Yraceburu EarthWisdom Indigenous Grandmothers Summit Celebrating Turtle Island in New Mexico

Next week I am blessed to be attending a gathering of indigenous Grandmothers and Elders celebrating Turtle Island here in New Mexico. Yraceburu EarthWisdom through their Sisters’ of Honua organization are hosting this powerful event. I will be undergoing the Kokua Guardian Training, a very subtle and intuitive way of serving Elders as they offers their wisdom and gifts within a community setting. I have included below a description of the event and the insightful article Maria Yraceburu wrote on how to truly serve an Elder through looking out through their perspective, not yours. If you wish to learn more about Yraceburu EarthWisdom and their teaching go to

http://www.yraceburu.org/

Gathering of Hope, Gathering of Future… uneasy embrace… created by women.  Searching, insists that it’s Now and Here.  We cruise slowly through hundreds of beliefs curving down to earth like the rich, vibrant rain of life.  Sweet success… oh Sacred Sisters, we’ve found the freedom.  Hold onto your dreams.  Breaking out, as you fly in… see the wink of pristine and lush truth of the ancient feminine.  The days are over to work underground.  Tasting freedom.

At the core of our Annual Grandmothers Summit Celebrating Turtle Island is a basic yet sophisticated understanding of the primary functions and power of women as representatives of the planet we call Earth Mother. To read more about The Grandmothers Summit or order the visionary book Prophetic Voices of The Sisters of Honua featuring many of the Elders from this summit speaking of these changing times go to:

http://www.sistersofhonua.org/

Learn from complementary worlds.  Grandmothers and Wisdom Keepers from traditions all over the world will be in attendance at this retreat to share teaching in a tranquil environment that is perfect for the re-establishment of feminine principles.  The true uniqueness of this retreat is due to the meeting of ancient ways the Four Corners of Earth.  Knowledge will be shared and feminine principles for the future pursued in the pristine mountains of northeastern New Mexico.  Living in a traditional camp setting, enjoying the beauty of the land and the teachings of those that come together with something to say that is very relevant in the here and now.  The way of Women and this moment in history hold a rare opportunity for all.  Our Grandmothers and WisdomKeepers bring with them years of personal practice and experience in their fields.  Humor and practical teaching combined with special life in a completely feminine camp are healing in themselves.

Yraceburu EarthWisdom’s Sisters of Honua Project is honored to host this retreat, providing you with the opportunity to hear our Women’s Legacy and participate in circles of discussion concerning our future.  Whether listening to stories around a campfire accompanied by the calls of owls or collecting wisdom from ancient trees, it will be an experience that will remain in your heart.

Kokua Guardian Training overview

Traditional Elders have the capacity to communicate without words, they have a rich language of their own that utilizes sight, sound, and energetic sensory awareness that eloquently expresses their intent and feelings to their guardians.  Your ability to understand this ya’odishiyo – from where we look out – communication and its particular setting is the cornerstone of working with a Traditional Elder.  Being an akicita – guardian, really means understanding what an Elder is communicating to you, not just what you think might be.  By taking into account the dynamic interaction of various forms of multidimensional communiction techniques, you can serve with ease and grace, becoming a valued and sought after guardian.

Maria Yraceburu

Creative Guardianship 101

by Maria Yraceburu

Egyptian tombs… Russian songs… clans of Native America… Australian Dance… Greek and Roman myth…

Many people come to me wanting to work with Traditional Indigenous Elders.  I have been fortunate enough to grow up around individuals of high spiritual nature and ritualistic lifestyle.  I have been honored to serve many, beginning, but not limited to my grandfather, an Apache HolyMan.

Traditional Elders have the capacity to communicate without words, they have a rich language of their own that utilizes sight, sound, and energetic sensory awareness that eloquently expresses their intent and feelings to their guardians.  Your ability to understand this ya’odishiyo – from where we look out – communication and its particular setting is the cornerstone of working with a Traditional Elder.  Being an akicita – guardian, really means understanding what an Elder is communicating to you, not just what you think might be.  By taking into account the dynamic interaction of various forms of multidimensional communication techniques, you can serve with ease and grace, becoming a valued and sought after guardian.

One of the things we stress is patience and making yourself a student of observation.  Over zealous service and assumptions often close an Elder down to your true intent.  This behavior is common in individuals needing validation of their own power, it is a sign to the Elders that they will end up spending a great deal of time taking care of their guardian, not receiving the help they need from their guardians when working in ceremony and public settings.  As your relationship and understanding of traditional ways mature, apprenticeship into the nature of life’s mysteries simply unfold with growing trust.  If you observe an akicita greeting an Elder, it is always a confident, yet humble approach, never assuming, always bearing a gift of honoring – and ALWAYS being accepted in joy by the Elder. The expression of honor is received gracefully, with an attitude of acceptance by the Elder.  The Elders understands the intent completely.

Unfortunately many beginning guardians try to assume what an Elder needs and try to satisfy needs where there are none.  I recall one frustrated Elders who asked me, “Why do they assume, are they not here to learn?  Every time I try to share what is needed I am cut off by over talking.  I become quiet, give the look that tells to be silent and pay attention, they are assuming and not receiving, but it only gets worse.  Now I have to spend the time we are working with others, constantly correcting the one who is suppose to assist.  Can you train them, so they understand?”

The guardian didn’t understand what the Elder’s communication meant.  By misinterpreting the Elder’s signals and energy, the guardian actually created more work in a less harmonious manner, than it would have been for the Elder to work alone.  Acting on assumptions based in general societal experience created the problem, making the Elder less receptive to help from anyone.  the proper protocol is to watch and learn and ask in the beginning, before acting.

Maria Yraceburu

Expecting an Elder to communicate and think as the general populous doe will only lead to frustration for you and the Elder.  Instead, learn to interpret Elders by taking what they have to offer and stepping into their world, trying to view life interaction from a multidimensional perspective.  This requires a different thinking process than most people are use to.

Try this simple exercise to demonstrates what I have said in an experiential way – exercise from stone 12.  With powers of great sensitivity, what is of greatest interest?

The point of this “Elder’s view” exercise is to till the soil of your imagination responsibly, to help you sense, in some small way, what things are like from an Elder’s perspective.  A good guardian can receive into imaginative reality the Elder’s communication, interpret it correctly, and then adjust various ceremonial procedures as need be.

The guardian must learn to read the thoughts of the Elder, AND THOSE AROUND THE ELDER TOO.  The guardian must observe closely so that they shall not only be prevented from misinterpretation in human arrogance, but also that they may be able to give the Elder signs of shifting energies and act accordingly in a masterful way that flows in harmony with the task at hand for the Elder.  Whoever can find the answer to the question, “How can I relay this message to my Elder without disturbing the flow of energy?” has won the game and can receive from their Elder whatever they seek to know.

When you approach an Elder in this way, the experience is surprisingly multidimensional.  Not only do you become tuned into your Elder, but you becomes skilled, as well, and the ongoing knowledge you acquire from your Elder’s trust has the potential to bring you into your full potential as you later become an Elder yourself.  an often neglected aspect of the graining process is how the guardian becomes the containing safe space for the Elder’s work, helping others to achieve greater awareness by the guardian-Elder team drawing them in greater degrees of sensitivity, patience and energetic choreography.  This apprenticeship is of the greatest nature.

Often, we speak of ya-odishiyo -from where we look out – a type of telepathy or imagery projection communication, and it’s importance in your work with an Elder.  Ya-odishiyo is standing inside your Elder’s psyche, putting yourself at their center, where they are unique, individual, and understanding them from that perspective.  This is possible only when you want to understand what your Elder is GENUINELY communicating.  To get inside your Elder’s thoughts, to understand from their point of view, you must continually watch, look, listen and feel, since an Elder communicates what is going on through body language, looks, sign symbology, and lastly words.  Ya-odishiyo is not a romantic projection of human thoughts and feelings; it takes into account the whole communication by reading what the major centers of communication are saying.

Your alignment with your Elder will mature into real and compassionate understanding when you learn to blend intuition with multidimensional techniques of earth in a serious grasp of ya-odishiyo and impeccable integrity

Shifting the Paradigm: A Montage of Wisdom on our Changing Times

Blessed Summer Solstice to you! The energies are accelerating, and incredible information has been coming through many messenger about how we can embrace the intense shifts we are currently in. I have chosen some of the most insightful post I have come across in 2010 so far. This is a lot of information, but also includes some very very useful and inspiring perspectives. Feel free to pass this onto anyone you feel may need these perspective and thank you to the original creators of the pieces.

A list of the articles included:

7th Hopi Prophesy realized

The Great Council of Grandmothers call to action with the energy grid

Dr. Emoto prayer for  the waters and the oil spill

SongHealer Coleen Renee’s vision of singing the waters

Barbara Hand Clow’s insight into the Soltice and eclipse

Solara’s First & Second Wave and Bridges in 2010 about becoming True Ones

Love and delightful illumination, Kwahu Abeja

www.OracleofInitiation.com

Hopi Elder Grandfather Martin at Prophesy Rock

I start with the seventh Hopi Prophesy being realized because I am currently in their landscape of the desert southwest, and the transformation I experienced during a Hopi quest changed my life. Four and a half years ago I attended a Hopi pilgrimage with Maria & Lynda Yraceburu to visit sacred sites in the Southwest, culminating in a visit to Grandfather Martin Gashweseoma and his telling of their stories through Prophesy Rock. It is collectively recognized by many indigenous peoples that the Hopi are one of the most ancient, and wise cultures on the planet. I am sharing just a small part of their cosmology, but I believe it speaks to the nearness of our shift into the 5^th World of peace. I have included a video from the meeting with Grandfather Martin I attended. Thanks Kym!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIBvs7wdSdQ

Hopi Prophesies

First Sign: We were told of the coming of the white-skinned men, like Pahana, but not living like Pahana — men who took the land that was not theirs and who struck their enemies with thunder. (Guns)

Second Sign: Our lands will see the coming of spinning wheels filled with voices. (Covered wagons)

Third Sign: A strange beast like a buffalo but with great long horns, will overrun the land in large numbers. (Longhorn cattle)

Fourth Sign: The land will be crossed by snakes of iron. (Railroad tracks)

Fifth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed by a giant spider’s web. (Power and telephone lines)

Sixth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed with rivers of stone that make pictures in the sun. (Concrete roads and their mirage-producing effects.)

