The Mystical Art of

Water Divination
by Shara Gardner

2005, The Spirit of Water All Rights Reserved This manuscript may not be reproduced in any manner without the written permisson of the Author and Publisher.

The Mystical Art of

Eight Mystical Gateways to Experience The Spirit of Water

Water Divination
Introduction

Nothing in the universe is simple and independent. Everything you do has an effect on everything else absolutely everything. When you drop a pebble into a pool, the ripples continue as a wave of energy until they bump into resistance or until the energy is dissipated into another form. But during the journey of the ripple, many surfaces are disturbed. The disturbance may be seen as a separate event from your original intention, and yet, it has become part of consciousness from the moment the pebble is dropped. To become a true spiritual visionary and mystic, you must understand the interrelationship of all beings. Beginning with the basics, but by no means an elementary concept your presence on the planet is part of a sacred design that comprises the five elements Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. You are all of these elements as is every living being. While you may believe you are different from a rock or tree, and certainly different from water, think again. Your body is made of over 80% Water, contains a respiratory system that moves Air through your blood, creates heat (Fire), and holds pounds of flesh and bone within its perimeters (Earth). Your intellect is Space. From species to species, the percentages of each element vary, but all living things share their five basic ingredients with every other being. Once you realize you, the you that thinks, talks, has emotions and creates relationships, is not separate in the universe, but just another mushroom in the mycelium of life, you will begin to see how powerful, extraordinary, magical and complex the interrelation of life on our planet really is. It is with this realization that mysticism begins. During the evolution of humans, perhaps a few million years, bodies have changed very little. In fact, while scientists can speculate that cave dwellers had limited resources, their skeletons and artifacts indicate that early humans were identical to the human being of today with one major exception. There is evidence that early man lived in balance within the web of life, while we moderns have evolved without that part of our cellular memory. We are born with amnesia regarding our status as interdependent beings. While we can see, hear, taste, smell and touch life in various forms, human beings tend to believe they are the dominant being on the planet and the rest of life has been created to support human beings. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, with our big brains and well-developed emotions, humans have made the pursuit of happiness a mental, emotional and physical imperative that overlooks the possibility of co-existence -3-

with the elements, the birds, the spiders and mice. Most humans regard nature as something beautiful they can visit but dont necessarily want to live in. In and around most homes, weeds are killed, mice are trapped, spiders are crushed, water is forced through metal pipes, etc. Distancing ourselves from nature is a full time job for most humans, and they dont even know that as hard as they try, they will never BE different from nature. Its like painting yourself orange and calling yourself a citrus fruit. Even if you believe you are citrus, you still remain human. No matter how hard we humans try to remove ourselves from Nature, we cant do it. The first thing a mystic learns is to recognize that all intelligence beyond anything our brains can formulate, is contained in parts and pieces spread out in ALL life forms and it is that collective knowledge that gives a wizard power. The wizard knows something most other humans dont know because most humans are not looking in the right places to find the information. But the mystic sees through the misperceptions and steps outside the mainstream of consciousness to embrace a different understanding of life. Most human dont venture beyond the safety of their manufactured lives and carefully crafted beliefs. In order to become a mystical being, it is necessary for you to break your own limiting systems and venture out into the frontiers of time and space. All cellular memory of the times when we humans lived equal to all other beings in the connected web of life has been overridden and programmed out of our consciousness, replaced by unconscious domination. While you may not feel you personally are dominating anything or anyone, if you consider the simplest forms of domination domesticating animals for pets, pumping water through pipelines, cutting forests to build roads, poisoning the ground to kill weeds in your lawn and garden, and anthropomorphizing your understanding of all living things, you will begin to see how unbalanced human beings have become. This has lead to many forms of longing within the psyche. We long for something that is missing in our lives. We seek love, relationships, God, entertainment, wealth, joy, companionship, etc. We dont understand why we feel lonely, neurotic, unfulfilled, searching and aching for a connection to God, to Spirit, to another person or to substances. Most people dont recognize, at their core level, they are suffering from something as simple as amnesia. They have forgotten what it feels like to be part of the web of life. As a result, literally anything that appears to offer solace, comfort, momentary peace or re-assurance is perceived as filling a void in the heart but only momentarily. The heart-mind soon realizes it has been not been fulfilled and signals an impulse to search again for something else. This can happen thousands of times in the life of humans with virtually no progression or resolution whatsoever. It is as if the psyche goes around in a squirrel cage of emotional longing, never spiraling up and out of the vortex -4-

that holds it under house arrest. If human beings were able to remember what theyve forgotten, a profound sense of peace and contentment would replace emptiness and reside in compete harmony with all the other manifestations of God the animal, vegetable, mineral and spiritual realms and the human being would regard all of life through this deeply sacred and bonded relationship to the other. There have been very few messiahs in our human evolutionary history, but the ones who became enlightened on the earth made a huge impact on the masses as they promoted the importance of staying in loving connection to all of life. Through time, much of this doctrine has been edited out of religious texts and eventually forgotten through oral histories and the result is that humans, through religion, have come to believe they have no power of their own and all power exists through their religion. Many people live isolated from an understanding that they are and have always been animals like any other animal, and very much a part of the web of life. The worst part of the loss of memory is that it has made it easier for humans to justify the destruction of other species. I mention this briefly for the sake of commentary. This type of questioning process has been experienced by all who now live with a mastery of magic and mysticism. We have all developed a direct connection to Spirit, which is vastly different than living in connection to an idea, or a religious doctrine that perports be the authority and the controller of your experience with Spirit. If you wish to explore the unseen realms, the first challenge you need to address is whether your belief in religious doctrines passed forth by humans is stronger than your belief in the living divinity of the natural world. Thinking about this for a while may unsettle your faith or send you back into the safety of a religious belief system. This is a turning point so take some time to consider this very carefully. As you become a practicing mystic you will re-learn your true role in the universe and remember the path to re-enter the spiritual collective of all living beings so you can re-incorporate (bring the memories back into your body) the wisdom and knowledge you have the ability to know and understand. The true mystic courageously enters uncharted sacred space and travels innocently through a re-birthing process that allows the Knowledge to be refreshed within cell memory. This process has been called enlightenment by many religions and is, metaphorically speaking, the ability to bring to light (knowledge) back into form (the body). Humans can re-learn and re-member their power connections by listening to the natural world. Communication is happening as water flows and splashes, as birds chirp, dogs bark, bees buzz, thunder roars. Life is all around you happening without any religious authority. Begin to see life in a new way. Starting now, in this course, we will progress through the embodiment of spirit focusing mainly on -5-

water but also on all living things. And this re-connection will open doorways into mystical truths and wisdom. Being faithful to this practice is being faithful to yourself. If you fail to respect the life system, you eventually jeopardize your own wellbeing in innumerable ways. The true powerful humans on the planet today are the ones who remember their connection, and share the wisdom with others who will become reinvigorated with the memories. A person can rise to power in politics or industry and still be a confused, empty human because they lack this important connection to the web of life. All the money in the world cannot purchase the personal power of a mere mortal being who has remembered their connection. Spirit is always at the center of everything you do, but you are responsible for developing your own path to power by using discernment, determination, discipline and divination. When you connect with the Spirit of all beings, you walk a path of highly evolved spiritual service. This is an exhilarating proposition and one that can empower you and bestow upon you, great gifts of the heart for the entirety of your earthly life. When you enter the realm of the mystic, you become a heart traveler and make an unspoken commitment to preserve the sanctity and biodiversity of all beings on the planet. This heartfelt contribution comes back to you in self-satisfaction, co-operation from all other beings and self-respect for your sacred work. As mystics, we endeavor to live in respect of the great mystery of life by using our power in harmony and balance. Unity with water allows a connection to all living beings and creates bonds that reveal a natural sense of harmony. When you consider that water is over 80% of our planet; that 80% of our body is water; and that infinite networks of moving intelligence and wisdom carried in the water circulates both the earth and our bodies, it makes perfect sense to conduct your spiritual exploration as if there is nothing more sacred than water. In one of my favorite books, Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership, by Joseph Jaworski, the final quote summarizes everything I have learned about working with water, with Spirit and with my own creative resources: Invoked or not invoked, God is present. What this means to me is that no matter what I learn, there is always more to learn because God or Creation continues to reinvent itself moment by moment, limited only in perception by the linear thought process that deceives a human being into believing they are controlling their own universe either effectively or poorly. But when we release our need to control anything, we step into a different understanding of life. When I step through one doorway, there is another to step through. And whether I ask for Gods presence to help me step through the doors or not God has already been there making sure the door works properly and will allow me to push through to the next chamber. No matter whether I request the presence of Spirit in my work or not, once I have remembered that I am not alone, have never -6-

been alone and will never again be alone, Spirit, Source energy, God, Creation is evident to me my entire journey. Invoked or not, God is always present. Using the methods of divination and journeying I present for good purpose, you will experience your own metamorphosis from ordinary reality to extraordinary vision. May you walk each day on purpose, in harmony and with the hand of God leading your way. One final thought before you begin A tremendous amount of research has gone into preparing this course, which has been a labor of love and devotion. My goal is that you expand your consciousness through the information I have researched and presented and that you enjoy your journey. I humbly ask that you not share or copy any of the information contained in this manuscript.

