Magic, Myth and Metaphysics

Co-Creative Gardening 23: Essence of Perelandra

The newest product from Machaelle Small Wright is called Essence of Perelandra (EoP). Somehow, she and nature working together have come up with a way to capture the vibrational essence of decades of co-creative gardening and put it in a bottle. What does this mean? Suffice it to say that over the many years they’ve worked together in that one place, it has become more and more balanced, with a higher and higher vibrational pattern which supports everything there; soil, rocks, plants, animals, insects, humans, even the equipment, in a profound way. Have you ever experienced going into a church and feeling a stillness that is at the same time powerful? Or have you been to a natural place of power, where you can just FEEL the energy? It is something like these two experiences; which are both examples of places especially energized by nonphysical beings that we might call nature spirits, angels, devas, and so on.

So Barbara and I, following directions for Essence of Perelandra, spent an afternoon shifting doses of it to every part of her land and garden, including the greenhouse, the tool shed and all the tools, her house, the compost area, the driveway, the garage, the studio and the hot tub area. The crystal in the center of the garden let me know that it is now transmitting these balanced Perelandra energies as well as the Amity energies and the energies from the blessing work we did, all as a balanced and unified whole.

One of the Faery teachings is about what is called the Primal Land. This is the land as it exists in an inner-dimensional, archetypal, perfect, timeless state; all areas of the world have their inner archetypal counterpart. To experience the Primal Land is to open to a level of beauty and blessedness the goes beyond what we usually know. The closest I can describe my experience of what happened when we shifted the Essence of Perelandra to the entire area in all these “sections,” was that the land felt even more deeply sacred, closer to the Primal Land.

To me, this is integral to what the nature spirits and devas bring to the partnership—they are the ones who are totally aligned with the sacredness of all creation; they embody it as their nature. The more we work consciously with them, the more we also embody sacredness. From this place care, respect and reverence for the land become second nature.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com.

Co-Creative Gardening 22: Using Perelandra Products

Right about the time we did our big garden blessing, I also began using some of the relatively newer products from Perelandra. As I’ve mentioned several times, Machaelle Small Wright has been gardening and creating products co-creatively with the nature intelligences for many years at Perelandra, and the products they’ve come up with make a huge difference in the energetic field of the garden.

First came ETS Plus for plants. “ETS” stands for “Emergency Trauma Solution.” I began using ETS Plus for Plants when planting the starts we had in peat pots, to give the plants an energetic boost as they settled in to their new homes. Even more importantly, I used ETS Plus for Plants when transplanting starts from the nursery, as these plants get much more traumatized being taken from their little plastic sixpacks, even when the gardener is trying to be gentle! The ETS Plus is added to water—what amounts to just a few drops per quart. The energetic pattern is then released into the entire container of water with a gentle shake. As the plants have mostly done very well, it seems as though the ETS Plus has been beneficial, but I must admit to not having had a control group.

I also shifted ETS Plus for Soil to the soil of the garden. This is done by connecting with the deva of the garden and the nature spirits through Pan (who could be understood as all nature spirits combined and then some, in terms of consciousness—“Pan” meaning “all”). They take the energetic essence of the drops, expand them on an inner-dimensional level and release them to the soil as appropriate.

Barbara and I then did a process to shift the energy of the entire garden even more strongly, which I’ll describe in the next post.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com

Co-Creative Gardening 21: Water, Stone and Power

To continue the water blessing of the garden, we had water from sacred places as mentioned earlier, that we were to add to the charged Amity water. I tested to see which section of the garden was to receive which additional sacred water. The Rose Garden section tested positive for “Blended Sacred Waters of the World,” Sea of Galilee and Chalice Well in Glastonbury, England. The Kiwi Garden section tested positive for The Boyne River and Brigid’s Well, both in Ireland. The Greenhouse Garden section tested positive just for Chalice Well water, while the Center area was just to get the Blended Waters mixture. In all cases, I tested for amounts of water to use, and was told to add very small amounts of the other sacred waters into the charged Amity water; from a couple of capfuls into 1/3 cup of water to a few teaspoons into a cup of water, depending on the size of the garden section.

