Building Bridges Soul Groups & Conscious Communities

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Alisa Battaglia

Empathic Relations Series Part 2

Group ritual can serve as an energy sacrifice in service to certain forces;
or to focus mutual will into a powerful psychic vortex to be directed onto a selected target.

As planet Earth and her inhabitants experience expansion on multiple levels and phases on the journey of life, new ways of living, loving and forms of expression are making their way into the world as a new planetary ethic. As fore-runners and way-showers many of us are stepping up into our power, pushing forward beyond our comfort zones, even taking on entirely new roles to provide an opening for the confused and overwhelmed – to offer a balast in the transition in a quickly shifting world in decay. These time critical missions are an essential part in braiding together the whole of life in a cohesive life affirming manner.

As we embody the new energies we awaken and begin to connect with our birth vision and its place in the world vision. We learn how to attune with Nature and the greater Kosmic energies nudging us to move forward in tandem with their rhythms. Life begins to take on a different shape as we our perceptions shift in the shimmering awareness that the entire planet is alive, living, breathing and creating for us and through us. The construct of times seems to fade away the more we immerse into the rhythms of Nature and her cycles. The past and future merges and life happens in the now. Synchronous events open to us. There’s a strong overpowering feeling of the Laws at work like a knowing on a cool breeze and then poof someone actually knocks at the door to help us evolve or co-create with. We meet people that offer important tidings of a soulful nature, act as bridges builders for deeper connections along the way or they are long lasting in that they contribute to the infrastructure of the group work. These instant caring connections often become the substance of our intentional communities. However, meeting someone on the same path is not quite the same as meeting someone in our soul group, there is a difference in the intensity of feeling. For instance, with Soul members there is a strong energetic component, an instant soulful connection, almost telepathic with a direct knowing and an uncanny familiarity. It is an attractive webstring connection where the Language of Heart is spoken often without the need for the written word. There’s an instant knowing – a gnosis, a mutual love and rapport. Mutual love does not always mean sexual. It is simply a recognition of ones Beauty.

There are also wisdom teachers that leave a strong imprint on us. They usually enter for a short time to impart a multidimensional jewel for us to integrate and cultivate so that we may broaden our perceptual faculties and open our hearts wider. Their intense involvement in our lives is the gift to us that is in the giving-teaching so that we may essentially pay it forward to others.

On the inner levels, Soul Groups are energy pods that carry the same frequency or Soul signature with purpose to help cohere chaotic forces, or something well beyond our current knowing, but becomes clearer as the group gathers. We connect with our Soul group in both the etheric and dense realms or physical form by choice. On the outer levels, our Soul group provides nurturing support to help each of us keep the light ablaze within and for each to place their encoded vectors of the whole vision to form a kaleidoscope representative of the spiritual work together for both personal and planetary empowerment. Our Guardians or forebears are also part of our Soul group or lineage. I was shown that a group could be our selves (aligning our 12-dimensional being into synthesis) that exists in a streaming cascade or sliding effect of past-future-now projections through the 12 dimensional gateways. The Soul life is always steps ahead of the terrestrial body and is always relating for our highest and best interests.

We recognize soul members by their soul signature, not their appearance. There is an umbilical like connection in the transference of information with someone even living in a totally different area, state or Nation. While, the Internet has been instrumental in bringing soul groups together, the feeling connection goes beyond zero’s and ones. People from our soul group come into our lives at seemingly random times, but in fact these meetings were prearranged between us in Spirit before we came here. I recount a lucid dream experience explaining just this.

Way Station by Alisa Battaglia

“I arrive into a huge Way Station. I remember this momentous gathering of specific cyclic opportunity filled with an air of heightened anticipation, joy and focus for re-entry into a new incarnational experience. This familiar bustling depot is the meeting ground of all souls with entries and exits onto various stations. Each station represents a Soul Group Signature. I seek out this signature and find a few of my fellow Soul buds sitting on benches at a long table. There are about 16 of us to one soul pod. I am warmly greeted and we share wisdom of our last incarnational experiences. I am somewhat surprised as to some of the souls that are there, as I remember them in my last life as being on the periphery and they did not seem spiritual at all.