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The First Gateway Divinity is in the Asking Ancient and modern mystics have always wanted know more than what meets the eye with regard to creation, esoteric knowledge, the spirit of time and space, and the nature of cause and effect. Many forms of divination have been practiced for as long as history has been recorded and it is speculated by anthropologists that mystical practices have been a part of every ancient culture and civilization since time began up to this very moment in time. Using water to enhance the process of divining knowledge has mostly occurred through a practice called Water Gazing, which has been compared to looking into a crystal ball, reading tea leaves, throwing the iChing, or using cards or runes as oracles. In this way, those props have been the central focalizing elements for trance induction but have not been the source of the information. While these practices help a psychic achieve the trance level to hear or see or feel answers, they do not foster the depth of connection needed for development of spiritual/planetary wisdom, such as accessing the wisdom inherent in each living being on the planet. Indigenous peoples who maintained their connection to the realities of the web of life actually derived more useful wisdom and knowledge from connecting to the consciousness of birds, fish, plants, animals, earth, wind, water and fire than from cultivating mysterious, magical or mind-deceiving practices practices which are often characterized today as smoke and mirrors. The ancient wise ones who were considered to possess the most powerful spiritual connections were the medicine carriers or healers who used ritualistic ceremonies and honoring rites to establish their connections to the spirit of the other beings on the planet. In creating this connection, they learned better ways to manage themselves and their human families as an integral part of the interconnected web of all beings. The divination practices explored in this course follow the wisdom rites of ancient mystics and shamans. In learning to use these procedures, you will begin to open your consciousness to the wisdom of all beings, will see changes in your life that impact how you make decisions, how you spend your time, and how you produce and use the magic inherent in all life consciously and reverently. In ancient times, spiritual philosophers often employed the power and essence of water as a communications medium. Our ancestors learned that water has the ability to communicate with life on many dimensions both seen and unseen. Shamans and mystics learned to send and receive messages between the various levels of consciousness within themselves, the Spirits, the Ancestors and other levels of consciousness including the physical Earth and all beings. They gained this power by asking for it, by understanding and respecting it, and by making promises to use the knowledge for good. Our ancestors used long ritualized ceremonies addressing superstitions and fears in the initiation of mystics and shamans to these ways; but today, our -8-

knowledge of Spirit and mysticism has grown in sophistication, and while we generally believe we no longer need to be fearful about demons or other ancient horrors, when you pass through the lower gateways into the supernatural, there will always be unexplained phenomenon which may cause you a sense of fear. Remembering at all times, you are in control helps to eliminate some of the superstition and fear that kept these secrets safe in ancient times. In a sense, the demons we face most are the demons within the psyches of each of us. We can practice magic as effectively, and more efficiently with our minds and our current levels of understanding simply because we have more knowledge about the workings of the mind. But one thing will never change as we evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We cannot learn and use the wisdom and power of all sources on the planet unless we use our infinite mind power to connect to the realities of those other elements by learning and then blending with the consciousness of that element. This process to reach the ancient path of knowledge has never changed. Today, many modern psychics, shamans, witches and mystics still use water in ritual practices as a medium for scrying. But today, we have been reintroduced to the concept of water as a living message carrier. This was recently re-discovered by Dr. Masaru Emoto in his scientific work with water crystals. The knowledge of waters ubiquitous power goes back many centuries, before scientific instruments and tests could prove the findings Emoto found using highpowered electron photography. But there are much higher levels of mystical connection using ancient water mysticism techniques that dont typically get discussed in mainstream witchcraft, science, religion, tribal, spiritual or alchemical explorations. It is these very ancient, seemingly forgotten secrets we will share in this course. The messages Water Mystics receive while entranced with the elements of water enable them to develop powerful alchemical divination practices. In ages past, prevailing superstitions and skepticism kept these practices discreet and highly protected. People lost their lives by knowing too mucy about the supernatural s; but today, a fear of being detected has nearly vanished and has been replaced by the mass curiosity of our global culture. Shamans and wizards from early civilizations who practiced the secretive art of Water Divination were considered among the most powerful humans in tribes or villages because water was considered a very divine gift of the Gods by far, exceeding the gifts of all other earth elements because water had so many dimensions and was difficult to understand. With its many forms, water has the infinite ability to both create and destroy as do all the other elements, however, water can do this in all its forms. Since there are myriad combinations of water power, Ancient mystics understood this and respected the innate strength. Daoists believe nothing is softer nor more powerful than water when it attacks hard and resistant things Therefore, they believe water is the highest good. While scientists -9-

can attempt to explain this through detailed observation of characteristics and behaviors, pure observation and intelligence gathering has not revealed the sentient soul of water like the mystics experienced in ancient times. The exploratory process has been gradually given to science as time has progressed, and humans have increasingly put aside their spiritual questioning mind in exchange for the ease of adopting logical explanations offered by both modern science and organized religion. But the ancient knowledge belongs to no religious order and follows no doctrine. When you enter the realm of spiritual exploration, you give up the pre-fabricated support built into our culture and become like a child at ground zero re-learning about life in a new way. With this course, you will re-enter the world of the infinite and discover the art of seeking knowledge through water. You will develop a new way to both see and listen. You will learn new skills that will enrich your consciousness for the rest of your life. In doing so, you will be connecting with the most ancient and consistent understanding of water that water knows more about our entire human organism than our human minds can even begin to know about water. Water influences all living beings on the planet, seen and unseen. It is unassuming, travels through all of life, benefits all life and never comes to a stopping point its circulation. It changes form, but never disappears. What makes Water Divination an extraordinary form of spiritual questing is that water itself, has innate physical and spiritual attributes that can carry and retain the messages. Because of these little understood characteristics, a vessel of water can be considered holy or sacred simply by virtue of its ability to hold a thought frequency. Ancient seers understood this and used water alchemy as the basis for powerful potions and elixirs for healing and spell-casting. They related to water as if it were a sentient being which, we are learning today, it truly is. Ancient mystics who experienced water beyond superstitions or scientific descriptions, spent entire lifetimes exploring this vast unseen consciousness. Ancient mariners, aside from loving to sail their ships, became water mystics by default. Being in a water environment, daily, the influences and messages from the water kept them spiraling into new dimensions of understanding. The call of the sea was a powerful force and lured many sailors into their boats their entire lifetimes. The call of the sea is much less powerful in todays recreational sailors, but the ones who have left land for months at a time and lived completely and entirely within the web of life on the water have powerful stories to share about their experiences with water. If you ever have an opportunity to talk with a true sailor, it will enrich your understanding of water immeasurably. As a Water Mystic, you will learn to connect with that place inside you that hungers for the missing link between the self and the Creator. You already know you have a curiosity about life that many people dont share and this deep longing for truth sets you apart from the masses who accepted more shallow expla- 10 -

anations for life. As a mystic, you will never be satisfied to accept the limited understanding of water as defined by science. And as a mystic you will soon learn that no human being has answers for you regarding the Spirit of Water and its infinite capabilities and wisdom. You will, however, learn as you journey deeply into the void your own deep pools of consciousness what sacred gifts water has for you individually and collectively. The lessons in this course are designed to help you become a skilled and wise Water Mystic and you will build upon each step, gaining a progressively higher level of connection to water, the Source of Creation as you continue to the end. In the first part you are learning to relate to water and to prepare yourself for the experience. The final sections are actual ritual practices and finally, the sharing of wisdom at the end which is really the beginning. The information I have compiled was obtained through my own research in historic written accounts including spell-books, letters, interviews with elders from shamanic traditions, oral histories of the last descendents of nomadic family tribes, from modern psychic readers, and from spiritual healers and medicine carriers. Each of my sources confirmed the infinite dimensions of consciousness that can be accessed through Water Divination. You have just passed through the first gateway to divinity. I am sure you are ready to get to the next. I know I am

