Greetings everyone,
So in the past week I started reading some books by Carlos Castaneda at the suggestion of a friend who had some very out there experiences while reading them. I had read one book by him 20 years ago but hadn't really touched his work till now. I needed something to change the focus I had been developing.
Just like everyone else I can become fixated in the "real world" forgetting how fluid reality is. The mainstream with all the movies, television, and internet can really take your psyche on a ride very quickly. The world is a lot more changeable and magical than the mainstream would suggest. Change can happen instantly which is why I believe there is a 24 hour news cycle to keep us distracted. Keep people dazzled long enough and you can pull off all sorts of things. I've talked before about the collective dreams and how they bring our world into being. We can also dream our own corner of the world into being. However we can get lost in the tide and eddies of the collective dream if we don't manage our perception well.
What do I mean? Well there are wonderful and strange things going on all the time, and most people don't pay any attention to them. Some don't even recognize they happen at all, and for them they actually don't. How is that possible? Well where we focus our attention is where the undifferentiated wave states of the universe collapse into what we consider "solid" reality. If you want to change what your world is like it really is just a shift of where you put your perception. Now the trick to this is that we have a very ingrained habitual mind that we have been feeding with notions about the world since we were children. We have a fairly coherent framework in our heads of what is and what isn't. We can stretch out of this habitual perception but it takes practice to maintain it. We are so bombarded with specially crafted realities by media and societal constructs that we can slip back into the herd mindset of the "world as it is".
I've seen this in action. Over the years as I have taken classes in various metaphysical concepts there is a particular effect on reality specifically in the middle of a workshop. Synchronicity increases, miraculous healing occurs, epiphanies are brought to our awareness. This bubble of potentiality carries over for a while, but often as myself and others head back into their everyday lives it fades. Why does this happen? Well without much external reinforcement it is easy to slip into our habitual patterns of perception. Which is why I am reading Carlos Castaneda right now. I needed a little goading to remind myself of all the possibilities outside the habitual modes of perception. You change the lens of your perception and stuff starts to happen very quickly. I'll give you an example, this weekend I was working at my part time job and I discovered a box of pizza hut wings in the cooler. (We have a pizza hut in our shopping area and they sometimes bring unclaimed food to us). A friend of mine loves wings. So I thought I would bring them to her. I texted her "Wings?" and got a "Yes please". Well I went back to the cooler and they were gone. No one else had been near the cooler, they hadn't been eaten, there were no bones in the trash (nor a box for that matter). I tore that cooler apart and found nothing. It was as if they had never existed. In hindsight I figured I had slipped into a parallel universe where there were wings in the cooler and then had slipped right back out again.
I've had things like that happen throughout the years. Had I really been thinking I would have used my knowledge to find that other universe with the wings and pop back in. This is why it is imperative to feed alternate ways of looking at the world. It opens you up to more possibilities. Life seems to be full of people ready to tell you why your dream won't work in this world. You can either listen to them and take their lens of perception as truth, or you can turn your attention elsewhere.
So how about you? Have you been sucked into (or suckered into) the mainstream's monopoly on reality? What would happen if you started paying more attention to the strange and unusual and less attention to internet memes and television? Are you letting someone else's view of the world dictate yours? Maybe you should unplug for a bit (after you read this blog post of course) take a trip to another paradigm. You don't have to live there but maybe some of the natives have a custom or two you could adopt when you come back.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Musings
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Slow and Steady
Greetings all,
The time between posts just seems to be shorter and shorter to me. I do my best to keep up and have good topics for you each week. The amount of writing I've had to do this past year has been enormous. Still all the blogging has been very good for me as far as getting my thoughts organized and holding up a mirror to my consciousness. I've had to pay closer attention to my life and my thoughts and feelings if for no other reason than they might make good fodder for a post. This post rather than thematic like most will be more about what I've been up to.
At the beginning of last year when I journeyed to my upper world teacher I was told for 2013 I should build my business and clientele up. So that is where I put my focus I was also told that in 2014 I would start writing my first book. True to my guidance (my teacher has the annoying habit of always being right) I began in January on the journeywork for my book. I have the title now I am just busy gathering all the information. This book will be a shamanic experience of the runes of the futhark. I've used runes for a number of years in readings with clients. I like using them because it was the faeries that taught me to read them. (A topic for another post certainly.) A few years back one of my teachers (in this world) had said they had journeyed with a friend to all the runes. I had never heard of doing that and thought what a brilliant idea, and I even did a few journeys with friends to the runes. The similarities and the insights revealed were amazing, but I never did get more than a few of the journeys done.
Flash forward to a year or two ago when the idea that doing the whole alphabet of the runes as a book of shamanic journeys came to me, but I put it on the back burner. I knew when I had thought of it that it was something I had to commit to. Well after the journey this January to the first rune of the alphabet I was blown away. I had wanted to deepen my relationship and understanding of the runes and this was certainly living up to that expectation. I even told a few friends that if no one but me ever read this book it would be worth writing it. I was learning that much out of the experience.
There are 24 runes in the futhark alphabet divided into 3 sets of 8. My original plan had been to do one rune journey a week. They were very powerful journeys and I always feel like my mind has been blown wide open. I started to calculate that 24 runes would be almost half the year just to do the journeys. I started to get impatient. I thought maybe I should do 2 or 3 a week. I even thought of doing more than that. I was able to do 2 for a week or so, but I felt that the journeys were much harder to get into. For some reason I was rushing it, like a homework assignment. There was no explanation behind it. I didn't have a publisher's deadline. I hadn't signed a contract. What had been an exciting exploration of the mysteries of the runes had become a chore, pushing all my other spiritual research aside in favor of expediency. So today after my rune journey I decided to go back to doing just one a week. There is no need to hurry quality, quality speaks for itself.
