Before I found my feet on the contemporary shamans path I had what feels like another life. It was all about theatre, acting, performing, teaching etc. Between that life of theatre and the life of the shamans path I unraveled to a degree that I heard voices, felt incredibly ill, shaved my hair off, isolated to the point of deep depression and found myself looking deeply into the eye of madness. However underneath it all there was a message of guidance building but it was so deep in the subconscious I had no idea what was being called to be created.  This is what came from the rite of passage of madness that I walked through. This was the path to recovery.

 

Here is the introduction to the book and following is a forward from Anne Deveson

INTRODUCTION 

After twenty years in experimental theatre and seven years researching and working with emotionally & spiritually disturbed people, I came to the realisation that insanity is only one option in becoming aware of the abilities we have as sensitive souls. I too have been lost and on the edge of insanity but fortunately saw the wisdom behind the crisis which has directed my soul to write this book.

 

Everyone at one time or another has doubted his or her own sanity. That is not unusual. The difference is what we do when that happens. Some have been blessed by being able to push through and overcome it, some don’t. It’s heartbreaking to see a soul we dearly love dragged away into an ambulance and taken to a place where we feel they don’t belong. What other choices are there? I have heard so many people crying for another way.

 

I would like to share with you what I believe is the truth of people who are living another reality.

Throughout my research, counselling and personal involvement with ‘Acutely Sensitive’ people, I have found that the cause of schizophrenia seldom originates from a brain dysfunction. I believe they are deeply, spiritually wounded.

As mother earth becomes more dramatic in her healing changes many souls are losing their grip. This book is a guide for people who are sensitive by nature, whether schizophrenic or simply too vulnerable and are finding it hard to cope. It is also a handy manual for carers and therapists to understand the world of the Acute Sensitive from a more holistic perspective. Medical doctors are wonderful in their art and should not be condemned, as they are masters of their craft. However, they are not doctors of the soul. Religion may benefit those who follow, although that may not be everyone’s chosen path.

 

Here is another option

Another viewpoint

Another road

What I ask of the reader is to drop what you think you know about mental illness and see an empty canvas where new colours may be painted…. Then after the picture is finished, stand back and look at the whole painting. Not all artists suit all tastes, however, each painting tells a story, a view through the eyes of another which the observer may identify with…this may be one of those paintings for you.

 

 

The Bridge Between Two Worlds

Offers tools which may help to

 bring balance to a state of

 spiritual imbalance.

 

FORWARD 

“Odette Nightsky has had the courage and sensitivity to present an alternative view of schizophrenia and of other psychotic illnesses. She believes that people with schizophrenia are deeply spiritually disturbed, and acutely sensitive to the world and the universe – around them. The healing pathway she suggests is one that helps people reclaim the ground of their being, and achieve harmony and balance within their lives. Illnesses like schizophrenia are mysterious – even for people like me who grew up wearing shoes of science and have since flown in all kinds of directions trying to understand what’s going on. What I like about Odette’s book, The Bridge Between Two Worlds, is that she isn’t proscriptive. She gently suggests how she sees psychotic experiences, and then allows the possibility of numbers of paths to healing, including the traditional ones of medication if that’s how people feel safest. Her approach is a responsible one”.

Anne Deveson is a writer, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker with a long involvement in human rights issues. She has worked as a journalist for the BBC and the London bureau of the New York Times. is internationally recognised for her work in the media and mental health for which she was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia. She has also received honorary doctorates by the University of New South Wales and the University of South Australia for services to the community.

 

 

Now Available As An Ebook

 

 

Writing this book sent me on the path that I still walk. I gave birth to something that was a huge catalyst in my own path to healing. As you will see at the latter chapters in the book I had been called to do this work through many lifetimes. It was an incredible gift in the midst of a powerful and challenging rite of passage. 

You can purchase The Bridge Between Two Worlds as an Ebook straight from my website. 

 

www.contemporaryshaman.net.

 

Blessings

InHeart

Odette

From time to time I am asked why I specifically mention safe practices in regard to my service and writings,  so I shall explain.

I have spent a great number of years adventuring through different therapies, modalities and practices with a few cults (churches are in that category) thrown in.

Many years ago I had a spirit guide drawing where someone draws either the spiritual version of you or someone close who is in your Auric field.  Instead of a groovy looking fairy or some such image the drawing was of a little bald-headed man in a dark Victorian suit with round glasses a pencil and a note pad. He was travelling with me taking notes and apparently had been with me for quite a while.

Over the years I have found that I have had a trainload of these types of beings around me both in human and E. T form for the majority of my life, curious beings who want to know more.

I am by nature somewhat of an interrogator (as I have aged it has gotten less like an impending wave of confrontation and more like a gentle river that curves around rocks). I always seem to ask the questions others forget to ask, mainly out of absolute curiosity in human behaviour rather than looking for faults.

Many of my adventures into alternative therapy have been with a detectives hat on. I was brought up on every Agatha Christie movie there was! And my favorite board game was Cluedo.  I loved looking deep inside the human psyche, shadow and all and still do.  I love researching and investigating different theories and philosophies that are not necessarily within the mainstream.

I happily dive in deeply without drowning and getting lost along someone else’s trail. Or if I do get a bit waterlogged I float up to the surface of my own path pretty fast.  I have always walked my own journey regardless of not belonging but that does not mean the door to learning has ever closed…nor will it ever. Still as curious as a cat and happily so! I have experienced wonderful moments of awareness and bliss as well as confronting moments of feeling horrid because the therapist or group leader did not know or was not aware of what they were doing.

People have been manipulated emotionally by therapists, flipped out from being brainwashed in a cult, been sexually abused by a so called shamans and healers who were unwell themselves, massaged inappropriately, given plant medicine in such a large group without making sure that the person could manage the impact, done healing that has left the person out-of-body, fragmented and not completed a session properly due to time and money. These are just some of the experiences of clients that have come to me with their stories.

So safe practices are paramount in my service. A woman recently wrote to say that by my ‘safe practices’ credo I was saying that other shamanic practices were not safe. Well, yes and no. There are practicing shamans and those that work in the field who I have great respect for and often refer people to them depending on where they are in the world. But being around the alternative scene for a very long time now I have seen a good wallop of shabby charlatans both indigenous and non indigenous using their glamour coats to manipulate and gain money whilst doing very little of authentic service to those in need.

So no, many practices are not safe both in the realm of shamanism and other alternative therapies ( often not intentionally , just not experienced enough). Anyone can be a so called ‘New Age Therapist’ now days as there is no reviewing of such practices.  Something that I would like to be a part of one day.

Some people have said to me that if a person goes to a bad or untrained therapist or they didn’t cope with what they took then that’s their choice, their lesson. Yes, true to a point. I myself have had my share of them but the problem is for many people it takes a lot to seek help, to open yourself up and share your wound and if you have a bad experience, or pay a fortune for what I call a ‘fluffy healing,’ you often become so disillusioned that you find it hard to trust anyone else. Trust is important for spiritual and emotional development.

Many people who have suffered from child abuse/trauma and or mental health issues are attracted to the alternative therapies and I am very pro active to advocate for safe practices so when someone is seeking guidance in the alternative field that they get the service they are looking for and with a practitioner that is grounded and knows how to ‘be of service’.

