Journeys 131/132 - Nephew's Wife/Best Coworker Friend

11/29/04: My first formal Journey in over a week was to try to ascertain the identity of my Nephew's Wife's Power Animal. I wanted to ensure she had the most Spirit Power available to her as she goes through this difficult time of pregnancy. I Rattled in Sacred Space, lit the Sacred Candle, breathed Shamanically while focusing on my objective, and then settled in for a planned 15-minute Drum loop using the CD. Right as I met with my Lower World Guide, Crosses in Front (Snake), she transformed herself into her human form..and was heavy with child! This told me she was in tune with the needs and burdens of pregnancy. But then, as I was expecting us to begin the trip down a Tunnel to the Lower World, instead I found myself on the floor of Maine Medical where my Niece had been staying. Crosses and I then walked the length of the corridor to the little room at the end, reserved for cell phone use. There, Crosses and I sat down at a little table in there, each at one end. Then, two translucent, white Spirit Shapes formed on the side of the Table, sitting next to each other. I asked Crosses if these were the Spirit Helpers for my Niece and her Little One. Crosses answered "yes." I then asked if I was meant to know the identities of the Spirits, in terms of their Power Animal presentations. Crosses told me that this was not necessary, that the two Helpers were already firmly attached to the my Niece and the baby, and that there was no need therefore for me to retrieve them from the Lower World. She told me their Power Animal identities would be revealed to me in the Future as it became necessary. At this point, the Journey's Purpose had been fulfilled. Crosses suggested we use the remaining Time to flood my Robe with healing rays of Energy, as I have a few minor ailments that need attending to as well. At one point during this process I could feel intense heat around my brow as that Chakra area was invigorated. This is the Chakra that helps one to see with the Third Eye, and so I was grateful this skill was being intensified. When I felt I had had enough, I curtailed the Journey early and self-drummed myself back to the Room, thanking all the Helpers involved.

12/1: Word came today that the baby passed back to the Spirit Camp. This was the gist of the two Journeys I took..all had to go perfectly for this to happen. The two Spirits I met in the Journey above were there to take care of the passing..and the forlorn mom.

I then immediately set up for the second Journey, to find a Power Animal for my dear Friend and Co-worker, who was the "thin strand" that set me on this Shaman Path over 4 years ago, and to this day continues to share my joys and successes in this regard. I set up for a 10-minute Journey, as is my custom for Power Animal retrievals. Crosses met me immediately, as we were whisked off to a small clearing, with a fairly large wood log Fire burning in the middle. As we sat there, a group of Deer came to the Circle and stopped. It was a meeting of the Deer Council! They told me they came to honor my friend, as she has many of the qualities of Deer. A wary innocence, a smart and tender way of dealing with Nature, a gentle but firm aggressiveness. They held her in very high esteem, and were pleased to stand around and thank her. We in turn thanked the Council (and I thought to myself how pleased my friend would be for this rare and special treatment), and turned to find a tall, totally light blue Tree standing about 50 feet away. At the base was a small opening, the yellow-orange color that I would call Mango. We went to the entrance and moved into the Tunnel. As we moved down toward the Lower World, I saw Mango-colored Roots and Grass patches. We soon emerged into a Lower World consisting of a strongly wind-swept, high-Grass area. I felt the Winds represented Spirit Power! It was well into twilight. As I looked up in the Sky, Stars were being formed and put in place through large, fireworks-like explosions. It looked like a vastly sped-up view of the Universe's creation and/or growth. The full Moon off to my right was a purple color, another sign of high feminine Spirituality. I then turned to Crosses, who said we should now await the arrival of my friend's Power Animal. My Black Panther totem of the West arrived and lay down beside me. My own Power Animal Eagle then came in and perched on my left Shoulder. Lots of high-powered help here! Soon, a Chipmunk scurried by my feet, but did not linger. Then, a huge Black Bear moved up in front of us, but her bared his Teeth and growled at us, so we knew this was not her PA. Then, I saw a Hawk flying across the Sky from right to left, and quickly dive down below the line of sight about 150 feet to our center-left. Hawk soon came back up with a Porcupine in its Talons, and brought the Porcupine over to us and dropped it at our feet. The animal's quills were had a very glassy reflective quality, and were the colors of the Rainbow, a sign of tolerance and acceptance of much of life's difference in my friend. I asked if this were her PA, and got a resounding "yes." Crosses and I then took the Porcupine back up the Mango Tunnel and were back at the Fire. The Council of Deer was not only still in session, but they had now transformed into human shapes and were seated around the Fire, smoking the Pipe. We all passed it around. The Council Head said we were smoking to honor my friend, and to place her PA within her. I saw a younger looking friend move in from my left, smiling, wearing pigtails. She was lifted over the Fire, where Porcupine and she merged. At one point I saw the Porcupine with her face! The Council members then blew Prayer Smoke into the pair above the Fire, lifting them even higher. This was quite the PA blow-in! After this was accomplished, Crosses told me that our job was done, and there was no need to remain here any longer. I thanked all the Helpers who had appeared, including Bear, of course, and came back to my Room. Once again I cut the Drum loop short and drummed myself back into the Room.

Among Porcupine's many qualities (Ted Andrew's Animal Speak): They are excellent climbers, and use their strong legs to test a limb's strength before moving out. They eat tree and evergreen barks, also enjoying blossoms, young leaves and water lilies. They love salt, so those with this totem should watch out for excessive salt intake.
It has a good nature, and seems to enjoy anything it does. It has a strong sense of curiosity, and seems filled with wonder at most things it encounters as it ambles along.
The quills stand up when danger is sensed. The quills are filled with air, and make the Porcupine buoyant in water, reflecting the ability of "Porc" People to move well in emotional areas. The barbs at the end of the quills expand when dug into another animal's skin, making it impossible for that animal to remove them. Porcupine's greatest enemy is the Weasel and Porcupine People should study the weasel to recognize its enemy better (quick look: very aggressive attacks, and silence in hunting: Weasel People learn a lot about you by just hanging around in the background. The worst assumption about weasel people is that they are weak because they are silent. Weasels attack the face directly, so Weasel people are those who take you on "face-to-face"). Cougars are also good at flipping Porcs on their backs to kill them, and their Medicines should likewise be studied (quick look: Cougar People are quick in the use of their personal strengths. They attack decisively and go for the most vulnerable part, as in having learned to go for the unprotected underbelly of the Porcupine. People who tend to flip you upside down emotionally are part of this adversary group).
Porcupines spend a lot of the winter in trees, preferring to climb than to slog through the snow on foot. The young stand on their hind legs and dance, reflecting the chance for Porc people to renew their sense of wonder through dancing. Porc People's diet should be rich in nutrients and vitamins, with lots of greens, especially when feeling run-down or sick.
Porc People have a knack for sticking it to people sharply and intensely if aggravated, causing the most hurt for the longest time.
Its Medicine teaches you how to resist the barbs of others and see the wonder in life even when it is going poorly. It can show you how to shuffle along without too much seriousness and still achieve, how to protect the inner child from life's barbs, and show you the strength in your vulnerability.

Journey 130 - The Pregancy

I felt Energy flowing through me into the Baby while my niece and wife were talking, and so sensed it was a good time to take a mini-Journey. This is a technique I used recently and have found to be as reliable as the standard, longer, Drum-directed visits to the Spirit Camp. Since a recent Journey trained me to use my new Hollow Bone (in this case, the Spirit version thereof) for such quick assessments, I decided to try this technique in the hospital room while the girls were chatting. So I closed my eyes and imagined myself holding the Bone while whistling into it, as trained by my Guides, to call in the Spirits. I very soon found myself standing at the entrance to the Spirit version of the Bone. It is an immense cavern when this happens..the opening has to be at least 100 feet tall. My Snake Guide came to me and so I knew I was in the Journey realm. I then saw a small, white bassinette off to my left. The baby within in was at first kicking quite lively, but then was still as if dead. I had seen this kind of imagery before, and so knew it meant there was a chance this pregnancy could go either way. I then walked closer to the baby and asked it what was going on.. It told me it really wanted to enter the world through my niece, but that all the right decisions would have to be made over the next few months for that to happen. That was basically then end of the Journey. When I came back to the hospital room, I was able to develop a fairly keen sense that I had been dealing with a male Spirit. Later, as we were leaving, I saw a small chunk of a Christmas Tree branch lying on the floor in front of the elevator we came up on. The shape of this piece was quite similar to the shape of the Love Elemental Piece out of which all things are made that I had been shown recently on a Journey. This told me that my niece has to literally love the baby into the world.

