Katina's Thoughts and Musings...

Evolution or Devolution or both

10/31/2019

You are pure energy vibrating at frequencies within the 3rd dimensional visible spectrum. That is how you tend to relate to yourself. That is you expressed as a human being.
The fact is your energy self also vibrates at multiple frequencies and so you exist or are expressed in other dimensions simultaneously.
We tend to focus on the higher dimensions as we have been programed by society and 'spiritual beliefs' to believe we are evolving. But that comes from a way of thinking embedded in the concept of dualism. If we perceive beyond dualism to - all is one - then we must acknowledge that devolution is also a possibility of our reality. Therefore we can devolve as well as evolve.
We all can probably admit to having less than evolved tendencies from time to time - our less than finest moments. Our moments of devolution.
In this 3rd dimension of duality, we experience choice. To evolve or devolve? - that is the question. And who/what asks the question? Is it not a matter of where we focus our awareness? And who/what focuses the awareness?

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The Beginning of Shamanic Understanding

5/31/2016

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The Earth, Gaia, Nature – this is where all shamanic understanding begins – this the source of shamanism.  To work from any shamanic perspective we must connect directly and deeply with the earth and the natural world.

Shamanism is about a living relationship with this planet upon which we live and its relationship to the cosmos in which it lives.  But how can we have a ‘living’ relationship with anything unless we have explored its mysteries or at least have a basic understanding of its parameters?  This is where we begin: asking the questions about what this ‘Earth’ is composed of and how do we engage it.

So “what constitutes the ‘Earth’?”  Scientist James Lovelock was one of the first to write about the earth as more than a collection of rocks held together by gravity and swirling around the sun in the Milky Way Galaxy.  In the early 1970s Lovelock proposed the Gaia Hypothesis, which has now become the Gaia Theory.  It states that the biosphere of earth is an active, adaptive control system able to maintain the earth in homeostasis. That is, the Earth is a self-regulating system.

Ok, let’s define the biosphere.  Moving outwards from the center, the Earth is almost entirely made of hot or molten rock and metal.  Then beginning about 100 miles below the surface where the crustal rocks meet the magma of the Earth’s hot interior, and proceeding 100 miles outward through ocean and air to the even hotter thermosphere at the edge of space, that is the area that is collectively called the biosphere.  This is the self-regulating aspect of Earth which has been given the name Gaia.

We also have to think of Gaia as the whole system of animate and inanimate parts. Enabled by sunlight, the growing, living things within the biosphere empower this system, Gaia, but this ‘wild chaotic power’ is constrained by this goal-seeking entity that regulates itself on life’s behalf.  Understanding these constraints is essential if we are to remain part of this system and not be phased out by it as unsupportable: the catastrophic results of global warming perhaps.

So here we have Earth – the planet upon which we have chosen to live, and Gaia, the self-regulating system that provides the optimum environment for the life forms and chemical constituents of its system.

Nature refers to the parts of the system that Gaia regulates.  Included here are the plants and animals; the natural environment of mountains, rocks, forests, deserts, and waters.  The weather with its clouds, wind patterns and storms are all part of nature. The shaman then interacts with nature by understanding the system, Gaia, within which nature operates.  And one last important point – we are not outside this system.  We too are part of Nature and subject to the self-regulation of Gaia.

It is unfortunate that we have strayed so far from understanding the interconnectedness of all things, but here we are now, trying to find out who we are and what our place of balance is in this wonderful universe.  This knowledge that we are regaining, in part through science, has been held by indigenous people since the beginning of time.  They have not seen themselves as separate from the great Earth system.  They have seen themselves in a living relationship with the entire natural world and as such have learned how to work in partnership and right relationship with this world.

Throughout history certain members of these indigenous peoples were selected due to their inherent abilities to speak directly with these aspects and forces of nature for the purpose of bringing balance, health and abundance to their people.

