PAN International 81
PAN - Provisional Astroshamanic News
Ezine of the Sacred
Editorial Director:
© 2008
Happy Solstice to All!
Once again in the northern hemisphere the Sun reaches its luminous peak with the Summer Solstice on
This transition between spring and summer, as those who suffer from allergic rhinitis know, is the climax of pollination and the highlight of The Pollen Path. In some ancient myths this is the way of the heart of gods and men, expressing the intimate communion between the multidimensional realms and the mysteries of the Earth.
The path of the pollen is the journey towards the centre, the quest for God and true Love, a voyage thriving with divine beauty and ecstatic love, unconcerned of any final destination, and right in the present moment. Whatever you can best anticipate about the future is here and now, if only you are available to embrace it. As Karlfried G. Dürckheim put it, "When you're on a journey, and the end keeps getting further and further away, then you realize that the real end is the journey." The goal lies in the life journey itself, not in the future. “There is one life, and that I share with God” (ACIM, W167). This is the awareness that heals all misery, suffering and fear. “”God goes with me wherever I go. […] You can never suffer because the Source of all joy goes with you wherever you go. You can never be alone because the Source of all life goes with you wherever you go. Nothing can destroy your peace of mind because God goes with you wherever you go.” (ACIM, W41).
Forgiveness is letting go of the part in us that denies the above experience. It is systematically releasing our insane ideas of separation, with all their cults of obscurity and ignorance. Here the healing voyage is meant to unveil the ongoing presence of God at all times and spaces. Once this presence is accepted, the journey becomes the end and the end becomes the journey, a most beautiful journey and a most beautiful end.
The Navajo, or Diné, use a powerful chant, that says: "Oh, beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty to the right of me, beauty to the left of me, beauty above me, beauty below me, I’m on the pollen path." Similarly, the St. Patrick’s Breastplate prayer, says: “God above me. God beneath me. God before me, God behind me. God within me.”
Blessings, Franco
The sign of Cancer is in resonance with one’s home, family and tradition on the physical plane. In this respect I wish to express my acknowledgment and gratitude for the Findhorn Foundation, which has been my most beautiful home in the past 10 years. The Findhorn Foundation and the surrounding community at The Park in Findhorn and at Cluny Hill College in Forres is also the home of more than 400 people from all over the world, including also thousands of people, who visit us each year and feel at home for one or more weeks or months. For a virtual tour of the Findhorn Foundation, click here. For a short video, click here.
The Findhorn Community was begun in 1962 by Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean. All three had followed disciplined spiritual paths for many years. They first came to northeast
The founding principles of the Findhorn Foundation and community, which still remain at the centre of all our activities over the years, are: deep inner listening and acting from that source of wisdom, co-creation with the intelligence of nature, service to the world. For further details on our founding principles, click here.
The Foundation’s primary focus is Education. Here Education is experiential and transformative, a journey of self-discovery that changes people's lives and is helping to create a sustainable and peaceful world. Living education is an integral part of the community's work. Recognising the interdependence of all life, taking time for inner reflection, building relationships with others, and co-creating with nature are essential to the fabric of community life. Read more…
We offer a range of holistic workshops, programmes and events in the unique environment of our working community and ecovillage. Click here for further details.
Due to the presence of so many international members and visitors, living at the Findhorn Foundation is a bit like living in every country of the world. Often, I need to remind myself that I am actually in Moray,
At Cluny Hill College, with Sverre Koxvold, I am currently holding The Original Quest: An Astroshamanic Journey into Space and Time, which culminates with the Summer Solstice on 21 June. Then I will travel to
The next astroshamanic workshop at the Findhorn Foundation will be the Astroshamanic Trance Dance and Drumming week from 2 to
In
I will return to
We warmly encourage our readers to comment on the articles in PAN. If you wish to write a comment or share your experiences related with the themes of our articles, please contact pan@astroshamanism.org.
