Sky Yeager
Shamanic Practitioner - Usui Reiki Master - MariEL Reiki Medicine
You can now listen to a podcast recording of my latest article below And find more episodes on Spotify |
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You can now listen to a podcast recording of my latest article below And find more episodes on Spotify |
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Many of us have come to realize the true nature of the soul as infinite. If we are a practitioner or mystic who works in the quantum realms of non-ordinary reality, we have experienced the soul's past lives. And we have received insights and healing from them for ourselves and for others. We may also have connected with future lives for information and assistance. And for most people who have any kind of spiritual practice, the eternal nature of the soul is a common realization. Reincarnation has become a mainstream belief.
Yet, with all that knowing, loss is still difficult. And so with our infinite soul view we try to re-frame death as a celebration, a graduation from "Earth school". That is a lovely way to look at the process of dying. But that doesn't mean we don't grieve. We feel the loss of our loved one in our bones. It's an ache in our heart and arms when we can't hold them close, wrap them in a hug. Their absence leaves a hole in our lives. It is supposed to. That means that we were well-loved and that we loved well. Sometimes we can get caught up in a downward spiral of grief that can last way past what is natural and healthy for us. That can happen if there are unresolved issues between us and our departed loved ones. Grief can get tangled up in unhealthy and untenable guilt and regret. As we do our inner work, forgiveness practice becomes key in smoothing out those tangles. Forgiveness is potent energy and it heals across time and dimensions, and it is especially healing when we forgive ourselves. It can be comforting to find a medium, that is someone who can connect with the spirit of our loved ones in the spirit realms. They can let us know that the soul of our loved one got to where it needed to go. They can also relay messages, which is important when death occurs with words left unsaid. Mediums can also help us prepare while the death process is happening by making sure the etheric gateway is open to where they need to go, and that there are healthy ancestors and helping spirits waiting to guide them. We can also call on the helping spirits ourselves and ask that they be with our loved ones and help their passage. if we don't know who to call on, we can always call on angels and archangels and trust they will be there when we ask for help. I am fortunate to have friends who have strong mediumship skills. I called on them recently to help me ready my beloved 16-year old cat for her final journey to the spirit realms. It had been a long process of increasing care, and giving her the chance to pick her own time. She was the Queen of our family though, so she was having a hard time letting go of us. My medium friends were able to relay messages back and forth over the last two months of her time here, but some additional messages needed to be given before she felt she could go. They also confirmed the gateway was open and let me know who would be there to meet her for her journey. I was then able to create a ceremony for her "graduation". She had been a part of our family since she was 5 weeks old and so her absence is disorienting. In the few days after she crossed, I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me and I struggled to find my footing, to feel grounded. And I am surprised at the depth of my grief. I felt her energy a few times since she crossed over, just coming back to check in on us. I am grateful for that sensitivity of knowing. I'm also grateful that our relationship continues even without her physical body presence. And I am okay with my sadness, I know that it will eventually lessen. Years ago one of my friends gave me the teaching of the grief altar that she learned from her teacher, Linda Fitch. I have set that altar up, holding a ceremonial space in the house for as long as needed. Loss causes changes in our lives on an energetic level more than we realize. Our heart chakra may initially contract with pain, but as we process our grief, it expands bigger and brighter than it was before. That is the gift they leave us as they depart, we just do not see its value until later. Good journeys Chai, and thank you.
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We have just marked the winter solstice and have celebrated the sun moving slowly but steadily back towards its pinnacle of strength. We measure this inching in minutes today, but long ago our ancestors measured it by stars and stones, in the winds and sprouts. Even though the sun is returning, it is also the time when winter deepens.
