And happy spring or fall wherever you are.  Once again, I apologize for the misprint in this month's newsletter.  The solar wave begins on Saturday, March 20 at sunrise.  If you live in the eastern hemisphere, that wave will be going on into Sunday the 21^st!

 

 

March 20 -June 21

Image 1994 Naisha Ahsian

 

Storm represents all of the elements brought together to create powerful transformation.  In the gift position, this indicates a time with real potential to break through limitations.  On the collective and individual levels, we all have the chance to evolve physically and spiritually.  Storm allows us to move forward in leaps rather than small steps.  It encourages development of psychic abilities.  It gives us the power to receive guidance from other worlds and to take action on that guidance in this one.  Storm will give us the courage to invent a new type of relationship or career.  It will help us all to grow in ways that we cannot imagine.

 

 

Image 1994 Naisha Ahsian

 

This ally demands transformation and change!  In the lesson position, we cannot stay where we are.  We must take chances and leave the past behind.

 

Herderite is an unusual ally.  It indicates that when one of us takes a leap of faith, we all evolve.  Also, when we work together to create new ways of relating to one another, our own individual lives benefit in unexpected ways.  Both meditation and action are emphasized during this time.

 

We may find that if we consciously choose to evolve our lives to integrate our highest ideals, we will feel more peaceful and secure. 

Both gift and lesson cards for this reading are associated with the storm element.  This is a time when dramatic economic or political changes in our society may occur.  Storm energy can also be associated with powerful rainfall or other weather events.  Storm is also related to energy work, UFOs, and ascension energies.  It is important to meditate so that these energies can be grounded and manifest in a harmonious way.

 

This article is a follow-up to last spring equinox's article about flower divination.  In that article, I focused on using your physical and intuitive senses to read flowers.  This can be as simple as flower psychometry or as complex as the rich symbolism of Victorian Flower Language.

 

This spring equinox, I would like to focus on using your psychic abilities to meet a flower spirit.  I especially want to focus on soul travel.  This is a type of intuitive ability associated with astral traveling and shamanic journeying.  It can occur while awake or dreaming.  Soul travel can mean staying in your body and expanding your energy field so that it joins with the flower.  It can mean going into an altered state of consciousness and feeling your spirit leave your body and speak with the plant spirit.  It can also occur during dreams. 

 

First, it is helpful to observe the flowers in the wild, if you can.  Wildflowers, according to healer Elliott Cowan, are one thousand times more powerful than domesticated ones.  However, you can try this approach with any flower.

 

Before soul travel, I think it is important to center and ground myself with prayer before practicing any kind of divination.  This helps to create sacred space and invites my spiritual helpers to work with me.

 

If you want to get in touch with a flower spirit, visit the it in the wild.  Observe and even draw the plant.  This allows you to get to know every aspect of its physical appearance.  Notice where it likes to grow, the soil type and other plants it likes to be around.  This "getting acquainted" period may take awhile or be very fast.

 

Now you're ready to attune to the flower spirit. This method is a variation of one used by flower essence practitioners. Cyndi Dale describes this approach in her book, "Advanced Chakra Healing".  Basically, it involves expanding your energy field until it touches what ever place or time you wish to travel to. One way to activate this is to use your breath.  It helps a person to expand their energy field on the exhalation until it merges with the flower.  You will still be in your body, but your spirit will stretch far beyond.  Your expanded spirit will activate your inner listening abilities.  It is very common to feel like you've entered a dream state.  This is very real and it doesn't matter whether you see spirits or do not.  The flower spirit may have an immediate message for you or you may ask questions. 

 

The second approach involves going on a shamanic journey.  It is important to have a powerful spiritual helper that will accompany you.  It is helpful to use a rattle or even whistle a monotonous, rhythmic way for a few minutes to enter a trance state.  Some practitioners believe you must enter the lower world to meet a flower spirit.  This involves finding a hole in the ground that leads to a tunnel.  At the end of the tunnel, you should meet your spirit helper and begin your journey through the lower world.  This approach has been described in detail by Michael Harner and Sandra Inger men in their wonderful books.  Once you're in the lower world, your intention will lead you to the flower spirit.

 

Other shamanic practitioners believe that you can instantly call upon your spirit helper and journey to directly to the plant or flower before you.  This is called a middle world journey.  In this journey, you may see the flower as it is or you may see a mythic representation of the flower spirit.  It doesn't matter how the flower or plant appears, you will be able to communicate with it.  Both approaches involve entering a parallel world where spirits can communicate directly with you.  Although you will be in a trance state, and see things that remind you of a dream, you will not be asleep.

 

The third approach involves a dream journey.  The first time you try this, you may want to do this during an afternoon nap, especially if you are a heavy sleeper at night.  It helps if you can take a little piece of the flower or plant home with you.  Try not to injure the plant and you may leave an offering to say thank you, if this feels right. Place the plant or flower underneath your pillow or next to you.  Before sleeping, pray or set your intention to have a dream about the flower spirit. It may help to imagine that you were in the domain of the flower spirits as you're falling asleep.  Sometimes it is easier to receive information and dreams if you consciously visualize during the hypnogogic state. Trust that whatever you receive in your dream is a message from the spirit.

 

As you become more comfortable with this, you may notice that you tend to receive information about the healing powers of the flower.  Or you may notice that you receive wisdom and guidance from the flower.  Some people are wired to pick up one type of information more easily than the other.  However, with practice you will realize how much the flower spirits want to speak with you.

This book is the long-awaited English translation of the Book of Destiny.  Carlos Barrios is a Mayan day keeper calendar priest and member of the council of Mayan Elders.  Although not Mayan by birth, he was trained in the traditional way and has been given permission to share this knowledge with the world. The book gives a lot of important background information about the sacred calendar.  This is necessary because many Westerners are becoming interested in the Mayan prophecies about 2012.

 

One of the most important aspects of the book is is description of Mayan history after the Spanish conquest.  Many people believe that the Maya lost much of their culture after their city-states collapsed and they were conquered first by the Aztecs and then the Spanish.  This is an exaggeration.  The Maya kept a lot of their rich traditions and knowledge.  Carlos Barrios describes their tribes, customs, and their successful resistance to assimilation by the Spanish.  One of the most touching stories is about Maximon.  This Native American saint, whose idol is still honored today by the Tzutujil Maya, is based on an ancient Mayan deity, a legendary shaman named Ri Laj Mam, and a mestizo judge named Don Francisco who helped the Maya and confounded the Guatemalan authorities.  His description of the cigar-smoking judge with magical powers, who was thought to be the reincarnation of the shaman, helps explain Maximon's importance in ceremonies to this day.  For example, during holy week, his idol is brought out and given cigars to smoke.

 

However, the most important aspect of the book are the teachings about the sacred calendar.  This 260 day calendar helps map a person's destiny.  This calendar is composed of 20 daysigns combined with 13 mystical numbers.  The author explains how to calculate your own daysign and number  using the charts in the book.  He also gives divinatory meanings for each of the 20 daysigns.

 

This is a wonderful book, a good introduction with a lot of detailed and advanced information.