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  #1  
Old 10-09-2010, 09:40 PM
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Sempu Sempu is offline
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Mika, you are a flower child

Can you take another picture with something on the labyrinth for scale, or tell us how big it is?

I will give the sacred tree meditation a go. It sounds moving.
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  #2  
Old 10-10-2010, 10:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sempu View Post
Mika, you are a flower child
Sempu, thank you! Right now I so greatly appreciate the compliment and sentiment!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sempu View Post
Can you take another picture with something on the labyrinth for scale, or tell us how big it is?
Its nine feet by nine feet, but I will try to take another photo for perspective, but right now I just started a new one, so have to wait until its finished before I can do so!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sempu View Post
I will give the sacred tree meditation a go. It sounds moving.
It is and please let us know your experience when you do!
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"
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  #3  
Old 10-10-2010, 10:46 PM
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Mika Mika is offline
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Default Revitalizing a Traditional Worldview

Teachings of Medicine Wheel and Four Directions from "Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness" by Fyre Jean Graveline - Metis feminist, anti-racist activist and scholar.

Revitalizing a Traditional Worldview

We as humans
Require plants and animals to Survive
They do Not require us.
We are dependent on Them
Yet we use them recklessly.
Mother Earth is raped of resources
Forest clear cut .. Fish and fowl mercury poisoned
Animals slaughtered .. people starve to death
All to sustain material wealth.
Aboriginal people Traditionally have responsibility as Keepers of the EArth.
Respect for all life must be taught to All people
Survival of Earth Mother depends on it.

Elders Teach:
Immanence .. Respect for all life forms.
Balance .. Our Traditional 'scientific' truth.
Interconnectedness .. our spiritual truth.
Self-In-Relation .. Our identity statement.
We learn by Doing .. Ceremony .. Stories of our Ancestors.

Elders say we Know, that is, we learn
Through direct experience ... Observation
Face-to-face with the event .. person .. life force
We experience its Essence.
We learn what we Need to Know.
What we Each need to know.
What we are Open to .. depending on Our life path.

Culture is our Collective Consciousness.
Embedded in the everyday lived experiences of a people.
How we challenge .. Change .. Survive in particular circumstances.
Culture is a tool of resistance and resiliency.




The Traditional Worldview:
The philosophical foundations underlying Aboriginal Ancestral cultural practices were the 'common sense' of their Traditional societies, perceived as inseparable from the 'ordinary' daily live lived experiences. Patterned into their unconscious through stories, rituals and humour and enacted in everyday experiences.

Immanence - Respect for All Life Forms: A shared belief in knowledge of and respect for unseen powers. These mysterious 'powers' or 'spirit' or 'energy' are found in all Earth's creatures: rocks and crystals, birds and feathers, trees and wood, plants, animals and humans, and are visible especially in dreams and visions and through ceremony. In the Aboriginal World View all things have inherent value, because all things are beings.

These mysterious powers are manifested and observable in the way the seasons change, the way the day follows night, the way the sun moves across the sky. All the physical changes throughout the day - from the colors and sounds of dawn through the afternoon to the stillness of nighttime - all these changes have personalities, are forms of energy shape-shifting. Ongoing cyclical changes affect every one, and one learns to read the signs they show, to learn from Mother Earth herself how to change and adapt to ongoing demands. Growth itself, the germination of seeds and the stages of the life-cycle are all apart of the great mystery of life.

"the awareness of the meaning of life comes from observing how the various living things appear to mesh to provide a whole tapestry." (Deloria)

Sacred oral Traditions deal with all these aspects of life and power and teaches one how to find their place withing the world around them. The universe is bases on an understanding of 'dynamic self-esteem', the 'ability of all creatures to share in the process of ongoing creation makes all things sacred'. 'Unity is the great spiritual law .. the law of nature .. Everything had its place, and everything works in unison.'


