially honor you Panchamama - Earth Mother - for the abundance and grace with with you provide, for the life you give. May we renew our vows of respect and recall the sacred pact that we hold with you and all your children. May we recall our true spirit and walk in harmony and balance once more. May we walk the Beauty Way once more. May we walk in Beauty.
After returning to bed, I am visited by Mahalkala, my Heart Protector, who dances iridescent blue and in flaming red glory. I am honored by his visit and know that the solstice offerings have been accepted with joy.
An offering prayer:
Accept these offerings as a sign of respect and in deepest gratitude. We honor you spirits of the Land and spirits of the Sky. We honor you Elementals of the East, the West, the South and the North; animal spirits, plant spirits, who walk amongst us to guide and protect. We honor you, ancestors and lineage masters who have walked the Path before us. We honor the Sun and the Moon. We especially honor you Panchamama - Earth Mother - for the abundance and grace with with you provide, for the life you give. May we renew our vows of respect and recall the sacred pact that we hold with you and all your children. May we recall our true spirit and walk in harmony and balance once more. May we walk the Beauty Way once more. May we walk in Beauty.
After returning to bed, I am visited by Mahalkala, my Heart Protector, who dances iridescent blue and in flaming red glory. I am honored by his visit and know that the solstice offerings have been accepted with joy.
12.18.2010
12.15.2010
Rings in Sky Leave Alternate Visions of Universes
From NYTimes, Nov 30, 2010:
...Roger Penrose, the eminent British mathematician, is arguing that there is physical evidence that may predate the Big Bang. In a recent paper, he and his co-author, the physicist V. G. Gurzadyan, describe a pattern of concentric circles detected against the universal backdrop of cosmic microwave radiation generated by the Big Bang. These circles, they say, may be gravitational waves generated by collisions of superbig black holes before the Big Bang.
The two scientists go even further, claiming that the evidence also suggests that our universe may “be but one aeon in a (perhaps unending) succession of such aeons.” What we think of as our “universe” may simply be one link in a chain of universes, each beginning with a big bang and ending in a way that sends detectable gravitational waves into the next universe.
Read more...
...Roger Penrose, the eminent British mathematician, is arguing that there is physical evidence that may predate the Big Bang. In a recent paper, he and his co-author, the physicist V. G. Gurzadyan, describe a pattern of concentric circles detected against the universal backdrop of cosmic microwave radiation generated by the Big Bang. These circles, they say, may be gravitational waves generated by collisions of superbig black holes before the Big Bang.
The two scientists go even further, claiming that the evidence also suggests that our universe may “be but one aeon in a (perhaps unending) succession of such aeons.” What we think of as our “universe” may simply be one link in a chain of universes, each beginning with a big bang and ending in a way that sends detectable gravitational waves into the next universe.
Read more...
12.02.2010
Spirit Totem for My Birthday
In a recent journey, I was given an image to create as a totem for this emerging cycle in my life (or at least for the next few months of transition from fall into winter).
The image shows a Snowy Owl perched atop a blooming Prickly Pear Cactus. Owl is holding a Snake in its beak. Behind Owl, in the night sky can be seen the blue-white star field of the Pleiades. Some of the major stars of the cluster mark the head and the tail of the Rattlesnake (in Owl's mouth). In many Mayan dialects, the word for rattle and Pleiades is the same.
Below the Cactus is a pair of flaming antlers - a shamanic gateway and protective sign. On either side sits a pair of Smoking Mirror hieroglyphs (based upon the Aztec variant of this Meso-American symbol with the vision plume merging from the mouth of the skull). The mirror represents contemplation, the smoking mirror is that of journey and vision quest by the Mirror Lord.
Owl has come to me over the last few months introducing itself as a new companion and power animal to guide and watch over me in this next phase of my life.
Upon receiving this journey image and during creation of the actual digital image, I was struck by the similarities of the central totem (Owl, Snake, Cactus) with that of the Mexican flag (Eagle, Snake, Cactus) - itself originally based upon an Aztec hieroglyphic place sign for their capital city of Tenochtitlan (where Mexico City stands today). Legend has it their leader was informed in a dream by the god of war, Huitzilopochtli, that they were to settle in the place where they would find an eagle on a prickly pear cactus holding a serpent. The place where they saw this sight was quite inhospitable - a swampy area in the center of three lakes - on a small island in the Lake Texcoco. This is where they settled and built the great city of Tenochtitlan with its Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.
Sagittarian Vision Mirror Totem
The image shows a Snowy Owl perched atop a blooming Prickly Pear Cactus. Owl is holding a Snake in its beak. Behind Owl, in the night sky can be seen the blue-white star field of the Pleiades. Some of the major stars of the cluster mark the head and the tail of the Rattlesnake (in Owl's mouth). In many Mayan dialects, the word for rattle and Pleiades is the same.
Below the Cactus is a pair of flaming antlers - a shamanic gateway and protective sign. On either side sits a pair of Smoking Mirror hieroglyphs (based upon the Aztec variant of this Meso-American symbol with the vision plume merging from the mouth of the skull). The mirror represents contemplation, the smoking mirror is that of journey and vision quest by the Mirror Lord.
Owl has come to me over the last few months introducing itself as a new companion and power animal to guide and watch over me in this next phase of my life.
Upon receiving this journey image and during creation of the actual digital image, I was struck by the similarities of the central totem (Owl, Snake, Cactus) with that of the Mexican flag (Eagle, Snake, Cactus) - itself originally based upon an Aztec hieroglyphic place sign for their capital city of Tenochtitlan (where Mexico City stands today). Legend has it their leader was informed in a dream by the god of war, Huitzilopochtli, that they were to settle in the place where they would find an eagle on a prickly pear cactus holding a serpent. The place where they saw this sight was quite inhospitable - a swampy area in the center of three lakes - on a small island in the Lake Texcoco. This is where they settled and built the great city of Tenochtitlan with its Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.
