Dream Analysis of the Week- Cancer & Relief

Dream:

In the dream, my mother had cancer in her lower body and doctors said it was spreading. She was mostly confined to bed and accepted medication. I wanted to know how to heal her disease.  She was disinterested.

Insight:

On a basic level, we cannot control or change others, only how we respond to them.The point of view (beliefs) of the experiencer strongly influences the outcome.   

The scientist would describe an ailment based on his language, conditioning and understanding.  A shaman might tune into deep hurt, longstanding resentment, a deep secret or grief eating away at the self of the client. Those who tune into energy sense cancer emits a vibration that reflects the experiencer holds hatreds or grudges. If disheartened, the experiencer may say, “What’s the use?”

Many people limit sense of things to the physical bosy, that which appears to be born and assumes it will die. This view alone underestimates the power of the mind.  Humans are always affected by the energy of their attitudes.  Someone who has a superiority complex or who is aggressive and violent, is on a downward spiral.  They are weakened in their heart, mind and solar plexus where emotional attitudes are held.  In the Andes, people often attribute an aching stomach to have been caused by sorrow.

People who harbour hatred inevitably experience conflicts with relationships, and imbalances in material world.  All this reflects degeneration on a cellular level.  Evaluating energy centres of the dreamer is often advisable.

The dreamer would be wise to reflect on energy levels, whether there exists a craving for affection or a fear of certain kinds of treatment or environments. What makes you feel excluded or ignored?

We offer Dream Consultations on single or multiple dreams as part of individual sessions or psychotherapy.  We also offer an Astral, Lucid and Dream Yoga Course.

Patience is a teacher

(Peruvian Pop up visionary art experience by Alfredo Zagaceta )

Notice the feelings evoked by words 'loneliness' and 'solitude.' It is common to fear or resist being alone. Ideas of loneliness evoke visions of boredom. So, a bored person finds another and they both take action to get through or beyond the ideas of boredom. On some level, boredom doubles. Doing has its place and provides a path to valuable lessons. It also takes one away from deeper truth.

The genius of mind creates illusionary escapes, places, illusions of togetherness. Our whole society, families, organisations, communities, hobbies, livelihoods, travel, are all escapes from visions of loneliness. Yoga is the process of growing aware of absolute loneliness and growing aware nowhere really exists to go.

Boredom is transcended by living fully in each moment as it arises. Be open to the unknown, to anything that may happen. Accept it as it comes. The denial, non-acceptance is the obstacle. To be open, receptive, to accept, is to unconditionally welcome it all. Create the situation and the happening will come by itself. Nothing truly valuable can be predicted. We cannot predict every aspect of life, yet we can set heartfelt intention, let things unfold in their own way.

To be patient is to surrender. Sit in solitude. People who resist waiting imagine the idea of certainties. They have said do this, and this will happen. The mind tells us the happening is a guarantee. Yet, in the big picture, this cannot be. Waiting lifetimes may not allow the thing to come. As one fully accepts this uncertainty, the heart settles. That is, knowing everything is happening now, is to be aware of everything as it is, to experience glimspes of the whole.

Ultimately, no one truly knows what is next. No one knows every possible path. No one knows exactly what this moment will bring. To accept what comes and make the best of it allows the best version of Self to blossom. This waiting is as easy or as hard as each of us decide. Our energy has the power to shape a new destiny, to allow us to shift timelines, dimensions or into what resonates.

Consciously engage in this moment

Notice regardless of what we encounter, a shamanic initiation mirrors our own healing journey. Initiation is also a metaphor for the journey of transformation we are now making and experiencing through the matrix of the Earth, planetary and cosmic environments. More than ever, each of us benefit from stepping up into new levels of initiation, going deeper into our psyche, working out how we really process energies in this world. The point is to grow familliar with strong forces that when misused can hurt ourselves, others, prevent us from seeing beyond.

The classic shamanic initiation involves the experience of a catastrophe, mental and physical suffering. Heredity may come into play, signs at birth, a gift detected in childhood, a realization arising from a pivotal ceremony, vision quest, our response to the crisis of someone we know. However it comes, we accept or resist the information we bring to the surface of ourselves for healing. Every thought and feeling is directing and redirecting the course of our existence.

