Trance
I want to take a minute to talk about ecstatic trance. If you go to google and type in 'define trance', you'll get this: trance -a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation.
You'll also get a link to more definitions. A lot more definitions. For me, trance is a state of quiet internalization. Trance can also be a quiet internalization which I draw others into, or where I draw myself into them. Then there's ecstatic trance. Traditionally, this means working the body into a state where the ego fades and the mind becomes free-floating. I think the body produces so many chemicals to mask the pain, provide energy, preserve fluids, etc, that it creates a sort of "tripping" effect. Some shamans take drugs or poisons to enter ecstatic trance, some exhaust their bodies, and some just go there. I should rephrase that. All shamans just go there, some of them use a longer route.
I don't use drugs. I don't dance or exercise to the point of exhaustion. I don't starve myself, or go without water. I believe my body must be maintained, not damaged. Ecstatic trance can be achieved without trashing your body. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how. Trance is a state of being. For me, ecstatic trance is driven by need and will. Someone must need the information and they must be unable to get the information themselves, and I must be willing to see/feel/taste/touch/know the information they seek. Sometimes I'm unwilling to experience what the subject needs to know. An example is regression and soul retrieval. Sometimes I'm unwilling to walk through someone's abusive childhood... (I'm leaving that there, because it accurately states a hangup for me) Reworded:
Sometimes people want me to walk through their abusive childhood, pick up the pieces and bring them back. I never want to do that. Sometimes the need is so great, and the person's block is so huge; that walking through their life alone and bringing back the ugliness is the only way. A far better way is to take that person by the metaphorical hand and walk with them, keeping them safe, pointing the way and helping them embrace the pieces of themselves that they had left behind.
When that happens, I am not the only one experiencing ecstatic trance. The other person becomes radiant, both during trance and afterward. Even when we both break down in tears, we glow. I always feel honored and gifted when I'm able to help people in that way.
Really, I think the ability to walk alongside someone in ecstatic trance is the greatest of my gifts. The precognition, minor telekinesis and medical intuitiveness all pale in comparison to helping someone help themselves become a bit more whole.
I think anybody can do the things I do. I think some people choose not to. I also think someday my soul will grow up, and I'll spend a life or three choosing not to. :) I hope those lives are as happy as the one I'm having now.
Showing posts with label Meditation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meditation. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Monday, January 05, 2004
Lucid Dreaming, oh yeah
I was dreaming this morning, but I wasn't paying any attention. My alarm went off and I slapped the snooze, that being the entire reason for having it set so early, I like to con myself that I'm getting bonus sleep.
I slapped the snooze and went back to my dream, only I was awake enough to be curious what I was dreaming about.
I was dreaming about Pathways, a pagan supply store in St. Louis. More specifically, I was dreaming about two women working in Pathways. They were having a discussion about the prophecy that had been made about their store. The prophecy foretold of an Irish woman who would, if treated right, bring blessings to the store. This reminded the lucid part of my brain that I haven't been to Pathways since they moved to South County. I decided to go (dream) shopping there.
I put myself into the dream and entered the store. One of the women looked at my red hair, and I got great service. I was trying to think of an appropriate way of telling them that I wasn't who they hoped I was, without giving away that I'd over heard their conversation. Since I wasn't in the store while they were talking, admitting I knew about the prophecy would just convince them that I was who they hoped I was.
I saw a woman walking across the parking lot toward the store. She was short, round and old. She had a walking stick. She was dressed entirely in black, and her outfit was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen. It had fringe and sparkly geegaws all over it. Everything was the kind of black that sucks in light, yet as the doodads swung in the wind they were almost iridescent. Can a thing be iridescent without reflecting light? In my dream it was.
I thought to myself, "There's your Irish woman," and went to the checkout. While being checked out, the lady behind the counter asked me, "Are you, by any chance... Irish?" I gave my usual, "Nope! I'm Welsh." Both women looked a little crestfallen and a little pissed that I'd fooled them. (No, I didn't fool them. They had fooled themselves.) To make them feel better I offered, "Well, I'm a teeny bit Irish, but no more than I am Native American." And then, before I could shut my mouth, I pointed at the woman in black, who was just reaching the door and said, "There's your prophecy." I got out of the store as quickly as I could. I'd made it to the truck when I remembered I hadn't bought any herbs. I always buy herbs when I go to Pathways. So I headed back to the store. Inside, the woman in black was raising a ruckus. Literally. She was squawking and flinging shit on the walls. She had deliberately messed herself and was actually flinging the stuff around. I went in and projected calmness so I could buy my herbs in peace. Both employees were behind the counter, clinging to each other and expressing outrage. The woman in black turned and looked at me, poo in hand; and I felt her think, "That's ok, I'll wait."
I bought my herbs, got out, and pondered what I'd seen. The second the door closed behind me, she was raising a ruckus again. Part of me wanted to help the employees of the store, part of me wanted to butt out and leave them to it.
