March 2010 Vol 1, Issue 5,
Our intent is to keep
you apprised of the activities of local RBCS communities as
well as to offer ceremonies and articles of interest. As this is a Path
of the People,
we encourage you to submit comments, questions and articles to rbstor@gmail.com.
We refer you to the RBCS Mission and Vision statements at www.rainbowbridgesociety.com.
Shamanic
Ceremonies For a Changing World
At last! Shamanic Ceremonies for a Changing World is available for purchase! This book makes personal Shamanic Ceremonial practice available to anyone who wants to heal and grow. It is a book of healing. It is a book full of Earth Medicine. It invites you to throw open the doors and windows of your existence to deeply experience the Spirit of Life, and to grow. These ceremonies were created by Marilyn Keffer and Gael Carter and many of them were test driven successfully by members of the RBCS Circle for Self-Governance. To purchase a copy to be shipped to you go to: http://www.shamanicmedicine.ca or email one of the following addresses to arrange to pick up a copy at a location near you!
Toronto: info@shamanicmedicine.ca
Calgary:
rbscal@gmail.com
Vancouver: rbsvan@gmail.com
Ottawa: rbsott@gmail.com
RBCS
Circle for Self Governance
The next annual meeting will take place on Gabriola Island, BC from August 11th to August 15th with August 8th to August 10th as an opportunity to work with new ceremonies. Members will discuss the ongoing business of the RBCS Society and participate in an Earth Dance, a wonderful group ceremony which provides each one of us the chance to review and determine our lives from the eight directions on the Wheel of Life. Part of our focus is on creating local communities to gather and sweat and support the ceremonial work of our local members. Please check Community News for details.
The RBCS Circle for Self-Governance brings together people from all over the country to share their interests in bringing Shamanic ceremonies and healing knowledge that works to the People. We have discovered through direct experience that ceremony is a magickal and mysterious way to effect real change in our lives. It is an exciting "rainbow journey" and we invite anyone who has an interest in a ceremonial path of healing and a desire to share in supporting this journey with your presence to join our Circle. If you are interested in finding out more about this and becoming a member on the Circle, please write to rbstor@gmail.com. Enthusiasm, a true intent to work on behalf of the People and a calling to enhance and heal our own experience of life and that of others are the chief requirements. We look forward to hearing from you.
Community News
Calgary/Edmonton
Sweat Lodges will be held as follows:
Mar 20th in Calgary (Intending Ceremony at 12pm);
Mar 21st in Edm;
Apr 16th in Calgary; Apr 18th in Edm;
May 14th in Calgary; May 16th in Edm;
June 19th in Calgary (Intending Ceremony at 12pm);
July 16th in Calgary; July 18th in Edm;
All community sweats are fgollowed by a feast.
For information, please write to rbscal@gmail.com
Ottawa Region
Community Equinox Sweat on Mar 20th, gathering at 7pm. For information, please write to rbsott@gmail.com
Toronto
A new home has been found for the Institute of Shamanic Medicine and RBCS in Toronto. Until it is ready, events will take place in the usual locations. Stay tuned for more information.
Sweats will be heald Mar 24th, Apr 14th, May 24th and Jun 16th. Gathering time is 6:45pm. A feast follows each sweat.
In order to support the growth of sweat lodge activities, people willing to be trained to work with the fire and the rocks are absolutely essential. It is important that we all share in these supporting activities so that we all get to sweat. No experience is necessary.
All interested please write to rbstor@gmail.com
. This community is growoing rapidly and will be ofering other activities so write to the above address to see what else will be offered. We are proud of our amazing drum team, the Thunderbirds. They meet on Tuesday evenings to drum and sing and weave in sound healing as needed. All interested in joining this vibrant group are invited to contact Pat, the RBCS Dance Chief, at windhorses@gmail.com. Experience with a drum or possession of your own drum are not necesasry, just a desire to participate in a fun and healing evening that includes a variety of musical instruments.
Vancouver Area
This community has a variety of ongoing activities
and upcoming events. For more information please write to rbsvan@gmail.com.
