Dreams

Dreams shatter
Like ice
Sharp edges soften
Melt
Turning into puddles
Evaporating
over time
waking up

Cars...

As some of you know, I drive a lot. My world view is framed by the shape of my windshield. I have trekked across the country up and down the eastern seaboard... a long route 101 in California.. Canada... and  in the UK where everything is different... and after a dreadful flight, no sleep, and some airport coffee made for a stimulating experience for all involved.  Round-abouts are not for the faint of heart.... I digress..

I started driving late in life. Mid twenties... I was avid walker, public transportation rider and bicycled a lot.... This is because of poverty not necessarily any environment awareness. It was survival... I had to make due with what I had. I lived in places where one could live without a car pretty comfortably. That framed my edges and growth.

It became apparent at some point that I would need to get a car and start  on that road to another kind of independence and expansion. I did not have a lot of money then, most of my cars were  recycling projects that required endless prodding, encouragement, swearing... and tinkering. I could not talk about the environment... I was part of the problem,  a kind of mobile "Superfund Site" that left puddles and pools of fluids everywhere... belching smoke... and weird noises... sometimes loud  noises. Yet these rusty auto projects and poverty taught me a lot.... how to fix things... how to ignore a "check engine" light that comes on at a particular mileage point... how to patch a muffler together with baling wire and plumbing parts.......change a tire.... I am an artist when it comes to Bondoing rust....problem solving glitches... etc... All good life skills. Unfortunately, I never got to make my car noises on Car Talk... bummer...

As I have progressed in my work, the  cars have gotten less life threatening and more environmentally aligned (to the relief of family and friends).  And the journey continues...

From  Facebook  this year,  some of you know I'm in the market for a new car. My trusted chariot... 1998  Honda CRV is in it's last days (227,7774.9 miles) Car shopping in never easy and its a necessary evil in the process of weeding out what you can get for what you got and can finance... it takes time... research...  and listening to sometimes disingenuous cars sales people... test drives... and reading the fine print.

I need to resolve my car choices  this week I have many more miles to put on the road this year and next. And if any of you could throw some good car mojo  my way that would be great... or if you have a lead on a car car that could fit in my world let me know.  I'll keep you all informed about my progress and the new wheels....

Heat

The Sky is burning

lands scorched and left

without water

charred

crumbling

brittle

cracked

Sleeping time capsule of seeds 

determined

conserving

looking for the rains to come..

days

weeks

years

years

years

Recognizing the dire out come

 bewildered...

Do they know?

Do they see?

Will they change?

Navel Gazing is NOT Compassion or Action...

Sometimes I hear something and my reaction is strong. It's so strong that I feel I need to say something yet, also need to navigate my emotional waters to get to a place where I'm articulating what it is I'm responding to. I have heard this statement twice this year from two different people:

" To not ask permission when wanting to help some one is the same as sorcery and black magic...."

This sentence enraged me... not much can do that. So, I had to look at that... where did it come from and why was I feeling such a strong response...

The statement  seems to be saying if you choose to help someone and they are not aware or conscious of it then you are in essence stealing their power... or manipulating them for your own gain... or ego...

First off I call that  Bullshit and this is why....

If you are trained properly in your spiritual work  all the focus is to be here on this planet to serve others. If you have any doubt about your motives or that of you teachers you need to re-evaluate your reasons for doing this work.

Religious institutions from all over the world have developed many tools to keep people oppressed. Karma for example has kept millions of people in India trapped in poverty, in a caste system that divides people in a hierarchy  of  "haves" and "have- nots"  creating endless suffering yet people call this some great cycle of  truth.... Why? If we buy into a system that is designed to oppress then it's roots are in power over not empowering. There is no escape from it's mechanism and people live wretched lives because the system blames them for their suffering.  Another example is the indoctrination of that Newage term "enlightenment"... you become this light... higher being and all others are some how less than and living in heavier... darker energies.... and because of this, enlightened folks have passed judgement and dismissed with great callousness the need to help others. Because their in the enlightened eyes the  suffering is their own fault it's up to them to figure it out.  This kind of thinking and acting  is selfish and perpetuates a continued cycle of oppression and this plays out everywhere in the world....


Some examples....

