Otherworldly Water Archives

Being Guided by Something Greater by Divine Harmony

Being guided by something Greater than myself is something I have been aware of since I was very young.  I was raised by a mystic mother, and although I grew up in the container of traditional religion we both crossed over the border from conventional to mystical quite often.  When I was first introduced to astrology about 15 years ago I remember finding the synchronicities, insights and symbolism so familiar and spot on. I was amazed I had not found the art and science of astrology sooner!

Today my path is guided by many aspects of the Divine in different forms that resonate for me personally and the stars are certainly one of those aspects.  My perspective on astrology is influenced by my perspective on life in general:  I view it all through a spiritual and depth psychological lens.  I see the cosmos as a mirror image of us down here on earth.  ‘As above, so below’ is an apt mantra for any serious student of astrology, or of spirituality for that matter.  I think we affect the planets and stars as much as they affect us.  We are all connected because we are all One.

My astrology practice has this connection between earth and the heavens as its focus.  I write my blogs and horoscopes from a place of wanting to help others find this connection themselves.  I am not interested in telling people what to do or in telling them what their fate is.  I want to help teach people how to tune into the cosmos themselves and understand the rhythms and patterns of cosmic life as they express themselves personally and collectively.  I am not the moon. I am just the finger pointing to it.

If it weren’t for something Greater that guides me my life would not have the meaning it does today.  I am so grateful for all my guides and teachers- particularly the stars

~divine harmony

www.divineharmony.org

Divine Harmony’s bio.. Divine Harmony is a mother, astrologer, writer, depth psychology candidate (soon to get her Masters) and an activist for the Soul. She is dedicated to communicating with one’s higher Self by way of the celestial realms, intuition and inspiration. Just as the microcosm is contained in the macrocosm and vice versa- Divine Harmony believes that the stars and planets have connections to the people, places and things that inhabit planet earth, and there is a way to find the pattern of communication and connection by divining the stars. In addition, she is a channel for the Divine and writes inspired articles on spirituality, sacred Union, and the evolution of consciousness. She is available for astrology readings, workshops, and lectures, and is in the midst of writing a book on the Dark Feminine.

Pink Ribbons by Juno Cristi

I used to be one who doubted the possibility of life after death, but over the past couple of years, and after some recent encounters with folks that have passed on to the other side, I rest my doubts… I am certain that the spirit lives on, and we can only imagine how it goes at this point , but yes  I’m pretty certain that we cross over dimensions, and that those who we think have left us, are closer, much closer than we think.

One encounter happened early last week.

After featuring two True Love stories on Soulspeak I set the intention to find an elderly couple, and interview them next. One day, I posted a status message that talked about feeling deeply in love and got a comment from someone on Facebook saying how she agrees with what I said and that the feeling lasts until old age. So I looked at her profile and saw an old photo of a couple and the photo radiated so much love by two people I took that as a sign , and I wasted no time and reached out to her.

I sent her a private message asked her if I could invite her and her husband on Soulspeak. A few minutes later she responded.

“He passed away last year babe, my profile is a very old pic thank you though.”

I was saddened,  at that very moment I felt a strong presence by my side. So I told her I am sorry to hear the news, but I bet he is smiling over the two of us at that moment. She responded again.

“It’s a year 6th March I still miss him every minute of every day but have to carry on. Oh yes he visits round the family very often. Lol.”

For some reason this didn’t stop me from requesting an interview, the presence got even stronger  and suddenly I was hearing a voice, even if there was no sound around me, I was comprehending words from someone. I wrote her again. And these were my exact words…

“Hmm… I think maybe if you are willing I can interview you about it? I  really am getting such a high vibration of love from you ….. let me know. Just now I am getting a word possibly a message from him and it seems he is telling me to tell you ‘Pink Ribbons’ and I don’t even know what that means — but yeah. Im like this you know. Hugs”

She got back quickly and I was simply dumbfounded by her response to me.

I found out that she had just had an all clear from breast cancer when she should have been gone in 2008. And she said “He went through it all by my side.” She also told me that before his passing, he had bought her a pink ribbon brooche. She had another lump after his death and after being tested she was all clear again, and when she missed him she only had to look at the gift he brought her.

I heard the voice again, and he said “Tell her I love her so much , and forever.” So I told her that.

I broke down in tears after he said this…not out of sadness but of so much joy. I felt an immense shower of pure love pouring inside my heart– I knew it was coming from this man, who has now crossed over to the other side, but is with me to send the message … and that love was going straight to this woman who , in turn sends this love back to me and to the man she loves so dearly.

After this, she sent me another message:

“I had a reading from a medium friend of mine and it was really wonderful,  and at the end he said— ‘Im often given flowers to give with love but this man is giving me a bouquet so big I cant hold it in my arms and thats how much love he gives you.’… ”

I told her how I was deeply touched by the moment. She went on to say…

“Thank you so much. It was the third time for both of us. I had an unfaithful husband then a psychopath and finally in our 40s we got together although we knew each other all our lives wonderful 25 years together every day of it and for last 10 years together 24/7 so very happy to have found him. He had an unfaithful wife then his next one died at 41 and then me. He was so happy with me too.”

I have no words to describe that day…  It was a magical moment for both of us, including her husband.  I am sharing this story because I feel that her husband came to speak to me, to share their story of love… I felt how he truly adored her, I felt how he truly loved her and how he was so proud of her for being a trooper, and for just being herself… her beautiful self.

Although I am still quite uncertain if this woman would agree to go on Soulspeak with me, I feel that Soulspeak has already been written in this moment, and my guest traveled all the way here for no other reason but that he sends his beautiful message… a message of True Love from the other side.

Juno Cristi’s bio..  I’m a 33 year old single stay at home Mom from Manila; I have a 5 year old teacher /angel ; I write for a passion.  Juno’s blog is SoulSpeak.  Find her on twitter at www.twitterc.om/the_lovegoddess

This month’s Contributors:  Riz Maslen, Opie Snow, Erik Siador, & Paul Lewin.

Finding some quiet time?

By Riz Maslen, aka Neotropic

(Photography by Riz Maslen)

Finding quiet time in this sprawling city is pretty difficult. I often feel very claustrophobic wanting desperately to be transported to a remote place, like that of the Scottish Highlands or the rugged hills of Dartmoor. It might sound a little crazy to those of you who love to be part of a huge metropolis, but for me I need to escape every now and then. I need to hear myself breathe, and have the space to think without distraction. The constant soundscapes of sirens, the local drunk screaming at the top of his voice at various hours through the duration of each day, can at times become grating. It can get pretty hectic here at times, with no escape from the constant bombardment of sounds, can almost send me to the point of wanting to stick my head out the window and scream at the top of my voice “SHUT UP!” Of course I never actually do that.

