I am going to be starting a two spirit south east group--I dont know how I will find the energy or resources--but I feel that in this part of my journey--this is what I am called to do. So from NC SC to GA and AL VA LA etc...-- I am gonna attempt to give Native American (American Indian, First Nation, etc...what ever PC term you wish to use) LGBT Two-Spirit People a voice and a place to speak out and make a difference. Nations, tribes etc...have fallen into the same Eurocentric thinking of the ones who once almost desimated the population and have kicked us out of our communities...I think its time we put a stop to that...its all about Roots and Rights now and we have to make a stand in the South/East.

Let me know if you are interested

Two-spirited people The Two-spirited person is a native tradition that anthropologists have been able to date to some of the earliest discoveries of Native artifacts. Much evidence indicates that Native people, prior to colonization and contact with European cultures, believed in the existence of three genders: the male, the female and the male-female gender, or what we now call the Two-spirited person. The term Two-spirited, though relatively new, was derived from interpretations of Native languages used to describe people who displayed both characteristics of male and female. Traditionally, the Two-spirited person was one who had received a gift from the Creator, that gift being the privilege to house both male and female spirits in their bodies.

 The concept of Two-spirited related to today's designation of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons of Native origins. Being given the gift of two-spirits meant that this individual had the ability to see the world from two perspectives at the same time. This greater vision was a gift to be shared with all, and as such, Two-spirited beings were revered as leaders, mediators, teachers, artists, seers, and spiritual guides. They were treated with the greatest respect, and held important spiritual and ceremonial responsibilities. The arrival of the Europeans was marked by the imposition of foreign views and values on Native spirituality, family life and traditions. The missionary churches' views on sexuality, for example, created many new taboos.

 Many traditions, including that of the Two-spirited were eradicated or at least driven underground from many (but not all) tribes of North America. Once honored, some of today's Two-spirited people have been shamed, beaten, killed, isolated and driven from their homes. Dr. Terry Tafoya, a sexologist, storyteller and diversity educator from the Taos Pueblo Nation has warned, "our communities cannot survive if we cut off parts of ourselves". Along with others he has called for the restoration of the inclusion of Two-spirited people back into the circle of original belonging. It is not an accident that Two-spirited people are once again emerging in their communities at the same time and in the same way that the drum, the pipe, the sweat, the medicines and other sacred aspects of community and cultural life are returning.

 As a result of the impact of colonization, most Two-spirited people, their families, and the knowledge keepers in their communities today, hold little or no knowledge of the many rich and diverse traditions which recognized, valued and benefited from the special gift these individuals had been given. In consequence, Two-spirited people are not able to take their rightful place in their communities. This is a loss to all Native people.

Today Drew let me know that he was getting mass emails from me--from my old yahoo account that I dont use any more. I am at ravenengel333@live.com now. I checked in and all my contacts were gone. And I had about 15 messages like he got that said "great new site"

So if you get email from me--dont open it--its a virus or something. I did NOT send it.

Update--Heading in two weeks for the transplant list appointment to start the process and I have a new diagnosis of diabetes. They are not sure what is causing what, but are sure that the liver disease and diabetes are connected. Good news is that I am getting the diabetes under control and feeling better in that respect. Seems my liver just forgot what to do with fat and insulin. Has nothing to do with how much fat you intake or have on you--thin people get the same type of liver disease--its a metobolic/genetic thing after all.

Anyway--I think of you all often--and some of you will always be very special to me...

kisses and hugs from Ravie

I miss you all and hope you are well...

 

My name is Angela Raven~Heart Cartee~

I am a shell-shaker.

What is a shell shaker?
The definition is one who unites the Native community for its betterment--in the dance they control the beat--the balance. In the community balance is key. Without it the community falls into indifference and is lulled to sleep. So in essence, the shell shaker calls attention to balance—they are the activist! It’s my gift or job to wake them up. When I was talking to Drew the other night, he asked me about what I wanted to do with my life—as regarding my degree. Which I have now decided is to be Communication/double minors in Anthropology and Indigenous Cultures. Two words came to mind—“Roots and Rights” and I think that is the essence of a shell shaker—they remind people of their roots and in doing so make them aware that they have rights and equality. They should fight as Rainbow warriors (meaning peacefully) for their rights. And all in one moment—I recognized that I really am called to do this. In doing so, I need to educate myself, not just with the degree that will open doors for me, but to become the Medicine Spirit Woman that I am. That is what the drawing to make these native figures again was about—I will call them Rainbow Spirit Women and they will all hold the medicine wheel in their arms. Do you know what the meaning of the medicine wheel is?

If not…well;…here it is in a nutshell

Medicine Wheel teachings are among the oldest of First Nations people and are based on the seven directions (North, East, South West, Father Sky, Mother Earth, Centre.
The term "Medicine" as it is used by First Nations people does not refer to drugs or herbal remedies. It is used within the context of inner spiritual energy and healing or an enlightened experience, in other words, spiritual energy. The Medicine Wheel and its sacred teachings assist us along the path towards mental, spiritual, emotional, physical balance and enlightenment.
A basic Medicine Wheel is a set of symbols. It is a
circle containing a cross with arms like the spokes of
a wheel. The four spokes make a path to the center,
The Medicine Wheel:
From the Native
American perspective, the circle is the principal symbol
for understanding life’s mysteries because it is
evident throughout nature: we look upon the physical
world with our eyes, which are circular; the earth,
sun, moon, and planets are round; the rising and
setting of the sun follow a circular path; the seasons
recur in a repeating (circular) cycle; birds build circular
nests; and animals work their territories in circles.
From this perspective, the whole of life appears to
operate in circular patterns.3:4
By constructing the circle of the Medicine Wheel, a
shaman constructs a symbol for a world in which
everything is connected in harmonic synchronization.
The Medicine Wheel thus symbolizes both the
Universe and the working of the Universal Mind as
well as the “little universe” of each person’s own
individual life and individual mind.3
In Native American language, “medicine” meant
power, a vital energy force that was within all forms
of nature. It also meant “knowledge” because knowing
gave the “knower” power to do, to achieve, and
to attain. Because a wheel is accurately thought of as
a spiral or vortex of energy in motion, “Medicine
Wheel” means a circle or spiral of generated power
under the control of Mind.
<a href="http://www.shannonthunderbird.com/medicine_wheel_teachings.htm">http://www.shannonthunderbird.com/medicine_wheel_teachings.htm</a> … and the more in depth definition…

