Introduction to Shamanic Breathwork™ with Crystal Dawn Morris

Jan 20th, 2011 in Sedona 7-9:30 at 2945 Southwest Dr Link

Feb 25th, 2011 in Tucson 6-9pm Location TBA Link

Shamanic Breathwork™ is a powerful healing process that reconnects participants with their own inner Shaman healer. Old wounds and dysfunctional patterns are released and transformed, individuals begin to reclaim lost soul parts and remember their true nature. They reclaim their wholeness as they heal themselves, their loved ones and the world at large.

This is an experiential process guided by the wisdom of each individual's Inner Shaman Healer. We will begin the evening with a brief over view of the Shamanic Breathwork™ process. We will create a safe and sacred by calling in the directions, the Divine and our spirit teachers and power animals. The individuals then lie down and focus on their intention and begin deep circular breathing, "until they are surprised." Drumming begins the journey and leads into a powerful musical journey which will last about 1 hour.

Each person's shamanic journey is a highly individualized process, each one is unique. People report shifts in consciousness ranging from bliss states to releasing negativity from their psyche. An experience of being reborn is a common occurrence, as is a life review. Old patterns of dysfunction may be brought to the surface and healed. Feelings such as grief, fear, rage and anxiety are often released. New insights and solutions to life challenges may also be revealed.

As the Shamanic Breathwork Facilitator I will hold a loving and supportive space for the group and may at times offer Shamanic support in the form of bodywork, Reiki (energy work), Soul Return and extractions.

After the journey is complete participants will have an opportunity to express their experience through the "Shakti Art Process." We will end the evening by sharing as a group.

Crystal Dawn Morris, began her shamanic healing practice in 1995. She trained with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies for 8 years and numerous indigenous teachers as well as her own spirit guides. She is currently becoming a Certified Shamanic Breathwork Practitioner through The Venus Rising Institute and she will be certified in March 2011. She is also a Certified SkyDancing Tantra teacher and the founder of Tantra for Awakening. She draws on a diverse background of experience- as an ordained minister, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Reiki Master, and Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Practitioner. She has over 20 years experience as a healer and a teacher. Individual healing sessions can be booked with Crystal Dawn. Contact her at Crystal at TantraforAwakening.com or call 928-282-5483 cell 928-862-0762. Learn more at www.TantraforAwakening.org .

Help Heal the Oceans, Chant the Gayatri Mantra

I have always loved the Gayatri Mantra. It has been used in India for over 3000 years. I first learned it almost 20 years ago in Ralph Blum's book, The Book of Runes. He associates it with "Sowelu"- Wholeness, the Sun's Energy. Here is his translation:

You, who are the source of all power,
Whose rays illuminate the whole world,
Illuminate also my heart
So I to may do Your work.

Recently, learned that Deva Premal and Miten are suggesting we chant it to help healing the oceans and all beings who live there. Here are the words in Sanskrit:

Om, bhur bhuvaha svaha
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yonah prachodayat

Watch their video and chant along with them as you imagine the Gulf of Mexico and all the worlds Oceans clean, healthy and vital. This includes all the beings that live there and those who rely on the Oceans as well, including people.

Shamanic Breathwork in Sedona with Linda Star Wolf and Brad Collins

Linda Star Wolf and Brad Collins return to Sedona!

Shakti and the Shaman: A Shamanic Breathwork Intensive Workshop

Thursday, June 24, 10 am – 6 pm

Raise and harness your Shakti Energy with Shamanic Breathwork™

This experiential workshop features a powerful Shamanic Breathwork™ journey to specially selected trance music designed to move through the chakras, activate your Shakti, fully awaken your Shaman Within and assist you in stepping more fully into your Sacred Purpose in the world. Our medicine is the sacred breath. We are all breathing the same air each moment of each day. We can choose to breathe together with more clarity, consciousness and with the intention of directing our Shakti energy into rebirthing our selves and our planet into a new paradigm!

Bring your open heart, a journal, a closed water container, your lunch and some snacks, and a pillow and blanket. Wear comfortable clothes that you can move in.

Workshop Cost: $100
To register Call (928) 282-8511 or Email: mail@sedonatemple.com
To register on-line click on this link:
http://sedonatemple.com/starwolf-workshop.php

Linda Star Wolf and Brad Collins are the Co-Founders and Co-Directors of Venus Rising Institute for Shamanic Healing Arts and the Isis Cove Community Retreat Center, located in western North Carolina, home of the Shamanic Breathwork Process. Star Wolf and Brad have been visionary teachers, guides and leaders in the fields of planetary transformation for over 35 years, offering workshops and sacred journeys all over the world. To learn more about Venus Rising, please visit their website: www.shamanicbreathwork.org

Step back into your life with ENERGY, PASSION, POWER, PURPOSE and LOVE NOW!

