Traditional Musical Instruments of Siberia

Playing a Khomus or Jaw Harp

In Siberia, shamanism and music combined thousands of years ago. A Khakassian legend says that each of the indigenous peoples once received a gift from the spirits – a musical instrument, along with the talent to master it and preserve the traditional manner of performance through the ages. The Altaians got the jaw harp or khomus, the Yakutians got another kind of jaw harp called vargan, the Khakassians got the chatkhan (a stringed instrument), and other related peoples took the other instruments. Every musical instrument has a unique energy, spirit and sound. Sound is regarded as one of the most effective ways of establishing connections with the spirit realm, since it travels through space, permeates visual and physical barriers and conveys information from the unseen world. Hence, sound is, by definition, a means of "relationship" as well as a "transformation" of energy. Sound-producing instruments facilitate interaction and relationship among all parts of the living world. Read more.

"A Shamanic Perspective of Life's Purpose"

Jade Wah'oo Grigori

by Jade Wah'oo Grigori

The Shamanic perspective of life's purpose is radically different than the psychotherapeutic or metaphysical way of looking at things.

Try this on...
I would bet that you look at life as being a school, a place in which you are here to learn? Correct? Let's say you were going to a University in order to learn something, a particular skill set. You ace the tests, get your diploma, yada yada. The U offers the exact same class next year. So do you repeat the class? No, of course not! You got what you went there to learn, so you are outta there! Next example: Maybe you have, or know someone who has gone into a relationship in order to learn...to learn how to share, to be giving, accepting...whatever. What invariably happens to that relationship once you have 'gotten' what you went in to it to learn? Yep...it is over. You got what you went to learn, so it no longer serves a purpose.

Ok, now the biggie...stay with my logic of examples... Do you hold that you are here in this life to learn? If so, What? "I am here in this life to learn ______." Fill in the blank, it matters not with what...compassion, acceptance, finding your true self...whatever. Now...what will happen once you learn that? (Stick with the flow of examples/logic progression I provided!) That's right, you are outta here. And what does 'outta here' in regards of life equate with? Yep...death.

Here's the rub...we each have an instinct for self-preservation. Its sole purpose is to keep us alive. Instincts are pre-conscious, and as such are incapable of rational discourse. You cannot argue or convince an instinct that you will not die just because you have moved into completion of your belief of what your purpose in life is. All that the instinct knows is that when you are nearing the achievement of what you are here in this life to learn, death will soon follow. The instinct for self-preservation then will do anything and everything in its power to keep you from 'getting it'. It will derail, destroy and sabotage all further attempts to succeed. The end result is that whatever the ideal is that you have been thinking you have to learn in order to succeed...fails.

The effective way of contending with this is rather simple, really, but it requires of you an absolute, across the board paradigm shift. It is this: We are not here in this life to learn. We are here for the EXPERIENCE of life.

When, in the example, say, of the relationship, we are present in it not to learn, but for the experience of relationship, when, of necessity must that relationship end? Right...never! And during the course of that relationship we will, of course, learn much. But we are not setting ourselves up to learn, we are there for the experience of relationship. Even if that relationship should end, that becomes a part of the experience of relationship...not an end in and of itself.

Now, apply this to Life. If we are NOT here to learn, but rather are here for the experience of Life...when does that end? Again, never. Even death becomes, not a consequence, but a part of the experience of life itself! And, therefore, that instinct for self-preservation does not kick in, as the experience of life does not lead to completion and death.

Get it? Ok then... Now, the task is to apply this to EVERY situation in life. Rather than asking, in a situation where you have suffered or been betrayed or whatever: "What do I have to learn...or what is the lesson for me here" (the answer, BTW, is going to be "Nothing!"), ask instead, "What can I learn from this experience of life?" Doing thusly moves the onus from one of doing one's damnedest to pass the test that some external authority (God, Karma, etc) has placed before you, to one of owning your own creative intelligence and power in the situation you are experiencing. There is no set up. There is no test. Life is not a school of learning. This is the real thing. Live it, experience it in all its weirdness and awe. Live and experience life with gusto and passion and an acceptance that you will never figure it all out, nor do you have to.

In summation: Release the belief that we are here in this life to 'learn'...that somehow life is a school, or that some deity is testing you, and if you please the deity with your deeds and supplications that deity will reward you with an easier life. Or that you are suffering from karma,...and if you just are good enough you won't have to suffer karmically (next lifetime!). Embrace life as experience. Oh, you will learn along the way. Probably you will learn lots. The reward comes from the results of your authentic and passionate engagement of Life...not from outside yourself!

Jade Wah'oo Grigori is an American Shaman who mentored me in shamanic drumming and helped me to find my own path of rhythm. Please visit his website to learn more.