Seventh Sign: You will hear of the sea turning black, and many living things dying because of it. (Oil spills)

Eighth Sign: You will see many youth, who wear their hair long like our people, come and join the tribal nations, to learn our ways and wisdom. (Hippies)

Ninth and Last Sign: You will hear of a dwelling-place in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a blue star. Very soon after this, the ceremonies of the Hopi people will cease.

Many of my people, understanding the prophecies, shall be safe. Those who stay and live in the places of my people also shall be safe. Then there will be much to rebuild. And soon — very soon afterward — Pahana will return. He shall bring with him the dawn of the Fifth World. He shall plant the seeds of his wisdom in their hearts. Even now the seeds are being planted. These shall smooth the way to the Emergence into the Fifth World. {through Frank Water’s text}

a Drawing of the inscription on the ancient Hopi Prophesy Rock

This came through from Jeanne Abella on Facebook. I think it is brilliant, and so essential. Another friend was mentioning the role the Grandmothers have been playing in the energy grid. She wisely suggested we also pray for the powerful work they have been doing on behalf of our shifting paradigms. They have been plugged into holding the complexities of our ancestry, and that can be a pretty heavy task at times. So I suggest sending grace and light to the Wisdom Keepers incarnate, our precious Elders and Feminine Lineage Carriers.

The Great Council of the Grandmothers:

You Are Desperately Needed

“We ask you to cast, anchor, and hold the Net of Light steady for the Gulf of Mexico,” the Grandmothers said. “This crisis is affecting the entire world, and humanity is asleep. Wake up!” they cried. “Animals are dying, plants are dying, and your Mother is writhing in agony. If you hold the Net of Light steady at this time you will help stave off further catastrophe.

“You have been lulled into a false sleep,” they said, “told that others (B.P.) will take care of this problem. This is not so,” they said. “And this is not the time for you to fall into oblivion. Determine now to stay awake, and once you have made that commitment, think of, cast, and hold the Net of Light. Hold it deep and hold it wide. Amplify its reach to penetrate the waters of the Gulf and dive deep beneath the crust of Mother Earth. Anchor it at the earth’s core and as you hold it there, ask it to unify with the mineral kingdom of this planet. It will do this and will harmonize with all the solid and liquid mineral states on earth-including oil and gas. The Net of Light will call these minerals back into harmony.

“Whatever human beings have damaged, human beings must correct,” the Grandmothers said. “This is the law. We repeat: This is the law.You cannot sit back and ask God to fix the mess humanity has created. Each of you must throw your shoulders to the wheel and work. We are asking for your help. Several years ago we gave you the Net of Light so you would be able to help the earth at times like this. Step forward now. This is the Net of Light that will hold the earth during the times of change that are upon you,” they said.

“First move into your heart and call on us. We will meet you there. The Net of Light is lit by the jewel of your heart,” they said, “so move into this lighted place within you and open to the Net of which you are a part. Bask in its calming presence. It holds you at the same time that you hold it.

“Now think of magnifying your union with us. We, the Great Council of the Grandmothers, are with you now, and all those who work with the Net of Light are also with you. There are thousands, even millions now connected in light,” they said. “Along with this union, call forth the power of the sacred places on earth. These will amplify the potency of our joint effort. Then call on the sacred beings that have come to prevent the catastrophe that threatens to overwhelm your planet. We will work together,” they said, nodding slowly.

“Think of, cast and magnify the presence of the Net of Light in the Gulf of Mexico. See, imagine or think of it holding the waters, holding the land, the plants, the sea life, and the people. Holding them all!” they said. “The Net of Light is holding them steady; it is returning them to balance. Let the love within your lighted heart keep pouring into the Net of Light and hold, hold, hold. Calmly and reverently watch as the light from your heart flows along the strands of the Net. It will follow your command and continuously move forth. As soon as you think of it, it will happen. We ask you to practice this for only a few minutes at a time, but to repeat it throughout the day and night.

“We promise that this work with the Net of Light will do untold good,” the Grandmothers said. “We are calling you to service now. You are needed. Do not miss this opportunity. We thank you and bless you.”

From The Circle of The Living Earth AIWP’s notes on Facebook

Dr. Emoto

Dr. Emoto’s work on shifting the energy of the water element through intention is revolutionary. Recently, in my own personal work, as well as with clients and friends through shamanic journeying, I have found that some of us are releasing dark black matter from our abdomens that is similar to the oil spill. I believe this is the toxic residue of our own personal initiations in this lifetime and the collective cultural sludge of millennia of pain and dissociation.

Dr. Emoto On Our Sacred Water &

The Oil Spill

Dr. Masaru Emoto, the scientist from Japan who has done all the research and publications about the characteristics of water and how, among other things, water physically responds to emotions, has proposed a prayer for the Gulf situation. Notice the Ho’oponopono at the end 🙂

Right now, most of us have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while certainly we are justified in that emotion, we may be of greater assistance to our planet and its life forms, if we sincerely, powerfully and humbly pray the prayer that Dr Emoto, himself, has proposed:

“I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton’s, corals, algae and all living creatures…..I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”

SongHealer Coleen Renee

SongHealer Coleen Renee’s Vision

A few days ago I was gifted with a dream.  Like most of you, I have been wanting to do something about the oil volcano in the Gulf.  The situation lay heavy on me as I went to sleep.  In the early hours I received the following message from the Teachers.

I dream that I am wanting to go to the Gulf and sing the waters.  I see myself singing and through the song the oil is contained.  My mind cannot grasp how this can happen, but my heart sees it so.  Although I don’t see how I can manifest a trip financially and I cannot see where or how I am to sing, I commit to it.

The Teachers come to me and explain that I do not have to go anywhere.  The water on this planet is continuous.  No matter where I stand I am on the “shore”.  Water is within and around me at all times.  Each drop of our Mother Earth’s blood connects with every other drop.  She has blood poisoning.  A wound from within that threatens life.  Sing.  Drum.  Pray.  Ask everyone to do so and to do it often.

Sing the water to itself.  Drum it into wholeness.  Pray in whatever way is right and appropriate for the oil to be stopped and cleaned up.  And even then, sing, drum and pray for the health of the plants and animals; for sustaining ecosystems.  The effects of this poisoning are far reaching.

Do not fear that you are powerless.  Take action and take it now.  Sing.  Drum. Pray.

I see myself singing the waters – RiverSong – as I was taught several years ago by the shores of the Maumee.  But other’s do not know RiverSong.  How can I teach them all, I ask?

Each person can sing, drum and pray as they are able.  Allow the intention of healing and wholeness to flow through.  Sing the ancients’ songs if you know them.  Open to the pain and sing it to wholeness, once again.  It is time for you each to awaken to your innate abilities to heal through love and compassion.  Sing. Drum. Pray.

I share this with you.  I call you each to action.  Sing alone.  Drum together.  Pray as you drive.  Whatever you can do as often as you can do it.  As you pass a stream, lake or river – sing, I love you.  Thank the waters.

Send this call out to everyone you know.  Sing in joy, drum in love, pray with deep gratitude.

Blessings,

Coleen Renee, SongHealer

http://coleenrenee.blogspot.com/

Barbara Hand Clow

This piece by Barbara Hand Clow is incredible. It is time to dream a New World together, and shake out the constrictions that keep us afraid, separated and unconscious. I liberally edited it, leaving out some of the more technical astrological information; forgive me if it is choppy.  Please go to the original posting if you would like the complete version.

Barbara Hand Clow on the Summer Soltice & Eclipse

The Summer Solstice has arrived, so it is time to breathe, relax, and be sensual; it is time to become fully embodied. Because the spring season was so characterized by exponential evolution, letting down will be difficult this summer unless you assess the great changes in your life and in the world. Otherwise, you will be very confused because so much is going on, just so much chatter. It could be so easy to miss the summer’s potential to help flesh out and deepen what you’ve been creating. Take a look at your Spring Equinox intentions to see how you are doing, and also take note of other things you are involved in that you didn’t even plan on. Something very new is going on: In light of this spring’s tripling of time acceleration, are you beginning to see that you and the planetary collective are capable of critical leaps that you never really imagined before? Are you beginning to feel that you are capable of advancing to levels beyond what you previously thought were possible?

You must be wondering whether this great acceleration during spring 2010 is going to increase even more? Astrologically, due to coming eclipses with Grand Squares, it looks like the unique spring expansion will lock into entirely new forms during summer 2010. Each special creation we are bringing forth is going to explode from within and pop out into geometrical configurations of great beauty; these patterns will form new matrixes in reality that can hold new evolutionary potential. This will be the ecstatic origami summer, the period when 6D descends down into 3D in all the areas of life where we’ve each cultivated new potential.

I’ve never seen anything like the wild, creative, and cosmically formative astrology during this summer season…However, like any great evolutionary leap (such as the Renaissance, with which we are resonating in its early stages now!), we must bear the pain of the death of the old forms as the light increases.

