May Shamanism Column

Welcome to the Monthly Shamanism Column

MAY

INTRODUCTION:

Dreams, the nighttime variety, have been very powerful lately, and this is often a means for shamanic messages to come through. If you can remember your dreams, think of any signs from nature – were you by a lake or climbing a tree, did an animal visit you or mark you in some way? Sit for a moment before opening your eyes and bask in the dream world to see if there is a message that rings true for you. You don’t have to go to the computer to look up the dream’s “meaning.” Trust your instincts. If you see bear standing tall and beating his chest, maybe you need to stand up for something, or if birds are singing and it seems joyful to the dreaming you, maybe you need to experience more joy.

Dreaming is a very useful tool for a shaman, and it is important to remember that not all dreams happen while sleeping. Shamans who dream while awake perform an important service to all mankind by dreaming of the transformation that will lead the world in a more perfect path. The shamanic journey can be thought of as a dream that happens while the dreamer is awake but outside of normal time. Meditation is another form of wakeful dreaming. The practice of visioning is being used more and more to create positive future paths. And despite what your teachers may have told you in school, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a good daydream!

POWER ANIMALS FOR MAY:

For May, students of astrology in the United States typically associate the power animal Bull, associated with the sign Taurus. The Bull is solid, strong, practical, stubborn, slow, and stable. Bulls need security, financial and otherwise; they need solid ground under their feet. The Bull is a perfect symbol for the United States in May 2008, as our financial security is seriously in question. Bulls are slow and plodding, but once set in motion will remain at a task with great persistence and reliability. The Bull will try to get its own way, but will not take any risks.
The Native American power animal for the month of May, or the growing time, is the Beaver. The Beaver teaches many, many lessons to those with this totem; they are as busy as shamanic teachers as they are in life! Lessons of the Beaver involve cultivating flexibility and adaptability. Beaver teaches compassion, accepting others for who they are. Beavers are the builders, the creators, and can help you solve problems through creativity and work. This can be symbolized as needing to work on your foundation, or needing to build a new foundation to access new challenges. Beavers symbolize fertility and knowing how to work in harmony with the environment through their work in building dams and creating new fertile spaces. Beavers also teach inner peace and breath work; those with this totem would do well to practice meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises. Also, the beaver symbolizes accessing the hidden inner world or under world of dreams, making it possible to manifest them.
The Mayan calendar brings us the energy of Snake, one of the most powerful medicine animals, at this time of year. There are many legends and myths associated with snake, including fertility and immortality. Snake is the symbol of the South in shamanic work, and we ask snake to teach us to leave our past as snake sheds its skin, all at once, leaving behind that which no longer serves and carrying forward only that which is part of our essential nature. They symbolize swift changes, speed, agility. They have no eardrums, but sense vibrations that travel through the earth, and those with this totem may access their inner power through hearing or clairaudience. The snake’s eyes are always open, offering the gift of sight.

With so many gifts coming from our animal totems this month, each person can develop his or her own strengths. Be ready for change, a change in path, a change in foundation, a change in focus or growth.

JOURNEY FOR MAY:

I asked Beaver to guide me on my journey for May. I have never visited with Beaver, and I could barely keep up this time!

Beaver met me at the atoll pool where I usually begin my journeys. It is a peaceful place for me, away from crowds and surrounded by nature. He insisted that we get up immediately and leave, that we run quickly as the foundation was washing away. I ran after him asking where we were going. Beaver said, “I have prepared a place for you.” It was disconcerting to be leaving my familiar place and indeed watching it crumble away behind me, but I trusted Beaver and followed him through a wood to a new place that had enough shade and enough sun and a cleared space for a new foundation. Beaver instructed me in taking enough trees but leaving some for the shade and choosing where to cut.

When I asked for the gift to bring back for readers for the month of May, Beaver began slapping his tail on the ground, sending out a vibration, and he kept going faster, saying that the frequency is higher now, and we have to send out our new vibration from our new places. A strange gift, I know, and Beaver talked very fast, so I’ve done my best to keep the essence of his meaning. I hope that it resonates for you.

Thank you Beaver for your gifts.

PERSONAL PRACTICE FOR MAY:

May starts with May Day and ends with Memorial Day.

On May Day, it is traditional to leave a basket of flowers for a friend or neighbor without getting caught. If you get caught, you have to give a kiss. A nice, warm occasion to start the month. Honor mother Earth by giving a living flower in a pot so that the recipient can plant it and enjoy it for a long time to come. Also plant flowers of your own as it is said that the Earth laughs in flowers.

