Lesson 13 Project - My Shaman Altar

My project was to create an Altar for my Shamanic Course.  I meditated on this for a while and what is placed on the altar is what I was guided to place on it.  I will use this Altar for Shamanic work such as journeying, healing and honoring.

Blessings,

Katherina

Lesson 13 Assignments

Cherokee Story – The Man Who Married the Thunder’s Sister

The first part of the story starts out for me showing how we sometimes are attracted to things that catch our physical senses, such as smell, sound and sight.  In this case I’m going with sound and sight.  The young man was first stimulated by the sound of music which invoked a form of shifting of consciousness and then his sight was caught by the beauty of the hair of the Sister, which activated emotion.  He appears to me mesmerized or affixed to this Sister.   Reacting to his senses he enlists the aid of the elder, maintaining the ways of his people and requests the girl in marriage (creating a conscious connection with Spirit Guides).  This would be an act of holding on to something we would consider a safety net and is linking us to the mundane. Then he is challenged to show his sincerity and commitment to his desire, for a 7 day fast and then to continue the journey by following the Sisters (Guides).  As we have learned our guides can appear to us in many forms.  If new to journeying some familiarities would lend way to confidence to move forward into the unknown as we build up our own trust and confidence of journey. 

This to me is his first steps on a Shamanic Journey, as we now move forward learning different strategies at journeying we start out with our more mundane and rational reasoning’s, which allows us to open gently to new perspectives.  Fear being stirred by the unknown or unfamiliar can cause us to second guess or over analyze our situation.  And sometimes even perceive them wrongly.  Still maintaining the desire to move forward he begins to build a trust in his guides the Sisters, as he approaches obstacles that appear to be threatening to his physical being (the waters) as he followed them through the realms to the underworld.

The next part of this story I felt should have set off some alarms for this young man, the fact of being completely secretive to point of causing death if not, and he being isolated from his people.  I feel that these two suggestions are more analogy then actuality.  This would be the first sign to move slowly and at a pace that would allow for interactions, understanding and communication.  Not to move so blindly, to allow your begin to feel self as one with the all.

The Turtle brought the young man the message of working between the 3 realms, its upper shell represents the heavens or upper world and its body is the earth realm or middle world, and finally its under shell represents the underworld.  Sitting upon the Turtle would allow the young man to move about the realms with ease at his own pace, in his own comfort zone which would open him to the messages awaiting him.  The Turtle showing its claws may have appeared to be a threatening action, yet I think it was the Message from the turtle to the young man to take his time and move at a pace that brings him peace and comfort in this journey. 

Turtle Guide is the Mother Spirit that brings us the messages from between heaven and earth and prepares us to listen to our voice within as we begin a new journey of discovery.  Our psychic skills are advanced and abilities to listen are heightened.  It is the journey leading to a rite of passage on both the physical and spiritual levels.  I would also like to note here that Turtle coming for the West is associated with water which is about our emotions as well.  Emotions can lead way to higher energies being stimulated and strengthened if understood.

I’m thinking it is possible that this journey is the quest of initiation by the Heyoka’s  (Thunder Beings) to bring this young man in as an apprentice.  This usually occurs at Sundance ceremonies.  This would also explain the need of disconnection to the tribe and life as he knew it, it is a transition into a rebirth as a spirit level evolution in the young man’s calling.

Info on Heyoka’s :  http://byronled.myweb.uga.edu/Worlds/worldstree/Weres/Regional/Sundance/Heyoka.html

This would also bring us to the Snake spirit/guide now showing in the story.  Snake (Spirit Keeper) as we have learned brings us information needed for us to move forward in a spiritual rebirthing, initiation, transformation, and new Wisdoms.  Snake is healer and brings us clarity in thought, and opens new dimension, levels of awareness and creativity.  It also heightens our 2^nd sight.

Now with all this being said, I also wish to state that this story is truly relevant to our leaning process at the moment as we are in fact actively transitioning into NOW Shamans, we are about to undertake our initiations as Correllian Shamans and as we work through our Medicine Wheels and Journey the Realms and Meet our Spirit Guides, Totems, and Power Animals we too are transitioning on a conscious level to bring this Spiritually heightened awareness into the now of our being.  Balance is key I will add as we become reunited on a conscious level as the Awaked Ones in this time in our universe as the new energies of earth, universe and human begin a transition on all levels, merging and transforming a new being of creation.  It is our calling to this course that allows us to become aware of our responsibilities to our communities as these transitions affect all life within our universe and beyond.

Pondering

Again, I am lead to the thoughts of passage as we grow within and explore releasing the limitations we and others have created for our existence.  Stepping into the vastness of Universal existence allows us to become centered in the All of existence with broadened understandings and awareness.  It allows us to be and experience all that is for we consist of that all.  Know ones true self is to know the Universe.

Meditation

Trying not to sound redundant, I think that the combination of my Story and Pondering answers as well my Meditation insight.

Blessings as Always,

Katherina

Lesson 12 Project - Drum

Greetings to All,

I have uploaded my drum photos for lesson 12 project. I used an round oatmeal cardboard container. I painted it with white flat paint to prime it and then i did a waterfall scene on it. It has a great deep sound.

Blessings as Always,

Katherina

Lesson 12 Assignments

Greetings to All !!!

Lesson 12 – Two Lazy Hunters

I love these “the moral of this story is” J

Both these stories carry the same messages as I see them.

1.        You only get out of your goals what you actively put into them.

2.       Being untruthful always spins a web you yourself get caught up in.

3.       The loses from deception are far greater than one realizes at the time of deception.

Pondering:

This pondering reminds me of two things:

1.        Our lesson in the 3^rd Degree, Lesson 5 on the “Complexity of the Soul” and Possibilities.

2.       On astral travel where we intentionally travel and seek out a specific aspect of our soul or some may call it a Doppelganger, and retrieve information through energy transfer to bring it back into the present to affect our choices at hand.

Meditation:

When we align our self with Earths Heart Beat/ Universal Heart Beat, we are consciously active in the oneness, creating clarity and knowingness from within the all of which we are.

Blessings as Always,

Katherina