“No longer will I go for my good, carrying only a dipper to be filled. This day, I turn to the Power within, I bring “all the empty vessels” knowing they will be filled, and my abundance will become manifest.” Ernest Holmes

Spirit always IS; therefore I know I must BE. As an individualized manifestation of all that is how could I not be? I know my breath is the breath of God. My heart beats in unison with the one heart. When I look out through the eyes of God I see God looking back at me. When I listen I hear the voice, the songs, the symphony of God all around me. I know that the power and presence of God is always within me.

Today I know that any obstructions in my life are simply made manifest from beliefs that keep me separate. I choose to take those spots that are separate and allow the essence that is God to fill up those empty areas with feelings of absolute connection. I consciously release my fears, my doubts and firmly plant my beliefs in faith knowing there is only One Infinite Source.

I know that life is filled with grace and ease and flow when I live from a place of love and peace and patience. I know that I choose my thoughts, ideas and feelings which then manifest into my life as my reality. I am awake and aware of my connection to Source and choose knowing God is my only supply. I know that fear is only an obstruction that stands between me and my good. I am grateful for knowing that God is therefore I am. I release these words into the law knowing it is already so. I let go and I let God and so it is.

Namaste
Gayle

by Gayle Dillon of Expressing Spirit

The 5 Animal Allies of the Pachakuti Mesa

Across the world shamanic traditions have flourished and persevered in times that have been favorable to them and also those during which their existence was deeply threatened. Yet, in spite of attempted eradication and the wider prevalence of cultural amnesia, many practices of this global lineage have survived – often greatly transformed through their adaptation to the shifting sands of culture.

Despite changes in appearance and the frequent adoption of aspects of the “new” religions and belief-systems that have accompanied the transformation from hunter/gatherer, pastoral, and subsistence cultures to agricultural and urban life-styles, core shamanic beliefs and practices continue to sustain people throughout the global ecosphere.

Within the Peruvian Andes and coast the synthesis of millenia-old shamanic practice and modern religious belief is found in both the traditions of the paqokuna and huachuma curanderismo. These traditions have, to varying degrees, incorporated elements of folk Catholic belief, cosmology, ritual, and liturgy. While this certainly ensured survival in a changing and persecutorial environment it also points to the wisdom of recognizing the inner syncretic nature of the shamanic universe as a principle of action.

The salient feature of both the highland paqokuna and coastal curandero traditions is their focus on the ritual and ceremonial mastery of the mesa. In each case the mesa is an altar-like collection of shamanically invested artifacts arranged according to the teachings of the lineage and the personal insight of the healer. Though somewhat different in form, both traditions engage the culturally acknowledged powers of the natural and ancestral worlds through the mediating instrument of the mesa.

Through propitiatory ritual and invocational ceremony, states of contact are reached with these powers in which balance, health, prosperity, and fertility are restored within the community. Underpining all practice is the recognized law of ayni, as it is known in the highlands, in which it is understood that there exists a delicate state of interdependance between all levels of the physical and spiritual worlds. Perhaps best expressed as the “Law of Right Returns,” or, more colloquially, “today for me, tommorow for you,” the notion of ayni succinctly encapsulates the knowing that within the intricate matrix of interdependance that is our universe, an inbalance is created when a return “payment” is not offered for the intervention of the spiritual realms. Since practically everything within indigenous and shamanic culture is seen as a result of actions and dynamics taking place within the spiritual realms, one of the primary pursuits of a people becomes the maintainance of proper “payments” to those “causal” realms. The person for whom this becomes a specialty is the paqo, pampamisayoq, and altomisayoq, or the curandero depending on their tradition.

Shamanic Practice

The Pachakuti Mesa itself originated through Oscar′s many-year apprenticeship with his personal mentors in Peru, maestro curanderos don Celso Rojas Palomino and don Benito Corihuaman Vargas. Emerging from his apprenticeship within the coastal huachumero and the highland paqokuna traditions, the Pachakuti Mesa embodies distinct elements from each of these specific traditions of medicine practice.

