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image : ‘Forest Spirit’, Rob Purday
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image : ‘Forest Spirit’, Rob Purday
Beautiful and rich, these films and article reintroduce the inner world of mapping, inhabited by memory, living spirit and the stories of who we are….
“The Zuni maps are, first and foremost, for the Zuni people. But they hold a powerful message for a non-Zuni audience as well: we are all part of a greater process. We would not be here if the sun did not rise every morning, if the rivers stopped flowing. The maps are in many ways an invitation: How would you map the places that live in your memory? What are the voices of the land that are forgotten, unheard? To ensure the resilience and well-being of the places where we live, we cannot assume that land is simply ours for the taking, a means to our own ends. The Zuni maps remind all of us that we, too, must take the time to deeply listen, to hear and share stories in which we and the land have equal voice.”
Follow this link for the full article and films >>>
A powerful film.
Healing and reconciliation.
Much humanity.
In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. “When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator… As any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn’t get it. I tried to put it out of my mind, yet it’s one of those dreams that bothers you night and day.”
(Now), four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330-mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. “We can’t blame the wasichus anymore. We’re doing it to ourselves. We’re selling drugs. We’re killing our own people. That’s what this ride is about, is healing.” This is the story of their journey- the blizzards they endure, the Native and Non-Native communities that house and feed them along the way, and the dark history they are beginning to wipe away.
Everything is
passing through,
pierced by
invisible arrows,
memory
and
the imaginal,
whose flight
we chase,
to learn
the meaning
of
the right
to be
We
are born old
entering life
through death
to
become
new
NSA, CIA, FBI, MI5, SIS, ASIO, and surveillance agencies and remote data processing organisations – you know who you are. This is for you. Welcome…..Watchers all.
So, here we are, you and I…..see this and make of it an invitation. You may be here to surveille and analyse, profile and determine, make inroads, remain hidden, and yet we already share so much, as you know. Strange as it may seem, perhaps more than you know. Yes, we are the same, beneath our skin, and roles, the outer and inner trappings of our lives. But, don’t doubt, in our own ways we are much more than this, and humanity is diverse like no other species, each in our own ways – amongst us, watchers and the watched, wearing the clothes of life, are the artists and the healers, the activists and the complacent, the scientists and the spiritualists, the leaders and the led, the bemused and the aware, the disenfranchised and the sharers, the programmed and the awake, the fearful and the compassionate, the vulnerable and the inspired, the violators and the nurturers, and, not to put too fundamentalist spin on this, at root, fundamentally so, we are all a part of the same tree, fed from the same root, and more, much more, at heart, deep at heart, the carers and the lovers of life, the living guardians of what gives us life, even though we may not know it. But, wanting to know is something we have in common.
Even though we may not know it. Can you hold that thought – can you believe it – can you doubt it? Is that why you are reading this, thus far? Can you apply it to yourself? Because it matters that we can say yes, to each of these, as it makes us what we are. Not knowing, they are all keys to knowing. And we are all these things, these people, within ourselves.
Lets not pussyfoot around it. Not one amongst us is immune to the future, though some would have it otherwise. Not one of us is without a past, though some would see more value in this than others. Not one of us lacks the needs of the body, floats outside the pull and push of the present, and where-ever we are going – we are going there together, in this way. This we share. We are not seperate in this. Can you remember who you are, as we do?
Who am I? Mine is a small voice, a whisper amongst the multiverse of sound and glorious chaos in perpetual motion, a fragment within the whirling kaleidoscope of nature, of Nature – but, in this, this is a voice, like yours – wholly a part of the same picture and wholly a voice that once knew the sound and rhythms of timeless dreams within our mother’s womb. That once danced in that mysterious place to the drum-beat of her heart. Earth’s heart. Not one, apart. And we each carry the power of that memory…..it feeds us still. Remember. This may be vital information. To you personally.