When the Medici family began bringing art into the darkened medieval world during the early Renaissance (1450s), Europe was struggling to create viable states-and that is the time period of the National Underworld with which we are resonating. Also, we are resonating with the early Regional Underworld survivalist period that came on the heels of the 9500 BC cataclysm. That was when the Earth nearly died-and now our seas struggle to stay alive. The spewing Planetary Underworld oil reveals the truth: patriarchal corporate irresponsibility must go-or else Earth dies. What is going to happen? Because the oil volcano erupted exactly when we were poised to remember and process the cataclysm 11,500 years ago, the horrendous gusher is awakening collective memory of the need to survive by co-creating community with Gaia. We need to remember how to hear and see the voice and visions of our planet. The BP disaster helps us all to see that the fundamental basis of the patriarchy-using the planet for human desires-is erroneous. As you will see, the astrology shows that this horrific disaster is forcing our species to make a radical shift this summer.

As we look for how to return to balance, let’s begin by examining the Solstice chart. Due to the insane intensity of this chart, I challenge you: Do you really feel that a potentially better future is coming? If you do not, I am providing an exercise later to help you see why you are a pessimist. The 2010 Solstice reading contains the most ominous, challenging, and potent messages I have ever seen in any seasonal chart-and remember its influence holds all the way to the Fall Equinox. These are the times that challenge our souls, yet I have no doubts that greatness will emerge.

If you are feeling pessimistic, how can you reach for greatness if you can’t imagine it in the first place? How do you imagine it? You must search deep inside for the potential you have always known was coming, and then you must create images for the new world coming that you can actually feel.

This summer’s cardinal Grand Squares will grind up the remaining detritus so that new paths can open. What do I mean? Well, a set of collective beliefs created all the National and Planetary agendas, and now these beliefs are collapsing. For example, the three great world religions are collapsing in a vortex of war and sexual abuse. The elements that remain, such as Gaian experiential spirituality, will be the seeds of a new world waiting to be born during 2011 and solidified during 2012.

The Sun moving into Cancer radiates the desire to nurture and be nurtured as the Goddess awakens in Earth. Directing this womb-like nest, the close square from Jupiter/Uranus in Aries proposes we have the resources (Jupiter) and the creativity (Uranus) to imagine a new world now; and since these planets are in Aries, we will act on this vision. There can be no lying to ourselves or avoidance with Jupiter/Uranus in such a close square to the Solstice Sun, especially since the Sun exactly squares Uranus during the evening of the Solstice. This intense square will shake out the angry people who resist changing our world. Pluto in Capricorn, courageously leading the ultimate transformation of our world for the next twenty years, is right there opposing the Solstice Sun; Pluto demands deep change now. Meanwhile, Pluto is pushed to the max by the Uranus/Jupiter square. Grumbling from the inner Earth, Pluto says, “You can’t survive unless you are honest and care for life on this planet now.” Saturn in newly direct Virgo totally supports the new structure coming in and helps to find ways to solidify it. Saturn is racing toward Libra to initiate new things by joining the other planets in the cardinal signs. When Saturn goes back into Libra on July 21, the world will be a complex design of long strings of aligned dominoes; and then Saturn will tip the domino lines into cascading freefalls. The Solstice and eclipse charts reveal the geometry of the 2010 domino design.

Let’s now look at the other planets for guidance on how we can survive this great shift as it goes into gear; they can help us imagine how to play our own roles in this cosmic drama. Chiron/Neptune, continuing to travel close together in the sky all year, trine the Solstice Sun; they are singing exquisite songs of spiritual healing, like gossamer goddesses playing lyres as they emerge from Greek temples. We are all hungry for the new forms and to know what out world will be like, so Chiron/Neptune are with us no matter how difficult things get. We will feel the strength of summer’s bounty while we change, change, change.

The most peculiar planet in the Solstice chart is Mercury with no close aspects in Gemini, an intriguing placement in light of the reading for the Gemini New Moon. Recall that the previous New Moon set off rapid and constant change, as it opened the gates to our spirit guides if we asked them for guidance. I even offered an easy technique for doing that, which is still posted. In the Solstice chart, since Mercury is still in Gemini, this fast dissemination power continues through the summer unabated. That is, you will be able to call on your guides and spirit helpers constantly, and as you work with them, you free them to dream in your world. As you can see with the oil disaster, we can be destructive, or we can invite the spiritual guides into our world to create with us. They can guide us to solve the great errors that could destroy our planet, as long as we agree to do the work through our own bodies. This suggests many people will allow less media and computer contact, and spend more time with real intuition.

At this point you may feel overwhelmed and wonder why you ever consulted this site. Well, you haven’t seen anything yet! As previously mentioned, we must also look at the June 26 Capricorn Eclipse because is occurs 5 days after the Solstice, and because it is going to lock in the powers of the Summer Solstice Grand Square. This lunar eclipse is going to increase the Solstice potency exponentially; it is almost impossible to imagine what it will create, although an increase in solar flares and a global awareness of the pain to come from the oil volcano are likely.

Of course, the cardinal Grand Square is still in close formation five days after the Summer Solstice, so many things in the Solstice reading will still apply. But, as if to emphasize the importance of this Grand Square, the Full Moon in 5 Capricorn conjuncts Pluto (in the Grand Square), and Mercury in 2 Cancer is back in aspect by moving close to the oppositional Sun in 5 Cancer. That is, the Grand Square during the Lunar Eclipse has 12 squares and six oppositions, and they are all very close. Since it is an eclipse, the Cancer/Capricorn oppositions also include the lunar nodes. This is the most disturbing and potentially enlightening chart I have ever seen. It rings and rings of shifting vibrations, intentional personal changes, and astonishing cosmic forces.

I wrote about Exopolitics-the reentry of Earth into Universe society in 2011-in The Mayan Code, and this eclipse signifies contact and communication with other realms, a difficult possibility at best. Your only recourse is to know yourself when you are faced with the Other, and this eclipse can enable you to see much truth about yourself. Never forget that we are sovereign in our dimension-3D-and off-planet beings can only influence us by working through our thoughts and emotions. [As an aside, I would suggest you’d be smart to stay home on June 26. Any distraction will take down your ability to imprint this extraordinary configuration.]

Our planet will be downloaded through our species with an awesome realization of the danger Gaia is handling; in some way the people will humble the destroyers. As people feel the excruciating emotions brought on by sacrificed animals and decimated water, they will see wars for what they are-greedy patriarchal games to get power for the Elite. I am not saying these things will change right away, but human minds will have changed by fall, which will then change events. Uranus/Jupiter squaring the Full Moon will push these overwhelming responses to the great life crisis into a nonstop transformative mode. This wrenches us into being able to feel deeply for everything else but us because ego is restrained. That is, this eclipse is going to force most people to realize their part in this current destruction. With the eclipsed Moon conjunct Pluto in a Grand Square, this crisis cannot be avoided anymore. Individuals and groups around the planet will demand more and they will fight to survive.

The Lunar eclipse on June 26 is going to set fire to the Solstice agendas. This focus will be very powerful and useful for people aligned to spirit, and it will be very threatening for people who can’t figure out what’s going on. The old ways of life are over now, the ideas that created these ways have already been forgotten, and we all must surrender to this great transformation. We’re all going to need guidance, which is available to us if we just ask. The planet will be showered with knowledge if we ask and it will flow right through us. Your spiritual guides know this is what you’ve been waiting for, so they will help you to be nurtured, secure, and joyful. Feel Earth as she awakens, and some may need a technique for making yourself more receptive to these new forces coming in.

According to the timing of the Mayan Calendar, we are on the apex of an evolutionary shift on Earth. The only thing that blocks it now is us, and the way we block ourselves is as old as the hills. Have you ever heard of the Seven Deadly Sins? All cultures and religions have some version of the seven sins, and I think these “sins” became an issue when religion developed during the National Underworld. I’ve come to the conclusion these seven sins are false denominators of human behavior that express fundamental ways we tend to deviate from our potential. From our childhoods and various other influences, most people have a big problem with one or two of the sins, maybe all of them. As far as I can see, these deviations keep us from switching on the signals that can make us totally free. Holding on to them separates us from Earth and her creativity because the idea of these sins makes us feel guilty and judged. So, I’m going to ask you to review your own personal issues with these imbedded thoughtforms, hoping that thinking this one through will clarify a lot of energy in the collective.

The seven deadly sins are: anger, envy, gluttony, greed, laziness, lust, and pride. During the Solstice, considering each one of these sins; see if you can see where you judge yourself. Where you judge yourself may indeed be a place where you need to improve yourself, but it is more likely to be a place where old religious paradigms put you on the cross. The cross and the hanging deity, the supposed model for humanity, is not going to help anybody reach their potential, so let’s get off of it!

If you can clear away these seemingly small issues during the Solstice, your ability to absorb the great powers of the June 26 lunar eclipse will be greatly enhanced. This could enable you to draw down powerful spiritual forces right into Gaia. This is not about making you feel bad about yourself, it is about getting you in touch with habits you have that take down your access to spirit. These habits often cause you to miss amazing opportunities staring you right in the face because you are avoiding the intensity of true spiritual contact. So, think about and feel how you handle each one of these emotional response patterns, and when you see that you are deficient somewhere, think about how you could change it. Just intend to change it, very much like making Spring Equinox intentions, and by your intention during this potent Summer Solstice, you will change.

For example, instead of becoming angry, realize you have the power to change the world; instead of falling into envy, know that you are the greatest; instead of being gluttonous, take sensual pleasure with food; instead of being greedy, enjoy your blessings; instead of being lazy, be unstoppable; instead of being lusty, have great sex with your partner; and instead of being prideful, love yourself! We all lose a great deal of energy fighting our personal dragons, and some of us even wreck our lives this way. But, now by the Calendar, we’re preparing to bring much greater forces through us, galactic forces that will reconnect us with the whole Universe.

