Can we be like drops of water …

Last month my husband and I went to a concert in Ithaca. We arrived early and went on a short hike at Buttermilk Falls State Park. It was beautiful. I’ve missed hiking since we seem to have turned to bike riding (also fun!). We walked along a stream that meandered through rock that had been worn away by the stream over many lifetimes.

A beloved song came to me, one that I learned in my 20s – a song written by Meg Christian and Holly Near – “The Rock Will Wear Away.”

Here are the words: “Can we be like drops of water, falling on the stone. Splashing, breaking, dispersing in air, weaker than the stone by far, but be aware that, as time goes by, the rock will wear away. And the water comes again.”

I started to sing it, this song of my soul that comes to me now and then. I love the truth it tells, of the water impacting stone. I saw the evidence of this all around me on the hike. I sang the song and videoed the water and the rock walls a few times.

It was a frivolous moment, and maybe part of me knew that I would share it in this way. My voice is imperfect and falters a couple of times. But I AM a singer – of lullabies and love songs, songs to the water and so on …and since I am to write from the contents of my soul, I guess this is the thing to do. So I’m sharing it here.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zu4JPyjjbjI

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Help is available

I want to say how deeply working with Norlen, my channeling friend, has impacted me. I am moving forward in alignment with my soul more quickly than I could have imagined through asking questions and receiving channeled answers from Sri Pune. Aligning with my soul was not even a conscious goal a month ago. Now I pray for it every morning, giving thanks for the movement that has already occurred. The answer to one question often leads to another. I am coming to know weekly how great this gift is.

Help is available to you as well. If you reach out to me, I will send you + Norlen a joint email, allowing you to follow up with a private question for her to ask Sri Pune. She will send the answer to you. If you ask, she will video the answer to your first question and send it along. Although she is a little shy about this and it takes some time to upload the video, she is willing. The experience of seeing the energetic and physical change when Norlen turns her being over to Sri Pune AND of having Sri Pune answer your personal question for you is powerful and deeply impactful.

And then you may have another question. A conversation of this sort is just amazing.

Norlen and I are on a similar path. We share the goal of helping and healing our fellow humans. Every time we have the opportunity to help, we experience blessing and happiness. This is why we were born. We ask you to make use of us. We have both worked to find balance, to come to a place of wellbeing in our lives, and to land in a place where we can provide relief, self-love, ease and blessings to others.

This is our offering toward a shared vision of a world of love, kindness, peace, harmony, and delight for all of humanity.

I know Norlen will have a website soon and hopes to leave behind the job that provides her living expenses. This means her offerings will not always be free of charge as they are now.

This message has been approved by Norlen.

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Leader

Somehow, by offering journey circles, I have become a leader for others. They look to me for guidance and answers. I feel honored by this. In truth, sometimes I know the answer, and sometimes I know no more than they do. As far as being a leader, I feel no different. I don’t put myself above them in any way. Yet I know the blessings of the shamanic path and I have taken on a responsibility in offering the journey circle. I do my best to answer questions that arise. Sometimes the truest answer is “I don’t know.” 

Three of the attendees have had a hard time journeying to their power animals or spirit teachers in our current circle. I know some reasons. We tend to be overly cerebral, it’s hard to simply let go and “allow.” (This was me at the start of my path to shamanic knowledge and practice. It took me 5 times to meet my power animal). Other reasons are it’s hard to learn to “see” in non-ordinary reality (this is also me – I have come to understand that I get glimpses of images, not a sustained visual experience. And I have learned to trust my perceptions.) 

There are unfamiliar beings that show up as helping spirits. Is COLOR a spirit teacher? Possibly. I worked with someone whose spirit teacher showed up as a flash of light and she recognized him.

Lack of recognition can be another reason. One woman found herself walking down a road immediately in our first session and said “nothing happened, ” giving up because her entry to “non-ordinary reality” was not as she expected from my guidance. 