Journey 129 - Help for the Puppy

11/19/04: A third Journey to investigate why our Shih Tzu dog has been so scared lately. There has been a downward spiral over the past months, and I learned recently that one can also take Journeys for Animals. With Sacred Space still open, I re-lit the Sacred Candle and self-drummed this one. I soon found myself outside with Snake, my Lower World Guide. She led me to a Dog Kennel, with many dogs within the pen. Just outside the fence was an opening, through which we sank. We passed along a Tunnel made of golden Mud. When we emerged from the exit, we were hovering over yet another Waterfall. This time, though, we were suspended in mid Air. Suddenly, we fell like Stones, and would have smashed on the Rocks below except for my decision to prevent it as we got close. I knew right away that our dog’s problem was an inordinate fear of falling. We were then standing just to the side of the boulders. Across the River formed by the Waterfall outflow, on the bank, was a smaller version of our dog..a puppy. We crossed over and I spoke to him. I told him I knew he was a little Soul Piece that had left our dog when he was young. I asked him if he wanted to come back to our older dog. He said no, that he really liked it where he was, and went on sniffing the lush bank. I then fell down and prostrated myself as the small dog grew to the size and shape of a man. I told him I was sorry for having no doubt placed that Fear in him when he was younger..I used to stand him occasionally on the narrow deck railing while I looked out into the night. I now find it so hard to believe, as I look back those 5 years, that I could be so inconsiderate, but this was a year or so before I turned back onto the True Path. The larger Spirit Form reconsidered, and went back to the size of the small dog. I then picked him up and placed within my Solar Plexus Chakra, and Snake and I returned through the Tunnel to this World. Shortly afterward, I blew the little Soul Piece back into my dog through his head and tummy. Now that he is whole again, we can certainly expect him to be less timid.

Journey 128 - Understanding my Teen Son

11/19/04: A second Journey taken at both my wife’s and my own suggestion, to see if we can help our son, whose recent grades were the worst yet, despite his big start-of-year plans to do better and buckle down. The room was still open, Sacred Space-wise, and so I re-smudged and went off on a short, 10-minute Drum Journey. As the Journey opened, I was sitting over the huge Waterfall I had seen in prior Journeys. I knew immediately that this meant we were dealing with very powerful emotional forces with my son, almost a torrent. Owl and I were sitting together on a Branch sticking out well over and a bit back from the edge. I found we both then shrank down to the point that the Branch became a very wide log, and we sat down to speak together. Owl became Eagle Claw, my Guide in Human Form, and I asked him what I should do to lead Kenny past this time, to help him succeed. EC told me that the most important thing I should do right now is to speak with my son in fatherly seriousness, and impress upon him how much we love and support him. He needs to hear that no matter what he does in terms of “failing”, he knows he is totally loved and has his parents on his side. He must be told that we have faith that he will make the right choices as he moves forward. The emotional turmoil is such that only such positive faith will; have a good effect on him. EC told me my son is a lot like I was at that age, searching for what is right for him, and that he will have to take risks and experiment with Life for a while. I asked what he might end up doing, and EC told me to look down at the rushing torrent beneath us. How can one expect to find anything firm coming out of that powerful Waterfall? It is too soon to know, he said. He had me focus on a point well down the River, and I saw an older son still living in our house, my wife’s greatest fear about him. But EC told me to assure her that he will actually take a lot of the economic pressure off us as he pays some of the bills (electric, water) as part of his rent. He will be working full time, and will eventually find his true calling. I asked when this would be. EC told me that the heavy rains upstream (all the issues in his young life right now) will cease, and the Water flow will become gentle. At this point, he said, look for a yellow Daffodil growing up out of the water..this will be the sign that he is ready to settle down for good. I also asked about my son's Power Animal, Horse. EC told me that since he was not working with Horse at all, that I should take a picture of a Horse and breathe Mana into it every day to keep his Power Animal galloping on his behalf. This is similar to my tasking to help my granddaughter with her weakened Aura with the nightly Raven chant. It is like saying your daily prayers for others. Eventually my son will seek Horse on his own and realize how much stronger he is with a firm knowledge of his presence. I then began contemplating what would happen if we started taking privileges away from him. The emotional turmoil is already too great, I was told, and at this point the Journey Call Back sounded, and I was brought back to the Room. I thanked Eagle Claw as I rose.

Journey 127 - Further Work on the Sister

11/19/04: A Journey taken at the request of the Sister for whom I've done recent Journeys to investigate the cause and possible Healing of a growth within her head. We had already established Lamb as her Power Animal Spirit Helper in a prior Journey, so this was a follow-up. I prepared the room and myself as always, and for the first time whistled 4 times through my Hollow Bone as shown in a recent Journey, to call in even more Spirit Help. Then, off I went into the Spirit Camp, not quite knowing whom to expect as a Guide, or where we would start.

I found myself in a field of numerous, short white Flowers, with my Upper World Guide Owl sitting on the highest part of a broken Tree Branch not more than a few feet away. He was dazzling in the bright Sunlight, as were the Flowers. A steady breeze was blowing, ruffling Owl’s Feathers a bit. Suddenly Owl drew much closer and peered into my Eyes. I then found us (Owl, me AND the Branch) zooming backwards through a dark Tunnel made of passing Stars. I sensed I was not to turn around to look at the destination, so I kept staring into Owl’s Eyes. It was like riding a very fast train facing the rear. We were soon in a suburban neighborhood, with a large Tree in a Yard with a sidewalk running along it. Owl and I landed in the Tree initially, and then I found myself on the ground a short distance away. A little Girl, looking a lot like the one I saw in the first Journey for the Woman when I met her twin Sister, was standing near this walk. She was wearing a flower-print Spring dress, and her hair was light and seemed to have gentle curls. She let me see her shoes close up..they were strap shoes, either pink or pink-red, with a bit of a sparkle to them. I then saw a huge, hulking man, wearing a dark leather-like overcoat, come up to the Girl and stare at her menacingly. The Girl was very frightened and ran inside her house to her Mom, who told her the Man had gone away but that she must be very careful around such strangers, as they were part of Life also. This event gave her fear of such encounters, and injected an underlying distrust of the World from that point on. At the same time, I saw that the Man was actually a visitor from the Astral Plane, and he had taken a little bit of the Sister’s Soul with him..he disappeared as he reached the corner, holding the little piece of Soul Energy close to his chest. Owl and I then sped back through the Star Tunnel to the Flower Field. He told me we now must go up to the Upper World and seek the stolen Soul Piece. We found a swirling red Tunnel heading down to meet us, and up through it we went. We moved out of the Tunnel into a Deep Space environment, with Stars once again all around. In the distance I saw a small, very black opening. I immediately thought of the “Cave of the Lost Souls”. We drew near it, and then went in. It was much larger close up. As we passed through the complete darkness, I heard small cries from the residents there, and wished I could help them all. A small spark of white light on my visual Cortex told me to head for it. I did, and found the taken Soul Piece there, looking as she did in the yard that day. I told her then man was long gone now, as I sensed he had been taken into the Light. It would be good for her to go back into her grown up self. She told me should would, if the grown-up was willing to receive her back. I said I would ask and left her there in safety for now. The scene then shifted to a room in which the Sister was sleeping on her back. Many of the People I help end up in this position, as if they are lying there in waiting. Her Helper, Lamb, now in Human Spirit Form, was standing on her right side. We were looking at her aura, and found a dark, spear-like piece of Energy sticking out of her head, causing that part of her Aura to be blackish. I asked the Helper what that was, and he said the Woman had had an ear infection sometime around the event period, and the Entity had been able to push into her Aura through that weakness. Once he had left, the dark Energy remained behind to fester, eventually causing the growth. I then asked if we could remove the Spear, and Lamb Helper did so. He took the Spear out, placing each end on opposing palms, and brought his hands together, crushing the Energy. As he did so, the dark Energy turned Golden and dropped down into Mother Earth for future use. He then massaged that part of her Aura back to its traditional rainbow color. The Helper then suggested that when the Sister showers, she should place her face in the stream of water and view the oncoming, sparking water droplets as healing Energy bits, dazzling white in color, pouring through her Energy Body and into her head. At this point, I asked about the remaining growth within. One of my most powerful Female Spirit Helpers, Woman in a Grass Dress, now appeared to the Sister’s left. She and the Helper, one on either side now, both began pouring healing and strengthening Energy into the area surrounding the growth. They let me know it was vitally important to change this growth from a “negative” presence to a positive one, and to treat it with Love and Respect. They told me the Sister must realize this growth is a Life Force in its own right, and is merely trying to survive, albeit not in the best of places. The two Helpers were working to try to turn the dark Blob into a bright one, so that it might slowly dissolve and let its Life Force move on to do good in the Spirit World. I watched as they did so, and saw it begin to glow a golden color. This is another image, then, that will help the Sister deal with this presence. View it as transmuting, shrinking and brightening, and slowly leaving to do good things elsewhere. At this point, with Lamb Helper and Woman standing over the Sister and gently applying loving Energy to the growth, the Call Back sounded, and I was quickly zooming back to my room. I thanked Owl and the Helpers.