With only a few of us there, we anticipate each discarnate soul member to arrive so that we may, as a group, exit into our next adventure. With feelings of trepidation we recall the Law that each Soul group member must be present before any can embark onto a new life journey, unless by group consensus and for special purposes only, where one goes in alone before the others. Otherwise, all of us must wait until the next cycle. Slowly, however, one-by-one arrives and each is greeted with cheer. With the table nearly full, except for two, we are almost there. We begin to talk among us as the hour of departure beckons. We consider what life scenarios might have kept them from showing up on this auspicious Gathering of the Souls. We readily know that this incarnational opportunity will not arrive again for quite some time.

As in an airport, we hear our Soul Group call for assembly at the gate. Just at the final minute the last two arrive together and we joyously rush to our exit line-up. We stand in front of giant cubbies filled with box games, each with a life program and set of instructions that frame the experience for that incarnational role and the necessary agreements before launching into that experience. We make verbal exchanges about the games and consider the opportunities for soul advancement. We choose them on those merits. Not all of us choose the same game, however, but we take notes on how to remember one another for those of us that have. With a big hug, we bid one another adieu and good cheer on the next life travel and until the next gathering of incarnations.

Each of us exits by a jump off the platform like parachuting into a new life stream – descending by way of currents grounding our consciousness into the immersive stream of the new planetary life.” ~ END

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• Telestai or Planetary Gate Keepers for the Records of Earth: The appointment as Guardians and Holders of the Keys as to the story of our planet: the origins of planet Earth and the special way it formed to become a part of the solar system; the origins of the human species; the divine endowment of the human species; the existence of alien intrusion or ET predation in our solar system interfering with humanities co-creative co-evolutionary potential; and the divine being in planet Earth, Gaia-Sophia also known as Divine Mother of a thousand names across the ages.

• Bridge Builders using Webstring Connections to help actualize Earths correction and thus, realign our bio-psycho-spiritual connection in Nature: Tapping into Nature intelligence through our 54 senses.

• Gaian Eco-Sorcerers and Energy Psychologists that work with the Sense Faculties: The senses evolve into heightened faculties and the more we activate and use them the more powerful they become within us and greater is our wellbeing. In addition to these 54 senses are the amplification of the Heart’s higher sense faculties that form our Souls sensory apparatus and are used in tranceptions with planetary intelligence.

The Sacred Art of Ritual of Smudging

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Alisa Battaglia

A repost of my published article: Source: The Sacred Art of Ritual of Smudging

The Sacred Art of Ritual Smudging

By Alisa Battaglia

Ritual allows us to enter sacred space with awareness to flow. There is often a point of focus at the center of a ritual in present time that helps us to reclaim our spirituality. Performing ritual is simply a tool to reawaken this aspect of our being because in it provides a signal to the body to begin physiological and energetic changes to initiate change by aiming for an altered state of consciousness conducive to self-exploration and reprogramming. The ritual of smudging can be defined as “spiritual house cleaning.” It refers to passing one self or an object through sacred smoke as a means of purification, which is an energetic process.

Shamanic smudging ritual is an age-old tribal tradition used for centuries by the native people of both North and South America, European peasants and Siberian shamans to open the doors of the soul to the spirit world. They burned certain herbs and incense as a way of gaining access to the soul and power of plants for spiritual, ceremonial, and magical use. Certain plants when burned release a high vibrational energy through the fragrance and their smoke is used as an offering to create harmony and peace, purification and healing protection of physical and spiritual bodies, banishment of negative energies and creation of sacred space. When the herbs are burned it is thought that the soul of the plant is released to aid its energies for a particular invocation. In theory, the smoke attaches itself to negative energy and acts as a conduit by taking negative energies with it as the smoke clears and releases it into another space where it is regenerated into positive energy.

Sacred Herbs used in Smudging

The plant is the teacher, the true authority on which heals or is best for magic. There are certain plants that are held in high esteem that are agreed upon in most traditions. The smoke from sacred plants and herbs traditionally used to purify are tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, and cedar. However, the types of herbs used with their many local varieties may vary as purposes overlap and change by tradition and personal preferences.

