The Prayer The Drum

Its ten to two Friday my second day there and I begin the walk to our meeting suite on the easst side of the complex just past the pool.Im walking in silence and appreciation of the day and the birds when like a sweet breeze from the left side of my mind I realize in my heart I have come home I realize why I have come, what has been missing from life. I hear the faint heartbeat of the Native drums.Five or six women are drumming us into our first meeting with our Teacher Lynn Andrews.We enter the room women are chanting dancing and drumming some hold rattles all are smiling and feeling the Unity of Spirit in the room.I decide to be a simple witness for today, so I sit off on the east wall with a few quieter like minded souls. Two other drummers are in the room and the sound of a low harmonious flute begins to flow out over the air in the room, its magical and very beautiful to feel a part of.This is my first time at a Joshua Tree ceremony. The women were dancing in a circle or trying to.There were at lest 100 of us in this small space. Thankgoodness for air conditioning !! lolol
It was a happy and cheerful beginning.My body began to relax yet my mind still wanted to compare this to other pow wow dancing which is slower and more orderly sacred and with a purposeful type of footing work.This could hve been in any nightclub downtown. I did not feel this a sacred ceremony, as many of the women did.
The music continued, the dancers swept by me, the flute allured me, then something exciting happened for everyone started shouting and giving hooray into the air.Lynn Andrews arrived and they love her!!!She took a seat at the front of the room then began our first lecture on dreaming.At one point she walked around us with a bowl of Christmas lights, its meaning was lost on me.I didn't get the drift of what was actually being represented in its ritual at that moment.Later on I was told the bowl of dreams would stay lite through out the event and our  prayer strings and ribbon's were placed beside it.The lecture covered the history of Josuha Tree and other house keeping notes with a few stories of her experiences.I never grow tired of her stories.They are true.Ive lived  long enough in Native American environments to understand the wonder and ancientness of what she says happened and that the Sisterhood of Sheilds is real.On this account I have utmost respect for her teachings and her work in healing addictions.Healing fear of fear, something that started a long time ago.
So this format was the first of six sessions where we would meet with Lynn and do visualization exercises .This event had the same feeling as a POW WOW . There is a feeling of the sacred with you,in you and around you.You know you are walking on holy ground and at times in the visualizations you can feel the transcendence of the Divine guiding you.At one point I was totally in the moment with a brown bear, my dreaming totem, we walk through a sunny meadow together.I was there! A few weeks before I was wondering about if the bear was my dreaming totem or not??I didn't know it was BROWN and this does have a meaning only to me.
Another time I was deep in meditation and saw my Celtic Grandmother a wonderful elder all dressed in green and woolen shawal.She knew me and smiled at me, I felt very good and uplifted my heart opened and I was filled with Divine light from somewhere in my soul and my mind was clear my body relaxed.
This is the heart and soul of Lynn's work for me.She , The Sisterhood of Shields ad her apprentices can invoke the Divine presence.The visualizations differ, the stories differ, but they all have one common purpose.We are all created in Divine beauty divine joy and love.We are all original teachers and students of this divine love and can tap into this grace,as we need it is our sacred birthright.From early childhood we are taught otherwise, so we need return to our original instinct and begin a shift in perception, then receiving this Divine protector and guidance.This is the journey one undergoes in the Mystery School and has a small experience with at Josuha Tree gathering.Living ones destiny you might say.
My experience throughout these meditations of visualizations was far greater than anything \i could have imagined.I hve been studying for three years online courses and have some experiences with her abilities.In person was far better.
The soft drumming took us off to the supper hour.

The Prayer The Drum

For obvious reasons the names and places where these tales took place are under the sheets!!!!lol
yeFt I feel their humour and human folly is too sweet to the human soul to resist a telling.