I have no trouble giving clients a number of someone who I feel may help in a certain area of their live’s as I cannot be all things to everyone. Being of service is not about the ego getting fed, it’s about assisting another on ‘their’ path to wellness.

Spiritual Emergence

The term spiritual emergence is defined as the movement of an individual to a more expanded way of being that involves enhanced emotional and psychosomatic health, greater freedom of personal choices, and a sense of deeper connection with other people, nature, and the cosmos.

 

When spiritual emergence is very rapid and dramatic this natural process can become a crisis, and spiritual emergence becomes spiritual emergency. This has also been called transpersonal crisis, acute psychosis with a positive outcome, positive disintegration and an extreme state. There is no sharp division between emergence and emergency. (Stanislav Grof)

This does tend to happen to quite a number of people when diving head first into alternative practices. The most common I have heard is from people doing too many hard yoga postures to the point that they awaken their Kundalini way too fast (the coiled energy/Serpent at the base of the spine) and cannot shut it down.

There is a lot of stimulation of the psyche on the path to consciousness, so for some, if not balanced and done slowly, one can arrive at a place of crisis, a place of spiritual emergency.

For most this experience will balance itself out in time (if not interfered with) and will be seen as a great spiritual awakening and a profound life experience, but for others it can lead to more unconscious shadow issues arising to the surface. This is when ‘safe practices’ are paramount as they can make the difference in assisting the person to adjust and bring a grounded balance to their state of awakening. Otherwise the person may unravel, have a breakdown, take hard drugs to block the feelings out or find themselves under the mental health model of care, suffering from continual psychosis and the medicated merry go round.

I am not saying all this to freak you out and put you off the wonderful adventures that you will have on the road to consciousness. I am saying it because I want you to enjoy it and do it with awareness and safety. I have gained untold riches through my experiences and as my practice and my writings often attract sensitive and acutely sensitive people, its important to me that safety in alternative practices becomes more widespread. If you yourself can learn how to discern if the person who is offering the session or workshop is a person of integrity, knows what they are doing and begin to trust your instincts in making the right choice for yourself to venture in that particular direction then you will be on a much safer pathway to consciousness.

Blessings

InHeart

Odette

For further information please go to the website.

.

If you are reading this its probable that you believe you have lived a life other than the present one you’re in. I don’t know where I learnt the concept that I had experienced other lives, I just always felt it made perfect sense regardless of other peers belief systems. I just always assumed it was so.

My parents did not indoctrinate me into any specific religious belief system. They were happy to support me to find what suited me best. In that I feel very fortunate.

The first ever past life regression session left me quite fascinated. It was like a dip into place of familiarity. Then after many years of dabbling in all sorts of modalities I found my training ground in contemporary shamanism and it fit like a glove. Still does after all these years.

Not long before my training I did do a regression as I was ending a relationship. I went to someone who was known for this work.  Within the regression the guide/therapist was pushing me to forgive and act of cruelty even though I was not ready to do so. I came out of the session quite locked in upset. I talked to the therapist the following day and said I felt something wasn’t quite right. I was still there somewhat fragmented in that life. She did not offer another session or give me any tools to deal with it. She seemed to think that was normal. At that time, to be honest I was fairly naïve at what else could be done, but intuitively I knew I was left hanging. A few months later after moving overseas and having nightmares every single night (I was living in an area where many witches were burnt and hung). Through blessed synchronicity I found my way to my medicine path and my guide/teacher.

In the very first session, dealing with what was then refered to as a ‘Past life’(I now refer to them simply as ‘Other lives or Parallel lives’ ) I found myself smack bang in the life I had been stuck in. I did not plan on it, I did not think about it, but to be honest I was not surprised. It made sense as I clearly had unfinished business. What was so different in the Contemporary Shamanic Training was that we worked differently with the feelings, the beliefs systems and the vows that were part of that life. When we moved to that familiar place of forgiveness I was instead left to feel and be validated in my feelings. Then after leaving that life ( we move through the death of that life as well) I was taken to a healing place to remove anything my spirit being/body was carrying that I no longer wanted to carry. My guide did not push me, she negotiated and in that I was freed of not only the rage but of the sadness and the vows I had made. Forgiveness then came easily.

We are here in this present life to live it to its fullness. Sure you have influences of other lifetimes, sure you may be attracted to certain costumes, architecture, lifestyles, belief systems, prejudices, etc even if you’re not sure where they came from. Within the contemporary shamanistic pathway you can bring in all the talents from that life whilst healing and dissolving the burdens and wounds .

Your spirit chose this life. Your spirit chose the family you grew up in. Your spirit chose the culture and country and planet that you were born into even if you are adopted, a walk in or was a foster child…. Your spirit chose that too. That’s not to say sometimes we don’t feel a strong desire to return to some of those memories but with ‘Other life Journeys’ we can return, make amends if need be, reclaim that which was arrested in that life and be free to live in this life willingly.

I have cleared some pretty full on lives and some of them admittedly, I was rather shocked by. But each experience taught me so much and I enjoyed the adventure of delving in and clearing those issues with gusto. Maybe that’s why my teacher was happy for me to take on the work after she passed over.  She knew I was going to make my own recipe out of what she guided me in, but the core of the teachings are still there and when I see what clients get from this kind of journeywork it warms my heart that I am continuing the work that was and still is an incredible gift of service.

The path in this journeywork is towards reclaiming lost fragments, reuniting you with your innate gifts and releasing past vows whilst understanding more about your multidimensional self. Its a wonderful adventure if your prepared to walk it.

 

Blessings

Odette

I am available for ‘Other life Journeywork’ and more in the Far North Coast NSW. Australia. The workbook on my website is based on some of the training in Contemporary Shamanism.

“Woman is by nature a shaman.” Chukchee proverb

The word shaman, or Saman comes from Russia (The Tungus people) the word ‘Shamanka’ was used to be helpful in describing a female shaman.

Throughout history the majority of writings and teachings known world wide on shamanism and spirituality, have been from the masculine. The male has been and still to a great degree is, the voice of authority when it comes to major views and decisions worldwide.

When we read back through mainstream history, the references to women and their power come mostly from the time of the Goddess, but little is written from the eyes of the women in rites of passage and religious doctrines since then. The women that have been written about e.g. Mary Magdalene and Jeanne d’Arc, have either been falsely represented through the eyes of the masculine or killed for their courage in speaking up or both.

This article is not an attack against men personally. As a woman that grew up with older big brothers and one that loves my male friends dearly, I am not a man basher in any way.  This is merely an observation of how the ‘masculine’ has possessed and controlled a great deal without the acknowledgement, inclusion and respect of the ‘feminine’.

Both qualities reside in all of us.  The yin and yang symbol is a representative of that regardless of sexual orientation. The feminine/yin has been exploited, misused and misrepresented throughout history. During the times of the Goddess many sacrifices were made and much blood was shed. The feminine in a state of imbalance can be just as cruel and heartless as the masculine.  Both the worship of ‘gods’ and ‘goddess’ has been used and abused in the name of power and competition. One icon replacing another with both out of balance.

