In Chinese culture, one red bat is a symbol of good luck and wards off evil. Five red bats represent the five blessings of long life, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death. This is because the word for bat, fu, is pronounced the same as the word for good fortune. The word for red, hong, is a homophone for the word vast. Red is the color of joy. The number five is significant because it represents the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, which are regarded as the basis of the whole world. Therefore, depending on the number of bats, this animal represents “vast good fortune” and can symbolize great blessings as well.
In Nordic traditions, the acorn is one of the symbols for good luck. Carrying more than one acorn is said to protect one from pains and illness. This is because it is said that the oak tree is sacred to the strongest Norse god, Thor, who is the god of thunder and lightning. They noticed how the oak tree is extremely strong and also attracts lightning. They also believed Thor would not strike any place that held the seeds of the oak tree, and so the humble acorn is a symbol of good luck—plus it also carries the quality of strength to overcome pain and adversity.
The same symbols can be seen across various cultures but with profoundly different meanings. I always ask my helpers to be specific so that I can get the proper interpretation. A method that has worked for me over the years is to focus on the symbol’s visual context. The owl, for example, has several meanings. I’ll pick two extremes. It can mean wisdom or death, depending on the cultural context. If the owl comes to me looking like it is inscribed on Greek pottery, then I know that it indicates wisdom. If the owl is presented in the style of an African drawing, then it means death.
So you see, symbols are far more than what they represent on the surface. They are windows into history and culture. Understanding these nuances refines your ability to decipher them.
Finding Your Kin
Each of us has an affinity to certain aspects of the natural world. Since you are learning to Walk the shamanic path upon the Good Red Road by following its practices, you will find that certain families of nature will also have an affinity to you. When this mutual attraction exists, it means that you have been adopted by your kin. Your kin could be the animals, plants and trees, or minerals and crystals. You will find that you intuitively seem to know what they represent and are able to feel their energies very easily. Without much effort, you will be able to talk to them and sense them “talking” back to you.
I will use myself as an example. I am what you would call an animal person. Since I was little, I always felt most comfortable in the company of animals more than people. I have always been able to sense what they needed, and I am able to communicate with them without trying. Animals seek me out no matter where I go. I remember one beautiful spring day when I was walking at a local park with my best friend. We came to the part of the path that went beside a stream, and I saw two fish swimming side by side upstream. I reached out with my thoughts and Heart to warmly greet the fish by sharing my feelings of how happy they made me by seeing them. What my best friend saw next she could not believe. One of the fish actually turned around and swam in front of me, treading water against the current for almost a minute. I was enjoying the company of the fish, the message of contentment, and the feeling of being alive that it was sharing with me. After the fish and I finished our exchange, the fish darted off after her companion.
Although it seems remarkable to my friends that birds and animals are always coming up to me, for me this is normal. If you are a plant and tree person, you will find that you naturally know what they need, love gardening, and have an exceptionally green thumb. Even if there is no wind, the trees will rustle their leaves at you in a pleasing way. If you are a stone and crystal person, it is normal for these minerals to find a way to cross your path or be gifted to you. No matter who your kin are, take the time to not only learn about them as a broad collective but also study the species and types within it. Go further for individuals within a breed or species, for each individual has a unique personality just as we do within our human family.
Here is how you can discover who your kin are. Take time to reflect on which of these families of the natural world you resonate with. Consider if you got a sense of what these beings were feeling or trying to express throughout your lifetime. Have you found that they reached out to you or managed to find their way to you? Pick four members of that family of whose meaning you have no knowledge. Write down the ones that you have chosen and the impressions of the energy that they carry. Research them in reputable sources to confirm if you are correct.
If you have a deep love for crystals or stones, then choose four different types. It is best if you can hold on to the stone in question, but if not, even looking at a picture will work. Connect with the stone with your Heart and then allow your mind to interpret your impressions and record them. You would then look up what spiritual energy they hold and what these crystals have been used for over the centuries. If you find that what you feel consistently matches what the stone is known for, then that means that the Stone Nation is your kin.
Each spiritual pathway is its own “language.” It is of key importance that your kin understand which one of these languages you will be using. That way they will know who should appear before you so you can interpret the proper message. Although it might be tedious, the more that you commit the proper interpretations to memory, the more fluent and smooth the communication between you will be. I strongly advise you to become very familiar with one form of interpretation in relation to a spiritual pathway or culture before taking on another. Although it is a tremendous amount of work, I fully encourage you to learn more than one way to interpret what your kin need to tell you. Different spiritual pathways and cultures have nuances that would give your kin a much greater range of expression. You will find in the long run that both of you will be a lot happier! It might feel very mechanical in the beginning, but hang in there. Know that your kin and your helpers are with you every step of the way!