All that remains now is to ask the Sister’s permission to retrieve her little girl and bring her back inside. This will no doubt force her to face the issues of mistrust and fear head-on, but will also bring back some of that joyful innocence that was lost. She will know when the time for this is right. And while this Journey showed positive things happening in the Growth area, she must take up the reins now and help it on its way.

Prologue: On my first visit outside, the Cloud People were very gracious. I saw a rainbow-colored Sun Dog that was long and conical in shape..looking like the Spear removed from Jane, but turned to bright, good Energy. A great sign! On my last visit outside this afternoon, during all of which prior visits I had searched the Sky for a Hawk or Eagle (such visits have been a powerful if rare validation of my Spirit Work), I had once more scanned the Sky to no avail. Well, I thought, no visit today.. I was just placing my hand on the door handle to go back in when something told me to look straight up..perhaps the Winged One was way up there and hard to spot. So I looked straight up..and there was the Hawk! Way up there, but flapping/soaring along. I get such a thrill when the Spirits visit me in the “flesh” like this, and I look up by “instinct.” The Hawk’s occasional two-beat flaps in the strong winds would cause momentary sun glints..so every 4-5 seconds or so I’d get a couple of sun “winks” off those wings. This was a very powerful response to this and the other Journeys I did today..it just doesn’t get much better. It’s a visit from the Spirit Helpers, in winged form!

Here is the repsonse I got: "Wow! There was so much to take in, I read it Twice... So the Power animal that helped on this journey was a rabbit, not the lamb as last time? [my error..been corrected..should have been Lamb]. As a child I remember the event of a stranger stopping his car as I stood on the sidewalk in front of my house, he just stared at me and I ran into the house. That was such a frightening experience for me at the time; I might have been 7 or 8. As an adult with 2 young children I had a similar experience. My husband and I pulled up to a furniture store, and the parking space was facing their big picture window, and looking at us through the window was a older man dressed in all black and black hat starting at us, I remember being so nervous seeing him stare at us, so we then got out of the car and as we walked into the store, he was walking towards us and out the door he went. He seemed so out of “This Time”. Those were two events of what I would call a Stranger fear. Since then I have always felt skeptical of certain people when out and about living my life."

11/20: Today, two additional, incredible signs: At one of my stops, I looked up to see a large, rainbow-colored flare of Cloud almost right over me. It was way out of position to be a Halo or Sundog. Instead, it was caused by a “Mare’s Tail” Cloud. The Sun had to hit it just right. It had all the colors, very vibrant, and the Blue extended out laterally like a long jagged lightning bolt. It was the most awesome cloud-borne rainbow I’ve ever seen..and spoke to me immediately of the great Healing Power available for the Sister. Later, I saw a bright, thin band of bright, white Light along a length of Cloud that was also sun-induced..but this time there is no meteorological rationale for it..it was just there. Sort of defying science! Again, the white, Healing light I mentioned yesterday. Two first-of-a-kind light shows in the Sky speak to very great Power being afoot.

Journey 126 - Granddaughter

11/15/04: My second journey was to discover the meaning of a Dream I had last night, in which my granddaughter was kicking me very hard on a set of stairs in some building. I decided she had exhibited enough of this behavior recently and it was finally time to try to spank her on her diaper. But, as my hand got close to her I lost all power. I then tried to slap her leg and the same thing happened: I lost all power as I got close. She then grabbed my hand and squeezed it so tight I thought it might break. She then developed a look on her face I have seen before in Spirit Entities that are Dark..a possessed, wide-eyed, still face that almost glows with malevolent Intent. She came near me and was staring off to my right as this look came over her. I admit I was afraid during this Dream, and unsettled when awaking this morning. Also remarkable and significant is that just as this Dream was ending, I awoke to hear Avery screaming upstairs in her bed. I went up and comforted her back top sleep, but I found it odd that the Dream and her waking up afraid occurred at roughly the same time. I suspected some sort of unwanted visitor, from outside this “reality.”

Since I was still in Sacred Space from a prior Journey, I only Smudged for this next Journey. I took my Hollow Bone recently given me and held it, to give myself added Strength. As I sat breathing, I saw white shapes drifting around in front of me. As I began the Drumming, Owl flew up to me, and the White Shapes were all herded into the Spirit Version of the Hollow Bone, which was very large and floating in a twilit Sky. We flew to sit on top of the Bone, which was very large now, while the Shapes were trapped within the Bone beneath us. Owl told me these Shapes were from the Astral Plane, and we would deal with them when we returned. He told me to look for an Opening in the Sky. I searched the Stars but saw none. Then, behind us, I saw a huge Tree, lit with its own light. Near the top, in the middle of the Trunk, was a glowing blue Hole. “That’s it!” shouted Owl and we zoomed up to it at breakneck pace. As we burst into the Tunnel, I saw blue waves of water going by. We soon came up through an Ocean surface and saw a desert island ahead of us. We flew over the island and down into its middle. There we found a smoldering Fire with a bunch of Ravens, my granddaughter’s Power Animal, around it. I began the process of communication with the Ravens by placing burning Sage and Sweet Grass into the Fire, which immediately flared up. As it did so, the day turned immediately to night, and the Ravens into dark figures with glowing eyes. We were all now sitting around a Raven Council Fire. The head Raven told me that I had indeed surmised what had been going on with my granddaughter. A figure from the Astral Plane has been trying to take advantage of her weakened state and invade her. This and other nearby Astral Figures were now trapped in the Hollow Bone. He told me it was now up to me to prevent future such invasions by saying the following Chant to her every night until she is able to understand what is going on herself: “Your Raven is very powerful; Your Raven is building up your Colors; Your Raven wins!” I must say it whether she is with me or not. I agreed. The head Raven then asked me to bring out my Pipe and send it around to all the Council. I did a quick fill and brought in the 7 Directions, then lit the Pipe with an ember from the Council Fire. I took the first Puff and passed it the Pipe to my right, and around it went quickly in the Circle. As each Smoker blew out the Smoke, it collected over the Fire. Suddenly, in the midst of this huge, collected plume of exhaled Prayer Smoke, I saw my granddaughter with a gorgeous smile on her face, and a totally sealed rainbow-colored Aura..the way it should be, and the obvious goal every night. He then told me to listen as all the Ravel Spirit People sang the Chant together. It was a very high-pitched whine, interspersed with some Ravel squawks. It was not a human singing, but very pretty nonetheless. The Council Head then asked me to repeat the Chant one more time to make sure I remembered it (and told me to remember how they sounded singing it when I say it to my granddaughter). I did so, and we then left the Island after thanking the Council very much. Owl and I went back down through the Tunnel, burst through the Tree, and landed back on the Bone. Owl then became Eagle Claw, and we discussed what to do with the Astral Beings beneath us. Eagle Claw told me to call in the Power of the Star Nation, using the Chant he gave me long ago. I did so, and as I did I saw a rainbow-colored glow emerge from one end of the bone. As this Rainbow Path grew longer and headed off into the Stars, I saw globs of Energy (the Beings) zooming out along the Path. They were being reclaimed and returned Home. We always do what we can to help the Lost Spirits..it’s Shamanic Code. I told Owl how I was afraid when I had this event with my granddaughter in my Dream. Owl reminded me that Shamans have no fear..they see a problem, seek the Truth, and then Do the right Thing to fix it..just as I had done in this case. I got the impression Owl was glad I had taken immediate charge of this Dream and sought the answer. Once this process was complete, Owl brought me back to my Room. Before the Call Back Drum began sounding, there was a bit of time, so Owl sent me the Water Spirit holding the Rainbow Glowing Feather to cleanse me with. I thanked Owl for his help. As the Feather swept through and around me, I could feel my body tingling as the Energy flow increased dramatically, and some of the Dust on my Aura was channeled down to Mother Earth through my main Meridians.

Journey 124 - Simple Thanks

11/13/04: My Journey today was to go into the Spirit Camp and simply express my thanks to all my Guides, Helpers and Guardians for all their help and advice. So much Knowledge and Healing being pumped through the Hollow Bone from the Spirit World to this one, and I felt it was time to express my deep gratitude with a simple visit. I know how busy the Sprits are, so I wanted to keep it short and sweet. After preparing the Room and myself, I was off on a 10-minute Journey to CD Drumming. As I entered the Spirit Dimension, I found a strange-looking reality before me. Earth and Sky were in place, but seemed to be made of 3-D cardboard puzzle pieces, all fitted together. I took this as a staunch reminder that what we, especially in the west, call “reality” is truly just a collection of Love pieces strung together in a certain fashion for us. Once I moved past this Puzzle, I was hovering above the Sun, huge and white and roiling. I remembered readings that Spirit People lived within it, and had little rooms in there, and could almost sense their presence. I also felt closeness to Grandfather of the East from my recent Journey visit with him. But soon it was off I go, into yet another area. As I approached an area of very heavy fog, Eagle showed up and landed on my left Shoulder. Off in the distance I could see my Power Animal Birds soaring around freely in the Air, just enjoying themselves. I then reached the fog, and found many of my Helpers and Guides all lined up along a fence, leaning against it. I went up to each one and thanked them personally, then lay myself face down on the ground in an act of humility. I then found the others had left, leaving only Two Feathers and Gray Wolf, my Guardians. Two Feathers stood me up and blew a Gift if Spirit Essence into my Heart Chakra, as if to strengthen me..no doubt for the Future Shamanic Work I have ahead.

