The 13 Grandmothers ~ Or Moons....

Each of the Grandmother Moon's ....has wisdom to share. Their teachings are not only about the sacred feminine, for men too can learn from their light. Each Moon asks you to consider mentally reviewing the ‘then and now’ in your life as you assess things with each new Moon cycle. By seeing where you’ve been in the past and what’s changed as a result of walking consciously with the Grandmothers you’ll see the value in their lessons. The focus each Moon... should be on taking the negatives and transmuting things positively, getting a feel for the truths you’re recognizing and understanding how to apply them in your daily life.

 
*February ushers in "Wisdom Keeper" who is the Teacher that brings forth lessons about Honoring the Truth. She teaches us the Arts of Self-development and Expansion. Through her we learn how to access Mother Earth’s Memory, enhance our personal recall, tapping into ancient wisdom and knowledge. In this way we come to understand the wisdom that every life form holds as well as their missions. We learn how to be a friend and to restore friendship by honoring the viewpoints of all life forms through honoring the truth. Wisdom Keeper reminds us that all history is kept in the libraries of the Stone People and that to access that history, we must learn to hear their voices for they record the Remembering for the Earth Mother. 

 
She helps us see that to honor the truth of all that has been, we must tap more than human awareness, cultural traditions or stories. The history of all that has happened on our planet is forged in stone so it’s in the body of the Earth Mother we are presented with tangible records. She also shows us how to honor the truth as it is seen from each person's Sacred Point of View because all individuals experience life's events in a different manner. Here, by honoring our own truths we honor our own sense of self-development and learn to allow others to do the same. Every new understanding of the truths that others carry adds to our personal knowledge base, and our experiences bring us wisdom. This further creates the development of a right relationship to All Our Relations within ourselves.

 
Look for the book "The 13 Original Clan Mothers" by Jamie Sams... it is a very good read!!! Or... scroll though our "Two Moons Talking" show archives.

~ Luv, River*

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Monday Night Tune in to the Spirit Lodge with Two Moons!!

Tune into Two Moons Talking Monday nights at 9pm Eastern. Throughout the month of February we’ll be discussing the Second Grandmother and her teachings, moving onto the topic of Finding Your Empowerment. That will be followed by a two part series on Your Journey Into Spiritual Awareness. Join in the chat with like-minded friends and come grow with us, we’d love to have you there!

THE RAINBOW TRIBE - By CinnamonMoon

We often talk about finding a spiritual path that speaks to us and many wonder what that may mean. When a path speaks to you it speaks in a resonance, I like the flow of that word, it has a rhythm to it, the rhythm of life. The path that’s right for you will resonate in your heart, mind and within your spirit. In this way you can recognize it because you are already attuned to it. Your spirit will Dance…you’ll feel that too.

When I began walking a shamanic path one of the first encounters I had with that resonance was in learning about the Rainbow Tribe. There are many things written about it today but back then it was passed to me orally and I understood it meant many nations, many colors, all the different definitions of the human race or our planetary family. It was an expression that included all cultures and created life forms being facets of the greater whole. These aspects contribute to the beauty and essence of life. They’re to be honored and respected, loved and in loving we will bring an end to oppression, tyranny, greed, corruption opening a door to peace, tolerance and love.

As we end greed and corruption, we end the lustful power over others and in exchange we transmute the contrary bringing forth the true empowerment of loving spirits. This sustains the solidarity of the whole for the greater good of all. Rainbows one and all, the Rainbow Tribe is the reflection of the spiritual covenant each of us holds with Creator. It allows that essence to become vibrant within us and thus emanate out into the world. We can choose to walk in this awareness, to be a part of it and bring it more fully into being. We can nurture it, feed it with loving hearts, and thus live in a right manner. This is the code of conduct within the Rainbow Tribe and the Rainbow Warrior.

We are all children of the Great Ones: of Spirit and Mother Earth. We are all precious and loved. The time has come to honor each other as members of our planetary family. We are All Related. The atrocity of prejudice and hatred is in reality self-loathing projected onto others. Insecurity and low self-esteem feed it masked by a sense of arrogant superiority. This is not the loving being our spirits know we are meant to be. However, to correct that we must learn to love ourselves in order to know how to love others acting on that knowledge and understanding.

Spirituality and the foundations it provides teach us right manner in a very natural way. As we come to understand the nature of the spirit and the essences in life, we see that honor and respect create a harmonious state of balance with all the aspects of life…and all its inhabitants in whatever form they may take. With this in mind, know that you are a member, aware or not. The choice to become aware is up to you.

