Category Archives: Moms and Kids

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore

I woke today dream praying for the workers in the fields with toxic conditions.  Prayers for them.  For the soil.  For the water and our Mother the earth.  Healing in a paradigm shift.

Dream FORWARD.  Dream BIG.

What will we dream for the next Seven Generations?

Peace first, in my heart of hearts understanding, my own healing is my work and an offering to the solutions.

The Children’s Circle meets this afternoon.  Seems we’ll have a sunny time.   Bare feet.  Making relations with our Mother.  And the water.  Last spring our Circle  offered ceremony for the water, this spring Snohomish County is offering free shoreline restorations in their Lake Wise project!  WooHOO!  Wopila! to the children and moms!

Echo Lake is noisy with bird voices.  East of me somewhere close a tree is being limbed.   Prayers for the Standing  Nation – Hallelujah!  I/We can breathe by their generous living in the web of life.  Pilamaya!

I saw a Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by twenty or so Crows an hour ago.  I heard the terrible scolding of the crows long before I saw them in the sky.  Red-tailed tried circling higher, moving rapidly together the crows wouldn’t relent.  All the way across my Echo Lake sky and beyond my view they mobbed him.  I heard Red-tailed cry out though I could no longer see him.

Times are changing.  Things aren’t ever going to be the same.

It’s a powerful time we are living in.   We’re not in Kansas anymore.  We get to decide what we want our world to look like.  We have that power for good or evil.  Our lives are in our own hands.  I have optimism in the emergence of good.  Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude for all who are bringing Light.  All those ceremonies, prayers and service.  It is an honor to be among you.

Prayers for Peace and healthy food.  No more chemicals in/on our children’s bodies, or our bodies or in our Mother Earth.

Good happy hearts for all of us.

Humbly I bend to the breaking down and breathe Light into the future.  Dreaming.  With my dreaming eyes I visualize, holding space for the heart space for myself and Oneness.

Mitakuye Oyasin  ~  All My Relations

 

Spring 2015 Workshops

The door is always open.  Come in, make yourself at home as you are welcome for the Spring Workshops at Soul Proprietor.

April 4 – Wing Medicine, noon until complete

April 5 – Leather Works, noon until complete, what do you need?

April 11 – The Night Turtle Dance Fund Raiser Auction, 5pm – 8pm

April 12 – Rattle Crafting, 10am until complete

April 25 – Medicine Bag Journey, noon until complete

April 26 – VQ Rattle Crafting (closed)

May 3 – Medicine Repair Day, noon until all repairs are complete

May 9 – Children’s Circle, 1pm – 5pm

May 10 – Drum Birthing Day, 10am until complete

May 16-17 – Moccasin Workshop – Bainbridge Island Bodhi Center

May 23-24 – VQ Moccasin Workshop (closed)

June 6 – Children’s Circle, 1pm – 5pm

June 7 – Turtle Shell Rattle Crafting, noon until complete

June 20-21 – Moccasin Workshop, 10am -7pm each day

Concentric Circles

“Starting from within, working in a circle, in a sacred manner, we heal ourselves, our relationships and the world.”  ~  Chief Phil Lane, Jr.

Dense.  Fog.   Not the dark mercury fog of deep winter.  Instead a thick membrane of white-gray.  Seeming impenetrable while the light is already beginning to suffuse the placenta birthing this day.  Silhouettes emerging.  A circle.  The Standing Nation, tall, shoulder to shoulder.  The semi-round waxing moon had been present very early this morning, casting light onto Echo Lake, now she is on the other side of the fog.  Only milky white, shadows in the distance.   The lake is an altar.  It is a circle before me every day.  Surrounded by the circle of trees. The concentric circles begin within me, working their way out into the world.

Offering prayers to the North, to what remains of a non-winter, the trees tell me to go to the core of things within myself.  I go seeking to understand what lay beneath.  What is the motivation?  What are the emotions?  What is at the heart of me?  At  my very core?  Often in the forest I find pieces of wood that are just that, the core, the place of connectivity, of a branch growing from trunk.  I’ve kept some, one particular piece was sanded smooth becoming a talking stick for the Children’s Circle.  There are many circles – symbolic, metaphoric and physical in this reality that are part of my life.