Memorial Day in the United States is always more poignant when the country is at war. Honor those who have left this world to take their place among the spirit guides.

Pick one of the power animals this month and find a way to honor it, with a picture or symbol. Ask for the animal’s guidance and teachings, and try to practice the lessons you receive. In most parts of the United States, it is temperate to be out in nature, so enjoy the outdoors and notice anything that calls to you – a rock, a tree, a stream. Spend some time with this teacher to learn from it.

Dreaming for the world to come
Lisa

April Shamanism Column

Welcome to the Monthly Shamanism Column

APRIL

INTRODUCTION:

In addition to the usual power animals for the month, I have been impressed by the two catastrophic crane accidents – one in New York and one in Miami – in the past couple of weeks. I realized that I have also heard several mentions of the Yoga/Tai Chi crane position in these same couple of weeks. This brings up an important point when searching for your own power animal; your own power animal may communicate to you through a variety of means – in animate form, on television, in symbols. When an animal, or in this case something named for an animal, calls your attention repeatedly, it is important for you to notice and seek the meaning that this spirit is trying to impart to you. When I studied the crane’s meaning, it does ring true for me at this point in my life.

If you welcome the animal spirit’s message, it is important to seek an appropriate way to thank the spirit, for spirit has gone to great effort to impart a message to you. This may be lighting a special candle, offering a gift to nature, or finding some representation of the animal to carry with you for a few days. It is also proper to ask the spirit guide for a message. Now on to the universal messengers for April.

POWER ANIMALS FOR APRIL:

For April, students of astrology in the United States typically associate the power animal Ram, associated with the sign Aries. The Ram’s energetic message can be summed up as balance as you climb. Rams are agile, quick, intelligent and rely on their undisturbed sense of landing ok as they forge ahead into unchartered territories. Those new lands are often up, whether on the corporate ladder or Mount Everest. Ram’s great imagination and energy fuel the upward ascent, as well as Ram’s ability to take quick action when opportunity presents itself. The shadow side of Ram lies in his warrior personality. Be careful not to climb over loved ones and others on that ascent.
The Native American power animal for the month of April is the Falcon. Lessons of the Falcon echo the warnings for Ram’s shadow. Falcon is a high flyer, an individual. But Falcon medicine workers must learn that greater good comes from sharing, and that individuality does not have to be sacrificed to work in harmony with others.
The Mayan calendar brings us the energy of Fox at this time of year. Fox, like Ram, is creative and ingenious and swift in taking action. When Fox enters your life, look for new beginnings, new creative processes. Unlike Ram, Fox teaches us gentleness and imparts feminine energies for balance. Fox teaches stillness as well as swiftness. Fox asks us to work in harmony with our surroundings and to develop patience and persistence.

The heavens and the power animals are offering us the opportunity to seek balance and harmony, and to learn how to climb or fly to our highest goals quickly. As so many of the energy workers are stating, now is the time of instant manifestation. Our animal guides can help us learn to manifest in harmony with the common good, without causing harm or injury to others. .

JOURNEY FOR APRIL:

I asked Fox to guide me on my journey for April. Most journeys are usually that, we go somewhere. But Fox just came and sat by me. The first step in any journey is to sit quietly and decide where to go. Where do you want to go?

All things are possible. All can be manifested. But if you don’t sit in stillness and determine what it is you want, where you want to go, what you will try to achieve, you may not like what you get or where you end up.

Begin at the beginning. Begin in harmony. Fox teaches patience. Good things come to those who wait. In an age of instant manifestation, we will all be called upon to know ourselves and be sure of where we are going.

This is not to say that we cannot change our minds after we start out, but that whenever we change course, we must take a moment to sit again in stillness.

Thank you Fox for your gifts.

PERSONAL PRACTICE FOR APRIL:

The most appropriate feature of the April calendar for personal practice is Earth Day, April 22. Find a way to thank our Mother Earth on this day especially for her constant support of us and every other inhabitant on the planet.

When opening sacred space, we ask the Mother to help us be good guardians of all who live on the Earth, of the stone people, the plant people, the 4-legged and 2-legged, the finned and the furred. With so many ways to offer thanks to the Earth, we should each be able to do something every day to reinforce our connection with her. Recycling, reducing energy use, going green, eating organic are all ways everyone can participate.

