Transmutation

Doonveragh Mountain Village County Sligo Ireland in May 2013

Never under estimate intuition. I have been asking myself how can I support Healing of toxins both personal and environmental - as for me both are interlinked for we are part of Nature and not separate and sitting on my shelf was just the book 'Medicine for the Earth' by Sandra Ingerman.

Sandra Ingerman sites various miraculous Healing of both individuals and environments. And she links the areas that I have been passionate about including Alchemy, as key to her model reference to Healing. The Spiritual journey of the Alchemists was physical and metaphorical. So the Transmutation of Lead to Gold symbolises the Healing journey. Gold being union with the Divine. All our journeys are to connect with the Divine in us all. And I have been underlining nearly every sentence as someone who resonates - for at times I find it is needed to have another's experience, voice with eloquence - to reflect and even at times validate. Like a bell being sounded. I am reminded - I am where I am meant to be.

Sandra refers to working with communities to purify polluted waters. Which is one of the reasons I have been drawn to read this book. Given my focus on Balcombe and the Anti-Fracking Campaign. I sincerely pray that we won't have to be Healing the Waters at Balcombe. Though many waters of the world has already been polluted by Fracking. And so I ask myself to remember that I will be called to work with individuals and the environment when it is meant. There are times where people with specific skill sets are needed. It's great to see references to Doreen Valiente to Malidome Some - both who I have loved reading. More people involved in Healing are now moving between the different worlds/models/traditions/teachings of Healing. Here's a quote from the Introduction:

"In ancient times ordinary reality and the nonordinary realms were not separate. The gods and goddesses roamed the earth, hence the stories of their human and spiritual forms spoken of in Egypt. But now the veils between the worlds are closed. We are so out of touch with our own beauty and essence that the illusions we believe are clouding the truth and our reality has become murky. It is time to reopen the curtain and again call the spiritual realms down to earth so that we may clearly see the perfection in all things. We must once again access the spiritual realms and divine power to create miraculous healing. As Albert Einstein said, 'Mysticality is the power of all true science'.
According to  Hindu legend, we are living in the time of the Kali Yuga, a dark age for humankind. I believe this darkness refers to when the veils between the worlds are closed, separating us from the divine and the spiritual realms and therefore separating us form our divinity. Herein lies the 'fall from grace'. The fall to grace will come when we once again link with the spiritual forces that create magic and meaning in our lives. This connection will return to us the harmony necessary to transmute illness in ourselves and our environment'' p9-10

The photo that I have been drawn to link this posting with is very dear to me. On visiting this Village I was given a profound opening to the people who lived there. I was given a vision facilitated by an Elder from that ancient Village. The energy was of a high clear vibration and the people thrived so much so there were so many living in close proximity which I found extra-ordinary! I could hear all the laughter of the children and the ease this many people were able to live together. They lived slightly separately from others local to the country then and, were highly evolved and self sufficient. Living at oneness within Nature and Spirit. They were and still are guardians of the Land and are proud standing tall and are cautious about allowing people access to their world beneath the Veil. The main Elder showed me a spiral in such a passionate way I was quiet surprised. "This means everything" was all that he said. And so they are very much connected to the Land and this realm. I was therefore extremely honoured to be gifted with this experience. The people at Doonveragh were connected with Knocknarae Cairn which I also had a profound experience in which I was able to experience as Sandra describes - The Goddess walking the Earth. And believe me I do not say this lightly but most humbly. And because my experiences were so Divine it has taken me a little while to post them on this blog. I write this while I am still letting these experiences evolve & unfold - still not yet fully understanding their significance.

Knocknarae somtimes called Queen Maeves Cairn - 

County Sligo - May 2013

Link to the brilliant channelled book 'The Sidhe' by John Matthews http://www.scribd.com/doc/55539049/3/Gornasheen

Lost in Translation

It has been some considerable time since I wrote in my Blog. And that too was at Full Moon. And I choose to check in on the day after the last teaching day of my 2 year School of Intuition Healing (SIH) Course. I will roughly have 1 month till the practical exam and then...well new beginnings.

I have found with studying with SIH that the mechanics of working Spiritually and psychically are explored, defined and given clear instructions on 'how to'. The process is de-mystified. Tools are sharpened up. This deepens the experience. Making the Healing more specific, acurate and profound. And this I realise goes against the approach in many esoteric schools - especially ones which have degrees of initiation. For the teaching that is shared in the SIH is about making Spirituality and Healing accessible to more. And it does not make the 'magic' less. Which I think is the fear many would have of this approach.

