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On our spiritual path, no matter which path we follow, we have access to a powerful wealth of wisdom held by our ancestors. In the Druid and core shamanism traditions that I am a part of, we honor and directly engage with our many ancestors. There are all kinds of ancestors, but the most commonly thought of are those ancestors that are of our blood or adopted family lineage. These can be ones we actually knew like grandparents or parents that have crossed over, or ones we have never met from many generations back. They may frequently check in on us and can even act like guardian angels as needed. These ancestors are a tremendous source of wisdom and support because we can ask for help from those who have experienced something similar to what we are going through in our lives now, and have had a successful outcome. We can’t forget that last part - that’s where the helpful wisdom is! When covid first came on scene and we were locked down, uncertain of what the full impact was going to be, many of us called on ancestors who had lived through times of plague, flu and other contagions. They could help our mental and emotional processing of the circumstances, as well as boost our physical immunity and strength. We can meet and engage our ancestors in a shamanic journey, meditation or in dreamtime. We always want to state the intention beforehand to meet only those ancestors who are whole and healed and who are the very best ancestor to be our ally at this time. Sometimes when we meet them we will get a name or an area of the world they were in, and often I will get a power animal for them which is offered for me to call on as well. Sometimes we get a lot of information and sometimes it can be rather sparse. Keep in mind that each of us gets information in different ways, but everyone receives the information that they need. Another thing to keep in mind is that we may meet an ancestor in an area that we do not associate with our lineage. My family lineage is primarily Celtic; from Ireland, Scotland, Britain and Germany. But in a journey to my father’s lineage I met an ancestor ally who was from Mongolia. It could be that he is from my ancient family lineage, or he may be a soul ancestor. A soul ancestor may be thought of as people or beings who do not fit the family lineage ancestor description. They could be an ancestor from a past life, or a star being ancestor from a different planet or galaxy, or from our “soul pod” (I think of this as a collective of souls who are connected at the soul level). I was recently introduced to the concept of “plant-cestor”, as some of us have soul lineage where we were plants, trees or fungi. These sound pretty heady and maybe hard to imagine, but since we are infinite multi-dimensional beings, our souls have had a myriad of relationships and experiences. This gives us an opportunity to even be our own ally across time and space. Once we meet our ancestors, the next step is to honor them and to thank them, as we would not be here without them. And then as in any relationship, we ask what we can do for them. I’ll write more about that next month. In the meantime, let’s send a prayer of gratitude across all our family and soul lineages in gratitude for all those who were, so we could be who we are.  "Prehistoric Rock Paintings" by D-Stanley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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An integral part of being in partnership with Spirit is mindfulness. One way to anchor mindfulness is to be in ceremony. Notice I said be in ceremony, not do ceremony. That is illustrating that being is a state without a clear beginning and ending. Doing implies an action is started and ended and then we go on to the next thing in our day. Mindfulness is a state where we feel present and conscious of every thing going on around us and within us all at once, similar to using our felt sense. We are completely in the moment. When we add reverence to this mindful consciousness, we have ceremony. Being in ceremony with the little experiences flowing throughout the day carry us like a river that streams from the source of our hearts. It reminds us that we are interconnected with everything around us on multiple levels all the time. These little experiences are rooted in feelings like gratitude for the plants we are cooking that gave themselves for our dinner and the farmers that tended them, the excitement of hugging a friend we haven’t seen in awhile, helping someone by holding the door for them, crafting an email with a kind tone. Even realizing that we are irritated, or sad or tired can spark a ceremony of stopping what we are doing to cry or rest. Being in this river of personal ceremony leads to unconditional love for oneself, which spills over into unconditional love for every other being. And it gives us the ease and power to shift into the times when we need to do ceremony. When we come together in circles or share in those significant life moments, the reverence we bring to the event is radiant. One morning I was meditating on the subject of reverence after hearing a talk by Welsh shaman Susan Raven on Nature Spirits and how she received the potent message “Human, Reverence thyself.” from an ancient and powerful nature being. The Deva of Ceremony came through in a strong wave and said to me: It is very important to realize that you are in ceremony 24/7. Thoughts and words as much as deeds and actions. This is especially relevant if you are shamanic, or a spirit mover. Reverencing yourself is only part of it. Knowing that you are sacred, yes, but that everything around you is as well. Treating the world with that reverence. Yes, it sounds like a tall order, but really it is time. What else is more important now? What else indeed?  