The wisdom of these two lineages, representing related yet disctinct ancestral cultures, creates an organic structure that serves to anchor the vast array of shamanic practices existing to serve life from the personal dimension to that of the community, while harmonizing these with a global vision and the celestial sources of guidance and support. Strenghtening this ancestral heritage and cross-cultural relevance are insights drawn from the world′s many wisdom traditions and the growing understanding of quantum dynamics and consciousness.

Following its original birthing from the cultural and shamanic lineages of Peru, the applied practice of the Pachakuti Mesa has evolved through its service to non-indigenous Western culture. It has become a true repository for the unfolding experience of its dedicated practitioners and community. The Pachakuti Mesa can truly be said to be a continual birthing of the wisdom of sacred community dedicated to a shared Earth-honoring path of service in which the ancient nourishes the present, birthing the creative expression of contemporary practice.

Pachakuti Mesa Healing Service

The mesa is the instrument by which the mythic power of prophetic time and the profundity of the three cosmological worlds is harnessed in practice. It is the medium of translation for the spiritual wisdom and understanding of the Andean cosmovision, allowing them to transform into practical applications and effects within a community.

A mesa is the consecrated arrangement of ceremonial power objects that make up a curandero′s “tool set,” and is also the point of focus for the spiritual forces engaged through ritualized action. It is simultaneously the seat for spiritual vision and the multi-fold powers of creation, and by being the locus of intention is directed by the healer. Two elements in particular come together within the mesa, blending into its unique form: the transmission of traditional wisdom given by the teacher and the idiosyncratic initiation that characteruzes the individual path. From the integration of these two sources of inspiration a healer′s mesa is born.

Travis Wright's Pachakuti Mesa

The Pachakuti Mesa, as an embodiment of global earth-honoring service, integrates within its primal structure the five alchemically venerated elements of the universe: earth (Allpa), water (Unu), wind (Wayra), fire (Nina), and the fifth transcendent element which is produced by the harmonious intermingling of the originating four – the aether (K′uychi). Each of these elements is focussed in one of the five directions of the quadrangular mesa – South, West, North, East, and Center – and is embodied by one of the five primordial powers of the Andean cosmovision: Pachamama (Earth Mother), Mama Killa pronounced Mama Key-yah (Moon), Wiracocha (Creator), Inti (Sun), and K′uychi (Sacred Rainbow). When these powers are united by vision and intention – lovingly anchored within the physical repository of the mesa – the Pachakuti Mesa blossoms as a transformative agent within the world.

Each of the directions of the mesa hold a particular archetypal form, energy, and healing medicine, arranged according to a dynamic understanding of the mythic and energetic universe. They therefore provide a vehicle for the initiatic apprenticeship of the fundamental forces of creation and, more importantly, the means by which their transformative presence is directed in the world. As an experiential mirror of the dynamically self-aware universe the, Pachakuti Mesa contains within itself both the map and the mapmaker, and ultimately becomes the primary source of instruction and guidance for the healer.

The Power of Ritual

Beyond the base structure of the Pachakuti Mesa and the aligments contained within it, it is the unique experience of the healer that determines the shape it assumes. As a continuously unfolding source of initiation and a reflection of the soul experience of the carrier, the mesa itself will naturally evolve and transform over time. Indeed, a mesa can never remain static – to do so would contradict one of the fundamental experiences of creation: all is in motion. While a mesa will hold certain patterns over time, it must ultimately be recognized as an expression of transformation itself, which cannot be boxed within a static form.

As mentored by don Oscar, the Pachakuti Mesa is a ceremonially consecrated imaginal map of the universe, an archetypal cosmic landscape, which “energetically” anchors both seen and unseen dimensions of the anima mundi (i.e., World Soul) before the shamanic practitioner. It is a beautiful container of spirit, and it is also a soul-infused artifact of the material world. It is a living, dynamic pattern upon which and within which we can consciously do our transformative personal and planetary healing work. As a global community of Pachakuti Mesa Carriers we embrace this ancestral lineage not because it is superior to all other traditions, yet because its effects are healthfully liberating and aesthetically graceful. It is a visually dramatic and sensually rich millennial heritage, which appeals to those who resonate with the healing power in natural patterns, earth rhythms and cosmic cycles. It is also a syncretistic shamanic tradition, which is openly tolerant and widely inclusive of diverse cultural ideologies, religious beliefs and all world wisdom paths. In essence, the Pachakuti Mesa is meant to be a pristine reflection of the individual practitioners ontological sense of belongingness within the Great Sacred Web of Life.

