Journey 34 - Weakness in Limbs of Spirit Sister

2/26: I took a Journey this afternoon to explore the weakness a dear friend is feeling in her limbs. I called on my Hawk Totem as I went out into the woods, and suddenly I was transported quickly through Trees and Brush to a place where my Owl Guide sat on a branch above me. The Sky was quite dark in this area, and Owl sat on his Branch, changing into each Color of the Six Directions in a fairly rapid sequencing. As he sat there, I asked Eagle Claw (in his Owl shpae) to help me find out the problem with Anne and how to fix it. Owl shone his lights down onto the ground with such brilliant intensity that it formed an area on the Ground that was the shape of the healing Rainbow Feather I was given in my prior Journey. I instinctively knew to step into this area, and it was like a small boat to sit in. As I did so, Eagle Claw shed his Owl covering and came to sit by my side in his normal Spirit Appearance. He told me to wait there with him. Soon, a Woodchuck appeared and led us away from this area. The Sky brightened again, and we moved together through tall Grasses to a small circular Clearing in the later afternoon Sun. Woodchuck left us. Eagle Claw told me to inscribe my Shaman Symbol into the Dirt, which I did. We waited. Soon, a Black Panther arrived out of the Grasses, very graceful and powerful and as black as night. In its teeth was a single Pink Rose, so I knew Panther had come to assist with my friend. I walked up to it and patted its soft head. It was very calm and allowed me to touch it at will. I soon melded with it, became it, and “we” walked away. We rose up a high hill, past vegetation, to a rocky area. We lay down on a large slab of Stone and spoke with it through our thoughts. I saw a very young child Anne falling off either a bike or more likely a swing, straight onto her back, sustaining hidden damage to her nervous system. I then read my friend’s Aura and saw a weakness in the neck/shoulder area, a blockage that was causing the weakness and pains in her limbs, more than likely caused by this early fall. I then saw two darkened areas in her lowest Chakra, the one dealing with survival issues. I called on her Power Animal for this Chakra to come aid me in removing these blotches. To my surprise, a Giraffe showed up, no doubt her Survival Chakra Power Animal! I asked Giraffe to consume this darkness, which it did. I then was transported to my friend’s living area, where I saw her getting continual neck and shoulder massages, drinking chamomile tea with valerian in it, and doing many stretching exercises before retiring at night. This was the end of the Journey, and I drummed myself back into my room and thanked all my Guides. I took in Mother Earth’s Fire Medicine also. I then rested, and examined the images on my Visual Cortex, and saw a Star-shaped representation of the damaged nerve channel in Anne’s neck/shoulder area. There was a circle with darkened surroundings in the middle of this star-shape. Outside the three prescriptions given above, I saw no other action being taken. Afterwards, my friend reported that in a Healing circle she had attended, two issues concerning motherhood were identified..and Giraffe is closely related to Motherhood issues. She feels the two dark spots I saw in her lower Chakra were these issues..

