The Ancestors Fire Ring

Athena had had a series of dreams about my late dad, and thought that he may have a message for me. So I went on a journey tonight, to talk with my beloved ancestors...

I sat in the back yard on a large stone, and lit some mugwort on a charcoal tablet.  Using my turkey feathers I smoked myself and sang my power song; on the last verse I took flight with the feathers and soared away.

Landing on the shore of the ink-dark sea, in a windy chill night, I walked up the path into the trees.  There were tumbled stones beside the path, looking like the river rocks of Missouri.  As I entered the clearing, I saw the sun and the moon in the sky together, lacing the world with silver and gold beams.  The grass was green, but it was a bit chilly.

I greeted Oak, Swallow, Spider, and Water Drake, and thanked them for their gifts.  I told them I wanted to visit my ancestors, where should I go to do this?  They directed me to a small hillock off to the left, which was crowned with a ring of stones.  The path spiraled up around the hillock to the entrance in the ring.  I walked up and entered the ring of stones.

The ring was not large, maybe 30 ft wide, made of rough stones about shoulder height or smaller.  In the center was a large campfire, with logs and rough benches around it.  There were shadowy presences around it, I could sense that there were many generations of people who frequent this place in many layers of time.

I sat down by the fire and asked if my father would come and talk to me, and if he had a message.  Almost immediately I saw him sitting just to the right of me.  His face was illuminated by the fire light, and he was smiling at me.  He was very clear, just as I knew him for many years.

I told him how much I missed him and how much I loved and appreciated him and what he had taught me throughout me life.  He reached out his hand and we clasped hands, squeezing my hand confidently.  He told me that I would do fine, that I had strength, wisdom, and intelligence to do well and everything would work out for me and my family.  He was confident in me, and took pride in my achievements.  He reiterated that I did not need to worry that things would all work out.

He said he was very proud of my kids.  He would keep an eye on them, but that they really did not need special protection - they are both strong, intelligent, and will be successful.

We hugged, and I felt the strength in him, and it made me feel very happy.  He said that he would be happy to talk anytime I wanted, that he as always there for me.

I then asked if there was anyone else that wanted to talk to me.  I asked if my brother was there, who died years ago.  He was, and appeared nearby.  We spoke only briefly, I told him how much I appreciated his pride and confidence in me when I was growing up, that seeing myself reflected in his eyes is one thing that really helped me become a confident and successful person.

There were others, fading in and out: grandma and grandpa, grandmother, and others I had seen on previous journeys - indian men, an old indian woman, a viking man.  But none appeared for more than a moment.

I took my leave, and walked down the hill.  Thanking my guides, I returned to crystalline darkness of the sea, and flew home on my turkey feathers.

Lunch with Dad

The waitress shows us to a table.

He orders the catfish.

Silently, I hear:

he loves catfish, and many places don't serve it. 

some people don't like it because it is a bottom feeder, he thinks that is silly.

he gets it unbreaded now, because of his wheat allergy.

I remember:

fishing with him at the farm, even though I didn't like fishing, just to be with him.

I order the chicken fried steak.

Silently, he hears:

I am watching my weight, but I will splurge a little with him.

I have always loved it, it reminds me of grandma and grandpa.

He remembers:

my story of eating it at the cafeteria in Cleveland, where nobody knew what it was.

We both smile.

We start talking, of all the things we saved for each other all week:

Quantum mechanics and astrophysics.

Programming languages and software design.

History of languages and old superstitions.

Problems with students and the grandkids teachers.

Unspoken, silent, powerful as a vast river running beneath us,

a steam of data flows both ways:

I love you.  

I trust you.  

I admire your achievements.  

I respect your opinion.  

I am proud of what you have made yourself.

Though our talk is stilled,

that river will never stop flowing.
I can hear it now, rushing beneath my feet.

A dark gate

My father passed away last Friday, quietly in his sleep.  There is no road that will take me to his side again in this world.  I am left here, and the world is a bit darker and colder.

Hatched!

The egg hatched!

After much negotiation, I got an offer from the company in OK that I really wanted to work with.  It is not a great offer, the money is not what I was wanting at all, but it is in OK with my family, and I really like the people I will be working with.  It is also a job I don't have to be ashamed or guilty for helping, like the Monsanto offer I refused.  I will be back home and starting the new job in two weeks!  

When I went to talk to the egg stone matrix, I got a very clear picture that the egg had broken open and the shards of the shell lay in the center, filled with golden light.  The light was flowing out and energizing the whole matrix, and spreading out from there in a big web that wants to bring together all the fragmented parts of my family and life, and weave them together again.  The egg told me to drink the golden light from the center, and carry the light with me into my new life to help bring peace and prosperity.  I did, it was bright and tingly, and I felt its warmth flow into me.

