Loon Medicine: how conscious dreaming becomes conscious living

Because it’s natural that we do it that way ourselves, we assume that Loon takes an in-breath before diving. Her bones are actually denser than most flying birds, and while this makes her less buoyant and allows her to submerge easier, she actually breathes as much air out as she can before going under, enabling her to dive even faster, deeper.

You need only look at the fact that our breathing slows when we‘re dreaming during sleep to recognize the potential of Loon‘s medicine of breath restriction for accessing other levels of consciousness while awake. She’s a huge proponent of maintaining conscious control - remaining lucid - while doing so, in pursuit of information that will nourish you.

Just as the white dots on Loon’s back are a reflection of the stars, the other states of consciousness she renders accessible open the lines of communication to other worlds and dimensions. While the symbiotic relationship between her physical body and the way she uses her breath teaches us how to coordinate our own in such a way as to enable us to access the astral plane, dreams and other levels of consciousness, it also makes it possible for our guides, angels and spirit helpers in the Dreamtime to access and inform us.

The other day, a friend told me a story in which a pregnant cat had accidentally gotten locked in a neighbour’s backyard shed. She’d given birth while she was in there and didn’t get let out until days later, thoroughly dehydrated and terribly emaciated. Her kittens didn’t survive. That night, I dreamt a version of the story in which I was explaining to someone that - in a previous life - I’d been the man who’d locked the cat in the shed, and that I’d actually been aware of doing so.

What would be the intended purpose of such a dream? It didn’t seem to be as simple as (just) integrating that days events. The guidance I received about it suggested that it was about ‘acceptance concerning others’. While I’d been assured by my friend that the shut-in incident had, indeed, been accidental, the idea that it might actually have been intentional had crossed my mind, if only for a brief moment. When something so seemingly ‘unfair’ happens, it’s a natural inclination to find something or someone to blame - it‘s an anger borne out of feelings of helplessness. Mind you, if you were to extrapolate that inclination, it doesn’t exactly bode well for us as a humane race. Imagine, for instance, how things might play out if the feelings induced by the scenario I just described had been allowed to fester (unchecked); automatic distrust, judgement and anger don’t exactly jive with a world vision of harmonious co-existence. I understood this dream-version to be my spirit guides’ way of maintaining a sense of compassion for others, even in the face of something I’d describe as a ‘heinous’ event, and of helping me to outgrow reactions based on a paradigm that doesn‘t serve intentions for a new earth. By putting me in the position of the perpetrator, I’m reminded that I haven’t been blameless myself, given events in my previous lives (or in this one). Whether it’s of others or of self, no healing can occur without compassion.

Because we do have free will, of course, our spiritual support team will only interject in this way based on our intentions. But in doing so, they influence our mindset in accord with those intentions, thus shapeshifting us and allowing for change in our lifedream’s trajectory. Trusting in them and their input will lead you into more readily trusting yourself. They’re especially good at helping you to get out of your own way, and giving you alternative experiences to learn from, as through your dreams, for instance. Consider that your dreams are the Divine’s dreams. They’re Spirit’s way of helping you to see yourself and others through your angel’s eyes: All (as in ‘all parts of you’) are equally deserving. This is the conscious intention of Loon’s medicine, to increase your awareness by diving within, accessing other dimensions of your Universal self, other realities, and gleaning the wisdom from events that you wouldn’t otherwise experience in your waking, ‘ordinary‘ lifedream.

Jaguar Medicine: Integrity

What does it mean to be in integrity?

We all see enough examples of people who appear not to be living in integrity, from the corrupt politician to the person (‘innocently‘) grazing their way through the supermarket produce section.

I used to run myself through ‘the Ruby test’ as a guide: if I was considering doing something that I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling my daughter about, I figured that I probably shouldn’t be doing it. It was a little problematic as a litmus test, though; after all, there were things that I wouldn’t feel I could tell her when she was an infant that I’d be alright telling her now that she’s older.

I’m not by any means saying that I act with integrity in everything I choose to undertake (I don’t have any fewer shadows on my Jaguar coat than the next light-being shrouded in an egoically-driven body), but now I run my motivations for acting past Raccoon and Turtle…

…would the actions I’m considering be of benefit to someone less fortunate? In other words, am I sharing the wealth of the gifts and opportunities I’ve been blessed with to the advantage of someone who could use them, or am I looking instead to obtain something for myself (think of Raccoon as a masked Robin Hood, passing on good fortune).

…will it teach someone how to help themselves, rather than take advantage of or turn them into a victim (am I kicking Turtle onto its back, or allowing it to right itself)?

