Do Trees Communicate?

Watch this fascinating video.

Another source of information about tree (and plant) inter-species communication that I highly recommend is Stephen Harrod Buhner's "Lost Language of Plants." His work focuses on the pheromone signaling shared within plant communities as well as the impacts of industrial chemicals (medicines, solvents, caffeine, but especially estrogen analogues) which are disrupting such communication pathways - even when found only in trace amounts "in the wild." He also discusses the notion of "mother plants" that act to establish a foothold in an environment, then providing (via chemical extrusions and physical mechanisms such as shade and humidity moderation) a more hospitable ecosystem for a wider plant community to develop and thrive.

About the upcoming Annular Eclipse May 20th

Watch this informative video for details and viewing tips.

Conjunction Celebration

Jupiter Venus Conjunction ©2012

In late March and early April this year there was a series of conjunctions between the moon, Venus and Jupiter in the western skies at sunset. I took photos of these and thought that I would create some art to commemorate the energy exchange. Then, I came across a fantastical photo on my Pixable feed. I don't recall now who took this image nor who posted it. But it caught my fancy and I decided that I would use the planet catching meme in my own piece. Below, I have posted these original source (inspirational) images - the found photo is on the left, my photo is on the right.

Spirits of the Redwood Forest

Redwood Spirit Circle ©2012

I just completed this image based upon a journey that I undertook a few months back. During the session, I found myself in a deep redwood forest with sunlight filtering in long beams down to the soft, damp, needle-covered ground. The scent of the redwoods filled the air.

I was wondering about this location - was I understanding it correctly or not? How did I come to be here? How did this connect with my original journey intent querying about running for public office?

Slowly I realized that I was not alone, but surrounded by tall, elongated translucent white figures shimmering in the sparkling light of the woods. I immediately understood them to be the Spirits of the Redwood trees themselves. I queried them as to their purpose coming to me. One replied that they came to call me into their circle and to offer me their strength and courage from their perspective of a thousand years of watching the world go by. "Stand tall. Be strong and courageous as we are. We will be with you." I felt honored by their presence and their support.

King of Mushrooms

From the lovely site Kingdom of Fungi by photographer TAYLOR LOCKWOOD.

Alien Dreamtime

Found image from Tumblr... Wake up to the "felt presence of immediate experience!" From the terence-mckenna-movie blog.

Terra Lucida (World of Light) with Terence McKenna (by ken adams)

Terra Lucida (World of Light) with Terence McKenna from Ken Adams on Vimeo.

Terra Lucida (World of LIghts) is an experimental animation with psychedelic visionary Terence McKenna. McKenna points to a realm of light beyond this current world - We are engaging an imaginatrix of unlimited revelation and post-DNA photon ecologies. McKenna indicates a portal for shamanistic journeying into worlds beyond life where Nothing really ends... The recordings were made circa 1989 in Petaluma, California with collaborator Britt Welin. Assorted vegetables and spore-bearing fruit were also present.

The Fungal Fantastical (with Paul Stamets)

Amazing short video clip with Paul Stamets talking about the complexity of plant communications and how fungi fit in...

Crania Anatomica Filigre - Kickstarter

click on image to see large skullalicious animation

Heart Sutra Chanted by Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama reciting Prajnaparamita mantra from the "Heart Sutra"

TEYATHA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA

Guidelines for the Path

"Do not put your faith in traditions, even though they have been accepted for long generations and in many countries. Do not believe a thing because many repeat it. Do not accept a thing on the authority of one or another of the sages of old, nor on the grounds of statements as found in the books. Never believe anything because probability is in its favor. Do not believe in that which you yourself have imagined, thinking that a god has inspired it. Believe nothing merely on the authority of teachers or priests. After examination, believe that which you have tested for yourself and found reasonable, which is in conformity with your well being and that of others." Kalama Sutta - Buddha

Skulls and Wings - a rorschach visual or Bardo dream?

Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2011 Scarves Film from Alexander McQueen on Vimeo - a short film created by Paris-based director/photographer Babette Pauthier. (wait for video to load...)

A Timely Message!

Image picked up from The Psychedelic Salon (podcast 287 notes).

Divine Changemakers: Maximize the 11/11 Gateway

the following came as part of Selacia's Council of 12 Message e-newsletter:  

You as a divine changemaker are alive now to do great things that could not have been done before. These things are not ordinary; they can only be done by someone with an extraordinary mindset and a light-filled consciousness.

To do something outside of the conventional norm involves courage, persistence, and taking action on what you say you believe in. Divine changemakers learn to do this. You are learning to do this, despite the world's chaos and uncertainty.

At the core of your being, you are not uncertain. You trust that you are guided each step of the way.

You are being guided right now, as you read these words, to prepare for and take advantage of key energetic gateways occurring during Earth's pivotal years. One of those gateways occurs this Friday on 11/11. On that date a unique gateway will be available, providing a beneficial opening of expanded potential and divine grace. The spiritual energies of such gateways cannot be measured with a linear yardstick - they are vast and boundless. Possibilities for shifting your life into a higher frequency are greatly magnified.

How can you maximize the potency of the 11/11 gateway?

First, become conscious that the gateway energies exist, staying present in your life in the days leading up to and following a gateway opening. If you're not already feeling it, the energies impacting you and everyone you love are getting more potent this week with the full moon Thursday and the 11/11 gateway opening Friday. You may experience these energies in a number of ways - expansion, intensity, fluctuation, uncertainty, sensitivity, or joy. Knowing what's in store helps you to stay on track and in your center.

