Power Animal for June: Horse

June is the month of summer vacation, picnics, Solstice, parades and finding peaceful solace under shady trees. In this green pasture of time, grazes our power animal of the month: Horse.

Horses have long been associated with the yang principle of masculine energies, because of their ability to take quick, powerful and decisive action, for their own sake and for the aid of humans. Horses are earth-bound and grounded: their hooves listen to the wisdom of the terrain, their nostrils sense danger, their instincts tell them when to go, when to stop, and who is friend or foe.

Yet because horses gallop and jump, riding one feels like flying through the air. This heavenly sensation, (terrifying for some), along with their keen sensitivity and extraordinary communication skills, makes horse a magnificently powerful and gentle being, all at once. This yin-yang quality is doubly emphasized in renditions of Pegasus and Unicorn.

These four-legged masterpieces of creation are deeply instinctual, passionate and sexual: their physical prowess and speed awes and delights and lifts the load us rational humans carry. The horse has been credited with the greatest contribution to modern civilization, for they were the precursor to the steam engine. Without their ability AND willingness to carry us tremendous distances, communities would be separated, native tribes would have become extinct, and most of us would not be living in the wild west (aka Santa Barbara) today.

Horse: hardworking, quick running, wild, free, domesticated, strong willed, rebellious, powerful, passionate, beautiful, helpful, carrier of heavy things, intelligent, sensitive, wary, quiet, still, gentle, bucking, galloping, racing, flying through the air.

When Horse makes an appearance in the Dreamtime and in waking, approach him/her respectfully, expose the contents of your own heart, trust him, but trust yourself too, ask him to take you places you have never been, to help you embark on the hero’s journey, to guide you towards your instincts, to allow passion into your life, or to reign it in if it is destroying you.

Horse is here to show you how to move ideas from the realm of dreams to the arena of action; to help you become spiritual grounded, embodied, in a way that will allow you to be of service to others.

Rhino Power

"NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!" is the mantra of Rhinoceros people: the perfect power animal for those fed up with uncertainty, insecurity and inertia. Rhinos weigh 150 pounds at birth, and can reach up to 3 tons: next to elephants they are as ancient, large, powerful, tenacious and earthy as any creature alive. Thus, they are credited with the qualities of groundedness, practicality, endurance, wisdom and Power, with a big "P" (or "R"). Rhinos are typically gentle and community focused by nature -- unless provoked. They may keep cool in the mud, but they don't get stuck in it.  If you feel stuck in life, envision the rhino's horn on your own head; it's thick skin shielding you from the daily indignities and defeats that you have let knock you down; his sturdy feet forging a new and confident path. Rhinos know how to strike a balance between conserving energy and charging ahead. When they want or need something, they don't spend months or years contemplating it (even though they can live for half a century): they go for it. Stop being lazy. Stop making excusing. Rhinos don't whine, they snort. If you aren't happy in every aspect of your life, do something about it, right this minute....charge!

Interesting Article About Dangers of Meditation and Extreme Altered States

http://downthecrookedpath-meditation-gurus.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

We would love to hear your thoughts on this article, published by renowned analysts. How common is it for someone to experience what is described in this article?

Have you ever experienced "Spiritually induced" psychosis?

How did you get balanced and grounded again (or didn't you?)

Do studies like this scare people more than they help people?

What did you learn from it that will help you in your meditation/spiritual practices?

What is wrong with this article, if anything? 

SLOTH: POWER ANIMAL FOR MONTH OF MARCH 2014

As spring time drags its feet getting to most of the country, our power animal of the month yawns and stretches. Say "Good morning!" (around lunch time) to Sloth. "Sloth is a power animal??" You stop your rushing around for a moment and wonder.

But they are so ... slothful!

In our busy, action-oriented society, creatures that nap all day as they hang from the tree tops like furry hammocks are often misunderstood, just as humans are when we try to preserve our energies. Yet Sloth may be the Taoist Master of the animal word. Instead of rushing into the future, they know how to "be" in the present. "Emptiness is fullness" says Lao Tzu Sloth. (Reference: Dr. Gary Toub, Jungian Analyst.)

Sloths rarely let their feet touch the ground. Instead, they escape their fastest predators, like the jaguar, by being perfectly still and letting their bodies blend into the tree-bark. What they lack in muscle-tone they make up in brain matter.

They also have long lives because they honor their slow metabolism. August is known as "the dog days", because man's because man's best friend also knows how silly it is to rush around when it is hot and humid out. If we dub March as "the sloth days" we might give ourselves permission to store up our energies for the exciting and fun summer months, and actually be more productive when all is said and done.

If you don't really have to move quickly or do extra work, address those guilty or fearful feelings, and give yourself some permission to be like our meditative mammal pals: and go stretch out on the beach, laze on the couch, or hang upside down from your palm trees.

POWER ANIMAL FOR NOVEMBER: SUN CONURE

"Zen Fruity" my baby

As we head into winter, darkness and cold can have a depressing effect on many. The holidays ahead to some are a blessing, to others their anticipation harkens demons of dread, loneliness and bitter family disputes. Whether you feel November is a time to celebrate or despair, call in the Sun Conure as a Power Animal, and let this little clown-colored parrot with the champaign-glass shattering voice break your heart open and let the rainbow colored light shine in! 

Sun Conures are native to Brazil, the country that evokes images of bronzed bodies lining the sun drenched beaches of Rio; the wild exuberance of Carnival celebrations, and Samba dancing in the streets. Sun Conures are aptly named with their orange bodies, red cheeks, yellow and green wings: If Ra or Zeus the Sun Gods had Power Animals, there would surely be Sun Conures sitting on their shoulders. 

One of the problems people face as the Sun makes less of an appearance each day is that they stay inside more, and perhaps get lonely. Sun Conures never have a problem calling out for companionship, or letting their needs be known to others. They shriek and sing to demand attention. They also clown around in the treetops or their cages, hanging upside down by a single foot, dancing like lunatics. They laugh, whine, cry, chatter, kiss and charm you into doing exactly what they want: snuggle, converse, companion you or share your food every where you go. While these antics can be annoying at times to those who don’t want to be bothered, the Sun Conure knows how to get their social needs met. While they will be rejected at times, many others they will get the fun, love, and communion they most desire. Even 5 times out of ten is better than 0 out of 0. So when you need to reach out more to others and let them know you exist and want to communicate with them, snuggle or be entertained, become that noisy Sun Conure, and trust that even though not all people like birds, many will be riveted by your beautiful plumage and your adorable antics! 

In spite of Sun Conures ability to get their needs met, they are also excellent at setting boundaries. If they don’t want to be touched, they will gently bite the hand that is pestering them: not enough to hurt those they love, but to say in no uncertain terms, “not a good time!” As much as they want affection and attention, they also enjoy their solitude and sleep -- when they are ready for it. This they let you know too by their nibbles, or simply flying back to their nests or perches.

If someone is threatening their lives or those they love, they will attack, and there will be blood! 

Sun Conure teaches us to express ourselves, and even more essentially, to KNOW ourselves. Are you aware in each moment how you are TRULY feeling, and what you need? Or have you spent a life time denying your instincts and bodily impulses; of ignoring your deeper self? Start listening in. What are the subtle ways your body tells you what you want... do you start to move towards a thing or a person but then stop yourself? Do you shrink back, but then tell yourself you must stay in a situation that makes you uncomfortable? Sun Conure never does this, but is completely AUTHENTIC.  When she wants to be still she is still. When she wants to scream she screams. She doesn’t waste time with those who don’t like her or those she hasn’t bonded with. She is dedicated to her people and the friends she has mutually chosen. Darkness calms her down. Being sweet-talked or offered a treat distracts her and changes her mood as quickly as a child. All these things are good things. 

Take Sun Conures lead this winter and wear your brightest colors, let your desires be known, and ring the bell in your proverbial cage to entertain yourself, or so your own inner Keeper will know it is high time they let you fly free.  

Quote from Ben Franklin About Why the Eagle Shouldn't be National Symbol

   I love this quote, because it reminds us that all creatures (like humans) have a shadow side, even those we admire most. To avoid "pollyannaism" -- only seeing others, or life, in a positive but flat and one dimensional way, it is good to acknowledge the wild, vicious, carnal and dull sides of us all, along with the joyful, benevolent.



"I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country, he is a bird of bad moral character, he does not get his living honestly, you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to its nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him.... Besides he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest. . . of America.. . . For a truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on." -- Ben Franklin

Global Earth Exchange Journal Entry

Today I went to the Summer Solstice Parade in my hometown, Santa Barbara.

This years theme was "Creatures".

Everyone was beautiful and we had fun celebrating the Sun.

When we got home I was very tired and fell asleep on the couch. I would have slept all the rest of the afternoon, but Eric woke me with his exclamation, "Peter is in the house!" 

Peter is the Blue Jay we rescued as a baby, nurtured until he could survive on his own, and released in our garden a few years ago. 

Peter flies back into the house occasionally to say hello, and search for peanuts. He stayed but a few minutes, then flew back outside.