10 Reasons You Should Develop a Spiritual Practice

A spiritual practice is the regular performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development. A spiritual practice is something you do every single day that facilitates deeper self-awareness, empathy, and connectedness with others. Regular spiritual practice produces feelings of insight, understanding, integration, certainty, conviction, and truth, which surpass ordinary understandings and tend to persist long after the experience. Personal practice reconnects us with our deepest core values and our highest vision of who we are and why we are here. It heightens our sense of mission and purpose, empowering our personal evolution. It is important to remember that each person is different and so what works for one person may not work for another. The key is to choose an activity that makes you feel calm, centered, and relaxed. A spiritual activity might be gardening, hiking, running, dancing, drumming, chanting, painting, meditating, praying, doing yoga or tai chi. Here are 10 good reasons why you should develop a spiritual practice:

1. To integrate the body, mind, and spirit into wholeness and balance. Through reintegration of self, we come to understand who we truly are. The moment you bond with your spirit is the moment your heart opens. The first time you glimpse your spirit self, you gasp and cry. You know who you are. That is the moment you begin to heal.

2. It connects you to your inner truth. It is necessary to still the mind and quiet the emotions so that your personal truth can emerge. Inner stillness quells the ego and reconnects you to the guidance of your own intuitive knowing. Intuition reveals appropriate action in the moment for a given set of circumstances. So long as you follow your intuitive sense, your actions will be in accord with the true self and ultimately the cosmos.

3. To explore and develop the "inner life." Spiritual practice helps make us more fluent in the language of the inner life, which is where meaningful healing, transformation and insight arise. Being mindfully present with our thoughts, feelings and sensations is a journey into deeper self-awareness, heart awakening and embodied liberation. Regardless of what you call it -- personal growth, personal development, self-actualization or finding yourself -- this journey is you exploring and developing who you truly are.

4. It affords a holistic perspective of your life on a macrocosmic level. Spiritual practice is a valuable tool for stepping back and getting a balanced and ordered perspective on the broader picture. Through regular spiritual practice, we gain the perspective needed to move with the ebb and flow of change with grace and ease.

5. To achieve joy and bliss. A daily spiritual practice is the surest path to Joy. Joy is our song, which we share with the universe. Every living thing has a unique song, a pulsing rhythm that belongs only to it. Within the heart of each of us, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, which connects us to the totality of a dynamic, interrelated universe. This silent pulse is ever-present within each of us, but our awareness is rarely in sync with it. Awareness of perfect rhythm is not possible until we relinquish the desires and manipulations of the ego.

6. In order to cultivate the attention required to complete your tasks. Precision and awareness become elevated in whatever you choose to apply yourself to. Attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience. It is through our attention that we influence and direct the aspects of our experience and the world around us. Those aspects of our experience that are most enduring are the effect of habitual expectations and beliefs. What we pay attention to becomes what we know as ourselves and our world, for energy flows where attention goes.

7. It cultivates equanimity or steadiness of mind. Equanimity is the capacity to remain poised and calm even when under stress. The kind of equanimity required must be rooted in the insight that we create our own reality. Nothing that happens to us comes from an external source outside ourselves; everything is the result of our own thoughts and deeds. Because this knowledge frees us from fear, it is the foundation of equanimity.

8. To develop divine qualities. We are all sparks of the same one Divine Source. Over time, spiritual practice helps to dissolve our mind and through it we gain access to Divine consciousness. This closeness to Divinity allows us to assimilate divine qualities and evolve spiritually.

9. It clears the mind of illusions and obstructions, transforming thought patterns of confusion to reveal inherent clear mind. The fire of clear mind is ever present within each of us, and to remove any obstruction of its clarity is the duty of all people, so that each may find the way to unity and harmony. Through the insight and understanding of illuminated mind, we can bring enlightenment to the world!

10. To ground ourselves fully in the present moment. The present moment is all you ever have. When you aren't present in the moment you become a victim of time. Your mind is pulled into the past or the future, or both. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. The present moment is the fundamental ceremony of life. When we bring ourselves fully into the present moment, our life becomes the spiritual practice.

Buryat Shamanic Prayer Poles

Photo by Simon Matzinger

The Republic of Buryatia is home of the Buryats, a people of Northern Mongols. The republic is located in the south-central region of Siberia along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water. For Buryat Shamanists and Buddhists, Olkhon Island in Lake Baikal is a sacred and holy place. Along Cape Burkhan on Olkhon Island there is a very important pilgrimage site -- Shamanka (shaman) Rock, one of the nine holy places of Asia. If you walk along Cape Burkhan, you will come across serges -- ritual poles swaddled in cloth and ribbons left by pilgrims. It is custom to tie a ribbon to a serge and make a prayer to promote peace, compassion, and wisdom. Pilgrims believe the prayers will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Different elements are associated with different colors -- a blue ribbon symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Buddhist tradition, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.

"Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World"

Rumble is a feature documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history, a little-known story built around the incredible lives and careers of the some of the greatest music legends. With music icons like Charley Patton, Link Wray, Oscar Pettiford, Mildred Bailey, Peter Lafarge, Jimi Hendrix, Jessie Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Rita Coolidge, and Robbie Robertson, Rumble will show how these gifted Native musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives and, through their contributions, influenced and shaped American and international popular culture. Rumble tells the story of a profound, essential, and until now, missing chapter in the history of American popular music. To learn more, visit Rumble.

10 Reasons Why You Should be Making Prayer Ties

The sacrament tobacco is used cross-culturally as a unifying thread of communication between humans and the spiritual powers. Offering tobacco smoke or a pinch of dry tobacco carries our prayers to the "Loom of Creation," thereby reweaving the pattern of existence in accordance with those prayers. Prayer ties are spiritual offerings created by wrapping tobacco into a cloth while praying and focusing on your intention -- what you desire or expect to accomplish. They should be thought of as a physical manifestation of your prayer.

A prayer tie is made with a small (about 2") square of 100% cotton cloth and it is usually tied with 100% cotton string. The cotton cloth is usually red, but can be of any color, depending on the circumstances, which tradition you are following, or what your intuition tells you. To make a prayer tie, begin by smudging yourself and your materials. After smudging, take a pinch of tobacco and focus on your intention while holding it. Next, place the pinch of tobacco at the center of the cloth. Gently bundle the tobacco into the cloth, and then loop the string around the bundle and pull tightly. If you are making more than one prayer tie, space them evenly on the string. I usually make a tobacco tie for each of the six directions -- East, South, West, North, Above and Below.

Making a small sacred bundle to hold the tobacco makes it easier to carry on your person, to make an offering of to another person, and to hold onto for longer periods of time. As with any sacred object, treat your prayer ties with the honor and respect they deserve. Upon completion, prayer tie offerings might be left hanging in a tree, buried in the ground, left on a mountain top, added to your sacred space, or offered to grandfather fire. When prayer ties are ritually burned, they open a path of communication between the human world and the spirit world. Here are 10 good reasons for making prayer ties:

1. For personal protection. Everyone should make personal prayer ties and then carry them at all times for protection from negativity. I carry my prayer ties in a small leather pouch that I wear around my neck.

2. To protect your home from negative or unwanted energies. You should hang a string of prayer ties over each door to your home. I also hang a strand of ties over the main east-facing window of my home.

3. As a way to honor and safeguard sacred objects. I always store a string of prayer ties in with items like my sacred pipe and shamanic drum.

4. When someone is ill. Making prayer ties is a good way to pray for friends and loved ones who are sick or injured. 

5. To prepare for ceremony. The making of prayer ties is a wonderful way to prepare for ceremonies such as sweat lodge, vision quest, or whenever there is a sacred fire.

6. When someone has died. Creating prayer ties is a good way to pray for the safe passage of newly deceased souls. Unfortunately, many of the psychopomp myths and rituals that once helped prepare people for this final rite of passage have become lost or forgotten. When people are unprepared to face death, they often need additional assistance crossing over into the spirit world.

7. As a sign of friendship. Gifting someone with a prayer tie is a great way to show how much you value their friendship.

8. When you are seeking advice or information from someone. Giving a tobacco tie to someone who has helped you is a good way to show your appreciation for what they have done for you.

9. As an offering of gratitude to Mother Earth. Foster a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth. Take time to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take, for Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish.

10. Anytime you feel called to pray to the Creator. Regular prayer is a cornerstone of spiritual practice. Over time, frequent prayers help to dissolve our mind and through them we gain access to Divine consciousness. Praying brings us Divine help, reduces our ego, grants us forgiveness of mistakes, and much more.

The Ghost Dance at Standing Rock

Siege at Standing Rock

Early Wednesday morning, the acting secretary of the army -- appointed two weeks ago by President Trump -- ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to reverse course and grant the permits necessary for the Dakota Access Pipeline to be completed. Hours later, the barricades on Highway 1806 were taken down, paving the way for a raid of one of the Water Protectors' newly established camps by militarized police and the North Dakota National Guard. American Indian activist Chase Iron Eyes was among dozens of demonstrators arrested after trying to establish a new camp on private property located on the west side of N.D. Highway 1806 in southern Morton County, North Dakota. 

For much of 2016, demonstrators in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, withstood tear gas, arrests, rubber bullets and severe weather while camped out in an isolated area that has become known as Oceti Sakowin Camp. While on its face, the encampments are demonstrations against an oil pipeline, some have called the battle between a Dallas-based oil company and the Standing Rock Sioux a larger civil rights movement for Native Americans -- a comparison bolstered by law enforcement's use of water cannons on protesters in late November 2016.

The Last Ghost Dancers

Chase Iron Eyes, a former Congressional candidate and member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, calls the demonstration "our Ghost Dance." The Ghost Dance was a new religious movement incorporated into numerous American Indian belief systems in the late 1880s in an attempt to revitalize traditional culture and to find a way to face increasing poverty, hunger, and disease. According to the teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka, proper practice of the dance would reunite the living with spirits of the dead, bring the spirits of the dead to fight on their behalf, make the white colonists leave, and bring peace, prosperity, and unity to indigenous peoples throughout the region. He also stated that the people must be good and love one another, and not fight, steal, lie or engage in war.

The Ghost Dance was based on the circle dance. Participants joined hands and sidestepped clockwise around a circle, stooping to pick up dirt and throwing it in the air, all the while singing special songs and striving to fall into a visionary trance. Each ceremony lasted for five successive days and was repeated every six weeks. The ritual dance swept throughout much of the Western United States, quickly reaching areas of California and Oklahoma. As the Ghost Dance spread from its original source, Indian tribes synthesized selective aspects of the ritual with their own beliefs. 

