I would like to begin this month’s Transmutation News asking everyone to offer a prayer for all of life that has been impacted by the devastating environmental disaster in Spain. This has a ripple effect throughout the web of life. May we send our prayers that help be given to the elements, the animals in the sea, earth, and in the air, the plants, and all those affected by this tragic oil spill. It seems like so many of the issues of our time are around oil. May we find our right relationship with this earth resource.
You will notice this month’s Transmutation News is longer than usual. As we move into winter there is a lot to use to fuel your internal fire to prepare the seeds for the next cycle. The end of the Transmutation News for this month does offer a ceremony for us to participate in together to honor the winter solstice.
I know many of us hold a great fascination with ancient Egypt and other civilizations where it is clear mysterious powers were used for creating sacred sites. There is a lot of speculation to the knowledge the ancients held. One ability they obviously had was the ability to hold one’s concentration. We are so bombarded by external stimulation that we don’t concentrate. In teaching people shamanic journeying it’s amazing to me how many people can’t even hold their concentration for ten minutes. Without this skill we cannot accomplish the spiritual healing which is possible.
Are you happy and content with the energy in our environment and the world situation? If not then you must deepen your spiritual practice of transmuting negative and dense energies. I know we have been working on this together for the past few years. But we must not become complacent with our work or give up because we are not seeing results fast enough.
Deepen your intention, deepen your love for all of life, the web of life, deepen your practice of becoming in union with the divine. In Aramaic the word for divine means unity. So when we are experiencing our divinity, transfiguring into the divine or source we are in union without opposites, separation or duality. Deepen your ability to concentrate and focus your energies.
Does participating in complaining, judgement, fear, and anger distract you? Do you distract yourself by the continual process of collecting more information which only feeds your mental processes? Learn to unburden yourself of these distractions. I have shared enough tools for you in Medicine for the Earth and this web site. Deepen your ability to access a state of harmony. Deepen your ability to hold the dream of a world in peace, harmony, honor for life, and all living beings, appreciation, and beauty.
We must organize ourselves as spiritual vehicles for peace. We can’t spend our energy feeding our minds, dividing on how the work should happen, and complaining about what isn’t working. We must learn how to concentrate our energies together. Concentration of energies is not concentrating with our minds. It is merging and focusing our energies together and not a mental process. The energies around us are unlimited. Use them as fuel for yourself and bring them through to transmute the current density.
After the tragedy of September 11 I brought up looking at what we could learn from Osama bin Laden. He has had great power in teaching his followers how to stay focused. It is quite incredible and tragic what that kind of focus could produce. If you look at the power of George Bush he also has the power of focus, but he also uses the power of dividing energies. The ability to divide energies is what has allowed our current political administration to come into power and stay in power.
I have always said that one reason we don’t have our full spiritual power to create change is that people involved in spiritual practices keep fighting among themselves about how to create change. This has created divided energies. We do not need to agree with each other on methods, but we can still focus our energies together to create healing for the planet and peace. We need some generosity of spirit and a heartfelt understanding that everyone is getting a piece of the puzzle which all interconnect together.
In looking at what is going on in the world situation today with the threat of war, terrorist threats, environmental disasters such as the devastating oil spill in Spain, and on and on we must remove ourselves from the petty dramas that can distract our focus.
The truth is not divisive. It is our reaction to the truth that creates division. I have learned that by bringing light to a situation allows the energy to be transmuted. To keep things in the dark is like allowing a wound to fester.
Using the metaphor from the story of “The Two Wolves”, we are seeing a planetary illness caused by a divisive heart. One heart embraces unity, divinity, interconnectedness, peace, harmony, love, abundance, and beauty. One heart embraces separation, fear, anger, control, scarcity, and greed. In keeping with the teachings in Medicine for the Earth we need to choose to feed the heart that embraces unity and the qualities that go along with this. We have to stay focused here to plump up the energies around this heart as so much energy goes into feeding the heart of separation. This creates a ripple effect that heals the web.
We must learn how to get in the “eye of the storm”. My spiritual teacher Isis taught how to do this when I wrote Welcome Home. She said in times of great challenge stay focused, stay positive, stay centered. To add to this we must stay focused on what heart we want to feed and strengthen. When you put it this way your choices become clear.