My experience is genuine initiation begins as unforeseen crisis, but this is actually the tip of the iceberg. Our illusions are systematically called into question, until we dismantle them and let go. Encounters with illness, suffering, and death, not only open other worlds to the shaman within, they also ground the work of social, personal, and environmental healing. Our personal reality is shaken up when we are ready. Everything prepares us for the unforeseen.

We share our journey with mythic heroes, those who have had death-rebirth experiences in rites of passage, the posthumous journey of the soul, clinical death experiences and LSD or other hallucinogenic experiences, and to what one can encounter in deep spiritual and meditation practices. Its all here right now.

To embark on a shamanic journey offers us insight into human development, evolution, devolution, and society's relationship to nature. This guides us to understand social values as they are reflected in art, myth and shape our relationship with the Earth.  It is significant to understand what happens in the journey of unravelling our crisis because we are undergoing this on a personal, collective (global) and cosmic levels simultaneously.We a re a filter for energy flow until the filter is no longer.

At some stage it dawns, for initiation to be effective, it must be entered personally, whoelheartedly, not thru heresay. It is an experience that does not function at a distance but under the skin of each the energy passes through. The benefits of initiation only arise as the path is directly experienced and known. Its visceral and energetic language flows through the body. When one is ready, opportunity is knocking. Everyone is chosen but not everyone hears the call. Opportunity passes through our timelines and experiences again and again in varied forms.  Consciously engage in this moment.  Watch that happens.

Shamans are conscious shapeshifters.  This requires the ability to transcend our attachments (ego) to identity and who we are. To move through attachment to labeling self and openly letting go of identity, we can be virtually anybody. We can slip in and out of different shells, masks, even different animal forms or deity forms. 

Interview with Ross Bishop

I cannot identify the exact point in time I began exploring shamanism.  As my intuition grew louder, I became part of a shamanic sisterhood interacting through the post.  This led to related teachings, books and crystals presenting to expand me.  Interview with Carlos Castenda also came into my scope. Along this Path. I encountered the writings of Ross Bishop and felt drawn to A Shaman's Path to Inner Peace. His life highlights the value of trusting our own spiritual experience.  A long-time reader of his newletter and blog, I feel blessed to connect and engage with Ross on a whole new level. Thanks to the universe for co-creating this opportunity.

What makes you who you are in this lifetime? 

My “essence” does not change. My understanding and acceptance of who I am is under constant revision. That has required a willingness to let go of preconceptions of who I am, and that did not come easily. It is scary to let go and trust that The Universe actually knows better than you do and that it has your best interests at heart. When you’ve been hurt, it’s hard to learn to trust (another lesson!).

So many people experience fear of the unknown.  As you highlight,  the universe is inviting us to shift this fear to curiosity and excitement about the unknown, to be open to shifting our sense of normal.  A helpful start is exploring 12 Ways to Master our Fear  ...

So, how much of your 'essence' comes from other lives/ realms?

My other “lessons” mostly came from conflicts between the world and who I thought I was at the time. I learned that I wasn’t ever going to win that one and that I needed to listen to the messages my life was giving me - not an easy task mind you! My previous lives contribute to lifting the scales from my eyes in the same way, either through direct lessons or unfinished experiences that I resolve later in subsequent lives.

This echoes a common tug-of-war that occurs between the ego-driven mind and another part of us that has different priorities. It the consciousness that moves between bodies and lives and prompts us to make choices. This reminds me of James Cameron's film Avatar.  As a human soldier, Jake Sully has a limited idea of purpose. Yet, as he moves consciousness from his human body into a Navi body, and opens his heart to love, he expands a sense of life purpose.      

This said, which shifts in perception arose in you during the shamanic Path?

There are so many that it is impossible to put into words. I went from a rather limited view of life in an ego-based existence to a vastly expanded new perspective. And in those few words I cover what has been an extraordinary transition from corporate executive to practicing shaman.