There is another level of relationship with your kin that can only come by journeying and spending time with them. You go from a basic relationship of raw interpretations to one of rich connotations. Take, for example, the dog. It is known throughout the world for its unswerving loyalty, being a protector, and being devoted to greater service. Over the years, while working with the spirit of the Dog, I have noticed a great difference in the way my friend and I relate to it. Whenever she sees the Dog, she knows that something very exciting and positive is about to happen in her life. It is very much like when a dog goes bounding joyfully after finding what it has been tracking for a while. When the Dog appears to me, however, it is to let me know that there is a difficult task at hand, and that I will have strong helpers to see it through to the best possible conclusion.
This is very similar to when you meet someone who develops from mere acquaintance to someone much closer. When you are first becoming someone’s friend, it can be a little awkward learning to read each other’s signals and habits. As time goes by, you become closer because you have shared common experiences together. Both of you can listen to something as simple as a song and begin to smile at each other. That is because the song reminds both of you of a common experience that made you grow closer. The point of this is that while you are studying a “language,” take time to journey and communicate with your kin heart to heart. They, along with your Guardians, will be very enthusiastic about you wanting to get to know them individually and will want to help you grow closer to them.
Ultimately, as you begin to Walk the shamanic Red Road, you will feel a connection to all the families of nature. However, your kin will always be the easiest to “speak” with, while you will be required to work harder to understand what all the other families of nature are trying to tell you.
Developing a Time Sense
This next concept might be a little bit difficult to understand. Time is not linear, although
we experience it that way. The reason I mention this is that depending on whom you are speaking with, the insights that will be given to you may not relate to the present moment. They may relate to the past or may be things to watch out for in the future. Because of this, it may be confusing to know when what you’ve received will be relevant. The first thing you can do is ask your Guardian to tell you directly when the message will be useful. However, you still might find that both of you become frustrated.
Let’s talk about developing your sense of time. We all have it. Without looking at a clock, you have an idea of when a few minutes have passed compared to a few hours or a few weeks. I would like to help you go further so that when your Guardian relays when a potential event might happen, you have something more specific to use. I emphasize, however, that the future is ever in motion with very few events set in stone. So you see, trying to get an idea of when something might happen is like attempting to predict the weather. As current circumstances change, so can the outcome of the events and when they might take place.
These two practices will help you create personal time frames of reference that you and your Guardian Spirit agree upon. I recommend that you have more than one way to tell different measurements of time just like you do in everyday life. This will give both you and your Guardians the greatest amount of flexibility in expressing increments of time.
One of the best ways to develop a sense of time is paying attention to what your body is trying to tell you. We all have body clocks. I would like for you to pick a measurement of time that you would like to get a sense of, such as seven minutes. Note the time on the clock or set a timer, and then go do something else. It is important that you are not able to see or hear the clock or timer during this portion of the exercise. When the alarm sounds, stop what you are doing and see how it feels in your body. Do this several times until you feel you are confident that you are able to sense when seven minutes have passed without looking at a clock or timer. Now you are ready to test yourself. Write down the time you are beginning this exercise and go do something else as before. Stop when you sense seven minutes have passed. Only look at the clock or timer when you feel that the time has transpired. How accurate were you? Try this again with different increments of time, such as an hour or a day. Reflect on how long a week feels, a month, one year, two years, ten years. How does your body feel during different types of day? The point of this is that you can actually feel the passage of time instead of only seeing it with your eyes on the calendar or a clock. This is also true when getting a sense of age. What do the energy levels of the different stages of life that you have experienced or observed feel like? Of an infant, a young child, a youth, an adult, or an elder?
Another handy technique is to use the seasons of the year. Here is where your body and your senses can assist you in deciphering a potential time of year. Meditate upon how each season feels. Pay attention to how it affects each of your senses of body, mind, and spirit. How does a season make you feel overall? I like to use the smell of the seasons and the look of nature. If I am given a piece of advice and the distinct look of the trees plus the scent of the frosty bite of winter, I know that the time to use the information will be when this physical Middle Kingdom matches what I saw and smelled in the spirit realm.
The image of a calendar or historical symbols that represent different eras are practical for identifying greater periods of time. You could even attempt to get an exact month and day if you would like to try to be even more accurate. But realize that this is very, very difficult and requires a tremendous amount of practice. Developing your time sense takes time! Remember to be patient with yourself. You are beginning to learn how to think and move in ways that you perhaps never have before. Just like when you are learning to speak a different language, you only can become better at this with consistent practice as time passes. If you find that you do not understand something initially, instead of pushing yourself to frustration, put it down and come back to it a little bit later. As I said before, since time is not linear, sometimes information is given to you that you do not have a frame of reference for until things develop. This is not fortune-telling! This is like when you give a friend advice for a situation you can foresee the outcome to. What you tell them is meant to guide them to the best possible outcome. This is no different.
