Tag Archives: Death

On Life, Death, and Rebirth

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My Grandfather died sometime around the last New Moon.
He was my surrogate father, and provider of much Sun in my life.

Big Frank carried a strong presence, albeit with a penchant for being stoic,
and was a bit of the strong silent type.

Then again, the brother was a gifted storyteller.

As a first generation Italian-American,
I think about how these qualities helped him successfully assimilate
into mainstream American culture

But he was proud of his roots, and never forgot them.
Later in life, he became more pursuant of exploring their historical depth.

A dear friend expressed to me recently that
he was there when I needed him, and he had me too.

Authentic relationships are based on reciprocity.

Before he left this Earth, he talked about looking forward to
whatever his “new program” would look like.

He wondered what it would be like, in the spirit realm –
what loved ones he might see to greet him there,
and other related inquisitive sentiments about making this transition.

His attitude about viewing every day as a gift was inspirational.

I remember when I was a kid, and I learned that he was
orphaned before he became an adult.

That parallel connection has helped me get through my own troubled times.

As such, he shared with me that he never thought he’d make it past 40 –
on account of the plight of his parents dying young.

I believe that trauma motivated him to play every down like it was his last.
But not without investing in a sound long-term game plan.

My Grandpa was 47 when I was born,
and was given a second chance at fatherhood.

He taught me some of the positive aspects of the old school.

I liked hearing his mantras about not believing that
anybody else is better or worse than you.

He was a good role model about sucking it up, and to keep on trucking,
in spite of whatever obstacles you have to overcome.

I do feel sad about the loss that the void of
a loved one who passes on leaves behind.

But I also look forward to having a deeper and higher spiritual relationship
with him as we make forward progress on the playing field together.

And I wish that way of looking at it for others who survive their
friends and relations who have left them behind.

Yeah, abandonment is traumatic. It is painful to digest,
and often not without suffering.

Yet there is great joy in focusing on the good memories, and
celebrating a soul’s release from its entanglement with form.

Seems pragmatic to relax our entanglements while
we are still breathing, and living in this realm.

When they made this guy, they really broke the mold.

He wasn’t without his faults because he was a human being.
But he was a good role model, especially with his humility, and wisdom.

The dying process, like moving from one residence to another location –
seems like everyone has their own unique way of going about it.

Although we called him Chronos, Grandfather took his time with this change.

But during most of his years, he was the epitome of running the
hurry up offense, to use an American football metaphor.

If you weren’t five minutes early, then you were five minutes late.
He was notorious for pacing, and jingling his keys when waiting impatiently

I’ve often joked with folks about how he would’ve really struggled with
that reality in the business of Public Education.

His progressive embodiment about how the competitive business world should
embody fairness, honesty and integrity still makes too much sense to me.

In any organization, everybody in it, should be valued and appreciated.
I know that has informed my work as a social worker in Public Schools.

A child might be identified as Special Education, Gifted and Talented,
Vocational, College Bound, privileged, homeless or living in poverty . . .

Their parents could be pillars of the community, mentally ill, incarcerated,
lost a job, divorced, or dealing with addiction . . .

The point is that if we are family, or strangers out in the street,
we all need to look out for each other.

We are the General Welfare that the Preamble to our Constitution speaks of.

Good workers, make a boss look good – Grandpa was outspoken about that.

When questioned about his politics about life,
he emphasized that he felt thankful for having an attitude of feeling satisfied –
regardless of what setbacks or good fortune were in the cards dealt to you.

Ciao Old Buddy – looking forward to hearing stories
about your new program development!

Ari

Wise Guidance Councel from Wolf

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

When I think of wolves, I remember stories of two wolves
always fighting with each other in every human head and heart . . .

If we are awake, the doors of perception are cleansed to see
the conflict of duality, and the reality of paradox . . .

This reality has come to the surface on the consciousness of our planet today
It is sobering for those that have been asleep, and it can be painful to stomach

Wolf government reflects neither a pure dictatorship or democracy
Do you see this division playing out in our world today?

Yes, there are Red States, and there’s Blue states
But Wolf teaches us about balance

We are all connected!

We have to transform the masculine, yang rising light of
the Military-Industrial Complex . . .

That’s where the highest concentration of welfare goes

Many souls have left around this time of year, and we witness many tragedies
in our everyday worldly experiences, often horrific, and so painful to watch

But Meditation on Wolf brings about a positive interpretation and silver lining
that lights up the horizon . . .

