Feeling like the world is getting too much again—sometimes i forget to use the tools i’ve been given. Re-membering that our dear Mother is always there for me… for us. It’s a reciprocal relationship… me + She… as i feed Her... She feeds me. What works good for me is, to just get outside and to simply connect with a big tree… one grand, rooted soul i can get my arms around and just hold on + say hello and perhaps offer a gift of my heart, my love—cuz i know i only breathe cuz trees breathe… i ground my self deep… letting go through my sacred breath deep down through Her stone layers—to the crystal core of our dear Mother, i connect with her resonant fire—Her flame of compassion that burns away all that no longer serves me. Re-membering to just get outside—so my light-body can relax and expand, yet again…. I let go of my ‘stuff’… all that dark + heavy stuff… and She lovingly composts it back into light—then i mindfully bring that fire of passion back up to feed me… into those places, the nooks + crannies that need lightening—so i can shine bright once again… so, now i can perhaps help others of need… we have to fill up first… thank you dear trees… dear Mother for your blessed gifts. —photo by jp wright/art by weaver…
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Back in 2006, during a sacred fire ceremony, i caught a moment’s glimpse of our circle ‘stepping into our becoming’ of who ‘we’ truly are... crystals carried... mindfully left behind with light-lined mountain spirit... rumble sounds from deep within our Mother... lying on my back letting go... letting go... it’s okay... just letting go... spirials of feather wands and stones... drumming my core out and in again... ’round and ‘round we go... again and again... purple flamed fires there... reflect... our beautiful circle... standing up... standing ready... within all our glory... power-full! eyes shining bright... faces so star-aware... reclaiming who we truly are... our blessed earth Mother... Her children... re-membering... we love... with brightest blessings... x (((o))) by weaver © 14/08/2006 Happy Bealtaine everyone! On this day of Bealtaine eve... i've had much to ponder and give big thanks for... tho first, i wish to bid farewell to this past cycle of Imbolc... at the back door of our home... Farewell to the Season of Imbolc... Go with thanks and go with blessing... Season of integrity... Souls with truth are deeply freighted Hearts are keen with innocence... In the cold and darkness traveling... You have come to brightest Spring. Infant, who has grown to childhood... Midwife, wise with mothering... Touch the hidden beauty in us... Help us soar on Summer's wing! --Caitlin Matthews It's been quite the last few months during Imbolc... lots happening... of amazing alignment + synchronicity all over the place... with much presence of sweet spirit... My dear friend Allannah and i offered two Spring concerts together - one during the day of Imbolc and later at Spring Equinox... we were blessed with both shows full with beautiful souls sharing much love + beautiful spirit with our sacred music and song... I sooo love it when a full room of like-minds sing together with such warm heart... At the Netloft at Imbolc, during our last song, a whole flock of white gulls that were floating on the bay behind us, took flight and flew in circles 'as one' to the pulse of our music... where, they softly landed together ending our song - wow, what a blessing! Last month, i also found myself totally unexpectedly finding myself in Vernon (of all places!) in sacred circle with the wonderful Irish Seabhean, wise-woman Amantha Murphy who came all the way from Ireland to offer her work there... Talk about divine timing! Who would have thought?... How all that came into being was frankly, one magical alignment and i know now, was meant to be, that's for sure... For the past year or more, i'll admit, i've been in a place of much uncertainty and feeling lost in some respects... I'm not sure those are the exact words to describe... tho, i've also been yearning + calling for clarity and perhaps a new guidance to work with... and... Holy wow... i'm once again astounded as to how spirit aligns so powerfully when one simply asks... and it's up to me to get out of the frickin' way to allow whatever is meant to be... when it's meant to be... I feel i've come to a place in my life where, i allow myself to simply be and trust as best i can... to cease focusing on the what 'isn't'. I have to say it's a heck of a lot more fun to intend along with the blessings + gifts that continue to come my way and holy wow yet again...... + i really know nothing anymore! During the weekend intensive sitting in sacred circle with 23 amazing women with Amantha lovingly guiding... i experienced deep healing... yet again, another layer of the onion of my life was profoundly peeled off - i was roto-rooted to say the least!... i felt such love + support from my beautiful sisters as they held space deeply for me... we all did for one another throughout the gathering... it was a potent weekend of learning... coming full circle to my beginning Celtic training (over 30 years ago) and my own ancestral roots... including, retrieving a rogue chunk of my soul... a whole new trust with myself + others... that it is even possible to trust + love again... to love myself and my life... to let go another shady layer of the old ways that no longer serve - to re-member that a lot of that old stuff wasn't even mine in the first pace... i hold much gratitude to spirit... to my dear beloved partner - my anam cara, my wonderful friends i hold dear, to my dear sisters near + afar + to dear Amantha for holding such loving sacred space... to our blessed earth mother goddess Gaia for all gifts received.... to all that dark heaviness i have let go i know has been lovingly composted by Her... having been transformed to light!... This afternoon on the eve of Bealtaine... my sweetie and i decided to go out for a walk in the beautiful day of today and just 'be' at our local beach... we sat for a long while with the old stone, breathed deeply in the Salish Sea's refreshing + healing breezes under the crystal dome of the great big blue amazing sky... We felt good! All is well... So, i am very excited to be celebrating Bealtaine tomorrow morning... to offer fresh flowers on my front doorstep... to wash my face with the new morning's dew... to welcome a new beginning cycle of protective fire of my passion... to embrace + honour the light of who i truly am... with brightest blessings of much light - thank you! Happy Bealtaine to all... with much love... blessed be! weaver x (((o))) below... today, we spent some time just being... with our mother, old stone, the salish sea + great big blue sky...Threshold Invocation for the Festival of Bealtaine...