Testing for the order of activities, I got that first we were to open the Directions from the center area of the garden first. Next we were to put each crystal in its place after dipping it in the specific water for that garden, and then sprinkle the rest of the water around onto the plants and soil. I even received information about the order in which to bless the sections, as well as the importance of not moving the crystals once they have been placed. The Center, which I had thought would be first, turned out to be last; it tied all the different energies together. We also included the compost/work area in the blessing, as it is right in the middle of the three sections and is an integral part of the garden’s cyclical rhythm.

When we did the blessing, I felt a big energy shift in each garden section. Each one felt different than the others. We realized as we were doing the blessing that the energies were being “pulled” down into the heart of the Dark Goddess, then released back up through its garden section even more powerfully. The Center pulled all the energies together and, adding its own powerful vibration, made a unified whole that could be felt very strongly along the whole arc of the garden. We felt into how this newly created vibration is embedded in the energies of the greater garden area, Amity as a whole, the surrounding forest, and the mountain itself. Because we had included the Dark Goddess of the Land, the energies had gotten anchored into a much deeper level of consciousness of the planet; therefore they will be much more transformative to the world.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com.

Co-Creative Gardening 20: Charging the Water

The first step of our garden blessing and attunement ritual was to bless water from Barbara’s land. As she gets her water from a spring, all we had to do to obtain some was turn on the tap. We filled a mason jar, opened the 7 sacred directions and a coning that included the Dark Goddess with our inner garden team, and headed to the spot where the water was to be charged, which was the redwood grove that we had previously identified as the center of Amity. A year and a half earlier, Barbara had given her engagement ring from her 53 years of marriage to the land in this spot (see post from 3/19/09), which made it a locus of power for the entire property.

To charge the water, we first realigned with the directions from within the redwood circle. Then we went to each direction with the jar, holding it out for the beings that embody the power of that direction to charge it with whatever was needed. This is always done on an energetic level, and we don’t try to direct what energies get put in, as the spirit beings know far better what is appropriate. The directions above, below and center are held towards the center after facing east, south, west and north. Each direction had a different feel to it as the water became potentized.

After the initial charging, it’s important to leave the area alone for a time, at least 10-15 minutes. We decided to take the truck back to the house and get sweaters, as it was quite chilly. When we returned, I could feel that the water wasn’t quite finished “cooking” in the redwood circle, so Barbara and I did a meditation to connect with the Dark Goddess, who had guided me earlier to include a journey to her in our blessing. This short journey, just sitting in the truck, was amazingly powerful! We both saw the forest with completely transformed vision when it was over. For me, everything was an energy pattern of greens, browns and light.

When the water was ready, we took it down to the Amphitheater to further charge it with the blessings of the Deva of Amity and the spirit beings who live there, as the Amphitheater is the heart, if not the geographic center of the property. This charging brought a high, clear overworld energy into the water. It was now ready to be distributed about the garden. My next posts will elaborate on how we used the water, what we did with the crystals, and the results of our garden blessing.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com.

Co-Creative Gardening 19: The Garden Blessing on Easter

Back in January when Barbara and I first joined together to start our co-creative garden project, I got the message that we were to do a water blessing of the garden, and also that we were to contact the Dark Goddess of the land, bringing her powerful energies to bear on our work (see the postings from 3/5/09 and 3/16/09 for more details about these two subjects). The blessing project got postponed because we had a very wet spell and there were other things that needed to happen right away with the garden to get it ready for spring planting.

As it happened, we got information that we were also to use crystals in specific areas of the garden (see the post of 3/30/09 for the information we got). This task also had to be postponed for the same reasons. Then, in the joyfully miraculous way that things unfold when working with the intelligence of nature, it all came together on Easter.

Whether or not you consider yourself Christian or believe in a resurrection, Easter is an incredibly powerful day. It is an astronomically derived date; falling on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox, which is why it moves around from one year to the next, similar to Chinese New Year and many Jewish holidays. In this sense it is more closely aligned with the cycles of the earth/moon/cosmos than cultural holidays like Labor Day or Independence Day. It falls, of course, in the middle of the glorious resurgence of spring energy in the Northern Hemisphere, when this half of the planet is undergoing the rebirth of the rising sap, the greening leaves and the growing light.

In addition, there is an Overworld, Christ, angelic component to Easter, aligned with 2,000 years of people interacting with the mythos of the resurrection of humanity. The highest ideals of humans in this regard allow a major influx of spiritual energy to flood the earth on Easter. All of nature benefits and rejoices as well. It is a day when those who hold the vision of an awakened, spiritually transformed collective consciousness would do well to meditate on their vision of the Great Turning, because their meditation will be taken up and greatly enhanced by the many beings of light who are able to come close.

