Tag: healing

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A Message from the Valley

 

Who would you look to as perfect living examples of balance, generosity and healing? Who will offer you a pathway to the stars, to reach into the inner cosmos of Earth. Who can unfailingly give you the most fundamental requirements of shelter, warmth, food and medicines? Such beings are real, they do exist, right now, here in our midst……

They have inhabited this Earth for nearly 400 million years – they preceded dinosaurs by 140 million years – before them there were no reptiles or amphibians. They are expert natural energy bio-condensers who radically altered the climate, reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing temperatures to drop and preparing the terrestrial surface environment for the emergence and evolution of animals and insects – through their arrival the planet quickly began to assimilate living conditions very similar to the present-day.

Their children have carried forward their ability to transform, nurture and, literally, inspire Life into our times – and yet we massacre them daily – through this, we contribute to climatic degradation and our own demise – for a thorough over view see this link

we love them too, so why do we treat our dear friends so – they are the Standing People – the Trees, living symbols of Life. It is our greatest challenge as a species to respect Life AND to, as a species, act accordingly – we devolve into failure unless we do so – so,  if we could but take a few steps back from our madness and listen to them what would the Standing People tell us………..

…….if we lived by our hearts we would know them instantly – they would offer us a chance at rebirth as they are the midwives of terrestrial life, our relatives and elders, beloved and wise – they would fill us with wonder as they cradle the stars in their arms, as they pulse with the Sun and flow with the Moon – they would pick us up, raise our spirits,  as they dance with the wind and fill us with their songs – they would cleanse our bodies and heal our souls, as they give us the breath of Life and give back to us the sacred meeting place – they would inspire us to compassion, as they teach us of selfless giving, carry our prayers, heal our bodies – we would dance with them that we may come alive

“…….our DNA is made of the same DNA as the tree – the tree breathes what we exhale – when the tree exhales we need what the tree exhales – so, we have a common destiny with the tree…….” – Floyd Red Crow Westerman

Trees are powerful and highly evolved beings – the closer we become in our relationships with them, the more they stimulate our finer sensibilities, our deeper connections with Life and the Cosmos. They can transform our consciousness. As elder representatives of Nature they offer us a continual example of symbiotic relationship and environmental stewardship – they provide a wonderous variety of species with the essential habitat that fosters diversity and evolution. They too have evolved through this – Oaks, for example, have developed into around 450 species worldwide and, in the UK, the Oak provides a home for more co-habiting organisms than any other tree. Over 300 different kinds of Lichen alone have been found growing on Oaks in Europe and Lichen is a good indicator of air quality – infact the role of trees as indicators of balance within the health of ecosystems has given them a unique place within the consciousness and cultures of peoples worldwide.

No matter where we find trees they bring a sense of wellbeing and belonging, a reminder to those dwelling amongst the hard surfaces and sharp angles of the over-humanised environment of the flow and flux of Nature. For many living beneath the forest canopy the world is immediate, the horizon close by, the natural world a living matrix of vital energies. One western man who spent his life within the community of trees and was able to both discern and develop a profound understanding of these vital energies was the Austrian forester Victor Schauberger.

image : nevit dilmen

The son of a forester from a long lineage reaching back to the Germanic tribes Victor was born into the world of forest lore and the practical know-how of arboreal stewardship – he had a knack of perceiving the subtle and invisible energies at work in Nature. Through a mix of patient observation and inspired curiousity he made of his life a meditation on the living energies that manifest the mind of Nature through the trees and rivers, infused with the powers of Sun, Moon and Earth. Trees spoke to him, and he read their messages as energy. He came to realise that trees bridged the material and subtle realms, responding to the rhythms of Life, both sending and receiving waves of intelligent energy. Callum Coats book “Living Energies” is a itself a dedicated translation and thorough assimilation of the essense of Victor’s work.