You don’t need to be shaman to use the medicine wheel. The medicine wheel is a human invention, an effort to structure the cosmos around us, and to classify all the different beings it harbors. Some people use special rituals when using the medicine wheel, but you can make your own. Actually they are not necessary at all. What is necessary is a clear mind, clear intent, strong visualization, and strong energy from the depth of your heart. A cluttered mind will make your message garbled, unclear intentions will leave the recipient puzzled about what you really want, weak visualization will send out a message with scrambled letters, and weak energy will not even deliver it. Time and patience also plays a role.
Even if you hardly use or don’t use the medicine wheel, it is good to go over the different sections. It is instructive to know what we are part of a complex cosmos full of life and full of interactions. All of those other beings, realms and laws are part of our life. Realizing this can make our lives so much more meaningful.
The different sections of the medicine wheel are like gates which you can open to access the energy behind it. Know that sometimes you can do no more than open the door and invite the energies into your life or into the work you are doing. Beings which are more spiritually evolved usually will only help when they deem it appropriate. When you contact the energies behind those gates, always be respectful and responsible.
I have made a second page with some informative instructions of how to work with the energies of the different sections of the medicine wheel: go to Medicine Wheel meditations.

The Medicine Wheel
information on the different sections:
Click on the sections in the following picture to go to the corresponding text.

Picture Copyright Dirk Gillabel 2002

The Center

The Great Spirit
Called the Great Spirit by the native Indians, and with many other names by other people, in the center of all is that which has no name, it cannot be described or understood. All our terminology is an approximation of that which brought forth the immense cosmos and numerous beings.
For as much as we can talk about it, the Great Spirit is perfect, invisible, eternal. We can only comprehend the Divine in term of duality, and therefore it is often seen as a dual being, the Father-Mother. Some religions have put emphasis solely upon one aspect, and called it the Father or the Mother. Others who have tried to transcend this duality, have used terms of negation to describe the Great Spirit; it is incomprehensible, unlimited, undividable. It was also called the Depth, the Abyss, to give to idea of something too deep to fathom, something that was too profound to grasp.
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The Inner Circle

Man
What does it mean to be human? Although the human body is animal in nature, and therefore we have partly animal characteristics, we have qualities that are very distinct from animals. The basic human quality is that one has developed the sense of individuality, an "I" to distinguish oneself from others. This "I" or ego is not yet perfect and thus we have to continue to find our way by effort, error and illusions to finally arrive at wisdom. With the development of the ego also came the development of the higher feelings, although it is clear from the present state of society that man still has a lot to learn in this regard.
Man is conscious not only of himself, we can become conscious of our inner Divine Self, that part of us that always remains and shares directly in the divine energy. Man has the unique ability to communicate, create and improve his environment, situation or being in this physical world.
Mankind also has a shadow side. Having lost connection with the spiritual beings who guide humanity, he makes mistakes and by that is able to do great evil. "Ignorance is the only darkness". Uneducated, humans will revert back to the animal level. By lack of the proper education, knowledge and wisdom, he can cause great harm to himself, his fellow humans and to other realms of nature. Man carries a great responsibility, but he does not always know it.
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The Higher Self
The Higher Self is often seen as something separate from a lower self. But that is just a way of perception. As long as we live in duality, we can only speak in terms of duality. So man is seen as a two-part being: one who as a silent seer observes in detachment (the Higher Self), the other who in the phenomena of ego yields to the creative play of life. These are actually two levels of consciousness that co-exist. The Higher Self is the eternal point of consciousness and is pure unity. The phenomena of ego is composed of mind, senses and action, yielding to constant change and impulses. The Higher Self has no boundaries, no limitation. It retains its wholeness and purity throughout eternity.
What we call the Higher Self is what we really are, in the depth of our being. The phenomena of ego shatters our perception of our inner wholeness and makes us see life as an accumulation of disjointed images. The Higher Self, as what we really are, is a divine individuality. It is not out there in the heavens or somewhere else, but right here and now. Divine nature is not far away in some remote spiritual region, it is right here, all around us. Likewise your Higher Self, which is of divine nature, is right inside you, actually it is you. Why do we not experience the Higher Self? It is because our consciousness or attention is always directed outwards, to other people, to objects, situations, to the world. Shifting your attention inwards will bring you more in contact with the Higher Self, providing that you direct your attention to your divine self.
According to the yogis, the Higher Self resides in the center of Sahasrara, the thousand petalled lotus, also called the crown chakra. It is perfectly pure and can be seen by anyone, whether enlightened or ignorant. The Higher Self is pure and changeless, and it is because of it that we are alive.
The duty of human beings is to remember the Higher Self in the midst of all activities.
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Humanity
Don’t we all want to know where we came from? Well, ultimately we came from the divine source, but how did humanity come into existence? Scientists previously told us that humanity was only a couple of thousand years old, now they have extended it up to 2 million. They also now tell us that humans did not evolve from apes, but that apes seem to have evolved separately. Ever more evidence is found, but often ignored by scientists, that humanity was already here at the time of the dinosaurs, which implies that humanity must have come from other cosmic regions. In any case, humanity must be very old, and thus has gathered a lot of knowledge and wisdom, the essence of which is stored in our collective unconscious. It is just a question of being able to tap into it.
As humans we must realize that the world we perceive is an illusion in the sense that it is not as we think it is. Humanity must break through the veil that clouds the inner, divine light behind it, which is the only reality there is. The visible is a mere reflection and we tend to loose ourselves in that reflection, not understanding that we created that reflection in the first place. Looking at the Reality behind the veil of the world, we will discover what the true evolution and purpose of humanity is.
In contrast with animals, we, humans, do not need elemental support (from a deva) on the emotional or intellectual level, but we do need such elemental support for the energetic and physical body structures. The individual human soul would be incapable of dealing with physical matter if a deva would not help him in dealing with physical energies.
Apparently long time ago the devas committed themselves to support and assist the human souls in their physical incarnations, so the humans could go through the necessary experiencing of matter for the sake of their development. Since then each incarnated soul is accompanied by an elemental which resides within the emotional/energetic structure of the human body. This human deva helps the soul to experience everything it has set out to learn during its incarnation in matter. Even before conception the soul connects with a particular elemental which then manifests exactly the right conditions for the soul’s incarnation, and even for the right moment of conception. Later on, the human deva also directs the formation of the body in the womb, and controls all the physical transformations throughout the person’s life. Humans used to have rituals, now largely abandoned, for the transition of one phase of life to the next. This would signal the human deva to actively support the development of a new process. But by lack of these rituals today, the synchronization between the human and its human deva is getting lost, also partly because we have lost knowledge of human devas. The resulting disharmony results in a loss of order first on the emotional level, then on the energetic level and finally on the bodily level expressing itself in physical illness.
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Divine Man
Here is the ultimate destination of man. Having realized every aspect of himself, he has become once again what he once used to be: completely conscious of his divine being. But there is a difference, now he has gone through his human evolution and has gained tremendous experience in the cosmic worlds. He has transformed the darkness that bound him to lower existences into light. He has become enlightened, he has become liberated. His consciousness has joined the divine consciousness. He has reached the point where alpha and omega meets.
You may think that you are still far away from enlightenment, but that should not withhold you from working on yourself.
It is good to remind yourself constantly that in essence you are connected to the divine and that you are a complete being. Even though you haven’t realized it yet, bringing forth the divine energies will stimulate your spiritual development.
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The Middle Circle