Many years ago I found myself the wife to a man in a wheelchair,a truely traumatic time in my life.
For the years to come I would revisit the welfare offices for assistance from time to time.
This one very hot humid July day we needed food desperately,no diapers for the baby, and no car to get to the office.For some strange reason the monthly cheque did not come.There is  a mountain of paper work and me being A.D.D. was probably unaware of a bit of it, or it got lost in the mail, anyway, Im hoofing it over to the Welfare office for two oclock.Its Friday and they say they can do me up a new cheque. Thank GOD we will have food for the weekend!
I walk the two kilometres with the baby strapped to my back,we climb the three flights of stairs.Im having a difficult time what with the no diapers, hunger and very pissed about the whole affair.I walk into the office and some kids are playing near the secretaries desk, beside one of the old cheque stamp machines, not in use any-longer.
Gail says "ok Mrs Manning here is your money, so sorry for the mix-up". I quickly stuff the cheque in my bag and head out the door."Thanks Gail" and off I head for the closest bank to the office.I have two banks because they have different hours and just in case one is closed i can go to another in such a situation.I go to the closest one.
There is no line-up. Thanks be to GOD and all looks like a clean sweep off to the grocery store.But things are never the way they seem.Im next!!
The teller looks at the cheque then at the baby then at me and says "I cannot cash this!!!"
I overreacted with "Oh for the LOVE OF GOD!!! and stormed off to the bank up the street!!!!lololol
Helen a very nice clerk that I had been dealing with for a number of years is cheery as we approach."Hi there what can we do for you today?" I replied "Helen Im having an awful time with this cheque today"!!!"Same time same station same cheque". I bewitchingly retort to her as I pass the cheque to her.
"We cannot cash this cheque for you hon, we don't have this much money in the bank today!!!
She held up the front of the cheque for my inspection, a very clever notion that had not occurred to me.
She continues, "Its made out for 1million,one hundred and ninety eight dollars!!!!! with a tuneful tone in her voice.lololol
I laughed I cried I felt so confused!!!!!
Luck was with me and so I back to the Welfare Office where the secretary had a good laugh and the Director shouted out over the crowd "Jesus Christ that my whole budget for the entire year!!!!!!and then gave out a hoot of laughter!!!!!!
Thats the closest Ive ever come to winning the Lottery!!!!!!!!!!hahahahahah

The Prayer, The Drum

It's a dark ,cool June,3am morning in the underground garage where my daughter keeps her car.The one that has decided not to start for reasons we wont go into here .Im on my way to catch a flight to Phoenix Arizona for the 29th Joshua Tree  gathering with women from around world. Lynn Andrews is a shaman woman of renowned distinction , author or more than 20 books on the ancient teachings of The Sisterhood of Shields. She has a mystery school for self healing and a school for artists who are learning to write called Writing Spirit. For Lynn it all began with a dream and so like unfolds from our dreams.This pilgrimage, the vision quest from the shores of Nova Scotia to Arizona is a dream come true for me and Im not surprised the car won't start.Every good thing has a price.
If there is one person who believes in me its my oldest daughter Kelly. She gracefully wipps out her phone calls a friend cabby and Im off to the airport in style .I am constantly in amazement of her and she has become one of my best friends.
We are ordinary women with extraordinary skills most of which we have honed in the Great Mystery of life.These women who are hosting with Lynn are students of her mystery school. Im excited yet Im cam and sensible for I know not to place anyone on a pedestal and all gifts are equal to Great Spirit?God, Allah, Buddha, Higher consciousness of the Universe.
There is only one great death trap awaiting me in Phoenix which I have absolutely no awareness of. HEAT !!! Unbearable heat and a killer for someone a ignorant of dessert life as I am.
The plane is huge but seems small its over crowded and worn.
The trip to Toronto is without incident and I arrive in US customs where I take off my shoes to be inspected. That,s a first. You can smell fear everywhere.
We take off for Phoenix, the man beside me on the left is very afraid of flying and sleeps.\he is pale and I intuit he has taken pills to allow him some sleeping comfort while flying.The man on my left is talking about his philanthropic endeavors; of he and his wife, who is seated in the isle seat beside him.He speaks openly anout his money, his wife, his connections and all the goods he has shipped all over the world to third world countries.And make no mistake he owns it all. . He is a good man. His ignorance is that he beleives like so many the America is number one in the world, in abundance , in love, in goodness, in grace,in generosity etc. He cannot see the starving in the streets, he cannot see the lonely in the old peoples homes......he is as Jesus said poor in sight. So we listen to him then he turns to a movie and I meditate.
I can see out the window now all there is NOT for me to see.I who just left my beautiful eat Atlantic coast line of Nova Scotia.I see barrren dessert, no trees no hardwoods, no ocean or water at all,.I see sand craters and grid and grid of little houses with pools.