The outer reaches of a tree’s canopy and roots transmute ever more subtle gradations of material energy units until they become pure information – the mind of the tree extends beyond its physical body, its intelligence reaching into the transpersonal, its whole being a synaptic complex of consciousness in communication. This is to describe a being that is fully awake, that is able to communicate with both inner and outer Cosmos – when trees enter the inward looking times of Autumn into Winter they focus their consciousness on the dreaming worlds, the dreamtime. Through this they teach us of the rhythm of the seasons as a reflection of our relationship with the pulsing heart of creation.

When we listen to that pulse and pick up the beat we are invited to dance – a circle of people dancing with this pulse, carried by the drum beat and sacred song, pulling the energy of the circle in towards the tree and slowly expanding out again, will awaken the tree – she will radiate a profound warmth and delicious energy, embracing us in her consciousness – to experience this is to know that this is real, beyond doubt, and it will truly bring healing. 

Around the world shamans journey with the drum to the otherworlds from the roots, branches and body of the great tree in search of knowledge and healing – the hoop of their drum is gifted from the trees, the skin often adorned with the axis mundi, the Tree of Life – for many indigenous cultures souls come in and leave Life through her nexus – the spirits congregate there – our prayers hung upon her boughs are heard and cared for – in the groves we find protection, sacred space.

Spirit medicine is only one way in which the balance of our natural relations with the Cosmos can be restored. There are other pathways that are accessible to us all and which are called into our consciousness on a daily basis, that our current planetary conditions tell us are increasingly pertinent.

fosswood dreaming : rob purday

The forests are dying on our Earth, because, through greed and dead matter thinking, we have given priority to satisying the needs of a voracious and uncaring culture, turned a deaf ear to our hearts, become disrespectful and overlooked the reality of our actions – and yet, for so many this is not a true reflection of how we would live. We have not forgotten how to listen, we can still hear their voices – and it is important that we do so for our children and our childrens children. We can reforest our home. And this is a first step – plants and trees planted with respect and in recognition of the sacredness of all Life, over generations of their family and through the seasonal cycles, will become our allies. They come to know us, form a sacred relationship with us and they will always be ready to answer when we ask them for help – this too is real, beyond doubt, and will help to heal the Sacred Hoop, the Circle of Life.

Our western thinking is a great stumbling block, and yet, it is also a great teacher – there is balance in all things. We often filter out that which we do not have tangible evidence for with our thinking – it is an affliction that is affecting our whole world and has caused great suffering within indigenous communities. Balance rather than dominance…….

Balance within communion carries a visceral potential – to restore the balance and make the encounter can be highly emotive and revolutionary, affecting of our view of the world and our understanding of our place within it, of ourselves. There is a wonderful account of such an encounter in “Of Water and the Spirit”, the autobiographical writings of Dagara elder and shaman Malidoma Some. During initiation into adulthood Malidoma describes how he met with a beautiful tree spirit, a tender yet awesome ‘Green Lady’ of immense heart and understanding.

For the ‘western’ mind this encounter is powerfully instructive as Malidoma has to struggle to free himself of the enculturalisation he suffered at the hands of Jesuit priests after they had kidnapped him from his village as a child – his return to the village created a dilema for the Elders who saw both a threat and a gift in his presence, in the cultural baggage that he was carrying. They decided that initiation was the only way forward, the make or break test of whether he could truly become the embodiment of his name, which means “be friends with the stranger/enemy”. It stands as a potent allegory for the relationship between the western mindset and the indigenous. 

Malidoma struggled over a long period under fierce conditions of extreme heat and dehydration, focusing on the tree that stood before him, to arrive at the moment when he was able to ‘let go’ and fall into the embrace of the spirit world. It was the attachment to both ‘trying to do’, contriving what he thought was expected of him, and the emotional attachment to the concrete nature of what his senses told him was real that created the barrier through which he eventually burst – he literally fell into the arms of the beloved spirit, and she spoke to him. Without this breakthrough his initiation would have failed. Even more crucially, this opened the pathway back to the original purpose that he had petitioned the ancestors to support him in before his birth, and allowed him to remember and embody his connection with the spirits in Nature, his name and soul purpose. To the Dagara trees are amongst the most evolved of beings on Earth.