I asked the egg what it wanted me to do with the stone.  It said that it wanted to travel to OK with me, that I should make it a small nest box it could travel in, and it would continue working there to help me and my family.  The rest of the matrix could be disassembled and used for other purposes.

I thanked the egg, the other stones, and all the powers and beings that have helped me.   The crystals are going to other spells or to rest.  I have prepared a small box for the egg stone, where it can ride nestled in lavender blossoms.  I am moving forward (and back) into a new cycle of my life, looping back to old stamping grounds but with a new destiny and focus.

Hatching approaches

I was gone for the weekend, when I came back I recharged the egg stone matrix.  It had slowed down a bit and gotten more sleepy while I was gone, but it picked right back up again when I spoke to it.  I could feel the heat coming off the citrines and the egg, and I could feel the energy like a dome of warmth around the egg.

When I touched the egg and asked it how things were going (gently, trying not to disturb the energy or irritate the egg), I got a very clear visual image of a baby bird moving and turning inside the egg and starting to poke at the shell with its egg tooth.  It's time for hatching is approaching.

Many times over the past month, as I took a walk during the day, I have found small black feathers that seem to be left for me. They are always black or dark grey. I have generally taken each feather, with thanks, and added it to the protection spell I keep on my desk at work (disguised as a small collection of pretty leaves, rocks, and pine cones). Yesterday on my walk, however, I found a large white feather with a black tip, in excellent condition, standing upright in the grass right beside the path. It feels like a sign that things are looking up, that conditions are about to get better.  I took the feather home and have added it to the egg stone matrix, right below the oak leaf.  I asked the stones first, and they agreed that it would be good; as they said this the feather tingled and got warm, and almost twitched in my hand with eagerness and assent!

Seen around the farm

A few sights from around my property.   I lovely moth came into the barn right after the pony, and settled on the hay.  It was as big as my hand!  So beautiful.

Overnight a huge mushroom grew up next to the storm-struck tree.  It is as big as a dinner plate!  I put a can of beans next to it to give a sense of the scale:

Hatching the egg

Several weeks ago, I went down to the river to cleanse some new stones.  While I was walking around and talking to the river and the trees and thanking them for their gifts, I saw a stone sitting in the middle of a small pool, just rising above the water.  It was a plain stone, in shades of brown, but shaped just like an egg.  I got the feeling that it was a gift to me, to help us in forging our new future together back in OK.

A few days ago, at Athena's suggestion, I took apart my abundance/success spell (which has not been doing much).  I sat down with all my stones and talked to each one, holding it between my hands, asking it what it wanted and how I could work with it to get what we needed: me back to OK, with a good job, relief from money worries, and all the family together.

It was very revealing!  Two of the large citrine points said "Yes! We love to do this, we will help bring abundance to you."  One said that it brought things quickly, while the other said that it worked more slowly but with more lasting effects.  I set these two aside to use, the complement each other.  The third large citrine point just said "Meh", and didn't want do anything.  I thanked it and put it away, I will let it tell me when it is ready to do something.

The clear quartz point said that it would bring in energy and channel it for me, but it was up to me to direct it. The tormalated quartz point showed me that it would take in energy and channel it into a ring or cycle; I felt this like a warm hug that flowed around me, up one arm and down the other. The girasol quartz took in energy and released it in a warm cloud that spread out over a small area.

The rose quartz heart said that it would work with the spell to insure that anything that happened would be for the best of me and my family.  The rhodonite heart said nothing, and was not interested in being part of the work; the same for the malachite piece.

Finally I talked to the egg stone.  I got a very clear image that it was an egg, holding my future, and that it was getting close to hatching: I could see cracks running all over it, with light shining out.  It wasn't ready to hatch, but it would be very soon.  It told me that I needed to make it a nest and to nurture and encourage it to help it to hatch.

So after trying some things and getting feedback from all the stones, I ended up with this, laid out on my green velvet cloth:

The egg is in the center, on a nest of dried lavender flowers.  The two citrines are on either side, to encourage the future to be bountiful and prosperous when it hatches.  At the top, below the oak leaf, is the clear quartz point, to bring the energy into the circle.  The girosol below it takes the beam of energy and spreads it into a warm blanket over the egg and the other stones.  At the bottom, the tormalated quartz forms the energy into a circle that encloses the egg and encourages the energy to flow around the circle clockwise, feeding all the crystals.  The rose quartz heart is nestled close to the egg, to sweeten the energy and insure the future that hatches is full of love for my family.

