Pathways to the New Earth

The Transforming Power of Fire

2009-05-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Fire is humanity's oldest ceremony.
The Inca believe we are given seeds of knowledge to plant and these seeds are not germinated in water but awaken in our soul through fire.

Since establishing the prairie grasses in 1988, we have followed the Missouri Conservation Department's guide-lines to burn every 2-3 years. Fire clears out the accumulated old growth while jump-starting the new seeds.

The anticipation for this year’s burn began last November when several women at the Labyrinth Society’s annual Gathering asked to come to the Prairie Labyrinth for a weekend to focus and share our perspectives on death and rebirth. This may sound like a strange request, but not to Labyrinth members.

Walking a labyrinth is sometimes referred to as a "3- fold path" because it aligns with the Death/Birth/Rebirth cycles. Those who were interested in coming had been touched by personal loss or the “death” of some aspect of their lives. Creating a workshop that would culminate in burning the prairie seemed like a perfect fit. After all, a burn is the ultimate expression of death and re-birth.

….And then there’s that saying, "If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plan."

The weekend we intended to burn fell smack in the middle of continuous rains. I began to rethink the Inca belief wondering if "the seeds of knowledge we were given to plant" would have to settle for activation in water.
The theme of Birth/Death/Re-birth aligns nicely with the Mother/Crone/Maiden archetypes- giving us the template of the Triple Goddess for the work we did together. The rain paused long enough for us to enlist the Mother’s assistance to prepare the labyrinth for the fire, raking the heavy grasses away from the wooden posts and benches. That afternoon we outlined ourselves on butcher paper and painted the themes of "our stories" inside of us. We cut out our paper-selves and carried them into the labyrinth to reenact the Sumerian myth of Innana's descent into the "underworld”.

The Prairie Labyrinth has been set up to align with the chakras going from the Root chakra (Red) up to the Crown Chakra (Violet). For our workshop, the order was reversed to reinforce the idea that we were journeying downward to meet the Crone at our center. The Crone is the wisdom aspect of ourselves that can assist us in cutting away the “meat” of our stories that keeps us stuck or in denial. In the darkness we tore our paper-selves up in an act of dismembering what no longer vibrates with us, placing the pieces in a small brown bag and tucking the bags into the tall prairie grasses awaiting the burn to be transmuted.

But Fire was not the element that greeted us the next day. Morning brought a deluge of rain that cancelled the prospect of burning for the entire weekend. As disappointed as we were, it didn’t take long to appreciate the rightness of remaining in the energy of the "underworld" and maintaining a contained environment that allowed us to go deeper and then focus on the work that the Maiden aspect of Re-birth" required.

The women returned home, knowing that the shells of their “old selves” were still incubating in the wet grasses (which mostly involved becoming water-logged clumps of pressed together paper) while they went through their own internal process of alchemy.

Sometimes death and transformation takes longer than we think. It is a process that we can’t speed up because we have our own agenda or it's frustrating, maddeing or uncomfortable. Death comes in many forms besides dealing with the loss of a loved one. You may be experiencing the death of a relationship, a job or career, a physical challenge, a financial crisis, or find yourself in an unexpected situation that you were not prepared for. When the old is gone and the new has not quite emerged, you may be numb, angry, depressed and feel like a victim living in a limbo state. Death has its own timing that we don't control. Each step provides us with choices to make adjustments, to resist, to grieve, to rage, to give up, to integrate, to accept, to reexamine our desires, to hang on - or to let go.

Core changes registers first in our hearts and in our guts. The last to get it is our heads. Acceptance of new awareness’s or realizations percolates upwards, forging new pathways in our minds.

In order for us to move from the passage of Death to Re-birth, we must first come to acknowledge the gifts that are revealed through the loss or the challenge.

When the meat of our stories are burned away in the Crone's cauldron, only the bones of our foundation remain. Beneath the bones, lie the gems.

It wasn't until 2 weeks later, on the weekend of Beltane (and our son, Adam's birthday) that Mother Nature pushed a pause button on the water-works and all the conditions lined up for the burn to happen.

