Tag Archives: Transformation

Digging Into Groundhog Day, Underground Tunneling Toward The Vernal Equinox & Riding Off Into The Sunset Of Death, Whilst Awakening To The Dawn Of Rebirth

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We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again.

–Rumi

A Full Snow Moon on February 1st sheds moonshine on the birth of February, followed by the Imbolc aka Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Energetically, spring starts now because the seeds underground are starting to think about waking up from their winter slumber.

Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, the arrival of the Vernal Equinox on March 20th marks the official onset of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The equinoxes reflect the Nature’s balance of day and night; which reveals homeostasis of yin&yang/light&dark/masculine&feminine energies.

When I think of honoring the Imbolc tradition of the approximate halfway point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, I think of the shamanic energy medicine of Groundhog as an animal spirit guide.

How many of us would benefit from waking up to an elevated state of consciousness that Groundhog awakens as a metaphor for reincarnation?

There are evolving souls in the spiritual community, who have shared that they have an attachment to a desire to not incarnate anymore, and would prefer to stay in the spirit realm after their experience in this lifetime ends.

While I respect a person’s sovereign right towards self-determination, there is wisdom in the old saying, be careful what you wish for. In order to really trust the Universe, you have to do the shadow work. The voices of trauma can be exhausting at times.

Groundhog energy medicine awakens death without dying as a real perceptible reality during the gift and many blessings of this lifetime. In this experience, we are reminded of the cyclical death and rebirth aspect of life. In every breath we take, a part of us dies, while another part of us is reborn.

Besides, science has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we have trillions of cells living within our bodies that change like tastebuds over time. From that perspective, we really aren’t the same person we once were, nor will be in the future. Might as well learn to illuminate every cell in our bodies and learn to make them smile. There’s God(ess) in that.

For you gamers out there, playing video games is akin to the shamanic death without dying experience. You get to hit the reset button, start over, get a new life, and explore different levels. The program is already there and reveals itself when the time is ripe. Beyond that, it’s up to you how to play the game. Freewill within the program’s matrix. Once you know the program, you can transcend it.

Knowing our true identities as mostly luminous, formless beings of light can be the torch that carries you toward the perceptible reality that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, we have find the eyes to see that the sun is still there, it’s just hiding behind dark clouds. More importantly, there is light within, no matter how consumed with darkness we might feel.

Just as an example, the classic American film Groundhog Day captures the sentiment of moving beyond the egoic realm of egocentric manipulation to waking up to the realm of Oneness or Unity Consciousness. Remember that Groundhog Day, like Halloween, derives from ancient traditions honored by our ancestors. I first saw this movie in High School and thought it was hilarious. Little did I know that I would end up going to college in the Pittsburgh area of Western Pennsylvania, where the film takes place, and later realize the profound spiritual depth of this movie that stands the test of time.

And then in the next clip below, we have an open hearted and high minded spiritually oriented conversation between Oprah Winfrey and Eckart Tolle to further capture the sentiment. I remember when I first picked up Eckhart’s new book at the time, The Power of Now. This was back in my social work graduate school days in Miami in the late 90s. The trauma of my mother’s suicide was still a fresh deep soul wound, and I was craving finding deeper spiritual meaning in my life to deal with the loss so that I could move forward. Upon reading the this book, I was struck by how his own suffering transformed into a radical spiritual awakening. I was inspired back Zen, and continue to be right Tao.

Flash forward to March, 2009, when Oprah brought to life the first free online planetary book club that explored this spiritual teacher’s next book, A New Earth. Both of my grandmothers died earlier that Winter. I felt triggered by their deaths, my energy field was gravely depleted, and l really looked forward to their live weekly webinar sessions. It was a light at the end of the tunnel for me at that time. I had already been working for several years as a day treatment social worker, in the same Public School community that I worked in over the past couple of decades. I still don’t know how I got out of bed to go to work in the morning during that time. Because we had meaningful connection, a concerned School Nurse I worked with at that time could see auras, and commented that she could see how weak my energy field was. Between Winter’s dirge, and my own grieving process, the time was ripe again for some more transformational inner work.