Interconnectedness - Our Spiritual Truth:
That all things are dependent on each other. All things and all people, though we have our own individual gifts, are dependent on and share in the growth and work of everything and everyone else. The belief that beings thrive when there is a 'web' of interconnectedness between the individual and the community and between the community and nature. Community prospers when the work that each member performs is in alignment with the Earth and is a direct and sacred expression of Spirit. Traditional Aboriginal World View believes that a healthy and prosperous culture is one that lives within the fundamental laws of reciprocity, where no more is taken than will be returned. To recognize interconnectedness is to know oneself as part of a vast cirlce in which all expressions of life - the birds, the animals, trees, insects, rocks are our brothers and sisters - 'all creatures as relatives.' "Kinship" is based upon the concrete observation that each of us is totally dependent upon the same things. All of nature is in us, all of us is in nature! Elders teach 'to be without relations is to be really poor'.
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"

Last edited by Mika; 10-12-2010 at 11:27 AM. Reason: to add reference material.
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  #4  
Old 10-12-2010, 11:35 PM
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Mika Mika is offline
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Default The Model In Use

Teachings of Medicine Wheel and Four Directions from "Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness" by Fyre Jean Graveline - Metis feminist, anti-racist activist and scholar.

The Eastern Door

Dawn ... streaming yellow light
Clarity ... an awakening
Beginning a new day .. a new start on life


Call the creatures of the Air
Fly with the Eagle .. wings spread high in the sky
Closest to the Creator
Respect and honor the high flying ones
They bring us Illumination .. Vision .. Clear sight
An "eye opener".

Reach for the power to Know
How do we know?
How do we learn?
Seek the power of the East to face the Dawn
Cut through Untruth ... Illusion
Eurocentrism presented as objective knowledge
Recognize the power of your Mind
The influence of your thoughts .. Others thoughts
On your own Actions .. for and with others.
The power of your Mind to take in
or reject information/ideas.

Versions of 'Reality' as they are made Visible to you.
How do we learn to See
To shift our Historical ... Socially constructed
Culturally-located Consciousness?

If we can be Acculturated to hold dominate views
Then we can also be Unacculturated.
Awareness is the beginning.
Will to Resist ... to Challenge ... Change
Structures that Confine us.

Consciousness is noticeable when it shifts
"Seeing the world" through "different lenses."
Experience an "eye-opener" ... "a light came on"
What triggers these shifts for you?
What words describe the process?

Let us Conscientiously Question Our Consciousness
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"

Last edited by Mika; 10-13-2010 at 11:21 PM.
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  #5  
Old 10-13-2010, 11:00 PM
Mika's Avatar
Mika Mika is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 726
Default The Model In Use

Teachings of Medicine Wheel and Four Directions from "Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness" by Fyre Jean Graveline - Metis feminist, anti-racist activist and scholar.

The Southern Door

The South corresponds to the Element Fire
The flames of Resistance and Renewal
Burn ... Burn Behind my eyelids
I muse in the Fire ...
The Smoke Swirls Up High in the Sky
Sparks fly ... Flames leap
Intense heat ... heat that Heals
Fire that burns up the past
Picture Summertime
Trees in full leaf ... bright blud Sky ... mouthfuls of ripe berries
Long sandy beaches ... Aqua marine Waters ... Warm to swim
Hot ... Hot Sun beating down
The Noonday Sun
Bright ... baking Earth Mother and all her Creatures
Bringing Light ... Life to all.

Call on the powers of the Crawling Ones
The Spider, the Snake
Learn to shed your skin like the Snake
Layer after layer
Baring ... Shedding ... Releasing
Transform your Self with ease.
Be open to change ... within and without
A change of Heart ... A change of Form
Reach for your connection to Spirit ... to Will
To your own Determination
Recognize your Gift to change Spirit into matter
Transform through the Direction of Will

Acknowledge the quality of Will
Energy as it leaps through your body from synapse to synapse
The Spark ... Energy sparking ... Firing within you
You self as a channel of Energy
A link from the Ancestors to the Unborn
Living in connection with other Energy forms on Mother Earth.

Be Aware
What fuels your fire? Keeps you strong?
Whose will guides your life? Guides your work?
Which Culture Dominates your thinking? your view of history?
Culture can spark or dampen our Will.
Fuel or smother the Fires ... our Desires for Change.
Whose Will Guides this work?
Does the Spirit of this form
Inspire you to Will for Change?
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"

Last edited by Mika; 10-13-2010 at 11:22 PM.
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  #6  
Old 10-13-2010, 11:20 PM
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Mika Mika is offline
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Posts: 726
Default The Model in Use

Teachings of Medicine Wheel and Four Directions from "Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness" by Fyre Jean Graveline - Metis feminist, anti-racist activist and scholar.