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The Second Gateway Set and Setting You are now being invited to travel through the mists of human consciousness, into the vast unexplainable mysteries that reside on the other side. To do this, you will need a few ritual elements and a sacred space. Your initiation will begin as soon as you have assembled your divination vessel. Follow the instructions in the next section and prepare for your emersion into the waters of timelessness. As a last note before we begin, you will notice that from time to time, I will ask you to think about some interesting detail or fact. I hope you will do so. This isnt for idle conversation. There are deeply profound hidden truths in the things I point out. And you may want to journal about these topics. If you do, I am sure you will gain mystical insight through these suggestions. However, when I do point out something to ponder, I am not asking you to concur with me. I am asking you to take a mind trip and learn for yourself what this is about. As arcane as this may sound, the whole purpose of this course is to guide you through the process of seeing into other realms of consciousness, and the trip begins in your mind. Before we begin to prepare the sacred space, it is appropriate that you know some modern scientifically derived statistics to help balance the esoteric information that will be coming to you through the oracle of water from other dimensions. For instance, it is important that you understand that water covers over 80% of the earths surface; human beings are about 80% water with our brain masses consisting of 90% water think about this carefully. I have said this a few times before and I will continue to say this throughout the course because it is important that you remember your connection to water comes because you ARE water. The ratio of water to flesh is greatest in our thinking organ. Water is the dominant constituent of our brains. Water is critically needed to sustain life for cellular function and for consistent electrical brain activity. Plants, animals and humans depend upon getting enough water to sustain functions which controls their lives. Water is a far more necessary commodity than food. A person can live up to 30 days without food, but only 3 days without water. From this point on, I will not speak of modern science or scientific evidence again as I share the mystical processes with you. Instead, I ask that you suspend all judgment as well as the need to know and simply allow the ancient wisdom to merge with your consciousness through the ritual practices I present in specified order. Preparing Your Space Locate your perfect ritual space and take command of it for the next few weeks. This means, it will be off limits to the laundry, the computer, the dog, the children or your spouse. The space must be yours alone for the period of time you are practicing your communication with the Water Spirits. You can always give back the space later, or maybe you wont want to - 12 -

Use a compass to find the 4 direction. Once you have located the compass points begin to refer to them by the unique characteristics noted below. There are many traditions using the compass points in their ceremonies and rituals. In each tradition, the directions are used according to their doctrine and practice. Therefore, there is no absolute identity to each direction. If you favor one doctrine over another, feel free to use it. I will recommend the systems that works best for me. The WEST Water - Innocence, Childhood, Curious Learning, Playtime, Receiving, Being The NORTH Earth Resting, Elderhood, Remembering, Death, The Past, The Body, Ancestors The EAST Air Teacher, Maturity, Adulthood, Spiritual Wisdom, Life Knowledge The SOUTH Fire Productive Energy, Enlightenment, Action Knowledge, The Future, Intuition In the West you will build your Altar This altar will be your most ornate one and the place where you will spend most of your ritual time. On a low table or surface, spread a silver or blue cloth first and then add elements that represent water, such as mirrors, jewels, sea shells or anything that brings a strong feeling of water to your consciousness. Place a blue unscented (if possible) votive candle in the midst of the mirrors and other elements. The candle is used as a guiding light for the Spirit of Water to join you at your altar. Make your altar exquisite so when the spirits arrive they feel the fullest extent of your welcome. Embellish without limitation. Ancient mystics understood that energy is contained within the objects that delight and inspire us to be free and as children, curious, happy and uninhibited with our creativity. When you delight yourself, you are sharing that energy with all beings. Your altar represents your ego-less creative spirit. Let your spirit soar. Be childlike in your decorations and emotions. One caution do not place a mirror reflecting your own image back to you in front of this altar. Without going into detail, mirror scrying is a separate mystical art, and although scrying can be done using mirrors and water, what I am calling Water Gazing in this course, as explained to me by my guides and helpers, is nothing at all like scrying or crystal ball gazing. In fact, to see your face in the mirror at any stage of this process may be a hindrance to achieving a deep altered state. Your own face could also scare you. No insult intended, I assure you. I dont mean to be laying this on thick, but your face is only a superficial layer of identity - 13 -

and a layer we intend to transcend in our rituals. On another level, your face may look nothing at all like what you have come to recognize as yourself in this dimension. In other words, you will not want to be looking at your own face while you are connecting to mystic realms! Trust me on this. Your workspace is in front of your altar, on the floor. Lay down a mat or rug to protect the underlying carpet or floor surface. And then place a large bowl directly in front of your altar, dead center. Before you begin your ritual, you will fill the bowl. To the left, as you face your bowl, place a jar of water with a tightfitting lid. And on the right, place a soup ladle and a chalice or goblet. Find about 10 small stones or pebbles and assign them the task of being your water-medicine carrier. You will need a small hand towel to dry your hands and other ritual elements. After you have placed all your objects at this altar, continue to decorate the spaces between and around these vessels on the floor and symbolically tie the two levels together in creative harmony by looping the two levels together with ribbon, fabric, strings, etc. When you have finished this altar, you may want to snap a photo. This is a work of art and represents the living art of your consciousness. In the North you will build your bed. In the past, I have used multiple layers of foam, camping pads, futons, a folding cot or an air mattress (really, this makes too much noise, in my humble opinion, but use one if you have nothing else.) If you actually have a bed in that area, so much the better. Whatever you use to make your bed, just be sure it is very comfortable so you can spend time journeying to other dimensions without being called back home to shift your aching back! You will need a very comfortable blanket to cover yourself during all journeys. This is extremely important. Shamans and mystics refer to this as a medicine blanket. Dedicate a new blanket to this purpose if you can. Otherwise, take one out of service from your linen cabinet. Dont use this blanket for any other reason after you start using it for ritual. It will be too powerful to sleep with after this. And you also dont want to give this kind of power to the family dog to lie on! From this point on, your blanket becomes one of your most sacred items. Your blanket will protect your body while your consciousness is moving about the universe, and it will also hold your energy imprint and radiate a beacon for your spirit to find when you are ready to come home. You will need to be in a totally blackened room, or will need a rice- or flax-filled eye bag to cover your eyes while you journey. Yoga supply stores or metaphysical stores sell these. Make your own if you want. The most comfortable ones are made of silk, but you want something that will stay in place for a long time and completely block ambient light.

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Provide yourself pillows galore if you want. This is your cruise ship and you will want to feel as if you are lying in the luxury cabin. Think about comfort and sensuality when you make your bed. This is the only direction that will not have a candle. The spirits will enter through the earth and this brings me to the final touch in the North. Place a living, vibrantly growing plant at the foot of the bed. The plant should not have sword shaped or pointed leaves. Rounded leaves are best. A small Ficus tree is best. This is the equivalent of the Bodhi Tree the same species. Under no circumstance should you place anything in this space that is flowering. A plant that is involved in this type of reproductive process consumes too much energy maintaining their sexuality and it wont have enough energy left to share its consciousness with you during this time think about this very carefully. In the East you will write story and draw images. On a small desk or writing surface, you will place a desk lamp, a yellow votive candle, a feather, a writing journal and a pen. The pen might be gold or have traces of gold on it. The journal should have a symbolic locking device or security tie in order to secure your secrets. The lamp should be extremely simple in design with no hanging dangle-balls or beads. And the feather can be of any size. You can place it on top of your journal when you are not writing and it will attract wisdom and knowledge. Whenever you sit down, move the feather, open your journal and lift your pen, and knowledge and wisdom will all flow through you as if you were the pipeline and wisdom is the water think about that for a moment. Absolutely nothing else should be on this desk or table. The area around it should be clear and clean. As you sit at this story-altar recording your journey and your divinations, you want no distractions of any kind. On the floor near the desk, you may place art supplies, a sketch pad and some pencils, pens, paints or chalks. But please no elements of the modern world to interrupt your deep levels of creativity at this altar. There will be no telephones, radios, TVs, computers, stack of bills or pile of books on this surface or anywhere nearby. Stay devoted to minimalism in this area and your level of recall and expression will be enhanced exponentially. In the South you will arouse passion. Purchase three red sacrament candles in glass cylinders the ones that burn for seven days. Create a small, very safe altar where these candles can remain burning to bottom of the jar. Make sure there is nothing above them, nothing dangling or hanging on the wall nearby. You may want to place each candle on its own dish. This will help to keep the heat from scorching anything below it. I am counting on you to be smart about these burning devices. I have kept at least one sacrament candle burning in my home for years with no accidents, and you can avoid a tragedy, too if you are aware of everything that could go wrong, and be - 15 -