If we look at the religious teachings there is very little written ‘by’ women or spoken ‘by’ women. Even today, looking at a snippet of the Popes induction, I could not see a woman amidst the hierarchy, nor do we see them there within the other monotheist religions and strong predominant cults of the world. The masculine still sits at the top of the ladder.  Within shamanism as with others many teachings have been heard primarily through the voice of the masculine.

Woman’s power has been terrifying men for centuries. Bleeding women were seen as dirty, sinful, wanton and cursed. It was actually called ‘The curse’ by women themselves. Rather than honored for their life giving gifts women were shunned and excluded.  Even today there are western based Ayauasca ceremonies where women are banned. In my view the reason is that the male guide cannot cope with the power woman experience when they are so open.

The majority of women hung, burnt and drowned were killed because of their natural ability that ALL women were born with. If the bleeding time is guided well it can be a medicine in itself as a way of clearing that which has been denied and a renewing of the psyche. It can be a guide to what needs work rather than a collective self-imposed curse.  Those that have passed through or passing out of the bleeding times are now bleeding within and the wisdom grows stronger if we allow it.

Women by nature are more private in their service to the medicine. As the feminine is akin to the dark of the moon it is yin, receptive inward, morphing with the great empty. The service is yielding, intimate, nurturing, awakening and maternally strong. The masculine is akin to the light of the sun it is yang, action, outwards, thought, intellect, electric and focused. In combination these qualities can be powerful medicine.

Both men and women are able to acquire both abilities but the development of the practice is individual. As am sure you have met men who you have found more receptive and nurturing than some masculine driven controlling women.

There are now women in the world that are braver to speak their truth. Some come across more male than any male I have met which shows that we still have quite a long way to go in finding balance. A woman does not have to be a man to be strong but that is the example of power many understand. What is sad is that women have become woman’s worse enemy and often times would rather slander a woman of substance and principles than to support her….As I said, we have ways to go.

If all the woman had stood up when others were being hung, burnt or drowned, in support of their relationship to the earth rites, its medicines and the unseen worlds, it would have brought great change but the fear that has been instilled in many women even today is very strong. There is a collective unconscious pattern in many women that fear to speak their truth and practice their medicine because of some deep held pattern that says they will suffer some form of persecution and unfortunately much of that persecution has come from other women supporting men in their criticism of a wise and empowered female.

One of the most well-known book about shamanism is by Mircea Eliades “Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy” a book that is advised to read in relation to understanding the origins but many don’t know that he viewed female shamans as degeneration of an originally masculine profession even though from Mongolia to Africa, it was well known that the first shaman was a woman. It’s a fact that women have been at the forefront of this field worldwide, and in some cultures, they predominate. There is much more evidence to back this up but not in the accessible mainstream and certainly not available or taught to young girls or women.

Female shamans have often been tried as witches as there is a similar relationship to the respect of mother earth, use of herbs for healing and the ability to travel within unseen worlds and offer guidance and healing. Even on All hallows eve, little girls dress up in ugly witches masks and still believe they are something to do with the devil and black magic. Women and their practice of medicine are still to this day steeped in contradictions and misunderstandings.

Carlos Castaneda is well-known author even if one knows little of shamanism. Masses have followed his adventures into ethno-botanical worlds, as did the well known Terrence McKenna who took the psychedelic shamanic modern influences into the era of the Internet and beyond.  However the majority of this medicine is via the plant world access rather than the natural pathways devoid of ethno botanicals

A little more is known of Castaneda’s female apprentices, Florinda Donner-Grau, and Taisha, but only because they were his students. Both women wrote well from the female point of view but only a few books each and since then they have disappeared and never been located. For myself Taisha Abelar insight on sexual recapitulation is a gift to women kind.

Looking up well known shamans or those that practice the medicine throughout history and even today, is easy, it’s pretty much all men. Looking up well known female shamans in history, well you will only find the information within women’s studies, and not anywhere near the same exposure as men have had.

However within today’s world of modern contemporary shamanism, there are some women who stand out and who in my view are an offering great guidance. Sandra Ingerman is one of those. I remember reading her book ‘Creative Visualization’ and ‘Soul Retrieval, so many years ago and I can still feel how both books made an impact on my life and my path towards the medicine I practice today. Sandra’s language is a beautiful balance of both the masculine and the feminine. She has brought the female shaman into the modern world in a grounded and practical way, as did the late wonderfully talented Gabrielle Roth, with her Urban Shaman dance path.

Lyn Andrews, offered insight into the power of women through her writings on shamanism and the women that she was taught by, many books I find are rather a light read and somewhat commercial in delivery however she has offered a bridge to many women to see the power of women in shamanism. In a few books I have read of hers, there were definitely shiny pearls that I have kept in my knowing.

Tenzin Palmo has offered a great example through her building of a monastery for female monks in Tibet. In her book ‘The Cave in the Snow” she saw how women were never or rarely considered in regards to the right to enlightenment. Through Tenzin’s persistence, resilience and commitment she is working hard to offer women the same right to wisdom that the masculine has possessed in ownership and women have bowed down too for centuries. She made the Dalia Lama aware of this imbalance and with insight and an ability to embrace the needs and rights of women he agreed that things need to change and prepared the way for her to carve a path for Tibetan women who want to follow the Buddhist path as an equal right.

Women are the natural midwives of the spirit. Our attraction to these pathways is natural. Fear of our own power is something that we are all trying to unlearn. Power does not mean dominance or control.

I have found the greatest strength when in service of another by metaphysically cutting off my head, being receptive and listening to the soul of my client. The ego to me is very masculine so before I begin I meditate and call in my spirit clan and ask ‘Please spirit, help me get out of my own way so I may be of service’ That to me is how I am nurturing the feminine medicine path and learning to find balance between the doer and the receiver.

We women who have been born in this time are very fortunate. We have come a long way, but we still need to heal our own collective fear of persecution. There are women today that are being burnt for witchcraft, stoned for loving, and killed for being raped. We the women who are able to claim our freedom need to help other women reclaim theirs and one of the best ways is via education and living examples.

If woman by nature is a shaman, then woman by nature is a transformer. The waiting is over. It is time to stand in support of one another not as bullies or pushers, but as sisters and midwives. Its time to collectively claim and recapitulate that, which has been fragmented.  So we can be of service to the ‘whole’ of mankind.

Blessings

InHeart

Odette

Before I begin on this rather huge subject, allow me to clarify a few things. The word ‘Alien’ has been misused.

The actually definition of an Alien is someone who is a foreigner from another country.

An Extraterrestrial is a being that originates outside the earths atmosphere, from space or from another planet.

In the majority of movies that include the word ‘Alien’ the story has been about horrible creatures from another planet doing horrible things. To the general public the word ‘Alien’ and the word ‘Extraterrestrial’ have been totally muddled, an alien only appears to be relegated to the nasty ones.  In America, if you are not born there you are classified and stamped as an illegal alien. An unwelcome foreigner. Hmmmmm……

Well over 60% of Americans believe in extraterrestrials and many more worldwide believe in the reality of their existence. Some cynics, and there are a good many , laugh it off as vivid imagination (dreams or hallucinations); make believe on a hoax scale (crop circles) or a conspiracy theory given way too much time (anything outside the box of perceived normality).  From a statistical point of view there are more believers than non-believers worldwide.