The desire to help overcame wisdom, and I went back to the store. There was something about the woman in black. I knew I should recognise her, but I couldn't place her. The store was immaculate, except for the brown patties on the walls. The woman in black stumped up to me, using her walking stick to support most of her weight. Her hands were clean. She looked up at me with glittery dark eyes and said, "You're nothing." And I laughed. I knew that I was supposed to feel bad. I knew the women behind the counter were supposed to hear her judgement of me, and agree with it, and I was supposed to feel bad. But I didn't. I laughed and said, "I'm not here to be something!"
The woman in black said, "If you stop this, I'll make sure they remember."
I said, "And I'll make sure they forget." Thinking that, with time, I could go back to flying under the radar of the St. Louis Pagan community.
Then her familiarity clicked. I said, "I know you. You're Crow!"
She smiled, showing her old lady teeth, and turned into a beautiful black crow. She flew up to my fingers, rested there long enough to shit on my hand, and flew out through the (closed) door.
Then the alarm went off again and I got up.
What an unusual dream. The women at Pathways can handle anything that comes through their door. They don't need my help. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
I was dreaming this morning, but I wasn't paying any attention. My alarm went off and I slapped the snooze, that being the entire reason for having it set so early, I like to con myself that I'm getting bonus sleep.
I slapped the snooze and went back to my dream, only I was awake enough to be curious what I was dreaming about.
I was dreaming about Pathways, a pagan supply store in St. Louis. More specifically, I was dreaming about two women working in Pathways. They were having a discussion about the prophecy that had been made about their store. The prophecy foretold of an Irish woman who would, if treated right, bring blessings to the store. This reminded the lucid part of my brain that I haven't been to Pathways since they moved to South County. I decided to go (dream) shopping there.
I put myself into the dream and entered the store. One of the women looked at my red hair, and I got great service. I was trying to think of an appropriate way of telling them that I wasn't who they hoped I was, without giving away that I'd over heard their conversation. Since I wasn't in the store while they were talking, admitting I knew about the prophecy would just convince them that I was who they hoped I was.
I saw a woman walking across the parking lot toward the store. She was short, round and old. She had a walking stick. She was dressed entirely in black, and her outfit was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen. It had fringe and sparkly geegaws all over it. Everything was the kind of black that sucks in light, yet as the doodads swung in the wind they were almost iridescent. Can a thing be iridescent without reflecting light? In my dream it was.
I thought to myself, "There's your Irish woman," and went to the checkout. While being checked out, the lady behind the counter asked me, "Are you, by any chance... Irish?" I gave my usual, "Nope! I'm Welsh." Both women looked a little crestfallen and a little pissed that I'd fooled them. (No, I didn't fool them. They had fooled themselves.) To make them feel better I offered, "Well, I'm a teeny bit Irish, but no more than I am Native American." And then, before I could shut my mouth, I pointed at the woman in black, who was just reaching the door and said, "There's your prophecy." I got out of the store as quickly as I could. I'd made it to the truck when I remembered I hadn't bought any herbs. I always buy herbs when I go to Pathways. So I headed back to the store. Inside, the woman in black was raising a ruckus. Literally. She was squawking and flinging shit on the walls. She had deliberately messed herself and was actually flinging the stuff around. I went in and projected calmness so I could buy my herbs in peace. Both employees were behind the counter, clinging to each other and expressing outrage. The woman in black turned and looked at me, poo in hand; and I felt her think, "That's ok, I'll wait."
I bought my herbs, got out, and pondered what I'd seen. The second the door closed behind me, she was raising a ruckus again. Part of me wanted to help the employees of the store, part of me wanted to butt out and leave them to it.
The desire to help overcame wisdom, and I went back to the store. There was something about the woman in black. I knew I should recognise her, but I couldn't place her. The store was immaculate, except for the brown patties on the walls. The woman in black stumped up to me, using her walking stick to support most of her weight. Her hands were clean. She looked up at me with glittery dark eyes and said, "You're nothing." And I laughed. I knew that I was supposed to feel bad. I knew the women behind the counter were supposed to hear her judgement of me, and agree with it, and I was supposed to feel bad. But I didn't. I laughed and said, "I'm not here to be something!"
The woman in black said, "If you stop this, I'll make sure they remember."
I said, "And I'll make sure they forget." Thinking that, with time, I could go back to flying under the radar of the St. Louis Pagan community.
Then her familiarity clicked. I said, "I know you. You're Crow!"
She smiled, showing her old lady teeth, and turned into a beautiful black crow. She flew up to my fingers, rested there long enough to shit on my hand, and flew out through the (closed) door.
Then the alarm went off again and I got up.