attentive to it before you begin your ritual. If you are absolutely opposed to having an open flame on this altar, you may substitute the three candles for three red lights of another type. On the altar, place the candles (or whatever you substituted) in a straight line with each other. In front of them, place a magnifying glass, a small dish of ashes (preferably NOT cigarette ashes), a golden object that symbolizes the sun, a pure white cloth square like a napkin, a black scarf and a small dish of broken twigs in about one-inch lengths. If you choose to cover your altar, use only red, orange, white, gold or black. No other colors. You can make this Passion Altar as imaginative as you wish, but remember that passion takes many forms from the fire of initiation to the fire of destruction. Passion draws juice from life but it can also cut away the dead flesh in swift fashion. It can represent freedom and bondage at the same time. Sexual passion, artistic passion, creation passion these are extremely powerful forces in the psyche. You will need a certain amount of fire to stay in balance with the wet and cold of the water energies so you can represent many forms of passion on your altar. Think about what passion means to you and represent that energy with objects that tell your story. In front of your Passion altar, you will dance and move so you need to make sure there is nothing in the way that would prevent such activity. Dont light the candles until the initiation ritual begins. Have a match or lighter nearby to do the lighting ceremony. Your altars are very serious places of magic and should be treated as such. This process of altar-building will be fun and creative, but it is also a very intentdriven activity and nothing you place in service on your altars will ever be ordinary again (if it once was). And in fact, you will never be the same after you have engaged in the altar-building. Your consciousness expands each time you position something symbolically in ritual space. So please take this all very seriously. If you cannot do that, you may not be able to get the full value of the divination process. Remember, I did not create these rituals or processes. They have been handed down for millennia through families of shamans, magicians, mystics, priests and witches. Much of the knowledge has been shared verbally through families and was never actually written down until the last 100 years. The fact that we can do these rituals today in our technologically-oriented, scientifically-verified, electromagnetically-charged culture is the greatest testimony to their extreme power. In addition to the altar construction, here are a few other items good to have in your ritual space: A frame drum and beater A small rattle Lots of drinking water stored in GLASS no plastic, ever! Incense - 16 -

 A small empty bowl A tape recorder for recording some of your journeys Drawing Paper and colored pencils, crayons or felt pens A couple of towels Take time to prepare your ceremonial clothing. Many shamans have ritual clothing or special jewelry, scarves or vests they wear when they initiate a ritual. My personal choice is a ceremonial dress and necklace I wear every time I do mystical work. My clothing and necklace hold the vibration of my intent even when they are not in use and these items influence every cell in my body and mind when I put them on. I do not allow anyone to wear my ceremonial clothing or even see them unless I am wearing them for ritual. This is how I keep these garments holy. The clothing we choose for ritual is compared to the special ornate garments worn by priests during a religious service or Mass. You may want to experiment with various elements of clothing or accessories to determine what type of clothing holds the highest level of power for you, and as you get more comfortable with ritual you will feel your body get into the sacred mental space each time you put on your sacred items. Your ritual clothing is as important to your process as your medicine blanket. Honor these garments with all your love and appreciation. When you have completed constructing all your altars and gathering your accessories, write the answers to the following questions in your journal: Answer these questions: 1. Which altar do you most prefer? Why? 2. Which altar did you least prefer? Why? 3. Did you feel emotional sensations while working on your altars? Reason? 4. Which altar gave you the greatest sense of personal power? Explain 5. Did you feel any body sensations as you worked on your altars? Explain 6. Did any memories arise in your mind as you worked on your altars? Explain 7. Did you experience any visions during this process? Explain 8. Do you feel a connection to the natural or supernatural world in your sacred space? Explain

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The Third Gateway - The Initiation I will thoroughly explain the ritual, step-by step-in this lesson. Read the entire lesson before you begin the process. Read carefully and be sure you understand what is being explained, as each piece is interwoven into a complete initiation experience. After you are finished reading, close your eyes and let the information permeate your consciousness. You can either start the ritual in this session immediately following your reading, or you can wait for another time. Be prepared to devote about 2 hours to the initiation process. It is probably best to schedule this at a time when you are alone. It is a little difficult to explain all the sounds that will be coming from your sacred room. But vocal expression and sound is necessary to move energies. I have included my most sacred invocation to the spirits printed below. Before you begin your ritual, you may want to print this page and trim it away from the text, so you will have something you can hold in your hand as say the invocations. I was given these words to the four directions from a Shaman who was about 85 years old at the time. He has passed to the other side, and I remember him each time I use these words which is for about 15 years. But you can use any other invocation to the four directions you may already know. The most important point is to call all spirits, guides, angels, ancestors, and helpers from each direction to be present as you do your ritual work. There is great power in the unseen realms both in guidance and intelligence. You will learn a lot from having these spirits at your side. The two most important things to remember before beginning the ritual are: The journey is the reward. Trust the process.

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Invocation to the Four Directions By Shara Gardner

THE NORTH Caring Father/Mother, Earth Ancestors and spirits of the North Your body is the most powerful of all. As mysteries unfold from your groin I learn the secrets of life and death. Your great power teaches me silence. In silence I listen and remember. I invoke your strength through My bones, the trees and soil And welcome your sacred presence. THE SOUTH Powerful Father, Sun and Fire And powerful warrior spirits of the South Impermanence is your strength. Your flaming sword terminates the old As your vibrant spark initiates passion illuminating the future. Your passion teaches me discrimination Your infinite presence preserves the mystery. In chaos and calm, you power my actions I invoke your flame through My inner passion, my temperament And welcome your sacred presence. THE EAST Wise Mother/Father, Sky All intelligent spirits of the East You breathe the wisdom of the ages And share your mature knowledge Of Love, Harmony and Beauty. Your spirit teaches me humility. In humility I learn and grow. I invoke your wisdom through The wind, to fill my thoughts, And welcome your sacred presence. THE WEST Great Mother, Ocean & Waters And Emotional Spirits of the West You are the Womb of Creation You give life so I can receive. You lead me to my innocence and teach me to play, igniting intuition Through water I learn to balance tears and laughter. By your Spirit I am made whole I invoke your flowing movement In Rivers of water and blood And welcome your sacred presence.

I am light, I am love I am peace in harmony with all. I am the vessel and I am the water I and the Creator are one.

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NOW WE BEGIN . . . Set your intention. As you stand in the middle of your sacred space, begin by facing the North direction, and the bed. Visualize the color Green and see it in your minds eye around the area of your heart. Take a deep in-breath and hold it for a moment as you imagine the color entering your heart and moving throughout your body, finally out through your feet. Do this three times, bowing to the North on your out-breath. Stand in silence as you let the energy fill in your body and then say your North invocation, inviting the spirits to join you. Light the lights at the North Altar and allow them to glow for a moment undisturbed. After the invocation to the North, turn and face the East and do the same thing, using the color Yellow. Follow that with the South using Red, and finally the West using blue. In the west, offer the invocation to the spirits, but also ask that the spirits bless you with their knowledge and ask to be shown what Water knows. Here is an example of an intention : Great Water Spirit of the West. Now that you have entered in this sacred space, I ask that you teach me what the Spirit of Water knows and I ask that the wisdom of the water become available to me in a manner I can understand. Thank you Great Spirits. Sit down on the floor facing your water altar. Now you are ready to work.

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The Fourth Gateway Design your Practice Ancient mystics had an understanding of water, not unlike what our modern scientists have learned. Water, in its infinite form, is capable of fitting into any shape that contains it. Consciousness is like this too. Your consciousness may be limited by the container it is in meaning your conditioning, your experience, your knowledge, your fears, your traditions, etc. The first block preventing you from sharing consciousness with water is the way you perceive life and your role in it. In order to connect with water you must be willing to assume you have been thinking about life in limited ways and that most of what you do know is probably wrong. Flow One of the first things to observe about water is that is flows in spiral patterns as it moves, always seeking lower levels and traveling in many curving and looping courses in order to reach the absolute lowest point. Imagine strands of water spiraling individually and then spiraling together with more strands of themselves, like a rope. Water never moves in a straight course and never in flat sheets. There are always multiple interweaving surfaces flowing around and past each other, though our human understanding of what we are seeing registers a linear sheet-like movement of water efficiently contained by other surrounding material. Can you understand why this very principle of spiraling water flow describes an enlightened course of exploration for the serious mystic? A mystic seeks to know by experiencing many surfaces, many depths and many containers. A mystic will explore an idea and spin it around, spiral in it and look at it from all angles. After thorough contemplation, or meandering, the idea may emerge once again, after all the spiraling motion, and re-integrate with other ideas moving toward a complete understanding. Your idea may form the basis of an understanding that informs your consciousness something profound has been learned about infinity. Depending upon the position of the strand of water or consciousness, there are always new surfaces to experience and possibilities for new understandings with each turn. When water slows down and explores many twists and turns, it has an opportunity to know many rhythms. This liquid phase of understanding is a state that all of life goes through before making its way into another form. Some creatures remain in this liquid form. Some may solidify slightly. Many creatures leave the world of water, become dense and become an element of the earth carrying the evidence that it was once in a liquid state. Water will carve its own path much like a drill removes material in order to create a space in which to move through. And water meanders in curves and bends in order to slow down its flow. Even in the ocean, many layers or strands of water move in conflicting patterns forming waves and currents, always follow- 21 -

