Self Cultivation

Huge Positive Change Begins at the Winter Solstice

November 30, 2020 By Cara Lumen

Huge Positive Change Begins at the Winter Solstice

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

I have begun to study Astrology in order to understand the overarching energy flow of our universe and how it affects our planet and our expression as humans. It gives me hope. And I am both relieved that we are ending this era and excited about what this new era will unfold.

We are entering into a time of major change. The Winter Solstice, December 21, marks a major shift for the new year and years to come as two planets pair up in a new way.

The major news for change comes this month as two major planets join forces to help us move into a new age and a new vision. On December 21 – Winter Solstice – Jupiter conjuncts Saturn in Aquarius AND we move from the many-year influence of Earth into the influence of Air.

So here’s what has gotten me excited. I see our “next”, our pathway up and out of this chaos we are experiencing. It gives me not just hope, but a positive expectation of how we are going to rebuild our world.

Jupiter Conjunct Saturn In Aquarius – that means Co-Creation With The Universe “Together, they are the architects of our solar system.
When they join forces, they create a structure that has coherence (Jupiter) and that is built to last (Saturn). And while Jupiter and Saturn are great architects… in Aquarius, they will build a different type of structure.” – Astrobuterfly

Sagittarius sets the vision.
Aquarius brings in information from the higher mind of the Universe.

Because of Aquarius, this new order is nothing like we expect it to be. It is truly “Aquarius”: innovative, people-oriented, bottom-up, and YES, different.

That gives me great hope for what is unfolding.

Dr. Martha Lacy shares this insight with us. Notice the timelines…

“There is a Saturn/Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius on the winter solstice. Saturn and Jupiter meet up every 20 years.

It starts a 200-year cycle of these two having their conjunction in air signs. These past 200 years their conjunctions have been in earth signs, coinciding with the rise of colonialism, the industrial age, the personal ownership of property, and the pillaging of Mother Earth.

Many say it is the official dawning of the age of Aquarius. Last time there was a Saturn and Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius was 800 years ago and coincided with the Magna Carta. That marked the first time in western culture that the common people asserted their sovereignty. They stated the authority of kings is not conferred by God, but by the will of the people.

Saturn represents structure and Jupiter represents expansion. This coming 200 years could be another inflection point, a time for humans to pick a new way of relating to each other and refine our governing structures. This conjunction starts a new cycle and sets the tone for the next 200 years.

Astrologers look to 2021 as a time when planetary energies will change and it will be an opportunity for remarkable innovation.

Aquarius is an air sign. It governs the nervous system. This means it is the time for rapid transmission of new ideas and global communications. It is the rebel, the sign of change. It embraces community, social consciousness, and social justice.

Since the planets involved represent structure and expansion, I am hopeful this conjunction will help us build bridges between people, approaching one another with curiosity rather than judgment.”

It looks like we have a lot of evolving to do. Let’s get to it!

Deeper Song Process

Sagittarius sets the vision. What is your vision for the coming year? Where do you want your life to be like in five years? Do a bit of daydreaming and see what paths you want to explore.
Aquarius brings in information from the higher mind of the Universe. Once you identify a few possibilities, choose one and visualize how it would feel. Meditate with it, try it on for size in your vision. Notice what ideas show up, how they would change your life and your expectations. Don’t look at how you achieve that vision, just imagine yourself as having attained it. How does that feel? What would you change? Our visioning creates our reality.
Watch for the nudges from the Universe that opens doors on that particular pathway.

A TURN IN MY PATH FORWARD

I have felt this change coming for several months but I have not known the exact form. it would take. I just knew I was moving toward a major change. Well, it opened up this week. I have had a major shift and am have changed my direction slightly. I feel this new path will take us higher in our exploration and understanding of the Unseen World.

I have felt this change coming on and could only wait for it to reveal itself. And it certainly has begun to do just that.

I have given myself permission to produce content less often. That frees up some time for me to study and delve more deeply into this next part of my path. It takes some pressure off, pressure I made up for myself. Interesting lesson.

I am going to produce only two podcasts a month and only one newsletter a month. That gives me time to study and learn more.

This will not an astrology newsletter, it is a how do we change our focus and energy to take advantage of the energy being offered by nature. We will listen more deeply to the insights and guidance of nature.

Here’s the unfolding format for the newsletter:

TRANSLATING THE GUIDANCE OF THE ENERGY OF THE UNIVERSE

Each month I will explore the energy moving in and around our lives. How we might take advantage of planetary movements. For instance, I’m going to see what lessons and insights the movement of the planets suggest I write about as I take baby steps into astrology and frame that powerful energy shift as an insight for the coming month.

