Acceptance

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

There are five agreed upon stages of grief it is said: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.  For many of us in America, the election of 2016 has caused us to move through these stages.  Tomorrow marks the inauguration of a man to the highest position in our country whom many of us have been astounded by.  Few of us have successfully separated the man, however, from the office. The man’s poor behavior has made that a most challenging task.

Tomorrow, like it or not, comes the time for acceptance of the what is and not what we dreamed of. It is our time to grow up, as many have suggested Mr. Trump do, and face a new era in our governance.  Undeniably it is not the outcome or direction we’d have seen our country move in.  That said, it is what it is and in order to move on and complete our grief process we must accept Donald J. Trump as our president.

Does that mean we accept his bad behavior?  Absolutely not!  Does it mean we must stop protesting policies created and dismissed that we feel serve, or not, our collective highest and best good.  Definitely no! It means that he is the president and his office is to be respected even if the occupant is not.  If we claim that we have a democracy, we must fight for it.  It is not always an easy concept or fight. If we want to espouse the concept that “all men are created equal” we must continue to work for causes that insure that very life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I do know from watching unlikely people ordained in my ministry that sometimes people step up to the office or position they’ve been inaugurated into.  I’ve seen that happen and will certainly affirm that as a possibility for Mr. Trump tomorrow.  The enormity of the task before him may help him set aside childish things and move into the responsibility.  One would hope.

In the meantime, I call out to all of us who’ve been in this deep grief since the election to come to acceptance.  Recognize that flawed as our system may be, it holds promise of possibility.  Our diverse population is testament to that.  Our influence in the world speaks to a system whose concept has held a light of hope for many in more oppressive systems.  We’ve been a beacon of light and influence for many years.  Individually and collectively we can work to keep that light growing.

Through acceptance we can move on and up.  We can put our energies not into continued vitriol and judgment and redirect our angst into passionate attachment to causes for good everywhere they are presented.  Our dollars can speak to our passions along with our rhetoric.  Participation in our politics, no matter our affiliation, can move us in a direction of action. Standing up for injustice everywhere, can be the banner we wave. Voicing our concerns without lambasting detractors can be our cry.  As King George VI, was told in The King’s Speech by Lionel Logue, “You have a voice!”  We have voices.  Let us continue to speak for truth, justice, and equality against any clear and present danger.

So tomorrow, at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time, let’s consecrate in each of us a new era of intentional participation in communities for greater good befitting true leadership.  And so it is!

[53 Past Blogs are in my book "Shaman Talk" available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.com]

Moments

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Moment is defined as “very brief portion of time, an instant.” Working with energy and ceremonial magic, I’ve often experienced the mystical in my spiritual life.  Compartmentalizing, as we humans often, do, I’ve perhaps glossed over that in my material life.  Yet a movie script or a book can remind me that an integration of both is imperative now with a certain ebbing of life.

Life is a collection of moments it is said. What if I could take all the moments of love I’ve experienced over three quarters of a century and string them together, would it reach the sky?  Would it bring down heaven that I’ve sought thinking permanence was the road to bliss?  Would it wrapped around me, give me the warmth to complete this century, even alone?

We are so very often seeking completions, stability, assuredness, solidity that I feel we often miss the beautiful moments that make up a life.  So much of our energy is focused on what was or what is to be, that we often miss the rapture of moments.  We are so adept at not being present, that we miss the true gift being offered.

How could I not treasure falling in love over a Kwakiutl Mask at a museum?  What bliss that dance and butterflies on that glorious Florida weekend? Did I not feel completely appreciated at the Atlanta airport when a traveling stranger placed his hands around my face and said, “You are beautiful?” The 2 hours spent with the artist poet in which a flirtation bolstered each of our needs to feel desirable.  The room full of sterling roses on my birthday at the beach and the osprey flying free.  The awe inspired moment of births of my children.  First crush; first love. All the passionate craziness of estrus adventures in exploring the body electric.

Gluttony seems to have overshadowed small treasures for me, always wanting more.  If it was good, then often I failed to truly appreciate it with that desire to concretize it.  I’m sure many can relate to that; our need to label or define things, to make them more enduring.  And, yet as I look back over my life, it was in moments that the magic was presented.  So very many moments that only now do I appreciate more fully as I surrender the need to know what is around the next bend.

I’ve come to realize the gift of having lived long enough to recognize the folly of the more youthful longings.  As time begins to involute, I’ve come to embrace little moments of love.  Hugs from grandchildren; beautiful skies; sun breaking through the clouds; smiles of friendship; spring unfolding in flowered glory; frost speckled on windows; light streaming through the clouds; rainbows splayed across the room; seagulls at the sea; poignant love stories; beautiful cinematography; simple heart-felt hellos; listening to other’s story’s and waking up each day.

