That does it. I'm getting Netflix back. I cancelled it early this spring for the summer, but it's about time to get it back again.

I like Kevin Coster, and I also like series that go on for several dvds. So I'll enjoy watching this.

I've always enjoyed learning about various indigeous traditions. A friend of mind was into indian arts and crafts and he used to make the most wonderful dream catchers.

Although I've heard several different stories about "dream catchers". One story says that they are used as protection to prevent a person from having nightmares. Another story says that they bring good dreams to the sleeper. And yet another story suggests that they 'catch' the dreams we have and 'hold' them like in memory until we return to pick them back up again where we left off the previous night.

I'm not sure which one of these is correct, or if they are all correct.

I just take them to all be correct and use it in whatever way I want at the time.

I do have one hanging above my bed. However, it hasn't seemed to have made much difference in any of those respects. I very seldom have nightmares (even before I got the dream catcher). And I haven't seemed to have had any better dreams since I got it either.

Just the same I am learning better dream techniques using other shamanic methods. So maybe it will come in handy somewhere in my journey.

In any case it's pretty to look at.

Owl have to set up my Netflix account again now.

If you ever figure it out let me know because I've heard all those too.

I have a huge collection of dream catchers over the beds. Homemade from the Miccussokee Tribes of Florida

They offer that we don't have bad dreams.


but I also have a mid-wife with pointy hat riding a broom hanging over the kitchen. She is made of porcelain made in the early 1900s.

She offers protection when cooking and baking.

I also have a buddha statue 5 feet tall carved out of wood staring at me everyday when I go to bed.

He is my rolemodel and mentor

Then there are three elephants holding a heavy glass table. One elephant is facing the door standing on a ball.

They offer that when we leave the house we come back with money each time.

Then I have a large native american statue with a pipe in his mouth.

He offers protection against bad thoughts from the outside.

Also a frog that holds in his mouth a coin.

More money issue beliefs riddled by the chinese

I have a Jesus statue 4 feet tall that was given to me by Brazilian friends. It is the replica of the huge one in Rio de Janerio.

He offers wisdom of his peaceful notions he taught onto his people.

I have a cane that has a chicken foot on it. One is suppose to lick the toes for good fortune. This is a Haitian voodoo belief. I don't really care for it, but I didn't want to be disrespectful when given this as a gift. Different cultures and different beliefs.

I have a Congo hand carved Mask from a tribe I visited. This mask is to scare off spirits that roam the lands. I have to wear it everytime I have negative thoughts as I was told by the tribes chief at the time.


Should I continue! lol

It surely is a house full of various artifacts that is for sure. A museum of its own.

What do you expect when I had the opportunity to travel to over 33 countries in my lifetime.

Wow, Smiless! All I have is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a broom.

No wonder you are so happy all the time. You are surrounded by good luck everywhere.

I always bring something back when I travel

It is interesting to learn the history of a culture or country and even the spiritual path of each one with it. It broadens your mind and gives you a better understanding as a whole with the different nationalities that live on this planet. It makes you understand that we are not so different afterall.

In the end, if you think about it, it is just a different piece of land on the planet with a weather pattern that we as humans had to adapt to, to survive. It makes sense why we as a people depending where we live believe in the things we do. Weather had alot to do with it! Also what vegetation is available to us determines much in our culture. I know this doesn't sound valid, but I realize after traveling so much that weather and what was available on resources determined our cultures and created these spiritual beliefs when they first started.

It was the worship of seasonal gods, as of additional gods or goddesses that provided us food, water, good weather, entertainment, etc. etc.

Today most cultures just lump it all into one God and we thank it. It is less work in the end.

but traveling really gave me a perspective of why cultures believe in the things they do.

Of course there are countries that have many various beliefs in them, but I look at what the majority think in a country and ask myself why?

Why? is a dangerous question!

This can make you sit and research for weeks trying to figure out why certain things happen.

The reward is when you find some of those answers later on.

******Here is something interesting that you may have not known****

In New Guinea I learned of an ancient tradition of how a woman (must be virgin) would be offered to the god of love to have intercourse with 7 different men out in public for everyone to watch.

Now on this platform they made for the god of love where the couples had sex there where two large wooden tree bark planks carved with faces that must have weighed a ton each held up by some thick ropes.

As the seventh man had intercourse with the lady the ropes would be cut and the wooden planks would fall ontop of them to kill both. This was the sacrifice they had to make to ensure that everyone in the village could have romance with their partners. They believed that having romance requires permission. They also believed this ensured healthy babies, less diseases, and overall happiness for the god of love is happy.

They believed the last couple who died are with the god of love as a servant, in which this is a honor and much respect amongst the tribes people.

This of course is disgusting for most of the modern world, but for the traditional tribes that still exist today, this is a necessary step to ensure safety for the people.

For me, I was shocked to see this for even the children watched this incident. Nevertheless, I left with more wisdom of these individual people.

It is an experience when you travel. You never know what to expect when you have not educated yourself about the people and culture when traveling. This was the case most of the time when I was young. Today I do a little research before traveling.

I don't travel to sit in a hotel and enjoy 24 hour buffets. I can do that here. I travel to see the history, culture, and lifestyle of the people.

Everyone is different of course.

Answering my own question

Well at least for one civilization that is.


You have noticed that everything a native american does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours... Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.

-Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

I just got some new Penczak books today. I enjoy reading them. His approach is very generalized which I like because it's not confining in any way. It's more suggestive than dogma-like.

I also have a lot of Deepak Chopra stuff which is ironically extremely similar to what Penczak offers. Yet Penczak is coming from a Witchcraft and Shamanism approach, whilst Chopra is coming from the Eastern mystic aproach of Buddhism, Yoga, and Hinduism.

Yet the stories that both these men tell are almost identical in the core philosophy.

One of the Penczak books that I just got is called "Spirit Allies". I just not read over the table of contents and it looks like it's going to be a good read. Of course it covers much of the same material that he had already covered in his Witchcraft Temple series, but just the same it also appears to offer some new perspectives.

I'm actually simultaneously following a program by Chopra called: "The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire"

That's almost a misleading title and I'm not sure why he chose to name it that. It's a 3 DVD set with over 7 hours of lectures. Within those lectures are several "Sutras" that are used in meditations. It's quite interesting.

Anyway, in that program Deepak also speaks to the issues of spritual Archetypes and how important they are. He has a whole lecture on "finding your archetype". This is also something that Penczak emphasizes a lot.

What I find interesting is that I'm drawn to at least three different archetypes. I find myself drawn to the Faery Teachings, as well as to the Moon Goddess and Sun God (I also see the Son God as being the Horned One of nature), and now, thanks to Deepak, I find myself drawn to Krishna of the Hindu tradition. Although I think my attraction to Krishna is based more on artwork and folklore than anything else.

I don't find this as being 'conflicting' in anyway. The reason being is that I see all archetypes as being equally genuine. After all, they have all been created by the human spirit and therefore they are all genuine.

In any case, I find myself drawn to the artwork the Indians use for Krishna:








Krishna is supposed to be genderless (or both genders). Krishna represents the yin and the yang, the totality of spirit.

What I find interesting is that the face in these paintings seems to be very similar to a face I once saw that was the result of a computer composition of many human faces (both male and female). The resulting face appeared very much like the face that is used in the artwork for Krishna. I wonder where the Indian came up with this image? It seems to be fairly consistent in many of the drawings of Krishna. It makes me wonder who came up with this face originally?

In any case, I'm finding the folklore of Krishna to be quite interesting. I wish I had access to Youtube! I see there are a lot of videos on Krishna but I can't watch them.