 

The Ghost Dance affected the Lakota Sioux bands who adopted it more than any other group. Though the Ghost Dance provided hope to all American Indians, it proved particularly appealing to the Lakota at Standing Rock, and on all the newly defined Sioux reservations, who were in poor health, starving, and suffering relentless assaults on their traditional way of life. It also appealed to Lakota leaders such as Sitting Bull, who had resisted assimilation under the Dawes Act of 1887 which authorized the President of the United States to survey American Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for individual Indians. Sitting Bull and his followers let it be known they would not take allotments when the time came; they stated they had not signed the Sioux Bill and would therefore "continue to enjoy their old Indian ways."

Brutal Suppression of the Ghost Dance

Wovoka's prophecy of a new golden age, however, did not come to pass. Instead, the peaceful indigenous movement was met by a brutal Army suppression. The Lakotas' white neighbors and reservation officials viewed the movement as a threat to U.S. Indian policy and believed the Ghost Dance ceremonies indicated that the Lakotas intended to start a war. Reservation officials called on the U.S. government to outlaw the dancing. The government dispatched the U.S. Army and called for the arrest of key tribal leaders such as Sitting Bull and Big Foot. Indian police from Standing Rock killed Sitting Bull while arresting him. Two weeks later, on December 29, 1890, members of the Seventh Cavalry killed Big Foot and at least 145 Miniconjou and Hunkpapa Lakota ("Sioux") men, women, and children (casualty estimates range to higher than 300) in the Wounded Knee Massacre, thus eliminating key leaders most opposed to the United States and its Indian policy.

The Ghost Dance died out among the Lakotas after Wounded Knee, but experienced a revival during the 1970s as part of the Red Power movement. To many, the Ghost Dance represented resistance to U.S. Indian policy and American culture and was a rallying point for preserving traditional Indian culture. The Ghost Dancers envisioned a perfect world, a vision of an idealized past that would be restored to those who honored the traditional way of life.  It gave people hope amid tragedy. Again, the Sioux stand on the brink of uncertainty, with a new administration in the White House and a president who has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to reverse course and grant the permits necessary for the Dakota Access Pipeline to be completed.

In a recent interview, Chase Iron Eyes responded to the president's order by declaring, "We are staying. We don't have a choice but to stand up. The world is depending on us. We have been referred to as the Ghost Dancers of our time. The thing that's different though is that we have a world of allies that have supported us because they see themselves in this struggle. We have the critical mass to win and to change the trajectory of our planet."

The battle to protect the land and natural resources of Standing Rock from the threat posed by the Dakota Access Pipeline has only just begun. To help power the movement to protect Mother Earth and win justice for the Lakota people, please visit the Lakota People's Law Project at http://lakotalaw.org/.

Darkening of the Light

Total Solar Eclipse

In order to gain some insight into the dire situation of our planet, I consulted the I Ching. The I Ching is an ancient Chinese text and divination system which counsels appropriate action in the moment for a given set of circumstances. Each moment has a pattern to it and everything that happens in that moment is interconnected. Based on the synchronicity of the universe and the laws of probability, the I Ching responds to an inquiry in the form of a hexagram. By evaluating the hexagram that describes your current pattern of relationship, you can divine the outcome and act accordingly.

When I consulted the I Ching regarding our current situation on the planet, I received Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light. This hexagram symbolizes the sun sinking into the earth and is often associated with the "dark night of the soul." It denotes a time of darkness when oppressive forces obscure the beauty and clarity of light. As stated in the I Ching, "Here a man of dark nature is in a position of authority and brings harm to the wise and able man." It is a time of maximum darkness and ignorance; a time when the dark forces of the unconscious are at their peak. It isn't hard to see that even though we live on a planet that surrounds us with beauty, that there is a lot of darkness manifesting within humanity.

According to the I Ching, when the darkness of stupidity reigns in human affairs, it is best that you keep your brilliance "hidden under a bushel basket." The oracle counsels us to show our intelligence by concealing it. Lao Tse, the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, gives us the best paraphrase of the idea in his famous proverb: "He who knows does not speak; He who speaks does not know." In dealing with the masses, true leaders act unobtrusively while in fact being illuminated. What sages learn is to become daily more illuminated unbeknownst to others.

For the time being, it is in our best interests to accept the situation. Like the time of winter, the situation requires that we turn within to stoke our inner fire with spiritual practice. A spiritual practice is something you do every single day that grounds you in your own truth by connecting you with your essential self. So we must tend to our inner light and maintain a low profile. So long as we conceal our inner glow, it cannot be extinguished. Until conditions are more favorable, remain yielding and compliant externally, while maintaining your inner vision, convictions, and principles. Such an attitude will sustain your inner light in even the darkest of times. Try not to become too depressed or anxious; this period will pass. The darkness that is now showing itself everywhere will eventually consume itself and perish, for it has no inner light to sustain it. The sun will rise again.