Journey 125 - GF's Dream

11/14/04: A Journey to ascertain the meaning of a dream my son's girlfriend had a few nights ago. In this dream, there were numerous Turkeys in her back yard, which her Mom soon shooed away. The girlfriend then went out to the front yard and was spinning around in a golf cart when she hit a Black Panther. The Panther jumped on the front of the cart and growled at her. She then punched the teeth of the Panther out, and thereafter wrestled it to death. I promised her I would ask the Spirit Camp about this obviously powerful Totem Dream. So after Smudging, Rattling in Sacred Space, and lighting the Sacred Candle, I began my Breathing and Drum CD. I soon saw a distant landscape chock full of tens of Black Panthers, all lying at rest. Then, suddenly, Owl was at my left side and we were suddenly whizzing through the Air together. We went into a Tunnel made of wet Mud and shiny, black Panther Hair. Down we went, and as we neared the exit, we came to a stop. Owl told me this land of the Panther would be very dark, with objects just barely discernible. And so it was, as we went out of the Tunnel and into the Land of Panther in the Lower World. We moved slowly toward a small River that was reflecting more light than was available..very curious. We all looked out over the bank and saw our own reflections. I had the aspect of a Hawk. There were three sets of golden eyes (our own) staring back at us on the surface. We sat and waited there. Soon we heard a very powerful rush of Wind and saw a white Mist coming toward and then shooting along the River. The River was very turbulent at this point. After a few seconds we heard the roar of Panther, and the mist went down into the River right before us. The section of River right before us became perfectly still, and the face of a Black Panther appeared and began speaking with us. I explained why I was there, and Panther offered the following explanation: “Turkey is the Giveaway Eagle, and the great collection of Turkeys in your son's girlfriend’s yard reflects her great generosity and giving nature. When her mother shooed the Turkeys off, it interfered with her nature. Her reaction was to go out into the front yard. So she must be aware that people will interfere with her attempts to give of herself..and she will make choices thereafter that can take her into a new area of conflict. Once she met with Panther on the front yard, she defeated it. She did not kill it, for like Animals do not kill each other..it was merely playing dead in defeat. The fight shows that the girlfriend is a very strong female Black Panther herself. This is her Power Animal. The other Panther she fought was actually an foreign entity trying to move into her Energy field to take advantage of her great power, but she resisted the intruder and was able to prevent this takeover. This fight and subsequent victory shows that she has no fear of Death, but must be careful use this great Gift to Heal and Help, to walk and run in graceful Beauty, not dominate and control. She must try to live her life as a Black Panther does. Four Hawks will tell her what these qualities are.” At this point, the discussion was over. Owl, my Panther and I headed back up the Tunnel. Just as we arrived in my back yard, the Call Back Drumming sounded. Again, when the timing is this perfect, I know I have received all I was meant to.

According to Ted Andrew’s Animal Speak, there are many qualities of Black Panther. Here are a few:

-Panther stalks quietly and strikes quickly..this helps guarantee success.
-Panther is good at many things, and can pick and choose areas to succeed in.
-Since Panther is quiet in stalking and pursuit, People with Panther PAs should likewise pursue their goals in silence.
-Panthers are sprinters, not runners..should balance work and play, and not put too much effort into any one goal or task without recognizing how close success is.
-Females raise the young, period.
-Panthers have a strong “inner knowing” capability, and so should listen to that inner voice carefully. Their great hearing skills suggest likewise.
-Panthers have their greatest power in darkness, so Winter and New moon are best times.
-When angry, they do not attack head on..they prefer to attack from the back or side.
-Black Panthers are symbols of the Life and Power of the Night..the Dark of the Moon and Mother.
-They represent female energies manifest on Earth.
-They symbolize the victory and greater advancement that comes from rebirth after Death, and therefore do nor fear it. Jesus, for example, was a member of the Panther tribe.

Journey 123 - The Daughter-in-Law

11/12/04: My fourth Journey today was at the request of an old friend, writing from North Carolina to tell me of her recent life events. She is down there now, living with her son and daughter-in-law: the latter is undergoing chemo treatment for an unspecified cancer. I wrote back to my friend and asked permission to pray for her in a special way, without revealing the Shamanic Journey part of my Prayers. She wrote back and said it was fine! So I re-Rattled, re-Smudged and relit the Sacred Candle, and went off on a 15 minute Journey. As I breathed Shamanically and focused on my Intent, which was to discover the cause of the disease and to re-energize the Daughter-in-law's main Power Animal, I saw a long, grassy Meadow before me at twilight. Crosses in Front, my Lower World Snake Guide, was right before me, very close. She then turned into her human form, dressed in a White Deerskin outfit. The Stars above were numerous, bright and standout-ish..and went right to the Horizon as if there were no atmosphere. Off we went into the Middle World, and after a few passes, managed to get into the hospital where the woman has been receiving treatment. I saw her sitting in her wheelchair.. At first I saw breast cancer, then uterine cancer..so I’m not sure which she might be being treated for. But as I walked around to her front, I could see a large, gaping hole in her Aura near her left lower Abdomen that had the appearance of a large, open flesh wound..quite unseemly. I picked up the Wound and lifted it into my Crystal Chamber to explore it. I got the impression that at age 13/14(?) she had had a sexual experience of some sort that she felt violated her Christian upbringing..and had internalized the subsequent guilt. (Her Mother-in-law reported later, after I sent a brief summation of this Journey, that the Daughter-in-law cannot remember such an event, but all recognize it may be stored in her subconscious.) I then found the Daughter-in-law and me down on a beach by the ocean. We were digging a pit so that tidal waters could flow into it and wash over her. I saw Whale out in the Water, sitting there, ready to deliver the Record of her healthy body into her on the incoming waves. I saw a large Turtle approach the pit, and then four small baby Turtles all hanging around. The large Turtle came by several times, and on the fourth try landed straight on the Daughter-in-law. Turtle then vacated her shell and placed the woman within it. I knew Turtle had to be her Power Animal. At this point I felt a very strong pain in my right ankle. I understood this to be the result of the Dark Energy in the Daughter-in-law’s Body flowing out, and I was feeling it in empathy. I then placed my ankle in the Seawater at the base of the pit, and used my Water Spirit Eagle Feather (vibrantly rainbow-colored) to sweep the Energy into the Water again and again, until the pain was almost gone. I saw the Energy turning to gold dust in the water, and saw Whale taking it to use it for good in the future. Once the Cleansing was over, I was up on my feet. I saw a young girl of 13/14 approach me, holding a baby Turtle in her hand. She gave the Turtle to me, and I took it into my Heart Chakra. I then blew the Turtle Energy into the young girl's Heart and then her Crown, and watched as it dissolved in each case into the spinning Energy vortex, to return the Turtle Power Animal to her. This appearance of a younger Daughter-in-law led me to believe that some transgression had occurred to her at this age. I then took the young girl with me and placed her within the current woman at the hospital. At the very second I told her, “receive your Healed Young Self”, the Call Back Drum sounded. I have found that when the timing is this exact, the Journey has been totally as it should have been. I sent the Mother-in-law a small summary of the Journey, telling her that her daughter-in-law should spend a lot of time either in a pool or in the ocean, to visualize her disease being washed out of her. She wrote back and said it was “very interesting”, for her daughter-in-law likes to take two baths a day. I told her that she should revisit her relationship with Turtles, for they present a hard shell to outsiders but are very softly feminine within. I got no comment on the Turtle aspect. Finally, again, the Daughter-in-law can remember at this point no misdeeds at 13/14 that would have caused her to need to forgive herself..but with time she may remember what seemed a small issue at that time that in actuality left her in a Power-loss mode..which eventually resulted in the damaged Aura I saw at the hospital.

Here is the exchange between me and the Mother-in-Law:

"ME: In the meantime, I suggest she spend time at the Ocean or in a warm pool, allowing the water to cleanse her of her illness by so visualizing and feeling. Also, she might want to revisit her relationship with Turtles. :) Their seeming hardness to the world via their shell hides the true, feminine softness within.


MIL: I understand all you have written, except the part about her 13-14 year old self. Where is that thought coming from?
About the water, she would rather be in a bathtub more than any other place and takes at least two baths everyday. Interesting."

Journey 121 - Pleasure-only Sex?

11/12/04: My first Journey today was to determine what the truth is concerning pornography, and in relation thereto, to the types of uninhibited and excessive practices one can witness there. It seems as if this stuff is more and more popular, and somehow it seems to me to be both against and with the Spirit of Love and Life to engage in acts that are simply for pure pleasure. I’m conflicted in this. So I Rattled, Smudged and lit the Sacred Candle, and set the Drum CD for 15 minutes. As I breathed Shamanically, I found myself standing on a small snow-and-dirt covered pathway leading down to a large sitting log at the bottom of the Hill. In the distance beyond was a fantastically beautiful Pine Forest with extraordinarily large snow-speckled Trees, and from there came both my Barred and Snowy Owl Guides. They came to me as I reached the Log. Both turned into human form and we sat together. I told them of my internal conflict, and asked to be shown the Truth. They turned me to look back up the Hill. Where I had first entered the scene stood two young people, a man and woman, with no clothes. They quickly performed uninhibited sex before us, enjoying the heck out of it. They seemed not to know we were there. I turned to my Guides and asked if that was a Natural Way to do things, as there seemed to be no further connection between the two than a physical one. My Guides told me that Intent was what mattered most. Experiencing pure pleasure in our physical Robes is perfectly in keeping with the Natural Way, as long as no harm is intended to anyone or anything in the process. The concept of Sex as an Evil is a mistaken Controling Agent of certain groups of Humans. I asked other questions along these lines, and in all cases the answer was that Intent is key. Are you performing to bring pleasure to yourself and your partner, or to exhibit some sort of Ego-based control/domination. The goal is an equal sharing of pleasure by both people. The Guides also spoke to me and married men like me specifically, saying that having promised to honor one Woman all our Lives, we must keep that Commitment. That’s fine with me, for I would never hurt my wife by straying from her anyway. But the Guides also said it is fine to fantasize a different person being there with you, for the human mind gets easily bored and must be given change to remain enticed. As long as the fantasy was done with good Intent, it was fine. Their final word concerned modern pornographic offerings: these seem to be the result of people who are either under money or some other sort of control. While made to appear totally voluntary, someone is, after all, dominating the scene with a camera, and seeking payment for the subsequent images. Therefore, the Intent in this public display is quite in question. Viewing it for pure stimulation in order to produce this good Intent, however, was not discussed. I never asked. But one can figure this one out..viewing encourages more of the same, so if the Universe is experiencing an imbalance by this encouragement, it should be avoided. I then was shown three other scenes.. I found myself walking along as a person in a deerskin shirt toward a small streamlet, next to which was a fairly large Boulder. As I knelt down next to this Boulder I saw pieces of gold coin scattered on the dirt beside it. Instead of going for the gold, however, I proceeded to wrap my Arms around the Boulder and seek a Spiritual union with the Stone Person, which I accomplished fairly soon. Looking back now, it would seem that the massage was that one should seek the piece of oneness with other beings, not easy financial gain..a sure message to pornographers everywhere. The second scene was one of a childhood..a young girl and boy going down both sides of a stairway, laughing with each other. The joy of just Being! The final scene was me creeping along a razor thin and evermore narrowing strip of rock ledge well above a River with leafy Trees overhanging its banks. Realizing I had no choice but to fall, I chose to Shape Shift into a Hawk..and found myself flying off and over the River. Just as I did so, the Call Back sounded. It was an interesting end, for the Medicine Card I picked last night at random, and only my second in quite a while, was: Hawk! A reminder to stay True to my Calling in all things. :)

Journey 122 - Tell Mom?

11/12/04: My second Journey was to finally get an answer as to whether I should tell my Mom, a fairly devote Christian, about my Shamanic Journey. I have conflict here as well, for I know she is sad we no longer go to church to seek oneness with her God, and worries about the effect of this on us and our progeny. I would love to let her know that I have discovered the True Path, and have seen more of the Spirit Terrain and Helpers than any Priest has ever allowed her to even know of, let along experience. So, off I went, the Room still cloaked in Sacred Space from my first Journey earlier today. This time, Barred Owl (Eagle Claw when in human form) came to me on a small Branch that had an orange and a red leaf on the end. He then sent me off to climb a Tree in my old neighborhood that I had climbed to the top of several times as a 10 year old. I found myself clambering up this fine Tree one more time. When I got to the very top, I seemed to have broken through a barrier of some sort. All around me and all the way to the horizon was a sea of white, wavy, milky mist. Owl then came by and scooped me up, taking me up toward a single Cloud Person that developed a hole in it. Through this hole we went, and were inside a Tunnel made of thin, gleaming silver slivers streaming by us. We exited the Tunnel and came into a Room lined completely in plush blue velvet. On one wall was my Mother’s Wedding picture, with numerous pictures going back in time of her ancestors layered outwards behind it. On the adjacent wall was an early shot of my Dad, with his ancestors going back in time and distance as well. Then, my Mother’s Mother appeared to me. I began speaking with her, and told her how nice it was to see her again. She moved easily now and could see and speak well..not how she was the last time I saw her looking like this. I asked her whether her Daughter/my Mother would receive the news of my Shamanism well. She took me on a little imagery tour in which I was shown that my Mom is quite content in her adopted religion. I saw her smiling as a younger woman, about the same time frame as my Tree Climbings. I saw her as she is now, sitting in her Church, praying. I was told she has lived this long because she truly believes in Jesus and Guardian Angels (as you may know, I know for a fact she has one, having met her recently in a Journey). She is quite content in this knowledge, and one of or both of two things would happen if I, unwelcomed, told her of my Sacred Calling: her Faith would be altered and possibly weakened, and/or she would begin stealing Power from me by asking questions like, “So should I go out and start lighting Fires and Dancing around them? Which Tree should I worship?” I then asked my Grandmother how I can reconcile keeping such an important development in my life a secret from my Mom like this. My Nana then told me that I have been keeping this a secret from almost everyone! Brothers and sisters, friends, co-workers..so why should my Mom be any different? Each person is in their own Sacred Path, and for me to tell my Mom would violate hers. As in all things, if the opportunity ever comes up and she asks, then I would tell her, just as I would any others in my Circle of Life. Realizing we were done, I thanked my Grandmother and Owl and I headed back down the Tunnel to the top of the Tree, and from there I came back to the room.

Right after this, I checked with my new Deer Bone Journey Tool to get a quick reading on an upcoming storm. I imagined the Bone in my hands and whistled through it as taught a few days ago four times. I then went within and looked at the falling snow. I was given a total accumulation that is slightly less than expected..but a number I feel is quite reasonable. It is marvelous to have this “mini-Journey” capability..a gift of maturity that one could possibly liken to a Bah Mitzvah for a Jewish young man. a dramatic and welcome step forward as my ability to be the transmitter of Sacred Spirit Knowledge grows. For that, in a nutshell, is the definition of a Shaman.

Journey 120 - The Bone

11/9/04: A Journey taken discover the Uses and Meaning of the 4-inch by 1.5” section of large Bone that was placed in the crux of my Epiphany Tree a few days ago, not long after the second Hawk landing therein. This piece of Bone just showed up, and was wedged in between two Trunk sections as if placed there by intending hands. I was and still am convinced this was a Gift from the Little People. It is a very old Bone, and has teeth wear marks on one side. I have recently performed my first Soul Retrieval, and have been reading a new book on this subject in which it is mentioned that certain Shamans used to use pieces of Bone for..you guessed it, Soul Retrieval! Moreover, the concept of a Shaman as a Hollow Bone..that is, the transmitter of Spirit Help, not the Cause..has been emphasized recently as well (I’m reading the Sandra Ingerman book), and is a concept I often use in my morning Prayers when asking to be effective in my Shamanism. It’s a concept Fools Crow brought to me several years ago via his books. Anyway, I let the Bone sit there in the Tree a few days, and then asked the Tree if I was meant to actually take it and place it in my Medicine Bundle. I got a resounding “yes”, and did so. That was yesterday, the same day as my visit with the Grandfather of the East. So today I wanted to investigate this precious Gift even more. For all I knew, it might have been a piece of my own leg Bone from 900 years ago, dug up to give me Power. I didn’t really care where it was from, though..what mattered was the Little People had brought it to me as a sign that my Training was going very well, and I was ready for the next, more involved level.

So I smudged the Room, lit the Sacred Candle, Rattled in Sacred Space, and was off. I sensed Owl flying in immediately, wearing a cloak of bright Purple light, Purple being the color of high Spirituality. He took me quickly over to a scene I remember well: my old Altar when I was Rains Again 900 years ago. But he pulled me away almost as quickly and we went into the Woods for a way. There, I found a young Rains Again (former me) bending over his first Deer kill, weeping. I moved into my Rains Again body to get “his” perspective. The Spirit of Deer appeared to my right, tall and graceful, a beautiful Woman with Doe eyes. She told me not to cry, that she was giving me the Gift of Deer Medicine. This meant I would have great sensitivity and gentleness for the rest of my evolutionary Lives. She said this would cause me to suffer a lot of hurt and rejection at the hands of people who would attack me and/or make fun of me..certainly how I felt as a child and young adult in this Life! But Spirit of Deer also told me that when I finally was able to overcome these feelings of hurt by walking the Shaman’s Path of Knowledge concerning how it is the other person’s problem, not mine, that was causing them to so act, she would send me a section of her leg Bone. And this is when I realized that this old Bone I now had in THIS Life was that Gift..a sign of Healing.

