Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hey Bald Eagle, Please Feather Our Universal Ripple

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Out on the trails last week, the sound of Catbird amplified our communication skills. The week prior to that, Duck helped us paddle through our emotional waters. This week, our spirits are soaring with the powerful mage wings of Bald Eagle, yet keeping a strong Earthbound connection with its powerful talons. Meditation on Eagle is powerful energy to consume for our spirit, soul and Life’s journey. Its medicine reveals seeing from all directions and resurrects the sound of “Instant Karma”. Great Spirit reveals itself in mysterious ways. With an Eagle Eye view, we see deep within our inner tapestry and observationally hover over and glimpse into what presents itself and needs refinement in our soul’s development. During this process of reflection, we develop heightened senses of vision and hearing, both physically and spiritually. Eagles are predators and help keep balance in Nature. As such, they effectively hunt and fish in water. Not coincidentally, water and fish symbolize psychic phenomena. In the spirit of that, consumption of Eagle facilitates our capacity to work with emotions, psychic space and consciously navigate spiritual realms with greater effectiveness.

On the surface of Mother Earth, we really need Eagle to feather the collective ripple of our Planetary consciousness. There appears to be a political movement to roll back legal justification for the Empire to use drone strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq by some of our friends on Capitol Hill. But there are mixed messages being reported on whether the Attack of the Drones will end anytime soon. Will we see an exit strategy to bring our troops home? Will we support their reintegration into our society when they return? Will the US flood Syria with more weapons to ignite Middle Eastern “tinder boxes”, or show restraint in that region by increasing humanitarian aid and supporting the same of Russia, China and Iran? Will we press Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel in that light? The Obama administration recently lifted “consumer communication tools” in Iran, but sanctions on medicine reaching its citizens continues. The US Justice Department is arguing in court that “vulture funds threatens US policy regarding international debt restructuring.” The World Bank appears to maintain its “business as usual” commercial that says what is good for business is bad for our Planet vis-a-vis encouraging countries to “deregulate in harmful ways in order to get better funding.” Whacking already miserly social services, education and health care is self-destructive for everyone, including the upper echelon. Moving onward, we raise our fists to the beat of Equal access to concrete services! And what about our extraterrestrial and underwater brothers and sisters? Are you reading between the lines regarding what the “man behind the curtain” is slowly unveiling on the corporate media?

Waking up to Eagle’s teachings is a clarifying reminder that we accept an increasing responsibility for our spiritual path. We are ready to see opportunities with our vision and snatch them up with our talons. Our efficacy to use our voice improves, knowing when to express and when to yield in authenticity and respect. We feed our soul with Eagle in the sense that we heed the callback of Spirit, by allowing it to radiate through our Being organically. The voice of Spirit likes to speak to us through the “Universal Pillars of Love and Truth”, rather than the ego’s trickery of negative and discouraging messages. Are you willing to legalize freedom and follow the joy that your heart desires? As a spiritual Being having a human experience (or otherwise), do you see that you are “of the Earth, but not in it?” “As more and more people see from these new viewpoints, we collectively end an old world of fear, illusion, and mistrust. We come together to build our Aquarian Age.”

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Communicating with Catbird

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Last week, we traveled with Duck as a spirit guide to help us effectively navigate our emotional waters. This week, Catbird facilitates our effective language and communication skill development. Given human relations are complex and multidimensional, learning to communicate effectively with one another is no easy task–especially when a cat’s got our tongue. Be that linguistical challenge as it may, Catbird helps us understand variation in sound and teaches us new forms of communication. Sometimes speaking with one another feels like trying to speak a foreign language that has not yet been learned. An important component to our program development as clearer communication channels, is our shared empathic connection to one another. While this phenomenon takes place in our hearts, communication through language amplifies from our throats. However, as we transition into an New Age, our ability to communicate through telepathy and other psychical mediums is cross-pollinating in our flowering blossoming. Catbird helps us be mindful of what we say, how we say it and who we say it to. Its medicine can help us discern what we publicize and what we hold within our secret gardens. At the end of the day, it is probably good medicine to express, rather than repress or build bricks around our hearts as self-defense mechanisms. The trick is to be respectful in our authenticity and not be too over the top with our self expressions during the emoting process.