I found myself yet again, after the class trying to explain to another student that Shamanism did not mean just working with Nature, Earth, Elementals etc. Shamanism is working with all realms. That in my understanding from my explorations; what is taught at SIH and other Spiritual/Psychic contexts - following on from the teachings of Alice Bailey and/or Madam Blavatsky (19th C and 20 C Western Esoteric Schools), is in fact a remembering, a reclaiming, an evolution from what was practiced and known in Ancient Shamanism to the present day. Of course I cannot prove this hypothesis. I can only say that I experience this from a 'knowing place' and from my own memories from Past lives. Also from what I have understood from my various investigations - books I've read on the subject and indigenous people who are Shamans who I have met and have shared their own ancestral beliefs and traditions.

This evolution is I think necessary. And I believe as does Carolyn Myss; that many more people are now being called to be Healers - and I use that term in a wide sense to include people who are artists for instance or people who embody their Spirituality in their interactions in the wider world/contexts in a range of roles. And many of those people are living part of society. They have jobs and families, children etc. And slowly bit by bit more people are exploring different Spiritual approaches. I think as more people expand from the limits of the Head space to a more expansive Heart Space - then we all will have less need for divisions/boxes/labels. I haven't yet met another student at SIH who has explored or experienced Shamanic context or WitchCraft like me. However, my fellow SIH students are interested, curious and open minded and I try to share my understanding. Which at times can be a challenge as I can struggle with translation. As I did tonight with my fellow students Guide. But this experience was an expansive one. And gave me a further appreciation and understanding as to what resonates with me. It is good to be stretched so we grow as we move beyond our comfort zones.

Home is where the Heart is

"One of the following is true:

• Every breath you take contains an atom breathed out by Marilyn Monroe


• There is a liquid that can run uphill


• You age faster at the top of a building than at the bottom


• An atom can be in many different places at once, the equivalent of you being in New York and London at the same time


• The entire human race would fit in the volume of a sugar cub


• One per cent of the static on a television tuned between stations is the relic of the Big Bang


• Time travel is not forbidden by the laws of physics


• A cup of coffee weighs more when it is hot than when it is cold


• The faster you travel, the slimmer you get.

No, I'm joking. They are all true!" ( 'Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You' by M. Chown)

Since Friday my attention has been drawn to the same question/dilemma from 3 different sources. First was on Friday http://www.diaryofapsychichealer.com/ and the question whether mythical beings were real. Second was on a Shamanic workshop last Saturday where one attendee was caught in the struggle around questioning whether his experiences were just his imaginings and lastly was today on the blog http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.com/ where the post introduced the experience/idea of being able to commune/communicate and have intimate relationships with plants. So what is real?

I have walked along various disciplines and paths. Some paths I have skipped along. Some I have ventured on briefly, others I return to again and again. These paths have included various disciplines within the vast umbrella of Buddhism, Shamanism, Paganism, Anthropology, Psychology, Psychic studies, New Age, Feminism and Radical Politics. I have found that having this range of explorations creates its own momentum of being open and curious. Discovering new ideas and experiences and finding old ones refreshed and vitalised. The negative is that I can struggle in trying to find parallel contexts and interpretations when visiting these different worlds. The danger or challenge can lead to being misunderstood and at worse marginalised.

If for instance I have an experience under the 'Shamanic' umbrella and I try to share my experience within a Psychological context or Psychic context; there is not necessarily an equivalent experience within those worlds. Even if the experience might be known in the different worlds there is not a shared understanding or language. Not only can this be rather frustrating for both parties but this has created confusion and conflict within myself. Because if certain experiences are misunderstood or marginalisation this can lead to denial of the experience. This is a loss. Loss of the self and the soul's voice. This can even occur with those of non malicious intent. Because we are all conditioned by the environment ~ our families and our societies into belief structures and behaviours. We take them on consciously and unconsciously.

During this weekend I heard from a woman from Native American and European descent ~ Patricia White Buffalo ~ sharing her perspective on prejudice and persecution. She said the persecution of the Native Americans from the White Europeans was foremost about Land ownership. While for the White Europeans on White Europeans ~ Christians persecution of Pagans ~ it was about occupation of our souls ~ beliefs. For this reason White Europeans have more fear around Shamanism. We have more fear buried in our bodies about being in our bodies and are disconnected to the land and Spirit. 