In many traditions, shamanic smudging involves a four directions ceremony or prayer, which anchors protection in a sacred circle or sends specific kinds of smoke or prayers into the four directions. Different tribes, Covens and Shamans have different smudging prayers that program the smoke to do a specific action. In general, smudging is used to purify and cleanse spiritually, call for balance and harmony, to aide in divination, invoke spirits, healing powers and to carry prayers further into the Universe.

Traditional smudge sticks are tied in a bundle for easier handling. Some herbs are used loose or braided like Sweetgrass. The bundles are usually handmade and prepared using traditional methods from the finest-quality sacred herbs which are 100% pure and grown without chemical synthetics or petroleum distillates, which is important since the smoke is inhaled by default. Smudge sticks are used for ceremonial purposes, offerings, or simply to recreate the ancient aromas for their aromatherapeutic properties.

Tobacco (ah-say-ma) No other plant is endowed with such qualities, which is why pure tobacco is used in American Indian rituals. Tobacco from cigarettes is not used for ritual use because it is adulterated, as it is filled with pesticides and chemicals that cause cancer.

SAGE can be used for general purposes. The word sage or salvia comes from the Latin word salvare, which means “To Heal.” Sage has long been used in “smudging” ceremonies to promote purification, protection, longevity, and immortality. Studies have shown that the smoke of burning sage literally changes the ionization polarity of the air. Its element is air.

~Desert Sage is one of the most sacred herbs among Native Americans used to purify the mind, body, and spirit before prayer, meditation, ritual or ceremony and to purify sacred items such as pipes, magical tools, tarot decks and eagle feathers. This sage is great to cleanse an area, the house and for aura cleansings. The scent of desert sage is somewhat sharp, light and refreshing.

~White Broadleaf Sage is excellent for meditation, divination, smudging, cleansing and purification. Broad leaf sage is considered the king of all sages. It is prized over all the sages for its strong aromatic properties.

Cedar was offered to the fire to smudge the lodge and people. Its smoke is wafted to ward away sickness.

Sweetgrass is excellent for cleansing sacred space that helps us to center ourselves and is traditionally believed to invite good spirits. Sweetgrass is a rare grass which is found growing wild in very few places. It has a sweet and light fragrance that does not last for long.

Herbs can be burned singly or in combination with each other. A second herb is used to bring in whatever influence is needed.

Pine Resin & Sage (either desert sage or white broadleaf sage) is a good combination that covers all four magical elements of air, fire, water and earth. This combination is appropriate for general use, cleansing, ceremony and ritual.

Cedar & Sage provides the perfect balance for cleansing and enlivening an atmosphere.

Common Herbs used in Smudging

Here are some general uses for the different herbs often used for smudging.

Copal Gold Resin, holy incense used by the peoples of Mesoamerica. It is traditionally used as incense in divinatory and cleansing ceremonies. The resin contains aromatic chemicals called terpenes, which make it volatile and flammable. It was used by Mayan shamans prior to ingesting mushrooms. Its elemental is primarily fire and water, but can also be used for four-element general purposes. When burned, the scent is sweet, resinous, slightly woody, mildly earthy and spicy.

Myrrh Resin was used by the ancient Egyptians in rituals of healing and passing. It is one of the ingredients they used to embalm bodies. The resin is gathered from the almost leafless Middle Eastern shrub called the Commiphora Molmol. It is useful for spirituality, meditation, happiness, release, transformation, strength, confidence and stability. Its elemental is primarily earth, but can also be used for four-element general purposes. The scent is a piney and very earthy that produces a lot of smoke when burned.

Frankincense Resin is used extensively in meditation and healing and is my very favorite. It is used in numerous religious traditions such as the Catholic Church. Its scent is believed to confer divine blessing. Its elemental is primarily fire, but can also be used for four-element general purposes. Frankincense comes from the resin of an African tree and produces a rich, dense smoke when burned.