Via Don Oscar Miro-Quesada

If you’re not relating with God at the level you’d like, or if you’re just plain “stuck” when it comes to praying, below are some suggestions you may want to consider. If you wish, you can incorporate one of these suggestions into your current prayer practice, or you can use one or more of the suggestions to help you begin talking with God if you haven’t already done so.

Here are a few suggestions to help you talk with God and deepen your relationship.

* Begin with gratitude. Tell the Divine about those things in your life you’re really grateful for.
* Express yourself wholly and fully to the Divine. Don’t leave anything out. Hint: If you feel you need to keep something from God, that’s a great item to tell God. Don’t worry, you won’t be hit by lightning; God already knows anyway, but just wants to hear it from you!
* Be highly communicative. In other words, don’t say to God, “I’m mad.” Tell God how you got so mad, how you feel about being so mad, what your anger makes you want to do, etc. And if you’re mad at God, be sure to mention that little tidbit as well.
* Listen closely. Allow the Divine to reveal itself to you. Put yourself aside for a few minutes and just allow yourself to be fully absorbed with God. Learn more about God, like you would when forming a new friendship with another person. (I have to laugh, because in my first draft of this article I accidentally typed “unlearn” instead of “learn.” I think there may be merit in that typo. As a child, what did you learn about God that keeps you feeling distant from the Divine? Be open to “unlearn” childhood beliefs that no longer make sense today.)
* Allow for spontaneity in how you pray and talk to God. What feels good one day may not be your best choice the next day.
* Bring all of you into your conversations with God, not just your mind and your thoughts.
* Pray in a way that you enjoy the time you spend with God.

And here are just a few more thoughts from me to you about prayer:

* Your prayers and the way you pray do not have to comply with the wishes or expectations of others.
* Choose or create “prayers” that help you feel one with–or at least closer to–the Divine, not prayers that inflict more feelings of separation between you, the Divine, and your own inner Divinity.
* Prayers that come spontaneously from the heart are wonderful and every bit as valuable as carefully crafted prayers, including those written by others/”experts.”

In summary, prayer does not have to be hard; it can be a very natural process. Prayer is simply the process of letting God get to know you better, while you get to know God better.

Remember, God wants to be with you. You are not a bother–no matter what you choose to talk about. No subject is off-limits. Interact with the Divine frequently, and trust your relationship will grow and unfold naturally. Expect to hear/see/experience God in your life. Expect it as the norm, not the exception.

And above all, remember that anybody can talk to God. There is no reason for you to feel you can’t. No matter what “you’ve done” or “not done,” God is still there for you!

Author’s Bio
Arleen Hannich, MA, is a Spiritual Facilitator. She provides Divine Presence, Inspirational Messages From Spirit, and the Oneness Blessing to individuals worldwide who wish to live authentically and joyfully. To receive her Free Ezine “The Divine Connection” and her Free Guide “Feel Your Emotions and Create a Life You Love,” visit her website at http://www.ArleenHannich.com

(The top half of this post was originally published in December of 2007 on Applaud Magazine’s blog)

As is customary at this time of year we all take a few moments to say goodbye. Saying goodbye to the year past, saying goodbye to the frenzy of holiday preparation and celebration, saying goodbye to habits that no longer serve. As the year wound to a close I had to say goodbye to an old friend too. My labrador retriever – Blackjack was assisted to cross over last Thursday. Blackjack was what you’d call a “good old dog”. He was a loyal companion and friend, a good watch dog, a guardian and playmate for my son and a true and kind member of our family. At 17 1/2 he lived a long and mostly healthy life. He ran, jumped, played and kibbitzed right on up to 15.

Then he started to slow down a bit, he got a little grey around the edges, he lost his vision. Many people told me after he lost his ability to see that he should be put down but I refused to do that. He was still generally healthy, found his way around the house and the yard well enough and was an integral part of our family life. My boy James was insistent that he should live to die a natural death and so this was a most difficult rite of passage for him. In the last year I knew that time was short. Last Christmas Eve I didn’t think he’d make it through the night and I stayed up late opening sacred space and showing him where the rainbow bridge was. He surprised us all by staying for another whole year! Finally the end drew much nearer. He made it through this Christmas and then went rapidly down hill.