Another woman has shared that each time she journeys, she arrives at a place that was important to her and her deceased husband. I don’t think I did a good job of helping her “tease that out” and move forward …or figure out why she was in that place. She has missed the last 2 sessions. Sigh. It’s a lot to respond to a group of people with various experiences and questions when there’s a time limit on the room and some topics are definitely private.

Fear or uncertainty can be another reason for delayed success. 

For some it is so easy and immediate. 

I don’t know all the answers. I do know that I’ve always had success teaching others to journey when working one on one. I do know that my teacher taught us by having us lie down on mats covered with blankets. We have space and I have mats, but everyone stays in their chair in this circle. And for most people it works.

There may also be a group dynamic that impacts some people in a way that I have to understand and hopefully conquer or work with.

I have limited power despite my leadership. (Duh!)

One man had success in this journey circle that has never succeeded before! (Can I take credit? Probably not.)

It’s a lot to sort out, and I learn from each person how to be better at helping others.

I am grateful to have the trust of the group members.

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and to help others.

I am grateful to the local senior center for having space and time for this endeavor.

I wouldn’t trade this opportunity and experience for the world.

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Kiss the Moment

A friend sent me a post from Frank Ostaseski which brought forth delight. He writes about how he introduced the topic of mindfulness to several classes of 8th graders in a Catholic school. The title of his post is “Kiss the Moment” and here is an excerpt …

“Today, I would like to teach you how to kiss really well.” The normally apathetic eighth-graders lifted their heads and their eyes got wide as saucers. The teacher in the back of the room looked a bit alarmed and began to clear his throat to get my attention.

I continued, “When you’re kissing somebody you want to be there for the experience. You don’t want the other person looking out the window. You don’t want to be checking your phone for texts.”

“A kiss is an intimate act. At its best, it engages all of your senses. You want to be able to see, hear, smell, taste and touch in ways that are vivid, fresh and alive. Ideally you want to feel your heart fully and observe your mind with curiosity. It’s unlikely you will be able to open to these experiences if you haven’t cultivated the habit of attention. We have to learn to kiss the moment.”

For continued delight, read the entire post at the link below:

Frank Ostaseski’s primary mission is related to death and dying. If you seek support and wisdom in this realm, you may want to review some of his other writings through this link as well.

Frank Ostaseski

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Synchronicity

My soul is bursting in delight!

I reached out a few days ago to Norlen, my friend who channels the entity of 5 frequencies named Sri Pune, to ask them how to proceed with something. I wanted to know whether I should offer to rectify a situation I felt I created. I was not entirely sure of whether to proceed in this way because I am not entirely comfortable engaging with the person involved.

The answer was stunning. 

I was told that this person was “sent” to me to create the specific dynamic I was challenged by, so that I could make personal adjustments that were necessary to me and to align more fully with my soul’s purpose. And I had made adjustments! The situation caused me to review my way of being, to expand my approach, and to increase my awareness.

The outcome of this information to me personally is huge. I now see without any doubt the depth and extent of synchronicity in this physical reality we inhabit. I have never felt so supported and connected and blessed. I welcome all that is provided to me. 

If the opportunity arises, I will find a way to pay my debt to the person who helped me to learn this lesson and to make the beneficial personal adjustments.

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It was a soulful weekend

I had a soulful time visiting my daughter in mid-October. She lives 3 hours away.

I always love my visits with her, but this time was different because F met me there. Until then our relationship consisted of phone and zoom conversations, and it felt important to meet. (see prior post about F here)

I’m so grateful my daughter made space for this meeting. F and I arrived on Thursday and I taught him to journey while everyone was at work. We worked outside in a couple of beautiful spots. F journeyed 4 times with increasing success on Thursday and Friday. (He still didn’t meet his power animal – though in the 4th journey he saw some distant owls who didn’t respond to him). In retrospect I think Owl is his power animal, but we shall see when we resume our work. We also shared a meal, went food shopping, and did a short hike on our own. We both felt that our friendship was cemented.

