Gratitude comes from the root word for Pleasing and Thankful.
I am so grateful for the ability to have gratitude in every moment. To find things about every experience that are pleasing and that I can be thankful for.
Its so important to always find things to be grateful for. Living a life of gratitude is the way to true happiness.
Grateful for the little things
There are so many things to be grateful for, but most recently I have to say I am grateful for the ability to share my story with the world. Being able to travel to South Africa and work with the people there has really been such a blessing.
Being apart of the TAI 5th Annual Artizen Conference on Art for Social Transformation has created new whole new perspective to my reality. It has shown me new ways to interact, and to help others to create and share their stories.
Simply spending time in another country has given me deep gratitude for all of the things I have been blessed with in America. Even though my ancestors have been through trauma and are still healing… I have a deeper appreciation for all aspects of the journey and for where I am blessed to be today.
Since being home I’ve found myself grateful to be able to simply walk outside my house and see the street from my yard. To not have gates and barbed wire fences all over my community. To be able to have consistent electricity and water, as South Africa participates in “load sharing”. Load sharing is when certain areas have their electricity and water shut off for hours, sometimes days at a time. A lot of people in America take for granted things like this.
Grateful for Partnerships
The trip to South Africa has opened up many doors to new partnerships! I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with Disele May Foundation to help woman who are survivors of gender based violence.
I am also excited about partnerships with a few others where I will help translate a book of poems from Tanzania to English, have my students in Maryland work with schools in South Africa, and work with other artists to share Indigenous knowledge through creativity.
I am also grateful for the relationships that were created while on the trip. Being able to problem solve, build and teach with so many amazing individuals really develops a strong bond.
To the ladies on my team…. Jennifer, Linda, Raisa, and Shanna… I am so grateful for your being. I really feel we have created a strong bond that will will only grow as we continue our work together. Great things to come for sure! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me, about ribbon skirts, the medicine wheel, and performance art! I am better because I know you and have spent time with you.
Thank you TAI
Thank you Teaching Artist Institute… for all the hard work you put into facilitating this opportunity. Thank you for being steady, centered, grounded and flexible. For being a beautiful example of how to handle things when they don’t go as planned. Your ability to remain focused on the mission, in light of whatever came your way, is an example of authentic and true leadership.
Migwetch to all who supported the trip
Migwetch is Anishinaabe for “I am grateful for you.”
The trip would not have happened without the support and love from my community, friends and family. Thank you all for your continuous generosity! Together we can do amazing things…we can change the world.
On November 4th we arrived in Johannesburg South Africa. The day we had been planning and fundraising for was finally here! The airport was big and gray, as thunderstorm rolled in. We met with our fellow Artizens, the Tanzanian Magomamoto Theater Group, along with a new friend Bonface from Kenya.
South Africa
The drive from the airport to the hotel was a beautiful sign of the power of the arts to bring people together. We shared songs and drums, and sang together in our different languages.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by two local South African women who just so happened to be at the hotel for breakfast, which neither had ever done before. The universe brought us angels to help us accomplish our tasks! The one woman Hanna, my newest friend, assisted us in so many things…. from finding a local woman to purchase fabric from, to taking us to the store two days in a row to gather materials for our workshops. She even took me to the airport on my last day.
Artizen Conference Day 1 – Creation
Our first day of the Artizen – Art for Social Transformation conference was amazing. Jennifer Foylan presented the keynote speech about her journey through the life cycle of the butterfly. While she shared her story, I created a live intuitive painting for her, in front of the group. This was a powerful time to show how art can express our experiences and emotions.
I was apart of the group that presented on the birth of the caterpillar and the transitional stage in the cocoon. Linda M and Raisa J were my team mates, and we each shared pieces of our indigenous knowledge with those who attended.
Day one was the birth of the caterpillar, where Linda shared the creation story and the medicine wheel knowledge and Raisa presented the tradition of ribbon skirts and how each is connected through creator. I assisted the students that attended in creating a mandala based off of a workshop Linda does through her art therapy presentations.
The mandalas were a collaborative group project that started with 4 questions:
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where and I going?