What an unusual dream. The women at Pathways can handle anything that comes through their door. They don't need my help. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
Friday, November 28, 2003
The Post-Thanksgiving Trip To WalMart
I'd love to tell a story about fighting off hordes of middle class housewives to get to the last Nintendo Gamecube. I'd like to share how I beat them off of my cart with a display Christmas tree. I want to explain how I put the truck in 4 wheel drive and drove over the grassy knoll, because the lot was so full, people were parking in the lanes too.
Sadly, none of that happened.
I slept 'til 9 o'clock. I took time out for coffee. I stared out the window at the cold grey sky, and meditated. Then I was ready to face the mob.
I put on some (gasp) make-up. For some reason, you get noticed more easily with make-up on. Since I'm only 5'4", I need all the help I can get. Red hair not withstanding, I just don't stand out in a shopping crowd. As I was applying mascara, I called to L; asking if he wanted to come with. I was expecting an eyeball rolling "no", but he jumped at the chance. So off we went to WalMart.
On the way, I guided him in a shielding meditation. I get bad in shopping crowds, too much bitterness and desperation around me. L gets worse. He hasn't had the years of practice I've had. So I taught him the mirror shield. It's a good, basic shielding technique. You surround yourself with mirrors facing outward. When dealing with crowds, you put an extra layer of mirrors around your head.
So, shields in place, we turned into the parking lot... and saw plenty of parking. "Bonus!" I thought. We drove down by the garden entrance, pulled into a parking space, and went inside. It was a copper top kinda day, At the door, we crossed paths with a pair of redheaded twines (purposeful misspelling -pervs B gone!) and their mom, also displaying the melacortin 1 gene. I spied at least 5 other naturals. Ahhh, it's good to have company. Enough about the redhead cluster phenomenon, though. On to the shopping!
The store was crowded, but not as crowded as the day after Christmas. We rushed to the electronics department. We couldn't get down the games aisle, it was packed. But that was ok. We had Matt, the WalMart guy to do our work for us. Because we had arrived so late, they were sold out of the Game Cubes. But that was ok. Matt had noticed one, and only one, sitting in the returns cart. He fetched it for us with a smile.
That's right. My son got the last Game Cube in the store! Muahahahaha. I didn't even need to hit anyone.
From there we hit the center aisle, snagged the Lion King Platinum Edition for $11, and breezed on down to the sports department. I tossed a bow and arrow set into the cart, saying, "My cousin will love this," so that L wouldn't know it was really for him. Then we were back in the garden department. We grabbed the 6 foot fiber optic Christmas tree that L had been lusting over, and threw in some wrapping paper and tape for good measure. Every checkout lane was open, and there was no waiting.
Total shopping time: 25 minutes.
Total amount spent: $180 (the game cube wasn't the kind that was on sale, oh well.)
Buying everything on your list without killing anyone: priceless!
I'd love to tell a story about fighting off hordes of middle class housewives to get to the last Nintendo Gamecube. I'd like to share how I beat them off of my cart with a display Christmas tree. I want to explain how I put the truck in 4 wheel drive and drove over the grassy knoll, because the lot was so full, people were parking in the lanes too.
Sadly, none of that happened.
I slept 'til 9 o'clock. I took time out for coffee. I stared out the window at the cold grey sky, and meditated. Then I was ready to face the mob.
I put on some (gasp) make-up. For some reason, you get noticed more easily with make-up on. Since I'm only 5'4", I need all the help I can get. Red hair not withstanding, I just don't stand out in a shopping crowd. As I was applying mascara, I called to L; asking if he wanted to come with. I was expecting an eyeball rolling "no", but he jumped at the chance. So off we went to WalMart.
On the way, I guided him in a shielding meditation. I get bad in shopping crowds, too much bitterness and desperation around me. L gets worse. He hasn't had the years of practice I've had. So I taught him the mirror shield. It's a good, basic shielding technique. You surround yourself with mirrors facing outward. When dealing with crowds, you put an extra layer of mirrors around your head.
So, shields in place, we turned into the parking lot... and saw plenty of parking. "Bonus!" I thought. We drove down by the garden entrance, pulled into a parking space, and went inside. It was a copper top kinda day, At the door, we crossed paths with a pair of redheaded twines (purposeful misspelling -pervs B gone!) and their mom, also displaying the melacortin 1 gene. I spied at least 5 other naturals. Ahhh, it's good to have company. Enough about the redhead cluster phenomenon, though. On to the shopping!
The store was crowded, but not as crowded as the day after Christmas. We rushed to the electronics department. We couldn't get down the games aisle, it was packed. But that was ok. We had Matt, the WalMart guy to do our work for us. Because we had arrived so late, they were sold out of the Game Cubes. But that was ok. Matt had noticed one, and only one, sitting in the returns cart. He fetched it for us with a smile.
That's right. My son got the last Game Cube in the store! Muahahahaha. I didn't even need to hit anyone.
