Greetings all,
During my childhood, Christmas was my favorite holiday, followed closely by Halloween. Thanksgiving didn't really register as much of a holiday until I was a bit older. By then my family was spread out over a larger geographic region, and it was usually the only time when we were really together. So it actually became my favorite. There was no rush to buy presents and put out decorations, just cooking, eating and spending time in good company.
It has been widely publicized in the last decade that gratitude is one of the strongest ways to promote happiness and manifestation. As I was told by a guide of mine, the best way to navigate change is with gratitude and thankfulness. It really helps transform the energy even when we are afraid or uncertain. I am sure that I fall very short of the mark on gratitude. It is a practice just like tai chi or yoga, and so I am not going to beat myself up about it. I will simply work on my practice of being thankful.
My exposure to other practitioners in different disciplines this year has had a very beneficial impact on my own path. I see similarities beyond the superficiality of ceremonies and rituals to the pure energy of the intent. It has changed my own practice bringing it deeper in alignment with the purpose behind it. In no other practice is this more apparent than my Friday prayer ceremony.
To those of you who don't know, I pray using my mesa and a rattle every Friday. Rain or shine, sick or well, tired or energized, the prayers go out. It was originally inspired by the Blessing Way of the Navajo (thanks Malinda). It is not the Blessing Way, it is the Mooneagle's Rite. I wanted to make a commitment with Spirit and help others as well. So I began a few years ago each Friday and it is a commitment I have honored and never missed. My list of those I pray for has grown to about 70 people and their families. This past year I changed how I began my prayers. Now before I send out the prayer focus I begin with thanking all the spirits that help me. I start with the Creator and work down. That alone can take 15 minutes or more. I have a lot of help. This has really deepened the ceremony and added to its power.
When we give thanks to those that help us we complete a circuit of energy. We allow the gift to be fully expressed. We in some ways mirror the giver. This can be forgotten amidst turkey, football games, and old family grudges. The importance of honoring all those that are part of our journey cannot be overstated. Each week I dive into that, and it is empowering. Now the challenge is to in some smaller way make that part of my everyday practice.
How about you? Are you honoring the good around you? Are you placing your thoughts in a loving way on those who have helped you? Do you count your blessings or your misfortunes? I'll tell you a secret. The more you count one the more that tally increases. Choose wisely the list you wish to enumerate.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Musings
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
An Agent of Chaos
Greetings all,
Well what a week! I'd been mostly insulated from the news last weekend as I was on the road working an expo. When I got back to my friend's place early in the week I finally had time to see the news of what transpired in Paris.
It is very distressing to see the level of violence and carnage that some people are willing to inflict on others in their lust for temporal power. The desire to rule and control others is not a spiritual goal it's an ego power play. However I was even more disgusted that in the wake of this tragedy people were turning a cold shoulder to refugees and the hateful fear filled comment that flooded social media.
So I have been a busy little bee posting my actual opinions on Facebook. People have been caught off guard as I usually try to be a little less controversial online. I haven't been pulling punches. I have stirred things up. I have been an agent of chaos. Hopefully it's been chaos on the side of good. I get too comfortable in my opinions like anyone else, and they need stirring up from time to time. If I'm honest it is a bit scary. I've opened myself up to all sorts of personal attacks. Coyote told me I'd upset the powers, well maybe the powers need to be upset, maybe we all do.
How about yourself? Are you making waves? Are you rocking the boat? If you are then don't get too discouraged. Those that rock the boat, that question society often do it to make a better world. If not us then who? So be bold. Be the chaos of life, because stagnation is death.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Well what a week! I'd been mostly insulated from the news last weekend as I was on the road working an expo. When I got back to my friend's place early in the week I finally had time to see the news of what transpired in Paris.
It is very distressing to see the level of violence and carnage that some people are willing to inflict on others in their lust for temporal power. The desire to rule and control others is not a spiritual goal it's an ego power play. However I was even more disgusted that in the wake of this tragedy people were turning a cold shoulder to refugees and the hateful fear filled comment that flooded social media.