The Sun
Don’t we all like the sun? When the clouds are gone and the sun breaks through, it uplifts our mood. The sun has been worshipped in all religions, because it is such an obvious source of light. Even Christ was identified with the sun. The sun created our entire solar system. With the birth of our solar system, cosmic dust came together to form a ball of glowing mass which would throw out the planets in different stages. The sun warms the earth and give it light to sustain and nourish the life forms. The sun also emits solar prana, which the body absorbs continuously for the nourishment of both the ethereal and the physical body. Prana is the vital link between mind and body, because energy is the very basis of life and vitality. Solar prana is that vital and magnetic fluid which radiates from the sun, which is transmitted to man's ethereal body. It helps to keep the body in good order and functioning correctly.
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The Earth
The earth is a planetary body upon which we are living. In the last decades much attention has gone to the biosphere in which all living organism are dependent on each other and form a delicate balance, now being destroyed by man’s egotistic actions. The earth is more than just a home, it's a living system and we are part of it. In the last decades this system has been named Gaia. Gaia is seen as a complex entity that makes Earth into a viable and protective environment to sustain life forms.
People walk over the earth and it is a conglomeration of rocks and stones to them, but men must learn to grasp that all surrounding them is the true physical expression for the Spirit of the Earth. Just as the body is ensouled, so is the earth planet the external expression for an indwelling spirit. The spiritual person must educate himself to see in each single flower in the meadow he crosses, the outer expression of a living being, the expression of the Spirit dwelling in the Earth. Some flowers seem to be tears, others are the joyful expression of the earth's Spirit. Every stone, every plant, every flower, all is for him the outer expression of the indwelling Earth Spirit. The Spirit of the Earth has a different task. It has the task of bringing the earth itself into mutual relation with the other heavenly bodies in the environment, to direct it and guide it, so that in the course of time it may come into the right relations to the other heavenly bodies. The Spirit of the Earth is, as it were, the great sense-apparatus of the earth, through which the earth-planet enters into the right relationship with the Cosmos.
The Spirit of the Earth is a planetary being that forms the personality of the earth. It develops from the experiences all beings on the planet. Thus it is formed from past experiences and does not contain anything from the future.
It appears that the 'Christ Being' has now become the actual 'Spirit of the Earth,' having united Himself with the Earth, or with the former Spirit of the Earth. In order to understand nature, to understand how to work with nature, to understand how to work with each other we must come to understand how Christ lives and works in all of the Earth, in all of nature.
The Earth can still be seen as Mother Earth, as pagans and wiccans do, but it now time to pay attention and experience the higher forces working in nature. Most pagans and wiccans work with the lower forces of nature, minerals, plants, animals, passions and desires. Now that Christ has spread its energy on Earth, human beings now have the ability to reach higher and enter into contact with those higher spiritual forces that work through and maintain the existence of Nature on earth.
Placed opposite from the sun in the medicine wheel, we find the sun represents the heavens above, the earth is opposite and is what is below. We humans are in the middle.
One should also note that the gnomes are spirits of the earth.
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The Plants
Where sun and earth meet, plants grow, given the right conditions of course. Plants are beings which are far behind us in evolution, in between minerals and animals. They have a diffuse consciousness, like a deep sleep, not concentrated or focused as we humans have. Plants are essential to our existence. We need them as nourishment, but they also serve as medicine. Plants bring many ways balance to the physical and emotional body of man.
Each plant comes into connection with the extraterrestrial universe, particularly at certain seasons of the year when spirit-currents flow in from above, from the blossom and the fruit of the plant down into the roots below, streaming into the earth. And just as we turn our eyes towards the light and see, so do the root-spirits turn their faculty of perception towards what seeps downwards from above, through the plant into the earth. What seeps down towards the root-spirits is something which the light has sent into the blossoms, which the sun's warmth has sent into the plants, which the air has produced in the leaves, which the distant stars have brought about in the plant's structures. The plant gathers the secrets of the universe, sinks them into the ground. Just as we find the roots busied about, woven-about by the gnome-beings in the vicinity of the ground, observing with pleasure the upward-striving direction which they give, the elemental beings of the water, the undines, are in connection with the leaves. During the growth process, the plant comes into another domain, that of spirits living in the airy-warmth element. As the gnomes are of the earth element, the undines are of the water element, and the sylphs are of the air element. After it has passed through the sphere of the sylphs, the plant comes into the sphere of the elemental fire-spirits, the salamanders. These fire-spirits are the inhabitants of the fire element. When the warmth of the earth is at its height, or is otherwise suitable, they gather the warmth together. Just as the sylphs gather up the light, so do the fire-spirits gather up the warmth and carry it into the blossoms of the plants.
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The Animals
Animals are the next step in evolution. Their consciousness is clearer than the plants and more focused to their immediate environment, but they still do have a very good sense of the astral or emotional level in their environment. At the same time animals are good in ‘psyching’ you out, that is they can feel what your emotions or intentions are. Man always had a close relationship to animals. Primarily for food where agriculture did not exist or was not enough to sustain man. But animals were also domesticated for other benefits, like dairy products, their hair (sheep), protection (dogs), control of rodents (cats), or for their comfort as pets. We should always be nice to animals as their spirits can affect our well being. The spirit of a mistreated animal can turn against its abuser. Or a well treated animal can become a power animal.
I am sometimes asked if animals have an individual soul or a group soul. Well, they have both. An animal is under the influence of the group deva of his species, but it is an individual being, that is it has a divine spark, an individuality and a personality that sets it apart from the other members of his group. The animal is an individual entity but it has a little developed ego, or sense of itself. In other words, the self-consciousness of an animal is very limited.
On the energetic level, each of the animal species have a specific function and task in their relationship to the earth and to the landscape. Some regulate energetic tensions within an area, others look for the connection between the earth and spiritual spheres. For example, a mole rubs its fur against layers of earth, causing a build-up of power. The generated power becomes part of the earth’s magnetic field. Fish, through their swimming balance the positive and negative charges in water, so harmonizing the energetic structure of water. Birds open us channels on the physical plane which allow cosmic powers to pour in.