Yes. Lets not pussy-foot around here. We all know something. We all know, we are arriving at the crux point, our feet upon the threshold, toes over the edge, hanging on, trying to maintain balance together, and what lies beyond depends upon the choices we now make, their wisdom and our ability to act upon them, wisely. You know that. You would not be here, reading, if this were it not so, a reality in your own life, no matter the nature of those choices – they all inform us. This place we find ourselves in, is it uncomfortable, is it a portal made of chaos and order whose interwoven dynamic oscillates between pillars of polarity, the clashing gate, the mouth of the river, where tidal rip and torrent’s flow push against each other, the maelstrom, the edgeland. A place uncharted. Is that why you are here? Do you need priceless information to navigate this terrain. Is it fear of the unknown that leads us? Are we in a race for survival, at war over information, you and I? Who said there is an information war, who said ‘we are losing’ it? Who is afraid? Where is the conflict, the evidence, where does the trail lead back to? Everywhere around us? A select few? Or inside us……and, even then, is it yours? Does fear belong to you?
For those sucked under, under the oppressive regime of fear, fear itself prevents, violates, terrorises, obscures, the path and the terrain, not who or what we are. Deep within us all is a seed, a remembrance of the truth of this. And, we share a common source, we were all born from water, from the river, and the ocean, have salt in our blood. Why fear? Is it the ultimate exotic weapon…or a legacy of someone elses nightmare? Are you free of it?
And, for those free of fear, what lies beyond that threshold? Death? No. Lets not pussyfoot around and act as if this is not real. Amidst a necessary meltdown of the patterns that have overshadowed the Life loving with the Death dealing, We are. In its vortex. We have all been subjected to corralling and coercion, bullied and programmed into becoming the devouring, the unthinking and the divided. And yet, as you know, all too well, some have retained the memory of who they are, failed magnificently to succumb. I am a small voice, but, I know the power of that memory, and, in this I am not alone, as you also know all too well, not through surveillance, but, within yourself. That too is seeded within you, at your core. And still we have not fully reached into the core of our being, our uniqueness, and turned upon the ultimate truth of our wildest most beautiful imagining beauty. Is this what you fear? Is it to be feared at all?
We have imagination, yet. And, our ancestors have been there before us, reached this point, and taken the path to its limits, until imagining spread its wings and lifted them beyond the threshold, beyond who they were, what we are…..and, we would not be here now without them, you and I, had this not happened. They did survive, and live on in us, in the rivers and mountains, the forests and the wind. They speak to us from the stars, ancestral fires that burn in every particle of our being. This is not unreal, or to be feared. Neither can it be erased. We are not seperate. You and I. We share imagination, the commonground of that original dreaming. Would you deny who you are?
If this is an inconvenience, a boring drag amongst your daily routine, of dredge and surveille, filter, analyse and profile, if this presents no threat, is hollow words, some new-age nonsense, lacks the trigger, the buzz-word, if we’d spoken of ‘terrorist’, ‘conspirator’, ‘covert operation’, ‘threat to national security’, ‘bomb plot’ and ‘government database’, ‘hack’, ‘Al Qaeda’, ‘Taliban’, ‘Hamas’, ‘IPLO’, ‘ETA’, ‘PLF’, IMU and you know far better than I who else, what else……if device + freedom + attack do not = the necessary equation, is not enough, if this does not carry the implications, contain the code, the signs and catalysts for investigation that you are looking for, for you to look, and take this in, look again, simply look again, for the invitation here is not hidden in plain sight, or a cause for suspicion. But, don’t just look, or look for phantasms – let me offer you water, the traditional offering to guests and visitors – it means something, peace, healing, reconciliation and Life. And, look over your shoulder at your co-workers, and if you are alone, ask why, if in fact it is true, and know that it is not just your own life that hangs on your choices, and your ability to act upon them – your own life and what you do with it is important. And yes, question, imagine, mark this page, file under…..’an invitation’, only do it in your own personal file, the one marked ‘Remember’, and, as you do, ask your forebears, what opened the portal wide to their future, enough that we have life now, that you have life, in their living imagination, as they lived and live in you now. Imagine……I invite you.