My own favorite new way of working for a cleaner Earth is to use Craigslist.org or freecycle.org whenever I’m planning a purchase. By reusing something that is already in the system, think of all the packaging, transportation and manufacturing waste that can be saved.

Dreaming for the world to come
Lisa

March Shamanism Column

INTRODUCTION:

As I sat down to write this column, I realized that my mesa was a mess! Not a good thing for a shaman. Each mesa has an order, a structure, that supports the shaman’s work and practice. Organizing one’s mesa is a synonym for organizing one’s life.

Even though mine had fallen into disarray for joyous purposes, I had to set it straight. I am still in the process of building my mesa, and I have been fortunate enough to have several friends travel during the past few months. I asked each one to bring me a rock for my mesa. Each person was to pick whichever rock spoke to him or her. Everyone came through many times over, and I ended up with so many rocks I didn’t know what to do. So I just kept piling them in the box with my mesa (I keep my mesa in a box to keep my kids out!). Every time I walked by the place where I keep it, I felt guilty. I realized that this problem was occurring along with the eclipses in the heavens, so it was time to make the hard choices of what to keep and how to move forward.

I opened sacred space and lit a fire to contemplate my abundance of stones. Part of opening sacred space includes thanking the Mother Earth and asking for help in being a good steward of all of her inhabitants, including the stone people. It is hard to imagine the stones having attributes of energetic beings, but just think for a moment without your preconceived notions. On their own, they are not able to travel from one spot to another, but they may be easily transported by people, animals, machinery, mudslides, waves, winds, and earthquakes. My mesa includes rocks from places where I may never myself visit, but they have come to me with their gifts! Even those traveling rocks that don’t end up in a mesa will be relocated to a new place, to become part of a new landscape, and they will have an effect on their surroundings.

I picked the new stones that would be added into the mesa, and found homes for the extra stones that were so lovingly gifted to me. For me, this work went hand in hand with the new beginning that is being called for by our star brothers and sisters in the heavens. Have you done your work to leave behind what no longer fits? Have you organized yourself in the new direction, to begin the new work for which you are being called?

POWER ANIMALS FOR JANUARY:

For March, students of astrology in the United States typically associate the power animal Fish, associated with the sign Pisces. The many meanings of fish are as deep and profound as the waters in which they swim. Whether you look to evolution, Christianity, or Buddhism, fish is an ancient and mystical symbol attached to the beginning of “life,” both in physical formation – the womb, the mother, the primordial soup of life - and conscious awakening. Fish swims with currents in water that is constantly changing. Fish signifies a time of change or movement, particularly this year with all of the changes in the heavens. Water has long been a symbol of the unconscious, the unknown. Fish, who is comfortable in this realm, can lead you to discover your deepest truths, that which is hidden below the surface. The Piscean symbol pictures two fish facing in opposite directions, characteristic of the nature of the Pisces. One fish travels wide, while the other delves deep, always finding balance by returning and sharing with one another.

The Native American power animal for the month of March is the Wolf. When Wolf appears, there are many lessons for those who are willing to pay attention. Body language conveys wolf’s message, and those with this totem use body language as a part of their medicine ways. A lone wolf may suggest the need for freedom, while a pack indicates a need for working together. A large part of Wolf’s meaning involves boundaries. Wolves are loyal to the pack but don’t compromise their own boundaries for the sake of the pack. They also defend their territorial boundaries. When wolf comes to you, it may be time to check your own personal boundaries to investigate whether you have over compromised or conversely not given enough. Create your own world by defining your boundaries.

The Mayan calendar brings us the energy of Jaguar at this time of year. Jaguar, like Fish, is also associated with creation. Jaguars tend to live in caves near sources of fresh water. Caves have long been associated with entrances to the underworld and creation myths. If Jaguar has appeared for you, it is time to go within by meditating, finding inner quiet, and ask for the messages that are held for you in the underworld. Jaguar is the guardian of the winds of the west, and his medicine gifts include teaching us to walk the path of impeccability. Jaguar is the most powerful predator in the jungle, but he takes only what he needs. Visit the underworld of the jaguar, identify your path, and learn to be impeccable with your words and deeds. Jaguar leads you on the journey of the soul, to heal your fears and awaken your inner sight.

The heavens and the power animals are offering us a tremendous lesson involving Creation for this month. Imagine your world and create it. Follow Fish through the murky underworld as far and as deep as you can, establish your own space in the world by exploring where your boundaries lie with Wolf, and follow the path created with Jaguar.