Switching horses, we will officially enter into the Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th. Fire Horse’s energy reflects greater movement, decision, freedom and courage so that we can effectively gallop into unknown frontiers.

Perfect timing for much transformation on this year’s pathways ahead. But transformation isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Growing pains are part of the process, and we do need to get off of our cushions and live our lives. May the Chi of the Fire Horse heat up our saddles, and get us off our bums, so to speak.

Speaking of blazing saddles, the Eclipse Season further fuels the flames of transformation with a Solar Eclipse on the Chinese New Year, and then a Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd. Many of you are already feeling these energies before the first eclipse takes place.

Of course, the aftershocks of the Spring Eclipse season will carry on through College Basketball’s March Madness, the Ides of March, Vernal Equinox, and into the Aries time of year. The season of Aries the Ram starts around the onset of baseball season, and energetically always feels like a new year because it is the first sign of the Western Zodiac.

As we already know, eclipses are catalysts for change and shaking up the status quo in our inner and outer worlds. There’s nothing to be superstitious about with regards to any of these energies because, like the present moment, they are what they are.

More importantly, what matters is how we align with the energies at play. Hunkering down and riding the storm out are typical conditioned human survival instincts. But instead of running away from the weather by heading down to the shorelines to get washed out; consider what the animals like rams do in times of alarming weather fronts.

Rather than resisting and fighting ominous weather, they head for the mountains to gain a better vista so that they can intelligently secure deliberate footing that harmonizes with Climate Change.

Or you can curse the weather, fight against the current or push the river, so to speak.

May all Beings be free and live in the present moment of Inner Peace,

Ari

Thinning Veils, Rising Spirits, A Full Beaver Moon, Resting In Non-Striving, Letting Go Of The Need And Impulse To Struggle & Dropping Into The Felt Sense Of Peace And Love In Your Body

Posted on by under Consciousness, Spirituality, Uncategorized

We gotta make a change…
It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes.
Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live
and let’s change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive. —Tupac Shakur

A New Moon on October 21 marks the end of Libra season, and the beginning of Scorpio. Their seasonal energies are dominant through late November, right after the next New Moon and approximately a week before Thanksgiving.

I really appreciate the willpower associated with Scorpio. It’s a good trait to be mindful of when you need to tap into your personal will that makes its home in the solar plexus chakra.

The Samhain will happen on October 31st into The Day of the Dead and All Saints Day on November 1st, and then All Souls Day on November 2nd.

Many indigenous cultures and ancestors of ours honored the ‘Thinning of the Veils’ at this time; reflecting the blurred boundary between the spirit and material realms.

A growing body of people are reawakening to, and getting in alignment with Nature and Celestial cycles and power seasons.

That’s why Halloween features wearing masks, tricks or treats. Modern festivities and holidays are inspired by older traditions that predate colonization and rampant consumerism.

Just as an example, Chinese culture still follows the lunar calendar. Speaking of the Chinese Lunar calendar, we will be transitioning from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th. Giddy up, and get ready to blaze new trails ahead. More transformation is in the air and on its way.

But before that, a New Moon in Scorpio on November 20, we are invited to delve deeply into our feelings. Desirous meaningful emotional exchanges are amplified now, even if it is not easy and you are called to make a myriad of perhaps unwanted changes in your life.

We don’t typically like challenging relationships because they can be unsettling and get us out of our comfort zones. And yet without them, we do not grow.

During these darkening days, it’s time to turn our clocks more ‘yin-ward’ as we move closer to the Winter Solstice on December 21st, the darkest day of the year. Keep in mind there is mystery and magic in everyday life. Darkness symbolizes creation. Humans are creative beings that need to cultivate creativity for life to have meaning that transcends robotic doings.

A Full Beaver Moon on November 5th reflects energies that reveal feeling safe being contingent on the need for stability. That’s tough to satisfy now, especially because change is part of life, and there are big changes happening and coming our way. The ego clings, grasps and resists what is in this world of 10,000 things…especially the material things.