Many circles.   Circle of life.  The circle of the seasons.  The astrological wheel a continuous circle.  Many Sacred Circles of Peoples.  The hoop of a family.  The hoop of a drum.   The waft of a feather fan, begins in the circle of a nest, sage smoke moves out into the Universe.   The round of a rattle allowing the contents to emanate voice.  A stone tossed into the lake creates ripples that move, even if interrupted, to the shoreline, meeting that circle of earth surrounding the circle of lake.  It is all connected.  Concentric circles.   Starting from within.  Working in a circle.  In a sacred manner.

The work at Soul Proprietor happens in a circle.  A container created by prayer, by intention and by the people who come to create.  Over the years numerous Teachers have begun to send their students to me, to craft in a good way their ceremonial and sacred objects.  Each of these Teachers carry a unique piece of a healing perspective.  I integrate these threads of wisdom into my life, woven fabric.  This past Sunday another new Circle, eight beautiful women came to birth drums.  The guidance that came forward for me to share with them was to learn the sacred songs, using their drums to send up a voice.  A healing.  Their teacher is one who carries the songs.  Their hearts begin the circle.  Starting from within.  Working in a circle.  In a sacred manner.   We heal ourselves.  Our relationships.  And the world.

I am filled with gratitude.

Brother Phil asked me and the entire Circle to memorize the opening quote to this post.  He asked also that we live it.  Make it our walk in the world.  With it comes so much honesty, so much hope, optimism.  I am inspired.  The fog has lifted completely, the pale blue sky boldly colors the water.  Trees reflect their strong imprint on the surface of the lake – their crowns pointing towards me – look within to the core of things they say.  Starting within.  Working in a circle.

I have an old dog who is preparing to cross over.  She still has all four feet in this reality and she is preparing, closing in on completion of the circle that is her life.  Somewhere a litter of Doberman puppies are gestating.  My father’s wife is preparing too, for her own transition, dancing between life, disease and death.  And a baby will be born.  Each life begins and ends – a circle, complete within itself and a part of the whole.  My heart is both heavy and full, buoyed by these ways of living and working in a circle.

A’ho Mitakuye Oyasin  ~  All My Relations

Soul Proprietor’s Winter Workshop Schedule

“There is no difference between the Creator and creation, just as there is no difference between the ocean and its waves.”  ~  Amma

Calling all seekers and artists.  Come.  Have fun.  Craft in a sacred manner – medicine objects – tools for your practices at home and at work, tools for your rituals and ceremonies.  Bring your good intentions.  Come and create just for the sake of creating.  Working with animal, plant, and mineral medicine is joyful, it centers and teaches in surprising ways.  A workshop day slows our pace  and can create peace of mind – an extra gift to yourself.

Working together in a good way – there is something quite special about sitting in a circle, with community.  One heart.  One mind.  Each working individually yet together.  Spiraling up.  Gathering light.  What is needed to support you at this time?  What is calling to you?

Mitakuye Oyasin  ~  All My Relations

https://www.soulproprietor.org/events/

January 2015
10 The Ceremonialist Children’s Circle
11 Wing Medicine Learning Workshop
17 Drum Birthing Day
18 Turtle Rattle Crafting Learning Workshop
24 Drum Birthing with Soul Sisters (closed)
25 Wing Medicine with Regine della Luna (closed)

February 2015
8 Wing Medicine Learning Workshop
14 The Ceremonialist Children’s Circle
15 Rattle Crafting Learning Workshop
21 Drum Birthing with Soul Sisters (closed)
28 Drum Birthing @ Bodhi Center (Bainbridge Island)

March 2015
1 Wing Medicine Learning Workshop
8 Drum Birthing with Hazelnut Circle (closed)
14 The Ceremonials Children’s Circle
15 Drum Birthing Day
22 Rattle Crafting Learning Workshop
28 Moccasin Crafting Learning Workshop Day 1
29 Moccasin Crafting Learning Workshop Day 2

Workshops & Circles ~ Autumn 2014 Schedule

The Ceremonialist Children’s Circle

September 13, 2014 ~ noon to 4pm
Join in this open circle to celebrate the coming Autumnal Equinox.  Open to girls and boys ages 9 to 13, both moms and dads are welcome.  We will honor the abundance of the season and the turning of the wheel here at Echo Lake. Email Barbara for details on what to anticipate and what to bring for sharing.

