Sunday 11 December 2011

Butterfly...A Call to Transformation...

Native Butterfly Carving
Photo-Google

Butterfly that flutters in the morning light....you have known many forms before you e'er took flight
(Quote Sams & Carson Power Through The Ways of Animals)

We are transforming on a cellular level within every breath we take...quietly re-defining our physicality .
The Metamorphosis of Butterfly is one of the Mysteries of Nature and within this post I will be using Butterfly as a Metaphor for Transformation within "Your Own Creative Cycle"
Butterfly is very sensitive to the Harmony of the Earth. We, as sentient beings are also connected to the Harmony of the Earth. When we feel that discord within our own connection to the Rhythm of the Earth...we are no longer in Harmony within our Physical, Emotional and Mental Bodies.

Many of the Ancient Civilisations believed that Butterflies were symbols of the Human Soul. The Greeks believed a new Human Soul was born each time a Butterfly emerged from it's cocoon. ( I will refer to this later in the process of transforming within the Spiritual Death)


In The Pacific Northwest Coast Native Mythology of the Haida Gwai the Butterfly Totem was the Companion, Scout and Spokesman for Raven.


The Hopi had a Butterfly Clan and frequently painted Butterfly on Prehistoric Pottery in the Ritual Butterfly Dance.

Aztec Butterfly
Photo-Google

The Native Americans of Mexico or the Aztecs believed the Butterfly was a symbol of Re-birth, Re-Generation, Happiness and Joy.


 The Blackfoot believed Dreams are brought to us by the Butterfly

Transformation
Photo-Google

What of the Transformation within your own understanding of your Spirit? What is your next step to Internal Harmony?
Let's Begin.....continuing within that next layer of the Medicine Wheel.
 ( If this is your first visit to Ravenmyth, please read the Medicine Wheel Post before going on to Butterfly)

To Transform we need to allow a " Spiritual Death" to take place...surrendering to the Rising of The Phoenix through a Burning of "Old Patterns of Being"
( For clarity purposes, a Spiritual Death is not a Physical Death. It is a Metaphor for the "Death of that which no longer serves The Spirit")

Your Spirit is always calling to

Andy Everson K'omoks Native Artist

You can physically and mentally hear and feel that call when you feel out of sync and out of step with your Earth Rhythm or your World. This will register in your body or mind in different ways. Be aware of your thoughts at this time or how your body is feeling or reacting. This is where you begin to build your own understanding of your Message-Language ( your Internal Dialogue) 

What is the Message your body is trying to send to you?
How does your body Speak to you? Once you start to understand your own Message-Language you will start the process of Releasing your Spirit to its own Cycle of Transformation.

The Caterpillar
Photo-Google

The Caterpillar did not question when it surrendered to the process of the cocoon. ( Her process is that Metaphor for the Spiritual Death)

She allowed herself to surrender her old form, trusting she would be born again in her new form...her Creative Cycle Process of Faith.
Death....Transformation....Butterfly

Will You Surrender To Transform?

Butterfly
Photo-Google

....Ask yourself....

What is that one part of you, calling to transform, that you are willing to surrender to?
Where, in this very moment do you feel the most discomfort within your Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies?

Is it your Fear of Surrender?
If I Surrender I am no longer in control. When I control I do not have to feel or deal with those Inner Demons that Taunt my Pathway to Harmony.
It is easier to Live with the Familiar Old Patterns than to "Change" or "Transform"
"You ask too much of Me."

I am too busy!
I am afraid!
I can't do this!
It is too hard!
What will happen to Me!

Is this your Message- Language ...
(Inner Dialogue) of Self Deception talking?

Will you Surrender to Transform




Faith of Youth
Photo-Google

When we were young, we were not afraid to Surrender. We were invincible. We danced to the Rhythm of the Earth and embraced the Harmony of our Spirit. We walked in our Power...unafraid.

The Power that Butterfly brings to us is the Element of Air. It is the Mind. In the Medicine Wheel she is Butterfly Clan ( Air). From the East we follow the Path of Enlightenment to the West, the Path of Introspection and Transformation coming from the experience of strength within the Sacred Elements.

Know your Mind to Change it. Understand your own Message-Language.
It is the Art of Transformation.

The Cycle From Cocoon to Butterfly
Photo-Google

Like the process of stasis within the cocoon...self transformation is a cycle.
In Butterfly Medicine you need to be aware and observe your position within that cycle.

