Faith Parent Hendrickson

Return from Mt. Shasta ~ Someone asked me, "How do you keep the feeling of a vacation or holiday when you return?

I returned from Mt. Shasta, California,  two weeks ago today, and I'm still enjoying the energies and beauty of this amazing experience; Mt. Shasta is about a 4 1/2-hour drive northeast of San Francisco near the Oregon border.  I have been contemplating how and what to write about regarding the five-day experience as there is so much to say and so little space, and then, someone asked me this great question.  So...first let me explain that this was a return trip to Mt. Shasta for me (I was there in June/July 2009), and each of my two experiences were life-changing and yet completely different.  The one thing both trips have in common is the serenity and freedom I feel from each journey and mostly the amount of love and connection to Spirit, which continues to grow and deepen on many levels.  The best "medicine" is being connected to nature, such as a vacation to a lake, beach, mountain area or even in your own backyard, if you are so blessed to have this sort of retreat!  Or perhaps you experience this in your own meditations.  As I returned from this most recent trip, my neighbor asked me, "How do you keep that feeling and not lose it?"  That's a great question, isn't it?  It's actually more simple than you think!  It's as simple as choosing to do so by placing your intentions to recall it and then take actions that help you do it.  It's making the decision to make it a priority.

I also want to mention that as we each go about the busy-ness and the business of living our daily lives, I often hear how tired and depleted people are, and as we head into the holidays, tools and techniques to replenish our ourselves are extremely important.  Otherwise, we'll get nudged to take time out by getting sick or some other prompting until we do so; our soul wants us to pay attention to something trying to be communicated to us.  Tapping into a quiet, loving, nurturing energy on a daily basis first thing every morning has been the key to my success in chipping away at the chaos in my external and personal world, as well as my understanding of what MY beliefs are vs. someone else's beliefs and illusions. 

Do not under estimate the power of this routine and especially the power of love applied to self!  Self-love and taking the time to get to know your true authentic self outside of how others view you is the most empowering and freeing space to hold.  Most of us put our energy into others and their needs, neglecting ourselves and certainly neglecting our inner child. This space of love is really where  we originated from before we came into this physical form; we are much more than what you see standing before you in the mirror.  We have forgotten this, and it's time to remember if we want to replace our chaotic world with the equal but opposite experience: peace and freedom.

The energy of Love is the highest vibration of energy, which makes it THE space for your prayers, setting your intentions, creatively solving problems, tapping into the "real you," and receiving guidance. I also use this time to review any situation that is bothering me or if I feel blocked in some way.  Sometimes I need to stop and ask myself: am I reacting (old habits and from a place of fear) or am I choosing to respond from a place of love and cooperation within myself?  We are our own biggest critics in how we see ourselves or how we view our bodies; there is an epidemic of lack of self-love and self-worth around the world.  What we do/act/say is a reflection of what's going on inside of ourselves.   

By making and taking the time for my daily spiritual practice each morning, that this be the "space" from which I operate, I am able to bring this higher perspective and energy to my outer world; this daily routine has helped me stay centered if people around me are having a stressful time.  You can find a higher, creative solution to any problem when you're in this higher space; it can't be accessed when you're "down."  Because you've practiced receiving guidance when you're in your safe quiet space (when the seas are calm, so to speak), it's much easier to recognize this higher guidance which should be followed when there are challenging situations (when the seas are rough!).  If you've noticed you're "out of alignment," then the fact that you noticed this is the key!  Just acknowledge the situation and the experience, and move through it the best that you can. These recent and continuing energies are going to cause us to release each layer of a challenge we're exposed to because each level of understanding is another level towards mastering the material world instead of it mastering us.  This is ascension. 

Although I've had a daily spiritual practice since 2005, at the end of March 2010, I decided to "up the ante":  I decided I would make a conscious effort to choose to respond from a place of love and cooperation (for myself AND towards others), regardless of the other person's reaction or place they were experiencing.  It is with great pleasure to say that this conscious choice has proven amazingly positive results for me in all areas of my life.   I'm thrilled to report that within seven months, my experiences have resulted in wonderful blessings and unexpected miracles.  I've added to my daily spiritual practice the certain elements that were special to me from my trips to Mt. Shasta, feeling that wonderful connection as if I were still there. It can include items I drew/journaled, a certain candle scent I took with me to burn while I'm there, trinkets I picked up from nature ("medicine", to the Native Americans) or even music.

I'll use music for an example:  before I left on my trip, I was attracted to some music and decided to download it.  I was thinking about buying it all year, but up until it was time for me  to leave for the trip, it just never felt like it was the right time; well, THIS was the time to get it.  I seemed it would be the "sound track" for me on this trip for some reason, and I  was right.  As part of my daily spiritual practice, I play this music and surround myself with beautiful reminders I brought back from Mt. Shasta.  Which brings up something else we shouldn't underestimate and that is the power of sound!  Music and tones are extremely healing and can shift one's emotional state very easily. When we shift our feelings/emotional state, this shifts our thinking/thoughts; when we shift our thinking/thoughts, we shift our feelings/emotional state.  So perhaps music is something you'd like to include in your daily practice.

This is how I maintain that wonderful renewed feeling each day that a holiday or vacation bring. It doesn't ever leave you, really.  It's right there inside of you.  It's an illusion that it left you. You can retrieve it right now!  Let's face it:  You know you have the ability to push yourself to "do the things you have to do," so now it's time to make yourself make YOU the priority. Especially with the energies of Venus and Jupiter still being retrograde until November 18th (see my last month's newsletter) and also adding the holidays approaching.

When we put our spiritual work first, the rest falls into place.

The outer/material world distracts us from the very important spiritual world, which  

it is the spiritual world where true creativity resides. 

This is the true investment we're being asked to make.  It's a soul investment.

Choose to leave the inner/outer chaos. After all, don't we all want to live a life free to love, free to live, free to create, free to just be...which brings me to the one song that was "given to me" as our group was saying good bye to one another.  It's a song of the collection I downloaded from the husband-wife team known as 2002, A Word In the Wind, "Free to Fly."  It's posted on 2002's web site, and you'll see it on the right if you scroll down just a bit.  To listen, click: "Free to Fly" to link you to their page.  Enjoy!

 Mt. Shasta's First Snowfall Backdrop for your prayers you sent me!

It is said that four different Native American tribes regard the spirit of this mountain as very sacred, and it is also known to be the place of the enlightened ones and a mystery school of wisdom.  These are a few of the pictures I took on the weekend of the shamanic journey I recently attended.

For those of you who sent your prayers to me to be included in the ceremony on the mountain on the Full Moon, please know that your prayers were included and burned for you in a beautiful ceremony in Mt. Shasta.  We were an intimate group of 13 people from all around the country, and I am extremely blessed for having the opportunity to experience learning about "Native American ways" and the path of a Shaman.  We experienced the first 2010-11 season snowfall on the mountain, adding a most magickal element to an already Divinely magickal event!  It was my honor and privilege to assist in your prayers/intentions/affirmations in this manner on your behalf.  Thank you.

Stewart Mineral Springs

This weekend experience was designed to  submerge us in the wonder of nature. We explored the realm of fairy in mystical places and to heal ourselves in the sacred waters of Stewart Mineral Springs in a ritual bathing experience.  It was explained to us that water holds the intelligence and memory of balance and purity and can assist in restoring health and well being.

If you can see this picture's details, it shows that the creek's water temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit/4 degrees Celsius.  The outdoor temperature was probably about the same. This bathing experience begins indoors.  There are three "stations," which you go through, and you do these stations three times: Once each for the mind, then the body, and then the spirit. 

First, you go into your private bathtub and soak in the hot mineral springs water. Surprising to note that instead of a scratchy feel, it's actually very slick and oily feeling.  Next, you go into the sauna, building up as much inner heat as possible, which the fire is also the masculine energy.  Last, is the walk from the nice hot sauna to the outdoor deck--brrr. You walk down a very cold and wet wooden stair case to a freezing cold pathway.  This leads you to a small rocky step-like entrance into the fast-moving creek.  As you climb down the slippery rocks into the water, you're reminded to be careful and  purposeful with each step; you have no choice but to take your time.  THAT is not easy to do.  Quite frankly, it's something I'd like to rush through and simply just get over with.  Those of you reading this who know me:  I do NOT like to be cold--EVER--and it seems like I'm always so cold!

So, I'm slowly and painfully maneuvering through these ice-cold rocks to step into the creek...then, my feet hit the water.  This had to be one of the most fearful moments of my life.  "Face your fear and do it anyway," I heard my inner voice say. I wasn't afraid of the fast-moving water from the recent rains--we had to sign a "risk waiver"--it was the temperature!  I walked into the creek and sat down in the water up to my chin and couldn't climb out of there fast enough.  As I came completely out of the water and started the walk back to the building thinking, "Oh no, I have to do this again...two more times!" I realized something. As soon as I finished that thought of dread and fear, the strangest thing happened...I realized I wasn't numb...I wasn't numb at all AND I wasn't feeling the stress of doing it again. I was playing an old tape in my head EXPECTING I would be numb, but I wasn't numb!  How could that be?  

I felt a most calm, peaceful feeling that felt incredibly empowered and happy with no thoughts/worries of any kind. It was like nothing "negative" could even exist in this "space" I was in.  It was the most powerful feeling of Love and Being in the "Now" I had ever experienced in my entire life. I felt completely free, powerful, full of love and that all things were possible.  Then I heard my inner voice say, "What would I like to create?" Then I thought, "This must be what it feels like to die," when someone finally lets go and stops resisting whatever it is they are resisting.  I was just as amazed at how much we "carry" as baggage that we're unaware of because I never was aware of these fearful feelings at all during this whole process of getting into the water. Yes, I knew I was almost in a panic about getting into the water, but I had the most amazing awareness that other fears "left" me as well.  Then I remembered that many years ago I learned that FEAR is an acronym for False Expectations Appearing Real.  Sometimes the word, Expectations, is replaced with the word Evidence: False Evidence Appearing Real. Clearly, I felt another level of understanding that our past does not have to be our future.

I returned to the building to repeat this three-station process; I was able to go back into the water up to my chin for the second time, but for the third time (for spirit), I planned to completely submerge myself, and I did it!  (The Native Americans believe that by submerging your body and head in the creek, all of your stress is washed downstream.) Because the waters were moving so fast, I had to swim a few strokes back to the rocky staircase.  Each time of these three times I would ask to release anything holding me back in my life, including fears and any self-sabotaging patterns of behavior, judgment, etc. and I'd enter the water ready for this nurturing feminine energy of the springs to cleanse me of any and all burdens. I had no idea that facing the fear of getting into this extremely cold water would be something I'd bring back with me in my life that shows me perseverance in a new "light."  Needless to say, this bathing experience would be one of the most significant events of my life. We don't need to go to this extreme to have the same result, however. This is also "stuff" we can reflect on during our daily spiritual practice.  These are the types of "ah ha" moments that shift you and remain with you forever, empowering you to make different choices and to create the life you desire.

Grandmother Tree ~ A Mystical Lake ~ Bridge to a Fairy Kingdom