IN THIS 81st ISSUE
Spiritual Diet for Dummies – On the Sign of Cancer and John the Baptist by
The Blessed Way of Passion: Pentecost Workshop on Astroshamanic Touch by
The Chariot - Cancer: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot by Franco Santoro
The Search for Meaning and True Jurisdiction by Franco Santoro
Going Sane:The Shamanic Way of Madness by Elaine Silverfire
Prayer of Saint Francis of
The Sacred Heart of Jesus by Franco Santoro
Upcoming Astroshamanic Events
Spiritual Diet for Dummies: On the Sign of Cancer and John the Baptist by Franco Santoro
In the previous article (see PAN 80) we explored the Gemini section of the Gospel of Mark according to the zodiac associations given by Bill Davison in the The Gospel and the Zodiac. This time we draw inspiration from the Cancer section, which goes from Mark
The sign of Cancer is associated with giving and receiving nourishment, both at a physical and spiritual level, and according both to our separated and multidimensional perception. A major theme here is nourishment, and the discrimination between what feeds our separated identity and what supplies energy to our true Self.
This is a crucial area encompassing ordinary food and healthy diets, as well as spiritual nourishment. Here in both respects individuals seem to have different requirements. Food items that benefit some people may cause harm to others. Nevertheless there are certain elements in food that are vital for every human being, that characterise all healthy diets no matter how diverse they are, while there are others that are poisonous for all mankind in general. The same situation applies to spiritual food. Hence a few questions on the Cancer’s front are: how do I nourish myself spiritually? Do I get enough food for my true Self? What is the ideal spiritual diet? Where can I get it? How can I improve its quality? How can I also provide spiritual food for others and care for them?
Since the dawn of time answers have constantly been given to the above, with most ancient scriptures providing detailed indication regarding both ordinary and spiritual food. In archaic times there was also rarely a rigid difference between physical and spiritual food. The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, for example, in the early Christian communities was not delivered in the form of a symbolic small host. The Eucharist was a real meal, a complete banquet integrating both heaven and earth. God was meant to be in the food, and here women, as traditional caretakers of the kitchen, played a major spiritual role. As John Dominic Crossan puts it “It was not theology that came first, it was the food.” Then things changed, as women were excluded from religious leadership, and the gap between spiritual and physical life opened out and became irreversible.
In this current age availability of information on both physical and spiritual food has reached a peak. Just as there is an unprecedented quantity of food items, there is also a record amount of spiritual food in the market. Countless spiritual practices, rituals and texts according to the largest variety of cultures and approaches, are freely accessible. Never in human history have we experienced such a profusion of physical and spiritual resources.
Regrettably, abundance of resources does not necessarily imply superiority in quality. On the contrary, similarly to the theme described in the article below (The Search for Meaning and True Jurisdiction), our current mankind seems to suffer from a state of deep spiritual starvation. Great quantity of spiritual nourishment does not guarantee covering our basic vital requirements. Hence here it is important to understand what the basic requirements for a spiritual diet are.
As with ordinary food, some people benefit more from certain products and others not, some are intolerant or allergic, and also diets change according to life stages. Babies, teenagers, adults and old people have different diets, and so have people according to their culture. Yet, despite all this, certain elements in food are imperative for both physical and spiritual nourishment, while others are fatal.
Put it very plainly, the basic requirement for spiritual food is the presence of Spirit. The term “spirit” comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning “breath”. Breath is the basic physical requirement in human life and largely precedes ordinary food for our immediate survival. Yet, when it comes to spiritual life, breath goes far beyond physical survival, encompassing our multidimensional self, our true eternal nature, and providing the authentic essence of spiritual diet. Access to this diet allows us to awaken and energise our true Self, stepping out of the nightmare of separation and expanding awareness of Who we truly are. And this authentic consciousness, again put it very simply, is God, meant as Unity and Love, i.e. Unconditional Love. This is what ultimately nourishes our true nature.
On the other hand, still in simple terms, what intoxicates and poisons our true Self, is conditioned love, intolerance, condemnation, judgment and whatever stems from separation, included perhaps forms of religiosity based on separated and cursing gods.