To do this you may want to explore your own understanding of where you are within any given moment.
Be Mindful.

Butterfly Reflection

Your body will always Reflect and Talk to you, telling you where you are at all times.
This is your Message-Language.

The key is " To Learn to Read your own Message-Language". This is your Signature. No one else has it.
"What is your Internal Language"
This is your starting point within your Cycle of Transformation.


Turning Point

This is now your Turning Point. Here is where your faith and trust come into play...overriding your fearful voice of Self Deception.
Are you Listening?

Let's try something.
When you get a sense of a Message for Transformation being presented to you...Write it down....
It could be a Positive Statement or a Negative Statement. It does not matter. It is the "Signature" of your Language trying to communicate to you. I feel you will start to see a Pattern for Recognition. This is essential for understanding what your Pattern Dynamics are.

Once you know this Language....only then can you begin to Transform Old Patterns and Habits.
....If you Choose....

The Emerged Butterfly
Photo-Google

Now you are being "Guided" by the most Powerful Medicine of all
"Your Inner Spirit"
The Butterfly emerging from the Cocoon

Like Butterfly you are always at stages of Transformation.

My interpretation of Harmonic Transformation


Within Myth and Legend, like Butterfly, you are always at stages of Transformation in your life.
The way to Discern where you are in your cycle of Transformation is to be aware of which stage you are in ( quote Sams and Carson)

The Seed or Egg Stage

Butterfly Eggs
Photo-Google

Your Thought and Awareness within your Message-Language....the Beginning Stages....it is a Seed, planted within the Mind...not yet a Reality...waiting to be Born.
....Thought.... 

The Larvae Stage

Butterfly Larvae
Photo-Google

You choose to create your Transformed Self in the Physical World.
....Choices....

The Cocoon Stage

Butterfly Cocoon
Photo-Google

This is where you go within...learning your Message-Language in a state of quiet...and re-developing your aspect of self from knowing who you are in the Moment and who you will Transform into after Surrendering to a "Spiritual Death" or "That which no longer serves the Spirit"
Here you integrate Thought and Choices, preparing the Manifestation of your Creation.

The Re-Birth Stage

Butterfly Birth
Photo-Google

The final stage of Transformation is leaving the chrysalis and birth. You are now sharing the many layers and colours of your Creation within the Web of Life. You are now that New Perspective...shedding one more layer...or many layers.
Living the Medicine of Butterfly

Butterfly
Photo-Google

Transformation is not easy...but give yourself permission to try...take baby steps...and if you find some too hard....Cocoon....and take the time to develop whatever you need to step out and try again. You do not need to force it.
Be within your own Flow of Transformation, Be Patient and Be Kind to Yourself

Let these Stages be the Headings where you place your awareness of your Message-Language received. It will become your road map to Transform through your own Inner Guidance.

Each Layer will be Revealed....Will you Follow Your Own Road Map to Self Transformation?

Road Map to Butterfly Transformation
Andy Everson, K'omoks Native Artist

Here we  begin the discovery into your Message Language and what that would look like for you.

I am going to give you an example of a Physical Reality and we will look at how that would equate into a Message Language ( Inner Dialogue) .

You are running in 10 different directions...you feel out of control...you are exhausted...your coping skills are at nil....nothing is getting completed...others are pulling at you, wanting their own needs and wants met....life is unravelling in your work place, in personal relationships...or all of the above...

MESSAGE-LANGUAGE
Emotional Body

I feel cranky and angry
I feel overwhelmed and bunched up
I feel a loss of control over my choices
I feel fear, I may loose my job
I feel a drop in my coping skills
I feel I have to give more to others, but I have nothing left to give
I feel out of sync with my personal relationships

Mental Body

I am done!
I can't do this!
I am better off the way it was!
I will go back to doing things the old way because it is easier and that is the way I have always done it!
I will not change....It will Fix itself!

Physical Body

I am physically exhausted!
I have no energy!
I am getting sick all the time, cold and flu!
I am getting headaches lately!
I have an upset stomach!
My nerves are always on edge and my body is off today!
All I want to do is sleep...then I do not have to deal with all this!
or
I am not sleeping well these days!

These are just a few examples of how our built in defence mechanism can keep us stuck in old patterns and we do not even know how we got there.