Are folks unnecessarily meddling in the affairs of others or do you have a propensity to gossip around the water cooler? Sometimes, those of us finding ourselves in the parenting role get lost in it. And we can get good at enabling our children, while perceiving we are helping them. Of course, it is seductive to do that in any relationship, so it is wise to ask ourselves where we are on the map with that? It is also sound intelligence for parents to ask ourselves when setting a limit, we ought to be asking ourselves why? Avoiding power struggles is good medicine. At the end of the day, children need clear limits set and follow through with both logical and natural consequences. Balanancing structure, consistency, predictability and also bringing in novel experiences is the spice of healthy parenting and child rearing. Some folks feel disempowerd when physical force is taken away as an option to control children. But punishment is merely a way to instill fear into our Being and thus, teaches avoidance of getting caught. The old ways of “spare the rod, spoil the child” are now becoming recognized as globally ineffective, as while true discipline–which is the Latin derivative of teaching, is how we learn to evolve in our human family.

True, the democratic process can be messy, but not with positive long-term effects. This is why we look seven generations ahead in our actions. National security and Global security really starts within the Soul, in the home and beyond. We know that there is order in chaos, the Chinese symbol for crisis and opportunity are the same. Rather than looking at our plight in a problem-oriented lens, where crisis’ are “averted”, we step into the realm of Infinity and allow ourselves to see solutions. Teachers still have control in their classrooms, as parents still have control in their homes, but it is a more organic process, where our children tend to behave and do the right thing even when you are not around to come down with a heavy hand. Adults that do not learn to balance freedom and responsibility really struggle with governing themselves, unless they learn to integrate this knowledge into their Being. On some level, Malcolm X woke up while he was in jail and then woke up even more deeply after returning from Mecca–just before his physical death. The Rapture is not about doom and gloom, it is an internal experience available to all of us, if only we allow for it. The Kingdom of Heaven is an internal state of consciousness free for all to experience. In this sphere, we are without fear of exclusion from a private membership that has its privileges for a few elites to indulge in. The “Rule by Secrecy” mantra is waning.

With the wings of Catbird, we are weaving the energies of fertility and creativity into our daily Earthwalk. This spirit animal guide is good medicine to consume when opening up to new relationships wanting to awaken in our lives. Are you ready to allow for development in the area of communication? As multidimensional beings, perhaps meditation on Catbird’s lesson plan will reverberate sound and crystal-clear communication with our Universal brothers and sisters that want to reveal themselves to us, while co-creating a New Earth together. With today’s Full Moon and final eclipse of this powerful Spring Eclipse season, may we “ride the incoming energies of this lunar eclipse with the solar winds at (our) back” in our ascension onward. Maybe it will blow your mind, but our minds are designed to be like wizardly parachutes that appear out of this world.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Staying Afloat with Duck as an Emotional Guide

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Whatever our circumstances might look like in this lifetime, our human brethren are emotional creatures that feel a strong yearning to belong and be included in fraternal sisterhood. Some of us, try as we might appear hellbent on avoiding and killing that aspect of ourselves. Living authentically however, is sobering us up to our need to regulate our emotional plight. Sure, we have plenty of things to distract us from our emotional bodies, like “work to do and bills to pay”. But those distractions only make it conveniently inconvenient to suppress and repress our emotional tides that inundate. During this powerful eclipse season and Full Moon coming soon to a theater of life near you, our emotional realities are intensifying. Between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, the masculine energetic light of day is rising, as are our spirits. Meditation on Duck is a free guide to tune in to. Its energies want to share its spiritual wisdom with you. When we allow Duck’s Chi to paddle into our souls, we are given emotional comfort and protection. We are in our element with water and given assistance while floating in the astral and emotional realms. Duck helps us drink in the waters of life and swim effectively and stay afloat in our emotional waters. Duck is a powerful spirit guide to maintain our Earthbound connection and let things roll off our backs when things get heated. If only our CEO-Government friends running the business of our military-industrial-complex would marinate on consuming Duck’s free-spirited teachings.