Since I was now awake, though still groggy, I got on my computer and started looking for someone's email address I've been trying to find for awhile. After a few minutes I stumbled across some one else's email, the one about The Global Earth Exchange, sent by one of my beloved mentors, Trebbe Johnson. 

I thought to myself, "Oh no, I forgot all about this!" 

The Global Earth Exchange was Trebbe's idea, as part of her Radical Joy for Hard Times project. The concept is very simple. On June 22nd of each year, people all across the world go out, alone or in groups, to a place on the Earth that has been wounded, desecrated, or undergone a traumatic event. 

There they connect with the land, simply by being present, being aware of their feelings in the moment, listening into their hearts and the heart of the earth, making art (such as a bird out of the natural materials in this place... the bird represents rising above it all; hope.) Finally, the ceremony ends with making an offering. It is a way of healing the planet, healing oneself and community, all at the same time. It is a tiny step. A huge step in the right direction.

I was going to organize an event and participate this year, but life got the better of me and I spaced on it. So when I saw the email earlier today, I said to myself, "Well, it's too late to organize a large group, but I can still participate in some way." 

In the instructions, it said not to get hung up on having to do this any certain way, and to let it unfold naturally. I looked around my living room. Who could I bring with me on such short notice? Where could I find a wounded place that needed some attention? 

I went straight to my Sun Conure (little parrot) Fruity's cage. She loves to be outside with me, so I thought she would be a good friend to bring along. 

We walked outside our front door. 

And there it was. 

My own little garden. In shambles. Decimated. Torn up. Destroyed. 

Unfortunately, I did not have to go far to find the wounded place to do the Global Earth Exchange ceremony. 

My garden before today.

My garden today after a gardner tore up all the beloved Agaves 
(to make room for a new fence to be installed.)

I felt very sad and started to cry. Which feels silly with a bird on my head, but ...


I cried for a little while. Then I noticed a mouse scampering around in the devistation. I thought to myself, "At least my own home wasn't destroyed, like this mouse's house was!"

I cried for the mouse.

I also thought of the Native American story of of Jumping Mouse, a story us Rite of Passage Guides tell our questers the night before they embark on a solo fast. Jumping Mouse is the story of a little mouse that had to leave his home -- and all he held dear to him -- in order to find the "Sacred River" (which is a symbol of the Divine) and gain courage and new Vision.

Just then, my boyfriend Eric walked into the wounded garden. He saw me crying and wanted to cheer me up.
I didn't exactly want to be cheered up immediately, but I really appreciated his efforts. In fact, I recognized that he was now engaging in the Global Earth Exchange with me. It was a spontaneous occurrence. I was delighted for his company, even through my tears.

This is Eric from another day, after we saw the sunrise together.

Eric didn't know I was thinking about the story of Jumping Mouse. But he said to me, in response to my lament of the mice losing their home, "Just think, now the mice will go to the other part of the garden, and get to see a whole new part of the world that their Jewish Grandma's probably never let them explore, for fear they'd get hurt." (He knows I am Jewish, and sometimes worry like a Grandma myself, even though I have travelled all over the world and seen many glorious gardens.)

I suggested we follow the Global Earth Exchange suggestion of making a bird out of the wreckage. Eric reached down and picked up this stick, and said, "Look, it's a bird!" I also found a stick right away that reminded me of a bird. In just a minute or two we had created bird art together.

Eric's Bird

Erics and my bird together

Eric left to go run some errands. I decided to stay alone in the garden a little while longer. I remembered that my two other domesticated birds, Green Cheeked Conures Zepher and Griffin, were buried right in the garden by the St. Frances Statute. I felt a mixture of gladness at their memory, and sadness at my loss. 

Eric with our babies, the late and great Zepher and Griffin

 

The final part of the Global Earth Exchange ceremony is to honor the land by giving something back to it. 

I wanted to give something to the Spirits of the land and my birdies. I went in the house and got a handful of Sun Flower seeds. (I love the symbolism, and birds love the taste!) 

I put Fruity back on her cage with a bowlful of seeds and thanked her for participating with me. 

Then I went back into the garden to sprinkle some on the torn up ground, and that's when a new friend came to visit: a baby Blue Jay!

He graciously accepted my offering of Sun Flower Seeds.

A reminder that new life will grow from the old.

It doesn't make the loss of the Agave plants and the others any less strong.

But, it does give me hope.

And, a feeling of excitement, as I wonder what will grow in it's place.

Thanks for listening to my story!

THE END
THE BEGINNING

Amy Katz, June 22, 2013