The birth of a new Rainbow song!
This month's Shamanic Drumming Circle focused on the power of song and chanting. Having explored an Amazonian Icaro (song of power) and a couple of favorite chants ("Earth my body" and "We all come from the Goddess"), we then began to create our own song. We chose the theme of "spiritual community" and drummed ourselves into a light trance state with the repetitive Eagle's beat, allowing this to provide us with inspiration and to connect with the energies of how we felt about this topic. After a break for tea, biscuits and wonderful conversation, we chanted a seed mantra to appeal to Saraswati, Goddess of creativity, music, language, inspiration and poetic expression:
A brainstorming session provided a rich selection of evocative words and phrases which we put to a melody created by Pete (as resident musician!). A short clip of us performing the song follows the words below:
Rainbow children
Earth and sky we are
Come together now
Unity and love
Shared experience
Through our words and deeds
These our principles
Hand in hand are we
Equality, humility, acceptance, harmony
Equality, humility, acceptance, harmony
Weave the web of life
Ride the storm, unite!
Earth below our feet
Rise into the sky
(download)
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who attended the circle and lent their energies to the creation of such beautiful sentiments. If you would like to join us in exploring shamanic techniques with drumming, details can be found here: http://markbarwell.co.uk/shamanic_drumming_circles.php
Living the Universal Moment
"Welcome to the moment
This is it, this is all you get
So, just receive the info and then flow
But be prepared to hear No"
This is it, this is all you get
So, just receive the info and then flow
But be prepared to hear No"
Consider the World Tree. This is a symbolism that can be found throughout many shamanic and animistic cultures. The Norse mythologies refer to it as the Yggdrasil, the tree from which Odin All-father hung himself for 9 days to receive the knowledge of the runes. Haitian Vodou references it in the Poteau Mitan, the central pillar of each peristyle. Although known by many names and entwined into many different legends, the concept of the World Tree remains the same.
In shamanic terms, it links the three worlds. The Lower World connects us to energies and spirits that are more primal, such as animal guides. The Upper World is the realm of tutelary spirits such as beings of light or the ethereal aspects of those who have dedicated their eternal selves to healing and helping others. The Middle World is where we mostly reside and this is split into two parts: the physical aspect that we interact with in everyday life, and the shadowy counterpart where our spirit energies and other living and nature-based spirits exist.
In the same way, our own self acts as a conduit between the worlds of the physical and the spiritual. As with the roots of a tree, we stand firm upon the Earth and we also grow towards the heavens like branches expanding upwards and outwards. Our bodies are the link between the two incarnate as a place where the spiritual and the physical co-exist. Looking at this in terms of the energy systems of the Indus region, our lower 3 chakras (root, sacral and solar plexus) are concerned with ourselves: our drives, desires, confidence, needs, etc. The upper 3 "bodily" chakras (throat, third eye, crown) express our connection to the world around us: how we communicate with our environment, how we see it, how we connect to the ethereal, etc. The heart chakra holds the balance between the internal and the external: it is the compassionate centre from which we can recognise our existence as beings of both spirituality and physicality. The more Eastern philosophies recognise similar concepts with the tantiens (Upper, Middle and Lower).
It's all to easy for us to be contracted into a sense of physicality without much thought for the spiritual aspects of our existence. Day-to-day life has its own demands and concerns and this can cause us to be overly focused on these energies, those of the "Lower World". We can offset these by engaging in more "spiritual" activities such as meditation, yoga, etc. But even then we may have to think about what to do, or be led into an intuitive response that guides us to the most appropriate action. Perhaps we have spent so long worrying about bills and expenses that we feel drawn to sitting in quiet reflection in a place of nature. Or we may have been day-dreaming for so long that we suddenly find that we're starving and need to eat! The balance is addressed but the actual balancing point is often neglected in itself. Even further from our awareness is the understanding of the Universal whole.
Many philosophies expound the virtues of the "Middle Way" - of trying to live your life as close to a sense of equilibrium as possible. For example, certain Buddhist practices promote non-attachment and a series of suggestions such as "correct thought" and "correct speech" in order to maintain this harmony. The Taijin (or "Yin-Yang") symbol expresses the concept that everything is a continuously shifting expression of energetic extremes. But even that is a limitation: by imposing structure in the form of the terms "Yin" and "Yang", we are creating boundaries to something that is without form so as to ease our understanding. This is reflected in the phrase from the Tao te Ching:
"The Tao that can be described is not the Tao".
"The Tao that can be described is not the Tao".
Concepts such as Time and Space are limitations that we impose on our existence to make it easier to interact with "reality" and to go about our daily business. We create these structures to satisfy the physical aspects of our being. Our spiritual side knows no boundaries and when we dream we understand this. Attempts have been made to rationalise and deconstruct such experiences and reference them to our physical existence but the fact still remains that when we are in that state, freed from the physical constraints of our conscious existence, anything is possible.