Unlock the Mystery of your own Message Language
Photo-Google

Will you Listen to Butterfly Medicine?

 Our Mental, Emotional and Physical Bodies are Screaming
" SOMETHING IS WRONG"
I need your help....I am out of Sync...I am not in Balance

This is your Message Language talking to you....can you hear me?

Are you drawn to certain colours?
Are you drawn to quiet places?
Do you want to or just Turn your Phone Off?
Do you feel you need to take time out from Events and People?
Are you drawn to Comfort Food?
Are you drawn to an Alcoholic drink at the end of the day to help you to relax?
Do you just want to be left alone?
Do You Feel The Need To Cocoon?

If you have felt any of the above or some of the above, you are not alone...I know I have!

What do you See within your own Transformation
Photo--Google

To Transform, where are you in your Cycle

We all need Positive things to Hold onto...can you choose to not waste Heartbeats on that which you cannot change and focus on what you can.
Every breath you take is Creative...what do you Create within your own Breath of Transformation.
Are you in a Positive Creative Cycle...or are you in a Negative Creative Cycle"
They are both Creation
Remember
 The Negative Creative Cycle can only hold you back...if you let it!

Negative Message Language....is Illusion....Positive Message Language ....Is Perfection

How can we Transform to Perfection when we are already Perfect within our own Creation...constantly changing our Perfection within our Transformation.

Perfection
Photo-Google

Butterfly enters our Life as a Message for Change. She asks us to stop keeping our Joy at bay. Take the Time you need to be Alone with yourself...to listen to your gentle request for Natural Transformation

Take notice of what your body is telling you...let Butterfly Medicine give clarity to your mental process and guide you to your own Personal Transformation.

Be Discerning and Mindful of your Message Language

Monarch Butterfly in Flight
Photo-Google

Learn your Language and it will become the Facilitator of your Own Transformation

Will you follow the Flight of the Butterfly?

Butterfly Nebula
Photo-Google


This is a time of year that can be Joyful for some and Sad for others. It is also a time of year when we make our New Year's Resolution for Change. I will be kinder, I will listen more, I will be there for others more, I will quit smoking, I will go on that diet, I will find a job...etc... but, to do all these things or just some of them we first need to Transform...one step at a time...
Butterfly
She is the Human Soul, emerging from her Cocoon...regenerated in her Joy and Living Her Dreams...supported by the Voice of Raven.


Be your Potential
Today I am Butterfly
One Day at a Time

From My Heart to Your Heart Wishing you The Joy of Butterfly Medicine Within This Season Of Potential

Always

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Reference
Sams & Carson Power Through the Ways of Animals




























































Saturday 29 October 2011

The Medicine Wheel...Will You Participate in Your Destiny?..



To the "Four Winds" I cast my Spirit, open my Heart, release my Soul and Surrender to My Destiny.
Grant me the wisdom to understand the Sacred in Nature.
(quote..    J.E. Williams..The Andean Codex   )


Deer Lake Park
Photo Ravenmyth

The common thread weaves through many cultures, joining us all together in a commonality that connects the Human Spirit to a undefined knowing that calls our Soul to Wholeness. (Ravenmyth)



The Medicine Wheel is also known as the "Sacred Hoop". It is a powerful symbol of the "Earth" and "Universe". Medicine Wheels are built in places where the Earth remembers Ceremonies. The Medicine Wheel becomes our Silent Teacher, guiding us through our Life Lessons and Challenges. (quote Tony Gray Owl)

To Learn these Ways Learn the Wisdom of the Directions ( quote Mary Uslick, Shushwap/Stolo Nation, Coast Salish)

The original wisdom associated with the ancient physical Medicine Wheel's of Turtle Island has been lost in the mists of antiquity.
The Medicine Wheel represents the fundamental pattern of Creation. In each locality the Laws of Nature of the Spirit of the Land speaks in unique meta patterns of creative power.

The lack of historical data or traditional oral accounts from pre-Colombian times have resulted in an opening for creative interpretation of Medicine Wheel  teachings. ( for clarity purposes I am using the Medicine Wheel as a metaphoric symbol within the message brought forth by Ravenmyth in this post)

Will you Participate in Your Destiny?

Let us take this time, the season of "Fall" where nature becomes the artist and the landscape reflects her palette of colour.


Deer Lake Park
Photo Ravenmyth

What are you painting on your canvas?