When he couldn’t get up anymore, stopped eating and drinking and had to be picked up to go outside we knew it was time. I opened sacred space before we left the house, called in all of the spirit guides, spirit animals and energies of light to make the way clear and obvious for his spirit, opened his chakras and showed him the rainbow bridge to the other side. It was a tough decision to make but the right thing to do. The vet (Dr. Stephen Frye, Clark Veterinary Hospital in Nashua) was incredibly compassionate, gentle and kind. He helped us to say goodbye in a way that was filled with dignity, grace and the ultimate kindness. Blackjack has already come to work with me in my medicine work, to dance in my dreams and will always be a guardian spirit and friend for my son and our family. While saying goodbye is never easy to do I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Frye, to my husband Ross and to the lovely Marie Glover at Animal Heaven (in Hollis NH) who made this experience the best that it could be. Goodbye Blackjack and hello once more. May you journey joyfully to your home star and illuminate the path for those of us to follow. Your faithful friendship was a magical gift. With all our Love – Amethyst, Ross and James

December 28, 2008 – When I was contemplating what to write for One Consciousness today I was brought back in time to this time last year and found that I had this lovely article written about a loyal and true friend and companion and felt it was fitting to share in his honor with the readers here.  The whole subject of loyalty has been “up” lately in my life. Most importantly I’ve been getting the guidance to remain loyal to myself – sometimes this can be quite a challenging thing for us to do – our loyalties are torn – we are spread thin – there are so many priorities.  I invite you to use the final days of 2008 to take some time in sacred space and to come back to the center of who you are.  As you do this you may find that some of the activities or people that you’ve been giving your loyalty to aren’t serving you and the greater good any more.  You may find that as you clear your mind, body, heart and Spirit that you are being called to a higher level of loyalty and you may need to apply all the teachings and practices that have brought you thus far to make the changes that are necessary for your growth and evolution right now.

Ayni Despacho Photo from Four Winds Sanctuary Project Site

We just held a despacho ceremony (a ceremony from the Peruvian tradition of shamanism) at our home last night in honor of the new moon followed by fire ceremony.  This despacho was very interesting – we were guided to place many, many prayers in to this gift bundle for Pachamama (Mother Earth)  around what needed to die for us as this year comes to a close.  After all of our group had placed in their prayers I received guidance to lay down over this arrangement of kintus (prayer bundles made with leaves and flowers) a layer of incense & purifying herbs, followed by a layer of “clouds” (made from pieces of cotton balls stretched out) onto which we then placed our prayers and planted the seeds for our becoming.  It was most interesting because it was like two despachos in one – one layered on top of the other with purification between the two.  Take this sacred time to lay down and put to rest what needs to go in your life – purify and cleanse and prepare the canvas/blank page/soil for your seeds, your intentions, your dreams for yourself, your family, your community and your world.  Be loyal to the higher calling.  Let it be.

Amethyst Wyldfyre is a multidimensional shaman, healer, artist, author, blogger, performer, speaker and psychic who lives and works in the Merrimack Valley of NH.  She can be reached through her website or blog for more information.  She can also be followed on Twitter at @AWyldfyre.

by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP

When it comes to the delicate matter of belief, there are creative ways to answer our children’s questions without taking the magic out of it all.

When my oldest daughter was about five, she asked whether Santa Claus was real. Her dad and I her told that Santa is real to those who believe.

Is love real? Is hope real? Is magic real? Is faith real? We can’t touch or see any of these things, but most of us do believe in at least a few of them. In some cases, we can feel them. In others, we see proof of them appearing in the physical world.

I, for one, still believe in Santa Claus, and always will.

I believe that Tibetan Lamas reincarnate with full recall of their previous lives. I believe in Knights in shining armor, and Princesses in towers. (As much as it irks my post-riot-grrl self to admit it!)