From there we hit the center aisle, snagged the Lion King Platinum Edition for $11, and breezed on down to the sports department. I tossed a bow and arrow set into the cart, saying, "My cousin will love this," so that L wouldn't know it was really for him. Then we were back in the garden department. We grabbed the 6 foot fiber optic Christmas tree that L had been lusting over, and threw in some wrapping paper and tape for good measure. Every checkout lane was open, and there was no waiting.
Total shopping time: 25 minutes.
Total amount spent: $180 (the game cube wasn't the kind that was on sale, oh well.)
Buying everything on your list without killing anyone: priceless!
Thursday, August 07, 2003
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Underworld...
A shaman is a gateway. That's our main skill. We walk with one foot in the spirit world and one foot in this world. I pick up a lot of stuff off of the people I meet. I'm really good at ignoring it. Most of the time I don't even notice it anymore. I'm not particularly interested in seeing how screwed up others are, that would cause me to notice how screwed up I am. (lol) So today I went into meditation, separated my expectations from my goal, and took a walk in the spirit world.
I've been there before, just playing around, you know -getting used to the place. Today was the first time I went there with a purpose.
I always go to my valley first. There is a cave in my valley, and the cave leads to the underworld. The underworld is one way of getting to the spirit world.
Just inside my cave are paintings of big things I've done, things that have caused my soul to grow in big leaps. (there aren't many, maybe a dozen pics) There's a branching to the left that leads to an artesian well of twinkley water. It appeared after Quinn died, when my grief was so heavy in my chest I had trouble breathing. I found it during a meditative wandering, and when I drank from it, I could breathe again. Forward from the cave paintings and down a long way is the heart of Mother Earth. I went there first during a guided meditation at a festival. Today there was a new branch. It led to the right, and the path was bumpy. I walked along knowing full well that I was heading toward the realm of death. As I travelled, I kept thinking, "You shouldn't go here alone. You should always have someone with you." I came to the little old woman who stands between me and my ancestors. Every time I go looking for my ancestors I have to deal with this woman. She is wrinkled and stooped with age, and incredibly strong-willed. (side note on ancestors follows) She orders the whole group around, demanding that the quiet ones come forward to meet me. I think she's my great grandma, except my great grandma was terrifying but nice, and I found myself very drawn to her after she got too old to swing a peach switch at my backside :) She died when I was 9 years old. Anyway, I met this guardian gatekeeper to my ancestors when I went looking for the native-american portion of my bloodline. I already knew the Celtic portion probably had some shamanistic traits, and I wanted to ask if my N.A. side did too. The old woman called a brown skinned, brown haired woman to come forward, and she refused. (!) My guardian pulled her forward, and she turned her back on me. The woman was my great-great grandmother. She was part Irish and part Cherokee. She was abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage. She clearly wanted nothing to do with any of her relatives. I could see them beyond her, some were smiling and looking welcoming. The lady I think is my great grandma told my GG grandmother to get out of the way so I could talk to the rest, and GG clearly stated, "I will never allow her to talk to these people. She must go through me to meet them, and that I will not do." (sigh) It's not like I wanted to get all into the romanticized native american culture or anything. I knew virtually nothing of that part of my heritage, and wasn't trying to claim it. (some of them have since visited me on their own. Shamanism does, indeed run in that side of the family too.) I didn't think it was "cool" to be a shaman, I thought it was a burden that I carry because I'm strong enough to carry it. I think of it as a responsability and a gift. Not something to be taken lightly, but not a path to greatness either. It just is. I ignored it for as long as I could. I pretended to be "learning" to be a shaman, but not there yet. I did everything I could to avoid taking on shamanism, and sometimes I try to take it off -as one would remove a set of clothes. It never works for long. Something happens to get the ball rolling again, and then next thing I know I'm doing all the things nobody ever taught me to do but I'm damn good at anyway. It's always been like this. I know somewhere down the road I'll get scared that people will start worshiping me or something, and then I'll pretend I'm just a normal everyday person again, and today I'm glad I'm a shaman. I'm learning to trust the world to take care of itself. I'm learning to trust my friends, let them be who they are, and not put my expectations all over them -that they'll stop liking me but start needing me. It's hard for your friends to be friendly when they're trying to live up to your expectations and resenting every minute of it. So to my friends I say this - I love you unreservedly and without expectation. ;)
Back to today's journey...
My guardian great grandma was standing before a pea soup fog. This was the "veil between the worlds". I had to pass through the fog to reach my goal. I thought again how I shouldn't walk through here alone. I didn't have enough experience, it was a bad idea. I did it anyway. ;)
There were people in the fog, the recently deceased I guess. I've hung out in the fog before, and I usually get folks coming up and getting in my face and asking me to pass along a message of some kind. Today there was only one, and her message was for the person I was walking for. She followed me all the way through the veil, and finally left when I reached the other side and I had promised her I'd give the message. On the other side were more people, and there, shining like a beacon in the night, was my target. I did what I came to do, then abruptly snapped back to this mortal plane. I got a nasty headache and something felt not-right. Yep. I snapped back so fast I'd left myself there. So I had to go back under and retrieve myself. It was not as hard as it sounds. Thank the Gods I didn't freak out and not go back, though. The person I had gone to see walked me all the way back to the entrance to my cave, and left a little "tag" so I could find them easier next time. It was a very thoughtful gesture.