11.15.2010
11.14.2010
A Murder of Crow
This weekend has been an "in your face" one in terms of signs and omens - crows showing up everywhere... I can't shake thinking about a "Murder of Crows" - "murder" being the medieval counting noun for a group of crows (a "flock" of crows being improper terminology). I wonder where that came from? From seeing a clutch of crows picking greedily away at carcasses of dead animals? From the cacophony of cawing coming from a bunch of crows hanging out together in some tall tree canopy?
The first crow made its presence unavoidable, insistent. There on the fence staring straight at me as I drove out of the supermarket parking lot. I thought of the Massive Attack song "Safe From Harm" whose lyrics seemed to capture the moment precisely: I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me to see me looking back at you.
The second occurrence today was equally notable. I was standing in the warm afternoon light when first one crow, then another, made their way noisily over my head and took perch high above in the almost bare fall branches of a large oak tree. Within moments a third crow came to perch and together they merrily squawked loudly back and forth. I got a strange sense that they had come to get my attention - and grab it they did - especially when the fourth crow showed up! Only this one was huge, twice as big as the others. One of the biggest crows I've ever seen.
So now I am left pondering what appears to be a clear message from my ancestor Shamanic spirits. "Wake up and pay attention!"? "We are watching over you!"?? or perhaps "Hey, what's up. Haven't heard from you in a while. We need to talk!"???
The first crow made its presence unavoidable, insistent. There on the fence staring straight at me as I drove out of the supermarket parking lot. I thought of the Massive Attack song "Safe From Harm" whose lyrics seemed to capture the moment precisely: I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me to see me looking back at you.
The second occurrence today was equally notable. I was standing in the warm afternoon light when first one crow, then another, made their way noisily over my head and took perch high above in the almost bare fall branches of a large oak tree. Within moments a third crow came to perch and together they merrily squawked loudly back and forth. I got a strange sense that they had come to get my attention - and grab it they did - especially when the fourth crow showed up! Only this one was huge, twice as big as the others. One of the biggest crows I've ever seen.
So now I am left pondering what appears to be a clear message from my ancestor Shamanic spirits. "Wake up and pay attention!"? "We are watching over you!"?? or perhaps "Hey, what's up. Haven't heard from you in a while. We need to talk!"???
Mount Shasta with Spirit Guardian
10.21.2010
The Red Road
From the Buddhist & Tibetan ALTERNATIVE SPIRITUAL SHAMANISM group page on Facebook. Posted by David Heckford on October 21, 2010.
Subject: The true meaning of the Red Road
This weekend I would like to talk about the red road that I’ve talked about so often I have had quite a few messages asking me what is this red road you refer to? Well first of all I would like to explain the Red Road is not a physical road, it is the path to inner self. The Red Road is a path given to the First Nations people by the Creator and assures all the best in life and the capacity to make dreams come true. It is more than a way to walk in life; it is a way to feel in life. To truly ‘walk’ the Red Road, one must understand its relationship with thought. The Red Road is about the fact that we are creators of the way we see the world, we are creators of our experiences, which we must understand or we risk letting negative experiences dictate the way our day, our week or entire life will be. To follow the Red Road, one must also have faith. Faith that it is always there no matter how far we stray or how much we may feel lost or alone. Teachings describe the Red Road and love as being the same thing. Meaning, it is a beautiful feeling that is free of judgment and any hostile or negative thoughts. The Red Road is a circle of people standing hand in hand, people in this world, people between people in the Spirit world, star people, animal people, stone people, river people, tree people…
Subject: The true meaning of the Red Road
This weekend I would like to talk about the red road that I’ve talked about so often I have had quite a few messages asking me what is this red road you refer to? Well first of all I would like to explain the Red Road is not a physical road, it is the path to inner self. The Red Road is a path given to the First Nations people by the Creator and assures all the best in life and the capacity to make dreams come true. It is more than a way to walk in life; it is a way to feel in life. To truly ‘walk’ the Red Road, one must understand its relationship with thought. The Red Road is about the fact that we are creators of the way we see the world, we are creators of our experiences, which we must understand or we risk letting negative experiences dictate the way our day, our week or entire life will be. To follow the Red Road, one must also have faith. Faith that it is always there no matter how far we stray or how much we may feel lost or alone. Teachings describe the Red Road and love as being the same thing. Meaning, it is a beautiful feeling that is free of judgment and any hostile or negative thoughts. The Red Road is a circle of people standing hand in hand, people in this world, people between people in the Spirit world, star people, animal people, stone people, river people, tree people…
9.28.2010
Fall Equinox - Conjunction of Moon, Jupiter, Uranus
With the Full Moon falling next to the Fall Equinox, I participated in an Ecstatic Body Posture journey circle. As part of the posture enactment, we held up a snake effigy in our left hand and a woven ring of Mugwort in our right. During the journey, a large Owl came to guide and protect me. For others in the circle, Kundalini snakes and oscillating energy played a prominent role.
I came across a photo of the Equinox midnight conjunction showing the moon rays and a brilliant Jupiter below. Reflecting upon this image, I felt the tug of the changing energies of the season working their way from Dreamtime into our time and place. A slow shifting from active summer growth to fulfillment and winter rest / hibernation. I decided to make an image to celebrate this moment.
