Spring Fools

Greetings all,

Well I have been a busy bee.  Above you see pictures from my spring equinox drum ceremony.  It had everything a budding thaumaturge could ask for:  two drummers for balance, one male one female, a dark and light drum, a clear and smoky crystal, cold and warmth, clouds and sun, and last but not least a man and his dog.

Monday the 20th was the equinox and I was of course dedicated to ceremony, but I was also on a time constraint.  For Monday is my do everything day.  I clean, I do laundry, I teach, and I goto the gym.  It's why I never schedule clients on that day.  Shamanic practitioner I may be, but the toilet isn't going to scrub itself, nor the laundry wash itself.  So in between loads of laundry I scampered off to a local park.  I met with one of my teachers there and I set up my altar space.  Just as we were getting started an older man walked by with a little dog, and my teacher a consummate dog lover asked, "What kind of dog is she?"

I have often written about the power of questions, and what they can unleash into the world.  I had no concept of what was to follow.  I should note beforehand, that I am always a little trepidatious about performing ceremony in what amounts to public space.  I never know who will be around, if they will honor the space, or if they will be belligerent and start spouting religious dogma at me.  In this case I needn't have worried.  The man whom I shall call Mr. J. was extremely friendly, curious, and courteous.  He obviously was very kind natured and loved to talk with people.  Indeed he kept us talking for at least twenty minutes, and even asked us about what we were doing.  I was vague on the details, but simply said we were celebrating the incoming season of spring.  He wanted to know more, and so I meted out little bits of information all the while quite conscious of the time ticking away and becoming more and more anxious.  I finally gave up and just let him meander on his conversational track until it seemed like he was at its conclusion.  I remembered this is ceremony and whatever happens will happen for a reason.

Mr. J. departed taking his little dog home.  We very quickly moved into ceremony.  Now here is the very interesting bit.  When I arrived it was quite raw and wet out.  It didn't feel like spring at all.  I was regretting not having ear muffs.  Well about midway through the ceremony the sun started to peak out.  All of the sudden the gray overcast light was peeled back to reveal the bright yellow light of spring.  By the time we'd finished the drumming, the temperature had moderated considerably.  It felt a good 10 degrees warmer.  It was as if spring had arrived at the apex of the ceremony.  Perfect in its timing I was glad I had indulged Mr. J., for if we had started when we first intended we would have missed the transformation from winter to spring.  Instead our drumming seemed to be plugged into the exact moment when the seasons changed.

Later on that day as I was busily seeing to my chores before teaching I realized something else about our encounter.  Mr. J. had been the living archetype of the Fool from the tarot.  Now don't misunderstand, I'm not insulting him.  I don't mean fool as someone who is ignorant or stupid.  I am referring to the open innocence that the Fool card can possess.  It is the wild card of the major arcana.  It is the zero card, the void, and is one face of the divine.  The Fool is also lucky.  Often in the card he (or sometimes she) is depicted with a little dog heading off into the world beneath  the sun, innocent to any dangers on the path ahead, and so they are open to new experiences.  Looking back I can't even be sure Mr. J. was actually there and not a spirit in disguise meant to test our courtesy while helping us to be in sync with the energies of seasonal transformation.  I have been told that the old stories still walk amongst us in our world.

So why am I telling you all this.  Well are you ever in such a hurry or so tied to a schedule that you miss the magic that is trying to happen for you?  Do you treat others as an inconvenience rather than an invitation?  Are you aware of those moments when the balance changes and something new begins?  Well maybe it is time to slow down your agenda and greet what is coming to you right now.  Here we stand at the doorway of spring.  What unforeseen forces are stalking you for your higher good?  Will you snap out of your controlled routines to see the mystery that hunts for your heart?  Will you capture the magic by letting go of the reins to your plans?  Try just for a few days, and maybe one of the old stories will find you.  Maybe you'll meet dear Mr. J. and then, well that's another story.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle

Beneath the Surface

Greetings all,

I hope you had a great week.  I'll be honest the time change really punched my clock in more ways than one this week, and the next ten days for me is going to a blur of activity.  I'll be teaching my normal four Tai Chi classes as well as hosting the monthly Local Chapter of the Monroe Institute meditation, speaking at local meditation group, teaching another Qi Gong class at the Louisville Salt Cave, and facilitating a four hour workshop on runes.  This whole month has been that way with clients too.  I'm grateful for the sudden influx of opportunities, just hoping I can space them a bit more wisely in the future.