Journey 33 - Brushes Aside

2/6/04: I finally decided to take a Journey to release the uneasy feeling that has been with me since my last one. My Prayer Smoke got interrupted today, and that had increased that feeling even more, although I knew all happens for the best reasons. I decided to self-Drum this Journey, so that I could control the length better. I smudged the room and lay down, with the Sacred Candle on. The following account is to the best of my recollection. The experience was so clear and wonderful that I can’t be sure I have all the elements in the exact order they occurred. In particular, the exact arrival of the Rainbow Feather is murky, but I have placed it where I rethink it was based on what I was doing at the time. As I drummed, I kept repeating my Prayer, “heal and cleanse me, heal and cleanse me..”. There was such a quick trip through the Tunnel it occurred without my knowing. I was suddenly with Owl, who was riding atop Mountain Lion’s head. The two were in my Visual Cortex Journey, and were now here to help me. We were together in an open Plain, and I was sent a short distance away and told to lie face down in the sandy ground. I did so, realizing this was the start of a Vision Quest. Sure enough, it soon became night, and I was still lying face down, along, with only Owl and Lion as company. I could see Owl’s eyes glowing a brilliant gold, and changing as Owl looked around. Suddenly, purple and blue streaks started coursing through the sky, getting closer and closer to the ground. The woman in a Grass Dress was now at each of the Four Directions points, facing me, also with glowing eyes. I suddenly realized I had become a woman myself, apparently so that my female energy was being greatly strengthened by the Woman in a Grass Dress presence. Then, a Warrior appeared off to my right. I asked his name and he said it was “Brushes Aside”, for he did this with both his long flowing hair and mine. He also said he had come to brush aside my un-cleanliness. I suddenly became a Sacred Pipe, lying in the sand. Brushes Aside picked me up and Smoked me. I felt the intense and lovely heat of the Pipe Bowl at my head, as well as the warm and sacred Smoke flowing through me. Brushes prayed for All our Relations, for strength and healing, and then prayed that I be cleansed . He called me his SISTER Four Hawks when he asked for cleansing for me. He then put me back down and I became a woman again. He told me to refrain from alcohol for four days. I then realized I had spread out to become a dome of thin white energy covering the circle enclosed by the woman in a Grass Dress beings at each corner. A Village appeared to my left, and as it was still night, the Tipis were glowing with Fires from within, and there was a large Fire around which the Villagers danced. Several Elders then came over to me and surrounded the Bubble I had become. I then began to rise into the air, looking down on the Village as it grew smaller. I was then in Space, with the purple Energy now below me. Eagle Claw came to be with me for a short while, but I don’t recall him saying much..just there as support. I then returned to being the white mist over the Quest site. The Elders touched the edges of my Energy one more time, and I could feel their hands on my Energy boundaries. I then became the woman again, kneeling in the dark with the Women around me. I then looked down at the ground as I knelt there and saw a Feather forming. It was glowing brilliantly with all the colors of the rainbow! I picked it up and recognized it as a permanent gift to me. It then became day, and the WIGD at each corner were gone. I was a man again, and as I stood up, I was naked with no more skin spots. I tied the Rainbow Feather to my hair so that it hung down the right rear side of my head. I saw a Lake to me left and walked to it. I immersed myself in it. The Spirit of the Water then came over and told me to hang onto the Rainbow Feather as a Sacred Tool. She told me I could implant its rainbow image and Energy into an Aura of anyone I chose to help them heal. This is a special new Shaman’s tool for me! What a great honor and gift! I thanked her and returned to my Circle. I thanked all the Helpers who had come to me to help. Owl then led me back through the Lower World Tunnel we had come down through and we came back into the yard and my room. I drummed myself to Ground and was back. I now have a very special Feather with me.

Journey 32 - Morphing 4-Legged Dream: First Dark Journey

2/4/04: My next Journey was an attempt to unravel the mystery over the Medicine Dream of the prior night, in which a morphing Four-Legged attacked my sleeve, indicating an anger toward me from that Camp. I had been wondering all day if I had done something wrong in my prior Healing Journey (recall the Journey was abruptly stopped by the CD shutting down by itself halfway through), or if my dear friend and co-worker was correct in saying that it was an omen of a snap to come from someone I was trusting. Because I had seen a single Crow sitting atop a Standing Person next to a doctor’s office for a good 10 minutes, I decided to use Crow for my Guide for this Journey. The one problem I didn’t think about in making this decision is that Crow had never come to me in a Journey and agreed to serve as Guide. I was not thinking well, though, and so proceeded to Journey anyway. After smudging all with Sage and Sweet Grass, and lighting the Sacred Candle, off I went using the Drumming CD. I met Crow at the top of the same Tree, and we took off together as I hung onto its feet. We saw a Green Ball forming in the Sky, the Tunnel Entrance, and headed off to it. We went through the intense green and ended up in a courtyard surrounded by Concord Grape vines. “Uh-oh,” I thought to myself..”this is not my normal landing place at all..what are we doing here?” I decided to eat a few Grapes, but was directed by being drawn to a certain cluster that was glowing brightly. Those I consumed. I immediately sensed myself falling into a deep, dark, formless depth. I grabbed hold of Crow’s legs, who was flying above me, and watched in growing fear as Crow grew to the large Black Winged One that set off my Shamanic Dream in which I battled the Dark Force. I was in the hands of that bird! I called in Eagle Claw and Gray Wolf for IMMEDIATE assistance. They managed to cut me lose and I landed on my old postal route, alone. I then saw a series of replays concerning Animal sightings I had made when I first began my Sacred Walk several years ago. It was as if I was being taken right back to the beginning. I then became a Deer in the woods, and sensed what is was like to be shot at, for a hunter’s bullet went whizzing by my head and struck a nearby Tree. I then saw some scenes from my current home, with Kenny in a few, seemingly having no bearing on the rest of the Journey. I then decided to try to get back to the Animal Council from the prior Journey. At the table were the three types of Animal I saw in my Dream last night. They in turn showed me some more animals on my Visual Cortex, and then more unrelated scenes from my life, but I was never given an answer as to why I had been bitten or if/how I had angered the Animal Clan. I then returned to my room, deeply unsettled by the wayward and definitely blacker Journey I had just completed. I remembered to thank all Helpers I had met. But this experience really put me in a bad way emotionally. I have never had a dark Journey before, and as I look back, I’m convinced the main reason was using a Guide that had not revealed itself as such in a prior Journey. Just picking poor Crow like that subjected it to the manipulations of the Dark Force, which tried to carry me away. A very important and thankfully survivable mistake, for it has taught me a great lesson. Later that night I picked the Mountain Lion Medicine Card, a symbol of leadership and walking alone in making important decisions for the rest of the Inhabitants. ML was one of the two Animals that appeared to me after my Visual Cortex was re-engineered in a prior Journey, so I knew the Spirit Camp was asking me to focus on Spiritual Imagery for the ensuing period of time, to help get me through this. They were reminding me gain a fuller perspective that a Shaman’s Walk is occasionally fraught with danger and solitude..not every Journey is all glitter and gold. The full lessons of the past 24 hours remain hidden to me..time will reveal what it is I need to do to keep from being bit again.