ENERGY LESSONS AND INSIGHTS FROM THIS PAST MOTH

In this segment, I will look back at the over-arching energy theme (based partly on the planets and last month’s theme and partly on our rapidly chaining world) and see how that energy manifested in our world and our lives and what lessons they offered us.

Here’s what to consider for the month of November:

FUOLL MOON & LUNAR ECLIPSE

“On November 30th, 2020 we have a Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse at 8° Gemini. The Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Gemini is our opportunity to open our minds and have the courage to think differently. Pay attention to what it has to say, because it may change your life.” – Astro Butterfly (Astro-butterfly)

Do some visioning. Use your imagination to try on some new adventures.

DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Another section will be Deepen Your Spiritual Practice. The spiritual practices I am receiving as I journey are very powerful. I will share them with you so you can explore them for your own practice.

Begin here:

How to Create a transformative Energy Shield for Protection

The Gaia Gateway and the Soul Star

OUR EVOLVING FUTURE

I will keep Our Evolving Future because we’re all wondering about that.

And I’ll keep

CARA’S CORNER

This slight shift opens the door for new adventures. It does lift me out of repeating the lessons I have learned about living life and move into a more philosophical exploration. I fully expect my upcoming course with Shaman Puma to take us both to an entirely new level and I want to clear room for that.

I will put out this newsletter on the last Sunday of the month with a focus on the energy we have to work within the coming month.

This also makes it easier if and when I have to hire help for editing because of my eyesight.

This kind of a major shift happened to me once before a few years ago when I was clear I did not want to write any more about Spirituality 101. I had outgrown that level of inquiry. I guess I just feel compete with Spirituality 202 and am going to move on to Spirituality 303 whatever that turns out to be.

It also lifts this newsletter to a different teaching level. More philosophical and experiential.

This sight adjustment will also free up more time for personal inner exploration and study. The processes I have been taught in my journeys are very powerful. I want to make room to learn more from my guides. I will also work more deeply with what I have already been given.

It’s odd how we get ourselves caught up in a schedule of our own making. I feel like I am a prairie dog peeking out from my hole in the ground, standing on my hind legs and looking around the open landscape to see what opportunities and insights I can gather. It’s very freeing – a pause to consider what to explore next.

It’s odd how decisions are made. I have felt a change coming on for several months. I have known it was a shift in my path. And here it is, showing up in nudges and insight over the past week. I listened and I heard. And now I act.

SING A DEEPER SONG

We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take. Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song
I help spiritual adventurers explore the Unseen World so that we broaden and deepen our personal journey and turn to share our discoveries with others. We are guides and way-showers with our light held high.

Please forward this newsletter to a friend and suggest they
Join the Deeper Song Community

You Can Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Google

How to Interpret the Messages from Nature

September 27, 2020 By Cara Lumen

How to Interpret the Messages from Nature

Insights Of A Deeper Song

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

When we learn to listen to the stillness we receive all manner of guidance and insights. It begins with quieting your mind and opening your whole body as an antenna to receive the information.

Everything has energy and we can receive messages from the elements, the plants, the rocks. The example I’m going to give is with rocks and I invite you to use some of the ideas to talk to the rocks and crystals you have around you, to your plants, a tree in your yard, and to any aspect of nature that calls to you.

Feel their energy

When I was first taught to listen to crystals 40 years ago in NYC, I was told to put the crystals in my left hand (receiving hand) and listen. What I got was a sensation in one of my chakras and I began to use those body sensations as a starting place for interpretation.

Where the energy expresses itself in my body is still an important part of my listing to nature.

What prompted me to write this was an inner prompt that happened this week in my daily start-the-day practice. I am surrounded by crystals. I probe have over 150 of them. Sometimes they call to me across the room to come participate more closely But each morning when I sit down at my computer after playing my flutes to nature, I pick up and talk to the crystals I have currently been called to work with.

But here’s what happened because of a nudge from my inner voice. I picked up one crystal in each hand. Now right there is a place to experiment. Which crystal goes in which hand. Hold them, feel what you feel, switch hands, and feel again. From that inner insight find out if the crystal wants to work alone or with another crystal.

Sometimes I hold a crystal wand by both ends. I change the direction of the ends to see how the energy changes. But here’s my latest discovery. I held each pair up to my head to see where it resonated. The first sent very strong energy to my eyes. I simply sat and accepted it for a while. The sen pair sent more energy when they were held near my crown, although I had also tried them in front of my third eye. My body was telling me what it wanted from the rocks.

Experiment in order to hear better

Your rocks/crystals will tell you what they are for and how they want to be held and how they would like to be in proximity to you. Experiment with your rocks and your chakras.

