Aufhocker:

As a child of 6 or 7 I did not belief in Aufhochers.

My dad and his 10 year older sister E’lena used to reminisce about their mom, my granny Aniani having to deal with Aufhockers a lot.

I however thought these tales were just tooooo weird and maybe they wanted to “pull my leg” with them. I did not belief them. I did not belief the bollox about that baby jesus either….

Rumpelstiltskin – and Rübezahl, yes, I could see them existing, as Spirits in the wild mountains where we lived – but Aufhockers????

The weird thing about them was, according to aunt Jelena, that they jump onto people’s backs, especially, when they, after a looooong and tiring shift were walking home, from the mines or the woodlots.

Then, in the dark forest, the Aufhocker would jump them and poke their nedle-sharp left knee into their shoulder or back and ride them. The weight of this Nasty would get heavier and heavier until the poor person collapse. Many died of Aufhockers, who then crawled away to find another victim, Jelena professed. She was annoyed with her mom, my gran, that for the people that survived an Aufhocker, she had to go to the meadows and collect Stinging Nettles for her mom to brew a tea.

She hated stinging nettles. She often had to take my dad, her little brother along and Fjodor would get Stinging Nettles all over his arms and knees and cry and howl like a sick Wolf…..

My father well remembered these outings…..

To get rid of an Aufhocker, I was told, Aniani would mix Stinging Nettle tea and ad Horsetail and Parsley, made a paste out of either half a blueish purple Flower – for a woman or one whole Flower for a man and dissolve that paste into warm water. The patient would then have to drink the brew.

But often that only scarred the Aufhocker into the wood shed and eventually he would come back and jump on his victim again and – kill him with his weight……

Today, I in my shamanic practice usually do not deal with “Aufhockers”

See, if you get one, you would not come to me, you would go to your doctor.

He- or she would do some blood work, do an EKG and prescribe some diuretics like Lasix and most likely some Digitalis and talk to you about diet and exercise and taking it easy for a while.

If a very bad Aufhocker is detected, you would soon get a double or triple bypass…..

By the way; that purple flower, that Aniani used was “Fingerhut”= Digitalis!

Well, today, after you recovered from surgery, you might come out to see me, to talk about the very strange dreams you had during the procedure and while in the ICU: Dreams of a strange little figure that sat on your chest and back at the same time and that had a needle-sharp knee to poke you with – in the heart or on your left arm…….

Sooo:

Ifffff You EVER have a dream like this – Go see your doctor right away!

An iskemic attack or a full blown heart attack sucks the life out of you – Aufhocker style!

Trouble in the Soul

Facing the current situation takes gumption and resilience!

Several of my clients are in big trouble 😦

Well, to be honest, we all are in trouble.

But to keep informed about THAT kind of trouble you can check out the daily news……. It is a “daškaar men’ – trouble” something external to us, something not born within.  (ištiki men’)

It does clash with what we all – or most of us – belief and what we stand for, what is good, balanced and “right”according to our personal world view and we are outraged, we protest, we talk about it, we write posts about it and so try our very best to deal with our anger, our frustration, our helplessness, our feeling of being run over by a horde of nasty dementors on their way to Mordor……

Some people however feel unable to even allow themselves to feel and acknowledge their feeling of frustration, outrage and anger, because THAT would be “negative energy” and their world view includes the strict avoidance of “any negative energy” for fear of being tainted and corrupted by it.

We all know a few of these “gentle souls”.

They do not watch the news, they do not read the papers, they do not allow any negativity or negative talk in their homes or in their presence and should “something “ come up in a conversation, they withdraw or simply leave…..

Generally this is a good and positive thing and keeps them healthy and it is a good strategy to mitigate anxiety if it were not for the denying of their own feelings.

It then can lead to a slippery slope, where healthy anger and frustration get further suppressed and denied, creating stress and pressure, that turns inward and eventually implodes, leading to anxiety attacks, nightmares, fear and ultimately also to depression.

Needless to say, that the afore mentioned symptoms are also seen as “negative energy” and so a nasty vortex is set into motion…….

Several of my clients now are stuck is such a nasty vortex 😦

What to do?

– I created a “safe space”

Candles, crystals, flowers…. things that THEY need to be there to feel safe (= this is not about what I may use or like or need or my tradition, this is about THEM!!)