Participants were asked to create a visual representation of their answers to these questions using the mandala template that was pre drawn. Each group member had a task of completing a section, while they worked together on the meaning. After the students created their mandalas, each group shared what it meant to them.
This was powerful because students in South Africa do not get the arts in school. This showed them how powerful of a tool art is to help share your stories and connect with one another.
Day 2 – Begin Ribbon Skirts
Day 2 of the Artizen 2021: Turtle Island to South Africa conference we traveled, with our new friend Hanna, to find fabric, ribbons and sewing machines for the ribbon making workshop we presented for a group of women from South Africa who are domestic abuse survivors.
Along the way we met a beautiful soul at Spirit of Stone and were gifted amazing stones and medicines. Stuart does amazing energy work in South Africa and I look forward to returning again soon to participate in experiences with him!
We were also so blessed to have found a local woman who had traditional fabric from Kenya, Mo_Fabrics_More. It was such a blessing to purchase fabric from her and support a local small business entrepreneur.
The workshop was wonderful. It was at the Turquoise Harmony Institute. Jennifer shared her story and journey through domestic violence and sexual abuse, and Raisa discussed how ribbon skirts are a form of traditional art that is healing. Even though we weren’t able to begin sewing the skirts, we had each woman pick a fabric they wanted to make their skirt from, and we measured and cut the fabric to prepare for the next day, when we worked with the women to add their ribbons and sew their skirts.
We selected fabric with the color purple intentionally, as is the color for domestic violence awareness. The women who were participating in the workshop are survivors of gender based violence, and sexual abuse. They are working with Disele May, who has created the Disele May Foundation to help women overcome these struggles.
Constitution Hill Gala
After the workshop we attended a gala… all I can say is… amazing powerful work was being done there… doors opened… and I am ready. The gala was held at Constitution Hill in the old women’s prison. There were speakers from the beginning of the apartheid, and those that worked to bring democracy to South Africa. The speakers were powerful, the performances were divine, the food was delicious and I was asked to share about my White Buffalo painting “Hope”, which was donated for silent auction. Our day even included another rainbow! Our work is blessed… as we remind each other through art that we are all connected.
Day 3 – Performance Art and Sewing
This day began with a beautiful tour of the only constitutional court in the country of South Africa. It was amazing seeing the structures of the holding cells for the jail used during the apartheid. Getting to spend time in such an historic place that was FILLED with art was super inspirational. It reinforced the need to tell our stories through art to heal past traumas.
After our tour we participated in the keynote speech, and addressed students from another school. Linda, Raisa and I shared our teachings and stories with the students. And they were blown away by our spirit names.
After the keynote, we continued to work with the women who have survived domestic violence, to create healing ribbon skirts. They LOVED it!!
After completing day 2 of 3 for ribbon skirt making, I participated in a performance with Shanna and 12 other amazing artists. It was such a powerful experience to dance free as an Indigenous person from Turtle Island on the land of South Africa.
Lastly there was an art tank competition, where Teaching Artist Institute awarded one local artist with a small stipend and free business coaching for a year. It was amazing to see all of the local talent. Arie Squires also was apart of the conference and she selected one young woman to personally mentor in branding and business!
Day 4 – The last day of the conference
Before heading to the conference, we visited the Tanzania Embassy with our new Tanzanian friends of the Magomamoto theater group. It was the first time Indigenous people visited with the Ambassador. We made history! We sat and talked with the ambassador about using art for social transformation, and we even got to sing the Tanzania anthem together!
After the embassy, we ended the conference at Amajika Performing Arts center. The ladies from Disele May Foundation were able to complete their skirts. It was so powerful to hear their stories and witness the beginning of beautiful transformations, from victims of gender based violence to superheroes reclaiming their power! Thank you Disele May for following your heart so others might thrive.
Shanna taught performance dance to the kids and women there. It was powerful hearing them sing and seeing them do their traditional dances!
While there I created a flower of life community mural to symbolize the connections we all have to one another. Art to remind us we are all connected.
The kids who attend the art center on Saturdays painted it in! Children in South Africa do not get art in school, so Tu Nokwe has different art lessons for them at the center on Saturdays. The children love it so much, they try to come other days as well! It was such a blessing blessing work with them and hear them say how soothing and fun it was to paint! So blessed to bring Creative Balance to South Africa!!