The Gospel section of Cancer opens up with “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousands” (Mark 6:30-44), the largest act of nourishment of the entire New Testament (for a related movie scene from Jesus of Nazareth please click here) followed by a similar miracle of multiplication of bread and fish in “Jesus feeds the Four Thousands” (Mark 8:1-13). Further emphasis on food is given in “Clean and Unclean”, when Jesus explains that "Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'” (Mark
The Cancer section is preceded by the episode of the beheading of John the Baptist, the gateway to the Summer Solstice. Since ancient times the opposite point, the Winter Solstice, and the entrance of the Sun in Capricorn, refers to the Gate of Gods, the portal of ascension to our true Self and the rebirth of our original multidimensional identity, which is exemplified by the Nativity of Jesus. On the other hand the entrance of the Sun in Cancer and Summer Solstice represents the Gate of Men, i.e. the portal through which the soul leaves her source and descends, taking up a separated self and letting go of her multidimensional nature, which is exemplified by the Nativity of John the Baptist (24 June). The Winter Solstice represents spiritual nutrition, whereas the Summer Solstice embodies physical nourishment. Here the two solstices form a vertical axis, and their aim is more merging and integrating rather then excluding each other.
Similarly to the Chariot (see article below: The Chariot - Cancer: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot), the Summer Solstice, Cancer and John the Baptist represent the outer mystery, the God of the Old Testament and his old covenant, and whatever is visible for our physical perception, such as bodies, food, etc. This also includes all established earthly doctrines, whose aim, conscious or unconscious, is to lead the initiate to the threshold of the inner mystery. The outer mystery is based on our ancestors’ experience and law, which needs to be honoured, yet without jeopardising our own direct experience and connection with God, which is the inner mystery, what lies beyond the threshold.
The Christ epitomizes the inner mystery, the new covenant based on Love, the way of forgiveness that leads to the Kingdom of God, or Realm of Unity. John the Baptist, as outer mystery, is aimed to prepare the way before the emergence of the inner, to lead us to the threshold, yet not to take us over it. "I baptize you with water for repentance.” says the Baptist, “But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew.
When the outer mystery fails to give way to the inner mystery it becomes a major obstacle to the plan of Salvation. And yet here lies the mystery and the paradox of the threshold, since in such an initiatory stage there is an inevitable obstacle, a baffling challenge we are bound to confront.
Access to the inner mystery is viable only if I have fully learned how to feed myself spiritually. This involves being able to rely upon my direct connection with God, my capacity to receive spiritual nourishment from the Source and let go of any dependence upon other forms of nourishment. At that crucial stage I will not receive the support from any doctrine or outer traditions. There will not be anyone to feed me from the outer world, no spiritual master, priest, church, circle or community. I will be on my own, even encountering opposition and persecution from those who were previously walking side by side with me. The same food that was previously used to nourish, now may be employed to stone me. I may also be excommunicated, which literally means being excluded from the community and from receiving the Holy Bread, the Eucharist. Yet, in this crucial stage what counts is my deep desire to receive true nourishment, and uncover the truth that lies beyond all illusions and fears, no matter how I seem to be deprived from all the deceptive nourishments of this separated world.
“Would God consent to let His Son remain forever starved by his denial of the nourishment he needs to live? Abundance dwells in him, and deprivation cannot cut him off from God's sustaining Love and from his home.” (ACIM, W165:5-6) When the seeker is determined to receive true nourishment, he will receive it. He will let go of all provisional and bogus attachments, seeing them as forlorn defences against God.
I may not be in a luminous temple, surrounded by loving or supporting people, with uplifting hymns or magnetic drums, and not perhaps in a peaceful nature environment, or any other place where spiritual nourishment can easily be received, yet nevertheless God is here, God is present no matter what is happening around me, God is present in me. “You, Lord, are in this place, your presence fills it, your presence is peace. You, Lord, are in my heart, your presence fills it, your presence is peace. You, Lord, are in my mind, your presence fills it, your presence is peace.” reads one of my favourite Celtic hymns (you can listen to a sample by clicking here and then click on the red arrow next to the title “You, Lord, are in this place”).