– invocations of their Spirits – and mine, (who are never further away then the end of my nose anyway)

– induce a light trance

– then induce a psychological up-reaction

Yes, they will SCREAM

SCREAM THEIR HEART OUT!

Scream out all their pent up anger, fear and frustration

They will cry and yell and mourn and grovel and curse and scream some more…..

RIP apart a bunch of black cloth and TOSS it right across the room….

GRAB a bunch of rocks and TOSS it at and after all the shitttt they feel helpless about

then dissolve into another flood of tears…….

for the next 30 minutes…….

– then it is time for a cleansing.

– the Yak tail comes out, and also my Great Horned Owl wing

– a chant

– a closing prayer

– a smudge; Juniper berries, Mullen, Lavender and Cedar….

– another chant

– a hug…..

A fresh box of cleanex and a cup of hot tea later

I may read the cards for them……

depending…..

Then they go home, feeling better.

But then comes the hard task of bravely facing this new nasty world……

They know, I am just a phone call or an e- mail away…….

And I KNOW, that phone will ring……

Fisher Medicine Guide?

After the previous post appeared, I was asked; When I do see a Fisher – or in this case Mathilda, in a shamanic sense, what does that mean to me?

What Medicine wisdom does Mathilda – or any other Fisher carry – or point towards?

For me personally a Fisher has the connotation of “adversity” living , dealing and overcoming adversity – and reaping the rewards of that.

How come?

It has its roots in how my neighbours see and HATE Fishers, How I fear MR Fisher and his appetite for Raccoon babies, how I remember the tears when “Midnight” my friend Barb’s cat got taken by a Fisher……

So when we moved here learned to despise Fishers…..

But then, about 10 years ago I had a friend come to see me – as a client – with the thread of a a rather nasty and debilitating condition hanging over her head. She is a gifted healer herself and this “thing” was threatening her independence and her livelihood. So we got to work on what was causing it and send it packing! As Medicine Gifts for that healing help she gave me a Fisher foot and a Bear Claw. During the “workings” I called on the Spirit of that Fisher to please forgive the trespass on his life and also asked, iffff he was willing to help getting rid of that problem. He was, and over all these years did a good job.

Since then that Fisher foot is on my Client Altar to help, keep my friend safe.

But soon / about a week after this shamanic session the first Fisher showed herself to me- in Animal form. I think, somewhere on this blog there is a post about it…. I have to look….

Anyway, that one we named Bissiger Beisse = “BB” = the Sharp-toothed Biting One”.

Soon after, even her mate appeared at the door. He is about twice as big as “BB” and had NO Fear of us at all and after only a day or 2 he took food from my hand, carefully keeping his sharp teeth in check.

Often he sat at the sliding door, waiting for me, to give him a treat.

Peter thought this was soooo extraordinary, that he made for me an FFO = A “Fisher Feeding Order, complete with a staff, a Fisher head-shot and a bunch of chocolate Easter eggs, for which Mr Fisher developed a craving……

When the snow melted, both Fishers disappeared back into the forest- and our Raccoons all re-emerged from their hibernation trees.

So we now have a positive relationship with the wild Fishers of our surrounding forest and the Ee’ren of the Fishers = the Manitou of them sometimes helps me on trance journeys, pointing out adversities a client faces but is not conscious about.

Is he one of my Miahanits?

No, He is one of my friend’s Miahanits for sure, although I am not sure if she, as an Anishinaabe lady would see it that way……

She is a reader here and I wonder, ifff she will speak to the matter……♥!

As I said, she is a gifted healer and I would love to beat the “word of mouth drum” for her.

We neeeeeeed many more like her.

Hired as a Shaman

In lat summer I have been approached by the city of Bracebridge, to join them as an employee of the City to bring some of the workshops I usually provide for the community under the umbrella of the Culture and Recreation Department.

I was not interested.

But, they said, I would get paid by them! 🙂

Not very much, certainly not equivalent to what I normally get paid, if they hire me as an “independent consultant”and workshop provider in this department.

In the end they chewed me down and I agreed – at least for this winter – to see, how it goes…….

