Tag Archives: Full Moon

Moose’s Meditations on Balancing the Gracefulness of Deer and the Stampede of Buffalo

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After digesting last week’s hot Summer Solstice supper and Full Moon buffet, some of the intense feelings are waning from that feast. Butterfly’s kisses reminded us of our natural support networks within our souls that are equipped to transform and gently allow ourselves to let go of fixed ideas, thus waking up to the reality of inner peace. This week, the energy of Moose greets us on the trails to remind us to honor our own authority. There is nothing wrong with being open to the feedback of our peers in community. That is how we grow. But when we honor the choices that we make, we know a deeper sense of freedom and responsibility. Recognizing our karma in this space realizes the illumination of our inner guidance so that we may follow it. At the end of the day, calling on the Moose within our own Being reveals our own inner warrior that facilitates the process of fearlessly address self-esteem issues that might be lurking in our subconscious. In our community, we woke up this week to an explosion that scared us all out of our sleep. An elderly man was killed in his house by his propane tank exploding. Scared straight as I was, I carefully checked out the scene to assess for safety. I focused on feeling gratitude for Life and the concerned members of our community coming together to talk authentically about our feelings with one another. And my heart went out to those who live with explosions and other tragedies in their everyday life. Moose is good food for the soul when waking up to your own authority. There is an internal sense of protection in that.

 

American society and our modern world is an applause culture, where we covet our 15 minutes of fame. While being popular with everyone is unrealistic, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and feel a sense of belonging in our World. During the daily positive works of co-creating a New Earth, it is natural for us to want to share with one another “the spontaneous explosion of joy that comes from the deepest part of one’s being.” Moose medicine wakes us up to balancing the gentleness of Deer with Buffalo’s stampede. Moreover, the energy of Moose guides us to “know what to say, when to say it, and to whom.” Rather than robotic transactions within the social environment, meditation on Moose medicine opens up our souls to a deeper place of inner knowing. Rather fading away into an egotistical realm of manipulation and sense of “I got what I wanted”, our souls brighten-up with the energy of Moose.

 

Whether being profiled by the IRS, NSA or other shadowy government-business relationships, we are in transition from leaving behind an old world that values protecting the privilege of the “opulent minority” against the leveling impulses of “overwhelming majority”. Developmentally, we are growing up toward a more egalitarian view in our Consciousness. We see this old world-New Age tension play out when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of equality of our gay brothers and sisters right to marital inclusion by striking down the “Defense of Marriage Act”. In the next breath however, the High Court ruled against equality by beating back “key enforcement provisions” in the “Voting Rights Act” that help our colorful voices being heard in politics. Is David Koch entitled to have his feelings protected because he donated $23 million to New York and Boston PBS stations? Come on folks, let us agree that we are all sensitive creatures, regardless of how big our bank account is. Encoded within our humanity, we are cognitive-emotional creatures and we need to balance our orientation with respectful communication. What are those with deep pockets and positions of power afraid we will find out about their business practices? Talk about mixed messages.

 

We have spoken before that we need to sit with contradictions and paradoxes in both our internal and external realities. How do you feel about sitting with these tensions of opposites? What do you need to do to adjust yourself on the inside, rather than acting out through denial or aggression? Meditation on Moose helps us take stock in our areas of growth during our journey here. What do you love about yourself and your developmental progress in life? What do you love about others and their developmental progress they have made in life? Consuming the energy of Moose feeds our soul’s “the magic of invisibility (and) shapeshifting camouflage.” Investing in loss of our Yang-Masculine energy wakes up our movement toward Yin-Feminine energy. Moose facilitates a graceful transition during this process. The relationship Moose has with water is symbolic of our feminine powers of intuition, creativity and sexual energy. Allowing ourselves to receive like our oceans, is bowing to the power of Moose. As a power animal, Moose helps us make transition from the death of the old self into our becoming New Life. Past lives and future selves happen within this lifetime too. While we might have a concrete and fixed idea that we “only live once”, it need not leave a bad taste in our mouths when we witness our bodies are evolving. If we don’t work at allowing ourselves to love what we do, then our souls will fade. Working with Moose is a way to brighten-up your inner light and let it shine for you and our Universe to bask in. It aids us in comprehending our spiritual lesson plan with acute hearing and sniffing things out through discernment. The spirited teachings of Moose conjure up a deepening, mindful-awareness and sensitivity to self and others that is asking to be awakened.

 

See you further on down the trails,

 

Ari      

 

 

The Return of the Blue Jay

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Somewhat akin to fascist thinking, talent has glamorous and seductive undertones. As such, talent only gets you so far Life. Moreover, like energy, it’s what we do with it that counts. Our modern world showcases many dabbling spiritual pretenders out there that front being wise gurus. The Empire’s Imperial friends in Congress prefer to go unexamined and keep us distracted with handsomely paid experts hustling the god of opinion. But don’t be fooled by the man behind the curtain. Meditation on the energy of Blue Jay give us a Crow’s view of feathering the embers of our true inner wizardry. Our healers, guides, teachers and coaches are valuable resources to us as helpers along our way. But at the end of the day, the Blue Jay within facilitates the process of getting in touch with a deeper part of our souls that reveals developmentally appropriate use of our power. I wonder if John Lennon’s Blue Jay totem soared into his consciousness when “Mind Games” arrived into his musically recorded archives?