The apparent rigidity and intolerance of some religious doctrines is not necessarily a sign of their failure to unveil the access to the inner mystery. The outer mystery is the guardian of the threshold to the inner mystery. And I can pass through the gateway only if I do not depend upon the nourishment of the outer mystery, and am able to find my way to a much deeper form of nourishment, which lies in the inner. Yet this does not mean that the outer mystery is bad, and letting go of it does not imply antagonism or resentment. It is like ceasing to be fed by one’s mother’s breast, or living my parents’ home, and learning to get and cook food on my own. And also this is not a linear process, which means that from time to time I may need to return to my original traditions and early nourishment.
Nevertheless the transition from outer to inner is likely to confront with major challenges. Here the antagonism between outer and inner mystery functions as a strategic test on the way of initiation, which is a path full of paradoxes. This is again part of the mystery.
“I tell you with certainty, among those born of women no one has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)
Whenever I hear about John the Baptist I cannot help remembering a dramatic episode occurred to me in 1976. For two years I was part of a missionary group who fundraised and preached all over
On some occasions we also held rallies. We would settle in the main square and start first with some chants, then, once attention was drawn and people had gathered one of us would deliver a sermon on our doctrine. This is what we did one evening in the Sicilian town of Ragusa (see image) where the most vehement brother in the group decided to preach on the controversial issue of John the Baptist. Contrary to traditional Christianity, according to our doctrine the Baptist failed to support Jesus, which was the main cause that led to his crucifixion. Our preacher listed a lot of biblical evidence to support this thesis, repeatedly blaming John the Baptist.
It was a warm summer evening and the square was full of people. In the beginning they all appeared rather friendly. I mean when we were singing… Yet, as soon as our version of the Baptist’s story began to unveil, their attitude began to change dramatically. At first there was a just a frozen silence, with many people staring at us with wide open eyes and mouth. It seemed as if the sermon was having a profound effect on them, and this touched me deeply. Then some people began to shout in the local dialect, which we dared to interpret as a native sign of acclamation, until the first vegetables hit us…
After a few seconds we became the target of a mass launch of tomatoes, eggs and other splattering agents. Far from running away, we continued to hold the square, praying while our speaker kept speaking with increased fervour. There was a crescendo in the launch, with people even throwing water melons, Sicilian cassata and arancini! Then harder objects began to arrive, and we were gradually introduced to a, yet definitively softer version, of the biblical practice of stoning. The situation became rather violent, until the police came and took us away.
We were formally expelled from the town, whose patron saint and main source of spiritual devotion, we later alas discovered, happened to be
My heartfelt apologies to the town of
(For some excerpts of a long video on the procession during the feast of
The Blessed Way of Passion: Pentecost Workshop on Astroshamanic Touch at the Findhorn Foundation by Astrid Gude
"What is the body? That shadow of a shadow of your love that somehow contains the whole universe." (Rumi)
The workshop, in its fourth edition, opened this year on the day before Pentecost. As astroshamanism is continuously evolving and, like other shamanic traditions, works closely with the seasonal cycles, as well as with the local traditions, it saw the emergence of new elements within an already well-established curriculum of teaching the application of astroshamanic touch for healing purposes (for a detailed report on a previous workshop see PAN ? , October 2005).
I assisted Franco in this workshop and as part of our usual preparation of opening the field, cleansing the space, meditating and saying prayers together we took three Tarot cards from the Crowley Deck for inspiration and guidance. They were three powerful cards, all from the Major Arcana: The Priestess for me, Adjustment for Franco and for the group: - The Priestess again, indications of strong spiritual alignment and balance. There was also balance with regard to the numbers of the cards: the 2 of the Priestess and the 8 of Adjustment representing the astroshamanic sectors where we each have our highest concentration of planets.
Continuously with us during the week was the element of Fire, the Sun blessing us with its presence, bringing out the vibrancy of the fresh new colours under a deep blue sky; the north of
The Sunday morning session in Cluny Sanctuary in three stages, stimulating different energies through different sounds was devoted to Fire and the Holy Spirit, with us being invited to speak in tongues towards the end and each of the seven participants receiving a card with one of the Blessings of the Holy Spirit, written in an unknown language. The afternoon continued with the theme of Fire, starting with the song "The Fire of Love" by Margaret Grizza, all of us being invited to anchor this love in the heart and allow it to flow into the hands that become an expression of the manifestation of divine love, thus experiencing this triangle for the first time, which is the point of departure for many of the following practices, the heart in this context not being the seat of emotions, but of something undefinable, larger, that is beyond the physical, the emotional and the mental. We did a first journey in which we aimed at a direct connection with Spirit, grounding it in the body and bringing it into the horizontal by sharing with a partner.
