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SPIRIT
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Guides
& Spirit Helpers
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The 29 pages in this Guides & Spirit Helpers section are
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Trusting Guidance
By CinnamonMoon
I thought I'd write about what it's
like learning to trust guidance. There are so many ways it manifests
and learning to even accept that's what it is can be challenging.
We might Dream things and at some point situations come to pass
that relate closely to the in-sights we were given…in-sights.
When I write the word in-sight this way it's pertaining to the
inner sight we hold…through our senses and Dreaming is
one visual form of using our eyes. We do have three eyes, the
two we know physically and the Mind's Eye, or Third Eye centered
in our forehead. Opening that eye we See things…visually
journey, enter into meditative states, perceive energies, the
spiritual side of us Sees through that eye.
We can catch scents in the air around
us, feel, hear or touch things that aren't quite there and we
know something's going on around us…something intangible
but it's certainly there. We may know no more than that and
we may know a whole lot more than that, but the point is we
"Know".
These and other experiences like
them are brought about by our internal radar…our sensory
perceptions. We can trust that some depending on how active
we are in working with that, on the validations we've had over
the years that what we "Knew" was right came to pass.
That's what I wanted to talk about here but even our senses
are going to be active with other forms of guidance so I wanted
to raise that issue first.
Next I'd like to talk about the mind,
what a culprit that is! The mind wants to take control when
we start coming into unknown arenas. Those curious questions
formed and unformed and those answers you seek elude you to
some extent at first. How can you trust until you Know, right?
And what is guidance anyway? What are the forms that it takes?
Well we have many Spirit Helpers
that are Guides and Teachers waiting to assist us in our growth
and development along spiritual lines. We have Guides or Helpers
in each of the elements, our Totem Animals, our Power Animals,
dimensional Guides, Guardian Spirits, we have ancestral spirits
that watch over us and guide us along too. There are many and
they are discussed in various articles throughout our libraries.
What I want to talk about here is
how we learn to trust in what we're seeing. How do we know it's
not our imagination and all this is just a bunch of malarkey?
That old mind of ours is going to challenge any new explorations
we make along these lines and the only thing it really likes
to accept initially is something it can see for itself according
to its foundational perceptions. In other words, if spirituality
itself is new to you the mind is really going to question exploring
it, and if you are familiar with it each stage of growth will
be questioned. Just ask anyone who has walked a spiritual path
for any length of time and they'll tell you mind control is
not about controlling the minds of others, it's about controlling
our own.
Your mind, as well as your spirit,
are a part of this physical body you inhabit, one comfortable
in the spirit worlds, the other
comfortable in the physical world…and they are like polar
opposites. They go to war inside us at first, the mind not wanting
to yield control and it won't until it is willing. A willing
mind is not an easy thing to accomplish when it wants to shout
"You're an idiot if you believe that!" at you all
day. This means we have to experience enough spiritually for
it to accept those realities and then embrace them. Only then
will it willingly surrender and allow the heart to open to what
the spirit is moving it to do. The mind is the jailer of the
heart in that sense…it is the key you need to open the
heart…you have to see the concepts in action by experience
to do that.
And then there's the Inner Spirit/Self…it's
trapped in the body, limited to free movement when we sleep,
limited by forms of communication able only to do that through
our senses, and trying every which way possible to get our attention…patiently
waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the day we Wake Up. Hence,
the lessons you are first learning deal with the opening of
the mind to new concepts…the lessons learned exploring
the Seven Sacred Directions serve to do just that.
Let me take this further, you can
accept what I'm saying or not, but I have seen many people step
onto their spiritual paths over the years and I know that what
I'm saying is true by experience. If you are questioning the
content of this article then you need those experiences and
you'll find them in the Sacred Directions (See the Medicine
Wheel Library for those topics.). These seven perspectives give
us a 360 degree point of focus and the mind begins to open and
it begins to accept that it's possible to have these experiences
and then it gets curious about them. Bingo, that lock just opened.
Now it's willing to see that the spirit inhabits the body working
with the senses to experience the physical reality through them,
and it is the only way for the spirit to communicate with us.
And what the physical experience teaches the spirit the spirit
uses the senses to teach the body and mind.
They are the duality of our BE-ing
and in union we step into the Oneness…it takes them both
to get there. The body with a mind of its own has to become
aware of the spirit within and that means the mind has to come
to accept it's not the only free agent at play here.
Whoa! The mind has to willingly sit
down and learn to talk with the spirit through that sensory
input and often the mind has no desire to do that. It wants
to retain control and just who said it had to share its space
with some spirit that wants to butt into its neat little world?