The image (above) shows the conjunction with moon light radiating brilliantly. A lunar rainbow effect. The spirit owl circles overhead as the spirit snake reaches towards Jupiter. Owl is both wisdom and clarity of vision. Snake is the power of transformation. Just the traits each of us need now in these difficult times...
On either side of Snake are Mugwort offerings, their incense burning skyward. Throughout the world in many different cultures, Mugwort is (has been) recognized as a powerful dream medicine, bringing forth strong, lucid dreams. Mugwort stands as guardian of the gateway to Dreamtime, to our ancestors and spirit guides. Through its smoke or by drinking of Mugwort tea, that door can be opened wide. Collecting the leaves and flowers into a simple sachet for under the pillow provides a powerful effect on dreaming, as well.
Even though it is late in the year and not the prime time to harvest Mugwort, I selected a number of plants to process into tea leaves and smudge sticks (dream wands). Everything is drying right now...
Fall Equinox Dreams
I came across a photo of the Equinox midnight conjunction showing the moon rays and a brilliant Jupiter below. Reflecting upon this image, I felt the tug of the changing energies of the season working their way from Dreamtime into our time and place. A slow shifting from active summer growth to fulfillment and winter rest / hibernation. I decided to make an image to celebrate this moment.
The image (above) shows the conjunction with moon light radiating brilliantly. A lunar rainbow effect. The spirit owl circles overhead as the spirit snake reaches towards Jupiter. Owl is both wisdom and clarity of vision. Snake is the power of transformation. Just the traits each of us need now in these difficult times...
On either side of Snake are Mugwort offerings, their incense burning skyward. Throughout the world in many different cultures, Mugwort is (has been) recognized as a powerful dream medicine, bringing forth strong, lucid dreams. Mugwort stands as guardian of the gateway to Dreamtime, to our ancestors and spirit guides. Through its smoke or by drinking of Mugwort tea, that door can be opened wide. Collecting the leaves and flowers into a simple sachet for under the pillow provides a powerful effect on dreaming, as well.
Even though it is late in the year and not the prime time to harvest Mugwort, I selected a number of plants to process into tea leaves and smudge sticks (dream wands). Everything is drying right now...
9.27.2010
Plants are People, Too...
A very interesting article about plant communication within the plant community and with the environment at large (including insects and animals)... Find out why "Tree Spirit" is redundant and embodies an anthropocentric world view... And how our ancestors spoke with and learned from the plants around them thru chemical-induced synaesthesic imagination.
9.21.2010
9.10.2010
Plant Spirit Healing
This highly recommended book on plant spirit medicine is by Pam Montgomery. I read it last year and it changed my life.
A quote from her website:
The cover photo by Linda E. Law is of Lady’s Mantle. I sat with this image for the longest time wondering about the alien being that is so prominent. This being has a masculine quality to it and I was surprised to not see a more feminine being. Then in a flash I saw it wasn’t an alien after all but, instead, a wise old alchemist. I’ve started to call him Arturo and, of course, Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle’s latin name) would reveal such a being. You will find that each plant reveals different beings, some are sweet and others are almost disturbing, just like life. These most amazing photos give you a rare opportunity to delve into the essence of the plant.
- Pam Montgomery
A quote from her website:
The cover photo by Linda E. Law is of Lady’s Mantle. I sat with this image for the longest time wondering about the alien being that is so prominent. This being has a masculine quality to it and I was surprised to not see a more feminine being. Then in a flash I saw it wasn’t an alien after all but, instead, a wise old alchemist. I’ve started to call him Arturo and, of course, Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle’s latin name) would reveal such a being. You will find that each plant reveals different beings, some are sweet and others are almost disturbing, just like life. These most amazing photos give you a rare opportunity to delve into the essence of the plant.
- Pam Montgomery
9.02.2010
Power Totem in Memory of Herman
Herman, my loving cat friend, recent passed on under rather difficult and trying circumstances. I miss his company, seeing him stalking in the garden, petting him and hearing his contented purring. But I am catching glimpses of his spirit around the house and garden - a sudden black form moving by, seen out of the corner of my eye...
While performing healing ceremony for Herman, I came into contact with his guardian spirit - the Ocelot (who moved swiftly and silently through the jungle understory, a flashing of orange, yellow and black glimpsed behind the screening foliage.)
I decided to create this Power Totem to celebrate Herman's spirit, using the last photo I had of him from a few weeks back. During creation, I understood that I was to place three influential planetary energies arrayed in the sky: the Moon, Venus and Mercury. I placed him in a field of Nepita (Catmint), for obvious reasons.
While performing healing ceremony for Herman, I came into contact with his guardian spirit - the Ocelot (who moved swiftly and silently through the jungle understory, a flashing of orange, yellow and black glimpsed behind the screening foliage.)
I decided to create this Power Totem to celebrate Herman's spirit, using the last photo I had of him from a few weeks back. During creation, I understood that I was to place three influential planetary energies arrayed in the sky: the Moon, Venus and Mercury. I placed him in a field of Nepita (Catmint), for obvious reasons.
Power Totem in Honor of Herman
Custom Artwork Now Available - Spirit Mandala and Power Totem
I recently began to offer a new service: the creation of custom artwork for folks interested in having a personal shamanic image to view and contemplate. There are currently two formats of artwork available: the Spirit Mandala and the Power Totem.
The Spirit Mandala is a visual medicine wheel based upon journey work that I undertake to discover relevant plant and animal spirits associated with you. The various helping spirits and symbolic energies are composed according to directional aspects (5 directions) of their influence. Often, specific location information (setting) is also provided to me.
The Power Totem is a totemic image created based upon a set of plant and animal spirits which you provide me and includes a shamanic portrait image (of yourself) in the composition. Although I perform journeywork as well, the content of this Power Totem is driven by your current needs or desires (as indicated by your list of animals and plants).