I also find what helps me is to read books that inspire me and to surround myself with symbols that remind me of the preciousness of the web of life. In this way I can keep transmuting the energies that arise which need healing. As we continue to do this the web heals too. Illness in all forms is stuck and dense energy. Where there is life and health there is movement.
I started this year’s Transmutation News stating that all ancient spiritual traditions teach that everything that happens on the physical level manifests first on the spiritual level. Our current issues of terrorism, war, division, separation, in all its manifest forms has formed on the spiritual. The spiritual level is where need to concentrate and focus our transmutation work. Let’s learn to focus our energies together and not divide them.
Learn to flow with the changes instead of suffer the changes. Keep your energy moving and flowing and keep a loving heart.
The classic methods of shamanism are wonderful and do support the healing process. As the cause of many illnesses today are changing we must keep changing our ways of working. Many of the illnesses we now see are the result of breathing in air filled with pollution and toxins, eating foods contaminated with chemicals and pollution, and drinking water that is also contaminated.
We are being asked to step “out of the box” in dealing with this situation. There are many teachers around the world now who are choosing to step out of the box and bring back some of the more obscure ancient methods of healing while at the same time working with ways to evolve spiritual healing to meet the needs of this time. The spirit around the Medicine for the Earth and other work that different teachers are bringing through is enormous. The challenge of course is not to try to control the work.
In the alliance I formed with other Medicine for the Earth teachers we agreed to let the spirit of the work evolve with no controls. There are lots of lessons around creating new models for teaching and organizing and not creating a hierarchy. One of the shadow sides of hierarchical structures is having the power to herd and control creative potential. We have all seen examples of this. The unlimited possibilities of potential create great excitement inside of me and I look forward to sharing where the work has been gracefully invited.
A caution with our work today with shamanic healing is not to get trapped into a Newtonian model of working. The depth of the initiations of indigenous shamans brought them into such deep contact with the awareness of unity and interconnection and breaking through the illusion that we are separate from the web. The depth of these initiations recreated the cellular structure of the shaman to hold this awareness and be a vehicle for this energy. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a great indigenous shaman or healer? No matter how much pain and suffering they have experienced in their life their eyes hold the sparkle of life and joy of this awareness as they carry it in their bodies into the world. This sparkle and light is beyond what they show publicly. This light shines through these shamans and healers through every moment of their life.
This takes working on a quantum level. We just don’t see this enduring bright light in most shamanic practitioners’ eyes today. We have to learn that by carrying this awareness in our cells and living it brings the light back to our eyes and to the earth. And without the depth of the initiations indigenous shamans experienced over years, not hours, we can experience this awareness only by devotion to our spiritual practice and shifting our consciousness to a place which both quantum physicists and shamans have been sharing. To truly understand and live the healing path of the shaman is to live the principle of interconnection.
The dance of course becomes being able to disengage from our spiritual experiences enough to be able to live life fully in form which is why we took bodies in the first place. How to disengage while staying connected. We need to get the light and sparkle in our eyes and carry it through our bodies into life.
When I can get into a clear and unburdened state I can truly see what we all search for is the experience of eternal light and love. All life is made of light. Even the darkness is made of light. Light permeates everything including the void. Humankind also searches for love. We were created from light and love so this means we are light and love. I have written all this before and humankind has been living out the consequences of this search throughout history. It is the egoic part of us that creates this separation and the continual search.
But most of us search for remembering the truth of who we are in very unconscious ways. People search for love and light through relationships, money, material objects, and power. When you look at the absolute core of what they are searching for it is love and light and to be recognized.
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a person who is searching for financial gain or gain through power? When I do I see fear and abandonment.
Jesus taught that we must not hide our light. We hear today words in songs devoted to encouraging us to let our light shine. There are a lot of teachings around this. All spiritual traditions also teach that love is the most powerful healing force. These are all wonderful words with great power. What we are all searching for is the full experience of these words not as a mental concept.
Therefore, another purpose of initiations in spiritual traditions like shamanism is to break down the egoic barriers that separate us from remembering the truth of who we are. These repeated experiences resculpt us on a cellular level to carry this knowledge fully in us.