JOURNEY FOR MARCH:

I have never before journeyed with Wolf, so I asked him to accompany me to bring back a gift for March. I encountered a young lone wolf in a grassy plain, and he started questioning me about my beliefs of boundaries. What is really a boundary? Space? Time? Thought?

You can walk from one state to the next; the boundary is not real, only perceived. The same is true with countries; the boundaries are arbitrary, established by people who held that belief. I saw an image similar to the Truman Show, where it was possible to simply drop the curtain of the false horizon to see the limitless horizon of no boundaries.

Boundaries of time are not real either. For years, it was a commonly held belief that man could not break a four-minute mile. It was a boundary as solid as any other. Yet now top athletes regularly run a mile in under four minutes.

What about boundaries between people? They are false. We are all one. Boundaries are only perceived, but the one who does the perceiving knows no boundaries. Shatter the perception and the boundary falls away, and we see that there is only light, and we are all the same light.

Wolf’s greatest gift is questioning boundaries, not believing in them. Even the rocks in my mesa have learned to escape their boundaries. Thank you Wolf.

PERSONAL PRACTICE FOR MARCH:

The calendar reinforces our need to embrace change and creation this month, offering us a new moon, the Ides of March, and an early Easter (Christian). The Ides of March this year, the date of Julius Caesar’s assassination, symbolizes the fall of structure, change of leadership, an opportunity for new to come. Christian Good Friday again reinforces this idea that changes are coming, and awakening is possible.

Practice this month embracing the changes. Ask Jaguar to assist you in releasing any long held fears and fears associated with change. Embark on your path, be willing to swim far and deep to discover you own boundaries and overcome them when necessary.

On March 15, the Ides, make a mid month offering to embrace the changes. Whatever seems right to you is the right thing – write a fear on a piece of paper and burn it in a candle flame; try something new that you have always been afraid to do; take a weekend journey to a new place. Face it with a spirit of adventure and willingness.

Dreaming for the world to come
Lisa

February Shamanism Column

FEBRUARY

INTRODUCTION:

After being downloaded with so much information during the 1-1-1 stargates of January, February offers us some respite and opportunity for integration and personal path work.

POWER ANIMALS FOR FEBRUARY:
For February, students of astrology in the United States do not have a particular power animal associated with the sign of Aquarius, or the Water Bearer. As we have just been downloaded with so much information and are now in the month of the one who teaches us about flow, it is a perfect opportunity to discuss finding our own individual power animals. Since Aquarians are concerned with universal consciousness, let us look at how to use our own power animal’s strengths for the global good.

A power animal is a helping spirit that aids a shaman and acts similar to a guardian angel. It is thought that everyone is born with one or more power animals. Each power animal that you have will increase your resistance to illness and negative energy. The spirit will also give you its knowledge or wisdom in accordance with its special attributes.

It is appropriate to give thanks and honor to your power animals as they have come of their own free will to spend their time and energy assisting and protecting you. Domestic animals are rarely power animals as they are already in service to mankind; it is more likely to have a wild animal as a power animal. Each animal, whether mammal, reptile, insect, or avian, offers unique and special gifts – there is no superior power animal – and a shaman who has a fly for a power animal may be as gifted as one who has a tiger if he or she uses the gifts appropriately.

There are many ways to determine your own power animal, but it is important to pay attention to your own senses and observations. You may ask for your power animal to appear to you in a dream or meditation. You may notice always seeing a certain type of animal when you are walking in nature. Or you may notice the repeated mention of a certain animal on the radio, television, and in reading material. When you have identified an animal that seems to be trying to communicate with you, go into meditation and call upon the spirit of that animal. Ask if he is trying to connect with you. If you have difficulty, you may wish to consult with a shamanic practitioner, but most people are able to identify their own power animal by listening to and trusting their intuition.

Once you have identified your power animal, learn to communicate with him. Find a particular means of honoring your animal spirit guide. Some people prefer to keep the identity of their power animal to themselves in order to protect their spirit and their own source of power.
If you wish to learn more about a particular animal guide, the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews is a good source of information.

Once you know your power animal, learn to use your strengths offered by your spirit guide in a means of service to your community. Gifts of your power animal should never be used to harm another or to serve vain or selfish purposes.

