Month: September 2020

We are here today because of the progress made by others. The arts, Mathematics,  Sciences, Medicine,  Humanities, Technologies, the list of other cultural and social systems they pioneer through. These giants are the thinkers and doers shaping the landscapes of our insides, inspiring us to see a bigger picture, expanding the mind, opening the heart and redefining the ecologies that we live in. 

These giants are often not really the defined  by their physical size but in the manner they were able change the course of humanity. Their insights into the progress of a society. How they gave justice to a cause with a voice. The still unmovable force to the challenge, yet flexible to maneuver the obstacles. Their perspective held a becon of light to shine on the yoke of injustice or ignorance. 

The myth of these giants grows as they meet every challenge with a determined action that forces transition toward a meaningful  resolution…. a better way… a just way… just laws.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was such a giant. She fought for equality. She saw her position on the Supreme Court  of this nation as a duty to bring fairness and equality   to the law for the benefit  of  everyone. 

She was a champion  of women’s  rights. She forged the path for many women to fulfill their choices to do what they wanted for equal pay and to have sovereignty over their bodies. Her work set a standard for how to defend and define the laws of this land in order to create the opportunities, growth and to provide protection to the vulnerable.

In the last few years she had become  a bit of a Rockstar in her popularity an icon of strength and determination. She fought for all of us until the end. She saw her duty to keep the Supreme Court balanced during this time of upheaval in this country.

Her body finally gave out after a long life. Like all heros she was human. She understood  the value and weight of that…. The limits, potentials, ways to push beyond what are obstacles  in the mind and society. To make something out of your life that is of purpose and service. Her one life. Her one body could never really do all the work yet she set an example of what could be done with the one you have.

Many of us will grieve her. In that grief we must also stand on her shoulders… used the platform she built for us to continue the progression towards equality and a better humanity. To honor her we all need to not let her work slip out from under us weakening the foundation of progress or vanish in the brutally of the environment we are now living in.

We need to channel our grief into action and support the next generation of giants.

Rest in power and in peace RBG.

Today we take the baton and run the next length of this race….

One of the hardest concepts to convey in my work is the notion of how large the universe  is in the context  of dreaming and visualizing  the potential  for understanding who we are.  The size is so large most people can’t  grasp idea. It is the conflicting diversities of finite and infinite. The shear vastness of space and time. As well as the realization that our tiny view has only a small understanding  of the complexity and eloquence  of its existence.

To comprehend very large things one has to let go of small thinking. For many the small thinkings are the very mental structures that keep their daily world together. Today’s social/cultural dynamics  also help to shape the way the mind is forced to move through complex things without the time to deeply explore. Today’s  technology  also adds to the mix. This processing  of anything bigger, deeper, different, or curiosity producing  more than what is need in the moment  is dismissed as not useful, distracting or even taboo. We can call this the autonomy of ordinary  reality. The mundane. The process of being functional  and productive for usually a greater good or common vision.

The opposite  of this way of being would be something  that shatters the mechanics  of the mundane  and shows the extraordinary…. the magical.  Most people live with an institutionalized filter called religion, government. Or some other power of control that manipulates the gateway to the mystery  and enshrouds this  knowledge in equal parts fear and violence…. because  to know the mystery  is to know your origins and the universe. That is a powerful thing….

Education is the great equalizer it can show the mystery of the universe. It can open the door way to the microscopic  world and to the billions of galaxies  that are accelerating away from rhe center of this known universe. To learn and free the brain from just surviving is the the greatest fear of the greedy, the controlling and  powerful. Knowledge is empowering. With knowledge comes choices and options. With knowledge comes the nuance that allows for diversity and divergent ideas…. knowledge kills the paralysis of ignorance and the polarized divisiveness of fear that leads to hate.

In the wisdom of  great cosmic diversity and the enormous complexity of how things come together  and fall apart in the universe….. The great Whatever… The Power That Be…. created  the scruffy, curious, artists, teachers, mischiefmakers, shamans, and scientists. We asked questions  and observed the many beautiful and amazing things all around us. We saw beyond the mundane… into the mystery and instead of holding that mystery hostage and away from the rest…. Or calling it a Diety to manufacture the prevention of communion by restrictions to a hierarchical class of elites and priests….. We invited all  who wanted to see and experience the magic…..