Geopolitically, we still bear witness to an overindulgence in “rule by secrecy” behavior patterns. Cyberbullying and other criminal behavior is defensively postured as justifiable by our leadership by barking, “national security.” Really?! This silly paradigm peddles the idea that we, the “rascal multitude” are children that should be seen but not heard. There is great fear, particularly among our leaders, that “we the people” have all kinds of crazy leveling impulses to “form a Perfect Union”. From a limited perspective, this cannot be tolerated. The elitism and accompanying arrogance that flies within this energy field feels entitled to control the public mind behind closed doors because our friends at the top of the food chain believe they know what is in our best interests. While “appetite comes with eating”, does this kind of hierarchical, patriarchal and linear thinking really reflect best business practice? True it might prove lucrative, but the masterful illusion that the “ends justify the means” is merely a smokescreen. The Higher vista of Blue Jay’s perch reveals that abundance is available to all of us. We can know harmony on our Planet. Even if we whack ourselves physically, our consciousness lives in mind and spirit. Why not do what we can to provide sustainable living for our physical form through a healthy diet of mind-body-spirit nourishment? Saying yes to healthy foods, with authentic labels, respectfully produced by organic farmers being paid livable wages on healthy ground is good business. Universal health care is a right. Free public access to quality education is the hallmark of a free society that values “fairness, honesty and integrity”. During this process, holding democratic principles in our awareness is a challenge and an opportunity. Being less disposable and more mindful of our daily consumption helps us awaken to Unity Consciousness and celebrate our diverse expression of Great Spirit. We are all cut from the same cloth.

Some of us that perceive ourselves as living a more spiritually disciplined path have a tendency to overindulge in intellectualism and austerity. But “why so serious?” In our ascension onward, we need to remember that becoming a true wizard is saying yes to wearing a genuine smile during our travels. Carrying a playful, light-hearted, healthy sense of detachment in our Being helps lighten the air of a room and calms the nerves. Waking up to the idea of Reincarnation reminds us that even in the dirge of a landscape of doom and frown, there is the unmanifested potential birth of an open-hearted smile. Use the energies of the Summer Solstice on and around June 21 to light your way. Masculine-Yang is dominant on this day. As such, Light’s peak will start waning toward a Full Moon on June 23. Meditation on Blue Jay will help you balance Heaven and Earth, as consciously walking in both realms is always good medicine.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Communicating with Catbird

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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

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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

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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

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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

Black Like Crow

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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

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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

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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

Studying Wolf’s Teachings

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I remember when Cat Stevens sang, “another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody”.  A nice tune, but was he was tapping into the Moon-Dog of his soul when he penned the lyrics?  At the end of the day, it is our marriage to the Divine Light of our own souls that light our way.  Wolf’s spirited teachings guide us into the inner dens of our souls so that we will get to know ourselves on a deeper level.  Wolf offers us guidance regarding effectively using our instincts, intelligence and knowing when to be alone and when to be with family and community.  Given a Full Moon this Saturday night, it is a good time to meditate and journey with Wolf.  In this frigid cold front we are experiencing in Maine, it is difficult to imagine that the darkness is waning, while trotting toward the Chinese-Lunar New Year and Groundhog Day in February and the Spring Equinox in March.

During these shifting tides in our lives, we are asked to endure many hardships.  Right now, there is talk of yet another US war in Mali and a desire to expand the drone war without the consent of Congress or the American public.  Killer whales in the Pacific Northwest need more protection from the Endangered Species Act, not less.  Congress failed to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act, while the Pentagon agreed to expand the use of women in the military.  In the Middle East, there is a non-violent Palestinian movement to put a cease-fire on land being taken by the Israeli Netanyahu government.  Even in a relatively free society like America, if a bank wants to take away your home or the government wants to put a highway in the middle of your town (that predictably dislocates your community and creates a ghetto), then they will.  Similarly, when my mom took her life 18 years ago, she pulled the rug out from under all of us who loved her.  In spite of all the traumatic exposure, the deep soul work is yielding a place of celebration, but without being as invested, regarding my relationship with her death.  I feel her spirit with me and keep her close to my heart every day.  There is an old picture of her in my sacred meditation space that I now look upon with a gentle gaze.  But arriving at this place has not been easy.  In fact, there has been much pain and suffering.  What is the difference?  Pain is an inevitable experience in life, while suffering is a choice.  We suffer when we attach dramatic stories to our pain.  And there is ego in that.  We begin to let go of suffering, when we start accepting our pain, while loosening the grip that our egos have on our Being.  This is somewhat akin to getting sick.  We have a choice to resist our illness or we can choose to accept and perhaps even embrace our illness as part of our holistic experience.  Yes, a part of me died when my mom left this plane, I crashed and burned on the inside and I still miss her today.  But as we have discussed, even in death there is re-birth.  Even physical death is merely a transition and what matters is how we navigate the Climate Change that we face. 

We are consciousness, rather than what consciousness has identified with.  Whatever labels we attach to ourselves is really the ego trying to strengthen itself and perpetuate its fragile existence.  But it is never enough, as the ego has an insatiable hunger.  Do you feel that your relationship would be just fine if your partner would just change?  Do you feel like you would be happy if certain things had gone differently in the past, or that the current situation was somehow different from how it is right now, or if you were relaxing in some future paradise?  Even folks in the spiritual community often fall prey to clever tricks played by the ego, by perceiving oneself as on a spiritual path, while constantly striving toward “getting it” or seeking Enlightenment.  In my own humility, I can related to that.  But digging deeper into the den teaches that it is in the waking up process that understands that in the surrender, letting go and embracing the unknowing, there is a form of security and protection in that.  During our awakening, we are clearing space for what lies ahead in our journey–our current lives, next incarnation and beyond.  We are capable of releasing spirit’s entanglement with form while we are still breathing.  May the energy of Wolf help guide your path and be a faithful, loyal and protective guardian.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari