Sunday, October 20, 2024
What is Shamanic Music?
Sunday, September 29, 2024
What is a Spiritual Awakening?
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Exploring Secular Spirituality and Wellbeing
2. Try Drum Meditation: Drumming is perhaps the oldest form of active meditation known to humanity. It is a simple and effortless way to still the chatter of the mind, thereby inducing altered states of consciousness. It is one of the quickest and most powerful ways I know to open the heart and connect with a power greater than ourselves.
3. Spend Time in Nature: Make time to connect with nature regularly. Whether it's a daily walk, a weekend hike, or simply sitting in a garden, being in nature can provide a sense of peace and spiritual renewal. Take in the beauty of nature with all of your senses. Breathe in the colors, shapes and textures. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells. Allow the natural world to ground you in the present moment.
4. Engage in Self-Reflection: Journaling, reflective reading, or simply spending quiet time in thought can help you explore your values, beliefs, and what gives your life meaning. Journaling is a contemplative practice that can help you become more aware of your inner life and feel more connected to your experiences and the world around you.
5. Foster Compassion and Kindness: Make a conscious effort to cultivate compassion in your daily interactions. This might involve volunteering, helping a neighbor, or simply offering a listening ear to someone in need. Through our efforts to develop divine qualities in ourselves, such as love, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and empathy, we become a beacon of light for others.
6. Explore Creative Expression: Engaging in creative activities such as writing, painting, or playing music can be a powerful way to express your inner self and connect with something greater than yourself. Creative expression helps you claim a conscious identity, grounding you in a firm sense of self. It helps you find your own unique voice. Through creative pursuits, you begin to make meaning of your life.
7. Seek Community and Connection: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your values and interests. This could be through joining a community group, participating in local events, or simply nurturing close relationships with friends and family. Through honest seeking and compassionate sharing, we can weave our threads of wisdom together to create a whole tapestry.
Sunday, July 2, 2023
How Brainwaves Affect Our Well-Being
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit
- Meditation
- Breathwork
- Psychedelics
- Plant medicines
- Shamanism
- Music, chanting, and sound healing
- Tools and practices for integration
Sunday, April 2, 2023
The Shaman and the Mystic
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Bringing Light Into the World
One of the most important things you can do is to bring more light into the world. One way to do this is to practice white light cleansing. Light--imagined or real--is a powerful cleanser. Light energy is unlimited and comes from the divine source. It is highly vibrational, expansive and full of love. White light can be called upon by anyone for cleansing, healing and protection from negative energies.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
World Tree Meditation
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Black Horse Symbolism
Sunday, May 29, 2022
"The Shamanic Bones of Zen"
Manuel speaks in deeply personal rather than theoretical terms about the underlying shamanic reality of Zen practice. Such awareness is crucial for the development of contemporary Western Zen. Displaying reverence for the Zen tradition, creativity in expressing her own intuitive seeing, and profound gratitude for the guidance of spirit, Manuel models the path of a seeker unafraid to plumb the depths of her ancestry and face the totality of the present. The book conveys guidance for readers interested in Zen practice including ritual, preparing sanctuaries, engaging in chanting practices, and deepening embodiment with ceremony. The Shamanic Bones of Zen will turn your conception of Zen inside out.
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Give Peace a Chant
Like many mantras, this one begins with "Om." The word "Om" is believed to constitute the primal sound from which the universe constantly emanates. Chanting "Om" attunes us to the eternal oneness of all that is, unifying body, mind and spirit. The word "shanti" means a deep and profound level of peace. The meaning of "Om Shanti Shanti Shanti" is "Om, peace, peace, peace" -- "peace of mind, peace in speech, and peace in the body." It is also believed to harmonize the three lokas or cosmic realms: heaven, earth and the underworld.
When pronouncing "Om Shanti," the "Om" should be allowed to resonate throughout the body including the cavities in the head. The "a" in the word "shanti" should be long and drawn-out like in the word "father." The "a" is two beats long. The "t" in the word "shanti" should be pronounced pressing the tongue against the teeth; this sounds different than the English version of "t". Breathe in through the nose and voice the sounds as you exhale through the mouth. When chanted with love, devotion and sincerity, the positive effects are greatly accentuated. Send that positive energy like a beam of light to the people of Ukraine. Imagine that light enveloping and protecting them. Click here to listen to the mantra pronunciation and performance. Here are 22 meaningful ways we can help Ukraine.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
Remembering Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
Nhat Hanh entered a Buddhist monastery at age 16, devoting his life to the faith. He became a teacher, first leaving Vietnam in 1961 to serve as a guest lecturer at Princeton University and Columbia University. Nhat Hanh returned to Vietnam in 1963 to work toward peace during the long and violent war that raged in his homeland, bringing aid to the people and urging North and South Vietnam to work together to end the war. When Nhat Hanh left Vietnam again in 1966 to tour the world calling for peace, his home country banned him from returning.
Exiled from Vietnam, Nhat Hanh became a powerful symbol of peace, nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. He established the Plum Village Monastery in southwest France and began spreading his teachings throughout the West. Nhat Hanh wrote dozens of books guiding readers toward peace and mindfulness, and he made Buddhism accessible by suggesting that inner peace can be achieved through living an ordinary life with awareness of things like breath and joy. It was the beginning of the mindfulness movement, and Nhat Hanh attracted Western followers who were less interested in traditional Western religion but loved the spirituality they found in his teachings. Mindfulness grew to become a popular 21st century practice. Nhat Hanh became known as Thay, Vietnamese for teacher.
