Celestial Reflections is the community blog of Celestial Healing Arts, brought to you by psychic-intuitive and healing facilitator LaVaughn. It is an open forum for the publishing of information and discussion of topics across a broad range of interest to the greater spiritual community.
In honor of Independence Day we will speak this week of FREEDOM, but all patriotism stops there. We are speaking of freedom because it is essential for love and love is essential for the power to act authentically. Doing what you have always done does not require authenticity, nor does it require much power (which is why it feels easy and comfortable). However your soul's purpose lies out there, beyond comfort and easy, past authenticity and on into the realm of power and passion. Are you free to express your power? Do you claim the freedom to express your true self mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, professionally, and intimately? Where ever you are not fully, passionately and powerfully your true self you are not free. The stories we carry of our past wounding, unmet childhood needs, and chronic fears are our own imprisonment. This week we discuss freedom and how you can cultivate inner authority, claim your freedom to love and live your true self.
This same scenario holds true for the energies now, even after the solstice. Many are still very confused, feeling the pregnant pause without the pregnant part, as one of my readers so eloquently described it. Many are still feeling absolutely no movement and with no sense of direction. Just like the situation with my father...a little piece here, and then another piece there, but still no resolution or actual grounding in of anything definite. And in addition, with a total disconnect from the old reality, finances are very tight for many, and possibilities for anything new unfolding perhaps seeming nil, at best. The only real space of comfort for the scenario with my father, and with many in these unknown energies is simply acceptance, surrender, trust in a higher power, and the belief that everything is indeed in divine and perfect order.
But although it may seem that the dead zone, empty space, or confusion with no real sense of direction, is all that currently exists, there is actually more going on with our current energetic situation than meets the eye.
The solstice, as it usually does, shook things up for many. Much that had still not left its old and familiar groove, was suddenly usurped and thrown up in the air, creating sudden losses, catastrophes, and instant changes of direction. Energies (within individuals) that had not yet made their decisions, were now very suddenly forced to look at things, address things, and make some kind of change or decision. The solstice on June 21 was indeed a catalyst for many, and it succeeded it creating new growth and movement at different levels.
I write a monthly lunar forecast for a small local paper. Since I live in a rural area where people enjoy activities like hunting, fishing, and gardening, my forecast includes those activities. Even if you live in a suburban or urban setting, you can still make use of my forecast. Enjoy!
Most people are aware of the phases of the moon that occur during the course of a month. Traditional almanacs and calendars indicate moon phases and societies have observed a connection between the moon and mankind for centuries.
What many people are not aware of is that the moon transits each of the twelve astrological, or zodiac, signs during the monthly lunar cycle, staying in each sign for two or three days. Each sign has the elemental quality of fire, earth, air, or water as well as its own unique set of characteristic attributes. These elements and attributes can have as noticeable an effect on our daily activities and emotions as the pull of a full moon can have on the tides.
The summer solstice has passed and, although our daylight hours are decreasing now, the sun still sets late in the day allowing plenty of time for summer pleasures. This year's solstice was bathed in the light of a Cancer moon and a conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron in Aquarius. The combination of these planetary energies has set a tone of family, health, and higher ideals for our summer. Indeed, the news reflects this back to us as our President focuses his efforts on family values and health. This may also be a time of hope, nostalgia, and dreams. Planetary influence as well as a wet spring combined to bring forth lush beauty all around us. Don't the berries taste sweeter and the flowers smell more fragrant this year? This summer may stand out as one to remember in the years to come.
July brings two eclipses our way that may stir up the peace and calm of these idyllic days. The first is a lunar eclipse on the 7th in the sign of Capricorn. An increase in earthquakes and other seismic activity is likely for the planet and shakeups in anything structured within our personal lives is likely, too. A solar eclipse in the sign of Cancer on the 22nd places our attention on family, home, and security. Eclipse energy brings hidden things to light or brings issues to a head, so strap on your emotional seat belts and get ready to ride through an interesting month.
If you've been waiting, with bated breath, for the Ethiopian Church to unveil the Ark of the Covenant, prepare to be disappointed. It appears that reports last week were somewhat overblown.
"It is not going to happen so the world has to live with curiosity," said the statement, signed only "Webmaster" in response to the WND inquiry.
The webmaster statement described the tempest as being caused either because of a translation mistake or "a slip [of the] tongue from the patriarch."
"It is not what we do that heals," says Karen Furr, our guest this week, "but what we allow ourselves to become." Karen, a former member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, explains, "Jesus taught that the realm of the Divine is within each of us and it is there that we can access the infinite compassion of Mystery." It does not matter what tradition we are immersed in, but that we encounter that Mystery and Spirit within. As a former Catholic sister, Furr walks the path of the mystic and healer, seeking and facilitating healing for self, community, and the planet. Join us this week as we explore how Furr's love of Spirit and devotion to the healing charisma of Jesus is infused in her shamanic healing and teaching. Furr has devoted much of her life to working with those who have experienced economic poverty, as well as abuse, addictions, homelessness and trauma. Experience the grace with which her religious life infuses her shamanic life, empowering this excellent healer.
This Week's Guest:
Karen Furr
Karen Furr photoKaren Furr is a former member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. Her love of Spirit and devotion to the healing charism of Jesus has led her into the way of alternative healing through Shamanism. For her there is no separation of the realities of seen and unseen, and her work as a healer is rooted in the belief that it is not what we "do" that heals, but what we allow ourselves to become. As Jesus taught, the realm of the Divine is within each of us and it is there that we can access the infinite compassion of Mystery. It does not matter what tradition we are emersed in, but that we encounter that Mystery and Spirit within.
As a former Catholic sister, she walks the path of the mystic and healer, seeking and facilitating healing for self, community and the planet. She is aware that it is in bringing Light into the world that healing and wholeness can happen. She is excited about the emerging paradigm of Oneness and welcomes the challenge and movement of this evolution of Spirit.
Post solstice and new moon. Are there any ramifications and has anything changed?
Because the solstice of the 21st served to anchor us into the earth more fully, and thus, create a new space for many of us as the official and rightful caretakers and creators of the new reality and new earth, some interesting manifestations have begun to occur.
Unusual foot pain, discomfort in the feet, aching, burning, nerve sensations, or perhaps a bruised feeling...all in the feet, are common symptoms of a new anchoring in and grounding to the earth. Lower leg discomfort can occur as well. We are pulling much energy into the earth now, and holding it there, and our feet and lower legs are working over-time.
Last night, my kids and I watched the movie Coraline. After having been aware of the usual slew of fast food meal toys the movie spawned prior to its debut, I anticipated a cute and mildly amusing kid's movie. Was I ever wrong! Parents of pre-schoolers or kids prone to nightmares, beware! This is a seriously spooky film.
There are several places in Chaco Canyon that mark the movement of the sun throughout the year. Casa Rinconada, one of the larger kivas in the Chacoan system, is open to the public just before sunrise during the few days of the summer solstice. During these days, the longest of the year, the sun shines through a window and into a niche.
Really excellent interview with Robert Bauval. In it he walks us through some of his thought process in writing both The Orion Mystery and The Egypt Code. The entire interview is fascinating, but I was particularly struck by the explanation, in the tenth video of the series, of an ancient Egyptian code. He cites Graham Hancock's oft stated assertion that, "we are a species with amnesia," and suggests that the Egyptians have left us a blueprint for remembering who and what we really are. This concept particularly resonates for me, because it could explain why the message I get over and over, from my guides, as I trip the light fantastic through the mysteries, is "remember." Another book to add to the list.
Why weekend workshops don't get us our Soul's Purpose
Why does the passion that lives so simply within each of use prove so elusive for so many people? You have read the books, listened to the psychics, and taken all of those weekend workshops. So, what's your purpose? We are like a ship at sea and our soul's purpose is the star by which we navigate. Life has tides, currents, storms and sea monsters. You must learn to right your ship and re-set your course. Is your ship even seaworthy? Do you know which star? Living your life as an expression of your soul's purpose requires a transformation from who you learned to be as a child to who you are called to be by your soul. You must learn to hear the voice of your soul and the discerning voice of your passion. You must gain the skills of transformation. You must step free of your life story, leaving the Wounded Child behind and choosing to grow up. You must risk. Join host and shaman Christina Pratt why you can't get all of that in a weekend, but you can get that through shamanism.
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There was a new update from Karen Bishop last evening. This one particularly resonated for me, as did the book excerpt she sent out in her email.
DISCONNECTED
HAVE YOU EVER FELT somehow left out? As if you were perhaps on an island by yourself? Or maybe that things were moving along energetically, and then they suddenly stopped? Have you ever tried to move forward, and been stopped abruptly by some unseen force that simply will not let a thing manifest for you? During this time, have you felt very unsupported?
There comes a time with the ascension process when we are basically disconnected. The energy that brings in the higher vibrations and this energy that we usually connect to in order to create and move forward, feels simply absent. There are several reasons for this. Basically, it is absent. And when these phases occur, they can be quite uncomfortable as they make us feel powerless. And powerlessness is one of the most lower vibrational states we can be in.