So this led me to ponder....If you have never known the experience of being in your body grounded and connected, then can you know what you are seeking? I think yes. But it can take time to get to that place of peace. Without being truly present, in one's body, connected to the earth then one is not able to connect with Spirit. One is homeless and isolated. Like a tree the further the roots go down the further the branches reach up.

Not only are we battling against the weight of societies historical oppression, but many of us have and are battling with traumas in childhood. And this is not surprising as both are interlinked for violence whether in the home our outside are reflections of each other. This cocktail blocks our senses. The body shuts down partially or totally some or many senses of smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch. We learn to filter out experience like annoying sounds. They become background noise. Such as the sound of a barking deer in the night which would be an annoyance because we would be kept awake and tired for work. Or like when we discuss law suites with our neighbours because they cut the fence down when it was on their right side not their left. Both sides ignoring the plight of the nesting birds.

So many of us are only partially experiencing and are not fully present then the questions of whether stones feel, do plants have souls, are there faeries at the bottom of the garden, are Unicorns made up fantasies, or do trees sing become ridiculous. Childhood tales. But, what if these experiences were not metaphors, collective unconscious beliefs or superstitions? How can we know the answer when we do not have the understanding, the language and are weighed down by beliefs, and fears of oppression which we carry in our cells and memories? The dilemma and the solution is that this numbness not only protects us from feeling the pain from our own personal and collective histories but also our pleasures, joys and gifts. And solution is found through the gentle breath of compassion, love and trust soflty fanning the flame buried deep in the secret chamber of the heart. I believe this flame is always there. Can never be put out.

Where does magic and science begin and start? How many people does it take for shared experiences to become real and not mass shared hallucinations? We believe there are energy waves that carry information which we don't hear. Because we all turn on our radios and outcomes sounds which we all verify as the same. That's not magic but science. Could it not be both magical and science? Could not our imaginings also be reality? Where are the lines between thought, meaningful stare and words spoken?........

1. Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You. A Guide to the Universe. By Marcus Chown.

2. Patricia White Buffalo. BeHeavenOnEarth.com

Awaken to Life

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait." Paulo Coelho Facebook
***

“Why has our society morphed into a society of addicts? You may balk at that question, thinking, “I’m not an addict,” but if that is your response, then you need to redefine your understanding of what qualifies as an addiction. In addition to substances, addictions include attitudes and actions. Addictions are, in effect, a choice to remain unconscious in an age rapidly moving toward a new paradigm of consciousness.
So, what makes us naturally inclined toward addictions? Whether alcohol, drugs, sex, technology, Internet communication/emails, gossiping, power, cruelty, exercise, or food, the fact is we are by nature addicts. We are always seeking some way, some method, some means through which we can escape our ordinary state of consciousness, if only for thirty minutes of distraction or a temporary physical buzz brought on by a glass of wine or a candy bar no one sees us eat, or drugs that make us feel good. We can’t stop ourselves – and that is a fact.
Addiction is a stage of consciousness that every single human being progresses through"
Caroline Myss http://myss.com/news/archive/2011/081711.htm

***
“Whether we realize it or not, we are all dreaming the world into being. What we're engaging in is not the sleeping act we're so familiar with, but rather a type of dreaming we do with our eyes open. When we're unaware that we share the power to co-create reality with the universe itself, that power slips away from us, causing our dream to become a nightmare. We begin to feel we're the victims of an unknown and frightening creation that we're unable to influence, and events seem to control and trap us. That only way to end this dreadful reality is to awaken to the fact that it too is a dream - and then recognize our ability to write a better story, one that the universe will work with us to manifest" Alberto Villoldo

***
"In The Conference of the Birds, Persian poet Farid Din Attar wrote this about suffering:

If crazy dervishes behave like this
It’s not for you to take their words amiss;
If they seem drunk to you, control your scorn–
Their lives are painful, savage, and forlorn;
They must endure a lifetime’s hopelessness
And every moment brings some new distress–
Don’t meddle with their conduct, don’t reprove
Those given up to madness and to love.
You would excuse them–nothing is more sure–
If you could share the darkness they endure.