I’m realizing that the gift of having lived so long, is coming to the recognition of the glory in moments. As time becomes more fleeting, there is no time for wasting precious seconds and minutes wishing for something else. Perhaps therein lies the grace of aging.  The body begins to leave as the soul awakens more magnificently. We learn how to express gratitude without a hidden agenda of want.  If we are wise, we move into the essence and authenticity of who we truly are and learn deep appreciation for the Now. Vivere in momento!  

"Thousands of years ago, somebody came up with a notion of impermanence.  Of the beauty and inevitability of change. I had a long time to consider the value of memory. And, the idea the just because something didn't last forever, doesn't mean its worth is diminished." 5 to 7 (the movie).

[53 Past Blogs are in my book "Shaman Talk" available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.com]

Creating a Conscious New Year 2017

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

For many of us, each New Year starts with gusto and intention to make significant changes. At first, we are enthusiastic and leap into the new.  For a while, we may follow our plans and bask in the new energies.  Then life happens and slowly, imperceptibly old patterns reemerge and our intentions are slipping through our fingers.  The year begins to feel old not new.

Perhaps if we had a focal point for each month and posted our intention predominantly in several places in our reality-bathroom, office, car, refrigerator with a picture that clearly depicted our intention, we could stay on task despite outer interference.

Following are some suggestions for each month of 2017!  Here's to a New Year of coalitions and community building!

January-Capricorn A foundation month.  Initiate with others in creating communities that benefit the common good—gather in groups as “heart tanks” not “think tanks.”  Make group decisions that feel right and are devoid of ego.  Document your groups process to serve as a turn-key for others.  "We are co-creating communities of love, compassion and inclusiveness."

February-Aquarius A thinking month.  Move away from simply intellectual thinking and transform thoughts towards the greater good of your community, country, and planet.  Become aware which thoughts move you and others away from your Heart.  "We replace negative thoughts with heart-centered messages of good."

                                                                                     

March-Pisces A creative month.  Imagine that you and others are building a hands-around-the-globe community that embraces the unique gifts of each person while benefiting all.  Let your imagination focus on what we can create that contributes to the Universal Good.  "Feelings from our Higher Hearts hold the power of creation."

April-Aires A high energy month.  See ways that you and others can energize and motivate people in our lives and groups to feel more recognized, appreciated and valued.  Imagine everyone feeling like their talents and abilities are important.  [“You is kind, you is smart, you is important” The Help] "We see and behold the genius in everyone we encounter."

May-Taurus A hearth and home month.  Find ways to make your home so warm and inclusive that everyone who enters feel embraced.  Clean out the old; embrace Feng Shui or other principals of energy flow.  Open your space to more gatherings.  Offer food and drink for nourishment.  Imagine your home as a living Heart.  "Our homes are welcome oases of peace and beauty."

  

June-Gemini A dual nature’s month.  Get to know the oppositional sides of yourself and your group. Bring them to peace with each another. Sit down with people whose beliefs are 180 degrees from yours to find common ground for building bridges across your differences. Time to surrender analyzing everything. Trust your feelings.  " We accept all parts of ourselves to create harmony within our communities."

July- Cancer A security month.  Discover ways to make your community feel more secure-emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually.  Co-Vision lives that feel free from worry and fear. Help others release fear and worry. End subscriptions to media agencies that promote fear and worry. “Wherever we are Spirit is and all is well."

August-Leo A feeling of royalty month.  See how you can form community relationships in which member reigns as integral, valued and important.  Create more equity in your community through interdependence.  Share the power of two or more. Foster benevolence in any leadership. "All here are valued, honored and esteemed."

September-Virgo An orderly month.  Partner with others to master managing chaos as it is presented locally or globally.  Soften criticism and create pathways for ways to compliment everyone. Gather a bundle of compliments and generously gift them. Acknowledge, by name, people in service industries. "We speak only good towards others."

October-Libra A balance month.  Seek greater balance in working with others in your family, groups, and community.  Focus on the ‘we’ and the greater ‘us.’ Practice reciprocity as an infinity of give and take.  See the scales of balance in your lives become perfectly even.  "We choose balance over chaos everywhere."

November-Scorpio An intense month.  Lighten up in all your relationships; find the humor in inflamed situations.  How can you care more without emoting negative feelings?  Be willing to change entrenched patterns that are draining everyone. Change your perspectives on the holidays. See them as time of sharing Light.  "We joyfully celebrate all traditions of Light."