You might find a rock on your walk that calls to you I got most of my crystals at expos and crystal shops. I tried to not have my eyes do the choosing by how it looked. I tuned into my body and listened. Pick up each rock you are considering and see where it talks to you in our body and what message it brings to you.

If you have something you want to heal, ask nature to provide you with some assistance, and then pay attention. It could be an acorn that falls from a tree or a twig or a feather or a bird call…. listen and nature will offer you her gifts for self-healing.

This energy messaging also comes from hand-made items for the energy and intention of the craftsman are part of it. Your house plants have messages for you. They choose you. They wanted to be in your home. Sit with a plant. Touch its leaves Listen. Ask it for guidance or for a message. It will talk to you. You just have to listen and learn to interpret.

Whatever calls to you, listen. Listen with your inner voice. Listen with your body. Hold it in one hand, then the other to see what difference there is. Put it in different places near you – left side, right side, in front, it will tell you.

Part of my morning practice is simply to look at what I have around me. Part of that is appreciation, another part is to see who is calling to be picked up and held or who is simply sending me energy from where they are.

All of life is energy. Rocks are wisdom keepers. Go exploring and start talking to rocks. They have wise insights to share with you. Learn to listen to the messages of the rocks.

DEEPER SONG AFFIRMATION
I listen more closely to nature and experiment with different ways in which to listen.

DEEPER SONG PROCESS

Choose a rock or crystal or a gift someone made for you or something you are very drawn to and hold it in you your left hand. Close our eyes and notice what sensations appear in your body. What thoughts. How are you interpreting that energy?
Move the object to the other hand and see how or if the energy changes. How are you interpreting it? Sensations? Thoughts? Images? Is the energy stronger in one hand than the other?
Put both hands on the object – use just your fingers if ir is small. Again notice the areas in your body and use that to help you interpret the message.
Move the object, hold it in both hands in front of each chakra and notice what shifts, what speaks to you,.
Ask your rock for guidance and see what thoughts show up
Trust That
Repeat often.

***
MY DEEPER SONG THIS WEEK
The River of Time – The Discovery
An Exploration of the Unseen World

Shamanic journeying is a form of meditation that is filled with metaphors that only we are to interpret. The River of Time appeared in one of my journeys and has led me on many adventures. Here is the story of my first encounter and the adventure it took me on.

Cara Lumen, spiritual philosopher and Founder of the Deeper Song Community is a cosmic explorer who consciously travels into the unseen world to serve as a bridge to help us expand our relationship with the spiritual world. She shares what she learns and guides us to the next level so we can sing a deeper song.

In this episode we explore
The River of Time – The Discovery
(10 miutes)
(Listen Here)
With Transcript
Listen to
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify /Google

For a complete list of podcasts go to
https://www.deepersong.com/deeper-song-podcasts/

***
Inner Work
I SEE YOU. I AM HERE

The Zula greeting Sawubona means “I see you.” One way to respond is ngikhona, which means “I am here. So shared Chris Brogan in a recent newsletter.

I see you. Do we really pause our thoughts and beliefs to become fully present with someone? Do we look into their eyes, feel their energy, understand their heart, simply be present with them, understand and experience our flowing energy exchange? Be present. Be present for yourself. Be present for others. Experience the flow of energy between you. Open your heart to them. Be WITH them.

“I am here.”When we are fully present in the moment, we experience ourselves, we experience the other person, the circumstance, the subtle energy flows around us. We have to quiet our mind, put aside our emotions and take that mindful moment, to be in our Still Point before we open ourselves up tho the flow of energy around us – energy coming to us, energy flowing from us

I see you.

I am here.

***
Outer Work
WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING LOUSY CHOICES?

If your life is not working – change it. If it is not exactly how you want to be, fix it. I think what happens is that we are unaware of slowly sliding into a situation that has become toxic or that no longer serves us and the shift is so gradual we barely notice.

Make a list of what is NOT working. It could be your health, your work, your relationships, your spiritual life – just let it flow out onto the paper. Get angry, be sad, become aware. Write down everything that is NOT working in our life right now.

Now focus on what IS working. What you cherish, what nurtures you, what exists you, what makes you joyous.

Which list is longer? You probably have some work to do.

We have tremendous control over our own life experience – we have a choice. To do or not do. To accept or reject.

Look at your list and make some new more aligned choices.

***
FIND THE SWEET SPOT – ENERGY AND WILLINGNESS

When the time is right it sure is easy to do it. This week I found a new sweet spot that suddenly makes something I’e been fretting over both doable and easy. You can’t ask for much more than that. You see, I found a sweet spot for a task I had been putting off and have been beating myself up for not doing. The answer lies in timing.