So what about you? Are you rushing something that doesn't have to be done right this minute? Are you hurrying through a process rather than enjoying the slow development it can bring? What do you think you'll miss if you aren't in such a rush? What would happen if you slowed down? What else might come through to you in the less cluttered time bubble around you? Ask yourself these questions and then take a bit of time to experience the answers.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
The time between posts just seems to be shorter and shorter to me. I do my best to keep up and have good topics for you each week. The amount of writing I've had to do this past year has been enormous. Still all the blogging has been very good for me as far as getting my thoughts organized and holding up a mirror to my consciousness. I've had to pay closer attention to my life and my thoughts and feelings if for no other reason than they might make good fodder for a post. This post rather than thematic like most will be more about what I've been up to.
At the beginning of last year when I journeyed to my upper world teacher I was told for 2013 I should build my business and clientele up. So that is where I put my focus I was also told that in 2014 I would start writing my first book. True to my guidance (my teacher has the annoying habit of always being right) I began in January on the journeywork for my book. I have the title now I am just busy gathering all the information. This book will be a shamanic experience of the runes of the futhark. I've used runes for a number of years in readings with clients. I like using them because it was the faeries that taught me to read them. (A topic for another post certainly.) A few years back one of my teachers (in this world) had said they had journeyed with a friend to all the runes. I had never heard of doing that and thought what a brilliant idea, and I even did a few journeys with friends to the runes. The similarities and the insights revealed were amazing, but I never did get more than a few of the journeys done.
Flash forward to a year or two ago when the idea that doing the whole alphabet of the runes as a book of shamanic journeys came to me, but I put it on the back burner. I knew when I had thought of it that it was something I had to commit to. Well after the journey this January to the first rune of the alphabet I was blown away. I had wanted to deepen my relationship and understanding of the runes and this was certainly living up to that expectation. I even told a few friends that if no one but me ever read this book it would be worth writing it. I was learning that much out of the experience.
There are 24 runes in the futhark alphabet divided into 3 sets of 8. My original plan had been to do one rune journey a week. They were very powerful journeys and I always feel like my mind has been blown wide open. I started to calculate that 24 runes would be almost half the year just to do the journeys. I started to get impatient. I thought maybe I should do 2 or 3 a week. I even thought of doing more than that. I was able to do 2 for a week or so, but I felt that the journeys were much harder to get into. For some reason I was rushing it, like a homework assignment. There was no explanation behind it. I didn't have a publisher's deadline. I hadn't signed a contract. What had been an exciting exploration of the mysteries of the runes had become a chore, pushing all my other spiritual research aside in favor of expediency. So today after my rune journey I decided to go back to doing just one a week. There is no need to hurry quality, quality speaks for itself.
So what about you? Are you rushing something that doesn't have to be done right this minute? Are you hurrying through a process rather than enjoying the slow development it can bring? What do you think you'll miss if you aren't in such a rush? What would happen if you slowed down? What else might come through to you in the less cluttered time bubble around you? Ask yourself these questions and then take a bit of time to experience the answers.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Building the pathways to change
Greetings all,
I have had a very busy week with sessions. It has been refreshing to work with so many different people in one week. It keeps me on my toes. I have noticed a general trend with many of my interactions and sessions that has been developing over the past year. During my session work information has been coming through of suggested actions for my clients to take outside of our time together. For some it may be something simple like make sure to walk in the park every week, or it could be as complicated as emerging business plan. Hold onto your hats though because the Mooneagle is giving people homework.
The idea of a life coach is rather popular right now in the holistic fields. I hadn't really marketed myself that way but the energies of transformation and my helping spirits seem to be bringing that into my healing practice. It is something that I am welcoming with open arms. You might find it odd to receive practical advice while I am puttering around in your quantum field, but I am ultimately interested in providing more opportunities for change for my clients. Energy work is invaluable especially when you have a real block in your life patterns, but the actions you take outside of sessions reinforce and are the ultimate expression of that change.
Let me explain what I mean by using my life as an example. Several years ago I was wishing to work in the metaphysical field and make artwork as my career. I had been reading for people for almost twenty years at that point. I wanted to make a go at it. I did energy work and manifesting affirmations, but I never got much of a response beyond a pittance. Was it because I wasn't good enough? Was it because my technique was wrong? No actually it was because I didn't have business cards. I also didn't have a business account, accountant, website, pay pal access, youtube channel, gallery representation. office, or a business plan. I just wanted to do the creative/metaphysical stuff and have all the details of delivery take care of themselves. You can see why this created a problem. I wanted to earn money doing what I loved but I hadn't built in any way for it to reach me.
To put this another way many of you will understand (particularly after the winter we're having), imagine you have a big check coming in the mail. Now imagine it's been snowing and there is no way for the mail person to get to your mailbox. Your check cannot come until you get out there and shovel the driveway and clear a path to your mailbox. You have to clear a path to allow that check to be delivered. You may say, "But Thomas Mooneagle the Law of Attraction tells us we don't have to know how something is going to come to us." That is true but you have to make it possible for it to come to you. You cannot sit in a locked room dreaming of an island vacation and expect to be transported there without getting up and unlocking the door. You have to be flexible and open enough to allow opportunities into your life. You have to be the sort of person that can handle what you are asking for.