A Tantrika Speaks Out on Prostate Cancer and Recovery...

This was written by my friend Jivana Kennedy. I agree with Jivana that the time has come to heal our sexual wounds both individually and collectively.

Prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, testicular cancer.... these diseases have all reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century.
And I believe that they all have something in common. Our world has been laboring under the oppression of a sex negative attitude for many thousands of years.

Take just a moment and consider the idea that it is through sexual energy that all of us come to be alive. And to take that out one degree further, all of nature is the product of sexual energy at various levels. Without it, none of the life forms we see all around us would exist.

I think I must have entered this life with the soul of a Tantrika because I became interested in and curious about sexual energy at a very young age. And that predisposition eventually led me into the buddhafield of an Indian Tantric Master, now known throughout the world as Osho.

Osho said that a human being will begin to feel the stirrings of sexual energy at around thirteen or fourteen years of age, and he or she will begin to die, around thirteen or fourteen years after that stirring leaves the body. The 'stirring' he was speaking of was the awakening of what is called in the East, kundalini energy.

You are undoubtedly familiar with the symbol of kundalini energy, because it is represented in the logo of The American Medical Association. It is the symbol of a coiled serpent wrapped around a staff. And yet, the medical establishment has been for the most part, as in the dark about sexual energy and its crucial role in health and well being, as has been the rest of our culture. Until now.

The coiled serpent of kundalini, or sexual energy lies coiled at the base of the spine, or what is called in the East, the first chakra. Chakras are energy centers in the body, and for the sake of simplicity we will refer to them as seven. Just as you see in the AMA logo, the coiled serpent of kundalini is designed to make its way up the staff, which represents the spinal column of a human being.

When the kundalini energy rises it allows the chakras to be fully charged, and the body to become fully electrified. But without knowledge of how to allow this energy to rise, it is never cultivated to its fullest capacity, and the body and it's immune system along with many other vital functions is compromised.

Modern medicine has found many effective ways to treat this situation, but I feel that any true healing lies in understanding the underlying causes, and creating change at that level. Most humans in our culture have been deprived of the vast amounts of human love, touch, nurturing and knowledge of the body and sexuality that would be optimal and necessary for the fullest flowering of our human potential as vibrant, vital and sexually alive people. And that aliveness is not dependent upon being in a relationship. It is every persons birthright, regardless of their relationship status.

I have always believed that the human body is capable of maintaining a disease free condition, and I believe that the appropriate nurturing of our life force is an important key to achieving that level of health, balance, vitality, and overall well-being.

Jivana Kennedy at http://www.TantricHealingTouch.com

I also offer Tantric coaching sessions designed with this in mind. Learn more about my sessions http://www.tantraforawakening.com/coaching.html

Tantra Tip of the Day- Healing the Emotional Body

Healing the emotional body is essential if you are going to live in the present moment with an open heart. Our culture generally judges the "negative emotions," like anger, fear, sadness and grief. These emotions don't look pretty and make other people feel uncomfortable. Because we receive this message as children we tend to suppress or deny these emotions by sweeping them under the rug. Our hope is that they will go away, instead, they become unconscious. They live outside our awareness and often run our lives. When we are triggered, out of no where they suddenly overwhelm us; we lash out in anger, withdraw in fear, become depressed, get sick or create a drama. Does this sound familiar?

Learning how to express and release your emotions allows you to heal your emotional baggage, become emotionally aware and stay emotionally current. It is important to begin by stating your intention is for your optimal healing and integration at the soul level and that in the process of this expression you will not hurt yourself, or anyone or anything else. Seven ways of expressing and releasing your emotions include; screaming silently into our hand, power stomping, pillow screaming, pillow hitting, pelvic thrusting, ritual wailing and tantrum-ing. There is also a practice called "Aspecting" which allows you to dialog with the person, situation or internal process you are releasing so you can clear and understand both aspects of the situation. Read more about these tools in Sacred Sexual Healing- The Shaman Method of Sex Magic by Baba Dez Nichols and Kamamla Devi.

Staying Emotionally Current
The beauty of this work is that it allows you to heal the past and reclaim your power. Emotions are life force energy. When they are denied you feel numb, depleted and/or disconnected. As you learn how to process your feelings you begin to feel more alive, aware, and present. By healing the emotional body you reclaim your birthrite as an ecstatic being. By using these tools you can let go of the past and become emotionally current. You process emotions as they arise. In order to be an effective sexual healer you need to heal your own emotional wounds and you need to be comfortable helping others traverse their emotional terrain.

