Uncategorized
Distance Journey Group
THIS POST IS CURRENTLY OUTDATED AS OF SUMMER OF 2021. This is still up as archival history of what we have done in the past.
If you have made it to this page, that means you’re interested in actively practicing Shamanic Journeying with a non-local community. Congratulations on these big steps to feeling connected and a part of something bigger. Keep in mind that whatever you put into it, is what you get out of it, and participation is voluntary.
There are a few ways to join from a distance.
- One is marking yourself as “interested” on the Facebook event, so that when we go live you will get notified and you can watch in real time. This option won’t allow you to participate, but you can view what is happening. After we stop the recording, you can participate on your own at home and look for the blog post which will be posted within a day or two so you can post your journey results.
- The second is to join with a teleconferencing app that can be installed on your computer, smart device or phone called Zoom. This allows you to interact with us, and you can dance, journey, and share your journey with us. PLEASE MESSAGE if you would like to participate live.
- If you are not able to make it live, then you can view the recordings in the archives of our blog. You can post or share your journey results if you choose to.
We are currently restructuring how we organize the previous journey groups, it’s coming soon! But the most easiest way to participate is from watching for our newsletters, Facebook event feed or Meetup events.
If you consider yourself a beginner journeyer, I would recommend taking a look at the Journeying at Home page to help you prepare yourself as well as your space. I have a project that I am working on for a Journeying CD to accompany this “preparation” to allow one easier access to altered states of consciousness. If you would like to provide your own music, a drum, rattle, or tapping on your body can help produce the trance like state we are seeking. If you are unsure about doing that, then you can follow this simple layout with accompanying journey tracks.
Here is a helpful video by Sandra Ingerman about journeying, and here is a link to her book, “Basics of Shamanic Journeying”. If you would like further instruction, there is typically a class about journeying right before the monthly journey group (with no suggested journey topic) for practice. Variation may range based on the month, however you can stay in touch with our events via our newsletter archive, signing up for our monthly newsletter, or looking at our Facebook or Meetup pages. If you wish to deepen your studies, there are several courses offered through Sounds True, the Shift Network and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.
If you have trouble journeying, or have tried several times to journey, please do not fret. Sometimes it just takes practice. Going into an altered state of consciousness at will is a learned skill. It’s like a muscle. You cannot expect to go right into the gym for the first time to bench press 100 lbs. Some people might be surprised to find out they can, while other people struggle to even lift up the bar. Everyone is different, with different experiences and skill sets. Some may have a problem concentrating because their imagination runs wild, so they have wild vivid journeys but they make no sense. While at the same time, others might struggle to release the thoughts of their day and keep thinking about things they have to do – thus feeling blank for the journey itself. It all varies, but the only way to keep gaining experience is to do it and see what happens.
If there still seems to be trouble and there are certain blockages that are hindering your progress, it is possible that a shamanic healing might be in order. Sometimes with the amount of disconnection our society is in, vital pieces of ourselves might be missing due to soul loss, or trauma from our past. Shamanic healing sessions can be done either in group ceremonies or in one-on-one sessions. The group ceremonies tend to be done by donation, while the private sessions (either private or you can invite other people to witness) are done by sliding scale. More information can be found on the List of Services tab.
Feel free to contact us by email at chenchira@eagletherapies.com or call/text 571.306.3197 if there are any questions or concerns. Don’t be shy! And happy journeying, everyone.
Journey Group Outline for September and October 2017
Wow! Would you look at that! I have everything all set in stone for the next two months and I have everything scheduled! IT’S A MIRACLE!!
Well, not really. But I have a lot of deep gratitude to a lot of people helping me pull this off. So without further ado – let’s see what we’ve got in store at Eagle Therapies for the next two months!
For those that don’t know, there is both a bi-weekly shamanic journey group as well as a monthly shamanic journey group. The one with the “journey group outline” is the bi-weekly occurring event. The monthly meetup has a class right before hand, so if you’re interested in journeying but don’t feel comfortable doing it – well here’s a class for you! We weren’t able to have a monthly journey for September, but that’s alright. Just come in October instead! The monthly journey is also longer and with two journeys instead of one. There is the option to journey for someone else during the second journey. There is a facebook group for the journey group, and I promise I’ll get better about posting in there. The intention behind the facebook journey group is to have people that are joining in from a distance to post the results of their journeys – or to have members post odd synchronicity of what happened when they applied what they learned in their journey group.
So without further ado: Here is the suggested journey topic for the next two months!
Energy Health and the taking care of our Bucket
I did a blog post about this last year, and we are going to revisit this topic again, because it’s a different set of people, as well as a new location. The basic premise is to explore the blog post, but to give an opportunity to the group to be able to break it down into separate journeys. Here is how we shall break this down:
September 7th
Introduction to the state of our energetic health
Facebook and Meetup
A lot of people aren’t really sure what to make of their energetic health. A lot of people that claim to be “empathic” are sometimes just super sensitive to other people’s energy because their energy body is porous. We will cover this topic as well as explore how our energy body is interacting with the world around us, and what impact is has on our emotional, mental, and spiritual status at any given moment in time.
September 21
The container
Facebook and Meetup
This is where we explore what our container is, as well as what status it is in. Not many people will see it as a “bucket”. People have had this show up as a glass container, a wooden one, a porcelain, and also metal. No answer is wrong, but the type of material it is made of is also a representative of how you interact with the world.
October 5th
The contents
Facebook and Meetup
It’s funny how sometimes we can acknowledge something on the surface, but underneath it can be a putrid pond filled with gross stuff. Is an energy body supposed to have sediment down at the bottom that isn’t touched? Perhaps one can have a sluggish reaction to certain things, but then “boiling over” or reactive when it’s close to the top? What does repression mean and what are the repercussions of it on your energy body.
October 19th
The stability
Facebook and Meetup
Sometimes we can feel as though we are teeter tottering on the edge of a precipice. Knowing ourselves as well as “where our bucket is NOW” can provide insight into our emotional/mental stability at any given moment in time. If we are on unstable ground, or if we feel as though we are about to “lose it”, then we can certainly journey to our energetic body to see what type of metaphoric “ground” we are on, and explore/heal that aspect of ourselves.