ing their own meandering course. If you consider this action metaphorically, we can see that like water, the mystic seeks to experience itself and all its potential no matter what medium it flows through. And this brings us to an examination of flow within own bodies. Which feels more inviting to you a straight walkway with straight rows of flowers planted along the sides OR a meandering walkway that reveals something new at each outer bend and inner curve? The outer bends give you a greater perspective on where you are, and the inner curves bring you to intimate understandings of infinite micro-climates, patterns, and organizing principles. Imagine you are river water, and all your beliefs, responses, conditioning, etc. are the banks of a river. Your spiraling action erodes the soil of your understanding, moves it into the current in a drill-like action, causing your solid knowledge to be disrupted, broken, diffused, churned, and separated in the chaotic movement of your questioning mind. Finally, your minute grains of understanding land elsewhere and begin to re-form a mass of new consciousness. With any luck, this process will happen many times in the life of a human being, though most humans fear dramatic changes will threaten their safety. The finite nature of all elements is dissolved by water, while water remains always in its infinite nature. As water, you can take infusions of matter, intelligence, consciousness, etc. and let that dissolve in the space between your molecules, however, your molecules will not change and you will always be water. And you will always have the ability to store the wisdom of that other element within the void between your molecules, atoms, neutrons, but you will never become what you have added. In the rhythm of life, water is the inspiration, the music, the musician, the instrument and the emotion. At the West Altar, begin to move your body and sway, entrained to the natural rhythms of your own body fluids. Move slowly, or fast. Spiral or undulate your body. Explore all known patterns of water through the movements in your body. In this first practice, you will explore water the way the ancient mystics did. In some ways, a scientist and a mystic are very similar. They are both highly curious about life, both consider complex ideas, look for evidence of systems within systems, and seek an understanding of whatever they contemplate. However, while the scientist gathers intelligence or evidence to support findings which can be later be re-created and replicated or reviewed and used in a larger context in technology, the mystic looks at life with wonder, spending hours in contemplation, using feelings, emotions, and wisdom to open doorways to knowledge for the pure joy of inviting the mystery to unfold. A mystic is a scientist who grew beyond the finite desire to know. A mystic is comfortable NOT knowing. A scientist will endeavor to gain an understanding of the chemistry, the construction and the - 22 -

constituents of water while the mystic knows that water is more than its elements, just as a home is more than boards, nails and paint. And just as a person needs to experience life within the walls of a house in order to understand the concept of home a mystic needs to spend time within the walls of the consciousness of water in order to have an understanding of the enormity of intelligence and wisdom contained in a drop of rain or blood. Water, in all its infinite forms is beyond science. Until you can be comfortable in a state of ignorance about water, or about life, you will never really know anything beyond the finite scientific or intellectual understanding of any living system in the universe. In order to know more about water, it is important for you to relate to water in a different way. This exercise will open your mind to a new way of thinking. I call it the baby mind. A baby comes into the world with soul knowledge but no knowledge of our planetary systems and learns everything in order to survive here; but in doing so, forgets the soul knowledge. In order to be a mystic, you need to unlearn what you know and relearn it from a different perspective re-connecting with your soul knowledge. Be ready to admit you know nothing. You have nothing. You are free to create yourself anyway Spirit guides you to do so. And you are always at choice in the matter. You are an empty vessel and you have no pre-conceived ideas about this ritual. It may seem like many other rituals you have done. It may use a lot of the same language. But the difference comes when you allow yourself to release the need to know. Release the need to maintain a time/space continuum. A shift in your perceptions will happen naturally as you release your awareness of time. Miracles occur when the consciousness of time and space are suspended. This is the space where the mystic resides. This is the space of creativity and genius. If you can get to this space, you will have a relationship with water and every other living energy existing in and around our dimension. These exercises are of elementary level, but do them anyway. You dont know what this new experience will bring. If you are focused on knowing all about this, you will miss all the information that is abundant in each stone, each drop of water, each of your motions. At your altar, placed there earlier, are 10 stones. Once you are relaxed and are resting in an open and altered state of consciousness, drop the first stone into the water from a height of about 6 inches. Watch how the water responds to the stone. The water is pushed aside and the stone drops through it to the bottom of the bowl. The stone creates a path but the water immediately closes upon itself to fill the void. Imagine that you are the water AND the stone . Think about some of these questions as you drop the remaining stones from whatever distance you feel motivated to explore: What did it sound like when a stone was dropped? What did the water feel when the stone was dropped into it? - 23 -

Was the stone or the water changed because of this exercise? When all the stones have been used and are resting on the bottom of the bowl, gather them together in the water and play with them, roll them in your hand(s) and feel the space between the stones the space filled by water. Focus on that space, and not the stones. Imagine that those stones represent molecules of consciousness. What surrounds consciousness? Water? Could it be that water is the carrier for what we perceive as consciousness? What are your feelings about the interface between water and stone where the leading edge of each element connects to the other? What is the bonding place like? How does it feel? In the jar, ladle some water from your bowl along with a few stones. Then close the lid and shake the jar vigorously. Watch what happens to the stones as the water is agitated. Pour the water and stones back into the bowl. Fill the jar with water from the bowl again and pour it out into the bowl from a different height. Do this a few times, listening deeply to the sounds of water hitting water, moving air. What does it feel like to be the water poured back into your consciousness? The best way to approach this practice is to explore these exercises as if you are water being poured, splashing, mixing with other elements, and transferring your molecules from one form to another. Try to remember what you have felt, heard or seen as water. Of course, this will represent a perfectly human-centric viewpoint since all of your references will be using observation techniques learned as a human. We dont know this quantifiably, but it is generally believed that the elements of the Earth regard humans as just another part of the web of life and dont believe they are in service to human life. Contrary to popular religious beliefs, though human beings are part of the overall plan of life, nothing was created especially to support our species. And yet, humans cant survive unless they are using the resources of the planet. Have humans made a lot decisions about water without consulting the water itself? Humans have assumed they have a right to speak for all other forms of life on the planet. Once you lose this notion, you have a better chance of connecting to the Spirit of Water. When you are finished thank the Spirits for what they have shared with you, thank the water for letting you experiment. Take the stones out and pat them dry for the next process. Observe that when you dry something, you are transferring the water from one place to another. The towel becomes wet. And when the towel has dried, the water has evaporated but may next appear as condensation on a cold surface. Just because something has been dried does not mean that water is gone. In fact, water only changes form, but never leaves the planet. Think about this.

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Was the stone or the water changed because of this exercise? When all the stones have been used and are resting on the bottom of the bowl, gather them together in the water and play with them, roll them in your hand(s) and feel the space between the stones the space filled by water. Focus on that space, and not the stones. Imagine that those stones represent molecules of consciousness. What surrounds consciousness? Water? Could it be that water is the carrier for what we perceive as consciousness? What are your feelings about the interface between water and stone where the leading edge of each element connects to the other? What is the bonding place like? How does it feel? In the jar, ladle some water from your bowl along with a few stones. Then close the lid and shake the jar vigorously. Watch what happens to the stones as the water is agitated. Pour the water and stones back into the bowl. Fill the jar with water from the bowl again and pour it out into the bowl from a different height. Do this a few times, listening deeply to the sounds of water hitting water, moving air. What does it feel like to be the water poured back into your consciousness? The best way to approach this practice is to explore these exercises as if you are water being poured, splashing, mixing with other elements, and transferring your molecules from one form to another. Try to remember what you have felt, heard or seen as water. Of course, this will represent a perfectly human-centric viewpoint since all of your references will be using observation techniques learned as a human. We dont know this quantifiably, but it is generally believed that the elements of the Earth regard humans as just another part of the web of life and dont believe they are in service to human life. Contrary to popular religious beliefs, though human beings are part of the overall plan of life, nothing was created especially to support our species. And yet, humans cant survive unless they are using the resources of the planet. Have humans made a lot decisions about water without consulting the water itself? Humans have assumed they have a right to speak for all other forms of life on the planet. Once you lose this notion, you have a better chance of connecting to the Spirit of Water. When you are finished thank the Spirits for what they have shared with you, thank the water for letting you experiment. Take the stones out and pat them dry for the next process. Observe that when you dry something, you are transferring the water from one place to another. The towel becomes wet. And when the towel has dried, the water has evaporated but may next appear as condensation on a cold surface. Just because something has been dried does not mean that water is gone. In fact, water only changes form, but never leaves the planet. Think about this.