…is it honouring the healing of Mother Earth (is Turtle smiling as she plods along, carrying all of us on her back, or is she blinking through oil-stained lids)?

The more I meditate on/live it, the more I realize that the ‘right and wrong’ of integrity is forever in flux. With each new experience, it becomes evident that integrity isn’t a static thing. Once we come across something that’s never been perceived before, we’re into totally new territory, and trying to keep up by making value-judgements based on an old paradigm can be really confusing and limiting. That said, Raccoon and Turtle as guides hold true (for me), especially if I envision a world living in balance, with us still in it.

We’re travelling lately, and are nearing Spain at the moment. It’s a place famous for - among other things - bullfighting. I’ve been considering how that resonates with me, and what it means for ‘us’ (’us’ being everything that Mother Earth/Turtle supports). As a medium and healer, I recognize a responsibility to remain non-judgemental. And while I also realize that facing your fears and insecurities is the best way to grow, my personal opinion is that bullfighting is a way of subduing nature in a way that alienates us from our greatest strengths, our integral nature as a manifestation of Spirit‘s Divine Love. It challenges my hope for our peaceful, loving, joyous co-existence on this lovely planet (as much as does seeing statues of horse-mounted, armoured men spearing dragons).

The realization I’ve come to is that the challenge is to recognize, face and heal what you fear, but to do it with love rather than aggression. If you’re doing it with aggression (and not for the evolution of whatever it is that is your challenge), you’re still doing it out of fear, too afraid to Love. There is nothing external to be conquered. It’s an inside job, and it doesn‘t have to be a fight.

(Hearfelt thanks to Licia Berry for permission to use the accompanying image, as well as her healing and profound insight)

Where's my Love-life?

Of all the things I thought I wanted in a relationship, what I was actually looking for and attracting to myself were romantic interests who stoked my ego. I’d be swimming in caked-on self-worth for a while, but inevitably, I’d at some point start to wonder why things weren’t quite working out. Inevitably, I’d find myself back in the love-quest cycle, looking for that dream something/someone else that I imagined must be out there in terms of the perfect relationship (and getting more and more jaded in the process).

Part of the problem - especially after piling up what I saw as successive ‘failures’ - was that I felt so worried about being myself. Not having really known myself didn’t exactly help anything. In trying to project an image of who I thought people would have wanted to see, I was actually blocking myself from receiving what I actually needed (and Deserved).

As much as we all have what we need at every given moment in every given relationship (but that‘s a whole other story), our couplings so often fall short of what we’ve been led to believe exists ‘somewhere out there’ for us; and it does exist, I can assure you. Wouldn’t you like to cut through the loop? Wouldn’t you like to go into a relationship trusting not only that you’ll find/get what you need, but that you’ll be appreciated for being yourself, naturally?

Our angels and guides know us better than we know ourselves. It helped me immensely to ask for Guidance on a few probing questions, and now my twin-flame and I would like to pass on the blessings of the medicines that were revealed to us. Whether you’re questioning your romantic relationships or friendships, let us help you transform your ‘search’ into ‘flow’, and then get ready to Receive…

“Looking for Love (in all the wrong places)?”

Beginning with insights into what you need and don’t need in a partner, followed by delving into your strengths and challenges, this intuitive reading with Jenny and Black Feather will give you a start on moving into a deeper understanding of yourself as an engaged participant in a fulfilling relationship.

Think of this as a kind of ‘situational analysis’ of your love life. The goal of this introductory session is to focus in on the gifts you bring to a love relationship, oversights you may have made in the past, and recurring patterns that can be adjusted. The purpose is to provide you with clarity and a fresh perspective that will allow you to approach relationships with renewed enthusiasm.

Our desire is for you to attain your most soul-felt longings and to leave behind everything that no longer serves you. Let us help you take a step on that path.

$177 per person. Includes a situational analysis and write-up by Jenny and Black Feather.

blackfeathermedicine@gmail.com

"Hamlet"

My guides suggested I do an intuitive portrait for "Hamlet". At first, I'd assumed it to be a description of the lifedream of the actual person that the famous Shakespearean character was based on, but it's perhaps more likely that it's intended for someone who's alive presently, having Hamlet as a nickname.