The nights are still long and it can seem that the darkness falls heavy on us with its relentlessness. It is no wonder that this is the time of year we surround ourselves with bright twinkle lights on houses and trees. The human handicap of duality has created the association of light and dark with good and evil. The darkness has become something to vanquish. But the darkness is a gift. It is the Divine potential of Creation. If we can see it as such and step into it, powerful magic awaits within its realms. The invitation is there in the sudden early twilight. We find a soft space, burrow into it, turn out the lights. Instead of a drumbeat or music, we choose silence. Our breathing and our heartbeat might draw our focus at first, leading us deeper, relaxed yet aware of all of our senses. We are aware of the stillness. We invite the darkness to penetrate our entire being. We lose the boundary of our skin, our mental constructs. We might register it as a feeling of absolute nothing at first. Uncomfortable as our atoms and consciousness become unbound. As we surrender to the dissolving of self, we expand to become everything. We realize the darkness is the potential of all possibilities. It is the moment of Divine inspiration before the multidimensional tapestry of the cosmos is woven into form. And we too are the weavers. A thread comes to us indistinguishable in the inky void, but we have the knowing it is there, and we can bring it back with us. There might be a feeling of our essence being drawn together, a wooshing of the time-space continuum coming together in the space of our cells. A flicker of light in the distance draws us forward. Growing brighter, we are birthed anew into the light. The thread still in our hand, we are poised at the moment of our own creation. Our tapestry awaits. I have always loved trees. Trees frame my journey from childhood to present, those that have held me, hugged me, spoken to me in surprising conversations and have become my teachers. I feel a kinship to them same as any family or friend. I can map my life by the trees I knew and lived by, and so I pay close attention when trees show up, when they speak. Every morning I spend time in a meditative state in front of my altar. During this time I sit in stillness, and I usually journey to my home in non-ordinary reality, the dimension my ancestors knew as the Otherworld. This is the time I ask for guidance or messages from my spirit guides and teachers, or am just with them in simple friendship and gratitude. For the past week as soon as I arrive to meet them, there has been an immense sequoia in the middle of our circle. Since I work with trees a lot, I am used to new ones showing up and we talk and get to know one another. But what made this different was the immense size and energy it held! Every morning I greet it and open my heart to its presence. As I engaged with it, I didn’t receive much information at first. Instead of a dialogue, the information was coming in through my felt-sense, primarily in my body sensations and then through synchronicities. One of these was a recent news article that highlighted an unusual art piece at the local University. The sculpture is an 80 foot tall movable creation being held by three giant sequoias. The artist, John Grade, was visiting the campus to look for an inspired location for the sculpture he had in mind and when he saw the trees, he knew they were the ones. I feel that they reached out and communicated to him in some way to get his attention. I also feel that he had the wisdom and grace to ask them for permission to hold his sculpture. That they are holding it shows that they agreed, as I'm sure a lot can go wrong creating an art piece this size if the trees and the nature spirits are not agreeable. Why would they be agreeable? Well this is the gist of the message coming in from my new sequoia friend in the mornings. They see collaboration and co-creation with humans as the way that they can break through our human-centrism and self-absorption so that we can fully realize our inter-connectedness to everything. The stronger our connection to nature, the more we will respect and protect it from exploitation and destruction. And they enjoy the partnership that happens with projects like these. It provides lessons and spiritual growth for them as well. It strengthens the web of all life. These same trees got my attention as soon as I saw them when I first walked across campus years ago. Freshly arrived from three decades in the desert, I had never seen such amazing trees. I stood in the middle of them and their lower branches hung on the ground and hid me from students walking by. I felt welcomed and cozy. I could have curled up next to them and stayed for a long time.
So I felt called to visit them again after meeting my new sequoia friend in the Otherworld. The late afternoon autumn sun lent its dappled light to the pieces hanging in the trees. I assessed the straps that held the netting the pieces were secured to, the small lamps high above that would light it at night, the thoughtfulness of the protective mats underneath to protect the ground and roots from the increased human activity beneath them. Then I tuned in to the trees and nature spirits. How did they feel? Did they have any specific messages to share? A myriad of feelings swirled from the nearby faerie folk, from joy and amusement to exasperation and indifference. The elemental sylphs seemed to really enjoy playing in and around the hanging pieces. And the trees relayed this message: One of the gifts we bring to humankind is that of heart chakra opening. We remind humans of how the energy of connection feels. We remind you of the feeling of reverence. We are - and all trees are - portals to the collective presence of nature kinship. We three who are holding John's sculpture are antennae broadcasting the energy of partnership, transmitting reverence. It's that simple. With reverence, and gratitude, I sprinkled an offering of flower petals and herbs around the trunks before taking my leave. The sequoia is still there in the morning stillness in my Otherworld circle. Its loving presence is a remarkable gift, and it is teaching me to broadcast loving presence from within myself. |
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 grateful to be able to hold circles and events in her studio. 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. Roger has a practice in Asheville, NC https://www.communityshaman.com/ 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/ |
Want to keep in touch? Every month I send an email with my latest article. I also have updates about workshop offerings and community events. I never sell or share your information and I will never abuse the privilege of being allowed into your mailbox.
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