"My Seven Months of Living at Standing Rock"

Photo by Desiree Kane

Desiree Kane arrived at Standing Rock in the very last days of May, alongside some comrades, at the request of Wiyaka Eagleman, the first firekeeper at Camp of the Sacred Stones and a founding member of the Keystone XL campaign. He had put out a call to folks in Indian Country for support, and she answered. Over the months, Desiree worked on the security and media teams and always had her camera. Her photos show some of the defining moments of the past seven months--some that made it to mainstream media coverage and others unseen until now. At its peak, Oceti Sakowin Camp has supported as many as 11,000 people, all focused on standing in solidarity with the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people who lay claim to land through the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Both the pipeline and the camps are on these lands. Read more.

Peace at Standing Rock

Latest news, – A Huge Win! Just announced. President Obama has instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the easement required to run the Dakota Access Pipeline past Standing Rock! A notice of intent has been issued. A Notice of Intent (NOI) is a formal announcement of intent to prepare an EIS as defined in Council. The Environmental Impact Statement is a more thorough and in-depth evaluation of the risks of building the pipeline either under or close to Lake Oahe, the water supply the demonstrators have been protecting since April 2016. Your voice, and the voices of thousands of others, helped tip the balance in favor of the Water Protectors bravely standing to block the pipeline's passage through fragile, sacred lands. Read more.

Lakota People's Law Project

The Lakota People's Law Project is committed to defending the rights of South Dakota's Native American families, exposing the epidemic of illegal seizures of Lakota children by the state of South Dakota, working towards the structural solution to end this injustice, and stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline continues into the New Year, and the Lakota people need your support now more than ever. President Obama's denial of the permit to drill beneath Lake Oahe hasn't deterred the pipeline's developers, Energy Transfer Partners. They immediately vowed to ignore the order, and President elect Donald Trump has already stated he will ensure the pipeline is finished once he takes office. To learn how you can help visit http://lakotalaw.org/.

"Shake the World with the Tiger Drum"

Nicholas Breeze Wood, editor of Sacred Hoop Magazine, is calling for a 'Tiger Drum' on the Thursday January 19, 2017. According to Nicholas, "Tiger Drumming is where people drum as a Tiger, to hold the line, to hold the sense of who they are, to hold their authenticity, their beauty, their integrity, their grace, their peace, their worth. A tiger knows who it is in the forest - be like a tiger." Tiger's medicine includes power, strength, self-assurance, and willpower in the face of adversity. Tiger is an ancient Chinese symbol of protection, dignity, ferocity, sternness, and Yin energy. Yin is the passive feminine principle of the universe, characterized as receptive, yielding, nurturing, grounding, and associated with the Earth or matter. Yin is the stable, unmoving, hidden aspect of things. Call upon Tiger for courage, resolve, and stability to help you hold steady during these unsteady times. Remain calm and centered in your power. See things as they are, in process of change, without fixation on imbalance; see the potential and call it forth. Shake the Earth with the Tiger Drum and the Earth will stop to listen.

"14 Ways to Raise the Vibration of Your Home"

Burning Incense by Rennett Stowe

If you can raise the vibrational frequency of your home, then your life can become happier, more positive, and more fulfilling. The first step is to cleanse your home of negative energy each day in order to welcome positive, high vibrational energy into your space. Preparing a purified space shifts your awareness from ordinary waking consciousness to a more centered, meditative state. Raising the vibration of your home elevates consciousness and creates a space where well-being and health can flourish. A home filled with good vibes brings in better conversation, meditation, cooking, working, creativity and much more. There will be fewer fights, misunderstandings and arguments. The place you spend most of your time should be a space you want to spend time in and create beautiful things. Dwelling in a home of good vibrations connects us deeper to our inner divinity. It brings us closer to unlocking the infinite potential we all have within. Read more.

Shamanism in Ancient Korea

Korean "Buk" Drum

Korean shamanism, also known as Muism "mu [shaman] religion") or Sinism "religion of the shin" is the ethnic religion of Korea and the Koreans. In contemporary Korean language, the shaman-priest or mu is known as a mudang if female or baksu if male, although other names are used. In Korean shamanism, it is thought that there is another world besides that of the living, and in this spirit world there are both good and bad entities who can influence human affairs. The role of the mu is to act as intermediary between Heaven (spirit realm) and Earth (physical realm) through gut (rituals), seeking to resolve problems in the patterns of development of human life. The symbol of interlocking spirals featured on the drum in the photo is the Taegeuk ("Great Pole") -- representing Heaven (blue), Earth (red) and man (yellow), or the divine trinity. Sustained by the Earth and transformed by the Heavens, humanity is the bridge that unites the three realms. The Taegeuk is a Korean form of the ancient Chinese symbol Taiji the "supreme ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before duality, from which Yin and Yang originate. Read more.

The Great Shift: And How to Navigate It

An excerpt from the newly released book,
The Great Shift: And How to Navigate It
Copyright © 2018 by Michael Drake

We are living during extraordinary times. So very many are asking the same question these days; "What is happening around us?" We live in a time of accelerated change and transformation. We see severe climate change, massive oil spills, and species dying off. We see corruption in banking, politics, and religions around the world. We see fear, anger, and hopelessness in our communities. Greed, poverty, violence, and injustice are predominant characteristics of our civilization. What on Earth is happening?