Part of the problems lies in the question of what is REAL, and that depends on your ability to see beyond your own one-dimensional understanding of life and the universe. How can you possibly learn anything when your mind has already judged something as pure imagination without having experienced it yourself or at the very least read and researched widely? I don’t just mean the research within your sphere of acceptance but outside that bubble as well.

People have reported and documented both pleasant and unpleasant experiences of their encounters with extraterrestrials. The unpleasant encounters are challenging to understand. There is the view amongst psychologists that the terror people experience is created within their unconscious fears. Others truly believe ‘Greys’ who are seen as the shadow extraterrestrials, indeed do exist. I myself have not experienced any ‘Greys’ but have known others that have.  On this I keep an open mind.

Below is a link that may assist you in looking at the fearful encounters differently. The interviewers drive me a bit potty on Project Camelot but some of the information that comes through is worth pondering. If you are reading this, my guess is you are open minded enough and want to investigate more for your own understanding.  Take a look at the link below after you have read through the blog post and see what rings true for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RnMwWyfTwU&feature=player_embedded

My father served as the head of military intelligence at one time. He was incredibly well read and experienced many different cultures, customs and viewpoints. He had very fixed views in some regards however; in this particular subject he was to my surprise quite open minded.

When I asked him one day about the existence of extraterrestrials. He said

‘One would be ignorant to assume there wasn’t.’  This is coming from a man that was incredibly logical, a royalist, as well as huge reader and researcher, however he also had a inquiring mind into magic, mystery and mysticism, which in my opinion helped to keep his mind open in regards to the unknown.

The statement he made all those years ago, rings clear like bell of truth in my being to this day. Im in agreement, that it’s incredibly ignorant to just assume we are the only race in the universe. Rather narcissistic methinks. The unknown is a scary place for many. Its much easier to say ‘No, its rubbish!’ than to look at things that are, as yet beyond your own personal understanding. Fear of losing control of your beliefs traps many people in cages of their own making.

There are so many indicators of evidence in ancient cave paintings to suggest that there were indeed visitors from the skies in skins different to those here on earth. Extraterrestrials are part of earth’s natural history and there are so many disclosure projects out there  showing more and more secrets uncovered regarding our relationship with them.

There are numerous quotes in this regard. Her are just a few examples  

 

“In my mind, there is no question that they’re out there. My Career is well established. My texts books are required reading in all the major capitals on planet earth. If you want to become a physicist to learn about the unified field theory-you read my books. Therefore, I’m in a position to say: Yes- Most likely they’re out their, perhaps even visited, perhaps on our moon”. – ABC News Quote — 
— Professor Macho Kaku Author of Theoretical Physics UNY

 

I believe, and I scientifically am certain, that there are endless other living forms out there, including intelligent sentient beings. I do know that there are entire universes of living forms out there.

–Dr.Story Musgrave NASA scientist-astronaut

 

“At no time, when the astronauts were in space were they alone: there was a constant surveillance by UFOs.” 
–NASA’s Scott Carpenter

 

“The evidence points to the fact that Roswell was a real incident and that indeed an alien craft did crash, and that material was recovered from that site. We all know that UFOs are real. All we need to ask is where do they come from, and what do they want?”
–Capt. Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14 Astronaut

 

“We have contact with alien cultures.” 
–Astronaut Dr. Brian O’leary

 

The Media.

The film close encounters of the third kind was implanted into my memory from my youth. I felt a huge connection to the film and the experience of the characters, the pull to connect. Like many I was rather obsessed with the hand movements in line with the sounds from the ship. The urge for contact. Its like I have a photographic memory of that film and its forever living in the inner library of my consciousness. Interesting that the man that worked with Spielberg was one of the most well informed people on extra terrestrial encounters and did numerous interviews and research to find the common similarities in what people who had E.T encounters experienced. Without him the film may never have been so powerful and relevant to so many.I refused multiple times to watch the movie E.T when I was young as I was sure   I wouldn’t like it. I waited till I was way into adulthood to give it a chance. Being an adult didn’t help at all. Being highly sensitive was worse. I felt traumatized.

I knew it was all acted (I spent many years treading the boards as an actress in my early life) I knew no E.T was getting hurt during the filming and it was a prosthetic model. Regardless, I cried and cried and could hardly even see through my overflowing tears. My friend said to me ‘its ok; it’s a happy ending, he is going home’. My upset became more dramatic and I said ‘No, no its not a happy ending at all, its awful’. Needless to say E.T is not a favorite of mine and never will be. There was something in me that felt like an E. T myself, not coping with humanity and all its density.

Many cults have created a formula for that sense of loss and desperation, for the time when the spaceship will come and pick everyone up or the need to have you programmed/brainwashed correctly to deal with the adjustments

Unfortunately many of these stories end up in abuse, fragmentation, mental illness, mass suicide, disconnecting from family or partners who are not in agreement and usually lead by a charismatic manipulative person endowed with a vivid imagination who has clearly lost the plot and is following their own ego’s hunger. E.g. The Raliens, Certain Ascension groups, Scientology and other similar cults. I’m not saying if you’re a Ralien, or an Ascension devotee or even a Scientologist that you’re completely deluded. I’m just saying that these are programs that have been set up to gain followers and can be very dangerous to someone who is sensitive and vulnerable. They are religions just dressed in different costumes . I have counseled people from these cults/religions and it takes a lot of work to clear up the damage.

I keep thinking of the movie ‘Independence Day’ when the flower power hippies (I do slightly resent the labeling that we are all dumb and easily lead) stood up on top of that building waiting in joy to be taken, and then within minutes they were zappedd by some parasitical ugly creature. Terror of the unknown is something the media and film industry is brilliant at creating.

Looking at the level of cruelty her on earth. I couldn’t even begin to stomach the atrocities done throughout human history, the bloodshed, the torture, and the invasions of smaller countries just to steal their resources in the name of peace or economic need. Like the movie’‘Avatar”, so many people loved it…  all I saw was another film about colonization. Raping the natural resources in the name of development. The earth had been sucked dry so it seemed totally justified to go to another planet and start again. The film enraged me so much. It showed me that humanity has learnt very little in this regard.

If you look at the collective world of films about other planetary beings is often the subject of invasion and a battle with the earth. You are programmed through these films to fear the ugly aliens that will eat you for breakfast.  The book War of the Worlds by H.G Wells was one of the first to get the public outraged and paranoid. Orson Wells was acting in the radio version live in 1938 and many people thought it was actually occurring as he was telling it.

Fewer films have been made to show otherwise, but some of them are gems. Stephen Spielberg offered such hope in his two films as have light hearted shows like ‘Mork and Mindy’ or the black and white TV day of ‘My favorite Martian’.  Then there is K.Pax with Kevin Spacey, Cocoon, Starman’ with Jeff Bridges, that clearly show the sensitivity and the difficulty in adjusting to the harshness of human
behaviour. Of course there is Dr Who (who shows you both sides) and Star Trek (which in my opinion could be much more educational in this regard) and Star Wars, but no-one really relates the latter to our earths challenges. The whole alien invades and kills theme is paramount in the way the global media and those that own it would have you view visitors from another planet. Be aware of how movies are programming the general public to view things in a certain way. The blessings of the Internet is that you can cross reference and see things that the general media wont show.