I have a few introspective sweet spots in place. I work at my computer first thing for about 90 minutes. Another sweet spot is that I take a shamanic journey at 12:30 or so and get very introspective.

But I actually need two new major sweet spots that are more physical in nature.

My new “doing” sweet spot comes after an hour and a half of creating – writing something or editing something. It is my Honor My Home moment in which I put in 15-20 minutes of cleaning or dusting or sweeping, organizing. 15 minutes. Each day. I have been sitting. I a ready for a change in rhythm and focus. My body would love to move, my home would like some care. It all comes together as a sweet spot. Then I reward myself with breakfast and a cup of tea and The View. I like rewards.

I see a second sweet spot forming in mid-afternoon. I want to cook more for myself. If I combine listing to Nichole Wallace on CSNBC with chopping up something to cook that works as a sweet spot. And another shift from introspective focus to outer world focus.

I could use one more sweet spots. One will be a jaunt down the hall for the mail and maybe a turn up and down joining hallways at about 4:30. Now that the weather is chaining I cold take a flute and site outside and play to nature. I would like to do that.

I am going to add my Qi Gong practice to each day so I am looking for a sweet spot of willingness and energy in which to place it.

Where are your sweet spots? Do you need to find some new ones?

***
EXPERIMENT WITH A RANGE OF OPTIONS

Short o long? Weekly or monthly? How many classes in one offering? How often to podcast? Or video? or… I have a lot of things to offer, who is my target audience?

These are all questions we ask ourselves and often wrestle with. My suggestion is to experiment and see what resonates.

Here’s my suggestion. We hack about 12 weeks left in this year. If we explore one now idea a week, that’s 12 ideas or skills to explore. That would certainly give us a good starting place for designing our offering in the coming year. And it could be fun.

The first six weeks are about exploring. I seem to be talking about online entrepreneurship here but you can translate it. That’s six different .. what-ever to explore. That means immerse yourself in the idea and see what it takes to go that direction.

Goole the topic you are considering building a business around and notice what comes up. How are other people setting up their web presence? What are they offering? How much are they charging? What are they doing that you could translate into the ideas you are considering?

Make a list of what calls to you in an easy access document on your desktop. Keep notes on how you feel about what you find. Fun, hard, exciting, not for me, maybe later…

You may need to learn how to host Zoom so get an account and a friend and practice until you own that skill. Get on the many free Zoom calls to see how others are doing it.

If creating a podcast calls to you check out Pat Flynn. I spent about 18 hours watching his free video course when I first started years ago.

Make a video and post it on YouTube so you know if it is something you want to do. So far you have invested no money and made no choices. You have looked at options for getting information to people.

What do you want to learn for yourself and what do you want to help others learn and do?

Normally business coaches start with who do you want to help, but I find that making my topic be about what I want to learn more about is extremely motivating and inspiring. Just a thought. What topic do you want to immerse yourself in for the next few years?

Experiment and see what resonates. I can see such differences in what I have offered along the line. My books began 20 years ago with booklets sold in my church book store. The information is solid and the references could be updated but that was where I was in my thinking 20 years ago. I also like short so books are not a natural fit or me.

I studied books on writing articles and learned to write posts. That has worked for a lot of years.

I have taught courses in person and online but that is not calling to me now.

I made a few talking head videos (just a head talking) and was not drawn to them. Others love to do them.

Returning to podcasts has added a degree of intimacy to my communication that wiring alone does not have. It is very rewarding to do them now.

So sometimes your progression of choices will need to take some time and at other times you may know immediately what format you are to use and even what you will offer.

Use these 12 weeks as a tine of exploration to understand what calls to you – both in format and in topic. Try some formats out on some friends. Once you decide you are going to start making online offers the ideas will start lining up until you will be hard-pressed to choose.

What new aspect of your business will you begin in 2021?

***
SEEK BALANCE

Know when you are full up and don’t do more. I got so excited at the Shift Network Qi Gong practice that I selected 18 people to listen to. I listened to 15. It was wonderful and I am tired but I am also inspired to restrict my I Gong practice. You have to get real about your energy and your time and choose accordingly.

What do you want to learn? Wh two you want to share? What do you want in your spiritual practice? When do you connect with your friends?

It’s OK to lean a little heavier in one direction for a while but each month stop and seek balance. Do you need more rest, more play, more conversations, more mental stimulation? What do you need in the next four weeks Chose that. Do that. And let the rest fall by the wayside for those four weeks.

You must have balance in order to stay healthy. Enough rest, enough food,, enough downtime, enough mental stimulation… That sounds like a busy week and there is no “work” in it – no have-to’s that you have chosen as your way to make a living. It’s important that you love what you do because it takes a large amount of your time.