Asking Good Questions
The next thing I would like to introduce is what I like to call the art of the question. Sloppy questions create broad and even sloppier answers. This is very similar to searching something on the internet: if you put in a very broad topic in hopes of getting a specific answer to a particular question, you will fail miserably. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people feel that they can be very vague about what they are inquiring about and yet are surprised when they receive an answer from their Guardian or helpers that they do not understand.
Here are a few things to consider when crafting a question before going journeying. First, it is imperative that the question is specific enough yet not so specific that it leads the answer. For example, say I am curious about my next step in my spiritual journey. Let me show you a good question versus leading the answer. I could simply ask, “What is my next step so that I may grow on my spiritual journey?” Here the question is specific yet open enough to any possibilities. It allows for a block to be addressed or the suggestion for you to be given a new exercise to help you develop. Perhaps the problem is not even you at all. It could be that the environment is not conducive at this time and you need to wait until the situation changes. Two examples of incorrect questions would be “What is my next step?” and “I am blocked in my spiritual growth because I have trouble journeying. What do I do?” The first question is no good because it is too broad. It could relate to any area of your life or to anyone, for that matter. The second question assumes that the problem is journeying when it could be something else. Therefore, the question is trying to lead the answer, and you run the risk of having tunnel vision instead of being receptive to other possibilities.
Sometimes the things you are inquiring about are too large to fit into a single question. The tip off will be that the answer seems to be vague or like a conversation that wanders aimlessly. If you find that even after asking for clarification, things only become more confusing, then stop and reevaluate your approach. Look at the different elements that you want to know about and make each one of them its own specific question.
Last, upon rare occasion, even if you think you composed the best possible question, you may not get an answer. There are two potential reasons for this. The first one is that you may be asking the wrong question. Ask your Guardian and your helpers to suggest what the appropriate question is. The second one is that you may not be ready for the answer or it may not be timely. Let’s say that you journeyed to the Sky Realm to learn about how all of karma works within the entire Dreamweave. In particular, Sky Teachers understand that time has to pass for you to understand the entirety of what you are asking. Those who Walk in harmony will not want to disrupt the Balance of your life by giving you information or insights that you are not yet ready to receive. In this case, request that they share what they feel would serve you best.
Discerning If Something Is a Message
So how can you discern when something is a message or not? If something is a real message rather than your imagination, it will be able to undergo testing and remain intact. Let us say that you have gone on a journey to the Middle Kingdom to feel the energy of the land. While you were there, you met a sacred Grandmother of the Land who greeted you warmly, sat with you, and gave you good counsel. Respectfully inform this benign spirit that you need to test what you are receiving. Intentionally try to superimpose an image of a mouse upon the sacred Grandmother. One of two things will happen: either the image of the mouse will stop the instant you lose concentration, or, more likely, the Grandmother will patiently laugh and nothing will change at all. The equivalent in this world wo
uld be you looking at a chair and trying to force it to become an elephant. It might be amusing to someone watching you while you shout and attempt to force this piece of furniture to become an animal, but try as you might, the chair will remain a chair. It is critical to test what you have been given, but do so with a respectful and skeptical yet open mind. Part of showing respect is taking time to digest and demonstrate that you understand and can properly apply what has been shared with you before going back to ask more questions.
Another sign that a message is genuine is that it will keep on presenting itself until you get it right. The universe is an efficient place. The universe will help you if you are having difficulty discerning if what you have received is actually a message or just mind chatter or if you need affirmation that you have interpreted a message properly. The Great Spirit and All Your Relations will send you validations repeatedly and in different ways. Remember that Walking the traditional shamanic path is not merely journeying to the world of the spirits. Affirmations of messages will come to you in both the physical and nonphysical realms simultaneously. You may encounter different people who feel compelled to speak to you, but you are unaware that they are giving you the same bit of advice. You might find the same message being repeated over and over again in dreams.
You may keep stumbling across different signs and symbols, such as number sequences, all pointing to the same thing until you acknowledge the message and interpret it correctly. This is very similar to when you dictate a series of numbers or information, such as an address, to someone. You patiently dictate the information until they can recite the address or number sequence back to you. Do not rush through this! It is more important to ask All Your Relations to kindly repeat what you need to know until you have it down right. Of course, if you find yourself continuously asking the same question over and over because you did not like the answer you received, then you run the risk of having your Guardian and your helpers seen and unseen show you their frustration by not answering at all.
Journeying Between the Worlds Page 10
