Rattling the Bones

When I was younger we spent Easter with my aunt and uncle who were Southern Italians. A week before Easter my aunt would prepare the food. The tomato sauce was made from scratch with tomatoes that were canned and grown from their garden. The ravioli was also home made with ricotta and parmesan cheese that came from my uncle’s family village in Italy. The bread, the olives, the wine – all the food was carefully prepared to impress and to please. Once everyone arrived we walked around the living room kissing and hugging every family member whether we knew them or not. It seemed tradition. If we didn’t want to hug and kiss distant relatives our parents would give us the evil eye. It was impolite and disrespectful not to greet everyone. They didn’t seem to care whether or not we rushed through it as long as we said “hello” to everyone in some shape or form. The more creative individuals got the more they received what they wanted... For the rest of the afte...

Sarah and I are sitting at the kitchen table discussing judgments and expectations regarding Shamans. Sarah said that the first time she went to a Moonlodge she listened to people speak about me and expected to see someone much older than I was. People spoke about the kind of wisdom she only encountered when dealing with people with old age (not even). Also they were all in awe with me when I walked in I suddenly had to meet Sarah’s high expectations. I didn’t fit the image she had created. When Sarah talked about Shamans in class other students always said that “real shamans live in the bush.” They can’t live in the city, they can’t shop in a mall, they can’t have a car, and they can certainly not appear on parent-teacher night to discuss the academic progress of their children. Shamans are eccentric, non-ordinary individuals. Are we idealistic or simply absurd when we come up with these kinds of expectations? What are we basing ourselves on considering we have nev...

I’ve talked about synchronicity before but since this is a topic that is directly related to a few passions of mine which are Indigenous Dreaming, Shamanism and the Way of the Sacred Circle – there’s no doubt this subject will be a repeat every now and again on my blog. For those of you who are impressed and fascinated with the topic I do recommend that you go check out Rob and Trish McGregor’s blog, 1111 Synchronicity. They are writing a book on the topic and they welcome your stories. In my life synchronicity is related to Indigenous Dreaming, Shamanism, and the Way of the Sacred Circle. About 12 years ago, I sat down with a Passamaquody elder and Medicine Woman who said to me that synchronicity was the language of the gods. She admitted talking to Spirit, the Ancestors and Creator through the use of it. It certainly made sense to me that the Universe spoke to her with synchronicity but I did wonder how she was able to express herself in the same manner. Do we have an...

Lucky, our Beagle, is 13 years old. I love dogs and fortunately, I’ve had dogs around me my whole life. What I find most difficult with having a pet is the fact that they don’t live as long as we humans do. Like any other family member when our pets die we mourn them and always remember them fondly. I’ve heard countless stories of dogs and cats, and how they changed people’s lives. Recently we found a Golden Retriever that was abandoned in the area. It’s a common occurrence. We live out in the country not too far from a suburban area. It seems that when people get tired with their pets they come around our region to discard of them. I remember hearing about the practice when I was a child. My father used to say that when people didn’t want their pets anymore they used to leave them on the side of the 116 near St-Bruno, Carignan and Chambly. There are still woodsy spaces around the river where deer, caribou, fox, raccoon etc… live. I guess some people believ...

On December 31 st , 2009 we’ll be celebrating a Blue Moon. This means that there will be two Full Moons in December. The Blue Moon is the second Full Moon within the same month. A Blue Moon phenomenon occurs every 3 years. On the Medicine Wheel the Blue Moon is referred to as the “rite of passage moon or the 13 th Moon.” What we understand of the Blue Moon experience is that it refers to major life changes. Moving from childhood to adolescence or from adolescence to adulthood or from adulthood to the phase of the elder are natural and expected life changes. Illness, divorce, death or loss of employment for example are other kinds of life changes that could be referred to on our personal Medicine Wheel as a thirteen moon experience. For the Mayan people 2012 is the end of their calendar and refers to a major life change for humanity. You could say “it’s the 13 th moon for the People of the Earth.” What is incredible and synchronic is that the next ...

On the Medicine Wheel we learn that there are eight major roles at play in the building of community: The Fire Keeper, the Visionary, the Peace Keeper, the Warrior, the Nomad, the Dreamer, the Initiator and the Healer. Once a role has accomplished its task or mission in partnership to all the other roles -- He or She can fairly say: “I’m contented, fulfilled and successful. I have reason and purpose.” Aren’t we all looking for a life story that speaks of usefulness and wholeness? Every role has its place, its time and its unique qualities, attitudes and abilities. One role can not take the space of another role. If a Visionary for example is not present within a circle than there’s a hole where he or she sits that needs to be filled in order for the hoop to be complete. We (as individuals) may possess the ability to more than one role but we usually find ourselves dominant in one in particular. When learning and working with the Medicine Wheel we usually...