Tag Archives: New Age

Full Moon Right Tao Fading Into Zen

Posted on by under Original Poetry, Uncategorized

Full Moon Right Tao Fading Into Zen

Howlin’ at this Full Lunar Eclipse . . . Now becoming the Moon . . . The spirited Wolves within are fighting again . . . Obi Wan Kenobi in me showcases a continuum of profane (Empire) and sacred energy (Chi) . . . But Dark Vader steroid infused Robocops feed the seductive trigger happy electricity of anger . . . I dig on the freaky folks that are mad to live-mad to love hip stray cats . . . Swingin’ good times . . . Forgotten forecast of remembering when pendulum swings back to blurred boundaries of murky polluted waters . . . 21st Century Bohemians . . . A beatnik lion roaring in the shadowy caves about unintended consequences . . . Red carpet paparazzi . . . Who stole the soul of the designer drug-white tongue on Montana . . . Madonna, just imagine BRC as yo’ daddy . . . Our polyamorous friends swear they’re living a Great Gatsby . . . Is this anarchy an escape from intimacy? . . . Forget about it, a Blue Blood’s burden is a distracted workin’ man’s blues fantasy . . . Lost Tweens On The Waterfront, where mister there’s an exit of anger and denial . . . n’ straight outta homeless nervous woodland creature energies residing in the trash while jacked up on coffee beans, ma chucka . . . Addiction is a distraction from a soul’s responsibility to wake up to our Homo Luminosity. . . Praying to an Imaginary Friend (Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge) . . . Heeding a callback before technology overtakes our humanity . . . Virtually the brain’s same centers light up during awakened doings . . . See you on the dark side of the moon . . . Ghosts of Yesteryear’s Twilight Zones . . . The sign says stop and smell the roses brothers and sisters

Eagle In Flight

Posted on by under Original Songs, Uncategorized

Eagle in Flight

A step from the light
A step from the dark
Close to fallin’
Close to flight

And I’ve got stage fright . . . In the dark tonight
A Soarin’ Eagle in Flight . . . In the skies tonight
A sunlit moon twilight . . . On A Starry Night

A leap of faith
Into an ocean’s abyss
Close to drownin’
Close to fate I’d miss

And I’ve got stage fright . . . In the dark tonight
A Soarin’ Eagle in Flight . . . In the skies tonight
A sunlit moon twilight . . . On A Starry Night

Here I’m standing still
Life’s pulse I can feel
This moment surreal
This experience is real

And I’ve got stage fright . . . In the dark tonight
A Soarin’ Eagle in Flight . . . In the skies tonight
A sunlit moon twilight . . . On A Starry Night

Now my Heart beats alive
My emotions I drive
Your perspective I see
In my own arms I am me

And I’ve got stage fright . . . In the dark tonight
A Soarin’ Eagle in Flight . . . In the skies tonight
A sunlit moon twilight . . . On A Starry Night

This Land Is Your Land Revisited

Posted on by under Original Songs, Uncategorized

This Land Is Your Land Revisited

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York islands
From the Redwood Forests, to the Gulf Stream waters . . .
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land, this land is my land
From our Lost Wages, to the stock exchange
From the cookie cutter suburbs, to the water treatment plants . . .
This land was made for my SUV

This land is your land, this land is my land
From corporate propaganda, to the Woodstock Nation
From the self-evident truths, to expanded consciousness . . .
This land was made for Liberty

This land is your land, this land is my land
From crafty politicians, to fortune telling
From intellectual constructs, to intuitive understanding . . .
This land was made for reciprocity

This land is your land, this land is my land
From telepathic communication, to respecting diversity
From free for service economies, to dreaming a New Dream collectively . . .
This land was made for Aquarian Unity

Weaving Webs with Spider Co-creatively

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

Does anyone notice the abundance of spider webs out on the trails? Although small in stature, Spider’s medicinal powers weave creation into our daily lives. The energy of Spider inspires us to walk in the center of a circle, but without getting too swayed in any one direction. Maintaining a balanced perspective is a key ingredient to Spider’s teachings. Waking up to the spider within informs us of “instant Karma” and the power of our actions. Sometimes, our actions have unintended consequences. This is why we want to weave an intention of a pure heart and clean mind into our spirited travels, so that our souls will manifest into our material realm in that light. “So it was that Spider wove the first primordial alphabet, as she had woven the dream of the world that had become manifest.” Spider is shaped like a figure 8, symbolic of the sign of infinity. In this space, we open to the kaleidoscopic portal of the Quantum world. Three is a magical number. As such, Spider expresses magic in the form of creative expression, effectively asserting that communication and a convergence of its web’s spiraling energies at a central location. We all have a primordial desire to freely express ourselves with authenticity. And when we do not heed this prompting, we feel held back.