Again, there is no class and monthly journey in September, but the next Shamanic Journeying Class is on October 28th, followed shortly by the Monthly Journey Group. If you are familiar with journeying, you can skip the class and come right to the monthly journey group for more practice. For the up to date event listings, feel free to check out either our Facebook calendar or our Meetup Calendar. If you are interested reading our newsletter for the month, visit the Newsletter Archives or join the newsletter.
Happy September! So many kids going back to school 🙂 Blessings to those children starting their new school career this year <3
New Wave of a Birthday
It is one thing to celebrate one’s birthday with parties, balloons, presents, and gifts presented by loved ones.
But what about the loved ones with no voice?
The Earth doesn’t have a voice that we can hear with our physical senses. To me, it’s something that I feel, and I usually feel this union in my heart. Whenever I look up at the sky when it’s thunder storming, whenever I look at the ocean, or when I’m in the woods listening to the wildlife around me… I don’t necessarily hear a voice, but I feel a deep thrum in the pit of my belly. Sometimes I hear an invisible song that brings me deep joy and peace. From this deep gratitude that I feel, I wish to give back on the anniversary of my birth.
I have been named strange more times than I can count in the 3 decades I’ve been alive. And this is something that I am completely okay with. I actively choose not to participate in the gift giving habit this year, and I am hoping that those who know me well enough to want to gift me a present will do the same. As many know, I care deeply about the Earth, and the astonishing atrocities that are being committed now are things that would leave me in tears for hours if I slowed down enough to process all of it. Instead, I do what I can, pick up trash when on hikes, have vowed to take shorter showers, and have helped with recycling programs/dig through trash both at home and at work to help clean/support Mother Earth. This year, I don’t want my birthday to be just about me – I want it to be a celebration of life in general. Honoring the Earth and being in gratitude for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are simple pleasures many take for granted.
The Standing Rock movement was something that helped enlighten a lot of people to the dependency that we have on oil, and we have marinated again and again in spiritual awakenings. More people are becoming aware that the way we are living now is not sustainable. For example, the Dakota Access Pipeline that was promised not to leak began leaking even before it was complete, and now has leaked twice after being officially “open”. I, of course, encourage you to do your own research and fact check. There are plenty of articles available on this subject matter.
But this brings out the point that we can’t focus all of our energy into what is not working. We can, however, focus on things that are working. There is an epidemic of trash for many reasons such as human nature (read laziness), privileged people and the overflowing landfills all across the world. Humans are constantly consuming and creating more refuse that is affecting our wildlife. One of the biggest results is the accumulation of “Garbage Patches”, where there is a concentration of trash due to debris falling off ships, or careless tourists that end up forgetting their trash on the beach and it washes away. Plastics comprise about 80-90% of this. There’s an interesting thing about some plastics – that they never really “degrade”. They actually just break down into smaller and smaller pieces, hence causing mass deaths. Thankfully, a lot of awareness has been brought up in this regard, and there are many efforts to try and clean our oceans of plastics, as well as to help create happier environments for our marine life.
This year for my birthday, I want to be able to support causes that I know where the money won’t go into corporate hands and actually make a difference in this world. This bracelet really spoke to me, because this bracelet is made from 100% recycled material. The beads are recycled from glass bottles, and the thread is recycled from plastic bottles/bags. This company named 4Ocean is putting out there that for every purchase of a bracelet, one (1) lb. of trash is cleaned from the ocean. You can watch this video for a brief introduction to it.
This really spoke to me and my heart, because I’ve been a big fan of the ocean for a long time. Whenever I hike, I make sure to bring a garbage bag with me so I can pick up the litter. I also find that somehow getting a memento from others picking up the trash and being able to do something with it, is like a reflection and friendly reminder of the times I’ve already done it. And it gives me hope when I see my son doing the same, and helping me pick up the trash on his own, instead of me having to ask. I hope that this trend of good stewardship for the planet keeps picking up, and I wish to invest my energy into something that means a lot to me. And if you were thinking of giving me a present, please consider donating to this instead, and sending me a nice message saying that you got a bracelet and helped pick up one (1) lb. of trash from the ocean. And even if you weren’t and happened to stumble across this post – then please, to help fulfill my birthday wish, consider donating money to this wonderful cause.
As an added bonus, if you do happen to get a bracelet and send me an email, I’ll be more than happy to send you a blessing over the phone to activate your recycled bracelet. It will be a short diagnostic journey and then a personalized blessing. If you are not familiar with Shamanic Journeying, here is your chance to test out the results of it! If anything, you get a bracelet which helped clean up a pound of trash from the ocean. I would love more stuff like this to be a thing of inspiration, so many people can see what harm is being done to the world around us. And may this short little blessing be enough to help reverse what harm has been done, in what little way it can.
Every effort of the heart matters. When something moves you in the heart, please do something great or small that is a reflection of how you are moved in this world. And performing a blessing into that bracelet for you is the least I can do.
My birthday is coming up on June 8th 🙂 Please send me some emails! The blessing promotion will continue for the whole month of June.
Contact: info@eagletherapies.com
Month of May 2017
Wow, April blew by fast. So fast that I posted this schedule late! I had a wonderful Beltane with many lovely people in the community, and I’m blessed and so grateful for this Summer to begin! As with many Summers, it will be a time of full outward expression – so it’s helpful that the journey topic for this month is Fire.
For the past couple of months, we have been working with elements in the journey group outline. Now we continue that journey with fire! The rest will be as follows on this big medicine wheel we will be taking a dive into 😉
- Main Post: Purity and the Elements – Exploring the four element system, what it means, and the inter-connectedness/inter-related aspects of it all
- February and March: Earth – getting the grounding, boundaries, and centering under wraps. This is a crucial part to understanding the element of earth
- April: Element of Air – Exploring the mental wisdom body and how to bring about the clarity of the mind
- May: Element of Fire – Exploring the spiritual wisdom body and how we can use passion to fuel our drive in the world
- June: Element of Water (post coming soon) – Exploring the emotional wisdom body and how we can use our emotions as a useful processing tool instead of drowning or being numbed by them.
Along with the basic journey group meetups, there is also a Shamanic Journeying Basics class on May 13th, as well as an Animal Medicine class on May 16th. Hooray for fun events this month!
Eagle Therapies Events Calendar:
May 9th – Heart Centered Sound Circle. Has been moved to a Tuesday due to Mothers day being on the following Sunday and I was away at a Festival the first weekend in May (which threw me off schedule in getting things posted on time).