As the world burns, soapy pundits on the tele remain engaged and driven to distraction vis-a-vis the pontificating of ego-centered debates. Admittedly, fascism has its romantic undertones, but we need not choose to buy it. Words are used as weapons of mass distraction, but we have weapons of mass destruction that we need to clear. The time is now to shift our focus away from looking at our Mother Earth as a finite resource to deplete, to a living Being that gives us sustainable life. The engrained business as usual model that has been indoctrinated into our brains needs a new cognitive map. When we are identified with our minds, an endless sea of mental concepts and incessant accompanying emotional reactions are typically dominated by unrealized anxiety. And this hypnotic trance has a tendency to propagate a sleep walk through life. But in every breath we take, we have an opportunity to wake up. Rather than check out, we all have our part to do. For some it’s putting down the 40 ounces to slavery. For others, it might mean seeing through the veil that capitalism and socialism are really just opposite sides of the same coin. Instead of concretely looking at one another as separate and disconnected, one religion being right and the others wrong, qualifying the winners and losers mantra–we become in touch with our strong impulse to shift toward unity in our consciousness. We are leaving behind a bi-polar world of angels and demons, while co-authoring a New Chapter that includes a pluralistic and multi-polar New Earth script.

Ducks are sound creatures of habit and are good reminders to return to safe and comfortable aspects of ourselves when we need to feel safe within our Being. Their energies help us cope with our emotions gracefully. Meditation on Duck helps us acquire and access strategies in the areas of balance, emotional comfort, adaptability and adventure. Life is a journey, not without its labor pains. We all feel that right now, especially during these changing times of transition. The old world is burning, while stoking the embers of the Phoenix Rising. Do you need to establish balance, increase or pay more attention to your emotions and close relationships? Meditation on Duck is ready to help you receive consultation to those questions without charging a bill.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Embracing the Darkness of Night with Panther as our Guide

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Uncategorized

Barely a cat’s pounce from a New Moon yesterday, we are reminded of how Fridays and New Moons carry “such promise”. Panthers are big cats and their energies reflect an authentic expression of our souls. Spring, New moons and Eclipse Seasons are a time to let go and release old toxicities and breathe in new air and cleaner intentions. It is a time to manifest, get in alignment with Nature and welcome the spirited energies streaming in right now. It is a time to allow the shadowy attachments to doom and gloom gently pass with care, while at the same time allowing the light to illuminate those dark caverns and flower into the light of day. Meditation on Panther aids us in acquiring and accessing the skills to flex our physical, mental, spiritual and psychic muscles and silently pursue our goals. While it is true our World needs more openness and transparency, sometimes being too public about our goals undermines their power and decreases the likelihood for manifestation. Use the rising intensity of this time in Nature’s cycle as mage wind at your back to welcome your goals into fruition. Nature spirits abound right now, so getting outdoors and heeding their wisdom, even in the backyard is good medicine. Boarder and edge areas at dawn and dusk are especially active times to perceive their energies. Consuming Panther medicine invokes clairaudience, sensitivity to touch and sensuality. Given they are members of the Cat family, their energy reminds us of the mystery and magic of everyday life and knowing how to effectively navigate the dark. While there is a reality to a darkness on the edge of town, we also hold into our Being the light of consciousness. In every breath we take, we are mindful of the twilight of night and the breaking dawn of day.

In the paper today, there are tales of our war and wasteful ways. But in this crowded house, there is room to clear and expand. The intensity is rising, giving us a sobering reminder to radically shift gears into the present moment. What would happen if we, in our politics of living, curbed our appetite for destruction and shifted instead to the key of inner peace and unity as a way of life? We have much Karma to clear, particularly in America. In our spring cleaning, we need to dust away our weapons of mass destruction in peaceful and non-violent ways. The “tinder-boxes” of the Middle East and North Korea are brush fires waiting to happen and some are licking their chops at igniting that possibility. But we all have our part to do by clearing our inner pollution by visualizing and holding the feeling inside of our Being that an alternative scenario is preferred and real. Perhaps we are an endangered species. However, we have amazing powers, adaptability and survival instincts at our disposal. Our family system is quite capable of moving mountains together as one. Honoring our Mother on Mother’s Day and celebrate the sacred garden that nourishes our capacity to play with form while we are incarnated here facilitates this process. May we look forward to being fed by the next Full Moon on the 25th of this month. Soon we see the peak of light on the Summer Solstice later on in June.