Like one of the strengths of the old world, could  you “suck it up”,
and see the beauty within and without?

Can you examine what lies beneath your anger, and explore your inner space
beyond cynicism, complaints and sarcasms?

Part of the purification of Channel Now is to let go and release our old wounds . . .

Looking through the perceptual lens of letting go and release
does take a deeper responsibility . . .

As collective souls, we chose to come here to become mortal and learn . . .
For many of us, these lessons have come from the old school of hard knox

But many have only forgotten . . .

It is easy to forget a positive outlook when things
don’t feel good or go our way . . .

Simple it is to dismiss another person or
divergent viewpoint rather than examine what
wisdom might light my way in any unwelcome reflections
mirroring back into our field of vision . . .

On the surface, there is maddening and crazy voices that want to angrily rip
everything in our paths to tiny pieces

But then in the scuba diving into deeper waters of an inner ocean,
there is a wise wolf that is calm, yet with unshakeable power like Yoda

This is the space of stillness

Till we meet again further on up the trails,

Ari

A Waning Full Cold Moon Sheds Light On This Week’s Winter Solstice

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As a suicide loss survivor, I understand how tragic and painful it is to
lose a loved one to an untimely and unexpected death

Many souls have left our planet at this time of year . . .

Regardless of how our loved ones die . . .
There is a deep hurt from the great void that follows

It can be challenging to hear the flat musical dirge of the funeral procession . . .

Sometimes, we are left with regrets about unfinished business . . .
Revisit those relationships, and picture them now with love and light

It takes letting go of old wounds to
expand personal identity and boundary development . . .

It can be hard to understand how not to take the pain of another personally . . .

This world can be a hard place to live,
especially when you are a sensitive person . . .

It is possible to remain your authentic sensitive self,
without slaying the dragon that breathes fire into your natural entity

But it is not always easy, nor does it always feel good or graceful . . .
Part of healing, is getting scorched

May the light of Christ Consciousness enter your being,
and allow you to feel the joyous spirit of Christmas . . .

Are you following your bliss?

May we see the light beyond our grief and loss . . .

Even in darkness, we all have an awakening light within
that wants to express itself in the outer world

Look at the bright side of Standing Rock,
There is an expression of a powerful solidarity in our common ground . . .

Everyday people are standing up to the Powers That Be . . .
Wounded soldiers, and common folk alike

Look back on the old story of gentle Deer gazing into the eyes of a
powerful Demon blocking the trail on the mountain en route to Great Spirit . . .

Remember that Deer did not back down out of fear . . .
She asserted Her right to climb the mountain to connect with Great Spirit

The way, the truth and the light is listening to Kingdom of Heaven within,
and welcoming the Divine Light of our Being . . .

We all have it, even if we have forgotten

Brighten your spirits by firing up the lights of your inner Tree of Life . . .

Climate Change is an inevitable part of a seismic shift in our
collective consciousness or Great Awakening . . .

It will blow your mind, and shake your soul to its core . . .

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Out of the Body Experiences with Penguin

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Penguin leaps out of the water and takes flight into the air
In this space, we are propelled out of our bodies . . . .

Meditation on Penguin awakens powers of dreaming lucidly
We are given access to multidimensional exploration . . .

Our souls leave behind our temples to venture deeper into
alternate states of the astral plane

Gently connect with the tides of this Full Wolf Moon to
psychically stream into your dream-team

May our spiritual wings power our vessels further
into oceanic depths of the Dreamtime

Meditation offers us safe passages for traveling inward
into the vast galaxies of our inner skies with
a safe haven anchored back in this Earth

But facing physical death is an unknown transition . . .

Losing our loved ones to death can be rough on the living
Unexpected deaths can especially leave us feeling angry,
confused, depressed and with deep sadness

Sometimes we just want to hide away from the rest of the world

We survivors are reminded of our own mortality
and feel survivor’s guilt as well as struggle with the lack of control
that we truly have for what happens to us

But we can control how we respond to these tragedies
Painful as it is to taste this bitter aspect of life –
We might as well do the best we can to lean into our feelings and be vulnerable

We are here to learn how to cope with life’s stress in the living moment
while we are still breathing

Make peace with yourself and with your loved ones who have passed on
You can help them ascend through the power of surrender and forgiveness

Get out alone in Nature and sit in the elements for a spell
If you are uncomfortable or having a hard time sitting with what is . . .