They first wanted to write Shaman/ “Medicine Woman” onto my contract of employment and on the fliers for the workshops I agreed to provide. But I told them, the word Medicine Woman was controversial, as it is understood – by the Native American (First Nations) – to mean “one of THEIR Medicine People” – like a Lodge Leader, Faith Keeper (Sachem) or Shaking Tent man or Pipe Carrier……..

The word shaman is not as widely known among the general population here in Ontario and often I get asked, what exactly that is. When I explain, that it is a Siberian term for a “Medicine Person, that gains information and help from the Spirit World during theta trance journeys brought on by drumming ”

they say Ooh, like a Medicine Man! – Or ah, you are a Witch Doctor!

NO, I am not!

I am not a witch and I am not a doctor, although I do have a current RN licence and am training as a Jungian analyst from a Western university.

My father’s people call a person that does the things I do a “Kham”, leading Khamlanies = healing and other rituals.

Udega is another similar word but it rather describes a person working with herbs and potions.

Someone who uses drums and chants , who has one or more Spirit Guides, mostly in Animal form that he or she contacts while drumming in order to find out what is wrong with a client is called a Kham. The word this culture uses is Shaman, also a Siberian word, Tunguse to be precise, it is descriptive of someone entering ecstatic trance in order to help, advise, divine, heal, and otherwise aid the community.

Living here in the West I claim this word as a befitting description for me because it points not only towards what I do but also to my Siberian heritage and distances me from the also often used term “Medicine Woman” that implies Native American heritage and incidentally would be analogues to the word Udega among Siberian people.

Shaman however is not what I do, it is what I am. It permeates every aspect of my daily life, my art, the way I teach at elementary and university level, the way I engage the Spirits in order to facilitate healing, the way I mentor my students, and how I conduct public multicultural gatherings and rituals.

But generally the ordinary folk here in Muskoka do not care so much about what I am called; they are waaaay more interested in what I do and what I teach THEM to do.

One lady, that signed up for the upcoming drum workshop and was advised by one of the town clerks taking in her application, that no, I was not going to do any healing right there…. She reportedly replied: ”I do not care if Mi-Shell teaches knitting this fall, my sisters and me and a few friends will be there and we will learn something that will be important to us – and besides, something awesome always happens anyway…..”

Well, we will see…..

Coursera:

I finished my nursing education with an RN degree in 1976 and a year later my training as a Jungian annalist.

In 1989 I went for a nursing refresher course at the College of Nurses in Nepean, Ontario

In spite of that I have not worked in formal nursing since then.

Bearpaw, our Jewellery making business took of like a lightning bolt and we both worked at new and exiting designs, making and selling our creations full time. Any free moments I had were taken over by my shamanic work and as local word about that went around I took a step back from the daily jewellery making and towards taking care of an ever increasing group of shamanic clients and patients. Then I was also asked to formally teach about shamanic ways, about drums and drumming and also within the Native Studies programs in schools, universities, in the community and in the health care system.

Busy times!

Now, that we taking it a bit slower, as far as Bearpaw Jewellery is concerned and I now am visiting fewer schools on a regular basis (Now there are many dedicated graduates of the Native Studies programs teaching in most all the schools 🙂 )

I have a bit more “private time” – to maybe catch up on some reading – or just relax a bit for a change…

But over the years I often wished, that I could go back to university to catch upon the latest science in in Medicine, maybe even genetics, in social studies, and a variety of “new to me” and exiting subjects.

Live and learn, right!

Keep these grey cells busy ……before they frizzzle away….

Then, a friend pointed me to Coursera!

https://www.coursera.org/

What!!??

Learn without having to go to Toronto or another big city! Study right at home?!!

When I have time – like late at night! 🙂

I was hooked!

So since last summer I did/ participated in quite a few courses offered by Coursera:

Curanderismo: Traditional Medicine:

This course provided information on the history, traditions, rituals, herbs and remedies and video demonstrations of Curanderismo, a folk healing tradition of the Southwestern United States, Latin America and Mexico. The course discussed the effectiveness of traditional medicine in order to meet the needs of many people, especially the uninsured.

I LOVED every minute of that course!

In the early 1980ties during every winter we lived in the Central Highlands of Mexico and had direct contact with curanderos and curanderas and indigenous Medicine, which has its roots in shamanism.