In Ancestral times, the Sacred Circle was central to the teachings of the Elders. The Circle is a form that arises in nature and is imprinted upon the culture as well as the individual. Part of the energy of the Circle has to do with the physical structure: A Circle has no head and not tail, no beginning and no end. Everyone is equal in a Circle, the point of reference is the middle, which is both empty and full of everything. Everyone is equal distant from the middle so there is no sense of hierarchy.

Traditional forms of dance, done in a Circle, physically teaches embodied interconnectedness within the greater Circle: "if someone slows down, if someone fall, or gets out of place, it throws the whole circle off". Elders teach that we need to experience that lesson in our lives: "If we knock someone out of the circle they fall, then the whole circle is affected."

Aboriginal Tradition teaches that successful teaching and healing depends upon clear intention, but such intention is directly connected to honoring the immanent value of each member. It is taught that it is important to honor all in the Circle and all of life as part of the Circle. If we are clear about the teachings, we will not be cut off from the real purpose of Circle work, which is to reaffirm our interconnectedness.

Circle
A physical reality ... a metaphysical experience
Produces Healing ... appropriate message
For the Time, Place and Members.
Embraced by many ... brings closeness
Allows many different opinions to be voiced
A time to build up confidence of Voice ... without Interruption
Very easy to express your Feelings and learn from others.

In Talking Circle ... in "circle time"
We open our Hearts
Speak what we know to be True
Share what we Care deeply about
As Honestly as we can ... as Respectfully as we are able.
We are able to enter into another's experience through their Words.
A door way to self-examination .. a social context for
a "personal" experience.

We Remember a Heart-felt Speak-Out in Circle.
In rings in our Ears.
Pierces our Hearts like an arrow.
The power of Words ... Magnified ... Amplified.
Gain energy with repetition ... Echo ... Echo ... to create familiarity.


Learn to speak your own Truth.
Words shoot like flames out of your mouth
Burning your lips like Fire.
A flush covers your body ... Heat rises up ... reddens your cheeks.
Your Heart beats fast as the words jump
As if from their own Will ... out into the Circle.
To amplify ... Echo ... Echo ... in your heart ... in our ears.
Learn to Listen Respectfully
Know what is Not said
Is as important as what is said.
What do you know about the power of Silence?
See it as a skill ... and act of relationship
a form of ... action.
Through Circle we interpret our Selves
Clarify our Will towards others ... for ourselves and others
We can each have our own Voice ... Speak our own Truth.
Speak to me .. Share from your Heart in Circle.

The basic rules of Talking Circle are: one speaker at a time, the person holding the special object is the speaker and all others are to listen respectfully to that person. In Talking Circle you speak your own voice, describe what your own experience has been. You have the opportunity to express what you feel is on your heart to say. The point is to speak "from your heart", of what moves you, of what spirit moves through you. To choose words with care and thoughtfulness is to speak in a sacred manner. This usually takes time and experience; explicit modeling, direction and patience are required.

We must each learn to pay each other full attention and to take responsibility for maintaining focus on what each speaker is sharing. This assists people in learning not to project their experience and feelings onto others. The only way to really 'know' to really 'see' and 'hear' someone else, is to fully experience and own our emotions and thoughts. Through respectful listening we are better able to enter into another's experience through their words.

Talking Circle reminds us that to speak is a privilege, that spoken thoughts, words, are sacred. In Aboriginal Tradition, words are carefully chosen and carefully listened to so that the power of the words and the images behind them "travel between the speaker and the other individuals to become One Thought". This kind of group consciousness "collective mindfulness" exists when each individual's thoughts are directed to a collective thought and collective objectives. "Mind-ful-ness" orchestrates the power of thought, helping to actualize "the ability to create, transform, and vitalize". Speaking and listening respectfully in Circle creates an atmosphere of compassion, the building block of community. This state of conscious awareness contained within a Circle of interconnectedness can generate openness that is rare in Western society today.

