Refinement as a Guide to The Future

When walking a path of Shamanism, it is prudent to work with the Ancestors, and check in daily for their guidance.  There are times when their guidance is not clear, so, to help you, they will direct you to a tool that they can use to communicate with you.  

In my case, today I was wondering about what I should be working on with the teachings that I am doing, and particularly, what I should be doing with the StarTalker Program.  I was guided to "The Ancestors' Path" and told to shake the dice.

 

Two dice images from "The Ancestors' Path" - the Wind and the Eagle

 

The path that these two figures represent is called "REFINEMENT".  Any refining process removes impurities.  The impurities may be in one's self, or in what one is doing, ie. teaching, in my case.

In the physical world, refining may mean constantly improving the process.  The Elder's guide that one must be careful and know when to stop refining because at some point, the refining breaks, and the process also breaks.  

If one is teaching, the Ancestors' guidance is to choose students carefully and to teach from experience and to urge students to learn from experience.  It may also be about using new methods to teach some of the lessons.  My guidance said to continue on my path and to honour the teachings that have been handed down to me.

I hear the guidance and I am grateful!

Blessings,

Judy

Walking Meditation

  

Walking beside the Bow River looking onto Poplar Island where the beavers have chopped down a tree in the summer of 2020.

When I first learned to meditate, based on all the instructions from teachers and from books, I thought that one had to sit quietly, in a lotus position, and push all thoughts out of one’s head if you were going to meditate properly.  Over the years, I have learned that there are many ways to meditate, depending on what belief system you follow and where you are when you want to meditate.

I have learned to love the walking meditation which is an active meditation practiced in Buddhism and in Shamanism.  Walking meditation is not limited to these traditions.  Meditation while walking may seem like a contradiction of activity versus focus.  However, one must be extremely mindful while walking in meditation.  You concentrate on your steps, your breath, and on the world around you.  Mindfulness is part of the strength of the walking meditation.  The steps one takes bring clarity of what needs to be dealt with, or what emotion needs adjusting, and, gives space for a different point of view.  For many practitioners, the walking meditation is a prayer to Nature and to the Universe.

When something troubles me and I cannot seem to get a grip on it, I leave the house and do a walking meditation.  I focus on my steps and my breath and leave the troubled thoughts behind.  Sometimes, it takes a half hour before the soothing peace covers you as you walk.  It make take an hour or so for a simple solution to appear as you walk.  The physical activity helps you work off the tension and stress and walking is just a good health strategy anyway.

Blessings.

Judy

Lightstationwisdom@gmail.com