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June 12 through June 18, 2023

Our creativity soars this week, as we thrive under the intellectual power of the Gemini Sun to revamp our outlook and surroundings. Monday and Tuesday we'll be brainstorming for new ideas under an Aries Moon, and by Wednesday, when the Moon moves into Taurus, we'll be able to take action on the things we want to change on a physical level. Whether we're ready to take on a home remodeling project, bring our wardrobe up to date or go for a completely new look, or create new spiritual practices to enhance our inner souls, this is the week to bring those to life! The Gemini new Moon on Saturday heralds a two-week cycle of new beginnings, so the preparations we make this week will quickly move us forward into enhanced levels of being. We can pause for a moment on Sunday as the Moon moves into Cancer, focusing on family, home, and the things that bring us comfort. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Elemental Shamanism: The Power of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air, by Omar W. Rosales

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

"The Universe is created of Four Elements—Fire, Earth, Water, and Air." —5th Century Buddhist Master

From the steppes of the Himalaya to the jungles of Guatemala, shamanism is a ritual belief system that has been practiced for over 27,000 years. From cave paintings in France to aboriginal art in Australia, shamans have recorded what they experience during altered states of consciousness and journeys into non-ordinary realms of reality. These remarkable drawings show flight, communication with anthropomorphic spirit guides, and arcane knowledge of the universe. By understanding how shamanic beliefs correspond to the four elements, we can gain a unique understanding of this enigmatic spiritual tradition.

Shamanism is the set of rituals and beliefs that are used by indigenous societies to effectuate change in our world. Shamanism is characterized by its practitioners entering Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) to journey into Non-Ordinary Realms (NORs) of Reality. At the molecular level, the quantum level, a shaman will change their energy field to interact with the energy field of living and non-living objects. Shamans can be both female and male, and are found in many different cultures from around the world. Vajrayana Buddhist monks in Bhutan and Tibet, as well as Maya A'j r'ijs from Central America and Cherokee Spiritwalkers from North America understand the connection between shamanic rites and the Four Elements of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. The shamanic journey first begins with the Fire element.

FIRE
Before a shaman is accepted by her or his community, and the healer is imbued with powers from the realm of spirit, the shaman must first undergo a ritualized initiation process. The first step of the initiation process is the destruction of the self or the ego. A person must be reborn to become a shaman and harness a new set of abilities, which include astral travel, soul retrieval, divination, healing, and spirit communication. But to be born again, a person must first die. The Fire Element serves this end, because Fire is symbolic of ritual purification and death. By undergoing a great and sudden traumatic event, which destroys the ego and former aspects of the self, the shamanic initiate is letting of old belief systems and old ways of thinking. Fire does this by burning away antiquated aspects of the self and limiting beliefs.

Through fire, an initiate will discard their former identity, and may even die. A catastrophic illness is one way that communities find new shamans. Many shamans have undergone bouts with near-fatal diseases, and many have had Near Death Experiences (NDEs). The NDEs provide the shaman a gateway. By hovering between the realms of life and death, flesh and spirit, the shaman learns to communicate with spirit guides. The shaman is then offered a choice by the spirit guides—to accept the new destiny as a shamanic healer and practitioner or become a permanent resident of the spirit world. Thankfully for us, many initiates choose to continue along the shamanic path.

EARTH
After the tribulation of the Fire element, fire, and the discard of the former egocentric self, a shaman will then begin journeying to the underworld. The underworld, or cave, is representative of the Earth element and symbolizes the link to our collective past, our connection to the planet, and our inescapable bond with every life form. The Earth element nurtures, it protects. The Earth element is the womb from which all life comes. From plants, to plankton, to eagles, to grasshoppers, all life began in the Earth and in caves, where life was protected from the sun's radiation and life forms began to evolve and emerge.

A shaman's journey to understand the Earth element is the voyage to comprehend the connection with animal guides, plant guides, and humanity's collective unconscious. It is these symbols of the collective subconscious, hard-wired into DNA and cellular memory, that provide the shaman with the vocabulary of Jungian archetypes. Cross-culturally, humans communicate with a common set of symbols passed down from our genetic past. These symbols, or archetypes, include the maiden, the wizard, the Nature spirit (such as the Pan or Trickster), the hero and heroine, the crone, the baby, and the tree.

The Earth element provides this shamanic language for use in dreams, metaphysics, and healing. The Earth element is the connection to more than one million years of evolution, the collective subconscious, archetypes, and the realm of nature spirits. After a shaman connects to the wisdom of the Earth element and the collective past, the shaman must develop an understanding of the Water element.

WATER
Water is the universal fuel of existence; life cannot function without water. To a shaman, the Water element symbolizes growth by feeding all life forms on the planet. The basis of the shamanic journey is empathic healing. By showing tears of compassion for all living beings, a shaman expands planetary health. All living beings want to be nurtured and nourished. From Redwood trees, to algae, to killer whales, to frogs, all living things desire compassion. By promoting all forms of life and having compassion for all living creatures, a shaman heals the planet. Tears of compassion and love provide growth to the tree of humanity. And as more rings and generations are added, the human tree becomes stronger.

AIR
The final element of the shamanic journey is Air. The Air provides the shaman with a connection to Upper Realms, deities, and gods. By using their psychic abilities, a shaman can transcend the limits of her or his body to communicate directly with the gods and bring forth messages for humanity. Shamans describe journeys to the Upper Realm as a Revelation of supernatural knowledge and insight. The Upper Realms are places of air, flight, and greater perspective. The earliest cave paintings of thirty thousand years ago in France and Spain show shamans flying amongst the stars. The Air element represents a place to gain greater understanding and communicate with the creator deities.