I'd like to direct you back to my life and the changes I've made outside of the energetic ones. When I finally decided I needed to "do" something if I wanted to pursue a career in the creative and holistic arts, I knew that I had to reach people. I created a youtube channel, I started a blog, I joined Facebook to showcase my artwork, I got professional business cards, I built a website, I invested in more skill training, I hired an accountant, and I worked events to get my name out there. Over time I learned what worked and what didn't. Now during this time my energy also went through a tremendous shift, but had I not done all the things to build paths where money could come to me that energy would be pretty much wasted on me. It is like water; it has to have a pathway to flow down otherwise it will simply crash against the rocks like the ocean against the cliffside. There is a reason I have regular hours at the office. It isn't the only time I am there, but at those hours I will be there whether I have someone scheduled or not. Believe me there is always something I could be working on (like typing up my notes for the book, doing shamanic journeywork, ect...). You have to show up and be present.
So what about you? Do you have a dream that has stubbornly remained one? Have you been wanting something, but never taken any action to bring it into your life? Does the success, relationship, or money have a pathway where it can reach you? Have you built the airport terminal for fulfillment in your life, but neglected to build the runway? Ask yourself what support structures does my dream need in order to reach me? Make sure your doorstep is clear and the welcome mat is out.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
I have had a very busy week with sessions. It has been refreshing to work with so many different people in one week. It keeps me on my toes. I have noticed a general trend with many of my interactions and sessions that has been developing over the past year. During my session work information has been coming through of suggested actions for my clients to take outside of our time together. For some it may be something simple like make sure to walk in the park every week, or it could be as complicated as emerging business plan. Hold onto your hats though because the Mooneagle is giving people homework.
The idea of a life coach is rather popular right now in the holistic fields. I hadn't really marketed myself that way but the energies of transformation and my helping spirits seem to be bringing that into my healing practice. It is something that I am welcoming with open arms. You might find it odd to receive practical advice while I am puttering around in your quantum field, but I am ultimately interested in providing more opportunities for change for my clients. Energy work is invaluable especially when you have a real block in your life patterns, but the actions you take outside of sessions reinforce and are the ultimate expression of that change.
Let me explain what I mean by using my life as an example. Several years ago I was wishing to work in the metaphysical field and make artwork as my career. I had been reading for people for almost twenty years at that point. I wanted to make a go at it. I did energy work and manifesting affirmations, but I never got much of a response beyond a pittance. Was it because I wasn't good enough? Was it because my technique was wrong? No actually it was because I didn't have business cards. I also didn't have a business account, accountant, website, pay pal access, youtube channel, gallery representation. office, or a business plan. I just wanted to do the creative/metaphysical stuff and have all the details of delivery take care of themselves. You can see why this created a problem. I wanted to earn money doing what I loved but I hadn't built in any way for it to reach me.
To put this another way many of you will understand (particularly after the winter we're having), imagine you have a big check coming in the mail. Now imagine it's been snowing and there is no way for the mail person to get to your mailbox. Your check cannot come until you get out there and shovel the driveway and clear a path to your mailbox. You have to clear a path to allow that check to be delivered. You may say, "But Thomas Mooneagle the Law of Attraction tells us we don't have to know how something is going to come to us." That is true but you have to make it possible for it to come to you. You cannot sit in a locked room dreaming of an island vacation and expect to be transported there without getting up and unlocking the door. You have to be flexible and open enough to allow opportunities into your life. You have to be the sort of person that can handle what you are asking for.
I'd like to direct you back to my life and the changes I've made outside of the energetic ones. When I finally decided I needed to "do" something if I wanted to pursue a career in the creative and holistic arts, I knew that I had to reach people. I created a youtube channel, I started a blog, I joined Facebook to showcase my artwork, I got professional business cards, I built a website, I invested in more skill training, I hired an accountant, and I worked events to get my name out there. Over time I learned what worked and what didn't. Now during this time my energy also went through a tremendous shift, but had I not done all the things to build paths where money could come to me that energy would be pretty much wasted on me. It is like water; it has to have a pathway to flow down otherwise it will simply crash against the rocks like the ocean against the cliffside. There is a reason I have regular hours at the office. It isn't the only time I am there, but at those hours I will be there whether I have someone scheduled or not. Believe me there is always something I could be working on (like typing up my notes for the book, doing shamanic journeywork, ect...). You have to show up and be present.
So what about you? Do you have a dream that has stubbornly remained one? Have you been wanting something, but never taken any action to bring it into your life? Does the success, relationship, or money have a pathway where it can reach you? Have you built the airport terminal for fulfillment in your life, but neglected to build the runway? Ask yourself what support structures does my dream need in order to reach me? Make sure your doorstep is clear and the welcome mat is out.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Myth of the Real World
Greetings all,
Happy Valentine's Day. This post will not be about this holiday at least not directly. This post is about the myth that there is some solid real world out there.
What do I mean by that? Well while there are things that are fairly consistent like gravity (unless you talk to Rupert Sheldrake apparently big G varies depending on the day), most of what we think about the way the world is has to do with the stories we are told and tell ourselves. John Mayer has a song called No Such Thing. The lyrics in it are quite enlightening but here are a few of them that stand out to me, "I wanna run through the halls of my high school. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I just found out there's not such thing as the real world. Just a lie you have to rise above."
What does that mean exactly? Well let's pick on our old friend the media (come on all the cool kids are). Although high school was a while back for me, it never in the slightest resembled its portrayal in movies, television or stories told to me by prior generations. College was pretty much the same in that regard. Now I know I am a reality deviant and have been for a while, but I don't recall any one's parents going out of town so that their kids could throw massive parties in which magically the neighbors never called the police to complain about the noise. I'm just using the school theme as one example there are plenty of others to choose from. Broadcast news is another biggie you'd think from watching it that the only things happening are shootings, fires, scandals, and thievery. Remember if it bleeds it leads. News doesn't necessarily inform so much as entertain in a macabre fashion. Journalism is supposed to inform us so that when we interact with our leaders we can make educated decisions, the twenty four hour news cycle has turned it into voyeurism and propaganda.
