Life and Death

 by Rev. Amari Magdalena

In this lifetime we will have many experiences of opposites. We will experience separation, the very thing we chose to experience as we left the oneness and assumed a human body. These experiences will be realized on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. We will have highs and lows, joy and sorrow, jubilation and depths of despair. Our landscape of family, friends, and relatives will come and go. If we are very fortunate to have a long life, we may come to understand how these opposites complement our lives. In fact, we may not be able to experience joy without the contrast of some sorrow. Grace of age can help us finally understand all that we’ve taken in and left off.

 

Approaching 85, I’ve come to a greater peace than I knew in the tumultuous teens and early life as I sorted out who I was and what I came here to do. Frankly, no one could pay me any large sum of money to go through the teen years again. At times, I do wonder how on earth I got through my teens. I still have faint scars on my wrists from trying to take an early exit. Later I came to realize that I was a drama queen and indeed fed on those high highs and low lows. They fueled a huge part of my younger days until I surrendered them.

 

Should you have a long life, you will experience loss. The parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, best friends, lovers, teachers, and all those people that so influenced our lives will be gone at some point in time. And we will miss them, some terribly. Mementos and pictures will remind us from time to time when they were central to our lives. Goodbyes will become normalized at some level.

 

I’ve lost a mother, two fathers, 11 grandparents, one sibling, cousins, a grandchild, one child, 2 husbands, my very best friend and 2 close friends, a few lovers, and beloved others. I realized that we all have a number out in the ethers of time. When our number is called, we too will be history to others who hold us dear. Like magic, one day someone who has been a huge part of our lives will magically exist no more. I realized that with one of the deaths.

 

So how do we cope as people leave us. How can we redirect our attention to things that still bring us joy and pleasure during great grief. For me the solution has been to seek great beauty at such times. I may choose to focus on beautiful art in my home. Perhaps I will take a drive to the mountains. In walking days, I may have hugged a tree (including very carefully a big Saguaro Cactus). Going to ancient ruins or sites can bring joy. Getting up to see the sunrise on the East Coast or the sunset on the West Coast over water. Holding my loved one in remembrance with candles, pictures, and ceremony also gives me pleasure. Simply being in nature is extremely healing.

 

One day we will return to the oneness. As we traveled into the depths of the birth canal to light and welcoming, we will travel in another tunnel to a commanding light and see our most loved ones luminous and inviting. The circle will be complete. Beyond that lies our next adventure and we will again be in that place we’ve longed for, Home!

 

“We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.” ― Paulo Coelho

 

“What we enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we loved deeply becomes a part of us.” ― Helen Keller

 

Death said to life: “why do people hate me and love you? “Life said : “because I'm a beautiful lie and you're a painful truth “ ― Author unknown

 

"Given a choice between grief and nothing, I'd choose grief." ―William Faulkner

When Places Call

 by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Over the last many years, places have called me. I’ve come to trust that bugle of Spirit and followed the winds of change.  Much like the movie Chocolate, wind always does seem to bring the knowing that it is time to move on. Truthfully, I thought at this age and with some physical infirmities, Mesilla would be my final place. Apparently not!

 There has been a toss up for me between the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest. Both have tugged on me and pulled me towards them. In these waning years I asked my I-Ching if I would have one more move and the answer was yes! So it was that I just got back from Vancouver B.C. where my youngest son and grandson live.

 The majestic meeting of mountain and sea, it seems, is quite compelling. I found I could breathe much better. Altitude has been a more recent challenge for me. The moisture was also helpful. Friends have for some time there told me they’d love to have me back.

 Returning to the desert and altitude of nearly 4,000 ft caused breath issues again as I reacclimated.  The newest, and 10^th, grandchild due in July has also been a draw. When I lived in Bellingham, my Nexus pass was much used to access the nearby boarder to Canada. And thus, I made the big decision to return to the Pacific Northwest. This will indeed be my last move, and I am finding comfort, joy, and anticipation.

Each and every move I’ve made since leaving Colorado at the Angelic Age of 33 has been of great benefit. Everywhere there has been growth, acceptance, and opportunities to carry out my ministry of peace. I have friends all over the US and even in parts of the world. All the changes have contributed to the expansion of my services and appreciation for the different cultures and tempos of each place.

