Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
In other traditions black, being the absorption of all colours, speaks of physical manifestation, sometimes the body.
Having a black medicine animal, for example, might mean that this animal is addressing your relationship with your body.
Black is the potentiality of creation, the void.
It is a colour of seeking answers, or the road of the spiritual or non physical.
(from Jamie Sams & David Carson, “Medicine Cards”)
I came here to post Singring and the Glass Guitar as a Rock ‘n’ Roll introduction to the Medicine Wheel!
I see that I already have – so I will just post the lyrics. The music is not to everyone’s taste. I love it because I grew up with it – but not everyone will feel that way.
So – the lyrics:
Utopia – Singring & The Glass Guitar Lyrics
(an electrified fairy tale)This is an electrified fairy tale.
If you’ve never heard of an electrified Fairy tale,
just picture little fairies with wee tiny electric guitars.Once upon a time [not long ago] in a land not far from here, there was a place
Called Harmony. Everyone in Harmony was happy and this “joie devivre” was
Guarded by their invisible patron, the muse Singring. But Jealous Forces, and
there are always Jealous Forces in such tales, have conspired to capture the
Spirit, imprisoning it in [an instrument of glass, locking it in] a chest with
four keys, and casting the keys to the four corners of the earth so that only
four particularly brave and talented individuals might retrieve them. It is
Here that our story begins.There’s a rumor I heard that’s going ’round town
Someone’s captured Singring, Singring
Come hear the news, come hurry on down
Down to the old town square
The announcer wipes at his eyes, he’s trying to hide
See it in his face, tell by his expression
The secret knowledge that claws to escape as he cried
Day of infamy, someone’s captured Singring
Day of tragedy, someone’s captured Singring
Now what shall we do, what shall we do now?
And if you take a look around, Harmony is dying
Someone trapped the Spirit in a glass guitar
And if you listen with your heart, you can hear it crying
Free me from my crystal prison in this glass guitarThere’s a rumor I heard that’s going around
Someone’s saving Singring, Singring
Come hear the summons, hurry on down
Down to the village green
And the spokesman speaks for us all, together we call
Brave adventurers, warriors, and free men
Conquer self and so in the end save us all
Conquer Earth and Wind, conquer Fire and Water
Brave adventurers, come and save us all
And if you fail to win the keys, harmony is dying
Trapped away forever in a glass guitar
And if you listen with your heart, you can hear it crying
Free me from my crystal prison in this glass guitarHaving gathered on the green, the brave adventurers of the land march off in
Search of the keys. Their quest leads them first to the river’s edge.Lead me to the Water
Pass me my flagon of wine
I said show me to the Water
Quick before I change my mind
I go down to the river and bravely the rapids I row
Over the falls to the bottomless pool
And it’s down to the bottom I goOnly one has the courage to dive into the river and brave the bottomless pool
In search of the first key.Let the four Winds blow icy breath before me
Storms will never keep me from the glass guitar
Hurricanes may scream, I will never feel it
’til I find the key that leads me to the glass guitarOnly one has the courage to wander the desert [alone] and brave the eternal
Winds in search of the second keyFire can never burn me
Flames can not catch me – faster am I
Blazes never faze me
Barefoot I walk hot coals for a mile
My sword is tempered, my loins are girded in steel
Make my way to the heart of the forest of flames
And if I do my best and don’t stop to rest
I may pass the test and capture the key that opens the chestOnly one has the courage to make his way into the forest of flames and brave
The fire-breathing dragon in search of the third key.I will climb the face of the highest mountain
Whilst Singring calls crying from the glass guitar
Though the earth may shake let the planet tremble
Steady will I struggle onward to the glass guitarOnly one has the courage to climb to the top of the highest mountain in search
Of the fourth key.Having scaled the mountain and finding no key, the climber begins chopping
Madly at the ground with his pickax, causing the mountain to split in two,
Revealing the last key.Now in possession of all four keys, the brave adventurers march triumphantly
Into the valley of silence to open the chest, smash the glass guitar, and free
The spirit of Harmony.Chapter 9 – Working with the Devil’s Weed (Datura)
Apparently Don Juan disliked the power of this plant, but encouraged Castaneda to do a test of the weed before smoking again. This test involved torturing the lizards again.