We are ready to go beyond small errors because we are being called to engage with large forces. The next New Moon on July 11 continues the eclipse cycle with a solar eclipse at 19 Cancer. That New Moon will enable us to embody some completely new paths, so prepare yourself for this by changing the small but very crippling parts of your personal self so that you can be a vessel of divine light.

http://www.handclow2012.com/summersolstice.htm

Solara

This may be my favorite piece to date about the power and forces in 2010. I have edited it for this blog, but I posted the entire text on my Facebook page a while back.

FIRST & SECOND WAVE AND

BRIDGES IN 2010

By Solara

2010 is going to have a massive effect on our roles as First & Second Waves and Bridges. Many of us will move to a new level by emerging as a True One. As we do, we will come together in a unified purpose as never before.

THE FIRST WAVE

The First Wave are those older souls who have been on this planet for a very long time. We came here under the Master Number 11 to Anchor the New. We have lots of Earth experience and have gathered an abundance of wisdom and knowledge.

After the 11:11 Doorway closes at the end of 2011, the ones of the First Wave who are still here will be given the opportunity to choose a new path of destiny. They will have the choice to leave the planet, to remain here to Build the New or to stay here in a more quiet way and serve as wise (wild) Elders.

Until then, some First Waves will choose to leave the planet this year, feeling that their work here is now complete. Others have simply given up and resigned themselves to living out their final years in isolation. They are so tired and beaten down by life that they no longer believe in their Wildest Dreams.

This always makes me a bit sad, for I am one of the First Wave who knows that we are right on the cusp of the fulfillment of our Wildest Dreams. We are the First Waves who are still rowing with our full beings. Even though we have already completed our monumental task of Anchoring the New, we know that this is the time when we are most needed. It is during the Time of Transition when we have many sceptres of wisdom, knowledge, experience and responsibility to pass on. We also know that we aren’t meant to leave this planet weary and embittered. When we do leave, we shall make our departure singing a joyous song of love and victory.

During 2010, many First Waves will feel a true sense of relief for the first time. This deep relief comes about due to the unprecedented activation and stepping forward of the Bridges and Second Wave. (THANK YOU!!) The First Wave will finally be able to start dismantling their lifetimes of rigorous training to hold on and keep on, no matter what. They will no longer need to put their own personal lives aside so they can continually serve. Now is the time for their Wildest Dreams to blossom.

THE BRIDGE PEOPLE OR 1.5 WAVE

There are some who are neither First nor Second Wave. They contain a combination of both Waves and are here to serve as Bridges so that the First and Second Waves can converge. Bridges belong to the Master Number 33 which will be activated this year with One Being in Action.

The Bridges have an important part to play in the changeover to a New Paradigm. Since they understand the experiences of both First and Second Wave, they can serve as intermediaries between them. The First Wave have many important sceptres to pass on. They need to give them to a Bridge person so the Bridge can choose the perfect Second Waves to give them to.

There have been some misunderstandings about this important task. Some Bridges have felt that if they accepted a sceptre of responsibility from a First Wave, that they would have to carry it all by themself. This made them hesitant to step forward, as they knew that the responsibility would crush them. Or they thought that by accepting a sceptre they would be obliged to do things in the old ways. But this is not how it is meant to be.

The Bridges simply take the sceptre from the First Wave, then look for the right Second Waves to carry it with them. None of the sceptres being passed on are meant to be carried by a single person. Only the First Waves were equipped and trained to do this. When several people carry a sceptre together, it is easy, fun and full of creativity. This new creativity that springs from our true being is extremely fulfilling. This is the new way and the right way to do this.

Before the Bridges can fully step in, there are a few adjustments that they need to make. These have to do with guilt, adversity and fear. Many of the Bridges carry guilt. Their guilt was picked up by watching the long travails of the First Wave as they struggled to Anchor the New during the darkest of times, without being able to do anything to help them. When the Bridges finally came to this planet, many of them mistakenly felt that they needed to experience the same hardships as the First Wave, so they threw themselves into numerous dense situations where they damaged themselves. Or they felt that they had to catch up with the First Waves by cramming themselves full of outdated spiritual knowledge and practices. Unfortunately, none of this was necessary. All they needed to do was to arrive here fresh, full of LOVE and ready to leap in.

Another element that Bridges need to transform has to do with adversity. They tend to take any criticism too personally and too seriously, rather than discern the unclear or ego-driven motives of the person attacking them. If they are in a room full of one hundred people and ninety-nine people are in full support of them, but one person attacks them, they will allow themselves to be broken down, then run out of the room, vowing never to return. Bridges really need to focus on the love and support that is constantly given to them, rather than allowing criticism to completely disable them. Once they do this, they will be able to step forward into their true magnificence.

Often Bridges are riddled with fears and insecurities. They fear failure; they fear that they are not capable enough; and they fear that if they take on any responsibility that it will break them. Even though they are extremely creative, they feel that they need a safety net in place before they can start something new. What they don’t yet realize is that there actually is a huge safety net in place for them when they make the leap into becoming True Ones, but they just can’t see it from their present perspective.

Some Bridges think that they will be able to avoid their fears if they stay hidden on the sidelines, but they cannot. They are needed too much right now to be ignored. Their fears and reluctance to take on responsibility will immediately dissolve as soon as they become True Ones. And this is going to happen in 2010….

THE SECOND WAVE

The Second Wave are newer souls who have had far less lifetimes on the Earth. They came here under the Master Number 22 to Build the New. They have an abundance of fresh energy and new ideas and are ready to create the New World.

Exciting news for the Second Wave…. Your time has come!!!!

During 2010, the Second Wave will experience a massive activation. Your Sealed Orders will be popping open all year long. Your destiny is calling. And there is much for you to do.

You no longer need to be masters of distraction to keep yourselves from being bored. The time of waiting is over. As many sceptres as you can handle are being handed to you. We are all going to work together this year as One Being in Action and it’s going to be fun and exciting. We are going to successfully surf the waves of a massive creative surge into the New and True, on the biggest surfboards imaginable, while the world of duality continues to collapse all around us.

EMERGING AS TRUE ONES

Our Number One Priority in 2010 is to become a True One.

Becoming a True One is our next level. It is also the key to all our future endeavors. This doesn’t mean that we were untrue before. Many of us are good and honest people, but we aren’t yet True Ones.

To become a True One, we don’t have to become anything other than what we really are, but we can no longer hide WHO WE ARE. It is the conscious acceptance of WHO WE ARE on a vast level. When we become a True One, we bring our true core essence out to the surface for everyone to see. We fully inhabit WHO WE ARE.

Becoming a True One is like putting on an exquisite garment that was specially created for us long ago, but that we’ve kept hidden in the back of our closet, not quite daring to put it on yet. This garment is woven from all the threads of our beings, from who we are, who we’ve ever been and who we ever will be. These threads contain all our experiences, all our knowing, our past – present – and future rolled into the present moment.

The shift to becoming a True One happens when we bring our inside true core essence to the outside for all to see. It’s not a matter of whether we are worthy to be a True One or whether we are ready to be a True One; we are worthy and ready. It’s simply choosing to make the shift in our inner control panels to bring WHO WE REALLY ARE out to the surface.

This small and significant shift inside us changes absolutely everything. It changes the way we think; it changes the way we walk in the world; it changes our responses; it changes our attitudes towards our current situations; it changes the way we dress; it changes the way we do things; it changes the way we interact with people. Once we make this shift, it feels so good, because our inner and outer finally match up. We are no longer in disguise. It’s extremely liberating and sets us free.

When we become a True One, we are stripped of all that no longer serves us. It erases the final residue of the long line of footprints in the sand behind us. These are the records of all we have experienced upon planet Earth up until this very moment– our past history from all our lifetimes. Suddenly, we are surrounded by pure, clean sand in all directions. This presents us with a blank canvas upon which we can create the life that we truly want.

In these uncertain times, many of us are searching for safety nets. These safety nets will no longer be found in the world of duality. When we become a True One, we will discover a massive safety net waiting for us in the Ultra Greater Reality.

Once we become True Ones, a huge rebalancing takes place. What was empty is made full and what was too full is lessened. If we have neglected our physical bodies, we will find ourselves turning our attention to them and becoming more alive. If we have put too much attention on the physical, we will be thrust into a Quantum Deep that will require us to be totally still. If we have carried too much responsibility, we will be able to let some of it go. If we have avoided responsibility, it will be handed to us. If we have been too busy serving to have a personal life, we will be given a personal life. If we’ve been only focusing on ourselves, we will start serving others.

As long as we are True Ones, we will find creative ways to financially support ourselves. If we are still depending on duality to supply us with jobs that we only do for the money, then they might fall away.

Part of being a True One is being honest and real at all times. While wide open on many levels, we also create needed boundaries to maintain the resonance of trueness around us. Sometimes, this requires us to be super honest with those near us or to walk away from situations and relationships that are murky and pull on our energy.

True Ones embody PURE HEART LOVE at all times. They are fountains of LOVE; it splashes forth from them wherever they go. They have a quiet authority, being both empowered and humble at the same time. True Ones serve as Sacred Pagodas, influencing their entire landscape, and reassuring everyone they encounter that All is Well by their mere presence. They are constantly giving and receiving hidden treasures while in a continual state of gratitude. True Ones are not needy, but are self sustaining. They emanate a sense of well being, serenity, safety and confidence.

Once we step into the level of being a True One, we naturally recognize other True Ones, even without personally knowing them or speaking to them. And they recognize us.

Whenever someone who isn’t yet a True One meets a True One, they often think that they met an Angel. Being in the presence of True Ones will help heal their hearts and trigger them to also become a True One. When we are around True Ones, all we have to do is be real.