The transforming power of fire that swept the land was one of the gentlest burns we have experienced. There is no doubt that it was one of the most intentional and well prepared for burns, but the sweetness came from accepting the possibility that it might not happen at all. Surrendering to those things we can not change is always a challenge until we really get it- that everything is in Divine order – that there is a bigger plan – and as a friend of mine likes to say, “It all works". It gets easier when we have an unshakable faith that this is true.

Many thanks to the courageous women, my dear friends, who came to do the preparation work on the land. By diving into your inner landscapes and making the inner and outer changes that were needed, you helped lay a foundation of safety and grace for the actual burn to occur.

And much gratitude to the Heartland community who were called to be a part of this year's diverse burn crew, setting your own death and rebirth intentions. I appreciate every one of you and the multifaceted layers that were revealed in your process of igniting, tending and being in awe of the fire.

May we nurture the seeds of our newly emerging selves as the greening process takes hold, steadily accelerating what has begun to grow.

Namaste,
Toby

2009 Prairie Labyrinth Burn Photos

2009-05-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Below are select photos taken before, during and after the burn on May 3, 2009.
To view more on a slide-show go to: http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=prairielabyrinth&page=prairielabyrinth&album=23

Tribute to Nicole Christine

2008-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Fittingly, I chose a Heart Chakra Card for today.

As always, it meets me where I am - in grief - over the loss of a remarkable woman, a sister, friend and mentor who made her transition on Oct.18, 2008.

Nicole Christine was the creatrix of the Priest/ess Process, The Magdalene Mysteries and the New Earth Sacred Order of Venus Templars. She was a wise woman, crone, peaceful warrior and way shower imbued with the magic of a spirit dancer/wood nymph and the purity of an innocent child. Nicole led by empowering others.

She ignited us through her vision, passion,compassion for humanity (especially the underdog) and her love for the Earth. She quietly engaged us with a twinkle in her blue eyes and an unfaltering commitment to her soul's mission. Through Nicole's influence, countless lives were impacted and forever changed.

I was fortunate to be included with a group of 13 Priestess/Magdalene sisters who journeyed with Nicole to Southern France in September 2006. It was a pilgrimage in Magdalene's honor, but it was also linked to a promise that Nicole made in 1,678 BC.

According to a 1999 Akashic Record reading by Maia Nartoomid, Nicole along with two other priestess sisters, and the soul that would become Mary Magdalene, took vows to fulfill their planetary purpose. This purpose was connected to anchoring the energy of the Divine Mother/Feminine principle on the Earth. In the reading it was explained that the energy of the Goddess principle of Venus connected them and that the point of recognition, fulfillment, and dedication that Nicole felt with Mary Magdalene was anchored in the earth at the Temple of Venus.

There are Seven Venus temples throughout the world, but the vow was made in the La Val Dieu region, which is the location of the Venus Temple of the Midnight Sun in France. Nicole's inner guidance was to return there. Because of her on-going challenge with breast cancer, she did not know if she would have the physical strength and stamina required to make it through the trip, but she grew stronger at each of the Magdalene sites.

Our trip culminated in a hike to a place called La Pique, which is the center-point of the Venus Temple pentagram overlooking La Val Dieu, the Valley of God. In living ceremony, we connected with the other Venus Temples, bridging and intertwining their ancient intentions and attributes with our current understandings. We symbolically released the past wounds and patterns of separation and degradation inflicted upon the feminine that we collectively and individually carried while seeding the new light codes of sacred union that we were ready to align with.

Nicole's original connection was reactivated and the next level of service to the planetary purpose of the soul of the Magdalene was charged. This resulted in the formation of the Venus Templars.

