The SoulCompass

WHERE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE

Our 21st century society is fraught with extreme tensions created by our collective human shadow. Pointing at others as the source of the problem while neglecting our own inner work endlessly feeds this continuum….

A memento mori mosaic from excavations in the convent of San Gregorio in Rome, featuring the Greek motto. “Know Thyself”
Consciously and/or subconsciously there’s an endless deflection and projection of our shadows, instead of taking full responsibility for ourselves and our effect on others. There has never been a more potent two words strung together than “know thyself,” but ironically there is a vast, endemic aversion to facing our shadow side. How we feel and our patterned behavior are on treadmills going nowhere if we ignore what is eating away inside us. Many are burdened by unresolved inner battles. The endless conflict between our entrenched wounds and the spirit’s need for resolution leads to ennui and spiritual inertia. Through introspection and healing work we discover that we are most often the cause of our hard inner plight, but also powerful enough to be the cure.

Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetary Co Sligo Photo Copyright Jessie Brogan 2016
- - Mental illness is pervasive; we have become deadened by depression, emptiness, loneliness, stagnant relationships, lack of creativity and time in nature. We have in fact become “DE-natured,” hollowed out, stressed and anxious from lack of nature, time in the elements from which we are a part. Purposeful quietude and solitude, meditation and introspection lead to deepening of the self, but we often avoid these things as well. What many find hard to grasp is that the spirit world lies within and without. An apparent paradox is that creation, healing and perspective on the big picture is discovered in the inner depths. We are often disposed to fantasy and escapism and have conformed to false security and convention in order to keep us safe and comfortably numb. More often than not we have enough or more than we need (with obvious exceptions,) but are quick to complain about the deficit of things that we should have in order to start being happy. There will never be enough “material stuff” to fill the spiritual void, and we blame others for not providing it. Many have not matured emotionally, have not grown up, have not been initiated into adulthood or been mentored with wisdom (Dysfunctional parenting and flawed institutions.) Our manipulative political environment mirrors this and supports this. Our leaders always let us down; people don’t live up to our expectations…
There is a polarized re-activeness to these myriad dysfunctions, and they clearly reflect our lack of self-governance as sovereign beings. Do we prefer others to be responsible for the state of the world, to be our hero and leader as well as our scapegoat? The microcosm always reflects the macrocosm and vice versa. When confronted by our own hidden truths or feelings of inferiority we react in anger, we carry a chip on our shoulder as a defense mechanism to keep our wounds protected. Our ego’s become inflated, overcompensating for the deficit inside us. We are endlessly needy for attention, with “selfie” like addictions looking for recognition – to be someone special either in a worldly or spiritual sense or both. We need to let everyone know how “successful” or popular we are, instead of getting on with our work in a dedicated way and letting actions speak for themselves. Society is saturated with competition and greed to be number one, and we paint false pictures of ourselves of “having it all together” while in complete denial of what’s really going on inside us. Worse we have to believe in our mask, because what’s buried beneath is too scary to look at.
Common courtesy has become uncommon, grounded wisdom and basic admirable human traits have eroded. The generosity of spirit/heart as well. We really need to face the hard truths and do the hard work to be rid of our shadows and wounds. They might be well-founded, but their projections onto others and the world only deepen the chaos. If we take a more conscious responsibility for the many facets of ourselves, and how we affect others, we give something back to our true nature, others, and Mother Nature, as well as our ancestors, the spirit world… “all our relations” benefit. We are in an existential crisis, a fast dystopian merry-go-round without any clear spiritual signs or direction We are burdened with a lack of direction, neglect, abandonment, abuse, fear, loneliness, indolence, anger, distrust, depression, apathy, insatiability, hedonism, dysfunctional relationships etc… We are tribal and over-identified with the current labels and slogans, attaching ourselves to, and becoming fervent supporters of, idealisms that often lead to our own self-deception and deception of others. We know the story all too well. It’s the law of nature that we grow and change, if we refuse this challenge we stand outside the natural laws and rhythms of life and we collectively stagnate and degenerate. It takes a commitment to embrace a healing path; with fortitude we find the right necessary growth and change. Make it a priority, what could be more important? Life passes quickly by, and this is our opportunity to truly live.