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The World of the Ancestors
There is no people that has not or is not honoring their ancestors in one way or another. Although they are not physically present anymore, we feel that their spirit is still alive, and that they can impart their knowledge, power and wisdom. Because of these characteristics, they watch over us as guardians and helpers.
There is also a physical side to the inheritance of our ancestors, especially within a family. Persons who experience no more than what is perceived by their senses remember no more than the events connected with those outward sense-experiences. They can only be aware of such things as may have been experienced in this way since childhood. But with prehistoric man the case was different. Such a man sensed what was within him, and, as this inner experience was the result of heredity, he passed through the experiences of his ancestors by means of his inner faculty. He remembered not only his own childhood, but also the experiences of his ancestors. At one time there was a form of consciousness by means of which men considered not only their own sense-perceptions as their own experiences, but also the experiences of their forefathers. In those times, when they said, "I have experienced such and such a thing," they alluded not only to what had happened to themselves personally, but also to the experiences of their ancestors, for they could remember them. Today our ancestors’ experiences are mostly inherited by certain gifts and talents. For example, the entire Mozart family was extremely gifted with musical abilities. But we still can access the knowledge of our ancestors by visiting such places as stone circles and other megalithic constructions, or ancient sacred sites.
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The World of the Dream
The civilized world has forgotten what the world of the dream is about. "It was just a dream" is an all too often repeated phrase. It is time to realize again that the dream is an integral part of our existence. We spend about one third of our lives sleeping and a good part of it in dreams. Dreams have a psychological function in the sense of balancing our personality by rectifying what we did or did not do during the waking hours. But dreams can be more than that. For the spiritual person, dreams can give clues, messages, signposts for his spiritual path. In dreams, deceased family members or spiritual guides can appear communicating thoughts of love, warnings, or wisdom. Dreams can give access to past live experiences. Understanding the dream world helps us to grow spiritually and increases our spiritual perceptibility.
For shamans and other spiritual practitioners, dreams were not a separate kind of "thing". The dream world was closely interwoven with every day reality. It is an astral realm where one can transform into animal forms, fly through the air, go to any place or any person, and gather knowledge or power. The dream world is a reality with different rules, were myths come to life, and magic is born.
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The World of Cycles
What goes up goes down, what is born will die. Everything in the cosmos happens in cycles. Nobody knew it better than the ancient Mayas. Their calendar had cycles within cycles within cycles. There has always been some consciousness among the peoples of the Earth that their existence was influenced by certain cycles of heavenly constellations. The great periods of human civilization are subject to the heavenly cycles as is the movement of the Earth in its relation to Sun and stars.
The sun goes up and down, civilization rise and decline. The natural cycles were always important for people. They had many celebrations for the equinoxes and solstices, often tied in with other religious ceremonies. One should also be aware that on subtle levels there are energy changes taking place at these times. Cycles are also well know in astrology.
Why is it important to know these cycles? Because each cycle brings with it a certain energy. Knowing what energy is predominant in a given situation can be advantageous. It is like riding the waves on an ocean. When you know a storm cycle is coming your way, you'd better be prepared.
In India the yogis talk about yugas or ages. Sri Yukteswar explains (in his book "The Holy Science", written in 1894) that the sun itself revolves around a center in our galaxy, what takes 24,000 years to complete. But this cycle itself moves around another grand center, called Vishnunabhi, called the seat of the creative power, Brahma. When we are closer to this grand center it is easy for mankind to understand and comprehend the spiritual. When we move away man gets more materialistic. Going through the 24,000 cycle, the sun, and thus the earth, began to move away from the orbital point nearest to the grand center at 11,501 BC. Around 500 AD we reached the point farthest away from the grand center. This made it such that the intellectual power of man was so diminished that he no longer could comprehend anything beyond the gross material aspect of creation. Since that time the sun in its orbit is again moving back toward and coming nearer to the grand center, thus the intellectual power of humanity is on the upswing, and the world is reaching out once again for spiritual knowledge. (There always are a few individuals who are able to transcend the limitations of time and have higher levels of consciousness.)
This 24,000 equinoctial cycle is divided into 12 periods or yugas. It also goes through the twelve signs of the zodiac, each having its own particular influence on the civilizations on earth. If you think 24,000 years is a long time, think again: the yogis talk about a universal cycle that is 4,300,560,000 years long, and the life span of the whole universe is 14,159,000,000,000 solar years.
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The World of Movement
Everything in the cosmos is in movement. We move over the earth. The earth moves around the sun, the solar system moves around the galactic center. Our galaxy moves around a cosmic center. There is not one point that is absolutely still. The first act of creation was movement in space, or space in movement. It is up to the spiritual seeker to find the order in movement, because all movement happens along certain paths, along certain energy lines like the flow of a river through the landscape. A plant grows from seed to flower, it has to grow according to the blueprint stored in the DNA of its seed. Everything moves about in a certain direction.
People in the past have intuitively felt it, and talked about ‘fate’ or ‘the will of god’. Most people go along with the natural processes, which go through birth, growing up, sickness, death. But inside us is another movement that will bring us back to the divine. By paying attention to this inner movement the true spiritual seeker is not ruled by fate but creates his own destiny.
To help people sort out how the cosmos moves, the Chinese created the I Ching (The Book of Change). I Ching means change, changing in accord with time. Although the I Ching is primarily used for divination, it is actually meant as a frame work for contemplative practices of how oneself or situations are moving ahead according to cosmic laws. By acting accordingly one can live in harmony with the flow of life. This requires an openness and tranquility, a freedom from preoccupation and agitation which allows man to effectively deal with change. One needs to be quite and listen to the flow of nature, because ignoring nature’s way of change only causes resistance, resulting in frustration and pain.
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The Outer Circle