I have a few methods of escaping, allowing me to immerse myself into a more thoughtful world. I love running and have done so since I was at school, for me it’s a great way to work through a whole heap of things that maybe spinning round in my head. I run mostly very early in the morning, as I find this a very magical time of day. It is also the best time as you hardly see anyone, apart from the odd person walking his dog. Not only do I get to have that quiet time, but also I am surrounded by the most amazing sounds, smells and visuals as the day begins to break. I run through the darkness into the light, the birds waking song slipping in out as my soundtrack as I run through the tree lined avenues of the park, the crunching of autumn leaves underfoot. It’s a sensory overload. My creative juices are taking it all in, conjuring up so many ideas. I tune into all these amazing sounds and smells, as autumn moves into winter. There is a hint of burning wood in the air as I pass the canal boats all lined up along the towpath. I try an imagine, albeit a little romantically, how I love the idea of living this way, not being tied to one place, the opportunity to move on if you desire for a change of scenery.

This is my own private therapy session. It allows me to really think out loud!  I also feel at one with nature, experiencing so many beautiful things that often go amiss, as we are often so busy wrapped up in our crazy lives. Without really seeing what is happening right in front of us.

I truly relish these moments and I am grateful for them.

Riz Maslen, (Riz\’s website) has been part of the electronic music scene since 1996, being one of the few female producers around to have gained much acclaim for her work. Riz started her career fronting many bands whilst growing up in the West Country moving to London during the heady days of the Rave Scene met and worked with ambient kings Future Sound of London, featuring on many of their albums, and singing on Top of the Pops with their hit “Papua New Guinea”.

She signed to Ninja Tune’s sister label Ntone in 1996, and released three critically acclaimed albums, culminating in a fourth released in 2004 on highly respected U.S. independent label Mush – “White Rabbits”.

During Riz’s career she has toured extensively in the UK, USA, Europe and Australia, where she has played solo shows, more recently with a full band.

The aim of her visual shows is to take the audience on more of a journey than most.  Not only does Riz write and perform the music, she also produces photographic slides and films as part of her live set-up to create a cinematic, multi-media experience.  Her work is often highly personal and about ‘journeys through life’ of her own.  The visuals and music synchronise to give us a soul-baring glimpse in her experiences, the end result being something, which the audience can hopefully relate to and be moved by.

In 2000 Riz set up her own independent label Council Folk Recordings with long time collaborator Paul Jason Fredericks and has released under the name Frederick and Nina, along with Dose One from Clouddead.

Riz has worked with many artists who have collaborated on many of her music projects including Nick McCabe (The Verve), Low, Kaffe Matthews (sound artist) and Brian Dougans (FSOL).

Riz in 2010 worked on  various projects in, including visuals for Etchasketch live shows in collaboration with 10sui.

(video below, Equestrienne Remixes from Neotropic)

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Opie Snow on why she creates..

I create because it is where I feel most at home, most at peace, and most myself.  I create because it is the language with which I understand myself and this world, a tool to empower and heal myself as well as others.

I trust my dreams, which give me surreal narratives; I listen to the visual landscapes that intuitively come to me; by this I mean that when an idea comes, I know it is a teacher, and that I have something to learn from it.  These visions or dreams are symbolic puzzles; as I paint them I first understand them in context of global (macro) issues or concepts.  The deeper I go into the painting, the more I realize how it also relates to some part of me (micro) that is in need of growth, expansion or understanding.  Our global issues are reflections of parts of us all as individuals, so by doing this micro work I know I’m stepping into solutions and healing for the macro.

www.blacksnowconversions.com)

Opie Snow Heyerman is both a painter and designer who leads a bi-coastal existence between Brooklyn, NY and Ashland, Or.  Her recent work explores the experience of the feminine through the evolution of sexuality, power, demonization, oppression, liberation and redefinition.  www.opiesnow.com  She is also one half of a fine-art, couture fashion, and multi-media company called BlackSnow.  www.blacksnowconversions.com

                                                                                                                 Erik Siador, “QuanYin”

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October’s contributors..  Kala Wright and Ambessa Cantave

Held in the Heart of the Family: Opening to our Ancestors by Kala Wright

Wherever I go, people have always asked me where I’m from.  I  have one of those faces that’s a bit hard to place, hard to put borders around instantly.  I have been mistaken for so many nationalities that I have begun to feel a bit universal, even though, if you look closely, you can see traces of most of my ancestors in me. The line of my nose, the red in my hair. My height, my long neck…it all traces back to foreign countries, ancient cultures, older branches on the tree.

Yet over the years, the most persistent requests are: Am I Persian?, Israeli? Italian?, all kinds of Middle-East and Eastern European countries…even a few friends who are Ethiopian, though I’m light-skinned, have told me that my features are identical to those of the women in their villages. My face also lends itself well to shape-shifting. People can see what they will depending on the moment, and make me “same” or “other”, depending on their tendencies or inner beliefs. Many of these “strangers” who approach me on the street choose to think that I am like-them, and, as far as true bloodlines go , some of them are correct, and some them not…but for me, the lesson is the same. We can always make a choice…to feel Unity, a sense of closeness based on being somehow “One human family”, which can draw us closer and provide opportunities, or we can choose to feel different, isolated from the people around us, and let that come between us and the world. We can choose to disrupt that very natural sense of human connection with our ideas, beliefs, dogmas, and religions. But why?

Especially when there are keys (so graciously left for us) that let us in to the place where we are all connected.

So there is that, that connected feeling of being different branches on the same tree of Life, and then there is the act of honoring one’s own lineage/bloodlines and “family tree”.  The first, that sense of reverence for all Life, I have felt since childhood. The second, being connected to my own ancestors and honoring them, communicating with them, and creating a living, breathing  relationship to them, is only coming to me this late in life. Again, it’s a choice.

I have had tastes of it along the way. I know what happens when I step into a room full of Russian Jews, even though I am not Jewish in any way other than blood. That  blood in me, starts singing. I feel a close kinship with these people that I rarely experience elsewhere. I recognize that interwoven majesty of being together with other people to whom you very well may be related.   It’s visceral, and very real to me.

I know that when I was a young woman first stumbling onto Goddess-worship, and other Earth-based religions, I suddenly identified more with my Celtic ancestry, and wanted to know about my Scottish and English ancestors. I felt a resonance there.

And finally,  I also know the feeling of stepping into a room of Africans, or singing Nyahbinghi chants with Jamaicans, hearing Amharic spoken or sung, or of meeting an Egyptian woman on the street who tells me I look like her dead sister..and recognizing something else…my spiritual ancestry. The presence of the lineages that, at least in this lifetime, are not my own, yet guide my soul, daily.