Free yourself to get down with the elements and just “let it be” . . .
This is a healthy way to loosen our entanglements with form

Doesn’t the cold chill in your bones from the wind
remind you that you are still alive?

And then isn’t the forecast of a scalding hot shower, saltwater bath or fire
something to look forward to?

Let go of that thought for a moment and just be mindful
of your surroundings and let yourself quiet down

Pretty soon, the animals will speak up and do their thing
What messages does Nature have for you to receive?

Let your inner child remember the surprise birthday party of every moment
Expectations are forgotten as exploration and discovery is your experience

May we be empowered to flex our co-creative dreaming muscles consciously –
so that we can weave them into our waking reality

We have explored how the Empire prefers to remain hidden by going unexamined
As such, we have been told a patriarchical story that
glamorize a dominant script of masculine power

But the Emperor Penguin is a good role model for redefining masculinity . . .
Showing us that Father Sun nurtures Mother Earth with loving warmth

Historically, a nurturing role has typically been ascribed to women and femininity
Penguin alters our traditional ideas of gender roles into a

New dream for humanity where we sew creative feminine threads
Woven together into a new masculine tapestry with energetic equanimity

Hope to see onward up the trails,

Ari

Becoming a Full Wolf Moon

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Picture a Wolf as you tune in to the energies of a Full Moon arriving on Saturday . . .

May we remember our mystical connections to the Moon –
Awakening perceptual hidden knowledge and wisdom

Beaming in the light of consciousness in our everyday realities . . .

Let Wolf invoke your own wise teacher within
to help you find your own path to follow

Wolf’s tracks reveal wise spiritual guidance counsel along the trails
Encouraging us to allow our diverse hearts to beat together in oneness

Bring back balance to our energetic pack connection to one another . . .
May we harmonize with our diversity in unity

Mercury in Retrograde spins yesteryear recordings of a time
when hungry wolf packs howled outside old tribal villages

How do your past experiences play out in your present reality?
What do you have to learn about yourself from past relationships and experiences?

Sometimes we are revisited by meaningful connections in our consciousness
through dreams, visions or even physical contact

Winter is a natural time of year to open-up our hearts to feel sadness
It is healthy for us to grieve the passing
of our loved ones who are no longer physically with us in our lives

Perhaps a past relationship or a change in your identity has resurfaced for you

It is good to process these feelings about past relationships
that have faded away in time and space

May we resurrect their imprint that lives on inside our souls . . .

Training ourselves to let go of our fear of loss and shed old scar tissue
Reveals the depth and power of love

As humans, we will always have attachments
Because we are entangled with form

But as spiritual beings having human experiences
We can soften our attachments by relaxing the ties that bind

Call on your guides, like Archangel Michael to help you with this process
Or get some good therapy to help you along

Gone are the days of being a lone wolf

Contemplate your politics of anger for a moment . . .

Donald Trump personifies hiding behind the surface of this primal emotion
Just observe how he feels justified in building a Berlin Wall around his heart
and greedily buys into a segregationist us and them mentality –
Capturing those sentiments shared by the Fear Factor in others

But Bernie Sanders strikes a chord of an Aquarian we consciousness that resonates
with the collective will of the people in much the same way
as Civil Rights activists transformed their anger into positive and constructive action
Like him, many of us understands that we are all in this together

A more fair and just society belongs to all of us . . .
Equality means that the voices of black folks, GLBTQ people
and others that are marginalized
are just as important for us to hear as humans that sit in privilege

Economic strangulation suffocates all of us, whether realized or not

Are you feeding your inner wise wolf or the angry wolf?

Hope to see you onward up the trails,

Ari

Listening to the Magical Music of Crows

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Crows work together with watchful eyes
Their alert and wary energy symbolizes clear views of the horizon

They remind us that “today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday”

What messages are on their way for you to receive?

Time to recycle familiar infiltrated trash piles
to transform into renewal energy during a darkening moon

We are moving further away from Fall . . .
Days are fading into primordial darkness –
in a black like Crow kind of way

The Samhain marks mid-point between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice

Before too long –
The Winter Solstice will be here in the Northern Hemisphere
Our darkest day of the year before we begin to coax back the light

Seasons hold up mirrors revealing that
everything is transitory and ephemeral

In much the same way as our world is evolving . . .

