Jan 27, 2009

Eclipses Make Me Sleepy



Yesterday was a double whammy of new moon and solar eclipse energy. We will also be having a lunar eclipse in a couple of weeks, and a total of six eclipses this year. We're also currently enjoying the first of 4 Mercury Retrogrades. What fun. You may feeling "change" energy and feeling it intensely. In fact, it may feel like some great, unseen hand just played 52 pickup with your life. My advice: Take a deep breath and wait to see where all the cards land before you jump. It's all a little tumultuous right now.

Ramifications aside, it sure was beautiful. Check out the video for images from various locations. The best view seems to have been Indonesia, where they experienced a full eclipse and an actual ring around the sun.

Jan 19, 2009

Tonight: Sage the White House with Kate Clinton



This evening at 6:15, comic Kate Clinton will be gathering with a group at Dupont Circle for a smudging ceremony to clear the White House of Bush. If schedule or geography precludes your attendance, never fear, for time and location are simply constructs of our own great imagining. We can all participate in the collective experience of cleansing the country, and the world, of the energy dynamic that has dominated for the past eight years. Start, as you would with any smudging ceremony, by brushing the smoke of burning sage (and/or sweetgrass, lavender, cedar, frankincense, copal) through your own aura. Be willing to release the anger, resentment, and other toxic residues, that may have accumulated over the past eight years. You might need a lot of sage.



Last Friday, Kate Clinton appeared on Rachel Maddow to discuss the ceremony. The segment includes footage the Mayan shamanic ceremony that was held at Iximche in Guatemala in 2007 to clean up after Bush's visit.

For my original post on the Mayan remove all vestiges of Bush ceremony, see here.

Jan 16, 2009

Fan Girl Alert: Battlestar Galactica

Tonight begins the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Can't wait. I'm watching the marathon of older episodes right now. To understand why I think this is one of the most brilliant shows in television history, see my original review here.

Jan 8, 2009

If We're All One...

Stone Circle

Buy at AllPosters.com


I tuned in yesterday afternoon to Christina Pratt's new radio show. (Which I announced here.) Christina provided a wonderful introduction to both the new show, and the practice of shamanism.

One of the concepts Christina touched on was the concept of oneness. A question from a caller exposed the difficulty a lot of people have with this concept when they're really being honest with themselves. The caller asked, and I'm paraphrasing, "Does that mean I'm one with people and behaviors I really dislike?"

Short answer, yes.

This is a fundamental challenge of inculcating a belief in oneness, when we are living this experience of duality. The concept that we're all one sounds yummy and warm when we're in a loving space, like when we're on a spiritual retreat. It tends to go out the window quite suddenly, when we're confronted with the very tangible yuckiness of the world at large.

Christina addressed this question from a shamanic perspective, and since I don't think I could do her answer justice, I'd suggest getting the podcast to hear her explanation. But, I'd like to address it from the perspective of mystical thought. Having studied for many years with Cherokee Mystic, Virginia Sandlin, it is one of the fundamental issues I've had to confront, in my own thought process. The role of a tribal mystic is different from that of a shaman. As Virginia has described it, a mystic is born embodying the context of oneness. They hold that context for their community. Where most of us perceive the manifestations of this world as separate and discreet, a mystic innately perceives them as expressions of the whole. In my years of study with Virginia I had my comfortable concepts of duality and over-there-ness ground to dust. She's relentlessly, mercilessly mystical. She is a mystic, after all.

An anecdote: Some years ago when I was taking a course with Drunvalo Melchizedek, I found myself increasingly uncomfortable with what has been aptly termed the "instamacy" of spiritual gatherings. To put it simply, I'm not a hugger. This puts me distinctly at odds with the cultural climate of a lot of "new age" gatherings. To me, a full body press with another person is a rather intimate expression; one I reserve for people I feel personal affection for. That kind of affection usually develops over time. I feel perfectly comfortable hugging close friends and family, but rarely people I've just met. But, anyone who's ever been to one of these things can tell you, hugging total strangers is the norm. So, it became an issue. Drunvalo's response was to tell me that I would some day realize everyone I met was "absolutely" me. I think he was somewhat taken aback when I told him I already fully understood that, but it didn't change my views on the hugging culture a bit. While it was most certainly true that everyone in that class was "me," so is Charles Manson. I don't want to hug him either. This is what I mean when I say that oneness can feel yummy when we're in a comfortable, reasonably agreeable environment. But, being "one" with someone doesn't actually mean you have to like or trust them. To do so can be foolish; even dangerous. What it does mean is that you have to own the parts of yourself that reflect them. This is where it becomes difficult.