Today we call these people shamans.  Shamans everywhere are aware of the plight of our world and they are generously sharing their knowledge with us in hopes that we ‘separated ones’ will find our place in the system before it is too late. Some of us have chosen to not only reconnect with this ancient wisdom of our ancestors to understand it, but also to engage it and live from and within this integral world view.  That possibly includes you since you are reading this material.

What do we do now?  Hopefully, if you would like a firmer base, you are willing to research the information on Gaia Theory, or Systems Theory enough to fully convince yourself that you are part of the Earth and Nature, and that what you think and do have a direct consequence on how the system works or fails.  This is true not just on the days that you feel ‘shamanic,” but with every breath you take and every move you make. (Sounds like a song).

If you understand this then you realize that you are in a relationship with everything around you and it is time to fully develop those relationships and not just operate from a place of default.  For a Shaman, it is all about building relationships with the natural world and the forces of Nature.  Within the integrity of those relationships, the shaman finds his/her power.

Just like developing a relationship with anyone, building a relationship with Nature requires that you spend considerable time with it; engage it in dialogue; understand its powers, its gifts, its requirements.  How does it want to relate to you?  What is it that you have to offer?  How do you contribute to the whole, the collective?

Like any relationship, this is a two-way street, not just what you can get from it.  And just like with humanity, you can say you are part of the whole human race but find yourself attracted to certain beings within this collective.   So when you consider Nature, who is it you really want to get to know?  What are you naturally attracted to?  Where do you want to start?

We have the whole animal kingdom; those in the skies, the ones who live upon the land and the ones who inhabit the waters of our planet.  Then there is the plant kingdom, many of whom have developed deep, abiding, informative relationships with us humans.

The elements: earth, air, fire and water all are sources of great working relationships and sources of power.  The ‘unseen ones’ (by most of us anyway): the elementals, fairies (no – that’s not too far out there) and other forms of life that do not posses a form that our eyes easily perceive.  They all inhabit this Earth system called Gaia with us and are available to us if we feel so inclined to seek them out and form a relationship with them.

Some people work intimately with the great waters of our planet: the seas, rivers and lakes.  Others are drawn to the mountains, especially the high glaciated mountains, while still others find ways to commune with the great desert landscapes.  What calls to you?  What are you most comfortable with?  These are questions you need to ask yourself and be honest about what relationships you are willing to engage.

As you know, in your relationships with other human beings there is work involved and responsibility involved and hopefully great rewards involved.  Being in relationship with one aspect of Nature is no more advantageous than another.  What is to be considered is where is the best fit for you if you truly want to be in a shamanic relationship of power.

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What Is A Mesa?

3/3/2016

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Open Mesa

The Andean Medicine Bundle or Mesa

Shaman’s everywhere connect with the spirits of the earth, with nature, calling upon these unseen forces to assist them in their work.  To help facilitate this connection, some form of a medicine bundle is created by the shaman.

For North American First Nations people, the medicine bundle is considered a very precious possession which represents a person's spiritual life, and may possess powers for protection and healing. As the owner grows older, more items may be added to it. Personal medicine bundles are usually buried with the owner, or passed on to a friend upon the owner's death. Each bundle contains a varied collection of objects and representations of spiritual significance, from animal skins and effigies to ceremonial pipes. Most medicine bundles have been passed down from one keeper to another over such a long span of time that their origins have become shrouded in mystery and myth.

The Mesa
In the Andean Medicine Path we address the medicine bundle of the Andean shamans which is known as a Mesa. The Mesa is a shamanic altar containing ritually empowered objects, which are aesthetically arranged on a sacred textile to reflect the system of medicine work employed by its carrier.  These objects are arranged in a spatial configuration to assist in attainment of physical, emotional, spiritual and mental integration through the advancement of consciousness.

Although there are universal symbols and objects common to many mesas of the Andes, the pieces placed upon them are ultimately unique to the Mesa carrier.

When a Mesa is opened (ceremonially activated) the distinction between the symbol and that which the symbol represent is dissolved.  The objects arranged upon the mesa become the mountains, the rivers, totem animal, or the empowered representation of the shaman’s own healing.