A remarkable event is scheduled for Friday 17th September at 7pm – its global, a real ‘sit up and take notice’ flag – we are invited to create a synchronistic wave of drumming around the Earth – no specific place is given so it looks like a ‘rolling wave’ – with a very positive aim.
It is a well timed and propitious event that has some serious support from the astral realms! But, first, take a look through this link, ’10billionbeats’ , at whats intended and then come back to look at an astrological view of the archetypal energies that we can expect to be at work as we all resonate this through the drums!
The astrology that follows is a mixture of esoteric, intuitive, shamanic and idiosyncratic – no apologies for this – the language is full as befits the archetypes! Having unfurled them, we have to let the wind fill our sails. Not forgetting therefore, all homage to the ancestral navigators. The stars that guided them are still guiding us today. There are no houses involved in this reading as it is not tied to a location; the context is Earth. The symbology is drawn from the the archetypes of the planets, their sign placements, in aspect, and the sabian symbols associated with the degree upon which they are found within the chart (degrees are always rounded upwards) : click on the chart to see a larger version
The energies of this chart show a building dynamic that will peak at the Full Moon exactly on the Autumn Equinox 5 days later. And what a Full Moon this promises to be! All the major conjunctions in the chart are tightening in the process so the harmonics between planets involved will be tuning up as well. A wave of vibration created at this time will not fade away – it will sustain and, given that the outer planets are so much in play, will reverb through to activate the archetypes as the planets sing like tuning forks. Their influence will last through to the next New Moon and the patterns they evoke will remain long after the planets have progressed on – so this is a Golden Opportunity to Earth some profound and productive prayers with the spirit worlds. This is very much about Earth becoming a Gateway that will carry the wave, with a Terran signature, out into the Cosmos along the weblines that connect us to the planets and stars.
Jupiter and Uranus together have been ushering a new wave of electrifying and expansive inspiration for a few months now – their combined power has been described as ‘the Quickening’ and, in late Pisces, early Aries (where they were conjunct on June 8th), they are bringing an old cycle to completion and providing the fuel for a collective initiatic awakening.
Chiron and Neptune in late Aquarius bring the visionary and the shaman together – together they invite us to journey towards a collective vision of healing.
Both these conjunctions are strongly apsected by the Sun – the challenge is to put our egocentricity aside and allow the power to flow through us – the emphasis here is on a collective effort that draws upon the empowerment that our past achievements in these areas have brought us. They are the first of the Elders holding the space and guiding us in the initiatic circle.
Pluto in Capricorn, with the North Node of the Moon closing, take the karmic impulse of our vision to the deepest roots of our earthly incarnation. Saturn squares the N Node. The emphasis here is on an harmonious realisation of the ‘heaven within us’ as it can be realised according to the great natural Laws. Pluto and Saturn are the next Edlers and act as the guardians of the intitiatic process – this has profound implications. The collective challenge is to be fully cogniscant at the beginning of the process and take responsiblility for the effects that grounding this vision will have on Life. The square means we are challenged to ensure no more blind short-term gains at the expense of our descendants. There is always balance – the mutual relationship between the destructive and the creative must be acknowledged as a necessity. Our wounds are also our power – we will come back to this.
Mercury in Virgo has a beneficial aspect to Pluto and particularly to the N Node and reminds us of the potentiality of initiation, the limitations we are seeking to release ourselves from as well as the Laws that apply in the process – we are still planetary children and yet we are committing ourselves to growth into maturity. Mercury, as go between in the process, ensures that we manifest this as a key signature, an underlying intent of the message behind this event. Mercury also aspects Mars and particularly Venus.
