The Last Innu Singer

Akat Piwas is the only Labrador elder still singing in the Mushuau Innu dialect. Now 79, Piwas belongs to the generation of Mushuau Innu who were born in tents and raised on the land, before--as adults--being moved into houses in Davis Inlet, a village that would be plagued by poverty, shoddy housing and substance abuse. The tribe relocated to the Innu community of Natuashish in 2002. Piwas is old enough to remember life before settlers, schools and government. She lived through the tumult that besieged her people as they all tried to come to grips with a completely foreign way of life. 

For thousands of years, before making contact with European settlers, the Mushuau Innu lived nomadically, moving with the seasons across Labrador, following the caribou and other animals to hunt. The traditional way of life of the tribe changed dramatically in the 1960s when they were forced off the land and onto a reserve. When the Newfoundland government decided to shepherd the Innu into community living, the Catholic Church played a key role. The church had a profound impact on the first generation of Innu adults who moved into the community in 1967.

Unfortunately, church and tradition didn't coexist easily. Most priests discouraged the old ways: drumming ceremonies, the shaking tent, even speaking the language. The Innu way of life was torn asunder. Traditions were lost, people were left adrift. For Piwas, the Catholic faith was one thing that didn't change. Like most First Nations converts to Christianity, Piwas was quite capable of moving between two religious systems on a situational basis, drawing from each those prayers, beliefs, and songs that satisfied the needs of the particular time. The church, and its music, helped her navigate the change. For Piwas, it's a source of strength. Today, she is the only elder who can sing hymns in her dialect. Though some of the old ways have been lost to time, Piwas and others are working to preserve what's left.

Photo of Akat Piwas by CBC News.

Energy Body Clearing

Energy body clearing is a term used to describe specific techniques that people use to keep their subtle body, or energy field, clean from the negative thoughts and emotions of others. According to various esoteric and mystical teachings, the subtle body is that part of our being or consciousness that leaves our physical body at the time of physical death. It is the interface between the mental, spiritual and physical aspects of one's being. The physical body consists of energy that vibrates very slowly, which is why it appears to be solid. We are energy beings living in an energy world, so our subtle body interacts continuously with the energy of others.

Whether we realize it or not, we are attracting harmful energetic vibrations from our environment. Picking up negative energy that is not ours can make our energy body less balanced and can cause blockages to the natural flow of energy in our body. We may feel tired, unbalanced, anxious, depressed, or even sick. We can clear our fields through various cleansing techniques, leaving us feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Energy clearing also releases negative, limiting, or otherwise outmoded patterns of belief that aren't serving us anymore. Here are five effective energy body clearing techniques:

1. Smudge Yourself 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.

2. Cleanse Yourself with Holy Water

Learn how to make your own consecrated, or holy water, and use it for cleansing, protection, and blessing. Essentially, holy water is water with salt added during a rite of blessing. Pour some holy water into a spray bottle. For an energy body cleansing, spray it toward yourself from arms length (avoiding your eyes, of course). To bless and protect your home, spray holy water around the perimeter of your dwelling and yard. 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 your best protection against negative and dark energies.

3. Cleanse Yourself with White Light

Light--imagined or real--is a powerful energy body cleanser. White light can be called upon by anyone for cleansing, healing and protection from negative energies. Lie or sit comfortably. Do some deep breathing to calm and focus your mind. Visualize a sphere of white light emanating from your heart. Just allow it to expand outward until it completely fills and surrounds you. Envision the white light purifying and restoring your body, and displacing any negative or foreign energy. Really focus on seeing it clearly in your mind, and keep building it up so it's brilliant and glowing. You can keep expanding the light, sending peace and love out into infinity.

4. Take a Sea Salt Bath

Sea salt has remarkable cleansing abilities. Having a soothing bath containing sea salt when you feel energetically overwhelmed can really make a huge difference in the way you feel. Just a handful of sea salt dissolved in a hot bath is a reliable remedy for clearing and recharging the energy field. You can use regular sea salt, Himalayan salt, Epsom salt, or other. Preferably, soak for at least 30 minutes, and say a quick blessing over the water before you get in. Keep a generous supply of drinking water on hand as well, and bless that too!