I believe that this is one reason that people find being in nature so healing emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Nature gives off and reflects back to us eternal light. The sun is a great example of this. It just shines and continually gives us energy and needs nothing in return. It is a great example of carrying and giving a source of light that is eternal. When people are in nature on some level they receive the light that is given. And on some level we are reminded of our own light. This connection with nature therefore has the power to heal us.
As you can imagine not everyone wants to walk down the path of giving up the search for financial gain, material objects, relationships, and power. ‘Many are lost in the illusion that these external sources carry the light and love we need. As so many people are lost in this illusion the result is the violence, war, and misuse of power we are experiencing on the planet today and have seen throughout history. Once again if everything manifests on the spiritual level before manifesting on the physical the lack of knowledge of our spiritual connections to our internal and eternal love and light are causing the outer manifestations in the world we are seeing.
For me the practice of transfiguration as I have been writing about it and teaching it has been the practice that has been creating a huge remodeling going on inside me on a cellular level. Every time I transfigure into my own divinity I feel a change throughout my body that keeps working on me throughout my life. As my whole being starts to change I can remember what my spiritual search has been about and gives me the impetus to stay focused on the transfiguration process with the knowledge of where this is leading me.
If you spent time out in nature reflecting on your interrelation with the elements, as I suggested last month, you must have noticed how much you are nurtured by sun, earth, water, and air.
The sun provides ongoing energy that nurtures our bodies, minds, and soul. The sun reminds us of our own passionate fire and energy of our souls which fuel our lives. People deprived of sun for long periods of time typically fall into a depression.
Air provides the oxygen that feeds our cells, our bodies, as well as fuels our fire; our own energetic system. Air cleanses and feeds our body, mind, and soul.
Earth provides nurturance for our body as she continually births the life that creates food for all living beings. She provides continual beauty for us to feast on as we look around us with wonder at the colors and beauty of the life forms she creates reminding us of our own creative potential as we are earth too. Once again we are fed body, mind, and soul, as we are captivated by all the earth gives to us.
Water reflects back to us the nature of our own soul. It feeds every part of us transferring vitamins and minerals from the different elements into our bodies. We are soothed and calmed by hearing water and by sitting with bodies of water. We are mostly water and we are dependent on outside sources of water to replenish the water we excrete throughout the day. Water is essential for nurturance but also for cleansing our internal organs.
So for all that we receive from these great elements what do we do in return? Is it possible as I suggested in Medicine for the Earth that we came here to be caretakers of these life forms and be “gardeners”? If so are we being of service? In the world we no longer appreciate the nurturance provided by nature and just how dependent we are on nature vs. our belief we are dependent on science and technology. It is nature we should be turning to for answers not technology.
Where do we have power right now in a world that continually trashes the garden? Where we all have power is how we personally caretake through creating connections and building relationship with the energies of love, appreciation, and gratitude. This is at least a beginning.
Masuro Emoto, who I have written about in the past, shares in his books Messages of Water volumes 1 and 2 photos of how the crystalline structure of water responds to the energy of love and gratitude. It is quite striking to actually see the response.
Providing this energy feeds all of nature which in turn feeds us too. You have all been in gardens that have been cared for with love. Everything that is alive responds to love; all things in nature are alive.
Some of you might be asking at this point how is it that I wrote last month nature doesn’t have egoic emotions but responds to love.
Nature experiences the “what is” without egoic judgement. If a garden is not thriving because of lack of care it is just not thriving. If a garden thrives through being fed energetically with love it is thriving. It is experiencing the cycles of life and death without a sense of judgment or what could be or should be. It just is.
Nature thrives on energy just as we do. We can caretake all the elements who we are interrelated with through our heart connection and sharing our light and love back.
This is how you can also work with transmuting the energy of the pollution that we take in from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. With everything that you take in concentrate and focus on the nurturance and light you are receiving and be in a state of love and appreciation for what you have been given. Recognize the light, divinity, and perfection of what you are taking in. Remember it truly is our perception which creates our reality.
Before we shift into our ceremony to honor the winter solstice let’s pause in our work and acknowledge the immensity of the forces we are working with.
Close your eyes for a few minutes and take a few deep breaths through your heart. Visualize the earth and consider your body size in proportion to it. Consider how far the sun is from the earth. Consider how deep the earth’s core is. Experience how far the winds circulate. Think about all the galaxies the creative force called into being.