Let's go with life progression. You go to school, you go to college, you meet someone, you graduate get a good job in your field of study, maybe get married, buy a house, and have some kids. That was pretty much the story we've been sold in this society. Very linear sequence wouldn't you say? Life as we know it has not been cooperating with that story in the past few decades. Mostly this has been externalized as the student debt crisis, the housing bubble, the great recession, and the devaluing of people in favor of profits for shareholders. We have been packaged and sold a dream, some call it the American Dream or the westernized dream of economic flourishing. In this package we have been told what we should want and aim for, what the goals are. Men were told what to desire (money = car + beer + women), women were told what was desirable (thin + pretty = lovable + valuable). Those that achieved those goals are deemed successful at life and are respected. Life is rarely a line. For many to achieve that they had to cut off parts of themselves to fit into the mold. They had to do things outside of their nature.
Say you didn't meet your sweetie in high school or college. You might view yourself as not good in relationships simply because you didn't follow the script. Maybe you didn't find success in the work world right away. Maybe you've never been able to purchase a home or even to afford to live without roommates even though you are out of your twenties. Maybe you've never owned a car or at the very least a new one. Maybe you just weren't interested in the fads of the mainstream and you never kept up with the Jones. Even those of us who have consciously chosen a different path will sometimes doubt ourselves. We aren't conforming to the story the hypnotic pulse that is broadcast through the airwaves and the wifi. The consumer paradise of house, spouse, pets, kids and cars is always watching declaring winners and losers. (I seem to recall some politicians saying there would always be winners and losers in our economy). Look around see the drum beat of competition, self servitude, staying between the lines, and doing what is expected.
You may say well that is just the way things are or that's how they've always been. Historically speaking you'd be wrong. Things were not always this way. People change the world when they decide to not accept the dream they've been force-fed by society. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela are some of the most recent figures I can call to mind which embodied this. Jane Goodall is a living example of not accepting the status quo and dedicates herself to changing the world to protect the creatures that share it with us. They woke up from the collective dream and rejected it.
So why am I telling you this? Well there are many things in our dream that are toxic to us. The way we treat the waters of the world, polluting the rivers which we depend on every day to give us life. The injustices of the world both legal and illegal which so many simply shrug their shoulders at with the refrain, "Life isn't fair." Life is what we make it collectively. Laws can change, behaviors can change. We have a remarkable ability to grow and change, but only if we think we can. So what myths about the world are you believing? What part of the dream have you cut yourself to fit into? Have you judged yourself harshly for not achieving all the promised rewards for coloring within the lines? What if you molded yourself after a mad scientist bent on changing the world for the better? If you had the knowledge to change anything what would it be?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Happy Valentine's Day. This post will not be about this holiday at least not directly. This post is about the myth that there is some solid real world out there.
What do I mean by that? Well while there are things that are fairly consistent like gravity (unless you talk to Rupert Sheldrake apparently big G varies depending on the day), most of what we think about the way the world is has to do with the stories we are told and tell ourselves. John Mayer has a song called No Such Thing. The lyrics in it are quite enlightening but here are a few of them that stand out to me, "I wanna run through the halls of my high school. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I just found out there's not such thing as the real world. Just a lie you have to rise above."
What does that mean exactly? Well let's pick on our old friend the media (come on all the cool kids are). Although high school was a while back for me, it never in the slightest resembled its portrayal in movies, television or stories told to me by prior generations. College was pretty much the same in that regard. Now I know I am a reality deviant and have been for a while, but I don't recall any one's parents going out of town so that their kids could throw massive parties in which magically the neighbors never called the police to complain about the noise. I'm just using the school theme as one example there are plenty of others to choose from. Broadcast news is another biggie you'd think from watching it that the only things happening are shootings, fires, scandals, and thievery. Remember if it bleeds it leads. News doesn't necessarily inform so much as entertain in a macabre fashion. Journalism is supposed to inform us so that when we interact with our leaders we can make educated decisions, the twenty four hour news cycle has turned it into voyeurism and propaganda.
Let's go with life progression. You go to school, you go to college, you meet someone, you graduate get a good job in your field of study, maybe get married, buy a house, and have some kids. That was pretty much the story we've been sold in this society. Very linear sequence wouldn't you say? Life as we know it has not been cooperating with that story in the past few decades. Mostly this has been externalized as the student debt crisis, the housing bubble, the great recession, and the devaluing of people in favor of profits for shareholders. We have been packaged and sold a dream, some call it the American Dream or the westernized dream of economic flourishing. In this package we have been told what we should want and aim for, what the goals are. Men were told what to desire (money = car + beer + women), women were told what was desirable (thin + pretty = lovable + valuable). Those that achieved those goals are deemed successful at life and are respected. Life is rarely a line. For many to achieve that they had to cut off parts of themselves to fit into the mold. They had to do things outside of their nature.
Say you didn't meet your sweetie in high school or college. You might view yourself as not good in relationships simply because you didn't follow the script. Maybe you didn't find success in the work world right away. Maybe you've never been able to purchase a home or even to afford to live without roommates even though you are out of your twenties. Maybe you've never owned a car or at the very least a new one. Maybe you just weren't interested in the fads of the mainstream and you never kept up with the Jones. Even those of us who have consciously chosen a different path will sometimes doubt ourselves. We aren't conforming to the story the hypnotic pulse that is broadcast through the airwaves and the wifi. The consumer paradise of house, spouse, pets, kids and cars is always watching declaring winners and losers. (I seem to recall some politicians saying there would always be winners and losers in our economy). Look around see the drum beat of competition, self servitude, staying between the lines, and doing what is expected.