Many freak out about the creatures from space coming and taking over the world, killing and raping the land of all its nutrients. It’s happening already and its humans who are behind the signatures to allow it go ahead. Coal Seam Gas is just one example of the rape of the land even though the communities themselves are dead against it. For good reason. It’s poisoning the land, animals, water and people. Who are the Aliens? the unwelcome visitors?

To be honest if there were horrid creatures out there in space and way beyond our technology, we would have been wiped out without even a thought years ago.

Here is a link to Stephen Fry how Aliens/E.T.s would see our use of language.

http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=29482

 

 

 

Shamanic Viewpoint:

To ask a Shaman about extraterrestrials is asking in their language about the ‘Star People’. Not a foreign subject or one that is full of terror. It is a benevolent connection. One that offers insight and understanding. The relationship has existed from the beginning of humanity at the very least. Its not about coming to save the planet its about helping to support how the planet and humanity will choose to evolve.

Within the Indigenous tribes of America and around the world there took place a huge gathering in the late 90’s called the ‘Star Knowledge Conference’. For 10 days, the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota 
was a gathering place for indigenous tribal leaders from around the globe 
and hundreds of Native and Euro-American listeners. Many shamans shared their stories of their encounters and their elder’s encounters with the star nations. Below is a link to some of what was shared if you’re interested in reading further. This is not a corporate government based gathering. It’s a gathering of spiritual tribal elders. There have been more since.

http://www.drboylan.com/strknrpt2.html

 

 

E.Ts in Human skins.

It is not unusual that you may souls like me who feel a deep connection to being extraterrestrials at some point in our walk through multi dimensional lives, may they be past, future or parallel.  Its not uncommon this feeling and no its not always a sign that you are mad as a hatter, member of a cult or have been nibbling too many mushrooms, or smoking too much weed, its just a different understanding of our relationship to the universe and its multifaceted life forms. We know we come from a bigger star system. This quote below says it perfectly in my opinion. We come from the stars.

The amazing thing is that every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And the atoms in your left hand come probably from a different star compared to those your right hand. This is the most poetic thing, which I know of physics: you are stardust.

You could not be here if stars had not exploded, because the elements that concern the evolution – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron – were not created at the beginning of time. Were created in the nuclear furnace of stars, and the only way because they were in your body, is not if not that the stars were so kind to explode. […] The stars died so you could be here now. “

(Lawrence Krauss – Physicist, cosmologist and astronomer)

We ‘know’ we are originally from somewhere else and have reincarnated here in human bodies to learn about the path of humanity. I feel planet earth is much like a school or university of learning. We are all at different levels of study depending on what is needed for our own development and the development of the human race. I’m not saying we are superior beings in any way. We are much like school students learning ourselves.  Many of us feel as if we are like radio receivers and researchers accumulating information. Sometimes that information can be too overwhelming. We can easily lose the point of why we came here, easily go mad, get lost in addiction etc. and easily forget that we ‘chose’ to be here. Yes chose. Not consciously maybe but subconsciously, definitely.

It can be incredibly hard to integrate into the so-called normal flow of being a practicing human. Some of us feel like we walk this path alone the majority of our lives.  When we find another that feels the same its very comforting.  I have often counseled people who are sure they are visitors here and they feel like they have been left without an earth travel guide or an understanding of how they can survive such a harsh species. They often weep saying that they want to go home. I also felt like this for an incredibly long time, until I worked out what I was here for and now I support others in integrating and finding purpose. I often feel a lot like a research library that specializes in the transitional sensitivities of human behavior and earth living.

I have walked shamanic journeys (drug free) that left me in no doubt that I come from somewhere else. I have woken unable to move whilst watching an inner earth E.T glow before me so brightly in the doorway, bringing no harm whatsoever. It was more a reminder that I was not alone and that they not only come from the sky, they reside in parts of the earth as well.

A woman during my shamanic training experienced such dramatic memory gaps in regard to abduction issues, she would instantly disassociate and become numb when my teacher got close to bringing to light what happened.  I was chosen to journey with her (with her permission and mine) till she could no more and I was asked to see, feel, sense beyond the wall of numbness. That experience went way beyond my imagination of what I thought would happen. It is a private journey of another’s that I will not disclose however, what did surprise me somewhat, was; it felt ‘natural’ to work in this regard.

I have experienced my body morphing into an E.T form in journey session (we had no intent of going into that subject field at all ), to the point I had to open my eyes to look at my earth body to confirm I was still in a human skin. When I look back now the memory is a vivid as this present moment.

I worked with a strong medicine woman with amazing healing and clairvoyant abilities before my training days, (who had be struck by lightning and survived) she backed away from the healing table and wept when she asked to meet my first incarnation. I actually felt my eyes expand out of my skull and at that moment I heard her gasp, shuffle back and weep uncontrollably (she was not scared, she was moved by the connection) and then I felt my body slightly levitate off the table. Something we both were witness too.  You may say this is all my active imagination and that’s your choice. However I know it to be real. (I have had countless dreams of levitation an the art of it)

During the time of the Pleiadean channeling when New age therapy was  booming, I felt like I didn’t connect to philosophy at all. It was not my truth. I stood alone for quite sometime in that regard. Years later  I had a lucid dream. Within the dream I saw lots of people waiting to get onto a spaceship heading to the Pleiades. I was sitting down whilst they all were standing. I felt a bit lost at not going with the crowd and was thinking of maybe moving to stand up. At that moment an ancient medicine woman of Native American origin, whispered with a hot breath into my ear.

‘ You are not from there. You are from The Circle Of Chiefs ‘

I awoke instantly as I do from all powerful dream messages.

I madly researched to find if this Circle of Chiefs did indeed exist. It does. It is otherwise known as the Corona Borealis, known to the Pawnee Tribe.

I am teased and made fun of in my family as the one that was abducted. There are fewer photos of me when I was young compared to my siblings as I have been told by the time the third child comes the eagerness of the camera has long gone. Admittedly I have few memories of that time (I am sure I was here, well a part of me anyway!) It has become so normal to call me the family E.T these days that I laugh with them in agreement! There is nothing to defend or get angry about; I rather like the reference even in its lighthearted mocking way.

Many of us feel like we don’t come from earth and those that are highly sensitive feel this even more so. Its not necessarily a need to go home, wherever that might be, its more like an adjustment that is incredibly uncomfortable to manage and it is important to realise that home is within. I often see my connection to spirit as the universe (Great Mystery) within myself where I am free to travel the multidimensional worlds. What I am referring to is NOT the extraterrestrial religious based cult programs that want you as one of their devoted disciples. It’s a personal connection and one that has no leader, god or icon. I do not have pictures of E.Ts in my home or bow to any particular star.

A beautiful friend of mine, a brother really who has now passed on experienced such a huge inner life that involved both friendly and unfriendly E.T’s His drawings were so telling and he could describe the experiences in so much vivid detail. Some would see these experiences he had as psychotic delusions. I saw them as his personal reality.

It is understood in psychological circles that those who have  been abused as children often replace the abuser with a creature from another planet, as they cannot cope with the truth. I personally feel that this view should not be leveled across the board, nor should it be assumed as such. Each case need to be looked at individually rather than just boxing it into a hallucination to be drugged, numbed and forgotten.

From my perspective it’s not so important whether the abuser was an extraterrestrial, or not, its how the person finds a way to heal the wound in relationship to that occurrence. It’s important to work within the personal reality and through that they may well find their own core self returning.

Another link I would like to share is seen through the eyes of children in a South African School. This helps to understand that every person may see things differently even when they experience the same encounter. This is one of my favorite encounter experiences on Utube.  The little girl at the end says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnX6CxhTOOU

In the world of the shaman all other dimensional beings are respected. There is not a divide between what is called real and what is called unreal. To put it in contemporary shamanic terms there is ‘Ordinary Reality’ and ‘Non Ordinary Reality’

We are now in the Aquarian Age the veils are becoming thinner and its very important if you are on this pathway to be able to cross between the worlds easily and to navigate the challenges of both. One of the ways to stay stable is working on being earthed. Pulling your spirit into your body, your body that that is here on earth and working and connecting from your heart chakra. Meditate.

My last post was about the significance of the 21^st of December 2012 and my message was to write down whatever came through.  This was the message I received on the night of the 21^st in very lucid dreaming. (This is why I chose the subject of this post)

I am standing outside amongst green hills with my back to a small village. The green valley below is quite, dappled with little white houses. It is just after dusk  Two sisters (close friends) are with me. One is closer in proximity (We talk most days on the phone) and the other who is further away (she was overseas at the time) as I look up the whole sky and galaxy above me is swirling and changing over many layers of cloud and stars, moving swiftly but unlike movement I have seen before. Then all at once appears the biggest spaceship I have ever seen. The light coming from the undercarriage doors are so brightly shining in gleaming gold and silver. The gleam from the huge undercarriage is so strong I find myself blinking at the stars of gold and sliver that glint in my eyes. I am in awe and rather overwhelmed but not frightened. There is a clear message that comes through me. “We are here”. There was an understanding that this ship came from within the earth (a resting place perhaps) and that I felt an incredibly sense of comfort and strength in hearing this. I awoke instantly to write it down.

 

I am very comfortable in my knowing. My mind is not closed to what I feel to be true, I am an open vessel to the knowledge that is offered on many multidimensional planes and I look forward to continuing to learn more.
I want to invite you to keep your mind open, don’t let your fears rule your journey and trust that there is more to life than you know. Go forth and research, allow yourself to explore without getting sucked up into a cult program. Enjoy the adventure that this wonderful earth provides, and do all you can to preserve it.

“You have to take seriously the notion that understanding the universe is your responsibility, because the only understanding of the universe that will be useful to you is your own understanding.”  – Terence McKenna

Blessings

Inheart

Odette

Depending on who you are listening to there are many theories about walking towards the end of this year.  Even some leaders have spoken out about the end of the Mayan Calendar and other prophesies as the subject is so huge world-wide. There is also a great deal of fantasy and fear based theories flying around. These seem to be some of the options regarding what will happen.

• Armageddon (payment of all the sinners)
• Ascension  (moving into the fifth dimension)
• End of the world (Mother Earth has had enough)
• End of a particular calendar (just one Mayan calendar ending as it’s the end of that calendars particular cycle)
• Shift in global consciousness (an opportunity to focus on what we can do as a global community for the good of all beings)

As we all have our own views as individuals, I will share mine. Please only take that which  resonates with your own inner truth and leave the rest behind. I am not her to insult any ones beliefs I am simply sharing my personal viewpoint.

Armageddon:  The decent into darkens and hell. Fear based threats coming from a religious doctrine that shames those who do not live up to its credo. The old testament of a cruel God who punishes all but the high church. You will only go to heaven upon approval by the masculine.

The church is clearly having its own inner Armageddon. With so many priest being exposed for child sexual abuse and here in Australia we are finally having a Royal Commission Investigation into all institutions, one of the primary ones being the church.  The so-called sins of the church are being cleaned out. For those that are happy in their faith but unhappy with the church this may herald a healthy transformation.

Ascension: This word gives me an allergic reaction. The simple version is a ‘Shift In Conciousness’ which I have no issue with, what I have the issue with is the many people on the path of spirituality ‘rising up’ out of their bodies rather than going deeper within to a more aware state. If you look up the word by its definition,  it’s about rising up,  ascending to go up a ladder from a lower station. Looking at the symbolism within the history of religion we see the ‘Rising Up’ to heaven if you are deemed worthy. Just be aware that some new age movements are a form of the old religion in disguise. We have been told even by  elder masters before they passed that the time of the masters is over and the energy was to be spread throughout all people. The  ascended masters and the ascension program is one that I am wary of. I have no issue with these great teachers as elders or symbols of wisdom but be careful that you are not replacing one religion for another in a more cosmic costume. And whatever you do during this time of change. STAY IN YOUR BODY. STAY IN THE MOMENT. You are a spiritual being having a human experience, not a disembodied hungry ghost floating around hunting for bliss.

End of the World. Mother Nature has had enough. Mother nature doesn’t need a specific day to tell us what we need to know. If we look at the years gone by there have been plenty of messages from her about how we take care of the earth. Fish are dying, bee’s are dying, animals that keep the balance of the eco system are being killed. The weather is becoming more extreme. Man is playing with elements (HAARP)and the reactions are incredibly strong. Natural disasters are becoming more common. And the corporate big brother is willingly raping her for resources that will damage the land in the short and long-term. The stupidity of man to think that they can control nature is being more clearly debunked. I personally feel that humanity will listen to nothing else. All the money and riches in the world mean nothing when mother nature comes knocking at your door. Mother nature will be constantly showing us the damage we are doing however I don’t think she zero’s in on a particular date. However there is a mayan sharing that there will be shadow humans trying to dabble with frequencies during this time and some of the Mayans are looking to counter act this interference and balance out the vibration. If you are interested in this go to http://www.actah2012.com/media-gallery-actah-2012.htm Again each to their own but I found Atah’s pathway of service helpful.

End of a particular Calender. Simply the end of a calendar. When you come to the end of this year you buy a new calendar and a new diary to begin again.

Shift in Global Consciousness: The majority of insights from the indigenous people talk about a transition from one world age into another. We have all heard about the Age of Aquarius since the hippie revolution in the 60’s and this is what we are finally moving into. The age of the ‘Global Community’ . The Aquarian age is moving beyond self-satisfaction, self interest, and self promoting. It is the time for us as a world-wide community to start thinking and working ‘together’ for the planet as a whole. We are currently in a state of acute transition. Much like Rome in its time of decadence. The rich are getting richer and the poor are in deep poverty even in countries where the riches and resources abound. The indigenous people are still treated as a minority that knows little and are still told what to do and how to live. Ask many of the young people what they want when they grow up and its money and fame. These self serving needs are choking the rest of humanity and we have an opportunity to come together in a positive way and be of service as a whole. There are indications of this in the revolutions happening around the world. There will be more revolutions to come but not with rage and petrol bombs but with peaceful and emotionally intelligent protesting.  When the public is more informed than the politicians and corporations and we stand strong together,  then will be able to see the power of the global community.  We have already witnessed a huge amount of secrets being exposed, and the pus is literally coming to the surface to be seen and cleaned no matter how many band aids the corporate world stick on it.

The age of Aquarius is about caring rather than control and its up to each and every one of us to choose the latter.

 

During the 21-23 Tips.

• Have a journal with you and write down all that comes through your inner channel.
• Walk down from your head into your heart and breathe from there. Keep your spirit connected to the Earth Mother..
• Meditate on the community as a whole rather than you own desires and be there for others in a calm and peaceful way.
  
• Send the planet and its beings all the unconditional love you can summon. Whatever works for you, visualise, dance, sing, intuitive body movements, group meditation. etc
• If you feel a strong shift within you, be still, take a moment out of time and breathe and allow.
• If you are concerned about picking up energies that you don’t want. Simply ask that whatever you receive is for the good of the whole.
• Acknowledge and give thanks you inner spirit family, guides, allies, E.Ts. etc.
• Don’t get too caught up in the right time and the right place. Your body is the compass and the place you need to be. Just simply be in a state of awareness and follow your inner intuition as guidance. Open to receive and you will be doing exactly what you are meant to do.

 

 It is a transition much like the worm into a butterfly. The worm works hard within and then is blessed by the freedom when it transforms into a butterfly. The transition itself can be uncomfortable and awkward but it is a natural progression which is what we are moving through. The transition of the worm into the butterfly and the beauty and freedom that can come from this transformation is a sight to behold. Nothing happens overnight but the gradual transformation is happening right now and will increase from the 21^st onward.

We all chose to be here for this time of change. It will not be easy and we are being confronted daily. However we are the egg crackers and we are here to be witness and more importantly to plant seeds for a future community model that will be of support to all the beings on the planet and the planet herself.

 

Bright Blessings on your walk into the Age of Aquarius.

May all beings be happy.

InHeart.

Odette

 

 

 

In today’s commercial society the majority of people look to what is now termed ‘Halloween’ as a time to bring out the ugly witch mask, get as ghoul worthy as you can and make mischief if you don’t get the treats you think you deserve.

For children and many adults who are children at heart it’s a time to dress up and have some fun with the spookier side of life and party like a bunch of happy monsters. What needs to be remembered and honoured during this fun celebration, is it original meaning, the origins of the sacred time of year.

I myself over the years have had a wonderful time dressing up and found it quite interesting on an archetypal view what I chose to dress up as. You might like to reflect on your choices and what symbolic meaning they have for you

One year whilst living in America I dressed as ‘The Dragon Empress of China’ with long nails that could do serious damage. My lover of the time dressed as a lizard advisor and was so convincing (he had no eyebrows!) that I wouldn’t let him kiss me as the night went on. (this was eerily symbolic of our learning together)

But one of my all time favorites was when I lived in Edinburgh Scotland and dressed up as a blue-green wet looking drowned witch with my hands in rope (Oh and havn’t I been there before in many other lives!). And just incase you didn’t already know, the reason that witches are so prominent during All Hallows Eve is because they were the ones who knew how to call on and  communicate with the spirit world respectfully. All the warty nosed versions come mainly from the Grim brothers who made up Jewish witches with ugly features to add to the racist cruelty that hitler and his cronies pushed. Also many witches gained wisdom as they got older and more experienced in their craft and with age, wrinkles and a body that is trying to keep up, the didn’t look as nubile as they once were. The term witch means ‘WISE PERSON’.

What I did notice in Scotland (Ireland and Scotland are the original land of my ancestors) was the true origins of the celebrations, rather than the American model I had come accustom too.  In Edinburgh, being such an old city with lots of graveyards, catacombs and hauntings was the perfect place to open the door to the otherworld, which is the custom on Samhain. I had known it was the time of spooks and things that went bump in the night but not really much more.

After Samhain in Scotland, I came to understand that this is the time of honoring all your dead ancestors and loved ones that have passed as well as guardians, spirit helpers, and fey (faerie) folk and to invite them to feast upon your table of abundance

By being generous to the spirits one would not be harmed but by being greedy then one might be tripped up or worse and get lost between worlds.

What was customary was to honor the dead ancestors and the fey folk and to invite them to visit and offer them treats. This is the time where the veil’s are the thinnest between the worlds and your ancestors and loved one may come by to see how you’re doing or leave a message for you in your dreaming. If you have eaten all the goodies and left none for them, then you have missed the point. It’s a matter of respect and gratitude.

So this Samhain, enjoy all the celebrations, decorations and spooky fun, just take a few moments out of time, arrange a plate of offering and something to sip upon(not for the kids who come knocking), light a candle or two and say a blessing to your ancestors and the fey folk. Welcome them in good heart, for they are the ones you will meet when you leave this life that you have lived.

If you happened to get spooked out, like a shiver down your back. Don’t think the worst, it might be your great-grandfather touching you and thanking you for acknowledging the ancestors. For without them, you wouldn’t exist.

Bright Blessing as we walk towards Samhain

Odette

Many years ago I participated in a traditional American Indian Vision Quest. I sweated, I journeyed, I fasted and I was alone in nature with the bare necessities for 3 nights and 4 days. I had previously been through great tragedy and wanted to claim some of myself back. What I didn’t realise was that because of what I had been through my body lacked quite a lot of nutrients and iron. The vision quest for me became incredibly difficult as each day I would lose more and more energy. By the end of the quest I was carried to base camp and the message in all of it was why do I put myself through such discipline and hardship? Do I think I am so unworthy that I need to do it hard?

I found it hard to ask for help (life pattern that I am unlearning) but in the end I had to blow the emergency alert and get support to literally carry me back. I was treated with such love and care and then I was given my medicine name, “Walks with Cougar”. Not an easy handle to own, believe me. I will share about the medicine of the cougar another time.

Years after I came across a book that still to this day stays with me.

It’s called ‘The Healing Quest’ by Marie Herbert. The story tells of Marie’s personal journey through

grief and the path it took her towards the ‘Healing Quest’. This other type of quest for the woman made a huge impression on me.

I have sat for 11, 10-day silent Buddhist Vipassana Meditation retreats in this life. They were hugely helpful to learn about the witness and to get an eagles perspective on my mind and its cravings and aversions. I see both the technique and the teaching one of the most important tools in my inner medicine bag.

Every one I have participated in has been so very valuable. Even the one I did earlier this year was very important on many levels, as it is the last one I will ever do. I had a massive challenge as I was told that the work that I do, the path that suits my spirit, the path of contemporary shamanism does not work with the strict Vipassana discipline and I was asked to choose between what I am called to do and the practice of Vipassana meditation.  I felt the rage of many women throughout history. I was pretty much accused of being a witch (the instructor is human and has issues to overcome as well all do). I was clearly told in no uncertain terms that I was to choose.

And I have chosen.

During that last 10 day meditation I moved through so many deep emotions and rage was at the forefront. During the course you are asked to not practice any other form of ritual, meditation, etc.  Which is understandable as they want you to give full attention to the technique as people tend to flip out when they combine and it can mess with the purpose of what you are there to achieve.