As just one example, instead of right and wrong I now see the interplay of the lessons in God’s teaching, which is here to give each of us exactly what we need in order to grow and develop. We call that life. Most of us learn the most from our pain, so guess what we get? I am more able to accept what is, still wanting to help where there is pain and ignorance, but also am more at peace, allowing the world to be as it needs to be, warts and all.

What you share resonates a universal journey.  Polarity is so ingrained, it invites us to create challenges to trigger wake up calls about reality.  We are inviting ourselves to look in the mirror, to recognize and see through our outdated beliefs.

Describe the most surprising experience you have had as a shaman.

Early in my work, a woman came to see me and as she sat down, I saw the whole drama of her existence displayed above her head like on a movie screen. It startled me at first, but the transmission gave me great clarity as to how to help her. Today I get the same information, but without the movie. (I do miss the popcorn, though.)

Synchronicity is that those who share Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) often shae similar stories. They commonly describe seeing life events pass in front of their mind's eye, like on a movie reel.  It hits we are our own judge and jury.  Interview with Dr. Eben Alexander echoes we choose to return to Earth and complete a mission or leave. Each of us can ask how an NDE changes (or change) us?

This said, what is your mission in this lifetime?

Like all of us, I need to learn to love myself more. Everything else flows from that. Learning to love myself has meant shedding the limiting beliefs that my childhood seared into my brain - what my life to that point had been built on - and accepting things about myself that teachers had taught me and that I wanted to believe, but had little real evidence to support. Making that jump is the leap of faith that guru’s speak of.

At a second level, to further develop my knowledge of the human process and deepen my psychic insights and abilities.

Indeed! Taking a leap of faith or, learning to trust ourselves more, is what we are each invited to do, moment-to-moment.  What also stands out is that we choose our bodies, life conditions and beliefs for specific and important reasons.  Aspects of our self can be in conflict with our Soul. It is up to us to recognize and heal disharmony on physical, emotional, spiritual and other levels.

On this note, one view says emotional trauma does not exist, only energy blockages in need of release.  How does the shaman see this?  

There are events and then there is our awareness and interpretation of them. Events exist on a neutral plane, where our reaction to them is filled with (mostly) fear-driven emotional energy.

Ah-ha! When we are open, different perspectives always shed light. Seeing everything as energy, is like seeing from a neutral place of love and acceptance.  Seeing from here, events are branches of energy flow. We determine the nature of the flow based on our perception, emotions, filters.

Through all your experience, what is your biggest challenge as a healer?

As a healer, my challenge is to help the individual bridge the space between event and interpretation - by helping them to realize that there really is nothing to fear and to come to a neutral space about what has happened. Sometimes this can be induced by external stimuli - like sound healing, drugs, etc. but my experience has been that the conscious process of soul retrieval grounds the individual’s awareness in truth and is far less susceptible to subsequent fear based (ego) sabotage.

Now, when the person has walked the path for a time and has dealt with most of their “demons,” I have found external stimuli to be very useful in integrating and deepening individual awareness.

Wow! Some people question whether true objectivity is possible, whether perception  can exist undistorted by emotion and personal bias. You remind us that all is within reach.

What would you say, is the true origin of shamanism?

The purpose of life on Earth is to bring us to the conscious awareness of who we are. Many (20-30?) thousands of years ago, the early shaman found that techniques such as soul retrieval and shamanic journeying were the most effective at bringing people to that truth. And we have had many years since to develop and refine those techniques.

Now, the individual must be ready to accept the truth, and that is the bumpy road we all travel on in order to come home. Most of what I do is to convince people that I know what I am talking about so they can make the leap of faith into a new space with a certain level of confidence.

We are witnessing hi-story unfold every moment we are weaving our own stories. We have to lose faith in others along the journey to gain more faith in ourselves.

When did deeper shamanic insights arise in you?

About 40 years ago, the door was opened for me/with me by a very wise teacher. I found him inside me. He started me on the path of healing by kicking me squarely in the butt, and I have continued to learn from and follow his guidance ever since. (Not so many butt kicks these days…)

Certain pivotal moments, like huge energetic shifts in perception, remain with us always.

