Enlightenment

Tomorrow on Wednesday, February 26 at 4 pm PST, Gaia Shamanism is offering our last free journey circle of the month. We will have an open intention with no particular theme, a spiritual potluck if you will.

Feel free to form your own intention in preparation for the journey or consider jumping into the unseen world without an intention this week. The change of approach to shamanic journey work can be instructive.

I will say this about intention, though: it is protective. Intention is protective in the unseen world much as it is protective in this world. But one doesn’t have to know where she or he is going in order to request that Spirit walk by her or his side. It is the summoning of Spirit, not an idea of the destination, that is the indispensable part of intention.

Traveling with Spirit is protective, but not in the sense of having a bodyguard that will keep painful or difficult things from happening to us. Not in the least. Instead, the protective nature of Spirit is expressed in the ways that it helps us to inhabit the larger perspective that is working though our small lives.

With Spirit, our journeys have meaning, and that meaning helps us to understand, to grow, and even to laugh while amid Life’s challenges. With Spirit, we are protected from becoming sullen and embittered people as we are repeatedly pressed down into the dark and fertile soil of Life.

Enlightenment isn’t about bringing light to the darkness. The “light” in enlightenment has to do with weight. Enlightenment means that the baggage-free resilience of Spirit has become our own.

When we find ourselves pressed down—planted—by the action of Life yet again, those united to Spirit learn to trust the direction of things and find they can grow from any new ground. To be enlightened, then, is to be protected from getting caught up in the malignant logic of grievance.

So again, an open journey topic, but do bring Spirit with. If you aren’t sure how to do that, just take a moment to still yourself, get in touch with your breath, your heartbeat, and your feet on the ground. Be divinely present so you can feel the Divine Presence that is always with you. Simply ask. From this recollected place, it’s as good as done.

Do consider joining us for a journey this week. If you don’t yet know how, this is a perfect opportunity to learn. Just email me at anna@gaiashamanism.com.