Women and Sexuality

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Visit the Beautiful Sedona Amitabha Stupa

http://www.tara.org/visit-us/amitabha-stupa/


Amitabha Stupa, Sedona Arizona


Sedona, Arizona, about halfway between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, is a must-visit place for spiritual seekers the world over. Since 2004, such visitors have been flocking to Sedona’s Amitabha Stupa. (Some call it Sedona’s newest vortex.) Sitting majestically among the pinion and juniper pines, and surrounded by a landscape of stunning crimson spires, it is a jewel to behold.

On any given day in beautiful Sedona, dozens of visitors trek up the short winding trails to the 36 foot Amitabha Stupa and the smaller Tara Stupa for prayer, meditation, healing, and the experience of peace in a sacred place. The Amitabha Stupa is open every day from dawn until dusk and your visit is free of charge. (Of course, donations to support the stupa are gratefully accepted.)

Map and Directions to the Stupa

The stupa is located on Pueblo Road, in the heart of West Sedona. You can print this map, or use these driving directions: From Highway 89A (the main road in Sedona), turn north on Andante Road beside the Circle K store. Proceed about a mile (toward Thunder Mountain) and turn left on Pueblo Road, the last left off of Andante. If the gate is open, turn immediately right onto the stupa land and proceed to the parking area. If the gate is not open, park on Pueblo. The stupa is a five-minute walk from Pueblo on well marked trails.

Group Visits and Handicapped Access

To arrange group visits, or to make special arrangements for handicapped access, please call 1-877-788-7229 or email amitabhastupa@tara.org in advance.

About Stupas

The stupa is one of the oldest forms of sacred architecture on earth, dating back to the time of the Buddha, 2600 years ago. Stupas are mostly found in the East, where Buddhism first took root and flourished. They are indeed rare in the West.

A stupa is considered to be the living presence of the Buddha and as such represents the Mind of Enlightenment. Stupas have been built to avert war, end famine, and promote prosperity and well-being. Their sole purpose is to bring benefit for all living beings, and the mystical accounts of the healing powers of stupas are well documented.

The sacred architecture of the stupa is deeply mystical and powerful, as it was birthed directly from the mind of the Buddha. For this reason, stupas are only built at the direction of realized Buddhist masters. The Amitabha Stupa came about as a result of the desire of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, spiritual director of Kunzang Palyul Choling, to build a stupa in Sedona, a place known for its powerful spiritual energies.

The process of building, filling, and empowering a stupa is detailed, precise, and awe-inspiring, and as far as we know, it has never been documented in modern times until now. Kunzang Payul Choling has recently published a beautiful, 62 page keepsake-quality book, The Story of the Amitabha Stupa, documenting its construction phases in magnificent photography inside and out. Please preview the The Story of the Amitabha Stupa and consider ordering copies for you and your friends.

"All negative karma and obscurations...are purified by dreaming of a stupa, seeing a stupa...and even being touched by the shadow of a stupa." Stainless Beam Sutra, Lord Buddha

© 2009 Kunzang Palyul

Tantra Tip of the Day- Open to Desire

I am reading a great book called Open to Desire -Embracing a Lust for Life, Insights from Buddhism and Psychotherapy by Mark Epstein MD. In it he talks about how desire can be used to Awaken to our Divine nature. In one chapter he mentions how women often have trouble voicing their desires. Reading that helped me to looked at my desire to recieve help from others which I seldom verbalize. I highly recommend reading this book and I thank my daughter-in-law Tara for showing it to me.

I have been sick for several weeks and I am finally beginning to feel better. The lesson I have learned is that by letting go of control and surrending I was finally able to ask for and receive help I desired. I saw how I am much more comfortable giving than receiving. I want to thank my son, Elijah for taking care of me when I went to see him. He helped me to realize how much I wanted someone to be there for me. Tara thanks for your concern and telling Eli I was sicker than I let on.

http://www.amazon.com/Open-Desire-Embracing-LifeInsights-Psychotherapy/dp/1592401082#noop

The Tantra Tip of the Day- The Power of Tara the Divine Mother

The River

The river is flowing,
flowing and growing,
the river is flowing,
down to the sea.

Chorus
Mother carry me,
A child I will always be,
Mother carry me,
down to the sea.

The river is flowing,
flowing and growing,
the river is flowing
down to the sea.

This song is one of my favorites because it always takes me immediately into my heart. Then I remember that I am not a single drop of water, I am one with the boundless Ocean of Consciouness. Sound is powerful and can be very healing. Tantra uses mantra and songs as tools for awareness, healing and transformation. If you are feeling alone and separate singing this song can be very helpful. While this is not a traditional Tantric song it reminds me of the Divine Mother, Tara.


