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Blog Changes & A Healing Stone Ceremony

Wow, I can't believe almost six weeks has gone by since I posted last. Where has the time gone?

Well, part of the time has gone into the face lift for the blog. We are migrating the blog to a different format. We now integrate with the website! It wasn't a huge project except that last night, when everything was working beautifully, I moved it from the working file and BOOM, it all disappeared! And I mean disappeared! I had to start from scratch :-( Fortunately, it wasn't such a project the second time around.

So, those of you who are seeing us here at Blogger, can now see us at our new home at http://www.shamansblog.shamicconnection.com. You can also join our RSS feed of the blog simply by clicking the icon in the right column. If you want to continue to enjoy our musings, please see us at the new site as I will be closing this one down in the future and will no longer be posting here.

Besides the new look, you can now post comments on the blogs. HA! Now I'll know if you're reading or I'm talking (blogging) to myself :-) Late summer at The Grove brings a flurry of activity with harvest and preserving the winter stores. Even though I didn't get my garden in this year, we have wonderful farms and markets here to purchase my goodies from the local farmers. My cupboards are filling with pickles, corn, tomatoes, relish, peaches, tuna from the coast and more. Needless to say we don't go hungry around here! And, we get to eat mostly local all year round.

I had a different blog planned for today, but I received the September newsletter from Healing Drummer and it contained a great healing stone ceremony. Toby said I could share it with you, so here it is, courtesy of Toby Christensen via www.healingdrummer.com. Enjoy and subscribe to his great newsletter.

The month of September correlates to the element of mineral. As we go in and look deep, it is time to weed out the old stories that are preventing us from stepping in to our purpose in life. Once again, a stone ritual would be very appropriate for this time of year.

Find a stone that fits easily into one hand. Take some time to think about the things in your life that no longer serve you. It may be behaviors, attitudes, ways of thought that create division . . . whatever they may be, speak them into the stone. As you speak them, remember that the stone is working like an external hard drive transferring the energy that is not helpful for you into the stone. The stone can hold it; the stone can hold anything, without harm.

As you speak your stories, attitudes, blockages, and "not helpful" things into the stone release them from your body, and know that you never have to repeat them again. Allow the energy of disharmony to transfer from your body into the stone.

When you feel it is complete, bury the stone in the earth and thank it for holding this energy you no longer need.

Just a side note for our "urban shaman" friends, you can bury the stone in a flower pot or bucket of dirt. Placing the stone in the earth is a way of cleansing it and Mother Earth transmutes the energy through the dirt. Also, I recommend that you leave the stone buried for at least a "moon cycle" of 28 days before removing it from your potting soil. Remember my dear friends, it's all about the intention. So, city dwellers unite and bury your stones in potting soil. The important part is releasing those stories, attitudes and other things that are no longer in your best interest.  

Until next time -
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related), Debbie

Healing Power of Drumming – An Ah-ha Moment

 

Recently I was talking with a colleague in New Jersey and we were discussing her excitement over drumming for an upcoming shamanic journey at an assisted care facility. As with many conversations, this one led us on a trail of discussing the healing power of the drum.

Through many years of drumming and hosting circles, Gary and I have been witness to the not only the calming and stress relief benefits of drumming, but the power that the vibrations have to shift the energy body to release pain and to heal deep physical and emotional disorders. Studies have shown that drumming stimulates the immune system and promotes the production of endorphins and the body’s own morphine-like painkillers helping to control pain.

The reason rhythm is such a powerful tool is that it permeates the entire brain. The sound of drumming generates neuronal connections in all parts of the brain, even if there is significant damage or impairment such as with stroke and Parkinson’s patients, and with Alzheimer’s and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). 

My colleague then told me of an article she had read many years back.(I tried to find it, but it must be lost in cyberspace somewhere.) It was about a care facility that held weekly drum circles for its residents. Also in this care facility was a man who had been in a coma for some time. One day, he got out of bed and walked out into the middle of the drum circle. The drumming had helped him out of his comatose state!

From my experience working with coma and Alzheimer’s patients, I have frequently found them in The Otherworld. Sometimes they were lost in their own past or simply wandering aimlessly and others simply stuck and not knowing how to return.