For Malidoma this was the beginning of a journey into the wider world, sanctioned by his elders, his ancestors and spirit family. He carries with him the sacred medicines of his African roots, reconnecting ‘people of the diaspora’ with their roots and healing the spiritual heart of our Western cultural desert – thanks to the ‘Green Lady’. I had the benefit of several years profound and heart centered guidance and tuition with Malidoma – it brought many challenges and, like many others whom he has helped, brought a much needed appreciation of our universal nature, the ways in which we can find healing that are so deeply rooted in Nature, our relationship with the ancestors and the spirit worlds. He, with many others alive today, continues to work his magic for the benefit of us all in the world. All blessings be with the healers – human and arboreal.

The next time you enter a forest, lean against a tree or plant a sappling, please say thank-you – say it out loud, from the heart – it will bring healing into your world, our world. Such powerful healing as we find amongst the Standing people is always at hand, within the forests, amongst the watchful care of those great beings we know as the Trees. The New Moon beckons – happy dreaming!

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Being Indigenous – an open letter

Dear Reader,

“We are all indigenous, equal in essence, the sons and daughters of the Earth and yet, for some, many infact, to be Indigenous means to suffer at the hands of our brothers and sisters, to be persecuted, to be stigmatised as less than equal – until balance is restored the suffering will continue; the world will remain out of balance until this is put right.”

There are many in the world who are already doing everything they can to support the struggle of indigenous people to become equal and free citizens, within the world, on their own lands, within the contexts of independant Nation States – if you are such a person, THANK-YOU – please continue to shine your light in the world, to let it shine brighter, to be the example, the exceptional individuals who make the difference – and, may we join you……and, of course, lets remember, indigenous ‘issues’ in the world do not only apply to human-kind……

Re-balancing can happen – it is happening as we speak – and yet, the suffering continues. The message is that we need to ‘up the energy’, sustain our focus for ‘positive change’ and be ready to change our POV as the view changes. Let us examine, under the powerful lense of this Equinoxial Full Moon, some of the ways in which this imbalance persists in the world today, the better to navigate a way forward, a way of healing and bringing an end to the suffering………but, first, lets set the astrological scene :

It is Equinox, the time of the year when we adjust to the changing rhythms of day and night, darkness and light, in fluid equilibrium – it is the fulcrum point at which questions of balance can be brought into focus, given a new appraisal and a healing time prepared from what we find.

There is also a very potent Full Moon the day after the equinox, filling out this theme with passion and emotive energy – opposite the Moon, the Sun re-figures Saturn’s recent entry into the Libran influence of Justice, balance – the weighing of our soul’s path-work on Earth against our love for Humanity. Under these influences our focus becomes intensified, grounded with passion and deeply pragmatic meaning.

Uranus and Jupiter are conjunct within the equinoxial zone of this Moon and the FM itself falls exact on their previous meeting point (June 8th 2010) at the first degree of Aries – time for expansive change, emotive re-evaluation and charging up our heart-felt potential for radical healing.

Full Moons can also cause us to loose our heads, turn us into gibbering lunatics and, with the energies of Jupiter amplifying and Uranus electrifying the Full Moon, we need to be-aware of rash and over the top impulses – Neptune and Chiron continue to challenge us to work for the higher good while also letting go even though our hearts may still be in the right place –  even as we allow the power to flow through through us – its as well to be in safe and sacred space if we are working intentionally with these energies as there is an unpredictability in the mix and the possibility of becoming ungrounded.

Put all these energies together and you can see that it creates a great wave, of soul focused healing, and the dynamic re-balancing that releases us from the shackles of the past – riding it will help us to grieve old wounds, even ancient ones embedded in our DNA, clearing the way for a clearer connection with each other and the cosmos – we can bring about the change that we percieve is most sorely needed, so, it is a good time to ‘ask the question’, of what is closest to our hearts.

Applying these energies to persistant and deep wounds will bring about equally deep and lasting change – and, Human Rights is amongst the most pressing and pertinant issues that we face, day after day, in our time – what happens when the world moves WITH the cosmos in consciousness on these issues – lets find out…..

