Shaman Stone

For the past several months I've been walking past a stately old Oak.  I would say, "Good morning" and "I love you."  "You are beautiful and it's nice to see you."  Its hard and knobby roots are exposed above ground so you have to walk on them to get past it yet it doesn't seem to mind you stepping on its toes.  When I'm by this tree I will put my arms around its girth and tell it how much I appreciate it.  How much I enjoy having it there as I will occasionally step under it to get out of the heat.  I've encouraged it to thrive and grow, to fill out its dense canopy, which it has.  Trees are wonderful companions that shelter and shade animals and humans.   Well, just the other day, on my routine walk, I spied what appeared to be a stone sticking up from between a small opening in its roots.  It wasn't laying horizontally but was sticking vertically up and out of the ground.  Maybe it was vertical because as the tree grew, its immense root system had thrust it upward.  I looked at it with interest for a minute and concluded, "Nah, that can't be a stone."  "I mean, how uncommon, how interesting that it is sticking up out of the ground and the fact that I've been walking over and around this tree for years and I've never noticed this before."  I stared at the "stone" but decided it would have to wait another day to examine it and pry it out.  I think I was tired and just wanted to get in the house.  The next morning I headed straight for the tree.  I apologized for stepping all over its toes again as I located the stone then bent down and gently pulled it out.  It was embedded in dirt that covered it to about 2 - 3" and it didn't offer any resistance.  As I placed the stone in the palm of my hand, I almost couldn't believe what I was beholding.  The stone is unique, to say the least.  It is not round but more oval in shape and honed smooth by what one could surmise is water.  It has a nice feel to it and is softly grooved on one side so you can hold it with ease.  This whole area I'm living in used to be underwater thousands of years ago so that makes sense why the stone would be so smooth.  If you look at it under a magnifying glass it closely reminds one of the universe with a myriad of stars and the outline of the Big Dipper and tiny Nazca-like lines crisscrossing it.  It is a soft gray, green and brown (earth tones) but the slender intersecting lines are a deep black.  The most remarkable thing about this stone are the two eyes and a mouth. What an exquisite  experience this was.  I just witnessed, with my own eyes, an Oak Tree giving birth to a stone.  Was this poignant discovery in direct response (a communication of sorts) to my outpouring of love, gratitude and concern for this green giant that it responded by opening up an esoteric doorway, exposing a wondrous hidden realm?  Or, was this just simply a thank you?  This stone is a treasure.  I now sleep with it under my pillow.  Perhaps one day (when the universe deems it is so) this stone will reveal its magical secrets and reunite, introduce me to my Native American ancestors, and the soldiers of the American Revolutionary War, as I prepare to take the long walk back into the deep dark forest.   

Shaman Stone 6/19/14

    

I'm On My Way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qOXmtM5w18&list=UUKVziFUWLUrSvywvfvLVvow&feature=share&index=21

Olafur Arnalds - "Only the Winds"

http://youtu.be/9eWewdTkghM

Avatar of Change

We are one physical body but actually two beings  inhabit that body.  One half is experiencing the reality of this moment while the other half is still dealing with the past.   Have you ever looked at yourself and said, "I need to change this habit."  Were there times when you did something, knowing that it was dead wrong, going to be destructive to yourself and harmful to others yet you went ahead and did it anyway, then found yourself repeating this mistake over and over?  Take drinking for example.  One drink you're fine but two, three, four, now the whole bottle and you've lost control yet you can't seem to break the habit until, God Forbid, something really awful happens.  We could use this analogy to describe other errant behaviour such as domestic abuse, child abuse, or drowning oneself in pornography or drugs.  Have you ever noticed that one half of yourself is actually watching, monitoring your behaviour, what you are saying and even, what you are thinking?   That half is your soul, your being, your conscience, your essence, your Avatar of Change.  I believe we are many different individuals with many different pasts and life experiences (see Reincarnation) and that we are here solely to work out the bugs in our souls and make amends (Karma) by overcoming those parts of our being that stand in the way of our spiritual ascension.  The reality of existing here is that we will come face to face with the demons of our past and will have choices to make.  We either continue down the same old reckless, self-centered path or we conquer and rise above those parts of us that are holding us back from spiritual enlightenment and perfection.  We all have fears that require confrontation and weaknesses requiring resolution.  Sadly what we are witnessing today and has existed since mankind inhabited this planet, are the many millions who aren't even afforded an opportunity to work anything out as they are continuous fodder for the evil that exists here.  How is this possible that a Creative Intelligence would allow this to happen?  Does evil exist throughout the universe or is evil just unique to Planet Earth?   If Evil does exist elsewhere in the universe, how do others deal with it?  It is up to us who have run the Gauntlet and are still running the Marathon, those who have seen the Light, to aid and comfort those struggling with issues in their past.  We are here to help.  Do not forget, We Are All In This Together.        