It you follow the Abraham channelings you will hear over and over how you can have whatever you want and if your not getting it then you are vibrating in some lower energy... or if things in life get difficult then you are some how attracting that kind of  suffering into your life. So, I ask you what woman asked to be raped ... or beaten by her husband? Or... Who wants to attract violence into her/his life?  Who attracts cancer?  Poverty? Addiction?  This ideology is a kind of brainwashing that supports victim blaming and shaming. It does not serve except to feed the egos of those who are benefiting from the system.

Dowsers have a protocol for deciding if they should do anything  in regards to a situation... the questions are:

May I?
Can I?
Should I?

In some ways these seem like simple and straight forward questions... yet... these questions are directed to the ego and the subjective mind. Most people will answer these questions based on their personal comfort with the situation... or in direct alignment with their opinions about the situation. This is a challenge for anyone who does some form of divination... It takes a tremendous amount of time and practice to get out of your own way. It is also important to  perhaps develop a new protocol. My suggested questions have been:

Who am I?  (What is my part in this?)
What am I doing?(What actions have I made to create or possible resolve the situation?)
Does it serve? (Am I contributing to a positive out come or meaningful resolution?)

Pulling back to see the big picture:  Are we creating unity or division?

The earth is in a challenging time of change. We (all beings) are subject to the system we live in... water, food, climate,... etc are all fragile and on the brink of  extinction by in many cases our own hand. As I write this  we have built and entire economy based on the oppression of others. Entire countries are exploited for oil, manufacturing, resources etc... and many can justify this by the ideology of economics and those who have  and those who have not.  It is no different than the cycle of Karma or the justification of being more enlightened than others.


To bring this back to where I began...


First off,  all of us are in this together. We live on this world as a collective. We all have skills and abilities that cover a wide expression of gifts and hard won mastery.  Being kind, helping others and doing the right thing should not be put in the category of "black magic". Sometimes you just have to do... and be present to the situation. Permission is great yet some people don't know help is possible... or are too sick in addiction, abuse, oppression to know or ask...  some have given up and don't care... these are not excuses to turn away or justify inaction. You can see the way this has played out in the world and its not healthy or sustainable.

We call someone who jumps down with out thinking or processing on to the subway tracks and saves someone's life a "hero"... what if he stood their and said, " Hey, do you want my help? Do I have your permission?  Doing the right thing, being of service requires the action of being present and doing and not thinking about the self... or you own personal out come.

You contribute with where your abilities are and sometimes you push beyond what you think you know about yourself.  If we really want the world to be a better place then we need to begin with telling a new story... one of nurture, sustainability, compassion, peace and inclusion... Until we start developing real service to others and see everyone/being/ plant/mineral/system  as a vital part then we are only staring at our navels and perpetuating the very things that feed this current system.

It is a Tempest

The storm
dark thick heavy
with rain
and the jagged sharp lines of lightening
resounding with the roar of a
God-less
Man-less
Human-less
form so intent on grasping
the potential of power
as a club
a swagger
a weapon...

The rains falls
The wind blows
The trees bend
The seas froth

Time
Time
Time

and as the clouds dissipate... the roar fades....

The seeds of change and recovery  have been fed

Engaged Shamanism: lessons from the road.....

For the last 25 years I have been for the most part trained to see and listen. These skills are hard won... take time and the results have made me a better person ( I think). The challenges I find today  in how my work is affected by social media is profound. Social media for all it's good has en-trained most people to react with emotions and judgement.... this instant response and emoting has consequences. Like posting a reaction before really processing the details of what was read or seen. This is an exercise in ego building.

The Ego exists only to serve itself. It judges everything in its struggle to survive at all costs. It will lie, cheat and steal to make sure it has the edge for survival.... flight/fright... a complete adrenalin  rush all the time. This is the world we live in... The Ego tells us what to eat,... who to sleep with... who to cheer for... who to have sex with.... who to destroy.... run from... etc... constantly dividing the world in to little bits to control...It's a kind of  drunken madness with out end... it leaves the individual exhausted and fearful... thinking the world is  against them... in extreme cases it flames the conspiracies of crazy paranoia...

Sound familiar?