We can feel disconnected when the energies are re-adjusting. This is a regular pattern with the ascension process. We go through a period of great movement, and then... nothing but stop sign energy. This period of disconnection occurs because much is being re-aligned and readied for the next stage of movement. At higher levels and at the lower physical levels as well, things are being moved into place for our arrival. It is as if a bed is being made for us to lie in.
We all experience soul loss throughout our lives. It is caused by physical or emotional trauma and it is a natural way for us to survive the pain of that trauma. In shamanic cultures when soul loss is recognized the shaman is called on to enter the invisible world, find the lost soul parts and to retrieve them. Then what? Today, the integration of retrieved soul parts doesn't just happen by itself. Our guest, Martin Brennan, a shamanic practitioner, has integrated numerous soul parts retrieved by our host, shaman Christina Pratt over the past 10 years. The personal healing issues that these soul parts address range from attempted suicide, to chronic issues with intimacy, to a separation from God, and much more. How do you address issues today that amount to the most painful, frightening moments of your life? Why is it that addressing these moments brings you into Wholeness and Oneness-with-all-Things? Join us as we explore with humor and awe the healing work of soul integration.
This Week's Guest:
Martin Brennan
Martin Brennan possesses a deep commitment to helping people (including himself) remember how to feed their love, starve their fears, and live boldly. Martin has studied spirituality and leadership for over twenty years. These dual passions have lead him to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, work with street children in the developing world, earn a MA in Creation Spirituality form Naropa University, work as a Diversity and Leadership Trainer in corporate America, and travel to over 40 countries on six continents. Martin has also studied, practiced and instructed the principles of shamanism for the past 12 years. For the past nine years, Martin has assisted at numerous week-long summer workshops offered by the Portland, Oregon-based Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing. Martin believes firmly that each and every one of us brings a unique gift to this world, and the responsibility to cultivate it, hone it, and share it openly.
Once you subscribe, you will easily be able to get access to all past episodes, and new episodes will download automatically into iTunes on your computer (and to your iPod if you have it set to sync podcasts).
In Karen Bishop's most recent update, she offers an explanation for the up-tick in autism spectrum disorder, in recent years.
Now at epidemic proportions, many of our young ones are experiencing this "disorder." Why? There are many degrees of autism, but generally speaking, this disorder creates a human existence in two realities or dimensions. Our newest arrivals in human form are more highly evolved, and the very newest arrivals are the most evolved, and so forth. The planet as yet, does not match the vibration of these new little ones. As our planet seems to be getting progressively worse while we expand as far as we can to the most extreme degrees of unpleasantness, in order to create the opposite, it can feel like a most dreadful place indeed for our little ones.
Thus, they escape. And they escape to another dimension or world that is most certainly not here. As for the vaccinations creating the disorder: Introducing lower vibrating energies into a higher vibrating being can only serve to wreak havoc and intensify this situation. So then, the vaccinations exacerbate the situation even more. But know as well, that this is not set in stone. My older grandchildren were vaccinated (ages 5 and 9) and were just fine. And one of our twins has been fine as well...
"Modern shamanism is alive and thriving," says shaman, Betsy Bergstrom, our guest this week. "There is a wonderful blending of ancestral and ancient knowledge with new experience." Bergstrom's practice of Heart Centered Shamanic Depossession defuses much of the fear that people feel around the shamanic work of clearing and depossession. Bergstrom specializes in "unraveling thoughtforms and curses," which is a way to draw the energy and power from things that have previously bound us and utilize that energy to revitalize our choices and our future. Clearing, extraction, and depossession comprise a sorely misunderstood aspect of shamanic healing. Bergstrom, a truly inspired and gifted healer in this area, will help us to understand how to compassionately clear what isn't ours, allowing us to come out from under the shadows and connect with our most powerful Ally-ourselves. Join me as this gifted shaman speaks of her path and the unique gifts she brings to her students and clients.
This Week's Guest:
Betsy Bergstrom
Betsy Bergstrom is a full-time Shamanic Practitioner who has studied with shamans and healers from many cultures. She is a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies 3-Year Program. She has been trained by a number of indigenous shamans and healers who have encouraged her and shared with her their wonderful teachings. She has worked in various fields of Alternative Healing for nearly 20 years. Her calling is to work in partnership with the Helping Spirits, to help the living and with the dead. She says, "...the feedback from my classes has been that the teaching (of Heart Centered Shamanic Depossession) defused much of the fear that some people felt in approaching the work of clearing and depossession."