A growing number of voices in the international shamanic community are telling us that Mother Earth and her inhabitants are undergoing a fundamental, evolutionary change--a change that many of us will experience first-hand in this lifetime. Some call it the Kali Yuga, the age of maximum darkness and ignorance; a time when the dark forces of the unconscious are at their strongest. Some call it the Era of Strife, Tribulations or End of Days. Others refer to this unfolding event as the Turning of the Age or a Great Shift in consciousness that was foretold long, long ago. This is an exciting time to be present on the Earth. It is a time filled with unparalleled opportunities for spiritual growth. 

The Cycle of Time

The ancients understood time as circular, rather than linear. Yin and yang, the feminine and masculine aspects of the universe vibrate and spiral in a sacred dance, giving birth to the sonic pulse of the Cosmos. Yin and yang ebb and flow; creating the cycle of time. Behind the cycle of time lies an ongoing evolution of consciousness. Just as a tree has annual cycles of growth and retreat but continues to grow year after year, so all things have an inner growth process in which consciousness continues to develop through life after life.

The civilization process goes through four eras or ages. Like the four seasons in our year, there are four stages to man's evolution in the full cycle. Each cycle has distinct themes and spiritual lessons for humanity. Ancient astrology places humanity under the legendary four ages: the Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron ages. We find this belief in world ages among the Greeks as well as the Hindus. In Sanskrit these are called the yugas or world ages of Satya (the first), Treta (the second), Dvapara (the third), and Kali (the fourth). After the world fall at the end of the fourth, worst age (the Kali Yuga), the cycle starts again.

The purpose of this Great Shift, we are told, is to establish a new Era, a Golden Age of peace and harmony on the Earth plane so that humanity may experience love in ways it cannot yet comprehend. The current upheaval in society must occur. Destruction is a part of creation. We live in a world of endless cycles. We are quite literally witnesses and participants in the shift from an old paradigm into a new one. We are part of the emerging consciousness, and the signs are everywhere. It is here now and we all have a part to play in it.

What Can We Do?

It isn't hard to see that even though we live on a planet that surrounds us with beauty, that there is a lot of darkness manifesting within humanity. We must learn to deal with this dissonant energy. We cannot make sense of it because it is entirely destructive. Instead we must hold steady within ourselves and observe its chaotic behavior from a place of power. If we do this, it will be unable to feed on us. Our inner calm and stability will help contain its voracious energy and it will be unable to do as much damage as it would otherwise. It can be easy to lose hope at times, but there are many opportunities for spiritual growth and meaningful action during this time. Here are 10 helpful guidelines to navigate these dark and turbulent times:

1. Take Total Personal Responsibility for Your Life

Personal responsibility is taking conscious control of how you think, act, and feel in response to the events and circumstances in your life. Accept yourself and your circumstances. Accept responsibility for who you are right now. It's not other people who made you the way you are, but only your own choices, thoughts and actions. Learn to harness the power of your thoughts, for your consciousness does indeed affect the stream of thought upon this world. You must be ever mindful of your thoughts and feelings. Your reality is the perfect, exact mirror of your thoughts and what you consistently focus upon. You are creating your reality all the time. Every thought you think, every emotion you feel is creating your reality. Give yourself the permission to create the life you want. As responsible human beings, let us affirm a world of peace, harmony, and balance. Let us cultivate care for life and one another. See things as they are, in process of change, without fixation on imbalance; see the potential and call it forth.

2. See the World as it Truly Is

The world that you see around you is nothing more than a very convincing illusion and can completely change in the blink of an eye. The quantum theory of physics states that our material world is created over and over before our very eyes each instant we perceive it. Our world is ultimately no more real than a hologram. It is just an illusory product of our mind. Light is the only true thing that we can see in the world. The challenge we face is that light manifests itself, as well as darkness. Consequently, there are two spiritual forces that we deal with on planet Earth everyday--Light (positive) and Dark (negative). Light energy is unlimited and comes from the Source. It's highly vibrational, expansive, and full of love. Dark energy is dense, negative, and goes against the flow of the universe. It's about manipulation, power, conquest, and fear. Darkness is part of who we are, and we all have to take responsibility for it. The darkness that is now showing itself everywhere will eventually consume itself and perish, for it has no inner light to sustain it. Remember that no matter how hopeless the world or your life seems it is only a mirage. Light is the only real thing there is. The rest is a dream.

3. Learn to Live With Your Heart, Not Your Mind

We live in a highly visual world that continually bombards us with stimulation, exposing us to a multitude of sensations that keep us in our heads. In a rapidly changing world, we won't be able to figure things out mentally, so it's best to go back to our heart and be there whenever possible. If we are able to get in touch with our hearts, we will be able to connect with the guidance of our own intuitive knowing. Intuition reveals appropriate action in the moment for a given set of circumstances. To live fully from the heart we must learn to still the mind and quiet the emotions so that our personal truth can emerge. Stopping the chatter of the mind frees us of fear, doubt, and limitation. Take the time to quiet the mind, whether in meditation or prayer, and ask to be taken into your heart's sacred space. While you are there, practice seeing the world from that point of view. The energy that comes in from the Source is directed through our hearts. When we are in sync with the heart, we are in sync with the Cosmos. As we learn to live from the heart we are able to move with the ebb and flow of change with grace and ease.