Now, Owl quickly took me back to the Altar of long ago, and we looked up. The entire scene..forest, sky, light..was merging into a huge swirl of Color, as if dissolving into a tube. This was our Tunnel to the Upper World, and up we went. We past layers of Light interspersed with periods of dark.. We went way up to a Land of Trees and old, Greek-looking buildings..and then even higher. We were now sitting on the surface of the Sun itself The surface was roiling, waving and boiling with intense white light, and yet it was not hot or blinding. Owl pointed out the face that Grandfather of the East was now approaching..this was his Home! Grandfather spoke to me concerning the Bone. He said I should use it to take mini-Journeys, by either staring into it or holding it up to my ear, depending on the type of info I wanted. He taught me a short Whistle to use to call in the Spirits, which I memorized. He then told me to walk inside the Bone to test it out. I asked him if I could use It to look at a good friend’s son’s Aura..the 12-year-old boy has become a real challenge for my friend, and can barely stay in school due to terrible behavioral problems. He said I could. I looked and soon saw the Boy, and that most of his Aura was depleted. He had been raided and reduced numerous times, and was barely present as a Spirit. I moved in closer and circled around him. I saw three tiny remnants of Power Animals: Frog, Lizard and Spider. This told me he had loads of Female Medicine originally, but his Mom no longer lives with him..only his Dad is at home. He’s lost these. I then saw a large PA hovering over his back, but quite transparent. Giraffe! Again, a strong tie to Motherhood. This boy desperately needs a Mother Spirit. I was then told that I could not intervene in this case unless the Father specifically asked me. I asked Grandfather to send the Father, my friend, emissaries to ask him Spiritually to contact me about this, either through a Dream or a Hunch. I then slipped further into the Mists of Spirit’s Upper World, and came out with two images I remember: an object resembling a Woman’s hand-held make-up mirror with a totally black surface where reflection should have been, and a young boy rolling on a carpet in a bright living room, next to a coffee table. The former tells me he has about zero for self-esteem, the latter that he has somehow lost his childhood too early. I then thanked all the Spirits involved in this Journey, and the Drum Call Back sounded soon thereafter. I hope my friend hears my Helpers’ calls.

Journey 119 - Grandfather of the East

11/5/04: A Journey taken outside (a rarity) this afternoon while sitting on a swing with my sleeping Granddaughter. Temps were in the mid 60s and the winds were nicely dancing. A Chickadee walked down the trunk of the Tree we were next to, and stopped to look at me for a few seconds. It was no more than 2 feet away. So I knew I was one with my surroundings, and had been wanting to take this Journey earlier in the day anyway. Since I did not have an “official” Drum source with me outside, I used the Book on Soul Retrieval I was reading to establish the Beat to the Spirit Camp. I had dreamed of a very large Eagle circling over me a few nights ago, and came to realize afterwards it was the Grandfather of the East himself. Since then, I had felt the need to just go and “chill” with him, as it had been a while since I had taken a Journey for the simple of purpose of just “being there.” These “non-working” Journeys are necessary to help recharge the batteries for when important Healing work comes along. So, with my sleeping Spirit Rain next to me, off I went. I immediately found myself sitting in a Sunlit Field of Flowers with warm Breezes and superb aromas..and I was a little kid of 4 or 5 again. I was laughing for Joy, simply because it felt so good to just be alive in this spot. How we miss this spontaneous and delight-filled Laughter in the modern adult world. I’d run a bit and fall down laughing among the Flowers..it was really relaxing and centering. Soon, I saw the large Eagle coming toward me, and I knew it was the Grandfather Eagle. He came to me and clutched me to his chest, but his Claws felt like huge Hands..very comforting and supportive. We flew up a short distance into the sky so that we were just above the lowest passing clouds, and the Field below, with the little pillows of snow-like Cloud People drifting across, was stunningly beautiful. He then soared higher, and as we passed the very high Clouds, I looked down to see a large blue Lake below. It was a bit less vibrant, only because of the thin later of high Cloud through which we were looking. He then took me back down, and we landed in his Nest, sitting on a large Branch sticking out of the near-top of a steep rock-faced cliff. He placed me gently in the Nest, and I began playing with the golden strands of Straw, which seemed to glow by themselves. It was such fun to just pick on the Strands and move them about and through each other. Then Eagle began to speak to me. He told me his Dream Visit had indeed been a sign that I was reaching a new level of sophistication in my Shamanic Walk. He told me I had been doing very well in my Journeys for the Sick, Dying and Soul-lost. The Spirits were pleased with my honest efforts. He then looked me in the eyes and told me he was going to release to me, as my “reward”, an Original Secret, an Ancient bit of Truth. He then showed me a symbol. He told me this was the basic Element of Love..it’s atom, if you wish to use a physical relationship. This was the building block of Love, its smallest existence. Everything, he said, is built from these little Love-designs. Then, in an incredible gesture of support, he placed my Shaman Symbol (the “S” with a dot within each of the inner loops, with a parenthesis mark in the NE quadrant) WITHIN the symbol for elemental Love. This told me that my Shaman’s Walk was now in Tune with Love..and I knew right away that would give me even greater ability to seek the Truth and Healing for those who come to me. I was so honored and humbled. Having shown me this, Grandfather then brought me back to the Field and dropped me off. As he flew away, he turned and morphed into human form for me. He was dressed in a very elegant buckskin suit, and his eyes shown with the brightness of the Sun. Those two Suns, staring right at me, however, did not hurt my eyes, and I felt privileged to look into them for a short time. He then turned and went back to his place in the East. I drummed myself back to the swing. I was SO relaxed and peaceful, and the “real” world sat before looking the same but somehow quite different. It was a wonderful and empowering Journey, and I now had a vital ancient Secret given to me. Shortly after this Journey was over, a Hawk came sweeping out of the NE (same direction as my symbol), and flew around in the low northern Sky for at least 4 minutes, looping in circles as it outlining a Chakra. I decided to Shape Shift a bit with the Hawk, and sent my Hawk Awareness out to it. Within a few seconds, I saw it move up to a certain point in the Sky and just hang there motionless. It was riding the Winds such that it has no motion. It was as if it was pausing to be with ME also! Then, Hawk moved off to the North and soon disappeared beneath the Tree Line. A truly, almost achingly wonderful experience..

Journey 118- Fighting the Cold Virus

11/5/04: A Journey taken to try to strengthen my wife’s and my immune systems so we don’t catch a bad cold, as we have two very important social events in the next week, and people have spent money on us to give us a thank you for earlier kindnesses. The room was already in Sacred Space from two Journeys already today, and so I lit the Sacred Candle once more, Smudged and set up a 10-minute Journey Drum segment. As I segued into my Journey, I saw Crosses coming toward me. It was deep twilight, and she was outline in a thin but brilliant gold. Warm breezes were pushing down tall Grasses of several feet high, in beautiful waves. I saw shapes moving through the air…hints of other Spirit Bodies moving by us in the Sacred Winds. Crosses and I went to a small Fire burning in a small dirt patch, and as we sat we were joined by my wife! This was a first..having her actually come into one of my Journeys voluntarily. She quickly went from her human form to Spirit form, and I could see some of the issues attached to her that need my eventual attention (these have been catalogued in earlier Journeys). As she came in close to me, as if demanding I witness and do something about them, I told her, “I’ll get to them honey..I know..”. She then returned to her human form but quickly darted out of the scene..as if to let us know she is still not ready to join the Journey Path. Then, Crosses and I noticed a light blue shaft of Light rising from an area in the swaying Grasses beyond, and so we headed toward it. Beneath us, darting through the Grasses on the ground, were Frogs, brightly lit from within. Around us darted Dragonflies, also lit from within and quite brilliant also. We reached the Tunnel of Light and headed down to the Lower World for my sought-after empowerment. Within the Tunnel was the aroma, very strong and intoxicating, of Flowers. As we emerged from the Tunnel, we were very small indeed! We crawled along the Ground, where Blades of Grass looked like huge, thick green columns. We came to a plant stalk, looking 20 feet wide in our perspective, and found ourselves melting into it at the near-atomic level..we were REALLY tiny now! Within the stalk, among many strands of green molecular matter, were two strips that were shining white and gold. I knew instinctively that these were the parts of the Plant that produce an immune response in humans..and what I had come after. They were close to being strands of DNA. I took the two Strands and we headed back. We passed Pebbles that looked like Boulders, and a Beer Flip top that looked like an aluminum pool edging. We went back up the Tunnel and headed back to the Fire. As we moved along, a lit Frog jumped up and went right into my Mouth and into my Body. Frog Medicine!! As we continued, I looked up to see Birds flying along (Geese, I believe), also lit from within, as it seems all moving things in this world were. Time seems to have stood still, for the sky brightness, such as it was, was the same as when I had arrived. Crosses handed me a Rattle, and I danced my Eagle Dance around the fire, in great Thanks. I swallowed my Strand of Healing material, and then went up into our house to give my wife hers, force-fed without her knowing. The colds counteracted, I gave thanks to Crosses and Frog and the other Helpers, including Plant..and right on cue the Call-back sounded. Exactly the right time yet again. And now, just as I finish this write-up, my granddaughter has brought two toy rattles out, and we have just spent about two minutes of continuous rattling. A first for us, and a sign that she, also known to me as Spirit Rain, in starting to feel the Calling.