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Lie down in the North Take the dry stones with you to the North and lie down on the bed. Block the light with your blindfold or rice bag. After you have gotten in a very comfortable position and are feeling relaxed, take the pebbles in your hand (s) and begin to roll them around. You will feel how they collide with each other. You will hear the gnashing sound of the rocks as they scrape against each other. Now spread out the stones on your chest and keep them together as close as possible. Ask them to help you understand water. Before you begin to journey, take a little time to explore all the unique properties of water you know of. Approach these observations from the place of wonder not intelligence. You felt the stones as you rolled them around together in the water. And now you have felt the stones as you moved them together without water. Is there is a difference in the way they feel in your hand when they are dry? Water comprises millions of molecules in a single tiny mist. Think of the rocks as if they are molecules. If you place the stones on your chest, you will feel their weight and temperature, but you wont have any experience of the stones sticking together or sticking to you, as water would do. And the stones will stay put if they are on a level place. Only if you stood up, would the stones would fall away. Think about this. How is this different from the way water molecules stick together? If you poured water on yourself, some of it would fall away with gravity, but a lot of it would stick to you. This is the condition we call wet. When we are wet, we feel chilled, sometimes uncomfortable, and usually with an urgent desire to dry off. Water molecules stick to most surfaces, and sometimes penetrate. In the natural world there are few surfaces that water doesnt stick to, but bird feathers is one. Do you know of any others? The intelligence of water is so vast, so infinite that we are not even aware that water molecules are so small they seep through our skin, through cloth, through cement and stone at a very slow rate, through tiny hair fibers. Water molecules cannot be held in the hand like stones because gravity and the desire to fill a void urges the water to move into a different container, unless you cup your hands and create a vessel. When water is poured on skin some of it can be absorbed but usually water moves to a place where it can be contained. Water seeks itself and finds pools in which to rest. When you have explored this with your mind and you are reasonably open to learning more, take your frame drum and begin to beat a slow even beat. Ask the Spirit of W ater to teach you what you need to know right now, and if you have a question, ask it and wait for an answer. Continue drumming for about 10-20 minutes. You will know when the time is right to end. When you are finished, hold the first thought that comes into your mind. Rise from the North and move to the East and without any distractions whatsoever, write in your journal everything that comes to your mind. Let the thoughts fill the page like water spreads across a - 26 -

Lie down in the North Take the dry stones with you to the North and lie down on the bed. Block the light with your blindfold or rice bag. After you have gotten in a very comfortable position and are feeling relaxed, take the pebbles in your hand (s) and begin to roll them around. You will feel how they collide with each other. You will hear the gnashing sound of the rocks as they scrape against each other. Now spread out the stones on your chest and keep them together as close as possible. Ask them to help you understand water. Before you begin to journey, take a little time to explore all the unique properties of water you know of. Approach these observations from the place of wonder not intelligence. You felt the stones as you rolled them around together in the water. And now you have felt the stones as you moved them together without water. Is there is a difference in the way they feel in your hand when they are dry? Water comprises millions of molecules in a single tiny mist. Think of the rocks as if they are molecules. If you place the stones on your chest, you will feel their weight and temperature, but you wont have any experience of the stones sticking together or sticking to you, as water would do. And the stones will stay put if they are on a level place. Only if you stood up, would the stones would fall away. Think about this. How is this different from the way water molecules stick together? If you poured water on yourself, some of it would fall away with gravity, but a lot of it would stick to you. This is the condition we call wet. When we are wet, we feel chilled, sometimes uncomfortable, and usually with an urgent desire to dry off. Water molecules stick to most surfaces, and sometimes penetrate. In the natural world there are few surfaces that water doesnt stick to, but bird feathers is one. Do you know of any others? The intelligence of water is so vast, so infinite that we are not even aware that water molecules are so small they seep through our skin, through cloth, through cement and stone at a very slow rate, through tiny hair fibers. Water molecules cannot be held in the hand like stones because gravity and the desire to fill a void urges the water to move into a different container, unless you cup your hands and create a vessel. When water is poured on skin some of it can be absorbed but usually water moves to a place where it can be contained. Water seeks itself and finds pools in which to rest. When you have explored this with your mind and you are reasonably open to learning more, take your frame drum and begin to beat a slow even beat. Ask the Spirit of W ater to teach you what you need to know right now, and if you have a question, ask it and wait for an answer. Continue drumming for about 10-20 minutes. You will know when the time is right to end. When you are finished, hold the first thought that comes into your mind. Rise from the North and move to the East and without any distractions whatsoever, write in your journal everything that comes to your mind. Let the thoughts fill the page like water spreads across a - 27 -

surface. If you see images, draw what you see. In the East you remember. Your journal is your best friend and confidante. Dont force anything to be written, but ask Spirit to give you the right words to express all that you have inquired about. When you have finished writing, close your book and move to your South Altar. Move Energy in the South. Your candles are lit. Begin to sway as you stand facing your altar. Focus your eyes on the light from the candle. Through this light, you are energized and filled with inspiration. Begin to move more vigorously any way that feels comfortable to you. You are moving energy in the cells of your body. You are moving water in its container you. Dance, jump, twist and bend as much as you can. Agitate the water inside you. When you shake up the water, it becomes energized and purified. When you shook the jar of water with the stones inside, this is what you are doing to your body when you move around. If you have music or want to drum while you move it is even better. Let yourself go completely and move as vigorously as you want. And when you are finished, move back to your water altar. Water will give you crystal clarity if you remember that you are the reflection, but you are not what is being reflected. Think about this. Timeless awareness opens you to receive answers to questions, wisdom about the world you live in, and a connection with water, the source of all of life, at any moment and in any circumstance. This is truly a state of freedom, as you are no longer held within boundaries of understanding. This is the place mystics have aspired to seek through millennia. Shift your awareness to the essence of the water in the bowl, but not necessarily the water. Stare deeply into your bowl of water and let your eyes go out of focus. While you are meditating in this state, you will see many important images in your minds eye. Dont question what you see. Dont even ask for a second look. Just let montages and flashes move past your consciousness mind, past your intellect, into a different place of knowing. This is the process for emersion into the realm of water. Once you have experienced that emersion, you can return there often and you will experience a connection like nothing that can be described. In this space, you have actually become the consciousness of water.

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The Fifth Gate Leave your identity behind. Throughout the first exercise you re-experienced the qualities of water as a child may have. You felt and listened to water. You played with rocks in the water. When you were finished, you may have even felt a bonding with the water. In this lesson we are going to take you to a much deeper level of bonding. You have experienced water as a human being trying to know water from the perspective of what your human intelligence already knows about water that it is wet, that it moves to make room for anything heavier than itself, that it sticks to itself and all surfaces, and that it has the ability to cleanse and dissolve. But these are all human scientific observations. The next phase of exploration is through immersion. This process can be easily summarized and guided with a very few words. You must connect with water every day not in your bath or shower as you do your daily hygienic process, but as an act of ritual as you ssymbolically, ritually, cleanse the humanness from your consciousness. Practicing Yogis in India dive into cold water to help open their minds to the nature of water. Buddhist monks take water into their mouths and swish it around, spitting it out their imperfections as they recite their mantras. Native American use ritual rain dances in their spiritual practices to cleanse themselves and to honor the gift. Christianity uses water to baptize and christen new believers as a cleansing of sin. However you determine is best for you, develop a cleansing process and use it daily for as long as it takes for you to feel the essence of the water, not as a human immersed in water, but as an aspect of the element. Do not progress to the next gateway until you have practices this a few times. I am not going to suggest a method. You will find your own.