Guides for February:
The Native American power animal for the month of February is the Otter. Otter’s guidance is to help you to find the courage to act on your inner knowing. Use the gifts of Otter to turn visions into practical realities through struggle and even adversity. Otters are comfortable in the water, whether river or sea, and those with this spirit guide would be comfortable living near water. Otters are playful, curious and trusting. When otter appears for you, it is time to let go of worry and pain and enjoy the flow of life.

The Mayan calendar brings us the energy of Falcon at this time of year. A sacred animal to the Mayans, it was considered that a person born with a Falcon power animal spirit enjoyed exceptionally good luck all of his or her life. Its character is strong and its sense of duty and responsibility are beyond all doubt, with the result that they worry too much about others. They have been born to lead and they hate to be given orders. Falcon too knows how to take advantage of flow to conserve energy on the air currents, making his flight less detectable. They also represent the power of insight and how to attack opportunities in life. Timing is everything for the falcon. Is it time to take chances? Is it time to conserve? Follow the falcon to see with mental and spiritual clarity.

Chinese New Year – Rat year 2008

On February 7, we will encounter a new power animal in the rat on Chinese new year. The Chinese interpretation for those born in Rat years describes people having characteristics of leaders, and of having great charm and charisma. In January, I dismissed the Shamanic interpretation of Rat, and I should have known better. The shamanic meaning is particularly important for us given the current financial situations going on in the world.

Rat carries much symbolism of hoarding, i.e. pack rat, but also of being resourceful and able to survive. While we may be heading into a period of economic uncertainty, know that the Rat teaches us his gifts of being able to change our dependencies to continue to thrive in new or different conditions. Rat learns to use whatever he encounters in plenty to survive for a new season. Rat’s survival is driven by his fear though, fear of never having enough, which leads to overconsumption and waste.

This year will be a year of great learning through those born under Rat of how to overcome our wasteful ways and fear based emotions to learn to survive in a changed world.

While February may be volatile, use the gifts of flow granted by the Otter, Falcon, and even the water bearer, and the gift of right timing of the Falcon, and take the lessons of Rat to overcome wasteful and fear-based attitudes, live in harmony with surroundings, and survive in a simpler world.


JOURNEY FOR FEBRUARY:

To overcome my own dislike of the Rat and learn to live in peace with him for the coming year, I asked Rat to be my spirit guide for this month’s journey. As discussed in last month’s column, I chose one of the new rocks that a friend brought to me, this one from Thailand, to assist me in the journey. The first thing I noticed was the smell of the rock, and everything in rat’s world did have a smell. Rat’s world is very sensual: cold, rough, smooth, sharp, dank, sweet.

Rat then led me through a tunnel, under brush, up a pole, and out onto a wire. Rat is very skillful in traversing a variety of terrains.

Out on the wire, rat turned and asked me what would happen if I let go, and I said of course I’d fall and get hurt. Rat said maybe, but maybe I’d catch onto a tree branch below and hang on; maybe I’d land on something soft and it wouldn’t hurt at all; maybe I’d land in a river and float to another place; maybe I’d grow wings and fly.

Rat then reminded me that he is not the pest; fear is the pest – fear that rat embodies and fear that he inspires in others. What would happen if we let go of the fear?

Thank you Rat for your energy in the coming year.

PERSONAL PRACTICE FOR FEBRUARY:

Valentine’s Day offers us a perfect reminder of the power of love. The whole world needs our love, each person, animal, plant, and the Mother herself. This year, instead of, or perhaps in addition to, making your Valentine’s practice centered on your romantic interest, consider finding someone or something in need of love and sharing your gift. The elderly, children in need, a local animal shelter, even a deteriorated park or lot would benefit from your gift. Make sure to center yourself and not give away so much that you lose yourself in the process. But offer as much as you can, and your gifts will return to you magnified.

If you cannot reach out in that manner, meditate on love for the world, love for all of the Mother’s inhabitants, love for the water and all creatures who depend on the water. There is a wonderful scene in the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know” where an artist takes pictures of the molecular structure of bottled water that has been subjected to different thoughts. Water that has been the focus of “I hate you” is scattered and disorganized, while water that has received “Love” organizes itself into a symmetrical lace-like structure. Remember that on Planet Earth we are all composed of water, and focus your meditation on sending love energy to the water in this month of the Water Bearer.

Dreaming for the world to come
Lisa

New IDA Website

All persons interested in curbing light pollution, including astronomy buffs and environmentalists as well as students of shamanism, should check out the International Dark Sky Association.

"The much anticipated redesigned IDA Web site, http://www.darksky.org, is now online!

