During this month I have seen Kiwi’s rally to the poor buggers across the ditch, dodging fires. Thank you. New Zealanders were the first to donate, and Otago was very generous. For those of you that have never seen fires like that, I can assure you its no fun. In 1994 when the fires were hitting the Blue Mountains where I lived, I vowed I could not spend another summer there. For a whole week, we lived with fires about a kilometer away, just waiting for the winds to change and blow them all over the settled areas, all of which are on top of a ridge. The fires can and have streaked up from the valleys and whipped out whole townships. With our ears glued to the radio, we were all ready to take off God-knows-where, with our documents, change of cloths, duvets, food and water in the back of my station wagon- all ready to go. The heat was so intense, I shaved my head. (Not for the first time I have to admit. I was having hot flushes every 30 minutes at the time too, which didn’t help). The sirens on the fire engines where constant. I can’t hear a siren now without it creating a slight wince inside me. The sun was covered by a continual caul of smoke, (similar to what we saw here last week, but much more so), and the smell of it in the air was stifling. At that time Sydney was going up in smoke too, and I had close friends who kept in contact by phone. “Are you all right?” “Yea, are you?” “Where is the fire now, whats happening??” And on it went.The day it rained we were out on my veranda in tee-shirts ” Thank you. Thank You. Thank You!” Well its raining here in Dunedin as I write this and I couldn’t be more pleased. Lets hope they are getting it there too, and that their tee-shirts are wet also.
I have been thinking a lot lately about the concept of positive thought. It has become almost passe to talk about being positive because thought manifests our reality. I have come across people that have become so paranoid about themselves if they have a negative thought that their anxiety levels soar. Likewise I have known people who peer into every occurrence to see if they can see what the outcome will be and whether that choice will lead to a positive outcome or not. End result is often that they don’t choose anything, for fear of the negative.(Actually they choose not to choose). Of course, thats the most negative outcome of all: paralysis. And depression isn’t far behind. The New Age has been rife with affirmations. In fact if you drop a not-so-positive statement anywhere, its not uncommon to be hauled over the coals by a better operator and more righteous follower. Whats more, it is taken as a given that words are an accurate guide of ones thoughts. In Australia, rough-house lot that we are, it is quite common for someone to refer to you as “a silly old bastard”. But before you haul off and hit them, (not a positive look in itself), you have to listen to the tone in their voice, look at the twinkle (or not) in their eye, and see what their body language is doing. The intention behind all that could mean “Hey mate, I really love you and you make me laugh”. A more appropriate response might be a wink or a hug. If thoughts are all that create, then I think we are all in trouble. I have studied this a great deal, and indeed, some say I have a ‘thing’ about it. It all comes down to the definition of belief. If belief is indeed only conceptual, the the proponents of PMA (positive mental attitude) would be right. But unless there is ‘feeling’ behind the words they are empty vessels. It is the feeling behind being called a silly bastard that makes the difference between a friend and a critic. Indeed it goes a bit further still. Based on what we feel, our thoughts can form up in one direction or another, and that in turn directs our actions. When these three aspects of us come together THEN we have a shaped reality. A quick word for this is ‘intention’. It is intention that create for us, not just thought on its own.
This whole split-off way of being started with a bloke called Descartes. He believed ‘I think therefore I am”. Everyone believed him and as a result we all followed like sheep down a road of separation that has lead to the rationalistic, reductionistic world view that has created much of the problem we now face. We have to begin to put things back together again, realising that cutting up a body to find out how it works is as sensible as fighting for peace. We are more than the sum of our parts. So it is with the idea that positive thought alone creates. Belief creates, powered by intention, which fuels our feelings, drives our thoughts and results in our actions. Then when we look around, we have a reality and ask ourselves how did that happen.
So My Friends, if you want to change your reality, you need to go deeper than watching every thought you have and every word that comes out of your mouth.You need to go behind the obvious and connect to what you feel about things.Then you can trace that back to what needs to change that is creating those feelings in you. You sort it, and you begin to think differently. Bingo! you make different choices and the whole picture shifts. In this way you are connected to the whole of you not just the thinking process. Indigenous people were much better at this than we were because they missed out on Descartes. Luck people. My own shamanic path honours the four directions of the compass that are representative of body, mind, emotions and spirit…..together. To be whole, they must be in balance. If we lead with just one of them, things become lopsided. Indeed, it is my experience that PMA can be an excuse for NOT looking at those issues we see as negative in us. As a result they don’t get dealt with. We may say piles of affirmations to change that, but what is undealt with are lessons not yet learned. They don’t go away until we ‘get it’. Oh yes. Affirmations do work. But you have to keep it up or the feeling sneaks out and grabs you again when you least expect it and your back to square one…..saying a million and one positive statements to try to create differently. However, follow the negative feeling to its source, learn from it, accept it, love it and move on from it when the time is right, and the wound is healed. No more negative feeling to spoil your party. So Mates, if you hear me saying a negative statement, it could be that you need to listen for the feeling underneath. I could be telling you I love you in a Ozzie sort of a way. Or I could be allowing myself the privilege of working through my own stuff by going into it for a while so that I can get to the bottom of it and move on. We need to let ourselves do that. We need to let others do that too, and not have unrealistic expectations on them. The moving on bit is the final important piece in the jigsaw, and you can’t do that until ALL of yourself is ready to. One thing is for sure, the magic that creates our reality is a connected affair, not a hierarchy with the thoughts on the top. So don’t stress. It will all work itself out if you give yourselves half a chance and have the courage to go where the feelings take you.
For me, its been an interesting month getting back into the swing of things for the year. As a result I have a shaft of events coming up that might interest some of you.I have articles galore in Soul Cuisine magazine over the next few issues. Pick up a copy at a health food store near you or your favourite spiritual centre. Carnegie Cottage usually has some as does “Spirit and Soul” in South Dunedin. On Sunday March 1st, I will be giving a talk for the Spiritualist Centre at the Wellspring Centre in Oamaru. The topic for that talk will be ‘Connection’ which will incorporate the Munay Ki with our need to connect to the Web of Life: the One that we are all part of. On Friday 6th March, I will be holding a free public talk on the Munay Ki, the gift that has been given to the West by the Qu’ero people of the Andes to prepare our DNA and light-bodies for the coming Earth and Social changes that are associated with the Mayan Calender’s setting of 2012 for the end of this era of planetary development.Call me for a venue but probably it will be Carnegie Cottage.
Following that on from that I will be running the first of three Munay Ki initiation workshops in the first of this years series. There are still two places available in that series. Dates are March 14th and 15th, April 4th and 5th, and May 2nd and 3rd. There will be three rites given at each workshop making up the total 9 Qu’ero rites. They are the Healers Rites, the Bands of Power for our protection through these times, the Archetypes that go into each chakra. Then in Munay Ki 2 in April, the rites gifted will be The Seers Rite, The Day Keepers Rite and The Wisdom Keepers Rite. Finally in May the Earth Keepers Rite, the Star Keepers Rite which seals you for the 2012 transition and the Creator Rite, the final powerful rite that initiates you as co- creator with the Universe itself. Depending on response, this may be the only Munay Ki workshop I offer in Dunedin this year. However, if there are enough interested in going the distance into the next dimension, I will be happy to offer another series later on.
April 26th I am giving a talk at the Mentor Centre, if you would like to come along. My book will be available for purchase at all these events.
In July, I am planning a week of activities in the Nelson region including a public talk, a weekend workshop on the 11th and 12th, and some book promotion. Finally the Shamanic Training Course that I have been asked about is still in the offering. It will most likely take the form of 7 weekend workshops: 4 this year and 3 early next year. If anyone is interested, contact me asap for the Munay Ki, and if you are thinking about the shamanic workshop series, call me for a chat about the possibilities.It is forming up around peoples needs.
Well thats a lot. Hope some of you can find what you want in there. If not, I am available for one-on-one sessions for self growth and spiritual development and just about most things that ail you 
. Call me on 4780977 or email me. Blessings to you all. Sparrowhawk
