Latest Shamanic Weekend: Am I a Spiritual Warrior From Atlantis?

So my latest shamanic workshop was this past weekend. It was centered around the solar plexus chakra and focused on spiritual power or our tasks as spiritual warriors. We explored energy fields, qi gong and tai chi, as well as basic "warrior" skills, including self-defense, some martial arts and plan old body language. What I love about these workshops is the merging on ordinary, mundane things, like body language, and its application on a spiritual level. For example, instead of reading someone's body language to get ahead in the corporate world, as I was always taught, how about reading the signs to better understand someone and connect with them spiritually? Sounds good to me.

Oh yeah, and I totally broke a pine board with my foot! I've never had any martial arts training at all, and it was a piece of cake. Essentially, you focus your energy beyond the board--sort of like in "The Matrix" when Neo is told "there is no spoon." Couldn't break the concrete paver, however, but a few other folks did. I'll break it next time!

So I'm still skeptical about a lot of this stuff, but I will say this, after these workshops, I feel so much more centered, calm and authentically me than on any other day. Except maybe when I'm writing.

So What's This About Atlantis?
Oh yeah, I mentioned Atlantis. Here's where it gets really freaky. I promise I'm not on drugs! On the second day we sat outside in a semi-circle for our "journey to the sun" (the sun being associated with warrior energy as well as fire and the solar plexus chakra). Beyond that, I'm not really sure why we were going to the sun, but what the hell, sounds like fun.

The facilitator drums and leads us into the journey. I'll skip the details, but we basically travel into the center of the sun where there is located a transportation hub of sorts, something like an airport terminal. We were told there were portals to other worlds and dimensions here, and to select one to enter and travel. Now, let me say I've never attempted this type of journey before, and we weren't told to expect any specific kind of experience whatsoever. Yet what I did experience was quite surprising and emotional.

With my eyes closed and imagining myself in this terminal, I see one portal that stand out (nothing special about it visually, however). So I approach and enter, and suddenly find myself sucked into some sort of water tube, as if a giant Hawaiian wave has crashed over me and pulled me under, churning the surf all around. I come up in a great, blue ocean as far as the eye can see. Two beings like the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" appear carrying tridents, and I assume they were some sort of sentry for the portal. They don't speak but I somehow understand this.

Next, schools of dolphins and colorful fish swim up to me, as if they're a welcoming party. Without any hesitation, I dive under the water and begin to swim with them as if this were the most natural thing in the world. And I can breathe underwater!

Then come the very real emotions, which I was not prepared for. I felt like I was some place very familiar, a place I knew but hadn't seen in a long, long time. It all felt to right, so comforting--the swimming, the creatures, the water. I knew how to do it all and I "knew" I belonged there.

Before I describe more of what I saw, let me add a little backstory that makes this freakier.

• As a kid, swimming was one thing I loved the most, and I've never been afraid of water or the ocean.
• Breathing underwater was always the one "super power" I wanted.
• Aquaman, Sub Mariner were my favorite super heroes.
  
• I was obsessed with dolphins as a kid. I loved shows like "Flipper" and "The Man From Atlantis."
  
• I went to a college hundreds of miles away from my home where I knew no one--the campus was 15 minutes from the beach, located next to a river, and our mascot was a dolphin.
• I once dreamed of being a marine biologist and even wrote a fictional story about one. Also once considered being in the Coast Guard.
  
• A recurring dream from my childhood had me under water in some sort of vessel and surrounded by fantastic sea creatures.
  

Back to the journey. I'm swimming with the fishes, and then we pass over this reef. A giant underwater city appears and we approach. I'm amazed at how elegant all the structures are and how colorful everything is. We enter this corridor and then I'm led by 2 mermen through a building. I keep asking where we are but no one answers. When I finally ask, "Is this Atlantis?" they say, "It goes by many names."

I have no idea where they're taking me, but we soon enter this giant indoor stadium or great hall, ringed with people in seats. There's such a commotion, and I wonder what it's all about. One tall being approaches, dressed in elegant robes and carrying a sceptre. I can't tell if it's a man or a woman, very androgynous. Without speaking, I ask (telepathically?) what this celebration is all about. Without much explanation, the being smiles and says "welcome home."

A garland of sea grass or some other green underwater plant is placed around my neck and I'm given an object that appears silver or metal. It's carved or sculpted, but I don't recognize the design. It's small, just fits in my hand.

Then I realize it's time for me to return to Earth. I'm mostly surprised and perplexed by all this, still feeling the very real emotions of returning to a familiar place. I'm told I can return again any time, but it seems I have things to do on Earth right now. So I'm escorted back out of the hall by the mermen and then make my way back to the portal.

Seriously, as I experienced this, I almost broke out in tears. The facilitator didn't interpret our experiences, but others said it could be this place was my true homeworld or dimension. And yes, it could have been Atlantis. But come on--none of that is real! So why was I about to blubber over some imaginary dolphins? And why did I envision an underwater world as opposed to, say, a medieval kingdom on Earth? Why the ocean theme?

