Transmutation News August 2010
Summer is a time of deep reflection for me. As I have written in some of my books I seem to have the opposite cycle of most people around the seasons. And for me summer is the time of year where I am drawn within. And this summer is no different as I am exploring a new level of death and rebirth happening within myself.
Since last fall I have had the privilege to do ongoing work with two groups. The intention was together to commit to use the Medicine for the Earth principles on a daily basis and to support each circle member in the work.
When I first dreamed about the work my intention was to see what would happen if a group committed to the focus of radiating divine light. What would happen as we continued to let go of the ego and experience unity consciousness which is love and light.
We have been radiating love and light to our circle each day. And we have been projecting the best qualities onto each of us as I have been asking all of you to do in behalf of our global community.
We have been supporting each other in our night dreams and waking dreams. And we support each other in working through the issues and distractions that keep us from evolving personally and as a community.
Together we stay focused on the spiritual work no matter what is happening in the outer world.
After my first Working in Community training, which took place last November, when we started transfiguring daily for each other I reached such a high. I felt full of light, energetic, and joyful.
And then the shadow side representing the opposite state appeared and although I have felt the love and excitement of the circle I also experienced a struggle within myself.
I have come to an understanding of what this struggle is about for me and wanted to share this with you as it might speak to the process some of you are going through as we keep radiating our light each day.
And the understanding that I am getting is a deeper understanding of “the shaman’s death”.
When one embarks on a spiritual journey there is a process of dying to the ego – spirit sculpting us to be greater spiritual beings. And this journey of the shaman is filled with initiations that keep asking us to let go of our egos and a separate state of consciousness that can lead us to a unity consciousness and an experience of light that brings forth our clairvoyant, psychic and healing gifts.
As our ego is carved away at by our spirit, divine light can shine through. It is like a burning away of what keeps us separate from our spiritual state and what prevents our spirit from fully shining through us.
I have written about this many times in my books and also on the Transmutation News.
I think that the setting the intention of “the experiment” with the working in community groups brought me personally to a new stage of the shaman’s death.
The core of the Medicine for the Earth work has been to let go of the ego and experience a unity consciousness that is love and light.
And I know I have been on a path to live this teaching. But I feel I am at a new gateway of letting go of what “I want” and what “I need”. For as long as the “I” is so present then there is a container around myself and it prevents the ability to be in a unity consciousness.
So my desire to be in a group where the work will lead me to feel safe or filled with joy was a set up for sabotage. For every single desire of the ego is illusory and also cannot be satiated. The ego will always want more so it is a path that leads to despair instead of to true peace and joy.
And it is in the unity consciousness of no boundaries that all the miracles of healing are possible.
We are all on a journey – and we are all at different phases of the path – that will ultimately lead to a whole new evolution of consciousness. I think we need to move away from the focus being on the process of individuation. Individuating I think has been necessary on many levels but it is time to grow away from being so self absorbed into a consciousness of unity. And from there all things are possible.
But first a death must occur before we see the possibilities.
When I was in my late teens I experimented with taking LSD. One night some of my friends had taken LSD and we went to a Grateful Dead Concert. At the concert I was separated from some of my friends.
I went into a real place of “ego death” there was no “me” and there was no “other” we were all one. I was in a glorious state of being.
I wanted to tell my friend Robin something but I knew I could never find her amidst the crowd of people. So I thought to myself that if we are all one I can tell the person standing next to me the message and it would be the same as telling Robin.
And then I had the realization that if we were all one I only had to tell myself the message.
I realize that this experience I had although quite profound was also extreme. It was a clear cellular experience of how by being the change effects all of life. For when there is no “I” and no “other” all consciousness is connected.
Will we get to that non-egoic place of true connection in our lifetime? I do not know the answer to this question. And is it something everyone desires? – probably not.
The point I am trying to make is that our psychic gifts cannot really come forth when we feel separate for the psychic works in a field that demands “no boundaries”.