This isn’t new to the human condition, but it is far more in our face with the rise of technology, fake news, etc. in the reform school called Earth. Isn’t ii poetic to notice those wearing The Emperor’s New Clothes (the ones rigging the system) throwing that term around by targeting those who have far less power than the Billionaire Class? Who payin’ you?

Part of the arriving New Aquarian Golden Earth Age is the death of an old world and old ways of being. Like any death, there is a grieving and letting go process.

Take movements like No Kings, Me Too, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street and Civil Rights as examples.

These songs of freedom and protests to the status quo reflect the will of the peoples spirit to build a more equitable, fair and just society.

We all lose (even the perceived winners) in the current paradigm. The playing field is leveling as we speak, even if it is hard for you to find the eyes to see that.

Check out the poetic song below that I reimagined many moons ago that was inspired by the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie . . .

This Land Is Your Land Revisited

Accepting ourselves for who we are does make it easier for us to find peace and tranquility in the outside world. Be mindful that the old guard (including the Establishment and ‘Trumpamania’) wants you to believe otherwise.

Consider beavers for a moment. Even when humans try to squelch their development, they can often rebuild their dams faster than they are destroyed. Beavers have an intelligence about them that understands the process of maintaining their dams and constant water levels.

Accumulating points in life’s game is less about material success. Rather its about showing up and being of service to others without being a sacrificial lamb to yourself. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Remember the Golden Rule. We are all interconnected, part of the Earth and the Universes energy.

It is a real possibility to let go of the struggle through resting in a deep sense of awareness in restful stillness,; whatever side of the fence you are on or whatever belief system might look like.

But it is highly unlikely that you will know this experience without being present and meditating consistently. You don’t have to get sucked into the drama or the struggle. It’s hard to go wrong with a heart-centered loving kindness perceptual reality.

Demonizing and hate are easy. Beaming loving kindness to everyone and everything reveals the power of love.

There is an order to the Universe. Of course there is also an interplay between order and chaos, like the fluidity of the yin and yang. Have faith and trust in the process. Don’t get sucked into the fear mongering. We don’t have to draw our swords or go to war with one another. Lighten up folks.

Rest in non-striving. Rest the need and impulse to struggle. Drop into the felt sense of peace and love in your body.

May all beings experience a letting go of the struggling and suffering; while at the same time, an awakening to inner peace as a way of free and clean living.

Ari

Snaking Along the Trails

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Snakes are slithering around in shady areas beneath the sunlight these days . . .

As such, their poisonous venom can strengthen spiritual growth

Like the energy of Snake, bullying is a strong term,
and carries a scorching bite in today’s headlines . . .

But it certainly isn’t a new phenomenon

If you get real about it, most humans have been on both
the giving and receiving end of the bullying coin . . .

As unfair and one-sided as bullying is, bystander power is an opportunity
to become an ally, and make a conscious decision
to take a stance to promote equanimity

In these days of fake news, and con artist running the show,
it can feel overwhelming to stick to the facts,
and be impeccable with your word

To wit: “the corporate media are only as liberal
as the conservative businesses that own it”

So “don’t hate the media, become the media.”

Be true to yourself, and practice speaking your truth from
a place of inner peace when standing in your own personal authority!

Just look at the opportunities for growth
in the new skins of a dimensional paradigm shift

The energy of Snake embodies transformation . . .

What old part of yourself wants to die, shed its old skin,
and awaken a new unmasking of yourself . . .

“Anger is the bodyguard of fear”

Chew on that for a moment . . .

Is your chattering monkey mind,
and subsequent emotional reactions disguised manifestations
of headaches that stem from unexpressed anger?

If you slither down the snake holes, what fears do you unearth?

Here’s to discovering inner peace along the trails of your walking meditation!

Ari

Lady and the Beetle Bug

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

Beetles symbolize the power of solar energies and new life
If you have been waiting for the sun . . .
Then now is the time to let in the sunshine of warmer days and outward growth

You only have to wait ’till Tuesday to hear voices carry
The sound of musical new beginnings accompanying this New Moon

Next week, we will reach Father Sun’s peak
A fire on the mountain that shines his lightest day of the year
On the Summer Solstice
In the Northern Hemisphere

Beetles represent metamorphosis
Like seasons changing . . .
Beetles transform from eggs to grubs to winged creatures

Nature show us that everything is transient
There is security in plans
They give us a sense of order

But chaos must also flow in the river of Life
Awakening the element of surprise

Instead of getting bugged by the chronic irritability of disappointments –
Especially when a situation doesn’t meet your expectations
Try to receive what arrives in your wake with an open attitude of detachment

It feels empowering to not take things so personally

Like oceans bowing to the streams flowing yin
We empathize with true feminine power

Saying good-bye to our old selves is just acknowledging that change is part of Life
As is being born again into a new self
Or taking a deep breath after yawning an exhalation of dead air

Just a gentle nudging to wake up instead of going back to sleep

This process is akin to resurrection and reincarnation . . .
In our soul development

But you don’t have to physically die to ascend in your skin
We are an accumulation of our choices
Past lives and future selves occur in this lifetime

Do you need to let go of the past?

Karmic Law or cause and effect does not discriminate against
A “you only live once” mindset

Our actions have consequences – some unintended
and still others lie hidden in the shade

We are not talking about punishment or eternal damnation
But it doesn not mean we throw caution to the wind

Might we allow the sunlight to illuminate the shadows?

Do you need to shine new sunlight into your life?

Meditation on Lady Bugs awaken nurturing energies of
Practicality and healthy personal space protection . . .

Synchronizing with spring and summer’s outward growth

Temperatures are heating up . . .

What hidden waterfalls of knowledge, magic and soul-searching spiritual messages
Are wanting to cool down the fiery furnace of your soul?

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

With Gulls, We See Beneath Red Herrings

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

A Full Worm Moon passed us by last week
Like Nature’s outwardly changing seasons
Our energetic tides ebb and flow internally

Herrings help us see the subtleties of communication
So that we become adept at reading what is
flying below the radar in our social environment

Genuine respect is a key ingredient to being a well-versed social animal
Our Divine constitution is awakened in this location

As shoreline birds,
Gull teaches us to see the writing on the wall and read between the lines

In between land and sea, shorelines are of places of great magic and mystery
Ordinary spaces between our busy events are wanting to be seen as extraordinary

Do you hear John Lennon’s voice fly in from the Dreamtime,
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

Are you willing to sail away from an old hard land
and take a leap of faith onto the shores of a fluid New World?

Seagulls remind us that reality has both surface and depth

Powerful energies are intensifying and arriving through our perceptual pathways
Like when light is let in to brighten up a dark room
We don’t always like what we see

Meditation on allowing the sunlight to illuminate the shadows
is good medicine right now

When navigating elemental forces of land and air . . .
We need to learn to swim and fly
in the multidimensional waters and skies of Life

Body language is the psychology of communication
If we are what we eat and appetite comes with eating
Then may we drink in Herrin’s teachings to stimulate a healthy diet
to clean up the ecology of our daily lives

“The personal is the political”

Whether bleeding from our deepest cuts or flesh wounds
The time is now to release and let go of our old pains

Might as well weather our shifting fronts with transformational grace

Stay alert, stay aware and be present with what is
Try not to get sucked into the control dramas of others
Or your own insidious anxieties and chattering repetitive mental tapes

Be a spiritual watcher of yourself
We are aware that we are aware

A fortress around your heart might appear to serve as protection
from being stoned by others living in glass houses

But do you believe that the sweet surrender of vulnerability
will be held up by Universal pillars of Love and Truth
while holding a firm foundation of personal and cosmic intimacy?