Pinon Resin was used by Native American cultures for its spiritual and healing properties that are cleansing, strengthening and warming. It is used to refresh the senses and revive a tired soul. Its elemental is primarily fire, but can also be used for four-element general purposes. The fragrance is pleasant and meditative and when burned it produces a thick stream of smoke.

Juniper was used in ancient times for ritual purification of temples. Its smoke is believed to aid clairvoyance and stimulate contact with other worlds. It is also stimulative and therefore effective in reviving a tired body, mind or spirit. Its elemental is primarily fire, but can also be used for four-element general purposes. The scent is sharp and piney and was burned during the Plague to resist disease.

Lavender is useful for attracting peace, happiness and restful sleep. It reduces depression, grief and sorrow and aids in meditation, manifestation and divination. It is traditionally associated with fairies and elves. The element is primarily air. The scent is a refreshing and light aromatic.

Yerba Santa Leaves are used for meditation and divination. It is thought to enhance psychic abilities, magical protection, healing and spiritual strength.

Hibiscus Flowers are often used in divination and psychic communication. The flowers are excellent for rejuvenating the senses and restoring life force. The elementals are water and fire. The scent is invigorating and sharp and lasts for a long time after burning.

Rose Flowers and Petals is used for meditation, divination, increasing psychic abilities and communication, contacting powers and beings in other dimensions. Traditionally the rose is associated with attracting love, conferring peace, stimulating sexual appetites and enhancing beauty. The element is primarily water. The scent is heavy, warm and aromatic with a hint of sharpness that lasts a long time after burning.

How to Smudge

Smudging is very simple. The pointed end of the herbal smudge bundle is lit while held over a heat-proof bowl filled with a bed of sand or gravel or an abalone shell. It can take a while to get the stick really smoking, but once the bundle is ignited and smoldering, gently wand the bundle or waft the smoke around the room, object or body. If the herb is loose blow the smoke or use a feather to circulate the fragrant smoke around the room or person while invoking forces or saying a prayer for a special need. When the ritual is complete, inhale a little smoke to purify your insides. Do not asphyxiate yourself. People often feel more relaxed, lighter and brighter after smudging. By allowing the purification and cleansing properties of herbs to clear personal items, the body, or environment, the space is created for new awareness and for a new direction to take place.

~To smudge the body, stand with the legs hips distance apart and arms out at shoulder height which makes it easy to weave the wand through. Hold the smudge stick 8-10 inches from the perimeter the body. Traditionally, the heart area is first to be smudged since the heart is the corridor into the spiritual planes. Begin by fanning the swirls of smoke around the body’s aura starting at the heart and then down the front of the body to the feet. Smudge the bottom of the feet and work upward towards the back and over the head and face back to the heart. Follow the perimeter of the body and make sure both the front and back of the body is smudged. Direct the smoke and give special attention to areas of stress and imbalance in relation to the individual spirit-body. Make your invocation or prayer as you do so.

~ For the living environment start at the door and slowly walk in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of the room paying particular attention to sharp corners such as door frames, the corners and top of walls where negative energy gets stuck and any window frames.
? We can also smudge any medicine or magikal tool that will be in use such as pipe, jewelry, ceremonial outfit, etc.

~ Smudging for meditation often produces a deeper and longer-lasting state of relaxation and contemplation. For best results use a charcoal burner or inflammable receptacle or an incense stick. Light the herbs and enjoy the scent as you meditate.

When to Smudge

Smudging ourselves daily can be very helpful in keeping balance and in maintaining a peaceful state of being, especially before meditation. Specific times to smudge are when we have been around people who are ill, depressed, fearful, angry or who are generally emotionally unbalanced. Also, when we feel blue or depressed, have been under much stress or after an argument, in which case the environment should also be cleared as well as the auric field of the person.
In a group, circle, ceremony, or lodge it is a good practice to smudge each person. Traditionally we do this by starting from the East and holding the smudge stick or receptacle lit while each person bathe themselves in the smoke and follow the process described above. However, smudging has been adapted to the need through intuition. Smudging can also be used to charge energy into a room to bring positive influence. When the ritual is complete inhale a little smoke to purify your insides. Gently blow out the flame or stab it into sand, but make sure the smudge stick is out, as it has a tendency to ignite. Never leave the bundle unattended.