(to be said at the front door on the eve of Bealtaine, April 30th) Maiden of Flowers, open the door... Smith of souls, come you in... Let there be welcome to the growing strength... Let there be welcome to the Summer of the Year. In bud and blossom you are traveling... In fruit and fragrance you will arrive. May the blessed time of Bealtaine Inflame the soul of all beings... Bringing energy and effort to conflagration. From the depths to the heights... In the core of every soul! --Caitlin Matthews i was moved to pull a moon oracle card this morning... here's the reading that i got... a good message... especially for the waning of this Imbolc time moving into the next circle of Bealtaine... what do i cling to in time of need?... what holds me faithfully in my life?... the power resides in everything we touch, see, smell + hear... i am surrounded by light + life... mama moon sends her strength to me + draws signs above my head to show i am a part of the circle of all things... from the heart of the swirling energy of all the world... lines of strength stretch out to hold me... i know in my bones i am held... the brightness is everywhere! with much love + hoards of light.... blessed be, weaver x (((o))) In ancient times of the Matriarchy, the drummers were women. Our herstory proves it in the 100s + 100s of ancient goddess images collected + documented by frame drummer Layne Redmond (rip 1952-2013). I was moved to create and birth a 'bee frame drum'... for the annual anniversary 'for the bees' art show held at 'The Hive', here on Gabriola Island. This frame drum is my honouring of the sacred bee - for, we wouldn't be here without the bees. - here's my last year's 'for the bees' submission at the Hive >> This design is based on the ancient frame drum which was also played as our women ancestors did + still do all over the planet. This drum has resonators installed in the back so, when played, the frame drum buzzes, sounding and calling the spirit of the sacred bees. This type of 'Bendir' drum is a descendant of the ancient bee priestesses' frame drums, which hummed the world into bee-ing. It is played in the old traditional upright 'frame drum' style with the hands (see goddess image to the right)... On the front is painted the Hexagon symbol - of all the geometric shapes in sacred geometry, the hexagon is arguably the most powerful and fascinating + ancient. It is found in many spiritual symbols such as the Star of David, the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah and the Hagal Rune composed by ancient tribes of northern Europe, and so much more. The frame drum is birthed in white Goat rawhide. The spirit of Goat helps us and the bees to 'stand our ground'... and helps us with sure-footedness and balance.... We can call on the spirit of goat when we need independence coupled with plenty.... and, when we are ready to take on something new, and there is no need for guilt. Goat spirit helps with gaining confidence and firm cornerstones for personal or spiritual development. For those who find themselves stuck or wholly misplaced, the spirit of goat gets you moving again - Let that energy take you where you need to be for finding answers. Goat may not move swiftly, but slow and steady is best when you start losing balance... Once you’re on your way with goat guiding, you’ll find the determination necessary for success. Note: This frame drum size birthed... 11.5 inches in diameter with a maple wood hoop in goat hide, painted in gold + red acrylics... I'm very proud how my first traditional 'women's' frame drum came into 'bee-ing'... and the process and connecting in with the sacred bees taught me a lot... I'm also excited to report that this special sacred drum has found it's new caretaker, being a part of a thriving women's counselling practice in Vancouver, BC... If you wish to have a sacred frame drum birthed like this one or other, i invite you to visit my drum shop here on this page >> I am open to discussing what's possible and honoured to birth a special sacred drum especially for you or your loved one... with brightest blessings... weaver x (((o))) Click the images above to enlarge + below, a short video to have a listen to this bee drum... Did you know that drumming is good for you?... it's actually a very healthy practice for body, mind and spirit.... Lately, i've been thinking about rhythm and also the benefits of drumming... and so, wanted to share some things i have learned over the years... "If you could see your DNA, you'd see what your inside rhythm looks like... You are rhythm... You are made of flesh, bones - and rhythm... Rhythm is what keeps you alive." --Mickey Hart Within our bodies, we have the rhythm of breath, the rhythm of our heart and the rhythm of our blood pulsing through our veins. We are nothing but