I choose connection. I choose Oneness. Without that sense of *unified consciousness* with others, with ALL beings, we have so much less regard for how our actions affect them, and we have less chance to be affected *by* them in positive ways. I much prefer a model of life where we are all willing to be accountable for how our actions affect the whole.

My mother’s people were Russian Jews, Austrian (we think) and Polish (we think). My grandmother always used to say that she came from “Austria Poland” and that my grandfather was from “Russia Poland”. Borders change, immigrants immigrate, and a lot gets lost. (My Russian great grandparents (the parents of my grandfather on that side)’s names were Vervel and Mirka, but when they came to Ellis island, their names were changed to “William” and “Mary”….if you can believe that. )

My father’s people are English, Scottish, and French, as far as we know. So all in all…quite a gathering of cultures, traditions, and lineages.

Six different cultures minimum, and that is only in the past few generations. That is only as far back as we can go, with the resources we have to find them. There is a long lineage of ancestors upon whose shoulders I stand, whom I have to thank for my life. Ancestors I am just now beginning to know, reach out to, and to honor with my deepest regard as best I can, with my awareness and attention.

My brother and I were raised without any specific culture or religion, and without much talk of our ancestors. My mother is Jewish and my father Protestant, but neither of them chose to actively practice the religions of their parents. So holidays were made up of big family meals, and at Christmas and Hanukkah, trips to see our grandparents, which simply meant more sharing of food and presents with our extended family. There were little to no family rituals, and certainly nothing done to honor or connect to our ancestors. Samhain/Halloween/Day of the Dead, a traditional time in some cultures to connect with those who have passed in your family,  was about candy and costumes, as it is for so many American children. The positive aspect of being a bit of a cultural orphan, is that it is completely up to me to create my own path from what I most resonate with. To connect to the Divine so very personally. And to greet my ancestors, this late in my life, for the first time, in my own way.

About a year ago, I experienced quite a few signs that were all calling me to honor and speak with my ancestors, to create some kind of a relationship. So I went to work. I called my parents and asked them to send me copies of photos of our most recent ancestors, my grandparents, great grandparents, great aunts and uncles…and I framed them. Then something started to happen. The simple act of seeing all of their faces, all together, was almost frightening. It was one of those moments along my spiritual path where everything I had felt to be true up until that point…changed. Suddenly I was not just this one soul, afloat on a lonely sea doing the best I could to live well with integrity, with no guides, and no company save other humans in a similar predicament. Suddenly I had Allies in the otherworld. Friends, even. They were reaching out to me. But it was scary. If that was true, so were an endless number of things I wasn’t ready to believe in. So the pictures got put away. The idea of “the ancestors” shelved, as I returned to solitary practitioner mode. I had my community, my women’s group, my rituals and spiritual practices, but something was clearly missing.  I had picked up a thread, and now it was woven into me. It always had been, only now I was awake to it. I couldn’t put it away again.

I have begun, slowly but surely, to reconnect. It’s like reaching out to old friends whom you have been ignoring all your life. The intent creates, at first, a steady drip of return, and then, over time,  a flood of response comes back. I always choose to ask that whoever answers my call “has my Highest good in mind and the Highest good of all beings”, but other than that, I’m open to them. Right now it is mostly only a few generations back…all people that my parents have met. This perhaps is so that it can make sense to my small human consciousness. I am still tethered to linear time here, and I think the forms the information comes in…seems to make it easier for me to hear. More familiar.  We take the steps we are ready to take, and they lead us forward.

I have begun to shift careers recently. My new business is blooming, and bringing me much joy. There are a few of my female relatives who I believe are helping me in this. I feel like a few specific women have been coming forward with indispensable knowledge, offerings, and gifts. It’s funny how just the right ancestors come through in just the right moments. They know. A year ago, when I was first beginning this journey, my maternal great grandmother was coming through very strongly, a woman who suffered many many horrors in her lifetime, and survived, and perservered. I was struggling through one of the most transformational decisions of my life, and I feel that she lent me her solidness, her strength, and her resolve to “do what needs to be done”. I felt her as a sense of solidity and groundedess in my spine. She bolstered my courage when things got difficult.  I made some of the best decisions of my lifetime, and I feel like I am a different person today because of it, more like the “me” that I believe I am supposed to be. It got me back on track, not that you can ever really get off, but…there is an unmistakable sense of rightness  and wholeness that I have never felt before in my life.

In the past few months, another ancestor has come forward, this time my paternal grandmother’s sister, from the French side. My new work is an offering of divination, intuitive readings. My great-aunt was born in the caul (which is technically a thin veil of the amniotic sack over the face) which in many cultures, is  a sign of psychic sight. She, as well, did card readings all her life. I experience her as a straightforward, practical woman with a great sense of humor. When I’m doing readings, she keeps me on track, narrows my vision to just what is pertinent, and helps me get right to the point. My father likes to tell stories about going out with her when he was a child; she would entertain the kids by staring at the backs of strangers heads and making them turn around, or, on occasion, levitating tables at their summer home. I feel like she has a trickster side, and when I get too deep into a reading, I can feel a stirring inside that means ease up, let go of my mind, and rise.

One beautiful aspect of calling on our ancestors is  that it can instantly bring us from ordinary daily time, into sacred time, ritual time. It creates a feeling of being fully present and aware. The shift is palpable when we invite them in, it’s as if the quality of our attention shifts. It can be very grounding and centering, or uplifting/activating. As we open to them, they also open to us. It’s a reciprocal synergy. The wisdom they picked up in their lifetime, without all the emotional baggage attached to it, is waiting to be shared with us. They *want* to see us succeed. They want us to accomplish the work that we are here to do, to help us stay on our path and complete our “mission”, if we believe that we have one, even if that mission is simply to live well and be of service. In my own personal journey, it has been such a relief to begin to reconnect to the lines of my family. To know that I am always protected and guided. It is just one way in which to remember who we are, and what we are a part of. We are held in the heart of the family.

Kala Wright, CMT is a bodyworker and intuitive guide practicing in San Francisco. Way of the Heart intuitive readings with Kala Wright: your key to staying grounded in times of change.

kalawright@gmail.com

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The Roots are the Truth by Ambessa Cantave

I recall starting school in the first grade in a highly regal fashion.  Dressed in my parochial school uniform, I was cheered and blessed by my mom, aunt and cousins for looking for “handsome” and “Christ-like” in my catholic school bests.  Being one of the youngest in a large extended family of Haitian immigrants living in Brooklyn, New York, every accomplishment of mine was greatly heralded by this group of extravagent kinfolk.  And all the while as I was raised in a culturally enriched environment of Caribbean people, I found myself feeling barren of any connection to reality until the age of ten when I learned of my African roots.  One might think that Haitian caregivers must have imbued me with a deep sense of connection to my past and strong diasporic values and yes they did.  Stoic Christian beliefs, however, were all that was needed to keep me in a bubble of self-bewilderment that made me feel my whole existence was surreal.  Also that vast majority of my family championed being in a sleep state of conformity and disconnection to our origins.