In our daily ascension onward, may we allow Panther to help us dig our claws into our Mother Earth by reclaiming our forgotten power during our slumber. Waking up to our divinity makes us purr on the inside and radiate that outward for the whole Planet and Universe to receive. True, you can clean your room when you are angry. But you might want to compost the anger into an organic mulch first, otherwise you are likely to pollute the same room that you just cleaned! Panther wakes up our Kundalini ( a.k.a. Libido, Life Force, Chi) so that we transmute our pain and suffering into healing. Connecting with and tuning into the positive mystical vibrations amplifies and resonates our collective souls. Staying in alignment with this energetic pattern will help us wake up our right brains and move further into the intuitive realm of our consciousness. In this space, we envision and co-create realities not otherwise imagined as possible. As the power of the old grid fades, new crystalline grids are rising. There is a primal free energy from the Chakras of our Planet and Universe throughout that we can tap into that flows like an eternal spring. Do not be afraid of the dark. Meditaton on Panther will help you light your way.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Eye of the Tiger

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Pouncing down the trails head, we look forward to a New Moon this week on May 10th and a Full Moon leaping down the month on May 25th. Also, we celebrated the Beltane last week, otherwise known as May Day. This ancient sacred tradition “honors and celebrates the sacred marriage of masculine and feminine, yin and yang” and the “inner union with the Beloved.” It marks the mid-point between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice and fertilizes harmony between our spiritual and material growth or walking in alignment with “one foot in spirit, one foot in ground.” Tiger synchronizes with the New and Full Moon cycles as its energetic power time. Consuming Tiger’s spirited medicine helps us develop our passion, power, devotion and sensuality. Meditation on Tiger will wake up your sensitivity to touch. Tiger’s are skilled swimmers, so their energy reflects connection to the elemental forces of water. They are colorful and unpredictable, reflecting the world we live in and the changing times we are swimming in on Mother Earth today. In Chinese Astrology, their sign is seen as adventurous, powerful and passionate and symbolize the dark night of the New Moon and the sunlight of the Full Moon. Given that “traditions are time-tested proof that things work”, meditation on Tiger, in conjunction with a fire ritual facilitates burning away Winter, while shifting our gears full-throttle by igniting Spring.

Something is changing in the sea of consciousness on our Planet today. Although it is a process, it is becoming more difficult for folks to ignore. The garden variety of band-aids used to quell the symptoms that are roaring out to us are less effective in covering up the spirited energies streaming in now. Whether the arrival of symptomatic reactions manifests as distorted visions, racing thoughts, chronic headaches, lethargy, terrorism, mania in the global Stock Exchange–the intensity is rising and the times, they are a changin’. The perception of polarity, duality or “us and them” needs to be released from and healed in our consciousness. Living authentically and respectfully in a global village requires us to sit with the tension of opposites that exists within our individual and collective souls. Every man has a woman inside of his Being, just as every woman has a man within hers. When meditation is embraced as a popular way to consume a spiritual diet, we will see the proliferation of this understanding reflecting in our outer world for everyone to notice as obvious. Right now, you really have to take a close look for the evidence and hold that focus, given the reality of the dark and stormy weather patterns. The smoke and mirrors of our World are an illusion that carry a reality to that perception. In the realm of Infinity, the possibilities of blazing New Trail into a New Frontier are there for us to clear, if only we allow for it. But it is a process that we all have to step-up to on a case by case basis. The Golden Age is not a fixed ideal, where we find ourselves living in after a long, strange trip. Rather, when we change the way we look at the world, the world we look at changes. In this way, we become the change we want to see in the world. We are co-creating novel neuronal pathways inside our brains, signaling our conscious evolutionary next step in our program development.

We all have a basic need to feel safe and secure. However, looking to our outer world to provide that meal for us to eat is frequently met with a receipt for poor digestion. At the end of the day, we all need to access and acquire our internal power for a sense of safety and security. Our spirited animal friends are here to help reflect that back to humanity. True, it is a jungle out there. But have you ever watched animals frolic and play, even among predators and prey? They are good reminders for that. We are shifting from a divisive, compartmentalized view of the World that looks either matriarchal or patriarchical in our shared history, toward Unity Consciousness. In the words of Mr. Miyagi from the film The Karate Kid, we are “different, but same.”