Accepting that people and behaviors we dislike are "one" with us, is part of what Virginia terms "sourceful awareness." Each of us is the source of our reality. That means when we observe behaviors we dislike, we look to take responsibility for them in ourselves, first and foremost. Does that mean that when I observe Charles Manson -- and quite naturally recoil -- that I'm a murderous psychopath? No. What it does mean, is that somewhere in me is something that "reflects" murderous psychopath. It could be smaller than a speck under the nail of my pinky toe, but it is there somewhere, else I would not have sourced its reflection. Addressing that as an intellectual question will ultimately bring frustration, and cause the ego to go into a threat response. I could never tell you, from an analytical place, how I reflect murderous psychopath. But, there is a technique for addressing exactly these questions. Simply ask spirit to show you what that reflection is, in yourself, and allow the images or words to appear in your mind's eye. Often, what you see, won't even make any logical sense to you. But, whatever you see, be willing to forgive and release it. Whatever it is, it is a barrier between yourself and conscious unity with the divine.

"We still attribute to the other fellow all the evil and inferior qualities that we do not like to recognize in ourselves, and therefore have to criticize and attack him, when all that has happened is that an inferior 'soul' has emigrated from one person to another. The world is still full of betes noires and scapegoats, just as it formerly teemed with witches and werewolves."

~ Carl Jung

Jan 7, 2009

Around the Web, Around the World -- 1/7/09

Coffee in Cup and Spoon on Saucer

Buy at AllPosters.com


I regularly feature this round-up of upcoming web events in the Open Threads on Celestial Reflections. I decided to post this one a little wider because it's just chock-a-block. Enjoy!

Why Shamanism Now? A Practical Path to Authenticity

I am very excited to announce this new show with Christina Pratt. I have known Christina for years and experienced her shamanic work firsthand. She is easily the most grounded, knowledgeable, and accessible teacher/practioner in cross-cultural shamanism I know of. I highly recommend giving her show a listen.

What was shamanism and what is it today? Join host Christina Pratt in an exploration of what shamanism is and what it isn't. What answers do the ancients offer us for these challenging times we live in? Pratt suggests that they don't have the answers, but the means by which we could get answers that will-if acted on-change our lives. At the core of true, authentic shamanism is a live, direct, working relationship with spirit. This two-way communication characterizes a shamanic relationship with spirit and it is your birthright. You can draw comfort, guidance, clarity, inspiration, and healing directly from this relationship. And most importantly shamanism helps us to make better quality decisions-decisions that actually solve the problem at hand without creating three more, decisions that move beyond divisive politics and self-service, and finally decisions that will serve the next seven generations.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009 at 2pm Pacific

Log on to Listen
http://www.modavox.com/7thWaveNetwork
Questions? Comments? Call: 1.866.472.5795

New Karen Bishop -- WINGS for 1/5

Karen Bishop's new site, Emerging Earth Angels, has finally gone live, and is the new home of her WINGS updates.

2009. Here we are in a very new space. Leaving the old behind, as we have done so many times before, but this time, an entire reality is now behind us…not just a piece here and a piece there, but a place where we had been while we evolved and grew, expanded and connected, and stretched perhaps further than we knew was possible.

. . .

The higher we vibrate, the more we become and expect to see great care, respect, integrity, and pride utilized in all things. In this way, spending any time around organizations, individuals, and structures where no care was being taken, where things were barely functioning, and where old ways still remained, could really rock our boats.

. . .

Many of us were the original creators of this planet. In this way, we have returned with these memories intact…subconscious for some of us and very intact for others. We know what the blueprint is…we know what things are “supposed” to look like, and we know and remember at some level that we need now continue on with creating that original blueprint. Because of this, we can become frustrated and even angry when things do not remotely resemble what we remember and what we came to create. And in addition, having disrespect shown to our original and pristine creation can almost feel insulting at times. The contrast can be extreme at best, but things are about to change.


Karmacaffe Presents Linda Peck

Linda Peck is a devotee and student of Sri Dattatreya SivaBaba, also known as Baskaran Pillai, PHD. She teaches Mind-Sound Technology which was created by Dr. Baskaran Pillai to improve personality and intelligence. Learn how to increase intelligence, intuition, courage and relationships. Also joining us will be Sucharita, director of Mind-Sound Technology.

Wednesday Jan. 7,2009

5 PM Eastern Time, which is 4 Central, 3 Mountain, and
2 PM Pacific

To hear the live show or join the chatroom GO TO:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/karmacaffe

NOTE: Immediately after the live show concludes, it
will be archived and made available. Visit the site
anytime to hear this or other past shows in the
archive.

The call-in number for the show is: 347-215-8666