4. Seek Equanimity or Steadiness of Mind

According to Buddhist teachings, equanimity is an unshakable balance of mind. The kind of equanimity required must be rooted in the insight that we create our own reality. Nothing that happens to us comes from an external source outside ourselves; everything is the result of our own thoughts and deeds. Because this knowledge frees us from fear, it is the foundation of equanimity. To attain equanimity as an unshakable state of mind, we must release all attachments to negative feelings and thoughts that float on the stream of mind. It requires diligence and commitment to release such attachments. The moment you feel some thought of fear, anger, or doubt creeping into your mind; simply let it go. Allow it to drift off on the air of the wind, on the breath of life. Breathe deeply and gently exhale any tension you might feel, clearing the energy channels of your body. You must be gentle with yourself, in spite of your errors, and gentle with others who react from a place of fear or anger.     

5. Develop a Spiritual Practice

A spiritual practice is the regular performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development. A spiritual practice is something you do every single day that grounds you in your own truth and helps you get to know your inner self. It is important to remember that each person is different and so what works for one person may not work for another. The key is to choose an activity that makes you feel calm, centered, and relaxed. A spiritual activity might be gardening, hiking, running, dancing, chanting, making music, painting, meditating, praying, doing yoga or tai chi. Regular spiritual practice helps to build spiritual strength and this in turn becomes our protective armor. We must not fall into hopelessness, but instead must strengthen our personal practice and act as a light in dark times for those around us that are lost. Any behavior that is kind, gentle, generous, virtuous, sincere, respectful and reverent, is emulating behavior that brings us closer to the next stage in the cycle, a Golden Age of primeval peace, harmony, and prosperity. When we bring ourselves fully into the present moment, our life becomes the spiritual practice.

6. Incorporate Drumming into Your Spiritual Practice

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. Drums can also be used for prayer, healing, and clearing our homes of negative or unwanted energies. When we pray and drum with intent, the drum amplifies and carries our intentions to the Loom of Creation, thereby reweaving the pattern of existence in accordance with those prayers. Shamans have understood for centuries that sustained focused attention on a specific intention, while in a state of inner silence, channels the Source energy of the universe into manifesting the physical equivalent of the focus. The key to understanding the power of the drum is to realize that the universe is made of vibrational energy. According to quantum physics, everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, has an inherent vibrational pattern. The entire universe is created through vibration and can be influenced through the vibrations of drumming.    

7. Cleanse Yourself and Your Home of Negative Energy Daily

Smudge yourself and your home each day. Smudging is a method of using smoke from burning herbs to dispel negative energy and open the energy channels of your body. Sage, cedar, and sweetgrass are traditionally used for smudging. Light the herbs in a fire-resistant receptacle and then blow out the flames. Then use a feather or your hands to fan the smoke around your body and home. I recommend cracking a window or door for ventilation and for releasing unwanted energies. Additionally, learn how to make your own consecrated or holy water and use it for cleansing, protection, and blessing. Many people will dismiss the power of holy water based on its association with the church. This is not about religion; this is about a pragmatic solution to an age-old problem. The fact of the matter is that holy water is the only thing that darkness cannot manipulate. It's your best protection against negative energy. It's also important to establish clear and healthy personal boundaries: the physical, emotional and mental limits we establish to protect ourselves from being manipulated or used by others. Define your core values, belief system, and outlook on life so you have a clear picture of who you are and how you want to live. When linked to your core values, boundaries help you align your daily activities and behaviors with your life's purpose. The passionate expression of our Soul's purpose is precisely the medicine the Earth needs at this time. 

8. Pray Without Ceasing

The word prayer is derived from the two Sanskrit words 'pra' and 'artha' meaning pleading fervently. In other words, it is asking God (or whatever term you'd like to use for a higher power) for something with intense yearning. To pray without ceasing means to be continually in a reverent attitude of prayer. Regular prayer is a cornerstone of spiritual practice. Over time, frequent prayers help to dissolve our mind and through them we gain access to Divine consciousness. Praying brings us Divine help, reduces our ego, grants us forgiveness of mistakes, and more. Words have great power. In the shamanic world, words transform substance. I am now going to tell you about one of the most powerful phrases in the world. Simply open or conclude your prayers with the words "In the name of Jesus I pray." Praying in the name of Jesus evokes all of His power and protects us from darkness. Again, this is not about religion; it's is about choosing the right words to liberate us from the power of darkness. The reason this prayer is so powerful is that the name of Jesus is not just a passive word. It is a creative word, like the sacred Word by which God created the universe. When spoken, it produces a vibratory resonance that allows this creative energy to be called forth. Simply chanting the words "Lord Jesus" helps us assimilate that aspect of Divinity that his name represents. It can be done anytime and anywhere, helping us to remain in communion with Him at all times. 

