Journey for Maggie

This is the summary of a journey that I recently took for “Maggie Smith” (name has been changed). Maggie was involved in an accident while driving a friend's parent's new car. Although the accident wasn't her fault her former friend lost her insurance and car (dad refused to pay) and Maggie has been suffering from the negative energy of her former friend who blames her for everything that is now wrong with her life.

My first power animal is Raven who has taken to sitting on my shoulder when I visit the underworld and who sometimes lifts me up to the upperworld, even when I think that I will be visiting below.  Lately I have been greeted by a large brown bear when I exit my tunnel and enter the underworld; now I really know the meaning of receiving a "bear hug".  I was expecting to be met by Raven and Bear this time.  Instead I was met by an excited small rabbit that was hoping up and down.  I introduced myself and asked the rabbit who it was and rather than answering it just kept hoping up and down and saying, “This way! Come this way!”

Maggie's Rabbit

I had formed an expectation, based on Maggie's history, before I journeyed but what I found was not what I had expected.  At least not entirely.  I had expected a problem related to “mal de ojo” or negative energy directed at the client.  I had not expected to find a soul fragment.  I found Maggie, or part of Maggie, sitting in a dark black cage with spiders crawling on the door of the cage.  The door wasn’t locked but the presence of the spiders kept her from pushing the door open.  To me, the spiders represented negative energy directed at Maggie that kept her from finding release.  Negative energy can be directed towards someone either intentionally or unintentionally.

I sat down in front of the cage, and prepared to introduce myself when the rabbit did it for me.  It then hoped into the cage and sat on Maggie’s lap.  I asked Maggie what she was doing in the cage.  Over the course of the discussion it became clear that she had put herself in the cage because she felt guilt, unworthy of her friend’s affection.  She unconsciously felt responsible for the accident and the consequent problems that had beset her friend.  I asked her to relive the accident to see if there was a way that she could have avoided it . . . there wasn’t.  I asked her to view Maggie’s father and relive his decisions and see if there was a way to that she could have changed his actions . . . there wasn't.  I finally asked her if there was anything she could do to change her friends actions . . . there wasn't.  I told her, “See, all of these events were out of your control.  They happened but you didn't cause any of them.  There is no reason for you to be in a cage.  You don’t deserve to be here.  Are you ready to come out and rejoin the rest of Maggie, the Maggie that misses you and needs you?”  Maggie said, “Yes, but the spiders.  There are spiders on the door.”

I told her that I would take care of the spiders.  I looked down at my left hand which had suddenly felt a little heavy and found that I was carrying the long, thin dagger that had been given to me by one of my teachers in Peru.  I moved the dagger to my right hand, swung it and the spiders disappeared.  I told Maggie to open the door and come out.  While I could have opened the door for her I felt like it was important for her to make that move on her own.  We held hands as we returned to the tunnel, walked through it and floated back up to the above world where I blew Maggie back into Maggie.

That ended the trance.  However, I felt that more work needed to be done so I set up my mesa (Bolivian/Peruvian altar) inside a circle of cornmeal.  The base for the mesa is a piece of hand woven cloth that I acquired in Bolivia which I place upon the ground.  The mesa has Pachamama (Mother Earth) on the South represented by a piece of petrified wood (earth + nature), an Abalone shell for Mamakilla (Moon mother) on the East with sage and a Condor feather (air), Intitayta (Father Sky / Sun) to the North representing fire with a citrine globe, and Yakumama (Mother Water) on the West represented with a bottle of spring water.  The dagger is planted into the ground on the North side of the altar grounding Intitayta and connecting Him with Pachamama.  I did this outside and it was cold!  On the mesa I also placed three perfect, dry bay leaves, and egg, and a small bottle of brandy.  I asked Maggie to stand on the North side of the altar facing the altar; I was on the South and we were both within the cornmeal circle.