When we become a True One, we don’t have to think of how to serve others or serve the One. It is just natural to do so because it’s part of who we are. True Ones are already so clean, clear, honest and true, that they automatically see what needs to be done and effortlessly do it.

The True Ones live in the Ultra Greater Reality at all times. They are in the Centerpoint of RIGHT TIME – RIGHT PLACE and travel on the Fast Track.

As the year progresses, more and more of us will emerge as True Ones.

ONE BEING IN ACTION

The Activation of the Ninth Gate of the 11:11 will take place this year. The keynote of Ninth Gate is One Being in Action. This signifies a real coming together of the True Ones. We converge from all the directions, like rays of the Sun returning to the center of the Sun. It is a joyous homecoming. And it signifies that we have fully stepped into our mastery.

Here, we form a circle of True Ones. Together as ONE, we are birthing a new concentrated core essence of the One Being. This is when the Jewels in the Crown activate.

There is a large crown with many empty settings all around it where the jewels are supposed to go. Each of us who becomes a True One is a jewel that fits into one of the settings. When enough jewels are in position in the crown, it activates and a totally new level is reached.

This sets off a massive surge of creativity. What was previously hard work becomes art work. Everything we do is a creative expression of who we truly are. There is a collective sharing of responsibility that is fun, inspiring and fulfilling on the deepest levels.

THE PATH OF LOVE

The true Path of Love is the Ultimate Path. It’s the final path that can only be walked upon when we have traveled all other roads. Only True Ones can walk the real Path of Love.

All year long, we are going to be walking upon the true Path of Love. As we do, the Path of Love is going to be expanding, deepening, and revealing more of itself. Many new levels of the Path of Love will be made visible.

For example: we may first find the Path of Love while we are passing through a barren desert. Then as we walk on it, the landscape becomes steadily greener. Suddenly there are plants, then some trees, then flowers and a random cow, then birds start singing. We pass a bubbling stream of the clearest, freshest water; majestic mountains appear in the distance. As we walk the Path of Love, PURE HEART LOVE will immeasurably deepen and become stronger and ever truer. PURE HEART LOVE gives us our first glimpse of the White Star. It allows us to see what we couldn’t see before.

The New Landscape will be revealed in its fullest glory.

There is no false love on the Path of Love. It isn’t the diluted New Age “love & light” kind of love. It isn’t distorted love that is jealous or possessive. It is PURE HEART LOVE that is honest, raw, stripped down and extremely real. It is PURE HEART LOVE with clarity, compassion and integrity. Because of its honesty and trueness, it is LOVE that is very, very real.

The Path of Love is the path of Fulfillment. The longer we walk upon it, the more we fulfill our Wildest Dreams and our true purpose. Fulfillment is a key element of 2010.

Once we start walking upon the Path of Love, we will experience the strongest TRUEST LOVE we have ever known. We are able to LOVE and BE LOVED as never before. It is beyond anything we have imagined. And it is on the Path of Love where we will find true fulfillment.

ONE TRUE LOVES

Many of us will reunite with our One True Love in 2010. If we have already become a True One, we will have a much clearer path to full union than the ones who met their One True Loves in 2009. Since they weren’t yet on this level, they have had to go through lots of adjustments before they could fully be together on an Ultra Greater Reality level.

And there are some who mistake old loves from past lifetimes for their One True Loves. Even when the sense of familiarity and comfort is there, this doesn’t always mean that it’s your One True Love. The connection with our One True Love is always unquestionable. Being with them brings out the truest part of ourselves. There is a massive clicking into position. Old layers effortlessly fall off our beings and we feel like we can finally breathe real air.

As we start walking the Path of Love with our One True Love, the path itself will transform. PURE HEART LOVE will deepen as it expands to its new level of PURE HEART TRUE LOVE.

THE 2010 OVERVIEW

2010 is an absolutely brilliant year in which we will be able to experience massive breakthroughs and the fulfillment of many of our Wildest Dreams. This doesn’t mean that everything will be easy all the time. On many levels it will be, but we are still in the midst of the total collapse of the world of duality. This will occasionally send huge shockwaves all over the planet. That’s one of the reasons why we now need to be True Ones and learn how to ride the Quantum Surf on the biggest surfboards we can find. We have to be true to who we are, no matter what the outer conditions are.

All year long, there will be more unmasking of all that is untrue. The disguises worn by the misusers of power are falling off at an ever increasing rate. False motives will be brought out for all to see. Tiger Woods’ fall from grace is a good example of this. Some people will still be encountering their Perfect Storms. When this happens, we need to be ultra honest and go right into the center of the storm. This is the only way through a Perfect Storm. When they appear, they cannot be avoided.

Some people are still afraid that they will lose control if they allow themselves to be unpinned from duality. Or that they will go so far away that they will not be able to return to Earth. Or that perhaps they will go crazy if they are unpinned. Many of us still have a belief that we need duality in order to be grounded; that we have to keep one foot in duality or we will fly away. However, this is no longer true. I know this from my own first-hand experience. I don’t live in duality and I am still very grounded. I pay my bills on time and remember to feed my cat. All we need is to be REAL.

We are Earth – Star Beings. Once we step into being a True One, we are so greatly expanded that we reach a new level of groundedness that is no longer dependent on duality. What is important is to live in the Ultra Greater Reality at all times. And then to take our Ultra Greater Reality self out into our everyday lives.

This is a year of many doors opening and closing. Some things that have been with us for a very long time will suddenly be gone. Old ways of doing things will be transformed into new approaches. Old roles and definitions of who we thought we were will be released and our truer selves will appear. Doors of some relationships will close and new ones will open. Financial doors will close and new ones open. Doors of our old home environment will close and the doors of our right, new places will open. Whenever a door closes, it’s important that we don’t try to force it back open. This simply won’t work. If we give the closing doors too much of our attention, we might miss the sparkling open doors that are beckoning to us. Whenever an old door closes, immediately look for the new door. It will be there.

For several years, we have trained ourselves to row night and day, no matter what. At times, this has been extremely difficult. We have rowed in all kinds of weather. We have rowed even when we were using the last of our strength. Occasionally we have been flattened by the waves, then as soon as we could, we got back up and continued rowing. This required constant effort, massive dedication and focused intent.

But as we continued to row into the direction of the New and True, we became larger and more resilient. The things that used to capsize us no longer did. Using ever bigger surfboards, we were not so tossed about on Choppy Surf. Our ride became smoother, our strokes surer. The uncertainty as to whether we would make it or not was replaced with a new confidence and sureness.

In 2010 we will still be rowing with our full efforts. Yet it will be noticeably different. We will find that each stroke we make takes us much further than before. It will feel as if the water opens up to us without resistance, enabling us to move forward with a new smoothness. Our steady strokes make shimmering spirals of great beauty, encouraging us to keep going. We ride a new creative surge that propels us forward. The current starts moving with us, taking us deeper into the New and True with ease.

Everything that happens to us all year long is for the purpose of making us more True, more Real, more Free, more Loving, Loved and Fulfilled. This is especially true of the challenges that will be given to us. They are all perfect set ups to make us True Ones. Increasingly, we will be released from our old situations. We will almost be popped out of them, rather than having to try to laboriously extricate ourselves from them. We don’t need to try to force things to happen.

All the while, a New World is being born, right here on the physical, but in a greatly expanded frequency band. As the New Landscape is revealed, some of us will no longer feel the need to move to new locations. Others of us will definitely relocate, often to a distant part of the world.

Throughout the year, we will feel a deepened Trueness. This will feel like arriving at a place where we REALLY haven’t been before, but it immediately feels like home.

Those who are true and real will be traveling on a massive Fast Track. Yet, although much will be happening, it will not be overwhelming because we will not be doing it alone.

Our primary task in 2010 is to embody PURE HEART LOVE as a True One and walk upon the Path of Love. Once we do that, everything will click into position in perfect rightness. This is a year in which absolutely everything is possible.

in 2010 let’s give ourselves the ultimate gift of becoming a True One and walking the Path of Love.

Solara

http://www.nvisible.com/

Trespassing, Holy Dirt and Baby Jesus’ Shoes

I love to trespass. I have so few vices left that my punk rock soul needs something disobedient.  “You don’t drink, don’t smoke…what do you do?” {Had to get a little Adam Ant up in here}. I am actually a fairly modest person in everyday life, despite the wild and intense work I create. I need outlets for pushing the boundaries of my courage and fierceness. There is something about a forbidden place, a place that is imposing, boarded up, abandoned that peaks my interest. What will be in there, who might have passed that way, and what did they leave behind.

I have been exploring deserted places since I was a child. I grew up in a family of artist, adventurers, scavengers; young parents who brought their curious child along on their borderland journeys.  We would scale down beached barges, take photographs with graffiti strewn barns, crawl in the windows of decommissioned army housing to see what we might find. My father particularly loves to collect funky-old-cool things with character and personality. The addition he built onto his 30-year-old artists studio in Fremont used doors and windows salvaged from 40 years before.

Yesterday I drove to my beloved Chimayo, The Lourdes on North America. A cherished pilgrimage site and sanctuary to the Tierra Bendita, Sacred Soil, that is said to bring miraculous healing. This land is also sacred to the Tewa Indians.

I came to offer the first printing of my Oracle of Initiation deck, the divine work that has emerged on this New Mexico land, of this land, through dancing with the Holy Dirt. The Oracle deck really is devotional cards, born out of great reverence for the Earth, Ancestors, and the power of the unseen Guides and Guardians. They are dedicated to the mystery of our emerging expansion, the dream-time, the power of stepping between the veils to claim your true essence.