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

With Frog, April Showers Bring May Flowers

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Frogs help us remember how to evoke changing weather patterns by singing harmonically with Mother Nature. Perhaps these vocalizations are more raw and less polished than the popular voice. And yet, their melody is powerful and music to the clairaudient ear that resonates deeply within our souls. In the beginning, there was sound. In that vibration, our spirited songs of freedom were born. This reverberation asserts that we are all diverse expressions of Great Spirit. It is true that we are a rainbow of different orientations, but we are all cut from the same cloth. There is no us and them. We are one human family. If corporations are people too, then we wake up to the awareness that we all benefit from a spring cleaning in our souls. Developing tolerance for our diversity is a “step-up” for many folks. A step further is to integrate acceptance of what is into our Being. Frog helps us purify and detoxify blockages in our souls, so that we are equipped to move more gracefully with the changing tides during our experience with Climate Change. As more of us become hip to this vibe, we witness a proliferation of this Oneness reflecting in our material realm. In this process, we help clear the way for spirit to weave its way into our world. Ingesting Frog medicine is good food for the soul and amplifies our power by becoming clearer channels, serving as conduits for radiating cleaner energy. This internal purification and detoxification facilitates the internal experience of inner peace, which decreases pollution so within as without.

While we are one human family, we see that we have been raised with much dysfunction and toxicity. We have been programmed by our societies and parents to follow certain rules and rituals, often unconsciously and without review. In Maine, there’s an old saying, “that’s just the way we’ve always done it.” But part of our healing, especially in Spring, is “out with the old, in with the new.” We can learn from Frog and shamanic network of animal friends how to get back into alignment with Nature. Do you remember the scene in Rocky 3 when Apollo tells Rocky that he has lost the “eye of the Tiger”, but that he is going to help him get it back? Given where we are at in human history, the timing of the spiritual wisdom, “if not now, when” is critically important. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. The corollary is also true. In much the same way as the Buddha, even children raised in ideal situations have an underlying yearning to wake up to the emotional sensitivity that there is more to life that creature comforts and pampered privilege. Through our dirty waters of suffering, Frog breathes in a renewed sense of harmony into our lives and rekindles the notion that there is great peace and joy in taking time for yourself. With its connection to the water element and the lunar cycle, we look back to the waning Wesak Full Moon and are inspired by clearing out our muddy waters and drinking in crystal clear fresh water. Whether you are an atheist, agnostic or a devout believer, Frog is here to remind us to do whatever we can to get closer to Great Spirit. Some ways we can bring in this energy into our lives are going for a walk in the woods, taking in a deep and cleansing deep breath, asserting “stop”, unplugging from technology, staying away from the news for a while, taking a long, relaxing bath, going for a swim or just getting near the water for a spell. We all need to give ourselves a break from information and choice overload. In our modern world, tapping into Frog’s energy might even make you a bit of a rebel. How do you like to weave Frog’s cleansing energy into your life?

Frog is the rainmaker and is a true weather person that is capable of weather control. Its medicine encourages us to wash away the dirt in our lives. As such, meditation on Frog reflects metamorphosis and creativity into our waking lives. Given their amphibian nature, consuming Frog’s spirited energy links us to water and land and helps us stay grounded and emotionally sensitive with respect to the boundaries of self and relationships. Meditation on Frog can assist us in vocalizing our truths powerfully and respectfully. Given that Spring and Summer are its power times, we need to use its energy effectively so that we do not blow things out of proportion. Frog is good spirited soul food to consume while digesting Climate Change.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Grooving on a rhythmic drumming Circle with Woodpecker

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Woodpecker’s drumming conjures up images and visions of our Mother’s changing heartbeat, energetic pulsing and weather forecast. Moreover, their spirited teachings aid us in loosening up our souls for exploration in other realms, dimensions, new vistas and novel experiences. Consuming a spiritual diet of Woodpecker reminds us to “march to the beat of your own drum”. When stillness speaks, we experience an internal rapture that resonates within our souls that sparks a fire in our right brains that lights up an awakening in our consciousness. Staying in the flow of expecting synchronicity, stepping into, accepting the present moment as it is and embracing the unfolding mystery is good medicine for that. This is easier when we feel secure and at peace on the inside or if our surroundings reinforce a sense of comfort. It is more difficult to sustain that place when the outer world looks anything but. The trick in this true wizardry is to sustain this state of consciousness, especially when fear and terror kick in. Woodpecker reminds us that we influence one another’s energy fields with relation to what is going on in the inside of our Being.