"Simplicity" and "commitment" are important to keep this connection alive, ideally through having a daily practice. Throughout the workshop we completed the evening with a 20 minutes silent meditation - Franco brought in the mantra "Maranatha" from the Christian tradition, which means "Come closer, God" - followed by a recapitulation of the day, scanning the energy throughout the day and asking Spirit to transform negative energy into light. Participants were also encouraged to have a regular individual practice for their time outside the group sessions.
On Monday then we stepped into "Ordinary Time", according to the Christian calendar.
We went deeper into the practices and into hands-on work where the physical body becomes a representation of the non-physical, working with the polarities as expressed through the two hands and paving the way in the first two stages for the third pole, the void, the Grace of God, to enter and do the healing work.
As the week unfolded, we expanded and experienced this work also in its application to the environment, the wild and ancient scenery of
The Trance Dance session on Thursday, which always opens up to the community, gave us the opportunity to bless Richard B. in the middle of our circle through the touch of our hands. Richard has frequently and passionately attended these Trance Dances, has taken part in several astroshamanic workshops and is now on his way out of the Findhorn Community.
The two completion sessions on Friday focused on integration of what was given, received and learned throughout the week. In the morning we created a sacred tool, receiving information in a journey about the essence of the healing power of our right and left hand within astroshamanic touch and making a sigil, transferring the energy through breath and drawing to two stones from the Highlands of Scotland, smoothed and brought into a round or oval shape by the sea and being exposed to the Sun and the Air for a long time.
Franco emphasized the importance of a regular practice, application in everyday life with an absolute priority on God, the search for the Truth.
Upon coming back to my room after the last session, a note I had put there a while ago stood out with the following lines that I would like to share here: Medicine
“If you have not taken your medicine lately By saying your prayers every day, How can Hafiz seriously listen To all your heartaches About life or God?” (Hafiz)
The Chariot - Cancer: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot by
After the Emperor, the Hierophant and the Lovers, our journey through the Major Arcana moves on and reaches The Chariot. This trump provides an immediate sense of vigilance, control and solidity, which seem to prevail on the sense of mobility and parading given by the name of the card.
According to the esoteric system of the Golden Dawn, the Chariot is assigned to Cancer, whose glyph appears on the Charioteer’s sword belt, together with the Moon’s, which is also featured on both his shoulders. In the Rider Waite Tarot the Chariot is held by an armoured figure wearing a robust breastplate with a white square at the centre, emphasizing the quality of a grounded, practical heart. The front part of the chariot displays the Hindu symbol of the lingam (male penis) penetrating the yoni (female genitals) and a winged orb. At its feet, instead of horses, there are two sphinxes lying down, one black, one white,[ii] and facing slightly away from each other, as if they pull in different directions. The Charioteer holds a magic wand, yet his hands have no reins to govern the sphinxes, which he seems to control simply through his inner force. In the background there is a fortified town and a river.
The Chariot is the seventh card of the Major Arcana, emphasizing the cosmological order of the seven directions, exemplifying on one hand a triumphant mastering of, and liberation from, such order, while on the other the failure to move beyond this structure and a state of tragic captivity. As the seventh card, in a context where each stage comprises seven of the 21 cards (excluding The Fool, i.e. zero), the Chariot depicts the full maturation of the first stage of the Basic Ritual of the Sacred Cone, and the acquisition of the spirit medicines of the preceding cards, which are all featured in the Chariot.
This trump is also the gateway into the second stage, comprising the sequence from the eighth (Strength or the Justice, depending on the type of deck) to the fourteenth card (Temperance), which involves the release of the conscious ego and outer self. Upon completing the first stage consciousness reaches its maximum expansion, yet this superiority relates to our human separated reality and does not necessarily involve the higher Self.