Truly, I will always hold the Southwest in my heart and soul and yet it is time that elusive commodity we all must face. Surely climate change has had an effect, yet the overriding reason has been my knowing. And, I am assured, that knowing is ultimately our greatest sense. When we know, we know. There is comfort in that short sentence.

My advice to you, asked for or not, is to tune into the Spirit Within every now and again to see what joys may be coming your way. Always, Spirit sends messages or winds of change. We’ve only to amplify our inner urgings to find the perfect roads to follow.

 “A man is like a novel: until the very last page you don't know how it will end. Otherwise, it wouldn't even be worth reading.” ― Yevgeny Zamyatin

 “So many believe that it is love that grows, but it is the knowing that grows and love simply expands to contain it.” ― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack

 “Be not another, if you can be yourself.” ― Paracelsus

 “When you know the knower within, you don't need to know further. When you know the meditator within, you don't need to meditate further. When you truly know the worshiper in you, you are to be worshiped.” ― Amit Ray, Nonviolence: The Transforming Power

Change, Change, Change-The World in Flux

by Rev. Amari Magdalena 

 

The times they are a changing. It often feels like things are upside down in many areas of our lives. In America our politics have taken a 180-degree turn depending on your political view. Our country is losing its number one status in the world influence much like that of other empires. The environment is simultaneously losing steadiness of seasons to which we’ve become acclimated. What is going on?

Metaphysics has predicted this turn for some time.  Several gateways promised major shifts depending on which one you subscribed to. There was the Harmonic Convergence, the 11:11, The Lion’s Gate Portal 8:8, the 12:12, The Harmonic Concordance and perhaps others of lessor importance or acknowledgement.

I was an active participant in the 11:11 Gateway.  From 11:11 am to 11:11 pm in each time zone around the world people were converging. The crux of this gateway was a belief in a 20-year span of spiritual growth and change. It was believed that the poles on Earth would shift as they have over long history of the planet.

Today we know that the poles are indeed shifting though perhaps not as rapidly as was thought. Air traffic controllers at airports are having to adjust flight paths due to magnetic north shifting. These are measurable events not imaginary.

Our country once touted as a democracy and heralded by many countries is becoming authoritative and oligarchy like. Violence is on the rise in every corner in part due to population expansion and rising gun ownership including assault weapons. The long-held dream, though illusionary, that the poor could pull themselves up by their bootstraps has been shattered. Wealth has grown exponentially and poverty a nosedive as necessities have become out of reach.

All this is sufficient to cause concern for concern, and for more awakened folks, announcement that the world is shifting dimensions. There was a time when one could sit on top of the divide of good and evil in gray. No more!  We could be a little ‘bad’ and be OK with that at long as our good outweighed it. Now, we have a definitive choice to make.  There is no more fence sitting.  We are being called to choose: El Mundo Bueno* or El Mundo Mal leaving some preparing for ascension to the 5^th dimension and others to live in the squalor of the 3^rd dimension.

This is the true source of the flux time we are experiencing. Though it is filled with daily distractions, some fear of closure, angst, and anxiety as humans are being replaced by robots, many want to find Waldon Pond and drop out.

On top of all of the above, we enter the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse on February 17^th. According to Eastern Astrology, it’s going to be a whooper. Many institutions falling. Reshuffling of many long-held beliefs and priorities. More divisions. It will be quite challenging to sit back and watch without having feelings about all of the chaos.

Though we may choose to be part of the changes, we may also want to remember to ground ourselves daily and hold visions of a much better world evolving.  Remember we are in charge of how we experience each and every change. We may or may not have contributed to the change though it is up to us to deal with it through love.

If we can hold on to the belief that the only true thing is Love, we may navigate this coming time with peace. I simply suggest that we hold Love in the foreground of our lives and release all else. We keep our intention for ascending in the Fifth Dimension foremost in our minds. Consider wearing something with a heart symbol on it every day.

All Blessings for every inhabitant of the world that chooses Love.  All the rest will sort itself out.