There is still much secrecy woven into the Imperial matrix of our Planet today. We see the veils thinning when the surveillance practices of the NSA were revealed by whistleblowers recently. The light of consciousness wants to illuminate the shadows. Don’t the pundits realize that comparing President Obama to a Nazi is akin to “calling the kettle black”? What is so romantic and sensuous about fascism in the first place? Like a perceived utopia, the idea is that the “ends justify the means”. But Life isn’t like that. Let us remember that the dominant majority likes to go unexamined. Who is authorizing the attack of the drones, the endless wars and escalating violence on Earth? Humans that get caught up in an illusionary web struggle with seeing the writing on the wall and beyond the “world of 10,000 things.” Our fears and limitations will entangle us unless we find creative ways to express ourselves authentically and respectfully. The arrogance of getting too ensconced inside a self-woven web blinds us from what lies along the intra-galactic outer rim. Spider shows us that “time is God”, in that there is a Divine Plan, while providing linkages to the past and the future. But not at the expense of the living moment. Self-awareness is a key that unlocks the padlocks of unconsciousness, spiritually speaking. An effective transition into a New Age is a process and it starts with your unfolding. As a matter of fact, we are all of spirit, thus spirit matters.

Nature reveals an unfolding process of changing weather fronts that sometimes shows us uncomfortable forecasts. However, we can move gracefully in our spiritual growth. There is a sense of security in a New Age and Paradigm, in that if one way doesn’t work, another way will. Recognizing that there is predictability in unpredictability can be liberating to the psyche. It is natural to want to feel a sense of security, order and control. But within any healthy structure, there needs to be novelty. I hardly think any child diagnosed with AD/HD wouldn’t get too bored with the status quo and act out to show the system that it’s being too rigid. At the same time, too much permeability and permissiveness is out of balance and dangerous as well. By spinning with the dark night within, Spider helps us weave our primordial creations so that our creativity walks in the sunlight and wakes up to the light of day. Are you weaving your dreams and imaginings into reality? Are you using your creative opportunities? Do you need to write? Are you feeling closed in or stuck? Do you know where you are on the map? Are you or those in your orbit walking in balance? Are you moving toward a central goal or scattered in multiple directions? Are you staying focused? Are you over-involved with others or too self-absorbed? Are you becoming resentful of yourself by not focusing on your own accomplishments, or resentful of others by focusing too much on their accomplishments?

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Spreading multi-dimensional love with Hummingbird

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

When encountering Hummingbird out on the trials, we remember that humming to ourselves creates an internal massage that changes our vibration. In turn, we stay light on our feet by becoming more equipped to appreciate Life’s beauty. Hummingbird medicine helps us invoke the internal spiritual master within. Although being disciplined is the scholarly thing to do on our spiritual path, we also remember that laughter and having a good time is healthy food for the soul. Hummingbird dazzles us with its ability to fly in all directions, stop on a dime and hover in place. I wonder how many aviation engineers had Hummingbird totems when designing advanced aircraft that creates an air of light-hearted joy when taking flight?   Meditation on Hummingbird might help you co-create a powerful spiritual vessel for effective navigation.

Perhaps visualizing Hummingbird will help you venture into the Dreamtime and bring back what you need to adequately function in this reality. Given “everything is so ephemeral,” why not lighten up and let go our attachments to our fleeting and transient small stuff? Hummingbird reminds us to fly away from becoming too serious or sweating the small stuff. I hardly think Hummingbird gets too hung up or stressed about being such a small aircraft when called to making a seemingly impossible 2500 mile journey. It’s as if Hummingbird is hip to Crab’s crustaceanal wit that recommends picturing water to return to the Dreamtime and our primordial memories. In this space, we remember to balance sensitivity and reclusiveness. Being on guard with and overprotective of our emotions (re-playing mental tapes that say,”conceal rather than reveal”) blocks trust and allowing for authentic exchanges with other human beings. If a hummingbird can tackle such an apparently daunting obstacle with such grace, then why can’t we?