I"ve been trying to reconnect with my deeper mysteries this year.  People keep coming to me with more complicated and heavy issues and so I'm upping my game by returning to my magical roots.  What I am noticing as I delve back into my divinatory tools and otherworldly interactions is just how much I actually pick up on subconsciously.  There are many times I will do something in a session, or in my life spontaneously for no apparent reason.  It is only in looking back after the fact that I realize I made the perfect move for what was about to occur.  This has shown up as I review old dream journals too, as I am realizing part of me at least is very in touch with what is going to happen beforehand (sometimes by years).

This unconscious preparedness should have me more excited, but truthfully it would be nice to know what I know more often.  For one thing it would improve my confidence level and lower my anxiety. Intuition is a subtle thing, and in my case it likes to fly under the radar.  There are reasons why I use cards, runes, and other divination tools to focus.  Having a little bit of structure actually gives me the freedom to range out with my senses.  A starting point is kind of important if you're trying to get someplace.  Now I have random bits of information pop into my head all the time but stringing them together into a coherent reference of meaning is where the work comes in.

Now I don't mean to complain about running on the equivalent of psychic autopilot.  I'm actually rather pleased once I figure out that I did something on purpose, even if I didn't know it at the time.  What I realize is that my need to make all these senses more conscious is part of my effort to be "in control".  Of course we could just as easily call it my addiction to the illusion of control.  Oddly the more I let go of control, the more things flow, and the more access I have to my intuitive faculties.  So the only reason to try and look in control is for appearance sake....basically marketing.  I really should give that up, marketing is not one of my strong points.

So why am I telling you this?  Well perhaps like me your guidance is just fine and you're not aware of how pervasive its positive influence is on you.  Many of us have such a strong image in our heads of what being psychic or intuitive means we may be blocking our natural tendency to find our way in the dark.  What if we let go of trying to prove to ourselves over and over again that we're plugged in?  If you are part of this world, you're connected even if you don't know it.  How our guidance shows up for us is going to be very individual thing and trying to compare how it shows up to for you as opposed to anyone else is futile.  I suggest we all just chill and run with our natural inklings.  We can always analyze after the fact.  Once we start to trust that some part of us knows what it's doing, it becomes easier for us to access more pieces of the puzzle.  So as you move through your week, keep stock of the things that turned out right.  How many of those happened because you just did one thing that you didn't think about until later?  You may start to see the patterns of awareness hidden beneath the surface of your everyday life.  You may start to see yourself living both within time and outside of it. You may even see down the deep well of the self to the light you carry within.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle

Impress Me Warrior

Greetings all,

I hope you had a blessed week.  I've certainly been hopping.  I've had many meetings, clients, and classes to keep me on the go.   My next goal is to get started in the studio again so that I can get my hands in clay.

This week has not all been about building though.  As has been happening across the land, violence has come to my home.  For those of you that aren't aware there has been a rash of bomb threats against synagogues and Jewish community centers across the nation.  I myself happen to teach one of my Tai Chi classes at a JCC in my city.  There seems to be a concerted effort by white nationalists (American Nazis) to terrorize the Jewish community.  They are not alone in receiving this kind of treatment, mosques have been similarly threatened, and at times even destroyed.  The only point of light in this has been the response from both Muslims and Jews who have reached out in support of one another.

 This is a dark time in the USA.  Those that have kept to their dark corners feel emboldened to gather and attack minorities.  I have seen articles with footage from rallies that are calling for a liberal genocide, and the deporting of Jews and Muslims.  People around me who are conservative are telling me it's all being blown out of proportion, but most of these are white Christians who haven't had their places of worship threatened, or worse burnt down.  In the midst of this all we keep hearing from on high is more chest thumping and spouting of militaristic and violent rhetoric.  People are aligning behind the, "Might makes right," argument.  With our country's love affair with firearms and recent shootings of immigrants I am to say the least, a bit disgusted.

There seems to be some misconception that the ability to destroy makes someone powerful.  Well it doesn't.  Any idiot can blow something up, or shoot something, or light a fire, or smash a window.  It takes no imagination, skill, or innate strength to destroy.  Destruction is easy.  Destruction is for wusses.  If you want to impress me, build something.  Create something elegant.  Look at the picture above.  The glass canopy is exquisite and delicate.  As challenging as it was to make that canopy, it would be extraordinarily easy to break it.  Creating something takes at least ten times the energy and skill that ruining it does.  Small minds can't conceive, so they attack and smash.  

 I am finding it harder to muster up any respect for those in this world who take pride in what they can smash.  They strut around thinking they're better because they know how to kill, maim, or take something apart.  Perhaps I am being a bit judgmental, but I really feel that we need a change of culture.  We need a new idea of what a warrior is.  Back in the long ago, the warriors were the hunters and guardians of our tribal ancestors.  Their strength was used to preserve and protect the people and what they had created.  We revered that ability and strength not for its own merit, but for what it provided the community.  Now we have separated physical ability from service, glorifying it for its own selfish use.  Whom do we honor most, firemen or athletes?  Do we honor our veterans or do we worship mixed martial artist champions?  Who is stronger, the weightlifter, or the woman giving birth?  The warrior archetype has been co-opted by the cult of masculinity, and has lost much of its original meaning and power.