Legend

“Tobacco was a gift of the Four Manido (Spirits of the Four Directions). It was the father of Nanabush who gave the tobacco (ah-say-ma) and shared the custom of smoking with his son after their epic battle in war, as a symbol of peace. Nanabush in turn passed on the custom to the Anishnabe as a ceremony. Thereafter, the Anishnabe smoked the Pipe of Peace before great councils, after war, and before other ceremonies. The Anishnabe adopted the custom and made it part of their daily lives to compose their minds and spirits. It is said that it will chase away feelings that are bad or negative and bring on thoughts that are good or positive.
In the medicine wheel, which we convey as the wheel of life, there are Four Directions. When we are born, life begins in the East. The teenage years are in the South. Then mid-life is in the West. When we reach the North, we are grandmas and grandpas and nearly ready to go to the Spirit World as we have done our many deeds on Mother Earth. The journey does not end in the North because we go to the Spirit World and then the cycle continues.

We gain knowledge with our tobacco (ah-say-ma) and we grow spiritually. Our hearts feel and our spiritual eyes have to see what our Creator wants us to learn. We feel the knowledge in our soul, and we know it comes from our Creator. When we pray, we get answers, then we are nurtured and we grow spiritually.” From the book of legends and stories, Ojibwa Heritage By Basil Johnson.

Language of Heart

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The Heart is the Living Map to Guide us into the Heart of the Living Mother. ~Alisa Battaglia

Love is the flower for which love is the honey ~ Victor Hugo

The language of the Universe is reflected through the Soul in its perspective of a unified consciousness that is imbued with the eternal trinity of the good, the beautiful and the true. The seat of the soul is the heart and therefore, the language of Soul is the language of the Heart and also the language of Nature, since the soul is bonded into the Earth’s magnetic body inasmuch that Spirit is anchored into the Pleroma, the electrical force of creation at the heart of the Galactic Center. This means that the language of the soul communicates multi-dimensionally through the nexus of the heart in wholeness. According to the attribute of our heart is the reflective action, our measure of selflessness or selfishness. The variety of those interactions reflects the consciousness of our hearts’ that creates our experiences and how we communicate them to others. When there is the simple awareness that pain, trauma and fear (anger) keeps us from being totally involved in the now we begin to understand volition and right action. We recognize that what does not stand in love within us needs to be worked out with a mind connected in the Spirit in Nature’s Intelligent Love.

Right action or volition is the primary force of motivation that distinguishes the personality of the Soul from the personality desires of the masked or automated self. The motivation of Soul energy can be felt as a feeling-intellect within the heart, the impulse of compassion that moves us from the thick walls of selfishness into an ever-widening inclusiveness with life. It is from that place that we honestly attempt to be authentic as we are motivated through courage, inspiration and energy – the territory of the unfolding petals of the inner heart.

With an open heart it becomes easier to fight our selfishness with generosity and we begin to understand the language our Soul impulse seeks to communicate to us. When we listen to these subtle directive inner promptings, we nourish our Soul desires and trust its guidance more into our lives instead of fearing and going against our Essential Self. Our Soul interfaces with our personality vehicle the more we honor others and ourselves by following through on our commitments, contribute our skills and knowledge in a loving and patient way. As we accept our selves, learn tolerance and unconditional love we raise the vibrations of our energy body attracting to us those of similar attributes of heart and essentially energies of higher quality vibrations that resounds outwardly into the world.

To invoke spiritual energy to help us heal or to show us our path of purpose, we ground into the womb of Nature, center our mind and expand our hearts. Then we simply state our needs, dreams and desires, forgive and then let go of our attachments and preconceived process of how things should be done. We release the tentacles of our mind that wraps around things we identify with (our conditioning) so that we may let things happen and surrender the “how” to the miracle-producing Universe. We listen and move in rhythm with the Divine Heart of the Mother where love flows in Equipoise lovingly bringing calm, receptivity, aliveness and joy into our lives. The purpose of ensoulment is a life in aliveness, never angst, fear or derision.

Published multiple times in Sibyl Magazine