This sounds all well and good until we remember that tragedy and loss are typically unwelcome aspects of Life. As such, it is important to give ourselves permission to grieve. Many of us sit with the tension of opposites in our Being. On the one hand, humanity is embarking on a radical spiritual evolution. However, we also are doing very stupid things with our intelligence. Whether imperial military welfare in the Middle East, miserly domestic social programs, restoration of our rainforests via ecosensitive business practice or the proliferation of meditation in the modern world–we sit with the tension that we are all doomed as well as “life is good”. But it is also true power to realize “you can’t feel good when you’re feeling bad about feeling bad.”  “Hummingbird can give us the medicine to solve the riddle of the contradiction of duality.” Instead of debating, arguing and making judgements about opposite sides of the same coin, we learn to accept and embrace All That Is. Having an open, loving heart allows us to taste the sweetness of Life’s nectar. Embodiment of this internal space brings out the best in folks. Staying away from ugliness, harshness, discord and disharmony is what the levity of Hummingbird conjures up within our Being. Flowers and plants love that Hummingbird allows them to cross-pollinate through their sucking. How many practitioners in the healing arts using flower essences have distilled their wisdom from Hummingbird’s spirited medicinal knowledge?

While venturing with Hummingbird, we walk in the sunlight with a restored sense of health and balance. Life, like sugar, is sweet when we drink in its nectar. Are you getting too much or too little sugar in your diet? Do you put up a front of being sweet, but without indulging in sweetness? Is this an intimacy issue that surfaces as a need for control?

 

See you further along on the trails,

Ari

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

How far down the Rabbit hole do you want to go?

Posted on by under Uncategorized

As deeper souls, the leaps we take in our creative development are not without moments of stopping on a dime, hopping around and sometimes having an effective exit strategy.  Rabbit medicine reminds us to harness our creativity by getting in touch with our own fertility.  Further, our business can be our pleasure, while Rabbit helps us bring play into our work.  When our avocation is our vocation, we paradoxically notice results even though we have let go of outcome, through learning the process of investing in loss.  Given their 28 day birth to independence cycle, the energy of Rabbit symbolically links us to the Lunar calendar.  Rabbit embodies the internal martial arts by modeling quickness and defensive action.  Given that rabbits are most active at dusk and dawn, their spirited teachings serve as a portal to the Faery realm, or the space between the material and spirit realities.   

Climate Changes today require that we face great developmental challenges during the transition into a shifting consciousness and New Age.  Our friends in Congress act as roadblocks by enacting back door deals that cut entitlement programs, while boasting like thieves after a looting.  Their gall to give away the niceties of Democracy to protect their own egotism is alarming.  Palestinian activists were bullied off their tent villages by Israeli soldiers, in much the same way our Native American brothers and sisters were by American troops at that time.  But today, our weaponry is more sophisticated and concentrated than it was back then.  With women’s rights on the rise, how do men redefine masculinity in a way that moves beyond wimp or Rambo?  Given the education to prison pipeline that exists in modern America, how do we discipline our children effectively so that they learn from natural and logical consequences, so that they become more inner-directed and self-governing?  Otherwise, our children will look forward to society making decisions for them by locking them up in institutions like prisons and mental hospitals.  This starts in the womb of the home.  Parents need to understand that by giving our children too much freedom, but without setting age-appropriate limits is a receipt for disaster.  I have a brother in jail who is a poster child for this manifestation and will essentially spend his 30’s locked up, provided he exhibits good behavior.  If we do not teach our children the skills to handle the accompanying price tag of responsibility, then we set them up for failure.  I know past students who have fallen prey to mental illness and criminal behavior because they did not learn to take ownership for their actions, make amends and move forward.  Instead, they have given away their power by becoming victims.  In many cases, bad parenting, disability advocates, lawyers and school boards only concerned about the bottom line help perpetuate this vicious cycle.  What we have here is systemic toxicity that certainly isn’t healed by more offshore drilling, drone strikes, manufacturing pesticides that are killing bees and the US Navy decimating our oceans with sonar military might.  Is this not a developmentally delayed value set?

With Rabbit as Animal Spirit guides, we can acquire the skills of gentleness, versatility, quickness and creativity when studying their lesson plans.  Do you need to slow down?  Have you been too busy hopping from one project to another?  Do you need to bring more compassion and modesty in your relations with others?  Are you unconsciously asking Great Spirit to bring more of what you are afraid of to your waking reality?  Remember the wisdom of what we resist persists.  Remember to breathe in your feelings, while allowing yourself to experience and embrace them running through your Being and then releasing them to Mother Earth for healthy compost.  As we transition closer toward the Spring Equinox, it becomes clearer that our growth may arrive in leaps and hops.  When we pay attention to the signs and attune to the Moon, we become more equipped to snatch up the carrot of opportunities that briefly arrive in our field of vision.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Resurrecting the Light with Beetle