Rattle Crafting Workshop

September 14, 2014 ~ noon until complete
In this workshop you will learn to craft a rawhide rattle that will be perfect for clearing energy, for meditation and journey work, for calling up your allies.  Craft with horse, deer, elk, bear or buffalo hide, using cedar, fir, driftwood, bone or antler as your handle.
Register to attend this workshop or email Barbara for details.

Wing Medicine Workshop

September 20, 2014 ~ noon until complete
Learn to use smudge for clearing and cleansing with a feather fan. Craft a medicine wing to use in your personal or professional practice that serves your needs at this time. Wing Medicine is a powerful way to tend to the energetic needs of the mind, body and spirit of the individual, family, office and community.
Register to attend this workshop or email Barbara for details.

Drum Birthing Workshop 

September 27, 2014 ~ 10am until complete
What is calling you – deer? elk? bear? buffalo? horse?  Each voice is unique, the power of the four-legged is immeasurable.  The Standing Ones give us a sacred hoop that holds the hide yet it does not contain it – instead it is a vehicle that gives rise to voice and one of its purposes in the world.  Use a Shaman style hand-drum for journey work, for meditation, for the joy of it. Register to attend this workshop or email Barbara for details.

New @ The Bodhi Center on Bainbridge Island       

Drum Birthing Workshop – October 11, 2014

Rattle Crafting Workshop – November 23, 2014

These workshops are being taught at the beautiful and tranquil Bainbridge Bodhi Center on Bainbridge Island, WA.  These two workshops are being offered at a special reduced rate.  Space is limited.  Register to birth a drum and register to craft a rattle on this website or email Barbara for details.

The Ceremonialist’s Children Circle

October 12, 2014 – 11am – 4pm

Hard to say what sort of fun and adventure we’ll have this day but we will for certain!  There’ll be sweetness and ceremony, outdoors and discovery.  Come and see for yourselves!

Moccasin Crafting Workshop       

October 18 & 19, 2014 ~ 10am to 8pm each day
This two-day workshop is a great time in community sewing moccasin that are just for your feet!  These hand crafted one of a kind moccasin are sewn from the hide of the buffalo who will support your walk in the world with sweet guardianship. You will have a pair of moccasin you won’t want to take off. Register to attend this workshop or email Barbara for details.

Feeding the Fire Ceremony   

November 7, 2014 ~ 4pm until 9pm
This circle is a celebration of the feminine open to any girls that are nearing their moon time and beyond.  Invited are Mothers, Aunties, Grandmothers or any other Woman who is supporting this girl as she grows into a young woman.  Our time together is a common narrative of what it means to be in the skin of a woman, a sacred feminine being.  We share a place at the fire with stories, songs and respect. A simple and healthy shared meal honors our ceremony.  Email Barbara for details.

Feeding the Fire Ceremony

Come all you Moms and Young Women!

A Feeding the Fire ceremony is planned this Friday evening July 11th beginning at 5pm.  This ceremony is a celebration of the feminine, of our moon time, it’s power and our beauty!  This is an old and traditional ceremony that encourages and supports a girl as she transitions into her moon time and beyond into womanhood.  By bringing this ceremony into our modern day we are aiming to break the taboos, the shaming and embarrassment that so often accompanies a girl and a woman’s cycle in the Western culture.  In the Lakota tradition a woman is considered powerful, connected to the natural rhythm of the Moon and Earth at all times and especially when she is on her moon.  In the ceremony we will acknowledge that this is a truth about all women.  We will hold ourselves in high esteem and bring this belief forward in a good way for each girl and woman in the world.