They are also an acknowledgment of the power of faith; of viewing your challenges and trials from a spiritual perspective. The belief that our struggles and complexities are actually the tempering process forming us into sacred vessels capable of carrying our true gifts. One of the core inspirations for the deck is the old religious cards of Mary, Jesus and the Saints. I did not grow up Catholic, but I have always been deeply drawn to the symbolism and iconography of that faith. I have died and gone to heaven living in a place where you constantly see the  homemade imagery and crafts of a very earthy and sincere love for the divine.

My wish was to offer some of the images from the deck in a holy and sacrificial way to this sacred site. I was on pilgrimage to honor the incredible work that had channeled through me. As I entered the grounds from the lower parking lot, I placed 4 of the cards onto the chain-link fence adorned with rustic little twig and rope crosses.  The most Mother Mary-like images chose to be represented:  36. Trust; 46. Reliance; 56. Dedication; and 64. Sanctified. I was so focused on placing the cards firmly on the fence that I had not noticed a companion nearby. The horse spirits brought me back to the land in a powerful and potent way. They are one of the main guardians of the Oracle deck, and honored guides on my earthwalk. As I was fussing with the cards I heard out of the corner of my consciousness a subtle, yet familiar whinny.  I looked up to see a large, furry, four-legged equine friend. I had never seen it there before, so I brought the cards over for an inspection. They obviously needed some sacred horse markings, because the animal grabbed them in its mouth and drug two of them over the fence. I was both surprised and thrilled. I felt the offering had been accepted; slimy grass-flecked horse saliva is a great honor. I retrieved them from under the fence and continued on. Quite an auspicious beginning; thank you beloved horse being for consecrating the Oracle.

As I placed the cards on different altars throughout the property, I was amazed at how naturally they blended in with all of the rosaries, crosses and devotional candles. I had accomplished my goal of making a deck that referenced the dedication and commitment of those traditions without being tied to the dogma of those beliefs.

I carried the cards around this beautiful old church and eventually brought them into El Pocito, The Well. The Myth is that around 1810 a devout Spanish Friar saw a light emerging from one of the surrounding hillsides by the Santa Cruz River. With his bare hands he dug down into the earth and found the crucifix that graces the main altar of the church now. The local parish in Santa Cruz tried 3 times to take the cross away from its original location to their church, and three times the cross disappeared and returned to the initial hole. So they left the cross in Chimayo, building a church around this crucifix and the well of sacred soil that is said to have miraculous healing properties.

In the room adjoining El Pocito, there are crutches left as signs of the sanctified soil’s power to transform infirmities. I had always noticed the lines of baby shoes, but had never read the story of Santo Nino de Atocha. Santo Nino represents Baby Jesus as he cared for persecuted Christians in Spain. He is said to watch over prisoners, bringing them bread and water to survive. He carries a basket filled with flowers and food, and a walking stick with a water gourd attached. The baby shoes are to replace the ones he wears out during his travels supporting those in need. I was really taken with this humble notion of the servant being so active that he needs a constant supply of new footwear. Santo Nino is also one of the Catholicized version of the African deity Eshu, guardian of the crossroads.

So, back to trespassing. There was an abandoned house I had always wanted to photograph and explore, and today was the day. I decided to circumnavigate the property, seeing if there were any interesting things in the back. Bingo-the side door was open. I always ask permission before entering vacant dwellings. They are so filled with disembodied Spirits that you must be sure you will be energetically safe.

When I was traveling around the American West visiting horse people, I had an amazing trespassing experience in the old mining town of Wallace, ID. I found an old Victorian home that looked as if it had not been occupied since the 1940’s or 50’s. The peeling wallpapers and layers of paint patinas were glorious. When I went upstairs, the back bedroom was completely intact. It was so eerie, I could feel the old woman who lived there. You have to be careful about what has taken up residence in these deserted places. You are entering a sacred temple, and the lives of the past occupants are still present. It serves you to be quiet, respectful and alert.

So I asked if I was safe, and got the go-ahead. The rooms were strewn with piles of little faded boxes and cartons from the1950’s. There were also cases of the left over religious candles from the altars in the church. The boxes were all from baby shoes. Hmmmm. I continued around the back and found a really interested tableau though an open window. I was initially not going to go in, there are houses directly behind this one and I didn’t want to be yelled at. As I walked away, I realized I needed to climb in. So off I went, and my curiosity was richly rewarded. Those gentle little intuitive voices will bring you some very interesting adventures.

Part of the reason I go into these deserted places is because they are portals. They are crossroads; liminal spaces where the divine and the mundane meet; truly alternate realities. There are potent forces that gather where the heavens and earth merge, and what might you create there? New Mexico itself is one big magical multi-cultural land of enchantment and mystery.  It has revealed itself to me on occasion.

As I clamored in, more graffiti, abandoned chairs, and the torn white sailcloth ceiling cover dangling from the rafters. The torn white fabric revealed a pristine wooden viga ceiling. The ceiling looked brand new. I found this juxtaposition interesting. The seafoam green adobe structure was disintegrating, graffiti tags and lewd saying were everywhere, and here was this perfectly preserved ceiling. Might the illusion of this decaying edifice be shrouding a holy shrine?

I rounded the corner into another room, and what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks.

The entire room was completely covered in hundreds of pairs of baby shoes, infants clothing and faded statues of saints.   This is one of those acid-trip moments; Am I really here, did I dream this, is it real? Am I real? How in the world did these little offerings get into this abandoned building? The divine can be hidden in the most interesting places, reveling itself on its own terms.

As I surveyed the room I could not believe what I was seeing. There were boxes and baskets filled with hundreds of little time-warped children’s shoe packaging.  To the left was a built-in wooden cabinet styled as if it was the most precious layette awaiting the newborn’s arrival.

A beckoning stairwell dominated the room, light streaming down from the broken out windows. I was literally astonished by this secret shrine. At the top of the stairs was a glorious statue of the grace-filled servant Santo Nino joyfully watching over this sacred space. Santo Nino, Eshu, guardians of travelers, the crossroads, they were holding court over this hallowed ground.

These are the same mysteries and devotions I am searching for by creating The Oracle of Initiation deck; myth, magical & allegory; the hidden treasures of the unknown; entering the temple of your fears and finding glowing Saints and Guardians; exploring new vistas and navigating unrecognized worlds. You will need dedication and courage to investigate your own neglected places, to open those locked doors, to decipher the unconscious graffiti of your psyche.  What great beauty, joy and magic awaits if you step through the threshold into the unknown? And how will you trust that your worn out shoes will be always be reverently replaced?

And remember…only 3 more days of the amazing pricing on the 88 limited Edition Oracle of Initiation decks…only $88 bucks-wow….

https://melissaweisssteele.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/88-decks-8-days-88-bucks-order-the-limited-edition-oracle-of-initiation-deck-now/

The Magical and Intriguing Inside-Story of the Emergence of the Limited Edition Version of The Oracle of Initiation Deck

I am awe struck. Boy has this been a wild ride. I wouldn’t want it any other way, and even I am surprised by the twists and turns during the emergence of the limited edition deck of The Oracle of Initiation.

I am a Leo, sun-wise, and I have a lot of fire. I also carry the energies of a Capricorn moon, which wants to plan and retreat. These two energies can be at great odds; Oh, these lovely juxtapositions we all get. I was really resistant to self-printing a version of the deck. I felt totally overwhelmed by the process of graphically setting it up, and my Capricorn could literally think of 500 tangents within the deck that needed to be decided upon. I had been printing prototypes at home for my workshops and individuals to work with, and I was completely DONE with all of the time it took.

The final straw was a reading with and amazing psychic, Coleen Renee. We have been friends for 11 years, and she is a powerful ally in my life. In the reading the Spirits said it would be better if the cards were all one size. The self-cutting I was doing was not exact, and that was energetically distracting to the readers, not allowing them to go as deeply into the process and images as they might. Now, I am also a spiritual counselor and psychic myself, so I know when I hear the truth, I feel the resonance. And this information was completely accurate.

So, for about three weeks I was sitting with how to approach all of this. I will not go into a long explanation, but computers and I are in couples therapy. I am actually pretty good with them, but emotionally our bond can be strained. So undertaking a huge Photoshop/ computer project is not the first thing on my to-do list. Back to the fiery Leo. When I get an idea in my head, I am like a Mack truck. Get out of the way if you don’t want to be mowed over. For some reason, On Tuesday, January 21st I got a bee in my bonnet to make the deck. {you astrologers-was that a move-ahead day?}

Now, in comes our savior, Mary Beth. Mary Beth has been a cherished ally on my path of emergence. She is a gifted artist, designer, and very wise in her own perspectives. For the last 4 years we have created all of my websites together. She and I have an amazing synergy where her artistic and design skills seem to merge perfectly with my visions. And she carries the computer skills and patience that I am cultivating. We have had a blast making 4 websites together. I knew I could not make the limited edition deck without her help. So I called my fearless ally to see if I was totally insane to do this. At the very same moment I was calling her an e-mail came through from the online printer I wanted to use {Overnight Prints-they do blacks much better than Vista-important for art}. All postcards 50% off. That was it. It was ON. Thanks Adam for the postcard suggestion in the first place-you have been a blessed carrier and ally for the deck.

Here’s the rub, we had only 13 days {cool number} to completely design and create the decks. I guess it’s a good thing I have the busy-bee Mack truck parts of my personality, because that is quite a timeline for a 66 card deck, when I am a neophyte at Photoshop.