December-Sagittarius A fun and travel month.  See how you can contribute to making your communities feel good.  Discover where in your community there is need for nourishment and upliftment.  What Universal fun can you initiate under this influence?  "Our hearts are happy when we contribute."

2017 is a Universal 1 year.  Beginnings abound. Time, as Tennyson said, to dreams those dreams that never were and say “Why Not!” Surrender the “I,” develop the collective “We,” and affirm for the Universal “Us.”

This is the Year of Greater Community.  Build alliances for positive and inclusive change in building increasingly interdependent relationships personally, nationally, and globally. One World, One Planet, One People. “Imagine all the people, living life in peace.”

[Note:  Updated from Shaman Talk: A Nagual Woman's Wisdom]

Beginnings and Endings

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Tonight, at midnight we pass that imaginary marker in time that we proclaim as a New Year.  That is, we in Western cultures with our Gregorian calendar so celebrate.  Many others, worldwide, have different calendars to proclaim periods of change.  No matter how or where we draw that line in the sands of time, the end of one period and beginning of another can give us renewed hope and dreams of possibilities to be realized.

Though I feel, at times, this is part and parcel of the illusion of Maya, I concurrently observe that any period of deep reflection followed by boundless anticipation of good cannot be all bad.  There is a hopeful energetic about our countdown of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 that gives us an adrenaline rush of optimism.  And, in a world so often shrouded in fear and doubt, optimism can gather energy to turn this experiment we call life around.

Some of us will write down resolutions of what we wish to ring in with the new period.  Others will burn in effigy those things which were experienced as negative in the closing period.  Few people in our culture will simply allow this time to go unacknowledged or say ‘ho-hum.’  Something in our human spirit needs these boosts of possibility to become inspired.

As the skies light up tonight, with bursts of glorious light and booms and bangs announce the new, many find inspiration and relief.  For those, the in-breath of the new is long and deep. Others may be exclaiming with passion, “It’s Over!  Thank God. The year of our discontent is finally put to rest.”  Long sighs of relief and deep expiration of breath may follow.

What about the middle though?  Between the agony and ecstasy of endings and beginnings are the protracted period of the betweens.  I believe that herein lies the richness of our lives; the minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, moon to moon, month to month experiences of our allotted time on Earth.   It is here that we choose heaven or hell.  This is the space in which we practice our attitudes of gratitude, prepare to receive, affirm for the greater good, etc.  This is the place that occupies 99% of our experience here.  Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate it more consistently and consciously?

Many tribal people know about the good of the betweens.  They rise each day bowing to the returning light and end each day in prayerful and humble thanks knowing that the gift of light will return.  These people understand the fragility of each day. They choose to be in the present moment within the field of all possibilities.  They spread their acknowledgement and appreciation throughout the moon and sun cycles.  For many of them, their language is only present tense-not past nor future-simply stated in the Now. They understand the pre-sent; the gift being offered.

Let us remember than as we shout “Happy New Year” today and tonight, that each day can be a happy occasion to shout and acknowledge this amazing human experience.  Let us keep hope alive in our hearts for 365 days and see what wonderful changes and miracles abound all year ‘round.

"Beginnings are scary; Endings are usually sad; but it's the middle that counts

You need to remember that when you find yourself at the Beginning.

Just give Hope a Chance to Float Up; and it Will!"

From the Movie, “Hope Floats.

[53 Past Blogs are in my book "Shaman Talk" available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.com]

Return to Passion

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

This is a piece I wrote some time ago, yet has relevance more and more in our world. Passion is a subject not all are comfortable with.  Recently during an interview for a possible teaching opportunity, it was remarked, “You are certainly a busy woman.”  This was expressed in a way that suggested that was something not to be valued.  My instant response was, “One of my friends has informed me I’m an overachiever.”  Yet, as it often happens, our first response may not be our best, I reflected on this. The truth that emerged on reflection, is that I am passionate about leading a dynamic life. Unlike many in my senior’s apartment complex who sit their days out, I will not go quietly into that good night.  I hope you will choose to set a blaze under your life too.  Here are my thoughts on passion.

Passion is essential to life.  In its absence, lifelessness prevails.  At its apex in orgasm, life and death merge and we return to the Oneness.  Unobstructed by societal mores and norms, humans are passionate beings.   We are innately encoded with the drive to express our passions on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.  Life lived passionately brings us into at-one-ment with All That Is. 

The turmoil, chaos and confusion that we witness around us today is a direct result of suppression of passion.   Frenzy is passion involuted onto itself and manifest in humankind as an aberration of its purpose and intention.  Lifeless people must commit acts of desperation to feel.  The daily barrage of murder and mayhem reported in the public media attests to the lack of healthy outlets for expressing personal passion.