Life is a Gift from Death by Brian Brogan 2016
Once we become conscious of the part, we play in both our own suffering and how that impacts on everyone and everything interdependently, it quickly becomes apparent that embarking on healing path is a fundamentally compassionate act for more than just the self. Confronting our hurts and fears we discover they are not as monstrous as when we ran from them. (Sometimes we need to take small steps at a time, but it’s necessary to find the courage and determination.) Releasing the negative energies that held us back from our life’s potential, makes room for new beginnings. Many teeter anxiously on the edge of stepping boldly towards their healing. Half in and half out of fear; who will I become if I uproot this old familiar version of myself? Can I face experiencing all I have held back? What will people think of me? How will I support myself? These are primal foundational fears that have got a grip on us, but untended “wounds” can become parasitical energies that fear feeds. Will there be an identity and/or economic crisis? The immature ego and its inflated sense of authority are afraid of losing its false control. Healing shape-shifts our self-delusions and persona inflations into a balanced wholeness that is integral to our expansive nature. Are we ready to take on this type of personal responsibility, or is undertaking this needed journey a dose of too much Reality?

Carrowkeel megalithic Tomb photo Jessie brogan 2016
Instinctively we know what is needed. Some sacrifices are necessary. Sideways attempts, half-stepping, will not transform us, more popularity on social media, another workshop, certificate, and school, another book, another teacher, or another fabricated identity title will not defeat the “hungry ghost” in our underworld. Our true power lives in and outside this world. We are in and of nature. Our beingness is soul deep. Much of our power resides with our spirit and ancestral allies. It lives in our soul’s eternal expansion, expanded consciousness, meaning and purpose. If we delude ourselves, we cut ourselves off from our spirit’s flight. It’s sad because we all have the same potential to be peacefully content in RELATIONSHIP with a greater world vision. To walk upon our deep mother as sovereign beings with natural self-governance, with greater understanding, awareness and sensitivity to our place in the world, we become holistic beings, integrated, a true part of the whole, we make the world a better place to live. We cannot put ourselves on a pedestal or live in an ivory tower because our work is “spiritual” or “healing” in its nature, or that we think of ourselves as more intelligent or “successful” – this is tragic and doesn’t fit into the balanced circle of life – the brotherhood and sisterhood in a common village where we support each other in a natural reciprocity. Self-absorption is a rampant disease. We could do with more modesty, good humored self-deprecation and humbleness from time to time, to say the least. There is an individual and collective wound to be healed, a karmic debt in our world – we are all responsible to our past, present and future. A collective healing must be fully recognized and honored for healing to flow, not denied, falsified or hidden in New Age platitudes.

Her silver wheels in the morning mist Photo Jessie Brogan 2016
True healing work is not magic, although sometimes it can seem that way through spiritual encounter, with its potent inner experience and perspective shifts. Through healing, a longed-for authenticity and life dynamic returns. Simply feeling completely different can change the course of one’s life… True healing quickens us into becoming the whole person, with all the potential that implies. We all carry unique gifts born from the stars. Healing means looking deep in the mirror, awakening and making the subconscious conscious. It means transmuting old wounds inflicted from others or from living in very difficult environments. These people and environments still live inside us and inform our daily perspective and paradigm. The energy of these abuses and betrayals dictates our patterned behavior and self-fulfilling defeat, unworthiness, lack of confidence etc… Our wounds can also be self-inflected to gain attention.
All this can change; a good healer can awaken us, and help guide us out of the shadows, but not without our actively seeking it for ourselves, and not without our determined commitment. The healer needs to be met at least halfway. Lives can and are completely changed around by the shared commitment of both the healer and client. Shamanic techniques are not psychotherapy, but a much more holistic approach of working with energy, the spirit/s and ancestral allies, ritual and counselling. We step outside of temporal time to do the work that encompasses the past, present and future. These are not sessions designed to just make you feel good through the senses (although they often do,) or the giving of comforting words, or “positivity” jargon, but a multifaced deep healing work and commitment to life altering trajectories toward a fulfilling a destiny.
This is what really being alive demands of us, that we will not freeze up in fear when it comes to change, it is required for growth. Personally, I never attached bells and whistles to entice people in – it’s more a simple, steady committed approach within a shamanic framework: a profound and time-honored healing practice. It takes many years of devotion to embody the medicine of the wounded healer who is balanced, grounded in wisdom, has spiritual stamina and practicality. A person seeking healing eventually finds the healer that is right for them; it’s my experience and belief that they are led to each other.
Many people come into this world with certain natural inherent gifts, but they need to be cultivated with constant work, nurturing and service – one’s chosen work, in a way, isn’t a choice, often “the path” seems to choose you. There’s nothing better than to experience the heart and spirit shine from people who are firmly grounded with a universal spiritual view and insight. A fractured spirit is a fractured earth.
“Let it be clear in the sky, let it be clear on earth, let it be clear in the soul.”
THE ALTARING NEEDS: Keeping an altar and attending to it.