So I have been a busy little bee posting my actual opinions on Facebook. People have been caught off guard as I usually try to be a little less controversial online. I haven't been pulling punches. I have stirred things up. I have been an agent of chaos. Hopefully it's been chaos on the side of good. I get too comfortable in my opinions like anyone else, and they need stirring up from time to time. If I'm honest it is a bit scary. I've opened myself up to all sorts of personal attacks. Coyote told me I'd upset the powers, well maybe the powers need to be upset, maybe we all do.
How about yourself? Are you making waves? Are you rocking the boat? If you are then don't get too discouraged. Those that rock the boat, that question society often do it to make a better world. If not us then who? So be bold. Be the chaos of life, because stagnation is death.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Identity Theft
Greetings all,
Once more I take to wing and the road is calling my name. If change was a road it would be a superhighway for me right now.
So the past few months have seen an incredible amount of shifting for myself. Apart from all the travel and expos most of the underpinnings that make up the fabric of my life have completely changed their hue. I will start out by saying this really is all my doing. (Well mostly my doing, Fate threw her ante into the pot as well). I've been tackling deeper issues with clients, drawing people with a greater need for healing than I ever have before. I've published an ebook which is soon to be a print book as well. I lost both my part time jobs within a week of each other. I cofounded a new group of holistic practitioners all focused on removing inner blocks to our own personal development and healing. You could say I've been a busy little bee.
I have this theory that the difficulty in creating a change is directly tied to how much we link whatever belief, role, or circumstance that we are trying to change with how much our identity is intertwined with it. For example, in my tai chi practice I run across people all the time that claim they've always been clumsy. Now some people show a greater improvement when they practice tai chi than others, but those people who repeatedly insist on their own clumsy nature have a harder time learning the forms and improving their overall balance. They have defined their physical identity as someone who is clumsy, and until they decide that is not who they are, there is little that can be done to change that reality.
Now where it gets weirder is when you involve more "magical" methods of change. Some of the approaches I use bypass the mind entirely going for an overall pattern change. If the pattern is accepted there is often an accompanying period of adjustment for the client. Sometimes they even experience non localized anxiety. This is due to one of the core ideas of their psyche being shifted or in some cases removed entirely. This causes every linked layer of self identification to have to reorder itself. The feeling of not knowing who you are anymore is very disorientating and uncomfortable. I have worked with shamanic methods where entities have been removed that have been with a person for decades. After a consciousness has been within us for so long it's removal can cause an identity crisis, as the person doesn't really know themselves without that entity's influence.
Who we think we are and what we identify with has a profound impact on our lives and our interactions. It is helpful to be aware of how people identify themselves particularly in a disagreement. Many conflicts begin because something we do or say is perceived as threatening what somebody identifies with. Think holy wars and you'll get the extreme example of this concept. When people closely twine their ego with their faith it is a recipe for volatile reactions. This is why people will kill in the name of one religion or another. Threatening someone's belief structure that they define themselves through is a direct assault on their identity. It steals away the foundation of their identity. The ego goes into defense mode and reacts as if the person's very life is in danger, and in a sense it is. Your ego sees no difference between what you identify as and you. I will give you a little exercise to practice with to get the feel for this. I want you to think of what your reaction is to the next series of words: Democrat, Tea Party, War on Drugs, Fundamentalist Religions, Atheism, Family Values, Gay Agenda, Pro life, Pro Choice. Now at least some of those words got an emotional response (some even got a visceral response I'm betting). The degree to which you reacted to each of those words represents the degree you define yourself in relationship to them.
At the end of the day, we all define ourselves one way or another. The trick is not to do so rigidly, leaving a way open for change to come. If we define ourselves too rigidly change feels like death because that is what it becomes. Part of our identity has to die to allow for the change. I'm not saying we should be wishy washy, but rather than using external sources to identify ourselves we should be looking within for the traits that are truly us. That will allow us to let go of what is not us more gracefully.
So what about you? Does change feel like death? Do you define yourself by your occupation, your relationship status, or your social associations? Are you aware when you react to a threat to your perceived identity or are you unconsciously playing out a conflict? If you removed all the external markers of association who are you really? Think a while on that and tell me who you wish to be.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Once more I take to wing and the road is calling my name. If change was a road it would be a superhighway for me right now.