Journey 31 - Alzheimer's Intervention

2/3/04: A Journey to see if there is a way to stop the progress of my pastor’s mom’s Alzheimer Disease. I smudged the room heavily with Sage and Sweet Grass, and lit the Sacred Candle. Because of my three Hawk sightings Sunday, followed quickly by pulling the Eagle Card, I chose to use Eagle as my Guide. As I was moving into the Path with the Drumming CD, I envisioned myself way back in an early Journey when I was an Eaglet in a nest and Mother Eagle came right up to me and peered into my eyes. With this images firmly in mind, I was on my way. She agreed to take me on this Journey, and I clung to her leg as we lifted off from the nest. We were immediately hundreds of feet above a lush canyon, resplendent in green, soaring above a number of small Cloud People producing Rainbows. Eagle decided to swoop down into one of these Bows. We were soaring right through the heart of it, feeling the warm colored mists hitting us as we went. The Rainbow led us into a Tunnel composed of small blue Orbs that zoomed quickly past us. Soon we emerged from the Tunnel into a huge Space filled with these little blue Orbs, all the same color and size but at a great distance. As we moved along, I spotted a brilliant green Tree suspended in the emptiness. We landed on one of its branches, and I realized it was another Version of the Tree of Life. We sat there for a few seconds, and then Eagle moved away from me, implying I was to Journey on by myself for a spell. I took off, and headed for a golden Table that had appeared in the distance, not too far away. As I flew toward it, it got closer, but I never moved any farther away from the Tree, nor did the distance Orbs get any closer. It was as if the Table was coming to me. I landed on it, and found it surrounded by Animals and Birds of differing types. I looked at all the attendees, and lo and behold, there sat Anne and her mom as well! I asked permission of them to intervene on her mom’s behalf and got it. I then addressed the other attendees, announcing I had come seeking a halt to the progression of this Disease. As I finished, three separate foods came onto the Table in rapid succession, like actors taking the stage. First was Radish, followed quickly by Sweet Potato, who actually embraced Radish. Soon thereafter came Spinach. As I was memorizing these three, I saw a glass of Orange Juice appear, and thought to myself that Vitamin C must be the main intention there, as it seemed a bit out of place. I then announced that I had been loaned both Eagle and Hawk Medicines, and was wishing to use them to heal as a Shaman in Training. The Animals conferred. Owl came up to me and told me to wait while they decided. I never got an answer directly, but suddenly Eagle was moving in to land on my pastor’s mom’s head. Very tenderly grasping her head in its talons, Eagle began to beat its wings in place. Eagle then became a Rainbow Mist itself, almost totally enveloping Anne’s mom’s head. After a short while, my pastor turned and hugged her mom, and they were both enveloped in this Rainbow Mist. When the mist subsided, they both were gone, returned to the Earth plane. I thanked all the attendees and went back with Eagle to our Nest. Suddenly, I saw Two Feather’s face clearly in my mind’s eye, and accepted her invitation to walk a ways. We walked into a wooded area, to a Tipi where I decided to enter and gain more Strength. I must have napped for a few seconds, for the rest of the Journey is hazy. At the very end, I recall saying something to someone about being afraid to do something, and the second I admitted that my CD player stooped on its own, in the middle of the play. I guess there is no longer room for ANY fear in my life. J I drummed back to the room manually. I then performed a waking Ritual with the Woman in a Grass Dress, as done a few days ago for our friends’ mom. Again I smudged Woman heavily and put the Candle in front of her so the shadows would mimic flapping Wings. I took Sage Ash and anointed her Dress with it. As Woman left on her Journey to physically move over Anne’s mom’s body and meld with it while I repeated the Healing Chant, I used my Amazon Shaman rattle to aid in her Trip. I peered into the slits of her eyes, and saw occasional tiny sparks of light. After a few minutes, when I got the sense she was ready to return, I drummed her back. I then blew out the Sacred Candle and took the Fire Medicine into my own Aura as the wick-glow faded away.