Returning to the focus of Indigenous People’s Rights in the world and, at the risk of inciting you to duck behind the sofa or run for the nearest fire hydrant, let us ask an emotive and difficult question , in keeping with this Full Moon :

"Grief" : copyright Rob Purday

‘Are the conquered and divided, missionised, dispossesed, raped, murdered, stigmatised, ethnically cleansed, dishonoured, disrespected, criminalised, Indigenous victims of genocide, enforced enculturalisation, enslavement, marginalisation, imported disease, non-indigenous values, illegal invasion, ‘legal’ subjugation, deportation, starvation and corporate greed expected to say :

          “yeh, OK, you’re right, we’re wrong – go ahead, do as you will, destroy us, control us, our land, our culture, our way of life, our communities and families – make of us a diaspora, an example of undesirability, less than worthy members of the ‘Free World’ – disregard our rights to, by your own Laws, Free Speech, self determination, equality, liberty and the basic fundamental rights of human existance, on and within the land that we, our parents, grandparents and ancestors, who so desire the nourishment of our grief shed tears, call our Home, going back longer than you can, in all likelihood, possibly remember, and would willingly shed yourselves, were YOU also vitaly in touch with your deepest roots, with the land that has given you and your kin their roots, meaning, culture and very bodies, has fed and envigorated your spirits and given you the unalienable right to say “I AM INDIGENOUS”?’

NO! I DON”T THINK SO……………DO YOU?

Indigenous peoples the world over continue to this day, in our time, to suffer exploitation, oppression and the abuse of their inalienable Human Rights – and this, despite the best efforts of the UN, the ILO, national governments and their representatives, countless dedicated organisations, lobbying, pressure, support and resource groups, campaigns, communities and inspired individuals to bring balance and equality into the world on behalf of and as representatives of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. This raises many questions – such a state of affairs is itself a persistant and pertinent question waiting to be fully answered.

Pertinent questions can be powerful motivators – they persist and remain active until resolved……..for example :

The United States and Canada are the two most prominent countries not, to this date, to have fully endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Canada, at the time of writing, is still moving towards ratification – at the time of initial adoption eleven other countries abstained – WHY?

The ILO Convention C169 that gives Indigenous Human Rights a global legal condition of recognition, as well as giving Indigenous Law a valuable degree of parity with National Law, is, to date, ratified by ONLY 22 nations worldwide, despite having been in existance for more than 30 years, and in force for 29 years – notable absentees from ratification include the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, the UK; infact every single European country except Holland, Spain, Norway, and Denmark has so far refused to ratify this noble and crucial convention – WHY?

France’s government is in the process of expelling Roma peoples; Germany’s government is heading in the same direction, with their sights on even greater numbers of expulsions than France, including large numbers of children – WHY?

Then, please consider the fact that, even when they do ratify Articles and Conventions that protect the equality of First Nations within Nation States, giving them legal rights that protect their Human Rights, Nation States the world over continue to demonstrate a liability to show harsh disregard for the same fundamental rights of aboriginal, indigenous peoples, when it comes to issues of State policy, land rights, legal rights, education and health, the abolition of poverty and particularly the Humanitarian rights of peoples whose very existance is under threat from Corporate Development of their homelands – WHY?

Given that, inspite of all the advances and immense efforts that have been initiated, embedded and enacted on behalf of and in support of the indigenous peoples of this world, that they continue to suffer, are we then to stand back and do nothing? Are we to remain passive observers of the horrors faced by indigenous peoples, day after day, the world over?