But I do believe. I believe in faeries, and faerie tales, pookas, ghosts, saints, and goblins. And I believe in Christmas miracles. Just like I believe in God,with It’s ineffability, and the many faces It wears.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tim Robbins has one of the best descriptions I’ve seen of the human relationship with deity. Basically, the premise is this: the gods depend upon our belief in them to survive. Our belief makes them real.

The power of belief is an important gift we must safeguard and instruct in our children. Without belief, we are cast adrift on an endless, meaningless sea. Belief offers a rudder when nothing else makes sense. Belief is what we build our lives upon.

I will never tell my kids that Santa Claus is not real, because I myself believe in Santa.

My oldest daughter is now 11. She started our Christmas festivities by saying she no longer believes in Santa. And then complained when she didn’t feel the Christmas Spirit flooding her as we trimmed the tree.

I talked to her about faith.

(Article continued after break…)

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Sometimes it has been hard to have faith that Santa will come. I admit it; I test The Spirit from time to time. A couple of years ago I made one such test. It was my first Christmas post-divorce. I had no one to give my Christmas list to. No one to tell what I hoped to find under the tree.

That year it was hard to find my belief in the Spirit of Christmas. I prayed to the universe to enforce my faith.

I wanted proof that Santa was still real. I wanted Indoor/outdoor, Ugg-like slippers. It was what I wanted.

It was a deal between me and God, and God knew exactly what was required to prove my faith.

I know, it’s kind of petty.

But come Christmas, I did get gifted a pair of slippers. My sister didn’t buy them for me, but for another family member. When they didn’t fit the growing girl, my sister asked me to take them instead – she didn’t want to go to the trouble of carrying them home on the plane and exchanging them.

I whispered a thank you to Santa, and reminded myself that sometimes God works in mysterious ways.

So does Santa. He still makes miracles occur, or at least the belief in him does. I didn’t know my sister was bringing slippers for the nieces. She didn’t know I wanted them, either. But he did. And he delivered.

Throughout my life I have seen miracles of Christmas faith occur, large and small.

Movies are built on the theme of the Christmas Miracle. But even off the screen, I have seen food banks fill, at least for one day, with more than enough to feed the local poor. I’ve seen people open their doors to strangers so they would have somewhere to be on Christmas morning. I’ve seen communities pull together and provide gifts for children who would have otherwise gone without.

To quote the words of song writer Red West, popularized by Elvis, “if every day could be just like christmas, what a wonderful world this would be.”

As a Mystic mama, I don’t feel like a liar, hypocrite, or as though I’m misleading my children by allowing them to believe in a power that makes thier child-lives a little more happy, a little more bountiful, a little more hopeful, a little more magical.

The Holiday spirit does exist. It’s palpable. It acts in the world. Call it the power of faith, or Jesus, or Santa Claus, or generosity. It’s an invocation of some sense of love for our fellow man.

Regardless of the name we give it, it sustains. It acts through each of us, bringing miracles to bear.

Kind of like God.

About the author:
LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, is a coach, trainer, and author. LaSara helps clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally. She’s wife to an outstanding man, and mom to two brilliant girls.

You can find out more about LaSara at http://www.lasarafirefox.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out her December coaching special – the VERY affordable Body, Mind, and Spirit Renewal program.

(Feel free to share this article, in its entirety. Please leave the document intact, and links active. THANKS!!!!)

What do I do for FUN? I pray! I make any action into a self, consciousness, and reality-shifting prayer, anytime.

Years ago I found a cure for almost any distress – well, at least a healing shift towards a cure – in learning to shift any everyday action I happened to be doing into a prayer. I don’t mean a begging, lack-minded sort of prayer. I mean a transformation of anything I am thinking, feeling, saying, or doing into a connection to Spirit or the Divine within the powerful present moment at hand.

So if I am brushing my teeth, for example, I state “I now brush my teeth as a reconnection to Spirit for me (and anyone else in the world who resonates with my energy-flow who gives permission) for transformations towards better and best.” The wording needs to be individualized by everyone who participates. I never do this exactly the same way twice.

I am certain that many can make merry with this prayer process, extending it to logical and illogical extremes. Well, I invite you to go ahead and have fun with that! This process works works well any way one does it, so start doing it your own way (if you don’t already) and see what happens.

