Equinox - March 2013

Blessings to this auspicious day -
An Equinox welcoming in the spring,
and in other lands,
ushering in the fall.

A time for warming the blood -
Moving the old bones in the heightening sun,
or searching out that hibernating cave.

Whichever way you are welcoming this day,
remember,
it is a turning point.
And from here, nothing will remain the same.
Welcome what this day has to offer,
and feel its blessings
in your heart of hearts.

Blessings!

Re-Connecting - Again....

Am I the only one out there who returns to a project several times to re-invigorate it after leaving it alone for a time? I hope not...

So much has happened - not happened - this past year. I have been reflecting on the initiatory experience this has been, and am aware this is one of those times that my teacher Sandra referred to as "I wasn't sure I would live through".

Well, I am still here and better for it.

There is so much going on in the world today - so much pruning and old vines, and so very much new growth coming from the branches. In the northern hemisphere, spring is well on the way, and the days are getting longer. The cold is giving way to the warm, even in the midst of March snow storms here and there.

I made a promise to myself that I would get my creative juices rolling again after a bear-like hibernation. This blog is one way to do that. So in the next few weeks I will be exploring how to blog on a regular basis, and how to share with a broader audience some of the thoughts and insights I am having. I will also share some things from others who are inspiring me at this time.

Just a bit of news first...

April 13th is my ordination as a priest in the Independent Catholic Church (Old Catholic). This has been a calling I have tendered for many years. So many of my shamanic practitioner colleagues have indicated over the past 10 years that I am a bridge (lol, I've been called worse...) and that I would bring a shamanic understanding to the Jesus Path. I never thought it would quite look like this, but it does "fit" very well. I taught a few workshops on Christ-Centered Shamanism and the resonance I experienced was profound and life affirming. It is being drawn into a deeper level with this ordination. When I said "yes" to it, I had no idea just how profound it would be, and I am very humbled my the awareness of its impact upon my life right now...

In the meantime, if you are ever in Kingman AZ on a Saturday afternoon, come by:
www.kingmancatholic.org

So stay tuned, and I will be posting on a somewhat regular basis... If you want to be on a mailing list to receive this and other creative input, please let me know. karen@spiritdrum.org

Blessings and Light,

Karen

"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Luke 23:34


Many healers I am in contact with are telling me that when they journey on behalf of the Gulf, and connect with different elements there, they are experiencing something they were not expecting. One woman, an amazing practitioner, said that she encountered a large bird that was unrecognizable for the amount of oil and sludge coating its feathers and body. in her journey, she embraced the bird and apologized for her part in causing this bird's agony and suffering.

She said that the bird also embraced her as well and spoke these words to her - "In the end, it is all right. See, I am light also."

What humans are experiencing is a completely non-judgmental, seemingly compassionate response from the creatures they are working so hard to save.

When Jesus asked that those who were causing so much suffering be forgiven, there were those at the cross who were bidding on the garment that was taken from him. He saw and knew the significance of events that were transpiring and the blindness of those to see clearly.

Even as the garment of the Gulf, that pristine beauty and bounty, was bid upon and exploited by the highest bidders, she understood that we simply did not grasp the extent of what our collective actions would ultimately do. And yet there is that compassionate response. "I bleed, yet forgive"

And amidst the travail of the cross, we can hear the words of hope spoken quietly and compassionately, "See, I make all things new."








text copyright 2010 by Karen Furr
Image: Bird in oil: http://skyrider.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/exxonvaldez-disaster.jpg

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows! He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

Isaiah 53: 4,5



Holding vigil brings about insights that many times we miss in the daily business of life. Neil Diamond wrote once :"Dear Father, we dream, while we wait". In the last post, I mentioned the idea that we are waiting at the foot of the cross. During this time, while so many politicians and interests debate who to blame and who to look for to do the miraculous, there are those also who wait, and dream.

Our contemplations draw us into the Passion of the Gulf. We look out over the crucified and come to realize that surely, it has borne the grief of our separation and carried the sorrows of our longing for connection. And we are coming to understand at that intimate level the reality that we are not separate, except in our perceptions. And our eyes are opened. We see clearly that on the cross is the divine, and our hands have joined together in bringing about what we witness.