The Chariot illustrates a transition zone, where both our multidimensional mind, or Christ self (whose task is to free us from our separated identity), and the ego, which madly keep us blocked and captive, coexist. This, as the author of Meditations on the Tarot puts it, is the trial of the fourth temptation, the most subtle and intimate. Here the seeker who has triumphed over the three temptations to the traditional vows of poverty (possessing everything while not being attached to anything), chastity (loving with the totality of one’s being) and obedience (unity with God),[iii] is tempted by his victory itself. It is the lure to act “in one’s own name”, to perceive himself as the master instead of as servant, that lead to spiritual arrogance, self-inflation and finally mystical megalomania, the most catastrophic of all scourges, which the Chariot is meant to unveil and heal.
In the above text, the author describes in details the esoteric chemistry of the process leading to the fourth temptation,[iv] which is the result of the mastership of the elements following the victory over the three temptations. This is exemplified by seven major miracles in the Gospel of John[v] and by the seven aspects of the name of the Master, or Rainbow of God’s glory: "I am the true vine," "I am the way, the truth and the life," "I am the door," "I am the bread of life," "I am the good shepherd," "I am the light of the world," and "I am the resurrection and the life."
The risk is that one may identify oneself with, or allured by, the above aspects, and their glamorous effects, while at the same time embracing one’s inflated ego, and unconsciously fomenting separation. This is the main danger for mystics, shamans and all those who are committed to the spiritual path. What generates this separated world, with all its misery and grievances, thrives in a most subtle matrix, devoid of any apparent relation with its painful effects. It is a spiritual perilous zone, a surrogate of God’s presence, purposefully meant to cause confusion and test those who sincerely aim at connecting with God’s true presence.
The blatant features of separation, such as war, violence, hate, or disease, are merely the fruit of a disguised root, whose process of manifestation unfolds secretively, veiled by a canopy of bogus sacredness, which most human beings are incapable to detect. Only deeply committed seekers can perceive this matrix of separation, and be in a condition to purge and heal it, as long as they do not fall prey to the fourth temptation, which causes them to unconsciously inflate their egos as a result of their apparent superiority.
This is why throughout the ages the experience of many saints and spiritual healers indicate the quality of humility as a fundamental antidote on the path. As a result, since ancient times most monastic orders and spiritual communities have based their practice on the cultivation of this quality, which is exemplified by the saying ora et labora (pray and work), the only prophylactic remedy against the scourge of spiritual megalomania. Immunity from this major grievance is also the result of having had a direct experience of the Divine. "Authentic experience of the Divine makes one humble; he who is not humble has not had authentic experience of the Divine." This connection provides the gift of humility, no matter whether the person remembers, or speaks about, the experience or not.
Here I would also add another relevant aspect of megalomania, to which the above author does not seem to refer to, is also found in all forms of fundamentalism, literalism and dogmatism. This, as I see it, is typical of those religions and churches, whose human representatives purport to be the highest authorities in matters of spirituality, morals and faith. While the sign of Cancer holds the luminous awareness of our ancestral traditions and doctrines, it may also express their shadow sides, which emerges whenever intolerance, fanaticism and narrow-mindedness prevail. The Chariot portrays the outer mystery of the old covenant, the laws aimed at leading to the threshold of the initiation to the inner mystery, which is the path that guides to true liberation. Yet, the Chariot does not take over the threshold, and when it fails to unveil the access to the inner mystery it becomes the major obstacle to the plan of salvation.
The Chariot displays both the ego triumph of megalomania and the real Triumph of aligning with one’s true Self. The card can either represent someone obsessed with grandiosity, intransigence and extravagance, at any level, including spiritual, or the integrated man, the master of himself, who holds in check the four temptations, as well as the four elements.
In Robert Places’ Tarot of the Saints, the Chariot is represented by Saint Christopher (the patron of travellers, pilgrims and drivers) with an image depicting the infant Jesus, leaving the city and crossing a river, riding on the saint as his chariot. The Self leaves the third dimensional realm (city-earth), crossing the fourth-dimension (water) and reaching the highest dimensions. Here the Chariot operates as the Merkabah (the Hebrew word for “Chariot” and “Throne of God”), described in Ezekiel 1:4-26 as the four-wheeled vehicle driven by the four Jewish mystical angels (chayot), represented by the man, lion, ox and eagle, who in Christianity are assigned to the four evangelists and in astrology to the four elements and directions.