“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” –Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” – Georg C. Lichtenburg

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.” – Amelia Earhart

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

 

 

 

·         El Mundo Bueno: Saving Humanity and Our Glorious Planet by Amari Magdalena

 

Ego and the Golden Parachute Clause

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Our ego, a constant companion or one that sabotages all our relationships. This is the question. What is it for and how does it serve us?  More importantly, when is it time to pry its long fingernails off our day-to-day living.

 

In the beginning, from infancy, life is all about us. If we are fortunate to have parents that welcomed the rather thankless job of raising children, we were coddled, fawned over, even provided entertainment.  At each stage of the “I” growth, we were encouraged to master each task of becoming human.  For many we were the main entertainment. However, that mostly did not last.

 

Astrology divides the zodiac into three groups: “I”, “We,” and “Us.” The first 4 planets are about mastering the “I” (Aires, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer). The next 4 planets are for us to master relationships, of all kinds (Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio). Finally, we have the 3^rd group focused on the Universal “Us” (composed of Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces).” If we were to divide our lives into these groupings the first might be from say 1-26; the next 27-53, and last 54-78 for example.

 

Even our growth in mind, body, and spirit supports these periods. First, we master the “I” with complete identification as a self. Next, we move to the “We” and see a second mastery of “We” which includes all kinds of relationships.  It requires that we look a bit outside of our I, me, and mine, in all circumstances towards working partnerships. This is one area of significant failure for many.  We bring the unmet needs of our childhood to the party romantically, in employment, and all areas of our lives. As a former HR Director I often observed that the workplace can represent a very dysfunctional family if too many of the workers failed to get past the proverbial “I.”

 

Yet approaching that final third of our lives, we are often more interested in the esoteric, our legacy, and final times. At this juncture, we are more likely to move into the Universal “Us.”  Isn’t it interesting that the abbreviation for the United States if US? Someone was on the ball with that! Here is where we finally surrender that old Ego and allow ourselves to provide service to others. Of course, some fail at this task and end up alone and miserable. I would not wish that on anyone.

 

OK, so how do we accomplish putting this part of us that is selfish and self-centered to rest. First, I find it useful to give your Ego a name. I chose my mother’s foster parents name for her that she hated, Mildred. Afterall, it was her judgments, criticisms, and goading, that had preeminence for the first 2/3rds of my life. I could hear her voice in my head much too often. I wanted to banish her to Siberia or Kafiristan but instead came up with the golden parachute program.

 

The way it works is that first you need to flatter your ego and thank him/her for doing such a fabulous job.  Flattery is much appreciated by Ego. Next, conjure up the ideal place for the Ego to go into retirement with all the bells and whistles that are compelling. Sell it hard. Next assure the Ego that should you need its council; you promise to get in touch.  The old “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” Not too many egos can escape such thoughtful flattery and helpful decision making.

 

Now for some reprogramming. Every time you hear a judgment in your head, stop, and then ask yourself if that judgment has any purpose in your head now.  Is it true? Could it be true now? Have you ever spoken in judgment? Is it possible that you might? Just decide to make what is said irrelevant.  It’ll save your sanity and eventually you’ll shut down those little stage 2 bleed-throughs.

 

Finally, you’ll find you are no longer caught up in many of the personal emotional turmoil of youth.  With time running out, your desire for ire wanes. This gives you the gift of brushing off things that have lost importance like ego. You may become more concerned about legacy, emotional equity, and ending days that move at warp speed. Like the snake, you begin to slough off the old sensitive skin, for more reliable ways to interact and engage. You finally understand “LET GO!” This helps you concern yourself with the “Us” and Universal Good.

 

With this you’ve completed the contract you made in this incarnation. You’ve experienced separation, which was the major lesson of this life ride. Once you’ve mastered it and moved into a less attached spiritual view of the Universe, you are as MLK said, “Free at last, free at last!” Welcome home!

 

“True self is non-self, the awareness that the self is made only of non-self-elements. There's no separation between self and other, and everything is interconnected. Once you are aware of that you are no longer caught in the idea that you are a separate entity.” ^_

Thich Nhat Hanh

Light Beings

 by Rev. Amari Magdalena

Why are we so attracted to Light? Why are so many of us prone to star gazing? How many of us enjoyed looking at the Milky Way as kids before city light interfered? Why do so many people prefer sunny climes to those with clouds? How many of us love to follow the moon cycles.

