Here On Earth: Articles
Shamanism January 2014 Conversations with Red and the Council of Elders Teaching Series
Shamanism an exploration of sacred practice around the world.

March 10th 2014 - Shape-shifting, sacred plants and responsibility!
A Shaman, by the Council's definition, is a person who has agreed to participate with the physical and the unseen realms on behalf of their communities.
To be in service as a conduit, to mediate what is physically manifest and what is in the unseen realms, whether past, future, within alternate realities, or in the spirit world on behalf of others.
 An exploration of our collective history and a tantalizing taste of  potentials yet to come! Lineage, tools, accomplishments and a discussion about what it takes for such a dedicated life is explored. Respectful and honouring of the vast network of shamanistic cultures, Red leads us through this interesting topic leaving us with a lot to ponder! Who knew?
 
) What is a Shaman?
2) Neo-Shamanism
3) Plastic Shamans
4) What practices are required?
5) What is a shaman capable of doing?
6) Tools of a Shaman
7) Journeying
8) Sacred Plants
9) Cautions and dangers
10) Shamanism as Earth Healers
 you can order this as a CD or an MP3 download
 
www.hereonearth.ca 
 
 
“‘Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of the word in the direction of truth and love.” Don Miguel Ruez
 
Winter Blues 

The Winter Blues have hit hard, fast and early this year.  There are a wide range of symptoms for this mood disorder officially called SAD, (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which include depression, mood swings, irritability, lethargy, cravings for sweet foods and generally feeling ‘down in the dumps’.    No one really knows the exact cause but lack of sunlight is a likely contributory factor. Most of us do not see much sunlight during the winter months, as we generally travel to work in the dark, spend our days indoors, and make our way back home again in the dark. This year in particular we had very little sunlight at all!  Genetics also play a part making some people more prone to the blues.  Regrettably, we as humans are not able to hibernate the winter months away as some of our furry friends are able to!     So what can we do?   Diet Foods to add to your diet are avocados, beans, bananas, wheat germ, porridge oats, brown rice and wholemeal pasta as these foods help to increase serotonin, the brain chemical that makes you feel happy. Fish is great as well because of its high omega 3 essential fatty acids; if you are vegetarian or vegan try flaxseed oil.  Remember to keep hydrated!    Vitamin D is an important nutrient to take as levels can drop during the winter months. Most of our vitamin D is produced in the body by the action of sunlight on the skin.
Sounds like another good reason to plan a sun filled holiday to me!    Exercise   Exercise produces endorphins; those wonderful chemicals that make us feel good.  So think about setting up some form of exercise, be it walking in the winter wonderland or going to the gym or maybe join a yoga or dance class or two. Getting off the couch may be the first step!
Full Spectrum Light Therapy
The use of full spectrum lights has delivered some success for people who suffer from the Winter Blues. These lights are designed to replicate natural sunlight and you only need at least twenty minutes per day with the light beside you.  They are not expensive and may be worth their weight in gold if they improve your mood.  Most health stores carry them.
Herbs
Hypericum (St John’s Wort) is well known for its mood-lifting properties. For someone who experiences the Winter Blues each year, this  herb should be started in November for best results.  Use fifteen drops of tincture two to three times daily to help with the worst of our mid winter blues.  Remember to check with your pharmacist or health care professional before taking St. John’s Wort if you are on any medications.    Oats (Avena sativa) helps to nourish the nervous system because the oat plant is rich in B vitamins. The Scots, have long counteracted the Winter Blues with a plate of porridge each morning! This herb has a calming and restorative effect and is tasty to boot.     Passion Flower (Passiflora) is another wonderful herb for the central nervous system as it helps to alleviate nervous tension, depression and anxiety. These two herbs are often found in combination in herbal mixtures.       Hopefully with some small tweaks you can start feeling in the pink once again.   
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Recipe for comfort. Kick everyone out of the house.  Draw a hot bath. Add one tablespoon organic coconut oil. Add one drop essential oil of choice..( cedar, sage, eucalyptus, rosemary or oregano for cold buster, lavender, rose ylang ylang for dreams of spring.)  Light candles, put on soft music or enjoy the quiet and climb in.
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Last year at this time Red had this to say from our Prophesies CD…
 ‘Coming to a time when humanity must make a choice. We must choose to listen to the ancestors of this land, and choose a path of negotiation, begin to clean the lands and the waters and heal the disrespect; the other path leads to destruction. We reached this fork in the road and humanity as a whole have chosen the path towards peace. We reached a turning point where the peoples began to recognize the land, the weather and the waters and the necessity to work together towards a possibility of prosperity and hope for these lands.”
 
The horrible effects of the Fukashima meltdown, contaminating the Pacific Ocean, all her inhabitants and the lands along the coastlines as well as Japan and all the neighboring islands has presented us with a monumental clean up task. It also has led many nations to re-examine the safety of nuclear power.
 Even here in benign Southern Ontario the extreme weather has been causing CryroSeismic events (frost quakes, those loud bangs that rattle the walls late at night..) that must be causing shifts in the earth crust. Although very minor in relation to earthquake zones, it had me realizing how unprepared we are to deal with the changes we are experiencing.
 As I write, all of Newfoundland is without power and throughout Christmas tens of thousands of households in Ontario and Quebec were without power. We have a lot to deal with in restructuring our power usage here in North America, as does the rest of the ‘developed’ world.
A re-thinking of energy use and distribution is active on all fronts, with the pipeline projects, tar sands, fracking and railway accident controversy heating up.
 The idea that we can be developing personal power as humans, to learn to work together with weather and environment has great appeal for our modern situation. Learning to be responsible to our communities and to the earth is an important contribution to a successful future for humanity, one that we each can work on developing.
 
He also had told us that during these times, as the Draconian influence dissipates from the planet, “The closets are opening and the skeletons are coming out to dance.”
 And wow was he right! Snowden, Manning, Assange, the Canadian Senate scandals and dare we mention the infamous Toronto Mayor, all are making skeletons dance in a frenzy. We are living in a reality now that allows access to any information in ‘real time’ from anywhere on the planet and in orbit around it. We transmit images from deep space as well as from within war zones and top secret installations!
 Very Shamanistic concept if you think about it, Akashic records made manifest through technology! Learning to use our best technology, the human body and spirit, we could rethink our societies into a healthy ecosystem in one generation if we can harness that kind of communication.
 
 Red says the true role of the Shaman is in service to his or her communities, to be a mediator, a conduit between the seen and the unseen, between the future, the past and the present, a life commitment to balance and health. I imagine as more people take on this commitment the shifts we can envision will transit smoothly and with grace and we will be able to steer this beautiful planet towards Eden, with all of us happily aboard.  
 
“‘Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of the word in the direction of truth and love.” Don Miguel Ruez
 
"He (the Shaman) is a self-reliant explorer of the endless mansions of a magnificent hidden universe." Michael Harner


ALCHEMY SPUN
 
Walking the fires
leaning on an primordial staff of hand carved oak
the Curer walks the middle way, straight to the heart.

An alchemy of ancient knowledge and modern philosophy
she chooses the path of full resistance
tempering herself to the finest mettle.

Transmutation secured
she masters the thresholds
with a fusion of initiation and grace.

Holding the doorways open
she performs a tantric dance of heightened consciousness
where temperance transforms visceral
to ethereal and back into being.
 
(c) Krow Fischer Here On Earth 


Contact Member:
Here On Earth
Oakendell Healing Centre
Warkworth, Ontario K0K 3K0
Canada
Credits:
Krow Fischer