Fear or Love?

Haven't felt much like taking pictures lately. I've been feeling very consumed with what's been happening in Japan... very alert and very fearful. I already have problems with anxiety, so my nerves have been through the roof the past week or so. It was so very sad to hear what happened in Japan with the tsunami's, and later, what was happening to their nuclear power plants, but full on panic mode hit when I saw a map of the possible reach of the effects of the now 3 reactors melting down. Much more than fearing for my own life, I fear for the life of my child and those I love. The poles have shifted and the world's in chaos! The 2012 prophecies mark the end of our way of life, and the beginning of a new one, according to some. For most of my life I have known that the way our world is "governed" is wrong, and for much of my adult life I have openly opposed it. Capitalism... Civilization... These things will be the end of us, unless we put an end to them. And now more than ever, it's becoming more and more apparent that the end is nigh... But the end to what? It's very easy to get caught up in fear. Change is scary, and change is most definitely coming. I think the scariest thing about change is feeling like you have no control over the outcome. I think many times in my life, I have felt like I had little control over the outcome, having lived through many hard experiences as a child that I didn't have any control over. That's the difference between being a survivor and a victim, coming out of trauma feeling like you still have control over your life, and I have admittedly struggled with that most of my adult life. It is getting easier all the time... Life seems bright and hopeful again, and has for the past few years. Bad things happen, but you learn how to deal with them and move on. You allow room for the beautiful things, when you stop dwelling on the horrible. This can be much harder to do when you broaden your scope to the world around you. So, as I've done in the past when focusing a lot of my energy on "activism", which can in turn, put much of your focus on the negative, I've decided to remove myself from it as much as I can, and focus on the positive... As much as I can. So for now, I've decided to ignore the news about the possible nuclear meltdown/end of the world, and just live my life with as much love and compassion, and APPRECIATION as I can! Appreciation for every last minute of it. Below are some messages of love and compassion from various places that are helping me to cope in these drastically changing times. I want to have some control over what is happening in my life, and the only thing I can change is my perception. The only thing I can really change is me. And I can only hope that that change somehow has an effect on the rest of the world. I want to believe this marks the end of fear, the end to power and corruption, and the beginning of a new era of love and compassion... I choose *love*.

Thich Nhat Hanh: Message to Friends in Japan

Dear friends in Japan,   As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died.   The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.   An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what's most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.   Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.   Thich Nhat Hanh

By: Thich Nhat Hanh

By Catalyst Yogi on February 18, 2011
Mayan Calendar Predictions for 2012 from a Yogi's Perspective

There have been plenty of doomsday predictions surrounding the mysterious Mayan Calendar. Hollywood jumped on board with a 2012 movie linking Mayan calendar prophecies with a catastrophic end of the world. The Mayans tells us that the world will not end – it will be transformed.

The Mayan Calendar is not really a calendar per se but a measurement of the evolution of consciousness. It is depicted as a pyramid that has been divided into 9 steps, levels or waves. Each wave of consciousness contains a focus – what we are learning so that we can progress to the next wave of consciousness.

Here are the 9 Waves of Consciousness with start date and purpose:

1. Cellular - started 16 Billion Year Ago – Action/Reaction
2. Mammalian – 820 millions years ago – Stimulus/Response
3. Familial – started 41 million years ago – Individual
4. Tribal – 2 million year ago – the Mind
5. Cultural – 102,000 years ago – Reason
6. National – 3,115 BC – Law
7. Planetary – 1755 AD – Power
8. Galactic – Jan 4, 1999 – Ethics
9. Unity – March 9, 2011 – Co-creation

In addition each wave is then divided into 13 equal segments that are called days and nights . 1st day, 1st night, 2nd day, 2nd night etc. These days and night describe how quickly change comes to us. For instance, in the time of the Cellular Wave, change would happen at a rate of every 1.2 billion years. The rate of change of the days and nights increase with each progression of new waves of consciousness.