Why?

walking down to the mailbox I was overcome with feeling.
   the wind was whispering softly through the pines that lined my path.
as I continued walking, I felt an overwhelming sense that these pines
were actually watching me.
  they seemed to say 'good morning' in unison, as soft murmurs and
sounds of rustling branches filled my ears.
   I stopped and looked up...'good morning to you', I said.
at that moment, an awareness of all things being whole, all things
being one, overcame me.
  at these moments nothing on earth matters because I've glimpsed what
cannot be seen but can only be felt.
  even though these moments are fleeting, somehow the memories become
embedded.
but how can you reconcile these extraordinary insights with the stark
and very dark reality (to many) known as everyday existence?
  the reality that we rise, we eat, we live, we are.
the (possible) reality that today might be our last day on earth.
  the (possible) reality that someone, somewhere, will do us harm?
there is a unruly savagery to this planet - kill or be killed; the
weak will perish, the strong will survive.
  it is inherent not only in the animal/plant kingdom, but also in
human beings.
how is it that we continue to watch hopelessly, helplessly as people
are brutally subjugated, tortured and slaughtered across the world?
  vehemently being denied their natural right to live freely?
where is the outcry?  I only hear silence.
how is it that human monsters continue to thrive, caring nothing about
the well-being of those they serve,
  but serving only to terrorize, subjugate?
why this constant tug of war between good and evil?
 who will win out?
will it be good?
  will it be evil?
what is good?
  what is evil?
we have groups of individuals in this world who are solely bent on
wiping others out.
  was it always this way?
yes, but not to the extent that I'm personally sensing it at the
present time.
  there are people in this world who are so consumed by hate for those
who will not convert nor subvert their wills, their very souls, into
accepting an intolerable and twisted belief (a perverse version of who
should live
  and who should die) based solely on what that particular individual
believes that they are:
hoisting their flag of intolerance and hate and using declination to decapitate.
  did you or i give them permission to do this?
of course not yet they are actively engaged in usurping the will of
people all over the planet and will
  not hesitate to step on my body to get to yours.
---
think about where we (collectively) will all be fifty years from now.
  it's not that far off.
is there really a global cabal that wishes only to enslave us all?
  to compartmentalize, dehumanize each and every one of us according
to its deformed doctrine?
if so, are we willing to stand up to this rape of the human spirit,
this cabal of contagion?
  their mayhem and lies are deceptively packaged.
if so, are we willing to stand up to and resist the attempts by those
whose primary goal is subverting the very
 purpose of human existence which is to ultimately live together
freely and harmoniously?
as one spirit.

Grass Harp

 

This morning as I was busily weeding in my garden and after an hour of hard work, I heard a faint rustling sound.  I was happily listening to the birds and watching the spirals and quirky entrails of intriguing clouds floating by so I didn't really hear the sound at first.  "Let's see, I thought to myself, I've finished this row now so what about the beans"?  "They look pretty weedy so I better start on them".  Again, a quiet rustle as if someone or something was trying to get my attention.  Have you ever experienced the feeling that someone is behind you, watching you?  I quickly turned around, convinced I'd see a rabbit or some other small animal.  But there was nothing.  I was surprised.  Then I noticed the tall grasses growing in a row next to the metal shed.  All of a sudden they all swayed in unison making the rustling sound I had heard.  It was like they were saying hello.  I was really quite amazed and felt rather comforted.  I acknowledged them.   "Hello", I said it's nice to have company out here."  

Lakota + To Walk the Red Road

http://youtu.be/R2fhKCWRTBE