My awakening moment came from my older brother who just dropped the bomb on me when he said, “black people originate from Africa” when I was 10 years old. Again you might be reading this and think how did I not know this blatant fact until I was ten but that is a clear indicator of how not knowing one’s past can greatly leave them in the dark, and I was a rather intelligent child. In the same vein, this one line of ancestral information delivered by my older brother immediately empowered me in a way that would forever change my life. This was the missing link that took me from a naive child to relentless soul in search for my identity of origin.

The years that followed were spent exploring books, music, customs and faiths to get a greater grasp of what it meant to be African. This filled me with an immense sense of purpose and thus laid the foundation for me to be a healer, musician, educator and all that I am today. Discovering my past literally made me feel real, alive and powerful.

It is no wonder that we now live in a world where millions of people run around living shallow reality TV based lives almost totally devoid of character and a healthy sense of who they are. Regardless of race or ethnicity, a poor connection to one’s roots can cause a person to be and feel worthless. As we observe today’s digitally forward, data driven generation we find a people addicted to gadgets and consumption living in a surface world of self-indulgence and escapism and lacking any great spiritual substance. When asked about their lineage most people attempt to run off several nationalities they think they come from while not being able to recant one contribution any of those cultures have on their being. Of course they can’t, they were raised by TV, video games and computers and are not much more than human robots who can design an app but can’t escape self desensitization due to having little real connections to the world outside of face book.

The annals of history are filled with ancient societies whose connections to the natural world and spirits inspired them to lay the foundation for all the accomplishments we boast today. Yet the vast majority of all that we produce today often harm our planet, our psyches, our health, our morality and sometimes all of the above.

Learning about my ancestry at an early age not only enabled me to connect my source to the customs in which I was reared, but it gave me a strong sense of self beyond who the world and even my mind tells me I am. As such I live a life where I am able to see things coming before they do. I am also able to find common ground with people from all walks of life. I am only able to do this because in getting connected with my history and my roots I truly learned personally how we are all connected. Through our ancestors and believe you me, we all have the same ones, always ready to guide us. When we tap into our roots, we learn how to live with our ancestors. When we walk with our ancestors we never walk alone!

About Ambessa..

Ambessa Cantave is a father, musician, activist, educator and dedication to transformational change on the planet. A ten-year veteran of the Bay Area’s environmental justice, art activism and non-profit communities Ambessa is the founder of Destined Nation Media which originally produced Grind for the Green. He also sits on the board of Oakland’s first Green Youth Media Center and he currently serves a climate change educator for the Alliance for Cimate Education.

Click the link to hear Ambessa’s music!

Ambessa\’s Music

August contributors, Women Artists..

JEN COHEN

Venus + X (2011) 3 channel HD video with sound

My work exists in the interstice between worlds – the analog realm of our quotidian reality and the digital realm that our virtual bodies inhabit.  Using video in combination with sculpture, performance, and sound, my work poses the possibility of a transcendent experience for the audience/participant that delves into questions about our perception of these realities.

My video and sound installations are often immersive utilizing repetitive visual and auditory symbols to create otherworldly atmosphere for the viewer.  At the heart of each project is the investigation of the mystical possibilities of technology- a process I refer to as media divination.

Through layering, filtering, and manipulating both appropriated and recorded video images, my work seeks to uncover the spirit that lies beneath the surface of encoded data.  Furthermore, I challenge the limitations of the rectangular video-frame, exhibiting work in spatial configurations and framing the screen in various shapes through pseudo-architectural methods.  The screen and projection are thus distanced from their history and association with entertainment – functioning instead as vehicles for metaphysical and contemplative experience.

bio:  Jen Cohen received her MFA in Art Studio at the University of California, Davis and her BFA in Media Arts from the California College of the Arts in Oakland.  Her work has been exhibited and screened throughout the Bay Area, including venues such as the de Young Museum, the Center for New Music & Audio Technologies at UC Berkeley (CNMAT), Recombinant Media Lab, SomArts, 21 Grand, Roxie Cinema, The Lab, The Fine Arts Cinema & Artists Television Access.  Her work as a cinematographer and video editor has been seen in several documentary projects dealing with themes of ethnomusicology, world cultures, religious pluralism and the performing arts.  She has also curated monthly film and video screenings at the Climate Theater in San Francisco.

For more information: jencohenstudio.com

KALIE ILANA KOA

Art is my life and love- a channeling of emotions, thoughts and memories through light, color and form. Dreaming worlds into being: bringing the subconscious and waking life closer to connection, is where my art takes me. Today my creations find their ways mostly through photography, painting, and dance.

The practice of drawing came through me at 18 months – when I was old enough to sit up, and for hours I would stay like this, never breaking the cyclic pattern moving meditation of creating. I was a quiet child and through art I expressed my voice. It was my connection to the unseen as well as to my inner self that could only be heard through this movement into stillness. It is the same now as it was then when I create art: once in that still place, a profound sense of trust and timelessness is felt, and from there the creative process can truly open.

This sense of trust and creative flow is not always easy to access — I have witnessed dark periods of disconnection from my art, including a 10-year period of chronic pain from an injury to my spine and nervous system, when fell into a deep darkness and stopped creating art completely. In this process I have learned to bless the disconnection – for in that longing for connection is the way back to our connection, and ultimately: the bridge that connects us to a stronger, deeper wholeness by embracing what shadows us.

On my path of healing, this last year has represented an expansive shift in my life and rebirth of my art. I launched two major art projects – luna{13}photography, named after the ever-changing yet always whole thirteen cycles of the moon each year, and WeavingWomen, an educational empowerment organization dedicated to supporting indigenous Mayan women and preserving the traditional weaving arts in Guatemala.

As artists we are record keepers – collecting subconscious symbols and integrating them into new visions of understanding for the whole. Both my work with luna{13}photography and WeavingWomen continue to unfold as a record-keeping story-telling journey bridging people, ideas, and cultures — and maintaining my connection to the earth, my art, and to the heart of what I truly love: moving within stillness towards wholeness.

For more information please visit:
www.luna13.com
www.weavingwomen.org

July contributors for the youth!

Chris Henrikson, of Street Poets Inc, Alan Reyes, & Apara..