"A lot of hard work went into creating a site that continues to offer important educational
information on light pollution to the general public."

This very important and often overlooked area of preserving our native landscape benefits our connection to our star brothers and sistes. Please consider supporting this organization and the great work that they do.

January Monthly Shamanism Column

JANUARY

INTRODUCTION:

A very powerful and important message is being handed down from the shamanic elders this season, asking each of us lightworkers to shift our focus away from problems and towards peace.

The upcoming year calls for a great deal of preparation as we align with the evolution of the human species. I have seen many interpretations of the ending of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012, but the one that rings truest is that the human species will evolve from homo sapien to homo lumen. We are changing, we are evolving, and let peace guide your evolution.

In this work, it is often not enough to just think about peace or even to pray for peace; strive to be peace in all that you do. Be the calm in the center, be the one who diminishes chaos and strife by embodying peace and light.

As we enter into 2008, an election year in the United States, there will be much focus by the media and the candidates on problems. Let your focus be on the peace that transcends and diffuses the problems. Let peace flow from you like a wave of light enveloping all around.

This year, 2008, will be a year of gaining critical mass, where light will tip the balance towards peace. We begin 2008 with a 1-1-1 stargate, marking the change that is to come. If you have typically reacted in a manner that is inconsistent with peace, then it is the perfect time to change and work in the light.

POWER ANIMALS FOR JANUARY:

For January, students of astrology in the United States typically associate the power animal Goat, associated with the sign Capricorn. The goat is the perfect power animal for beginning our new focus on peace. In shamanic teaching, the goat aids in establishing foundations from which to climb to greater heights, foundations that include supporting others and offering the ability and freedom to explore new areas. From these strong foundations, goat climbs to new heights in spiritual, mental and emotional areas, always looking up and climbing towards the highest possible goal. Follow the goat when you feel lost, and trust his strength and surefootedness to lead in the right direction.

The Native American power animal for the month of January is the goose. Goose teaches to conserve for the purpose of becoming self reliant and self sufficient. This is not to be interpreted as needing to cut off from others, but rather to be able to learn to identify your own path, your own purpose without having to rely on others. This is a perfect totem for lightworkers to learn to rely on your own inner source of guidance and strength. Know your own place of strength and peace and navigate your path from your own relationship with Source.

The Mayan calendar brings us the energy of Monkey at this time of year. Monkey teaches us to balance the dark and the light and helps us to see our own darker sides. You must know the dark before you can walk in the light, and monkey is a good guide at this time of year. Monkey also helps us to move within to find the ancient sources of wisdom and inspiration in the deep recesses and teaches us to bring this wisdom forward into the light.

While we are still in the Chinese year of the pig, we will also encounter a new power animal in the rat on Chinese new year February 7, 2008. While traditional shamanic interpretation considers a rat as offering information about overconsumption and waste, I was more interested in the Chinese interpretation for those born in Rat years as having characteristics of leaders, and of having great charm and charisma. I’ll discuss more of this in February’s column.

Each of the systems has a different animal for the month of January, but notice that each offers us an aspect of support for our continuing development as lightworkers and light becomers. This is a time of integration, of joining of belief systems to gain from the united strength that is offered by focusing on peace. Embody the offerings of Goat, Goose, and Monkey and shift toward peace.

JOURNEY FOR JANUARY:

For this month’s journey, I decided to work with my mesa, which is a traditional item held by shamans that organizes the shaman’s practices and includes power stones. I have begun asking friends who travel to bring me a stone if one calls to them, and the stone that I chose for this journey is my newest stone. It came from Spain, and it is smooth and cool to the touch. I called to Goat to be my guide, and the journey began almost immediately. We climbed to the top of a craggy, cold, windy mountain. The climb was not easy, but it was possible. From the top of the mountain, we were able to look back down to see the path we had traveled, as well as another path that would have been easier but would have brought us to the same spot. During our ascent, the other path was not visible, only from the top. We could also look out and see a valley, other mountains in the distance, a river through the valley. We seemed to be at the very top of the world, on a mountain peak above the entire rest of the earth.

Goat turned to me and said that the journey did not end at what we now thought of as the top, but the way of ascending must change.

Thank you goat, for the beautiful message for the month of January.

PERSONAL PRACTICE FOR JANUARY:

The practice for this month is simple, yet difficult to enact. Be Peace. Focus on shifting to peace in every situation.

Dreaming for the world to come
Lisa