We also had 2 family campfires while F was there and had meals together with my daughter, her partner and my grown grandsons. F took his leave Friday night and continued his travels.

On Saturday I spent time with my daughter and her partner (the grandsons were off on adventures), I had tea with two old friends in the afternoon, and contributed to the making of dinner. I had especially wanted to see the quiet friend, and the other talkative one got invited by her. The 2 of us yapped it up, then I found a moment to offer soul retrieval to the quiet one and she is taking me up on it! I am so grateful. I have offered before. She is in need, and has been since I’ve known her. She is humble and gentle and true of heart.

I simply want to help. 

Being able to help feeds my soul.

I’m so grateful for the shamanic and practices I have learned which allow me to help.

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Hummingbird photo

My husband took the beautiful photograph of the hummingbird that graces the top of this page. He is a devoted lover of birds and all critters, of flowers and all plants. He is magic in the garden, and grew the tithonia flowers that the hummingbird is drawn to in the photo. The plants seem to commune with him in an unusual way. He knows what they need and provides it. I too, love to plant and have my hands in the dirt. It’s a large part of what brought me here to the Northern Catskills where I was able to afford a few acres to simply relish and breathe and garden. However, I recognize a greater soul than I in my husband’s connection with nature. I learn from him often and still get my hands dirty despite his humbling (to me) alignment with the plant realm.

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Gratitude Practice

Sometimes a small decision or action can provide a significant impact.

I recently heard a spiritual leader say that a practice of gratitude can bring healing, light, and balance to one who feels victimized. I believe this to be true. I have seen this in play for others, and for myself as well. 

One simple way to shift into a place of gratitude is to write daily “I’m grateful for …” and list 5 things that pleased you in the day. This could be done throughout the day or in the evening. This practice keeps us on the lookout for the small blessings in life and shifts our focus so that we embrace what we experience in a new light. The warmth of the sun on your back, the fragrance and beauty of a flower, the sight of a loved one’s smile, …all these things gradually become the building blocks of pleasure and wellbeing. Each can be received as a gift just for you, for which you can more fully experience gratitude. 

Two friends sharing a daily list of 10 items by text or email can inspire both people, and also enhance a friendship, as well as your day.

Another way is to express gratitude in prayer, giving thanks directly for the blessings you are experiencing.

Sometimes the shift can start to occur right away, and sometimes it takes months of a gratitude practice to realize that you are finally coming from a new place, but the task is simple and the change, when you arrive, is profound.

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About F, my friend

A loved one asked me in early August if I could journey for someone else, a longtime friend, who plans to end his life. I said yes, but that he would have to ask me himself, or be ok with it – that he should reach out to me. A couple of weeks later he did. I will call him F (for friend). I have been on a journey with F for about 2 months.

On our first call we spoke for an hour and a half about his life. He is currently driving around the country in his car on a “farewell/gratitude” tour, visiting those who have been important in his life. He plans to end his life in April 2024. He told me during that conversation that as a young child he asked his mother “Why did you bring me here?” He has never felt that this physical reality was his home. He has not aligned with others that feel like his people. He calls himself “relational” – meaning that he cares more for people and authenticity than for things or peripheral occurrences or what might be driving forces for others. He also has seen his mother and his aunt suffer from dementia in recent years, and he does not want to experience it. He does not have children to tether him or to look out for him in his aging years. He has no strong love for any particular place here on Earth to feed his spirit and to hold him.

As we spoke, we were very open and forthright and a friendship developed. I feel strongly aligned with F and I recognize him as a warrior, which is something I have found in myself and in others. Warriorship to me means that one has strong values and stands in their truth, stands FOR the truth as they see it, walking a path of authenticity that nobody can sway or influence. F is a loving, wise, openhearted man. My opinion is that this physical reality in which we live NEEDS warriors like him in the current time of confusion, division, corruption and deception. I expressed this to F, but he feels he has done his time and is ready to leave it behind.