Part of The Venus Templar work was to recognize and embrace our personal light codes and to express them in our Light Bodies and DNA while assisting others in accessing, amplifying, and expressing theirs. Nicole gave this description of the light codes:

"These animating light body codes are seed points of our innate gifts, capacities, and passions that are pressing to the surface of consciousness for release at a time when it is essential for us to actualize our fullest divine human potential and co-creatively construct a New Earth."
www.magdalenemysteries.com/venus_templars.html

The first time I met Nicole in 2004, she openly shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer 13 years earlier, but instead of putting all of her time, money and energy into treatments, she established the Magdalene Mysteries and sourced the Priestess Process and Venus Templars. Her priorities were clear to her. They remained that way up to the end when her last correspondence came to us on Oct. 16th.

Dear Priest/esses and Venus Templars,

My timing for returning to the Mother of us all feels eminent, ending my 20+ year dance with breast cancer. I feel ready, complete with my Earthwalk, and ask that those of you who feel called to pray on my behalf and/or to send loving energy supporting that completion simultaneously release me and receive the love and gratitude I have for the ways you have enriched my life and uniquely carry forth our soul group’s sacred work.
Please do not call or email me as I need my energy to consciously transition, if that is to be. Short handwritten notes or etheric transmissions are welcome though! Know that I’m feeling Deep Peace in the Silence and being well-cared for by sacred sisters and brothers on the inner and outer. I enrolled in Hospice (homecare) this afternoon. Hospice anticipates I may have up to two to six months--which is anyone's guess!

Joyfully,

Nicole

Two days later Nicole made her conscious transition.

I was struck by the power of her intention while re-reading her words in the Introduction to her book, " Under Her Wings: The Making of a Magdalene." http://www.magdalenemysteries.com/

"Eons ago, Woman and Man journeyed into time and space to individuate, to explore and expand Creation. We are now on our return journey Home to Source, gathering in all parts of Self that fragmented off in exploration. In this doing and being, we, the Many, bring our treasures of discovery to the One Who becomes more because of our journey, our return. It matters not what you think of what is written herein. Dear pilgrim, it matters only that you re-member and come Home."

Today I grieve, overwhelmed by waves of awe and gratitude for the far-reaching ripple effect that Nicole has created, touching and connecting so many lives. I imagine the release of her light codes, raining down upon us like a meteor shower, blessings the Earth with the magnitude of her Grace and Love. Her body might be gone, but her light intensifies and continues to permeate the ethers, making it available to help us burn away the "dross" of our small, limited selves.

This past week a group of 13 gathered to celebrate and honor Nicole's return to the Mother of us All. Together, we sang a song that I wrote titled, "Ariadne's Call".

Ariadne's role with the labyrinth predates the eighth-century Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur when she helped Theseus find his way to the center of a labyrinth using a ball of golden thread. Ariadne, meaning " All Holy" was worshipped in Crete and other Greek islands as a birth goddess along with her Mother Pasiphae. The mother's role was to bring you into the world, but Ariadne, who was referred to as the "Lady of the Labyrinth", was responsible for tracing the route through the labyrinth to show you the way to the next world.

For those of us grieving, she takes us into the underworld of our feelings - to release, to surrender, to break apart before we can realign - or come together again at a higher level of transformation or before we are ready to follow the return path - back to the living.

For those leaving this world, Ariadne's call is a dance of comfort and joy, playfully, winding them- Home.

I don't think it is an accident that we are called to step into our fullness in the moments when we feel most empty.

Fly Home, Nicole

ARIADNE'S CALL

Oh, I call to the Feminine, the Mothers, the maids,
to gather your love, to lift up the babes.
Oh, I call to the Feminine, returning to Earth,
to reclaim the child within, preparing for birth.

Lift up your gossamer wings to the sky. It’s time to open. It’s time to fly!
Follow the circles your heart song intones.
Unwind the Golden thread to find the passageway home.

Oh, I call to the Feminine, the Mothers, the crones,
to weave the new web, to release the old bones.
Oh, I call to the Feminine that lives in each heart,
to heal the imbalances that tears us apart.

Lift up your gossamer wings to the sky. It’s time to open. It’s time to fly!
Follow the circles your heart song intones.
Unwind the Golden thread to find the passageway home.

Oh, I call to the Masculine, the Fathers, the sons,
to bring down the light, to anchor us as One.
Oh, I call to the Masculine to awaken to your part,
to heal the imbalances–we must first heal the heart.