If you find that the answer is NO please take time to think on this, make a pledge to yourself, renew your old ones, to, at least one time in your life, but, better still, once a year, a month, even everyday, do at least one small thing that will help change this totally unacceptable state of affairs within our present world. And, if you find that the answer is YES……..then, thank-you for making it this far, and, having done so, just allow yourself to go one step further……

The smallest thing can make all the difference – a gift, message, prayer, dedication – even just ‘thank-you’ in some form adds more substance, more energy to the wave of change that we can and are generating in support of the indigenous and oppressed First Nations of our world – Our World…..think on it….there is so much more we can choose to do

Whatever your choices the following organisations and articles will help you make your choice an informed one – illuminations and blessings of this Equinox Full Moon be with us :

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL
IP SURVIVAL FOUNDATION
UN INDIGENOUS FORUM
UN DECLARATION
ILO C169
BEING INDIGENOUS
FOREST PEOPLE
ARCTIC PEOPLE
ISSUES AND RESOURCES
ROMA EXPULSIONS
UNREPRESENTED NATIONS
A I MOVEMENT

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10 Billion Drums – the astrology of a Global Gateway!

owlstarA 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

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT
chart : planetwatcher.com

    

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.

Dark Goddess Moon 2010-09-08 robpurday

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!!!

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Climate Change, the Megaliths and the Stars : an introduction

image by Paul Taylor
“The more we know the more we realise how much we don’t know.”

In a recent article at Funkastrology titled ‘Zodiac Signs, Fixed Stars and Precession’ Jamie Partridge presents a strong case for overhauling popularised practices within astrology that are based on outmoded and misleading astronomical and astrological concepts. The article exposes the imperative need for revision and realism. Without it, divinatory practices, such as astrology, that rely on precision in establishing relationships, measure and values cannot offer full resonance, and therefore, real meaning in their readings. We need to return to the fundaments through our current knowing while moving forward, and the Funks (Jamie and his partner, co-author and astrologer Marina) are certainly going there! Follow the link and take a look at the article for a clear view of the facts and issues involved, as well as their excellent website.

As a diviner, reading Jamie’s article woke up something of an old memory, a reminder that such challenges as we are now facing had raised an absolute necessity for radical change in ancestral times, perhaps even more so than at present and certainly not only for divinatory purposes. The post sparked off a train of thought that has developed into this article – the following comments are where it all began :

“I am with you on astrology and astronomy being one in our past. Navigating by the fixed stars has an instinctive electric ring to it that feels different from the vagaries of the planets. The scientists have been telling us for years that cosmic rays from the stars affects our DNA!

Am also pulled by the idea that adaptation and survival needs brought out the hunter gatherer to agri-culture shifts – in the face of post glacial rapid climate change (theres hard evidence for a fifty year window in which that climate change happened – that’s freaky fast and uncomfortably familiar) – the shamans were there already and I’m sure their roles changed within those shifts………

Heres a goofy idea….

How would it be if EVERYTHING changed back then? Theres plenty of evidence to support the otherwise wacky idea that those rapid changes were set off by an axial shift of this planet – the skies orientation/motion would have changed with it and necessitated upgrading the astrology and cosmology [to something more like that which] we recognise now in the process.

Wouldn’t this have complicated and diversified the already existent astrological arts and call forth the need for a different kind of precision. Is it in that context that fixing everything became more of an issue (including precession – Earth began to wobble)? Next thing you know you’ve got the ancestors of science telling us how it is. (Can anyone explain why Uranus rotates on an ‘horizontal’ axis?).”

So much in our times reflects the experience of such a global shift; our concerns in the face of global warming and climate change bring up old fears deeply embedded in our collective memory – increasing earth movements, volcanic activity, tsunamis, flooding, massive damage to our biosphere through ecological disasters and environmental mis-management, wars and political tensions, not even to mention economic meltdown, overpopulation, massively unbalanced distribution of wealth and resources; the list goes on and puts it beyond doubt that this a traumatic and tough time to be alive in – we KNOW we need to change – and so, if our ancestors have survived and thrived through such immense challenges, what can their story and their legacy tell us that will help us traverse these challenges in our times:

First, let us consider a contraversial but persuasive argument – that the post axial-shift culture shock and subsequent changes actually precipitated the development of the megalithic culture as a way of re-envisioning the as-above-so-below thingum – this is supported by indigenous wisdom and collective memory. Megalithic culture reaches back to these times, roughly 13K years, and is a global cultural phenomenon. Post glacial melt has hidden a part of our past and, although in some parts of the globe the land lifted as the weight of the ice diminished, over the first 6k years of this period the sea level rose by over 100 m. Although much is now submerged of the predominantly coastal settlements from the late paleolithic, many sites from the subsequent Holocene period are now found on stable higher ground. Archeo-astronomy shows clearly the astronomical connections of site after site around the world – by the time sites like the Avebury complex and Stonehenge were being constructed this culture would have developed a grounded and in-depth understanding of the new cosmology as well as the technology to embed it – the sites are teleological. Heres a thing, for example……