You may say well that is just the way things are or that's how they've always been. Historically speaking you'd be wrong. Things were not always this way. People change the world when they decide to not accept the dream they've been force-fed by society. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela are some of the most recent figures I can call to mind which embodied this. Jane Goodall is a living example of not accepting the status quo and dedicates herself to changing the world to protect the creatures that share it with us. They woke up from the collective dream and rejected it.
So why am I telling you this? Well there are many things in our dream that are toxic to us. The way we treat the waters of the world, polluting the rivers which we depend on every day to give us life. The injustices of the world both legal and illegal which so many simply shrug their shoulders at with the refrain, "Life isn't fair." Life is what we make it collectively. Laws can change, behaviors can change. We have a remarkable ability to grow and change, but only if we think we can. So what myths about the world are you believing? What part of the dream have you cut yourself to fit into? Have you judged yourself harshly for not achieving all the promised rewards for coloring within the lines? What if you molded yourself after a mad scientist bent on changing the world for the better? If you had the knowledge to change anything what would it be?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Friday, February 7, 2014
What it takes
Greetings all,
A few weeks ago I did a post about how I combined the various teachings, trainings, and experiences into my practice. One of my teachers had asked me to write about that. Afterwards we talked and I said that wasn't everything, but I doubt they could live in my head for any length of time with their sanity intact.
Here is what I mean by that, people see what I do now and think that's awesome I want to do that! They want a single book to read or a class to take to be able to do what I do. Well there is a price to everything. I told my teacher that very few people would be willing to pay the price I have for what I do. No I didn't sell my soul wash any silly notions like that out of your heads. I paid in coin, time, tears, blood, and sweat.
Let's start with coin since that is what most people value or can easily understand. For reiki attunements I spent around $600 (modest in some circles). I spent about $2800 in shamanic training classes. I spent about $2500 in seminars for matrix energetics (travel included in expense). I also do use my art in some of my work so let's total that up as well, I've spent about $4500 on workshops, a good $3000 or more on supplies and equipment (a very modest estimate). As far as metaphysical supplies over the years it is probably around $500 (again low ball estimate). Let's add that up it comes out to be $13,900. There is of course website expenses, office rental and office furniture which adds another $6000 or so to the mix. So close to $20,000. (Forgot tai chi I took that for 7 years before I ever taught a class so bump it up to over $20,000). That's certainly chump change when compared to other careers, but most other careers have a bit more built in security as well.
As far as the cost in time I got most people beat. I started young very young. I have been reading for people since I was fourteen. I read for people for no cost for over ten years, and I did hundreds of readings (perhaps thousands I was in demand in high school and for parties). How many of you would like to do a 10 year unpaid internship with hundreds of hours when people call you at their worst and want you to help them? I probably did at least 50 hours of free reiki between my first and second attunement, and about 100 hours between my second and master attunement. I've done dozens of free consults about haunted or possessed places, I have done about 50 hours of house clearings over the years. I did about 6 years of personal work with faery energy before I ever offered any sort of services related to them. I did about 30 hours or more of free matrix work before opening my site. I spend about an hour a week writing for the blog (another hour writing in general). I post a video a month which takes another hour with setup shooting and editing. I journey every week, and perform ceremony every week. I practice either yoga or tai chi on a daily basis. I do meditate if not everyday then about every other day. The point is I put I lot of time into what I do (not counting any of the time that goes towards artwork or planning of work).
Tears and blood is it now. In my journey to become what I am I passed through different metaphysical and occult groups. As I was younger and less experienced I didn't always have the best judgment when it came to magical people. I assumed they were like me and just wanted to create better lives. This of course means I have seen a lot of the darkest stuff you can imagine. I survived even though at one time that was not likely. If you pursue this type of work you will meet the dark. You will meet the malicious. I am not exaggerating. I have had cars flung at me. I have had something try to take control of my steering wheel. I have been awakened by spirits that have tried to rip my soul out of my body. I have been cursed, attacked, and stalked. I have also until very recently been given little to no respect. People in our society are very skeptical and who can blame them. I've met the charlatans too. Many assume I'm a fraud or that I'm just naive and actually believe my own hype. For those that know me they're aware that I am one of my biggest doubters. Also try telling your family what you do and see if you garner much approval there. Try dating go ahead just try. I came to this path as a pariah it was not a fun ride (it is getting more enjoyable now 20 plus years in thankfully).
Sweat okay more symbolically than actual sweat (I work in a climate controlled space most of the year except when I glaze pottery). I have at any one time 3 jobs. A part time job to pay for insurance, my healing practice(teaching too), and my artwork. It is fair to say I stay busy. I mean right now on top of that I'm also writing a book. Now if you become very popular and widely known and start to speak at events you can make a very comfortable living. However if you are honest you have to turn down some of those opportunities to remain in integrity.
So why am I telling you all this? Well in part because over the years I've gotten a lot of questions about how to instantly do everything I do by reading a book or taking a class. You see the results of decades of effort and think that it all just happened on its own. I would never dissuade someone from following a magical or spiritual path, but I wouldn't want them to think it is all hearts and rainbows. Is it worth it? Well I'm here aren't I. Ask yourself is the thing you desire to be that you see in another what you want? Are you prepared to do all that you need to become that? Is that who you really are? I can tell you if it wasn't truly in me to be this I would never ever have put in the work to become what I am still becoming.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
A few weeks ago I did a post about how I combined the various teachings, trainings, and experiences into my practice. One of my teachers had asked me to write about that. Afterwards we talked and I said that wasn't everything, but I doubt they could live in my head for any length of time with their sanity intact.