When an individual does a future life progression (FLP), what is the best approach to integrate newly expanded awareness into the present timeline?

There is only Now. If we gain an insight into how we might be, we must work to integrate that perspective into the present. Otherwise we run the risk of getting lost in ego fantasy.

The conflict usually comes for the fact that people are afraid to make the change. As much as we say we want it, we come up to the edge and then pull back. Over the edge is unknown, and based our past experiences, that isn’t a good thing. My task as a healer is to help people to see that taking that step is really not such a big deal and really quite safe.

Right! People are not taught to trust themselves. We each find this within.   

While on the topic of healing, what is the difference between mental illness and spiritual awakening?

Each of us receives messages. A few listen, most ignore and a few hear, but are unable to process or deal with what they hear. They go into feeling overwhelmed. Since psychology doesn’t know what to do with these people, they label them as “mentally ill.” A few of these people are so troubled that they become violent as a protective response. Most of the rest are just lost and need someone to help them find a way out of the labyrinth. Are they more psychically gifted than average? Some are, and that by itself, is a tremendous loss to the society. Now is there another condition having to do with messed up internal wiring? I haven’t seen it, but some of these folks can be pretty hard to reach.

A spiritual awakening involves the individual transitioning from ignorance into self-awareness. So for me the difference between the two is getting information as opposed to being able to do something with it.

And admitteddly, a spectrum or degrees of awakening exist. It is like a range of ibration comes out of us, from resisting to allowing and accepting energy flow to through and beyond ourselves. 

One view is that Earth is a virtual reality Time-ship and everything on and around it is energy evolving in parallel realities. Share your insight of what is going on individually and collectively.  

We are involved in the evolution of our species as individuals and as a group. I see only One reality, an infinitely complex one, at that.

Author Brian L. Weiss, M.D. echoes as much in his book, Same Soul, Many Bodies. I also relate through direct experiences. Evolving into a vision of Unity brings the progressive end to illusions of separation. 

In which ways are Souls stronger after incarnation?

We learn with every evolutionary cycle. That gives us more resources with which to deal with our remaining growth challenges. Some trips seem more powerful than others because we create more turmoil in them (i.e. more powerful learning opportunities).

Hmm...cycles. As timeless wisdom echoes, we have no beginning and no end. Nisagardatta Maharaj said, "Becoming has, apparently, no beginning and no end, for it restarts every moment. With the cessation of imagination and desire, becoming ceases and the being this or that merges into pure being, which is not describable, only experienceable."

When is a Soul ready to create its own universe?

I see the Universe as existing separate from us. It sets the template for Universal Law. We live in the universe and are symbiotic with it. We create our messes and eventually learn to live in harmony. I see this as the driving force behind human existence.

As is the microcosm so is the macrocosm.  As is the atom, so is the universe, so says Deepak Chopra.

Share any experience with or insight you have into Soul walk-ins.

Ego and confusion. (Leave it at that).

If you could ask me a question, what would it be?

How much do you love yourself?

Share anything else you wish to add.

I do a good deal of writing on my web site and would love to invite others to join in - www.rossbishop.com.

I have four books Truth, Healing The Shadow (second edition), Journey To Enlightenment and About Life. As I know postage to Australia can be expensive, the last three are all available as ebooks from my web site. I have also created a series of videos, A Shaman’s Path To Inner Peace, that guides the viewer through the healing process that I use. That is also available at www.rossbishop.com.

A concept I’d like to comment on is that many people hold the church-created view of heaven and hell as external realities - as places we go when we leave to body. That was, in my view, a guilt created scheme to keep the sheep in line.

In my view, hell is the life we create for ourselves when we do not live in harmony with what we have been taught. Heaven, on the other hand, is a place of peacefulness we create for ourselves when we live in harmony with those teachings. It is not a blissful place - that for me, is ego - but it is a place of complete acceptance. There will still be pain in the world, as people continue to get their lessons, but in that place you see the process as perfect and offer to help those who are in pain.