Know what calls to you and select that. Let the rest float on by to be explored another time. Find balance.

***
LISTEN TO YOUR INNER SELF

The Native flute has no wrong notes so it is a fabulous form of self-express yourself. Each morning before sitting at my desk, I sit facing nature outside my window and play.

I have watched my inner music mature, first with my innate ability to drum, particularly on the djembe which called to me greatly. I figure I have a drumming ancestor somewhere.

Sometimes my flute playing sounds like an Irish jig. Another ancestor I think.

One day this week as I played without any plan I realized how happy I was. My playing reflected cheerfulness, willingness, expectation. It was a good way to be.

What subtle ways do you listen to yourself? Humming is good. Hum whatever shows up. Direct your hums to specific places and circumstances for healing. You can make a drum out of a plastic container, or a rattle out of popcorn in an empty glass jar. Then sit and let your inner self start expressing herself/himself through sound. Sing if you like, tone if you like.

I love the Native flute because I am not trying to play a specific tune, and whatever I pay is perfect. But I do find myself playing lively rhythms. I find one note sequence and I repeat it but I don’t try to remember it, I just experience the moment.

I have made up songs for the ritual drumming I do with the Buffalo drum I made 40 years ago. I drum to the elements and the directions and over time songs appeared. it makes a lovely ceremony.

Take time to express our inner self through sound.

***
OUR EVOLVING FUTURE

We have to let go of the way it was because it’s not going to be that way again. And that can be scary. And exciting. And challenging. It’s time to be creative and innovative and look for entirely new ways to provide a shrive or a product.

Put on your creative hat and go exploring. Be open to the oddest of ideas. Who knows?

***
CARA’S CORNER

Qi Gong can be done at any age and it strengthens and brings chi energy to body, mind, and spirit.

After listening to 14 different speakers on the Qi Gong summit on the Shift Network, I know that I really want to resume my practice It is good for energy, balance and spiritual expansion. It is slow moves that gradually shift your weight and the direction you face while establishing a breathing pattern that brings it all into balance. As an old lady I really, really, really need to put this back into my life.

Breath and breathing is a foundational aspect of Qi Gong.

In the very first talk the teacher taught a Qi Gong sequence that I can easily do, but the part that I helped me learn it was the images and intentions he put with each move. Gathering in, pushing away. With those visuals, it was easy to learn. I was hooked – again. I can do it as an old person. I can practice it with no equipment I can practice inside or out. And the health benefits are enormous.

It is taught that the breath is at the core of all of these healing and strengthening movements that strengthen breath, muscles, immunity, and spirituality. The suggestion is 20-30 minutes at a time, two or three times a week. You can do it inside or out.

Breath is a cornerstone and with another speaker, I learned a way to expand my Tan Tien though breathing.

One ay I “accidentally” got on a talk I had not planned on attending. And the message I took away was to tune into your own body for a series of moves and intentions that open up the flow of Chi breathing and put that in harmony with your body and your soul.

I learned from Daisy Lee the Radiant Qi Gong Practdice on the Shift Network. I’m going to review both courses I took. and put Qi Gong firmly back in m life!

***
A DEEPER SON

Qigong is a way of being.
Being soft, yet strong.
Qigong is a way of breathing.
Breathing deeply, yet calmly.
Qigong is a way of standing.
Alert, yet relaxed. ~Nigel Mills

Qigong is the art and science of refining and cultivating internal energy. ~Ken Cohen, The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing

Keep singing a deeper song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song

I help those seeking to sing a deeper song to expand their relationship with the Unseen world.

Past Issues of this newsletter are being curated on my site on a page called Insights.

Please forward this newsletter to a friend and suggest they
Join the Deeper Song Community

The Intentional OM Hum

June 12, 2019 By Cara Lumen

The Intentional OM Hum
An Inner-world Exploration

OM or AUM is a mantra (word of power) that is said to represent the seed sound of the universe and to represent all other sounds. When you combine the mantra OM with the extended vibration of a hum, you can learn to direct that vibration and let it linger and float off like a gentle wave to resonate and heal whatever it touches.

There are three sounds to the universal seed mantra OM. A – U – M. The word is linked to the sound of breath and is a subtle and high potency universal vibration which can be heard internally in the subtle planes as a deep sound.

Symbolically, OM represents the entire creation manifested in the three planes – the earth, the mid-region, and the heavens.

The Om hum

Combining the sound of OM with breath and intention is a powerful way to raise your own vibration.