The feelings of immensity hopefully lead you to a place of humbleness. Yes, I have been teaching you that you are a reflection of the creative forces of the universe. Your spiritual self is immense also. But when you consider the immensity of the universe we live in it gives us a different perspective of the power of the forces that are beyond us and moving and evolving with us or without us.
Humbleness is an important quality for all of us to embrace as we step further into our own spiritual development and evolution.
The purpose of our ceremony for the winter solstice will be to honor all the elements that make up the planet, our bodies and which we are so interdependent with.
Before the winter solstice you will need to gather some earth from where you live, some water from a body of water where you live, a candle which you can empower through intention the power of the sun, and something that can represent air. You could use some incense or you can use an empty container with the knowledge that this contains the air that we breathe. These are just some suggestions. Use what has heart and meaning for you.
You need to decide if you want to work alone and connect energies with the thousands of people around the world performing this ceremony and other ceremonies to honor the winter solstice. You might be part of a group you want to work with and you will need to organize yourselves before December 21. You might want to decide also if you wish to work inside or in nature. As you collect the elements for your ceremony keep them in a place that you consider sacred and continue to hold an intention to honor them and the web of life.
If you are new to this work and have not worked with the process of transfiguration please read the July 2002 Transmutation News. Practice this process before the winter solstice.
On December 21 begin by unburdening yourself from earthly concerns and distractions. You can cleanse your body, mind, heart, and soul with the smoke of incense that you might like the fragrance of. You might perform a visualization of experiencing yourself being in a place in nature. Imagine building a small sacred fire. Tell the fire about your burdens and ask fire to take them from you. Experience yourself giving fire your burdens and the fire receiving them and transmuting them to light. Give thanks to the fire and stay there as the fire burns back down to the earth.
You can come up with your own rituals for unburdening yourself. Just make sure that when you begin your work you are clear and you feel your heart as pure.
When you are ready to begin start by connecting with the energy deep inside of the earth. Breathe the energy up and through the top of your head out to the sky. Now do the same thing bringing the energies from above and the sky down through your body into the earth. Circulate the energies.
Use music or drumming and singing and dancing to transfigure into your divine spirit becoming pure light, beauty, and love. Remember to make sure you are working with:
intention + love + union + harmony + concentration + focus + imagination = transmutation.
Imagine connecting with thousands of people who are honoring the change of the cycle. Experience your energies focusing with the energies of others. Hold your concentration.
Make sure that your intention to honor the elements and the web of life is clear. Infuse the elements in your sacred space with love and light. Use toning to help you hold the transfigured state. These elements are pure light. Harmony within creates harmony without. Everything in your space including yourself is pure light, love and creative potential.
When you feel yourself disconnecting start to disengage from the process while at the same time staying in a heart space and honoring all of life. Give thanks for your life and anything or anyone you wish to give thanks for.
And when you are able to, return the elements back to their original place in nature. With fire blow the divinity you experienced towards the sun. With air blow your heartfelt thanks into the air.
As we focus our energies to do this earth, water, fire, air can circulate the message of thanks of honor throughout the world. The places in the earth that now hold transmuted earth holds the memory of thanks, light, and appreciation. The waters around the world as well as the winds circulate the energies of our work. The sun takes in and gives off our message of thanks as it warms us and energizes us. The same honoring takes place in the elements inside us that make up our bodies. And we honor the changing of the cycle with thanks.
We must not sacrifice a whole generation of children to be consumed by the energy of fear, hate, separation, and despair. Inspire every child you can. Do this for the children, the earth, and for our ancestors and our descendants.
More on this next month.
This winter solstice marks the second anniversary of when we began to weave a planetary human web of light. Please join and focus your energies with all of who continue this wonderful process on the full moon which is December 19.
Start meditating on what new creative ideas you would like to nurture during the winter months so they can manifest in the spring and summer.
For myself I am nurturing some new workshops I would like to create:
Working with the quantum aspect of shamanism with all the possibilities than can be manifested. This would be a new ongoing training.
Bringing appropriate spiritual methods to children so they honor themselves, all life, and our environment. We need to help our children keep their light. Our children are our future.
Training programs to teach people how to teach shamanic methods. I will introduce a completely new structure than what I am currently teaching.
Happy winter solstice! Let’s celebrate together the return of the sun and the light.