Joseph Rael's "Song of Peace"

Joseph Rael, whose name, Tslew-teh-koyeh, means "Beautiful Painted Arrow," is widely regarded as one of the great Native American holy men of our time. While leading a dance in Australia in 2006, Joseph had a vision of a Horn of Plenty in the sky, pouring blessings on the Earth. According to Joseph, "The message of the Horn of Plenty is that we humans have fooled around long enough, and God is going to take over. From now on, we are going to get plenty of everything we focus on and act on. If we focus on conflict, we will get more conflict. However, if we focus on peace we will get plenty of peace. As soon as we focus on a goal, the universe will take us in that direction. That is why I have sent out the link to a Song of Peace and asked that you join in focusing on peace. I want to thank you for becoming part of this Peace Group. We are changing humanity on the planet as we participate in the community of peace." -- Joseph Rael 

Turtle Medicine - To Shake the Earth

Turtle is an ancient symbol for the earth. Many Native Americans refer to North America as Turtle Island because when the earth was once covered with water, Turtle journeyed to the bottom of the ocean, bringing earth up on its back so that animals and people could have a home. The turtle rattle heard on the soundtrack of "Turtle Medicine" is an ancient symbol of Turtle Island. According to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), when the turtle rattle is shaken, "the earth stops to listen." When Mother Earth hears the sound of the turtle rattle, all of creation awakens and moves to its shaking beat. "To Shake the Earth" is a metaphor often used in Iroquoian communities to describe the purpose of the turtle rattle. Turtle asks us to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take. Be mindful of returning to the earth what she has given you. Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings.

Equinox 2013 Drum Song

The Great Drum

The circle of the Earth

is the head of a great drum.

With the day,

it moves upward--booming.

With the night,

it moves downward--booming.

The day and the night are its song.

I am very small,

as I dance upon the drumhead.

I am like a particle of dust,

as I dance upon the drumhead.

Above me in the sky

is the shining ball of the drumstick.

I dance upward with the day.

I dance downward with the night.

Some day I shall dance afar

into space like a particle of dust.

Who is the Drummer who

beats upon the Earth-drum?

Who is the Drummer who

makes me to dance his song?

--Ojibwa

Hartley Alexander, "American Indian Myth Poems," Scribner's Magazine, Vol. 71, Jan 1922, p. 113. 

The Shamanic Drum by Michael Drake - Book Trailer

Shamanic drumming is a form of repetitive rhythmic drumming. Its purpose is to induce ecstatic trance states in order to access innate wisdom and guidance. The essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring and developing the true self. Shamanic practice heightens the ability of perception and enables you to see into the deeper realms of the self. Once connected with your inner self, you can find help, healing and a continual source of guidance. To practice shamanism is to reconnect with your deepest core values and your highest vision of who you are and why you are here.

Drawing from 30 years of shamanic practice and teaching, Michael presents the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple exercises and lessons, he teaches the basic shamanic methods of drumming. The focus is on creating sacred space, journeying, power practice, power animals, drum circles and the therapeutic effects of drumming. There are no prerequisites to learning shamanic drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this user-friendly book will help you harness the power of drumming.

 

The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming Reviews:

"This book is a valuable, well-researched, and well-written treatment of all aspects of shamanic drumming. The author weaves together both ancient and modern lore, from oral shamanic chants to modern physics and biology, along with personal experiences to illuminate the practice of sacred drumming. Included are step-by-step exercises, analysis of different beats and tempos, and chapters on cosmology, journeying, power practice, and healing the earth. Recommended to anyone seeking to connect deeply with the drum as a tool for personal, interpersonal, or group spiritual and healing work."

--Nowick Gray, Alternative Culture Magazine

"A clear and practical work."

--Julia Cameron, author of The Vein of Gold and The Artist's Way

"Apprenticeship would be the ideal way to learn shamanic drumming, however most of us will never be fortunate enough to have this experience. This book is definitely the next best thing."
  --Lisa DiPlacido, review editor for Friend's Review

"How to Resurrect Lost Species"

by Brian Switek

Will we ever see a woolly mammoth again? What about the striped Tasmanian tiger, once-prolific passenger pigeon, or the imposing wild cattle called aurochs? Our species has played a role in the extinction of these and many other species. But now some scientists are proposing a radical turn of the tables: Bringing lost species back from the dead. Three main methods for "de-extinction" have been proposed. Cloning gets the most attention, thanks in part to the science fiction of Jurassic Park. We probably won't ever see a Tyrannosaurus -- despite the discovery of degraded soft-tissue remnants in fossilized dinosaur bone, no one has ever found non-avian dinosaur DNA -- but cloning is plausible for less ancient creatures whose genomes can be reconstructed. Read more.

"In Like a Lion"

by Nan Moss and David Corbin

There’s something about March, with its winds and wild swings of temperature. Winter storms, floods, tornados – last year record heat, this year record snow…

Change is in the air, the trees are waking up, the birds are on the move (just saw a crow flying by dangling a strand of last summer’s straw from its beak!)

Even the storms now seem to rapidly switch up their presentations as they swirl by – first snow, then rain, back to snow, now ice, all topped off – glazed by wind.

Read more of "Weather Thor's Day."

Meditation and Shamanism

by Matthew Cosgrove, author of Artisans of the New Earth

Probably the single most important way to establish direction in our work and lives is to have a daily practice. Begin with some physical exercise, breath work, or yoga to open the channels. Starting in the very early morning, clearing the mind and re-directing ourselves before we re-imprint with troubled thought, allows the light of the rising sun to illuminate and activate our higher purpose. It is at this crucial time of the day, just as we are coming out of deep sleep into the dream state, that we choose which reality we will empower.  It is at this time, when the subconscious is trying to clear itself through dream, that we can consciously steer the course of our day and our lives. Read more.

Free eBook - The Mountain Chant

The Mountain Chant: A Navajo Ceremony
by Washington Matthews

 

Among the Navajo Indians of Arizona, the nine-day Mountain Chant marks a transition in the seasons. It takes place in late winter, at the end of the thunderstorms but before the spring winds arrive. The chant is also considered a healing ceremony, performed not only for individuals who are sick but to restore order and balance in human relationships. Matthews, an army major and one of the earliest Anglo recorders of Navajo culture, describes not only procedures and objects used, but emphasizes the ceremony's vision of humankind's place in a broader scheme. 

 

The ceremony centers around a recitation of a cycle of myths about a Navajo culture hero, Dsilyídje Qaçàl. His journey takes him to the land of the gods and goddesses, where he learns powerful magic. The narrative is compelling and compares well with the Homeric Odyssey, which it resembles both thematically and stylistically. The ceremony incorporates dance, song, prayer, sand-painting, drama, sculpture, conjuring, and even a bit of farce.

Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, calling on the patient, his kin, singer, and divine people to restore his harmony with the world. Before a singer, or medicine man (they are seldom women), is called, a hand trembler, or ndilniihii (often a woman), will diagnose the source of illness. Through prayer, concentration, and sprinkling of sacred pollen, her hand will tremble and pinpoint the cause, which then determines the proper ceremonial cure. Then a medicine man, or hataałii, meaning "singer," who knows the proper ceremony is called and preparations are set in motion.

There are nearly 100 Navajo chants of varying range and intricacy. Originating from the Creation Story, they are so nuanced and complex that a medicine man learns only one or two ways over many years of apprenticeship. Ceremonies last anywhere from one to nine days (the Mountain Way Chant lasts nine days) and include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings. In order for a ceremony to be effective, everything must be done as prescribed in the legends. Download The Mountain Chant.epub.