Lift up your gossamer wings to the sky. It’s time to open. It’s time to fly!
Follow the circles your heart song intones.
Unwind the Golden thread to find the passageway home.

Oh, I call to this gathering. Have the courage to shine.
Merge with the Mystery. Dance, your soul’s design.
Oh, I call to this gathering to be the stars that align.
Ignite the new resonance to reveal the Divine.

Lift up your gossamer wings to the sky. It’s time to open. It’s time to fly!
Follow the circles your heart song intones. Unwind the Golden thread
to find the passageway home. – OM

Returning to the Root

2008-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

The card offering for today is a Root Chakra card. Read the RELEASE and RENEW side and see if this card speaks to anything currently going on with you. Are you aware of old patterns or limiting beliefs that are operating in your life? Do you want to make changes but don't know where to start? During this time of Mercury Retrograde (May 26- June 19th) it is appropriate to go to the "root" of the things that are not working in your life and re-flect, re-frame, re-visit, re-evaluate, re-fine, re-think, re-do, re-organize and of course my favorites - Release and Renew.

Going to the root may take you into your core wounds, but if you have the courage to feel what comes up, you also have an opportunity to re-pattern what isn't serving you in order to heal. Looking back to the root cause is looking within. There are lots of modalities to help you re-pattern. You can create your own Release/Renew ritual by using the elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air or Ether) in your own creative way or re-wire the old reptillian brain pathways by using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT ) or tapping. http://www.emofree.com/

Going to the Root of things by using EFT can be painless, direct and effective. The best part is you can do EFT on yourself once you have the basic understanding of the "points" you are to tap on, but it is helpful to have the guidance of an EFT practioner to begin with.

EFT is the right tool for me to use on myself and with my clients. I am a sleuth at heart who loves the mysterious inner workings that make us all tick. The stream of consciousness that is triggered during an EFT session gives us a map and leads us intuitively where we need to go. Finding and releasing the stuck places that keep us in limiting beliefs or repetitive pain patterns is like finding buried treasure. The reward for me comes in witnessing the jewels that lie within each individual's True Self.

Even if you know nothing of "tapping", invite your inherant brillance to re-veal itself to you to help you make the changes you desire.

Returning to the root begins with loving and accepting yourself - just the way you are. This can result in an attitude shift called Re-newal. Mercury retrograde is more than glitches in your communtications, messed up schedules and frustrating computer hassels. You can make use of the cosmo's support during this time of review to rest, restore and re-NEW yourself.

Namaste

Chakra Labyrinth Cards

2008-05-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Chakra Labyrinth Cards combine two of the oldest traditions: the Chakras and the Labyrinth.

The Chakras- An ancient system originating in India that recognizes seven basic, vital energy centers corresponding with the areas of the physical body, running from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means wheel or disk.

The Labyrinth - A single, continuous pathway, winding purposefully into its center and back out again. One of humankind's oldest spiritual tools, used as a moving meditation for reflection, prayer, problem solving, relieving stress, grounding, balancing and connecting you to your inner self.

The Chakras and the Labyrinth are considered spinning vortexes of energy activated by consciousness. Both have been called a map that guides your mind, body and spirit toward wholeness. Used together, these archetypal patterns of connection create a profound, self-reflective tool to examine and resolve current life issues.
Historically, labyrinths have been linked with death, birth and rebirth rituals as a representation of Life's journey.

The Wak In - Death - RELEASE

Arriving in the Center- Birth- RECEIVE

The Walk Out- Rebirth- RENEW

The Chakra Labyrinth Cards focus on these three life cycles. They were developed to use while walking or fingerwalking a labyrinth, but they can also be used as an oracle of divination.

There are 55 cards in the deck. Seven cards with unique intentions are included for each of the seven chakra colors. There are also five (Magneta) Integration cards that are aligned with the five elements. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether and there is one Centering Card reminding us to RECEIVE what we most need in each moment.