Sit or lie down in a quiet place. Begin to take long slow, mindful breaths. On the exhale, vocalize A-U-M and let the sound of a hum flow out with a focused intention. Think of yourself as breathing out and sending forth a Divine Quality, the Universal Self, Space. Notice how this resonates throughout your body.

Since everything is vibration, the addition of a prolonged hum keeps the vibration moving outward. Ah – U – Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Work in cycles of seven. Take a breath, and on the exhale tone the sound OM (A-U-M.) At the M, let the sound turn into an audible hum and use your mind to direct that healing vibration wherever you wish it to go.

Intention is the navigator

Our intention is like focusing a lens. Our intention is the director of everything we do. You can begin with an intention to vibrate the healing Om hum through your whole body and when you get to the hum, allow that resonance to build and reverberate throughout your body.

If your intention is to heal another person or place, or animal or even the world, simply set the intention and feel the A-U-M gathering together your spiritual essence and radiating it out toward your intention.

Let the hum fade off into the universe.

Notice change

If you would like to see some recognizable, tangible evidence that this Intentional Om Hum made a difference, write down the situation and the date you begin to send it energy and periodically journal about the changes. Place Intentional OM- Hum into your daily spiritual practice.

Deeper Song Affirmation

I add an Intentional Om Hum to my spiritual practice.

Deeper Song Process

Set an intention to manifest change. In the beginning, make it something you will be able to notice.
Add an Intentional Om Hum to your daily spiritual practice.
Observe. Journal. Notice change.
Repeat

To Sing a Deeper Song Consider:

The Pillar of Light Process

Why We Need to Raise Our Vibration

Energy Cannot Be Destroyed – Only Re-Purposed

Build a Launching Pad for Your Inner work

Another Part of You-The Unseen World

How to Interpret the Messages from Within

When I See Myself As Light

Raise Your Vibration and Change the World.

I help transformational thinkers raise their personal vibration so that we, collectively, can raise the consciousness of our planet.

To receive our weekly
Deeper Song Insights and Applications
join the Deeper Song Community.

Create a Releasing Ceremony For Yourself

February 6, 2019 By Cara Lumen

Create a Releasing Ceremony For Yourself
An Inner-world Exploration

There is “stuff” within us that’s in our way. It may be making us sick. It may be making us unhappy. It may be keeping us from doing something. Some of it we recognize. Some we don’t. We need to let all those unwanted inhibitors go. We want to release whatever is keeping us from moving forward in our relationships, in our health, in our business. Can you identify a personal problem you want to solve, and can you also identify the cause? Think about letting it go.

Is your body suit showing signs of imbalance? Let go of whatever is causing that. We may not know the specific cause of an imbalance, but we know we want to release it.

Create a Ceremony of Releasing

You may feel the need to reset your life at the New Year, on your birthday, at the solstice and equinox, the full moons, the new moon. Or you just may think, “Today’s the day.”

You want to create a Ceremony of Releasing that works for you. So begin to experiment.

I do my Ceremony of Releasing through shamanic journeying, which is a form of mediation. I can get very creative in how I release what I want to let go.

Put it down and leave it behind

In my meditative journey, I’ve carried an emotion in a knapsack on my back and simply laid it down along my path, only to turn and see it change to water and become a new form to nurture others.

I’ve carried an anger I wanted to get rid of in a bag with the intuition of burying it, only to lay it on the ground and have it turn to earthworms who actually waved at me as they went off to do good work for the earth.

The lesson, it seems, is that whatever you want to get rid of that’s harming you can be changed into something useful.

Let the fire consume your unwanted blockages

Another ceremony for releasing unwanted beliefs, idea, unknown-unwanted things is to put them in a fire. The fire changes it to smoke, the smoke dissolves in the air and it is released into a form that no longer harms.

I, however, seem to have a hard time burning things. Destroying even a twig. I have no idea why. You will create your own Releasing Ceremony to honor your purpose and intention.

Release your unwanted belief into the earth

In a recent shamanic journey, I thought to place the perceived blockage I wanted to release into pinecones, but I didn’t want to destroy them in fire. So I visually buried them with the intentions for them to grow into something useful.

Release your unwanted blockage into water

Sometimes I go and stand under the waterfall in my Sacred Garden. That certainly clears things out. But there’s also a quiet pool there where I can also release what I no longer want to carry with me.

Let water rinse away what you wish to release.

Let air carry away your blockages

Blowing bubbles is a fun way to release whatever you want to release. You could use a balloon. Or, you can simply stand in a gentle breeze and feel the air moving through you to carry away what’s no longer needed or wanted. That’s a good one.

