ancestors
Good Old-Fashioned Dating Before Your Commit
Some of my most treasured moments have been the conversations I’ve had with folks from my grandparents’ generation. I especially like to ask elderly couples what their secret is to a long-lasting marriage, or relationship.
Their answers always put a smile on my face. Usually they would say that they slowly got to know each other, to see if they had the same values and decide if they were compatible.
Sadly, much has changed over the years. These days people no longer seem willing to put in the work and commitment it takes to build a strong foundation for a healthy, enduring relationship. Instead, we rush into romantic connections without thinking and seldom questioning the other person or their motives. Continue reading
A Symbol To Know The Unknowable
This morning, I ran into one of my friends in our little Spanish town, and we decided to grab a coffee and catch up. I was delighted at how she took an interest in my Om/Aum pendant. She commented on how I seemed to treat my pendant as something rather sacred, and with respect – an interesting observation! She loved the flow of the shapes, and asked if the pendant had any specific meaning.
I had to remove the pendant and study it closely to try and remember what I was taught years ago, in order to give her a brief description to the best of my ability. One by one I tried to connect with each swirl in the design and was surprised that I had remembered quite a lot of what my mentor had taught me. It was a long time ago, when we used the Om/Aum chant in our meditation sessions.
With my pendant on the table I began to explain the meaning of the dot at the top of the symbol, and recalled that this related to the silence after chanting Om/Aum. It represents the Enlightened Self, and is known as the transcendental state of Turiya. Continue reading
Make Changes To Simplify Your Life
Drama and chaos. We don’t need it. It comes in the form of junk that we don’t like, or even use in our homes. It can also come in the form of toxic people who clutter up our lives with dis-ease. As much as we love these people, who may be our friends or family, we sometimes simply need to make those changes in order to create real, positive change.
Realizing this, I asked my main guide, my ancestor, what I could do to create more peace in my life. I heard him say simply, “Make the necessary changes in your life and you will find your life to be much more peaceful and simplified!” Continue reading
The Cosmic Weather Channel
We have all checked a daily weather forecast at some point. Will it be hot or cold? Will it rain or snow? But did you know that a different kind of ‘weather’ affects our lives just as much? We are also impacted by the ‘cosmic weather’ – the astrological positions of the planets and other heavenly bodies, as well as related phenomena, such as eclipses, solstices, equinoxes, aurora borealis (Northern Lights), solar flares, and meteor showers.
The recent “Great American Eclipse” was a large-scale event which many people observed. But what did it mean? Solar eclipses represent the shadow of the Moon (the yin, feminine, and intuitive) obscuring the Sun (yang, masculine, and logical). An eclipse therefore creates the illusion of twilight in the middle of the day. From a metaphysical perspective it is the perfect time for added insight, previously hidden knowledge, and inspired ideas. Continue reading
The African River Man
During the time of my ukuthwasa (period of initiation to become a traditional healer or sangoma) some decades ago in Southern Africa, my mentor and some other village elders would join our group of ithwasa (sangoma trainees) by the campfire and discuss other spirits. That is, others in addition to those of our ancestors.
We heard many tales of other spirits who control the rivers, oceans and lakes, as well as those who live in the sky and control the rain. There were also stories told of sacred places where spirits inhabited mountains, trees and rocks. I loved hearing those stories from various individuals whom have had unique experiences and felt they had seen and communicated with those various spirits. Continue reading