The greatest shamans of the last two thousand years ascended into the Air element after their teaching missions were complete. Jesus, Mohammed, and Padmashambhava all descended into the clouds once they finished their earthly journey. For the shaman, the Air element is the connection to land of Spirit and the Upper Realms from which gods and deities communicate their most important messages for humanity. It is into the Air element, that the most powerful shamans ascend once their missions are complete.

The journey of the shaman is the symbolic journey of creation, the metaphor for the evolution of the human machine. The journey first begins with the destruction of the self and ego through the ritual initiation of the Fire Element. The next step on the shaman's journey is the voyage to understand the Earth element. By developing a connection with all living things, a shaman can understand that all life on Earth is linked together. By exposure to the symbols of the collective past, and the Jungian archetypes of the collective subconscious, a shaman develops and perfects her or his psychic abilities with the help of the Earth.

The shaman then journeys to the land of the Water element to learn compassion. By shedding tears of love and compassion for all living beings, the shaman begins to use her healing abilities to heal the planet. The final journey of the shaman is the voyage the land of the Air Element. Amongst the clouds, skies, and further into the cosmos, a shaman journeys to develop a relationship with deities. After the final realization and a complete mastery of all the elements in the universe—Fire, Earth, Water, and Air, a shaman will journey into the cosmos to permanently reside in the Upper Realms and live amongst the gods.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2009. All rights reserved.

I have had a fascination with all things paranormal since I was 14 years old, and I am now a member of a development circle for mediumship. After circle we always take photos while the room is still dark, and therefore the flash always goes off. One night when the flash went off, I very clearly saw a man standing behind a chair that a friend was sitting on. After describing this person, I was told that it was his brother who had gone to Spirit just over a year prior. I have had this happen once since then. Can you tell me if I can develop this ability to see spirits, or will I only be able to see them under those conditions? What do you make of this? I did originally think that it was my eyes playing tricks on me, but I have been told by those present that it wasn't. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Love and Light to you all,

Clare

Dreamchaser:

Clare, thank you so much for asking this question. When we are around like-minded people, we soak up the energy in the room and become even MORE than when we are alone. Think of a sponge: if there is one drop of water, the sponge will soak it up but not become saturated, but if there is a puddle, the sponge will soak up that liquid and become full.

This is similar to how we soak up the energy of those around us. The Christian Bible says "when two or more are gathered in my name..." I believe that when you saw this man, you were "wide open" spiritually from the circle. Your logic was asleep and your spirit was in control. Do you THINK your eyes played tricks on you? Is that how you justify all the things you have seen throughout your life? As long as you do not believe your own eyes, you will not be able to see.

You see things all the time! You just don't believe in your own abilities, so you find a way to rationalize EVERY sighting away, like you have always done. This one in particular is hard to rationalize away, since you know who you saw, and you have other witnesses to that fact. I repeat, Clare, you have ALWAYS seen. You just have to trust in your own power.

I suggest that in your next prayer/ meditation session, you speak to your higher power about this issue. Ask for guidance and trust. You must also consider that some beings do not wish to be seen, or like to play a game of paranormal "hide and seek."

I have mentioned many times that my house is extremely haunted. I do not, however, see any of these beings with my own eyes. (I have also mentioned that I really do not wish to see said beings.) One night as I was just getting settled into bed, however, I heard a noise in the kitchen. My bedroom is a loft that overlooks the house. I sat up and saw a man in a fedora hat walking through the kitchen. I lay down quickly and rubbed my eyes. When I sat back up, of course he was "gone." I am sure he showed himself to me that night. I do not know why, I just know he did. It was HIS choice to be seen, not MY choice to see him - a game of "hide and seek."

Another way spirits show themselves to us is on film. So many people see shadows, lights or orbs in their photos, but explain them away as "glare." Next time you get a picture with "glare" in it, look more closely. If an orb is floating against a flat wall, where can the "glare" come from?

Open your mind and your soul to your own gifts. I wish you 20/20 psychic vision.

*****

Astrea:

Any kind of mediumship takes practice, and validation is important to a person's progress. I'm tickled pink that you have a group who can do that for you! Obviously, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you there!

You ask if you can develop the ability to see spirits. By that I assume you mean spirits of Departed People (the Dead). You are already accomplishing that, with witnesses no less, which is very important. While taking photographs is a very good idea for keeping records of what happens in situations like this, you don't need the spirits to show up on the film to feel validated. The other people present can confirm details about the loved ones you're able to see.

Communicating with the Dead is always hard work. Over the years, I've found that there are several common threads that lead to success in such practices. While it's possible to see and communicate with spirits in several venues and in many personal ways, finding someone who can mentor you in the process of learning how to do that would be very helpful to you. The circle is fine for experimentation, but you will find if you have an actual personal TEACHER, the process will go more swiftly.

Here are a few pointers that always help me. Use what you like and discard what you don't!

I find that it's almost impossible to "speak" to someone before they have been departed for at least a year. That first "Celestial" year, a person has to face a lot of what they did that THEY felt was wrong during their Earthy Incarnation. After the first year has passed, usually people become more settled and ready to talk with loved ones or with channels who can relay messages to loved ones.

As you're beginning, try NOT to talk to people who have died violently, whether in an accident or by their own hand. Sometimes suicides come through almost immediately, as they aren't convinced that they are dead. Try NOT to see suicides before a year is up if you can help it. (Very unhappy, dissatisfied bunch, in my experience).

Women and men are equally interested in "coming through." So are animals. Try not to limit yourself to human spirits. We miss a lot when we do that.

Above all, take your time discovering what works best for you, and be patient with yourself as you discard the techniques that don't prove helpful. As a young person, you're still getting all kinds of impressions coming into your brain. Sorting it all is difficult, but with lots of patience and practice, you will be able to turn it on when you need it. Turning it OFF - now that's another matter! 🙂

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.