(click on the image to see it in greater detail)

If the theme or some of the imagery resonates with you (perhaps you'd like me to describe the symbolism of some of the characters for you, leading to an interpretation), send me an email: blackfeathermedicine@gmail.com

Accepting the Wind

Most of us don’t see angels, in the same way that we don‘t see wind. What we see is evidence of their effects. Focussing upon (or close to) the present moment, we might see a tree’s branches waving, for instance. In extreme conditions, branches may break or a tree might be blown completely over. As in the case of seeing trees that have fallen in the forest, we may not have seen the actual event, but we still infer that it was previous wind activity that caused it (you could say we’re observing ‘evidence of evidence’ of wind).

Taking a longer view, wind has an impact on the shape of a tree. Notwithstanding the countless other influences that can also come into play (the relative angle of the sun, the activities of animals, insects and disease, the availablity of water and nutrients, to name just a few), due to the effects of wind, they don’t grow to be perfectly symmetrical. In much the same way as our muscles are stimulated to grow when we put extraordinary stress on and then rest them, when wind moves a branch in such a way as to cause considerable stress on its holding wood (such that the tree ‘worries‘ it might break there), the tree is motivated to send additional nourishment there, to strengthen itself in that location. The supplementary wood added will cause a tree’s branches and stems to grow in a different direction than it otherwise would (that’s why trees along shorelines - where the winds come at them in one predominant direction - are so obviously assymetrical).

Hypothetically, if the wind (and all other influences) acted upon a tree in all directions at once/equally, a tree would grow perfectly symmetrically. If no influences acted upon the tree, it wouldn’t hold together. In other words, it wouldn’t exist. Why would a tree grow a trunk or stretch out its canopy, if not to reach for the sun?

The initial prompt for writing this post came in the form of a vision I was shown that depicted two opposing hands, their inner edges shaped in such a way that they delineated the outer form of a tree. The shape of the tree itself was how we might draw a simplified evergreen: triangular, symmetrical, ‘perfect’. Surprising to me, but the large, ‘Divine-looking’ hands looked like those of a demon. It had started me wondering. Besides thinking about how forces affect trees, the vision got me to thinking about influences that act upon our selves and our experiences. In this material reality, we don’t grow perfectly symmetrically, either. Without the influences acting upon our own ‘edges‘, neither would we exist.

In our minds, when the wind stirs a branch, it’s a beauty to behold, but - generally speaking - when it breaks a branch, it’s a shame. Considering the natural biases in how we’re designed as humans, from an aesthetic viewpoint, the flowing lines of an intact branch are more pleasing to our eyes, whereas the jagged edges of a broken one can appear as an affront to our sensibilities. A smooth, even line is more likely to be associated with peace; a jagged shape with pain or disharmony. But we wouldn’t consider the wind itself is ‘bad’ for having brought about the effect of a broken branch, though. We wouldn’t label it as evil. However, we do have a tendency to label some of the influences acting upon our selves that way.

In terms of what they present to us, our Demons are as necessary as our Angels. Put in perspective, I don’t think anyone would argue that the Angel of Death isn’t essential. To this point in our evolution at least, our demons (our shadows) have provided the necessary resistance that allowed for our edges to be delineated. Not only have they been part of what made our existence on this plane possible and stimulated us to become the multifaceted beings we are, they’ve helped make us Aware of our preferences - in fact, the nature of our very Be-ing - in our struggle towards the light.

Having said all of that, don’t think for a single now moment that I’m espousing an affiliation with the demonic realms. The truth is, though, that the best way to realize the essence of what you Are is to send love to wherever resistance has impacted you. If the entity you’ve sent love to can’t accept it, it’ll realize it’s not in resonance with you and move on. More importantly, perhaps, you’ll realize that you’re not in resonance with it. Accept it - without judgement - as having been part of your growth, and realize that it can never diminish you as Spirit. It‘s served its purpose of getting you to know something of your true nature.

It’s been a struggle down here, sure, but goodness, hasn’t it been damned illuminating?

Gentleness: Demon Medicine

In my healing work, I sometimes find energies/entities ‘hanging on’ to the person I’m working with. I call them ‘riders‘, for the fact that they’re relying on the person for something they can’t provide for themselves. Most often, they’re present because we feel that we need them for something we can’t do for ourselves. Although there are a great many categorizations, to all intents and purposes, many people would describe what I’m talking about as demons.

Personally, I used to wonder whether demons existed or not. I figured that they were probably just a construct, something that people took advantage of to describe behaviours they engaged in that maybe weren’t so nice. It seemed a great way to put responsibility for things outside of yourself, as in, “Sure, it appeared as though it was me bonking you upside the head and making your life miserable, but it was that external supernatural force made me do it!”