So by allowing nature to guide us on the timing of our original intent of a water blessing of the garden, we ended up with a vastly more powerful, transformative ritual than we had originally realized. The next few posts will outline what we did, and what happened energetically as a result.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com

Regional Blessing: West

In Celtic tradition, West is the direction of the great Ocean, which works perfectly for those of us here on the West Coast. The West mediates the primal power of Love, compassion, giving and receiving, the flowing tides, emotion; and is associated with sunset/twilight, abundance and Autumn. When it came time to open the sacred direction of the West, our San Francisco member informed us that she had found the most perfect place. It is a stairway going up a hill in a residential neighborhood, looking directly West. But what a staircase! Completely done in mosaic tile, it depicts an ocean scene, leading up to the Moon Realm, and finally to the Sun Realm—very much in tune with the central pillar of consciousness in the mystical Kabbalah.

We found a spot under a great tree on the side of the hill above the top of the staircase, looking out across the city to the Pacific Ocean. The power of the new Center felt strong at our backs as we sat facing out to sea. Again, I had brought a flat round stone which had volunteered for the job. We opened to the land there, inviting any spirits who would like to work with us, and we charged the stone with this power of the West.

It is said that energy comes from the stars into the great oceans of the world, and flows from them up onto the land, making a psychic counter-flow to that of the physical rivers as they flow from land to sea.  I personally felt the energy very strongly. It seemed eager to get going as I took time to explain to the spirits and guardians of the location what we were doing. Love as a cosmic power is different from love as a personal emotion, yet its beauty and supporting quality is still an integral part of its feel.

At the end of our little ceremony, I said to the tree, “I apologize! I didn’t really ask you if it was okay to charge a stone with this energy and bury it at your roots! Are you willing for us to be doing this?”  And I felt a strong, immediate, clear and unexpected answer: “I’ve been waiting all my life for this.”

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com

Visit My New Website!

I’m delighted to announce that on this first day of the Summer Quarter in the Celtic tradition, my website has gone public. You can visit it at www.DeepestMeaning.com. It has some free giveaways which include:

·         An article entitled “The Three Components of Awakening”

·         An audio meditation download, “Meditation on Being”

·         An affirmation poem, entitled “The Chalice of Inner Being”

In addition, there are links to articles on Earth Healing, Western Mysteries and Magic. The FAQ section answers questions about what I do with people, and of course there’s a link back to this blog. So check it out, ask more questions, let me know what you think, and happy Beltane/May Day to you and your loved ones.

Bright blessings,

Andrea

Regional Blessing: Moving the Center

In our work to bless and attune San Francisco, we had established the Center of our directions in the back yard of my friend and colleague, since we had discovered that her house was actually in the center of the city. Now that she was about to move we had to find a new, public place for the Center. We chose Twin Peaks. It’s geographically pretty much in the center of the city, and has fabulous 360° views, complete with parking and trails. Here are some pictures from our new site.

Before we could establish the new Center there we had to close down the old one, so we trooped out to the back yard and lit our candle, opening to the flow of energies from the sacred directions and inviting the spirits who have been working with us to hold that locus of power. We explained what was going on to them, and pointed out where we were going, as the great peaks were very close by. Some of the spirits would be going with us to the new place; others were local to the area on which the back yard was formed, and would stay there.

Obviously, we won’t be burning any candles on Twin Peaks, so for the new Center I had brought another round, flat stone, similar to the ones I consecrated in the East and South. We drove up to the Peaks and found a perfect flat area that is easily accessible and yet out of the main areas where people were walking. It was near a crossroads; always an ideal place to establish a center. And as we walked around a bit, we found yet another faint crossroads, this time a path in the grass, right where we could work. This felt like a faery/nature crossroads, rather than a man-made one. As usual, we felt we were being guided to the perfect spot.

When we opened out the directions there, we felt the power of being on a high hill in a natural setting. We felt our “usual” contacts, as well as the new ones specific to this place. We oriented everyone to the situation, namely that we were moving a Center and had already established power loci in the East and South. They seemed quite amenable. After charging the stone, we buried it, as it is our usual custom to put the stones into some bushes, bury or otherwise return the them to nature.

