Howling Winds, Winter Dreaming, and Instrumentation as Healing Technologies…
I think I speak on behalf of most, if not all, who were at the Byron Hinterland edition of The Pilgrimage: Shamanic Wilderness Expeditions, that it met, and perhaps even exceeded expectations.
The Rainforest Sanctuary were we were anchored was stunning.
We were nestled underneath a ginormous cathedral of bamboo, we had a lush rainforest creek flowing right beside us in our ceremonial area, two mountain ranges flanked us on either side, and the wind was shifting from a gentle breeze to an absolutely howling almighty constant roar.
We settled into the rhythm of the seasons…
Winter, mountain bear dreaming, rest, rejuvenation, hibernation.
In my iteration of the medicine wheel, the south / winter is associated with the element of earth, and we did something a little different this time around.
We worked with clay.
How great it was to regulate our nervous systems in the cool of winter by feeling the supple soft texture of clay between hands, resting into the slow pulse of nature; quieting hyper-active minds and over-stimulated bodies.
We paired that with a day of traversing the ancient landscape of Goonengerry National Park, meditating atop huge boulders, in forest caves, bathing in fresh mountain waterfall pools, and preparing ourselves for another full power sweat lodge.
A big day of meditation in noble silence had us journeying with a smorgasbord of instruments; opening ourselves to music and sound as healing and consciousness expanding technologies. I write more about that here.
Opening one’s self to the profound explorations of the deep inner sanctum and recalibrating our sensory antennae to the wild stirrings of spirit is not necessarily an easy path to walk.
There’s a lot of universal themes that ask for our attention, and there were many that we explored this past gathering, which I’ll touch upon below.
I certainly tip my hat and raise my pipe to the crew who keep showing up in the name of heart, soul and spirit.
Restoration, Re-story-ation and Writing a New Chapter
This gathering was enriching; affirming…
An expansion into new potentials; into what's possible.
Particularly so when we retune our sensory antennae to that of soul and spirit. Some big themes were being explored by our group.
Themes that are good medicine for all of us to be reminded of:
Cultivating the greater prayer, the greater vision, for ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, and particularly for our children, and the ones yet to come.
The importance of developing energetic and spiritual hygiene.
The remembrance that we only get one shot during this lifetime, and to really go for it, to go all in. To not cave into the fear of the unknown or the anxieties or challenges of life, but to play big; lest we get to the end of our life full of regret for not showing up with the potential that we know we were capable of.
The journey of coming home into our body; embodiment; embodied transformation.
Going into the pain as part of the healing process; feeling it to heal it, and being rebirthed by fire, by water; by stone.
The path of restoration and re-STORY-ation; writing a new chapter in our lives, or an entirely new book for that matter.
Becoming aware that that the way we live our lives is a choice, and the importance of making those choices to reclaim our power in it’s many forms.
Building strong foundations and cultivating a life of truth and integrity.
Becoming truly comfortable in our own skin, and not shying away from our authenticity, our rightness, and our personal power, solely because of what we think other people are going to think of us.
And clarifying and cultivating strong boundaries, clear boundaries, while simplifying our lives in accordance to our values; what’s important to us; what's the most sacred to us.
The First Hermetic Principle
Many different intentions and themes all came together in what we could contextualize as the direction of heart-centred and soul-oriented consciousness.
The harmonious integration of our mind-body-soul complex; of awakening to heart, soul, and spirit while being rooted in the wisdom of the natural world.
Where attention/intention goes, energy flows. We all know that phrase, and yet there’s a tag along that often gets forgotten or unnoticed. The next part of the equation is, after attention and energy: form follows.
It’s part of the First Hermetic Principle.
All is mind; the universe is mental.
Thought first, form second.
Attention/intention > Energy Flow > Manifestation of form.
Where’s our attention?
What’s our intention?
Where is the energy flowing in our life?
Where do we want it to flow?
What’s being manifested?
What do we want to manifest?
A few questions to chew on, if you’re hungry for a bit more depth in the midst of winter.
Another edition of The Pilgrimage: Shamanic Wilderness Expeditions comes to an end, and what is every ending but the beginning of the next grand adventure.
I’ll leave it with you.
Good tidings to all.