Spending time out in Nature and getting in alignment with Nature’s rhythm sometimes feels like an inconvenient truth. What happened to that clear blue sky? Is it too cold, hot or wet? Has globalization, dying trees, poor air quality index or stock market got your hue feeling manic and blue? Of course, it is always most difficult to stay in alignment in a domestic partnership, particularly when we are oriented very differently or coming from different planets. I remember walking on the trails with a student some years ago and he was afraid of venturing further down the trail because he was deathly afraid of ticks. In a space of trust, we empathized with his fear and then recognized that it was actually scarier to avoid our fears than actually face them head on.

In that light, folks in our neck of the woods have felt the experience of terror in Boston hit close to home. It is challenging to remember that terrorism seeks to disrupt the status quo and instill fear and panic in the masses, like the boy’s fear of ticks blocked him from staying connected. Yes, we feel rage and a deep hurt in our soul wherever tyranny exists. But Woodpecker reminds us that even in the wild, there is a drumming that lifts our spirits. Rather than consuming the terror within the terrorists, we need to heed the drum beat that reminds us there are no enemies. Rather than reacting to the spirited energies pouring in right now, may we consciously move with these energies to wake up and know inner peace. In this powerful forthcoming Wesak Full Moon, may we allow ourselves to wake up to the Love and Light that Buddha and Christ illuminate for us to see.

When enough of us sustain this internal martial arts practice, we shall overcome and see the New World being revealed, so within as without. The old world and old ways are hanging by a thread. For many, that reality is alarming. Who will keep us safe and protected? It is becoming clearer we all must stand in our own personal authority by being secure within our own Being and summoning protection accordingly. In the spirit of that, may the energy of Woodpecker offer you powerful protection and guidance as you embark on drumming up a new dream for yourself. There is so much help from the spirit realm waiting for us, if only we allow ourselves to receive. Perhaps it might feel uncomfortable creating space out in Nature. But in that place, we afford ourselves the opportunity to know ourselves on a deeper level by letting the distractions gently pass us by with care.

See you further on down on the trails,

Ari

Black Like Crow

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Soaring further with Spring energies, we catch wind of an out with the old and in with the new Crow Medicine show. Coming soon in the theater of Life, we will bear witness to a fiery astrological light show of consecutive eclipses streaming in. We will consume a powerful Full Moon on April 25th, a New Moon on May 9th and another Full Moon on May 25th to celebrate the grand eclipse finale. I don’t know if there will be a supernatural war between werewolves or vampires, but we have some bloody serious conflicts going on our Planet today. Things are particularly heating up in the Middle East and North Korea. Our Armageddon friends are licking their Doubting Thomas chops just waiting to pound their cynical chests by arrogantly asserting their self-fulfilling prophecy of doom and gloom. But there is a darkness on the edge of town. In that light, it is a challenge to become your own boss, rather than auctioning off your power to some charlatan. Crow is a powerful clairvoyant that peers into our forecast, while becoming a detached observer into a co-creative and fluid future. Crow is a powerful omen of change. Relaxing your gaze, so that your eyes feel a bit cross-eyed and slightly blurred vision will help you tap into Crow’s medicine, while paradoxically seeing more clearly. This is somewhat akin to Mayan legend of cross-eyed folks peering into the future. Is there a natural connection between Autists and Shamanism? Forget about those silly parlor tricks. Crow’s depth helps us acquire and access communication skills, wariness and intelligence. Their energy reminds us of the magic in everyday Life. In the spirit of protecting sensitive information, Crow will help you know magical knowledge and hold a secret, when silence is the higher form of honesty.