I knew many of the Herbs that were used in curing and in the Temazcal sweat-house. So this course was sort of a refresher and also re-awoke many dear memories as well as it updated my knowledge of techniques like Fire Cupping, the Manteagas and the Temazcal. 🙂

Encouraged by this experience I dove head over heals into “What a Plant Knows” presented by the University of Tel Aviv = a course about the sensory system of Plants.

Plant biology about what and how a Plant can see, how Plants react to smells -to being touched and moved – or eaten and how a Plant always knows where it is compared to the Sun and the Water source.

It sounded sooo easy and fun, but the course went all the way down into Plant genetics and epigenetics, photoperioidism, phototropism and how a Plant’s short and long time memory works.

I realized, how much science advanced and I had to buckle down to catch up in order to pass the exam.

At the same time that the Plant course, Johns Hopkins offered

”Mayor Depression in the Population”

This I HAD to take!

Sooo many of my clients are struggling with mayor depression and with SAD = Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The course looked at depression from a Public Health Care point of view and the increasing incidences of MD in the population, why more women than men, why do women often seek help and men do not, how does MD present in Kenia – compared to with what symptoms do patients seek help in the US….

But there were hundreds of depressed individuals taking the course in the hope to receive some answers and the professors were all epidemiologists, not equipped to answer their concerns and questions on the accompanying forums. So rather quickly I became quite active there……

It also was a difficult experience, because what the course stipulated as solutions for the problem of a steadily growing population afflicted with Mayor Depression just are not implemented in the communities up here in the bush in Canada – or are not realistic in general, due to costs involved and due to lack of trained professionals.

There were long discussions on the forums of this course and one could easily see, if the posters came from Western Europe, California or the Eastern US or from India, South Africa, Peru or from Central Canada….. We here live in the proverbial First World, but as far as Mental Health services are concerned this here is a Third World Country. When I posted that, many sadly agreed.

But all in all I learned a lot!

Come to think of it, maybe I should share some of it here in a future post.

So, what do I have my nose in, at the moment?

2 very interesting things:

Chronobiology:

The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich offers

“Circadian Clocks: How rhythms structure life “

The course is still open, so you can take a look here.

https://www.coursera.org/course/circaclock

I find it fascinating, because over the years I noticed, that all my depressed clients have a circadian clock, that is out of sync = they sleep until very late in the morning/ noon and are up all night….

Cancer patients also have disturbed rhythms and so of course do shift working people….

The other thing is, that again and again my Medicine Animals point out, that clients with SAD do not get enough Sunlight in the morning hours and most people are working indoors at a 9 to 5 jobs and are not getting enough Sun light to keep a healthy immune system. This all , I sensed, is dependant on a compromised in their circadian rhythm and sleep rhythms and so, I wanted to know more. Sure enough!

My Medicine Guides are absolutely right and the scientists now have prove of how disturbed rhythms make us ill and kill us. They also found out, how to fix these problems, but our social clock = the 9 to 5 workweek would have to change and with it our whole society.

Did you know, that most medications a person gets prescribed do not work, because they are taken at the wrong time of day, when the “liver cycle” just washes them right out of the blood instead transporting them where they were supposed to help??

No, I stumbled over that conundrum with people on blodd pressure meds, when my Owl again and again showed me, that these need to be taken at certain times in the evening – individual to each patient. And then chemo = Cancer patientsthat should get their drugs at night – there is little use to suggest that kind of thing to patient on a tight shedule at the Barrie hospital….

But, right again, Certain cancer drugs work better- or not at all – or have mostly side effects or almost none – depending on what time of day you give them and also depending what natural chronotype the patient is – when his or her liver/ adrenal/ cortisol cycle is at what stage and or his / her immne cycle is active during sleep

Ifff you have any time on your hand sign up to this course and look at or download the videos of the last = no 6 lecture and learn about it!

This course should stay open for a few more weeks…..

The other course I am participating in right now is

“Preventing Chronic Pain” given by the University of Minnessota”

https://www.coursera.org/course/chronicpain

Discussed are myofascial pain, headaches, migraines, arthritis and TMD.

Right now we are all chewing on the module about Fibromyalgia……..