When you walk the path of the "Initiate" within the " Esoteric" you become the observer of "Life's Magic" in all things.



The Medicine Wheel consists of the "Four Directions" ( North, South, East and West)

The Directions reveal that which you need to reflect upon. They can also reveal how you are learning from yourself , others and from animals. (quote Sams and Carson)

Within our human condition we are always searching for our "Signature" or "Purpose" within our own existence. We Never Stop. Our Spirit is in constant flux, needing to understand "Itself".

Ask yourself this

...How does your Inner World reveal itself in your Outer World? ...
...What language do you Speak to Self...what is your Inner Dialogue?...
...What have you learned so well that you now recognize its pattern and can say.." I own it"...( these owned patterns can be both negative and positive)...
...What are you still struggling with... knowing that you are stuck...but not yet fully understanding it's dynamic and how it plays upon your own sense of well being?...


Native Dream Catcher Depicting the Four Directions
Photo-Google

Let's go back to the Medicine Wheel. It will now become that symbolic metaphor to help us to see and understand that dynamic...Revealing...our strengths within and our areas lacking in strength.

Are you prepared to take that Journey of Self....to look into the "Mirror of the Soul" and to "Participate" within your own Reflection?

It is when we choose that we begin our walk of the Initiate from " North" to " East" within the Directions. This is not the common directions that most walk, but it is the Direction I was drawn to within this post.



The North is the place of Winter....it's colour is White and it is the place of True Wisdom. The symbols of the North are the Great Mountain, The Sacred Lake, Crystals,....The Moose ( Self Esteem) ... The Snowy Owl (Deception or the Night Eagle)...and The White Buffalo (Prayer and Abundance)..

When we embark on our Journey to look into the " Mirror of the Soul" we rise above our earthly physicality and become the observer from above...standing upon the Great Mountain of the North...


The Lions-North Vancouver
Photo Ravenmyth

Every breath you take will have an affect from both external forces and internal forces ( your own inner dialogue) that will have fracturing and healing aspects on the different bodies. The bodies are in constant flux from these forces and are "Seeking Harmony".


This is where we hold our "Consciousness"
Do you hear your inner dialogue say
...I am not perfect...
...I am too tall....I am too short....
...I don't like the way I look...
...I weigh too much...I am too skinny...
...I hate my hair...I don't have enough hair....
...I am not pretty or I am not handsome....
etc

What patterns have you developed to compensate for your "Perceptions" of inadequacy within your "Physical Body?"


"This is where we "Think"
...Why do I have so many negative thoughts?...
...I think I will never be good enough...
...I think I will not succeed...
...I have thoughts of Guilt...
...I have thoughts of Anger...
...I have thoughts of Fear and Jealousy...
etc

Please note that some of these thoughts are not a bad thing..they are part of being human..but what patterns have you developed to Guilt yourself over having these thoughts?


This is where we "Feel"
...I feel Guilty...
...I feel Sad...
...I feel useless...
...I feel pain and sorrow...
...I feel jealous...
...I feel hopeless...
...I feel fearful...

What patterns have you developed to facilitate the feelings that keep you stuck in your "Illusion"

You are out of sync and you do not know why...how could you know that these 3 bodies (Physical, Mental and Emotional) are being bombarded daily with inner and outer influences that will shake your very foundation...keeping you in a state of discord.

Snowy Owl in Flight
Photo Google

When you become "Owl" you see the essence of "True Wisdom" within "Self" . You are now ready to "Participate" and "Reveal" your "Own Truth"
 It is here, in the North,  we begin to integrate the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies into Harmony through our "beginnings of clarity"

.... Here we begin to integrate our Strength....
...Here we begin to integrate the beginning of clarity in " Life Lessons" ....
...Here we begin to gain clarity in the " Life Challenges" we have faced and conquered...
...Here we begin to move towards " Wholeness"...

becoming the Snowy Owl ( the Night Eagle)...the Sacred Medicine Bird...casting out the "Deception of Self" ...he is the Silence in the Night helping us to interpret hidden meanings.

Will you Participate and follow the Snowy Owl into the " East" ?



Autumn, that time when Earth is preparing to go into the " Great Sleep" as she moves into the North...where time slows....to Rest....to Integrate your own Self Discoveries that were born in the East...revealing Life Challenges for Clarity and Revealing your Strength....