rhythm within and out... Sometime when you have a moment... just sit quiet and just listen to the diverse rhythms around and within you... listen to the rhythm of a bird's song... the drumming of a flicker woodpecker... a squirrel's chatter... the ticking of the clock on the wall... the crackling of a hot fire... the constant passing of traffic on the freeway... the swishing of the wind swaying the branches of a tree or in the grasses... the honking of a truck's horn... the gentle drops of a spring rain... the gentle in and out of your own breath... that annoying drip on the kitchen faucet... I have to giggle sometimes when folk tell me that they can't or don't know how to drum... i aways say, "of course you do! ...because the first sound you ever heard was your own mother's constant heart-beat - that's all you knew and heard while in her womb all that time... it's the first thing you learned... that constant pulse was all you knew! - so, yes... you know how to drum - it's the very first thing you were taught and know so deeply!" Everyone knows how to drum - everyone who has a mother... a grandmother and our blessed earth mother... I love this, the below powerful teaching by sister frame drummer Layne Redmond... who wrote the beautiful book, When the Drummers Were Women >> “It is often said that the first sound we hear in the womb is our mother's heartbeat. Actually, the first sound to vibrate our newly developed hearing apparatus is the pulse of our mother's blood through her veins and arteries. We vibrate to that primordial rhythm even before we have ears to hear. Before we were conceived, we existed in part as an egg in our mother's ovary. All the eggs a woman will ever carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old fetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother. Each of us spent five months in our grandmother's womb and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother. We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother's blood before she herself is born. And this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother. We all share the blood of the first mother - we are truly children of one blood." -- Layne Redmond
Outside of ourselves are endless universal rhythms all around us... every 365 days our blessed earth mother revolves around father sun... while every 28 days, grandmother moon revolves around our mother earth... ever 24 hours our earth mother rotates (spins and dances) on her axis... since the beginning of time, these cycles have intertwined and are the background against which our universe exists...
Another great quote i love...
"Rhythm lives within everyone, and it's not something special. People don't have to have professional musical talents and techniques to express their rhythmical spirit. Everyone has a rhythmical sensibility within and how they express it differs from person to person. Rhythm permeates everyone's life. It is in everything we do, we see, we feel and it is within the rhythms of our bodies, as well. Rhythm is a fact of life."
-- Arthur Hull
The voice of the drum is the bridge to the spirit realm... The pulse connecting us to our blessed earth mother's heartbeat... and the circular shape is that of the hoop of life.
The earth is round... the moon is round... the season's turn 'round and the stars and planets are round... A circle is one of the most natural forms found in our physical universe... it has no beginning and no end...
"Blessed am I... Holy am I...
I am the infinite within myself... I can find no beginning... I can find no end... Oh, this I Am!" -- traditional chant
Since the beginning of time, peoples have gathered together in circles in ceremony and ritual fashion to celebrate and to pray in community.
Participating in a drum circle creates community almost instantly... as soon as we begin to drum together and we entrain together... we become one -- we become community... we also have fun, we sing, dance, play music and socialize... and, heal together... Drumming together mindfully and in a sacred way - by acknowledging our spirit and helper-spirits and our ancestors - those who have come before us also connects us in a very special way... we embrace purpose and again "one-ness" of "like- mind"... Drumming together is also just plain fun... when we drum together, we can let down our guard, relax and let go thus reduce stress and worry... the sacred drum also clears the way on many levels... drum vibrations and sacred sound massage our bodies, our head, our brain and calms our mind... and also creates physical exercise...
"Music washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life --Berthold Auerbach
A while back, a medical study done by a team of MD's using control groups and blood tests show drumming together boosts the immune system.