If we go back to the Planetary Wave from 1755 – 1999, dramatic changes in consciousness happened every 20 years. During this wave of consciousness we were learning about power – power was collected and held by few people in the world. Two important markers during this cycle were the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and when corporations were granted by the law the rights of an individual person and therefore not held accountable for their actions.

Since 1999, a great change in consciousness has happened every year. Think of the person you were in 1999? Who were your friends? What were you doing? You are probably a radically different person today. The Galactic Wave (Jan, 4 1999 – March 9, 2011) is about Ethics - everything coming into integrity. Anything not in integrity must go. We are seeing this expressed as citizens of the Middle East tear down corrupt governments. All the secrets and lies are coming to the surface with Wikileaks. Religions, corporations, and public figures are being exposed wherever there is hypocrisy. This cycle is also about the advancement of technology which has played a major role in disseminating information around the globe.

This is why it feels as though time is speeding up. It is actually creation and consciousness that is speeding up with more happening, more being born, in less time.

Starting in March 9th, 2011 we begin the Unity Wave of Consciousness where great change happens every 18 days! Hold on to your turbans – it’s going to be a fast ride. This is the time when we transcend duality – us and them, good and bad into Unity Consciousness. We are moving from living from our mind and ego and dropping into our hearts to remember who we are and why we are on this planet.

There are some differences in opinion when this new Golden Age officially begins – some say October 28, 2011 or November 11, 2011 or December 21, 2012. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I think we can all agree that a great shift is upon us and it is here NOW.

WHIRLING RAINBOW PROPHESY

To the Navajo and the Hopi, the Swirling or Whirling Rainbow Woman is the bringer of friendly rains that nurture the Three Sisters -- Corn, Squash and Beans -- during the summer so that people will be fed. Many times an image of the Whirling Rainbow is  created in Sand  Painting, an ancient Sacred Healing Art performed by the Medicine Clans of those Nations.

The Whirling Rainbow Woman comes from all Four Directions and curves like a swastika covering all directions. The outside of the Sacred Circle is protected by another Whirling Rainbow Woman bending her body in the space below creating a cup-shape to catch the rain and protect the circle. Without the Rain, the Three Sisters will die and the People will not be fed. 

The Whirling Rainbow is the promise of peace among all Nations and all people. The Rainbow Race stresses equality and opposes the idea of a superior race that would control or conquer other races. The Rainbow Race brings peace through the understanding that all races are one. The unity of all colors, all creeds working together for the good of the whole, is the idea that is embodied in the Whirling Rainbow. When all pathways to wholeness are respected by all cultures, the prophecy of the Whirling Rainbow will be completed. 

When I lived in Mexico and worked with the Grandmothers, the Dreamtime Buffalo Society, or Sisterhood, had many prophecies derived from Seers and Dreamers that had come down through the ages.  The prophecy of the Whirling Rainbow was very specific.  When the Time of the White Buffalo approaches, the third generation of the White Eyes' children will grow their hair and speak of love as the healer of the Children of the Earth. 

These children will seek new ways of understanding themselves and others. They will wear feathers and beads and paint their faces. They will seek the Elders of the Red Race and drink of their wisdom. These white-eyed children will be a sign that the Ancestors are returning in white bodies, but they are Red on the inside. They will learn to walk the Earth Mother in balance again and  reform the idea of the white chiefs. These children will be tested as they were when they were Red ancestors by unnatural substances like firewater to see if they can remain on the Sacred Path. 

The generation of Flower Children have moved through this part of the prophecy and some have remained on the Sacred Path. Others were lost for a while and are now returning to the natural way of being. Some were disillusioned and have forgotten the high ideals that gave them life when their hearts were young, but others still are waking up and quickening into remembering.

Grandmother Cisi would look at me with her obsidian eyes piercing my soul when she spoke of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy, and I would feel my heart skip a beat and then fill with promise and love. She would tell me about the return of the Buffalo to Turtle Island and how the herds would once again be numerous. After the time when the Buffalo returned, the generation following the Flower Children would see the dawning of the Fifth World of Peace.