May 11th – Shamanic Journey Group: Topic of Fire – What is fire and how does it relate to us? What does interconnection and our spiritual health have to do with our overall holistic wellness? Explore these questions and more at this weeks Journey Group.
May 12th – Drum Circle in Fairfax – For those that want a more “laid back” and just “old fashioned” drum circle, come try out the Fairfax Drum circle! Typically done on the first Friday of every month, but moved to the Second Friday due to scheduling conflicts.
May 13th – Monthly Shamanic Journeying Basics: The Bare Bones – Beginners introduction to Shamanic Journeying, or a refresher course for someone that is experienced with journeying but wants a different perspective. For more advanced journeyers, feel free to show up around 6:00pm for an hour long “Shamanic Journeying” expanded version (since we squeeze the journeying itself into a 30 minute time window).
May 16th – Animal Medicine – For those interested in finding out what their Power Animal is, or for those interested in having a straight forward guide. Already have a guide? Sometimes we just need to look at nature and listen to the messages we receive in order to begin to understand what they mean. Find out what your strongest connection to nature is in this workshop.
May 25th – Shamanic Journey Group: Topic of Fire – What happens when we have false passions that drive us to the brink of madness? Sometimes people can have addictions that fuel them to do things they would rather not do – but they end up doing them anyway without really realizing the harm or the damage they cause. Today we will cover the topic of a “Wildfire” and how this chaos can either be extremely beneficial and clearing, or how it can “burn bridges” before we are really ready to take that next leap.
Thanks everyone! For a copy of this months newsletter, please click this link so you can find out what else is going on in the area. If you guys have any questions or concerns, please feel free to text/call 571.306.3197, or email info@eagletherapies.com
Earth as a Teacher
If you have found this page, there is no coincidence that you are on a path of self discovery. Even if that wasn’t your intention, you somehow still wound up finding this page. This page is the unfolding of a path to explore the metaphor of a four element system. This post directly deals with the Earth as an element, and how we can journey to find out the depth of our relationship with this element. It can be a direct reflection upon us and how we function in this world. We will be going through these journeying topics at the Shamanic Journey Group of Fairfax, however this can also be a “follow along at home” directional for those that wish to take this slowly and in a step-by-step process.
I shall update the table of contents as the blog posts get written.
Table of contents:
Purity and the Elements – Main post, Introduction to four element system and why
Earth (this post)
Air – mental wisdom body
Fire – spiritual wisdom body
Water (coming soon)
Earth is the first element we start off with, because there is a need to be grounded and centered in this world. Our needs of the physical body can be symbolically represented by the element of earth in this four element system. My teachings are based off of the four basic wisdom bodies. In this series, Earth represents the physical body, Air represents the mental body, Fire represents the spiritual body, and Water represents the emotional body. Before we can venture into any of the other bodies, we must take care of the vessel. We cannot venture into the spiritual or emotional bodies with a clear mind if we are sleep deprived, malnutritioned, or in a state of panic/worrying about our safety. This is why the most logical approach at a healthy start is through the earth element. When following a true path of shamanism, it is about the depth of relationship. Lots of people have superficial relationships with people, nature, and most often themselves. People that have a good relationship with the element of earth tend to be people that feel secure with who they are and bring a sense of belonging with them. Have you been around a person who just feels “solid” as compared to a person who is scattered, or doesn’t really feel like they belong? A person can feel rooted in one particular area of their life, but then when they get moved out of that environment of safety, their “stability” can change (having social awkwardness, not good at public speaking, etc.) and they can become fidgety, nervous, and not be as interactive as they once were in their “safe zone”. Meanwhile a person with a strong earth element can bring this sense of “home” or safety with them, emanating it. Others who feel less secure can gravitate towards this type of person with a strong earth element. The thing is, very similar to the earth, our relationship with the earth element can grow. Things that we were once uncomfortable with, we can explore and “grow into” liking. Very similar to how a plant takes time to grow, we ourselves can grow into a different person, changing our comfort level as time goes on.
Technically speaking, there are two different “earth” energies. One is earth as an essence energy, and the other is spirit of the earth as a planet. Most indigenous cultures have words that distinguish the difference between the two, but in the English language we have one word that represents both. This is why some make the distinction and say “Mother Earth”, “Pachamama”, or “Gaia”. For the simplicity of this series, we will mostly be talking about the earth element, and I will emphasize the spirit of earth with a capital E. The earth element represents cleansing, grounding, centering, and a sense of belonging. It can help restore connection and interconnectedness. It is the element that we go to for restoration and rejuvenation. The Earth as a planet is an archetypal energy that can be reflected through many different avenues (most common ones are Goddesses or consciousnesses such as Pachamama or Gaia), but an archetype is the energy that is behind a Goddess. The Earth represents the wisdom that comes from the spirit of the Earth. We go back to the Earth for restoration, it can be the driver of a slow transformation (as compared to fire, which is a quick type of transformation).
There are two different sides to each coin. A healthy relationship with earth looks like what we have listed above. Someone who feels secure with themselves, their choices, and their decisions. They know their place in the great web of life, and are grounded/centered individuals. There can be “too much” of a good thing, and earth in excess can appear depressive, stagnant, too heavy, slowing down/unmoving, feeling like you’re not going anywhere, or having a low self esteem. There could also be a time where there is a feeling of betrayal, as if we had an idea of what our life/life’s purpose was – but then we got “dropped” from the big web of life. This is usually an act/event that breaks trust within the person. Broken trust makes us feel like we are unstable and on “shaky ground”, so doing something that helps re-establish a right relationship with earth can be helpful in bringing us back on track.
What are some ways to work with the earth? It is definitely helpful to have a “hands on” approach with this, because the earth element is about our physical body. It’s great to receive messages from spirit, but the main thing the earth element teaches – is how do we ground these visions we see into reality? There is a tendency in this westernized contemporary culture to “overthink” things, spending way too much time in the mental realm instead of the physical realm. This is why we have predispositions to anxiety and fast racing thoughts. When we learn to slow down and take a walk through nature, we can learn to appreciate our physical body and recharge. For those that need a refresher on energetic health and recognizing when we need to focus on our relationship with earth, please read the Energetic Bucket metaphor. When we feel that we are feeling “drained” or our energy is running low, sometimes replenishing ourselves by eating some comfort food, getting a good nights rest, or simply taking a walk outside in nature can help to “refill our bucket”. It’s good practice to feel the earth on our skin. When was the last time you sang? When was the last time you danced? Getting into our bodies is the first step into getting us our of our heads. For some that have trouble with the earth as an element, taking up gardening or finding a nice park to sit in could be helpful things to help restore our connection to this element. We often go to the Earth to listen for the heart beat and to synchronize with a bigger picture, and feel connected to something larger then ourselves. Restore that sense of awe and bring gratitude back into our daily practice. The Earth carries an innate wisdom to be whole, as well as how to heal. If we are having trouble with a particular sore spot, or wound (whether emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually), we can go to the wisdom of the earth to help correct this balance.