And so its plan of action is much like a filibuster, it's always
chattering at us with its own sort of logic…based on the
physical world it knows. Chatter, chatter, chatter, and it will
not shut up no matter how much we think we can tell it to. We
need to learn to meditate…those exercises are important
for this reason, they do train us to train our minds to be still
and listen. *Soft smile*.
Each sense is a tool; a wire in
the cable to communication with our Inner Spirit and our Guides
and that is also the path to communicating with Spirit and actually
having dialogue. Oh yes, we do have conversations galore once
we crack our code of conduct and open the right doors.
We take it for granted that our senses
are physical necessities and perceive with physical or mundane
perceptions until we're introduced to the 'other side' of our
senses and what they can bring to our awareness on those levels.
It's balancing the two forces within us that are at war and
one is masculine (the mind/Air and the physical experience/Fire)
while the other is the feminine nature
(healing nurturance/Water and wisdom given from the heart/Earth).
The spirit triggers sensory in-sight
along spiritual lines. The mind recognizes only the physical
sensations and relationships at first. The body is human with
a mind to operate it and like any lead computer program it wants
to be in charge of how the computer works. It doesn't want to
listen to outside (or internal and external) commands unless
you go through its protocol. "Prove to me you know what
you're asking me to do here. I might consider your request then."
If we're afraid our mouse/mind freezes
and blocks us until we work through those fears. We have to
learn what our fears are to overcome them, and our Guides are
there to help us with that. As we experience our relationships
with them, because they do offer us such valid help, we come
to gradually learn to trust them.
When we enter into spiritual teachings
with focus the Inner Spirit gets very excited and sees a breakthrough
coming. It's been waiting and waiting for this opportunity,
and now it's ready to shout: "Yay! My human is waking up!!!"
We find our sensations become enhanced a bit when we start to
undertake spiritual lessons and open our eyes to them. Once
the eyes are open (Air) the
mind will begin to explore willingly (Fire) then we pass through
an introductory relationship to Self (Water) and become loving
friends (Earth) to walk the path ahead with new in-sights and
back we go to Air.
This cycle I've just presented repeats
to evolve each time we pass through the learning process-a process
of ever-expanding and evolutionary understanding that takes
a year and a day to complete. (As a rule the nature of our growth
is the nature of life, so the seasons cycle with the year and
we do too.)
That leads us into the pattern that
forms in the Seven Sacred Directions and the lessons dispensed
throughout the weeks and months. (The lessons of the weeks and
months and our day to day life are taught with the lessons held
by the Moons…Grandmother Moon is honored in the Medicine
Wheel teachings and the outer ring of stones. Again you can
find articles on these in the Medicine Wheel Library as well
as our own monthly study of them in the Spirituality forum.)
To focus on those lessons we study
the Moons for monthly lessons and that takes us into an understanding
of the Wheel which we learn to use as yet another pattern. We
come to see that the monthly lessons combine with the study
of the Sacred Directions and help to guide us through the experiences
we're having in life and in our spirituality unfolding. These
cyclic patterns unfold to show us the way things work and we
begin to relate to both the physical and spiritual realities,
then to the balance we need to strive for and how to achieve
that. But the mind doesn't want to have that 'program' take
control and so it will challenge each step of the way with 'protocol'
before giving approval. Sheesh, we have to reason with our own
mind? Yep.
We often work better in the DreamLodge
initially because of this, when the body is at rest it does
not challenge the spirit and it is free to wander. Guides will
show themselves to us there eagerly. We need to become aware
of that on a conscious level and accept it before we are able
to successfully participate in the spirit world as it pertains
to the DreamLodge. That achieved, we begin to DreamWalk and
can function there just as we do in the physical sense, our
senses are active there too. Our spiritual Guides and Teachers
will communicate with our Inner Spirit there and we can merge
with that with little difficulty. Once this happens we retain
the knowledge of the work the spirit does there and we can bring
that knowledge and skill back with us consciously. It is our
Medicine. The DreamLodge is just one dimension of spirituality
though and there are endless dimensions to explore…dimensions
our Guides are just waiting and eager to show us.
The mind has to be told to do that,
to believe in what we're experiencing or what we want to experience…at
least enough to let us explore. Our voice is the Commander-In-Chief
of the mind, it will obey us and our Will determines that backed
by our intentions. So we set our will to studies in the DreamLodge
and suddenly a new door of learning opens up to us…and
with that there are tasks the spirit fulfills in its path-it
too is taking a journey and that journey is taking it through
lifetimes like we pass through years of life. The spirit is
eternal and will hold the keys to the past, present and future
for us. Learning to communicate and work with it is challenging
at first but it is usually the first Guide that we become consciously
aware of as it is such a part of us. We learn to 'feel' that
presence.