Exactly when and where the Mesa originated is not known with certainty.  Anthropologists acknowledge that shamanism is a universal phenomenon among primitive as well as modern human societies, and may have its origins as far back as 40,000 years ago.  Extensive research has traced shamanic technology in Peru back at least 4000 years but we can speculate that the origins of the Mesa could go back as far as 8,000 BC to the early inhabitants of Peru’s Central Highlands during the Early Archaic Period.  Although the Mesa’s date of origin is ambiguous, it is clear that it has accrued a mass of wisdom found only through a process of substantial refinement.  As such, there is much that can be learned from the rich mythological belief system and cosmology of the Mesa as a visionary instrument of sacred technology.

The woven textile upon which the contents of the mesa are arranged is called a Mestana.  The Mestana is traditionally the cloth woven by a woman to wrap her newborn child in.  If and when the child shows a giftedness that would place them in an apprenticeship with a shaman, the birthing cloth is given to the child to hold the medicine that the child is spiritually giving birth to.  Since many more Mastanas are woven than are used by indigenous shamans, the markets in Peru are a ready source of both new and second-hand cloths.  The Mestana is usually about 30” by 30” and are some of the most beautiful weavings you will find anywhere.  As the cloth upon which the sacred objects of power of the shaman are placed, the Mestana itself is a sacred object and is treated with utmost respect.

The most common objects in the Andean Mesa are stones which the shaman has collected.  The stones present themselves to the shaman as he/she is out in nature and reflect the power of the particular place in which they are found.  When picked up and ceremonially added to the Mesa they then become a Kuya (or Khuya) which means Beloved.  The shaman then builds a relationship with the Kuya; discovering the innate power of the Kuya and the relationship of power that the Kuya has with the landscape in which was found.  As the relationship develops, the shaman can then call upon both the power residing in the Kuya and the power of the landscape from which the Kuya originated to help them with their work.

A Salka Mesa

This relationship of power develops through shamanic journeying with the Kuya deep into the landscape that sourced the Kuya and through the creation of cekes which are energetic lines of connection between the Kuya and the shaman’s medicine body.  These cekes are highways of information through which communication travels in two directions: between the shaman and the Kuya in which the Kuya is informed of all that resides within the shaman’s medicine body and the shaman is informed of all the levels of power that the Kuya has within its medicine body.  It is a co-creative relationship which takes concerted effort on the part of the shaman to develop but which ultimately becomes the basis for all of their healing abilities.  The key to a shaman’s power are in their relationships with the natural world and their ability to call upon those relationships to assist them in their work.

Ultimately the Mesa acts as the shaman’s tool, an instrument of sacred technology, which is used to access and cultivate an intimate relationship with Spirit, which in its very nature is mystery.  The Mesa thus can be seen as a reflection of the personal cosmology of the shaman.  The objects within the Mesa describe the relationships of power of the shaman and as such describe the beliefs of the shaman.  Over time, one’s cosmology can change and develop new order.  This will then be reflected in the Mesa as the shaman removes that which no longer serves them and adds the new focus of their power.  When the shaman finds their power faltering, they need look no further than their Mesa to discover where a relationship of power no longer serves them.  It can be that the lack of relationship stems from the shaman’s inattentiveness to the source of his power or it can be that that power is no longer available to him/her.  As these changes and cycles naturally occur, it can be seen that the Mesa is a truly organic tool that works with the attention given it and grows and changes with the growth and change of the shaman.

Though the Andean Mesa consists primarily of stones, other items may also be found in it.  Sometimes the shaman will come across naturally occurring crystals on the mountains and these are highly valued and placed in the mesa.  The crystals can transmit very clear messages from the mountain itself and are considered great sources of power.  Religious fetishes and cultural items are sometimes found within the mesa as they reflect the personal healing and spiritual journey of the shaman.  Every item relates to power in some way and is never there just for sentimental value.

Woven Mestana Cloth from Peru with Chumpi Stones

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Evolution or Devolution or both

The Beginning of Shamanic Understanding

What Is A Mesa?

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