When we begin to work with earth as an element, we begin to talk about our boundaries and our sovereignty. Sovereignty is having a healthy relationship with our ego, making sure not to dip into arrogance, but having a firm knowledge that we are in control of ourselves and establishing dominion with our choices. Most people who are operating on “auto-pilot” tend to not be aware of their own actions and their impact on others. For those raised in a dogmatic household, perhaps we have been taught from a young age that it’s bad if we stand up for ourselves, and things are “wrong” if we do them a certain way. We could have a past history of abuse and have had our trust broken so many times that we don’t know how to begin to open up. Perhaps we might have a lot of clearing work to do before we can actually get down to the real working relationship of earth. With a more balanced earth element, we can set our own rules, and take up responsibility for our actions. We must be willing to take up space. For those with a spotty relationship with earth, they will often find themselves shrinking when they are not sure of themselves.
When working with the element of earth, we ask ourselves these basic questions:
- Why am I here?
- Where do I stand?
- What do I stand for?
- How do I gain confidence in these aspects?
The healthiest aspect of being in a working relationship with earth is carrying your sense of belonging with you. This cultivates Presence. There is a difference between engagement (which is chatter) and presence (going deeper). Many people can talk a big talk, but what is the solidarity behind their words? What actions do they take in the real world which back up what they are saying? A person with a healthy relationship with earth will be able to say something, and then follow through with it. We must remember to be nomadic, and bring this sense of presence with us. Where have we been laying double standards? Where we get upset at someone for doing something when we do it ourselves? Maybe deep down we are really upset at ourselves because we keep performing an action that we resent ourselves for and instead are projecting our upset onto someone else. It’s easier to see the sickness in others rather then ourselves.
Whenever there is a light, there is always going to be a shadow that is cast. For every aspect that we will talk about in this four element system, we will also briefly explore the shadow aspect. The shadow is not a bad thing, however many people put a negative connotation on it because of this societies fear of death and polarization (good vs. evil mentality). In an indigenous culture or true shamanic path, there is no such thing as good or evil, everything is perceived of as a lesson. This polarization is a relatively new concept which indicates that anything that has “darkness” is bad. The shadow (the term coined by Carl Jung, one of the major influences of modern Psychology) is originally supposed to be an archetype that represents a respite, a break because of a challenge/trauma. Now-a-days, the shadow is pretty much a closet that we shove repressed aspects of ourselves in because it’s been viewed as “bad” or “not fitting in”. We still have access to these parts of ourselves, but they come out in “shadow patterns” or archetypes. The shadow of earth is represented by an earthquake. Again, this innately is not a “good” thing or a “bad” thing, because the earthquake represents a time in our life where we need to be reminded of our bare bones of who we are. Many times when there is an earthquake, our relationship with earth has become so shaky that the shaking energy has the ability to bring us back home again. If we have created a life built on an illusion of what we believe we are supposed to do in this world, an earthquake can be extremely detrimental because we realize that underneath we don’t have the best foundation. For those that have a healthy relationship with earth, an earthquake will just reinforce the “support structures” of our life, and realize how unshakable we really are.
Abundance is not dropped from on high, it is cultivated from the earth. Don’t forget to look down at your foundation. Who are you? Why are you here? What do you stand for and why do you stand for it? If you journey, it is an activity that is question driven. Some good journey questions to ask for the element of earth are:
- What does my relationship with earth look like?
If your relationship is not what you had originally envisioned, you can then ask:
- What does a healthy relationship with earth look like for me?
If it’s still something that makes you uncomfortable, the next journey question should be:
- How do I bridge the gap? What are the next steps for me to take to create a healthier relationship with earth?
Hopefully these questions will begin to help kick start you on the path of finding your stability and relationship with your own inner world. For those that tend to be more auditory learners, feel free to listen to this helpful 45 minute podcast from Why Shamanism Now about Earth.
Any questions, concerns, or generalized comments, please feel free to call/text 571.306.3197 or email info@eagletherapies.com
Fly high, everyone!
Travel to Standing Rock
Hello beautiful friends, family, and followers
As many know, there is a situation that is brewing out West that has been going on for quite some time. For others who haven’t read it, I have posted why I believe so much in the Standing Rock movement in this previous post. This is an expansion of that, because I have taken up training with an individual that was largely based out of Standing Rock. I started working with her in January, and since then she has passed away – but other indigenous teachers have stepped up in my training process. This post is made in honor of her memory (Hail the traveler, Buffalo Woman), and a promise to myself as well as her, that I would make it out to Standing Rock.
Please have it be known that I do not go out there for glory, or for the fact that I’m a half white woman who is “Playing Indian”. Over the past few months as my love for these people has deepened, I see the struggle they go through because of Indigenous rights. I have become immersed in Shamanic training for the past few years of my life, and my studies have lead me deeper in the paths surrounding Native American culture. The religious intolerance that is growing in this country can be appalling, but I choose to focus on the beautiful people in my circles who cannot fathom such things. I cannot lie to myself and tell myself that these topics are not real, but I can certainly press forward knowing they exist, knowing that there is much resistance to the amount of love that is growing.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” C.G. Jung
One of the reasons why I love the Standing Rock community is because it has started a movement. No, this is definitely not the only oil pipeline that is happening in the United States of America – but what this has done has shown that through peaceful protesting, we can accomplish so much. Because of Standing Rock and other similar movements, there has been a ripple effect where people are looking into the pipelines that have been proposed in their own backyards and fighting them. What this movement has also done, is raise awareness for why we need to preserve what we have for our future generation. Water Is Life, and it has been proven that oil pipelines leak. For example, less then 150 miles away from the Standing Rock reservation, a pipeline leaked 176,000 gallons of oil. As another news flash, the city of Flint, Michigan still does not have clean water. Do we want a future similar to Flint, Michigan to be popping up all over the United States, where they have been battling for clean water since 2007 where they began suspecting sewage spills and industrial waste were contaminating city water supplies? With Donald Trump lifting the EPA regulations, it has been allowing certain companies to dump their waste into rivers, creating more problematic situations that will soon be affecting more rural cities/towns. THIS is why I stand with Standing Rock, because this isn’t right, and I pray for a future where my son can drink clean water from the tap without fear of it being contaminated.