Once you subscribe, you will easily be able to get access to all past episodes, and new episodes will download automatically into iTunes on your computer (and to your iPod if you have it set to sync podcasts).
Most people are aware of the phases of the moon that occur during the course of a month. Traditional almanacs and calendars indicate moon phases and societies have observed a connection between the moon and mankind for centuries.
What many people are not aware of is that the moon transits each of the twelve astrological, or zodiac, signs during the monthly lunar cycle, staying in each sign for two or three days. Each sign has the elemental quality of fire, earth, air, or water as well as its own unique set of characteristic attributes. These elements and attributes can have as noticeable an effect on our daily activities and emotions as the pull of a full moon can have on the tides.
In addition to the usual gardening and activity forecasts that I have featured here each month, I've included wedding forecasts for June.
June is the traditional month of weddings. A wedding is actually a new beginning and the moon sign on the day of the wedding may have an influence on the wedding and the marriage itself. Enjoy these wedding "forecasts", keeping in mind that the Divine Blessing of love is what unites two people as one and guides their life together.
We continue in our four-part series exploring war and shamanic healing with our guest, Ed Tick, author of War and The Soul. Dr. Tick specializes in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to bring healing to veterans, communities and nations recovering from the traumas of war. There is a journey warriors must walk to heal and truly return to them selves, to their families and to the larger community. Today our focus is on the lessons Dr. Tick learned from traditional warrior healing practices in the indigenous cultures of Greece, Native North America and Viet Nam. By working effectively and deeply with these traditional shamanic practices Dr. Tick has experienced a "rediscovery of the path of medicine healer of warriors." This Memorial Day please forward this message to those you know who have been touched by war. Let us all come to understand the path of healing for warriors and our part as the community that welcomes them home.
This Week's Guest:
Edward Tick, Ph. D
Edward Tick, Ph.D., is Founding Director and Senior Clinician of Soldier's Heart: Veterans' Safe Return Programs. Honored for his groundbreaking work in the holistic and community-based healing of veterans and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dr. Tick has been a psychotherapist for 33 years, specializing in working with veterans since the 1970s. He is the author of Sacred Mountain, The Practice Of Dream Healing, The Golden Tortoise, and the award-winning book War And The Soul.
Dr. Tick is an internationally recognized expert on veterans, PTSD, and the psychology of military-related issues and has conducted training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other Dept. of Defense facilities. He lectures throughout the world and leads semi-annual international educational, healing and reconciliation journeys to Vietnam and Greece. Dr. Tick specializes in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to bring healing to veterans, communities and nations recovering from the traumas of war and violence.
Once you subscribe, you will easily be able to get access to all past episodes, and new episodes will download automatically into iTunes on your computer (and to your iPod if you have it set to sync podcasts).
We continue in our four-part series exploring war, the soul and shamanic healing with our guest, Ed Tick, author of War and The Soul. Dr. Tick specializes in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to bring healing to veterans, communities and nations recovering from the traumas of war and violence. (Part 1: Feb 25) This week Tick will share his inspired work in Viet Nam where indigenous shamans are using shamanic techniques to assist in the location of MIAs and creation of peace for the spirits of the dead. These indigenous practices also create a way for families to finally grieve and heal the loss of their MIA loved ones. Come join us in the discussion of what shamanism brings to the healing of people and the land where the bodies of the MIA of both sides lie hidden. Explore the challenges is this particularly frustrating wounding of war and the amazing ways closure, release and peace can be found with the aid of the shaman.
This Week's Guest:
Edward Tick, Ph. D
Edward Tick, Ph.D., is Founding Director and Senior Clinician of Soldier's Heart: Veterans' Safe Return Programs. Honored for his groundbreaking work in the holistic and community-based healing of veterans and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dr. Tick has been a psychotherapist for 33 years, specializing in working with veterans since the 1970s. He is the author of Sacred Mountain, The Practice Of Dream Healing, The Golden Tortoise, and the award-winning book War And The Soul.
Dr. Tick is an internationally recognized expert on veterans, PTSD, and the psychology of military-related issues and has conducted training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other Dept. of Defense facilities. He lectures throughout the world and leads semi-annual international educational, healing and reconciliation journeys to Vietnam and Greece. Dr. Tick specializes in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to bring healing to veterans, communities and nations recovering from the traumas of war and violence.
Once you subscribe, you will easily be able to get access to all past episodes, and new episodes will download automatically into iTunes on your computer (and to your iPod if you have it set to sync podcasts).
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