As we have discussed, Black is the color of creation, night and maternal feminine energy. With Crow, the darkness of night literally walks in sunlight. In a sense, Crow personifies the Taoist yin and the yang at play, weaving magically before our eyes. Why is it that black has conjured up fear in the collective consciousness of our modern world? America was built off the backs of free labor, predominantly by African-Americans during slavery forced unwillingly to work on command. When slavery was officially abolished, we witnessed an increase in incarceration among blacks, shackled and drawn. Have blacks received their fair share of their slice of the pie they brought to the table? Some statistics might hint at that, but we know that dollar for dollar, blacks are still earning less than their white counterparts and carry double the unemployment rate. While W.E.B Dubois might cite a rise among the “talented tenth”, can’t you hear Booker T. Washington still singing a “Dissatisfied” blues song among working folks? With Crow, we see that there are still systemic barriers in place serving as roadblocks to a more level egalitarian playing field. Part of my passion and sensitivity in serving the population I work with in my profession, is to help prevent our students from falling through the cracks and end up in institutions like jails and mental hospitals. Still predominantly white men, our friends in Congress seem to carry an air of the very sense of entitlement they complain about. While crafting the Rule of Law the rest of us are expected to follow, these pillars of the community appear to feel above the limits they are setting with the rest of us. But there is a movement for a proposed 28th Amendment to the US Constitution that says, “Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not equally apply to the senators and/or representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the senators and/or representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.” If only our friends in Congress and the rest of those at the top of the food chain would allow maturation to kick in and realize that we all win by heeding the political will of the people. This is homeland security for the entire population of our Planet.

Are you beginning a new course of study? Are you being alert enough? Mediation on Crow may assist you in gaining clarity to those questions, own your own magical powers and bend the laws of the material plane. Today, skeptics will often say “show me the science!” In that vein, the Quantum world reveals what the spiritual reality already understands–that it is possible to be two places at once. This is somewhat akin to the practice of spiritual shape-shifting, or becoming the fly on the wall, so to speak. In a Karmic sense, ingesting Crow Medicine assists us in balancing the past, present and future right now. In this light, we transcend the Law of Cause and Effect and become the inner peace we want to see reflected in the World.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Singing With Robin

Posted on by under Uncategorized

I remember us receiving tweets last week from Chickadee reminding us to gently sing truthful songs of freedom. Perhaps not coincidentally, while out on the trails, I caught wind of a harmonic convergence between Robin and Chickadee. In their diversity, I noticed their unity when competing for food both peacefully and cooperatively. I don’t know if they particularly liked each other, but they didn’t seem to carry an air of judging one another as either inferior or superior. Don’t you love feeling your consciousness take flight when seeing birds of a feather respectfully flocking together? Robin feathers our ripple by belting out a melodious song that Spring has arrived. Robin encourages us to sing spirited songs and get into alignment with our Mother’s budding spring energy. Although robins don’t always leave us behind when the food supply is plentiful, they are among the first of their kind to return. Robin medicine affords us an opportunity to see that something new might want to move into our lives. Their energy facilitates growth during the birth of a novel and creative experience. Developmentally, their lesson plan aids us in acquiring and accessing traits in the spheres of being daring, communication skills and musical appreciation. The rusty-red coloring of their belly hints at the kundalini rising. Potential conflicts over territory are resolved through song, thus their blue eggs are symbolic of our throat chakras. How many great blues singers had Robin totems? As a singer-songwriter and a musician, I am a late bloomer. But it is never too late and there is so much help waiting for us in the spirit realm. Spirited energies are wanting to manifest now more than ever. They are free access to resources for all of us to share and they are channeling through our powerful animal friends as preferred mediums.

We know that during our experience with Climate Change, there is dark and stormy weather inside that reflects in our outer world. Many folks find security in their consciousness by becoming identified with something to anchor themselves. But at the end of the day, we can only really stand in our own personal authority and become secure with that. Some folks say that we are doomed and that we have passed the so-called tipping point of no return. Tempting as it is to have a cow about that, did anyone out there catch wind of the news that if we start grazing large herds of livestock on 1/2 of the earth’s barren or semi-barren lands–we could take enough carbon from the atmosphere to return to pre-industrial levels, according to an ecologist, “carbon ranchers”, organic consumers and climate activists? From a brain-program developmental perspective, we humans have the capacity to move from the primitive reptilian part of our brain to the pre-frontal cortex. This is how we evolve into what some folks call Homo Luminous, or from our more demonic selves into our more angelic selves, if you will. From a soulful place, this is what our awakening process reveals to us in our walking meditation. In Maine, a Healthy Kids Act is being considered to protect kids and the environment from chemicals of “high concern.” We are what we eat, in our spirits, our minds and our bodies. Consuming the energies of a New Moon on this Wednesday, Earth Day on April 22 and a Full Moon on the 25th can help facilitate the digestion process during our shifting tides. Becoming secure within our own personal authority by staying rooted is powerful medicine to ingest right now. When we stand in this space in our Being, we reduce pollution and sow the seeds of Love and Truth that will light our way into co-creating a Heavenly New Earth, Golden like our eighth Chakras.