Once this was arranged, I fed it energy and worked with each stone, bringing it into harmony with each other stone and with the whole.  As I worked, I could feel the energy as a warm current flowing clockwise, bringing life and intention to all the parts.  I have gone back every day since, charging it and rejoicing in the energy.  The egg feels like it is getting closer to hatching!

I have never gotten so much response from stone workings before.  The stones scintillate and vibrate, and I can feel the intention and focus of it every time I approach!

Double Rainbow!

Ice Aftermath

The moon
Seen through ice-glazed branches
Multiplies herself
In a thousand crystal reflectiions

Water Drake's message

I have been thinking and talking with Athena about what Water Drake means and it's message for me.  I have come to some conclusions.  The Water Drake is a dragon, a predator, and unites and balances fire and water.  Although strength, growth, adaptability, communication, and the other gifts of Oak, Spider, and Swallow have served me well, I am moving into a time when I need to add more assertiveness to my repertoire.

With Water Drake comes movement, aggression, being a predator, fighting, and taking charge.  Not in a negative way but in a positive way: I will need to actively seek out what I want and need, and take positive action to make it my own.  I think this applies to many parts of my life:

In work, it means being more assertive and showing greater leadership.  I need to demand more responsibility, and fight for the projects and directions that I think are important.

Spiritually, it means trying new things and being more adventurous.  Embracing the aspects of manhood and predator that I tend to shy away from: power, sexuality, and the warrior archetype.  And at the same time to explore the obverse: to learn more about the eternal feminine and what it means.

In my relationship it means being less passive.  It is a call to work harder to enhance and enrich our relationship, and again to embrace and express the energies of the lover, the warrior, the master, to enliven and enhance our relationship.  Likewise the obverse, to get more in touch with my inner feminine aspect and gain greater understanding of it, and the "dark, dumb, belly attention" that stirs the sparks to fire.

Feather work

Last weekend I went into the hospital for a colon blockage.  While I was there Athena brought me a turkey feather which she had purified and smoked.  She is working on bird magic, and I have helped her with some rituals.  She suggested that I work with the feather and try bird magic to assist the work the doctors were doing.  Alternative healing is not a substitute for standard medicine - but it can support and assist standard medicine.

I blew over the feather and played it, to stimulate the energy, and then brushed it down over my body, repeatedly over my abdomen and down my legs, trying to encourage the energy to flow through my body.  I felt the energy tingle and move a bit.  I could feel the wind the feather raised; it is amazing how easily the feather moves air, with almost no effort!

I worked the feather clockwise over my abdomen, urging things to move normally.  I tried to bring in bird magic, and direct it towards healing and health.  I could really feel things reacting inside; subtle but noticeable.   I continued this for 5 or 10 minutes, and repeated it several times over the next couple of days.

My blockage cleared after a couple of days, without surgery.  I am recovering nicely at home now.  I really think that the energy work helped speed things, along with some of the other work Athena did.

I will continue to do the feather work daily, until everything is running smooth inside :)

Trees - The Alder

To deepen my understanding of trees and my Green Man oracle cards, I will periodically be drawing one card and spending a few weeks learning and studying the tree, both in natural science and in spiritual meanings.

The Alder

Associated with Fire and Water (significant, given my recent connection with Water Drake), the alder grows in wet areas and reclaims ravaged or swampy land.  Foresters call it a "pioneer" species, because it is often the first tree to establish itself after a fire or flood.  Alders fix nitrogen in the soil, naturally fertilizing poor soil and preparing it for other plants.  The alder is said to represent the power of Fire to free Earth from Water.

Alder wood is oily and waterproof, and was often used for foundations and pilings, for bridges, and for making pails (one of the names for alder is "milk-guard").  Alder wood burns poorly, but makes excellent charcoal, much favored by metal smiths and weapon makers.  This, together with the red sap that drips when the wood is cut, may be why alder is called the "The very battle-witch of all woods, tree that is the hottest in a fight".

Alder is associated with Ravens and Crows.  It is the tree of the god Bran, and is linked to resurrection.  According to Irish legend, the first man was created from an alder tree.  Three dyes are made from alder: red from the bark, green from the flowers, and brown from the twigs.  The red dye was used by the ancient Welsh "crimson-stained heroes", sacred kings connected with Bran.

Young alder stems make excellent whistles, so the tree is also called the "whistle-tree".  This may be associated with the legend that after Bran's death his "singing head" was cut off and preserved, and provided good advice and prophesy to his followers for 87 years before being buried at the present site of the Tower of London.  Bran's sacred ravens remain at the Tower to this day, and are said to keep Britain safe from invasion still.  If they ever leave, disaster will follow.  (nowadays, the practical British keep their wing feathers clipped so that they will not fly away).