Castaneda prepared the root extract the night before and went out to sit with his plant early Sunday morning. He sat in front of the plant, and found that it gave him a sort of emotional stability just sitting with his plant. He ground the seeds, and the paste and root were ready by late afternoon – so he set about trying to catch his lizards, and failing.
So he sat in front of the plant again, and remembered Don Juan had instructed him to talk to the lizards. He felt silly, but continued to do so until dusk. He lifted a rock, and there were his two lizards, appearing numb or paralysed.
He did the dastardly deed of sewing one lizard’s eyes, and the other’s mouth shut. He recalled that Don Juan had said that once he had started there was no turning back. Castaneda set the lizard with it’s mouth sewn shut free and it scrambled to the northeast.
He drank the prepared brew and rubbed the paste on his temples, and then – without thinking – rubbed it on his forehead (which was forbidden). He realised his mistake, and wiped the paste off, but it may have been too late because he started to sweat, and anxiety took over, and he found himself arguing with himself.
His eyelids became heavy, he felt he couldn’t move – but when he “woke up” he found he was no longer in front of his Datura plant. He saw a clock over his head – that read – not the time it was when he closed his eyes. He witnessed a young man, and heard a voice in his mind describing his actions – not Castaneda’s voice, but an alien one.
If he tried to turn around, the scene blurred. He realised that the voice was on his shoulder. Instead of focusing on the vision – he tried to track the voice.
His question had been about lost objects, and it seems that the young man took them, but Castaneda was tired of the vision and the voice. He concentrated on returning, so he visualised sitting in front of his plant, which he had done many times before. The voice said, “Back!” and Castaneda was back with his plant.
In explaining this to Don Juan, he was scolded for rubbing the paste on his forehead – describing that only the great “brujos” could ever return from such a thing, and that most men would be lost forever.
He asked Don Juan what would happen if the lizard died? Don Juan said that if the lizard with the sewed up mouth died, the sorcery would be ended, and he could not touch “the devil’s weed” for at least 2 years. If the lizard with the sewed up mouth died, Castaneda would have had no guide, and would have been lost into madness.
Don Juan said that he had experienced the latter, and went mad.
In a later conversation, Castaneda asks Don Juan about the testing of the devil’s weed (Don Juan had said that the spirit of the weed itself had made him rub it on his forehead).
Don Juan said that the devil’s weed is like a woman and flatters you and sets traps for you. That it is vitally important to not approach the weed with passion, but to always keep a cool head and follow the procedures exactly.
There are many paths to knowledge, he said, but she will make you believe that hers is the only way. Do not waste your life on one path, especially if that path has no heart.
Ah, now we get to the key teaching of the entire book: The Path with Heart.
How to know if a path has heart?
Ask the question – if you do not ask the question, by the time you realise a path has no heart, it will be ready to kill you.
“A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”
“I have told you that to choose a path you must be free from fear and ambition. But the (little) smoke blinds you with fear, and the devil’s weed blinds you with ambition.”
He tells Castaneda that the devil’s weed is a bid for power, which is ambition, not just desire for learning, and it has traps and can destroy you.
So I ask myself – why would anyone bother? There is so much beauty in the world just by breathing. What is the attraction to these deeply dangerous substances?
And where is the line? What is friendly medicine with heart? And what is deadly medicine without a heart? Is is dose dependent? Or is it about alliance – this is for this person but not for that one?
Wait, I looked up these books online and I think Wild Edge of Sorrow is the updated / revised version of Entering the Healing Ground, but please double-check me on this. When I looked at the books on Amazon, Entering the Healing Ground had a note stating “There is a newer edition of this item” and it linked to Wild Edge.
Hmmm. I have both books by Francis Weller. “The Wild Edge of Sorrow” (2015) looks like it might contain the material from “Entering the Healing Ground” (2011)
I’d also like to look at the term “Deathwalk” that Mindell uses.
Commonly, there is an experience known as “The Shamanic Death,” which you describe quite aptly, here:
When I lost my memory, I also lost personal history. As I continued on, all of my senses became hyper-aware. It was then I knew I had left the mind, dissolved from the ego, and gone into the soul.
There are many ancient practices to train in Shamanic Death, often by mimicking the rituals of Death. Fasting, meditating on the charnel house, meditating on the impermanence of the body, even burial or entombment in order to fully experience this transformation beyond brain, beyond mind, beyond ego, beyond body, beyond the little self, into identification with the Greater Self, That Which Is Greater Than Me.