Dragonflies have to so with transformation and new vision, illusion-free. Frog deals with emotion, making one more sensitive to others feelings, and well as being tied to Lunar Energies, particular striking in that Grandmother Moon recently placed a Moon within me..and know Frog has jumped in as well. Frog is also the Totem of coming into one’s own, releasing the creative Energies. Frog also deals with control of the Weather..perhaps I should learn to Shape Shift to Frog as well.

Journey 117 - Cleansing a Dying Mom

11/5/04: A Journey taken to finish the task of cleansing our dear friend's dying Mom’s Chakras. We were told yesterday that she has been moved, miraculously (!) to a wonderful nursing home right next to the Ocean, with an Ocean View. I decided it was time to finish the job I began in a Journey a few weeks ago. So with Sacred space still open from an earlier Journey today, I lit the Sacred Candle and began a 10-minute Drum Loop. My Lower World Guide Crosses in Front, the Snake, came to me. She was the color of the Sky, blue with white Cloud People floating across her skin in real time. Stunning, as if made of real Sky. She led me across a field of flowing, bent-over, green Grasses..at first I was moving like a very old man and felt such, but soon was sprinting with her in a fast run as a young man. We came to an abrupt halt in a small clearing where a small Stone Person sat. This Stone was at one time a light maroon, at others a gray with golden Specks. There was a very tiny ant hole next to its base, and Crosses and shrank down to enter this Tunnel. At first I felt a bit confined, but further shrinkage allowed us easy travel. We arrived in a small Cave, with Stone People on the floor with Water standing between them. At the far edge of this small Cave sat our friend’s Mom in a throne-like chair. She had three Spirits, one to either side and one behind. The one behind was her son, met in a recent Journey. I went over and introduced myself, Crosses, and my purpose. They knew I was there to help, so they allowed me to move behind Mom, so reclining back to me. They moved to her sides. I put my hands on the Deepening Points on the back of her skull for a few seconds, then opened a wall of Sacred Space fore and aft, and to the sides, to protect all of us there from intrusions. I then placed my fingers on her Release Points, and asked her to repeat the following lines with me, which we did for a while, over and over: I am Spirit, I am Life, so I can rest..” After a while, I saw the Spirits working with her Chakras to help open them for sludge removal. We saw the dark mist of her life-long-gathered negative Energies gather in a pool at her feet, then drain down into the Rocky Water area. Once the process was complete, and her Spirit Body was totally clean, we saw her Spirit Body lift out of her Physical Body a bit, before settling back in. Not time yet.. While up, she said hi to her mom and dad as well as her son..so that’s who the other two spirits were. I moved around to her right side and took her right hand in my hands. I spoke to her, and among the things I said were that she can now fully relax for the rest of her stay on Earth, and enjoy the ocean and sky, full of Feminine Energies; that she was now totally cleansed, no more fears or regrets or anger. She would soon walk back into the Spirit Camp, and although we’ll miss her form, we will always be grateful for all the little things she did in Life to make things better for so many. Her Life has been a success. I told her my goodbyes, that I would more than likely not be back with her as a Shaman Spirit in this Life. I then turned and took Sweet Grass and lit it, sweeping it over the dark Energies on the Rocky floor, and watched them transmute. Crosses and I then came back up the Tunnel and back to the Room. Just as we had done this, the Call Back sounded..once again perfect timing. I thanked Crosses and grounded back.

Journey 116 - Assist in Soul Retrieval

11/5/04: A special Journey taken to assist Ooszhiwieja in retrieving the little Piece of Soul that was taken from the Niece as described two Journeys ago. I Smudged the Room and Rattled, asking that I learn from this experience and be made stronger. I also asked that my Helpers Owl and Snake, and my Power Animal Eagle, be allowed to come along as I Rattled to open up Sacred Space and to strengthen my Spirit Body. I then lit the Sacred Candle and began Shamanic Breathing while concentrating on my goal of helping Ooszhiwieja retrieve the Niece’s Soul Piece. Soon, I found myself standing on a wide, wind-swept expanse, with a gray overcast, with Owl to my left and Snake to my right. Eagle began by standing on my left shoulder, but was soon circling a short distance over us as I called out to Ooszhiwieja with my Name and Purpose. It took several minutes for “O” to arrive. I saw a figure in the distance, standing perfectly still, and recalled that the name Ooszhiwieja meant Forever Still. So we walked up to the figure, which went through several quick transformations (a Man-Spirit, Darth Vader(!), an Indian Warrior with Feather in hair..finally settling on a small Native girl in a very light gray Deerskin outfit, beaded in blue frill). I felt at this time that perhaps Forever Still was trying to find an image that would work best with me for this particular Journey. I was quite surprised but thrilled, however, to find a small girl of 7 or 8 standing there before me. It was the last type of Spirit I would expect for such a dangerous job..a reflection of my own failings of expectations, and therefore a good Lesson for me. She took out her Medicine Bundle and spread it and its contents out before us on the Ground. There was a Rattle, a Crystal Wand, Sage and Sweet Grass. She picked up the Wand and placed it within herself in a manner I found shocking (human sensitivities again), but obviously designed (as I muse in post-Journey analysis) to heighten to the max the Female Power of the Wand. After all, this was a Spirit Being, not a human. Obviously the Female Entity were we after was very strong herself. Forever Still then taught us a small song to begin singing, which we all did. By this time, my two Guides had assumed their human shapes. The chant went something like this: “Ihna, Ihnatahni, Ihnatinni, Ho uhh oh”, but as I tried to remember it after the Journey, I cannot be certain. Therefore, this was not a Power Song for me to use, but Forever Still’s. As we chanted, Forever took the two Herbs into her hands and blew on them in our direction. The Herbs immediately tuned into a rich and color-filled Smoke that engulfed the three of us. She then took us into a tight Circle and we began dancing around, holding each others hands in a closed loop. Shortly, a green pool formed within our Circle on the Ground. As we danced, the pool became more agitated, with tiny wavelets cresting over as if whipped up in a strong wind. Then, in the center, appeared the Cabin in the Past that the Entity who stole the Soul had retreated to. Soon, we were standing just outside this Cabin. We saw the Entity within, moving around the confines unrestricted. We went to the window, and Forever took the Wand and pointed it inside. The Entity came to the window and scanned us with her red eyes, as she had done in the bedroom in the prior Journey..she knew we were there. She began zooming around the room in tremendously fast zig and zags, trying to avoid the outstretched Crystal Wand. But to no avail. Soon the black Energy flowed into the Tip as we heard a loud wailing. We then left the Cabin and returned to the Plain. The next part of the Journey is a bit fragmented..I recall seeing a bunch of faces of various types and skeletal revealings passing across my visual cortex..perhaps the former lives on the entity? The next scene I remember is being back in the Niece’s room, watching Forever take her Wand and begin to separate the Entity within from the piece of Soul she had taken. She did this by taking a Feather and sweeping down the Wand from tip to base over and over. Eventually we could see the two Energies split. Forever then tied a red thread about 1” from the base to keep the Energies separate. She then held the Wand Tip to a Candle and began to release the Entity back to the Spirit Camp. As the Entity exited the wand, we could see her full, human shaped Aura hovering in the air above the Candle. She put her hands together in a prayer pose (actually, an Energy balancing move), and then dissolved, finally on her way home. Forever then took us back to the plain, where she began to spin like a tornado of rainbow colors, and herself disappeared. This left me and my three Helpers to sit a few seconds and contemplate what had happened. I thanked Forever Still and my Guides for their help. I then realized I hadn’t seen Forever restore the missing Piece of Soul to the Niece. Perhaps she had done this when I wasn’t looking? I didn’t like the uncertainly in this. Suddenly I looked down and there was the Wand at my feet. I picked it up and looked within it and saw the most beautiful fragments of golden light imaginable..the Soul Piece was still in there! Owl, Eagle and Snake then rushed me back to the house lawn from where we had taken the Tunnel to the Upper World to watch the theft in the prior Journey. We took that same Tunnel and were very quickly back in the Room, the Niece still lying on her back beneath her blanket, asleep. I took the Wand and went over to her side. I un-spun her Solar Plexus Chakra, then took the Wand and rapidly re-spun it clockwise, as the Soul Energy poured back into the Niece. We then stepped back. The Call Back Drum sounded right at this instant, so the exact amount of time required to do this Journey had transpired, as usual. As the Call Back sounded, I spread my hands over the Niece again and again to strengthen her Spirit Body, to prevent other such raids. After feeling I had done this enough to be successful, I came back to the Room with my Guides and grounded. As I lay there, post-Journey, I saw bright green ovals of green light with purple centers forming on my Cortex and then shrinking off into the Distance, becoming tiny White Clouds before disappearing. This happened perhaps 7 times. I thought of it as Healing Energy being pumped through me and into Spirit Cloud form to be blown over to the Niece. Finally, I still have more training to do before attempting Soul Retrievals on my own..it will be interesting to see if any of the techniques employed by Forever Still become part of my Ritual.