I explained to Maggie that she was afflicted with strong negative energy that had been sent to her by her former friend.  This negative energy had created snake-like cords that were connected to her and which were slowly sucking, draining her energy.   I began by greeting each of the four directions and playing my welcome tune on my Native American flute.  I then reached down and touched the Earth and thanked Pachamama for her presence, I turned to the North and thanked Intitayta for his life-giving warmth. Turned to the East and West and thanked them for the breeze the cools the earth and brings the storms and for the water that nourishes us and the Earth.  I then invited them to join with us.  I also invited the Apus of the Blue Ridge Mountains to attend with us (Apus are the energies/spirits of high places in the Andes and I have found them in the Blue Ridge Mountains too; the oldest mountains on earth have very old Apus).  I pick up the three perfect bay leaves, fanned them out between my thumb and first two fingers, turned to each direction in turn, blew each on the bay leaves lifted them up as an offering.

I then lit a sage bundle, placed it in the abalone shell and used the feather to blow smoke at each of the four directions.  I then did the same to Maggie, wafting the smoke over her to cleanse her while she slowly turned around.  I put the abalone back on the mesa and withdrew the dagger from the earth, held it in my left hand, picked up the abalone shell with my right hand and with by breath blew smoke on both sides of the blade to purify it. Changing hands I then used the blade to cut the cords that were attached to Maggie.  The smoke made it easier for me to see where the cords were located. I blew smoke at Maggie and the subtle movements in the smoke indicated the locations of etheric cords which I could then sever with the dagger.

Once all of the cords had been cut I used my hands to “comb” Maggie’s energy field, shaking the energy off my fingers after each pass:   head, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and feet.  I then passed the egg over her body.  This is an Andean technique where the egg is rubbed on a person to absorb negative energy.  I did this to remove any residual negative energy.  Finally  I took a mouthful of spring water and aspirated it on Maggie for a final cleansing.  I asked Maggie to envision a bright silver orb above her head and then to see the orb growing and encompassing her body.  I explained that this was a protective orb, her silver egg shield, that would keep negative energy from reattaching to her and that she needed to visualize this orb at least every morning upon awaking and every night as she prepares to sleep. (Please note:  this is something that everyone should do every day!  We are all surrounded by negative energy.)

Once Maggie was clean it was time to thank the energies that had attended the ceremony.  This ended with a libation to Pachamama; I poured the small bottle of brandy on the earth as a gift to Pachamama and all the energies that had attended.  They had lent their energy and deserved a gift in return, and the gift was given.  To close I played my bird song on my Native American flute to accompany all of the energies on their return to their homes.

History, Culture and Psyche

I was thinking yesterday, I know, it came to a shock to me as well.  I was thinking about what I learned about Mexico in the two years that I lived in Mexico City (D. F.).  I suppose that because I saw the people and their culture from the perspective of an outsider that I was able to see and appreciate the effects of history on culture and the combined effect of both on the collective psyche.  This was something that until then I had never noticed with my own culture.

Our Western cuture and psyche have been shaped by the history that we have inherited from the "Good Book".  It is a mythology that many have come to accept as recorded fact, true history as it were.  And what does that history contain?  Well how about a fall from grace resulting in an "original sin" into which or through which all of us are born.  This fall was a consequence of Adam and Eve eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (and why could knowing that be bad?) and resulted with their explusion from the Garden of Eden into a land that was cursed on their account.  If you grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home as I did then how does that view affect your culture and view of yourself?  I grew up seeing myself as fallen and corrupt and that doesn't help build healthy self-esteem.  I also grew up seeing Nature as hostile, a force to be reckoned with and subdued and although we refered to the earth from time-to-time as "Mother Earth" I never did feel a sense of support, love or longing for her like I should a real mother.