Avebury Henge

 Avebury is interesting in this respect and demonstrates a profound understanding of cosmological relationships – (call it coincidence if you like, but…) the angle formed by the north south entrances to the circle are aligned at 23 degrees to the true north – this just happens to be the angle of the Earths axial tilt – the inner circles are aligned to each other at a similarly close angle. Infact the whole site displays stone placements that relate to ancient units of global measurement and proportion. On top of this the Avebury site has distinctive acoustic properties as well, and although in our times these only become apparent in the quiet of night, the original configuration of the large stones and the surrounding bank would have enhanced these apsects. This would have added heightened resonance to the space and amplified subtle nuances in the energy field of the inner space, both physical and metaphysical. There are many ways in which the henge would have been used which are no longer obviously visible to us, including astronomical divination. However, without even going into the metaphysical and spiritual attributes of Avebury (we will look more closely at this at a later date) this megalithic site alone gives much food for thought.

Whatever your persuasions……Many researchers have assembled countless pages of data and information relating to megalithic sites that support views, theories and postulations across a wide spectrum of disciplines and interests. Even though many are contradictory and at odds with each other there can be no doubt that collectively they confirm one thing – that the amount of data and skills embedded in these two megalithic centres alone is immense. They were, and still are, obviously open to being used as places of learning, cosmological and terran, and it would be my contention that the mode of learning would have been initiatic as well as technological – we will begin to explore this more in pt 2. They represent a huge investment in the people and their culture – they also represent a living legacy of our indigenous selves.

Let’s take a brief look at this investment for a moment. The effort involved in building these sites must have been immense – it has been calculated, that the shaping alone of the Stonehenge sarsons (and these are big stones weighing up to 50 tonnes or more) would have required 20,000,000 hours of work – that’s five hundred people working for 10 years – and, yes, there are wide variables that could decrease or increase this figure. Some of the stones at Avebury are twice as weighty, and even if not obviously worked, this provides endless speculation and experimentation in just how the stones were transported and located. There are astonishingly accurate measurements and alignments involved in their placements. We are talking here about setting up ‘resonance’, an immensely important function in divination, astrology, metaphysics and establishing an harmonic physical correspondence between the earth and the Cosmos. Resonance here becomes the active state of a gateway to mystery……

And what of the legacy? The building of Silbury Hill, a 130 ft high human made conical mound at Avebury henge also remains a mystery. Many visitors, however, will testify that, with an open heart and mind the place speaks volumes. Avebury can affect us profoundly; just being there can be an elevating and emotional experience, can highten our sensitivities and expand our awareness. In such states astronomical observations naturally transpose into astrological divination. Mayan diviners are famous for setting the precident. And so, it was with great good fortune I found myself joining a small party of people who met up with Hunbatz Men, a Mayan Daykeeper (calendrically divining shaman) when he visited the UK in 1993/4.

He came to Avebury and confirmed that it was a part of the global pyramidal network in which his indigenous Central American culture figures so prominently. He also ‘read’ at least one crop circle while he was there – his conclusion was startling – his understanding told him through the glyph that the Earth was out of position! We will come back to this……

Equinox serpent at Kukulcan
Equinox serpent at Kukulcan

Now, this is going to seem a little more tangential, but, imagine what we could build in our times with the amount of time, energy and insight invested in building Stonehenge – a hadron collider – clean energy technology – or perhaps we already waste that amount of time end energy many many times over on destroying each other and our planet?! If you factor in the global connectivity of our times the latent people-power becomes exponentially world changing. It is no wonder the powers-that-be in our materialistic era have so much vested interest – so long as it is controlled, people-power is the fuel for realising the governing agendas – unleash that power, and this means a radical internal shift, a shift in how we experience empowerment, and what could we achieve – a different world, and just perhaps, a lasting peace…..was this one of the prime movers for our ancestors astronomical efforts?  If they were suffering post-traumatic shock, ‘catastrophobia’ as some have called it, wouldn’t they also want to find equally radical ways of healing  it……

There is some irony in this, as the very nature of the changes that helped develop the megalithic culture to its heights also enabled the transference of power into rationalised structures within communities – so called ‘matriarchial’ societies became, gradually, subjected to ‘patriarchal’ control.