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Last week, we followed Dog tracks.  Along the trails, I found myself being more affectionate with my family and mindful of boundaries in relationships. While celebrating the Winter Solstice, we noted hot topics of gratitude and letting go, while coaxing back the light.  On the Gregorian calendar, we embark on 2013 and continue pressing onward in our Consciousness’ assent.  We are in the process of Climate Change and co-creating a New Earth right now and you are It.  Some folks were terrified of Doomsday scenarios that promised the end of the world.  Others were disappointed about being disappointed that our dying old world didn’t fall off the cliff, while immediately being transformed into a Golden Age on the day after.  But aliens didn’t take over and Hillary Clinton went to the hospital–thankfully receiving quality health care without worry of how to pay for it.  Soon we welcome the arrival of the Chinese-Lunar New Year, as Spring begins budding underground with Groundhog.  Before too long, we will know energetic balance again on the Spring Equinox in March.  I awoke the other night to a clear vision of a Beetle gleaming across my inner sky.  Like the Sun’s movement across the sky, Beetle moves from East to West.   Mother energy has been revisiting us at this time, as feminine-yin energy is dominant and we are turning more inward.  Meditating on Beetle medicine is like tapping into a mutable orientation.  Whether we are Franz Kafka or an Average Joe, we are all capable of metamorphosis.  Is anyone else inspired by a bug’s capacity to radically change from an egg to a grub stage and then fly away as a winged creature?  In women, this is somewhat akin to menopause or “mentalpause” as I have heard it called.  Do I embrace this heated change or fight it like a war on something I reject? 

During our tracking right now, many of us remember our heavy heartfelt losses.  There is much pain and it is hard to make friends with that.  Picture the horribly uncomfortable position of grieving the death of a partner, while giving birth to a new child simultaneously.  Some folks have lost their jobs, their homes or gone through gut-wrenching break-ups, separations or divorce.  Even our worried well in the pampered West, are waking up to the hard times we are living in.  Others feel like they don’t know who they are anymore and are uncertain of who they are becoming.  In the mystery of Life, has anyone ever lost a loved one to suicide, unexpected death or any other permanent physical good-bye?  It is a mixed blessing to feel the spirit of the season and also really feel the deep hurt and anger regarding our myriad of deeply traumatic soul wounds, including the inequities, pain and suffering on our planet today.  After I lost my mom to suicide, I felt abandoned and forced to enter into adulthood with deeper wounds than your average Bear.  I had already felt that before she whacked herself, but the void widened, part of me died as well.  But it wasn’t the first time I felt that way, nor will it be the last.  Tempting as it was pursuing career goals, objectives and being driven to distraction–doing the inner work is always what yields fruitful  and sustainable returns.  Living isn’t really sustainable until we wake up to our deeper feelings, while stoking the fiery embers of passion and courage to move toward intimacy, while letting go of egocentric avoidance tactics that keep us asleep.  Some of us have fantastic avoidance mechanisms in place that get in the way of us getting in touch with our deeper souls. 

The old world of white privilege is dying too and it is OK to grieve that.  Some white folks feel like they are losing their country and for them, things seem to be getting worse and they are feeling resentful about it.  Some complainants at the top of the economic food chain do not think it is fair that they might have to pay a little more if the Bush tax cuts fade away.  But a simple perceptual shift reveals that when the playing field is leveled for everyone else, there is enough and we can all win.  When I see a community of straight white men going out on a limb and intimately sharing their feelings around a fire and cheering for gay folks being allowed to join our formerly exclusive club–it fills my heart with hope to see Karma being cleared.  Yes, social change is slow and Great Spirit works in mysterious ways.  Human rights, gay rights, gender equality, civil rights, worker rights and culturally sensitive mental health assessments and testing and equal access to resources are all manifestations of our forward progress.  But we need to remember that conservative energy anchors us in our traditions and be sensitive to that too.  Sometimes this looks like taking one step up and two steps back. 

We cannot always be in control of our lives and remain in our inner peace bubble.  Spiritual beings having a human experience need to come down from the mountain and learn to be on the ground with our fellow brothers and sisters.  Sometimes, our securities wane gradually, while at other times they wash away instantly.  We need to remember that we can control our attitude and how we respond to the cards that are dealt, regardless of how uncomfortable we feel about them.  But the democratic process is messy.  We are all in this together and we all have a say in the great waves of changes coming our way.