What most people don’t know is that the Native Americans have stood for the rights of the land because there is this stewardship that is born of a people who have lived off of the land for so many generations. There is a sense of pride, and a belief that the Earth is alive. The Sioux tribe and the rest of the Native American tribes that have gathered in North Dakota have been in constant prayer and ceremony since the beginning of this movement. This peaceful protest and the constant prayer that was going on at Standing Rock have been consistent and running 24 hours a day – because prayer is powerful. If you don’t believe me, look at how much attention this movement has gathered. There have been no guns used by the Water Protectors, and the only things they are armed with are bundles of sage as they clear out the negativity thrown on them by the opposing forces. At this current time, prayer at Camp is currently paused (but not stopped), because there was a forced evacuation by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on February 22nd, 2017. During that time a total of 47 arrests happened, including one of Grandmother Regina Brave. Please listen to the wise words from this elder. We could stand to learn something from the elders who have walked before us and lead us during this chaotic time. From the words of Ladonna Tamakawastewin Allard, the Sacred Fire that has been burning at Standing Rock is not out. The fight is not over, and the fire still burns.
It is because of all of the above that I choose to go to Standing Rock. There are many personal reasons why I want to go, but my heart is firm in wanting to support a movement this large. I am traveling with a dear and loved friend by vehicle, and we would appreciate donations for gas money and food (as some who have been following me know that I have life threatening food allergies and carry an epipen with me). No, I don’t have a 401-C, but many people who I have told my story to want to support Standing Rock in some way, and they want to support individuals going out instead of just sending money to a random charity. If this is your choice, then may I humbly ask that you support us as we choose to help rebuild this camp so that this can be a more sustainable protest. We will be participating in ceremony over there, and listening to the elders. We are bringing our own supplies so we are not a burden on the community, but instead helping contribute in a way that is healthy.
As one of my teachers have said on many occasions – if the Standing Rock movement has moved you in any way, please allow that movement to be mediated from the heart and do something in this world that is a direct reflection of that movement. If you feel impassioned by the oppression of the Indigenous people and you want to help support, or if you feel passionate about protecting/conserving the water for our future generation, then please support by sending prayers, donating gas funds, or donating supplies that we can take over to camp as we help to rebuild. Even $5 helps.
All Eagle Therapies events are run off of donations, but donations made to this paypal will go directly toward supporting Standing Rock and rebuilding a more sustainable protest.
For those that would like to participate closer to home, there will be a Native Nations March and Camp on DC between March 7-10th. They will be having an indigenous tipi gathering in front of the White House, and then followed by a prayer and march on the 10th. There will be no camping overnight, this is just a metaphor. There will be a ceremonial fire, however.
Walk With Buffalo
There is an interesting thing that happens when one is faced with their own mortality. Many people talk about a moment when time stands still. I’ve been arguing with myself about writing this, but I’ve decided to go ahead and write about what happened and share it, and the message, with the general public.
It was a Saturday and I was driving to Washington DC to meet some of my friends at a conference. I had decided to grab some shrimp from a birthday party earlier that day. I had no idea I was allergic to shrimp, because I have eaten shrimp without a problem in the past.
Well, half a pound of shrimp and thirty minutes later, I’m walking down the street and feel the beginnings of hives. This was different than a “normal” outbreak of hives (I have several food allergies and unfortunately hives are a way of living for me) and grasped the severity of it when I felt my face swelling. I was 2 blocks away, and turned back to go to Union Station. By the time I walked hurriedly to Walgreens to get some benadryl, my hands, feet, arms, legs, and face all felt swollen. My eyes were beginning to swell shut and I felt the onset of tinnitus. 15 minutes had elapsed.
Upon entering, I looked at the cash register person and announced, “This is a medical emergency, where is your benadryl?”
The man at the counter looked up and stuttered, it was obvious by his reaction that my face was visibly swollen. He pointed me in the direction of the “back” and simply said “Along the wall, I’ll be there to help you in a moment.”
On my way to the back, as I rushed – I walked up to a group of three employees. I announced the same thing, “This is a medical emergency. I need benadryl. Where’s your benadryl?”
One kind gentleman brought me exactly to the wall where I needed to be, and I grabbed the first box that I saw. By the time I got up to the front of the store, I collapsed. I shakily got out my wallet and threw my credit card at the cash register man, asking for a bottle of water while on the floor. By the time they handed it all back to me, I was shaking so bad and my hands were so swollen that it was hard to open the packages. I somehow managed to do it and got 3 pills down with a whole bottle of water.
That’s when I noticed it was difficult to swallow.
I vocalized this to the people standing around, and this was where my senses started getting hazy. The manager walked by and informed me that she called the ambulance and the Union Station medic. By the time the medic got to me, I still had the ability to speak and gave him my information. I shakily handed him my driver’s license and let him know my age, address, and phone number. It was at this time when my sight started to waiver.
When the paramedics arrived on scene, that’s when my body started becoming limp. I couldn’t really see anything, because at this point I went physically blind. I forced myself to breathe and stay in my body, because I noticed that it was easy for me to not be present. I felt this calm sense of urgency surging through my blood to be present, and I took it one breath at a time.
When my vision went completely black, it was strange because I could still “see”. I couldn’t really see around me, but my senses were heightened in a way. I began to see energy. It was at this time when a great Buffalo Spirit came to stand beside me. I felt the energy shift at the presence.
The buffalo spoke and said, “You have two options. You can either stay here, or you can come with me.”
I knew deep down in my core the ultimatum he presented to me. My first thoughts were of my son. The second were of all of the work I had yet to do in this lifetime. I mentally told him a firm no and instead focused hard on staying in my body and breathing.