Then came my “Ah-Ha moment”… Of course! We use drumming for shamanic journeys to help us access the altered state of consciousness. But, in doing so, we also use it as what I call “the trail of breadcrumbs” to follow and return home when our journey is complete. So, medical studies aside, this simply made sense. The drumming that the patient had been hearing week in and week out had reached him in The Otherworld and he was then able to find and follow the “trail of breadcrumbs” home.

This awareness opened up a new path of treatment for my colleague as she routinely works with dementia and Alzheimer’s patients in her healing practice. If you are working with clients with focus difficulties, adding drumming, whether through a drumming circle or simply playing a drumming CD during a client’s healing session may be helpful to strengthen their awareness and focus. 

Until next time -
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),

Debbie

Reconnecting With Nature's Widsom

It's been a busy few months here, getting settled and beginning projects that need to be done before winter and the rains come.

We have added to our "Barnyard Goddess" family. The last three baby chicks wouldn't let me pass them by at the farm bureau. Our current ladies are in "henopause" and have either quit or are laying occasionally. So, if we wanted fresh eggs, we needed to increase the flock. But they grew too fast and required a new half-way house until they were ready to integrate with the current Goddesses. This project had to take presidence.

In our time spending with the land, we have been given a name to call our place. So, when you hear us speak of Shaman's Grove, it is the property. We haven't changed our business name. We're still Shamanic Connection. 

Returning to life in the forest has really reawakened Nature’s call to us. Just the call to return to the forest has great significance for us. The forest is connected to creation and growth energy, free of controls and constrictions. We are visited daily by Crow (“The magic of creation is calling”) and Deer (“Gentle luring to a new adventure”) among others. Besides being awe struck by our daily nature adventures, the pot of creative juices has been well stirred. And, one of the fruits that bubbled to the top was a new blog, called Nature Wise, sharing information about the wisdom Mother Nature has to offer.

We are blessed by nature. It touches each of us in personal and special ways. “From the elements to the animals, from the plants and trees to stones and minerals, the natural world is one of our most powerful sources of spirit, wonder and wisdom. Every tree has its own magical story. Every plant has healing and every animal has spirit. Every cycle brings opportunity for change and growth. Familiar and exotic fragrances that tease and delight fill the air. The songs of birds awaken and soothe. The colors of plants, flowers and trees stir emotions and resonate subtly with our body and mind. And the appearance of an animal causes our spirit to soar. Nowhere does the spirit of the Divine manifest more clearly than within the natural world.” (Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Smallby Ted Andrews)

In the past shamans, priests, and priestesses were the keepers of Nature’s wisdom,  the sacred knowledge of life. They were connected with the rhythms and forces of nature. (read more)

Join us on our walks through nature.

Until next time -
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),


Debbie

Healing vs. Curing

Frequently Gary and I get calls from someone wondering if and how a shamanic journey can help them or a loved one with a disease. And often these are what the medical community sees as “terminal illnesses”. Their question is simple “Will a journey help?” The short answer is always “Yes, but what are your expectations?”

Here’s where we arrive at the issue of healing vs. curing. So, let’s differentiate the two.

Dictionary.com makes this distinction: “Cure” is applied to the eradication of disease, sickness or issue. “Heal” suggests the making whole of wounds, sores or bringing an issue to an end or conclusion.

So, in essence, curing, is a method of treatment or a remedy to alleviate symptoms of pain and disease, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual. A “cure” is viewed as the absence of symptoms and the elimination of whatever is causing the dysfunction, even if that means removing a part of the body or masking the symptoms with some form of treatment. While this method certainly makes it easier for us to live physically, it doesn’t address the origin of the problem, only the effects.

Healing, on the other hand, begins within and seeks to identify, transform, and remove any obstacles preventing the mind, and the body from working as a cohesive unit (the “mind-body connection). Healing is WORK. We must be ready and willing to release the emotional hurts, pains, fears and patterns buried deep inside us. The goal of healing isn’t fixing, it’s about us being in balance on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels; about being whole.

As shamans and healers, we must explain that healing and curing are not always the same. We must explain the distinction between a cure —physical recovery and/or elimination of a condition—and a healing, which occurs on spiritual and emotional levels and may not involve a physical resolution. Ideally, if the person is ready, both can and will take place with a shamanic journey.