What you release may take different forms

In one of my releasing journeys, I ultimately found myself wearing an imaginary cape that was weighing down my shoulders and affecting how I felt and even how I walked. Sometimes cloaks feel cozy; this one did not. I filled this imaginary cloak with all the emotions and beliefs and feelings that no longer serve me. I thanked them for their service and threw the cape into the fire where there was a loud roaring sound as the flames consumed it. Sparks flew up, smoke rose, and all those burdens, beliefs, unknown “whatevers” that were holding me down, changed form. I stood up straighter and felt myself filled with a golden pillar of light, not one of protection but of inner strength.

This is your releasing ceremony. Do what works for you.

You can make a list of what you no longer want. You can write it on paper, and tear up the paper or burn it over the sink. Whatever symbolic gesture of releasing you can think of will work.

You can simply tear the paper up into small pieces over a wastebasket.

You can dance and release. You can take a deep breath and when you breathe out release what you no longer want.

You might pause as you enter your house each evening to mentally shed your work day and bring yourself as a loving presence into your evening.

You might create a releasing ceremony at the end of your day and put aside anything our have accumulated. You can release it then or you can put it in a bowl to be mutated by your helping spirits during the night. Do whatever works for you.

Look closely for what you want to release

A key part of the releasing process is to identify what you no longer want. Look behind the obvious problem to identify the subtle causes. It may be a belief, a fear, a misunderstanding, a disappointment, an unknown that is causing something physical to appear. The blockage or unwanted energy can take many forms. I found I had expectations of a family member that I had to release. A particular expectation. Something I wanted, but something that was not going to be given.

Identify what you want to release and create a symbolic way to release it.

Blow it toward the flame of a candle. Shake it out with a rattle. Beat it out with a drum. I have a wind whistle and I can release the unwanted, unknown, unidentified “whatever” to the wind by using my breath. I can also do that without a wind whistle.

Set an intention to release

The core of a releasing ceremony is your intention. You don’t have to know the cause but you do want to have the intention: such as, “I release whatever is making my back hurt.” You have no idea what that is, but you can release it. “I release whatever is in the way of my feeling loved.” “I release whatever is holding me back from expressing myself fully.”

What’s your intention for your Releasing Ceremony?

Do a Releasing Ceremony often

Some days it’ll be obvious that you need to do some form of a Releasing Ceremony because something happened and it affected you. The sooner you can release it, the less impact it will have in your life.

On other days you won’t know what you’re releasing but you’ll be willing to let go of what no longer serves you. You don’t have to know what it is, just notice how your life changes after you do.

Before entering your home, you might blow any burdens, worries, upsets or disappointments out into the wind. Just let it go. Then enter.

Offer gratitude

When you release something, thank it for its service and let it go.

Perhaps at the end of the day go back over your day and see what you have been given and look for what you want to release. Do a short releasing breath before you sleep with an affirmation like “I let go of whatever I no longer need.”

If you’re very attached to it, lay it aside to be picked up after a good night’s sleep, but do put it aside.

When you do some sort of releasing, a “thank-you-very-much-but-go-away” ceremony each evening – however short, however elaborate – your life will change for the better. Each day will become a clean slate upon which to uninhibitedly express yourself.

What kind of releasing ceremony will you devise for yourself? How often will you do it?

Deeper Song Process:

What would you like to release? Identify it or identify the imbalance it’s causing.
Choose one of the ways to release from above, or make up your own method.
Choose a time for your Releasing Ceremony where you won’t be disturbed.
Sit quietly and decide what you want to release. You may want to write it down. You may want to say it out loud. You may want to just think about it. Choose one thing to release in this first ceremony. As you progress, you can release multiple things during one ceremony. Try to find the core problem. Anger might be at the core. Or fear, or disappointment. Look for the emotion involved that you want to release.
Create your Releasing Ceremony – whatever that means to you. Music, candles, silence. Do it physically or do it in your imagination.
Do the work. Let go of what you no longer need or want and what no longer serves you.
In the days that follow, notice how you feel.
Repeat as desired.

To Sing a Deeper Song, Consider:

Who Needs to Give You Permission?

The Power of your Imagination

Do You Believe In Yourself?

Our Defense of Non-Existent Boundaries

What Are Your Weaving in Your Reality?

My Three Words for 2019

January 2, 2019 By Cara Lumen

My Three Words for 2019
An Inner-world Exploration

We get to choose. We get to choose the direction we go in, the path we take, who we travel with and how we handle ourselves along the way. Our choice. Our responsibility for the results.

One of the ways I focus my new year is to choose three guiding words. What do I want to feel? Experience? Learn? How do I want to change? For 2019, my three words are vibration, nature and portals.