Some of us have it happen spontaneously, through illness, trauma, accidents, drugs, even lightning strikes, and the formal ritual of initiation is offered through life events. Personally, I don’t know how many times I have “died” to myself, I only know that the process happens, and like layers of an onion – when I believe I have gone Beyond anything I have known before – there is always another layer of ego to release.
The Deathwalk can be the trauma, and it can be the release of that trauama. In walking with Death, you come to appreciate and embrace Life all the more fully!
I’ve been disturbed by my re-reading of Castaneda. There seems to be a lot of dark sorcery, seeking of Power. In my studies since I read this book, I firmly believe that Carlos Castaneda got caught in the Third Enemy – Power. (See: Shaman Explorations – Castaneda – The Man of Knowledge by JC)
I’ve read and watched some videos about his life, and it seems that he fell prey to corruption, and there are rumours that his cult of Witches (as they were called – all women, no men in his school – why would that be? He was taught by a man) became a Death Cult, and that his adopted daughter committed suicide in the desert upon his death. His first wife has disavowed much of the books, saying that they are synergised from other influences, including Neville Goddard, a metaphysical teacher in Los Angeles. She claims that even the name Don Juan Matus is made up – as Mateus was their favourite wine.
So what is the truth of Castaneda and Don Juan?
I believe that there are teachings in here – and perhaps he did, as an anthropology student, have cause to come into contact with some Teachers. The images and teachings are visionary, which means he may have tapped into the Collective Unconscious and Akashic records and relayed some Real Teachings. But it feels to me like these stories are overlayed with a lot of Ego.
In fact, that may be some of the appeal of them – as we all suffer from identification with the Ego. In hearing Carlos Castaneda wrestle with his ego in the face of major Cosmic Questions and Teachings – we can identify with his struggle.
If the reader can separate Castaneda’s ego from the teachings, there is something to be learned, even if it is only a caution about respecting the Powers of Plant Medicine – and by association – other Medicine Powers as well.
I will finish my review of the book, but wanted to include this caveat, as my emotions became very mixed as I was finishing the first book. I intend to continue with the series, but it has dropped lower in the priority list. Even though it is considered a “shamanic classic,” it is tainted by the controversies I have mentioned here.
Hey Coda –
don’t ever feel obligated – your contributions here are invaluable, and I appreciate every word you write. If it ever becomes a chore or a burden, then it’s not meant to be!You wrote (of Mindell):
Mindell cautions anyone who returns to the “real world” to “follow the definitions of normal human behavior and repress perceptions that lie outside this definition.” p. 201.
This brings me to mind of the “Psychedelic Book of the Dead,” adapted from the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary. It’s available as “The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead.” While it is listed as a psychedelic manual – for states induced by taking psychedelics – I have found it to be most useful for Walking Between the Worlds, Shamanic States of Non-Ordinary Consciousness, or even (as the medical profession would call it) psychosis.
In the Third Bardo descriptions are given to guide you from the non-ordinary reality or ego-loss, back into ordinary reality. The amazing shamanic power of this is that – upon re-entry, you can choose what ego to manifest in, choose what personality traits to pick up, and which ones to leave behind. There are Shadows and pitfalls as you re-enter ordinary reality.
I’m glad that you are planning to read this book, as it is very poetic, and offers tools and viewpoints for shifting from this reality to another, and back again.
Again, I am unsure of Mindell’s terminology. In Casteneda, the nagual is the sorcerer who has the power to shape-change. Mindell seems to refer to it as the Shadow. I just picked up this book in the USA, and look forward to parsing your descriptions from his.
The Shadow is a great teacher, and to allow the Shadow to teach us, is to Master the lessons to prevent subterfuge and sabotage by the Shadow. If we won’t learn from the Shadow directly, it will find ways to teach us “the hard way,” (what I frequently call “coyote lessons.”)
In returning to ordinary consciousness, it does become important to conform to the behaviour of the social mind, even if you don’t believe in the social constructs anymore. When in Rome…
In non-ordinary consciousness, you shift from the social mind, and hopefully towards the egoless state (as described in the Second Bardo of the Book of the Dead), where you shed the conditioning – and trauma – that was put on you by your tribe. This can be deeply healing, and deeply confusing if you cannot get confirmation for your egoless state.