Alder trees provide shelter to many small woodland creatures. It is said that no harm will come to a traveler who sleeps beneath an alder, and carrying some alder wood in your pocket will bring good luck. The alder tree is especially favored by the Fairies, and acts as a gateway to their realm as well as repelling bad Fairies.  The association with Fairies and with Bran make this an especially sacred tree, and felling an alder brings a terrible curse.

Meaning in divination:
According to the Green Man Oracle - "Defense keeps clear the territory".  Watch your boundaries, and protect yourself against invaders.  According to other sources, alder shows that you will win a battle.  It is a powerful protection in battles and conflicts.  It also is a reminder to balance strength and courage with compassion and generosity.  Its role in the wild also suggests the need to nurture and provide care for those that come after.

Resources:
http://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Alder.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder
http://www.thornr.demon.co.uk/bran/alderims.html
http://www.merciangathering.com/alder.htm

Riding Water Drake

I took a spirit journey, to get to know Water Drake better.  I started on the beach and walked up the path through the woods; it was dark and the stars were bright.

When I got to the clearing and looked in the entrance, instead of a wide meadow of green grass was a wide sea of sunny green water, with small waves splashing.  As I looked, it shifted back and forth; from sea to water over green grass to dry land and back.  I stepped in it, and splashed ankle deep in the bright water.  I could see Oak a little ways ahead, seeming unconcerned that he was growing in the sea now.  Water Drake raised its head up out of the water above me; it was HUGE, shining blue and silver.  His head was large and elegant, like a Chinese dragon.

I asked if it would let me ride him; to wherever it chose to take me.  Water Drake assented, and sank down in the water, then his head rose up below me and I was astride his neck.  I expected it to dive down and swim into the depths of the sea, but instead it kept rising and swam up into the sky above.  We quickly left the earth behind and swam among the bright stars, in the black night of the sea of stars.  It was glorious to feel Water Drake's strength and confidence.

After a bit I suggested we return.  Instead of diving back down to earth, Water Drake gave a shiver and dash up and we broke through the surface of the sea and were in my meadow again.  I wondered where we had been - in the sky?  Below the sea?  And then I understood that to Water Drake all these were the same.  The sea, the sky, the earth, near, far, all were united and only our limited perceptions separated them.  By just changing our perspective we can shift from one place to another - but really only our perception shifts.

Water Drake

I have been researching the Water Drake (the dragon, not the duck :)) to see what it's medicine is and what it will bring me in this new year.

The attributes usually associated with water dragons are: passion, courage, depth of feeling, connection with life, change and transformation   Long memory, and the possibility of revisiting past decisions and wishes to achieve balance and healing.  In Chinese traditions, the dragon brings good luck, power, charisma, and an atmosphere of surprise and transformation; the water aspect cools some of the impetuousness and helps with a cool head and better decision making.

There are a few references to dragons ability to travel between the worlds.  If you have a dragon spirit guide, you should ask to ride it and see where it takes you.  Water Drake is too small to ride, but I will ask it to lead me somewhere.

Dragons are definitely very lucky, with very strong magic, and are all about transformation and growth.  I look forward to seeing where it takes me!

Signs and Portents and Omens, Oh My!

We have been swamped with signs over the last month or so, that some major change is about to happen.  Not necessarily bad, but definitely big. Athena has been reading the Tarot, and the same cards keep coming up over and over: The Tower, The Hanged Man, The Ace of Cups, The High Priestess, The Six of Swords, The Ten of Cups, and several others.  We saw a pair of hawks sitting side by side facing opposite directions, and later another pair of hawks sitting together facing the same way, and  nearby an owl on a fence during the day.  Athena also saw a shooting star.  There was a huge ring around the moon on Winter Solstice.  Enough already, I get the idea!

The only things I can get from this is that something big is coming (or is already in progress), which will turn our world upside down.  We may have some painful trials to get through, which will reveal to us some hidden knowledge, but in the end we will have peace and happiness in our home.  Some of this I suspect revolves around Athena and her job search; last year was my season for change and turmoil, this may be hers.  I hope I have learned enough to be a strong support and aid for her, as she moves towards her heart's desire.

There are some signs already that the settled order of nature is being inverted, appropriate I guess for the season of misrule.  A brother-in-law, a very hard worker who has never liked his jobs, has found a job that he enjoys.  An estranged and difficult relative is offering financial assistance.  Cats and dogs living together, total chaos!