So why am I telling you this?  Well we all have a piece of this culture within us.  We must ask ourselves what we honor?  When we think of the warrior are we worshipping power over others, or  the power to protect others?  How do you define strength?  When I asked that question did you immediately think of a tall well built man?  Do you think of women as strong?  I'll be honest with you most of my examples of strength came from women I have known.  So this week as you walk through the world spend time acknowledging the strength in the hands that have grown your food, that have taught children to read, that have cared for aging relatives, that have woven the cloth in your garments, and that have solved problems with the skill of their minds.  Warriors are needed in this dark time, but warriors need to impress us with what they can create.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle

Return to Innocence

Greetings all,

I hope you've had a good week.  I've just been running trying to keep up with rate that things are changing.  The more things change, the more things change.  Ah you thought I was going to say "The more things change the more they stay the same."  Well I used to think my life moved in cycles, but now I am beginning to think it moves in spirals.  I have yet to discover if those spirals are going outward or deeper within.  However considering the complex physics of my mind and dreamscapes I wouldn't put it past my destiny to do both.

Innocence, a force that is simultaneously as powerful as a waterfall and as delicate as butterfly wings.  It is what we treasure and idealize in children.  Innocence in our culture is something we lose, indeed it is with great relish that some people seem to go about grinding that trait right out of those that don't abandon it quickly enough.  We also for some unknown reason seem to pair it with sexual awareness and experience, because natural processes are somehow impure and suspect. (I know what gives?)  I really don't define innocence in that way, I see it as more an open heartedness to the world, approaching life's experience with a degree of wonder, love, and gratitude.  Innocence is not ignorance in my book it is a simplicity of interaction.

Now when I came into magic working with others I was innocent.  I was trusting and open.  I wanted to get along with everyone and share all the wonders I was seeing.  It was the same reaction that I had  when encountering beings in spirit.  I was walking around in wonderland, well just like Alice I got into some trouble.  See when you're really innocent, you're not very discerning of people.  I had several years where I was repeatedly taken advantage of, and outright attacked and abused within the magical community.  The bloom was off the rose by then and I sort of retreated into myself.  I still encountered many people, some very good, but I wasn't very open with many people or indeed open much at all.

Some of you may think that this is all part of maturing, and learning to discern intent is definitely part of that.  Finding out where you belong, or at least where you don't belong is totally part of the growing into adulthood journey.  I don't think we should be wide open to every person and situation, because quite simply too many people (and beings) do not have our best interests at heart.  Still lately I've been thinking that I need to return to some of that simplicity and trust.  For one thing innocence is essential with working with the energies of Faery.  WAIT don't stop reading yet.  I swear this shit is real.  (Oh yeah my innocence is not exactly measured by how clean my vocabulary is because I can be a mouthy son of a bitch).  Working in the natural energies of Faery has for me been some of the most sacred and powerful magic I've ever experienced.  It is just so me, and yet as I have trained in more human systems of energy work I've spent less time with my dear cousins in the green realm.

Now to work with the faery you have to be in the right place in your heart otherwise it won't go well. You can't have ulterior motives.  You have to hold innocence when you're doing the work, or at least good hearted mischievousness, and really if you can manage both those things you'll be a rockstar in the toadstool circles.  People always ask me well what is faery magic good for which always struck me as odd.  To me the point of it was to work with them and to feel them with me as I moved through the world in a magical way.  That's not to say that it isn't useful, because they are masters at healing, manifesting, protection, and illusion.  They also inspire and delight.  To me they just make the world a better more awe inspiring place.

So why I am telling you all this?  Well whether you're in with the fey or not, it might be time to set aside those jaded reactions.  We are living in times of great change and upset.  These are the times when the legends can walk amongst us again.  If we wish to walk with them we'll have to shed some of the cynicism.  That doesn't meant we ignore our sense of things being fishy, but it does mean we should suspend our mindset until we get a clear feeling.  Instead of instantly rejecting something or someone, perhaps just thinking, "Well let's see which way this goes,", is more appropriate.  If you like me constantly find that you are holding yourself back then maybe it is time to let what is in you flow. Don't be shy about the yearnings of your heart.  Now is not the time to accept mediocrity, now is the time to return to the innocent expectation of great and good things.  If not now then when?  If not you than whom?  Just let your heart love, let your mind heal, and above all hold yourself like the shining star your body was forged in.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle