Rattling the Bones

I spent the afternoon in Montreal.   G was looking for shoes and I was the reluctant tag-along.   Anyone who has been to Montreal knows how busy it can get especially during the week.   Traffic is a constant in the city and if you’re trying to find parking, you better be prepared for a few annoying spins around a maze of one ways.   Some of us who believe in Spirit usually do a few prayers before leaving home.   Quick parking is usually a confirmation that Spirit is on our side… J G and I usually park near the Cathedral Marie Reine du Monde when we want to go walking in centre town.   It’s a bit of a stroll to reach Ste-Catherine Street, the main shopping strip; but the “Sacred Site vibe” I’ve always gotten from the Cathedral and its surrounding areas is well worth it.   In Shamanism, a Sacred Site is often another word for a cemetery.   For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been able to pin point a burial ground just by the impre...

In the last month I’ve come across a few people who voiced out a concern toward bringing together Shamanism and Western living.   In two of the cases, the individuals believed that Shamanism was not something you could incorporate at work; or successfully bring home to the family.   Of course I disagree!! What was most surprising was to hear the statement from a student of Shamanism who has walked the path in her Western World, for close to a decade.    When G and I started teaching the Medicine Wheel and Indigenous Dreaming 15+ years ago, we used to tell our students to “leave their Western thinking at the door.”   We had understood through our personal experience and initiations that it was difficult to receive the most out of these old traditions if we approached them with our Western programs and expectations.   Noted: Everyone filters what they learn and what they heal through their cultural, religious and social indoctrination.   Yet...

The West of the Medicine Wheel is where we find the Sun setting.  Here we explore our mortality, we let go, we fall into somber and dream.  I just returned from Vancouver, B.C.   I travelled out West to visit with my in-laws who retired in Port-Albernie a little over fifteen years ago.   I was also invited to give an introductory Conference, in Vancouver to promote our up coming workshop on Indigenous Dreaming, in October.   A few of our friends moved to B.C. in the last twenty years and we looked forward to connecting with them again.   Finally, I hadn’t been in Vancouver since 1986 (Expo) and looked forward to a 2 nd visit.     With four different reasons to head out towards the West -- I can't say I'm at all surprised to have anchored into a journey; which quite remarkably revealed the West of my personal Wheel and it's collective connections.  It will take more then one blog entry to go through all of what I've learnt an...

The title came to me when talking to Lisa about a dream of me working with Elders. I'm not shy to say that I am 63 years old this year. The past decade has been one of adapting to aging in a society which worships youth. We've come a far cry from our Ancestors who respected and honoured their Elders for their wisdom and experience. Today we hide our Elders away in old folks homes as if it is a crime or shameful to grow old. They are often seen as a burden to society. Then we spend a fortune on wrinkle cream, hair dyes, hair transplants, botox injections, plastic surgery, etc.... to ward off the inevitable with every ounce of our being. It gets a little tiring after awhile to fight against nature.  What is the value of Seniors in today's world? It's true that Elders today can't guide the youth when it comes to technology. Maybe  age is more of a curse than a blessing in our modern world. But there is more to life than computers, iPhones and video g...

I apologize for not writing more this summer, and I truly appreciate how so many have you have taken this opportunity to catch up on old blog entries…    It’s been a strange summer.   It started slow and by the time it reached “strawberry season” (end of June for us on the South Shore of Montreal) we weren’t quite convinced it was ever going to get hot.   I was lucky enough to leave for Calgary, Alberta in early July, for a workshop where I appreciated 30 degrees Celsius weather and pure sunshine for twelve days straight.   In the last twelve years I’ve been lucky enough to visit Banff National Park at least eight times.   It’s amazing how much things can change in a decade.   On this latest trip I was sadden by the condition of many of the conifers.   Lots of them were dead, blacken by wind and swinging dryly through live trees like zombies lost in a crowd.   It truly gave me an eerie feeling and certainly explained why forest fi...