“But what would really honor the memory of these people would be our realization that those small changes that occurred because of their struggle touch everyone today, because they are preset everywhere, at all times, in the network of connections.” p. 207
I was just listening to a talk by Mark Nepo called “Repeatedly We are Asked” – talking about not the excellence of perfection, but the passion of following our hearts, and in following our hearts deeply and thoroughly we achieve a refinement of ourselves which is equivalent to excellence – and in shining our hearts, like the butterfly wings which beat and cause a giant wave across the ocean, we affect others with our passion and commitment to that passion. He said it like this,
“The pitcher cries for water to be filled.
Is it better to try and perfect the song with practice, or instead, is it better to improve ourselves by the singing of the song?”This was, for me, an excellent merging of the micro (inner) and the macro (other).
And finally, we have set nature on a course of a deathwalk with the planet. We need to be fluid, to let go of our own history without forgetting it’s hauntings, to learn from it and find ways to adapt to new realities, if we are to survive. And yes, we need to be vulnerable and alive, warriors at the individual level, but ultimately collective.
There is another teacher, Francis Weller, who offers a handbook for the art of grieving, “The Wild Edge of Sorrow,” and then takes grief to a new level in “Entering the Healing Ground.” In this second book, she discusses how in many ways, it is too late for our habitat to support us as humans, and what we really need to pursue is not “saving the planet,” but instead, “saving our soul,” in a sort of hospice for the soul of humanity.
I have yet to read these two books, but they are high on my list, as I would like to come to grips with what we have done to Mother Earth, and What’s Next for humanity. I like to believe that something will survive, and so I am committed for the rest of my days to spreading lore in the hopes that some of the Earth Wisdom of the past will find its way into future humanity.
I like the Thich Nhat Hanh quote a lot. He was (through his writings) my first meditation teacher in the 80’s, and I have great respect for his writings, world view, and sense of hope. Together, we can be Buddha. I like this!
Thanks for writing!
Chapter 9 – The Double
Mindell cites an example in the Aztec myth of Tezcatlipoca, which means “smoking mirror”. This is a reflection of “the face that fights him”
David Carson and Jamie Sams write about Smoking Mirror in Sacred Path Cards. Here is my interpretation or impression of what they wrote:
40 – Great Smoking Mirror – Reflections
In the Great Smoking Mirror, you see reflections of yourself, and learn from them.
This is a Mayan teaching, also taught by Cheyenne and Pawnee.
The Mayans say, “I am another one of Yourself.”
The Yogis says “Namaste – the God in me Greets the God in You”
We are all emanations form the Original Source.
Separation is an illusion of this emanation into manifestation. We think we are separated because we split into different bodies, but we are all still One. Each of us is a unique expression of One.
The Great Smoking Mirror allows us to see the reflections of ourSelf in Others. When you see through the illusion of separation – the smoke – you shatter the illusion with the Light of Realization.
If you shatter a mirror into a million pieces, it is all still One – and each mirror reflects back to you a piece of that. Every person you meet is another reflection of the One, and another reflection of yourSelf.
Every life-form holds a solution in equal part to the wholeness. We need each other, even when we don’t like each other. Maybe especially when we don’t like each other, as opposites are needed to re-form the whole.
The only way to resolve opposites is to strive for personal wholeness.
The best way to change others is to change ourselves, and our relationship to others. This is no time to point a finger at others – others are your mirrors, you look in others to learn what you like and don’t like about yourself.
Compassion and forgiveness are key. And forgiving yourself comes first.
Then, look for similarities, rather than differences when viewing others. Answers to your questions are reflected to every seeker in a different way.
You are what you decide you are. Remove the smoke screen that hides your natural talents, and stand tall. You have great potential, but you need to separate your potential from the illusion of smoke and expectations.
The story told there – may be the same one, as it is also from MesoAmerica:
Story: Mountain Rain was a Mayan healer, who was disturbed by the blood sacrifices of the Jaguar Priesthood. She knew that the Sky God, the Ancient One, had never required these sacrifices before. But the people of Tikal accepted what the Priests said, and started to carry out their grisly plans.
She went to find others who believed like she did, and found the Temple of the Double-headed Serpent, the healing temple. Her mind flashed upon her Ancient Grandmother who had taught the women of these temple to use the Great Smoking Mirror.