A fire is built in a sacred way, honoring the Standing Ones who have given themselves for this rite.  As the night grows darker and the fire grows higher – fed by each of the girls and women in attendance stick by stick, we will tell stories of the sacred feminine, of important women within our personal orbits, of women who have inspired us by their journey.  Will sing songs that are prayers.  We will grind corn – an honoring of the sacred foods that feed us.  We laugh and invite the joyfulness of the night to seep into the all the days to come.

This ceremony will be held on Echo Lake, the lake will bath us with warm waters to play and swim in beneath a Full Moon.  Sharing a potluck feast is customary – Shamanic S’mores our after dark treat!

Email barbara@soulproprietor.org to get the address and any other details you might need to attend.  This ceremony is for girls and women  only please.

In gratitude.  With love and light….. Aho Mitakuye Oyasin!

Solstice Stones

The Ceremonialist met for an early Summer Solstice celebration this weekend.  A sunny warm afternoon had the girls in Echo Lake right away looking for tadpole and getting fish nibbles.  While they swam to the other side and back, the moms were able to sink into a little down time, shedding the energy of their city life and allowing for their own energy to ease into the more gentle pace.

After a shared meal (thank you girls for washing the dishes!!) we set about the tradition of some ritual.

An altar had been laid in the yard – a circle of cedar boughs with stones marking the cardinal directions, a stone compass at the center.  A spiral extended out from the compass moving with the direction of the seasons.  We begin in the West, honoring the feminine, the water and offering prayers for all that depends upon the waters.  Some of us made our offerings aloud, some silent.  As we moved around the wheel, we talked of what the autumn holds and of harvest.  In the North we each laid down our tobacco and prayers to the Ancients, the Standing Nation, the dream time and whatever else our hearts hold.  A fire was burning in the East – we made offering for what needs transmuting into new form, blessings for the masculine, the warmth and a welcoming of the light.

Moving on the South we spoke of ancient stone creations built to catch the first light of a summer solstice morning.  We set about constructing our own version of a sun temple with many openings to allow for the sunlight to stream through from where it first comes into the yard at dawn onto a patch of cattails that hold a Red-winged Blackbird nest filled with three fuzzy headed chicks with two very defensive parents.

Solstice Stones 2

Adding more blessings for the sun season, prayers of peace and non-violence, and an abundance of joy when our beautifully balanced Solstice Stones was complete.  Around the wheel we went, back to the West, our circle intact, beautiful sweet voices singing Joni Mitchell’s Circle Games “…and the seasons the go round and round…”.

And what could be better than Shamanic S’mores by the fire as darkness closed gently around us?  We could only think of our time together lasting longer!

The Ceremonialist is an open group of Moms and Kids that gathers monthly to share time and stories, craft and create, explore and relax while learning something of the old ways and something of ourselves.

Pilamaya to the light and the seasons as they go round and round.  Pilamaya to all the Moms and Kids I am blessed with.  Love to you!

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin!

Moms and Kids Day

We were a small group today – Ophelia’s Book Store is keeping one mom busy and another mom walking the Camino de Santiago on a pilgrimage.  We were small but we were just right.  Often we will journey, today 11 year old Eva was offered the chance to drum for the very first time.  She is in love with horses, so making relations with the horse drum was just right medicine for her!

Before she began to drum, I shared a reminder to us all about the necessity for creating a safe container for our work – a protected and sacred container where only what serves our highest good comes forward.  It is important to have these reminders often for all of us to help reinforce the practice of creating a safe environment for a shamanic journey. We also spoke about the importance of engaging with our Spirit animal guides to bring personal protection to us each day in our daily lives.  What does it take to build these relationships?

Eva drummed with her allies help and she did so beautifully, coming away from the experience exuberant.  Afterwards, a bit of leather crafting, all the while talking about our heart’s desires and the way we are walking in the world.  Eva created a colorful leather pouch adorned with black horse hair.  The horse hair came from Lysje, my sisters Friesian mare.  it was a wonder full day!

We missed our friends, looking eagerly towards the next gathering when we can all be together.

Pilamaya, Pilamaya!