9. Give Thanks

Giving thanks and being in a state of gratitude opens our heart, allowing our indwelling presence of being, our Spirit, to rise forth unimpeded. Gratitude, like any other spiritual practice, is something we do, not just something we feel. And it's something we need to practice. Try to cultivate a spirit of gratitude in all things. Even in situations that seem difficult to give thanks for, just remember that you are on the Earth to experience, learn and grow. An "attitude of gratitude" in all things helps connect us to our core values and purpose for being here. Foster a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth. Take time to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take, for Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings. Give thanks also for the things you are praying for. Giving thanks before needs are met is a way of making space to receive them. Expressing gratitude for something before it actually appears in your life develops trust and confidence in your ability to create.

10. Keep Your Heart Open 

The most important thing you can do at this time is to keep your heart wide open. To keep your heart open, be willing to accept what life brings you. Resistance is futile anyway and what you resist persists. If there are challenges on your path, trust that there is a lesson to be learned and growth will occur as a result. You need a completely balanced and open heart to be able to hold steady during these dark times. Make a conscious choice not to be swept along by unfavorable circumstances or permit your steadfastness to be shaken. Be mindful of who you are. You are a being of light, capable of the most extraordinary things! You were put here on Earth to hold a steady place in an unsteady world. Remain calm and centered in your power. Never compromise or lose sight of your goals and principles. Such an attitude will sustain the inner light that exists within you in even the darkest of times. We each have a part to play during this dark time. Be as you were born to be!

Santa the Shaman

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions. John Rush, Ph.D., author of Mushrooms in Christian Art and professor of anthropology at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA., suggests, "Santa is a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering plants and fungi to commune with the spirit world." He believes the Santa myth was born because local shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions would visit locals on the winter solstice, an astronomical phenomenon strongly related to modern-day Christmas, with gifts of dried hallucinogenic mushrooms. Here are eight ways that hallucinogenic mushrooms explain the story of Santa and his reindeer.

Portraits of Shamans from Around the World

Baruch Osorno, from Mexico

The Festival du Chamanisme, or Shamanism Festival, is an annual event in Genac, France that brings together shamans from around the world. Photographer Flore-Aël Surun photographed shamans from all over the world at the festival in France earlier this year. Surun, who is from France, said she observed as the shamans showed their respective rituals to one another. "(One shaman) will show how they get entranced and how they make their healing (rituals), so the shaman from the other country can see," she said. "It's like everyone learns about the culture of the other one." There is by no means just one definition or description of what it means to be a shaman, but Surun said the shamans she met were connected in their efforts to keep shamanic traditions alive, as well as in their common messages of peace and hope. Read more.

Awaken the Shaman Within

Shamanism has achieved a dramatic modern resurgence. Recent studies by some of the world's foremost scholars on shamanism reveal that the contemporary world still hungers for transcendent experiences because the shamanic narrative is hard-wired in us all. Study results demonstrate that the cross-cultural manifestations of shamanism and its contemporary appeal are rooted in innate functions of the brain, mind, and consciousness. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that the innate modules of rhythm, like percussion, provide a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives. Each person has the ability to connect directly with shamanic states of consciousness through the power of the drum.

When pulsed at some three beats per second, rhythmic drumming induces an alpha wave cycle in the brain. Alpha activity is associated with meditation, light trance states, and holistic modes of consciousness. The alpha rhythm is the resonant frequency produced by our planet's electromagnetic field. All life on this planet is plugged into this primary frequency. When the brain oscillates in this common frequency, attunement to planetary collective consciousness is achieved. One's sense of being a separate individual gives way to an experience of union, not just with other individuals, but with the entire planet. Drumming is a quick and easy way to induce this state of unity consciousness.

This ease of induction of altered states and related experiences contrasts dramatically with the months or years of practice usually required by most meditative disciplines to induce significant effects. Today's drummers are rediscovering the trance or ecstatic aspects of drumming. This new rhythm consciousness is oriented not toward performance and musical virtuosity, but toward personal transformation, consciousness expansion, and community building. Shamanic drum ways do not require faith or changes in your definition of reality. No change in your subconscious mind is required either, for the drum only awakens what is already there. It will awaken the shaman that lies dormant within you. Read more.

Standing Rock Wins Big Victory

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Fireworks filled the night sky above Oceti Sakowin Camp as activists celebrated after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline near the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced Sunday that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II released a Statement on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to not grant easement.

Now is the Time to Stand

Dakota Access Pipeline Protest

Now is the time to take action. It's time to build a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth and to each other. Protect the Waters in the place you call home -- this is our first source of life. Become a person of place. Put down roots where you are; learn the people, animals, and plants. Love the water, air, and land. No great healing of the planet will take place until humans adopt and adapt to a biocentric standard of "nature first." Consideration must be given to the seventh generation in every decision that we make and in every action that we take. As Earthkeepers, we should adopt lives of voluntary simplicity so we have both the time and economic resources to support environmental action. Read more.