Thank you Kim Poole, Haki Shakur Ammi, and Firdoze Bulbulia for organizing such an amazing event. This was history in the making and I am so excited about the partnerships we’ve created and what change will come from them.
This experience was life changing for myself and so many others. I am humbled and honored to have been able to attend and participate. Thank you to everyone who donated and supported this trip. This is only the beginning.
Today is a day of remembrance for those who were affected by residential indian boarding schools. A day to give love to those little children taken from their families, some lost and some wounded for what seemed like forever. But today in a sea of orange, there is hope… as we call back to mind each of those beautiful souls, those who have suffered because of their differences, we can hold them in love and light, and let them shine their beautiful light to the world through us. Through our awareness, we can acknowledge and then take action in a new direction. In the direction we desire to see in the world.
Orange = Self Expression
When we hold space and bring awareness to a story, we have the opportunity to change the ending… to heal the past and create a beautiful future by sending the love now.
Growing up as a native american in Maryland I felt out of place because my bone structure was different from everyone else’s. My mom always told me that it was because I was native. I didn’t like it very much. My name was also different… Raine… I got made fun of often…. “Raine Raine go away and don’t come back.” My name was very native, or hippy. I didn’t always like it.
Going back to the reservation in North Dakota and visiting my cousins… life was so different for them then it was for me. We would usually visit during the summer for a week or so before driving back to Maryland. I would run in fields of wild grass, sweet grass and sage… never realizing how sacred it was. I would see life for the people on the reservation and feel many things, as they lived differently then I did. Living on the reservation wasn’t something I desired to do.
There was always one thing that stuck with me though… the sacred spiritual knowledge that I felt in my bones, deep down within my being….calling out to me to remember. I felt it when i danced in pow-wows.
When I was 12 I was honored with a naming ceremony….See my parents, even though they believed in religious teachings, always had an underlying connection to spirit in their lives. During my naming ceremony, our medicine woman shared that it was uncommon to be given the same name in ceremony that your parents named you. And that the creator told my mom to name me Raine Dawn because that was who I am… so my Anishinaabe name is Raining in the Dawn Woman.
After that experience, I began on a deep journey into spirituality (unknown to myself at the time, but looking back that is where it started) through Baptist, and Pentecostal religions… along with a deep connection to the holy spirit and feeling called to work with the youth, I started to really align who I was with who I am. Through attending a christian college to be a youth pastor, to going to Towson University to be an Art educator…. uncovering that deep connection to spirit that I felt within.
The path is so magickal and I feel so honored to be given the opportunity to be me, and share what I know and see with the world.
And all of this beautiful life because my grandmother and her grandmother and her grandmother made choices and took actions in ways that allowed me to flourish and become who I am today. Because my mother had a vision, to love her children and give them a life she never had… I am who I am today. I am grateful for the journey… as it reminds us we are all connected. <3
Johannesburg South Africa is the location of the 5th ARTIZEN Conference presented by the Teaching Artist Institute.
Incase you weren’t aware, I am Raining in the Dawn Woman of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa people. I am a spiritual leader and learner, intuitive, mother, artist, and art educator. I have been honored to share my journey and passion with the people of South Africa, and I could use your support.
This sacred journey of life has led me to learn many things and meet many people. The importance of our sacred journey is shown in the story of Anishinaabe, the original man, and his first responsibility. Great Mystery said to Anishinaabe “go and name all the things on the earth.” To name something is to form relationship with that thing. To acknowledge, observe, and share your journey with them as they have shared theirs with you. This teaching helps us to recognize the importance of following our own paths and sharing our experiences with each other. When are aligned with our paths, our light shines bright and shines on others paths so that they might see themselves clearly.
I grew up in American, one generation out from being raised in a boarding school. My mother and her brothers and sisters attended boarding school, having their spiritual way of living taken from them. My parents raised three amazing daughters, while dealing with their own trauma, because they always instilled in us the importance of compassion. Love is what moves us, but we first must know and love ourselves.
I believe in the importance of sharing our journeys with one another, as this is how we remember that we are all connected. Now I can see how all that I have experienced and all the experiences of those who have come before me, has led me to connecting with the Great Mystery through art to help heal the trauma that we hold.