The new energy we partnered to create takes the whole project a quantum level up in power by establishing a Center in a high, open public place, from a tree-shaded private back yard. Phew! Our last task was to open the next direction: West. Having West and North be the ones that open with this new Center in place is very interesting: they are the two more “feminine” directions. I’ll continue the saga, our journey to the West, in the next post.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com

Regional Blessing: Moving Our Temple

I’m taking a few postings off from co-creative gardening to continue my quarterly discussion regarding our project of blessing San Francisco by working in partnership with the spirits of the land to establish energetic harmony and balance. This past weekend my colleagues and I had a lot of work to do, because the person whose house we had been meeting in for several years had just received the keys to her newly purchased home. So we needed to cleanse and attune the new place as well as to move the center of our larger city-wide project from her back yard to a public place. It doesn’t do to leave old magical workings behind in what’s to become somebody else’s back yard!

Since our so-called “temple” doubles as my colleague’s living room, it obviously isn’t a dedicated space. When we are going to do our visionary work together, we light a candle and open the 7 Directions, inviting those inner spirit beings who wish to work with us, and allowing through our resonant energy only those with harmonious and beneficial intent. We lit our candle in the soon-to-be “old” house and from it, lit a new candle to take to the new house. Then we went to the new place with the candle, sage, and water for cleansing and blessing.

First we saged, starting at the threshold and including all the corners, cupboards, nooks and crannies—even inside the refrigerator!—opening all the windows and turning on the ceiling fans so that the air could carry the old energies out with the smoke. Then we cleansed with the water. Usually this is done with salt as well: the salt, of earth, pulls in energies and the water carries it away. But as we had forgotten to bring salt, we used frankincense for the earth element. (Like a good Girl Scout, I am never without my compass and frankincense.) This worked! It brought a slightly different feel, but it did further cleanse the energies, and blessed the place as well.

Finally, we lit the candle, and my colleague who is moving said a beautiful blessing over it, shifting the energies of the blessing to a second bowl of water, and sprinkling that around as well. The home felt very different when she had finished! Once she gets a new coat of paint on, it will be utterly transformed and ready to be our new meeting place for magical journeying and blessing work.

Next posts I’ll describe what we did in the public arena.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com

Co-Creative Gardening 18: Conscious Weeding

Let me start off by saying that I could do a whole lot better at conscious weeding. The word “weed” itself has such a negative connotation in this culture. What is a garden weed but a (usually) native plant that happens to be growing somewhere that we don’t want it to be? This plant has a purpose in life and nature spirits connected with it just like any plant that we choose to put into the garden. For instance, the wild morning glory in this picture is considered by some gardeners to be a pernicious weed.

I find all sorts of interesting feelings coming up as I weed. Sometimes there’s aggression and separation: “Just get these #%$&@!! weeds out of here!” (Rip, pull, tear...) Sometimes there’s guilt: “I’m sorry weeds, you see I just want the beets to go here and you’re in the way, so I have to pull you up but I feel really bad about it.” Other times I’m just unconscious; I pull before even really noticing what I’m doing, or I feel rushed and just do it but have a twinge at the same time that I didn’t relate respectfully. I learn a lot about myself this way.

One thing that I never do is to use poison. This is extremely harmful; it totally upsets the balance of a whole area. Weed killers destroy the microorganisms in the entire soil. The nature spirits would much prefer even unconscious or aggressive weeding to the use of poison.

When I’m in balance, I’m fine with weeding; I honor the plants and let the nature spirits know which ones I’m going to be removing soon. A nature spirit of a particular plant is aware of ALL the individual plants of that type, and there are always things happening to many of the plants; for instance cows are eating or stepping on some of them, others are getting chewed by bugs, being bulldozed up for condos, or are under a flood. The nature spirits aren’t hung up about death the way humans are—plants of their type are always dying and growing, like cells in our bodies. However, the spirits do appreciate a warning so they can pull their life force energy out of the plant that is to go. Then our weeding is of no more consequence to them than cutting a bit of hair or trimming a fingernail is to us.  This communication is part of co-creation, showing respect, interrelationship and interaction with the beings whose outer body is the plant we call a weed.

For more information, visit my Seminars page and my Professional Services page, call (831) 212-2168 or email andrea@DeepestMeaning.com