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Climbing the Mountain with Lion

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

King of the Mountain Lion represents the gentle roar of leadership
Leaving behind power without force in its tracks
Sometimes, being a leader means silently relishing in the growth of others

Climbing the final leg of the trail
Head on with graceful powerful balance of mind-body-spirit
Brings powerful intention into our physical world

Darkness ascends on the Winter Solstice meeting its zenith
Also coming soon we become a New Moon beacon of light
Resurrecting Christ Consciousness in our souls symbolizing new beginnings

Responsibility is a panic-free zone
Awakening to the ability to respond to any given situation

Do you remember the power of our tribal African shamanic brothers and sisters?
Fly away and meditate on the elemental forces of water and darkness for a spell . . .

How many times have we feared our own primal, dark and feminine nature?

The power of the internal martial arts is cultivated gradually
A cumulative effect of simmering softness of Yin energy

Particularly in America . . .
The heat of race relations is rising to the surface again
As is class consciousness and a desire for protective security
Stoking our embers and trigger points

Have you bought into learned helplessness
Or do you see an opportunity for transformative healing?

Yes, in terrorist fashion this land was squatted from our indigenous people
and then free labor was unjustly imported from the Motherland
And still today, a greedy minority balks at playing fair ball

We have discussed in this blog that the
dominant majority prefers to go unexamined
Picture the leaders of the Empire
coming clean and welcoming the rest of us to the bargaining table
in the spirit of trust and authenticity

But getting stuck in our own hate will consume us
so that we feed off this energy like the Walking Dead
Cannibalistic as that might sound
We are what we eat – spiritually speaking

We need to release our hate and set ourselves free of the bondage of slavery
Economic strangulation and unequal access to resources is a form of genocide

Our subconscious minds are lulled into repetitive negative thoughts
But we have the power replace our cognitive distortions
with simple positive affirmations
Believe in and feel them walking into our Being

We are mindful and diligent in our daily footsteps
Helping our Planetary and Universal consciousness internalize
a positive New Earth worldview
Becoming the change we want to see in the world

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

The Point is . . . Porcupine is a Good Reminder that Harmony is a Real Possibility

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

Imagine a fantastic imaginative conversation between Porcupine and Bear . . .

We are exploring a world where all men and women live in fraternal sorority.

 

And then we see through a lens of faith and trust that

We are in soulful alignment with Great Spirit’s Divine Plan.

 

Isn’t this akin to Otter’s medicinal story that we are all friends –

Whilst the idea of enemies is non-existent?

 

Don’t you know life is wicked good when there is no threat of fear present?

 

Everyday is an adventurous discovery . . .

 

When pricked by our modern adult-centric old world

of fear, greed and suffering . . .

No shame is found in bowing out gracefully –

from overindulgence in intensities of intellectualism and seriousness.

 

Curiosity stimulates our minds and resurrects our souls . . .

Sometimes being present with someone is all we need to do.

In a desire to help, perhaps doing nothing is helping

when our doings might be enabling.

 

Even a grumpy old bear is inspired by Porcupine’s way

of enjoying playfully childlike games.

 

Transformation into a New Age and Paradigm realizes the depth of embodying

Mountaintops of love o’er rocks of fear.

 

The present moment is what it is . . .

Might as well be resourceful and welcome what we need.

 

When we close our eyes in meditation . . .

We self-reflect into the realm of Spirit and see our own inner tapestry.

A most sweetly sacred and blessed communion with Creator.

 

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

 

Reigniting our Personal Power when Following in Panther’s Footsteps

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

How do we get to the light without traversing the dark?
When pouncing into Spring light, we are re-working a cultural story
that preaches fear of darkness . . .

Black like Panther illuminates the dark side of the moon
and a shadowy memory of Winter’s TAPS.
A Full Moon wanes with promise of a New Moon shine o’er a watery bend.

Sitting with a metaphysically inner-world theatrical movie trailer . . .
Lights, Camera, Vision!
Clairaudient audio-clips from alternate realities amplifies
a deafening sound of silence . . . What?

Flexing our soulful mind-body-spirit muscles at will –
quantum leaps out of old boxed in mind-sets . . .
We leap into new frontiers as first and fastest responders.