I can't explain any of it. If anyone reading this has had similar experiences or even heard about something like this, let me know. Maybe I just accessed some subconscious emotions or needs, and this is how they manifested. I promise you, no alcohol, drugs, not even caffeine, were involved in this experience! In the end, I'm not quite sure what to do with all this info. I probably need to email the workshop facilitator and get his input, and do some reading and online research. I'll keep you posted on any interesting findings!

Latest Shamanic Weekend: Am I a Spiritual Warrior From Atlantis?

So my latest shamanic workshop was this past weekend. It was centered around the solar plexus chakra and focused on spiritual power or our tasks as spiritual warriors. We explored energy fields, qi gong and tai chi, as well as basic "warrior" skills, including self-defense, some martial arts and plan old body language. What I love about these workshops is the merging on ordinary, mundane things, like body language, and its application on a spiritual level. For example, instead of reading someone's body language to get ahead in the corporate world, as I was always taught, how about reading the signs to better understand someone and connect with them spiritually? Sounds good to me.

Oh yeah, and I totally broke a pine board with my foot! I've never had any martial arts training at all, and it was a piece of cake. Essentially, you focus your energy beyond the board--sort of like in "The Matrix" when Neo is told "there is no spoon." Couldn't break the concrete paver, however, but a few other folks did. I'll break it next time!

So I'm still skeptical about a lot of this stuff, but I will say this, after these workshops, I feel so much more centered, calm and authentically me than on any other day. Except maybe when I'm writing.

So What's This About Atlantis?
Oh yeah, I mentioned Atlantis. Here's where it gets really freaky. I promise I'm not on drugs! On the second day we sat outside in a semi-circle for our "journey to the sun" (the sun being associated with warrior energy as well as fire and the solar plexus chakra). Beyond that, I'm not really sure why we were going to the sun, but what the hell, sounds like fun.

The facilitator drums and leads us into the journey. I'll skip the details, but we basically travel into the center of the sun where there is located a transportation hub of sorts, something like an airport terminal. We were told there were portals to other worlds and dimensions here, and to select one to enter and travel. Now, let me say I've never attempted this type of journey before, and we weren't told to expect any specific kind of experience whatsoever. Yet what I did experience was quite surprising and emotional.

With my eyes closed and imagining myself in this terminal, I see one portal that stand out (nothing special about it visually, however). So I approach and enter, and suddenly find myself sucked into some sort of water tube, as if a giant Hawaiian wave has crashed over me and pulled me under, churning the surf all around. I come up in a great, blue ocean as far as the eye can see. Two beings like the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" appear carrying tridents, and I assume they were some sort of sentry for the portal. They don't speak but I somehow understand this.

Next, schools of dolphins and colorful fish swim up to me, as if they're a welcoming party. Without any hesitation, I dive under the water and begin to swim with them as if this were the most natural thing in the world. And I can breathe underwater!

Then come the very real emotions, which I was not prepared for. I felt like I was some place very familiar, a place I knew but hadn't seen in a long, long time. It all felt to right, so comforting--the swimming, the creatures, the water. I knew how to do it all and I "knew" I belonged there.

Before I describe more of what I saw, let me add a little backstory that makes this freakier.

• As a kid, swimming was one thing I loved the most, and I've never been afraid of water or the ocean.
• Breathing underwater was always the one "super power" I wanted.
• Aquaman, Sub Mariner were my favorite super heroes.
  
• I was obsessed with dolphins as a kid. I loved shows like "Flipper" and "The Man From Atlantis."
  
• I went to a college hundreds of miles away from my home where I knew no one--the campus was 15 minutes from the beach, located next to a river, and our mascot was a dolphin.
• I once dreamed of being a marine biologist and even wrote a fictional story about one. Also once considered being in the Coast Guard.
  
• A recurring dream from my childhood had me under water in some sort of vessel and surrounded by fantastic sea creatures.
  

Back to the journey. I'm swimming with the fishes, and then we pass over this reef. A giant underwater city appears and we approach. I'm amazed at how elegant all the structures are and how colorful everything is. We enter this corridor and then I'm led by 2 mermen through a building. I keep asking where we are but no one answers. When I finally ask, "Is this Atlantis?" they say, "It goes by many names."

I have no idea where they're taking me, but we soon enter this giant indoor stadium or great hall, ringed with people in seats. There's such a commotion, and I wonder what it's all about. One tall being approaches, dressed in elegant robes and carrying a sceptre. I can't tell if it's a man or a woman, very androgynous. Without speaking, I ask (telepathically?) what this celebration is all about. Without much explanation, the being smiles and says "welcome home."

A garland of sea grass or some other green underwater plant is placed around my neck and I'm given an object that appears silver or metal. It's carved or sculpted, but I don't recognize the design. It's small, just fits in my hand.

Then I realize it's time for me to return to Earth. I'm mostly surprised and perplexed by all this, still feeling the very real emotions of returning to a familiar place. I'm told I can return again any time, but it seems I have things to do on Earth right now. So I'm escorted back out of the hall by the mermen and then make my way back to the portal.