For 14 years, Street Poets has been harnessing the power of poetry and music to inspire Los Angeles’ most “at-risk” youth to claim the gifts that lie beside their wounds and dream a new world into being.  We provide poetry and now drumming workshops to the young people in LA’s most underserved juvenile detention facilities and public schools, while hosting regular community open-mic events to help bring our fractured city together.  We also perform as a group around town and run a recording studio that serves to amplify the authentic voices of our youth and young adults.   Over time, our community’s personal wounds have become a gateway into the larger collective wounds of our American culture (particularly those around slavery and the persecution of Native American peoples).  We’ve learned to rely on elemental rituals inspired by the teachings of West African elder Malidoma Some, as well as a monthly Lakota Sweatlodge, to help support this healing work.

“I want to begin by honoring the power of your silence,” I offer to the group of Apache students now gathered around a table with blank sheets of paper and pencils before them. “I’d be happy to sit here with you all in silence for the next hour if that’s what you feel you need.  But if that silence begins to speak, I invite you to pick up that pencil and write down what you hear.”  Then I close my eyes and begin to breathe.  When I open them five minutes later, every youth at that table is immersed in writing.

June contributors on the power of language: Juno Cristi, Danny Meeks & Matre.

THE BIRTH OF A PASSION

I have close to two thousand verses all written in a span of 6 months… and I continue to write new ones and re-broadcast the old. My Twitter, an account I once thought wouldn’t grow more than 100, has now close to 12,000 followers, sharing the love and the words of Love and Light. My friends and followers continue to grow everyday. I am simply overwhelmed by the feedback, and by those who reach out to say how much my I have helped them. Some of my followers even took the liberty to translate my quotes to their own language. I have also crossed over the genres of prose and poetry, and novel writing.

Today I have the full understanding of what life has in store for me, when I thought that I was forsaken all the trials, they were blessings in disguise. I would not be able to pull healing words from my heart unless I was given the chance to experience them.

I do not know what the future lies for me, all I know is that it is SPOTLESS BRIGHT. I am in my element when I write and at this point, nothing can stop me from chasing a dream. In my heart, what I had prayed for was there all along, and when I did not ask for anything, I received the gift of HEALING  through words… the best gift that has ever been placed on my hands, for it does not only lift the grief of others, but it lifted my own grief too.

It is with great pride and joy that I share this Miracle with you: http://twitter.com/the_lovegoddess

(Photo – FLOWER – by Gerda Van Rossem)

Juno Cristi:  I am a 33 Year Old Single Stay home Mom from Manila.  I have a 5 year old teacher/angel.  I write for a passion.  For more go to.. www.junocristi.blogspot.com

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AN INTERVIEW WITH RHYME ON THE POWER OF WORDS

By Danny Meeks

 

Thank you for joining us today, Rhyme.

 

I must admit

At first I was hesitant to commit.

These meetings are rarely fleeting,

And my vocation demands a rather heavy rotation of obligations.

 

We’re honored to be in the presence of such benevolent wisdom.

 

Although appreciated,

Your flattery is voiced in vain.

Assuredly we’re one and the same.

Although roots this deep do tend to reach Truth’s groundwater.

 

What are your thoughts on the power of words?

 

You realize

Of course

You touch on my favorite discourse.

 

As we hoped.

 

And one in which I’m well rehearsed.

After all,

My native tongue is verse.

 

Naturally.

 

Very well.

 

In all honesty,

Comparatively,

To words I claim a lesser fame.

For they are that

From whence I came.

 

The revelation of my creation:

 

A spontaneous phenomenon

Dependent on

The echo of trysting vowels.

Like worship beads

Adorning the power of words.

 

Language is a gift from every soul who spoke and was heard.

 

You see,

They tend to be

A vastly wide spread potion.

 

As a result of ubiquitous devotion

Linguistics embody every emotion.

 

For starts:

Words can swell our hearts

Like levees about to burst.

They can buckle one with chuckles,

Rumble a rib cage with rage,

Or shape one’s eyes like a mystic sage.

 

As many a soul will confide

With pride

Words bellow from an inflated breast.

Voiced in ignorance, our patience, they test.

Warmly expressed,

They can manifest

As sensual as warm breath on bear necks.

Or remain as loyal as those who religiously reside by our side.

 

Although words contain

And are obtained

From an omnipotent muse.

As a result of fear, the innocent, they accuse.

With good and evil they are fused.

Abused

They can spew hollow justifications

For nightmarish abominations.

 

Further seamy inclinations?

 

Filled with hate they grate the nerves.

The undeserved they… exile.

 

Yet Pound for pound

Words are as profound

As the moment our ancestors become our mentors.

 

True

There are experiences words fail to breach

Yet often they place

Such elusive states

Within reach.

 

Beseech the scholar

Who attests of the ancient tome:

A book in the home

Can make one feel less alone.

 

So shove the bad vibes aside

And bring words along for the ride.

Regardless of their import

Even the most mindless retort

Can engage our minds

Timelessly.

 

Burn them, and they will persevere

Year after year

In the vocal chords

Afforded those

Resonant of a richer life.

 

Like you

They are one and one with everything.

As Emerson once wrote:

“Every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

 

Are words powerful?

 

You betchya.

 

Try and live without them, and see where that gets ya.

– Danny Meeks

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Creative Speech

Exploring a practice of miracles

By Matre

I’m remembering a phrase from the Catholic masses I went to with my family as a kid: “Only say the word and I shall be healed.” Speaking to God, the priest would say this as an essential part of every mass; a pronouncement of faith and a belief that a mere word, spoken by God, could heal. Reflecting on this, I’m also remembering biblical stories where Jesus performs miracles by simply saying so. Whether healing a sick person, restoring sight to a blind man or multiplying quantities of food, the idea is that he is able to say, “Let there be…” and whatever he says, happens. He is capable of making his will manifest.

As an MC and writer I’ve focused my work on words. Through the words of other artists who inspire me and through my own writing and rapping, I’ve learned about their power. I’ve learned that words do heal and make things happen, that speaking something into being is not only the stuff of biblical stories but a very real capacity, and that making miracles is a practice; a process of exploring and connecting with the true creative potential of our speech, and in a broader sense, of our expression.

Accessing this creative potential is a practice of speaking the truth. This doesn’t mean just saying what we think is true. It actually means listening. In one direction we listen to our hearts and our inspiration. What we deeply love and what inspires us points towards the miracles each of us is particularly capable of. When we love something beyond our own self-interest, and are inspired to give of ourselves to serve it, it calls forward a level of will so authentic that it creates a potent resonance with the world around us. Like water beads attract each other, an expression of generative love offers a substance pure enough to attract and join with a collective creative current, and through this alliance allows for the probability of manifestation.

When we feel this resonance, we can again listen, and see what’s coming through. We can turn our gaze towards our surroundings and ask, “Who are my allies in this creative process?” “Which energies are present that support what I’m called to bring forward?” The responses that we hear begin to point us towards our collaborators in creative speech: sometimes a living person, sometimes an ancestor, sometimes an elemental energy (the Earth or Fire for example), and sometimes a more general sense of an “unidentified” yet tangibly present energy that supports our intention.