I shared with him about the work I do and told him I thought soul retrieval might be helpful. He was open to the possibility.

On our second long call, F told me that he is thinking about “exiting” in December 2023 rather than April 2024 to avoid bringing darkness to the birthday month of a sibling. We spoke about patterns in his life and I found him to be unusually self-aware. Surprisingly to me, F does not believe in a soul, or that one’s core being sustains after death. This felt like a substantial obstacle to my being able to assist him. However, we set a time for a soul retrieval process.

I asked for chalnneled guidance from Sri Pune and was told that my working with F would be an opportunity to create a shift for him.

On a 3rd call we talked about his family of origin; he is close with some of his siblings and had a positive relationship with his mother. His relationship with his father was not close or supportive. He did have 3 significant men in his life that were positive role models.

I did a soul retrieval for F in late September and returned 2 soul parts to him very early one morning. A 2 year old holding onto a kitchen chair and a 4 year old sitting under a tree. He reported that he woke with a great deal of energy.

F’s journey took him to Long Island, and I felt moved to invite him, this close friend of a beloved one, to join me in a visit to my daughter’s home in CT in mid-October. He also felt that it would be positive to meet. The next part of the soul retrieval process was to teach him to journey, and doing it in person is always a delight. F was surprisingly open to it; he enjoyed the experience. We had dinners and campfires at night with my family. We became friends in the physical realm and our time together felt “soulful.”

Now he is on the road continuing his gratitude/farewell journey. Heading south toward warmth.

He keeps reminding me that he has not changed his mind.

I have to say that I understand F. I remember reading long ago that when the time came to leave this world, in some Native American tribes, the elders would simply walk over the hill to make the journey on. I am a few years older than F, but I am tethered by my beloved children, husband, grandchildren, stepchildren, my work helping others, and by my love of this earth, the woods, the ocean. I can, however, imagine a time when I will be ready to go.

F has no descendants to tether him, nor is he tethered to the land. He moved a great deal in his life, especially at an early age, and now he is on a long journey in his car, without an anchor. He has an estranged wife that he cares for, but she does not provide a reason to stay.

This warrior is a vibrant strong man of wisdom and love.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with F.

I am somehow encouraged by the fact that F + I have developed a strong connection and genuine affection.

I am encouraged by my gut sense that it’s not his time yet.

I am hoping for him to make a new choice.

However, in all honesty, I am not attached to the outcome.

I know in my heart and soul that F WILL continue on after death. And I will check on him if he chooses that path to make sure he arrives in a place of wellbeing, love and light.

In the meantime, I am committed to doing the best that I can for F. I am pulling for him. I don’t have a sense that it’s his time. I feel we need him.

We will continue the soul retrieval process when he has a long stop later this month and in early November. There are integration journeys ahead (to align with his returned soul parts), releases to make, important questions to answer, and more.

I hope this work will be pivotal.

I hope that beloved others that F connects with on this gratitude/farewell journey of his will reach out with love and show him they ARE his people, that there are pockets of love in this world, and cause him to want to stay here in the physical realm with their support.

I envision him finding solace and purpose.

Of course this is not mine to decide.

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I am to write from the content of my soul

I have been asking Sri Pune for content – both to support my friend who is channeling their frequencies, and to have easy posts to offer.

In response, I have been guided to write from the content of my soul.

This seems a tall order, but completely appropriate.

I feel vulnerable, and yet what do I truly have to offer but myself?

I have learned these shamanic ways, and now I must use them in a manner that assists others, provides healing to others and that expresses me, my love, my version of healing.

And so this is how I will proceed. I will look for inspiration from within myself, from my life and thoughts and yearnings.

If you want more from Sri Pune, a channeling website is coming from Norlen, the channeler, and there will be a link on this website. In the meantime, if you want to personally ask for information, guidance and/or healing from Sri Pune, let me know and I will connect you individually with Norlen, who is not currently charging for her channeling work.

All Love,

Annie

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