Seriously, as I experienced this, I almost broke out in tears. The facilitator didn't interpret our experiences, but others said it could be this place was my true homeworld or dimension. And yes, it could have been Atlantis. But come on--none of that is real! So why was I about to blubber over some imaginary dolphins? And why did I envision an underwater world as opposed to, say, a medieval kingdom on Earth? Why the ocean theme?

I can't explain any of it. If anyone reading this has had similar experiences or even heard about something like this, let me know. Maybe I just accessed some subconscious emotions or needs, and this is how they manifested. I promise you, no alcohol, drugs, not even caffeine, were involved in this experience! In the end, I'm not quite sure what to do with all this info. I probably need to email the workshop facilitator and get his input, and do some reading and online research. I'll keep you posted on any interesting findings!

Sex, Money & Power Tools!--Reflections on the Latest Shamanic Workshop

Busy week and I'm late on posting about the shamanic workshop 2 weeks ago. I'll have to give you the short-and-sweet version! And here are some pics of our trip to a state park where we worked with elemental energy, the directions and blew our conch shells (very fun!).


This workshop focused on the navel chakra, which is associated with emotions and water. Wrapped up in all this is our perceptions, hang-ups and obsessions over complicated things like money, sex and power.

We talked about how money is simply just energy. Money is actually only worth something because we say it is. In fact, money is not "real." Our dollar bills are no different than shells once traded by Native Americans. But how we view money says much about us. I'm pretty responsible with it, but I guess that's because deep down I'm afraid others will judge what I do with my money. I also try to be generous and not take it too seriously (contradictions?), and that's all connected to family history.


Sex, well, that's an entire blog! Ask yourself: what is the purpose of sex? What are the "rules?" Is it ok to pleasure yourself? What is your earliest sexual memory? What does your religion teach about sex? Is sex outside marriage right or wrong? What about same-sex acts? Yes, I have my own hang-ups, and I'm working on releasing those....

Power is tricky. We all have our own power, whether we believe it or not. But how do you use it? And why do you deny your own power? What makes you feel powerful and why and when? If you were all-powerful/omnipotent, what would you do and why? I typically don't trust my own power and shy away from traditional expressions of power, such as at work or in my relationships. That may not be "bad," but I'd like to know more about why I do what I do. What does it bring me?

And in our workshop, we made some shaman tools or "mana" (spirit) tubes. We capped them with copper, and the idea is that the metal attracts energy while the wood contains it. In one tube we added sand and a quartz crystal. I don't know if I believe all this actually does anything, so I need to keep reading. Supposedly, these tools can tap into the earth's energy and you can direct it or use it. Oooooh--can I zap someone? We were encouraged to add some decorations, so when I get around to that, I'll add some pics to the blog.

Well, that's it. No deep insights this time. Just meditating on what we did and whether I find any of it worthwhile. I forgot to mention that we also experimented with geomancy and divination using metal shapes, stones and pendulums. Mostly it was just fun--and that's a good thing.

Sex, Money & Power Tools!--Reflections on the Latest Shamanic Workshop

Busy week and I'm late on posting about the shamanic workshop 2 weeks ago. I'll have to give you the short-and-sweet version! And here are some pics of our trip to a state park where we worked with elemental energy, the directions and blew our conch shells (very fun!).


This workshop focused on the navel chakra, which is associated with emotions and water. Wrapped up in all this is our perceptions, hang-ups and obsessions over complicated things like money, sex and power.

We talked about how money is simply just energy. Money is actually only worth something because we say it is. In fact, money is not "real." Our dollar bills are no different than shells once traded by Native Americans. But how we view money says much about us. I'm pretty responsible with it, but I guess that's because deep down I'm afraid others will judge what I do with my money. I also try to be generous and not take it too seriously (contradictions?), and that's all connected to family history.


Sex, well, that's an entire blog! Ask yourself: what is the purpose of sex? What are the "rules?" Is it ok to pleasure yourself? What is your earliest sexual memory? What does your religion teach about sex? Is sex outside marriage right or wrong? What about same-sex acts? Yes, I have my own hang-ups, and I'm working on releasing those....

Power is tricky. We all have our own power, whether we believe it or not. But how do you use it? And why do you deny your own power? What makes you feel powerful and why and when? If you were all-powerful/omnipotent, what would you do and why? I typically don't trust my own power and shy away from traditional expressions of power, such as at work or in my relationships. That may not be "bad," but I'd like to know more about why I do what I do. What does it bring me?

And in our workshop, we made some shaman tools or "mana" (spirit) tubes. We capped them with copper, and the idea is that the metal attracts energy while the wood contains it. In one tube we added sand and a quartz crystal. I don't know if I believe all this actually does anything, so I need to keep reading. Supposedly, these tools can tap into the earth's energy and you can direct it or use it. Oooooh--can I zap someone? We were encouraged to add some decorations, so when I get around to that, I'll add some pics to the blog.

Well, that's it. No deep insights this time. Just meditating on what we did and whether I find any of it worthwhile. I forgot to mention that we also experimented with geomancy and divination using metal shapes, stones and pendulums. Mostly it was just fun--and that's a good thing.