The Prairie Labyrinth can be called a Chakra Labyrinth as it is intentionally laid out in alignment with the natural order of the chakras beginning at Path 1 (Red) Root Chakra and progressing to Path 7 (Violet) Crown Chakra.

If you were going to use the cards to walk or finger-walk the Labyrinth you would begin by randomly choosing one of every color. On the Walk In, you would pause at each turn to read the RELEASE statements that correspond with that chakra path. On the Walk Out of the labyrinth you would read the RENEW statements. These are chakra specific positive affirmations to redirect your thoughts and your energy. You can order your own set at : http://www.prairielabyrinth.com/book.htm

For blogging purposes, we are going to use the cards as an oracle. I will post one new card each time I make an entry, allowing Spirit to guide what we as a collective most need to be aware of for that day.

The front side of the cards display the Chakra Angels that remain at each of the turns within the Prairie Labyrinth. The five Integration or Element cards portray paintings that I have created.
On the back side of each card there are two sets of statements: Walk In- RELEASE and Walk Out-RENEW.

Begin by reading and reflecting on the RELEASE statement. Click on the card to enlarge it.

Reflect on the Release statement to see if it pertains to anything you are dealing with.
Each RELEASE statement begins with the words, I acknowledge and bless...

RELEASING IS ACKNOWLEDGING AND BLESSING
Before you can truly change or release any habit or pattern of behavior, you first have to acknowledge it as part of yourself. Ignoring it, denying it, pushing it away or just saying you choose to release it, only serves to reinforce the adage, What you resist - persists. When you can clearly see your thoughts, emotions and patterns without judgment or trying to run from them, then they no longer seem to run you.

By blessing your shortcomings you remove any negative charge you may be carrying about them, transforming the release process into a compassionate review.

After considering how and if the RELEASE statement applies to you , then read the corresponding RENEW statement. Take in this positive affirmation and make it a part of your day.

The Chakra chosen for today is the THROAT CHAKRA. The color is Blue.

The Map of the Labyrinth

2008-05-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

You have arrived at a check-in station where you can examine a pathway before you step onto it or share a pathway that has worked for you. There are endless spiritual tools, but the pathways to the New Earth mimic the pathways found in the Labyrinth.

They are interconnected, creating a single pathway.

You can't get lost, even though you may feel like you are.

The return path is designed to lead you back to your own sacred center.

One of the most potent pathways available to us is surrendering to the stillness, but "being" is not easy to "do".

When I first created the Prairie Labyrinth in 1995, I was excited to have a walking meditation in my own back yard. I was never good at stopping the spinning gerbil wheel of my mind in traditional sitting meditations. Walking the labyrinth gives me permission to move more than my feet. It provides me with a map to safely wade through the dump of my interior landfill. Instead of trying to push the weight of my thoughts away so I can float into the void, I remain grounded to consciously sift through the junk with heightened awareness and curious detachment- as if I have volunteered to pick up trash along the highway.

The pathway into the labyrinth is associated with release. This gives me permission to reflect on all of the issues, worries, old patterns and yes, even the garbage, that keeps my thoughts spinning. But somewhere close to arriving in the center, a shift occurs. It's as if the vaccuum bag of my mind is being emptied. When this occurs, my breathing slows down and I usually stop or sit down. I don't have to struggle to get to the "void". It encompasses me.

"Being " in the center is being in the state of receiving. Receiving to me means filling up or taking in the fullness that is always here. But I have to be present to receive it and soften my attitude to merge with it. You might identify with the attitude that I'm talking about. It's that part of me that believes I have to be strong or perfect or do it right or have the answers or pretend I am invincible... when I am not. And the wonderful thing is that when my mind shuts up, I am filled up with the Presence that disolves the illussion that I am separate or "doing" my life alone. The weight of having to "figure it all out" lifts, leaving me with simple acceptance and pure gratitude.

The pathway out of the labyrinth is associated with renewal. The reversal of twists and turns back into my life provides me with adequate time to realign with the realizations, the insights, and the truths that have spilled out of my heart to lighten up the path before me.