Fossilized old world coins printed in a business as usual love story
Will crystallize into an egoless new world economy

Time to open your hearts to the idea of investing in loss
to cash in on win-win outcomes measured by the
exponential growth of getting what you no longer want

The time is now to honor the spirits of our ancestors
and let go of yesterday’s old wounds

May we give back the baggage that was handed down to us
and ask them to lighten their load by shedding dead skin
so they may walk in the light

Spirituality transcends physical laws
By bending the will of materialism

Peering into our shadow sides
Illuminates a pathway into our soul’s den to awaken creativity

Darker months give us the opportunity to see that
creation is born out of the feminine womb of life

Do you see the mystical and magical opportunities
for creativity in your daily routine?

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Tunneling Underground with Groundhog

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Groundhogs radically lower their body temperature, respiration and heartbeat
Securing a protected slumber to keep safe and sound while frozen in time
During this week’s Full Snow Moon

Do you ever feel like you are sleepwalking through life in a hypnotic trance?
Every day is the same
Like Bill Murray’s character in the iconic film Groundhog Day
Even when killing himself, he cannot escape his suffering

But there is a way out of our suffering by leaning into our pain

A Groundhog’s Winter hibernation
Symbolizes death and rebirth while we are breathing
Waking-Up the embers of underground unconsciousness
Unearthing mysteries of death without dying

Pregnant with dreamy seeds of who we want to become
When Spring Eclipse season buds into our consciousness
While slumbering in dark tunnels of our soul

Lucid dreaming sheds light on our underground digging and tunneling
Do you feel your subconscious mind waking-up?

Life and death are deeply mysterious unknowns
But we do not have to physically die to live
with a healthy relationship with our mortality

Regardless of the weather forecast, unexpected changes happen
Order and chaos are in a fluctuating tango
Our boarders and edges soften with time

Are you sending clear signals for boundaries you want respected?

Mercury in retrograde resurrects relationships from our past
Use this period to release and let-go of stagnant energies
Like feeling abandoned, rejected, resentful or bitter
Gently allowing healing to take place instead of developing an attitude

Regarding past regrets . . .
Remember that you win when you choose forgiveness
Give yourself permission to grieve so that you can move forward

Are you handling the accompaniment of mixed and conflicting feelings
that are rising up to the surface without getting stuck in global overwhelm?

But rather than skillfully avoiding our pain and discomforts
Through sophisticated symptom relief . . .
If only we develop our tolerance threshold, accept and even embrace
our internal deaths and rebirths with grace

We breathe in the fresh air of every living moment . . .
And then exhale its death in the next moment of kin . . .

We can let go of our resentments and digest bitter
Relaxing the charge we have felt by our pain

If only we learn to live in the present as it happens
We gently allow a distant past of abuses or projected future fantasies
Pass with care

We awaken to the metaphor of reincarnation
Transcending the Law of Cause and Effect
Reworking and revisiting Groundhog Day
Into a magical mystery tour of
Right Now!

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Facing North with Lynx

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Facing North with Lynx
We venture across space and time
Discovering hidden lost treasures

How do we allow past lives
Illuminate the shadows of the present
To set sail toward clear skies ahead?

Nature gives birth to our blueprint orientations
But we are free to make our own footprints

What has been passed on to you by your ancestors?

While tracking with our snow shoe paws
We awaken to Heavenly knowledge of Dreamtime

What secret forecasts are hiding behind the clouds?

Remember that solitude need not be a lonely experience

Are your distractions a sleep-aid to your soul promptings?

Think outside the box . . .
What solutions do you hear echoing from stillness speaking?

Do you see or hear an unseen core of truth?

Lynx medicine is akin to spiritual x-ray vision
We peer deeper into our empathic connections in relationship

What do we do with this information?

As we move further away from the Winter Solstice
Closer to Groundhog Day, Chinese-Lunar New Year and then Spring Equinox
It becomes easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel

But in this darkness, it is a good time for
watching our surfacing dark feelings with a gentle gaze

Painful as they may be, it is wise to be informed by them
Without holding onto the shores
Or becoming consumed by their emotional darkness

May we write injuries in dust, benefits in marble

It has been 20 years since my mom killed herself
Half my lifetime ago

Leaving behind so much grieving for all of us
Such a challenge digging through the dark without losing sight of the light
Hasn’t been the first time I’ve been knocked down
And it won’t be the last

But the bell I choose to listen to
Is a bell of mindfulness

When I look to the past, I live in the present, with my eye on the future
Whatever I get hit with
I’m going to keep getting back up
And you can too

Lynx is a good reminder to hold onto knowledge with watchful eyes
Knowing that sometimes silence is a higher form of honesty
Even in transparency, we respect confidentiality

Now Mercury is in retrograde
Let go of left brain, rational, logical trying to figure it all out cognitive processes

Might as well go with the flow and open up to allowing
creative, intuitive, illogical and feminine faculties
to come out and play

Are you trusting your instincts?