The arts enable us to express ourselves authentically with one another, in ways that surpass any language barrier. Art is a powerful tool, not just for gratification of self-expression, but as a vehicle of personal and collective transformation. Art is Prayer, a sacred and vital discovery of one’s own special presence in the world. Through creation, a person illuminates and illustrates their inner being, while creating something which also stands separate. Through exploration and experimentation each of us can shine light on our inner world, allowing us to utilize expression as a means of awakening our Divine I Am.
Turtle Island to South Africa
I feel blessed to take knowledge from my journey on Turtle Island, to the Mother Land – Africa. To share the teachings of the Anishinaabe people, and shine light for others to know themselves more completely. Turtle Island is the North American continent. The turtle has deep meaning to the indigenous people, as is told in their creation stories.
Sharing the Indigenous teachings of the Anishinaabe with people of South Africa will form connections that remind us in a powerful way how we are all connected. I am certain that the teachings I learn in South Africa will be powerful for the people of Turtle Island to learn and grow on their paths in life.
Join me in supporting real change. Let’s support good in the world and make a difference. Help us create connections and pathways for healing and transformation through Indigenous arts around the world.
The Red Road is the path we walk when we want a direct relationship with Gitchie Manitou, the Great Mystery. A road full of ritual, prayer, and gratitude. A path one takes to know themselves more, in relationship to the world around them. Original Man walked the Red Road when Creator lowered him to Earth and gave him instructions to travel the world and discover what life has to offer and how everything is connected. To be grateful for life, all that it brings and teaches us.
Living life based on the Seven Teachings of our grandfathers, the Ojibway walk the Red Road through Love, Respect, Bravery, Truth, Honesty, Humility, and Wisdom.
These teachings give us a road map for a divine connection to ourselves, nature, and one another.
RED ROAD to DC
The House of Tears Carvers envisioned a journey across the U.S. to bring recognition to the need to save our sacred sites.
A 24-foot-tall totem pole was carved from a 400-year-old western red cedar tree. It symbolizes the challenges facing the earth and her people, especially the Native Americans whose stories are told during the dedication presentations in cities all over the country.
House of Tears Carvers are indigenous artists from the Lummi tribe in Washington state. In 2021, they are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Totem Pole Journey in the Spirit of Healing, Honor, Hospitality, Respect and Protection.
Our elder, Tom Sampson on Vancouver Island in 2002 reminded us, ‘The totem pole isn’t what is Sacred. It’s the gathering of the people around the Pole — that is what is Sacred.’ he said.
The pole was delivered to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the Biden-Harris Administration to draw attention and action to sacred sites and Indigenous rights.
The fact that we are all here is not insignificant. When our nation’s capital was established, its policies were intended to exclude us, to assimilate us. Laws and policies were written without considering Indigenous communities’ challenges or their strengths, and we are working hard to undo so many consequences of these actions,” said
Deb Halaand, the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary.
#REDROADTODC TOUR
July 14 Departure for the National Red Road to DC Tour July 15 Snake River Dams, ID July 17 Bears Ears National Monument, UT July 18 Chaco Canyon, NM July 20 Bear Butte, SC July 22 Missouri River (Fort Randall Casino) July 24 Standing Rock, ND July 25 White Earth, MN July 26 Bay Mills Water Ceremony July 28 Washington DC
Tribal communities and Native peoples have been forced to defend the land, waters, and resources, from destruction and degradation for all of us. Sacred sites across Indian Country have been desecrated by development projects that move ahead without the consent of affected Native Nations or communities.
This has created a very real and growing crisis.
There is no time to waste to protect the most sacred places where Indigenous peoples pray, gather traditional foods and medicines, get drinking water, and visit to remind themselves of the ways their ancestors lived since time began.
We call on President Biden and Congress to direct all federal agencies to require the meaningful engagement and consent of affected Native Nations, early in the planning process, and before a project is approved.
Native Nations must be a part of the decision-making process. No more oil pipelines threatening water supplies without the consent of tribes. No more oil and gas drilling in ancient burial sites, without their permission. No more large-scale projects without tribes’ participation in planning and consent.