She carried a bowl to the Jaguar Priests, and wove smoke over the liquid inside, so that the Priests saw themselves, the the awful sacrifices they were seeking. The vision changed the men, and they behaved in wild, unbearable ways. The people then saw that the priests were compromised and corrupt, and banned them.
The mirror talks to me about the lessons we learn in relationships. If I find I am judging you for something, it also means I am judging myself for that thing. In relationship, it is a mirror to our personality, and I learn from you how to be a better person.
In this way, everyone we come into contact with, is an Ally: 2 legged, 4 legged, winged, stone, plant, tree, water, air, earth and fire. Everything which crosses our path is a mirror to us and holds lessons and secrets for us, if we are only willing to be Mindful and Listen (Dadirri – an aboriginal word for “deep listening.”)
We dream in symbols that reflect our and our friends and colleagues’ unconscious.
I’ve found that this is 2 sides of a coin. It may actually involve a friend, family or colleague’s unconscious, a secret or Truth that will help them learn and grow. But this Dreaming also represents your view of that friend, family member or colleague.
You dream about a coworker sitting on a throne. But when you step up to the throne it is made of paper and crumbles.
This might mean that your coworker is harbouring false delusions, but it also might mean that you “see through” the empire they have built, and find it insufficient. There are always 2 sides to the coin: Their state of being, and your perception of it. It’s true in physics, and it is true in Dreams.
Mindell writes, “If you were hurt as a child, parts of your childlike nature are split off and appear only in dreams. . . . You may have put all of your animal nature away if the people who brought you up were afraid of their own instincts.” (p. 127)
Yes, but I think of these as Shadows (again).
The Double to me is a concept that I know of as the Fylgia or Fetch. This is a part of yourself that you send out to effect your Will. It is far less passive, not a “victim” at all, it is your focused Will and Intent projected out into the world to effect a result.
The Fylgia is often used in healings – when you send a part of your awareness into another. It is used in Far Seeing – like when you visited my house. It is available for Astral Travel, and it is used in Shamanic Journeys.
One description of the Fetch is here:
Each bit of awareness can create thought forms or fetches. This is an advanced magickal practice in one sense but ordinary in another sense. When you are trying to remember something and can’t you are really sending out mental energy as a thought form or fetch. It was created to bring back that memory or bit of information you desired. Later some time during the day or even the next day when you are busy doing something else you suddenly remember what it was. The fetch returned with the desired information. This common phenomenon is what magickal thought forms and fetches are really about. It is simply done in a deliberate manner with different types of energies and astral bodies.
I think this might be what Mindell is getting to with the Physics (and time travel), but I need to read over that part more slowly to take it in.
I do know that accomplished shamans are able to work backwards and forwards in time, we can look at the distant past, or the future. I’m not sure how well we can effect change in those cycles, but we can at least observe them and uplift. Sandra Ingerman says that she & her practitioners did some experiments about Journeying into the future, to find out about “how they heal” in the future. She was pleased to report that humanity does seem to have a future, and that it seems more pleasant than our present. Panthera has captured some futuristic experiences in her Upper World Journeys, as well.
However, by spending more time focusing and learning the secondary processes, you can shed your normal identity and “the moment you do that, your dreamingbody becomes the base reality, which seems to dream up your ordinary world in order to realize itself.”
This sounds a lot like the Second Attention, as discussed by Casteneda (in later books) and in Toltec wisdom. The Second Attention is the attention beyond the bug on the leaf. The First Attention is the bug on the leaf, but the Second Attention sees the light and life force within the leaf, the atoms dancing as the leaf is nourished from water, soil and air. The Second Attention knows that the “bug” is a cricket and it is bringing a message. Dadirri allows you to hear that message, Mindfulness allows you to heed it.
I was listening to Carolyn Myss the other night, and she said (paraphrased) That she never knew anyone who transformed without going through madness first. That madness is an essential step in growth (her degree so many decades ago was in the mystical experience of schizophrenia).
Do you ever find you learn more by teaching?
Yes! And, in fact, I am learning that “teaching” or “guiding” is an essential part of learning. I’m getting ready for a major Ceremony next month, and it is requiring me to dig into my depths of experience – I want to deliver with confidence. If I am informal in our monthly sessions at the yoga studio, I feel the need to be rock solid for this Ceremony, as it is a Gift to a dear friend, as well as a Prayer for Transformation & Growth for myself. (see madness quote above!)
