cleansing

A Stunning Sight – ND #94

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Peace Eagle (Turkey Vulture) Greeting the Morning Sun – Photo: L. Weikel

A Stunning Sight

Looking out both my bedroom and office windows this morning, this was the vision that greeted me. It was a stunning sight.

While I’m feeling a bit of foreboding over what may unfold in Ukraine over the weekend, I have to admit that the appearance of this magnificent bird, wings upraised in the morning sun, felt like a symbol of hope.

Vultures are associated with life and death, those liminal states that mark our passages between one reality and another. They’re also experts on cleaning up the environment: these raptors perform the unenviable job of eating the dead. They clear out the remains of those no longer living, thereby making room for the new to be born.

On a Cusp

It feels like the world as we know it is approaching a cusp, a choice point between what’s gone before and what may or may not be our future. I know with absolute assurance that I’m not the only one feeling the weighty nature of this point in time.

I happen to love vultures and was even taught many years ago by a Metis teacher of ours to call them Peace Eagles instead of vultures. We raised our boys to call vultures Peace Eagles. And yet it wasn’t until this very moment as I sit here writing this post that I’m fully comprehending the message of PEACE I received this morning.

Cleanse and Imagine

I’ll gratefully accept that message. But if I’m honest with myself, deep down in my heart I know there will be treachery and brutality in the near term before any such peace comes to pass.

Ah, but there’s also a reason why the feathers of vulture – and its big brother, Condor – are often used to cleanse the energy fields of people and places, especially before ceremony. Those feathers scoop out and sweep away heavy energies that no longer (or never) served the highest good. They also are said to aid in the release of the souls of the dead and disconnect us from attachments to malignant energies.

Perhaps when we think about Ukraine we can imagine a massive Peace Eagle soaring high above the insanity and cruelty, flapping its powerful wings to disperse the toxicity being inflicted upon it into the ethers.

It’s a thought. It’s a strategy to distract our imaginations away from the horrors of war toward creatively envisioning a future of peace, calm, and freedom instead.

Sacred Tool: Feather of a Peace Eagle – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+94)

Flamingo Medicine – Day 624

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: L.Weikel

Flamingo Medicine

It’s funny how things play out in our lives. It’s also fascinating to see how Spirit will sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to get our attention. In the span of just a few days recently, Flamingo ‘medicine’ has appeared in our lives as a clear and obvious messenger of some sort or another.

To be honest, at first I was simply taken with the ‘kitschy’ aspect of the plastic hangovers from the fifties and sixties when we first spotted them lurking in the garden of our next-door neighbor about a week ago. Karl saw them and started salivating with envy and a scootch of “I told you so.”

OK, I’ll admit it. As soon as I saw them and realized someone else had actually taken the plunge, I regretted having scoffed at Karl’s desire a couple years ago to get a pair of our own. I’ll give him credit (now) – he was ahead of the curve, even if that curve arced backward. (There will be a price to pay. I’ll write about that another day.)

Within Days

Odder still was when, just a few days later, we found ourselves practically shielding our eyes from the neon brilliance of yet another pair of flamingos. We discovered these saucy birds perched on the elevated sand mound of yet a different neighbor at least half a mile away from the first.

I have to admit these two were remarkably photogenic, strategically situated such that their gaze naturally falls upon a pond filled with peepers and frogs at the edge of a stand of woods.

While I cannot say I’ve seen a third set of flamingos (which would ‘seal the deal’ that they are appearing as messengers to us), I must admit to being captivated by the second set. Not only do they grab our attention every time we walk past them, but they’ve also managed to yank us out of a couple of rather cranky moods we found ourselves in recently.

Flamingo’s Message

Of course, I took their photo the first time I laid eyes on them. My initial purpose in doing so was, of course, to share them with you. I had the idea in my head that they might serve as fodder for some evening’s silly or whimsical post.

I’m so glad I did take their photo, because otherwise I might not have realized that they were bringing all of us a message that just might serve us in good stead.

Checking my trusty reference book, Animal-Wise* by Ted Andrews, here is something I thought we all might ponder as we enter this final week of July, in this Coronavirus Pandemic year of 2020:

“(…) When the flamingo appears as a messenger or as a totem, we are entering a time of cleansing and filtering to find that which nourishes and heals the heart. It is a time to follow the heart in all endeavors, in spite of the environment we find ourselves in. (…)

We should also ask ourselves some important questions. Are we discerning about that which is most beneficial to us or are we just accepting whatever comes our way? Are we ignoring the things we love to do? Do we need to pursue what is in our heart? Are we ignoring what we are feeling? Do we need to explore our own healing gifts and abilities? Do we need to let others know how we feel?

