I am for women’s connecting and supporting women
My husband showed me a great article on gender politics this week called Why Women Should Stop Trying To Be Perfect by Deborah Spar. Here is some thought provoking tidbits…
Even worse, we somehow believe that we need to do all of this at once, and without any help. Almost by definition, a woman cannot work a 60-hour-per-week job and be the same kind of parent she would have been without the 60-hour-per-week job. No man can do this; no human can do this. Yet women are repeatedly berating themselves for failing at this kind of balancing act, and (quietly, invidiously) berating others when something inevitably slips.
It is wonderful that today March 8, International Women’s Day falls on a full moon this year.
What is International Women’s Day?
Since 1975, women’s right and women’s awareness has been celebrated on this day. It has more emphasis in other countries and less in the US. Continue Reading →
Ivan is a friend and shapeshifter extraordinaire! He is rallying the people near and far to contribute to this world by making changes in their life by living happier, simpler, and more connected to the earth.
Mayan Calendar
For the Quechua people, the indigenous people who live in the High Andes, time is divided into what they call Pachacutis. A Pachacuti is roughly a 500 year interval. When it is said that the Mayan calendar ends in 12/21/12, it only means the end of a Pachacuti. It is the end of the Fourth Pachacuti and the beginning of the Fifth Pachacuti.
Today I have a guest author John Perkins. John Perkins is a New York Times bestselling author of Hoodwinked, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, The Secret History of the American Empire, Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It, Psychonavigation, The Stress-Free Habit, and Spirit of the Shuar.
The World is As You Shapeshift It
By John Perkins
I’ve been thinking lately in terms of how shapeshifting into compassion can be a choice for all of us on a daily basis. Many of the greatest events in history started with one person’s commitment to shapeshift toward a more compassionate and just world for all. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson, Jane Goodall, the Dalai Lama, Jesus Christ, and all the great spiritual leaders chose to focus on creating just such a world.
Recently we saw the passing of the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for combining environmentalism with social and political activism. Wangari Maathai, was the founder of the Green Belt Movement; over three decades she inspired economically disadvantaged women to plant more than 30 million trees in Kenya. Maathai was also the inspiration behind the UN Environmental Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign, which has planted more than 11 billion trees to date. What wondrous trees will be passed on for centuries to her descendants and my grandson’s descendants – all because of one woman planting one seed that then multiplied into millions!
From a shamanic perspective, shapeshifting begins with a dream, an intent. You then give it energy if you want it to truly occur in this world. Action follows. Intent, energy and action: Only when these three human forces are in place can you have true shapeshifting. The shamans believe we are one with everything, including the mountains, the plants, and the animals. Therefore if we are to support the idea of true peace, we must look at a much bigger concept than human existence. We must look for peace and compassion in all things.
Several years ago I was blessed to sit beside the Dalai Lama on a flight over the Himalayas. He and I talked about compassion and shapeshifting. I asked him, “What will it take, your Holiness, for us to have peace?” “Well,” he responded, “you know, we cannot have peace until we have taken action that reflects our compassion, and our willingness to take responsibility.” He then added, “Peace can only come from taking responsibility for all forms of life…all sentient beings, including the insets.”
One of the most compassionate and important things we can do is create societies that deeply honor the earth and all sentient beings everywhere – cultures that by their nature will create a peaceful place for the trees, the rabbits, the spiders, the whales, and the tadpoles.
In order to have peace we must consistently shapeshift away from war and fear, away from greed and exploitation. We must shapeshift into a commitment to end all poverty and instead embrace compassion.
You and I can take one step today and plant a tree in our own backyard, in our community, or at a neighborhood school in honor of Wangari Maathai. Then you and I can plant the seeds of compassion every single day. We can spread these seeds among everyone we meet and everywhere we go in this incredibly beautiful world.
Review of Shapeshifting Into Higher Consciousness
Review: Master Healer and Shapeshifter Apprenticeship
How will you shapeshift?
Often there is someone in our lives that haven’t always lifted us up (i.e., the ex, a dismissive teacher, a bully). In fact, many times this person contributed to negative understandings, and negative self identities about ourselves (i.e., I am unlovable, I am not enough). Their voices in our head keep us oppressed by these beliefs, and often stuck in shame and fear.
What is interesting is that we often wish for and/or seek acknowledgment from this person to confirm our worth. Seems ludicrous?
We all do it. We think: “I’ll feel better, if he acknowledges me.” Or “If they understood, things would be different.” Why do we remain connected to their influence? If it is someone from our past, why do we let them continue to influence us or make us feel bad? It is like we have some energetic cords holding us to this other person, invisible they hold lots of power.
And often this person is in our present. I meet with many people who are trying to end romantic relationships that they know are not good for them. They feel the energetic connection and sometimes mistake its significance. They see multiples sides of the person, since at one point there may have been a uplifting part – even if they haven’t seen this part in a long time. They long so much for that uplifting part, that they can’t set limits on the degrading or disrespecting part. They know they should move on from this person, but they feel this unseen connection and stay, desperately unhappy.
Disconnect those energetic cords that tether you to these beliefs and thoughts about yourself. If you feel like this to any degree about anyone, Day 12′s guided meditation is for you!
Om Namah Shivaya in Sanskirt
For Day 7′s meditation, I used a mantra. I am excited to tell you about the mantra, since it is one of my favorites: “Om Namah Shivaya,” (Pronounced: Aum Namaḥ Śivāya). Om Namah Shivaya is made up of five syllables. Each of the five syllables relate to the five elements; earth, air, water, fire and ether (the shape-shifting element or the element of Spirit). It is said that everything is made up of these elements, so that when put together, the person reciting the mantra is connecting with all that there is. (Purposefully, Tuesday’s meditation was about these elements.)