The term Mer-Ka-Bah is a trinity of words (Mer “Light”, Ka “Spirit”, Bah “Body”) found, with this or other forms, in most cultures. It is the chariot used by mankind to reach God, the divine vehicle allegedly used by ascended masters in order to allow the human body and soul to move from third-dimensional to multi-dimensional reality. All spiritual healing practices are aimed at re-activating this chariot, a synonym of the Sacred Cone, the instrument of the plan of salvation and deliverance from our human arbitrary configuration (HAC).
For more details about the Merkabah click here. If you wish to see a video on the topic click here.
In a Tarot reading the Chariot may indicate a major turning point on the spiritual journey in which it is vital to question how we are moving on the path, testing our routine patterns and assumptions, and assessing whether we are truly connected with our Intent aligned with the Function. The three-stage Basic Ritual of the Sacred Cone is an implementation of this process, which works as a spiritual MOT test (annual test of car safety and roadworthiness in the
The Search for Meaning and True Jurisdiction by Franco Santoro
We live in a world in which we are constantly exposed to huge amounts of information. Never in the whole of human history have we experienced a time such as this. The fact that we have such superiority in accessing information does not necessarily mean that we get more understanding and meaning. On the contrary, what is more evident in these times is that the abundance of information appears to go together with a peak of scarcity in meaning. There is a thirst and hunger of meaning, for we spend more and more time in processing information, while not having space to find out what this information truly means. As soon as I try to get into the meaning, there it comes another piece of information, which I need to acquire from scratch, and the work starts all over again. As a result the part in me that is nourished by meaning starves. And unless I am connected with the part that lives through meaning, which is indeed my true self, my life loses all meaning, read more…
Going Sane: the Shamanic Way of Madness by Elaine Silverfire
I remember a shamanic friend saying to me: I thought I was going insane but I was actually going sane. I had the same feeling when I did the Original Quest a couple of years ago. During the whole week of the workshop I was convinced that I had gone completely insane. I was getting up at 5 in the morning and going out into the garden and drawing page after page of circles with pentagrams inside them. This was long before The Grid was even dreamt of (or did I dream it?). Since then The Grid (a circle of stones) has been created and within this
I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had similar experiences of going insane or going sane during workshops. (Elaine Silverfire)
Prayer of Saint Francis of
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.
For a video song by Sarah McLachlan based on the text of this prayer click here.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus by Franco Santoro
The Sacred Heart is traditionally depicted as a flaming heart gleaming with divine light surrounded by a crown of thorns and bleeding. A typical illustration shows Jesus pointing with his left hand to the heart and with his right hand to the sky in the act of blessing. This is an exemplification of the function of the hands in many healing practices, such as astroshamanic touch. With the right hand I establish the connection with God, to whom I direct what is drawn by the left hand, and I also bestow the blessing. The left hand touches the bleeding wound as well as the Heart (Cone), which is the neuralgic centre of Forgiveness. Read more…
Bless the Day That I Was Born? - On Birthdays by Astrid Gude
For my recent birthday I received two cards from loving friends that seemed quite contradictory. "Welcome to this world, child, and all it has in store...", wrote the one, whereas the other saw no reason to celebrate the day of one's physical birth, but wrote about celebrating one's spiritual birthday, the day when one knew for sure that he is not a physical body. I must admit I was confused, seeing the validity in both positions, yet not quite knowing what to make of them. I sat with it for a while, remembering an old teaching story, which I heard from a teacher with a Sufi and a Christian background. It is about a garment with two pockets. We can put our hand in the one pocket and we realize "From dust you were made and to dust you shall return." In the other pocket it says "The whole universe was created just for you." Read on…
Forthcoming Astroshamanic Events
Please be aware that new events may be added with short notice. For further details or information please contact Franco info@astroshamanism.org or click here, or alternatively go to www.astroshamanism.org
To book Findhorn Foundation workshops, please contact bookings@findhorn.org or Bookings, The Park,
Cupramontana (
This workshop takes place in the mountains of Assisi, birthplace of Saint Francis (for a video biography of the saint click here). Its primary focus is the healing connection between Earth and Heaven, body and spirit, through astroshamanism, Christian shamanism and mysticism, prayer and meditation. The event is held in English and Italian. This gathering requires previous participation to an astroshamanic workshop.