Tara is a tantric meditation deity whose practice is used by practitioners of the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism to develop certain inner qualities and understand outer, inner and secret teachings about compassion and emptiness. Tara is actually the generic name for a set of Buddhas or bodhisattvas of similar aspect. These may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same quality, as bodhisattvas are often considered metaphoric for Buddhist virtues.

Tārā has many stories told which explain her origin as a bodhisattva. One in particular has a lot of resonance for women interested in Buddhism and quite likely for those delving into early 21st century feminism.

In this tale there is a young princess who lives in a different world system, millions of years in the past. Her name is Yeshe Dawa, which means "Moon of Primordial Awareness". For quite a number of aeons she makes offerings to the Buddha of that world system, whose name was Tonyo Drupa. She receives special instruction from him concerning bodhicitta — the heart-mind of a bodhisattva. After doing this, some monks approach her and suggest that because of her level of attainment she should next pray to be reborn as a male to progress further. At this point she lets the monks know in no uncertain terms that from the point of view of Enlightenment it is only "weak minded worldlings" who see gender as a barrier to attaining enlightenment. She sadly notes there have been few who wish to work for the welfare of beings in a female form, though. Therefore she resolves to always be reborn as a female bodhisattva, until samsara is no more. She then stays in a palace in a state of meditation for some ten million years, and the power of this practice releases tens of millions of beings from suffering. As a result of this, Tonyo Drupa tells her she will henceforth manifest supreme bodhi as the Goddess Tārā in many world systems to come.

With this story in mind, it is interesting to juxtapose this with a quotation from H.H the Dalai Lama about Tārā, spoken at a conference on Compassionate Action in Newport Beach, CA in 1989:

There is a true feminist movement in Buddhism that relates to the goddess Tārā. Following her cultivation of bodhicitta, the bodhisattva's motivation, she looked upon the situation of those striving towards full awakening and she felt that there were too few people who attained Buddhahood as women. So she vowed, "I have developed bodhicitta as a woman. For all my lifetimes along the path I vow to be born as a woman, and in my final lifetime when I attain Buddhahood, then, too, I will be a woman."

Tārā, then, embodies certain ideals which make her attractive to women practitioners, and her emergence as a Bodhisattva can be seen as a part of Mahayana Buddhism's reaching out to women, and becoming more inclusive even in 6th century C.E. India.

Namaste'

The Tantra Tip of the Day- Inner Man and Inner Woman

Understanding masculine and feminine energy is primary to creating healthy relationship of all kinds. If the world is going to heal and come into balance this knowledge is primary. Bringing your inner man and inner woman into conscious awareness is the first step.

Try this: lay down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the next hour. Call forth your inner women and notice how she looks. What is her age, build, coloring, clothing, style of speech etc…? What gifts does she have to offer? How has she been active in your life up to now? Spend sometime getting to know her. Thank her for showing up. Then take a short break. Make some notes if you like. Then repeat the process and call forth your inner man. Go through the same process. Take a break.

Finally, you can call them both forth at the same time and introduce them to each other if they are not familiar with each other already. Notice how they relate to each other? Are they compatible? Do they like each other? Are they willing to work together? How can they help you have more balance in your life?

You can repeat this process many times. It is possible that they will change forms as you learn and grow from this process. To learn more about this process read The Art of Sexual Ecstasy by Margot Anand page 247-252.

Art by Andrew Gonzalez
(C)Copyright 2009, Crystal Dawn Morris, all rights reserved.
www.TantraForAwakening.com
www.TantraGal.Blogspot.com

Tantra Tip of the Day - The Power of Sound

See if you can hear the Divine singing to you in all the sounds you hear today.

Last night I had the great fortune to attend a sound healing experience. I was surrounded by sounds of wind, water, fire and earth through a variety of instruments. I found myself being taken on a journey into the center of my being that is silent, still and limitless.

Sound is a powerful tool for being present, focusing attention, lulling you asleep, calming the nerves and enlivening the body. Music is a great gift that can heal and transform.

Today notice the sounds of your life. How do they affect you? Are they healing? Give yourself a sound healing break today; listen to some music that nourishes your body and soul. Let this music heal and transform whatever is no longer serving you. Let sound be your touch stone today.

The healing event I attended was facilitated by Jon Reinschreiber http://shamanicvibrations.com and Erika Kightlinger.

(C)Copyright 2009 Crystal Dawn Morris
http://www.TantraForAwakening.com
http://www.TantraGal.Blogspot.com