A shaman is a gateway. That's our main skill. We walk with one foot in the spirit world and one foot in this world. I pick up a lot of stuff off of the people I meet. I'm really good at ignoring it. Most of the time I don't even notice it anymore. I'm not particularly interested in seeing how screwed up others are, that would cause me to notice how screwed up I am. (lol) So today I went into meditation, separated my expectations from my goal, and took a walk in the spirit world.
I've been there before, just playing around, you know -getting used to the place. Today was the first time I went there with a purpose.
I always go to my valley first. There is a cave in my valley, and the cave leads to the underworld. The underworld is one way of getting to the spirit world.
Just inside my cave are paintings of big things I've done, things that have caused my soul to grow in big leaps. (there aren't many, maybe a dozen pics) There's a branching to the left that leads to an artesian well of twinkley water. It appeared after Quinn died, when my grief was so heavy in my chest I had trouble breathing. I found it during a meditative wandering, and when I drank from it, I could breathe again. Forward from the cave paintings and down a long way is the heart of Mother Earth. I went there first during a guided meditation at a festival. Today there was a new branch. It led to the right, and the path was bumpy. I walked along knowing full well that I was heading toward the realm of death. As I travelled, I kept thinking, "You shouldn't go here alone. You should always have someone with you." I came to the little old woman who stands between me and my ancestors. Every time I go looking for my ancestors I have to deal with this woman. She is wrinkled and stooped with age, and incredibly strong-willed. (side note on ancestors follows) She orders the whole group around, demanding that the quiet ones come forward to meet me. I think she's my great grandma, except my great grandma was terrifying but nice, and I found myself very drawn to her after she got too old to swing a peach switch at my backside :) She died when I was 9 years old. Anyway, I met this guardian gatekeeper to my ancestors when I went looking for the native-american portion of my bloodline. I already knew the Celtic portion probably had some shamanistic traits, and I wanted to ask if my N.A. side did too. The old woman called a brown skinned, brown haired woman to come forward, and she refused. (!) My guardian pulled her forward, and she turned her back on me. The woman was my great-great grandmother. She was part Irish and part Cherokee. She was abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage. She clearly wanted nothing to do with any of her relatives. I could see them beyond her, some were smiling and looking welcoming. The lady I think is my great grandma told my GG grandmother to get out of the way so I could talk to the rest, and GG clearly stated, "I will never allow her to talk to these people. She must go through me to meet them, and that I will not do." (sigh) It's not like I wanted to get all into the romanticized native american culture or anything. I knew virtually nothing of that part of my heritage, and wasn't trying to claim it. (some of them have since visited me on their own. Shamanism does, indeed run in that side of the family too.) I didn't think it was "cool" to be a shaman, I thought it was a burden that I carry because I'm strong enough to carry it. I think of it as a responsability and a gift. Not something to be taken lightly, but not a path to greatness either. It just is. I ignored it for as long as I could. I pretended to be "learning" to be a shaman, but not there yet. I did everything I could to avoid taking on shamanism, and sometimes I try to take it off -as one would remove a set of clothes. It never works for long. Something happens to get the ball rolling again, and then next thing I know I'm doing all the things nobody ever taught me to do but I'm damn good at anyway. It's always been like this. I know somewhere down the road I'll get scared that people will start worshiping me or something, and then I'll pretend I'm just a normal everyday person again, and today I'm glad I'm a shaman. I'm learning to trust the world to take care of itself. I'm learning to trust my friends, let them be who they are, and not put my expectations all over them -that they'll stop liking me but start needing me. It's hard for your friends to be friendly when they're trying to live up to your expectations and resenting every minute of it. So to my friends I say this - I love you unreservedly and without expectation. ;)
Back to today's journey...
My guardian great grandma was standing before a pea soup fog. This was the "veil between the worlds". I had to pass through the fog to reach my goal. I thought again how I shouldn't walk through here alone. I didn't have enough experience, it was a bad idea. I did it anyway. ;)
There were people in the fog, the recently deceased I guess. I've hung out in the fog before, and I usually get folks coming up and getting in my face and asking me to pass along a message of some kind. Today there was only one, and her message was for the person I was walking for. She followed me all the way through the veil, and finally left when I reached the other side and I had promised her I'd give the message. On the other side were more people, and there, shining like a beacon in the night, was my target. I did what I came to do, then abruptly snapped back to this mortal plane. I got a nasty headache and something felt not-right. Yep. I snapped back so fast I'd left myself there. So I had to go back under and retrieve myself. It was not as hard as it sounds. Thank the Gods I didn't freak out and not go back, though. The person I had gone to see walked me all the way back to the entrance to my cave, and left a little "tag" so I could find them easier next time. It was a very thoughtful gesture.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
And now for something completely different
I'm actually going to post something pagany!