It was hard to breathe, it felt like breathing through a straw. I knew that I shouldn’t panic, because if I did, that would make the air not come. Slow, even, controlled breathing, like in my sitting practices…even though I was dying.
That was when I heard one of the medics say my blood pressure wasn’t reading. I remembered one of them saying they couldn’t feel a pulse. I remembered the high pitched hum of a defibrillator firing up. I remember someone shouting, “Ma’am, stay with us.” I know it might sound odd, but I could have swore I heard a medic “think”, “I don’t think the epinephrine is working, we might have given it too late.”
Still breathing, the only thoughts in my mind were of my son, and the beautiful world that I still had show to him. I had to stay. I forced myself to breathe. I couldn’t leave him.
This was when the Buffalo spirit nodded.
At that exact moment, I started coming back to life and vomited all of the shrimp in my stomach. I vomited for a good 5 minutes, and then that’s when I began to have seizures/tremors from the epinephrine. I remember being paralyzed and cognizant of what was happening, but not being able to speak or move voluntarily. I was so cold. It was terrifying with that lack of control, but at the same time, I was just so in the moment, that I couldn’t think of anything else. Nothing else runs through your mind when you’re in that state.
When I came too, the only thing I could think of was to apologize to the nice Walgreens employees who had to clean up the vomit on their floor. They kept telling me, “It’s okay ma’am.”
Eventually, after the tremors had eased to the point of me being able to speak and move of my own accord, the paramedics helped me stand and get to the stretcher. That was when I noticed the IV line in my arm, and one of them had reported my blood pressure being close to 50/30. Hey, that was an improvement from not having one at all.
Since I was coming out of it, I decided to grab my phone and begin calling/texting all of the people who I was supposed to be meeting that evening, as well as inform my housemate and the one watching my child. I was told it was quite comical to see a woman who was pale as a sheet from anaphylaxis on a cell phone, while holding up her own fluid bag as two paramedics wheeled her through Union Station on a stretcher.
I couldn’t stop shaking, and the tremors continued for two and a half hours. My fingernails were blue, and my blood pressure was still pretty low. The details of my escapades aren’t really that poignant for me to explain, but I do wish to express the spiritual type of experience that one walks away with from something like this. Yes, the experience was something simple and mundane (eating shrimp) – but it almost cost me my life. Why did I choose to bring up the Buffalo in this post when I could have just as easily left it out? Because to me, the Buffalo represents a choice, and represents a power that everyone has access to.
As most know from the topic of my website, as well as my business, that I am a Shamanic practitioner and energy worker. Most know that my descriptions of events and presentation are going to have a more “spiritual” aspect to things. I host a bi-weekly Shamanic Journey Group and frequently introduce the concepts of Helping Spirits/Guides to people – because we don’t need to have a near death experience in order to have a connection to one of them. The Buffalo that came to me was not an average helping spirit that one would journey and find on first encounter. The Buffalo stood for, and represented, a connection to a greater purpose.
Malidoma Patrice Some is a wonderful Shaman of the Dagara tradition. He explains this concept beautifully, where everyone carries a certain “responsibility” with them by just existing. If a person is alive, they take resources to live. They require food, water, shelter, etc. If a person were to appreciate what they have, then they would have gratitude and know that in order to live, it takes resources. Life doesn’t freely give without any expectation of not getting anything back. There is a sacred giving and receiving, and an awareness that you are a part of a greater whole, a greater collective. If you take resources from the great web of life – that means you must give back. In the Dagara tradition, the way you give back to the great web of life is by living your life’s purpose, or living your own unique genius. I’ve talked about this before in previous posts, and on the main page of my website. I believe that we were all born into this world for a reason. Your unique set of gifts, experiences, and the way you live your life right here and right now are a type of medicine. It’s something that you bring to this world that no one else can offer. Most people choose to not see themselves as a gift, and most people avoid stepping into their power – choosing to give their power over to someone else. It is this lack of responsibility and hoping that someone is going to come along and “save them” that gets them into trouble. We lack good leadership in this culture because we are projecting our leadership on those in “positions of power”, instead of finding the leadership where it really needs to stem from. Within ourselves.
What most people don’t realize is that they are holding themselves back when they do this. When we expect other people to do the work for us, or when we don’t think that we could do the work ourselves, we cheat ourselves into superficiality. We take the “easy” way out. We were born into this life for a reason, and I believe that the purpose we have as we live our lives, is to really awaken into who we are. To be the Medicine that we came here to be.
There are three stages to becoming the medicine you really are in this world. When we first learn to pick up our medicine, it acts as a poison in our life. This is what is meant when we are “toxic”, or when people express an “ickyness” when interacting with a person. It’s because they’re spewing energetically out of a wound, and that manifests as unhealthy reactions and relationships. It’s not until we stop pushing away this “poison” and allow this poison to truly transform us. There are many people who take a spiritual by-pass to this work and say something along the lines of, “Just send love and light” without diving deep into what is driving us to act this way. It’s not until we stop and really evaluate why things are happening, and why patterns keep repeating – that we are able to come to a full understanding of an unhealthy/destructive pattern we have.
When we allow the poison to truly touch us – we are transformed. Through this transformation, we are changed and we can’t fathom being the same person that we were before. It it through this, that we touch the poison as this transformed “antidote”. This is the transformation of poison into medicine through our own direct revelation. This is the second stage.
The third and last stage is taking that medicine, picking it up, and bringing it out into the world. If we have done the work to transform ourselves and transform our poison – it’s now considered our job and our responsibility to bring that medicine out into the world to help other people.
In an indigenous culture, it would be an abuse of power to not pick up your medicine, or step into your power – when we deny ourselves what we have worked so hard to achieve. Most people don’t realize the toxic behavior they do have, and they sit there waiting for someone else to save them, destroying themselves and their relationships in the meantime.
Wake up. Realize you have the ability to do something. Every process begins within. When something upsets you in your environment, take the time to see why it really upset you. Dive into your own wounds and see what makes you tick. Who knows, maybe what really hurts you inside is a gift that’s waiting to be surfaced and you just need to wade through the poison and allow yourself to change so you can be the medicine this world needs.