Artwork is created in high resolution digitally, typically 300dpi at 2500 x 2500 pixels. Custom formats can be accommodated. I supply the image to you on CD in various sizes of .jpg and as a full resolution .tif, ready for printer output.
Upon special request, I can have the image output by my own art printer at whatever size you want. The image is then rolled into a mailing tube and sent to you to be framed locally. (Framing costs and tastes vary. Shipping framed artwork under glass is always expensive and risky, so I try to avoid that option whenever possible possible.) The image output would be charged at my cost plus shipping fees -> for example: $50 for a 24"x24" print on archival 11 mil poster paper with an estimated $10 insurance, shipping & handling fee for USPS First Class delivery. Other output options are available including canvas and vinyl, again at printer cost.
Please contact me to discuss creation of your own custom shamanic artwork. My creative fee is $250 per image.
I also look forward to hearing reports about your reaction to the art - from clients I have already created work for I find that, as always, shamanic work is surprisingly "in tune" while revealing new (deeper) vistas for you to explore in your own journeywork.
Other examples of these custom shamanic artworks are posted on this blog here and here.
The Spirit Mandala is a visual medicine wheel based upon journey work that I undertake to discover relevant plant and animal spirits associated with you. The various helping spirits and symbolic energies are composed according to directional aspects (5 directions) of their influence. Often, specific location information (setting) is also provided to me.
The Power Totem is a totemic image created based upon a set of plant and animal spirits which you provide me and includes a shamanic portrait image (of yourself) in the composition. Although I perform journeywork as well, the content of this Power Totem is driven by your current needs or desires (as indicated by your list of animals and plants).
Artwork is created in high resolution digitally, typically 300dpi at 2500 x 2500 pixels. Custom formats can be accommodated. I supply the image to you on CD in various sizes of .jpg and as a full resolution .tif, ready for printer output.
Upon special request, I can have the image output by my own art printer at whatever size you want. The image is then rolled into a mailing tube and sent to you to be framed locally. (Framing costs and tastes vary. Shipping framed artwork under glass is always expensive and risky, so I try to avoid that option whenever possible possible.) The image output would be charged at my cost plus shipping fees -> for example: $50 for a 24"x24" print on archival 11 mil poster paper with an estimated $10 insurance, shipping & handling fee for USPS First Class delivery. Other output options are available including canvas and vinyl, again at printer cost.
Please contact me to discuss creation of your own custom shamanic artwork. My creative fee is $250 per image.
I also look forward to hearing reports about your reaction to the art - from clients I have already created work for I find that, as always, shamanic work is surprisingly "in tune" while revealing new (deeper) vistas for you to explore in your own journeywork.
Spirit Mandala
Power Totem
Other examples of these custom shamanic artworks are posted on this blog here and here.
8.02.2010
Recommended Reading: Singing to the Plants
7.19.2010
Tara Mantra - Om Tara Tuttare Ture Soha
Skip to 1:40 to bypass intro... directly to start of chanting.
Here are two of my own Tara emanation images for your contemplation while listening to the chant.
1000 Taras
21 Taras
7.16.2010
Prayer for Protection and Guidance
Sky Protector
Namo Ratna Guru
You are the drum that ends the sleep of sentient beings.
You are the ambrosia that takes away the torment of suffering.
You are the moon that dispels the misery of the afflicting emotions.
You are the sun disk that dispels the darkness of ignorance.
You are the chief of physicians who dispels the sickness of the three poisons.
You are the supreme sword that cuts the bonds of samsara.
You are the vajra that destroys the confusion-wheel of self-grasping.
You are the weapon that cuts through wrong view and doubt.
- an excerpt from "Manifesting the Mystic Body" published in "Calling the Lama from Afar"
This Tibetan figure is Kalachrakra - Lord of Time - in a Yab-Yum pose with his consort (male/female energy in balance, the Union of Compassion and Wisdom Bliss). His many hands hold tools and instruments of protection, meditation, spiritual practice and offering. Upon reading the poem fragment, I immediately visualized this Protector image including Manjushri's flaming sword of Wisdom.
6.28.2010
6.21.2010
The Waters of the Gulf
Here are three images of healing and protecting deities: White Tara, Medicine Buddha and Mahakala. Each of these figures float above the Gulf. The cyclone clouds below represent multi-dimensional cleansing energies (not destructive energies as in a hurricane). Along with each figure appears a healing mantra to be recited while meditating on the desired purification of the waters. Please share and circulate these images and mantras.
Medicine Buddha
White Tara
Mahakala
Medicine Buddha
Om Bekandze Bekandze
Maha Bekandze
Radza Samudgate Soha
White Tara
Om Tara Tutara Ture Soha
Mahakala
Om Shri Ma Hakala Hung Phat
6.02.2010
Shamanic Mandala
I created this mandala for my shamanic friend, Kara, who writes the Conduit of Joy blog site. The overall composition of the animal guardians and guides, their projection upon constellations and their general locations were given to me during a recent journey.
The animal spirits include a panther, an owl, a raven, a lemur, an Egyptian scarab beetle and a lunar moth. Kara, as Durga, rides a lion of power and mastery.
I haven't a clue about how this all fits Kara or the moment of transition she is in, but I hope to find out more soon! I get the feeling that meditating on the locations (quadrant or compass direction) where the animal spirits reside in the mandala would help to reveal deeper significance. One thing that strikes me immediately is how many of the animals have "big eyes" - embodying / symbolizing night vision or acuity of vision?? I think this is certainly a clear message about her shamanic skills!