The U.S. must uphold the rights of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior & Informed Consent, as set forth by the United Nations.
Sign our petition telling President Biden and Congressional leaders to recognize the traditional, legal, and moral rights of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred places.
I was able to attend the ceremony in Washington DC on the 28th at Diamond Teague Park. The Earth Corps. hosted the totem pole on the pier. We prayed and sang songs of life and unity, charging the pole with energy for healing and protection of each other and our sacred sites.
The Power of Art
What an amazing statement of the power of art! This whole project started in the mind of group of people and unfolded through their visions, sweat, blood and tears. Listening to a video of Jewell James discussing the process and idea behind the #RedRoadtoDC really touched me as an artist and art educator. This is a great example of how listening to our hearts and taking our imagination seriously will help us shape and create the world we wish to see.
Artivism
Aside from the beautiful totem pole, there was a large mural that had traveled the journey from Washington as well. People from all over the United States added their mark to this amazing mural which asks the question of us how do we connect with ourselves, each other, and nature.
Artivism marks a meaningful message in a public space. As it attracts people, it invites them to engage and sometimes get involved. The act of getting messy and play with paint sets an example of how we can break through our fears with spontaneity, trust, commitment, and creativity.
Melanie Schambach is the artist behind the idea of the mural. Her passion is in bringing people together in the name of sacred expression, through participatory painting.
How do we build capacity to understand we are all interconnected?
“I believe societies and the environment are facing extraordinary challenges while the speed of change is faster than ever. New methods of engaging people, radical collaborating, and courageous processes that uplift the spirit through self-discovery, are some of the ways to contribute to positive change. With this body of work, I aim to challenge and re-discover the narratives of who we are, how we relate to one another, how we belong to the earth, and what is our shared responsibility.”
Migwetch to everyone who attended the ceremonies and who have signed the petition. Our sacred sites are powerful and necessary places to assist us in remembering our connection to the divine. This journey is one of remembrance. Lets remind ourselves what it means to be connected to one another, and to the divine.
The Blackfoot belief is not a triangle. It is a tipi where they believe tipis reach to the sky.
Self-actualization is at the base of the tipi, not at the top, and is the foundation on which community actualization is built. The highest form that a Blackfoot can attain is called “cultural perpetuity.”
Hierarchy
The world Hierarchy means: SACRED RULER. The earliest sense was ‘system of orders of angels and heavenly beings’. This idea of a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
The word sacred means connected with God (or the gods)… it comes from the root word for consecrate, which is dedicated or devoted. So hierarchy truly means a system devoted to God that organizes an arrangement or classification of things according to relative importance or inclusiveness.
What if we envisioned a hierarchy of our individual needs as as sacred way to connect with the divine! That is how the indigenous cultures saw it.
The Siksika tribe perceived existence in fluid way. They viewed time as cyclical and saw how each aspect of life was related… aiming to restore balance through their actions.
The idea of community actualization being based off of the fact that we are already born with everything, already divinely ourselves… is so powerful. It speaks to the idea of how important a creative, explorative, supportive and imaginative community actually is to self awareness!
In order to flow in the cycle of duality it is important to see that we must return to self awareness in order to remember the importance of self actualization. This can be done through cultural awareness. Once we have that cultural awareness, we can then start to have more self actualization, which will perpetuate our basic needs and safety, and cultural actualization. So it was important for Maslow to get it wrong in order for us to be clear on the entirety of the topic.
The way indigenous spiritual leaders took care of their tribe makes so much sense for the survival of their people. To create a safe space for the tribe members to be be their best selves. This relates so much to the Celtic tradition of the king marrying the land! The king married the land which showed his loyalty and allegiance to the land that supports his people and his life.
Another thing about this article that is interesting is the idea of wealth and how it was not about accumulating property and possessions. Sometimes I think people forget that money is simply a physical representation of their own current.
Money is not the root of all evil but rather the flow of the current of self actualization. If we stop connecting the idea of wealth to money, and allow money to be a manifestation of the wealth of our own energy… then we open ourselves up to receiving that which is divinely ours.
The word WEALTH comes from the root word for WELL or HEALTH. It has nothing to do with the idea possessions or money, though our current definition is simply that…. an abundance of valuable possessions or money.