Western society has for many years distorted the purpose of passion in our lives.  Religiosity has played a significant role in this distortion.  Rules and dogma developed by lifeless people have been foisted into consensus thinking to control this volatile commodity.  Suppression of natural passion has led to more and more deviations.    Modern media’s sexual obsession has resulted in unhealthy departures leading to permanent and incurable disease.  None of this divergence has led to health or well-being.

Integrated humans in the absence of rules on their expression of passion have fostered spiritual movements that altered the course of human history; created remarkable political concepts (i.e. democracy); built world wonders; crafted lasting artistic expression in multiple media’s; developed mind boggling technologies; explored outer and inner space; pioneered and invented ingenious tools for quality living; excelled in mastery of the physical form; and “dreamed dreams that no one ever dreamed and said why not.”

Passionless people have destroyed an entire continent’s Eco-system in less than one hundred years; obliterated animals; annihilated peoples; fostered hatred and ignorance; reeked mayhem and destruction to the products of passionate people; disavowed freedom; and fostered a dis-eased humanity.  Unfortunately, passionless people abound today--along with mediocrity.  And, the paltry partnership grows unchecked.  Crimes of passion reported every day in excruciating detail by the public media are committed by passionless people.  The powers that be who seek control of the public mind, corrupt the meaning of passion toward their own greedy end.  A vicious circle ensues with a resultant lasso roping in the cattle for kill.

Vacuous people wandering the megalomaniacal shopping malls and motoring aimlessly on grid locked freeways brandishing tune-out headsets and cell phones are the out picturing of a passionless society.  Couch potatoes eating their way to gigantism in mesmerized stupor before larger and larger cathode tubes from whence spews forth idiocraty and hypocrisy, typify the description American.  Mind control replaces necessity for crowd control resulting in fewer and fewer people having greater and greater influence.

Carpe diem was the cry of my youth and its impassioned message rings ever true.  The only mind control that we need succumb to is that which tunes deaf ear to messages of limitation and amplifies that small inner voice that says, NOW!  For it is in the now, the Tao, that passion prevails.  In the now we are afloat in the sea of possibilities and become the ‘Criatura’ or ‘Criaturo’ (Creator) of our own unique passion play.

Quantum physics has taught us that at subatomic levels we are all part of the essential ‘stuff’ of creation.  In this remarkable time of a burgeoning marriage between science and spirituality, we are gifted with all of the tools for becoming more dynamic, fantastic and passionate people.  Choosing to actively engage our body, mind and spirit as triumvirate of energies, each essential to the other, creates an electric charge--a  quantum leap--that leads us to discovery of Universes beyond our imaginings. 

Why not step out of your box of limitation to awaken dormant dreams, recalibrate your energies and resonance, and to consummate your self-promises?  Carry the gifts creation has laid upon your door!  Become passionate again about every aspect of your life and life circle.  Infuse your day with silliness, eccentricity, brilliance, sensuality, sensory indulgence, and dreams.  Let your motto be, “I cannot be contained!”  And may your personal cantata be a communion of body, mind and spirit that sounds a purifying release for believers in transformative power and PASSION!

[53 Past Blogs are in my book "Shaman Talk" available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.com]

Consideration

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

We live in a populous world.  In cities of large to medium size, we are often bumping into one another, crashing at time like the movie Crash depicted.  Were those bumps gentle and warm, perhaps there would be less anger and violence. As it stands today, they are often far from that. This combined with the mentality of personal space and quest for new lands, has had a negative impact on our small planet.

This awareness got me to thinking about consideration.  In the era that I was raised, consideration was taught to us every day.  Manners were instilled in us to always be aware of our behavior and treatment of others.  If we visited family or friends houses for an overnight to more, we were lectured on eating what was in front of us and being respectful to our hosts.  We did not leave our ‘stuff’ all around their home.  Expectation was always trumped by thoughtfulness and consideration of others.  Entitlement, Mon dieu, hardly!!

When we look at the definition of consideration, it is about kindness, and thoughtful regard for others.  The word comes from Latin for “contemplate.”  Hidden in the word is “sid”, the Latin root for “star.” Originally it meant to examine things carefully as if you were staring at the sky in the night contemplating its mystery.

One of the reasons that I became attracted to earth-based spirituality (shamanism) was that consideration was given to all life forms.  There was a deeply inculcated philosophy of honoring Mother Earth and giving thought to all things on the manifest earth.  When one walked “a good red road,” that person was being thoughtful and considerate.