Sometimes a shamanic healing can produce a cure; symptoms are relieved, problems are solved. We have seen this on many occasions over the years, and we have seen as many cases where it has not. And sometimes a person may be temporarily “cured” of a particular undesired condition, but if they choose to hang on to their emotional hurts, pains, fears and patterns, healing does not occur, and the underlying condition can resurface at a later time.

Many of the uncomfortable situations we go through, that we often label as disease or illness are actually for the higher good of us, or those around us, and are part of the lessons or experiences we have agreed to for this earth walk. In these cases, healing does not always mean recovery. Healing may mean an understanding or acceptance of the condition. It could also mean an opportunity for the person to be at peace to return to the spiritual realm.

Whatever the outcome, healing means moving more into wholeness, love, wisdom and consciousness. And, healing MUST happen before a cure can happen.

Until next time -
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),


Debbie

Earth Day 2012 and Seed Bombs

Earth Day 2012 is almost here. While we feel everyday is Earth Day, I like to look at it as Mother Earth's birthday. Hey, we all have a birthday. It's a great reason to celebrate and have fun.

Last year's Earth Day post gave you some ideas for things to do to connect with Mother Earth and her inhabitants. This year, we're celebrating with "Seed Bombs"... consider them party favors from Mother Earth's birthday party.

Seed bombing is a subset of the Guerrilla Gardening movement, which has been described as “Gardening public space with or without permission.” People reclaim vacant land to grow flowers, plants, or veggie gardens in spaces as small as an abandoned planter and as large as an empty city block.  There’s also a book on the subject! I see seed bombing more as letting my "Inner Faerie" loose.

The basic concept of seed bomb is making mud pies into hard-packed balls consisting mainly of compost, clay, and seeds, which can then be tossed into a vacant lot or planted in a sad, empty piece of dirt as you wander by with an eye towards making mischief (and we LOVE to make mischief).  And after you bomb, there will grow a wild and happy explosion of wildflowers, herbs, or veggies– whatever kind of seeds you put into your compost balls.

This is a great activity to do with the kids (and yes, kids of ALL ages). Seed bombs can also be given as gifts in party favor bags for those who wouldn't stoop to making mud pies, but might still have a mischievous heart and want to toss a few seed bombs.

Seed Bomb Recipe -

5 parts dry red  terra cotta clay powder - You can get it from a pottery supply store, and its important to make sure it's the dry powder, not the wet kind. You can use other kinds of clay powder, but the red contains minerals the seeds can use to grow.

3 parts dry compost - It adds a lot of nutrients to the ground wherever these seeds fall. You can also add coco fiber, which is a great sustainable resource, and another great soil amendment. Try a mixture of both.

1 part wildflower seeds or other seeds - Preferably perenials, so they come back year after year. Use seeds that are for your region, especially local wild flower seeds. We don't want to introduce stray plants in your area.

1-2 parts water - You add the water last and just a little at a time, after everything is mixed together, and you want it to be just wet enough to stick together. If it gets too muddy, the balls will have trouble drying out.

Now put on some really fun music and PLAY! Get your hands in there and mix away. Close your eyes and experience the feel of the clay and the compost between your fingers. Connect with Mother Earth through the dirt and clay. Let the energy fill you. Take time during your play to give thanks to Mother Earth and ask what you can do or change during the upcoming year to help restore Her.

Once you're done playing in the dirt, you will make one to two inch size balls out of the mixture. You can get creative and mold the bombs in silicone ice cube trays or roll them out and use cookie cutters. I've even seen some who have made pellets out of the seed bombs by packing them in 1/2" pvc couplings, then pushing them out to dry. Keep that child playing!

Now for the more serious part. Make each seed bomb into a prayer. Cup each ball in your hand and focus on a loving/healing thought for Mother Earth and her inhabitants. Feel the energy of that thought fill each seed ball. When you're feel it is full, set the ball aside to dry. Reiki practitioners, use your Reiki and infuse each seed ball with loving/healing energy.