It's now been proven that stress is a cause of 98% of most disease. Recent biofeedback studies show that drumming along with our own heart beat rhythm for at least 15 minutes a day alters brainwave patterns (increasing alpha) and dramatically reduces stress... So, drumming actually "meditates" us! Medical Study: Group Drumming Boosts Immune System
A recent medical research study indicates that group drumming boosts the immune system. Published in the January, 2001, issue of Larry Dossey’s Alternative Therapies the ground-breaking study was performed at Meadville Medical Center’s Mind-Body Wellness Center, by a team of MDs using control groups and blood tests.
Led by well-known researcher, author and cancer expert Barry Bittman, MD, CEO of Meadville Medical Center’s Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, PA, the study shows that group drumming actually increases cancer-killing (NK) cells which help the body combat not only cancer but other viruses, including AIDS. According to Dr. Bittman, “Group drumming tunes our biology, orchestrates our immunity, and enables healing to begin… When our hands connect with a drum that vibrates with our energy, vitality…and unity, we become whole again.” Dr. Bittman’s weekly radio program, Mind-Body Matters, is syndicated nationwide on NPR. This new medical research follows recent biofeedback research showing that even brief heartbeat drumming can double alpha (a light meditative brainwave) and reduce stress. We now know that stress depresses the immune system and has been linked to nearly all diseases. Drumming has also been used successfully with Alzheimer’s patients to focus attention, with war veterans to end trauma, with addicts in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, and with prison and homeless populations to enhance self-esteem. Progressive corporations like Motorola, AT & T and Levi Strauss have drummed with middle management to promote team spirit-building. Widely published research also indicates that playing musical instruments increases kids learning abilities. This appears especially true of instruments which can be played intuitively, like the drum. Qualitative studies have shown that drumming enhances right-brain functions such as intuition and creativity. “Dreams are the way the unconscious speaks to the conscious mind. Ritual is how the conscious mind speaks back. One-sided conversations are unhealthy for the psyche, which craves response. New thought writings on addiction suggest that we are hungry, that our souls are starved because our lives are devoid of ritual. “We keep trying desperately and unsuccessfully to feed this hunger with food, drugs, sex, alcohol, work, shopping, gambling, etc. Drumming is one of the most accessible forms of ritual because drumming along with our own heartbeat is so natural. It calms, centers, and reconnects us with our deeper selves.”
"The Drum is the Great Spirit's favourite instrument.
That is why we were given a heartbeat. -- Mano, Navajo Elder
How to offer and prepare a sacred fire ceremony for letting go and deep healing...
by weaver... In almost all cultures all over the world, the offering of fire ceremony or ritual is one of, if not, the oldest traditions known. The element of fire was most important for ancient peoples, literally for survival. Fire helped keep them warm from the harsh elements, it cooked their food and protected them from predators. Also, the fire, the hearth was a central hub for the community or the family - meetings and councils were held including time to gather in traditional ceremony, rites of passage and respite. Ceremonially, while we engage with sacred fire, we choose to connect "as one" with fire with all our senses - allowing the spirit of fire to inform and transform us. In our work walking the shamanic path, we have also been taught to engage with four specific levels of engagement:
During ceremony, we no longer experience the “I”... we engage mindfully along and with the power and wonder of spirit. Choosing to connect, "we" become the fire, the sparks, the light, the smoke, the sound of the wood crackling, the moon and the stars, each other and ourselves, no one and everyone. The transformational fire ceremony is done on the full or new moon of each month - in the window of 1-2 days before or after. It is a time for us to come together as ayllu (community) to support each other in sacred circle - to create a safe, sacred container - to ask the sacred fire to help us let go "our stuff" - to let go of the heavy, dark energies (hucha or hoocha) - those energetic issues that no longer serve us. "Hucha" is a Quechua word that means, "heavy and dark energy" - it holds no judgement, is not negative or positive - it's just heavy and dark, simple as that - no drama. Heavy or dense energy generated by resistance to life in the form of stress-related attachments. Resistance is typically fear-based - Its energy constricts. Fear hinders the natural flow of energy through the luminous body. When this occurs, hucha accumulates. Accumulated hucha gets stuck in our luminous field - which can keep us bound in many ways. Hucha is only created between humans and we pick it up through our relations when we are out of "Ayni" of reciprocity, balance, harmony - right relationship; sacred interchange. So, it's good to let go of our hoocha - like taking a bath (in water) for our physical body - we are cleansing our light-body, our luminous self with fire. The sacred fire is a transformational gift of healing freely given to us. When we release hucha at the sacred fire, it becomes food for mother earth who then composts it and turns it into food that sustains life. Hucha is thus important to humanity. The act of releasing or letting go "our stuff' to mother earth is a sacred act of giving and receiving. I love knowing that I don't have to fear giving away my hoocha to her because it feeds her and she feeds me. I thank you great mother for this gift and for teaching me this. sacred fire ceremony – outside wood fire...
