The Sacredness of Trees

The Sacredness of Trees

Trees are very sacred. Not only are trees sacred by our modern science but spiritually as well. Science tells us that our weather is changing. One of the reasons for this is the disregard for the value of trees and the constant cutting them down. Also, tree deep root bring up nutrients for plants with lesser root systems. Trees also leave valueable mulch in their leaves for building up vital soils. Trees are the habitate for all types of insects, birds, pollenators, and other creatures. Trees help prevent soil erosion. Trees exchange carbon dioxide for oxigen. Trees have medical properties that we use even in todays modern medicine.

On an everyday person point of view. Trees provide shade for a hot summers day. Trees are beautiful. Some trees provide food not only for animals but for people too.

On a sacred level. Trees have individual personalities. Trees represent the three worlds. Trees are portals to various worlds. Trees are healers. Trees are wisdom. And when a tree is used sacredly as a peace tree or oboo it is especially important to treat it with respect. It is then important to smudge it with smudge ( sacred smoke from burning sage, sweet grass, or sandalwood incence). It is important to give it sacred drink ( tea, water, and milk) .

It is important that trees be respected.

A respected tree gives many blessings to a society. A disrespected trees brings problems even though most people now days don't see this because they live in a pretend land. But, just look at the global environmental problems and you can see that all of us must change and learn respect for all of the creation.

Shaman Amy Frank

Shaman Metaphysical Store

The Price of Authenticity

The Price of Authenticity

I was speaking with a lady the other day and she told me about a horrible childhood with extreme abuse that actually went on until well into adulthood. She also told me that while going through a very tough time in her life that a spirit of a holocaust victim came to her and told her there was a cost for survival. I thought about what she told me and realized it wasn’t so much for survival than for authenticity.

I also some days back had a lady tell me that smart people pretend to be whatever to stay in the good graces of their community. She told me that although she wasn’t catholic she went on a regular basis to church and took the holy items of those peoples.

Thinking back on what these two ladies told me let me realize that it is definitely not for survival more than for authenticity that there was the greatest cost.

I really feel for people who pretend their lives away. Yes, they are surviving but they never fully become the people they really are. These pretend people never really get to know themselves and their true purpose in life for the sake of deceiving everyone into thinking they are something they are not.

On the other hand people, who stay true to themselves no matter what the price (the Jewish people in the holocaust) they are at least genuine, have their true self.

As for myself, I am a shaman and I am who I am. I will never pretend to be something I am not no matter how unpopular it is in my community to be a shaman and not a catholic. So I suppose I mean to say that I am willing to pay the price of authenticity.

To me, it is a shame that humans have not evolved to the point where true authenticity is allowed in societies.

Many blessings
Shaman Amy
Shaman Metaphysical Store

The Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque Journal is doing an article about me being a shaman and also an ordained minister for the Universal Life Church. They have taken pictures of me with some of my ceremonial garb on and of my ongons and some other tools. It will be out on July 27, 2008 in the people section I think they said. Anyway, I hope anyone who gets the paper will enjoy it.

Many blessings

Shaman Amy

Shaman Metaphysical Store

Use of Incense and Smudge

Use of Incense and Smudge

Inscense of one kind or another are used in many religious and spiritual pathways. Here is a list of some pathways that use some kind of incense: Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Neopaganism and Shamanism.

For the Buddhisht, Taoist and Shinto, incense is a method of purifying.

For some of the Christians, the smoke of burning incense is viewed by many Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faith as a prayer of the faithful.

Hinduism was probably the first religion in which incense was used and sacrificed to show loyalty to God.

For Islam, some muslim burn incense for meditation, especially the Sufi sect of Islam.

In Judaism they have the Ketoret which is the incense described in the Bible for use in the Temple.

Neopaganism, incense is also often used in Neopagan rituals because it represents all of the elements. Incense smoke walfs through the air, is created through the use of fire, the incense materials are grown from the earth, and combustable incense is formed using water. Most Neopagans and Wiccans use incense for two basic purposes in modern rituals. First incense is believed to create a magical atmosphere that is apporpriate for the invocation or inviting of deities and spirits often present around the Pagan altar. Second, burning the incense is believed to release the large amount of energy stored within natural incense so that it can be used for magical purposes.

Here are some magical association of incense used by some people.

Frankincense- burned for purification, spirituality and is associated with the Sun. Frankincense is associated with masculine powers.

Myrrh- has simular properties to frankincense, though it is also used for healing and attraction as well. Myrrh is associated with feminine powers.

Copal- most often burned for purification both spiritual cleansing as well as for cleansing physical items. Copal is actually a generic term referring to many different types of resins. Varieties include white, black, and golden.

Dragon's blood- burned for love, strength, and courage and can be used to add potency to any spellwork.

Pine and Cedar- help cleanse space of negative energy.

Sandalwood- Used by Mongolian Shaman before and during ceremonies, before praying and to bless the altar. Normally use three sticks at a time and wave them nine times at the altar.

I use a lot of incense and it runs up quite a bill when you can only purchase a few at a time. That is why we sell bulk amounts for the ones that use it a lot like us.
To look at our incense click the incense link

incense link

Shaman Metaphysical Store

East Mountain Shaman Center

The East Mountain Unitarian Church had worked on our center and biointensive mini-farm and decided they had not done enough. They will be returning to complete the fence for the biointensive mini-farm. We can not thank them enough.

Also, we have cleared away an area near the tree we will be making a Peace tree and we have started to build the oobo for the Mountain Spirits. We look forward to finishing the project. Thanks to all who have helped us with the project.

Many blessings

Shaman Amy

Shaman Metaphysical Store

Using Gray Water from Your Washing Machine

I'm always looking for easy ways to be green. One way I found to use gray water easily from your washing machine only cost $12.00 in parts. The two parts are Bar Fitting and Pipe to Hose fitting. First you fit the Bar Fitting into your hose coming from your washing machine. Sometimes those pipes get a little hard. Just measure the inside and tell your hardware person the measurement. If it is too hard to push the part in just soak the end of the washing machine pipe in boiling hot water for ten minutes and it will be a lot more flexible. Then screw on the Pipe to Hose fitting and fit that to a watering hose and push it out the window or door like I do and water away your trees. I use a green clothes soap that breaks down to a fertilizer and my trees are loving it.

Many blessings

Shaman Amy

http://www.navajosoap.com/

How I lost weight

Many people have asked me how I lost weight and complain they have tried everything and can not lose weight. Well I gained weight after having had a massive stroke many years ago and then I got diagnosed with diebetes. So I was put on a strict diet to control the diebetes. It is not a fun diet but to me it is better than taking insulen shots all the time and worrying about losing my eyesite, or having limbs cut off. So if you follow the diebetic diet you all will probably lose a lot of weight real fast. You only get 45 carbs with each meal which is very small amount. It's 1/2 cup of speghetti, 1/3 cup of rice for a meal, on slice of bread, etc. and then you can only eat 2 ounces of meat, and you can not ever have juice, candy etc. and you can eat all you want of free foods like green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, greens, and of course you lose weight because you don't get to eat very much period. We were taught to measure everything. So I use at every meal little cups to measure my food for only three meals a day.

Many blessings

Shaman Amy

http://www.navajosoap.com/