An altar is where we commune with the past, present and future – in the timeless now.

The altar acts as a lightning rod attracting the ancestors and the spirit world “all our relations” into a sacred space we have built with mindfulness.

It is a sacred place for ritual, offerings, honoring, thanks and prayer. We approach the altar with respect to the mystery and its infinite dynamics. It is a consecrated, focalized, locus of power for communing with our own depths. A liminal threshold to the otherworld, a mooring and sanctuary. A commitment to a spiritual life brings many initiations and winds of change that can be very challenging. One’s spiritual journey deepens into needs of the soul and one’s ancestral lineage. It digs up buried depths of potential and unconscious worldly or ancestral patterns. Our shadows are brought to light, for fight or flight, or healing integration. Being spiritual means expanding one’s awareness/consciousness while shedding the ego’s inflated sense of self. It means being in selfless service (with discernment) this proves to be a paradox for many, with much of the western mindset being about quick gain, mastery and self-promotion. Patience, silence, solitude, genuflection and meditation, are some of the simple and vital keys and tools. Where it seems many are after visions, phenomena, “spirit guides.” etc., basic foundations need to be laid as a priority; belief, healing oneself, bettering oneself and mastering the ego.

Objects placed in and around the altar are related in some way to the earth, our ancestors and spirit world.

The elements of wood, air/wind, water, fire, earth/mineral and metal with their many literal and symbolic forms – are great energetic ambassadors to host in one’s sacred space. The elements are used around the world by indigenous peoples in their spiritual/healing work and for Feng Shui. Plants and animals too are utilized – literally as in bone, feather, fur, claw, or in symbolic form. The elements always interact with each other in nature, and they are the organic foundational basis of life. All living energetic forms are in interdependent relationship to us in some degree or another. We all come from the same source, we are related… and what we have our greatest relationship with or affinity for, chooses us, or we choose it for an honored place at the altar.

What is put into the alter with sincerity, integrity, consistency – is what we get back in return.

The altars presence brings mindfulness of the bigger picture. It brings us to the present moment in the spacetime continuum.

It is a place to clear the dross and white static, to purify, meditate and journey to the otherworld.

We are fully present and sincere when we talk and pray at the altar. That we give our full visceral expression to the otherworld. Spoken memorized prayer and in the moment, dialogue are equally good. It is enough some days just to give a quiet acknowledgement.

