November 2015 Earth Spirit Journal: The Moment to Gain a View

Welcome to Shamanics in Portugal´s Newsletter. Our intention is to remind you our readers, friends and connections we are all part of a much larger, ever evolving community.

We offer here some insights into our views and experiences into the co-creation we are all part of. Recognising each of us is alone responsible for what each of us creates in our life. Only then can the Universe provide its assistance.

October has for many been a period of quite intense shifts, even if on occasion the home port is unclear! What it has done is create space for action to be taken on heading in a direction, though unsure where this may lead. Whilst unsettling, momentum has been created.

Some of the initial changes in the political, ethical and social systems have also started to emerge, and there are still two years to go to the end of the cycle!

The last two months of 2015 will complete this initial period of transition. So it is a moment to give thanks for the challenges we have faced to move us out of our established habits and comfort zones. Only in this way can we prepare to bring balance into our lives, and so our world.

The action we take now will set the tone for 2016 and beyond.

Thought for November

Over the years Abraham-Hicks has been an inspiration and has helped many on their journeys to where they find themselves at this moment. We have and do give great thanks to their various teachings.

Esther Hicks is an inspirational speaker and author who dialogs with a group of spiritual being teachers known as Abraham. She has over the years, with her husband Jerry co-authored eight books.

The Abraham teachings affirm our well-being and help us to recognise the power of joy in achieving all that is desired in life. Their gift to us is a one of teaching each of us how to manifest wonder and abundance into our everyday living.

To quote from Abraham-Hicks:
"See this world as a free world, and see everyone in it as trying through their individual experiences to find their way back to that calling, back to that Source Energy.
And even though there are billions of them going about it in a different way than you would choose, there's no right and wrong way. in other words, bless them all, and get on with the only thing you have any power about, which is opening or closing your vortex to your natural state of well-being, and see everyone in it as trying through their individual experiences to find their way back to that calling, to that Source Energy."

The choice each of us has to make is choosing what is out natural state? For it is our choices which shape and create our world.

It is a moment to consider again the question framed by Socrates: 'Where do I come from? Where am I going?'
One view can be found in the Rigveda, one of the four ancient Hindu sacred texts. Written more than 3,500 years ago by an unknown author, it describes unexpectedly up-to-date information that was as meaningful in ancient India as it is today. It was written long before scientists could have been capable of understanding the following words: 
"There is an endless net of threads throughout the universe, the horizontal threads are in space, the vertical threads are in time. At every crossing of the threads there is an individual, and every individual is a crystal bead. The great light of the Absolute Being illuminates and penetrates every crystal bead, and every crystal bead reflects, not only the light from every other crystal bead in the net, but also every other reflection throughout the entire universe."

Part 2: Focus on Shamanic Drumming

The question is often raised as to why the drum in Shamanic ceremony? In this article Steve provides some answers to the question. Steve's article is also included as a 'spoken word' introduction to the MP3 drumming download soon available from the Shamanics in Portugal shop:

The Voice of the Drum

Historically the Shaman was a man or woman who entered into an altered state of awareness at will in the pursuit of power, for knowledge of gifts of healing for the benefit of his community.

He, I will use he though understand it could be he or she, would often attain the state of trance with the help of power plants or allies. It is said that while in this state of non-ordinary reality his soul leaves his body and journeys up into the realms of Upper World or down into Lower World, to give but two examples. Once there he interacts with his guides and helpers to meet the intended objectives of his journey.

The downside with using the plant allies for extended periods is they can exact a heavy toll on our bodies.
Here at Shamanics in Portugal we are concerned with attaining and maintaining balance and health, mental, physical and spiritual.

Ecstatic states can be reached by many different means, such as prolonged silence, fasting, repetitive movement or sound among them. The experience is as a dream except you are able to control your actions and movements with practice - The Shamanic Journey.

In many different and separate traditions from around the world the drum is used to drive the Shaman on his journey. A regular beat of between 4 to 7 beats per second mimics the frequency of theta brain waves. This frequency is associated with hypnosis and R.E.M sleep.

It is also said that the Shaman´s drum brings healing and peace, it is the universal heartbeat and aligns all beings heart to heart. Sound and frequencies bring balance to our emotional bodies and heal our physical forms.
 
The drum is universally used as a means to take us away from our normal world and move us into the spaces of our being, on a journey where we can seek the depth of healing that we intend to find.

With journeying the Shamanic way there is a pattern of different drumming beats that take you forward on your journey and then a recall beat that is much faster that brings you back again into your physical body. The results can simply be amazing.

The information gathered and the experience had for self and others are a gift to us and the voice of the drum can lead us to those gifts from the depth of our beings, to different realms and dimensions and to the connection to others that we are working for.

Shamanics in Portugal Events

The next Shamanics in Portugal event will be a Fire Ceremony (The Give-Away Ceremony) from 18th to 20th December. Aligning with the solstice, the Fire Ceremony is a ritual handed down and still practiced by many peoples. The format followed at Shamanics in Portugal comes from various traditions.

Each of us will create and bring to the ceremonial fire something which represents what we choose to be no longer bound by, whether from the past or present. Time will be spent creating an object to give to the fire. You may create something unique and beautiful and find it difficult to give it up. This is the work!

Included in the two days of preparation and completion will be the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness - Hoʻo Pono Pono. This corrects, restores and maintains good relationships by addressing the causes and sources of trouble.

The first event of 2016 will be Discovering the Inner Realms…an Introduction to Shamanism from 19th to 21st February. This will introduce you to the shamanic experience of ritual, creating sacred space, journeying, meeting you guides, power animals and much more on our experiential journey together. It will provide you with powerful, effective tools to let you tap into the unseen world for insight and healing which requires no external authority, intermediary, or even beliefs.

There will be a half day Introduction to Shamanic Journeying, on the morning of 17th March followed in the afternoon by the first Vision Quest of 2016 - 17th to 20th March.

The full list of events to September 2016 is available by visiting the link on the website under: Forthcoming Events
http://shamanicsinportugal.com/category/forthcoming-events/