So the past few months have seen an incredible amount of shifting for myself. Apart from all the travel and expos most of the underpinnings that make up the fabric of my life have completely changed their hue. I will start out by saying this really is all my doing. (Well mostly my doing, Fate threw her ante into the pot as well). I've been tackling deeper issues with clients, drawing people with a greater need for healing than I ever have before. I've published an ebook which is soon to be a print book as well. I lost both my part time jobs within a week of each other. I cofounded a new group of holistic practitioners all focused on removing inner blocks to our own personal development and healing. You could say I've been a busy little bee.
I have this theory that the difficulty in creating a change is directly tied to how much we link whatever belief, role, or circumstance that we are trying to change with how much our identity is intertwined with it. For example, in my tai chi practice I run across people all the time that claim they've always been clumsy. Now some people show a greater improvement when they practice tai chi than others, but those people who repeatedly insist on their own clumsy nature have a harder time learning the forms and improving their overall balance. They have defined their physical identity as someone who is clumsy, and until they decide that is not who they are, there is little that can be done to change that reality.
Now where it gets weirder is when you involve more "magical" methods of change. Some of the approaches I use bypass the mind entirely going for an overall pattern change. If the pattern is accepted there is often an accompanying period of adjustment for the client. Sometimes they even experience non localized anxiety. This is due to one of the core ideas of their psyche being shifted or in some cases removed entirely. This causes every linked layer of self identification to have to reorder itself. The feeling of not knowing who you are anymore is very disorientating and uncomfortable. I have worked with shamanic methods where entities have been removed that have been with a person for decades. After a consciousness has been within us for so long it's removal can cause an identity crisis, as the person doesn't really know themselves without that entity's influence.
Who we think we are and what we identify with has a profound impact on our lives and our interactions. It is helpful to be aware of how people identify themselves particularly in a disagreement. Many conflicts begin because something we do or say is perceived as threatening what somebody identifies with. Think holy wars and you'll get the extreme example of this concept. When people closely twine their ego with their faith it is a recipe for volatile reactions. This is why people will kill in the name of one religion or another. Threatening someone's belief structure that they define themselves through is a direct assault on their identity. It steals away the foundation of their identity. The ego goes into defense mode and reacts as if the person's very life is in danger, and in a sense it is. Your ego sees no difference between what you identify as and you. I will give you a little exercise to practice with to get the feel for this. I want you to think of what your reaction is to the next series of words: Democrat, Tea Party, War on Drugs, Fundamentalist Religions, Atheism, Family Values, Gay Agenda, Pro life, Pro Choice. Now at least some of those words got an emotional response (some even got a visceral response I'm betting). The degree to which you reacted to each of those words represents the degree you define yourself in relationship to them.
At the end of the day, we all define ourselves one way or another. The trick is not to do so rigidly, leaving a way open for change to come. If we define ourselves too rigidly change feels like death because that is what it becomes. Part of our identity has to die to allow for the change. I'm not saying we should be wishy washy, but rather than using external sources to identify ourselves we should be looking within for the traits that are truly us. That will allow us to let go of what is not us more gracefully.
So what about you? Does change feel like death? Do you define yourself by your occupation, your relationship status, or your social associations? Are you aware when you react to a threat to your perceived identity or are you unconsciously playing out a conflict? If you removed all the external markers of association who are you really? Think a while on that and tell me who you wish to be.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Shaken not Stirred
Greetings all,
Yes that is a Bond quote in the title. Probably the only time you'll see me referring to him. He is after all the worst spy in history. Everyone knew who he was, and if he isn't a misogynists's dream of the ideal man he is damn close. The title refers more to me this week.
Events are moving, sometimes accompanied by hundreds of pounds of steal behind them. Last weekend's near miss with the car in the fog (or as I like to think of it as someone who was compensating either for the lack of a mother's love or a severe handicap in anatomical endowment) has been followed by two more of these close calls. I've gotten a bit jumpy you might say. Usually when cars get flung at me it is because something wants me to mind my own business. Of course I never do, it's just not who I am I suppose.