The Spirit of Stars
All suns or stars are manifestations of star logoi. These star beings are the primary formative forces of our Universe. They not only create the stars themselves but also the solar systems that go with them. They create worlds in which numerous life forms can develop. The star logos is the being who manifested the solar system.
Archangels are its helpers and are residing in the central sun or star. Archangels can inhale and exhale warmth, fire, and thus they are called the Spirits of Fire. The highest evolved spirit who was on our sun as Fire Spirit, is Christ who today is still active upon the Earth, with very highly evolved consciousness.
The archangels also take part in influencing the form of stars, planets, matter and nature forces. They are called the Builders because they develop every form that has consciousness of life.
The solar or stellar logos guides the evolution of the solar system, and the evolution of the races of mankind is connected with the hierarchy of the Archangels.
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The Spirit of Planets
We already touched upon the idea of the spirit of the earth when we spoke about the Earth. Each planet has a planetary spirit, sometimes called a planetary logos, a spiritual being who manifest the planet and all life on it.
We also should take into account that the physical matter and minerals of planets are formed by their corresponding devas, spirits, or angels, throughout the universe. They know how to structure cosmic energies in well defined patterns and make them coherent and physical, and thus create all physical matter in the universe, be it planets, moons, asteroids and so on.
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The Spirit of Plants
Plant spirits or devas are usually known with their traditional names or appearances: elves, fairies… Like all devas they do not have form, they are more like vortex energies, but they will take the form people like to see them in. They have awareness of the blue-print of how a particular plant may evolve. Nowadays one could say that they know perfectly what is in the DNA of that plant. They help the plant grow along the information contained in that DNA. But they do more than that, they provide the plant with the necessary energies to grow. They are actually building the plant. There are tiny plant devas that are responsible for only a part of the plant, like the flowers, and devas that take care of the entire plant. They all work together in unison. There also more developed devas that encompass an entire garden or even a landscape.
A gardener might as well be aware of the plant devas, as they are always open to work with humans. Being aware of them every time you are in the garden, will certainly attract their attention.
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The Spirit of Animals
Like plants, animals too have a collective spirit, or deva. We usually call them power animals. Learning the qualities of your power animal can help you understand your own emotional energies, as animals act primarily on the emotional level. Animals have a lot of specialized skills, and a power animal thus can help us to develop that skill everyday life. There is a lot of information on the market about power animals, so I will not go further into it. To give you an idea about the power involved. I once read a story of a rattle snake skin. The person who received it developed all the symptoms of a rattle snake poison, it disappeared when he gave it back. However, the spirit of animals can also help us.
The group-ego, or deva, of the animal stretches out all over the planet. These group-egos are wise, but one thing they have not yet gotten: they have no knowledge of love. Only in man is wisdom found in his individuality together with love. In the group-ego of the animals no love is present; love is found only in the single animal. What underlies the whole animal-group as wise arrangements is quite devoid of love. In the physical world below, the animal has love; but above, on the astral plane, where the animal devas reside, it has wisdom.
The devas who are associated with the animals try to educate the animals in the coordination of their emotionally polarized consciousness of individuality with impulses from the group soul. This plants a seed within the animals for their future ‘personality’ and their path to individuation.
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The Spirit of Enlightened Beings
We usually call enlightened beings master, but what does it mean? A master is one who has achieved self-mastery, that is, he masters every aspect on every levels of the being he is. Mastery over oneself also brings mastery over the universe, there is no separation between the beings and the universe they created. Masters are also devoid of the ego-principle and its upward rising personal desires. The divine shines through them, and what they do is for the sake of other living beings, as they have given up all ego-related characteristics. An enlightened being is a being who is completely free from the darkness of ignorance.
Enlightened beings can join the Divine and become one with it, or they can renounce this ultimate dissolution into the Source, and become Bodhisattvas in order to help others attain enlightenment. They devote all their power and energy to saving suffering beings in this world.
Enlightened beings work on all the spiritual levels of the universe, but they can also manifest in physical form, and thus appear to us. But contact can also happen in heightened state of awareness, as with meditation. Sometimes they appear as Deities, sometimes as humans, sometimes as non-humans. Sometimes they appear as Buddhist Teachers, sometimes non-Buddhist Teachers, sometimes as crazy people or even as seemingly evil people, and sometimes as inanimate objects.
Can one ask to come into contact with a master, or ask for his blessings, or a favor? Yes, you can ask, but you won’t always get a reply. First of all your prayer has to be utterly sincere, straight from the heart. Second, if a master decide to help you, help comes more often than not in other ways than we expect. With our limited consciousness we are ignorant of a lot of energies that are at work in our lives. The master has a complete overview of who you are and what you really need. He will help you in a way that is best for you from the divine point of view, or from your higher self point of view. That is often very different than what our little egos want.
You should also realize that you too can realize the enlightenment of your own inner being, just as the Masters have done. It might take more time as we all go on our own pace.
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The Spirit of the Dream World
Plants have group consciousness, a central being that governs the existence and growth cycles that particular plant. These beings are generally called devas. For example, the deva of a spruce will govern the existence of spruce trees. Some people are able to contact these devas, as did the original founders of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. With the help of devas they were able to grow large and healthy vegetables in poor soil.