… reminding me, that my homework for today is waiting…..

I live and learn

……. to help and heal……

…..hopefully!

Summer Solstice Prayers for the Community and the Natural World

Summer Solstice Greetings and Gratitude to the Natural World:

 

In Canada, National Aboriginal Day has been placed onto the day of the Summer Solstice because since time immemorial prayers to the natural world were offered up on this day in all Native communities. Each celebrating in their way, in accordance with their traditions.

So, following these ancient ways, today we have come together to also offer up ancient and sacred prayers

so that they may unite us as people with the Natural World all around us.

Now, let us put our hearts and minds together as one:

 

In a sacred manner we wish to send greetings and gratitude to our Mother, the living Earth, upon who’s back we all live, who provides us with everything we need to survive and thrive and who right now is filled with an abundance of new life and is growing the new harvest, that will feed us and all living Beings far into the future.

Let us always respect the living body of Mother Earth and vow to protect her from all harm.

To our Mother the Earth we send greetings!

 

Let us turn towards the Waters of our World, the Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Oceans, the Rains and Mists and the Snows of Winter.

Water is life. Water is the Life Blood of Mother Earth.

Our own bodies are largely made of Water.

For that reason we need to protect the Waters and keep them clean and pure.

To the Waters we send greetings and gratitudes.

 

Let us also send our greetings and gratitudes towards the Fish and all the Beings that live within the Waters of this Earth. Many of them sustain us and all of them are our brothers and sisters.

 

Now with a prayerful mind, let us send greetings ad gratitude towards the Plants. They are the living dress of Mother Earth and they all are our brothers and sisters.

 

Let us honour all the many Food Plants now growing in the gardens and fields.

They are the ones giving up their life to sustain us.

For that, we send them greetings and gratitudes,

 

Let us also send out greetings and gratitudes towards all the many Healing Plants, that carry the Medicine, that restores our health and well being. We are thankful that they show themselves to our Medicine People and that they offer themselves up to us all.

May they thrive in Beauty and in Balance.

 

Let us also send our greetings and gratitude towards all the many different Trees, large and small. They provide us with wood to build our homes, with sweet fruits like Apples and Pears and with Maple sugar in Spring.

May they thrive in Beauty and in Balance.

 

With hearts full of love and admiration let us now turn towards the Animals:

All the 4 legged ones that live wild in field and Forest, let us honour them!

All the ones we keep in the stables and pastures -the ones we plan to eat – let us honour them!

The the Winged Ones up high in the air, let us honour them!

The Swimmers, the Shape Changers and Insects… let us honour them!

They are our older brothers and sisters, they were here first, on Mother Earth and each of them has a sacred Medicine to teach us.

From them we learn how to live in Beauty and in Balance, in Peace and so let us send greetings and our gratitude to all of them.

May they all thrive in harmony.

 

Let us now send greetings and gratitudes towards the 4 Winds and the mighty Thunder Beings that reside within them. The moving air around us brings us the change of the seasons. It also points towards the special Medicines of the 4 Directions:

From the East we receive confidence and courage and joy

From the South we receive patience, passion and compassion

From the West we receive introspection, strengths and endurance

From the North we receive wisdom Visions and dreams

For all these powerful gifts we are deeply thankful

 

Now we come to send greetings and gratitude towards our Grandfather the Sun , who provides us with light and warmth so sustains all life upon Mother Earth.

May he always be there, in Beauty and in Balance.

 

Next out greetings and gratitude goes out to Grandmother Moon, who rises in the night sky and provides us with a sense of rhythm and time.

She also guides the woman folk through First Blood, pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood and gives all of us sacred intuition and sensuality .

May she always be here for us, in Beauty and in Balance.

 

 

We also wish to honour the Stars that reside in the blue black blanket of Father Sky high above us.

The shining ones among them are the brothers and sisters of Grandfather Sun,

the dark and hidden ones are the brothers and sisters of Mother Earth and many of them carry life just as she does.

When we look up towards them, may we always remember, how small we are in the vastness of creation.

 

Let us now send greetings and our gratitude towards all of our Elders, our Medicine People, our healers, leaders and teachers.

May we absorb their wisdom, carry it within us and pass it along to our children and all young folk.