Because it is aligned with something beyond us, this intention resonates as true and has the potential to manifest. Understanding this we can begin to see creative speech as a collaboration. We aren’t speaking in isolation to make something happen, but rather identifying a current whose natural direction helps carry forth our will, a current that is already flowing but that needs a human mouth, a portal of expression through which to pass into this world and come to life.

Many people have worked with this capacity of creative speech. I believe, for example, that this is the kind of collaboration Martin Luther King Jr. was accessing when he said, “The Universe is on the side of Justice.” He heard both his heart’s call to serve, and a collective resonance with what he was serving. Having experienced this “universal will,” he welcomed it, and through that current a host of allied energies became his collaborators in a level of speech that did indeed bring forth the miracle of healing and unprecedented change.

This is the kind of collaboration we are each in when we listen to and follow what calls us, and when we welcome what offers support. When we trust in the tears that come to our eyes, or the chills that run through our bodies, the images that flash into our minds… when we trust our inspiration and intuition and don’t hold back… when we express from this place of authenticity, whether words, or a painting, a craft or dance, we speak truth and invite a host of eager collaborators to join us in making it real; we allow our love to have hands and to sculpt matter into the miracles it was meant to.

Matre: I’m an MC from LA. I work with words and music as a tool for inspiration, healing and change.

Thanks to Liv and Anais for the work they’re doing and for inviting me to be a part of it!

You can check out my music and more about my work at: www.mcmatre.com

Peace!

May contributors..

Music as a Healing Medicine by Genie Love

As a full time performer for the past nine years I have become aware of the power of music, when channeled correctly, as a healing art. In traditional societies, shamans use various forms of instrumentation to create rhythms and/or melodies that help induce a mystical state that serves as the gateway to the spiritual experience. For many in the modern digital age, DJs, instrumentalists, singers, turntablists and sometimes even dancers and producers have taken the role of the shamans as they are the deliverers of the musical form. Especially when done with conscious intention, these artists speak to the deeper parts of our soul and can inspire emotional release which appears to be connected to internal healing. It is as if something inherent in their art imitates a frequency wave form that is the spiritual equivalent of water in the subconscious ocean; this is where a great amount of healing power can be felt and drawn. Artistic gurus are able to interrupt and purposely manipulate the electro-magnetic energy fields of time and space through skillful intent; this resembles a kind of inter-dimensional language that has the potential to reprogram illness into health, especially as it relates to the breath and its aid in subtle meditation and movement.
Take a moment to find a song that fills your imagination with beauty while at the same time delivering a heartfelt sense of transcendental joy (“Blood on the Motorway” by DJ Shadow is a great example that works well watch?v=H8JWKMZLmAU); as it plays close your eyes while imagining that your body is not solid but consisting of pure energy, seeing it as quantum ether that you can dissolve mentally at will– whether you move physically or sit still and move with your imagination, envision your electric field interacting with the various sounds, see these forming into complex geometric shapes in brilliant colors dancing in sync to your minds effortless creation of them. This exercise will relax and reinvigorate you while recalibrating your mind-body connection and when done with consistency and focus can work miracles.

Sponsored by Line6, The Genie is a performing artist and guitar/DJ innovator from San Francisco. Creator of ‘scratch guitar’ and ‘g-mixing’, he uses original live looping techniques to create sonic collages that span various genres.

Music as Healing by Baba Michael

Music is such a deep way to communicate and express oneself.  Sound has the power to create, as well as destroy.  The right pitch can shatter a wine glass, and potentially even brick walls.  It can also be used for healing directly, as each key in the musical scale correlates to different organs of the body.

One healer I know, Kae-Thompson-Lui has even developed an accurate system (through the use of technology and computers) that can measure your voice, to find which notes you are high (stresssed) or low (weak) in.  Based on the results of the examination, called VoiceBio(1) one can diagnose various imbalances in the body.  Then particular cds with the appropriate tones are given to the client, along with dietary and other suggestions.  The clients then chant daily with the prescribed cd, in order to “tune themselves” back up to optimum health.

As for me, I am a singer, and my role as a healer in this life is mainly through music.  Music can stir things in you, deep within you, memories you didn’t know you had.  In these times, which have become increasingly dark in recent years, there is a resurgence simultaneously occuring.  An awakening to who we really are, Divine Beings on this planet, and seeing that we are all interconnected and interdependent.

And music is a great way to re-member yourself, and simultaneously remind others of themselves.  Not who we have been conditioned to be, through the media, religion, or our cultural upbringing.  But who our Souls truly are and have always been.  As we have seen with the work of Dr. Emoto of Japan (2), after only 24 hours of exposure to a piece of music, the very structure of water changes in response.  Soothing music creating beautiful crystals and angry harsh music creates shattered crystals, or none at all.

I believe that in the future we will see more of the scientific use of sound and color therapy in our healing practices, and perhaps one day, even again in hospitals.  Believe it or not, alternative therapies (using sound, color and homeopathy) were once used quite often in American hospitals, and quite successfully so; as proven with machines like the Rife microscope (which successfully healed cancers)(3) and the Dinshah color therapy(4) (which was used to successfully treat third degree burns).  Of course, this was not to the liking of the American Medical Association and the FDA.  And so they took away these doctors licenses, persecuted them, and shut them down.

Until the time comes when these healing methods are once again used in hospitals, we each can educate ourselves in the meantime to become our own healers (through the independent study of these sciences), or at the very least, use sound, to open ourselves up and let go of stress.

Try this out if you haven’t before, it’s a lot of fun: gather together with a small group of friends and begin to chant and tone.  Sing whatever sounds come to mind.  Don’t force it, just start somewhere and see where it goes.  Allow your voice to flow.  Don’t judge yourself (in America we are often conditioned to believe “we can’t sing” as if there is a “right” way to do it, but this is not the case).

After 10 or 15 minutes or so, you will find that you will enter a sort of meditation-like state of consciousness, where the thinking mind slows down or stops, and you find yourself very present in the moment.  It a sort of natural high.  You may even find that things that were heavy on your mind previously and that you were stressed about, now don’t seem like such a big deal.  Or some new insight is seen that wasn’t apparant before.  This is because the chattering thinking mind has been quieted down, and your Self, your Presence now has the space and opportunity to come through and emerge.  Singing and playing music in this way then, helps you to ‘tune into yourself’.

And to ‘Know Thyself’ is what life is all about.  Enjoy the music!

Reference links:

(1) www.voicebio.com  (2) www.hado.net  (3) youtube.com/watch?v=iY7g-IUOJ]g  (4)www.wrf.org/men-women-medicine/kate-baldwin-md.php

Baba Michael is a singer, songwriter and musician who calls Oakland, CA home.  He is also Tan Ran Reiki master and a Diviner in the Dagara Tradition, as taught by Malidoma Some.  His website www.babamichael.com is under construction and will be launched later this year.  westcoastmalidom.com/2011/05/04/baba-michael/

April contributors..