Featured
Animal Totem
The Cougar
Cougar has great power and strives to use it without causing harm unnecessarily. This power has limits in that Cougar tires after expending energy; thus it has learned to pace itself, using its energy with efficiency. Its strong leadership qualities teach decisiveness and the proper use of power, with gentle assertiveness. It does not hesitate to go after what it desires, using its strong lineage of courage, and its strong leaping abilities. Cougar stands behind its convictions, without dogmatism. Cougar is determined to access the best in itself and is on a quest for the “within”. It has the gift of balancing intention, power and strength. Cougar energy can shred you into little pieces and put you back together again with pure heart and purpose. If hurt, it can withdraw.
Ceremony:
Smudge yourself and the picture of the Cougar or Cougar fetish if you have either.
Sit comfortably and call in the energies of the five directions, East, West, North, South and Centre, in your own way, and ask for the presence of whichever spirit energies are willing to assist you in your ceremony.
Call in the energy of Cougar and picture yourself sitting on a mountain top with Cougar by your side. There are trees below you and you have a clear view of all directions around you. Feel the rocky ground beneath you. Smell the fragrance of the trees. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. You are warm and in a safe place. Give yourself a few minutes to go gently into the space as a meditative place. Begin to recall the gifts of Cougar. Look around yourself 360 degrees and imagine all that space and potential that truly exists in your life. Give yourself a few moments to identify those things that you would like to change in your life. Using your “body compass”, turn to face the East. Ask yourself, “Where am I on my spiritual path and how can I leap like Cougar, with decisiveness and courage, to achieve what I desire in moving towards enlightenment, a closer relationship with Spirit, and what is holding me back?” Take as long as you need to receive the answers that are meaningful to you. Feel the gentle breezes supporting you as you turn to the West. Ask yourself, “What can I do to have the gift of Cougar to know how to sustain my energy when it is needed and to rest when that is necessary?” Ask as well, “Can I travel with Cougar to that intuitive and introspective place within me?” Again, supported by the breezes, turn to face the South. Ask yourself, if like Cougar, do I withdraw when I have felt hurt?” Do you get discouraged or can you see the power in re-engaging in life to get beyond the hurt and not allowing it to make you want to hide? Can you promise yourself to do what you can to keep your heart open and receptive? Turning now to the North, ask yourself about where you are about leadership opportunities in your life. Are you like Cougar with strong, assertive abilities and gentleness? Or do you tend to abuse power or do you submit willingly to the power of others? Now honour the direction of the Centre and consider your willingness to allow Cougar to “tear you apart” in order to dissolve karma and your identity to put you together again with a pure heart and strong sense of purpose. Sit in your circle as long as you need . When you are ready, thank Cougar for what you have learned, “return from the mountain” and make notes about what you now know. Release all the energies that came to help you and return your ceremonial space to a place of beauty.
....................................................www.rainbowbridgesociety.com
..................... Vol
1, Issue 5, March 2010
ARCHIVES:
Vol 1; Issue 1 Jan 2009
Vol 1; Issue 2 May 2009
Vol 1; Issue 3 Sept 2009
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Ceremony of the Leaping Cougar ***************
Materials
Needed:
Smudge Stick or smudge and shell and lighter
Picture of a cougar or cougar fetish (both optional)
Note book and pen
Creating the
Space:
This ceremony can be done inside or outside. Choose a time in which
you have at least an hour during which you will be not be disturbed.
Indigenous Ceremonies of the World
As a ceremonial path, we honour the ceremonies of other peoples around the world and in this issue we shall highlight the significant participation of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The Aboriginal Four Host First Nations welcomed the athletes at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. The First Nations speakers were from the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh tribes. They were surrounded by welcome Totem Poles that resembled tall ice glaciers. 300 Aboriginal youth performers from the First Nations, Inuit and Metis joined in the celebration with their bright, colorful and traditional costumes. Many different dances were performed to the delight of the audience. The theme for the opening ceremony was called "Landscape of a Dream." The audience followed chosen travelers across Canada. They were transported to every region from the frozen icebergs, secluded mountaintops, and prairie grasslands and then into the deep oceans. They saw salmon, eagles, bears, whales, running horses and huge horizons above. Narrator and Actor, Donald Sutherland even quoted from a speech by Chief Dan George. The audience burst into applause upon hearing it. The impressive Totem Poles and the Aboriginal designs from a spectacular lighting display was a feast for the eyes. It was very clear that the First Nations peoples were strongly represented in the opening ceremony.