Mary Beth and I began feverishly working, planning the colors, structure and feel of the deck. She spent 5 hours Saturday teaching me how to set up the card template, do layers, and move the images and words into the card format. This much concentrated time in front of a computer has only happened a handful of times. My energy system is much more resonant with the earth energies, and at this point the electromagnetic fields of computers carry a different tone. I must have prayed really well because I believe a lid was opened in my crown Chakra and I was able to receive and retain the Photoshop knowledge. I point this out because in specific situations we may be able to accomplish things we never dreamed possible.

Mary Beth and my collaborative relationship is really extraordinary. I mentioned a very simple concept for the logo using two “Os” connected with an “I” from the initials of the deck, and she immediately got a vision of the incredible graphic she came up with.

This same thing just happened yesterday with the Gateway cards.

Lets talk about the Gateway cards for a moment. The deck has 66 cards. There are 8 overall sections-a pathway of spiritual transformation. Within each section is 8 cards, and then at the beginning and end of the overall sequence are a zero and infinity card =66. The 8 Gateway cards are like the Major Arcana within the traditional Tarot system. When you pull a Gateway card, you are dealing with a core life issue. This is a pivotal piece in your vision quest in this lifetime. Within the structure of the deck the Gateway cards are the threshold into each level of the deck. We have the Gateways of Innocence; Exploration; Initiation; Discernment; Alliance; Balance; Offering and Unity. Each of those sections offers the readers a different perspective on how to meet the challenges and gifts within that stage of initiatory transformation. They are a roadmap, a compass to the complex and shape-shifting landscape of spiritual expansion.

So, since I chose to be the carrier for this deck, I too got to go on an initiatory journey of awakening. The deck has been training me since the beginning in how to receive, listen, surrender, trust and follow. I have gotten to deal with my own ideas about timelines and ways the deck will emerge. Guess what, I AM NOT IN CONTROL. Such a beautiful cosmic joke, to tell a recovering perfectionist, German, Capricorn that she is not the master of her Universe. Oh joy, the shattering of constrictions and expectations.

All along, the deck has emerged at its own pace, in its own manner. My strongest creative language is the visual. You could blindfold me with my hands tied behind my back and I could make some cool visual thing. I grew up in a family of artists. They are all obsessed with beauty and design and aesthetics. They trained every cell in my body to be in resonance with my creative imagination. So recognizing this, the deck makes me wait two years after it began to reveal the artwork. The entire structure, words, and system were all in place for about a year before the creative medium was available. I believe I had to move to the Southwest to allow the energies of the artwork to channel through me, but still, my visual self was confounded by the wait. And it did not seem “real” until I could show people images. More blessed lessons on patience.

Back to the Gateway cards. The deck is channeled. I do Spirit Writing, where I get out of the way and let the muses of the deck flow through. There are 5 notebooks FULL of information about the deck. That is a lot of information. Some of the symbols and ideas in the deck are still revealing their multidimensionality to me. The Gateway cards have been the strongest hold-out in that area. There are some different categories within them that I will humbly say I am still waiting to integrate into the larger picture of the deck. I also knew they were not to be The Painted Body Spirit Beings who occupy the other 56 cards in the deck. So, I have waited, and waited for the inspiration for the Gateway cards. I have explored a lot of abstract photography to see if its right, and nothing has clicked. Mary Beth and I are in the homestretch of designing the cards, and I needed to know what to do about these 8 pivotal threshold cards.

Yesterday morning I got a little snarly and impatient about it. I do call myself a recovering perfectionist, but I also have my standards. I know excellence, and this project means so much to me I would like to do the best I can. I want the Gateway cards to carry their own weight with the startling power of The Painted Body images. I spoke to Mary Beth on the phone, telling her about the suggestions the incredible women in the Illuminating our Temples workshop I am leading offered the night before. Out of the input from them, Mary Beth’s thoughts, and my own intuitive channels I got an epiphany about how I might design the symbols for the Gateway cards. I have a laser-sharp sense of how I want things designed. I know if I want it crisp and bright, or moody and indistinct. Out of this clarity for the symbols within the Gateway cards came the remembrance of some inspirations from my Norse heritage.

Lets talk about cultural influence for a moment. I may get really wu-wu on yah here- hang in there with me. My entire life I have been powerfully drawn to certain cultures beyond my German and Scandinavian lineages. Powerfully may not even be the right word, unexplainably, irrationally so. As my Spiritual cosmology expanded, I came to the understand that those draws were past-life influences. I don’t talk about this very openly because I am acutely aware of the devastation and shattering many indigenous people have experienced in this Western world. And, I cannot deny the visitations, synchronicities and passion for certain traditions beyond my cellular heritage in this lifetime. The strongest magnetism has been to African and African-American culture. I feel really vulnerable writing this, and it is part of who I am. It is time to stop being afraid, and live on deeper levels.

I am not blind to the privileges that have come with this pale skin. This is a very tricky thing to carry, this being between cultures in Spirit. As the Hopi prophesies have said, their Ancestors would return in the bodies of their oppressors. Well, here we are folks. It is time for the Rainbow Warriors to come together openly and lovingly to heal the injustices and inequalities our imbalanced world has created. I am standing up, willing to meet my own prejudices and judgments created out of a world that has a profound soul sickness of disconnection and discrimination; the perceived isolation from eachother and our own divinity. I stand up to meet my own fears and insecurities, with an open heart to create a new paradigm. Walk with me. And as the Oracle deck is concerned, I do not want to deny the potent influence of my African Ancestors. Many of the main guides for the deck are African, and a large percentage of the dreams about the deck have Africans in them. I am coming out of the closet about this, I am calling on my courage to carry this dual-citizenship that has challenged me my entire life. Part of my path as a messenger is to own and say the harder things that most people will not reveal. I am truth carrier, and it is not always an easy job.

Back to the Scandinavians. Part of my own Spiritual journey has been to reclaim the indigenous tradition within the heritage I was put in. The Heathen, Asatru, Pagan, Celtic, and Sami traditions all carry a remembrance of their native European sacred roots. Discovering the Norwegian/ Sami/ Lapp shamanic tradition was a big deal for me. I knew if I was to respectfully navigate the other cultural beliefs, I needed to be grounded in the ones of this lifetimes DNA. The Sami people are a rugged and hearty group, living in the far north with the reindeer, bear, and foxes as strong animal totems. Their Medicine people created incredible drums with diagrams of the others worlds painted on their skins. The image are magnetic. I fell in love with them the first time I saw them. They have little magical dwellings, animals, gods, goddesses and humans on them. Their fundamental power and style lodged in my psyche.

So, yesterday morning, I was inspired to turn to my Norse sacred ancestry for ideas. I googled Sami drum symbolism, and revisited the ones I had typically seen, and discovered some new versions. I feverishly started drawing rough little symbols and glyphs for the different categories within the Gateway cards. I was thrilled, it was exactly what I wanted. Exactly. I sent some of the images to Mary Beth, and she was able to bounce off of my inspirations to bring forth some really cool designs.

Here’s the kicker. And because I am a story-teller, I will have to tell you the tale before this one to prepare you… When I began The Painted Body photography series for the deck, I did not realize it would become the artwork for the cards. I was on a journey of self-discovery through a primal connection with the land through self-portraiture. After the first Painted Body shoot, June 27th 2008, in a graffiti tunnel here in Santa Fe, I asked my Spirits if these might be the images for the deck. I had been pondering and experimenting with how I would accomplish the dreams and visions they had sent about animals and humans shape-shifting and morphing. When I asked if this was the artwork for the deck, there was a vast, cosmic “lack of response.” Not a yes, not a no, a huge, fertile, void. Well, I said to them, if you want to be coy, two can play at that. I then said to them, I have been so blown away by this Painted Body process, that I will continue to do it with out expectations of the outcome, other than the unbridled joy and satisfaction I receive. I now realize they didn’t want me to try to control the outcome, they just wanted the process to unfold in its own way. And honestly, most of my work is getting “me” out of the way so I can be a good conduit. I am not bad at it these days, but boy has it been a lot of work.

I did The Painted Body process for two and a half months, 10 photo shoots, until the truth was revealed. It was the Fall Equinox 2008, and I was sitting in my casita going over some old notes about the deck when I found an entry from 9 months before… As I read the words about wanting the imagery to be moody and evocative, with complex muted backgrounds, as if Spirits were emerging from the cave walls-I was stunned. {I am stunned a lot by this magic carpet ride of life}. I KNEW I had finally found the artwork for the deck.

Well, the same thing happened last night. I was looking through that same powerful notebook and came upon an entry from almost EXACTLY two years ago that suggested the enchanting Sami houses from their drums could be a great inspiration for the Gateway cards. Jaw dropped, because I had forgotten this.

Over, and over again I am reminded that if we pay attention, much of our passions and inspirations are truly our destiny. We have EVERTHING inside of us to accomplish our Souls Missions-we just have to figure out how to access it. And here’s my plug for initiation, it helps to open us up to new ways of seeing things so we can become the people who can carry our sacred gifts. We are truly divinely guided, and there is a piece of the puzzle we each have to carry.

Now I must leave you, I am back to finishing this limited edition of The Oracle of Initiation, a blessed and transformative journey. I shall present the offering of 88 decks soon…with special pricing for 8 days. The 8 ties into the infinity sign, a central part of the multidimensionality of the deck, and the flight pattern of one of the muses, the pollinating, communal, traveling between the worlds, honey filled bees.

Blessed bee. Aho. Thanks be to God. Kiss the Angles and Dance with The Faeries. Great Honor to my Ancestors, in their Rainbow representations. And great love and gratitude to Mary Beth.

