Shaman's Earth

I can remember my Grandmother getting all involved in Watergate and calling the White House, Congress, and whoever else would listen, to express her viewpoint.  At that time I was a young adult and thought that it was possible that she had gone off the ‘deep end’.  I could not imagine why she would care so much.  Now, fast forward a few decades and I have found myself more involved.  I have listened more intently, watched all debates very carefully, and I have even done some of my own fact checking throughout this 2012 election process.

I don’t belong to a specific political party and have voted both directions in my life.  Sometimes my candidate wins…..and sometimes not.

When my candidate wins I do not give up my own listening, watching and fact checking…..and I don’t stop that practice when my candidate does not win either.  I think that the key word here may be facts.  In today’s time facts sometimes tend to get misconstrued ( the word used today is ‘spin’….which by my definition means “I am getting ready to create my own facts”) and sometimes the facts are right in front of us and we do not want to acknowledge them because to acknowledge those facts might challenge us to personally change our own thinking.

Well, no matter what party we lean toward we need to change our thinking to be open to both sides of any discussion.  We do not necessarily need to agree – yet we certainly do need to listen and really hear what is being said.   To open our minds and hearts is frightening…..and it is also growth.

It is evident that our country is changing and my experience is that change is always divine creation in motion – no matter how hard I resist.  Anger and denial only create more hardship for me and others around me.

This is my country and it is yours.  It does not matter if my candidate won or lost….what matters is the grace and support  from which I move forward.  Supporting what I think is right and, like my Grandmother, voicing my concern or opinion  to my Senators, Congressmen, and my President when I object to their line of thinking or actions.  One voice actually does make a difference….. I think my Grandmother knew that.

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 11/9/2012 3:26 PM

Last May this little black cat decided that I was his person. The cat  had been my neighbor’s and decided to make the move to my house (I did not want a cat at the time).  I am not really sure why he moved because my neighbor treated the cat, MG by name, as well as MG would allow him.  You see – MG was feral – scared of everything and everybody-which made him very hard to get close to.  Even though he decided I was his person  he ran from me (and my neighbor) whenever I tried to get near him and hid outside under the porch most of the time.  To MG’s credit, he was always kind and mindful of his claws and  teeth whenever I attempted to get close to him.

I made the decision that MG had excellent taste in choosing his friends and decided to see what I could do to help him overcome his fear.  I journeyed to my power animal for advice….and was told to love MG……that was all….just love him.  I have spent the past year doing just that; moving slowly around him or sitting on the floor and not moving when he was present, giving long pets and pats when he would let me get close, providing him warm shelter and good food, finally finding a treat that he liked, and letting him make decisions about his well being and supporting those decisions.

This week for the first time, a year after he arrived, MG walked in to the house and made himself at home in my easy chair.  Of course I had to whoop in celebration and he had to run……..but it showed just how much progress had been made over the year.

Love……just love……consistent love…..worked miracles with a frightened cat named MG.  Think of what we could do if we treated our fellow humans that way:
Family members that don’t understand our path and want us to change to be like them because they are afraid of us outgrowing them or leaving them or not wanting them any more.
Friends who are ill and frightened and grumpy and making decisions for themselves that we do not agree with.  There is fear running amuck in that situation.
Parents who are still trying to parent us after we are adults (because we are still their children no matter how old we are). They still fear for our well being.
Co-workers who are afraid for their job, or that someone might do something better than they and then they will be perceived as less than.
And what about us? Afraid because we might be different, or a family member is changing, or a friend is ill, or a parent is critical, or a co-worker is creating conflict? What about us?

Maybe we could attempt to see what change we can bring about in theses times of stress and fear and anger that seems to be prevalent in everyone’s life……starting with ourselves.

Maybe we could …….Love…..just love.

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 6/1/2012 4:41 PM

What A Wonderful World –
a magnificent BBC-1 video narrated by David Attenborough, only 2 min, but you’ll wish it was twice as long.

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 2/3/2012 4:38 PM

Seeing in the Dark

The practice of shamanism is at least 30,000 to 40,000 years old. As a cross-cultural, worldwide phenomenon, it is part of the human spiritual heritage. The rise in the numbers of shamanic practitioners in the U.S. concludes that shamanism has much to offer contemporary Westerners.

The word “shaman” comes from the Tungus tribe of Siberia and means “healer” or “one who sees in the dark.” One “sees in the dark” by means of a technique called journeying…which is very easy to learn. Journeying allows one to move into the world of spirit, outside of time and space to the accompaniment of monotonous percussion or rhythms such as drums, sticks or rattles.

Practitioners of shamanism use the journey to enter visionary states of consciousness and to explore hidden realities and other dimensions. Journeying provides the opportunity for direct revelation from the world of spirit.

Shamanism is a methodology, not a religion and it is remarkably safe. The techniques require a kind of relaxed discipline and most people can accomplish in a few hours what usually takes years to achieve in meditation. It is estimated that 95% of persons, if properly taught and willing to practice, have the ability to journey.

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 2/3/2012 3:13 PM

I have unsuccessfully attempted to determine the author of what I am getting ready to share below in order to give recognition where it is due.   I have found a similar affirmation by Louise Hay – yet it is different than this.  So – I am sharing this because it spoke to me about my life and the currant times we life in.  I identify. And the only part of this that is mine is the typing of it….the creation belongs to someone else.

In the infinity of life where I am,
all is perfect, whole, and complete.
Change is the natural law of my
life.  I welcome change.  I am willing to
change.  I choose to change my thinking.
I choose to change the words I use.  I
move from the old to the new with ease
and with joy.  It is easier for me to forgive
than I thought.  Forgiving makes me feel free
and light.  It is with joy that I learn to love
myself more and more.  The more resentment
I release, the more love I have to express.  Changing
my thoughts makes me feel good.  I am learning
to choose to make today a pleasure to
experience.  All is well in my world.

Seems to fit. 

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 11/27/2012 5:40 PM

The past seven to ten days have been most interesting here in Kentucky.  While Nan Moss and David Corbin were making their way to Louisville for a weekend Shamanism and the Spirits of Weather Workshop,  entitled   ‘Weather Dancing:A Shamanic Path of Personal Growth and Global Healing’ ,  the spirits of weather decided to fully participate and to arrive just ahead of them.

Each day we all were together was an adventure.  We had tornado touch downs with additional watches and warnings.  The weather gave us warm temperatures and cold temperatures.  We had a few flakes of snow, an abundance of rain, some sunshine, some clouds, fog, mist, high winds, stillness, thunder and lightening, 2 storms, and of course one morning of  perfect Kentucky clear blue sky.  For those of us who were participating in this wonderful workshop it felt like the weather was dancing and changing just for us.  It was just magical.

As I sit here a week later, looking at fog and watching it rain, the weather circle disbanded to everyday life,  my heart knows that this weather magic is always here with us, always asking us to dance. We don’t have to be sitting in a weather workshop to have this wonderful experience.  All we need to do is be aware and stop – just for a moment – but stop….still and listen to the song and feel the caress that weather brings to us.

Did Nan and David and the Weather Circle help to create this adventure in Weather?  Absolutely!  Not by attempting to control anything – but engaging weather with respect and acceptance.  By paying attention in a deeper way to weather going on around us and honoring the magic of what is.  Maybe you would like to try it …….and maybe you will be asked to dance.

Posted by Barbara’s Blog at 1/26/20112