 

 

Now, with our choicest words and reverence in our hearts we send greetings and gratitude towards the Creator,

Shonkwia’ ti’son, Gichi Manitou, Gemne’do’o,

The Great Spirit, who is neither male nor female but

the very Life Energy, that is within everyone and everything

everywhere and at all times.

May this living Natural World be kept in Beauty and Balance for future generations.

May we and all our families and loved ones be kept save and in Beauty and Balance.

May everyone and everything upon Mother Earth be kept in Beauty,

in Balance

in Harmony

and in Peace.

Aho!

Shyan am!

 

May our harts and minds now be as one!

Gichi Meegweech

Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drumming:

About me and drumming:
To me my work with drums and drumming, is an inseparable aspect of being Shaman —
My people call a person that does the things I do a “Kham”, leading a Khamlanie = a healing and/ or other rituals. Udega is another Siberian word but it rather describes a person working with herbs and potions. 
Someone who uses drums and chants , who has one or more Spirit Guides, mostly in animal form that he or she contacts while drumming in order to find out what is wrong with a client is called a Kham. The word this culture uses is Shaman, also a Siberian word, Tunguse to be precise and descriptive for someone entering ecstatic trance in order to help, heal, or otherwise aid the community.
In this culture I claim this word as a befitting description for me because it points not only towards what I do but also to my Siberian heritage and distances me from the also often used term “Medicine Woman” that implies Native American heritage and incidentally would be analogues to the word Udega among Siberian people. 
Shaman however is not what I do, it is what I am.

It permeates every aspect of my daily life, my art, the way I teach at elementary and university level, the way I mentor my private students, and how I conduct public multicultural gatherings and rituals.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….The musical aspect of my practice as a shaman involves drums and drumming as well as chants, traditional ones and others received in trance states and by extension movement and dance.
To me drumming in itself has different aspects that all fit onto a fluid continuum from light-hearted fun all the way to deep states of conflict resolution and healing.
Describing this continuum in more detail I want to first mention community based events that I facilitate and supply a multitude of drums and percussion instruments for:
There is the Bracebridge Drum Circle that gathers every Tuesday evening and provides everyday fun, good for you drumming. People come to jam together and also practice culture specific rhythms from around the world.

Next is my Frame Drum Circle, called “The Healing Drum” It is centred around spirituality and personal growth and I teach the use of the drum as a tool for relaxation and meditation, anger management and conflict resolution and -on occasion- I facilitate cathartic psychological ab-reactions for participants and lead them into profound healing states.

Next there would be the Native American ceremonies and other events I attend and also participate in as a teacher, setting up my teaching tent and bring drums for the people that gather around. Aside from other teachings I teach drum songs and chants. And we of course have the big Pow Wow drum there. I am a Drum Keeper, have received a 4 foot in diameter grandfather Drum from one of my clients… I bring that to events for the community to use. – See a pic about all the kids around it on the previous post about me in schools……

Here we are at home:

 
In the Longhouse we sing and dance to the Mohawk water drum, that the Sachem plays. We accompany him with horn rattles..Even further along the continuum is my use of drums in shamanic healings. When I either drum with or for an individual client in order to put him/ her and me into trance, so I can “see” into the body/soul to find the cause of an illness or dis-ease.

The last on the continuum is me, alone, drumming and chanting, most every night to initiate and maintain altered states of consciousness and thereby see/find out about concerns I have for self and others. 
That is also where I receive most of my chants and where rituals are “born” as finished entities, ready to be used with the community and where the concept of much of my artwork comes from….. 
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hemispheric synchronization
or 
How the healing Drum works
One of the most powerful aspects of drumming and the reason that people have done it since the beginning of being human is that it changes people’s consciousness. Through rhythmic repetition of ritual sounds, the body, brain and the nervous system are energized and transformed. When a group of people play a rhythm for an extended period of time, their brain waves become entrained to the rhythm and they have a shared brain wave state. The longer the drumming goes on, the more powerful the entrainment becomes. . All of the oldest known religious rites used drumming as part of the shared sacred experience. 
It is interesting to look at these ancient drumming practices from the perspective of the latest scientific research into the functioning of the brain. Using electro-encephalographs, scientists can measure the number of energy waves per second pulsing through the brain. A system of classifying states of consciousness according to the frequencies of these waves was created. 
Normal outwardly focused attention generates beta waves which vibrate from 14 to 40 cycles per second. When awareness shifts to an internal focus, our brain slows down into the more rhythmical waves of alpha, vibrating at 7 -14 waves per second. Alpha is defined by relaxation and centering. Dropping down to 4- 7 cycles per second the brain enters the theta state in which there is an interfacing of conscious and unconscious processes, producing hypnagogic dream-like imagery at the threshold of sleep. 