Second, let go of agendas and expectations. Simply invite a connection with the beneficial energies and be open to receive them.

Third, if possible gather on 11/11 with a group of like-minded people focused on spiritual transformation. The group configuration and your intent to connect with spiritual openings is the key.

Fourth, don't be concerned about where you stand in relation to others, what kind of progress you have made since the last gateway, or how achievable your ascension is. It is pointless to worry that you haven't done enough in the past. Be present now. Invite your higher wisdom to show you what's most appropriate to focus on and take action on that. This is how you create powerfully, regardless of whether you're experiencing a gateway or another energy.  

Fifth, remember that you live in a very potent time. An energy of awakening is building and there are gateways like 11/11 allowing quantum shifting. No matter what day it is, don't wait to do the amazing things only you can do. Don't wait to offer your help to others who need what you can give. Don't wait to shine your beautiful light. The time is now.

As you continue the journey of discovering your divine nature, we surround you with our love and blessings. We are The Council of 12.

Copyright 2011 by Selacia * All Rights Reserved 

Sacred Art Book Available

Prajnaparamita Beauty Way Mandala

I have just created a prototype book of my sacred art images (thangkas and mandalas) which includes commentary, visualizations, prayers and biographical information. The book is a large format 11" x 13" 50 page hardcover titled "Beauty Way" which I created using Apple's iPhoto self-publishing tools. I am currently in the process of investigating other lower cost print-on-demand publishing services and ones which may allow an electronic iBook or iPad app option. Stay tuned!

For more information or to share ideas concerning book publishers, please email me.

The Magic of Flowers

This is a video by Vladimir Vorobyov

BARDO - Awakening from the Dream

A short overview of the importance and meaning of Bardo. "Life is a training for death." 

Setting Intentions Daily

Kara at Conduit of Joy recently posted this set of guidelines for setting your daily intentions:


It is important to set your intentions every day.  Intention setting first thing in the morning sets your course for clearer sailing for the rest of your day.  Call it whatever you want – an invocation, a prayer – setting your intentions in the morning, makes sure you are best aligned with your guides, and helps your intuition function at its highest level all day long.


a) Be thankful for what you have already been given. Why would the Universe throw some more your way if you don’t already appreciate what you have?
“I thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the abundance and good that I have already received.”

b) Call on your Higher Self and Guides. You need to specifically ask for who you wish to connect with.
“Higher Self, power animals, spirit guides, I ask for your help today to lead me in the direction of my soul’s highest growth.”

c) Ask for assistance in tuning up your talents to their highest use. We are here on Earth to use our talents to their best expression to help ourselves and others.
“I ask that you make me the best channel that I can be.  Help me to best discern and provide the most relevant information, in the most understandable way for myself or others in our soul’s highest growth.”

d) Be specific in asking for what you need. Is there something specific today you need help with?  The more specific your request can be the more specific the guidance can be.  Being specific also strengthens your intuition.
“I ask that you help me today with knowing the right things to do and say in this job interview, so that I may move towards the job that is in my soul’s highest growth.

e) Make sure you practice good spiritual hygiene, so you keep only the guests you invite in your energy field.
“I close off my aura to all but my own Higher Self and those Beings of the Highest Vibration who are with me at the choice of my soul.”

You may wish to use some type of closing or gratitude again.  Some folks also use protections as part of their intention setting.  Your practice will vary with your personal beliefs, preferences and specific needs from day to day.  However, covering the basic elements will help you tune in to your best intuitive information all the time.

---

For the complete posting see:  http://conduitofjoy.com/2011/09/22/getting-the-best-from-your-intuition-setting-intentions/

The Magic of the Spirit Realm

I periodically meditate on the issue of iconography (physical/visual form) and how this relates to the Buddhist notion that everything is MIND, everything is ONE (and so forth) according to deepest Buddhist teachings. Within these traditions, there is an understanding of the surface (apparent) truth and of deeper (hidden) esoteric truths. In the case of a figure such as Tara, she is seen as a female embodiment of the Buddha. Of course, ultimately, there is only one Buddha MIND such that everything is encompassed. To speak of Tara as a differentiated figure is thus somewhat misleading. Although she presents herself that way to the practitioner/meditator, deep down, it's all mind energy of the ONE (voidness)... Likewise, when the Buddhist teaching of death and rebirth are examined, the Bardo teachings, it is explicitly said that what you experience after death is based upon your expectations. The demons and protectors of the Bardo realm are a mental construct. Self projection of the mind's delusions.

Read more ->

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.

Aether

Air

Earth

Fire

Water

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

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.

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

from Mary Pompeo' blog.

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)

Iris Plant Spirit Mandala

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

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 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

"Three Seeds" - Another Take on the 5th Sun?

from Reality Sandwich:

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

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/

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.

Read more ->

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.

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.

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.)

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.

Allen Ginsberg: Father Death Blues

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...

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).

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.

Terence McKenna - Time Acceleration

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!"???

Mount Shasta with Spirit Guardian

Newest Medicine Buddha Thangka

Medicine Thangka of Medicine Buddha

TROPOZONE "Maharaji's Dream" Video Art - visual meditation

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…

Read more ->

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.

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...

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.

Online Interactive Mandala

Visit Interactive Mandala page at www.light-weaver.com

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

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.

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.

Spirit Mandala

Power Totem

Other examples of these custom shamanic artworks are posted on this blog here and here.