As we continue our spiritual practices each of us will touch this state of oneness from time to time and we will be the change that continues to move us forward.
When I have had near death experiences and experienced the true unconditional love of “God” there was just the present – no past and no future. The experience of love is timeless. The drinking in of the second – the ultimate present – was delicious.
Love is not conditional. Light is not conditional. But to fully experience it running through every cell of our being we must be absolutely present to the moment.
And the ego has a hard time being present to the moment. For from an egoic standpoint we tend to go back into the past or go into the future. It is not easy to surrender to living second by second.
I don’t know if you have ever taken a road trip where there is only the present moment. There is such a freedom in road trips where we leave our past behind us and stay in the present moment which ultimately leads to a destination.
The shaman’s death in the true sense of the term is letting go of the ego that provides any containment of the spiritual energies coming through to heal and to transform.
The shaman’s death is dying to anything that keeps you from being in the present moment. And that means letting go of outcomes, desires, needs, wants.
As we continue our daily spiritual practices together, leading to an evolution of consciousness, we will all go through some level of the shaman’s death depending on what your soul’s destiny is.
We will all be led on how to go past the containment of the ego. We cannot rush this. We can support each other to be a true presence that has nothing to do with outcome. For any talk about outcome takes us away from the present. And the key to spiritual potential lives in the present moment, the present breath, the present circumstances.
In this way we can truly step into the role of shaman/healer/mystic of being a hollow bone that allows for spirit to dance through us. We allow the flow of spirit. We do have innate spiritual abilities that can heal all that needs healing. But have we closed the door to those deep spiritual realms with our busy minds?
Through finding stillness we can open the door again. Stillness and being in the present is key!
The stillness also creates a natural flow of energy. In truth our bodies have all the cellular information needed to heal. The earth also knows how to heal itself. It truly is our interference in the flow of energy that blocks the natural healing process from happening. There are many benefits to going within, finding the stillness, and allowing spiritual energy to flow.
As I hear from so many people we are all experiencing changes in our lives. Some of the changes involve a loss of relationship, job, a dream, and some are experiencing health challenges.
All these changes involve some form of death which carves away our ego like a river going through and changing the landscape. These deaths do open us to a deeper place of spirit.
Sometimes when we go through these changes we move to a place of disillusionment and start to complain about what life has brought to us instead of understanding that everything that life brings is for us. It is important for our growth and spiritual development to go through the deaths we are all experiencing consciously. It is important to flow with changes instead of resisting the changes.
As I said earlier I have been moving in and out of the shadow states of dissatisfaction. When I visited my helping spirits they gave me an assignment for one week. And I was encouraged to share this assignment with all of you.
The assignment is for one week to see the beauty in everything. No matter what is happening in your life or in the world stretch your imagination to see the beauty in everything and everyone.
One of the core principles of the Medicine for the Earth work is that your perception creates your reality. It is important for us to shift our perception to experience the beauty, awe, and wonder of life. This oftentimes involves a stretch of our imagination. We were given our God given gift of imagination to use and to create with. So let’s create beauty instead of dissatisfaction. Experience how your perception changes leading to a change in your reality.
A path of beauty will begin to unfold in your life that goes beyond outer circumstances.
Do this for one week and notice what happens for you. You might decide that the effects in your own life bring enough rewards to continue to live this ancient spiritual practice.
The full moon is August 24. Take some time “to be” and drop into the depth of your spirit. Dance, sing, or maybe take a walk in nature to leave your ordinary life and thoughts behind you. Experience yourself fully connected to the spiritual energies that flow through you filled with unlimited potential. The light that shines through you is uncontained. Allow it to move, dance, radiate. Connect with the field of oneness. And experience that light weaving within the earth through deep roots. Experience the light weaving throughout the entire planet. Feed the light of the earth. Experience the true beauty of earth, air, water, and the sun which give us life. Experience the beauty of all of life.