I am reminded by the wisdom that our “intentions from the heart do have the power to change the world.” In that light, a most satisfying mind-soul dance step happens when we open up to allowing our heart’s sun and venus to shine out and amplify our heartfelt connections with one another. Growing up with a parent with clinical depression, I felt suffocated and needed to build a protective fortress around my heart. But with a super-sized energy field, extreme empathic sensitivity to the feelings of others and a security in my intellect, a part of my heart leaked blood for psychic vampires to feed on. Given that I indulged in their indulgences, coupled with my built-in anger, I became comfortable with my familiarity of victim consciousness. This Spring, may we allow the light to illuminate the shadows by all of us manifesting an internal spring cleaning, a la out with the old, in with the new. Imagine if the movers and shakers of the world collectively concentrated their energy on building green classrooms, where music classes took place in green-house like facilities, where robins were teacher’s aids in carrying out music lessons. Forget about band and chorus. Now isn’t that sound of music a harmonic convergence to our ears?

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Singing Gleefully and Truthfully With Chickadee

Posted on by under Uncategorized

While tweeting with my peeps in the woods recently, a chickadee joined in while singing harmonically. As we look back on the Spring Equinox, waning Moon, Fireball that gleamed the Eastern Seaboard of the Americas, Chickadee’s energy welcomes the budding Spring growth yangward. Light-masculine energy is gaining momentum and spirited energies are intensifying. The black head cap sitting atop chickadee’s head represents the intellect, higher level thinking and levitation of our perceptual fields of vision. Black is a beautiful color and it symbolizes mystery, dark feminine energies and creative womb of life waiting to give birth. Perhaps this is why Aboriginal Australian and African shamans are remembered as powerful medicine makers of the Dreamtime. Ever since I was a boy, the idea of mind over matter resonated deeply within my soul. Consumption of Chickadee medicine aids us in unearthing the mysteries of the mind and effectively navigate the dark. Although small in stature, Chickadees are fearless social creatures and tend to flit about in groups. Given that there are seven kinds of chickadees, they symbolize an individual’s consciousness rising above the material plane, or a triangle (3) rising above a square (4). There are seven rays of power, seven major planets and seven chakra centers. When our chakras are balanced, we know a deeper awareness and connection to the Universal pillar of Truth.

We know the tweet sounds true that the empire is addicted to its wars and lustful relationship with violence. We can’t get enough of it in the corporate media. As such, this negativity is dancing on the minds of the masses, in many cases unconsciously. But the violence is waking us up, as Great Spirit works in mysterious ways. When we are paying careful attention, we see concrete evidence that peace is being considered a seed worth watering. For example, a Federal Court ruled against the state of Alaska’s challenge to the National “Roadless Rule” that would have nullified it and allowed for deforestation on Nationally protected land. Some of our friends that advocate for federalism are glad to switch gears by crying a river of crocodile tears for state rights. Sometimes, this delayed process strategically undermines environmentally friendly, win-win business that sees through the fog of a maximum economic profit paradigm. Moreover, one of our conservative friends in Congress has asserted, “a more restrained foreign policy is the true conservative policy.” Will actions speak louder than words by rolling back 700 American empire bases around our Planet? As things heat up in the Middle East, more folks are waking up to the need for a cease-fire in Syria, ending the war in Afghanistan, sanctions against Iran and the blockade by Israel of the Palestine. Isn’t is possible for the Phoenix Rising to be a radical shift in our collective consciousness, rather than a pocket full of terrorism disrupting the status quo? If only our birds sitting atop their hight perch would heed Chickadee’s peaceful chimes of freedom, as the truth shall set us free.

Some will assert that the truth stinks like dung. While dung is necessary for compost, the truth does not have to hurt in the sense of feeling blocked. Rather, truth may drip gently, like water gradually building momentum. This process is akin to an internal martial arts practice in that true power builds gradually. In that light, April showers bring May flowers. Chickadee reminds us to sing our truth in a cheerful way that reverberates within our flowering individual and collective souls. Has anyone felt lighter than when listening to a singing chickadee, while basking in our Sun’s vitamin D and breathing in crocuses fragrantly?

See you further on down the trails,

Ari