Regarding shamanism - I think a lot of people could follow the path if they opened themselves up to their native abilities. But being a shaman is not an easy path, as attractive as it may seem. People (especially Westerners) can be surprisingly resistant to accepting the truth, because it means leaving the comfort of their egos and the belief structures they have created for themselves. Never mind that this causes them difficulty, it is known and familiar to them. In the short term it is easier go through life repeating the same mistakes.

I could walk around the town I live in and tell everyone I met exactly what they needed to do to be at peace, and only a very, very few would be able to accept that truth. Living in the truth means feeling vulnerable and exposed (at least at first) and accepting that we are not the damaged beings we have come to see ourselves as. That means giving up our ego-based protection and taking the chance of being rejected (again). Until one is really ready to do that, it is asking a lot. The sad truth is that most people are just not ready to hear it. After all, it has been over 2,000 years and we still have not accepted the teachings that Christ brought to us!

Thanks again Ross, for taking time out from your endeavours to share these insights. Leaving off with a quote by another inspiring shaman: 

.. We don’t need to escape from Life;
We don’t need to deny our own Nature.
What we need is Complete Awareness and Self-Acceptance.
We need to Learn to make our own Choices
and finally Control our Will from the Inside.
With that , if someone crosses us,
We just Shift our attention and Recover our free Will.
That is what makes us a Dream master.
Where we Choose to put our Attention
Is what Creates the Miracle.

~ Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

Interview with Carlos Castenada

Over the years, I have interacted with shamans through the post, in-person and in other ways. Each one is a wake-up call. Shamanic training awakens forgotten wisdom within.  Soul journeying and Soul retrieval shift perception and far more. 

Not all shamans reveal true names. They echo we are each a vessel through which energy flows, encourage us to grow aware of how we use perception to lie to ourselves and can all consciously shift our focal point. 

We are each invited to connect with the shaman within, to listen more closely to the heart and let the Soul guide us.  This is about tuning into Nature sounds, the melodies trees sing, the music of mountains, water and Earth. We often forget how to listen to Nature which echoes we forget how to listen to ourselves.  All we are taught shifts our focus away from what we know we are. So, how do we get back there? How is this done?

What you think is lost is never far away. Nikola Tesla echos,'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.' Shamanic teaching happens in varied ways; drumming, ingesting plant substances and other ways sharede between teacher and student.  A spirit teacher enters you life to teach you. You know they are effective when you feel discomfort and gain insight into your blind spots. Spirit teachers are particularly good at reminding you that you know nothing (when you thought you knew everything). Such teachers are also very supportive (in their own way), compassionate (even if it hurts), and very wise. Thye may surprise you with what they know about you.  They highlight lessons you need because they exist to guide your growth into your shamanic potential. 

Carlos Castenada, is known as a shaman as well as other labels yet, widely remains a mystery. He earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology and wrote best-selling books about his shamanic journeys with Don Juan Matus.  As you read or listen to his work, such as The Active Side of Infinity, gain insight into other Toltec practices, you are invited to know or reject the material's authenticity.

According to Casteneda, growing aware of our life force guides us to see we separate life threads or stories.  Each thread is a discrete element, an experience that stretches back in time. We each have ability to recognize and integrate threads of life force back into our being.

What grows evident to the initiate is the shaman's spirit can leave the body to enter the supernatural world to search for answers. The lower world, middle world and higher world are some worlds open to journeying. At our own pace, we each find what we need. Imagining  Dragons reminds us we are a Believer of the world we live in or stop and see beyond it. Come what may, we are all Walking the Wire of Love. Even as we look down from above at versions of ourselves, we still take what comes. How we respond is unique to our chosen path. 

Listen to this Castenada interview with Theodore Roszak and leave comments below.

Carlos Castenada Interview with Theodore Roszak (1969)

 If you could ask Carlos a question, what would you ask? Can you anticipate the answer?

 "The soul is not in the body, but the body in the soul.” — Alan Watts

"Come out of the masses. Stand Alone. Live Like a Lion and Live Your own Life According to your own Light." -Osho.