"T minus 9" - Point of Reflection #1: Medicine Cards

 

The first point of self-reflection I'm offering for your consideration focuses on the use of Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson (affiliate link).

These cards are a staple in my life.  As I've written many times over the years, in a variety of venues, it is an extremely rare day that goes by that Karl and I don't "pick a card" on our day as we sit and have coffee together each morning. 

I sat quietly this evening, centered myself, and asked Spirit for guidance for myself and whomever chooses to embark upon this journey with me:  "The 9 Days of (Winter) Solstice."  Planting my feet firmly on the floor in front of me, I asked what card would be the perfect start for us in this time of Connection, Celebration, Reflection, and Contemplation.

The card I chose?  Grouse.                         

To me, the choice is a lovely one.  I urge you to read the full text of Grouse provided above, and consider what Spirit is telling each one of us.

Could it be that we are precisely at the beginning of a nine day Vision Quest (without, luckily for us, the requirement of fasting)?  The symbol of the spiral, which is associated with Grouse Medicine, is a metaphor for the very human endeavor of going within in order to gain personal power and enlightenment. 

If that is not an "invitation to the dance," an encouragement for all of us to make a commitment to ourselves to engage in at least half an hour of internal reflection per day over the next nine days, I don't know what is. 

Read the card.  Allow it to speak to you.  Let it form a basis for some reflection tonight - and tomorrow - (until I post the next Point of Reflection!).  Perhaps this is a message giving you a strategy (movement) for connecting to what's important.  Maybe taking a walk outside and really paying attention to nature would help your process.  Use your imagination.  Listen.

The Nine Days of Solstice - Points of Self-Reflection

You'd have to live under a rock not to have at least some awareness of the significance, real or imagined, of Winter Solstice 2012.  Among other things, December 21, 2012, marks the end of the Mayan "Long Count" Calendar, and as the Mayan Calendar is based upon complex astronomical calculations, it signifies an alignment of planets, our sun, and other heavenly bodies with the actual center of our galaxy, referred to as the Grand Galactic Alignment.

The "end" of the Mayan Calendar is not the only "big event" scheduled for 12/21/12, which is probably why so much attention is being paid to this date.  Almost every indigenous culture that has passed down prophecies through the millenia are expecting something major to occur at this moment in time.  December 21, 2012 is also the culmination of a major Hopi prophecy, as well as the next anticipated "Pachakuti" of the Q'ero people, the descendants of indigenous Peruvians who pre-date the Incas.

Although I have studied a number of indigenous shamanic traditions, the lineage of the Q'ero is the one with which I am most intimately familiar.  I am far from an expert in Q'ero prophecy or tradition and do not claim to be one.  However, I resonate with the traditions of the Q'ero, and I am honored to be initiated into the lineage of mesa-carriers, which enables me to work in service with Spirit through the auspices of the techniques and ceremonies taught to me by Q'ero wisdom-keepers, known as "Paqos."  Essentially, their teachings are that we are evolving - within our generation - to becoming a new expression of human, one that resonates to a higher vibration.

The Q'ero Suggestion for These Times

With so many indigenous cultures considering this to be a time of great import, my thought is:  Why not remain aware and be open to the possibilities?  Why not engage in a little preparation?  To that end, I'd like to share a message one such Paqo, Dennis Alejo, has brought from the elder Paqos who continue to reside in the highest reaches of the Andes, the altoplano, of Peru.  Essentially, they've stated that 12/12/12 (yes, yesterday), was to be regarded as a very special day, one that marked the beginning of the end of our preparations for "the new time to come" on 12/21/12. It was a day to return to ourselves, get quiet, go deep within, and connect to the beauty of the Universe.  It also was (and continues to be) a time to release our fears from the past, those we carry around with us from one day, one month, one year to the next, as well as our fears for the future.

The Paqos encourage us to make wise use of the next nine days to make important final preparations for the arrival of whatever energies are coming our way on December 21, 2012.  They specifically entreat us to focus upon and engage in the following:

    - Connect with our own unique gifts, those abilities, "big" or "small," that we bring to our families, communities, friends, customers, and clients, that make us precious;

    - Celebrate all that we have to give of ourselves, and recognize these gifts as our purpose for being here on Earth at this time;

    - Reflect on who we are (to ourselves, to others), and accept whatever Life is presenting to us, including the changes necessitated by these times;

    - Contemplate the "bigger" questions that we often flirt with but usually avoid: 

            - Why am I here?
            - What are my goals (or put another way, what would I regret not pursuing or accomplishing the most if my time here on Earth was complete)?
            - What, if anything, do I need to change - right now - to be more in alignment with my heart's desire?
            - What can I do to strengthen my connection to Source and most effectively be my greatest self?

My Invitation to YOU
        
The purpose of this post is to invite you to engage in this self-reflection with me.  Let's do it together.  Sometimes it's hard to know where to start, or even have a frame of reference within which to begin.

So I thought I'd bring together a collection of various "divination" or "guidance tools" for us to use each day.  I've used all of these tools at one time or another, some of them ending up being more my favorites than others.  By introducing you to a different tool each day, maybe you will resonate with one or more and decide to use them on a more consistent basis...on December 22nd - when we face a whole "new" world - together!

You in?  If so, watch for the first Point of Reflection, which I will post shortly.  Yes, we're playing a little bit of catch-up, with only this evening to reflect upon the first Point.  I figure it takes the pressure off of all of us to be perfect.


Look for my next post, and above all, don't be taken in by all the doomsday baloney!