What if we saw our will and our health as our most valuable possessions? When we hold that perspective we receive the flow of “money” as a physical manifestation of that awareness.
We are sacred rulers of our own design, our own life. We have the ability to create a hierarchy that resonates with who we truly are. Perhaps its time for a new hierarchy to be envisioned. <3
Today Eli ArtSparkle and I harvested mountain mint, which will be used in our summer solstice event! The sun was HOT, but we gathered a lot. I would get flashes of how my ancestors might have felt, harvesting all day to eat and to store for the winter. I felt at home, squatting and cutting the mint quickly. Tomorrow we will harvest valerian, comfrey, and mullen! <3
This years Earth Love Festival at Amethyst Retreat Center in Duncannon Pennsylvania was a beautiful demonstration of community, collaboration, and love.
Nicole Sharkey is the visionary who thought of this beautiful festival 3 years ago, and has since turned it into an amazing opportunity for all, to gather and to heal.
The Earth Love festival grew out of my desire to experience and share joy, forge connections in our community, and understand different perspectives on how to live in harmony with each other and the Earth.
The Earth Love festival is my way of sharing my gifts to create beauty.
I hope you will join me as the Earth Love festival evolves into its second year.
With love,
Nicole Sharkey
Thank you Nicole Erin Sharkey for following through with your beautiful vision and leading by example… when we are compelled to create something, we should let go and follow through with actions to manifest our deepest desires.
Thank you Pat McCabe, Susquehanna Alchemy, and Sarah Poet for facilitating such a safe space for communion and vulnerability. The stories you shared, the passions you have and how they all intertwined with our now, was a beautiful synchronicity, balance and flow to be witness to and apart of… thank you for helping me to remember the romance.
I am so grateful for all of you.
Amethyst Retreat Center is a space for all who wish to find peace and love within the land, and their community. During this event there was a pretty intense storm that damaged a few vendors tents and products, as well as one of Amethyst’s new event tents. Please consider donating to the retreat center to help keep the space beautiful and available for new and exciting events!
He was a brave, analytical, strong man. His vision was rare. He saw many things, and assisted his tribe in knowing themselves better. His gifts illuminated each members path, which in turn enlightened the whole tribe.
She was a compassionate, balanced, teacher and nurturer. She shared her passion and created space that allowed others to share their passions. Everyone felt safe and at peace with her, as if they were home. She had the gift of allowing others to feel free.
Together they were Balanced in Strength and Grace
One day, their world changed forever.
The partnership that was made in the stars, was torn apart by an outside force.
At least that’s how it seemed at that moment in time.
She was a crane, traveling out to surrounding areas… meeting with other leaders, and bringing back new knowledge. He was a bear, a warrior and protector of his people.
He went out to meet his spirit animal, to be initiated as Chief. A quest to find and communicate with a bear. The bear willingly gave of himself as this was the bears time to go back to the spirit world. Animals would offer themselves up as a sacrifice for the flow of the universal energy. He conquered his fears, receiving his spirit animal using only his left hand. Realizing he had the ability to do as he willed, he didn’t need for anything outside of himself. The beauty in this realization is that he finally recognized the value of things outside of himself, and how they are vital to the realization of self.
She went out to meet a neighboring tribe to discuss new findings. The other tribe brought to her attention a new group of people who are lighter skinned with new machines, tools and weapons. She heard of how they came in peace, and how they wished to develop partnerships with her people. They brought gifts to show their intentions… many blankets for the winter.
Before he left for his quest he heard all about the new people. At that time he did not trust them, and did not want their gifts.
Returning from his quest he realizes there are lessons to learn through all experience with the universe, and lead with a heart of gratitude for all things. This is grace, and is a vital part to strength. He brought this way of thinking into his Chieftainship.
When his partner, and lover, brings the news of the gifts as an act of kindness, and shares the lighter skinned peoples said intentions to work together, he makes the decision to give the lighter skinned people a chance.