Let them dry for 24-48 hours. You can either store them or start tossing them right away. Be sure to toss them when there has been or will be rain. If it's too dry they won't sprout, but the birds may enjoy them.

Here's a great video on making seed bomb (or seed balls as they call them).

So now to finish celebrating Earth Day and Mother Earth go for a walk and throw them wherever you want to see beautiful flowers growing! Continue to carry your seed bombs and spread love, light and flowers where ever you go.

Have you ever seed bombed?  Does the idea appeal to your mischievous or rebel nature? Go forth and enjoy!

Until next time - Happy Seed Bombing ☺

Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related)
Debbie & Gary

Manifesting Our Dream...

Okay, we can’t wait any longer to tell the world our big news…. Shamanic Connection will have a new home in the next couple of weeks! We will close before the end of the month on a lovely piece of property just north of Grants Pass (about ½ hour from Medford). We are completely thrilled and more than ready to move. So, you can see why we've been busier than usual. And we may be out of the office from time to time as we move. Please leave a message so we can get back to you.

Many of you in our shamanic family know that this is the culmination of a dream that we have had for many years. Back around ’92 in several of her journeys, Debbie was given the vision of building a retreat where people could come and spend time on the land, reconnecting with themselves and with Spirit (hence our tag line… Reconnect with Yourself, Spirit and Mother Earth Through Ancient Shamanic Practices) and learn about walking the shamanic path. We were living in Oregon at the time, but our ranch property wouldn’t sustain the retreat (we had NO water – had to haul water for household use). So, we carried this vision with us to Michigan and Arizona and then back to Oregon. So, now, 20 years later, and back in Oregon, we (with your help) have manifested our dream. This is the Law of Attraction at work!

A few months ago, we did a new moon ceremony to begin manifesting our land. We were pretty specific about what we wanted and the area we hoped to settle in. We laid out everything, wrote it down and gave it to Spirit. Then, we began the process of finding a real estate agent and looking at properties, all the time holding our vision in place. We asked that the property present itself and any blocks in the process be cleared.

Spirit had this property just waiting for us. Gary actually found it on an internet search. It never did come up in the properties for sale sent to us by our real estate agent. It had been on the market for 518 days with no offers. Talk about waiting for us to arrive! We immediately fell in love with the land. We both looked at each other as we got out of the car and knowing it was “home”.

We tried to keep any fears of not finding the right place or funding issues (it's not easy when you are self-employed) at bay. The purchase process has been a little drawn out as we both were out of town for 10 days in the middle of our inspection period. We had set minimum requirements for things such as well production and internet availability. All the tests exceeded our standards. The sellers have been exceptional and financing was a breeze, as financing goes. It’s amazing how smooth things go with Spirit assisting and  we just went with the flow.

One of the places that people tend to "fail" with the Law of Attraction is focus. We attract what we focus on, and that's not necessarily what we verbalize as our goal. It's the "pink elephant" thing. If I ask you NOT to think about the pink elephant in the room, what do you think about? Yup, the pink elephant. So, if you are wanting to manifest a job because you don't have one, and you SAY you want a job, but all you think about is NOT having a job because you're broke or bored, guess what you get... Right, NO job. It's not easy to hold that kind of focus and think only about the positive, especially when what's happening in front of us is making us think about what we DON'T want. It's definitely an exercise in changing our thinking. I would imagine that we would have manifested a place sooner if we'd have stayed 100% on track, but there is a timing factor in here too. But, if we hold on to our dream and give it as much detail and positive attention, we CAN manifest it. 

So, here's our dream that manifested.

The house was built in 1978 and sits on almost 7 acres of forest land. Not only are we outside the city limits, but we are off a private road with a very long driveway that keeps us completely secluded. All our neighbors are far away and they can’t subdivide their land, so one can build anywhere near our place. The house has 4 bedrooms and a family room, so we have plenty of place for our offices. It needs a little updating. It’s in great shape, but definitely dated for the 70’s with dark wood paneling in a lot of the house. But, that’s what we wanted… something to play with. We have a huge shop that will someday be playshop space and guest room. There is lots of room for a sweat lodge, medicine wheel and maybe a tee pee. So many ideas….