Chapter 8 – Ally’s Secret
Coda writes:you only have access to two or three senses at a time (seeing, hearing, and smelling). But through practice, you can attain the ability to sense movement and connect through your body’s intent and bring in more of your senses.
This has come up for me a few times in the past week. About Mindfulness. I’ve caught myself thinking, thinking, thinking (and so, as Jon Kabat-Zinn exhorts: I say the words, “thinking, thinking, thinking” in order to let go of thinking. It seems counter-intuitive, but it works). In Dennis Lewis’ “Natural Breathing” program, he talks about awareness beyond the mind.
We so focus on the material, and even when we don’t focus on the material realm, we get caught in our mind, thinking, thinking, thinking. The Natural Breathing program takes you to a level of Mindfulness and concentration where the mind is just another function of body. Jon Kabat-Zinn talks of this, too.
When you get to that level of meditative and mindful awareness, you receive knowledge and information that is Beyond the mind. This may be where paranormal abilities take place. It may even be a sort of shamanic altered states – I’ve heard talk of people who access the Akashic (archetypal) Records this way.
As you let go of mind, as you go beyond thinking, thinking, your senses become more present and alert, and you can become aware of things which are behind you, or beyond a wall, or access insights that are intuitive leaps that your rational mind could not make, if you were stuck in thinking, thinking.
It’s like Middle World Travel without the journey – like Middle World Awareness.
Mindell’s story of finding the woman’s breast cancer is a crystal clear example of this type of awareness.
As you (and Mindell) talked about Death awareness, and the Dance of Death – I am reminded how Practice is a DAILY dance with your Soul.
Nobody else can do your Practice for you. Nobody can meditate for you, or do your yoga, or still your thoughts, or relax your body. Your daily Practice is a daily opportunity to Dance with your Own Soul. As you learn more about your Soul, you learn to look forward to it, and “oh, I have to meditate,” or “I have to pray” or “I have to do yoga,” becomes, “I will dance with my soul in sitting meditation,” or “I will engage my Soul as I move my body,” and is a thing to look forward to, a place of bliss – even when it is challenging. For what a miraculous opportunity it is, to have this dance, this conversation, this engagement with G-d within yourself!
I’ve read and re-read your review of Chapter 8, and I still don’t get “Battle with the Ally.” For me, the Ally, or Helper is a blissful supportive thing, not requiring surrender (other than to “the other realm, which is often a battle for ordinary consciousness at best, and surrender of judgement – acceptance), or battle. The Ally comes – like your own Helpers – in love and a desire to help you be your best self.
There is often a battle in the Anima/Animus, as we resist the Other, and a battle in the Shadow, as we integrate our Darkness, and a battle in the Shamanic Death, where we shed Ego and realise that we are Beyond Ego and learn to identify with the Greater Self. That feels like word salad, but those are the Shamanic battles (in my experience). If there is something there that speaks to you, perhaps we can explore it further.
I have never battled an Ally. The Ally is my Support and Power, the gift given to me by G-d, and the gifts which I share with others.
I strongly sense that Mindell is mixing his metaphors – his Shamanism and Psychology. When he says Ally – I say Shadow or Daimon. It is true, when you Integrate the Shadow or befriend the Daimon, you gain great power, and you do shed the ego and surrender to That Which is Greater than Yourself. This is Jacob battling the Angel, after which point he is Blessed (father of many Nations) and cursed (physically lamed).
Was the Angel an Ally or an Adversary? If you read my notes about Shadow above, I feel very strongly that is what Mindell is talking about when he uses the word “Ally.”
Casteneda had a plant Ally – the “little smoke” or datura. In the story, he had to “tame” the Ally, using ceremony and cultivation, Practices and initiations. I think this may be why Mindell associates the Ally with the Shadow. Cultivating a poisonous plant ally is a challenging path, indeed (and not one which I recommend!).
Rainbow walks with you at all times, and is your “interface” between the worlds.
In the chart I give to class, BiFrost (Norse Mythology) is the Bridge which connects Midgard (Middle world) to Asgard (Upper World). Bifrost is the Rainbow Bridge.
In Greek Mythology, this is Iris (yes, like our eyes), and she is the Messenger Goddess who connects humans to the Gods.
In Judeo-Christian belief, the Rainbow is a covenant between G-d and Human to never destroy the Earth again (this time, I reckon it will be humans who do it)
Whether it is bridge, messenger, archery bow, or serpent, the Rainbow is a potent symbol for all cultures.