So what happened and why are we observing so little consideration of our fellow beings on the planet today?  I believe this may be, in part, why some people want a return to the 50’s–a perceived time of innocence and order.  That is certainly understandable, given that the 60’s brought in the proverbial “throw the baby out with the bath water” time of upheaval.  What might have happened instead of dissolving cultural milieus, would have been the incorporation of some of the good aspects of the old in concert with the new.

Where does that leave us today?  Capable of changing things, as always.  If each of us commits to upleveling our consideration quotient from this day forward, we’ve a much better chance of creating a peaceful, compassionate, loving world.  If we make simple choices, in all areas of our impact on the manifest world and its energies, we will indeed be co-creators of an evolution for good.  As the Hopi prophesies stated, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for, so time to get up, show up, and wisen up.  Like the unfolding Lotus, let us each see our own consciousness opening layer by layer to the awareness of how our actions impact others.

"If we were to make a conscious and frequent effort of treating others with consideration, the effects on us and our society as a whole would be amazing."  Henry Charles Link.

Our Magical Attention

by Rev. Amari Magdalena

With the many untoward events going on in the world right now, our Attention becomes much more important.  In shamanism we talk a lot about Intention and Attention (thus my emphasis with Capital letters).  Attention is defined as where we place our consciousness and monitor our thoughts and words.  Intention is what we really want to achieve by our actions.  If there was ever a time to contemplate those two concepts it is now.  The addition of ‘magical’ to Attention suggests that our consciousness, thoughts and words can be re-focused out of our ordinary material reality to that extraordinary place of higher mind and heart. 

We might equate Magical Attention with the energies of the Nagual–the East to West axis on the medicine wheel.  When we invoke the spirits and guardians of these cardinal directions we are opening ourselves to connecting beyond the veils of our illusion to upliftment and illumination. The Tonal–North and South, are the axis on the medicine wheel that most of us travel in our material, ordinary world connecting us with more earth-ward wisdom and innocence. In my book, Awaken Your Inner Shields: Transform Your Life, I provide information about this.

At this pivotal time in human history, we’ve been presented with an opportunity to take an evolutionary leap forward.  What you say?  How can that possibly be when SO much destruction is reported in graphic detail daily?  My eyes and ears are pained by all of the needless suffering and violence. And, yes, I do understand how upsetting it can be.

I would answer, if you are absorbing the bad news every day, you are missing what is wonderfully transpiring at deeper levels.  If you awaken in the morning and either check out the news on television, the newspaper, NPR, or your favorite search engine’s news, your Attention is receiving mostly bad news.  Should you need updates at mid-day, even more fear and anxiety is fostered.  Home at 6, more news?  To bed with the bad news?  An appetite of that would surely lead to not only gustatory indigestion but indigestion of your very spirit.

Every single day, on Facebook alone, there is a heartwarming story of human heroism and service to humanity.  Occasionally, these stories make it to our national news.  Ted Talks on the radio often have speakers who are talking about some essential aspect of human evolution from their particular perspective.  Inspirational books have been available long before the New Age, churned them out like butter.  Many, many offerings through citywide Meet-Ups provide opportunity for spiritual succor and tools for learning how to move into your Magical Attention.

I believe another aspect of this change, which I’ve written regularly about on Facebook of late, is comprehending that for new growth, the old growth has to be pruned as Chauncey Gardner told the President in Being There.  We have to empty our mind-cups of less than pleasant thoughts, and begin to fill them with hope and belief in the process. 

As we witness the changing of our four seasons, so is the process we are observing now.  Spring brings the new beginnings; summer the growth, fall the harvest, and winter the fallow time.  We too, as a planet, are going through these vary same stages though perhaps not as timely or consistent. I believe we are in the fallow time; old unworkable forms are dissolving and dying right before our very eyes.  Yet their compost can be the manure to feed what will emerge.

Only faith, can bring us to realize that the spring and new world WILL emerge if we place our Magical Attention on that belief and direct our Intention to contributing to creating it.  Cry no more.  This is as it should be. 

Rise up and start getting involved in the processes and forms that will come forth when our chrysalis sheds it cocoon and the New Bright World emerges.  Perhaps not all of us will witness this.  Yet, we alone can plant the seeds that will bring the Dawn of the Peace as a magnificent monarch.  In my head I am singing an old song, You’ll Never Walk Alone, that was SO impactful in my troubled youth, “When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark.  At the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark……” 

Readers, I have actually seen that golden sky once in New Mexico–so awe inspiring that I pulled off the road and wept.  It was, and it is, magnificent beyond our limited imagining.  Believe me. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0

[53 Past Blogs are in my book "Shaman Talk" available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.com]