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The Sixth Gateway - Listening When you have prepared your space, opened your energies to this practice, and are alone, take your place in front of the West altar. Gaze into your large bowl of water as the water sits undisturbed. There may be small waves from the motion of the floor when you came to this position, but these are likely to be a very slow and relaxed motion. Without observing your appearance or reflection in the water bowl, look into the bowl and remember what it feels like to be in a pool of water that is perfectly calm and still. Allow yourself to feel the interface between wet and dry, cold and warm. Using your memory, re-experience your ritual immersion process. Using your ladle, fill your jar half way with water and close the lid. Let the water come to a complete rest. And then shake the jar vigorously. Feel your own excitement as you observe the chaos happening inside the jar. Let the jar rest and the water completely stop movement. But observe how long it takes before the water comes to a resting condition. Psychically step into this calm water and leave behind your consciousness as a human being. You are now a molecule of water. On the interface between physical time/space and etheric non-time/space, you experience the difference between air, matter and more of your own molecules. In fact, you will never find yourself alone ever. You are connected to a vast structure of linking energies. Along with your family of molecules, you surround and permeate nearly everything in the universe. When one molecule experiences something, the messages are transported rapidly through you to all molecules. Shifts are made as needed. Waves of like-thinking molecules contract and expand, sharing their perspectives with you and the surrounding waves, making room for all perspectives to exist even if you dont adopt the energy of other waves. It is in the making room that gives you a unique characteristic of malleability. As water, you agree to experience whatever form /perspective which contains you. Then something like the wind or earth moves, you spill over, evaporate, freeze or rest in a pool until you are moved in another way. You are unique because you can be air, solid and liquid and still have the same constituents. What is different is your resonance. When you are air, your vibratory experience is different than when you are frozen as solid matter. When you are fluid, your resonance has the ability to permeate and reduce solid matter. Think about this for a while. Let yourself float through this consciousness until you have no memory of being separate from water. You are mentally, emotionally, and mystically water and you have entered a field where communication happens by waves and resonance sound at a frequency level your previous human ears could not understand. You are operating sound frequencies in a pranic energy field and in this place you can use your resonance and your connection to all other water molecules to influence other - 30 -

things. In this area of consciousness (or non-linear consciousness) you communicate a sophisticated level of information, both through sound and motion waves. When you produce a sound frequency to communicate with others, you contract and lengthen. Your thoughts contract and lengthen. You are part of a large body of water, and the waves contract and lengthen at varying distances and sizes. This is the reason for a constant motion on the surface of your collective energy. You become part of forms or groups or clusters that all communicate the same information and you all stick together for a while. You move together and you each adopt the same sound frequencies that contract and lengthen. Movement in the surface of your collective conveys intelligence as a contraction of information, sometimes a crystallization or a stillness, and then a relaxation or release. You will be an integral part of the structure of thought forms. In this realm, your messages travel beyond the collective body of water into the ethers, through time and sound. Think about this for a while. And when you return to your human consciousness, think about your experience. Your consciousness became as fluid as water, exploring all levels of understanding about water, but when you did this exercise, you did not direct your thoughts to visually or intellectually look for anything or any information. You let the information flow to you. When water meets water, it becomes a larger pool. This is the level of conscious awareness you can always achieve when you have relaxed all need to know anything even the need to remain human. Water has messages for you and they may come through sound or feeling. When you have re-entered your physical consciousness, go to the South and light the candles. A symbolic fire warms your body and gives you a new sense of rhythm and vitality. Listen for inner messages and dance, chant, drum or make sounds of any sort. The life force you experienced while in the consciousness of water is ready to express in human physical form. Through this expression you will be shown profound insights and wisdom about your life and the life of all beings on the planet. This is non-science. Do not look for any way to explain or categorize. If you think about all indigenous tribal rituals you have witnessed or read about, you may remember that dancing and chanting is a very active part of the mystic practice. In those ancient practices, movement may occur for hours, but when the movement has stopped, the elders have gotten the messages they invited and all can rest in peace. You will be doing the same thing. You will dance and move, sing, chant, until you have lost yourself in the practice. And when you re finished, you will know what you wanted to know. You may not always be able to do these active rituals in your normal life, but as you learn to incorporate these highly experiential practices into your physical and mental awareness, you will then be able to do this process completely by - 31 -

things. In this area of consciousness (or non-linear consciousness) you communicate a sophisticated level of information, both through sound and motion waves. When you produce a sound frequency to communicate with others, you contract and lengthen. Your thoughts contract and lengthen. You are part of a large body of water, and the waves contract and lengthen at varying distances and sizes. This is the reason for a constant motion on the surface of your collective energy. You become part of forms or groups or clusters that all communicate the same information and you all stick together for a while. You move together and you each adopt the same sound frequencies that contract and lengthen. Movement in the surface of your collective conveys intelligence as a contraction of information, sometimes a crystallization or a stillness, and then a relaxation or release. You will be an integral part of the structure of thought forms. In this realm, your messages travel beyond the collective body of water into the ethers, through time and sound. Think about this for a while. And when you return to your human consciousness, think about your experience. Your consciousness became as fluid as water, exploring all levels of understanding about water, but when you did this exercise, you did not direct your thoughts to visually or intellectually look for anything or any information. You let the information flow to you. When water meets water, it becomes a larger pool. This is the level of conscious awareness you can always achieve when you have relaxed all need to know anything even the need to remain human. Water has messages for you and they may come through sound or feeling. When you have re-entered your physical consciousness, go to the South and light the candles. A symbolic fire warms your body and gives you a new sense of rhythm and vitality. Listen for inner messages and dance, chant, drum or make sounds of any sort. The life force you experienced while in the consciousness of water is ready to express in human physical form. Through this expression you will be shown profound insights and wisdom about your life and the life of all beings on the planet. This is non-science. Do not look for any way to explain or categorize. If you think about all indigenous tribal rituals you have witnessed or read about, you may remember that dancing and chanting is a very active part of the mystic practice. In those ancient practices, movement may occur for hours, but when the movement has stopped, the elders have gotten the messages they invited and all can rest in peace. You will be doing the same thing. You will dance and move, sing, chant, until you have lost yourself in the practice. And when you re finished, you will know what you wanted to know. You may not always be able to do these active rituals in your normal life, but as you learn to incorporate these highly experiential practices into your physical and mental awareness, you will then be able to do this process completely by - 32 -

memory. This is the reason for the altar room and the active physical exploration of the process of ceremony and ritual. At a later date, you will do your ritual sitting in a crowded airport or busy corporate lunchroom! Ancient mystics were able to carry their ritual inside and perform it completely by memory whenever needed. Move to your East Altar, give thanks the wisdom you have received, and journal about it from the beginning through to the end.

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The Seventh Gateway Learning how to ask Now that you have explored the concept of water, the spiritual qualities and the physical realities of water, you can now call upon the knowledge in the water to give you answers to questions and to offer you insights into challenges you are experiencing. By practicing divination often, you will develop a very profound skill formerly only attributed to powerful mystics and shamans. The world is changing rapidly and we are living in the Age of Information. In order to become informed, we have learned to master the technology of communication. Because the human species has become so adept at communicating, we are learning to be more transparent with our communications. In ancient times there were fears that sharing mystical secrets would diminish the power of the information or may empower those who may use the knowledge for personal gain. Al of this is still true today. Ancient mystics feared they would be harmed for using their gifts and talents since the ability to communicate with unseen spirits was considered evil. This is no longer a threat. Today, modern mystics are learning that the ability to establish a strong psychic connection to the other worlds lies within each person if they wish to cultivate it. And no longer are psychics and shamans considered either evil or extremely powerful when they do access information. Today, a strong psychic communicator is as respected in his/her profession as a talented musician, a great surgeon or the leader of a corporation. Believing you have the innate ability to access information from the unseen realms any time you desire it is the first step toward receiving it. The three most important points to remember in order to make this process work for you are: the process needs to be executed with great respect; the ritual must honor the spirits who have opened the gateway so the information can flow into your consciousness; and the answers or information must be honored with a show of gratitude to the Source. Mastering the art of water divination as a medium for communication takes a little practice, as does anything worthwhile. If you are willing to open the door, you will not only receive the help of the spirits, but you will also have the help of creatures who live in water who will aid in transmitting information to you. There is a theory that some of the Spirits are gone in settings where wildlife, forests and natural phenomenon have been removed. If you sense your area is a dead zone you can ask the Spirits to return to your place and them protect the sacred spot they have returned to. In the water realms, some people feel very close to water spirits when they are in a forest river canyon or at a hidden spring. In the ocean, people tent to feel the spirits when dolphins or whales are in the area. This is because of these creatures ability to bridge communication between the unseen realms and our - 34 -