Those of us who work at spiritual and psychological growth will encounter great darkness along the way. It is no coincidence that one of the first archetypes one meets in the individuation process is the Shadow Archetype. All that we’d hidden from ourselves, all that we shove down and away, all that we project on others and hate in them–that’s what we find in the darkness. It can be overwhelming. A person in the phase of personal work can become overwhelmed and lose heart, just as a person encountering grief, sorrow, stress, and other dark experiences can lose heart without hope or encouragement.
Hope is knowing that the moon will return, and even its most feeble light will illuminate the world. "
From the Darkness ~ The Third Eve Blog ~ https://eve3.wordpress.com/
***
"Authentic relationship with darkness and unknowing usually brings about a shamanic death (the alchemical nigredo). It is not for the faint~ hearted, and it's way beyond the ego's fantasies, attachments, or ideas of grandeur. It includes experiences of 'hell', as well as 'heaven', as we attempt to find optimal relationship with the flame. Jung found that a victory for the Self always included a defeat for the ego, an experience we are sure to have is seeking alchemical renewal." Monika Wikman ~ Pregnant Darkness.

***
There would have been a further inclusion to this post from Carolyn Myss talk on Spiritual Madness if I could summarise her talk which of course I can not! She spoke of the challenging times we are living in which the Mystical path that was once for the few ~ who separated themselves from ordinary way of life ~ has now evolved to being experienced by the many who do not separate themselves from ordinary living. We are evolving fast. Carolyn Myss speaks of the necessity for the Dark Night of the Soul as we strive to integrate a strong psychological Self with the Spiritual Oneness; which is about letting go of the individualism and ego materialistic drivers. She suggests that in today's Western Society Spiritualism has even become a commodity. Where the idea of reaching our Spiritual enlightenment can be dictated by our egos. We bargain with God expecting rewards on our terms, for our efforts.

Carolyn Myss highlights how much of a challenge it is to be on the mystical path while bringing up families and working to earn a living, instead of living in an ashram or retreat. For, when we ask the Divine to speak to us we invite Chaos. We ask for those props/addictions we use to escape from our Soul and Life, to be rattled. We then find those systems of thought and habit no longer work. So we look outside and where are our answers? We must look inside; into the darkness and the unknown for 'The light at the end of the tunnel'. However, there is one myth that needs to be dismissed. There is not just the one Dark Night of the Soul that we must journey.

When I listened to her talk I reflected on how this mystical experience is not just being experienced by individuals on their own but due to living life with others; their journeys are being felt by those around them. The affect is rippling inwardly and outwardly. Those of us on spiritual paths are coming together to validate, learn remember and connect. I am experiencing how we are re-learning to share this journey with ourselves and each other. Integral to this is not just remembering a spiritual language but creating a new way of experience and co-creating. This co-creating is deeply healing. Is becoming and being more conscious and alive. Speaking from our Soul. Soul Speak.

The above quotes I have chosen as they speak to me at this point of my journey at a time where I am questioning how, why, and/or when I speak. There are times images and/or sound can fulfil experience more than words. Though we/many may speak the same language, at the same time and place in history. We can be deceived into thinking that we understand ourselves and each other fully, not just from a mind space but also body and soul. I think one of my primary senses is visual and as such I believe I speak words from a primary visual space, which might differ from another who functions more from another sense or more from a mind space.

When the Soul speaks it is in deeper language that though rarer is accessible; and if one has the courage to release control ~ can fully experience. Poetry for me can be a medium that though is of word, is magical because it is many bridges between the Mind~Body~Soul between the unconscious and conscious. It has been described as food for the Soul. It creeps/crawls/walks/runs/skips on the edge. It does not just speak or even shout ~ it Sings.

At such times when a person is in transition. Between stations unsure of the destination, country or landscape. I speak both in the physical and metaphysical. Soul Speak not only describes but also co-creates. Soul is a tear drop from Spirit. Our journey/the track we are on is not just a to b. Many of us are aware of this when we experience Déjà vu; an opening in our consciousness of an awareness that we have been here before. This is different to that of premonition which predicts the future. Déjà vu is a meeting of time and worlds at that moment.