5. Raise Your Energy Body's Vibration

Drumming, chanting and prayer raise your vibration, open the heart and connect you with a power greater than yourself. Chanting has no limitations of time and space and can be done anytime or anywhere. Chants move us to a level of awareness beyond form, a place where we discover our own divinity. Regular prayer is a cornerstone of spiritual practice. Praying brings us Divine help, reduces our ego, grants us forgiveness of mistakes, and more. Repetitive drumming, chanting and prayer cleanse the energy body, boost the immune system and produce feelings of well-being, a release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self.

The Shamanic Roots of Taoism

Taoism originated in China between 600 and 500 BC, but the roots of Taoist beliefs, like many other spiritual belief systems, can be traced back to shamanic practices from the earliest tribal communities. China's recorded history began some 5,000 years ago when a tribal people settled in the Yellow River Basin -- the cradle of Chinese Civilization. These early people were hunter-gatherers and farmers. Their relationship to the cosmos was a shamanic one. Animism, ecstatic flight and spirit worship were characteristic of the primitive religion of archaic China.

Historical records describe certain members of this tribal community as experts in exorcisms, extractions, prophecies, rainmaking, and healing. Their role in tribal society was to enter trance states in order to gather information from the spirit world to aid the community. Practitioners, predominately female, were able to communicate directly with plants, minerals, and animals; to journey deep into the earth, or visit distant galaxies. They were able to invoke, through dance and ritual, elemental and supernatural powers, and enter into ecstatic union with them. The class of people most adept at such techniques became known as the Wu -- the shamans of ancient China.

As tribes evolved into cities and states, the Wu shamans played a crucial part in every state court. However, the influence of the Wu was pushed aside around 200 BC when Confucianism became the central belief system of the Chinese Empire. The Wu's shamanic performances in Chinese court were finally abolished in 32 BC. The shamanism practiced by tribal groups disappeared, in part due to the oppression of the Confucian government, and in part due to the emergence of Taoists as a dominate shamanic group.

There is much, in fact, from this early period of China's history, and in particular its shamanic world-view and practices, that is reflected in the subsequent emergence of Taoism. Spirit-travel to planets, stars and galaxies are practices found within the Shangqing sect of Taoism. Taoist magicians use talismans to invoke the powers and protection of supernatural beings. Components of many Taoist rituals and ceremonies, as well as certain forms of qigong, are oriented toward communication with the plant and animal kingdoms.

The roots of Taoism lie in the ancient shamanic practices with which it has always shared beliefs. Taoist traditions are a fountain of wisdom and knowledge for restoring our relationship with the Earth. Taoism, like shamanism, is a way of living in harmony with nature, rather than an adherence to a religious doctrine. By practicing these ways of being, we awaken our soul calling and our connection to nature. They provide a myriad of responses to the spiritual quest of self-discovery. They are ways that embed us in the living web of life, yielding greater awareness and perspective. These practices are easily integrated into contemporary life and provide a means of navigating the turbulent times in which we live.

Samadhi: Free Meditation Music Download

The Barcelona-based magazine La Senda del Corazón (The Path of the Heart) interviewed me in September 2019. You can read the entire interview by clicking here. They asked me to contribute one of my songs to Samadhi,  a meditation music compilation they are releasing for charity that features eleven artists from around the world. In Hindu yoga, Samadhi is a state of intense concentration attained by the practice of Dharana (focused attention) and Dhyana (effortless meditation) when the True Essential Nature is known without the distortion of the mind. It is considered to be the culmination of the meditation process. Please listen to the album on Bandcamp Radio and consider donating to some of the following charities:

The Koala Hospital
Animal Welfare Institute
Native American Rights Fund
The Nature Conservancy
Action Against Hunger-USA
Animal Nepal

The Lifting of the Veil of Illusion

The first thing you might ask is what is the veil of illusion? The veil of illusion is essentially the boundary between the physical and the spiritual realms. You might think of it as the border between seen and unseen, or known and unknown. The veil is the barrier that restricts our infinite spiritual awareness so we can perceive ourselves as a limited physical beings. When we incarnate into the physical realm, we pass through the veil, losing awareness of our limitless potential. The veil creates the illusion that we are separate and disconnected from others and from everything else. By losing awareness of our immortality and our interconnectedness with all that is, we are able to have experiences which would otherwise be impossible. When we die, we cross over to the other side of the veil. It then becomes possible to view our earthly life from a highly expanded vantage point. When we are no longer veiled in the illusion of time and space, we can see that spirit and matter are truly interconnected.