Claudia Ann Wood – Protecting the Indigenous

Indigenous: produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment

<indigenous plants> <the indigenous culture> Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Protecting the indigenous starts with my indigenous self.  That is the environment that needs to grow and be protected.  The journey of my life has exposed me to the blessings of indigenous wisdom.  I felt a call to activism, wanting to protect the precious indigenous cultures that were so quickly being swept into modernity. What I learned was that the indigenous has never gone away but is living on in the myths and stories that can’t be

colonized out of the bones of people.  That’s what makes me feel empowered and not hopeless.  To protect the indigenous is to embody and awaken the indigenous inside of me.

Within my bones lies the wisdom of the ages, that of ancient indigenous elders. I have come to this planet to express my bone knowing, my indigenous self and that is my gift to deliver. I did not truly understand the depth of this truth when it was presented by my teacher Malidoma Somé. I have spent 15 years integrating what was unlocked in my body upon hearing his indigenous wisdom.

I facilitate women to explore their indigenous self and bring forward their gifts. To honor and heal what lives in their bones all the way back to the oldest of old ancestors and remember the sensual natural rhythms of their life. Fully awaken and connect the senses and re-connect their eros with that of nature. I know that the creativity of the indigenous feminine is bringing forward amazing changes in our world that will be sustainable.

Our indigenous self is precious and the journey to embody this energy is precious. When the senses are fully engaged and we return to the rituals that connect us, what we seek is magnified, supported in the other world and we engage all the energies needed to live in communion with each other and the Earth. Through divination and ritual the magic that happens when a woman reconnects her five senses always takes my breath away.

Dance, eat, drink, love and play in sensual profound ways, call the soul home to the body temple. Protect the body where the indigenous lives with each breath you take. How could violence in any form exist in this kind of environment?
Ashe..
I am a diviner in the Dagara Tradition, lead women’s and cultural retreats in Jamaica where I call home. www.claudiaannwood.com Jamaican Cultural Tours on Facebook. I am a sensual soul guide in collaboration with Reda Rackley (truetohernature.com) and we teach and train virtually, initiate, divine and lead ritual that ignites magic and the senses.
Come play in the palace at www.oshunspalace.com or join our tribe of women healing the world through magic, mysteries and ritual on Facebook at Oshun’s Palace.
Email oshunriver@gmail.com
Women’s Mysteries, Magic and Ritual, Reconnecting the Eros of Women back to Nature

Claudia Ann Wood – Integrative Medicine Consultant – Holistic Healing – Sacred Spaces

www.claudiaannwood.com

Ukumbwa Sauti M.Ed – Indigenous Soul at the Crossroads

The general quietude of the modern citizen with regard to “global burning” (as Daniel Wildcat calls it), ravenous earth-altering resource exploitation and prolific and varied culture of pollution and toxic waste creation belies the urgent nature of current changes in the world and recent past developments in human decivilization. The digital-industrial-mechanical societies have created many distractions and diversions to our necessary awakenings and motivation with regard to our own de facto social suicide.  Interestingly enough, ample warnings and solutions have been presented to us by our “Elder Brothers”,  as the Kogi refer to themselves, and many, many others across the embattled globe who do not share our suicidal quietude – indigenous peoples.

March contributors..

Emanike La
Many may wonder why parts of this collective initiation seem so violent and unbefitting of the will to carry on. We must remember that this initiation is being caused through the accumulations of tears and prayers of grandmothers, children, the oppressed and those whispering their requests to the unknown as they enter the gates of death. In all the languages and traditions, a collective prayer has accumulated and that prayer’s voice has been summoned so it may sing in this time with a voice from beneath the waters of our turbulent consensus reality. Our initiation is poised to open a way back through the layers of illusion and linguistic division, to the one reality beneath the bones. The waters of Spirit are rattling those bones to shake free this new language befitting of the newly initiated on this planet.

There was a time when many would have adamantly argued that oppression is maintained through economic systems, chains, or religions. Yet, at this time the Spirit world is demanding we take responsibility for the implicit magical nature of language. It is time for language to be seen as a spiritual technology for blending and merging of dreams. It is when dreams merge, that phenomenon of the otherworldly kind appears; and it is now that this innate human ability must be activated to the fullest degree. There is a dream beneath our individual dreams that is rising through the density of illusory belief systems etched onto our bones and its destiny, which cannot be avoided, is to be spoken. In that speaking, something unprecedented from the world of the ancestors is poised to happen, something promised and something needed. It is the emerging of something ancient from beneath the ocean. They have already grown a voice. They have legs and hands and through their speaking they create a resonance so that they may no longer be hidden from the face of this planet.

Emenike Atum La is a healer priest working for the empowerment and healing change of the earth and its people. He conducts healing rituals and retreats and is available for individual consultations. He can be reached at http://www.theatumla.com/.

Veronica Rosario

Let me begin by extending my gratitude, love and respect to all of those who came before me.  To those in my family and lineage that extend way back in time, who built the foundation of where I stand today.  To those Ancestors, especially who suffered the woes of human cruelty and through which their bravery, non-wavering heart and spirit have opened a path of freedom, of knowledge, of wisdom, and of infinite love, that allows me today to seek, and continue the legacy they have passed.  I pay my dearest respects to the Ancients, to the Grandmothers and Grandfathers, to those I can name, and to those I cannot, to the Spirit guides who have chosen to walk beside me, to the teachers I have come across in this realm and the “other” realm, who have made themselves heard and felt by me.  May you continue to teach me how to live and spread your goodness here on earth, where our world needs healing, our hearts need expansion, our faith needs heightening, our charity needs humility, and our lives need hope.

You Ancestors, can show us how to be true to ourselves, and wake us up to our Great Mystery within, helping us to discover the unique medicine we each carry and must share with each other for the benefit of our families, and communities.  Ashe!

As a child, I loved to read and watch movies to the extent that I would lock myself in my room for days.  I enjoyed entering the world which the authors and producers created, and liked to choose a character, and become that character.  There was always a feeling or emotion that I could identify with in every story.  That is because human emotions are one common ground we all share.  Fascinating how we cry, when others cry, we laugh when others laugh, and we share in each others joys and pains.  Human emotions are indeed contagious!  The domino effect of emotion is something we can learn from in so many ways.  It allows us to practice compassion, which I believe to be one of the things we could never perfect due to our human nature, so we must always practice it.  It is the same with spirituality and is forever evolving, and can never be perfected.  I have learned that although there is a common thread between all religions, and traditions, there can never be one set of rules to follow that will hold true to ones heart always.