Let us continue to project beauty, joy, peace, and health to our global community working together in service to all of life.
And let’s continue our transfiguration work radiating light into our global community.
If you are new to reading the Transmutation News you can read the instructions for our monthly ceremonies in the section titled “Creating A Human Web of Light” which is on this site.
Announcements:
In June I really enjoyed doing an interview for Sven Eberlein’s blog. I felt the interview flowed really well and in our discussion together some very valuable information was shared.
Sven split up the interview into two different parts and you can read it by clicking on the following links:
http://svenworld.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/dreaming-the-world-into-being-part-i/
http://svenworld.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/dreaming-the-world-into-being-part-ii
Sven Eberlein is a writer, musician and environmental advocate living in San Francisco, with roots in Germany. His latest book Dancing on the Brink of the World, is a collaborative work of music, art and fiction that weaves together themes of ecology, social justice, and astrology. For regular musings you can visit Sven’s blog, A World of Words.
http://svenworld.wordpress.com
In April I gathered together a group of shamanic practitioners and teachers in Boulder, Colorado. They met with me in the recording studio of Sounds True. Our intention was to create a music CD that would allow listeners to be carried into the spiritual realms.
We did not want to create just a music CD. We wanted to create music while we were all connected to the energy of love and light setting a strong intention for all who listened.
The music CD is titled “Soul Journeys: Music for Shamanic Practice”. The CD includes a booklet with instructions for people who need guidance on how to journey and there are two CDs for journeying.
The first CD has different tracks of instruments to create a variety of experiences for journeying. I find that different instruments used to create a trance state for journeying effect people in different ways.
The second CD has different intentions for journeying. We created one track with the intention to visit helping spirits to help you dissolve core beliefs that might be blocking you from expressing your true potential.
One track was created with the intention to help you dream and manifest your desires for yourself and the planet.
And one track was created with Tibetan bowls and bells to support you in visiting an enlightened being to receive a transmission of healing energy or guidance.
You can order “Soul Journeys: Music for Shamanic Practice” from Sounds True, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble by going to the book and CD section on this site and clicking on the link to the on line store you wish to order from.
In my 2010 calendar I announced that I am co-leading a workshop with Betsy Bergstrom October 3-7. I am very excited about partnering with Betsy in teaching this workshop. I have known Betsy for many years and she is a friend and a brilliant teacher and practitioner. Her reputation is spreading around the world for being a powerful medium and for the incredible energy and teachings that come through her at her trainings. She is a true light and brings through such an incredible presence.
We had decided to teach a workshop titled: “Dancing with Grace through Changing Times.” When we first talked we came up with something very general that we could put in our calendars.
Recently we spoke again and came up with some specific themes we will focus on. Betsy and I both are guided by our spirits and intuition as we teach so we don’t want to get locked in to a specific agenda. For to dance with grace through changing times we must allow inspiration to come through us at all times.
Below is the write up of the workshop. I think this will be an amazing event for all who attend.
Dancing with Grace Through Changing Times
We all were born with the destiny to be present during the great changes that will lead us to a true shift in the evolution of consciousness.
And although this can be very exciting we are all being deeply challenged to wake up and make significant changes in our own lives and help others to do the same.
Betsy and Sandra will guide us using their combined toolbox of how we can face the challenges ahead and move with grace so that we can follow our true destiny to help birth the next evolution of consciousness.
Journeywork, ceremony, time on the land, and some work with the voices of the ancients will be included.
In this workshop we will address:
How to face change and deal with our fearful patterns that come up during transitions.
Often when a challenging situation comes up we cannot use the tools we have as our subconscious takes us back to a traumatic time in our present life or past life. How do we identify what these old issues might be and how do we work to release them so that we can stay in present time.
We will also work on how to process the emotions that come up during life transitions and work together to focus on our spiritual work.
We will tap into our oracular abilities and the healing energies that can come through to help us personally and as a community as well as attune ourselves to higher beings who can help us in our process of evolution.