Theta is the source of sudden mystical insights 
and creative solutions to complex situations and is 
marked by physical and emotional healing. People with a preponderance of theta brain waves are also able to learn and process much more information than normal. Without some form of intensive training, it is hard to stay awake in theta–one slips quickly down into delta. This is the slowest brain wave frequency, 1-4 cycles per second, the state of unconsciousness or deep sleep. 
The brain is divided into two hemispheres that are basically split in their control of the thinking process. The right brain functions as the creative, visual, aural and emotional centre. The left brain is the rational, logical, analytical and verbal administrator. Generally, either the right or left brain dominates in cycles lasting from 30 minutes to 3 hours. While one hemisphere is dominant, the memories, skills, and information of the other hemisphere are far less available, residing in a subconscious or unconscious realm. Not only do the right and left brain operate in different modes, they also usually operate in different brain wave rhythms. The right brain may be generating alpha waves while the left brain is in a beta state. Or both can be generating the same type of brain waves, but remain out of sync with each other. But in states of intense creativity, deep meditation or under the influence of rhythmic sound, both hemispheres may become entrained to the same rhythm. This state of unified whole brain functioning is called hemispheric synchronization or the awakened mind. As the two hemispheres begin to resonate to a single rhythm, a sense of clarity and heightened awareness arises. The individual is able to draw on both the 
left and the right hemispheres simultaneously.
The mind becomes sharper, more lucid, 
synthesizing much more rapidly than normal,
and emotions are easier to understand 
and to transform.

Mi-Shell

 

Eagle Medicine Journal

I just finished this journal/ ring binder

Dedicated to Eagle Medicine.

It was an order by one of the readers here 🙂

It is Rabbit fur,Fox Fur, sued, a bone carving of Eagle, and another one of an Eagle feather down the side. The central Eagle is 625 Silver, Abalone shell , White Mussel shell and Black Coral inlay

The accompanying feathers are Hawk, Heron and Sea Gull, befitting for its future owner that lives near Long Island Sound 🙂

A Rice Blessing:

A Rice Blessing:

This is a response to a request for healing for “someone, who is having serious surgery today”:

While you read this, please open your heart and send prayers to a beautiful and gentle woman…..

It is also a “Give away” from my Spirits for all of you to use when needed.

– –

– –

Dear H.R.I.

As promised, I did a shamanic journey in order to find out how best to help your friend “Patty”

My Spirits told me to tell you, that you can help her, by giving her a Rice Blessing.

Yes, YOU!!

Because I am not in F. And you can get to her in the hospital and you can do it right there.

How?

Well, Get some Rice, a hand full. Yes, any odd uncooked Rice will do.

Get a small container with clear water for Blessings.

Ritually cleanse both these things with sound

A tingsha bell, singing bowl….. even a gentle song on a guitar will do it.

Have none of these? Take a wine glass and snip against it’s rim with your finger…..

Sing, humm, chant over it – or say a mantra….. to invocate your items.

Ask it to help you bless Patty and to help her heal.

Then go to her with the Rice in a little dish and also a little vase of Water.

Put it on her night stand and say “Hello” from me and the Spirits 😉

Then take a small pinch of Rice and touch her gently on the following places of her body while –  maybe saying : Blessings of health and healing – or your mantra… or whatever comes to mind, that will be of help to her….

Gently touch her with your pinch of Rice on the top of her head, then

on her third eye spot, on the fore head,

on the eyes right first,

ears,right first

mouth,

her throat…

Next on her right shoulder, then left shoulder,

right armpit, then left armpit,

VERY gently on the Breast area affected

Now discard the rice – wastepaper basket of a piece of paper, so you can take it away and burn it is even better.