Vibration

“If we learn to sense everything from a higher vantage point or vibrational frequency, we may actually see the world as it really is, a construct of our minds and our collective dance. Nothing is what it seems.” Raja Chaudhury

Learning to raise my vibration is the major focus of the coming year for me — learning to feel and sense and be vibration so I can experience and embrace our oneness.

You know, something simple like that.

In the past year, I have been consciously and actively exploring the 95% of our world that is invisible. How do you explore the invisible? I do it through the inner meditative work of shamanic journeying. I just go where I’m led. I interpret the metaphors that appear and then I creatively apply the insights I receive. Journeying in the invisible world is absolutely my favorite thing to do.

My focus for the new year is to deepen my inner work. A lot!

Nature

One of the key places to learn about vibration is in nature. It’s filled with subtle messages and lessons. Observing the seasons teaches me the patience of unfolding. Gradual and almost invisible growth in nature teaches me patience and appreciation for small changes. I learn about balance from the elements. But most of all I learn about me because I am nature. I’m an unfolding, ripening, living and dying energy of nature. I want to attune myself with nature. I want to live an “unfolding life”. I will create steps that help me become more aware of and feel closer to nature.

Portals

Rather than “portals” this word could have been “openings” or “doorways” or “sacred paths” but portal seems both important and inviting. Cross the portal. Take a step through the portal and discover something new. Portals mean adventure and continuous exploration. I can do that.

My plan is to learn to raise my vibration so that I can explore the void and be open to entering and exploring any portal that calls to me. In my journeying, I’m getting very clear pictures of light streaming out of a portal, a doorway that I am to enter, an energy that’s within that calls to me. The portal is always filled with a welcoming light, an invitation to enter, explore, figure out the message, the lesson, and how to apply it to my life. I’m excited about what I will find.

The year of 2019

It feels very adventurous, this new year of 2019. Learning to raise my vibration, deepening my awareness of myself as nature, wandering off into the unseen world to move through mysterious portals, trying to figure out the meaning of what I find and bringing it back to apply to my life in a manner that changes my life and the lives of others who are drawn to my work.

That’s all…

How I will l access these concepts

First and foremost, I journey – every day. (See Unleash the power of your Sacred Garden) The more I journey, the more I’m shown and the better I get at interpreting the metaphors I’m given.

I seem to figure things out by writing about them. It may be a phrase that sparks a whole investigation of its meaning to me and ways I can apply it to my life.

I journal often and keep notes. I keep the entries organized by months and at the top of each month I create a summary that includes shifts, gifts, actions and purpose, so I can, if I wish, review the highlights. I journal whatever stands out in my mind — how it felt, what it accomplished. Suddenly it’s easy to identify my next steps, the things that did work and also see where time was not so well spent so I can release and replace those. A journal is a powerful self-awareness tool.

I love to learn and take classes online all the time. There are wonderful free summits on specific topics where you can meet potential teachers and of course find powerful in-depth courses to support you in your journey. The Shift Network and Sounds True are great sources.

My plans

I’m particularly excited about the vibrational work. I want to learn to experience myself as pure vibration. I want and need to experience my connection with the Transformational Thinkers who are all over the planet doing this inner work. It makes me feel stronger and more helpful. I don’t know what any of this will look like or feel like or even how I’m going to do it, but there are helping spirits ready to show me the way.

I continue to expand and strengthen my spiritual practice. I’m in a constant state of exploration and discovery and adjustment as I strengthen and expand my daily spiritual practice, which includes many ways to reach and experience the unseen world.

Three years ago, my desire to deepen my relationship with nature led me to shamanism. I have the tools, and I’m doing the work. But I can do better and much of my focus in the coming year will be on merging with nature. I’ve begun to journey to the elements and seem to be writing poems again — which was always my way to grasp an insight. I play my flute to begin my day and also to honor the sun going down. I play my Kalimba Finger Piano to welcome the sunrise. I will use sound and observation and ceremony to deepen my connection with nature.

I’m excited and eager to step through untried portals as I move more deeply into the invisible world. I want to explore the 95% of the world that is unseen. An open door leads to adventure and deepening spirituality. I want both.

What three words will you choose to guide your steps in 2019? And where will they take you?

It’s going to be a great year!!!!

Deeper Song Process

Write down the highlights of the past year
Highlight the satisfying experiences.
Identify the experiences that didn’t serve you.
What three words describe a focus that’ll move you forward in the coming year?
Choose those, record them in a journal and perhaps elaborate on how you might explore your choices.
Refer to your three words as the year progresses.

To Sing a Deeper Song, Consider

My Three Words for 2018

My Tree Words for 2017

My Three Words for 2016

My Three Words for 2015