Nhat Hanh first returned to Vietnam in 2005, almost 40 years since his exile began. He traveled the country and published several of his books in Vietnamese, though he received criticism for not speaking out against religious oppression in the country. Nhat Hanh returned for another tour in 2007. In 2018, after suffering a stroke in 2014 that left him unable to speak, Nhat Hanh went to Vietnam a final time, with the intention of living his final days at Tu Hieu Temple, where he first took his vows.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Shamanic Trance Postures
2. The Lady of Cholula Posture for divination, guidance and advice;
3. The Tattooed Jaguar Posture for a metamorphosis into a jaguar;
4. The South American Lower World Posture for journeying to the lower realms;
5. The Psychopomp Posture for guiding departed souls into the afterlife.
Sunday, August 29, 2021
The Navajo Storm Pattern Rug
An excerpt from my soon-to-be released memoir, Riding Spirit Horse: A Journey into Shamanism.
Years ago, one of my shamanic mentors gifted me an old Navajo "storm pattern rug," recognizable by its large central rectangle connected by zigzag lightning lines to smaller rectangles in each corner, which represent the four directions, winds and sacred mountains of the Navajo. The central rectangle symbolizes the Lake of Emergence, the portal through which their ancient ancestors first emerged to enter the present world. The lightning bolts carry blessings back and forth between the mountaintops, bestowing good spirits on the weaver and her household.
Navajo rugs and blankets are textiles produced by Navajo people of the Four Corners area of the United States. Weaving plays a role in the creation myth of Navajo cosmology. According to Navajo mythology, a spirit being called Spider Woman instructed the women of the Navajo how to build the first loom from exotic materials including sky, earth, sunrays, rock crystal and sheet lightning. Then Spider Woman taught the Navajo how to weave on it. Because of this belief, traditionally there will be an intentional mistake somewhere within the pattern. It is said to prevent the weaver from becoming lost in Spider Woman's web or pattern.
My mentor suggested that I sit on the rug whenever I journey into the spirit world. I took his advice and journeyed at home while sitting on the rug. When I entered a trance, the rug became a mandala-like portal before me. I went through a doorway at the center of the undulating geometric pattern. I came out beneath a numinous web of light that surrounded the planet. The web emanated a blue glow against the black night-time sky above it. Spider Woman descended from the web on a strand of light and stood before me. She looked menacing and I feared being trapped in her web. She told me that I had nothing to fear. She conveyed that she was the weaver of the web of life. She said the Navajo rug would serve as a portal for me to journey into the spirit world.
I thanked Spider Woman and returned through the portal to my body. When I opened my eyes, I saw a large spider on the rug beside me. I thanked the spider for being there to support my shamanic journey. It was a good omen
Sunday, July 25, 2021
The Rhythm Archetypes
Line 6 __ __ drum—drum in white
Line 5 _____ drum dressed
Line 4 _____ drum all
Line 3 __ __ drum—drum the bride
Line 2 _____ drum comes
Line 1 _____ drum Here
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Steven Halpern's "Cannabis Dreams"
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Martin Gray: Sacred Sites
I attended his slide show presentation years ago. It can best be described as a group shamanic event. He opens the event by creating sacred space. He lights a bundle of sage, holds it against the webbing of a single-headed frame drum, and then walks the circumference of the auditorium while drumming. Once the slide show begins, each photograph is shown for precisely 15 seconds, and then an entirely different sacred site is shown. This occurs on and on in a mantric and hypnotic repetition of four pictures per minute for sixty minutes. Certain photos resonated more with me than others. Everyone I talked to after the show was very moved and empowered by the event. His slide show is a true work of shamanic art. It’s a very rare opportunity to see, to witness, to personally experience an event of monumental power.
Since ancient times, sacred sites have had a mysterious allure for billions of people around the world. Legends and contemporary reports tell of extraordinary experiences people have had while visiting these places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind and inspire the heart. A growing body of evidence indicates that there is indeed a concentration of holiness at pilgrimage places, and that this holiness, or field of energy, contributes to a wide variety of beneficial human experiences.
During his travels, Gray realized the sacred places were repositories of many of the world’s greatest artistic and cultural treasures. However, because they are located out-of-doors and exposed to industrial pollution, the sacred structures do not receive the protection which paintings, sculptures and other art are given in museums. Looking into this situation, Gray realized that his research and travels had a greater purpose than merely his own education or the creation of a beautiful photography book. Public attention needed to be drawn to the deteriorated condition of these extraordinary art pieces so that they might be preserved for the benefit and education of future generations.
To draw attention to this education and preservation work, Gray created a multi-projector slide show that conveys both the remarkable beauty and precarious situation of the sacred sites. Hundreds of full color slides capture the essence of these great pilgrimage shrines. Prior to taking each picture, Gray offered up a prayer to the spirits of the place asking them to, “fill my photographs with such feeling and power that people may one day look upon them and be magically transported to these places.” It is more than evident that those prayers were answered. Gray says, “I personally consider these photographs to be telescopes through which you may peer across time and space into enchanted domains of sublime beauty.”
Gray thinks that during the coming decades there will be an enormous number of people visiting sacred sites around the world. Sacred sites function for more and more people as empowerment places, as planetary acupuncture points, as destiny activation sites, and as energy transducers for spiritual illumination. Gray postulates that, in the coming years, sacred sites will become sanctuaries and empowerment zones for the awakening and evolution of ecological, social and supranational political consciousness.
Martin Gray’s beautiful photographs convey the essence of the world’s great pilgrimage sites and bear direct testimony to his life’s mission and to his deep connection to Spirit. He has an extensive website at SacredSites.com, which has received more than one hundred million visitors. His photographs are widely used by UNESCO and in hundreds of websites, magazines and books around the world. His books include Geography of Religion by National Geographic, and Sacred Earth by Barnes and Noble.