The animal spirits include a panther, an owl, a raven, a lemur, an Egyptian scarab beetle and a lunar moth. Kara, as Durga, rides a lion of power and mastery.
I haven't a clue about how this all fits Kara or the moment of transition she is in, but I hope to find out more soon! I get the feeling that meditating on the locations (quadrant or compass direction) where the animal spirits reside in the mandala would help to reveal deeper significance. One thing that strikes me immediately is how many of the animals have "big eyes" - embodying / symbolizing night vision or acuity of vision?? I think this is certainly a clear message about her shamanic skills!
6.01.2010
Tree Protector
Mahakala Tree Guardian
While journeying to meet with my guides, part of the discussion turned to the need for me to create a Tree Protector thangka, honoring and celebrating my deep connection with the tree spirits. I was shown the basic "layout"as a mandala and understood that Mahakala (The Great Dark One) would be the central deity. This did not particularly surprise me as Mahakala is my Heart Chakra protector, as well.
His powerful mantra is: OM SHRI MA HAKALA HUNG PHAT
I create several images to date using this basic theme - one belonging to the Jewel Tree series.
Jewel Tree of Mahakala
The Jewel Tree image also contains the Hummingbird - symbolic messenger between the our world and the spirit worlds of the Ancestors and Illuminated Ones. The flowers shown are Datura, a beautiful, yet dangerous visionary plant used by Native American shamen in the Southwest and in California.
Mahakala Mantra Chant
By Lama Karta5.19.2010
Ultimate Return
From the May 2010 Janosh Newsletter:
We are entering a time, when it’s important to stay close within ourselves. This is the warning received from my spiritual guide Saïe. The times are strange. Everything is accelerating. You probably realize that not only is time moving faster but creation as well. Therefore your creative strength is increasing, which means everything you broadcast becomes reality fast. Positive and well as negative. This is not only in your life, but on a larger scale too. Major events are taking place all over the world at an amazing rate. This means that a lot of people think that only darkness is in control over the world. That is incorrect. It’s only what we are shown through the media.
Read More... or View large image and original crop circle source.
We are entering a time, when it’s important to stay close within ourselves. This is the warning received from my spiritual guide Saïe. The times are strange. Everything is accelerating. You probably realize that not only is time moving faster but creation as well. Therefore your creative strength is increasing, which means everything you broadcast becomes reality fast. Positive and well as negative. This is not only in your life, but on a larger scale too. Major events are taking place all over the world at an amazing rate. This means that a lot of people think that only darkness is in control over the world. That is incorrect. It’s only what we are shown through the media.
The language of Atlantis
Don’t be afraid if you see that the chaos is increasing. Don’t judge in words of “good” or “bad”. Don’t let yourself be carried away in the river of fear. You can choose for liberation. Something, which can enable us to find peace and something to inspire our sub-consciousness, is the language of Atlantis. By this I mean the Sacred Geometry codes, which played a great part during this time. This is the language of our soul, the building blocks of our creation and you and are are geometry. The power of geometry can inspire us to re-find our inner strength. The frequency of the last code, Ultimate Return, can help you in your reverse strength to come back to the authentic you, before you were born, joined together with the strength and power of the insight of the Universe. We are on the way to deep routed awakening!
Ultimate Return
Read More... or View large image and original crop circle source.
5.18.2010
Jewel Tree of Prajnaparamita
The latest Jewel Tree mandala displays the infinite expansion of grace and compassion from the heart of Prajnaparamita, visualized as filling (being) each and every atom of spacetime in a crystaline matrix. The radiating network of emanations form the bejeweled fabric of Indra's Net.
From Wikipedia:
Buddhist concepts of interpenetration hold that all phenomena are intimately connected; Indra's net symbolizes a universe where infinitely repeated mutual relations exist between all members of the universe. [It's] a metaphor used to illustrate the concepts of emptiness, dependent origination and interpenetration.
Indra's net has a multifaceted jewel at each vertex, and each jewel is reflected in all of the other jewels.
"...Since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars in the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. [Looking] closely at [one jewel], we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that there is an infinite reflecting process occurring." - Francis Harold Cook
4.23.2010
Chords of Light
I received this newsletter and the image of the rainbow cords of light made me think of the Prajnaparamita visualization - or of the full Tara Jewel Tree visualization...
Receiving Assistance from the Star Elders and Pleiadians
March 18, 2010 - A Message received in the Palace Courtyard in Palenque
The following is the first message that we received in the sacred site of Palenque 3/18, 2010. You can find other messages our website at www.alunajoy.com under the link titled "articles". We are sharing this message here with you just as we received it, in present time, with very little editing. We do this for a very important reason. We know the messages that we receive are not just for our groups, but are for humanity. So as you read this, just imagine that you were there with us... the Masters and Star Elders assure me that the message and the corresponding energy will be transmitted to you. You might want to imagine that you are sitting with us in Palenque (you can use this PHOTO for visual help):
We were standing in a circle inside the palace courtyard of Palenque… this is what I saw…
I see chords of light radiating out of the heart centers of everybody in this circle (and those reading this) and merging into a large beam of light in the center. So these chords of light are connecting all of our hearts to this huge beam of light. When they let me look where this beam of light is going out to, I see that it is going to the Pleiades. I am receive a instant feeling back from this area of our galaxy… from the ones watching us here right now. It feels like a really deep sense of gratitude, an appreciation that we are here with this intent, an appreciation for our focus, and our heart's calling to be of service to the earth. It is clear to me that they are our family. I know a lot of you in this circle (and those reading this) already feel this, but I don't see a single thread coming from any heart that is not connected to this place in the sky that the Star Elders came from, the Pleiades.