Hinduism is very interesting. I have a friend here on Mingle who is a Hindu and will eventually come into this thread to share the wisdom she has gathered from this religion. I am certain that the family we have here on this thread will keep a open and interested mind of different idealogies to where she will feel comfortable to present what she knows.

On another point when I was reading about the likelyhood of a Indian helping a person for minor troubles, it is said that the Indian is more likely to help a person in distress then a westerner.

Psychologists have done tests on reactions of what cultures are more likely to help someone. Anywhere from asking for a aspirin or water, to helping someone who fell and bruised their leg.

Of course here in the west help doesn't occur immediately unless you have been run over something.

For example one experiment showed of a blind man having trouble finding the store will most likely continue to have troubles finding that store.

Now if that same blind man was zapped and suddenly in India looking for a store, the likelyhood of a Indian man or woman will help that man find his destination.

Now why is that?

It is interesting to know that there are many reasons. One of the reasons is the belief in their religion.

Second the lifestyle.

and last but not least their attitude amongst human beings.

Unfortunately this is a text book in German and I would have to translate the whole thing and it doesn't seem to be on the internet to highlight for you to see. Neverthless, if it has an overall merit of a entire population is something you can decide, yet with my personal experience in India, I did find that the people where always interested in my welfare and good being.

Now here in Miami I can't even get a hello or a good morning from a neighbor.

Well good morning and I see the thread is at a slow pace again. Don't tell me one has to wait 4 days to see someone post anything in here?

The slowest forum is the buddhist thread, where I would usually hangout, but one waits almost a month before someone posts anything in there or replies to a thread at all.

I think everyone is just to busy meditating


Where is Lilypetal decorating this thread?

Where is Abracadabra sending his experiences?

Where is Michiganman3. He just asked for a coffee and disappeared?

Where is Kindred2Wicked and her great stories?

Where is Ruth34611 and her jokes?

Where is lightvoice and her compliments of the day?

Where is ladylid and here kindness?

Where is...... ah I give up. You guys are all too busy as usual.

I will go out and water the garden now

Well, I lost my internet access at home. Actually I lost my whole computer but I have internet access through my phone. However its somewhat tedious to read and post through my phone.

But, I will be back and fully funtional in a couple of weeks. In the meantime I will be on in little bits from my phone. And you're right, we haven't had a joke in a while. Let me see what I can do to remedy that.

I think I will have to try some more of Penczacks books. Thanks, Abra.

Lost the whole computer

Maybe it ran away from you

Just playing.

A beautiful peaceful morning that would make to see in reality each day.

Yes, I have put up posters all over the neighborhhod with my computer's picture and offering a reward.

Hugs & Good Morning

Been a tad busy.. headed out for a day full of errands & appts.. but wanted to pop in & drop off some love

Sending my heartfelt wishes for all.. that your days (and nights) are full of happiness, laughter. love, magic & every blessing ~

Wow that is amazing! Did the movers lose it? I hope you get it back, but in today's society, I have my doubts.

http://mingle2.com/topic/show/244053

I started a thread to see how people react. I have a feeling bitter people will bash it, but nevertheless, it is a interesting perspective on how we can see God.

Whitney Houston - Exhale


Everyone falls in love sometime
Sometimes it's wrong, and sometimes it's right
For every win, someone must fail
But there comes a point when
When we exhale (yeah, yeah, say)

Chorus:
Shoop, shoop, shoop
Shoop be doop, shoop, shoop

Sometimes you'll laugh
Sometimes you'll cry
Life never tells us, the when's or why's
When you've got friends, to wish you well
You'll find your point when
You will exhale (yeah, yeah, say)


chorus

Hearts are often broken
When there are words unspoken
In your soul there's answers to your prayers
If you're searching for a place you know
A familiar face, somewhere to go
You should look inside yourself
You're halfway there

Sometimes you'll laugh
Sometimes you'll cry
Life never tells us, the when's or why's
When you've got friends, to wish you well
You'll find your point when
You will exhale (yeah, yeah, say)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnub4GmaPg