Devas are astral beings mostly interested in the processes of nature, but they are generally willing to help humans. They can create sounds, music and singing that creates a positive atmosphere both in nature and around humans. Devas are always conscious of their cosmic environment and like to create. They don’t have a need to learn as we humans do, instead they have an instinctive ‘knowing’ of cosmic patterns, relations and harmonies. They live fully in the moment, fully concentrated, in unison with the cosmic energy they are working with. By themselves they do not have a form -they look like vortexes- but they usually do take one when humans interact with them.
The devas are the builders of our world. Embodiments of creative intelligence, they wield or transmute energy into increasingly more ‘physical’ structures (including emotional and mental structures), and finally into matter. They hold the archetypal patterns of all form. They build vehicles for for the expression of life on all levels. As builders of life, they have long inhabited our planet. In fact they formed planetary life. As controllers of natural systems and agents for creation’s patterns, they are immensely powerful.
Although devas are fully individual, they do not mind loosing their individuality and merging into the whole. The oneness of life is a consciousness in which they happily have their being. When conveying messages to humans, an individual deva may speak, or a host of them, it doesn’t matter to them.
The important difference between Humans and Devas is that we are multifaceted beings, and our evolutionary path is towards the diversity numerous experiences provide, in order to refine the quality of our consciousness This is as opposed to the Devic evolution which is progressing to singular specialization, in order to perfect their form. Man is becoming individual by growing away from the group mind of Humanity, and learning to include all the varieties of his conscious experiences within his own individuality.
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The Spirit of the Cosmic Laws
Cosmic laws are the characteristics of the One Universal Mind in operation throughout the whole universe. Scientists talk about the physical laws of nature, but there are other laws that apply on each of the spiritual planes. When we consider the laws and forces of the universe, we cannot separate them from the beings that embody or personify them. Cosmic laws are actually the expression of Great Cosmic Intelligences. Cosmic laws are merely the nature and behavior of the one Universal Being expressing itself through Its many facets. Everything is governed and controlled by Cosmic laws. These laws are always working whether we are conscious of them or not. The more we know of these laws, the more we will understand ourselves and all life. By knowing the causes of those effects, by tracing the causation of life's manifold manifestation, we may begin to learn the nature of certain Cosmic laws and learn to abide by them, and even apply or tap in to them for our own benefit. By so doing we may overcome or avoid the many unnecessary, excessive hardships and struggles in life. We, in fact, become the co-creators with God, masters of life. By knowing, understanding, and applying Cosmic laws in a positive, constructive, and creative manner we automatically promote our spiritual growth and evolution. Knowing the cause of our problems by understanding the Cosmic laws and principles involved, we learn to take proper control and direction of our lives.
In order to fathom or probe the nature of Cosmic laws, or to prove their reality, it would take intense meditation, contemplation, and experimentation upon them. Most of the time acquiring metaphysical knowledge is dependent upon revelation from the Mind of God and the Divine Beings. It does not always depend upon the rational mind of man which is limited in its scope of functioning.
Cosmic laws are immutable. They are unchangeable. As Carl Gustav Jung said: "Nature does not forgive", meaning that, for example, when you put your hand in a flame, your hand gets burned. It is of no use to feel sorry afterwards and say that you didn’t know. It is up to us to get information and knowledge as much as possible, so we can avoid unpleasant surprises. This also applies to the greater picture. If you willingly hurt other people, verbally, emotionally or physically, then your higher self, by your conscience, will place you later in life, or in a next life time, in a not so pleasant situation in which you will have to rebalance yourself again.
One of the well-known cosmic laws is karma. Karma, as described in the Hindu scriptures, is an equilibrating law of action and reaction, cause and effect, sowing and reaping. Karma is an impersonal, natural law that operates in accordance with our actions. It is a law in itself and does not have any lawgiver. Karma operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent, ruling agent.
Each man, by his thoughts and actions, becomes the molder of his destiny. Whatever energies he himself, wisely or unwisely, has set in motion must return to him as their starting point, like a circle inexorably completing itself. A man’s karma follows him from incarnation to incarnation until fulfilled or spiritually transcended. If it sounds a bit scary for you, it all depends how you view karma.
Understanding of karma can be gained if one lives one's life as if karma was a fact. If a disaster or a sorrow befall you, try keeping in mind the thought that this sorrow or accident has not occurred by some miraculous chance but that there must be a cause, a reason for it. You need not probe for the cause, or try to find guilt or blame. Only he who clairvoyantly can command a view of karma would be able to actually perceive the cause of a joyful event, or of a sorrow or some mishap. You do need a mood, a certain feeling orf acceptance to which you can surrender yourself so that you can sense how a given sorrow or joy must have a cause and, in turn, itself can cause future events. He who permeates himself with this mood and looks at his life in this way will find that his existence and experiences become increasingly comprehensible to him. Understanding of karma comes to he who restrains his impulse to anger when something annoying happens and instead remembers that just as a stone rolls if pushed, the annoying matter must have come about due to some inevitable set of laws of the universe.
It must never be imagined that one's life is under the sway of an immutable law of destiny. Freedom is not impaired by the law of karma. In studying the law of karma, therefore, the future must be borne in mind as strongly as the past. Bearing within us the effects of past deeds, we are the slaves of the past, but the masters of the future. If we are to have a favorable future, we must make as many good entries as possible in the book of life.
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The Spirit of the Great Cosmic Forces
There are many great cosmic beings that work on the structure of the universe, build the spiritual and ethereal worlds, give form to substance and so on. The following are a couple of great beings I thought it be worth to mention.
The Great Mother: The Great Mother principle is the cosmic being that gives birth both to the Light and to the phenomenal world. She is the creative force in all nature, the mother of all things. She has unconditional love.
The Great Mother appears in many forms and under many names. The Goddess can appear as spouse or sister, but in her form of the Mother she is the best protection you can ever get. As Mother she will always protect an nurture you. Of course you have to be worthwhile by living a pure life, otherwise she will withdraw her protection.