The Star Elders and Pleiadians are sending us a feeling of thankfulness that we are here because it took courage for us to come here. This reality is dense, it operates in linear time and has gravity. This world we live in is operating from a geometry, chemistry, and laws of nature that is not natural to who we originally are. This is why, even from a young age, we felt a little different from everybody else. We felt like our family was not our family. We felt like outsiders, because we actually are. We came here to anchor our beautiful energy to the Earth. Many of our ancestors had to leave because it was too dangerous for them to stay here. When this happened nearly all the rest of us went to sleep for awhile because it was too dangerous for us to stay awake. But there were little alarm clocks that began to go off, and with each alarm clock that went off, you began to remember again that you felt out of place, that you didn't belong here, that you were from somewhere else, and it made you start searching. These feeling taught you to be compassionate to people that didn't have the same opportunities as you, that had less than you, that felt like outsiders in other ways.
So our alarm clocks are going off in us, because it is safe for us to be here now. It is safe for us to have the knowledge and the wisdom that we went to sleep to protect. It is safe for us to be here, because the world is ready for what we have to offer. The collective consciousness is ready to wake up and to move into a new reality. There is enough awakening people now on Earth to create a tsunami that can't be stopped. It is a process that is already on its way.
The Star Elders and Pleiadians say that we stayed behind because we were the ones that had the most courage. We forgot how challenging day to day in 3D world could be, but yet we are still here. We are still standing up, we are still walking, we are still traveling, we are still talking, we are still writing, we are still doing our art, we are still doing our music, we are still finding ways to express what is deep in our hearts, and the world is ready for it now.
Excerpt from enewsletter by Aluna Joy. To read this mnewsletter in full, go to: http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/news04-2010-2.html
Copyright Aluna Joy - aluna@alunajoy.com - website: www.AlunaJoy.com
Receiving Assistance from the Star Elders and Pleiadians
March 18, 2010 - A Message received in the Palace Courtyard in Palenque
The following is the first message that we received in the sacred site of Palenque 3/18, 2010. You can find other messages our website at www.alunajoy.com under the link titled "articles". We are sharing this message here with you just as we received it, in present time, with very little editing. We do this for a very important reason. We know the messages that we receive are not just for our groups, but are for humanity. So as you read this, just imagine that you were there with us... the Masters and Star Elders assure me that the message and the corresponding energy will be transmitted to you. You might want to imagine that you are sitting with us in Palenque (you can use this PHOTO for visual help):
We were standing in a circle inside the palace courtyard of Palenque… this is what I saw…
I see chords of light radiating out of the heart centers of everybody in this circle (and those reading this) and merging into a large beam of light in the center. So these chords of light are connecting all of our hearts to this huge beam of light. When they let me look where this beam of light is going out to, I see that it is going to the Pleiades. I am receive a instant feeling back from this area of our galaxy… from the ones watching us here right now. It feels like a really deep sense of gratitude, an appreciation that we are here with this intent, an appreciation for our focus, and our heart's calling to be of service to the earth. It is clear to me that they are our family. I know a lot of you in this circle (and those reading this) already feel this, but I don't see a single thread coming from any heart that is not connected to this place in the sky that the Star Elders came from, the Pleiades.
The Star Elders and Pleiadians are sending us a feeling of thankfulness that we are here because it took courage for us to come here. This reality is dense, it operates in linear time and has gravity. This world we live in is operating from a geometry, chemistry, and laws of nature that is not natural to who we originally are. This is why, even from a young age, we felt a little different from everybody else. We felt like our family was not our family. We felt like outsiders, because we actually are. We came here to anchor our beautiful energy to the Earth. Many of our ancestors had to leave because it was too dangerous for them to stay here. When this happened nearly all the rest of us went to sleep for awhile because it was too dangerous for us to stay awake. But there were little alarm clocks that began to go off, and with each alarm clock that went off, you began to remember again that you felt out of place, that you didn't belong here, that you were from somewhere else, and it made you start searching. These feeling taught you to be compassionate to people that didn't have the same opportunities as you, that had less than you, that felt like outsiders in other ways.
So our alarm clocks are going off in us, because it is safe for us to be here now. It is safe for us to have the knowledge and the wisdom that we went to sleep to protect. It is safe for us to be here, because the world is ready for what we have to offer. The collective consciousness is ready to wake up and to move into a new reality. There is enough awakening people now on Earth to create a tsunami that can't be stopped. It is a process that is already on its way.
The Star Elders and Pleiadians say that we stayed behind because we were the ones that had the most courage. We forgot how challenging day to day in 3D world could be, but yet we are still here. We are still standing up, we are still walking, we are still traveling, we are still talking, we are still writing, we are still doing our art, we are still doing our music, we are still finding ways to express what is deep in our hearts, and the world is ready for it now.
Excerpt from enewsletter by Aluna Joy. To read this mnewsletter in full, go to: http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/news04-2010-2.html
Copyright Aluna Joy - aluna@alunajoy.com - website: www.AlunaJoy.com
4.07.2010
Bird Omens
I felt in need of reassurances. Guidance... "What about giving me some unmistakable signs?" So I asked the other day during my meditation...
I subsequently received these signs on two separate days - each occurred on "opposite sides" of the Spring Equinox:
1) Looking out across the Hudson River to the Palisades and I see a huge white owl (with white and black checked marking on wings) fly right past me and into the woods - I duck instinctively from the flash of white in my peripheral vision... What was a normally nocturnal owl doing in mid-morning flying like that? Then, a few moments later, overhead I caught sight of 2 circling Red Tail Hawks high above the trees. Did these hawks flush out the owl - trying to protect its nest form predators? Or was it simply "coincidence"?
