FYI: Site Navigation!

just want to give y'all some tips, tricks
and techniques for navigating my blogspot...
my goal is to keep it fresh, fun, and useful.

you'll find quick-click horoscopes, polls,
quotes, a translator tool and in-season foods
on the left column:

- use the translator to toggle between languages! -

- check your horoscope without navigating -

   away from the page! 

- plan your urban garden and shopping trips  -

   around in-season foods!

- answer fun/interesting poll questions! -

my collection of images decorates the column
on the right, posts are dead center. scroll down
to view older posts, or click on each post
title to view only that post :)

on the bottom right corner of the page, i put links
to sites i like and/or use often; please take some
time to visit these pages too!
[networking and site suggestions welcome!]

to all my mobile device users:
gimme your feedback!
are my posts too long?
font too big?
is the color scheme easy to read and engaging?

thanks so much for reading!
my hope is that you find uplifting and useful
information that encourages you in your journey
and challenges your current paradigm.

Beginner's Breath

as we encounter the onslaught of information each day, our brains process each bit of data according to importance. if you're at work and 'in the zone,' you're not going notice the gatherings at the water cooler or another pot of coffee being made...but when you need social integration or a break, these things will come to the forefront of your attention and distract you from the task at hand. likewise, when mediums such as television, magazines in the grocery check-out line, billboards on your commute all tell you what to be and how to be that thing and what product you need to get you there, don't think that you are immune to its message. depending on your mental state, you may be more or less susceptible to the message of the mass mediums of our day.

set your focus on positivity and allow the positive of each bit of data flow through you. acknowledge your emotions and your reactions throughout the day. if you're angry, you might really just be hungry or thirsty or tired. examine your actions throughout the day....are you eating enough vegetables and drinking enough water? are you getting enough rest and sleep? did you know that rest and sleep are not the same thing? do your actions reflect your lack of breathing into each moment or are you calm, cool, and collected despite adversity? what kinds of situations make you hold your breath or induce shallow breathing? remember that it begins and ends with the breath, so using it to move through difficult moments is as helpful as it is in keeping you alive throughout the day....it's just that you have to think about one of them.

combine your thought with your breath. the best way to begin is to set an intention and then inhale and exhale 10 times, thinking only about each breath as it is happening. don't worry if it's perfect, we'll get into the intricacies of breath work soon...just take a moment to think about your breath today, give gratitude for this involuntary reflex that keeps Life in us! BREATHE!

the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step....this is step one, y'all

wondering and wandering, i finally looked up the wiki definition of "shaman" and a couple things caught my attention: shamans are either born into the craft and mentored by an elder family member or they are self-proclaimed by personal experiences of severe illness and self healing. shamans also tend to be of the "two-spirit" variety, clinging neither to their assigned sex nor its opposite, but moving fluidly through gender roles and expressions.

as i read, it struck me that i come from a long line of healers and i overcame a terrible flu that should've killed me, with the help of friends and my own desire to continue living. i also consider myself of the "two-spirit" variety....riding the thin line between yin and yang, i embrace the duality of my existence.

shortly after proclaiming myself an "urban shaman" my girlfriend searched for a book for me to be begin my studies. she found a book called Urban Shaman! i considered this a good sign and set out to study. within the first two days of reading, i caught a bad cold that was going around. i pressed on and used some of the exercises to heal myself...within 3 days i was well again...others with the same affliction suffered at least a week before shaking it. the power and simplicity of this handbook blew me away. at times, i could only read a few pages before having to set it down and let it all sink in.

quickly, i began practicing on myself and others. seeing tremendous results in myself and having a confidence in my ability to facilitate the same experience for others, i put myself out there with child-like abandon. it actually didn't matter if what i did for people actually worked or didn't, i was expressing myself with love in a way i hadn't been able to do in many years...to genuinely offer love to people and their hurt and apply the healing energy i know i have within me to the present moment and sharing that vibration with others. first you gotta believe, then you gotta do the work, all i can do i hold a place and facilitate the movement of energy.

i'm continuing my studies and practice and with each success and failure, i become more and more confident of my role in society. it comes with the same kind of pressure of not knowing what you'll be when you grow up...but you just relax and realize that it doesn't actually matter. you'll just be who you are, but older.

the way of the adventurer is a harmonious path, inclined to love and confidence and positivity. the battles are adventures, evil is just the other side of good, and bloodshed is a symbol for cleansing, not a death sentence. as we transition from duality to unity, we are changing rapidly. the inner work is what counts...loving self and others, thinking positive thoughts, being happy with all things as they are.

thank you for reading. may the good things of the day bring you happiness and the hard things of the day make you smarter and stronger. each obstacle is an opportunity, it's all in how ya look at it.

The Seven Shamanic Principles of the Hawaiian Way of The Adventurer

Seven Shamanic Principles from the Hawaiian Way of the Adventurer:
IKE
1. The world is what you think it is.
- Everything is a dream
- All systems are arbitrary
KALA
2. There are no limits.
- Everything is connected
- Anything is possible
- Separation is a useful illusion
MAKIA
3. Energy flows where attention goes.
- Attention goes where energy flows
- Everything is energy
MANAWA
4. Now is the moment of power.
- Everything is relative
- Power increases with sensory attention
ALOHA
5. To love is to be happy with.
- Love increases as judgement decreases
- Everything is alive, aware, and responsive
MANA
6. All power comes from within.
- Everything has power
- Power comes from authority
PONO
7. Effectiveness is the measure of truth.
- There is always another way to do anything