The journey of the Soul is not a clear staged journey from Earth below to Heaven above. To be followed by a guide book as we tread well-worn steps up the mountain with clearly marked stages and stations, with refreshments and signed lovely views. The journey of the Soul asks us to fully awaken to Life. To dance with muddied feet so dead skin is peeled away to reveal tender bark. True Soul is experienced through a greening of nature, a returning to Source. The Well of Life that lies behind dark walls of the hidden garden. There is a door to this garden but the Key. The Key is our Heart.

Along the way there are guides. Some share riddles. Some will lead us into traps. Some will share gifts to aid us along our way. All are Spirit sent. Even the devils. As the saying goes "Our worst teachers are our best teachers". There is another way to walk other than the even bland world, with muted dulled senses where we inhabit the Masks of Safety. Behind which our demons cry out, even though they kept saying yes this is the right way! You will be OK.

Not fully Awakened to Life. We travel a smooth road that is never dark. So eager to have our way shown. Lightened up. Safe. We wipe out the Stars our birth place. Not fully open to mystery. A life shallow limited to surprises. We dare not swim in waters that are deep, afraid of beings we can't quite make out let alone understand. I would therefore ask people to put away their mobile tracking phone maps, when walking in the countryside. Don't do it! Take a paper map if you must. Allow your inner Divine child to discover and adventure. Trust. Drink in that wonder, joy and delight. Be intoxicated but not drunk and not addicted; but fully Awakened to Life. Laugh with gurgling wonder and hiccup.
***

The Cinematic Orchestra - All Things to All Men

"In mythos and fairy tales, deities and other great spirits test the hearts of humans by showing up in various forms that disguise their divinity. They show up in robes, rags, silver sashes, or with muddy feet. They show up with skin dark as old wood, or in scales made of rose petal, as a frail child, as a lime-yellow old woman, as a man who cannot speak, or as an animal who can. The great powers are testing to see if humans have yet learned to recognize the greatness of soul in all its varying forms."

Clarissa Pinkola Estes ~ Women Who Run with the Wolves

"Redemption comes only after we have moved through the horrors of our present situation to the better world that lies beyond it. By confronting the problem as courageously as we can and at the same time presenting alternatives, our barriers to clarity, including our false hopes, may crumble to reveal previously unseen possibilities"

Derrick Jensen ~ A Language Older Than Words

Wheels Turning

Yesterday I was on the underground and a man with a huge rucksack and a bulging coat, long hair bustled onto the carriage. The train was delayed and he stuck his head out of the carriage and shouted 'When you are ready driver!' ~shortly after the train pulled out and he exclaiming 'always works!’ This man had his back to the main carriage and proceeded to light a cigarette after which smoking he threw down by the door and extinguished by pouring a canned drink onto it. I studied this man and never saw his face. His clothes were well kept and washed. However, he was I decided an outsider. Why? And this thought troubled me. As soon as I had thought it I thanked him for being.
'The Faery Teachings' by Orion Foxwood. Here I quote:
'To truly look into who we are means to delve into the 'River of Blood', that deep ancestral wellspring within us that contains the voices of our bloodline and all that we have experienced in our journeys through flesh, form and the inner worlds. Deeper and deeper we go, passing through the layers of voices within us until we approach the 'voice of one' {R.J Stewart} the 'voice that utters creation' that speaks of 'who we truly are'. In this journey we discover the living community that comprises our physical forms and that lives within our blood. For indeed our bodies, our blood and our life walk are sacred ~ and everything matters. We are, as we will explore in the following chapters, living communities within ourselves.
In the quest for an answer to the first question {who am I}, we discover our hardships and difficulties are the vice which presses the coal of thy potential to the diamond of thy becoming. Again, everything matters. A crucial aspect to answering this question is to understand that 'we see the world from where we stand'.
I am left still wanting to have seen that man on the underground face...what curiosity would have been quenched? What judgments might I have made? I remember reading Luisah Teish Jambalaya in which she wrote about Spirits ~ those who walk the edge and that it is important to take note of what message these Spirits might be saying. I remember her saying they can look very convincing as alive human! Which interestingly Orion Foxwood speaks about in his book and how important it is to ask beings who appear who they are as sometimes the Fey can take the guise of our imagination or our lost beloved.
This seems to me so obvious but I do not recollect actually checking this. Asking. Seems to me this would be a useful fundamental tool for anyone working with Spirit. As would checking intention.
As for the man on the train. What was his intention. For me though he was walking the edge and hid his face. His presence was incredibly powerful and pervasive. Was he a spirit... a ghost...was he forgotten?