Below are instructions on how to prepare and offer an outside sacred fire ceremony. This can be a community or solo/small ceremony. Have a sacred intention for the fire so those who are attending know why they are gathering.
In the Andean Shamanic Path, we are given ceremonial rites of passage in the (first) South Direction of the Inca Medicine Wheel - One of those rites is the seeding of the Ayni Karpays - where, an archetype is blown into each of our seven chakras. Part of our homework/stepping into the path as shaman-healer, is to feed and grow these seeds/karypays with sacred fire. We are asked to offer seven individual fires for each archetype before coming to the next session of the West direction... Preparation. Before coming to fire ceremony, find a small stick in nature - perhaps one that calls you. With this stick you will create an offering to give away to the sacred fire to be burnt. We sometimes call this stick a "spirit arrow" or "death arrow" representing an issue or something you want to let go of. To begin the process of letting go - that which no longer serves you, with the spirt of your breath (as your intention), blow your issue three times into stick - giving it away fully. We do not re-engage with the issue, we simply give it away. Doing this serves to focus your attention in an active meditation to prepare for fire ceremony. You can also write your issues down on small bits of paper and wrap them around the stick or decorate if you wish, though, not necessary - the intention blown-in is good. If you are adding to the stick, just make sure that you are using combustibles that will burn easily and safe for the environment. No plastics, etc. Prepare a Pachamama Stick. Have someone choose and bring a "Pachamama stick" to circulate during the fire ceremony for prayers and intentions for Pachamama - to hold/intend/pray with mother earth's present healed state. Set the fire prior to the ceremony. Someone will be the fire-keeper. Someone will be the space holder. Begin by placing the kindling in the form of a Southern Cross and then build a teepee of wood – starting to build from the east with 4 separate sticks. This process is a prayer – be mindful of what you are doing – creating ceremony, right action, right loving, right mind - give thanks to the tree people for offering their body for the fire. The space holder will begin the ceremony with those gathered/ready around the fire-pit. For any ceremony always open sacred space – call in the sacred directions, south, west, north, east, mother earth, father sky. The fire-keeper will light the fire from the east direction. Begin a chant and drumming/ rattling to honour and encourage the fire. As the fire begins to burn, the space holder will feed the fire with olive oil three times: offered first to the four directions, then heaven and earth, and, last connecting the circle with the fire by honouring “all” those present, while holding the oil, one-by-one, acknowledging each person eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart - connect with them so they connect with you - for all to come to presence. Test the fire for friendliness. The moment the fire becomes friendly it changes colour and burns in a different manner, settling down some. This change will be learned from direct observation and experience with the fire; it will be discovered by the student/space holder and those present. When the fire is friendly, the space holder opens the ceremony of offerings by making their offering first to the fire (with someone at their back - holding space for them). All others then make their offerings to the fire coming in from the four directions. One person holds space behind each of them. Each person approaches the fire and silently puts their offering into the fire (with someone at their back) – letting go. Take a moment once you place your stick mindfully in the fire, be aware of what you are doing - connect with the fire as it begins to consume "your stuff". Be aware of the transformation occurring in this moment... your "hucha" is being transformed into light as it feeds the fire. Let go by unwinding, with your hand (counter clockwise) from your three centers, one at time.. from belly, heart, forehead/3rd eye and give away any hucha/heavy energy to the fire. Fully let it all go - know it. Then, after a moment, put your hands briefly through the fire (three times) drawing clockwise filling the energy of the fire and transformed healing light into your belly area (of right action), then into your heart (of right loving), and then the forehead/third eye (of right thinking/mind) – you are filling back up with that light (transformed). Feel this with all your senses - be present with this transformation of healing the fire is offering you. Give thanks for the gift of letting go, emptying and filling yourself back up with light and healing. The only protection when touching the fire is to come before it with a pure heart. You can touch it lightly or go deeply into the flame. It is not meant to be sensational or dramatic, though rather a way to focus attention and energy upon one’s transformation. Meanwhile, the Pachamama stick is being passed around the circle for all to place their blessing and prayers for mother earth... by blowing their sprit-breath into the stick... to hold her healed state in the present moment - we are the "ones we've been waiting for" choosing to hold and dream our world into being as we wish to dream it. Again, use all your senses during this process - as if the healing has already happened in the present moment. It is our resonance of who we truly are which will fuel our dreamings. Next, after all the offerings are made, the oldest person or youngest person places the Pachamama stick in the fire. Sing and rattle the Pachamama Song as the stick burns.... singing three times is good. As the fire burns down - this is an opportunity to offer prayers for the community, those who are close to us, globally. This is also a time to name those who have recently passed over - to lovingly let them know it's okay for them to go home to who they truly are. When everyone feels complete... Close sacred space - giving thanks to the sacred directions and those spirit-helpers seen and un-seen who were present. At least two people, ideally one male and one female, or who is called, stay with the fire until it is burned down to embers – let the fire naturally burn right out - please, no water on the fire. If necessary - in the case of an emergency, dirt can be used to smother the fire - use your common sense - if the fire needs to be put out in because of emergency, put it out as quickly as possible. optional fire ceremony with an inside shamanic candle ceremony...
