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!