The Rainbow Tribe is about unity, an ethnic and cultural diversity that embraces all races. It is a way of being, a sacred point of view that comes from our spirits as we recognize we are All Related. It includes all ages, races, cultures, and traditions, as we journey together within the scope of the Web of Life. This is also comprised of all the creatures, plants, animals and living earth itself, for we are all a part of the greater whole as we make our earthwalks. It means having respect for that unity and tolerance for others who cannot see this yet.
The rainbow itself is a symbol of unity, a covenant that shows itself through the colors that comprise it…a promise that we can all live together if we choose to resonate with one and other rather than repel each other. The tolerance is that which allows us to be free to make our earthwalk even amid the diversity of systems, beliefs, and social structures that exist. The Rainbow Tribe is the whole of humanity.
As a member of the Rainbow Tribe one becomes a warrior of peace demonstrating these traits and leading by example. They do not force-feed their beliefs to others, they simply act based on those beliefs and make way for others to exercise their own free will to follow or not. This is a path of honor and respect for all…a path of assisting others in their earthwalk when asked.
Populated by those with spirits that have heard the Call to serve the Rainbow Path, members of the tribe consciously strive to bring beauty into the world through the balance and harmony that comes when diversity is embraced in unity. It is much like the variety species found blooming in a garden, as all the colors and formations they bring together create beauty in it. We can see this same diversity in the elements of life and their unity with Nature itself to sustain life in its variety of patterns, cycles and seasons.
The Rainbow tribe honors the children of the next seven generations and the wisdom of their Elders, it does not shun them to seek exclusivity, it embraces all of life honorably. Within the scope of the Tribe’s sacred point of view there is peace and love, a unity of awakened spirits that honor not only themselves in humble fashion, but All Our Relations in the same way. They consciously bridge the world of form with that of the spirit worlds walking their talk, making their earthwalk in a manner that is a contributing factor to the greater whole of Creation…whatever that may be.
The Earth is our Mother who holds and sustains us, the Sky our Father who protects us, the Rainbow our sister who loves us, the Wind our Brother who whispers and sings to us. The unity is there, we need only embrace it seeing the diversity for what it is…as the many attributes of a greater whole and then bring that perception into our sacred point of view. It’s a choice. There is no need for a tribal leader or one way of being, merely respect and resonant harmony with the whole. This leaves room for all ways of being to unite in a supportive manner, in a right manner without elitism. And, whether someone acknowledges the Rainbow Tribe, embraces being a member of it, or doesn’t see themselves to be a part of it does not matter. What matters is how you see yourself. If you honor, support or defending Mother Earth in any way, if you employ a force of peace, accept and tolerate those who are different than you, well then, you are a conscious member of this tribe…you are a warrior honoring your spirit’s intent. Aho!

The Great Smoking Mirror By Cinnamon Moon

What is the Great Smoking Mirror? The simple answer is that it is the reflecting surface of our Inner Spirit. But the complex answer is that it is also our willingness to explore the depths of that Inner Spirit, challenged by our ability to see into it and face our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

Why does it smoke? It "smokes" or clouds over to mask the fears and Shadows within us. It hides them, a safety mechanism that allows us to hide from ourselves...our true Self. We have to be willing to reflect on it long enough to let those clouds pass so we can see more clearly.

How do we get to this Great Smoking Mirror in the first place? Well, to get there the path is fraught with unknowns. We cannot know the answers until we arrive so we must face many internal challenges, fears, and demons to pass the many gateways that appear along the way. It's much easier said than done, until we learn the "how" of this journey. We need skills to get us there...meditation, prayer, visualization, learning to journey shamanically. These are tools, and when applied they bring forth the skills we need to develop.

Accepting that we are all blessed with Spirit Guides that will step forward when we open to them will serve this need as well. They are our greatest teachers, and they too know the way. Opening to our own Inner Spirit, stepping aside and taking the role of Witness will allow it to show you all these things. It is the Great Smoking Mirror, it is the reflection of who you truly are...it is said "we are always in the process of BE-ing, Be-coming who we truly are...a work in progress.” It is the spiritual journey of the Inner Spirit to make its way to our conscious awareness, and the physical journey of the mind to accept that. In union of that acceptance we have the whole of our being.

Our weaknesses reflect the things we need to learn to overcome to strengthen. Our strengths reflect the abilities we have to bring forth the courage needed to overcome the weaknesses. When balance between these two polar opposites is achieved we are centered and able to open to the growth we need. The Great Smoking Mirror reveals all. Spirituality teaches us how to embrace the many dimensions of life. It teaches us to look beyond the physical reality in a fascinating path of discovery of other realities that contribute to the whole of our expanding consciousness and evolution.

How long does it take for those clouds to pass? This depends on you. Are you willing to get to know your Guides?...that takes a little time. Are you willing to build on your spiritual foundations to better understand the process?...that takes time. Are you willing to set aside your impatience and be patient while allowing things to develop?...that takes time. Can you speed any of this up? Yes, but only superficially. You can do what many call soul-searching, that's a mental process that brings up emotions and sensory feelings, but it's not in-depth because it lacks the spiritual perspective that brings forth experience and lends wisdom as a result. We need the spiritual foundations to effectively soul-search.

Is one trip enough? No, you see throughout our lives we return to the Great Smoking Mirror time and again. It is a lifetime of reflections that are constantly changing to show us what we need to see so we can understand the Path of Destiny we are walking...our purpose in life. And what will we see when the Mirror clears? Will we see our Shadow? Will we see our Light? Will we see a monster looking back at us? Will we see a being of Light reflecting our goodness and connection to the world? What else is revealed, will we be enlightened? Is it all a waste of time? If so why do so many others make that journey? These are the intimidating unknowns for it shows us all these things and much more. These questions, however, are the seeds of curiosity that, when they sprout, encourage us to satisfy a hunger for nourishment and explore things deeper to find our answers.

Spiritual perspectives hold that nourishment but where do we find them? We have a lot to explore before we find a way we can understand and accept. So where are those maps? Which is the right map for us? We find that answer by exploring our interests in different traditions and the insights they bring until we find one that feels right. That's where we begin to map out our process.

How often do we need to seek the Great Smoking Mirror? We make this journey each time we choose to grow, each time we prepare to experience a set of lessons, and each time an assimilation process is undergone. It is a before and after process that we undergo throughout the course of our life...much like the before and after glance into the mirror each time we shower or begin our day. Time and time again we return to our Great Smoking Mirror showing us our truths as they stand at the time.

The Great Smoking Mirror serves our needs. If we have grown from our experiences and lessons the reflection we see changes and becomes much clearer. If we have refused to accept those lessons then it reflects that too and begins to cloud again. Fear is a sturdy challenger though, and facing our fears isn't always easy. To step into the Great Smoking Mirror takes one deeper and that takes time, it requires dedication, the development of skills, and the will to succeed.