It is a time of rawness. And we must walk through it even if we do not hold any hope. We must be where we are, and allow the experience to teach us in all levels of our being. That is the nature of wake up calls and hitting bottom. It leaves us as crucified as the one we have crucified. And in that place, we understand our connection. In the pain and stripping away of all that we thought we are, we are laid bare upon the sands of our lives, and it is there that the re-membering can begin to come about.






copyright 2010 by Karen Furr
Photo copyright by media.gulflive.com

(Reminder: The principles I an sharing are universal, although I relate them within the particular framework of Christian terminology. So please relate the information to the spiritual path you are on, and let me know the similarities. Thanks)




Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his or her own way...

That quote popped into my mind this morning, early before the sunrise. The passage goes on to say that iniquity has been laid upon us as a result. I have for a long time regarded that message as saying we are not necessarily "bad", but that somewhere along the line, we saw ourselves as separate from the rest of creation. I haven't done the blame and shame thing in quite some time, and I can't in consciousness attribute that tendency to the Divine Source.

But...
What if we weren't separate at all?
What if that same divinity that lives within us was also living within all creation?

What Isaiah was inviting me to do this morning is realize that we are standing at the metaphorical foot of the cross. Holding vigil and witnessing the agony and death of one (among many) who has intiated us into Christ Consciousness.

In that event 2000 years ago, there were those who were in power and power struggles looking to scapegoat anyone to maintain their power base. There were also those who were unconcerned about the events of that day that would mold centuries of human thought and direction. I imagine a lot of people didn't even know or care what was going on in the City that day. And there were those folks who had had personal experiences with the man on the cross, and were there waiting.

When I looked out over the Gulf in my journey, I saw Christ. And since then have been contemplating that vision.

There is no separation.
Christ on the Cross is the man in Jerusalem.
Christ on the Cross are the people losing their way of life in an instant.
Christ on the Cross is the turtle struggling for the breath of life through the wall of oil.
Christ on the Cross is the oil itself gushing from the floor of the ocean
Christ on the Cross is the entire Gulf region - and subsequently, the whole planet.

And we wait - with the many different thoughts and emotions that we all are experiencing right now.

The difference is that now we know there is always ressurrection and new life. It is our hope. It is the bigger picture that gives us the strength to hold the space now with compassion and understanding.

And we understand that the major factor in all crucifixions is our continued belief that we are separate.

Blessings,
Karen





All blog posts are copyright 2010 by Karen Furr

Journey

In a group I am in, we were asked to journey to the Gulf with the intention of saying what we felt we needed to say, and listening to what the Gulf wanted to share with us. This is a copy of what I wrote to that group...
---
Masaro Emoto wrote recently that his response to the crisis was to speak to the water these words: "I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, Thank you"

When I journeyed to the Gulf, I felt I was witnessing and experiencing a holocaust of the species. I have been doing a lot of journey work to the gulf, seeing and experiencing the region in its pristine beauty and divinity. As I looked out at what I was witnessing, what I "heard" was the experience of redemptive suffering. I saw the oil and the consequences as a form of crucifixion that is leading to a resurrection of consciousness. It was a very poignant awareness of "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us". I experienced this as a prayer of gratitude. That what is being "taken away" is my perception of "disconnection".

So, as I was there, Mr. Emoto's words came to mind and I expressed them:

I am sorry,
please forgive me,
I love you,
Thank you.

Blessings,
Karen





All blog posts are copyright 2010 by Karen Furr.

Is It June Already?

I cannot tell you how many times I have sat down to the computer and thought about updating this blog. These past few months have been busy, and that is not teh best excuse out there.

So I am committing to writing more here.

Sunday, I did a shamanic journey to the Gulf of Mexico. In the journey, I received a deep understanding of the spiritual concept of redemptive suffering. I will be writing about that and other topics, sharing wisdom I have received from others, and generally honing my ability to get what is in my heart out onto "paper".

Please share your thoughts with me. I am interested in what you have to say.

Thanks and blessings,
Karen