All I know is that I walked out of that Emergency room a changed person. I realized that I had a lot more things in this life to live for, and at any moment it could be taken away from me. I was lucky enough to be given a choice to stay or go. It would have been so easy to have been selfish, to have looked at everything that I don’t have in this life, to look at my struggles and just have easily gone to go with Buffalo. But you know what? I chose to stay. I chose to be the medicine, because my son needs me in this world. Maybe he doesn’t know it right now, but I chose to stay for him and his generation. The ones that are just learning how to walk and talk need us here, and they need us to be fully awake and aware. We damage others when we are not aware of our actions and spread toxicity in this world.
Everyone was born into this life for a reason. The earth is in need of medicine. You are the medicine. And I am the medicine. We all are the medicine. And the earth is going to pull this medicine out of us no matter what state we are in.
The choice is yours:
Are you the medicine, or the poison?
Purity and the Elements 2017
Winter is typically a time to go within and to rest, reflecting the Earth and how it gets covered by a blanket of snow. As we enter into the spring in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a tendency to emphasize a theme that leans toward planting seeds and beginning to emerge from the slumber that is winter. As we unfold and begin to awaken, the Journey group shall reflect upon basic foundational understandings and go back to the simplicity that is the elements. We did this in 2016, and you read the summary post from last year here.
What are the elements? How do we relate to them? Can we harness the wisdom inherent in them to find deeper meaning within ourselves and others?
There are many cosmologies out there that deal with the foundations of the elemental systems. They span anywhere from a three element system, to a seven element system (sometimes even more). They are akin to an operating system on a computer, and each works better for different individuals and for different purposes. There’s nothing wrong with preferring a Mac over a PC, or vice versa. The problem that we encounter most, is that a lot of people are running on autopilot, not aware of how they operate on a foundational level. All of these systems are correct in their own way, and the purpose of these journey groups is to find out what your personal foundation is, and to create/maintain an operating system that is right for you.
I will be introducing these concepts from a four element perspective because that is what I am most comfortable with. I do not want the individuals attending to limit themselves to condensing to my viewpoint of how I see things. For the pace of this Journey Group, it would be helpful if you did minimal research on how to journey so you can join along in conversation so we don’t have to back track on what exactly journeying is. If you follow one of the other numbered element systems, feel free to read through these blog posts and take what you need. Come to the groups and share your knowledge. Find the hidden gems to deepen your own practice. All paths are welcome, and I encourage others with different viewpoints to come. It brings diversity and a clarity of shared vision to the whole.
If we go back to the elements, we go back to the simple nature of the way things used to be before humans even arrived. Human beings have this tendency to add layers of complexity. We can find a lot of deep and meaningful teachings in nature, because Nature is one of the first teachers that we, as human beings, learned from. The elements are the core basics of everything that exists on this planet, and every material has reflections of these elements. Sandra Ingerman always says that the Microcosm of our Universe (within us) reflects the Macrocosm of the Universe (outside us), and vice versa.
So how do we take these elements and apply them to our lives? It’s not going to be in the literal sense that we find these answers, but the metaphoric. Surely we are in human bodies, so how can we find earth or fire in us? When we journey to our helping spirits, they will speak with us in metaphor. It’s rare that they’ll speak directly in English or our native tongue. Most of the time they give us thoughts, feelings, or images. It’s when we work with them that we begin to develop this symbology of how they speak with us.
How are we able to assess our stability, the ground we walk on, and do we have enough to feed and nourish ourselves? This is our sense of earth, and asking the element of earth is akin to asking our physical body (because our body is manifest) what exactly it needs. Earth helps us answer our basic needs, self care, as well as our stand in the world. This is how we define who we are, what we stand for, and why we stand for it. If our ground is unstable, and cracked – that can represent that we don’t feel secure with ourselves or feel like we’re living two different lives. Our mind might say one thing, but our heart says another, and in that, we can create shifting sand or something that may seem stable at first, but as soon as you put any pressure, you start sinking down and find that it’s mud.
When we take a look at our mental capacity and sometimes find that our thought swirl too fast in our head, we feel stuck in being able to see what is coming, can’t come up with new ideas or even having too many ideas which can lead to planning our next day instead of sleeping – this could be an out of balance relationship with air. Air represents our mental body, the strength of relationship we have with our minds. Lots of people in this society tend to be overactive and over-stress our mental bodies. This can lead to actions without a lot of thought, as well as doing things on “autopilot” because we’re constantly thinking of the next step instead of enjoying what’s in front of us. Sometimes it could feel like we are suffocating, or it feels like the air isn’t moving terribly well. If we get to our inner world and we find that there’s a metallic taste to the air, or there’s smog that makes us cough – it’s a metaphor that our minds/mental body is not as clear as it could be. We could be feeling “foggy” or we might not be thinking as clearly.
When sometimes it feels like our motivation is waning, we don’t feel like getting ourselves out of bed, or it’s the opposite and we are too emotional, too creative, too expressive, over share, and get really enthusiastic about a project but then fizzle halfway through – this could be an out of balance relationship with fire. Fire tends to be our energy production/level, as well as our connection to Spirit. When it’s out of balance, it can burn out of control, or feel like we’ve got nothing left to give. A fire that burns very hot takes a lot of energy and resources to keep going. If you enter into journey space and you see that there’s a fire that’s burning so fiercely it’s consuming things without control, then are you the type of person that tends to go off of whim and whatever good feeling you have? When you crash, do you find yourself feeding yourself caffeine or sugar in order to help cope? A fire that is forced is generally not going to be using all of the resources it has to it’s fullest potential. Do you see a path that the fire has burned, or does it have a stable place to burn and you are wise about what you feed it? If a fire is generally low, then that could mean we need to think about self care and how we are feeding ourselves spiritually. Are you giving too much to your relationships and not to yourself? These are all questions when we go to the fire.
Water represents our emotional body. It is our relationship with our emotions and the expressions of them. Emotions are not meant to rule us, they are meant to be flags for knowing if we are on the right track, or if we have a boundary violation. Western contemporary culture tends to flip flop on two extremes – either emotional indulgence or a shutting down of emotions. With a tendency for shutting down, we might be playing in the “shallow end” of the pool, or hanging out near the beach where if we fall down, we don’t have far to fall. We don’t have to swim. We can still get back up. In this, we don’t have to risk getting hurt by drowning, or have the fear of getting caught out in the rip tide. If we are too emotionally indulgent, do we happen to be swimming constantly? Diving in, even when we know we are not the best swimmer? The point of our emotions is not to get lost in them and have them control/power our actions – we are supposed to use them to float on top and to carry us to our deeper meaning experiences. To be present in the moment, and figure out how we feel in the moment. How deep of a person are you? Do you ride the wave, or do you allow the wave to ride you?
