Amish Trial: Sexual Coercion & Violent Haircuts

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Well, now we know what "sexual counseling" from Sam Mullet meant. As per testimony from his, ahem, daughter-in-law, it was to help women become "better wives" and stop failing their poor husbands.

The woman said her husband had a mental breakdown in the summer of 2008 and was in the hospital when Mullet suggested that her husband's trouble stemmed from dissatisfaction with his marriage. Mullet told her he wanted to help the couple with marriage counseling, and she agreed to his request to move in with him, she said.

At first, he wanted hugs, from her she said, adding that she learned he had asked the same of other women.

"Next we had to kiss him or maybe we had to sit on his lap," she said. "I'm not sure what was first."

. . .

She went along with Mullet's wishes because she thought it would help her husband, she said.

Friar: Priests Are Victims of Sexually Abusive Teens

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Um. Wow.

In a recent interview with the National Catholic Register, Father Benedict Groeschel, of the conservative Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, said that teens act as seducers in some sexual abuse cases involving priests.

. . .

"People have this picture in their minds of a person planning to — a psychopath," Groeschel said. "But that’s not the case. Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown, and a youngster comes after him. A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer."

Pressed for clarification, the New York State-based religious leader explained that kids looking for father figures might be drawn to priests to fill an emotional hole in their lives.

Once in a Very Blue Moon

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Tomorrow will be our last chance to see a blue moon until July of 2015. Of course, blue moons are no bluer than any other full moon -- only rarer. They're anomalous calendrical events that come about because our lunar cycle doesn't quite jibe with our 12 month, solar calendar. By our current definition, blue moons are really just like other full moons except that they happen to fall as a second full moon in a month. That makes them kind of neat, so people write songs about them.

What makes this blue moon particularly special is that it is also the day that Neil Armstrong will be laid to rest.

There's a rare `blue moon' on Friday, a fitting wink to Neil Armstrong by the cosmic calendar.

That's the day of a private service for Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, who died last Saturday in Ohio at age 82.

The Amish Hair-Cutting Trial Begins

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

I've been reading through the coverage of the Amish hair-cutting trial that kicked off this week. Today's award for the stupidest lede goes to one James F. McCarty of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The law of God will collide with the law of man this week in a crowded federal courtroom in Cleveland, where 16 Amish defendants -- 10 men with full beards, six women in white bonnets -- will stand trial on charges related to a series of beard- and hair-cutting attacks against fellow Amish men and women last year.

That would be true if the government were simply prosecuting Sam Mullet and his followers for  practicing their religion. But that implies that religious freedom gives people the right to assault and degrade other people. That is, more or less, what the defense is arguing -- that, somehow, Sam Mullet had the right to "punish" people who weren't even under his religious authority.

As with U.S. Catholic Bishops, we're now expected to accept a definition of religious freedom as the right to control other people.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Power of Dance: Trance Dance

The power of dance goes largely untapped in the contemporary world. When we dance we can access the power to reconcile inner conflict, to transform toxic stress into energy, and reshape the story that defines our path in the world. So why don't we dance? Or why don't we dance with the focus and intention required to enter sacred space and embody the Spirit of Dance? Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, as she explores trance dance, ecstatic dance, and the ways we enter sacred space, the ways we try to, and why in some settings it just doesn't come together. The movement itself is prayer. You don't need to be a dancer or even enjoy dancing to access the power dance. You just need to get up in whatever way you can and move. Dance and rhythm are the means by which people across time and place have accessed shamanic alternate states and the healing relationship with spirit that awaits us there. The possibilities to create the personal healing needed for the global change ahead await us in movement. And together in movement, the possibilities to create the global change needed to thrive exist in the power of dance.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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FLDS Getting Stranger and Stranger

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

The behavior around Warren Jeffs's stronghold in Texas and among his remaining followers has been increasingly strange -- a no sex edict for most, numerous excommunications, a tower built and then demolished... Now come reports that people are relocating and concern is that it is tied to end of the world prophecies from the incarcerated leader. To my mind, the assembled reports indicate that FLDS is falling apart. Jeffs has lost control of his circumstances and is tightening his grip on those he still deems to be faithful. If there was ever a reason to fear a Jim Jones type incident, now is when I'd really start to worry.

Jeffs is being painted as a martyr and the loyalty of his followers is being called into question. At least that is the way I'd read the flyer that turned up in a school near the Utah, Arizona border. The flyer (above) asks of members, what are you doing about Jeffs's imprisonment? Observes Lindsay Whitehurst of the Salt Lake Tribune:

It reflects what people have been telling me about the message from FLDS leaders: Warren Jeffs is a martyr. He could be free if only the people's faith was strong enough.