Here is the link to our photo album with the pictures if you’d like to “visit us”. https://picasaweb.google.com/shamanicconnection/PineDell?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPGR6rLk9NzeWQ&feat=directlink

To all of you who listened to us tell about our vision, held space for our dream, said many prayers and blessings, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is your love and support that gave us the strength and courage to follow our dream. We hope we can help you follow yours. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Mitakuye Oyasin.  We ARE all related.

Our next blog may be a little delayed due to the move, but until next time... from our new location...

Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),
Debbie & Gary

St. Patrick's Day - Both Sides of the Coin

It's St. Patrick's Day and it's definitely Irish Pride Day here in the US today. And we are certainly proud Irish (you don't see the other ethnic groups celebrating their heritage with such a hullabaloo.)

We pagans or non-Christians are well aware of the struggles between those who follow a Christian path and those of us who follow the “old religions”. So, here’s both sides of the coin with St. Patrick.

To make a long story short, Patrick, a Catholic Bishop, was sent to Ireland to help convert the people to Christianity. He was a devote man who held a firm belief in HIS God and HIS church. This man was passionate about what he was doing as his life’s work. There are many different stories about the works of Patrick during his life, and stories of the miracles he performed (for more, check the internet). After his death he was given the status of saint-hood.

Now, one of the rumors is St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland and this is where the issue with the pagan community comes up. Legend has it that St. Patrick stood on a hilltop and waved his staff to herd all the snakes into the sea, expelling them from the Emerald Isle forever. And low and behold, there hasn’t been a snake seen in Ireland since 461 AD (expect for the odd household pet and zoo creature).

Okay, this is a fun legend, so what’s the deal? Now realize, there is no record, fossil or otherwise, that snakes have lived in Ireland since the last ice age ended over 10,000 years ago. But, in religious lore the snake (or serpent) represented evil, godlessness and the devil's will (e.g., offering the apple to Adam). So from a Christian point of view, Patrick driving the "snakes" out of Ireland is driving away evil. Good job.

Now, on the other side of the coin…

To the pagans, the serpent or snake is a symbol of wisdom, strength, fertility and transformation. Because the Christians viewed the old ways as evil and Patrick was sent to drive out the old ways, the Pagans view the serpents Patrick eradicated as a metaphor for the early Pagan faiths of Ireland…THEIR religion. In fact, he did such a good job of it that he began the conversion of the entire country to the new religious beliefs, thus paving the way for the elimination of the old religions for many hundreds of years. Not so good.
 
Of course, there is always more to the stories that we will never know. The written stories that have been passed down were written by the Christian monks and we know everyone writes down what they see through their own filters. The Druids didn’t keep written histories. Their stories were passed down through the Bards from generation to generation, and we’ve all played that game where we see how a story changes after a couple of tellings.

So, today when everyone’s Irish for the day, raise a pint and celebrate. Whether you raise the pint to being Irish, to St. Patrick, to wake your ancestors, or just raise a pint, you now know… “The rest of the story.”

Here's a wonderful sounding desert to enjoy with your corned beef tonight...Guinness and Baileys Irish cupcakes

Enjoy and until next time...
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),
Debbie

Rules For Being Human

I have been working on digitizing our years of client files. It's been a slow process that began before we moved to Oregon a couple years ago. I only got 1 file cabinet done, so we had to move the other. As I have been doing the scanning, I ran across these "Rules For Being Human" from the book "If Life is a Game, These are the Rules" by Cherie Carter-Scott, that we sent out to some of our clients.

Gary and I are off galavanting, facilitating a 6 day retreat. Enjoy these and we'll have more fun stuff when we get back.

Until Next Time -

Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related)
Debbie

The Rules for being Human

When you were born, you didn't come with an owner's manual; these guidelines make life work better.

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's the only thing you are sure to keep for the rest of your life.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called "Life on Planet Earth". Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation. "Failures" are as much a part of the process as "success."
4. A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it -- then you can go on to the next lesson.
5. If you don't learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state. When you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. Pain is how the universe gets your attention.
6. You will know you've learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice. A little of something is better than a lot of nothing.
7. "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" becomes a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that again looks better than "here."
8. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.
9. Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting. Take charge of your life -- or someone else will.
10. You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what energies, experiences, and people you attract -- therefore, the only foolproof way to know what you want is to see what you have. There are no victims, only students.
11. There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences. Moralizing doesn't help. Judgments only hold the patterns in place. Just do your best.
12. Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature, we trust our hearts, where the Laws of Spirit are written. You know more than you have heard or read or been told. All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.
13. You will forget all this.
14. You can remember any time you wish.