Well, from my own experience, I can assure you that they do exist. That said, though, they’re (also) a projection; they function as a mirror, reflecting unseen aspects of our deeper self and supporting us to become whole. Taken in that light, I can also assure you that they’re nothing to be afraid of. For all intents and purposes, it’s most effective to view them as entities separate from ourselves…


A demon only has power in three ways. One: they use yours. Two: they’ll persist so long as you remain consciously unaware that they are present. And three: by permission.

Sometimes, their influence is fairly benign. As an entity unto itself, a demon might be drawn to a person mostly for the sake of the protection that person affords them (go figure). In other instances, we might invite them in inadvertently, at a time when we’re so challenged by life, so engrossed in our hurt and anger and the earthly unfairness of our situation that we lose all sense of connection to the Loving power that we innately came into the world with. Sometimes, as in the case of severe emotional abuse, we might even call them in, so that we can feel stronger than our abuser; taken further, as a wish for harm upon them. In a position of seeming weakness, it’s a natural tendency to want to feel more powerful than the person who’s inflicting pain upon us. Because our experience was that our abuser had the capacity to hurt us, aligning with the qualities that they exhibit but to a greater extent should make us more powerful than them and leave us better protected, no?

We see this kind of perversion of power in the world around us all the time, in the competitive nature of politics or business, for instance. Because we see it so prevalently as the overriding power, it seems that it’s the only alternative. Other forms of power - that of gentleness, for instance - get pushed to the wayside as not being nearly as effective (or as interesting, but that‘s a whole other topic).

Sometimes, people purposefully invite demons in because of the magical powers they seem to afford (they’re often handed down generationally, even). Ultimately, though, it’s a feigned power that diminishes the host. In fact, it’s your power, and in effect, you‘re draining yourself of it.

As part of the relationship, they do help you to be a little more aware of your own power, but never let you realize to what extent it’s actually your own. If you are conscious of their presence, you’re most likely to be under the delusion that it’s theirs and that you need them for it. It’s like only being able to notice the carrot dangling on the stick in front of you, when in fact your back pockets are bulging with them.

I’m not advocating going out and worshipping them, but I will say that demons serve a sacred purpose, just like anything else. They’re as much a part of Great Spirit’s plan as you or I. On a greater soul level, nothing happens without our permission. We might allow a rider to act in a symbiotic relationship with us for the purposes of keeping us out of awareness of our full power until such time as we can handle it with integrity. This might seem a bit simplistic an explanation, perhaps, but I believe another of their Divine purposes is to help earth angels (such as yourself) to realize the aspect of your own considerable power described as Gentleness.

A demon is most often present as a means of making you aware of something that isn’t serving you.. It’s there to constantly poke you, as a way to call attention to some belief, thought pattern or behaviour that you‘ve become conditioned to believe about yourself. As an example, if you’re constantly choosing love interests who can’t commit because experiences in your early life influenced you to hold the misguided opinion that you aren’t worth committing to, a demon might serve to steer you (with glazed eyes) into a relationship with someone even less suited to the vision of the faithful partner you think you want than your previous one.

Let’s face it, we often learn best through adversity. While a demon can take you to your absolute ‘bottom’, the purpose is to point out to you that you actually are worth loving, to take you back to that childlike trust and knowing you had before you incorporated whatever erroneous belief you‘ve been holding that suggest otherwise. Sometimes, that means things getting progressively worse, until that moment when we’re forced to - yet again - ask ourselves the question, “Do I really deserve this?” Except this time, there’s no other possible answer but “No!”

So, if you believe you have one, what do you do with a demon? Open yourself to the realization that every part of you is loveable. Be gentle. Be innocent. Smile. Sing. If you’re moved to express yourself that way, even encorporate a joyful dance (laughing joyfully kicks ass, too). They won’t necessarily, but if you feel you need to allow your demon to spit, bellow and moan until it fizzles itself out, go right ahead. As I mentioned, they’re a reflection, a reflection of your own accumulated pain, fear and anger. In essence, you’d be letting them vent it for you. Just don’t project it onto your self (that’s most certainly what you’ve been doing since you picked them up). And if they are kicking up a stink, be aware not to feed them (anger, fear, self-importance, etc), and don‘t take their expressions personally. They can’t exist in your lifedream without your say-so, so tell them to give you a gift (and actually, ‘demand’, rather than ‘ask‘), thank them for whatever they‘ve been there to help you with, integrate the lesson, and send them on their way. You have places to go yourself; you’re on your way to Sacred Mountain.

it’s not the old paradigm any more
we’re not in Kansas (we’re somewhere much, much more interesting)



