Sunday, April 2, 2023
The Shaman and the Mystic
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Court Case Threatens Native Sovereignty
Monday, March 20, 2023
Happy Vernal Equinox
In China, the Vernal Equinox has always been celebrated as the time of new beginnings, of action, of planting seeds for future grains, and of tending gardens. Spring is a time of the earth's renewal, a rousing of nature after the cold sleep of winter. The life energy, symbolized by thunder, erupts from the depths in early spring to awaken the dormant seeds to new life. The yearly cycle begins in the spring when thunder quickens the renewal of life. Winter still has its grip on the land, but the days are lengthening and the light is growing stronger by the day. Spring is finally here... I hope we can be inspired by nature's reawakening to renew our own lives.
In March of 1995, I was fortunate enough to visit the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chich'en Itza, Mexico on the vernal equinox when the sun projects an undulating pattern of light on the northern stairway for a few hours in the late afternoon--a pattern caused by the angle of the sun and the edge of the nine steps that define the pyramid's construction. These triangles of light link up with the massive stone carvings of snake heads at the base of the stairs, suggesting a massive serpent snaking down the structure.
According to legend, twice a year when the day and night are in balance, this pyramid dedicated to Kukulkan (or Quetzalcoatl), the feathered serpent god, is visited by its namesake. On the equinox Kukulkan returns to earth to commune with his worshipers, provide blessing for a full harvest and good health before entering the sacred water, bathing in it, and continuing through it on his way to the underworld.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
FNX - First Nations Experience
At the ceremonial unity launch of FNX in February 2011, Cherokee actor Wes Studi confessed he didn't see this coming. "Thank you for proving me wrong," Studi said, speaking at the KVCR/FNX studios in San Bernardino, California. "I once said that I didn't think in my lifetime I'd see a TV channel dedicated to Indian people like you and me, people who are rarely seen on screen in authentic ways. We're making history with this powerful new media tool. This is something I can tell my grandchildren about -- I'll tell them I was there when it launched."
San Manuel Tribal Chairman James Ramos said FNX is "fulfilling a dream our ancestors had ... using the resources we have built through gaming. It's important that people know what our ancestors had to go through so we could be here today. It's time for us to change negative perceptions about indigenous peoples in mainstream audiences. We need to stand together as one voice and make things better for our people."
Ramos added context from his own tribe's past. "There was a time in California's history when there was an effort to get rid of Indian people; we were shot and killed here in the San Bernardino Mountains," Ramos said. "Many people never heard that story, and today some people don't want to talk about that history. But it's important that we do so that we can learn from the past and move forward working together for a better future."
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Remembering Indigenous Rights Advocate James Abourezk
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Imaginary Shamans
Sunday, February 19, 2023
The Shaman's Rattle Beater
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Your Guide to Shamanic Drumming
In this four-part audio course, best-selling author Michael Drake teaches about the power of shamanic drumming to improve well-being, promote spiritual growth and deepen our understanding of the inner self. 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 lessons and exercises, he teaches the basic shamanic methods of drumming, journeying, power practice and healing the earth. You will learn how to alter your state of consciousness to access higher wisdom, renewed power and untapped insight. There are no prerequisites to learning shamanic drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this course will help you harness the power of drumming.
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Meeting My Shamanic Teacher
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Abel Selaocoe: Shaman with a Cello
He has become a master of various pieces of digital equipment that enable him to create backing tracks--vocal, instrumental and percussive--with which he can play and sing along, as well as layering the sound by doubling voice and cello tracks. It comes close at times to being an over used gimmick, and yet, he knows just when to pull back from dependence upon the wonders of audio technology. In an instant, he will return to a masterful stroke of the cello's bow or a plaintive undulation of spine-chilling voice.
Selaocoe's resonant throat-singing is a wonder to behold, never just a display, but a way of conjuring the spirits of the ancestors he mentions in his introductions and invites into his performances. In a way that is common to so much African music, from the song of a bush village through to gospel, soul and rap. Selaocoe's show is not just superb entertainment, but also a form of teaching: his message is explicitly about love, community and healing. He brings all three of these essential qualities of humanity together in a way that leaves the audience uplifted and transformed. The wonder of Abel Selaocoe is that he can make any venue feel like a sacred gathering place.
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Music Born of the Cold
Sunday, January 15, 2023
What Happens During a Shamanic Journey?
Ecstatic trance is not always what many people anticipate it to be, and sometimes there may be doubt that anything at all takes place. There are, however, some key indicators that confirm a transcendent state of consciousness. Once you enter a trance state, the rhythm or sound of the drum tends to change. The drumbeat may appear to speed up or slow down, while the sound may grow louder, softer or disappear. You may experience a change in body temperature, feel energy flowing through your body, or find yourself twitching, swaying or rocking. It is not uncommon to hear sounds or voices. You may even smell specific aromas. You may see colorful patterns, symbolic images or dreamlike visions. Some people may find that they have a highly developed inner vision, while others may rely more on an inner voice of insight, or an inner feeling of certainty. Be prepared to experience ecstatic trance with any of your senses.