Stay True,

Ari

Dog as my Co-Pilot

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Does anyone out there remember the bitter taste that accompanies being taken out of inner peace?  While sitting in the hot seat recently, I reflected on my own tendency to get distracted from the distractions, while yielding at taking a closer look at the cumulative effect of what has taken root.  Haven’t I already been there, done that?  Didn’t I already deal with this old wound and can’t I just get on with it?  Did I mention getting really pissed off about it?  But it is the journey, not the destination.  Meditation reminds us that within the process of taking a closer look, we wake up to the deeper layers of our souls–while carrying an accompanying gift bag to make friends with that.  If you are anything like my dying old self, perhaps you have allowed your ego to play spirited tricks on yourself to keep you asleep.  One popular technique is cleverly bypassing the deep hurt of traumas, such as abuse and abandonment issues.  Have you observed the voice in the head that asserts a convincing argument that you have successfully bypassed a putrid stench that you would rather avoid smelling?  However, from a position of empathy, how can I expect to truly blossom into a new flower and sow the seeds of Love, if I do not allow myself the shitty job of composting?  When working Dog medicine in the positive, Dog is a good reminder to heed their message to delve deeply into our soul’s sense of service to others.  The spirit of dog helps us remember our human shortcomings, both in self and in relation with others.

Descendants of coyotes and wolves, I can’t help but appreciate Dog’s presence during the past 10,000 years of our human story.  When I was a child, sometimes I felt myself transform into a greyhound as soon as my feet hit the playground during recess.  I would impatiently stare at the clock and fantasize about the bell signaling to us that it was time to get outside and play.  In fact, it was a magical experience that I shared with constitutionally similar alpha male types that featured behaviors labeled today as AD/HD in clinical speak.  While at a holiday brunch with friends recently, this memory inundated me when a woman commented that she thought a greyhound would be a good fit in our home, should we ever add a dog to the litter.  And then I shared a heartfelt connection with a similar canine breed while tracking in the woods.  I don’t know how our cat with queen bee and feral tendencies would feel about it, but I don’t think the guinea pigs would feel threatened.  And our child is getting older and could help out with the care-taking responsibilities, so I want to be open to the possibility.  In the meanwhile, you don’t have to be a dog lover to feel inspired to be more good-natured, affectionate, friendly, travel in packs and see the good in folks without being judgemental.  Dog is a good remedy to become more devoted in our relationships and nurturing and protective as parents.  Dog also helps us remember to be more discriminate with our personal boundaries and remember to not give our power away to others when looking for direction.  There’s nothing wrong with seeking consultation or guidance through friends, therapists, coaches, etc.  But when it comes to our own souls, we need to explore the depths of information available there.  Ingesting Dog’s energy teaches us how to be more affectionate and faithful companions.  As adults, we teach our children how to become healthy humans by having fun, playing and enjoying life.  Remember that modeling is the most powerful form of teaching.  The old world of “do as I say, not as I do” or “children should be seen but not heard” is dying, as is too permissive, negligent and rigid parenting styles.  Discipline comes from the Latin word disciplina, which means to teach.  Lecturing my own child and students about being a spiritual being having a human experiences is not as powerful or meaningful as working together to prepare a family style meal and hugging good-bye after breaking bread with folks from the office.  It doesn’t matter if you are a union member or not, we all need to tend to our core.  How do you like them apples? 

When we take an authentic look within ourselves and the world around us, we feel the deep anger and hurt from real gut-wrenching atrocities and inequities that abound our Planet today.  The other night, I had a clear dream of a dirty nuclear explosion, juxtaposed with an elaborate, composting mechanism that produced green energy, leaving a crystal-clear Carbon Footprint.  Even gated communities and executive neighborhoods in leafy suburban communities have a darkness on the edge of town.  Whether we target greedy wealthy individuals that throw temper tantrums about so-called fiscal cliffs, blame secularism, gay folks for raising kids or Jeremy speaking in class today–we need to dive deeper to find the pearl within.  There will be no peace in our world until we find it within ourselves.  Riding with Dog as your co-pilot will help you effectively navigate through your journey.  On December 21, we said good-bye to our last Winter Solstice on an old Mayan Calendar.  On December 28, we welcome our last Full Moon of 2012.  Did anyone else feel a shift in our collective consciousness?  In a community of men, we stood around a fire and expressed our deep feelings of gratitude, letting go and hopes for a better world, while coaxing back the light.  Further, we reflected that all it takes is a perceptual shift to dissolve our violent and aggressive tendencies to let go and let God when Life’s happenings feel out of control.  At the end of the day, Great Spirit created us in a Blueprint of Love.  Now if the predator in me remembers that at the scent of a de-cleater during our next Sunday morning football game, we’ll all breathe cleaner air, while here on the ground.

Stay True,

Ari