We live in a time period in which the veil is growing very thin. In other words, the boundaries between spirit and matter have greatly dissolved, and these worlds are currently overlapping and blending together. As the two worlds merge, the invisible becomes visible, leading to an increase of paranormal activity and spirit contact. The realms of the living and the dead naturally intersect. Spirit sightings and interactions are becoming more common. More and more people are awakening to higher consciousness and direct spiritual experience. As more and more people awaken, the thinning of the veil accelerates. Eventually, the veil will completely dissolve. It's uncertain what the consequences of this will be.

Apocalypse: The Lifting of the Veil

The Greek word apocalypse literally means "lifting of the veil" or "revelation." This term has come to mean the end of the world, but originally meant the end of an age. The lifting of the veil is happening all around us. We are experiencing a disclosure of information hidden from us in an era dominated by falsehood and deception. Everything is becoming very transparent. We can clearly see how the patriarchal powers want to dominate us. We realize the folly of materialism and the unsustainability of consumerism. We recognize that happiness cannot be measured by wealth. We can longer deny the risks to our planet and our health. Because we've opened our eyes, we can see through the illusion that spirit and matter are separate. As we awaken to our true nature, we dissolve all feelings of separation and alienation.

We are coming to the end of an age and entering a new one. The veil is lifting, so what can we do about it? The first thing we need to do is to get out of denial about what's happening. It's time to pay attention to what's occurring in the physical world around us--the breakdown of all of the systems and the inevitable collapse of societies that comes with it. There's no way to tell if an impending collapse will take place suddenly or over a long period of time. The thing about collapse is that it can no longer be discussed in future tense. It's happening all around us. We see a global water crisis, severe climate change, destructive earthquakes, massive wildfires, and species dying off...the veil is lifting.

Navigating the Apocalypse

In these uncertain times, it is impossible to find stability in the outer world, so do not waste your time looking for it. Instead, we must hold steady within ourselves and observe the chaos from an inner place of power. When we center ourselves and calm our minds, we stop feeding the negative drama that is playing out on Earth. It can be easy to lose hope at times, yet there are many opportunities for spiritual growth and meaningful action during this time. To navigate these turbulent times and keep yourself sane, you might want to try the following:

1. Learn to Live with Your Heart

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 chaotic, rapidly changing world, it can be difficult to figure things out, so it is best to turn away from the external theatrics and move into our heart space--into the stillness at our center. To live fully from the heart, we must learn to still the mind so that our intuitive self can come to light. Stopping the mind's incessant chatter frees us of doubt, fear and limitation. Such inner calm and openness connects us with the guidance of our own inner knowing. Take time every day to quiet the mind, whether in meditation or prayer, and ask to be taken into your heart's sacred space. Then while you are there, practice seeing the world from that point of view. As we learn to live from the heart, we are able to move with the ebb and flow of change with grace and ease.

2. Seek Equanimity or Steadiness of Mind

Equanimity is the capacity to remain poised and calm even when under stress. 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. Equanimity allows us to stand in the midst of conflict or crisis in a way where we are balanced, centered and grounded.

3. Stay Grounded 

Grounding is a technique that gets you rooted in your body and helps keep you in the present moment. Grounding techniques are designed to redistribute the energy from your head into your body. Doing so has an almost instant calming effect. Grounding can reduce anxiety, quiet the mind and connect you to your inner voice. Grounding begins with mindful breathing. The most basic way to do mindful breathing is simply to focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. You do not need to do anything to your breath. Just breathe naturally and focus your attention on where you feel your breath in your body. It may be in your abdomen, chest, throat or nostrils. As you do this, your mind may start to wander. This is perfectly natural. Just notice that your mind has wandered, and then gently redirect your attention back to the breathing. Stay here for five to seven minutes. It helps to set aside a designated time for mindful grounding each day.

4. Cleanse Your Space

One of the most important things you can do is to smudge yourself and your home each day. Smudging is a method of using smoke from burning herbs to dispel intrusive spirits and negative energy. Sage, cedar and sweetgrass are traditionally used for smudging. To smudge, light the dried 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.

5. Develop a Spiritual Practice

The most important thing you can do at this time is to 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 fosters inner peace, insight, compassion, non-attachment, integration and a sense of unity. Consistent 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.

The Veil of Illusion, Tree of Life and other fundamental patterns of creation are all illustrated in the sacred geometry of the Flower of Life (pictured above). The Flower of Life is a visual representation of the interconnectedness of life and all beings.