Here is what I mean by that, people see what I do now and think that's awesome I want to do that! They want a single book to read or a class to take to be able to do what I do. Well there is a price to everything. I told my teacher that very few people would be willing to pay the price I have for what I do. No I didn't sell my soul wash any silly notions like that out of your heads. I paid in coin, time, tears, blood, and sweat.
Let's start with coin since that is what most people value or can easily understand. For reiki attunements I spent around $600 (modest in some circles). I spent about $2800 in shamanic training classes. I spent about $2500 in seminars for matrix energetics (travel included in expense). I also do use my art in some of my work so let's total that up as well, I've spent about $4500 on workshops, a good $3000 or more on supplies and equipment (a very modest estimate). As far as metaphysical supplies over the years it is probably around $500 (again low ball estimate). Let's add that up it comes out to be $13,900. There is of course website expenses, office rental and office furniture which adds another $6000 or so to the mix. So close to $20,000. (Forgot tai chi I took that for 7 years before I ever taught a class so bump it up to over $20,000). That's certainly chump change when compared to other careers, but most other careers have a bit more built in security as well.
As far as the cost in time I got most people beat. I started young very young. I have been reading for people since I was fourteen. I read for people for no cost for over ten years, and I did hundreds of readings (perhaps thousands I was in demand in high school and for parties). How many of you would like to do a 10 year unpaid internship with hundreds of hours when people call you at their worst and want you to help them? I probably did at least 50 hours of free reiki between my first and second attunement, and about 100 hours between my second and master attunement. I've done dozens of free consults about haunted or possessed places, I have done about 50 hours of house clearings over the years. I did about 6 years of personal work with faery energy before I ever offered any sort of services related to them. I did about 30 hours or more of free matrix work before opening my site. I spend about an hour a week writing for the blog (another hour writing in general). I post a video a month which takes another hour with setup shooting and editing. I journey every week, and perform ceremony every week. I practice either yoga or tai chi on a daily basis. I do meditate if not everyday then about every other day. The point is I put I lot of time into what I do (not counting any of the time that goes towards artwork or planning of work).
Tears and blood is it now. In my journey to become what I am I passed through different metaphysical and occult groups. As I was younger and less experienced I didn't always have the best judgment when it came to magical people. I assumed they were like me and just wanted to create better lives. This of course means I have seen a lot of the darkest stuff you can imagine. I survived even though at one time that was not likely. If you pursue this type of work you will meet the dark. You will meet the malicious. I am not exaggerating. I have had cars flung at me. I have had something try to take control of my steering wheel. I have been awakened by spirits that have tried to rip my soul out of my body. I have been cursed, attacked, and stalked. I have also until very recently been given little to no respect. People in our society are very skeptical and who can blame them. I've met the charlatans too. Many assume I'm a fraud or that I'm just naive and actually believe my own hype. For those that know me they're aware that I am one of my biggest doubters. Also try telling your family what you do and see if you garner much approval there. Try dating go ahead just try. I came to this path as a pariah it was not a fun ride (it is getting more enjoyable now 20 plus years in thankfully).
Sweat okay more symbolically than actual sweat (I work in a climate controlled space most of the year except when I glaze pottery). I have at any one time 3 jobs. A part time job to pay for insurance, my healing practice(teaching too), and my artwork. It is fair to say I stay busy. I mean right now on top of that I'm also writing a book. Now if you become very popular and widely known and start to speak at events you can make a very comfortable living. However if you are honest you have to turn down some of those opportunities to remain in integrity.
So why am I telling you all this? Well in part because over the years I've gotten a lot of questions about how to instantly do everything I do by reading a book or taking a class. You see the results of decades of effort and think that it all just happened on its own. I would never dissuade someone from following a magical or spiritual path, but I wouldn't want them to think it is all hearts and rainbows. Is it worth it? Well I'm here aren't I. Ask yourself is the thing you desire to be that you see in another what you want? Are you prepared to do all that you need to become that? Is that who you really are? I can tell you if it wasn't truly in me to be this I would never ever have put in the work to become what I am still becoming.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Trickster Training
Greetings all,
Last day of of the first month of the year. I don't know about you but it has been a challenging one here. Between the weather, family emergencies and trying to manage my own energies I have not been the most mellow about 2014 so far. As I move into my own power more I am firmly convinced I had no idea what it meant to be what I am.
Perhaps I should explain. I'm a trickster. It's part of my energy. Now when I say this people will immediately start thinking of the shady archetype of the con man or the one who pulls the wool over everyone's eyes to get his way. I confess I thought this was what the trickster was all about myself. I grew up watching Bugs Bunny (a kind of trickster). I expect tricksters to be charming, plucky, witty, and unafraid of messing with the social order. Someone who is ready to balk at authority and doesn't care whose feathers they ruffle.
If you know me personally you could see how the above description creates a very sharp divide in my psyche. I'm not comfortable with dishonesty. Not that I am above a little colorful interpretation of the truth in specific circumstances, but outright lies are a burden. I am not consistently witty. (Those comebacks don't occur to me until hours later). I would never want to con anyone (well okay there is a burning desire to pull a caper on a few of the truly cruel out in the world), and I am certainly no brave clown tilting against the authorities of the world. I'm not even all that clever, in fact a guide once told me to give up trying to be clever or witty at all. So you might ask well what kind of trickster are you?
I honestly don't know. I just know I am one. (Ask around some people have seen me do it I swear). What I am beginning to realize after a series of painful reminders about "being" tricksy. Which is not the same as being a trickster is that my idea of what a trickster is seems to have been an ego based idea of one. What I have been trying to find is the way to be the trickster within me and keep the energy of integrity and compassion at the same time. I can hear spirits saying, "He doesn't ask for much does he?"
