My Blog
GypsyJinn Goes Synergy
We've seen some serious action these past two weeks.Like a lover I have not seen in 3 years, she came back into my life in a whirlpool of Asanas, discipline and like minded and like bodied beings.
Yoga.
My life has taken a sharp twist and I am currently engaged in a Synergy teacher training and Bikram (Yoga) boot camp. Synergy is basically an advanced form of partner yoga. It's absolutely amazing and feels so good to be around body conscious beings. It's funny that beings who are truly aware of body are those that can be in tune with spirit. So my yoga muscles which have been dormant for three years have been jump started and the motivation is running high.
I find this Bikram Yoga every day very intense. The sequence of Asanas is identical day in day out. Certainly a fascist method, considering all the variety and rich pallet of asanas that exist. Still, after an intensive week's training, I must admit I am having breakthroughs and just feel physically quite fantastic.
I have been living in a tent for the past few weeks on the beaches of the Caribbean sea, worshiping all of our usual deities plus some of the local Mayan pantheon. My favorite so far is Ixchell, a goddess which is manifested in the waves of her Caribbean sea reflecting her moon. Getting to know the conscious collective crew of family down Mexico way plus some Cali n Canada visitors. It feels like I will be hangin out in this neck of the woods for more than a year.
I am in Tulum, Mexico in a retreat center which is basically a Mayan Astro lodge full of alters, temples and Mayan calender consciousness by the name of "UNO". The crew here is super cosmic and we had a traditional Temazcal on the full moon. This is a Native Meso American sweat lodge complete with chanting, drums and a whole lot of thanks to Patche Mamma (Gaia in South America).
Keepin up with the music where I am currently focusing on melody and note reading on the flute and the guitar. As well too, seems this gypsyhood of mine has released my tongue and I am singing more than ever. UNO always attracts gypsy musicians and so I am also jamming / studying the Kakhon (Flamenco Cabinet drum), darbouka and some bad ass Beats such as the Buleria (Flamenco Gypsy 12/8 with accents on the 3, 7,8, 10 and 12 - certainly not for the white hearted) and the Maksum (kinda like a quick shuffled Baladi - it sounds so good!), the Falahi and the Malfuf. I feel Morocco coming in to play in the next few years, probably for some music studies and solidifying my basic Arabic which I learned in the army.
Not uncommon to walk around on the beach here and hear beautiful Magali practice her frame drum technique. So you see why I've been here for a few weeks and haven't gone to Cuba just yet.
Camp fires, Moonlit walks on the beach, the roar of the Caribbean as I go to sleep. And lately, rise with sun rise for Thai Massage Exchange and Advanced Circle Stretches (part of the training).
Choosing to be my self, day in and out.
Reading more and more about Ayahuasca, which is an Amazonian Shamanic medicine. If you are interested have a look at this www.nationalgeographic.com/adve....html
Love.Freedom.Unity.
Com-munication Com-mpassion Com-munion in Unity = Community
May you purge your demons bravely and may the force be with you (it all ways is)
Abuelito Fuego Receives Bhakti As GypsyJinn Surfs Zuvuya
Bhakti is ofcourse devotion in Sanskrit and is a characteristic of enlightened beings whom are forever grateful to Spirit for life. I am reminded of this virtue as I participated in a Shamanic Witcholo (Native MesoAmerican) Peyote ritual.Peyote is a medicinal sacred cactus from the Mexican desert which is mentioned in Carlos Castaneda's ¨Don Juan´s Teachings¨. The ceremony was held in a circle around a fire (Abuelito Fuego = Grandpa Fire) and consisted of a few bowls of traditional offerings: Chocholate, Cookies, Copal (resin of a tree which is an incense) and ofcourse Tobacco.
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I wrote these words as I entered the ritual:
Today, tonight, on this blackest of moons, I am undergoing a journey of transformation the likes of which I have only an inkling of. May this voyage into the belly of the universe enable my being to expand consciousness and grow. Just as the leaves of a vine foretell the emergence of fruit, which may in turn become elixir; so will the flowers of this transformation spring forth the nectar of Prana and Chi through my Self.
My intentions:
To learn of Music and the nature of Sound
To become Patience and Persaverence
To be Kindness in its most mature facet
To travel, both within and afar
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The shaman had with him an assistant and a young boy who was a training shaman (his son or relative of his tribe most likely). Every participant had a place with a cushion and blanket around the Fire. There was a specific Exit and Entry point coming in and out of the circle, next to it was a pile of sticks with which to clean one´s self before reentry into the circle after which that stick was offered to the fire. All movement within the circle was counter clockwise.
As the medicine was adminstered, each of us humbly walked in turn to receive the shaman´s blessing. Every hour and a half or so the shaman would do rounds of blessings and cleansings with the aid of his feathers and the Copal incense. Everyone was quiet throughout, keeping mostly to themselves and allowing reflection and contemplation to come to focus.
I found the experience resonating with purging qualities. I felt like a pilgrim in space. The stars came out and when I took a breather outside the circle, sitting in a hammock (an age old Mayan tradition) on the beach, I caressed astral divinations and saw figures and forms I never saw before. The wind here in Tulum is most intense. It is always audible coming from the sea. This is a perfect place to feel the vibrations of Zuvuya - the intergalactic wave according to the Maya.
The shaman was a real trooper as he chanted the same ¨mantra¨ over and over again all night long. To be a shaman one must show complete dedication to Spirit, that´s for sure.
As dawn encroached I took a third dose of the medicine. Come sunrise, I was in full Yogic Asana mode, prostrating to the fire and giving thanks. Perhaps for the first time in my life, shamanic medicine was in its truest context for me. This was my church, my temple, my god and goddess - Spirit in all its deities and avatars. As I worshipped the divine, I practiced Sufi techniques and channeled Bhakti all the while repeatedly murmuring the word Amrit (the Vedic name for the Nectar of Immortality. see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrita for more info). Needless to say I was in seventh heaven, especially since I was in a circle. Even as the ceremony officially ended and the sun rose, I stayed in my home, the circle, last man standing or worshipping as it were.
The morning revealed multiple pieces of jewelry and beautiful play things which were brought into the circle by the shaman troupe and some of the Peyote veterans. The handcraft consisted of Native Meso American colorful ¨mandala¨ necklaces, bracelets and feathered maracas (rattle instrument) as well as harps and overtone flutes.
I had touched the celestial realms and most importantly, was encouraged to worship in a traditional shamanic framework which eased the physical hardships of the medicine. When the beach finally beckoned me, I came to an astounding multitude of waves. I climbed up on a slanted tree (which is curiously facing the sunrise despite the harsh wind) and surfed Zuvuya.
The rest of the day found me hanging out at Uno Astrolodge pondering my cosmic pilgimage. It was a perfect post rebirth sanctuary as there seemed to be so much love around me. Couples were dancing and cuddling abound and I had two chants resonating in my heart: The shaman´s incessant tribal mantra and a Western one, ¨All You Need Is Love¨ (Pa Pa Pa Peda).
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
To All My Relations
(I send good vibes)
The Gypsy Jinn hits the streets of Earth
Don't be surprised if he is right there beside you. If he is, be aware that he manifests his fellow humans' desires. That is this spirit's nature. So start contemplating your wishes now and be ready for his imminent arrival.Intended destinations this year are: San Fran, Mexico, Cuba, Tel-Aviv, Black Rock City, Brazil.
Expect the Un-Expected
Jah Bless