Signposts and Teachers
Within our journey upon the Earth Mother we are not alone. We are supported by many teachers and shown many signposts along the great journey of life. The trick is to learn how to recognize them and understand their meaning along the way.
The focus of this workshop is to teach you how to recognize all the many aspects that are reflected back at you from the world we live in. We are surrounded by many teachers and not all of them are human beings. The natural world has reflected the journey of human beings since we first came to live in this world. Everything is connected and is a part of something greater than itself. If we are all connected then the decisions we need to make will impact upon those that are part of our circle in life and they can help us through our connection to them make the right decision for our own journey as we are all better off when we are in balance with ourselves and the world around us. It is not that we hand our decisions to others but to merely reflect upon the affect our decisions will have on them and the natural world we live in. also it is very helpful when we are shown all sides of a situation or decision.
Before we begin to explore the world around us we must first be willing to journey into ourselves. To be able to recognize our natural place in the world we must first know our natural way of being. Indigenous people from around the world have learned this by their relationship with the natural world. Many indigenous people's names and their roles in their communities are represented by animals or elements (the natural forces that shape our existence). These names are not only used to call or recognise the person; they are also used to define that person and their path. Within many traditional societies a person's name once spoken within a group that has never met that person, they will know what that person is about without having to ask a whole series of questions. As every person on this earth is descended from an indigenous people from somewhere it makes sense to understand how this works. During the exploration of what you relate to in the natural world we start to learn about our natural way of being. When you understand your natural way of doing things and have a defined purpose, then you have a direction to walk in your life that supports the person you are. You will never again feel out of place or find yourself doing things that are not natural to you as you will begin to work within your natural way. Sometimes we will still feel out of our depth but we will now have the tools to find a way forward and to understand the teachings of our chosen path.
For example one of the animals that I relate to is a bear. I am a methodical thinker and always like to make sure that the steps I take on my path are always thought about before I take them. As a bear teaches us about introspection and is also representative of the healer because he eats of all the traditional medicine plants. The bear has taught me how to honor my need to find answer to the questions of my life. In studying bears I also learned why, when I was placed in roles that meant that I had no time to think and work out a strategy I felt agitated and out of place. As I am not one that likes to make any mistakes it was not a natural way for me to work. But in this world those that relate to birds are more natural in a fast paced role and the need to make quick decisions. How this works in the modern world is if I chose a job or career that places me continuously in positions that would mean that I had to think very quickly or simply react, I would continuously feel under a lot of stress and that would over time make me sick. But if a person who was naturally gifted in such an area like a bird person they would revel in that type of position and have great success. We are all different and we all have many aspects to us. The more we can learn about whom we are and how we naturally work is the best way to start the road to finding balance within our life and world.
Within the workshop we will talk at length about the animals and aspects of the natural world that you connect to and their representative meaning. You will also be asked if there are any particular animals or aspects of the natural world you would like to explore. As the way I always work is to teach you about what you are interested in learning not just fill your head will a lot of information.
The more balanced we become, the more in tune and connected we feel to the world around us. It is in this space that we can also learn how to start to use our natural intuitive senses. Many people including me feel a connection to spirit (ancestors) those that have walked this earth before us. The old ways of humanity recognised this and taught people how to honor them and how to listen to their teachings. It was through these teaching that we belonged to our people and we felt not only supported by them but also a responsibility to become a worthwhile member of our community. As this is not taught to most people today we are now more separated than ever before. When we feel lost or separated we always end up sabotaging our lives and it is through this that the modern world has become as dangerous a place as it has. If we can learn again how to become a part of our family and the greater human race then we can also feel the support we need to heal ourselves and through that our communities.
To learn what we have forgotten we can turn to those that have not lost their connection. The natural world around us and all the many relatives we have there. One way to learn is to observe how an animal lives and feels. Animals don't separate their senses. As most find themselves as prey to something else they don't have time to process all the information that their senses give them. They don't analyse what they see, hear, smell or feel. They trust and act. In many situations their actions will save them from the predator that wants to eat them. They also understand that they are to a part of the nature and follow natural law. That is simply the way the natural world works.
We human being are in reality just another species of animal, our tooth and claw is our intellect. It only separates us from the world of animals because we think it does. When we walk in nature the animal world doesn't see us any different than any other animal. If a predator sees us as food then we are food. It is only through our intellect that we are able to build tools or find ways to protect ourselves but as human being our need for safty has taken us to far from the natural world.
The price tag that we have created by separating ourselves from our environment is that we have forgotten how to use all of our senses. Sometime we are reminded of this when we have a feeling or a dream that makes us feel wary of a situation, but in most cases we choose not to listen and get hurt or injured. Wouldn't it be good to be able to learn how to always listen to the internal dialog of our soul as well as to learn again how to listen to all of our senses? Not to analyse everything all the time and to learn how to make the right decisions for ourselves.
We all receive many messages from our ancestors in the spirit world, some are through dreams some are through things we see in the world around us. Within this workshop we will explore all of these as well as many other aspects that can help guide us on our journey. to help us to once again live in balance with the world around us and all in our own way help humanity to heal.
For more information or if you have any questions please feel free to contact Bear
Email: standingbear@bigpond.com.au