I have wondered many times, after Hunbatz left, if he was simply reflecting on the evidence and feeling of the prevelant culture in the UK – we are unashamedly materialistic. I knew that his journey carried personal significance to him at the age of 52. It is his people’s tradition that in their fifty second year the male elders make their ‘final’ journey out of the village, before they become rooted in the communal role of Elder. I knew he was looking to drum up support for the return of his people’s spiritual practices to their sacred sites, practices outlawed by the governmnent if carried out by Mayans. His ruse was to invite westerners to take the Mayan’s place, offering initiations on the key equinoxial dates, to reactivate the sites. My partner at the time went to the ceremony that re-activated Chichen Itza. I spent three very fresh and remarkable nights on top of Silbury and at Avebury complex connecting in with her – joining the two sites at the calendrical point of balance.

We had exchanged sacred artifacts, and on her return, exchanged them back in a small ceremony on the point where the obelisk had stood within Avebury circle. Now, Chichen Itza’s key structure is the Temple of Kukulcan, a 90 ft high pyramid which itself is cosmologicaly encyclopedic. The active symbol at the equinox is the shadow of the feathered rainbow serpent Quetzalcoatl – it is formed perfectly, on the equinoxial day only, zigzaging down the steps on the northern side of the pyramid to join with a carved feathered snake’s head. Just as we completed our re-union ceremony at Avebury a line of people came weaving in a dancing line between the stones around us – we did not know them, but, they brought the energy of Quetzalcoatl right home to us and Avebury. They were zigzaging a snake dance amongst the stones…..spirit will always show a way for those open to it. And, it is true that for us to find a path of reconciliation with our planet, small confirmations of this kind are made to look somewhat insignificant – indigenous wisdom, however, will tell us that they all count. We need them to count on a vast scale – with our connectivity it is just possible that we may find the crucial homeopathic dose….

I have little doubt that what Hunbatz had seen in the crop circle was a wake-up call and confirmation. I also have little doubt that he subsequently did everything he could to divine and heal this displacement, not least of all as it is the diviner’s prerogative to identify the corrective and the shaman’s to aid its realisation. In respect of this he also knew the meaning of people-power and even had a minimum number he needed to re-activate the sacred places. There is so much that we may think we have lost, and yet, it is all right here if we choose to see it. And is re-activation of our sacred places on the agenda? Will we listen to our diviners and astrologers?

avebury_aerial[2]The legacy, the investment and the corrective are converging in our times at a nexus point of necessity. We are now facing similar threats, on a global scale, to the rapid climate change experienced by our ancestors. We also know that we need a global culture shift that will correct and release us from the shadow of our past traumas and mistakes. Our shamans are still among us. They will no doubt echo back to us the displacement of spirit that our material culture has imposed upon the world and help us transit this time of radical healing – to Hunbatz, as to virtually every shaman I have ever met, to speak of the Earth is to speak of the whole living totality of Life here – and that reaches well beyond the visceral tangibility of our mundane senses. I feel that he was addressing the inner healing of spirit and matter that permeates our culture as a pathological necessity. More people visit our ancient megalithic sites now than ever did so at the time of their building – it is not without reason.

In a perfect way the megalithic cultures, as well as the astro-cultures that we have divided, into -ology and -onomy, are brought back together again in these ancient sites in a surprisingly pertinant way. This is not to voice some atavistic urge – it is to recognise our heritage, our indigenous intuitive and instinctive knowing. Just so long as we are open to recieving, we will also find healing there.

To be continued…….

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