Sunday, January 8, 2023
However Wide the Sky: Places of Power
Pierce worked with tribal leaders to film on the land. The areas chosen are: Chaco Canyon, Bears Ears, Zuni Salt Lake, Mount Taylor, Pueblo of Santa Ana, Taos Blue Lake, Mesa Prieta and Santa Fe. These places intimately connect the people and their beliefs to the natural world. This is their story, of the land and who they are. Pierce says the concerns about the use, misuse, development, drilling and mining of scared places in New Mexico began a conversation between Silver Bullet Productions and tribal leaders about the importance of education in 2016.
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Drumming in the New Year 2023
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Santa the Flying Shaman
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.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Winter Solstice Blessings
Winter Solstice is an affirmation of the continuation of life; that the cyclical order of time and the cosmos will continue intact. Fire and light have always played a central role in the Winter Solstice ceremonies. In much of northern Europe people ignited huge bonfires. Lighted candles were often placed on the branches of evergreen trees, which symbolized survival and eternal life. These symbols of warmth and lasting life were lit to hasten the "old" Sun's waning and the "new" Sun's rebirth. On the Winter Solstice we are all praying, on some level, for the darkness to end. "Just return the light!" the ceremonies seem to say. As we celebrate the return of the light, we affirm the continuation of life at the very moment of dissolution. To be sure, dark days lie ahead. But contained within each is the promise of brighter tomorrows.
On the Winter Solstice (Wednesday, December 21) we began a new cycle on the Medicine Wheel of Life, entering the North -- the home of winter, night, wisdom, clarity, renewal, rebirth, and the great Bison. Bison teaches us the importance of gratitude for all we have and giving for the greater good. As we join our hearts in prayer and sacred drumming, we participate in this season of renewal, attuning ourselves to the cyclical rhythms of nature. As we celebrate the return of the light, we affirm the continuation of life at the very moment of dissolution. Prayer, gratitude, and generosity at this time will clear the way for renewed growth and prosperity.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Free Shamanic Songs and Chants
Sunday, December 4, 2022
What is Taoism?
Philosophical Taoism, often represented by the yin-yang symbol, emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (the Way), or Ultimate Reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the natural world and everything in it. Tao is the ultimate source and way (or process) of nature and the universe. To live in harmony with the Tao is to go with the flow of life rather than against it. It is a way to conserve life's vitality by not expending it in the useless ways of friction and conflict. Early Taoists perceived that the ultimate nature of this mysterious force was beyond intellectual comprehension but could be discerned by the intuitive mind. The sages observed that through meditation, one could attain Tao or communion with the way of the universe itself.
Through meditation and other devotional activities, Taoists seek to bring their lives into accord with the Tao. They believe that by abiding in the Tao, or in harmony with the Cosmos, one may attain a state of such inner clarity and insight that all actions become synchronous and spontaneously correct. They refer to this state of harmony with nature and the universe as wu wei, or "non-doing." Non-doing is not a withdrawal from action, but rather the achievement of a higher kind of action: action in accord with the natural order. The concept of wu wei more closely suggests a way of existing without conscious effort, as nature does. Such a person knows what to do by abiding in a state of quietism, by letting go of all worldly thought so that the creative force of the Tao may enter their minds and bodies. Such accord with the Tao allows one to accomplish things without effort in a way that benefits everyone.
Taoism is an inner way as well as an outward path. One should outwardly "go with the flow" while inwardly adhering to one's true nature. Taoists seek to integrate inner and outer experiences while uniting body, mind and spirit into a harmonious whole. Taoism views humanity as a microcosm of the macrocosm we call the universe. Each human being is a hologram of the Cosmos, a weaving together of universal information from a particular point of view. Essentially, we are the universe experiencing itself in human form.
Taoists equate the body with the earthly realm, the mind with the human realm, and the spirit with the heavenly realm. By bringing the body, mind and spirit into accord, one transforms personal experience and influences the interactions of the three cosmic realms. Following the Tao is a journey requiring simplicity, balance and introspection. The lifelong quest of the Taoist is to identify their innermost purpose in life, and then use every means at their disposal to achieve it.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Second Annual Wopila Gathering
So I hope to see you there! And please extend this invite to those you love by clicking the social share icons -- to Facebook, Twitter, and email -- on our Wopila Page. Let's continue to grow the circle of support and come together to honor, inspire, and activate! Stay tuned for more info soon.
Co-Director and Lead Counsel
The Lakota People’s Law Project