NOW Repeat the process with a fresh pinch of Rice

Head first and then all the way to her left arm pit.

THEN Leave OUT the affected side and only bless the good Breast side and move on down to the heart,

then Solar plexus,

then genital area, No worries, you can do this above her bead spread/ blanket……

next spot is her thighs, right first, then left,

Right knee, then left,

right foot, then left,

Below her = the ground or end of bed…..

Then discard the Rice you used.

Then touch her with a drop of water the very same way, you did with the Rice:

A little drop on each spot and a bigger one where the healing of the surgery needs to take place……

Let her say a little prayer for her healing, say one with her.

Big Hugs, you  have done well.:)

Get rid of the used Rice but leave her the Water, so she can bless herself with it whenever she needs it.

Heart felt Blessings to both of you and all, who are involved!

Mi-Shell

Journey to Ganesha:

Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and a VERY revered Spirit. Statues of him are EVERYWHERE!.
Richly decorated with red and yellow colour, Marigold Flowers and offerings of all kinds.

Bhola teaches: Tuesday is his day of honour, so this Tuesday we will journey to Ganesha.

Ganesha has another Animal as a means of movement: A little Mouse / Shrew!
I am reminded of a Cartoon with an Elephant and a Mouse…..
Shame on you, Mi-Shell!!
Be serious!

Read more about Ganesha here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha
Our next journey assignment was, to journey to Ganesha and ask him to remove an important obstacle in our life.

Hey, wait a minute, Bhola! It is just after lunch and I ate a WHOOOOLE LOT and ifffff I now lay down I am going to fall asleeeeeep!!!!!
This is not my personal best time for journeying. But never mind that. It is an excellent exercise to practice journeying in these condition, for a time and day when there is a client in need and it counts…..
So when Bhola starts drumming, off I go…..

The big parade!

That is, what I jotted down in my diary.
We were all there: ll my Miahanits, also, oh shock the pair of Tigers, sitting together, hissing in unison….
There was also the Rhino – and all the other Animal Spirits – the ones that were not chosen by one of the participants, when we were asked to choose our personal Animal Guide….
I was upset, seeing the mighty Rhino reduced to I lifeless clay figurine, because I did not choose it. I felt horrrrrrible and guilty …..
Fretty however was in full action: Mutte3ring loudly and digging around in some leave litter, tossing sticks, leaves and garbage here and there, until he grabbed something and pulled it out: A small Mouse with a rather un- Mouse-like short tail!
“Fretty, did you rip it of?”
Obviously not, because these 2 were becoming fast friends!
This Mouse and Fretty led us all along a dusty road……
All kinds of people, Spirits, Flowers and “stuff” drifted in and out of the scene….

Suddenly there was Ganesha sitting on sort of a painted pedestal. He was all green.
And HUUUUGE!
Ganesha however had a baseball bat like wooden stick.
All of a sudden he hit with this stick onto the clay Rhino and it scattered apart into large pottery shards. Out of these however came a small gnome, that uttered a barrage of nasty belligerent words and scurried off into the underbrush, dirt and garbage by the road side….
Ganesha spoke” See, these -(pointing into the direction of the disappearing midget) these create their own obstacles and identify themselves by all these obstacles! The more obstacles they have, the more important they consider themselves.”
I walked over to the scattered shards of the busted Rhino. “ And I,” I asked “ I did not choose you!
I touched one of the shards and >>Boooooom!
The Rhino was there again in full size and very much a living breathing Animal! 🙂

“Good for you you did NOT choose that Rhino! See, what came out of it!
You would have gotten nothing but….. obstacles!

You deal with other people’s obstacles every day.”

He waved a large black tail of ?? hair??

He brushed me and the floor around all of us with that whisk….
then he said: “Go, get your own Rhino!
Now, go home!”
Oh yes, there was the call back!

Again I was flabbbbberghastered!

!!??!!

And yes, I got my own little Rhino!
At the pottery market in Bhagtapur one of our group friends saw a teeny tiny Rhino, just like the one in the Animal circle tray in the ritual room and – I got that as a little present.

It is the one now with my Nepali Shaman Altar things…..
Thank you, Devi!

.

Tomorrow is Tuesday!

What obstacles should Ganesha remove for you?
😉