Somewhere in Temecula Valley, there's an amazing trail to an incredible Sunset lookout point. Mother Earth is a wonder.
Went up here with a friend this afternoon. His spot. I did a little drumming up here after this video, and we picked a little bit of fresh sage (After giving Mother Earth some coffee, paprika, and Italian herbs. Things she can eat.) Enjoy the above 44 second short.
I also said prayers to bless the people in this valley, to bless the ancestors who walked the lands before us, and the first people who lived here for thousands of years. I was praying for peace, healing, prosperity, blessings, and for the health of the lands under our feet, the rivers and the lakes that sustain us, and all life in this valley.
For my friend, I explained the most basic aspects of shamanic cosmology, and that the drum was supposed to help us enter the spirit world.
I asked my guide Charlie (big raven, very wise) to help me talk with the Great Pyramid at Giza today.
It was interesting. The Pyramid was a very old spirit. It thought of me as an infant.
The Pyramid was talking to and through the black hole Sagittarius A at the center of the Milky Way.
Apparently, there are ancient Pyramids on planets all over the galaxy that are communication and energy channels.
The Pyramid had little to say to me. I'm too young and uninteresting to it.
My guide Charlie told me that the Sphinx is an interesting character, but we didn't get to talk to it today.
I spoke with my Sicilian grandmother a bit. We were in our old kitchen from when I was a child. She told me that a time was coming where we would have to learn to grow things like the spices she used to grow outside our kitchen window.
She also said Mom was doing better, but that she'd had a really rough exit.
Nono has apparently moved on to his next incarnation.
Aunt Felicia popped in briefly, just to say hello.
I have to admit, I have a tough time focusing on the journey while I'm drumming. I feel distracted, somehow. It's easier for me to journey if someone else is doing the drumming.
Past: Mannaz inverted - Mankind, the Self, Friends, Enemies, The Social Order. (I see this as society not being on the same page I'm on, not seeing the same big picture as I do.)
Present: Sowilo - The Sun, Success, Goals Realized, Honor. (I see this as some successes I've had at work and in my personal life)
Future: Kenaz - Torch, Vision, Revelation, Creativity, Technical Ability. (I see this as both learning new skills at work, and as getting better at my chosen spiritual path - which is uniquely my own.)
Obstacle: Othala, sideways - Heirlooms, Heritage, Land of Birth. (I see this as the utter chaos the USA is being subjected to. It's like the country I grew up in is being dismantled, torched, axed, and sledgehammered. It will need rebuilding.)
Shamanic Journeying, what I consider a very spiritual and ancient form of guided meditation, is a great way to get answers from the universal subconscious mind that we all share.
I prefer to enter an altered state - "non-ordinary reality" in shamanic tradition - by using monotonous, droning drumming. This is a classic tool for entering a trance state. It also doesn't involve substances most societies are not willing to let pass.
Of course, there's more to journeying than I can cover in this video. This will get you started. There are many books, magazines, and other materials on shamanic journey work. I encourage you to read up on the topic. However, actually practicing it is often the best way to begin learning.
I've included three drum sessions with call-backs here, back-to-back. A lot of people fall asleep on the first try or two. It's natural, especially when most of us don't get nearly enough sleep in modern times. If that happens, roll with it, and continue trying. You'll get there eventually, and get a good power nap or three in the process.
Note: A shaman's drum is often called their "spirit horse." They ride the sound of the drum into the Otherworld. In shamanism, inanimate objects have spirits just as much as people and animals do. A drum is a special spirit, and a shaman's trusted friend.
Find somewhere quiet and comfortable, lie down, and listen.
An overview of the history of the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort in Murrieta, California. Includes things to do at the resort, some information on the pools, where you might need reservations and where not, as well as my personal take on the waters of the pools themselves. I hope you enjoy!
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My second favorite view at the resort - the bathhouse & fountain
Desert Spirit Chronicleshost Dan Stafford interviews author John Hindle regarding a trip he took across the Navajo and Hopi reservations on the way to the Grand Canyon with his late wife in the mid 1990's.
Filled with interesting details about the reservations and the Grand Canyon, this interview is a spiritual tour of some fascinating places that are a part of the beating heart of the Southwestern USA.
They believe the Desert Megaphone is related to atomic testing (military) in the mid-20th century, and they have some very sound reasoning.
Here's a look at the Megaphone:
"Mojave Desert Megaphone" - a mysterious artifact out in the desert between Baker, CA & Ludlow, CA
There have been many theories and speculations about what this is and how it got up on this hill in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
I think Digital Desert's theory is highly plausible, especially when you see this plaque from Ludlow Cafe. (I took the Ludlow Cafe pic in 2023. The Megaphone pic is sourced from Wikipedia)
While Project Carryall is NOT related to the military testing Digital Desert is referring to, it does say a lot about the attitude towards "the power and utility of the atom" that prevailed in the 1950's, 1960's, and early 1970's.
About Project Carryall:
Photo by Dan Stafford, 2023, donated to Public Domain Click to enlarge (Plaque at Ludlow Cafe, Ludlow, CA)
During the first half of the twentieth century, U.S. engineers thought really big. There was an attitude that anything could be accomplished if the right technology could be developed.