Traditionally the trickster in stories was a figure (man, woman, faery, deity, or animal spirit) who played tricks or disobeyed the normal rules and conventional behavior. Usually this was to shake people up a bit, to help those that were disenfranchised, to punish the wicked, or to help people to see the world or their situation in a new way. The trickster formed a vital part of any society making sure that those with power didn't take themselves too seriously. Also they just didn't behave the same as everyone else. They couldn't for whatever reason it wasn't in their nature, and because of this they saw the world differently. They were in a way outside observers. In many traditional societies they became spirit workers, medicine carriers, magicians, holy men(and women), alchemists, and hermits. Some were just outright off their rockers and yet on occasion they would dispense a very lucid and brilliant analysis of a situation.
So I come from a long proud line of crazy folk. I am odd there is no hiding that. I am finding the more I delve into this archetype the less it is about me doing anything. It is more just about me being me and loving what I love, and being different. Every trickster shares the trait of seeing the world differently from those around us. Some are kind some are not. We are catalysts for change. I once solved a problem by screwing it up so bad that professional help had to be summoned. (I might add that the girl finally got her internet router to work properly only after I royally messed it up…your welcome). I do wish I had the confidence and pluck of Coyote or Crow. I have to resign myself to knowing that sometimes I'll know the exact right thing to say or do to snap someone out of their foul mood. Sometimes the universe will use me as its meat puppet in a reading to snatch the blinders off a client's eyes. If I really look at it my work with shifting and clearing is really a trickster's game, altering reality with magic. Magic is the province of our kind, the rest of the world sees reality as simply being what it is, we see it as a work in progress.
So what about you? Are you a trickster? What does it mean to you if you are? If you are not what archetype do you identify with? Are you trying to embody an ego narrative rather than the spirit of that archetype? Are you trying to fit yourself into a role rather than letting that role fit itself to you? Do you even think about what you are and what you contribute to your community? Can you even trust anything I've said after all I am a trickster?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
p.s. The answer to the last question on whether you can trust me is a quote from River Song (one of my favorite tricksters) "If you like, but where's the fun in that."
Last day of of the first month of the year. I don't know about you but it has been a challenging one here. Between the weather, family emergencies and trying to manage my own energies I have not been the most mellow about 2014 so far. As I move into my own power more I am firmly convinced I had no idea what it meant to be what I am.
Perhaps I should explain. I'm a trickster. It's part of my energy. Now when I say this people will immediately start thinking of the shady archetype of the con man or the one who pulls the wool over everyone's eyes to get his way. I confess I thought this was what the trickster was all about myself. I grew up watching Bugs Bunny (a kind of trickster). I expect tricksters to be charming, plucky, witty, and unafraid of messing with the social order. Someone who is ready to balk at authority and doesn't care whose feathers they ruffle.
If you know me personally you could see how the above description creates a very sharp divide in my psyche. I'm not comfortable with dishonesty. Not that I am above a little colorful interpretation of the truth in specific circumstances, but outright lies are a burden. I am not consistently witty. (Those comebacks don't occur to me until hours later). I would never want to con anyone (well okay there is a burning desire to pull a caper on a few of the truly cruel out in the world), and I am certainly no brave clown tilting against the authorities of the world. I'm not even all that clever, in fact a guide once told me to give up trying to be clever or witty at all. So you might ask well what kind of trickster are you?
I honestly don't know. I just know I am one. (Ask around some people have seen me do it I swear). What I am beginning to realize after a series of painful reminders about "being" tricksy. Which is not the same as being a trickster is that my idea of what a trickster is seems to have been an ego based idea of one. What I have been trying to find is the way to be the trickster within me and keep the energy of integrity and compassion at the same time. I can hear spirits saying, "He doesn't ask for much does he?"
Traditionally the trickster in stories was a figure (man, woman, faery, deity, or animal spirit) who played tricks or disobeyed the normal rules and conventional behavior. Usually this was to shake people up a bit, to help those that were disenfranchised, to punish the wicked, or to help people to see the world or their situation in a new way. The trickster formed a vital part of any society making sure that those with power didn't take themselves too seriously. Also they just didn't behave the same as everyone else. They couldn't for whatever reason it wasn't in their nature, and because of this they saw the world differently. They were in a way outside observers. In many traditional societies they became spirit workers, medicine carriers, magicians, holy men(and women), alchemists, and hermits. Some were just outright off their rockers and yet on occasion they would dispense a very lucid and brilliant analysis of a situation.
So I come from a long proud line of crazy folk. I am odd there is no hiding that. I am finding the more I delve into this archetype the less it is about me doing anything. It is more just about me being me and loving what I love, and being different. Every trickster shares the trait of seeing the world differently from those around us. Some are kind some are not. We are catalysts for change. I once solved a problem by screwing it up so bad that professional help had to be summoned. (I might add that the girl finally got her internet router to work properly only after I royally messed it up…your welcome). I do wish I had the confidence and pluck of Coyote or Crow. I have to resign myself to knowing that sometimes I'll know the exact right thing to say or do to snap someone out of their foul mood. Sometimes the universe will use me as its meat puppet in a reading to snatch the blinders off a client's eyes. If I really look at it my work with shifting and clearing is really a trickster's game, altering reality with magic. Magic is the province of our kind, the rest of the world sees reality as simply being what it is, we see it as a work in progress.
So what about you? Are you a trickster? What does it mean to you if you are? If you are not what archetype do you identify with? Are you trying to embody an ego narrative rather than the spirit of that archetype? Are you trying to fit yourself into a role rather than letting that role fit itself to you? Do you even think about what you are and what you contribute to your community? Can you even trust anything I've said after all I am a trickster?