Light is what we are. The material of our physical suit comes from the stars. If we adjust our seeing some and can perceive auras, we then see just how luminous most of us are. In an NDE (near death experience) when we see our loved ones shining in light at the end of the tunnel, we are seeing those luminous bodies sans the flesh suit.

At this particular time on the planet with so much unrest, wars, and creeping autocratic governance, we need to be able to access our light beings for survival. We are able to do this by accessing our etheric body.

Some of you may know that we actually are a trinity of bodies: spiritual, etheric, and a material physical body. Think of the egg with its more substantive outer shell, inner viscus veil of white substance, and solid yolk.  This is much like us.

If you like to practice and have both a safe, quiet place without interruptions, and a time for 20 minutes, you could do this exercise. Find a chair like a dining or kitchen chair. For about 5 minutes or more practice standing up and sitting down repeatedly.

Next imagine that you can command your etheric body to become visible. Now direct that body to repeat the exercise you did with your physical body. From there allow yourself to journey for NO MORE THAN 20 minutes. Tempting though it may be to stay out longer, it messes with the energy of your physical body to be out for any length of time. Hopefully you have had the experience of traveling in your etheric body for this short time. It can be additive so be sure to set an alarm and come back.

In the meantime, develop some candle lighting rituals for either the moon or sun cycles and meditate on the light of the candle. Choose different types of light in your dwelling.  If possible and feasible, choose more natural light and not fluorescents.

You can hold a mirror in front of the candle and perhaps see your other incarnations. You might ask a partner or friend to hold a candle in front of them and see their evolutionary journeys on this planet.

Exercises in managing your energy are also very helpful. Simply remember you came from the stars and we will one day return bathed in Light!

“We are luminous beings. Beneath our transient physical body we are made of intelligent light.”- Frederik Lenz

"For we are continuous, indistinguishable. You can never be lost. When have you ever been apart from me? You can never depart and never return. ... It is the space where our light-bodies are allowed to mingle with the divine." – "Cosmic Christ"

"To love beauty is to see light." –  Victor Hugo

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary." – Aaron Rose

 

 

 

 

 

Shamanism: Why It is So Important Today

 by Amari Magdalena

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

In a world that has lost its footing, a world with lots of egoic conflict, a world with few restraints on environmental issues, a world of I, Me and Mine vs. Us, Them and All, shamanism is critical.

Consider that shamanic belief demands living in harmony with all of creation, no matter the particular kingdom. It is a system that that thrives on codependence with all things in the manifest universe. In it, each of us is responsible for every step we take and where and how we place our feet. Our imprint not only affects me and mine but absolutely everything in our universe. We simply cannot take one step without impacting another living cell. It is other focused, not self.

Shamanism teaches respect for all that in existence in the universe. It does not give us a pass for partially adhering to its precepts. It recognizes just how inter-dependent we must be for its survival. It’s a philosophy that is passed down intergenerationally.

Many years ago, I was visiting one of the Mississippi Mounds, Etowah. It was my habit to go down to the nearby river and meditate asking the ancient ones how I could help.  To my great surprise, in the meditation, they spoke “give the land back to the people.” Not a small order and first interpreting it literally, I was overwhelmed by the request.  Just how was I to give it back?

What I came to understand, with a broader brush interpretation, was that by further embracing shamanism and then finding opportunities to teach it in the heretofore conservative south. I had an encounter with a man who had an alternative school for adults.  He was fascinated with my background and asked me to put together a class.

To my amazement, that first class ended with most of the attendees asking, “is there more.” From that second teaching and further requests, I ended up founding The Institute for Shamanic Synthesis which this year celebrates 30 years.

In those three decades, I’ve been privileged to instruct people of all ages, backgrounds, occupations, and ethnicity. I’ve seen people completely change their life trajectory with the teachings.  It has been most gratifying and certainly succeeded in fulfilling the request of the elders: “give the land to the people.”

If you should ever visit mounds or ancient dwellings in the Southwest, or other sacred places, stop. Ask permission to proceed. Remove your shoes and walk barefoot. Touch the walls of the dwelling.  Talk to the ancestors and discover what message they may have for you.

 

I still teach though it has been much scaled down due to infirmities of advancing age and body breakdown. Some of that teaching is through Magdala Spiritual Healing (a 509 2a non-profit) where I’ve incorporated much of my offerings. I’ve posted former talks, interviews, and classes there.

When people recognize the importance of taking on the mantle or cognition of all that is, each kingdom, and committing to preservation of the eco system, shamanism shines. We are indeed on a very small planet in a vast universe. Only we can change years of ignoring the other kingdoms and embracing the way that each of us is connected to the other. The word shamanism sometimes gets in the way of prejudice. Earth-based spirituality seems to play better with diverse populations.

I encourage you to find teachers and resources that can give you the basics of shamanism so that you can take up the mantle and proactively save our precious planet. Seeking new planets is, in my mind, thoughtless until we begin to take care of the real estate we now occupy. You may find some information in El Mundo Bueno: Saving Humanity and Our Glorious Planet.

“Since all mythical figures correspond to inner psychic experience and originally sprang from them, it is not surprising to find certain phenomena in the field of parapsychology which remind us of the trickster …. His universality is co-extensive, so to speak, with that of shamanism, to which the whole phenomenology of spiritualism belongs.” – Carl Jung

“We don't heal in isolation, but in community.” ― S. Kelley Harrell, Gift of the Dreamtime - Reader's Companion

“The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens or purifies the consequences of natural cause and effect.”
― Zeena Schreck

“The soul is not a land-locked entity. It can grow feathers.” ― Frank LaRue Owen, The School of Soft Attention

Egoic Leadership

 By Rev. Amari Magdalena

We’ve got a problem.  There’s trouble in river city and it begins with a capital T! While it does take a fair amount of ego to run for prominent office, it is a double- edged sword. Once ensconced, it is time to put that ole nemesis ego to rest and reach in for that heart brain.  Rulers must have heart or otherwise they may make massive mistakes in reaching the very public who elected them.

A ruler must above all have a huge degree of compassion.  Self, is a word that for them needs to be held in abeyance, in any list of true leadership qualities. The heart-centered leader is able to see all sides of dilemmas, relate to a diverse group of the citizenry, get in touch with feelings and relate them to the people being served, recognizes that leadership is not a contest but a high appointment of service. S/he looks for guidance from those they surround themselves.  They listen and quiet the braggadocios behavior that some in office display.

True leaders are also aware of the global impact of their decisions. Not only do they reach across the aisle politically, they also include other leaders. Peace is more important to them than further engagement in wars of others. They admire true guidance and not dictators whose strength comes of absolute rule over subjects, not inclusive. True leaders absolutely know the difference between exclusive objectives and inclusive direction.

Another aspect of leadership is determined by the people who admire and vote for them.  That is, they value each and every constituent and become aware of the needs of all people on the economic spectrum. They tax fairly to divide the monies properly for the general good.

Even a further trait is not having to have every bill signed viewed as a photo opportunity. Also surrounding themselves with voluminous flags does not a patriot make. Bob Dylan captured that in lyrics from What’s a Sweetheart Like You: “Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings, steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you King.”

Another modern concern for true leaders, is the preservation of the Earth.  They do not bend to monied interests who continue to pollute the airways. They’ve a measured response to the important prospect of preserving the Earth and all of the ways that support her. They also look for new inventive ways to address climate change and to support newly developing industries devoted to Earth preservation.  Sometimes it is time to embrace “off with the old; on with the new.” They know this and are not afraid to address it and help the populace become equally enthused with new prospects and/or projects.

Finally, a true leader eschews cult like behavior from those who support and help elect them. They know that their task is to serve from humility and not from adoration of minions. True heart-based leaders know that they are servants and have been elevated to high office to become one of the greatest servants in history.  The final aspect of true leadership is to be a visionary seeing all of the possibilities for a great future involving all of the people by capturing their imagination and a willingness to implement.

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other" — John F. Kennedy

“A leader takes people where they want to go.  A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” — Rosalynn Carter

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” — Theodore M. Hesburgh

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams

“Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them.”  — Diogenes of Sinope

“A leader. Is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble to out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” — Nelson Mandela

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” — Eleanor Roosevelt