I practice this prayer-shift as often as I remember it, for universal FUN restoration overall. Prayer-shifting ordinary actions, events, and situations can become a habit very quickly, a happiness habit.

Of course I know this simple, easy prayer process is nothing new and I am far from the first to discover and play with it. There are many names for this spiritual practice. I share it here in case it can help anyone who just forgot about it. ~ Elizabeth

Elizabeth is co-founder, minister, and CEO of Companions Circle – Shamanic Shift Center, a non-profit mission of everyday situation shamanization and universal shamanic shifting towards better and best. This article may be shared as long as the article and this attribution (with live links) are included as is.

Awakened Heart Meditation

by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP

This meditation is modeled on the loving kindness meditation from Ezra Bayda’s book, Being Zen, and further modeled on many practice for what in Buddhism is called generating bodhicitta.

This Awakened Heart meditation is designed to encourage awakening, develop presence, and to cultivate compassion. Bring your whole self to this experience, and come fully present in what is.

Before beginning the recitation of each line of the prayer / mantra / meditation, take a full breath in. Release the breath gently as you recite the line. Allow a pause between recitation of lines as you become conscious in drawing a deep, full, gentle breath. Be conscious of the words you are speaking as they form in your mouth and leave your lips, powered and empowered by your breath.

The second set of the meditation can be repeated as many times as you want, and may be used to bring your practice of compassion into fullness. I recommend that you devote each repetition of the second set to only one person, and repeat it as many times as you desire, or have the “bandwidth” for.

Hold the person you are dedicating the set to in your mind. You may want to imagine your compassion and love pouring out with your breath, and enveloping the recipient with gentle, glowing light. You can envision them circled in love, compassion, light, whatever image works for you.

A practice that I find healing and consciousness-raising is to devote the first round of the second set to someone I love with no resistance – one of my daughters, for example. Then with each additional round, i stretch my compassionate heart a little wider, including those who I may have recently felt some conflict with. Then to those beings – living or dead – who really stretch my compassion.

On the third round, if it helps you to increase the awakening of your heart, you may visualize the earth, the galaxy, the universe, all time and space.

Enjoy your practice. May this act benefit all beings.

May I be present in the awakened heart.
May I address that which clouds the awakened heart.
May I experience this moment as it is.
May this act benefit all beings.

May you be present in the awakened heart.
May you address that which clouds the awakened heart.
May you experience this moment as it is.
May this act benefit all beings.

May all beings be present in the awakened heart.
May all beings address all that which clouds the awakened heart.
May all beings experience this moment as it is.
May this act benefit all beings.

I am present in the awakened heart.
I address all that which clouds the awakened heart.
I experience this moment as it is.
This act benefits all beings.

About the author:
LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, is a coach, trainer, and author. LaSara helps clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally. She’s wife to an outstanding man, and mom to two brilliant girls.

You can find out more about LaSara at http://www.lasarafirefox.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out her December coaching special – the VERY affordable Body, Mind, and Spirit Renewal program.

(Feel free share this article, in its entirety. Repost, send to your list, share with friends. Please include all links, and LaSara’s bio.)

Worry is wishing for what you don't want.

If you have kids, and you are worrying about them getting abducted every time they go outside or are out of your view… don’t be surprised if, one day, your kid gets kidnapped. You were silently wishing for it with every little ‘worry prayer’.

Worrying about losing your job, losing your home, losing your car, losing your marriage or getting ill… actually INCREASES the odds that that in which you are dreading will become reality.

Does this make sense?

I know it’s hard. Some people are oversensitive and show their worry and concern as a sign of love for those they care about. My Grandma Wright was a huge worrier. She worried about her health constantly, and died relatively young with health issues.

When I find myself worrying about something, I change my focus to working on a solution to the issue. I change my state of worry and concern to a state of ingenuity and inventiveness. Don’t worry or bitch about a problem… work towards finding a solution for that which mentally ails you.
Knowing that worry is a silent prayer, which asks and pleads for that which we don’t want is a powerful thing to consider. It could profoundly affect your life. Worry is the Law of Attraction working AGAINST you.

The more we think about something, the greater chance it has to become reality. Keep that in mind!!!

With ∞ ♥ – Your Oneness Curator – Travis Wright