SHOWING YOU THE WAY

The East is where a new day starts...a new beginning. This is where all Journey's begin after the Initiate has prepared. It is the place of Spring, the Element of Air, Earth and Male Energy. The animals associated with the East are... The Eagle, (Spirit)The Mouse ( Scrutiny) and The Snake (Transmutation)
The colours of the  East are Gold and Yellow


The Coast Salish Journey Carving
Photo-Google

Within the East we are taught to trust in our own Vision and the capacity to Believe in the Unseen...that which is Hidden. The East is Clear Voice, Leadership, Truth and Courage.

The East is where we Heal the Soul...here we Illuminate through Birth and Rebirth. In the East we gain strength of will to Participate within our Destiny...if you Choose.

In the East we can focus on Life Challenges...Be in the Moment...and Merge into Wholeness that which has been broken within the Physical Body, The Mental Body and the Emotional Body. Here we begin to integrate Harmony and a New State of Well Being.

IN THE EAST WE LET GO OF OLD HABITS

The aim wihin your new Participation is to move beyond "Self Desception" into "Living Self Truth"
It has been too long that we have lived in our OLD HABITS.

To the East, the place of " Insight and Rebirth" I send a Prayer.
To the North, the place of "Clarity and Cleansing" I offer respect.

YOU ARE NOW THE NORTH....YOU ARE NOW THE EAST


Will you begin a New Day and Participate within the Journy we are about to embark upon?
Photo-Google

To bring the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies back to Harmony we begin our Participation within a process from Negative Perception to Positive Perception.

To begin this, we may want to consider that we need to go throught the Silence and The Great Sleep of the North to gain Clarity and Cleansing before we can enter the East....from our New Insight ....to Be Reborn into the New Perception of Self.

Is this easy, No...we first have to know we are stuck in old habits, to shed old habits, to then even have a concept of what a new way of being would look like for us.

I ASK, WHAT IS YOUR SELF DECEPTION?


Where does Illusion and Self Deception End....and Where do You Begin?
Photo-Google

I will follow the flight of Raven ( Magic) to the flight of Eagle ( Spirit) married to Wolf ( The Teacher) remembering Bear ( Introspection from the Great Sleep into Silence) taking me to Snake ( Transmutation) and becoming Snowy Owl ( The Interpreter of Hidden Meanings)


Coast Salish Raven and the Sun Drum
Photo-Google

It is here in the East, within the Magic that we become a New Beginning

The Physical Body

...I am the Manifestation of the Magic of my own Creation...
...I am the integration of all the bodies "Living the Truth" of my "Beauty" within "Creation"...
...I am Perfect as I am...
...There is no longer room for Doubt...
I am     "Creation"   
....the New Perspective of my Physical Body...

The Mental Body

...I integrate the Negative and the Positive within my Thought Process...Neither is Wrong or Right...
...I have now found the Positive within the Negative...letting go of old habits...now creating New Thought Patterns...
...I Participate within my Positive Mental State of Being...allowing all thoughts to flow freely through My Bodies ( no longer affecting the Physical and Emotional).... I now choose from Self Awareness rather than Self Deception...
...No longer does Fear, Guilt or Anger generate my Thoughts...
...I know the Difference...
...Thoughts can no longer keep me stuck...
I am     " Self Awareness"   
... the New Perception of my Mental Body...

The Emotional Body

...I now Know and Embrace every Emotion running through my Bodies ( Guilt, Sadness, Depression, Pain and Jeolousy)...
...I control my Emotions and mitigate their impact on the Physical and Mental Bodies with Self Love ( not always easy, however I trust that I am Loveable)...
...Whenever I can I come from the Emotion freed by Unconditional Love...
...I am the Emotion of Healing all that has been fractured within the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies...
...I am Power coming from a Perception that drives the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies to Integrate and Harmonize...
...The New Perception of my Emotional Body...


How Vibrations affect the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies
Photo-Google

Within my own Rebirth in the East

I Am

Creation the Physical Body through Awareness the Mental Body Integrated to Wholeness through Unconditiional Love the Emotional Body


My Perspective of the Physical, Mental and Emotional Bodies working in Harmony...
Photo-Google

I Participated within my Own Destiny
I am Wholeness

Will you do the same?


Always

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Reference
Earthsong-Medicine Wheel Wisdom
Directions -Tony Gray Owl


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