The problem  though was how to express the largeness of it all. The big, vast, amazing of all it’s beautiful knowns and unknowns.  

Traditionally, people get tossed out of their small thinking when something shakes their world up. Grief. Sickness. Natural disaster. Trauma. Something that disturbed the entire base of ones reality. Something so shattering that it tears the very fabric of what you know.

That tear in thd fabric becomes the door way to other worlds and deeper explorations of the seem and unseen universe. This awakening is also the moment one chooses to be alive and part of this experience of living. The inner language changes from ” I know” to ” What do I see, hear, taste, touch….?” The world grows in size and is less polarized by the taboos of power. The seeking is not to find worthiness but to find deep connections…. the fear becomes curiosity and kindness the vehicle to love.

And from that place of love we find belonging and purpose.

More doors open…. more things become known and the universe becomes accessible…..

It doesn’t matter how big or diverse the natural world expresses itself, it is an all encompassing experience. It doesn’t judge us. It meets us where we are at and invites us in. We are not insignificant nor are we dominant. We are a part of the unfolding mechanism that is nature.

It adapts to us even in our most violent and clumsy attempts to find a way to engage with it. Because all environmental ecologies are complex and evolving they do not react to us with malice or revenge (we humans project feelings of retribution, shame and guilt….)The natural world responds with the persistent drive to be creative and innovative towards renewal and a sustainable survival.

We can never out smart or dominate nature. It is the more divergent and imaginative problem solver…. She will always use what is at hand to create her self anew…..

It has been a couple years since I have offered a formal mentorship program. As this year has unfolded and refolded itself, I have been feeling the stiring of gathering the circle once again.  We are living in a time of change and vision.

All the challenges  of the last few years have tempered my vision to a clear direction. Removed the the obstacles  of doubt. My travels have shown  me a  world that needs the work of earth keepers, shamans, and artists.

The work to be a shaman is more than just a spiritual  practice.  It is the path of  knowing the fire of being alive.   Recognizing the preciousness and potential  of that awareness in order to mediate/navigate the process  to bring balance to the communities  we live in… through bridging the worlds of dreams and realities. This  takes the  willingness  to serve and stoke your inner fire to create, heal, and inspire change for the greater good of the universe.

We find all this in the complexity  and beauty  of the  world around us  and in the mysteries  of the cosmos. It is the exploring of art, science, ceremonies and the innermost places of our mind and spirit as it walks through time and space of this life time.

My mentorship program will be starting in January 2021. The Mentorship is limited to 13 people for the cohesiveness of created a working circle that supports and sustains each individual. The number 13 is also the number of moon cycles in a year.

I will interviewing those who are interested starting in October. The commitment is for one year. For program and application details Send an email to : adhizen@gmail.com

Mentorships

It looks like this wandering Shaman has found a place to land and set up shop. After a challenging year of redirecting, going with the flow of changes and sorting out the next phase, I am ready to hunker down. Process the materials and experiences from my time on the road. My new home will be in Littleton New Hampshire. More details to come….

Starting Wendsday October 7th and meeting every week for 6 weeks at 7pm EST .

Making a jounal can be a wonderful experience into creating a place to store all your ideas, dreams, recipes and other personal writing and drawngs. Books and journals are magical things that humans have been using for hundrends of years. In this course you will design and sew together a beautiful grimore to meet your needs.

This course will be offered on ZOOM and after registrating you will recieve the links and a list of options for your jounal’s materials. Due to the complexity of the course it will be limited to 10 people. Preregistration is required by September 20th to make sure your get your materials for the course on time.

Over the course of 6 sessions your will make from start to finish a leather journal with archival paper. Participants will have a choice of leather color (chestnut, brown or tan….), white or cream colored acid free high cotton content paper, deer antler button or wrap closure, and thread color: natural, rainbow, or black.

The journal will be 9″ x 7″ with 400 pages (200 sheets)

Tuition/Cost for this work shop includes materials shipped via USPS priority: $250