Although we can be aware of these concepts, it is only through direct experience that we can truly reach a state of understanding. Dreaming is but one way of accessing that potential. Techniques such as meditation or trance-work can achieve that sense of understanding. We could enlist the help of plant spirit helpers such as Ayahuasca or Peyote. We could even drum and dance ourselves into a frenzy until our physical exertion and exhaustion allows us to transcend into a more spiritual state of awareness. It has been said of life that it's the journey that's important, not the destination. But in this case, these methods and practices act as a facilitator to allow us to reach the understanding that we don't have to go anywhere because we're already there. We are all of existence and non-existence at every moment as well as at no time.
In order to maintain an effective balance, simply connect to that Universal sense and allow intuition to provide the advice. Whatever activity we are engaged in, try to retain that sense of expansion and connection. Bring spirituality into the physical and physicalise the spiritual, not by considering the extremes but by understanding the whole. It takes a lot less effort to drift down the river according to the flow than it does to constantly paddle according to where you think you should be going.
Thinking of this from a more "scientific" basis, our atoms are virtually indistinguishable from the atoms of any other object. What makes us a unique individual is how those atoms are arranged and the energetic forces that bind them together. We also connect with the particles around us, albeit with "weaker" energetic bonds. They in turn connect with other particles, and others, and so on. Everything connects with everything else. So from this perspective we are a part of the entire Universe and therefore we ARE the Universe. Our own "being" is defined by our atoms (the physical) and the energetic bonds between them (the spiritual). In effect, our very own World Tree explained in these terms.
A regular connection to this understanding, through whichever methods you are drawn to use, can provide a greater focus. Otherwise you may find yourself remembering the memory of that Universal Moment rather than the Moment itself.
New Website Re-Design
I am pleased to announce that my website has been completely redesigned and is now live at the usual address: http://www.markbarwell.co.uk
The new site features an information bar at the right hand side of the page, including: a Forthcoming Events box, an Alternative Medicine news feed, summaries of my Blog posts, Twitter feed and links to my resources that include a Facebook Page, LinkedIn profile, Twitter page and Flickr stream.
Site contents are accessible via a drop-down menu at the top of the page or via the Home Page by moving the cursor over an image of the Heart Chakra that radiates out across 8 spokes.
The focus is still on my healing work and empowering courses: treatments in Reiki Healing, Shamanic Healing, Shiatsu and Tarot Reading as well as the opportunities to learn Shamanism, learn Tarot Reading and learn Reiki Healing for yourself. I am able to travel around the wider Southend area as well as working from venues around town.
You also have the opportunity to sign up for email updates. These regular bulletins will contain information about all forthcoming events from myself and fellow therapists as well as an interesting events and information that comes my way. Until the end of January I will also be running a monthly competition for all those who sign up to updates or subscribe to my blog. Details to follow!
So please check out the new site and let me know what you think
Shamanic Drumming Circle
I am pleased to announce the creation of (what we hope will become) a regular monthly event: a Shamanic Drumming Circle. These informal gatherings are an opportunity to get together with like-minded people to learn and practise shamanic techniques as well as honing your drumming skills through free-form sessions and explorations of shamanic drumming techniques. Bring a drum if you have one as there are only a few spare for use by people who have no drum of their own. No experience necessary!
There are a limited number of spaces available for each circle so please Get In Touch (or click "Attending" on this event) if you wish to book your place.
Shamanic drumming circles are organised and hosted by Mark Barwell (www.MarkBarwell.co.uk) and Jo Gray (www.ShantiTherapies.co.uk).
The venue for the Shamanic Drumming Circle is:
The Rainbow Rooms
First Floor
8-14 High Street
Rayleigh
Essex
SS6 7EF
The Rainbow Rooms
First Floor
8-14 High Street
Rayleigh
Essex
SS6 7EF
Access to The Rainbow Rooms is through Berry's Arcade. Enter via the eastern end of the arcade (High Street side, opposite The Pink Toothbrush nightclub) and the door to the upper floors is on the left hand side (you will see The Rainbow Rooms in the list of companies on the wall). Go up the stairs and take the second door on the left. This is the Rainbow Rooms (there will be a plaque on the door to indicate this)!
If you need help in getting to the venue, there may be spaces available in cars travelling there and back. Please Get In Touch if you need help with this or with any other information relating to the circle. Details (and a handy map!) can be found here: http://markbarwell.co.uk/workshops_shamanic_drumming_circle.asp
About Me
Mark BarwellPractitioner of Reiki and Shamanic Healing offering treatments and courses in healing, self-development and energy exploration. Also a student of Shiatsu!
I welcome comments and discussions about the topic in this blog so subscribe and start adding your opinion! :)
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