Grandmother Cisi called the beginning of this Fifth World the wobbly pony that on being born would try to use his legs. She said that the wobble would be felt by the the Earth Mother and the changes would occur in the soil and the waters. Inside the Children of the Earth, the wobble would create rolling emotions and feelings that would bring the quickening and the remembering. Colorful dreams would be brought into the Sleep time and Dreamtime dreams of these newborn Warriors of the Rainbow and they would begin to learn how to Walk in Balance. The changes in our Earth Mother would create fear in her children, which would later lead to the understanding and unity of Our Planet--One People.  

Grandmother Berta would giggle when we came to this part of the prophecy because my eyes would be round as saucers and I could not sit still. Grandmother Berta would urge Grandmother Cisi to stop for the day and leave me hanging on the edge of the cliff just to tease me. Cisi would finally begin again and slap my knee to make me pay attention to the rhythm of the prophecy because my mind would be spinning with probabilities and my own projections. I wanted to ask so many questions about how, when, where, and why. I wanted to know details, details . I was twenty-two and very impatient, but I kept silent so she would The Whirling Rainbow will appear in the form of a Sun Dog to those who are ready to see. The Sun Dog is a full Rainbow Circle around the sun that has bright white lights at the Four Directions. The Sun Dog is a rare natural phenomenon that was named by Native Americans. The name is now used by scientists all over the world. Many Sun Dogs will be seen around the time of the White Buffalo, which will be the Sky Language sign that the Secret and Sacred Teachings are to be shared with all races. Enough of the Children of Earth will be awakened to carry the responsibility of the teachings and the healing process will begin in full swing.  

Grandmother Berta would smile with a faraway look in her eyes, knowing that she would be on the Blue Road when the time of the White Buffalo came. Grandmother Cisi would also be in the Other Side Camp, but both promised they would be assisting me in bringing out the things they had taught me when the time was   right. 

Both Grandmothers spoke of the change in feelings the Children of the Earth would have during the wobble or healing process as the Whirling Rainbows permeated their dreams. They said, "Many will remember their purpose for being on this Earth Walk and will learn to develop their gifts to assist the whole of humanity. Truth will shatter the bonds of separation and goodness will prevail. Some details of Earth changes will come into the dreams of those who are being warned to move where they will be safe. Others will be told that their talents will be needed in areas where the changes occur. Everyone will have to trust their personal vision and follow their hearts in order to assist the whole. Each person will be able to use their gifts with joy and share equally in the bounty created by all those working together. The other teachings of the prophecy of the Whirling Rainbow will be released at a later time when more have awakened to the potential they carry.  

In our Seneca Tradition, Grandmother Twylah has taught us many uses for the Whirling Rainbow of Peace. When we are having difficulty in any situation, we visualize the Rainbow of Peace encircling the situation, the people involved, and the disharmony. Then we twinkle our eyes with joy, sending our inner-peace to the situation. In using this technique and following it with ceremony, we place our intention inside the Whirling Rainbow of Peace. 

Our intention follows the Iroquois Peace Confederacy Tradition that uses the Twelve Cycles of Truth to bring peace. The Twelve Cycles of Truth are:

Learning Truth	Observing Truth	Loving Truth	Working Truth
Honoring Truth	Hearing Truth	Serving Truth	Walking Truth
Accepting Truth	Presenting Truth	Living Truth	Grateful for Truth

When we invite total truth into our Sacred Space, we shatter the bonds of separation and illusion that create discord. The Whirling Rainbow of Peace destroys the lies that made the Children of the Earth mistrust one another and replaces the illusion of separation with the truth of unity.

When the Whirling Rainbow Woman of the Navaho and Hopi brings the cleansing regenerative rains to the Earth Mother, her children are also cleansed and healed. When the Rainbow of Peace of the Seneca encircles each person's sacred space, all will walk in truth respecting the Sacred Space of others and harmony of living on Earth will be restored. These Knowing Systems are the teachings of the Warriors of the Rainbow who are Sisters and Brothers uniting the Fifth World and working for Peace.