2) At a client's property, looking at all of his downed trees - Spruce and Pine - down from the wind storms of a week previous...
Overhead I catch sight of a huge hawk circling high in the thermals. As it sinks closer I see two other smaller birds flying around it. At first I think these are birds trying to "scare off" or "fight off" the hawk. Then, I realize that as the large hawk slowly drifts eastward towards the reservoir on the thermals, the other 2 birds are circling with it, playing along in the currents. These must be yearlings following the mother hawk in her sky drifting lessons!
--
A few nights later I had a dream with a Red Tail Hawk which took up residence (unexpectedly) under the eaves at the front of my dream house. Now, to figure out what this all means...
3.31.2010
Equinox Sky Show
This Spring Equinox brought an unusually close conjunction of the Crescent Moon with the Pleiades. Just before the Equinox near the time of the new moon, I journeyed to contact the spirit of the Gila Monster - which had shown up in an earlier journey undertaken for me by Kara, the shamanic practitioner who writes the Conduit of Joy blog. I decided that I needed to get to know this new spirit animal better...
During the journey, the Gila imparted various pieces of knowledge to me concerning its powers and strengths: it waits out the noon day heat calmly, underground hidden in cool darkness, emerging to occasionally feed. Here, Gila embodies energy of the underworld. Unlike other lizards, it does not "drop its tail" to escape danger. Gila embodies strength, courage, fearlessness, yet being almost invisible - all traits which have made it a symbol and intimate of the shamanic for many Native peoples.
Gila is closely related to another lizard found in Huichol territories, known as Eemuukwee, which is believed to be endowed with magical healing powers. A piece of this reptile's tail is often seen in a Shaman's medicine basket.
Also related to Gila (as a patron spirit) is the Navajo "Hand Trembling" practice. Individuals become Hand Tremblers by way of a calling: a person may spontaneously enter an alternate reality state and exhibit characteristic trembling during a healing ceremony - thus being recognized as having the gift of divinatory sight, seeing both the cause and the cure (herbal and/or ceremonial) for a patient's disease. The hand-trembler may also draw images on the floor to produce a diagnostic image.
Gila's patterned back is jewel-like, a map of the cosmos? A map of Dreamtime spirit worlds? Could this be where the Huichol's found inspiration for their beaded visionary art?
But Gila seemed to have a real sense of humor - as it informed me that I should not be too surprised to see it show up in my totem since the Southwest U.S. - an area with which I have deep shamanic ancestral connections - is also known as the "Land of the Gilas." The Gila said jokingly, "Gilas Land... Gilliland, Get it?" Chuckling at the cosmic humor.
I created a sky protector piece to commemorate the events of this year's Spring Equinox, especially the visitation by Gila.
During the journey, the Gila imparted various pieces of knowledge to me concerning its powers and strengths: it waits out the noon day heat calmly, underground hidden in cool darkness, emerging to occasionally feed. Here, Gila embodies energy of the underworld. Unlike other lizards, it does not "drop its tail" to escape danger. Gila embodies strength, courage, fearlessness, yet being almost invisible - all traits which have made it a symbol and intimate of the shamanic for many Native peoples.
Gila is closely related to another lizard found in Huichol territories, known as Eemuukwee, which is believed to be endowed with magical healing powers. A piece of this reptile's tail is often seen in a Shaman's medicine basket.
Also related to Gila (as a patron spirit) is the Navajo "Hand Trembling" practice. Individuals become Hand Tremblers by way of a calling: a person may spontaneously enter an alternate reality state and exhibit characteristic trembling during a healing ceremony - thus being recognized as having the gift of divinatory sight, seeing both the cause and the cure (herbal and/or ceremonial) for a patient's disease. The hand-trembler may also draw images on the floor to produce a diagnostic image.
Gila's patterned back is jewel-like, a map of the cosmos? A map of Dreamtime spirit worlds? Could this be where the Huichol's found inspiration for their beaded visionary art?
But Gila seemed to have a real sense of humor - as it informed me that I should not be too surprised to see it show up in my totem since the Southwest U.S. - an area with which I have deep shamanic ancestral connections - is also known as the "Land of the Gilas." The Gila said jokingly, "Gilas Land... Gilliland, Get it?" Chuckling at the cosmic humor.
I created a sky protector piece to commemorate the events of this year's Spring Equinox, especially the visitation by Gila.
3.11.2010
Two journeys - one to GIla Monster and one that began with Sasquatch (Yeti)
The Gila journey I will write about later. The second journey revealed that the Sasquatch was a costume worn by my "root" Siberian shaman ancestor. He told me that this was one of his ritual outfits - it's really a skin and mask that is worn as a body suit.
Beyond the basic information about what Sasquatch represents energetically (etc.) , the shaman informed me that he was time traveling to me from his time in the remote past. He was reaching out (forward) o me as part og his normal shamanic process of "remote viewing" - except that he was reaching out to let me know that he had been building this timeline - the future that I inhabit - from his dreamspace. He said that he was drawing the future out from the possible timelines and focusing on creating a specific spacetime possibility. That he was reaching out to me to let me know that he was me and that "we" are Time Lords in the strictest shamanic sense - that we must build futures which embody our dream, desires, intents, morals, vision, etc etc. So he's there to guide and support me as I begin to help build the time line from this point / peerspective...