Income related price: Euro 495, or Euro 465 (for participants with low income). Bursaries are available. The cost includes half-board (breakfast and dinner), accommodation in two or three-bedded rooms with bathroom and kitchen. The gathering starts at
Findhorn, 2-9 August 2008, Astroshamanic Trance Dance and Drumming with Franco. Read more…
Cupramontana (
Jesi (
6-12 December 2008, Restoring the Fragmented God: A Healing Voyage into Shamanic Christianity This workshop aims at reviving our Christian shamanic heritage through an experiential exploration of some of its mysteries and wonders. The week is ideal for those wishing to heal, restore or deepen their relationship with God, including former Christians who intend to face unresolved grievances with their early religious roots. The workshop is a wide-ranging journey, encompassing a tapestry of shamanic practices from various Christian traditions, also with elements of esoteric astrology and A Course in Miracles.
28 December 2008–2 January 2009, The New Year Healing Retreat (with Franco & Astrid Gude) An opportunity to promote expanded awareness and healing through meditation and spiritual practices. We will alternate periods of silence and dialogue, stillness and movement, touch and contact, relaxation and activity, group and individual work, bringing careful attention to our inner and outer world. We will scan the past year, extracting blessings and releasing grievances, paving a luminous healing way for the New Year.
Disclaimer: All information provided in PAN is presented solely for inspirational or recreational reading, and it is not meant to substitute the recipient’s direct experience and investigation. The information is also given to strategically exemplify the different features of astroshamanic cosmology and is not intended to reflect Franco’s opinion or astroshamanism in general. Franco does not necessarily endorse any of the ideas and views expressed in this literature, including his own.
Astroshamanic Healing Sessions - How do they work and how to arrange them.
Sessions typically last 60 minutes and can be in-person or distant (over the phone). Distance sessions involve a preliminary telephone consultation, followed by a healing practice and a successive consultation aimed at examining what emerged during the practice. Each session is geared according to the issue and intent of the client. The aim is to focus on prominent issues, both from an ordinary and multidimensional perspective, releasing grievances, while uncovering authentic talents and finding empowering guidance. If the client finds it helpful, it is also possible to have additional sessions, or start a specific training programme. Fees for a distant session (60 minutes) are Euro 60 (£ 40). If you wish to arrange a distance session, please contact Franco to make an appointment at info@astroshamanism.org
Astroshamanism Book I: A Journey into the Inner Universe and Astroshamanism Book II: The Voyage Through the Zodiac feature the core teachings of astroshamanism. They are available, together with various drumming and trance dance CDs, from Franco and by mail order from the Phoenix Shop at store@findhorn.com or +44(0)1309-690954.
Donations for PAN and Astroshamanic Healing activities: PAN is available free to anyone who has attended astroshamanic events/sessions or simply wishes to receive it. If you find PAN useful, inspiring, appealing or perhaps even revealing, any donation (small, medium or big) would be greatly appreciated (for further details contact info@astroshamanism.org). Donations will encourage us to continue on this path. Also articles and other forms of contribution are much appreciated.
[i] In Pagan tradition the Moon of Midsummer time is called Honey Moon, from the mead made of fermented honey prepared and drunk during marriage ceremonies on the Summer Solstice.
[ii] Plato in the Phaedrus describe the mind as a chariot drawn by a black and a white horse.
[iii] See previous article of this series in PAN 80
[iv] For those who resonate with these teachings I recommend to read the book, and in particular the references related to the vertical motions and respiration of angels (see Meditations of the Tarot, p. 149).
[v] These miracles are the change of water in wine (John 2), the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on water (6), the healing of the official’s son (4), of the paralysed man at the pool (5), of the man born blind (9), and of Lazarus (11).
[vi] Interestingly, approved
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