Skin on skin heightened perceptual touch opens up
psychometric portals in consciousness.
Awakening feminine powers of passionate sensuality – isn’t that the cat’s meow?

Dionysus inspires us to embark through the heart of the dark night of the soul . . .
Releasing fears when remembering that
“jealousy, envy, criticism, and judgment are refuges”
to the energy of insecurity . . .

Awakening to a mythical heroic quest through resurrection.

Somewhat akin to when Apollo re-appears in Rocky’s life to help him reclaim
“the eye of the Tiger.”
With Panther’s help – we can always get it back.

See you further on down the trails,
Ari

Transformation Within During the Process of Letting Go Without

Posted on by under Original Poetry

Since you floated away,
I’ve been pondering my feelings – particularly today.

If I were a movie and you were my director,
After your credits were over, I could no longer cry on your shoulder.

As your script flashed before my interior eye,
I was left disillusioned before I could cry.

Literally, I was your creation – your pride and joy.
You were my mommy, and I was your little boy.

Welcoming 2014 and Soul Purpose

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

The passion and fires burning within the Earth are also burning within humanity.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be more intense energies igniting more opportunities to transform and heal – or die like the old ways no longer serving us.  The “out with the old, in with the new” earworm will amp up in 2014. Traditionally, it is natural for this to occur now as we move away from the Winter Solstice, as yin contracts and yang expands toward the Spring Equinox in March. But during our movement into a new age and paradigm, many of us are becoming more sensitive and attuned to the exponential intensity of these shifts and vibrational energies streaming in.

My sense is that it will become more difficult to ignore your soul purpose, as it will become more challenging to turn a blind eye to developing the “walking meditation” of watching the world turn with an “observation without judgment” lens. There can be a sense of losing control when we untangle our attachments, so as not to get too invested in what we identify with. But beyond that, a deeper place of inner peace is waiting for us to explore. Even if you feel that you are “wise to the ways of the world” and take ownership in a comfortable lifestyle in the material world – you also know the risky business of investing all your stock in possessions without diversification.

How do we get to know our soul potential?  How do we enact an “observation without judgment” view of our inner landscape and the world around us? Through trust, we open up our inner light to “walk in the sun” and share with others, rather than “hide her away from the rest of the world.”  Social media is one way to do this, as there is a reality to virtual connections.  But getting out in the natural environment and making face to face contact is best medicine. While our intimate relationship with our own Self is most important, we gaze deeper into the mirror through our relationships with others.  “Relationships are for a reason: for growth and learning, for nurturance and support, for love and romance, for sex and passion, for experience, for karmic debt or clearance, for business reasons, for security.”

When we look beneath the surface of our introverted and extroverted reactions to what is going on with curiosity and empathy, we begin to understand the experience of “walking in someone elses’ shoes.” We all say that we want to be seen and heard, but is that really the case? Are you afraid of your own power? Is there an underlying fear of feeling rejected or abandoned for allowing yourself to blossom into a flower or turn into a butterfly? It is a good time of year to re-work the dark and let go of external securities so that we learn to feel safe with the arrival of uncertain unknowns. There is a sense of security in “expecting the unexpected” by viewing life as “one big surprise birthday party.” The old guard of secrecy and concealment is fading into a distant memory. Do you need to resurrect old memories to re-work, transform and clear space for new co-creative experiences? Or do you want to remain ensconced in Groundhog Day, without realizing that you are unconsciously replaying old mental tapes and clinging to fixed ideas?

We are here on Earth for a reason. Waking up to our soul purpose is a key ingredient to that. It is a painful challenge to get stuck in the sphere of excuses, reasons rules and routine. At the end of the day, a way out of the suffering is to learn to live with the pain and understand the information that your pain has to shed light on finding your soul’s purpose. To avoid by exiting through anger or denial will cause more pain and suffering. But taking an authentic look at our anger and then channeling this energy in positive and constructive ways will open up new vortexes for transformation and healing.

Sending You Much Inner Peace in 2014,

Ari