A simple pre-ritual cleansing. When prepping for a ritual, most people I know use scented bath salts or smudge with sage. I prefer to grab a coffee filter and fill it with a tablespoon or two of basil, a pinch of ginger and a few twists of fresh ground pepper. I tie all this up with cotton embroidery thread and basically make tea. Then I soak in the water for a few minutes, clearing my mind. I take the sachet of herbs that's been steeping in a coffee cup, pour the water (tea) in the tub, then press the sachet against my forehead. I draw the sachet down my nose and exhale. I draw it down each arm, press it against my palm and release whatever I've been holding. I do the same with my legs. I draw little patterns, usually spirals, wherever I need to really focus my attention. Spirals starting in the center and working out counter clockwise will scatter bound-up energy. Spirals starting at the edge and working inward focus energy. When you reach the center, if you pull the baggie of herbs away slowly, you'll pull any "crap" out with it.
I use basil for purification, ginger for revitalization and pepper 'cause I like it.
I'm actually going to post something pagany!
A simple pre-ritual cleansing. When prepping for a ritual, most people I know use scented bath salts or smudge with sage. I prefer to grab a coffee filter and fill it with a tablespoon or two of basil, a pinch of ginger and a few twists of fresh ground pepper. I tie all this up with cotton embroidery thread and basically make tea. Then I soak in the water for a few minutes, clearing my mind. I take the sachet of herbs that's been steeping in a coffee cup, pour the water (tea) in the tub, then press the sachet against my forehead. I draw the sachet down my nose and exhale. I draw it down each arm, press it against my palm and release whatever I've been holding. I do the same with my legs. I draw little patterns, usually spirals, wherever I need to really focus my attention. Spirals starting in the center and working out counter clockwise will scatter bound-up energy. Spirals starting at the edge and working inward focus energy. When you reach the center, if you pull the baggie of herbs away slowly, you'll pull any "crap" out with it.
I use basil for purification, ginger for revitalization and pepper 'cause I like it.
Thursday, May 01, 2003
Meditation of the Week
This is an intensive soul search meditation. I tip my hat to Jon, who taught me this meditation ages ago. I haven't forgotten, Jon!
I used to start this meditation as I was going to sleep, consequently it took forever to get to the end. Jon wouldn't tell me how it ended, he always said, "You'll know."
I took the meditation farther than he had expected, and when I finished my soul search, I knew. I traced all the way back to my creation. Don't feel like you have to go that far.
Take it as far as you need to. You'll know when you're done.
There's a part of you that sits in you head and watches everything, right?
Start by noticing the you that sits and judges everything, holding up scorecards for your actions, or critiquing like life is a movie.
So there you are, looking out of your eyes. Your eyes are windows. Step back from those windows and turn around.
You're in an attic. This is where you store stuff. You may have boxes neatly labeled or clutter scattered haphazardly about. Maybe there's some cobwebs, or your grandma's old piano. Somewhere in this attic is a way down to the next floor.
Hang out in your head/attic if you need to. (that in and of itself is a good meditation to do when your thoughts are in disarray) When you're ready, find the exit and head down to the next level. You're in a house, and the house is your body. There are rooms and stairways and decorations and things. You can explore the rooms, or keep going, it's up to you.
Eventually, you will come to a door that is unlike any other. When you're ready, go through the special door. This door does not lead to another room in your house. It leads to somewhere else.
Give it a try. I'll tell you where my door led, if you go look through yours first.
-Sharon
This is an intensive soul search meditation. I tip my hat to Jon, who taught me this meditation ages ago. I haven't forgotten, Jon!
I used to start this meditation as I was going to sleep, consequently it took forever to get to the end. Jon wouldn't tell me how it ended, he always said, "You'll know."
I took the meditation farther than he had expected, and when I finished my soul search, I knew. I traced all the way back to my creation. Don't feel like you have to go that far.
Take it as far as you need to. You'll know when you're done.
There's a part of you that sits in you head and watches everything, right?
Start by noticing the you that sits and judges everything, holding up scorecards for your actions, or critiquing like life is a movie.
So there you are, looking out of your eyes. Your eyes are windows. Step back from those windows and turn around.
You're in an attic. This is where you store stuff. You may have boxes neatly labeled or clutter scattered haphazardly about. Maybe there's some cobwebs, or your grandma's old piano. Somewhere in this attic is a way down to the next floor.