In aboriginal lore, I read that the Rainbow Serpent is sometimes malevolant (must destroy in order to create) and lives in times of the dry in the puddles. It is neither male nor female, but transcends sexuality.
And here is a special one I found from Ancient Hopi and Navajo tradition:
“The Whirling Rainbow – Prophecy There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the Earth and all Her children. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface at this time; the great trees that perished will return almost overnight. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the breast of our Mother, the Earth.
“The great spiritual Teachers who walked the Earth and taught the basics of the truths of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy will return and walk amongst us once more, sharing their power and understanding with all. We will learn how to see and hear in a sacred manner. Men and women will be equals in the way Creator intended them to be; all children will be safe anywhere they want to go. Elders will be respected and valued for their contributions to life. Their wisdom will be sought out. The whole Human race will be called The People and there will be no more war, sickness or hunger forever”
Chapter 6 The Warrior
I know I wrote a bit about this – but something stands out for me in light of something I’ve been discussing on Shamanism forums:
Mindell writes: “The dreamingbody can be a prison. It possesses you if you don’t use it consciously.”
This reminds me of the Shadow.
The Shadow is a great source of strength, but it is the things you are afraid of.
The Shadow is (according to Jung) the things that you have repressed since childhood. You were told your sexuality was shameful, it was repressed. You were told to mind your language, your manners, to conform, to fit in – and anything that doesn’t “fit” that keeps you from being accepted into your family and social units – gets relegated to the Shadow.
Some would say it gets “stuffed,” or one metaphor for it is “skeletons in the closet” – secrets that are kept which are not to be opened or explored. Secrets that you want to keep even from yourself. Secret emotions, desires, thoughts, inclinations, dreams and visions. (this is where it would tie into Mindell’s “dreamingbody”)
But these secrets are sources of power, and to face them and integrate them is necessary to become a whole Human Being.
When they are repressed, they tend to take over, and become forms of self-sabotage (“I can never seem to have relationships, I mess them up”) or patterns that keep repeating until you learn the lesson, or integrate that Shadow. Another example might be – “I keep failing at….(insert challenge here) because I am afraid of failing.” That’s a very common pattern. It is an indicator of a Shadow at work – trying to get you to face yourself, but the skeleton in the closet is a forbidden thing – it takes bravery and courage to go there.
Another indicator that you have a shadow is the things which annoy and niggle at you – when you look at other people. If you find yourself judging other people, it is because you are also judging something about yourself. If you question someone’s honesty – look to see where you are not being honest with yourself. If a coworker’s work ethic bothers you – what is it about your own work ethic that you could do better? Others are brought to you as mirrors of your own Shadow. When you can be compassionate to others, you are well on the way to integrating your own Shadows with compassion and wisdom.
These mirrors also are in accordance with what Mindell is writing about doubt.
When you heed your Shadows, they do not get in your way or trip you up. Instead they support you, and you become more fearless, more open to new challenges. Because if your own Shadows are integrated, you no longer fear them.
Laura Bowen writes of waterfall in “Dreamtime Reading Cards,”
(paraphrased) Waterfall is release. A waterfall is strong and powerful, and moves a lot of water. Communication involves ideas being shared and discussed.
Words that tumble with force and anger can hurt and destroy. Rather than letting emotions explode, allow your emotions and feelings to fall, roll and flow out regularly, continuously.
Sharing your ideas, thoughts, and feelings is really important at this time, whether spoken or written – you need to communicate the overflowing that waterfall indicates you are feeling at this time.
Do not let emotions build up. Say how you feel and be honest with those around you. There may be possible arguments and emotional outbursts, but speak honestly and openly and allow others to do the same.
Silver is associated with the Moon and Women’s Mysteries.
It is about reflected light (the Sun being more Male and burning light), the mirrors of seeing intuitively, of introspection, and quiet mysteries.
Horse is sacred to so many cultures. It is strength in battle, the ability to travel great distances across land, and the partnership of the two together synergising – two together are greater than two apart. The relationship with horse is that which will carry you into your growth journey.
Symbolically, it is motivation and drive, the power to break through barriers, as well as appetite for freedom. He speaks of passionate energy, strong emotions and passionate desires, and most importantly, a balance between your wild self, and your tamed self. In harmony, these two parts of yourself can be the catalyst for renewal.