Journey 115 - The Wife

11/3/04: A Journey taken to visit with a hotel owner’s deceased wife, who passed quite suddenly and violently earlier this year. Her presence was really missed during a recent visit, and I asked before going to bed the night we were there for her to send me a sign if she wished to visit with me. That night, I dreamed I came across a broken Crow wing lying on the ground. Upon awakening, I realized that had to be her signal to meet because it involved my messenger Bird, Crows, a motif that has been used in the same respect in recent weeks, and because she had lost an arm in the accident that took her life. So today, after Smudging, Lighting the Sacred Candle and Rattling in the 7 Directions to open up Sacred Space, I went into my Shamanic Breathing, and set the Drum CD for 10 minutes. Even before the Drumming began, I found myself buried up to my eyes in the Earth, with Owl on one side of me and Snake on the other, my Upper and Lower World Guides, respectively. They were kicking around the dead leaves surrounding me, clearing a view of the large Field before me. A barn with a white horse fence was off in the distance straight ahead, and off to my right was a thinned out Forest. As I looked into the Field, I could see the wife walking frantically back and forth. She seemed to be wearing a light green jacket and slacks..possibly not the outfit she was in when she died, but no doubt the one she felt most herself in. I then found myself shooting up into the Air from the Ground, becoming a large Tree. But not just any Tree. I had very bright yellow Leaves, and my Trunk had little gold specks in it to make it glisten. This new Tree caught the wife’s attention, and she came quickly over to sit up against me. With her body in direct contact with my Trunk, I began cleasing her Chakras by pulling out negative Energy from her Body and sending it down into the Ground through my Roots. I could see her become more transparent as I did so. This thinning told me she was beginning to leave the Physical/Astral Plane behind more now, the goal of my visit, after all. Then, over at the edge of the Forest to my right, I beheld a Man who had come from nowhere. As he walked closer to us, I could see he was wearing a gray military uniform, possibly Civil-War era, but also maybe Canadian. He walked up to the wife and asked why she was so fretful. She answered that she had been riding her motorcycle with her husband at one instant, and then found herself in the middle of this Field, clueless as to where it was. The Man told her she had died in an accident, and that she was in-between Worlds. She then asked what had happened to her Family. The Man told her to look up at my Trunk above her head and see the Face there. It was my Face, and she recognized me from the parties of the past few years. I told her we were having one such gathering now, and that her family was fine..coping as best they could..there was a picture of her on the Lobby Fireplace Mantle..and that I had dedicated a song to her I’d sung that night. I then asked her if she had any messages for her Family. Realizing where she was now, she was much calmed. She told me to tell them that she loved them, and was very grateful they had accepted her fully as she was. She then turned with the Man and the two walked into the Forest side by side. I then returned to my original size as..well, whatever I was at the start..a green shoot?. Owl and Snake were still with me, and I thanked them both for helping me. I then reviewed the Journey to remember the details, while my Guides were still with me. Then, Owl suggested that we had to do something with the Broken Crow Wing. This was a Totem for the wife’s Death, and we needed to destroy it in order to allow her Sprit to be fully released back to the Spirit Camp. I picked it up, and we considered throwing it into the ocean, but in the end zoomed into Space and tossed it into the Sun (from a distance, of course). At this point, the house phone was ringing incessantly, and I decided it might be an emergency..so I left the Journey early and drummed myself back..quite at peace knowing a dear person had been released from the worst place a deceased person can be..it-between, alone, and lost.

Journey 114 - The Niece

11/1/04: A Journey taken to try to explain an event that occurred to a Niece of a Woman for whom I have Journeyed earlier, quite recently, to meet with her twin Sister who had gone before her in disease. The Niece, who had recently lost her Mother, was lying awake one night and saw a white mist rise from her body. She then saw a dark shape moving in her room. The Woman wanted to know what this might mean. To me, right off the cuff, I felt the Dark Being had taken a piece of the Niece’s Soul for its own use. But I wanted to Journey to get to the total Truth. After Smudging, Lighting the Sacred Candle and Rattling, and placing my Azurite Stone on my Brow Chakra for added Vision, I began my Journey. I immediately asked both my Upper and Lower World Guides to accompany me for maximum safety, for I knew we were going to deal with an Astral Entity, which can be dangerous. I found myself walking with my Guides, Owl and Snake, in their human form along a lawn toward a darkened house of several stories. Above me I could see the spinning Wheel of this Time Frame, the recorded Energies of every single event that has taken place in this reality. My Guides told me to take their hands and to not let go under any circumstances. We were suddenly standing on a set of stairs inside this house, but were not allowed to go up any further despite several attempts. So we went back out on the Lawn..and as I looked at the House I saw a bluish-white mist pouring out of the Chimney and up toward the Wheel in the Sky. Owl and Snake were suddenly back in Animal Form, and I had turned into my inner Hawk. The three of us went into this Column of Light and were suddenly zooming skyward through the Tunnel into the Upper World. We flew up to and over the Spinning Disc of Recorded Time, and as we looked down, we saw a slender sliver in the green grooves that was pulsing golden light. We went down to this section, which contained the record of the Niece’s event. We entered the sliver, and found ourselves in a golden chamber that gradually turned into a hallway as we walked through. We entered a bedroom to the left. I sensed a strong foreboding as I entered, and remembered to hold the hands of my Guides tightly. We came to rest on a tall bureau, and looked to our right at a younger Woman lying on the bed on her back. Hovering over her was an old Woman, who once she sensed our presence became a black shape with piercing red eyes. She came up to us and looked at the three of us, one at a time. My Guides told me not to fear, as she only sensed we were there, but was powerless to effect us, as we had come in from outside this Time Frame..we were only visitors. The Shape resumed its human form and went over to the bed, on the left side when viewed from the front. A window behind her was letting some light in, enough to see the scene fairly well. I saw the old Woman. Her face was full, eyes small beneath folds of skin, and her hair gray. Her Hair was pulled back, and was tied in the back, possibly in a bun..I didn’t get an excellent look in the semi-darkness. I saw her reach into the center of the Niece and pull out some Spirit Energy. I realized as she did so that she had reached down into the Niece’s soul and removed some of the Energy from one of the Niece’s former lives..not this one. The Soul stores all the Energies of all the Lives we have lived, and this elderly woman was in search of a Scene to inhabit while in the Astral Plane. We were allowed to examine the Scene, and found she had gone back to a former lifetime of the Niece that was probably set in the late 1700s, although there is a large margin of possibility here for the exact time. I saw a small cabin lit by candlelight in a wooded area, and it seemed to be from several centuries back. Apparently this is where the old Woman wanted to stay while on the Astral Plane. No doubt the inhabitants of that Cabin would have recorded strange ghost-like events occurring back then due to this visitor from the Future. It was not made clear if this was the Niece’s mother..in fact, I got the distinct impression it wasn’t..but it might well have been a different deceased relative, to know where to go looking for the information she wanted. We saw the Niece alone in her bed, the Old Woman now gone to her other Time. The three of us then left the room, the Circle of Time, and returned down the Tunnel to the Lawn we had started out from. We then crossed into an adjacent Field to sit around a Fire of Purple Flame, to Smoke a Pipe and talk. Owl took out my Pipe and handed it to me to light. I laughed and said it was amazing how it was always my Pipe he came up with. As we Smoked we considered what we had seen. We relived the Visit to make sure all the details were fresh in mind for this Journal. My Guides told me that retrieving this piece of lost Soul was not something I was quite ready to do on my own. However, they told me to take a subsequent Journey to meet with an ancient Spirit Shaman named Ooszhiwieja, or Forever Still, who would do this for me. I shall take that Journey ASAP. I then thanked my Guides and returned to the Room to the Call Back.

In this case, the lost Piece of Soul will not have an obvious effect on the Niece. What was taken was a very small part of one of her past lives, and this will not manifest itself as a major problem. However, she will now make decisions and choices ever so slightly differently, her moods and approaches a bit off-key, since part of her total Being has been disrupted. How we behave in this current life is effected by the sum total of Energies of all our past lives as well. Therefore, it is still important to attempt to retrieve this missing piece, and to release the old Woman to the Spirit Camp where she can be healed.