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What about my indigenous soul?

8/28/2015

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The summer is coming to an end. We don't want to let go of it. But we must. We are in the exhale of the year's breath.  

In the Celtic shamanic tradition we are moving out of the dancing mythic South and into the West - the direction of dusk, autumn, inner knowing, welcoming of Mystery, letting go, and vision-setting. I remind you that if you have European ancestry, that phrase, "Celtic shamanic tradition" is part of your indigenous soul that is calling to you right now. That vague melancholy you feel may be your indigenous soul calling out to be remembered.  More... 

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The Earth Mother sacrifices herself at Harvest so that we may live. She says, "Take, eat; this is my body."

How do we respond to her sacrifice? In the machine-based industrial world, we have responded by demanding she produce even more for us, and by forcing her with fertilizer - earth steroids - to produce more. This seemed to work for a while when we treated the earth like an 8 year old tyrant might. But we are coming to understand we can't do this anymore.How can we respond to the Earth mother's sacrifice? First and easy: remember the meaning of the word sacrifice. It means "to make sacred."  The simplest sacrifice we can make is to stop for a moment - to step out of our ravenous hunger and remember that this moment - every moment - is blessed by the powers that create, sustain and transform us. We swim in miracle. 

This may sound like small act, but shamanism is all about changing patterns below (or beyond) the conscious and rational level, and when we change those energetic patterns, we change our actions which changes the world. Make all of your eating -physical, emotional and spiritual- sacred, and you are going to change this world.

In these whirling and dangerous times, the best sacrifice you can make for the Earth Mother - and not at all easy - is the sacrifice of your cynicism. Cynicism is a convenient state of mind that lets me stand on the sidelines and snipe wittily at the screwed up assholes who run the world. Cynicism is an act of powerlessness, and what the assholes want more than anything is your cynicism to own you, so that you keep buying buy more products to mask your grief, which is really what cynicism is about. Cynicism is grief fashionably dressed. Grief is a dirty-kneed, tangle-haired, snot-covered, soul wash. But grief is connected to the raw power of love, which is the life force, and only love will heal your life, and this world. Only love. 

Try this if you want to: The next time you become aware of your own cynical bitching, stop for a moment, and act as if the world is sacred. Ask yourself what is the grief below your bitching. When the grief comes, let it come. And then give it to the Earth mother as an offering. Your grief is pure water for her. Ask for her help, and the help of the raw power of the life force to support you to take action to make real change. Think small and immediate. Cynicism hates it when we think small - it wants to overwhelm us with big powerlessness. 

May the blessings of late summer light be on you, and in you, and all around you. 

Jaime

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Where Am I a Lie?

8/18/2015

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PictureArthur Douet
Dear lovers of the holy earth, and seekers of the song of blessing,

I am just returning from the Santa Fe area, after communing with amazing shamanic colleagues and teachers for a few days. I am reminded of what has been taught to me again and again: 

Our goal in life is to become a walking blessing. 

It's such a simple phrase! But like all of the other simple spiritual phrases we hear, there is nuanced work involved. Knowing (or spouting) a simple phrase is not enough. 

What is the nuanced work involved to become a walking blessing? The first task is about letting go, or "releasing stored energetic patterns." Letting go sounds easy, and of course it's not. But our journey to wholeness, to healing, and to wisdom, begins there. One of my favorite lines from the poet Rilke: 

I want to unfold.
I don't want to stay folded anywhere,
because where I am folded, there I am a lie.


The first step in the shamanic path is the step of unfolding. We ask ourselves "where am I a lie?" What a magnificent question to ask yourself! What a fearful question! If there is a single thing that keeps us from stepping forward on our spiritual life it's that we aren't asking that question, or we aren't answering it truthfully.To answer that question truthfully brings us into our power, and this is our only goal in life - to be in our power.

Try using those three lines form Rilke as a mantra or prayer today. Every time you are stressed, or filled with fear and doubt and the lust for revenge, say them quietly to yourself. Or loudly to someone next to you.See what happens. Or, if you dare: take 15 minutes of no distraction and ask yourself again and again, "where am I a lie?" Be ready for a deep ride.

Don't fall into the trap of assuming that when you think you are beautiful or powerful, it must be a lie. In actuality, you are likely far more beautiful and far more powerful than you believe yourself to be. The trick seeing with the right eyes. Wahoo, dear Human Beings and Human Be-comings! 

If you really want to unfold - if you want to work your path, check out the workshops and classes I'm offering this fall. The Dark Mother Retreat is already filling fast and it's a whopper experience of letting go and releasing energetic patterns. Actually everything I offer has at its core the release of stored energy patterns, and rewriting your spiritual DNA. 

And please plan to come to the last drum of the summer-- the massive Gathering of Earth Lovers outside at Hidden Falls, August 29th! This is year five of this gathering, and usually more than 100 people come to drum, dance and live with wild beauty for a day. 


May the blessing of light be on you-
light without and light within.
May the blessed late summer sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire
to warm you through the night.

Jaime

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    Jaime Meyer is a writer and Shamanic Worker living in Minneapolis. 

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