Now that we have briefly explored the elements, the next layer is how we view their relationships with each other. If there is too much water, then our fire cannot burn bright. If we have too much air (ideas and inspiration), our fire can burn out of control. If there is too much water (emotions) in our earth, then our stability gets muddy, and we begin to sink when we stand up for ourselves and our beliefs. This concept is known as complimentary dualism. In a lot of Eastern Traditions, it’s best explained as yin and yang. Yin is a word used to describe the inner aspect, while yang represents the outer. Everything has a yin and yang aspect. When there is too much yin energy present, that leads to a stagnation. If there is too much yang energy, that leads to a depletion. When looking at the elements in this four element system we will be exploring, the elements that represent more of a yin quality are water and earth. These are the elements that are restorative, that which we lean into when we feel tired or exhausted. They are replenishing, refreshing, and rejuvenating. The yang elements are represented by the fire and air. We typically go to these elements to carry out certain actions, or to be viewed by other people in a larger setting. They are how we interact with each other (one of the main archetypes that air typically brings is communication). Fire is interesting because it’s an element that requires the other elements to even be initiated. The environment has to be right, and the right potential for combustion needs to be present. Fire needs to constantly be fed, and all of the other elements need to be in balance for a fire to be more properly utilized – otherwise it burns out of control and causes chaos, or it is suffocated and cannot burn.
Having a more shamanic view of life is also about relationship, and if we view these relationships with our elements and assess the quality of them – it can provide a tremendous amount of introspection that can be transforming. Sometimes, being able to work with a metaphor can help us figure out what we need to do, in order to clear the pollution we find in them. Once we see the state that something is in, we can ask our guide what the next step is to create a healthier relationship with that aspect of ourselves. This is the gift of journeying – to be a powerful tool to help us see the imbalances and apply them in our life so we can learn to be in good relationship with the world around us. It all starts with our relationship with our self, and being honest with our self.
For a deeper look and practical application on how we can begin to work with these concepts, let’s explore each element individually:
Air – Mental Body
Fire – Spiritual Body
Water – Emotional Body (coming soon)
For those that tend to be auditory learners, the inspiration behind this series of posts are a grouping of podcasts from Why Shamanism Now. Feel free to listen to the originals listed here: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Each podcast is about 45-50 minutes long.
Purchase
Thank you for your purchase! Your transaction has been completed, and a receipt for your purchase has been emailed to you. I look forward to working with you shortly. You should expect a phone call, e-mail or text message from me soon (if we have not been doing so already).
Feel free to take a look at some of these blog posts to help get you started:
Guided Meditations to accompany energetic health
Creating a Container for Transformation
Please reach out with any questions or concerns, or if you would like clarification on some of the information provided here on this website.
Email: info@eagletherapies.com
Phone: 571.306.3197
November 2016 Outline
Oh dear, here we go into holiday season. As we do, please understand that there is no “necessity” to be at any of the journey groups to understand what is going on. All of the topics that we bring up at the journey group are “suggested journey group topics” and can be stand alone. Based on who is there, we break down topics that are relate-able to everyone there, which is why I don’t explain as much online because it’s all customize-able to fit the group that shows up. I know the later half of the month people will most likely be out for holiday – and that’s okay. But the journey group will still stand for the days listed. Yes, we are still at the Cardinal Center for Mondays at 6:00pm.
In case you do want to follow along with the greater “structure” or flow of the month, please visit the Quarterly Outline to see the outlines for the Open Heart Path. This month we will be exploring the relationship we have with our inner teacher. Some people really identify with being a teacher, while for others it makes them uncomfortable and shift in their seat when they have to try and explain things to others. This month is about exploring what makes us uncomfortable, and instead lean into our discomfort to see the bigger picture.
What does a teacher stand for? There will always be times when life calls on us to be a teacher – but are we willing to stand up and take ownership of that power. Some of the questions we ask ourselves when the teacher takes a more prominent role – is not “Why is this happening to me”, but more of a “What can I learn from this situation? Where is my power now in this situation?” Life happens, and most of the time things are out of our control. We lose power when we think we are powerless. It’s not what happens to us that matters, but how we react to it.
With that being said, what will we be discussing this month? Good question! Let’s look at the calendar 🙂
Monday November 7th – NO JOURNEY GROUP (will be in New Orleans for a conference)
Sunday November 13th – Heart Centered Sound Circle, ancestor rendition (No journeying will be done, but it’s an extended version of the ceremony before the journey group).
Monday November 14th – What is a story? Stories are something that we tell ourselves, and these can be very similar to many “screens” open on a computer. If we think of ourselves as an computer, do we have too many screens open at the same time? Do we sometimes have too many applications open at the same time and we get overwhelmed? This is the week where we explore what stories are constantly running in the background. Which stories empower us, and which stories rob us of our power. Some stories we get autoprogrammed from when we are kids and when we “outgrow” these stories, we don’t throw them away. Some examples of stories might be the story of Being a good daughter, Being a good husband, the story that you Shouldn’t speak out of turn because it’s not good – things like that. Let’s break down these stories and really examine them.
Monday November 21st – Trust, Balance, Wholeness, Perspective. What do all of these things mean? How does our perspective color the way we look at the world. Here is where we explore basic foundations of how we interact with the world around us. This journey group is where we examine our inner relationship with trust, balance, and doing things that help us feel whole and apart of something bigger then ourselves. This is the group where we ask ourselves what is out of balance, and what can be done to restore us to a state of balance.
Monday November 28th – There’s always a “Shadow” meeting. If something stands in the light, there is a shadow of it that is either seen or ignored. The shadow aspects of the Teacher include the righteous zealot, the judge, and the controller. This is where we examine where we can be positional/inflexible, where we feel like we’re not in control subconsciously so we try to control everything in our environment so we feel safe, or where we pass criticism on ourselves or others because the result of what we were working so hard to do – turned out nothing like what we thought it would.
That’s going to be it for this month! If you have any questions about the group, how it’s structured, or are following along at home and want to share with us, feel free to email, text, or call.
Brightest of blessings! Everyone enjoy the time with your families over the coming holidays! Prepare and make sure to take care of yourselves.
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