Hang out in your head/attic if you need to. (that in and of itself is a good meditation to do when your thoughts are in disarray) When you're ready, find the exit and head down to the next level. You're in a house, and the house is your body. There are rooms and stairways and decorations and things. You can explore the rooms, or keep going, it's up to you.
Eventually, you will come to a door that is unlike any other. When you're ready, go through the special door. This door does not lead to another room in your house. It leads to somewhere else.
Give it a try. I'll tell you where my door led, if you go look through yours first.
-Sharon
Saturday, April 26, 2003
How I learned to Astral Project
When I was a wee newbie, starry eyed with possibility and quaking in fear of turning evil, I met a lot of people who said they knew more about magic than I was ever likely to learn. Practically every girl I knew was invited to join at least one coven. I was always passed over, or just plain ignored. For a while I was one very bitter 16 yr. old, and then I got stubborn. I would place myself in a room with a pal and her latest "teacher" and just listen. I firmly believed that if someone could do something, then I could do it too. It was like, " YOU can do a thing? Well, peh! It should be a no-brainer for me, then." Arrogant little snot, wasn't I?
The thing was, I could do whatever the teacher was trying to teach my pal. Usually on the first attempt.
The one task I had trouble with was astral travel. The whole bit about laying down in bed and relaxing every muscle in your body, starting with your pinky toe and working your way s l o w l y up your body. Relaxing millimeter by millimeter, then finally lifting yourself out, just so you can turn around and look at your body laying there? That meditation only served to make me incredibly aware of my physical being. It didn't do a thing to inspire trust that my body would be o.k. when I got back. How about this one? You're sitting in a field staring at the clouds. One of them is supposed to come down to you, then you climb on it and it lifts you away. My cloud always looked like a hippo. It would hang up in the sky, grinning it's goofy cartoon grin. Taunting me to come for a ride. To where? Africa?
Sue had a teacher named Steve. Steve wanted to get in Sue's pants. When Steve decided to teach Sue a meditation for astral projection, I asked if I could stay in the room. He replied, "I guess, but I don't know why you bother, you can't learn anything from it."
Them's fightin' words, buddy! I resolved to not only astral project, but to project myself all the way to his house, and rip down all his shields. (which I did, nyah.)
Steve walked her through the "stars" meditation, listed below this story. Low and behold, it worked! I felt those stars calling my soul, and I went to join them. In the midst of this travel, Steve suggested that someone who had died would come to guide us. I went sideways to a fringe of trees, then a grassy meadow. My Grandfather met me there. He told me that what I was doing was a good thing. Then he walked away to the other end of the field. At the edge if the meadow, a glowing man stepped out, and guided my Grandfather back to wherever he had been.
My Grandpa died when I was 5. I remember the phone ringing, and I knew Grandpa was dead. My mom stood by the phone. She didn't want to answer it. I thought, "it's ok, he's dead, mom. It's ok." And she sighed, and picked up the phone. My great Grandma died when I was 9. I knew that too. I woke up early, and I could see her thoughts. She was re-living her past, and then she thought, "It was good. Then she let go and died.
I had sort of expected my great Grandma to be the deceased family member to guide me, since I had 4 more years with her, but it was Grandpa who came to tell me I was on the right path.
Thanks, Grandpa. I love you.
When I was a wee newbie, starry eyed with possibility and quaking in fear of turning evil, I met a lot of people who said they knew more about magic than I was ever likely to learn. Practically every girl I knew was invited to join at least one coven. I was always passed over, or just plain ignored. For a while I was one very bitter 16 yr. old, and then I got stubborn. I would place myself in a room with a pal and her latest "teacher" and just listen. I firmly believed that if someone could do something, then I could do it too. It was like, " YOU can do a thing? Well, peh! It should be a no-brainer for me, then." Arrogant little snot, wasn't I?
The thing was, I could do whatever the teacher was trying to teach my pal. Usually on the first attempt.
The one task I had trouble with was astral travel. The whole bit about laying down in bed and relaxing every muscle in your body, starting with your pinky toe and working your way s l o w l y up your body. Relaxing millimeter by millimeter, then finally lifting yourself out, just so you can turn around and look at your body laying there? That meditation only served to make me incredibly aware of my physical being. It didn't do a thing to inspire trust that my body would be o.k. when I got back. How about this one? You're sitting in a field staring at the clouds. One of them is supposed to come down to you, then you climb on it and it lifts you away. My cloud always looked like a hippo. It would hang up in the sky, grinning it's goofy cartoon grin. Taunting me to come for a ride. To where? Africa?
Sue had a teacher named Steve. Steve wanted to get in Sue's pants. When Steve decided to teach Sue a meditation for astral projection, I asked if I could stay in the room. He replied, "I guess, but I don't know why you bother, you can't learn anything from it."
Them's fightin' words, buddy! I resolved to not only astral project, but to project myself all the way to his house, and rip down all his shields. (which I did, nyah.)