physical human reality. However, there are only a few places on Earth where sea mammals will interact with human beings. They return to those places because humans have asked the Spirits to be there and when they are, humans have protected the sacred space. You may eventually adopt a spirit helper from land or sea, but it is not required. What is important is that you ask the Spirits to inhabit your space and be there when you are ready to practice divination and learning. Just providing a pool of water does not assure the spirits are with you. Your ability to receive information depends upon your receptiveness to water as an ally and helper on its own. Remember, water is a huge living organism. If you think about it, water covers our planet completely. We see evidence of water when it pools at the interface between itself and air, which also contains a gaseous form of water humidity, vapor, fog, rain, snow, mist etc. It seems only right that you accept the magnitude of wisdom offered by this infinite living water crystal. Trust the information you receive only if it feels right to you and right for all beings. Spirits do not send negative missives. If you are receiving negative, detrimental or judgmental information, you are not receiving from the highest source. Stop the inquiry, stop the ritual and go back to your invocation. Remember to invite only the highest spirits to guide you and provide information to you. In this practice, you will open your consciousness starting with your invocation. Begin by invoking all spirits and wise ones. Ask the Spirits of each direction to join you, and ask that Spirits of all realms, and the ancestors also be part of this ritual. When the ancestors have arrived, close the circle and ask all to become your allies in your process. State what is your desire for this journey and then give the task to the spirits who have gathered in the most sacred space. After you feel assured the Spirits are with you, drift into a meditation in the center of the room. When you have transformed your consciousness into an altered state, begin an offering ritual. Your offering ritual will include a visit to all altars beginning in the East, where you will ask for wisdom and information. Progress to the South where you will be willing to clear a space for new information by burning (symbolically) the old, which is no longer useful to you. When you get to the West, cleanse your hands and face in the ritual water bowl. This is a symbol for removing the residue of what was burned away. Finally, move to the North, where you will offer gratitude for what you are about to receive. Craft your question and then lie down, cover your eyes and drum for as long as you feel if right. Bring the image of water waves into yoru consciousness and see yourself as a passenger on the wave. Let it take you far out to the middle of the sea where there are no human references. No boats, other people, bridges, buildings, etc. The wave will carry you into other dimensions. The answer to your question is formulated while you are deep in middle of the waves, following a rhythm of the in-breath and the out-breath. You will travel on the waves for as as long as it takes to get your answers and when you - 35 -

return to waking consciousness, you will know the answer to your question. Crafting your question correctly is a study in clear communication. The secret to getting what you want is to ask the water spirits how you can get what you want. This form of questioning leaves space for right action to begin. The answers then come as unexpected insights or a manifestation of that which you seek. Here is an example: You may want a new job with greater compensation. Dont ask when you will get the job, or where or even if you will get the job. Instead ask, How can I be offered a great new job with more pay? Later in the session or the day, the process of obtaining the great job comes into your consciousness. Or someone telephones you and tells you about someone who has left their company, leaving a hole in the organization you can fill. This is a very typical process for receiving. In the case of knowing information, ask what you want to know. And wait. Your senses will deliver the answer to you in the best way for you personally to receive it. But be aware, and conscious. You may miss the answer if you fail to pay attention. When you are divining for something lost, you will see pictures in your minds eye. Those pictures may not be the exact location of your lost object, but may be symbols of the location. Mystics have learned to use the language of Spirit. In receiving information of any sort, it is not always presented in the language of our superficial human communication, but will often be shown in concepts, visual images or poetic words that have a much deeper meaning to you. Sometimes the information is so exactly matched to the understandings in our minds that we may discount what we have seen or heard because it is just too simple. What I am trying to convey is that language is sometimes a barrier. When the Spirit of Water offers you information, you may need to translate it into language you understand. I always ask for images Spirit knows I can understand. This way, I have the least chance of missing something important. It is always a good idea to have an understanding of dream symbology so you can relate to the information as if you were translating dream images. In fact, much mystical communication occurs when you sleep, as this is the closest state of being there is to pure consciousness. When you have completed your ritual practices, write in your journal or sketch the information you have received on art paper with colored pencils. If you have asked for a location, draw everything you saw as you were lead to that location. If you asked to know something, try to remember what visual images you were given to complete your understanding. One man I know, has compiled a book of over 1000 sketches of images he saw in his dreams. The work is fantastic, and actually reads like a story. Your mental images are as important as your mental impressions. Take good notes and treasure your journals. They are the key to your spiritual growth. - 36 -

In one of my journeys for mystical knowledge, I asked how I would find my next teacher. I was shown a woman who came to my door wearing a turban of beautiful green and gold brocade and a fine golden shirt and pants of equally beautiful material. I let her in and she swept through the door as if she was a queen with her head held proudly high and her body gestures, elegant and fluid. She proceeded to hold a session with me, but she had nothing to tell me that I did not already know and as she continued to give me useless information she began to get smaller. When she rose to leave my house, I noticed that my height was vastly taller than hers. This bothered her and she attempted to stand more erect so she would appear taller than me, but she couldnt do it. When I escorted her to the door, she said goodbye, but asked my name, having forgotten it. By the time she walked through the door, her clothing had turned into common muslin cloth. And I had the feeling I was her teacher instead, and felt a sense of compassion for her folly and pretense. Translation: I may have a tendency to subjugate myself to my human teachers, who have seemed to be superior in many ways. But my next greatest teacher is already within me, as I already have access to all knowledge. Her fine clothing represents a higher class than I had regarded myself. She was wearing the clothing of a man and had a turban also. This indicated my unspoken habit of valuing the information from male teachers as being greater than from female teachers and her great height represents a person of high social and intellectual stature who regards themselves greater than the masses. After the lesson in which I already knew the information, I saw the magnitude of my inner resources. Within a week of this dream, I attended a party in which there was a guest from India. It was a woman who came dressed in a magnificent golden sari, though she was not Indian. She spoke with the intonation of an Indian, and even moved her head in the characteristic Indian head gesture she talked. But she was an American with blond hair and blue eyes, born in a small farming town in California who had gone to India to study with a guru. She had the attention and admiration of everyone in the room as she shared a glimpse of her teachings with us. She encouraged people to study with her saying she was now located in an Ashram a short distance away. I momentarily thought this may be my next teacher, as I had asked Spirit to show me. But then I saw how she used her appearance and mannerisms to accentuate her importance and this put me off. Later I realized she was the woman in my dream. After she had finished speaking to the room, she approached me and asked if we had ever met before. I gave her my name, and within a few minutes she had forgotten it. I now understood that it was my destiny to meet this teacher, but she would not become my next teacher. This is how divination works. You see images, or get feelings. Sometimes you have a deep sense of knowing and cannot determine specifically why. Spirit moves information into your consciousness in many ways. Be open, be aware and be grateful. As you strengthen your connection much more deeply, you will begin to see a remarkable change in the way you view your own life circumstances. - 37 -

The Eighth Gateway Devotion to the practice According to ancient mystics, water did transmit its knowledge faithfully when using the keys to open the gate properly. Today, however, much of what has been passed to the masses has been abbreviated to the point where most of the magic is never revealed or demonstrated thus leaving with modern society with the perspective that magic is not real. Most people think, unless a person can demonstrate parlor tricks using magic, they are not authentic. For those people, the magic is simply entertainment, but as a student of divination, you must overcome the desire to see the evidence of magic in tricks and acts. It is bad enough that the power of the ritual has been diluted by disbelieving people who have attempted to perform the rites without developing their devotion to the connection. Most people have never made contact with the Spirit of Water. Instead, they have become skeptical the power even exists. You will reach this point sooner than later. That will become your first gateway. At the point in which you become the most discouraged that your ritualistic practice has failed you, this is the point at which you must breath deeper and move more faithfully into the practice. When you least believe in the power of the water, go deeper. Resist the temptation to give up. Go so deeply that you lose your self-identity and ego need for the connection. Work harder to feel yourself in another form a water form and know, at that point, you are very close to gaining the direct transmission which will open the second gate for you. Unfortunately, the ritual and purpose of this transmission has been changed through the years as it has been passed along by those who lack the essential knowledge of divination and are simply emulating the ceremonies thinking the power is in the ritual. I am clear about this point the power is never in the ritual. The ritual is merely a gateway to the outer limits of consciousness. The power of any divination process is to travel beyond the first gate and pass through fear and doubt in order to get through the next gate, which is devotion and longing. In the state of longing and devotion, a direct transmission of the mystical secrets is now only possible, but predictable. According to oral traditions passed down in some of the oldest religions and spiritual practices, the only way to transferr the ancient power of the spiritual connection is through direct transmission. This means I can tell you how to perform the ritual, and explain how I made the connection. I can even guide you step-b-step in the process to help you get through the first gate. But I cannot give you the secrets or transmit the power. The power of water divination will be passed to you when you have demonstrated your intention and spiritual purity in using the tools to help you reach the point of devotion and longing. Most indigenous shamans and medicine carriers have attempted to maintain the integrity of their spiritual lineage by requiring novices to perform daily - 38 -

devotional acts in order to be granted the passport to the outer dimensions. They maintain the sacredness of their water rituals by limiting the number of students, thus granting the knowledge to very few. In presenting this work to you, I have trusted that only the very few who will go beyond the commitment point of the sixth lesson will achieve the power connection and use it for good purpose. Most people get discouraged and give up at this point. Nothing you have done up to this point is useless. I thas taught you to become more comfortable with spirit, your personal connection to the elements of life and to all life forms. But there is much more for you only if you are willing to go to the mountain every day and demonstrate your devotion. My guidance can only help you to get beyond the Eighth Gateway. The water will take you the rest of the way. May your journey be filled with extraordinary insight and awareness as you navigate the cosmos always in flow.
Shara Gardner 20055

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