Open minds channel alternative pathways and novel thinking

Seeing ourselves as eternal springs with an unlimited internal well of resources
helps shift from a victim mentality toward our True soul power

Clean care and clean Love burns greener energy into our atmosphere

Feed your soul with full-bellied laughter
Let your love and light shine on by wearing a genuine heart-smile

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Out on the Ponds with Loon

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism

A waning Full Moon and Western New year passed us by last week
Later on next month we come into a Chinese-Lunar New Year
Streaming in undercurrent tides of Spring energetics

From dusk til dawn . . .
Loon guides us further into the oceanic depths of the Dreamtime
Calling out to us to reawaken hidden selves

Do your underwater dreams want to come up for air?

A cold winter blanket makes for warm self-reflection

Old hopes, wishes and dreams are wanting to express themselves right now
Submerged within the depths of our sea of consciousness

Are you allowing your imagination and dream life to work for you?

Venture across the outer waters of your soul’s terrain
Into mysterious dark places wanting to see the light of day

Do you need to get our of your box and
become more comfortable in different environments?

Silent lucidity changes the trajectory of our dreams
Shifting our gears into unexplored trails of our unfolding life maps

Are you having a hard time distinguishing fantasy from reality?

Cultivating a sacred space breathes stability into
our free-spirited fluctuations in feelings and imaginative possibilities

Home is where the Heart is
But not without minding your head

Do you ever feel like your life is a re-run of a reality show gone mad?

Take a step-back and become a spiritual watcher
noticing how our thoughts and feelings connect
the dots of our repetitive behavioral patterns

Are we allowing ourselves to grieve those close to us that have passed on recently?
Feeling the funeral procession and ring tone of feelings that
reverberate in ghostly acoustics

Facing our own mortality can be terrifying . . .
Begging questions regarding what happens to us when we die?

In the death of Winter, unexpected losses leave behind
dark and stormy mixed emotions
When faced authentically, they add to the complexities of living

And celebrate their time alive we will
While tuned in to a spirited living drumbeat in your soul today

Listening to our bodies reveals balancing work, play, rest and diet

Without meditation as a critical part of our daily routine
It will become harder to sit with what is now
and moving onward along the trails ahead
Distractions to following our soul path will become more challenging

A slow and low tempo heeds
Universal promptings that are designed to return our energy to ourselves

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

In the Driver’s Seat with Cat

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism

Cat’s medicinal power sees effectively in the dark night
Watching the veils thin before our eyes
Opening perceptual doors revealing our own Divine sunlight

A stinger of a Scorpio New Moon has passed us by
With seasonal reminders that everything old is new again

Now we pounce toward Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day

Are you using your cat-like powers in a positive light?

Releasing old ghost stories gives birth to spirited new character development
Are your underlying emotional cards fanned out on the table?
Or are you hiding beneath tales from the crypt?
Dark emotions carry venom only when bottled up and then acted out in toxic ways

Cat’s eye can give you a glimpse into facing passed down fears from our ancestors
This is a good time of year to symbolically give back those inherited burdens
Through telepathic, prayer, meditation or visualization communication rituals

A quiet mind is an aware mind when calm and relaxed
Do whatever you can to conjure up inner peace

Feminine powers brew magical mystery tours
in mystically soulful cauldrons

Are life’s obstacles merely tricked treats cloaked in a brilliant disguise?

Being a leader affords wizardly empathic glimpses
into divergent viewpoints of our charges

Cat awakens paradoxical energies
Purring telepathic messages
Meowing that even a loner can become a social creature

Or are you like Dog and need to become more independent?
Do you need to become more discriminate in your choice of companions?

Are you weighed down by voices of guilt and resentments?
Replace them with a forgiving and compassionate heart

Setting an intention of mindful awareness in our daily doings
disassemble any robotic short circuits in our politics of living

Following downstream rivers of bliss
mirrors an outer fun house that won’t drive you mad

In spite of our circumstances or what we deem should or should not have happened
We remember to run the play and follow our shots
When Life deals us a full court press

See you further on up the trails,

Ari