Meanwhile, I have been involved in a project dealing with Bhutan. I have always been attracted to Bhutan since I saw an image of the mysterious temple (monastery) clinging to the sides of a cliff high in the clouded mountains. I know that I lived there many times as a monk and as head lama in previous lifetimes. During research for this project, I discovered (recalled) that Bhutan has a national myth about YETI (Sasquatch). As a kid, I used to collect triangular Bhutanese stamps with this Yeti image.
Beyond the basic information about what Sasquatch represents energetically (etc.) , the shaman informed me that he was time traveling to me from his time in the remote past. He was reaching out (forward) o me as part og his normal shamanic process of "remote viewing" - except that he was reaching out to let me know that he had been building this timeline - the future that I inhabit - from his dreamspace. He said that he was drawing the future out from the possible timelines and focusing on creating a specific spacetime possibility. That he was reaching out to me to let me know that he was me and that "we" are Time Lords in the strictest shamanic sense - that we must build futures which embody our dream, desires, intents, morals, vision, etc etc. So he's there to guide and support me as I begin to help build the time line from this point / peerspective...
Meanwhile, I have been involved in a project dealing with Bhutan. I have always been attracted to Bhutan since I saw an image of the mysterious temple (monastery) clinging to the sides of a cliff high in the clouded mountains. I know that I lived there many times as a monk and as head lama in previous lifetimes. During research for this project, I discovered (recalled) that Bhutan has a national myth about YETI (Sasquatch). As a kid, I used to collect triangular Bhutanese stamps with this Yeti image.
Who knew? From further research online:
Among the most famous of "hairy hominids" is the Yeti, said to inhabit the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. Actually there are three creatures referred to as the yeti. The Meh-teh is a man-sized ape-like creature with thick reddish-brown to black fur, a conical head, and long arms which reach almost to its knees. It always walks on two legs. The Dzu-teh is a large bear-like creature, usually seen walking on four legs but occasionally on two. It leaves behind clawed footprints. Locals say it raids livestock holdings. It is very likely to be some kind of bear. The Teh-lma is another ape-like creature, smaller than the Meh-teh. The Teh-lma is about three to four feet tall with a pointed head and reddish fur. They appear to subsist on frogs.
3.10.2010
Wheel of Life - Bhutan Dreaming
The design is based upon the Wheel of Life thangka format. Many of the source images are from Bhutan. It is a commission for a teaching image - didactic in intent - concerning sustainable living. The assignment was to put such "modern" information into a framework (design) that would be easily recognized and read by a typical Bhutanese viewer.
The parts of the Wheel are are follows:
The inner circle shows the cock, the snake and the wild boar symbols - symbols of lust, bodily needs, ego. The inner ring shows "good karma" and "bad karma" effects - with the good karma leading to eventual Buddhahood.
The middle ring (consisting of 6 large slices) traditionally shows scenes for the 6 realms. In this case, I have shown realms relating to ecological living: green sustainability vs. out-of-control development & resulting pollution. Starting at the top running counter clockwise: a view of Bhutan today with mountains and lake; the landscape with sustainable energy (windmills and solar arrays); a waterfall and pristine glacial river with prayer flags; mountain poppies in a meadow; a view of lake/river pollution and uncontrolled discharge; a view of air pollution from factories and burning forests.
Around the Wheel's outer ring is Yama - Lord of Death / Karma.
I also placed some local fauna (birds and leopard) around the outside along with a traditional offering symbol.
So, this is my first attempt at creating a didactic visual that can be used to tell a specific story (contrasting two possible approaches / outcomes -> sustainable vs. current madness). Which path will Bhutan take into their future?
They talk of GNH - Gross National Happiness, so I imagine they will maintain the beauty of their land and the stewardship of it by continuing in a sustainable approach to living.
The parts of the Wheel are are follows:
The inner circle shows the cock, the snake and the wild boar symbols - symbols of lust, bodily needs, ego. The inner ring shows "good karma" and "bad karma" effects - with the good karma leading to eventual Buddhahood.
The middle ring (consisting of 6 large slices) traditionally shows scenes for the 6 realms. In this case, I have shown realms relating to ecological living: green sustainability vs. out-of-control development & resulting pollution. Starting at the top running counter clockwise: a view of Bhutan today with mountains and lake; the landscape with sustainable energy (windmills and solar arrays); a waterfall and pristine glacial river with prayer flags; mountain poppies in a meadow; a view of lake/river pollution and uncontrolled discharge; a view of air pollution from factories and burning forests.
Around the Wheel's outer ring is Yama - Lord of Death / Karma.
I also placed some local fauna (birds and leopard) around the outside along with a traditional offering symbol.
So, this is my first attempt at creating a didactic visual that can be used to tell a specific story (contrasting two possible approaches / outcomes -> sustainable vs. current madness). Which path will Bhutan take into their future?
They talk of GNH - Gross National Happiness, so I imagine they will maintain the beauty of their land and the stewardship of it by continuing in a sustainable approach to living.
3.06.2010
Dream of Bhutan
It's been my dream for years to visit the high mountains of Bhutan and witness the mysterious dances of the Black Hats.
1.14.2010
Jewel Tree Visualizations
New work for the New Year - a series based upon the Jewel Tree visualization practice outlined in "The Jewel Tree of Tibet: The Enlightenment Engine of Tibetan Buddhism" by Robert Thurman.
If you are interested in the book "The Jewel Tree of Tibet: The Enlightenment Engine of Tibetan Buddhism" by Robert Thurman - which I highly recommend, here is a link to it on Amazon.
Bodhisattva Jewel Tree
Tara Jewel Tree
Kalachakra Jewel Tree
If you are interested in the book "The Jewel Tree of Tibet: The Enlightenment Engine of Tibetan Buddhism" by Robert Thurman - which I highly recommend, here is a link to it on Amazon.
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