The altar is a bridge to the otherworld. The more you infuse it with your energy, with prayer, offerings, ritual and mindfulness the more the otherworld crosses over. One builds relationship this way. Ones expectations can get in the way – quiet, authentic, integral practice comes with its own rewards. It is inner-work and inner reward. Confidence of belief is a vital bridge builder to one’s ancestors and spirit allies. Build a true living altar, alive with one’s giving energy, and the spirit world will come and inhabit your space. Relationship is everything and everywhere in this life, and it is the same in the spirit world. As perennial students in the school of life, we are apprentices who slowly gather experience and wisdom to transform ourselves, transmuting our wounds and perceived failures in the process. When the inner alchemy starts it’s reshaping – so will the outer life reshape. All realities are inside us as much as they are outside us. In the end, the holy clown and coyote trickster will have their days. We need to be flexible, open, curious, imaginative, as well as spiritual warriors facing hard truths about the self and the temporal world at large. To do so without righteousness and condemning judgement as much as possible. We need to know how our history and myths, and the patterns we are living in.
What facets of life do we love most in the temporal secular as well as the spiritual? These are the elements placed in the altar. One’s passion is what one feels a deeper connection to. That’s where we start, no matter how small it may seem, it is the thread to follow until bigger things arrive. The natural world is our home and thus it implies we respect our own nest, it’s where we gather our sustenance so taking from nature daily demands responsible mindfulness. The animate natural world is conscious ancient wisdom, our respect should be second nature. Taking our nest for granted is foolish. Nature is beauty, nature is teacher, nature is healer, nature is our mirror. This again is all reflected in our altar.Consider all life beneath our feet, all life in the atmosphere, and beyond teeming infinite. The microcosm and macrocosm on an infinite quantum level. This is the big picture we address, with broader perception.The altar is where we interface at a nodal point in the cosmic web of life, on-going, changing, open to random impulse, emotional callings, quiet introspection. Each piece on the alter is given energy by you, with your intentions, by your feelings of personal relationship with it. With your designations and naming and placement. It is a place of petition and praise. Each piece, each artifact, is part of the divine orchestra. You take the position of the conductor, but never take it for granted. True living works by reciprocity, always seeking balance in give and take.The alter is your place of healing, grounding and centering. Restoration from the dysfunctions of modern life.One can implement sound, (rattles, bells, whistles) color, texture, smell of burning sage, sweetgrass, incense. Create an appealing aesthetic to enrich the senses. It is through senses we derive insight. The altar is a larger medicine bag, it represents one’s power relationship as well as one’s earnest yearnings. It’s a way to learn about our self and feel a deeper connection to life. Daily attendance builds the energy of your altar and makes you stronger. It benefits your ancestors and keeps your personal cosmology alive and dynamic. One is fortified by interacting with the altar – it brings home purpose and meaning in a world without center.Things change on your altar, objects are handled, assigned, talked to, removed, replaced, added too. It’s both the micro and macro of your evolving inner world as it relates with the outer. As you change so does your altar.There is a story behind each piece on our altar. Life is a story. We learn best through our personal story and the story of others. All the these stories whether embraced or discarded alter our life path.Anything handmade by you that has personal depth association, or any gifts given to you with depth of personal meaning are potent artifacts for the altar. Natural material is always best, including candles of beeswax.One builds and develops over time – one’s own personal cosmology. The story of our mythological lives involves paying close empathic attention to life’s subtle nuances. This is how we gather spiritual insight and wisdom. Returning to the altar is returning to an old friend, picking up where we last dropped off or starting something new. At the altar we commune with our guides, allies, teachers, healers and protectors. As with daily life what we put into relationships is what we get in return – seen or unseen, one develops vital bonds.The altar is the axis mundi, it is the four sacred directions – our indigenous spiritual blueprint for addressing the divine. The mystery has no static answer, truth changes, our linear time and space is the causality of illusion. Knowing this we respect the unknown and are less likely to pontificate. A spiritual ego creates subtle delusions sabotaging authenticity, and valid relationship with the otherworld.The word altar is close to alter, with the same number of same letters, with just one vowel change – the altar can indeed alter consciousness, it acts as an amplifier to one’s ritual practice. It is a potent tool to have around, and its why many cultures have portable altars for healing, divination, offerings etc… The altar is a concentrated energetic Feng Shui entity. If an object has earned a place on our altar (but is small enough to wear or be carried by pocket or pouch) we can carry our “medicine” or power with us. The physical presence acts as a constant reminder and is a good way to travel.At night lying in bed, just before sleep, we can pray, address our intentions and give thanks to our cosmology, our ancestors and spirit allies before entering dreamtime. Ask to remember what has value and meaning in your life. Often, it’s the best way our guides can get through and convey… as we can be too caught up in the worldly world’s paradigms.