Think of this…have you ever tried giving love with no return?  Or showing kindness when someone was just not nice?  Or trying to give advice with good intention and the receiver doing the contrary?  Or being lead in the right direction, and going the wrong?  Well, without compassion, we give up trying.  Well, there is a group of people who never give up…Our Ancestors.  They practice this compassion no matter how often we stray.  My Ancestors have shown me unconditional love, compassion, and understanding, and for this I am grateful.

I always wondered why I was happier when not in my own reality.  I considered a days events at times, too mundane.  I remember I rocked myself to sleep with one leg off and one leg on the bed for many years, and never understood why until much later.  I was always half here, half there, lol.  I sought adventure all the time, became bored very quickly which caused my parents to run out of things to keep me busy.  No matter how fun and exciting the extracurricular activity, I felt a void that these external joys could not fill.

But one day that all changed.  I fell asleep one night and had this vivid dream.  I was in a house full of people dancing to the beat of a mesmerizing drumming sound.  As I walked around, different people were coming up to me saying, “the Fire Spirit is looking for you”.  I searched and searched for that Spirit, as my body vibrated from the booming drums.  Finally, I saw the most beautiful, chocolate colored, flawless skinned, majestic looking Spirit.  I knew he was a Spirit because I could see right through him.  His half-body moved gracefully, as he swayed his head from side to side, as if leading me in a beautiful waltz.  An overwhelming calm, joyous feeling came over me as he approached me.  He extended his hand, and his gesture was welcoming, and comforting.  Although he said nothing, I heard “it’s time”.  As I extended my hand, I awoke.

Now awake, I asked myself, “time for what?”  I tried to go back to sleep quickly to recover the dream file, but no luck there.  What did this mean?  That feeling was unprecedented, indescribable…it was my first spiritual high, my first spirit encounter (that I could remember at least).  This fascinating dream triggered a longing for, and seeking of the truth, of that which I cannot see…the Spirit Realm, the Realm of Mystery.

I began to wonder of very different things now.  I immediately shared this dream with my mother.  She told me there was a person she knew that may be able to enlighten me on the nature of my dream.  She said, “I think you are ready now”.  I was only about 10 or 11 years old.  She said, “tomorrow at 5:30am, we will go see a special lady that may be able to help you”.  I asked a million questions, to which she had no reply, she just said, “go to bed early and get your rest”.

That night, I dreamt of a short, lady with caramel colored skin and a warm smile sitting at a table, in a room filled with all types of mysterious relics around her, a mirror in front of her, candles lit everywhere, a large bowl of water, and both her arms reaching out to me as I entered the room.  I had brought her a cup of coffee in the dream.

The next morning I got up filled with anxiety and excitement to see this person that could explain to me more about the “Fire Spirit”.  As I walked into her room, with butterflies floating in my belly, I saw many people crammed into a tiny waiting area, all sitting patiently and quietly.  I was handed a little piece of cardboard with the #16 on it.  I had 15 people ahead of me.  Wow, all these people were here to see this special lady that early in the morning.  She must truly be special.  It seemed like days later, when it was finally my turn.  I entered the room where she was, and it was the room in my dream, the special lady, whom I had also met the night before.  She welcomed me with her joyful laughter and was adorable. Her laughter was contagious.  I began to laugh nervously with her as I entered.  All was as I had dreamed it, with one additional detail.  As I sat down beside her, she asked me to write my name on a piece of paper, as she prayed over a book.  Once I wrote my name, still smiling, she tapped her water bowl, and began to write on that paper in a graceful, trance-like fashion while she gazed at her water.  I had no idea what she wrote.  It looked like circles and squiggles to me, but to her it was clear messages from Spirit for me.  Amazing, the truths she told that no one could have known.  She introduced me to several Spirits who surrounded and guided me.  Until that day, I had always believed in a God, a creator, but never had a clear idea or conception of his helpers, some who had lived in my family many moons prior.  It was “out of this world”, literally, lol.  Not only had I felt ”I had arrived!”, but it was also my first dream come true!  The wonderful peace that surrounded me in the company of Spirit was one dear to my heart, and true to me!  I was Home!  They knew me like no other.

So, there it was, my first Divination by a lovely Water Priestess whose connection was beautiful, who channeled important messages of love, knowledge, and wisdom from the “other world”.  From that day on I felt I was given a “pass”, a homecoming back to the world from which I believe I came.  A world I would visit often in the days, months, and years to come – in my dreams mostly, and most recently in other forms.  I became a Dreamer, able to connect to “other worlds” by night as I tried to figure out the messages and visions by day.  In this process of life I have learned so much about myself, my family here, my Ancestors, and my high spirit guides, who love me and have made themselves known to help me remember who I am and why I am here.  More is revealed each day and I cannot deny the truth of the existence of Spirit.  I have seen, felt, heard, and done much in my travels with them.

The underlying themes throughout all of my connections are Love, Compassion, Faith, Hope, Humility, Charity, and Respect for Life and Death.

I am in the midst of my self-exploration, transformation, and path towards enlightenment and evolution.  I am getting to know “my people”, my personal medicine, my pasts, my truths, and the legacies passed down to me by the Ancients.  More shall be revealed.  So far, I dream, and I get to scope out territories before I arrive (yes, my sweet spirits just can’t wait to get there sometimes, lol).  I was shown by my Great Grandmother, the beautiful experience of channeling through automatic handwriting, a way to give them a voice.  I have a special connection to the amazing Water and Fire Spirits, who partner up to show me the balance of Nature.  I am calling upon Mother Earth to keep me grounded, and I am relying on the Mineral Spirit to help me to remember the records of my past lives.

As demonstrated by a Buddhist Monk in a movie I saw called, “Little Buddha”:

If you hold a cup of tea, the cup is merely a container for the tea.

If you break the cup, although the cup is no longer the container for the tea,

The tea, although now spilled, is still tea.

Even after being wiped, you can squeeze the towel, and still tea will drip from it.

The cup, our bodies…The tea, our souls or spirit.

In death, the tea, “our spirit and soul”, simply transfers out from its container, “our bodies”, but will forever remain in existence.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is…..our Ancestors need our help as much as we need theirs.  By opening our hearts to them, we can help them on their journey and also be able to allow them to help us in ours.  Please remember, and seek the guidance of those whom you loved, and who have had to return home…For one day, you too will return home, and will have the desire to be heard here!

Thank you for allowing my Spirits to talk to you, and for listening with your open minds, and hearts.  My hope is that you pay attention to what calls you and have no fear of the unknown…Our Ancestors love us dearly, and await us to call upon them for guidance, knowledge, and wisdom.  Acknowledge their everlasting life, Death is but a Rebirth, A celebration!…Make it so!

Veronica