The Mars position tells us that while we are seeking to break free of our limitations we must not let the excitement of our thrust towards the future distract us. The challenge of the Mars Mercury aspect is in vigorously carrying forward respect for the past, our most cherished memories and our lessons learned, so that we may both be wise from experience and honouring of our ancestors. It is the Pluto connection that ensure we observe the natural Laws in all their depth as they apply to ancestry. In this moment “we are the sole reason they existed” and so it us with us and our descendants. Mars Pluto also challenges us to expand our family into all the realms of living beings, to become ensouled with our Earth heritage and to accept both the anabolic and catabolic aspects of the initiatic process in all its depths of meaning.
Venus’ position in Scorpio emphasises the passion of our heroic journey towards collective realisation. We are challenged to draw upon our spiritual strengths and to trust in the power of spirit, no matter what we may encounter. This is an expression of compassion as intelligent will infused with courage (the power of the heart) in the search for deep understanding.
The Moon’s position in Capricorn carries the signature of surrender to higher ideals. The emphasis is on complete dedication in service to the community, both Global and spiritual. The freedom this promises is framed within inner discipline – this is the challenge inherent in total commitment to a transcendant goal. It is a goal that carries forward a vision in which we reclaim our natural rights, as well as our natural rites, as the children, guardians and elders of the Earth.
With its beneficial aspect to the Sun this waxing Lunar phase is priming the Full Moon which is conjunct Jupiter and Uranus on the equinox – at this time the circle of is charged with full potential.
At the time of the 10billion drums we will have the benefit of a further very magical and intruiging pattern (not shown in the chart) in which the Moon forms one corner of what is often named by astrologers as a ‘mystic rectangle’. This web of dynamic activity is carrying a matrix of healing that reaches into the wild psyche of the feminine. As well as the waxing Moon we find Pallas, Sedna and Varuna in a dancing quatrain. So here we have Moon at 24 Capricorn sextile Pallas at 23 Scorpio, Pallas opposite Sedna at 23 Taurus who is sextile Varuna at 23 Cancer (opposite the Moon). It is Pallas and Sedna who ask for the wounding suffered by womankind at the hands of the partiarchy to be healed by finding a way through understanding, and this is understanding that seeks sublime solution sourced at the wild root. It is the pairing of Moon and Varuna that direct our prayers to the origins of all Life, to Great Mystery, as reflected in our passionate commitment to the spiritual community – whatever this may mean to us, whatever shape it may take in us as individuals, we can wear our wounds as a cloak of power and know that we are protected by Divine Law.
One last aspect which emphasises the power of the feminine is a beneficial partnership between Venus and Dark Moon Lilith – this pair have drawn a bow across the chart that will shoot the arrow of ‘Love in Kundalini’ towards the heavens – this represents a karmic inner marriage, a fusion of opposites, of spirit and matter as one, of past and future in the present – the fletch of the arrow is renewing our innocence – its tip is aiming at attunement to the rhythms of the the cosmos, ‘the heaven within’, ecstacy in realisation. It is the power of the Dark Goddess emerging from within.
If it seems incredible that such powerful imagery and energy can be present and within reach – why should we doubt it; a rhetorical question, as the world around us is everyday filled with immense change, powerful challenges and demanding an equally powerful emphasis on Global transformation through radical healing. Our ancients knew it would be thus in our time. The cosmological dimensions have a grand scale, an archetypal presence within our lives that ask us to raise our sights – we can ensure this through acting collectively. Our individual paths merge when we do so – and it will serve us well, when we can resonate with the archetypes and remember, in Alice Walkers fine words, that :
‘we are the ones we have been waiting for’.
Through 10billion drums, with the blessings of all the benevolent spirits, may the seeds of our dreaming awaken, take root, grow and bear fruit, in Peace.
Posted on the Dark Moon 2010-09-08
With special thanks to Jonathan Horwitz for alerting me to this event and, of course, astronomical appreciation to the inspired and example setting folks at ‘ten billion beats’….lets drum!!!