There are many ways of teaching people
to come to that understanding and each tradition will have its
own matrixes to use, matrixes that are universally based and
vary slightly. Its the universal truths we're after though and
one is that the mind, the spirit, then the eventual union of
the two create a trinity within us.
We have to balance the focus and
see the physical and mundane changes taking place and honor
those too. If we shift our focus too strongly with the spiritual
side then the physical side is at times overlooked. Initially
that can be tempting because our curious mind wants to know
more once it starts exploring. However, stirring that initial
curiosity means we are challenging a mind that is heavily leaning
to only the physical side pf what it's experienced and we're
trying to find out how to balance the two…how to learn
to walk between the worlds and see from both sides of the path
we're walking. Wow, more stuff to learn. I hope you can see
what I'm trying to say here. Understanding and balance are what
allow us to progress through the lessons and it takes both or
we get confused and start feeling quite lost. We grow frustrated,
sometimes to the point where we just have to stop and sit down
and let it sink in or toss our hands in the air and walk away.
We behave vulnerably because we're
not seeing something that will answer those questions - yet
- or because we are holding onto fears before we can let go
and push through them. We're not Awake enough to name those
things…yet. "And the day came when the risk it took
to remain tight inside the bud was more than the risk it took
to blossom."…Anais Nin Are you trying to take the
risk of opening your mind? If so then know it will question
and you will wonder for a time…is this real or is it Memorex?
It's real alright, and there are many wonders to explore, fantastic
experiences to undergo, and worlds upon worlds waiting to open
to you.
Many Spirit Helpers are eagerly
waiting for you to open up and allow them to come forward. And
the Lodge community is here to help you when you find those
times of confusion or want to talk about your experiences as
you assimilate them.
As you come to meet your Guides you'll
find the Sacred Directions will help you open those doors. Initially
you'll probably ask if they are real or figments of your imagination.
Your Inner Spirit will stir, it knows them all very well, and
it will move you to a willing recognition there's more here
than you can quite put your finger on. So, how do you get to
know them and how can you trust them? Time and experience are
the answer; willingness to remain open to explore and find your
validations, and the discipline to study are also required.
No one can do it for you, but they can show you how to do it
yourself.
Remember, time means patience. A
full round of lessons through the Sacred Directions is also
accompanied by a full round of lessons through the cycles of
Grandmother Moon and those two sources of knowledge and in-sight
combine to introduce you to guidance, Self/Inner Spirit, and
so much more. Validation comes as you work into gradual relationships
with your Guides and your Self and you see for yourself that
there is undeniable reality at play here, part of it tangible
in the physical world and part of it intangible in the spirit
world but gosh, they do work together.
So this is what someone means when
they say they entered the Oneness with Spirit…when they
walk between the worlds…when they follow guidance?! Wow!
Am I really doing it too? You bet you are and if you can be
patient with your process unfolding you'll find it's like a
blossom, one petal at a time, one step at a time and when you
follow the pattern of learning you get there in no time at all.
When you arrive at the end of the first cycle of lessons you
will have changed, grown, and be surprised at how you've raised
your conscious awareness. It's just awesome.
I wish you well, many journeys, many
encounters, many outstanding breakthroughs as you come to know
your Guides and learn to trust them. I will say they do not
steer us wrong, nor do they lead us astray, and those of us
who have found ours will tell you that over and over. Learning
to trust in them is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Each one has so much to bring your way to enrich your life.
Each one has a piece of the puzzle you're putting together,
the map you need to follow to get where you're going and when
you gather those pieces and put them together the path becomes
very clear.
The Inner Spirit will being sharing
its mission in this lifetime with you. Added to the path you
see forming you'll start to find the purpose for which you were
born unfolding with it. You'll recall things you knew about
your life as a child and the Veil of Forgetfulness will begin
to part as you step forward.
Spirit's Blessings to those of you
who find the inspiration to step into that aspect of your spirituality,
life is going to be very exciting when you do. I hope my words
encourage some of those who are hesitant to take those first
steps, or those feeling overwhelmed by the amount of material
there is to study. It seems daunting at first, and you can narrow
things down considerably when you pace yourself starting at
the beginning…with the Seven Sacred Directions.
That's where it all begins and the
doors to guidance reside. One Guide will lead to another and
you'll meet several of them when you continue forward in that
manner. I'm pulling for you and so is everyone else here at
the Lodge. We're more than willing to share our experiences
and knowledge with you when you post your questions in the discussion
forums. So take that step, start to come to know your own Guides
and don't be afraid to ask questions. All of us once stood in
your shoes and we know the confusion that brings at first.
Let your Guides show you how wonderful
they are, how dependable they are and where they can take you…and
as you form those relationships you will learn to trust not
only guidance but yourself…your Self. Then you can walk
with conviction in knowing who you really are and where you're
going in life. Bon Voyage!!!
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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