Rattling the Bones

In 1996 when I started doing dream time charts and dream interpretations I didn’t expect my efforts to actually reach the most remote corners of the Planet.   At the time, I was deepening my understanding of dreaming, and learning with the help of a teacher the discipline of a traditional, indigenous dreamer.   I was following a dream.   Then, my focus wasn’t so much on who I was going to meet and how big of an impact my journey was going to make; I was more preoccupied with surviving ME:   my journey, my growth, my skills, my thoughts, my emotions etc….. I don’t think anyone ever considers how their personal story can be valuable to others. In fact most people have the impression that nobody knows and nobody cares about them, --- particularly teenagers.   As children our world is entertaining, scrutinized, applauded, reprimanded, and supervised by the adults in our lives.   We reach adolescence and suddenly, we are asked to prove we are trustworthy, autonomous, capabl

By Mary Rose Lessoway (White Dove Wheelkeeper) At this time of year when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest and the days are getting shorter, we get a lot of stories about Ghosts, Demons, Zombies and other dark characters. This is when our society celebrates Halloween by handing out candy to young trick or treaters, watching scary movies or dressing up in costumes and going out on the town. But where do these concepts and rituals originate? Halloween, the Day of the Dead, Samhain and Hallowed Eve all came together on October 31 st when ancient Pagan and Christian customs were merged. Halloween or “Hallowed Eve” is linked to the Celtic festival Samhain, when the door to the Otherworld was believed to be opened so that the souls of the dead could enter this world. This time of year was also influenced by All Saints’ Day, a Christian event which honors saints and the recently departed. The Day of the Dead can be traced back 3000 years to indigenous cultures in Mexi