In times of tremendous change it is natural to feel a bit untethered and unsure. I find myself conflicted torn between quickly trying to hammer something down into certainty and remaining open to an opportunity as yet unknown. The thing is I don't really have to know at this point, but it is funny how everyone else wants to know what my plans are. I almost manufacture plans just to have something to tell people. They aren't lies either, I create real plans. I just wonder if it is too soon to believe in any of them. Meanwhile I am plugging away at some of my more ambitious long term goals. I seem to be in delaying mode though, sometimes when things are close to coming to fruition I back away. Nowadays I at least recognize the tendency. Believe it or not getting what you want can be just as frightening as not getting it.
So here I am betwixt and between the last chapter of one life and the first chapter of another. I'm debating on what that next chapter will include. I do feel all wobbly on the inside, but society demands certainty at all times. The world waits for no man and all that rubbish. Well considering the amount of time I've had to wait for various people or circumstances I think I shall take a moment to catch my breath, to look up, to even dare I say it…rest. I've been given a great gift and that's an empty space in my life. There is no need to automatically fill it without pause or reflection.
How about you? Are you jarred from one event to another never taking time to regain your equilibrium? Do you fill every empty section of your space and life? Are you afraid of having space to think or be without a role to perform? Why does the undefined frighten you? Does having your ship come in leave you hung out to dry? Stir these thoughts around in your head for a bit, and see if they don't shake you up.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Yes that is a Bond quote in the title. Probably the only time you'll see me referring to him. He is after all the worst spy in history. Everyone knew who he was, and if he isn't a misogynists's dream of the ideal man he is damn close. The title refers more to me this week.
Events are moving, sometimes accompanied by hundreds of pounds of steal behind them. Last weekend's near miss with the car in the fog (or as I like to think of it as someone who was compensating either for the lack of a mother's love or a severe handicap in anatomical endowment) has been followed by two more of these close calls. I've gotten a bit jumpy you might say. Usually when cars get flung at me it is because something wants me to mind my own business. Of course I never do, it's just not who I am I suppose.
In times of tremendous change it is natural to feel a bit untethered and unsure. I find myself conflicted torn between quickly trying to hammer something down into certainty and remaining open to an opportunity as yet unknown. The thing is I don't really have to know at this point, but it is funny how everyone else wants to know what my plans are. I almost manufacture plans just to have something to tell people. They aren't lies either, I create real plans. I just wonder if it is too soon to believe in any of them. Meanwhile I am plugging away at some of my more ambitious long term goals. I seem to be in delaying mode though, sometimes when things are close to coming to fruition I back away. Nowadays I at least recognize the tendency. Believe it or not getting what you want can be just as frightening as not getting it.
So here I am betwixt and between the last chapter of one life and the first chapter of another. I'm debating on what that next chapter will include. I do feel all wobbly on the inside, but society demands certainty at all times. The world waits for no man and all that rubbish. Well considering the amount of time I've had to wait for various people or circumstances I think I shall take a moment to catch my breath, to look up, to even dare I say it…rest. I've been given a great gift and that's an empty space in my life. There is no need to automatically fill it without pause or reflection.
How about you? Are you jarred from one event to another never taking time to regain your equilibrium? Do you fill every empty section of your space and life? Are you afraid of having space to think or be without a role to perform? Why does the undefined frighten you? Does having your ship come in leave you hung out to dry? Stir these thoughts around in your head for a bit, and see if they don't shake you up.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Monday, November 2, 2015
Through the Mists
Greetings all,
All is silence out at this late hour as I return home through the fog. I am very tired, but I will muse a bit for you.
Tonight was the annual Day of the Dead party at my teacher's house (well one of my teachers anyways). This is one of my favorite gatherings of the year. There is always a good turnout. Normally I am very into the ceremony, but tonight I was pulled away from it by children. I had a friend who had started doing a skull face make up but hadn't quite finished it and so I was helping her jazz it up for the festivities. Well once the attending kids got a whiff of this every one of them wanted their face painted by me. So while despacho was going on I was busy lending my artistic vision to painting stylized skulls on little girls' faces.