The shadow of social media is its progression towards reaction and this over time serves to divide people. This also can  flame  the seeds of righteousness and extremism. Every topic whether true or false become a point of contention.  It feeds and provokes often  an instinctual response  and discards the reasoning and  intellectual response. We become clever not insightful... combative not curious... This will be the on going challenge of  navigating  this kind of technology so it nurtures growth and connection with out oppressing it's potential for expression and meaningful discourse...

The answer will come from us and how we want to continue to use  social media


I get asked all the time how do shaman's do what we do? What makes me a shaman? As I stated at the start of this blog... I listen and see...  What is there? What is going on? What am I hearing? These are simple yet powerful ways to assess a situation and make a discerning response....

The other thing is to meet people where they are at. That is harder. It takes a lot to listen and really see some one  especially, if you can not stand to be around for whatever the reason. It brings up all your own prejudices and judgments...  it's a lesson in self awareness and compassion. Really listening to someone's story can deeply heal that person even if we do not agree with their perspective... or ideology... or actions... The concept of "healing" is pretty abstract... there are some base rules which define the various schools of "wellness" and "medicine"... yet in my work the question I ask most is: How do you feel in your world? The answers vary yet fall into a few categories:
1.  Disconnected
2.  Confused - Loss of purpose & loss self
3.  Unseen & Unheard
4.  Drained by the circumstances of their life

From this point of recognizing the "dis-ease" in the person's life you start a process to bring them back to feeling connected/loved, part of a community, part of the solution... etc... and that is the road toward personal empowerment, reconciliation and change. This also requires actions that heal the situations that brought about the issues to begin with. Some of this is personal work, ceremonial work and community work.

It all starts with seeing and listening... everything else is branch from that.

Engaged Shamanism: lessons from the road.....

For the last 25 years I have been for the most part trained to see and listen. These skills are hard won... take time and the results have made me a better person ( I think). The challenges I find today  in how my work is affected by social media is profound. Social media for all it's good has en-trained most people to react with emotions and judgement.... this instant response and emoting has consequences. Like posting a reaction before really processing the details of what was read or seen. This is an exercise in ego building.

The Ego exists only to serve itself. It judges everything in its struggle to survive at all costs. It will lie, cheat and steal to make sure it has the edge for survival.... flight/fright... a complete adrenalin  rush all the time. This is the world we live in... The Ego tells us what to eat,... who to sleep with... who to cheer for... who to have sex with.... who to destroy.... run from... etc... constantly dividing the world in to little bits to control...It's a kind of  drunken madness with out end... it leaves the individual exhausted and fearful... thinking the world is  against them... in extreme cases it flames the conspiracies of crazy paranoia...

Sound familiar?

The shadow of social media is its progression towards reaction and this over time serves to divide people. This also can  flame  the seeds of righteousness and extremism. Every topic whether true or false become a point of contention.  It feeds and provokes often  an instinctual response  and discards the reasoning and  intellectual response. We become clever not insightful... combative not curious... This will be the on going challenge of  navigating  this kind of technology so it nurtures growth and connection with out oppressing it's potential for expression and meaningful discourse...

The answer will come from us and how we want to continue to use  social media


I get asked all the time how do shaman's do what we do? What makes me a shaman? As I stated at the start of this blog... I listen and see...  What is there? What is going on? What am I hearing? These are simple yet powerful ways to assess a situation and make a discerning response....

The other thing is to meet people where they are at. That is harder. It takes a lot to listen and really see some one  especially, if you can not stand to be around for whatever the reason. It brings up all your own prejudices and judgments...  it's a lesson in self awareness and compassion. Really listening to someone's story can deeply heal that person even if we do not agree with their perspective... or ideology... or actions... The concept of "healing" is pretty abstract... there are some base rules which define the various schools of "wellness" and "medicine"... yet in my work the question I ask most is: How do you feel in your world? The answers vary yet fall into a few categories:
1.  Disconnected
2.  Confused - Loss of purpose & loss self
3.  Unseen & Unheard
4.  Drained by the circumstances of their life

From this point of recognizing the "dis-ease" in the person's life you start a process to bring them back to feeling connected/loved, part of a community, part of the solution... etc... and that is the road toward personal empowerment, reconciliation and change. This also requires actions that heal the situations that brought about the issues to begin with. Some of this is personal work, ceremonial work and community work.

It all starts with seeing and listening... everything else is branch from that.