 

They say that the world is lost, our roots are lost, the language that unites us all is lost. I shake my head and close my eyes and dance the spiral of the ancients. My shells shake at my ankle and I believe in the Warriors of the Rainbow...

Will you be a Warrior or a spectator? Will you work in peace fiercly or passivly watch the mother die?

As I work with the borrowed time I have, I declair to fight with the Rainbow Warrior Spirit--so that our children will have a Mother to honor and a Earth to defend--with peace and love. With peace and love, we dont kill or destroy...

We live and all that follow us LIVE...

Hear this message from the ancestors my family...they are warning us. Every night in my dreams they speak now...

Hear the message of a Shell-Shaker...Listen...

 

 

I am off to the long awaited appointment at THe Cancer/Hemitology Center. I am extremly nervous, but anxious to get this thing going and find out what is wrong with my blood and liver. I know the Goddess and my friends go with me and I know whatever they tell me, I can handle it. Just wanted to let you all know that I wouldnt be around this morning and that I will check in later. I know I wont get any answers today, but atleast the process is starting. We will see where it goes from here. I love you all and will be sending positive energy to you all as you go through your own ordeals and life issues. Hugs Love and Light Raven

Seven Years ago, I started on this journey of discovery--exploring different religions and paths. I bought my first Tarot deck--the Goddess Tarot. I knew nothing and had no teacher...I was just following my heart and intuition. My first readings really floored me with their accuracy. One figure within this deck began to speak to me so strongly. OYA. She really began to call to me. And thus began a time of major changes in my life. Changes that broke me down to my foundational spiritual self--destroyed the liter and junk I was carrying with me from the past and began to build me anew. Stronger, enlighened and ready for the battles which lay ahead of me. Then peace came for a while--proserity--blessings. But many crossroads loomed ahead of me. Sometimes I didnt fight the battles so well. Sometimes I failed. Sometimes I just gave up and walked away into the mist. Now I stand again at another crossroads and OYA calls to me again. She is the Goddess of the Winds of Change--and she has decided once again that I need her. Her fierce protection and her fierce justice. With that said...I invite you to read about her...listen to her.

 

Awakening to the Archetype – Oya (Goddess of Winds, Tornadoes, and Lightning):
Through Her ability to swiftly change and alter realities, Oya ignites the spark of transcendence within your soul. She aids you as you burn through the veil of attachment that has hindered your ability to fully embrace your destiny. Her bolt of lightning, along with Her fierce winds and storm, electrifies your inner life.

Oya and Oya-types are known for their clairvoyance, psychic abilities, intuition and the ability to communicate the dead. She is the owner of the Marketplace (Mama Loja). She is a revolutionary and social crusader who fights for the underdog. Oya is a deity who is efficient, strong-willed, and very indispensable in emergency situations. Her power sweeps over all injustice, dishonesty, deceit from her path. Although unpredictable, Oya understands everything, but will only accept the truth. You may not like what is being said or even HOW it is said, but know that Oya speaks the truth. She hears all, sees all and gives of herself selflessly and places other's needs before her own.

With so many children needing GOOD parents, why are LGBT people being denied the right to adopt children? I just dont understand this--I cannot.

Please support the ALCU in its efforts to give LGBT people full equality--as any other parent has by default.

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/parenting/12076prs20030501.html

 

I did it. I voted for the first time in my life. No I am not ashamed to admit that. I never in all my adult life thought that voting made any difference--that it didn't matter who was in office--things never change. But as the past 7 years have shown me, it does indeed matter and Goddess help me I do HOPE that things will CHANGE NOW. I don't have to tell you who I voted for~winks at Sicily! Anyway--I walked out of there and I cried. IT was almost a spiritual experience. And the words to this song came to my mind--I got in the car and cranked it all the way home. Here are the Lyrics and the Video...

 

I believe if I look hard enough
I will see
That there can be enough
I believe I can think clear enough
To conceive
A place where there's enough

If not now, when
If not today then
What about tomorrow
What happens tomorrow

I believe a woman can work hard and succeed
And we could be content
To believe that she could be in charge
Of the free
And be the president

If not now, when
If not today then
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow
If you become the change
You want to see you change
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow

I believe that we are waking up from the spell
That those that profit from the fear
Cast so well
And good people of the earth now can tell
There is no us and them

If not now, when
If not today then
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow

All is love
All is choice
Everyone and every voice
All of life that you see
All are possibilities
As above so below
To wed the sense into the soul
This is truth I believe
I believe I believe

Truth is of the people
By the people

I was reading a discussion and watching the YouTube debates over this issue of cutting the federal gas tax though the summer months to give consumers a break. I heard Obama say its only a three month break and it will amount to "on average"(what average is that?) equal to about 30.00 per car-- or a half tank of gas. Well I tell ya--30.00 will almost fill my car up and if they cut the tax of 18.2 cents (I think that is right) off a gallon of gas--I have to say again-- I save even more than that-- I think we need to take what we can get--we are all struggling and even if it is for only three months--I WILL TAKE THAT BREAK. I will take the difference and buy FOOD. Obama also says its just a quick fix (yep it is) and that it will just make people consume more making gas prices go up. I like what this woman had to say on a site...

 

This is something Shannon would come up with!! LOL

Y'all have a great day and may you be blessed with laughter

Love

Ravie

 

Many of you may already know about this--I just heard about it in a email from Deepak Chopra--

People in Haiti are eating mud cakes to stay alive...I know food prices here have soared, but people please--people around the world are starving--in places that didnt know food shortages of these porpotions before. This war has to end and we have got to make some major changes in the way we live our lives. There is no more saying--everythings ok and the climate is fine and we can just keep going the way we always have. Yes this is a "wake up rant"...we need to WAKE UP!!!

Sigh~ Love you all

Ange

 

"Food Security: Why has the Global Food Crisis reached Emergency Proportions?"

For months, people in Haiti have been going hungry. The recent rises, particularly in the price of rice, have tipped people over the edge. They are having to eat mud cakes, known as Teh, to help quiet their excruciating hunger pangs. Starvation is the main cause for doing so, although Pica, which occurs sometimes with iron deficiency anaemia, may also be present in the Haitian population.