This will be a time for us to do some personal healing work and at the same time look at tapping into the strength of working together in a supportive and loving community.
The prerequisite for this workshop is knowing how to journey to helping spirits. If you need to find a local shamanic teacher who can teach you journey skills please visit www.shamanicteachers.com.
The workshop will be at Bishops Lodge in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 3-7 2010. For more information and to register please email Ruth Aber at: aruthabelle@aol.com.
In the spring I wrote about Soul Connection: Memoir of a Birthmother’s Healing Journey. The book is written by Ann H. Hughes. When I had posted information about the book I only had a chance to skim it and had read some of the parts that pertain to the work we are doing together.
I finally got a chance to read the book. I became so engaged and moved by the story I couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading it in one day. I loved it!!
So I wanted to post the information again on the book and really encourage you to read this very moving story.
This book is about healing through expanded awareness – and about using spiritual alignment to create miracles. In 1966, Ann surrendered her baby for adoption. Afterwards, she stumbles along a healing path that transforms her understanding of life. In 1989 she started the process to search for her birthdaughter using spiritual process.
After the adoption agency refused to give Ann any information she used similar spiritual work to the dreaming work we have been using together and also the power of decree to find her daughter.
This is a very inspiring story filled with great teachings!!
The book is published by Otter Bay Books and is available on Amazon.
Lydia Graf is a former student of mine in Switzerland. She is a wonderful singer and she leads seminars and groups in Europe. She has been leading fire walks for 12 years with the intention to heal the earth.
She recently created a song titled “Longing”. Lydia sings it in a soul language, and with love and light. She sings this longing for all people and things and as a request for them to find love and light in the heart and live it. It is a very beautiful song.
If you are interested in this song, you can watch and hear it on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGkX4_klSzo
If you have problems with the link you can go to YouTube and do a search for Lydia Graf.
There has been wonderful interest and registration in my webinar course through Sounds True for August. The course does start August 5 so I am posting the information one last time for those of you who might still be interested in signing up.
I am very excited about this course as it is way to keep people inspired to work spiritually during these times and to keep dreaming a beautiful and inspired vision for the planet.
The webinar course will take place on three Thursdays in August for 1 1/2 hours each session. The dates of the sessions are: August 5, 12, and 19 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM Mountain Time.
21st Century Shamanism
Sandra Ingerman
Why are we seeing a modern renaissance of shamanism-the oldest form of spiritual practice? According to Sandra Ingerman, it is because it is a "path of direct revelation." Shamanism provides powerful, effective tools to let you tap into the unseen world for insight and healing-requiring no outside authorities, intermediaries, or even beliefs. With 21st Century Shamanism, this respected teacher presents three live learning sessions to introduce you to the modern evolution of this ancient practice. Using techniques drawn from indigenous practice and adapted for widespread use in today's world, Sandra provides a hands-on introduction to:
* The shamanic journey-Sandra guides you in the experience of entering an altered state to access the world of spirit
* Deep listening-harmonizing yourself with the natural world for increased energy and health
* Dream work-guidelines for decoding the wisdom of the deeper self
* Ceremony-rituals for dissolving our limiting beliefs, opening the door to our true potential
* Blessing practices-how to become a positive force for change in the world
21st Century Shamanism includes live Q&A and guided practices with Sandra Ingerman. Begins August 2010.
For information and to sign up go to:
http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/SelectProd.do?prodId=2406&manufacturer=Sounds%20True&category=Conscious%20Evolution&name=21st-Century%20Shamanism.
In order to purchase, you can simply click on the "Add to Cart" link next to the specific event (or the bundle) and you will be prompted to create an account or login to your existing account to complete the transaction. If you have any trouble, Sounds True has an outstanding team of customer service pros who are ready and available to help you. The customer service team is available from 7am-6pm Monday through Friday and can be reached at 800-333-9185.
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