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
p.s. The answer to the last question on whether you can trust me is a quote from River Song (one of my favorite tricksters) "If you like, but where's the fun in that."
Friday, January 24, 2014
In and Out
Greetings all,
Frigidity has once again descended upon my region. The first month of the year is almost over. I've been struck by the muse again as I recuperate from a nagging cough. I've also been observing something lately. I tend to hold my breath quite a bit.
The breath is the life, particularly in training the consciousness. I use it to calm, meditate, and shift into other states of awareness. I focus into it during yoga and tai chi. I have become aware of an imbalance in my practice. I seem acutely focused on the exhalation while barely being aware of the inhalation. This may have become more pronounced since I started practicing the elemental sounds with my chi kung and tai chi routines, or it may be that this is what has brought it to my attention. The fact is I have been doing long luxurious exhalations, but taking in minimally during the inhalation.
Several weeks ago on a journey my power animal expressed concern for me. He told me that I was giving out many times more energy than I was taking into myself. He also said if I continued to do that I would get sick. (You were right, happy dear?) So this is more than just about my breathing (as fascinating as I am sure that is to all you out there in cyberland) it is about the balance of nurturing. The exhalation is the releasing of the old, removal, in effect the subtractive process. People who have seen my ceramic art can vouch that I have a clear grasp of that. I carve away from the surface of my clay leaving spiraling intricate patterns behind. I am good at the subtractive process in artwork, but also in my energetic work. Shamanically it is referred to as extraction.
As wonderful as the release and removal of the used and unwanted energies is it's only half of the equation. Bringing in the new and the fresh is just as vital. Like yin and yang they are linked inseparably to one another. I have been stingy with this half of the process. I seem to be fine giving out, but rather weak when it comes to filling up my own store of energy. I am sure I am not the only one out there who is doing this. I seem to think nothing of staying up half the night sculpting (and/or writing a blog), but I seem to balk at making sure I had a good half hour of meditation.
So I ask why? Why don't I let myself bring in what I need to thrive? The memes of societal programming seem to ring out as one possibility; the idea that it is selfish to self nurture. There are things that need doing, people that need assistance, and aren't I just a narcissist for wanting time to sit and just breathe slowly for a bit. Well it is selfish. I am selfish. I remember doing a journey to my shadow and it showed itself as this great hairy beast with huge grasping hands. I know that I have this trait of being self absorbed and self focused, but one of the biggest challenges I've had in my relationships (or life in general) has been in my attempts to compensate for it. I tend to overshoot. It becomes another machination of the ego the "I'm the best giver no one gives more than I do. " Well isn't that just precious.
What about you? Are you breathing in as much as you breathe out? Are you allowing your needs to be met? Are you letting the universe be generous to you? If not why not? Would getting what you need shake up your identity as a "nice person" too much? If so why? Try this as your affirmation if any of this rings true for you, "I allow myself to receive." Until next week.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
Frigidity has once again descended upon my region. The first month of the year is almost over. I've been struck by the muse again as I recuperate from a nagging cough. I've also been observing something lately. I tend to hold my breath quite a bit.
The breath is the life, particularly in training the consciousness. I use it to calm, meditate, and shift into other states of awareness. I focus into it during yoga and tai chi. I have become aware of an imbalance in my practice. I seem acutely focused on the exhalation while barely being aware of the inhalation. This may have become more pronounced since I started practicing the elemental sounds with my chi kung and tai chi routines, or it may be that this is what has brought it to my attention. The fact is I have been doing long luxurious exhalations, but taking in minimally during the inhalation.
Several weeks ago on a journey my power animal expressed concern for me. He told me that I was giving out many times more energy than I was taking into myself. He also said if I continued to do that I would get sick. (You were right, happy dear?) So this is more than just about my breathing (as fascinating as I am sure that is to all you out there in cyberland) it is about the balance of nurturing. The exhalation is the releasing of the old, removal, in effect the subtractive process. People who have seen my ceramic art can vouch that I have a clear grasp of that. I carve away from the surface of my clay leaving spiraling intricate patterns behind. I am good at the subtractive process in artwork, but also in my energetic work. Shamanically it is referred to as extraction.
As wonderful as the release and removal of the used and unwanted energies is it's only half of the equation. Bringing in the new and the fresh is just as vital. Like yin and yang they are linked inseparably to one another. I have been stingy with this half of the process. I seem to be fine giving out, but rather weak when it comes to filling up my own store of energy. I am sure I am not the only one out there who is doing this. I seem to think nothing of staying up half the night sculpting (and/or writing a blog), but I seem to balk at making sure I had a good half hour of meditation.
So I ask why? Why don't I let myself bring in what I need to thrive? The memes of societal programming seem to ring out as one possibility; the idea that it is selfish to self nurture. There are things that need doing, people that need assistance, and aren't I just a narcissist for wanting time to sit and just breathe slowly for a bit. Well it is selfish. I am selfish. I remember doing a journey to my shadow and it showed itself as this great hairy beast with huge grasping hands. I know that I have this trait of being self absorbed and self focused, but one of the biggest challenges I've had in my relationships (or life in general) has been in my attempts to compensate for it. I tend to overshoot. It becomes another machination of the ego the "I'm the best giver no one gives more than I do. " Well isn't that just precious.
What about you? Are you breathing in as much as you breathe out? Are you allowing your needs to be met? Are you letting the universe be generous to you? If not why not? Would getting what you need shake up your identity as a "nice person" too much? If so why? Try this as your affirmation if any of this rings true for you, "I allow myself to receive." Until next week.
Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle
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