Now is the time for healing the heart. Follow your own heart in all your endeavors and seek out only that which will heal and nourish what is dearest to you and your own heart.”

When I got the nudge to explore the meaning of Flamingo medicine this evening and share it here, I never guessed the message would feel so perfect, or the questions so provocative.

Flamingo Sky? – Photo: L. Weikel

*affiliate link

(T-487)

Final Full Moon of the Decade – Day 395

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Rising Full Moon (peaked 12:12 a.m., 12/12/2019) – Photo: L. Weikel

Final Full Moon of the Decade

Surely you know me well enough now to figure there’d be no way I could let this full moon take place this evening, reaching its apex just past midnight (Eastern Standard Time), without mentioning it.

I’m fairly dedicated to keeping track of the moon’s phases. I’ve found that the satellite that causes our tides and, in fact, holds a great deal of sway over all the liquids on our planet (from the seas to our own blood, to even the fluidity of our emotions) has a much bigger impact on our day to day lives than most care to admit.

Many people don’t even realize the moon’s influence on our lives. They literally could not tell you where it rises or where it sets; what phase it is in on any given day; and rare is the person who could offer the astrological sign it is in (especially since it moves through a sign every 2.5 days).

Frozen full moon – stars and frozen drops of snow on branches; Photo: L. Weikel

But the sense that this full moon is particularly momentous is probably lingering in the back of the minds of many – even those who would not ordinarily pay attention to that massive orb in the night sky. That’s because the moon will reach her fullest at 12:12 a.m. EST on the 12thday of the 12thmonth of 2019 (which, if you fancy your numerology, which you know I do) adds up to 12 (2+0+1+9)*. And on some level, just as people always seem to get a little, shall we say wackier? intense? during a full moon regardless of whether they know it is a full moon, I suspect almost everyone is feeling a tickle around their edges tonight.

Personally Speaking

For myself, though, I have to say all these 12s remind me of all the 11s I was so keenly aware of on 11/11/11. I recall sitting within my mesa at 11:11 a.m. (EST), holding space and clearing my mind, not having the slightest clue that my life would change cataclysmically at 11:11 p.m. (PST) that evening.

So, while I tend to be a ‘glass half full’ kinda girl, I’d be less than completely honest if I denied feeling the tiniest bit of trepidation at this grand parade of numbers.

The truth is, it feels momentous. The truth is, even though you can argue that the 12:12 timing, at least, is less than momentous given that it is only one time zone out of 24, especially when you’re living in that time zone – it feels significant.

And there are, of course, a plethora of ‘takes’ on what this full moon portends. There is Hare in the Moon, Chani Nicholas, and my favorite guy who makes me laugh while listening to his insight, Kaypacha. But they all pretty much agree that this full moon, in conjunction with all the other intense astrological aspects the planets are making to each other, portends great change.

Full moon far afield – Photo: L. Weikel

 

Cleansing and Releasing

For my part, I’ve opened Sacred Space and am allowing my mesa to bask in the intensity of Mama Killa’s light. Using my mesa and the khuyas (sacred stones) that are contained within it as proxies for me and various aspects of myself and my life, I am surrendering to the power and wisdom of letting go of what no longer serves me. I’m asking Her to burn off the dross.

This is also the final full moon of a decade that, from my perspective, has been filled with blindsides. I wish to shake off the detritus of this decade in order to enter the 20s with renewed hope, refreshed vision, and an abundance of joyful energy.

Ah yes…

It is now 12:21. My time outside was magical. If you didn’t get a chance to go outside tonight, I hope you will give yourself that gift tomorrow night. Even if only for five minutes, go outside. Look up. Be still. Give thanks.

I’m ready to complete this post and hit ‘publish.’ For whatever reason, as I stood outside in the stark brilliance of the FULL moon minutes ago, I felt compelled to wish peace to all Beings who are suffering in any way. May we all let go of the burdens we’ve accumulated this decade, especially those that weigh heavy on our hearts.

*And yes, of course, this means that we are being inundated with 3s, since 12 reduces to a 3. But I don’t want to go down that road at the moment.

(T-716)