Winter falls upon the land… colder then ever before… the blankets help keep them warm, as the buffalo were scarce and the fur they gathered wasn’t enough for the whole tribe. He saw how the buffalo were hunted, and in his heart started to feel angry at the ways of this new lighter skinned people. He so badly wanted to see them as a blessing from the universe, but he soon started to realize that not all lessons feel like blessings.
This was difficult for him to find balance. The balance between trusting his instincts as a protector and trusting his heart to lead him through lessons that must be learned. He wanted to believe in the good of all people, and had a hard time seeing what he considered the bad parts as valuable. He was a protector after all… protecting those he cared for from pain and harm.
Or perhaps he was a protector of something far greater than he could imagine.
The blankets kept them warm… and continued to bring the peoples temperatures up. The tribe started to feel the heat of this sickness throughout their whole being. The elderly passed over first, along with very young children.
As he watched his people pass…he felt the fever within him grow. The fever seemed to re-light the fire of anger within his heart, forgetting what lessons he had learned from the bear. With each day he grew weaker and weaker as his anger grew deeper and deeper. The fire consumed him until he was no longer able to speak, losing his grace… and passing over.
She was engulfed in feelings of guilt, anger, sadness, regret… feelings she had never felt so deeply before. Her heart was darkening and weakening with the passing of each of her relatives. Was this all her fault? What should she have done, what could she have done differently? Not only did she lose her closest and dearest friends and confidants, she was losing her partner and her lover. She wanted to give up, she wished she had caught the fever… she didn’t feel worthy to be one of the last remaining.
One night an eagle came to her in a dream… showing her the cycle of life, and how everything was connected. Sharing the perspective that experiences are to learn and grow from, no matter how they feel.
She realized that strength was vital to her grace. She realized this was her lesson. He showed her the vastness of strength, and that grace alone isn’t enough. He taught her the importance of truly knowing strength in order to walk in true grace. She was grace because he was strength… but now she had found her own strength within.
This was the lesson the universe brought through him…
One can not walk in grace without having
the strength to do so in even the most trying times.
The fifth moon of Creation is Flower Moon, where all plants display their Spirit sides for all the world to see. This life giving energy is one of the most powerful healing medicines on Mother Earth. During this moon we are encouraged to explore our own Spiritual essences.
Of course tonight is a full moon… the energies around us have been strange and complex. The moon is in Scorpio constellation in the sky at the moment, which helps us get in touch with our intimate, authentic self and to live in the truth.
Full moon energy shines light on things that no longer serve our life purpose. Through the power of intention, we release those things in order to make room for the new. Change is the only constant in our experience… so why not create change with intention?!
This full moon brings extra clarity and power of will into our lives, in order to release and let go of the old in order to make room for the beautiful gifts ahead.
Transform through surrender.
The Wesak Moon is known as the celebration of Vesak (Buddha Day) in Buddhist traditions, and it is one of the most significant and auspicious festivals of the Buddhist year. It takes place on the fourth full moon of the Chinese lunar calendar, and this year it falls on May 10th.
Vesak is a celebration of Buddha’s journey, which encompasses his birth, nirvana (attainment of enlightenment), and parinirvana (ascent/death). Theravadan Buddhists believe that all three of these events occurred on the same day.
Interesting that in Buddhism, today is celebrated as the most powerful full moon of the year, bringing with it a new wave of awakening light! I knew there was a reason the energy around feels very intense.
The sabian symbol of the Full Moon is “Obeying his conscience, a soldier resists orders”. The message of the sabian symbol is: sometimes you have to assert your values, your truth, even if you have to face the consequences of your decision, no matter the cost. You have to stay true to yourself, no matter what. This is the ultimate freedom. And the only one we really have.
Now is the time to love each part of your being, light and dark. It is about being you to the fullest, and living your truth no matter what.
Personally, this energy has been impacting me tremendously. I have felt in my being these very words before they were ever read. Being true to myself and connecting with source to remind myself I Am Divine. This is a journey to the Divine.
To work with this energy through intention, you can write out all of the things you know are hindering you from your life’s purpose and then burn them, releasing them to source. You can write down what your authentic self looks like. You can take a bath and meditate or listen to a wonderful full moon ceremony online. This beautiful woman, Sage Goddess, does full moon ceremonies live streaming online, and tonights is going to be fantastic!
Flower Moon
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