All of that changed with my first trip to South America in 1971.  I had dropped out of college and decided to move South for a few years.  I ended up working as a teacher in a literacy project teaching Quechua speakers in Bolivia to read Spanish.  I was young enough to be shaped by the experience and I it changed me forever.  I lived and worked with people who were part of Pachamama, the real Mother Earth.  They didn't live apart from nature, they were part of Nature and felt connected to Pachamama and Intitayta (Father Sky).   They were (they didn't just feel like it) a manifestation of the Divine Love of Mother Earth and Father Sky.  Poor and humble they had already inherited the Earth because they were part of it and connected to it.  No fallen state for them, how can you be fallen when you are part of the All That Is.

These wonderful, loving people gave me more than I was ever able to give in return.  How can the gift of a little Spanish compare to a view of my real self?  It can't and never will.  Like them I now reach down and touch Pachamama every morning and thank her, she who feeds and nourishes me, she who supports my every step.  I look into the sky and thank Intitayta for light and warmth.  I remember that every time I light a fire I am releasing sunshine that was captured in a living tree, my Earth Brother.  I lift my flute and greet the spirits of the South, East, North and West for they too are my brothers and sisters.  Finally I call upon my ancestors, those who went before me, who lived well and died well, to teach me what they learned and to walk with me.

We are all connected, you and I, and All That Is.  May you find peace and joy this day and all days.

The World Sleeps

It's cold today, real cold.  It appears that the "Siberian Express" has invaded the East Coast of the United States and has made its way all the way down to Central Virginia.  It was 4 degrees F (-15 degrees C) when I first got out this morning, and it has made its way clear up to 11 degrees (-12 degrees C) which will probably be the high for today.

So what is happening with Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Intitayta (Father Sky)?  Pachamama is deep asleep under a warming blanket of snow and it appears from the sun spot count that Sol, Intitayta, is taking a nap.  While they are both resting and storing energy for Spring this is a good time for us to send our energy and love to them.

I go out every morning to greet nature, even on cold mornings like this, and thank mother earth for her bounty and thank father sky for his warming energy.  I usually pour a libation on mother earth as a way of returning energy and showing thanks to her.  Today I took out a warm cup of herbal tea to pour upon my mother.  Rather that playing a tune for father sky on a flute I sent some aromatic smoke skywards to carry my prayers above.

I urge you to remember Pachamama and Intitayta, to call upon your ancestors and nature spirits. Give them thanks for what they have given us, show them respect and love, and ask your guidance and help.  If you don't have a prayer or aren't use to praying to All then use one of mine . . . modify it and make it your own.

You Are Enough

Some days I wake up confused.  Have you ever laid in bed wondering which was was out?  It happened to me this morning so I just took a minute and enjoyed the sense of confusion.  It got me thinking though about how confused the world can be sometimes and how that affects us.

For example, I was raised in a Christian home (although I left that faith long ago) where I was told that I was empty.  I need to find God, accept Christ and they would fill me up.  No wonder I spent years feeling confused and unworthy.  My rejection of my parents' faith led me to Eastern religions and I became a Buddhist monk only to discover that rather then being empty I was too full and I need to let go and empty myself.  If I use to be empty how could I now be too full; confused again.

That lead me back to the early 1970s when I worked on a project in Bolivia and spent my free time wandering the altiplano and the foothills of the Andes.  I found people who were neither too full nor too empty.  From my materialistic point of view they didn't have anything yet they were complete and happy so I started to spend time with their wise people, curanderos and brujas, talking with them and learning from them and along the way learned their language (Quechua) and started to see the world as they saw it.

For the next thirty years I took every excuse I could find to return to Bolivia and Peru, usually as a participant on a development project, but really so that I could learn more of the wisdom of the Andes.  One of the key teachings that I received from don Juan Carlos was that I was neither too full nor too empty.  That I was enough.  That I, like everyone and everything around me was full of Spirit and all that I need to do was remember and by remembering I would connect with all.

Spend some time today to connecting to the wisdom and Spirit within you and then sit in a quiet space and open to all that is good that surrounds you and interpenetrates your life.

Wisdom is Everywhere