Sometimes, for whatever reason, it can difficult to hold or attend an outdoor fire ceremony - especially if we live in areas where outdoor fires are banned.
Walking a shamanic path is about engagement of beauty and intention - we can choose to engage with the transformation of fire in the presence of a simple candle indoors or out. Preparation. Again, before any ceremony, or a shamanic candle ceremony, always create and open sacred space by calling in the energies and powers of all the directions... this is essential. Light a beautiful candle and sit before it. If you are outside and it is safe and permissible, light your fire. Be aware of fire bans where you are (never leave unattended) making sure it is completely out before you leave. Next, open your personal space around the flame as you light it. Open your wiracoacha (personal sacred space around you) Allow a few moments in meditation, honour the directions and anyone else including the spirits present. Then, offer to the flame all that has come up since the last fire ceremony, for purification and clearing – let go by unwinding with your hand (counter clockwise) from your 3 centers, one at time.. from belly, heart, 3rd eye and give away any hucha/heavy energy to the fire/candle light... Growing the seed of your archetype/karpay... or, filling back up with light... Connect with the archetype/karpay you wish to grow the seeds for. Connect with its qualities and its gifts you may wish to visualize the entire initiation process of the archetype/karpay. Now, take from the flame the light and warmth into your hands as if you were holding a golden orb. Place this orb of light into your chakra (the one relevant to that archetype/karpay you are working with), begin to grow the seed in that chakra. Feel the power of the light and the warmth accepted and embraced by the seed of the archetype/karpay... use all your senses as you do this... feel it... know it... embrace it... Allow the power of the archetype/karpay (or light) to expand and grow within you. Finally, when feeling complete, rewind clockwise each center, belly, heart, 3rd eye.... Know that through the light and warmth offered at the fire ceremony, the seed is grown and strengthened within you until you fully claim and live the power of the archetype/karpay. Finally, once you have finished the Fire Ceremony for the archetype/karpay you are working with, it is essential that you close your personal sacred space... Close sacred medicine space... if outside, make sure candle/fire is completely out and leave space as you found it – with no trace, giving thanks to the helpers + spirits who have come to guide you... Continue to connect with each archetype/karpay in between fires... get to know them...
By carol weaver - www.carolweaver.com copyright © 2016 - all rights reserved Resources from www.incaglossary.org and Alberto Villoldo, PhD - thank you! Below, the chant, Karpay Rites - Welcome Song to the Archetypes - written + performed by weaver... I share what i have learned with the heart of munay... if you have found value + wish to support my work... perhaps consider buying me a coffee, thank you!
In the Andean Shamanic Path, (Inca Medicine Wheel) during the South first direction, we are given ceremonial rites of passage. One of those rites is the seeding of Ayni Karpays - where, seven archetypes are blown into each of our chakras.
Part of our homework/stepping into the path as shaman-healer, is to feed and grow these seeds/karypays with sacred fire ceremony. We are asked to offer seven individual fires for each archetype before coming to the next session of the West direction. The great archetypes of the Andean tradition are organizing principles of the Universe. They are the forces that we call to create sacred space and they are the energy beings that have been planted as seeds in each of your chakras. It is important to remember that you have received them as seeds, they are pure potential - it is your own engagement with them and your relationship with them that will grow them into the powerful forces that inform your chakras in new ways. That is why you do the fire ceremonies, to grow these seeds with fire. Take time after each fire ceremony to source yourself from the archetype in each chakra, see your world from that perspective, so that you get your own sense of connection to each archetype. lnstead of being exclusively informed by our histories and by our cultural prescriptions, these organizing principles of the Universe, begin to organize our energy centres. great serpent - 1st chakra (root)
Mother of the Waters: A giant serpent, the mother (spirit) of waters, mother of rivers, deity of the river. She is the archetype of the healer though out many cultures. The one who teaches us to shed our skin in one whole piece... to shed our personal past like she sheds her skin. The primary life force, the one who dives deep, deep - who knows the way into the deepest places inside of ourselves - the One who walks with beauty on the belly of the Mother- the One who knows the way back to the Garden, the place of innocence.