Silence: Respectfully Listening

Using the Aboriginal Talking Circle reminds us of the relationship between who speaks and who listens. We are taught that we require require silence "respectfully listening" to accompany voice "heartfully speaking". When we see silence only as produced through an exercise in domination, we are missing the significance of silence to voice. Aboriginal people are taught to respect silence as a tool. In Circle, we listen "as witness, " respectfully, to the experience of others. Through having to respectfully listen to each speaker, participants gain an empathic appreciation for points of view other than their own.

It is a large shift of consciousness to move from pity and guilt to embracing the "pride and richness" of others. Listening to others in Circle does provide an opportunity for self-examination. It can help provide the social context for an experience or viewpoint previously understood as 'personal.'

When members are able to speak from their hearts, this enables them to be more in touch with feelings, their own and others. Circle Talk helps to gain a sense of trust in their fellow peers and helps to equalize power .. as we all sit in the Circle together. Individuals can come to believe that what they say will be listened to and accepted without criticism.
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"

Last edited by Mika; 10-14-2010 at 12:31 AM.
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  #7  
Old 10-16-2010, 04:59 AM
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Mika Mika is offline
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Posts: 726
Default The Model in Use

Teachings of Medicine Wheel and Four Directions from "Circle Works: Transforming Eurocentric Consciousness" by Fyre Jean Graveline - Metis feminist, anti-racist activist and scholar.

The Western Door

The West corresponds to the element Water
Feel the great waters of Earth Mother
Oceans ... Lakes ... Falls ... Rivers
Streams ... Brooks ... Ponds
The Rains .. Snows.
Recoginize the Waters of your body ... Blood ... Tears
Our physical need for Water ... each and every day.
Water to drink ... Water to wash.

Picture Fall ...
Brightly colored Yellows .. Oranges ... Reds
Falling leaves ... Crisp breeze
Fresh vegetables ... Roots ... Apples ... Pumkins
Bountiful harvest ... preparation time.
Dusk ... Light dimming
Red and Purple Sunset on the horizon
Silver and Gold shimmers on the Waters.

Call the creatures of the Waters.
Swim with the Turtle ... Whale .. Fish .. other Sea Creatures
Feel the ease ... Fluidity
By which their bodies move through the Water.
Dive deep and accept the Gift of the West
The Power to Feel
The Courage to face our deepest Feelings.
Be in touch with the Flow of your own Emotions:
Love ... Anger ... Sorrow ... Joy ... Ecstasy.
We cannot Feel any of them to thier full intensity
unless we are willing to face them All.
Let the strength of your Emotions Flood you.

Deep Feelings need to be exposed
Aired to achieve balance.
How do you Express ... Repress .. your Feelings?
Do Tears run down your face?
Tears our link to the great Ocean Waters of our Earth Mother.
Does laughter bubble from your lips?
Does your heart beat with pain .. yours or another's?
What feelings do you Have ... Share ... Voice?
The power to Feel is a Gift.
We need to Feel in-Relation to others
To our Kin .. our Relations as we know them to be.
Partners .. Children ... Friends ... Community(s)
All of Creation

Be Aware
How are you Nurtured?
How do you Nurture others?
Learn to understand
The depth of Self-In-Relation
What is the nature of relationships?
The composition of the Family?
Who defines the quality quantity of Relations?
Boundaries of the Family Network?
Extension of Kinship thorugh Relational ties
Our Elders teach We are All-In-Relation ... All of creation
We believe beings thrive
When there is a web of interrelatedness
Between Individual ... Community ... Mother Earth.
__________________
It was impossible not to have, It's impossible not to be, It's impossible not to still ...!



What this world really needs is more artists and environmentalists!



"Its only 'here' that we lose perspective, out at the Cosmic Consciousness Level things get a lot clearer. For example, there is an actual star pattern that is traced in the shape of a Willow Tree, across the breadth of the Milky Way! And no wonder Indigenous peoples refer to the 'here after' as the Happy Hunting Grounds! Has it ever occured to anyone why the bioluminescence dots, on the Na'vi!"
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