I just went to send this to my printer over e-mail, I had 880 messages.. 🙂

Roger Ballen’s Startling and Unsettling Visions

Roger Ballen’s work is one of my great inspirations.  He has created a fascinating & shadowy universe through photographing the impoverished whites in their rural South African villages. Since the 1980’s American expatriate and former geologist Ballen turned his camera lens onto the insular world of these Shadow Land people. The images feel like walking into a 1920’s mental ward and becoming a part of their reality. The subjects look like they left this world long ago, or never actually landed, retreating into their own childlike reality.  His palette is a gritty range of grays and blacks punctuated by fascinating arrangements between the models and their surreal world. The rooms feel barren, but may contain naive graffiti scrawled across the cold cement walls, or puzzling still-lives within this irrational world of make-believe and artifice. His shadowy vignettes are the visual equivalent of a Hans Christian Anderson fairy-tale, where everything is not always pretty & bright, and strange things happens in veiled places.

This challenging work has mesmerized me because Ballen has captured some of the central hues of my childhood. My German grandparents were very old-school and clannish. They lived in town, but it felt like the old-country because they only had a wood stove until the late 1980’s. They would send me to school with warmed stones from the firebox wrapped in greasy rags-now tell me that’s not a fairy-tale!! Having survived two world wars, and the period of wild inflation in Germany when you could buy an apartment building for a ham, my Grandfather would save old nails, screws, and even craft new handles for broken hammers. Everything was patched, mended or reworked to extend its purpose.

We had the front of the house, which was brighter and more welcoming, and then the back of the home was more mysterious. It contained many secret thresholds. It was chilly and stagnant in those cloistered rooms, with enough blankets on each bed to smother a small child. I remember feeling both constricted and held in those weighty sleep chambers. Because of my Grandparent’s upbringing I can smell Ballen’s environments; the musty odors of old work clothes and hoarding; the boiled meat & potatoes these kinfolk eat.

A fabulous post on Ballen’s Portland, Oregon show

http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/04/roger_ballen_at_quality_pictur.html

considers the critics who say he is an “artistic mercenary, exploiting his poverty-stricken, post-apartheid white subjects by photographing them in peculiar, unsettling  tableaux that made bizarre theater out of their outsider status and appearance. They might as well have been the hillbillies from “Deliverance.”

Ballen addresses this by saying “ There was something that attracted me to these people, and it wasn’t political or social. It was something about myself.”

What do we see about ourselves in these gateways between vision and madness, the intricate shadows we each carry from our lineages?

Returning to Cascadia and Belonging

Returning home. Where is home?  Do you belong to the land you were birthed on, or to your ancestral heritage, or to the past-life influences that weave throughout this incarnation? How can we reclaim our multidimensionality, belonging again to everything as we once knew?

I ponder belonging a lot.  I am genetically Scandinavian & German, have an extended Japanese family, and feel deeply drawn to a variety of other cultures. Belonging to me is a sense of home. A resting place where you have such peace that you are truly able to sink into it and feel supported. Where your heart is filled with a quiet comfort and knowing. I have found this level of connection within nature & my sacred practices, my artistic creations & adventure travels, and through the dream-time & certain spiritual communities.

I have returned to the land of my birth, Cascadia, for an art show and am pondering where I belong.

I actually feel many of us have been searching for a sense of belonging our whole lives. We have carried a deep sense of isolation at times, remembering enough to know have lived in other ways. We have known connection & cooperation, we have lived our passions, we have been in balance with ourselves and the natural world. I believe we are on the cusp of a profound remembrance. We are on the verge of the 5^th world of harmony and peace that the Hopi prophesized. Just as Homeopathic medicine works, sometimes things get  worse before they become better. That’s where we are now. So hang on, and look for the kinship that reveals itself, and keep the faith through the fatigue and disillusionment because WE ARE THE VISION CARRIERS- do not forget this, and remind each other when we do. We have come here to shift the paradigms, and we all matter.

A HOPI ELDER SPEAKS

“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is THE HOUR.

And there are things to be considered…

Where are you living?

What are you doing?

What are your relationships?

Are you in right relation?

Where is your water?

Know your garden.

It is time to speak your Truth.

Create your community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation

So know that I am here, one of the tribe, who is paddling down the river with you.

Blessings, Kwahu  Abeja

How Hip Hop, Horses Dances and The Hopi inspired The Oracle of Initiation deck

“It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you, without a strong rhyme to step to. Think of how many weak shows you slept through, times up, I’m sorry I kept you.” I Know YOU Got Soul by Eric B & Rakim

How long has it been since you lived within a strong rhythm, an intoxicating beat? Are you sleeping through the “show,” or is it time to learn how to dance  more gracefully through this process we call life?

Join me over the next months for the story of the creation of  my Oracle of Initiation divination deck. Our tale begins with how Hip Hop & Horse Dances, the dream-time & Hopi pilgrimages, and my rebirth through death initiated me into a new life.

I fell in love with Hip Hop at twelve years old. In the halls of my Seattle middle school I was serenaded with the words to Grand Master Flash’s “It’s Nasty.” What was this enchanting poetry delivered with such bravado and delight that it both frightened and excited me? How could I find a piece of this rhythm, this rhyme within myself? It touched something deep within me, and never left.

Hip Hop has become a worldwide phenomenon because it touches something deep within many of us. I believe this instinctive draw to Hip Hop is actually a call to our collective tribal roots in dance & drum, poetry & story. It is a modern day tribal gathering, with its own rites of passage, colloquialisms & symbols, talismans & ancestral elders. The MC’s are the contemporary bards-critiquing society as a way to offer  transformation.

Graffiti has always been an essential part of the Hip Hop culture. It is a visible proclamation of the artist’s self-referenced value and power through the inscription of their persona on barren walls and train boxcars. It’s much harder to do than most realize, these aerosol artists are extremely talented, but generally unrecognized by society for the skillz they possess. The graffiti also remains fairly cryptic to the uninitiated, a secret and mysterious dialect. Because of its illegal status, it is usually hidden, a magical treasure of pulsating colors  within the darkness.

I LOVE graffiti. And that, my friends, is where The Oracle of Initiation comes in…..to be continued on the next post…

Like all captivating tales, this one may take a while to unpack, so stay tuned, and watch  the story of The Oracle of Initiation emerge. I will weave in and out of the inspirations and adventures of the last three and a half years of working on the deck, posting never published images from the almost 30,000 photographs, so far, in The Painted Body series. I am in the final phases of completing the deck, and will bring you along as I finish some pivotal pieces to this magical & mysterious project that has channeled through me. This deck is for all of us, to remind us how to listen and receive, being supported as we face these intense times, together, turning our challenges and lessons into our greatest strengths and gifts.

It has been an incredible ride so far, and I look forward to sharing the rest of the quest with you. I am so profoundly grateful for work that I love, for magic and ritual and reverence in my life, for my  beloved New Mexico home, and for all of my earth-plane and Spirit world support.

Love and light, Melissa Kwahu Abeja

And remember, “It aint where you’re from, it’s where you’re at…” I KNOW you got soul.

Altars as a Way of Life

Altars as a Way of Life is sharing one of my favorites ways of bringing the power &  beauty of  reverence  into our  daily lives.  I see altars as visual prayers, focusing  intentions and praise on what you value , honor and love.

I will offer regular posts of altars I have either created or found, sharing my insights, impressions and inspirations gained from seeing life through the eyes of  sacred intention.

Altars can be anywhere. They can take many forms, man-made,  indoor or outdoor, and impermanent natural occurrences.  For  me to call it an altar,  there is something harmonious and powerful that i can both see and feel. There is a synergy, a coming together, a  resonance in that specific space.  It may be a ring of flowers on the forest floor, a stacking of rocks in an arroyo, or a spider web glistening with dew. There is something magical and mysterious and otherworldly that elicits a sense of awe. It really is a visceral feeling in my body, I don’t always “see” them before they come to my attention. I was walking through the forest in my beloved Discovery Park  in Seattle  and my attention was literally  yanked behind me to  a large tree just off the pathway. There was a woven circle of twigs placed subtlety on a tree branch-I would not have ‘seen’ it the direction i was heading, but i felt the strong  intention.

The first altar photograph above is one of my Ancestor altars. They are the ones who walked before us, and have influenced many things about our lives. I choose to give them respect and honor by placing them in a central part of my home. All of the Elements are brought together on this altar, feathers for air, stones and bones for earth, water in the cup, and candles for fire. Recognizing the Elements is a way to bring balance and harmony to our existence as we are simultaneously  both earthly and Spirit beings.  They are the basis of our lives, air for breath, water for blood, earth for bones and fire for our Spirit/life force. When we access their powers we are able to enhance those areas we need support in, and transform, release or integrate those areas we have excess or inconsistencies.

Altars can and do surprise us with their appearances. The photo of my Horse Drum by Soaring Eagle Woman http://www.soaringeaglewoman.com/ below is during a Medicine Walk I was on. When I saw the light coming through the back of the hide, it was a Hopi Kachina. I was stunned, the Kachinas are the Native American Hopi peoples Elemental Angels/Spirit guardians. This image pre-dates my draw to the southwest by about 2 years-our path may call us years before we actually arrive there. The earth altar  above is in my beloved Rainbow Canyon here in New Mexico. I have taken many of my Painted Body images for my Oracle of Initiation deck in this sacred place.  The altar  has such a grace and presence to it, I had to take a picture.

I look forward to sharing the magical images and presences that appear through this process.  MelissaBee

You can see more of my ritualistic artwork/artlife through The Oracle of Initiation page on the menu above right, or go to my main website at http://www.Weiss-Steele.com to see all of my bodies of work. I have an Oracle of Initiation page on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Fe-NM/Oracle-of-Initiation/49839812155#/pages/Santa-Fe-NM/Oracle-of-Initiation/49839812155 as well, you can even see the influences for the Painted Body images in the deck. For more information about divination readings, got to that subject in the upper right hand corner of this Blog.