jaguar - 2nd chakra
Mother-Sister Jaguar: The one who knows the way across the rainbow bridge to the world of mystery - the one who swallows the dying sun, teaching us to step beyond fear, violence and death. The archetypal connection to the life force of the jungle, everything that is green; steward of the life force - Luminous Warrior who has no enemies in this world or the next -represents the Life/Death principle and renewal. Jaguar is a master tracker - chews and mulches hucha, heavy dark energy.
hummingbird - 3rd chakra
Ancient Ones and Hummingbird: The place of the ancestors, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, ancient memories, ancient wisdom - the Ones who have stepped outside of Time but slip through the veils to help us remember the ancient ways - the way of the Hummingbird, who drinks directly from the nectar of Life -- not built for flight yet undertakes and accomplishes the impossible epic journey. Hummingbird teaches us about the joy of life in the present moment.
eagle + condor - 4th chakra
Condor + Eagle: The great archetype of the East, the place of the rising Sun, the place of our Becoming, of who we truly are - principle of seeing from high perspective, vision of clarity and beauty, the great wings of the condor hold the heart, teaches us to see with the eyes of the heart – the One who pushes us out of the nest to spread our own wings so that we may always fly wing-to-wing with the Great Spirit. Eagle teaches us about new birth and new beginnings.
huascar - 5th chakra
Huascar: Lord of life; Lord of death. Historically, one of two sons of Pachakuti lnka (the lnka who read the prophecy of bearded men with sticks that spoke with fire who would turn the world upside down). Huascar was the keeper of the medicine teachings; he was killed by his brother who then negotiated with the Spanish.
He became the harmonizing principle of the Lower World - the chaotic dark place of all creative potential. He/she is the renewer of the Earth and our own personal need of renewing our own earth, fields that are fallow, places that need aerating. The gift of Huascar is to harmonize our relationship with our Shadow. quetzelcoatl - 6th chakra
Quetzelcoatl: Lord of the morning/the dawn; the Day Bringer, Morning Star; Quetzel is a beautiful jungle bird and coatl is serpent, reptile, a feathered, winged serpent that has acquired flight - the organizer of the middle world, brought irrigation, medicine plants and stonework, walked the Americas, brought stability, music, dance, flutes, drums- though it has been lost in our culture, we can call on it individually, an animistic knowledge of the ways of the Earth - organizes your relationship with the Middle World - when you come into relationship with Quetzelcoatl you don't have to micromanage your life.
pachakuti - 7th chakra (crown)
Pachakuti: Historically, the lnka king who was given the prophecy that the world was turning over (coming of the Spanish) the keeper of the possibilities, organizing principle of the Upper World; - embodies the concept of circular time, stepping outside of linear time - makes time stand still- brings order, heavenly order- coming into relationship with
Pachakuti allows us to recognize what can be changed and changing it before it is born.
The above descriptions come from Dr. Alberto Villoldo. Come to learn and build your own relationships with the seven archetypes - by engaging with them, getting to know them, building those relationships of power - by feeding them with sacred fire ceremony.
The above artwork, Rainbow Chakana, Great Serpent, Jaguar, Hummingbird and Great Eagle by carol weaver creative © copyright, all rights reserved - Huascar; Inca Glossary, Quetzecoatl; Pinterest, Pachakuti, Wikipedia -- thank you! Sing/chant them as well:
I share what i have learned with the heart of munay... if you have found value + wish to support my work... perhaps consider buying me a coffee, thank you!
A Message about 12-12-12 and December 21, 2012...