When the challenge came on the fifth day and I saw the instructor and felt interrogated and patronised all I wanted was to go within the shamans tree and connect with my inner spirit family, my inner knowing, my home. I couldn’t do it. I had given my word that I would abstain from any other practice. That’s when the book, The Healing Quest kept popping into my mind. I still had it on my bookshelf but had forgotten its medicine. I could not stop thinking about the path of nurturing towards healing rather than one of discipline. When I came out of the meditation course I grabbed the book and read it again. It made sense to every part of my being. I am now in my 50’s

I am not dishonoring the path of the buddha in any way. I still go to weekly meditation group to sit and honestly it has gifted me greatly with the eagles perspective and I am more than grateful for that as I will be expanding the witness within for many more years to come.

So getting back to the point of ‘The Healing Quest’. Recently I had become too overwhelmed with life and juggling all the things in it including other environmental elements that added to my stress. I am a highly sensitive spiritual being living a human existence but sometimes being human no matter how onto it you are can be bloody hard work!

I was blessed with a two-week break from studies that I will finish at the end of this year and I thought to myself, I need a break from this tight coiled feeling, but I only really had a week to do it in as the other week was full up. I could feel my adrenals were low and my nervous system was in need of a good ironing. Also I had a bucket full of procrastination guilt that I hadn’t given writing my novel much time.

A very close spirit sister of mine lives up in the hills near Nimbin in Northern New South Wales Australia.  The land she caretake’s and lives upon is sacred dreaming land. She rents out lovely eco friendly converted caravans for retreats and such. I was invited to come and stay in one of the retreat spaces just to write and take time out, no charge. I would be picked up and brought back home and could take anything that I needed or wanted with me.

I took nourishing food to cook on the stove, my laptop to write my novel (no internet connection available which is great) a few books, my journal, my drum, my ukulele, some stone people, sage, medicine blanket, candles, clothes and me.  All I can say is IT FILLED MY INNER CUP!

I meditated, journeyed within to my inner sanctuary, spent time in nature, wrote every day for hours a day, read a book from a wonderful aboriginal woman about the truth of living during the time of the stolen generation, sang, danced, sat with horses, respected sleeping snakes, showered in an outside shower with birds singing with me and watched the sun go down behind sacred rocks towards the beauty of the night sky revealing itself in all its diamond glory. I feel blessed and full from within.

One of the main messages I received as my nervous system uncoiled was that the path of the feminine is about nurturing, receiving, allowing and for me it’s about leaving the door open to allow in TRUST AND LOVE AND PATIENCE. I know it sounds simple, but to really get the message to transform things it has to go in deep.

I reconnected with my inner child and all she wants is to be loved and spend time doing things I love and that nurture me. In doing that I have more to give and more time to support other people’s inner child to feel safer.

I have returned now to the market place and its very busy in many ways, however the space I have made within helps me to relax. I shall add to this daily. If I am unable to find enough space on the outside of my life due to survival, overwhelm and life’s challenges, I can always take time to allow more space within.

The source of the feminine is never drained, all we need to do is get the eagles perspective of the mind, walk downstairs deeper into the shamans tree and open the door of the heart to the abundance of nurturing and loving energy that is available to each and every one of us.

Book some time out for yourself. Go on a ‘Healing Quest’. Give yourself permission to receive and fill your inner well. You are worth it. We all are.

Blessings

Odette

If you would like more information on where I went please go to www.centreforchange.net.

I always had a soft spot for animals from a very young age.  I still have my bear since I was about 2 years old. He has no nose and no mouth or ears, but at the darkest times of my life I still held him close to my heart no matter how old I was. There was always something about bears that made me feel safe and that hasn’t changed. I remember a birthday when I was young. I returned to my bedroom to find a little black cat needing its claws into my bear. I was happy beyond description.  To this day cat medicine and bear medicine have been my strongest allies in times of challenge. I grew up in a family that loved animals and treated them like they were family equals. We slept with dogs and cats on our bed, played with guinea pigs and birds and even had the honour of loving and learning the art of play from a grass monkey in Indonesia that my brother wanted to rescue from a horrible cage. The animals in our house would get great food and the run of the comforts. All of us thought this was how animals should be treated and that hasn’t changed either. As a young person I had great trouble adjusting to humanity and like others I often thought I would rather hang with animals than people. I remember being challenged on that concept once and realised that maybe that belief prevented me from letting people in to know me better.  I looked into being an animal rights activist and realised that I would become a murderer or go insane, as I was far too sensitive to cope with the cruelty that befalls them. I haven’t changed much in all those years. My love for animals is incredibly strong.

The difference is now they are within my inner world where I can make contact with them at any time. Since my shamanic death during my Saturn return (see my book: The Bridge Between Two Worlds. A Shaman’s View Of Schizophrenia And Acute Sensitivity) I felt disconnected from everything except nature and animals.  Everything else seemed to drain me of energy especially other people as they seemed to carry so much energy that I could not help absorbing.

One of the first shamanic sessions I had (I studied Contemporary Shamanism in England specialising in sensitivity and trauma) was connected to the animal totem that was best for what I was going through. The bear came forward as clear as day. I remember crying in recognition that this beautiful being was there for me, and had been all along. I recall when I was instructed to breathe the medicine and qualities of the bear within me. I laughed out loud saying ‘ the bear is way too big, he wont fit!’ My teacher chortled and continued to instruct me to imagine it shrinking to fit into my hand so I could breath it into my heart and spirit. When I did breathe him in, there was solidity and strength in me, a fullness that brought so much calm and safety with it. Safety in shamanic practice is of vital importance in the work that I do.

Years later I went on a vision quest. I journeyed to find the animal that would walk with me during the quest.  The black Panther came to greet me. The beauty of the cat was evident but the medicine enhanced my ability to see in the dark and teach me protection and courage in the world of shadow. These two animals are my family of strength amongst some others. But these kin are who I call upon times of great challenge. I feel protected by both and both offer such clear gifts of insight for me. The bear is brilliant at self-nurturing, self-healing and offering a sense of safety when the inner child is frightened. The panther (I have two that sit like bookends beside me) are with me in times of psychic attack, they can see what I can’t and will stand with me against anything. Other animals play a significant part and their qualities teach me so much. The deer has been wonderful in helping me understand that gentleness towards self and others can be a strength rather than a weakness. The willy wagtail in Celtic lore is the finder of lost children but in aboriginal lore is a warning of death. For me with a strong Celtic lineage on both sides of the family, willy is the friend to my inner child, who makes me giggle and smile from ear to ear. And then there is always the eagle to help get perspective and of course the otters, butterflies, whales…I could go on an on…. For those that get deeply upset when they hear about animals becoming extinct. Your not alone. Do all you can to donate, sign petitions, write letters etc and whilst doing all that invite the spirit of the animal into your sanctuary and connect on a deeper spirit level, connect to them through the inner worlds rather than just this ordinary reality. This may bring some comfort as it does to me. All creatures have importance. I have seen some people be really intent on wanting a strong and powerful animal to be their allie and then they get very disappointed when they get something like an ant. Just because a being is small does not mean it medicine is small. Ant is a great teacher of patience, working as team and part of a whole. …There is powerful medicine in all creatures so don’t just look at the more impressive ones, as all have medicine teachings worth learning.

There are many different interpretations of animal medicine depending on who and what culture is talking. It’s good to research the animal that comes to you and learn about its behaviour and the folk stories shared about it, but ultimately it’s what the animal represents to you, the qualities of the animal that will resonate and benefit your growth.

Happy Animal Medicine Journeys to you

Blessings Odette