Steve walked her through the "stars" meditation, listed below this story. Low and behold, it worked! I felt those stars calling my soul, and I went to join them. In the midst of this travel, Steve suggested that someone who had died would come to guide us. I went sideways to a fringe of trees, then a grassy meadow. My Grandfather met me there. He told me that what I was doing was a good thing. Then he walked away to the other end of the field. At the edge if the meadow, a glowing man stepped out, and guided my Grandfather back to wherever he had been.
My Grandpa died when I was 5. I remember the phone ringing, and I knew Grandpa was dead. My mom stood by the phone. She didn't want to answer it. I thought, "it's ok, he's dead, mom. It's ok." And she sighed, and picked up the phone. My great Grandma died when I was 9. I knew that too. I woke up early, and I could see her thoughts. She was re-living her past, and then she thought, "It was good. Then she let go and died.
I had sort of expected my great Grandma to be the deceased family member to guide me, since I had 4 more years with her, but it was Grandpa who came to tell me I was on the right path.
Thanks, Grandpa. I love you.
At the suggestion of a very good friend I'm sharing this astral projection meditation.
All my meditations start with this suggestion- get comfy
so... get comfy. Picture the stars above you. Watch them for a while, see how they twinkle and dance. Listen to their song. The song of the stars calls to your soul. Their call pulls you out to join them.
Now that you're out of your body, where would you like to go today?
Kudos to Steve, from ages ago. Dude, If you hadn't wanted to get into Sue's pants so badly, you never would have taught her that meditation, and I wouldn't have learned it. I tip my hat to you.
All my meditations start with this suggestion- get comfy
so... get comfy. Picture the stars above you. Watch them for a while, see how they twinkle and dance. Listen to their song. The song of the stars calls to your soul. Their call pulls you out to join them.
Now that you're out of your body, where would you like to go today?
Kudos to Steve, from ages ago. Dude, If you hadn't wanted to get into Sue's pants so badly, you never would have taught her that meditation, and I wouldn't have learned it. I tip my hat to you.
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Y'know, I put on the side of my blog "paganism, shamanism, fine arts and rockhounding". Look. <----It's right there.
Have I raved about any of these things? noooo. heh.
So...
Here's a nice little meditation for finding a power animal.
Get into a comfy meditative space. (I meditate sitting, laying, doing chores, working out, anywhere really, as long as no one's touching me) Take some deep breaths, breathe in the essence if who you are. Smell the faint aroma of your shampoo, your fabric softener, your own personal scent rising delicately off your body. Picture yourself standing in a field. Look ahead and see some trees. Walk toward the trees and enter a forest. There is a path before you. Walk the path. Smell the green smell of the woods. Hear the sound of your footsteps. The rustling sigh of the wind, the snap of a twig, small noises of the living forest around you.
Look around as you walk. There's a squirrel climbing a tree. There's a pebble on the path. Walk through the forest. There's running water nearby. You come to a bridge. It crosses a river. Leave anything you have brought with you at the bridge. Pick it up on your way back, or throw it into the river, if spirit moves you.
Cross the bridge and enter the woods on the other side. It's sunnier here. The woods are not as dense.
The forest opens to a clearing. In the clearing are some huge boulders. Walk to the other side of the boulders and you will find your power animal behind one.
Meet your power animal. Cherish the strengths and weaknesses it brings to you. Hang out talking, ask it to come home with you, leave it for another day, whatever feels right. You'll know.
When you are ready, go back the way you came. (then get on the internet and read everything you can about your new friend ;))
Have I raved about any of these things? noooo. heh.
So...
Here's a nice little meditation for finding a power animal.
Get into a comfy meditative space. (I meditate sitting, laying, doing chores, working out, anywhere really, as long as no one's touching me) Take some deep breaths, breathe in the essence if who you are. Smell the faint aroma of your shampoo, your fabric softener, your own personal scent rising delicately off your body. Picture yourself standing in a field. Look ahead and see some trees. Walk toward the trees and enter a forest. There is a path before you. Walk the path. Smell the green smell of the woods. Hear the sound of your footsteps. The rustling sigh of the wind, the snap of a twig, small noises of the living forest around you.
Look around as you walk. There's a squirrel climbing a tree. There's a pebble on the path. Walk through the forest. There's running water nearby. You come to a bridge. It crosses a river. Leave anything you have brought with you at the bridge. Pick it up on your way back, or throw it into the river, if spirit moves you.
Cross the bridge and enter the woods on the other side. It's sunnier here. The woods are not as dense.
The forest opens to a clearing. In the clearing are some huge boulders. Walk to the other side of the boulders and you will find your power animal behind one.
Meet your power animal. Cherish the strengths and weaknesses it brings to you. Hang out talking, ask it to come home with you, leave it for another day, whatever feels right. You'll know.
When you are ready, go back the way you came. (then get on the internet and read everything you can about your new friend ;))
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