We are the ones we've been waiting for! According to the prophecies of the Peruvian paqos (which source from the Inka lineage), the forthcoming date of 12-12-12 is a 'portal' day - a day that provides a doorway through which we can experience and cultivate increased access to our selves within all layers of our beings, and most potently, with access to our inner stars. Don Mariano Quispe, of the Q'ero Lineage, shares that our inner stars are connected to our souls and link us with the kawsay pacha (world of living energy) and with the cosmos, in its infinite seen and unseen manifestations. Each of our inner stars holds information about where we came from and where we are going. It carries information about our biological lineages and about our spiritual lineages. It is like a guiding star - or a guiding light: illuminating the pathways of our souls from the past (as informed by our bioloigical lineages and by our past lifetimes) through the present and into the future. By shining light through our biological and our spiritual lineages, our inner stars can help us to stay focused on our souls' plans and on our divine contracts. Our inner stars can illuminate areas from our past (including past generations and past lives) that are infused with 'hucha' (dark heavy energy - not negative or positive, it's just heavy and dark... 'hucha' can only be created between humans), like emotional hurts from our childhood or physical trauma, etc. Our inner star can reveal these areas of 'hucha' to us, and support us to align with cleansing and illuminating our past so that our present and future can be clean and clear and radiant. Don Mariano encourages us to work with our 'planets' - with our energy bodies - on 12-12-12, and to make contact with our inner stars. He invites us to receive and retrieve information from our inner stars with the intention of aligning more fully and expansively with our souls and with the offerings that our souls wish to make in the world during our lifetime. We can even use our inner stars like light beams, shining them on our pasts and on our futures, to see clearly the gifts and the treasures and gems; and using them to step out from the shadows (including our own shadows) and into the full brilliance of the truth of our souls. The paqos have been encouraging us to delve deep and to do our cleansing and clearing work for the past several years in anticipation and preparation for these very times and dates - 12-12-12 and 12-21-12 - that are upon us. And they know that we have been doing our work - to clear our energy bodies so that they vibrate with increased spaciousness - to step in out 'becoming' of who we truly are... as now is the time to step in our light-self as homo-luminous... They commend us for our work.
They are now encouraging us to grow and expand the light of our inner stars, filling the planets of our energy bodies with this light.
It is time... It is time to be the light - the luminosity - that we have been looking for... We are ready, and it is time... we have choice! *Thank you Dennis Alejo for sharing this from don Mariano!
Gregg Braden talks a bit about the portal of December 21st, 2012 - that we are living in an extraordinary time... Gregg shares that the time of 2012 marks the ending of a 5,000+ year-cycle of the 5th Great World... what the Inka call a 'Pachakuti', the turning over of time... a time of great change... an opportunity where humanity now again, has a choice on how we respond to these great changes and shifts... we can choose how we treat each other as we move into the 6th Great World shift and look at what is no longer sustainable or working any more... it is truly up to us as... 'We are the ones we've been waiting for!'...
Recommended Books written by Gregg Braden...
I purchased the book, The 40 Day Prosperity Plan by John Randolph Price and have read it a number of times... below is an excerpt section to review and perhaps follow, if you are drawn... i also suggest you purchase the book for all the other valuable info... it is indeed a 'good plan!' The 40 Day Prosperity Plan (excerpt) by John Randolph Price... INSTRUCTIONS: Here is a program for realizing abundant prosperity in your life and affairs. According to the mystical Christian principles, on which this program is based, it takes 40 days for consciousness to realize a truth. A break in practice during the 40 day period will release the energy being built up around the new ideas. Therefore, there must be a definite commitment to faithfully follow this program each and every day for 40 days. If you miss even one day, start over again and continue until you can go the full period with perfect continuity. Here is the course of action: Establish a specific date to start your program, such as the beginning of a particular week. Count out 40 days on your calendar and mark the completion date. On the first day of the program write the statement shown below in your spiritual journal:
There are ten statements of principles below... Read one statement each day. This means that you will go through the entire list four times during the 40-day period. After reading the daily statement upon arising or before going to bed in the evening, meditate on it for at least 15 minutes, focusing on each idea in the statement with great thoughtfulness and feeling, letting the ideas fill your consciousness. Following each meditation period, write down in your journal the thoughts that come to you. Be sure to do this daily. Since you have already received an all sufficiency of supply (all that Infinite Mind has is yours now), you can prove this Truth to your deeper mind by sharing your supply on a regular basis while you are working with the Plan. Giving is an esoteric science that never fails to produce results if it is done with love and joy, because the Law will shower you with a multiplied return. But if you tithe (and I really prefer the word "sharing" to tithing) as a mechanical and calculated method to please God/ess, unload guilt, meet a sense of obligation, and play a bartering game with the Law, no one benefits, not even the receiver. Give with love, joy, and a sense of fun, and the windows of heaven will be thrown open with a blast! The Statements of Principle:
This excerpt comes from, The 40 Day Prosperity Plan by John Randolph Price... you can purchase the book here >> You can find more info/purchase as a CD Audio Book through Amazon, by clicking here >> |
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