Many of us have made a commitment or set the intention to start a purposeful co-creative relationship with Nature Spirits or Hidden Folk. Once set, we need to follow through and start the conversations, as they are quite attuned to that and are listening. I use the term Hidden Folk to describe Faeries, Sidhe, Elementals, Devas and other nature beings that share the earth with us, but are of a frequency behind the veil of most humans’ every day perception. When we reach out and communicate, it does not go unnoticed. We can communicate by speaking, singing or creating. We can meet them in natural places like forests, gardens, and parks but also in our houses, in dreams and in shamanic journey. Faeries are especially appreciative when people want to connect with them. There are a few forest trails in my area where people have created very small faerie houses in hollow logs and under bushes with bits of twigs, and tiny toys and furnishings. They have even painted little signs for them. I know someone who did that with her kids in a nearby forest, and it was such a beautiful creative project for them, the neighborhood, and the faeries. In some places they have even left little painted faerie dolls perched on fallen logs or on tree branches. When I step into these spaces, I have found the energy of the area feels different. It is not only playful, but vibrant and mystical, and I catch colors and movement of the Hidden folk out of the corners of my eye. It is as if the trees, bushes and moss covered stones speak with their presence, saying, “Here the veil is thin. Here step carefully, there are faerie folk about.” I find that I am talking to the Hidden folk and nature spirits more and more as my practice deepens. I do this in different ways depending on the situation and my mindfulness. Because I am a big clumsy unaware human a lot of the time, I have accidentally intruded into their space and gotten some stings and bruises as they expected me to be more mindful! Now I make it a point to greet them, “Hello grass, trees, faeries…I respect you and mean you no harm. May my relationship with you be peaceful as I pass by.” Offering prayers and blessings is a good way to express gratitude. It expands our heart field and creates instant simple ceremony. One blessing I say often in the forest is, “Beautiful ancient tree spirit, thank you so much for all you do for the world, for your anchoring energy, your oxygen, your nurturing so much life. Blessings to you.” I have discovered that the Elementals can be quite shy and very wary of humans. When we want to engage with them, asking for permission is very polite and helps start our relationship in a good way. We might ask,“May I see the Undines in the stream?” or “May I hear the Sylph’s song in the breeze today?” And if we are cultivating these kinds of relationships, we need to communicate whenever we are about to take action that affects them. This kind of communication is key when working with plants or gardens. When we ask if now is a good time to prune or harvest a plant, and then listen for the answer, it creates much goodwill. And if the answer is yes, we ask the plant spirit to withdraw their energy into the roots or below the shears. It is also respectful to let the Gnomes (the earth elementals) in the ground know when we’d like to dig a hole, or plant seeds. Even in something as mundane as cleaning the kitchen we can give a respectful warning to the undines and sylphs if we have to use any harsh cleaners that will go down the drain or have fumes. Of course eco-friendly cleaners are best, but sometimes they may also have unintended effects. Our communication can also take the form of an action like leaving offerings or creating ceremony. When my daughter was little someone gave her a tiny china tea set. One day a plate and cup from the set found their way to our family altar. We would put offerings of tea or wine in the cup and a berry or a chocolate chip on the plate. “For the faeries.”, we would say. That tiny cup and plate are gone and my daughter is grown, but I still leave offerings regularly on my house altar. I have a friend who takes a jar of milk and honey out with her when she wildcrafts herbs to pour out for the faeries in gratitude of the harvest. All these ways of connecting and communicating strengthen the webwork of goodwill and mutual respect between all beings. We will find that we conduct ourselves this way as a default not only to Spirits and the Hidden Folk, but to friends, neighbors, and strangers we meet. This openness and kindness can be a powerful way of creating the change we want to see in the world.  |
MissionTo help you tend to soul issues that may manifest in physical, emotional, mental or spiritual aspects of your life, and to give you tools to empower your path to harmony and well-being. Categories
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Links-There are so many kindred spirits doing the work out there. I include these links to help our community connect with one another.
FAIRY CONGRESS - Offers a summer weekend gathering in person with workshops, circles and of course faeries and nature beings! They also offer a winter virtual weekend with amazing guest speakers like Orion Foxwood, David Spangler and R.J. Stewart. I highly recommend joining the online network to participate in monthly workshops, circles, and book clubs. https://fairycongress.com/ SACRED HOOP Magazine Guide to Shamanism Compilation- http://www.sacredhoop.org/Pages/FreeGuide.html Owner Valeria Pearson lovingly created SOLE TO SOUL YOGA studio with a community focus. There are classes for all levels and events that lift the spirit. I am delighted to partner with her to offer a kirtan chanting circle once a month. https://www.soletosoulyogaoregon.com/ My friend and herbalist mentor, LAWRENCE BIRCH is a Certified Clinical Herbalist, plant whisperer and shamanic practitioner. If you need custom tincture blends or are interested in a wildcrafting apprenticeship, he is the teacher extraordinaire: http://givingtreefarm.com/ ROGER WHEELOCK and GAYLE RUTH are shamanic practitioners and teachers in the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. https://www.rainmother.com/ I am grateful to be able to take part in ceremony with them, and to support their love for the Peruvian people through the World Ayni Association. NEW WORLD KIRTAN = Kitzie's podcasts include interviews with artists and kirtan music. I love attending her weekly Satsang group and the New World Kirtan Band concerts - newworldkirtan.com/ |
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