I dithered about giving full attention to ceremony while also being pulled in the direction of keeping the kids entertained. I did take a few breaks to do my small part in ceremony, but for the most part I painted faces. It was odd here I was to honor ancestors in ceremony and appeal for their aid in my endeavors for the year and I was stuck at the kiddie table. Hmmm there might be a metaphor in there if I look hard enough for it. As I later considered the matter I came to the conclusion that I was honoring the ancestors by tending to the next generation. I was making them a part of the festivities in a way they could grasp and enjoy. Ceremony is a form energy can move through not the energy itself.
I did get out to the fire, I did get to drum and dance. I petitioned for the aid I think I need. We sat up later than normal this year. Each of us had all gone through profound changes, and most of them were quite difficult. We traded readings and jokes. Perhaps the jokes may turn out to be the more valuable asset. As we wrapped up and got into our cars to leave a mist had descended. It was so thick it hid the road practically. It made us all very mindful of the space between where we were and our homes.
There is so much around us that we aren't aware of, and most times we don't give it much thought. So much can happen in the space between one door and another. The air is always full of possibilities just beyond our conscious awareness. As I drove home a car passed me so close it set my heart racing almost as fast as it was moving, which had to be close to 100 mph. A few to the left and I could have been joining the ancestors. We can't see them usually but I believe we are always watched by ancestors or helpful spirits in those between spaces. Taking time to honor them is never a bad idea.
So on this week where the veil between here and there is separated only by a screen of mists are you taking the opportunity to reach through? Are you calling out to the spirits that walk beside us on our roads? Are you drawing strength from those that have come before you? Well if not perhaps it is time to consider your road and whether or not you wish company on it. What would happen if you held hands with those who have gone before and know where the road leads? Would you pass through the mists with courage and grace, or tremble with worry and stumble? Consider your connections those that have passed and those that remain, how are you tending to them?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
All is silence out at this late hour as I return home through the fog. I am very tired, but I will muse a bit for you.
Tonight was the annual Day of the Dead party at my teacher's house (well one of my teachers anyways). This is one of my favorite gatherings of the year. There is always a good turnout. Normally I am very into the ceremony, but tonight I was pulled away from it by children. I had a friend who had started doing a skull face make up but hadn't quite finished it and so I was helping her jazz it up for the festivities. Well once the attending kids got a whiff of this every one of them wanted their face painted by me. So while despacho was going on I was busy lending my artistic vision to painting stylized skulls on little girls' faces.
I dithered about giving full attention to ceremony while also being pulled in the direction of keeping the kids entertained. I did take a few breaks to do my small part in ceremony, but for the most part I painted faces. It was odd here I was to honor ancestors in ceremony and appeal for their aid in my endeavors for the year and I was stuck at the kiddie table. Hmmm there might be a metaphor in there if I look hard enough for it. As I later considered the matter I came to the conclusion that I was honoring the ancestors by tending to the next generation. I was making them a part of the festivities in a way they could grasp and enjoy. Ceremony is a form energy can move through not the energy itself.
I did get out to the fire, I did get to drum and dance. I petitioned for the aid I think I need. We sat up later than normal this year. Each of us had all gone through profound changes, and most of them were quite difficult. We traded readings and jokes. Perhaps the jokes may turn out to be the more valuable asset. As we wrapped up and got into our cars to leave a mist had descended. It was so thick it hid the road practically. It made us all very mindful of the space between where we were and our homes.
There is so much around us that we aren't aware of, and most times we don't give it much thought. So much can happen in the space between one door and another. The air is always full of possibilities just beyond our conscious awareness. As I drove home a car passed me so close it set my heart racing almost as fast as it was moving, which had to be close to 100 mph. A few to the left and I could have been joining the ancestors. We can't see them usually but I believe we are always watched by ancestors or helpful spirits in those between spaces. Taking time to honor them is never a bad idea.
So on this week where the veil between here and there is separated only by a screen of mists are you taking the opportunity to reach through? Are you calling out to the spirits that walk beside us on our roads? Are you drawing strength from those that have come before you? Well if not perhaps it is time to consider your road and whether or not you wish company on it. What would happen if you held hands with those who have gone before and know where the road leads? Would you pass through the mists with courage and grace, or tremble with worry and stumble? Consider your connections those that have passed and those that remain, how are you tending to them?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
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