Food riots in Haiti caused the deaths of five people about a fortnight ago, including a UN peacekeeper, and forced the country's prime minister out of office. No country has escaped the effects of escalating wheat and rice prices. The poor nations like Haiti have been hardest hit. The country is in terrible turmoil because Haiti is forced to buy imported food staples which are getting more expensive by the month.

Mud Cake Preparation in Haiti

Many of the Haiti people have turned to eating mud cakes. They first strain the mud to remove stones in it, put some mixture of vegetables and then they let it dry under the sun. Though this mud cake is rich in calcium, eating it on a regular basis is not good for their health according to the health specialists. At present, this is the food being eaten by the poorest people in the hemisphere.

Decline of The US Dollar

The decline of the US dollar has affected many countries and Haiti is one of the most affected ones. The increased price of fuel and food has led to most -- if not all -- of the products being sold in Haiti, to have inflated prices too. Haiti is already poor and it is getting poorer and poorer as it can afford to buy less and less of food and fuel on the world markets.

Haiti's history is terribly sad. Christopher Columbus discovered it in 1492, and soon after, Europeans completely killed the indigenous population, in one of the worst genocides ever. Then it was repopulated, primarily by African slaves and Irish Indentured Servants. Most Haitians are descendants of those slaves, who overthrew their French masters in the Haitian Revolution in 1804. Unfortunately this did not end neo-colonial intervention...

How do you feel about this adverse developments in Haiti? Imagine having to eat mud cakes to cope with hunger. It makes the soul tremble...

 

Labels are problematic. Human languages are inadequate to the task of describing the complexities of human experience. Even women who embrace a given label may find it only partially succeeds in serving its descriptive function. And those who reject a label may still recognize its merits. The responses above are clear evidence that choosing how to identify is a complex issue with a myriad of possible opinions and strategies, and no simple solution or correct answer. Each individual must find her own way.

            My own experience of identity has been an ongoing process and may serve as one example. The bisexual label works for me, and has greatly enhanced my life. It has also, at times, cost me dearly.

            I call myself bisexual because I acknowledge in myself the capacity to be attracted to and sexual with people of more than one sex, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree. It is clear to me that I was bisexual long before I ever “acted on it,” just as a person who has never had sex can be lesbian or straight. After all, identity is not only about behavior. It is also about what we feel inside. A woman can be bisexual even if she never ends up acting on it, or even if—like me—she is in a monogamous relationship that she expects will last the rest of her life.

            On the negative side, by calling myself bisexual I exposed myself to anger, hostility, stereotyping, and lowered my status in the “gay and lesbian” community.

            On the positive side, my bisexual identity was a route to community. By responding in September 1982 to an announcement in the paper about a discussion about bisexuality, I found my way into a room of women who also identified as bisexual, who understood my experience. This led to membership in a support group, to friendships, and subsequently to advocacy and activism, all of which have greatly enhanced my life.

            I have become, over time, less a believer that there is some sort of essential difference between people who use various words to describe ourselves. Lesbian, bisexual, queer, even “choose-not-to-label”—these are tags that we place on ourselves to give others information about how we understand ourselves. These words mean different things to different women.

            I have been committed to a woman (for life, we hope) for eight years, and we have been legally married since the first day it was legal in Massachusetts to do so: May 17, 2004. I haven’t slept with a man since 1992. Many other women whose stories are similar to mine would by now have adopted a  lesbian label. I haven’t. I am happy to be grouped with lesbians. Queers too. But it is important to me that I be seen in full: past, present, and potential future; internal and external, and that no part of me be obscured or erased.

            We use words to describe ourselves, but these words are at best tools to help us explain—to ourselves and to others—who we are and how we see ourselves. They have value in so far as they can be used to make us visible, and to help us find others with similar experiences, but in reality each of us has our own path and unique experience. And while this may not feel like a very stable foundation upon which to hang one’s hat, it is in fact facing up to reality.
            It can be very frustrating for those of us who identify as bisexual when others reject the label we have worked so long and hard to create a space for. I am left with the question: is my bisexual activism about making it safe for these women to identify as bisexual? Or is it about making it safe for all of us to identify, or not identify, however we choose, and to be respected as we are.
            My answer, clearly, is the latter. However, we still live in a world in which people think in either/or binaries, and most people believe we are either one thing or the other, and are uncomfortable with notions of fluidity. How can we make it safe for women who identify as bisexual? Or not? How can “not bi” women be visibly “not straight” and “not gay” either so that they can help dispel binary notions? This is the challenge that I put forth to all of us: let us respect one another, speak our truths, listen to each other’s stories, refrain from imposing our own assumptions and understanding on others, and figure out ways that we can increase the space available for all of us. ~ Roybn Ochs

http://transition.turbulence.org/robynochs.com/writing/essays/whats_in_a_name.html

I snagged this from a friend in my network this morning. Thanks Gene--your site Rawks!!!

 I am curious to your responses.I love Def Poetry Jam. It is always so REAL. Anyway--where are you at with this topic?

Love and Light

Ravie

 

http://ebonypoet.multiply.com/journal

I am cutting my friends list to actually people who I have regualr contact with or who are old friends and revamping my page. I wont be accepting new friends except with a damn extensive intro/invite. I am not doing this cause I am mad with anyone--I just need to simplify my life, my page etc...those who know me--understand.

Love and Light

Ange

LMAO--yes laughter is the best medicine--this is great!!!!!

I really do need to laugh this morning—if I don’t…well…

So who are my go-to people in that regard? Check em out! And I hope you all have a great day.

 

Hugs and love and kisses to all the usual suspects~

Ravie

 

 

 

 

 

My previous blog really motivated this one. The last few days I have been listening to the new Melissa Etheridge CD--"The Awakening"-- and I tell ya--I am soo turned on to the message and to hope!! Every song is "about something"--it means something significant to our collective souls.

Music, ladies and gentlemen--is the language of the soul and it motivates and moves us to action--some good actions and some not so good. Let me ask you this--what is this generation doing to change the world. How many are speaking out and taking a stand? FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!!!???

If every artist in America (and the world) did as many did in the 60's--sang the message of love and peace and tolerance and inclusiveness...WOW--just the energy alone could thrust us forward into a age of enlightenment and peace. Do you believe that positive energy attracts positive energy?

What do you feel in your soul when you listen to music like this??