Postscript for energy healers: if you happen into a situation where it seems there’s an energy/entity somewhere associated with your patient that you’re not quite sure is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, perhaps you’re asking questions of it, and the answers you’re getting - while the intent seems to be one of reassurance - don’t seem quite satisfying, try this lovely little ‘trick‘. It’s a beautiful technique, not least because it’s so effortless. It doesn’t require any second-guessing of yourself, such as, “Gee, in the movies, demons use a person’s weaknesses against them. With the skeletons I’ve got in my closet (and who doesn‘t?), if this is what I think it might be, am I gonna be screwed here?” Use your hands as a mirror to send energy from the entity back onto itself. They don’t much like that - it‘s a great way of letting them do themselves in. Once you’ve ascertained that it’s something neither you, your guides, your patient and their guides feel would be happy to have remain, tell the entity that it’s served its purpose, thank it for having done so, and tell it that it’s time for it to go. As much as it’s likely unaware of the fact, it’s given a deeper permission that its presence be revealed at this time. No negotiation is necessary, but before you send it off, tell it to give up its gift to its host. In most cases, the gift will shed light on the reason for it having been there. If it seems that the entity is lingering, I can’t advise strongly enough against taking the entity upon yourself, even if it is out of compassion for your patient. For one thing, it isn’t your medicine to carry - you‘d be doing everyone else involved a disservice. For another: been there, done that, don’t go there. Afterwards (provided it‘s alright with your client, of course), send me an email to tell me what happened; I’d love some fun reading.

blackfeathermedicine@gmail.com

The Pink Elephant

Is “The Pink Elephant” yours?

Sometimes I’ll be guided to do a portrait before someone has requested it. For the fact that past, present and future actually occur simultaneously, it happens sometimes. I see it as Spirit’s way of getting me do the work of creating a portrait at a time when I’m not overbusy or otherwise occupied. It’s usually not long thereafter that the intended person shows up. In the most recent instance, during her healing session, a woman mentioned what she remembered as a waking dream to me that she‘d had as a young girl. I connected the dots and realized that a portrait I’d started previously included an illustration specific to the incident. What was revealed eased her mind about something that had puzzled her about the situation ever since, by providing an explanation as to why a certain significant other had responded to her in the way that she had at the time.

That said, this particular intuitive portrait has me a bit puzzled. It’s been occupying a space on my desk for some time now, and it’s ‘owner’ hasn’t shown up yet! (Okay, maybe I’m not as puzzled as I am impatient. Ha!)

So, how’s about I try to mention just enough of the portrait to make it recognizable, without giving away overmuch personal information? Okay? Okay…

The woman drawn in darker outline wearing the light blue turtleneck sweater is the portrait subject. She’s reaching her right hand out towards something that she senses is there but that (I don’t think) she actually sees - it’s represented by the pink elephant. The woman has a surprised look on her face, though, because in return she’s experiencing a physical feeling/response as though something is actually responding by touching her back. I’d describe the woman’s reaction as ‘disconcerting’. She might be worried that people will see her as crazy, but - I assure you - she’s not. As much as exploring the situation might seem really frightening (she‘s certainly worried about getting out of her ‘comfort zone‘), I’m sure that her going over this portrait with me would clarify an immense amount for her. Not to mention that it would bring her into a place of power, as compared to the feelings of fear and weakness she’s likely experiencing now.

To identify things further, I believe that some of the characters above her illustrate something to do with an environmental issue in the family history. I’d describe it as a ‘sore spot’, even. It has to do with a difference between what was acceptable as a fix as far as human-made laws went (thus the appearance of the crow and its reflection in the water), but which you wouldn’t see as acceptable in regard to Higher/Spiritual/Divine law. A manufacturing plant/factory took a measure intended to at least make it appear that it was doing something to clean up its act. It ‘fixed’ the (auto/vehicle?) plant’s toxic output by scaling down the outflow from one (pipe), but actually, mostly just diverted it through the other, and made it less conspicuous by extending that second outflow so that it wasn’t as visible (Mother Nature is not the only one who wasn’t happy about it).

So, if this sounds familiar to you personally, or a close friend has confided in you and you feel that it’s hers, I’d be more than delighted to do what I can to help this particular person out. That be the case, you can contact me via phone or email. Otherwise, if it resonates with you to spread the reach of this message a little further, I (and she, I well imagine) would appreciate you passing it on by sharing it.

Big Medicine Love to You

~Black Feather

If you’d like more information about intuitive portraiture, this site is a little dated, but it’ll give you pretty much all the information you’d need: http://wix.com/intuit/intuitiveportraiture