Totem Spirit Stones

Totem Spirit Stones are now available at Shaman's Marketplace. These Totem Spirit Stones are created by carving totem animals into polished tumbled gemstones to unite the healing property of the stone with the attributes of the totem animal.

These carved stones are great for inviting the specific attributes of the totem animal into your meditation or daily routine. Carry the stone in your right pocket or hold in your right hand during meditation. They are also a good to place on your desk, altar or meditation table to honor your totem animals or animal spirit guides.

In the Native American culture; as well as, the metaphysical community, each spirit stone animal totem represents a different meaning. See the stones and their some meanings below (click image to enlarge).

For more info on the meanings of Animal Spirit Guides/Animal Totems see these books:

Order your Totem Spirit Stones today!

Until Next Time --
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),
Debbie

Drum Chakra Balancing

Woo Hoo... our first video blog!

After literally hours of playing with audio and video equipment we have our first video blog.

Here we explain how to use a frame style hand drum to balance your chakras.

The vibrations of the drum are excellent for moving energy and bringing balance to your energy system.

So, if you have a hand drum available and a partner to help you drum, join in and learn how to balance your chakras.



Until Next Time -- and I guarantee it won't be a video :-)

Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related),
Gary & Debbie

The Hollow Bone Teaching

I'm reposting this wonderful blog from a friend, Michael Drake. We met Michael many years ago at a shamanic drumming workshop. He has some interesting books and CDs on his website - shamanicdrumming.com. He also has a wonderful blog that I highly recommend subscribing to (http://shamanicdrumming.blogspot.com).

Many of you have heard Gary and I talk about being the "Hollow Bone". Here is some info on how you too can become that "Hollow Bone" for Spirit.

Shamanic Drumming: The Hollow Bone Teaching

Frank Fools Crow was a revered Lakota Holy Man who taught that you must become like a "hollow bone" to be a great healer. He believed that to become a conduit for the source of all creation fulfills the destiny of the human spirit: to sustain the order of existence. According to Fools Crow, "We are called to become hollow bones for our people, and anyone else we can help. We are not supposed to seek power for our personal use and honor. What we bones really become is the pipeline that connects Wakan Tanka, the helpers and the community together." In his becoming a hollow bone, Fools Crow believed that he went through four stages:

1. First, he called in Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery) to rid himself of anything that would impede him in any way, such as doubt, questions or reluctance.

2. Then he recognized himself as a clean tube, ready to be filled with hope, possibilities, and anxious to be filled with power.

3. He experienced the power as it comes surging into him.

4. Finally, giving the power away to others, knowing that as he is emptied out, the Higher Powers will keep filling him with even greater power to be given away.

Becoming a Hollow Bone

Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply seven times. Let your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe. Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of four. Focus on the breath as it enters the nose and fills your lungs, and then gently exhale any tension you might feel, clearing the energy channels of your body. Release all of your worldly concerns, doubts, and fears, allowing them to drift off on the air of the wind, on the breath of life. Feel yourself relaxing with each breath.

When you are fully relaxed, ask the "Higher Powers" to remove any blockages that prevent you from functioning as a hollow bone. Repeat the affirmation, "I choose to be a clean, hollow bone." Visualize yourself as a hollow bone or tube that is all shiny on the inside and empty. The cleaner the bone, the more energy you can channel through it, and the faster it will flow.

Now begin drumming a steady tempo of about 3 beats per second and imagine the power of spirit flowing through you. You may feel it, see it, sense it, or simply imagine it. As you focus on it, it will occur, for all energy follows thought. If your mind wanders, bring the focus of your attention back to the beat of the drum. Drumming opens portals to the spirit world, draws spirit in, and opens you up to receive it.

Posted by Rhythm Keeper

Until Next time...
Mitakuye Oyasin (A Lakota prayer reminding us we are all related)
Debbie & Gary