. . .

That mind-set that turns any questions about Jeffs back on the doubter, and helps to turn people against each other.

What we're seeing now is a cult purge, as a rapidly decompensating Jeffs projects his shadow onto anyone he can blame for his self-destruction. The truly frightening question is what will he demand of his followers next as proof of their loyalty?

Religious Abuse: The Amish Hair-Cutting Trial

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

The trial of the Amish hair-cutting ring is set to start next Monday, August 27th. And prosecutors will be able to present evidence of Sam Mullet's abuse of his own parishioners: sex with other men's wives, paddling, the chicken coop, all of it. The government's argument is that these things are evidence of Sam Mullet's control over his flock, making him culpable for the hair-cutting raids on other Amish communities.

"His ability to convince those women, as well as their husbands and parents, to permit him to do so, establishes the extent of defendant Mullet's control over the community," the government said.

Based on that, the government said, the jury can conclude that Mullet was aware of 2011's attacks and approved.

In addition to the sexual conduct issues, alleged paddling rituals and punishing members by sending them to a chicken coop "are not inflammatory; they are undisputed facts" that the jury should hear, the government said.

Defense attorneys had moved to have much of this information excluded on the basis that it was unproven and prejudicial. But Judge Dan Aaron Polster has largely agreed with the prosecution. He found that Mullet's treatment of his own people is an element in the crime in question and testimony about that treatment can be heard by a jury. He did agree with the defense that prosecutors not use prejudicial language to describe the Bergholz clan which has been characterized by many as a cult. Witnesses, however, will not be so constrained.

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Your own Sacred Story with Jeff Stockton

Where are you in your own Sacred Story? Your story can weave and hold you together or it can unravel your bearings in life and tear you from your true self. Stories have power; they can heal and they can harm. Stories, when be wielded with mastery by the Storyteller, can shape the hearts and souls of a people. "Shamans are and always have been the storytellers, the wisdom keepers," explains our guest, Jeffery Stockton, winner of the prestigious international 2012 Storytelling World award. "It is essential to have stories in the medicine bag and to have relationships with them-the living experiences of stories of power." Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, and she explores the power of stories to illuminate our deepest sense of self and to shape the narrative of our healing and transformation. Jeff is our next guest for the Society of Shamanic Practitioners sponsored interview series. In this series we explore how contemporary shamans are meeting the challenges of their world. In our world we are "the story species," as Jeff says "All species have memory and insight and instinct and many have complex language, but as far as we know, we are the storytellers.

This week's guest:
Jeff Stockton

Jeff Stockton is an award winning Storyteller and Celtic Harpist. Since 1997 he has been performing nationally and internationally in concert with full ensemble and in intimate settings with solo harp. He weaves stories on the strings of the harp at conferences, storytelling festivals, performance showcases, children's festivals, Celtic festivals, and school audiences.

Jeff has released three recordings of his work. 'Sacred Ground', 'Beneath the Boughs', and 'Wisdom of the Woods', which was awarded the prestigious international '2012 Storytelling World' award naming it one of the best storytelling recordings of the year. He works extensively in the realm of Celtic Shamanism and Spirituality delving into the power of song and story in group retreats and in work with individuals.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Britain to Stop Investigating Monthly UFOs

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Just. Weird.

It is official at last: Britain is not at risk from unidentified flying objects.

Those who have long feared an invasion from Mars or further afield can relax – at least, that is, if they believe the Ministry of Defence.

An end has been ordered to all official investigations of Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, after the ministry ruled they do not pose a threat to the nation’s security.

It comes as the head of UK Air Traffic Control admitted the country is visited by around one unidentified flying object a month.

Olympics Close Goes For Alchemical Gold

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

We've made it through the entire Olympics, both opening and closing ceremonies, without a false flag incident or alien invasion. This leaves the woo woo world with nothing to do but pick through the Illuminati and Masonic symbolism and speculate about how the elites are mocking us with their openly practiced death rituals. They're not entirely wrong. There was some interesting symbolism in the closing ceremony and, as in the opening, it was fairly well obscured by bad theater. But, again, all I saw were beautiful, recognizable, symbols of ascension. And as with the opening ceremony, if the viewer wasn't looking specifically at that nearly subliminal through-line, there wasn't one. The close was considerably less cluttered and confusing than the opening but it was equally high on spectacle and low on making sense.

They continued on with the theme of "Great Britain has produced many great musicians and wouldn't you like to hear them all in rapid succession but in no recognizable order." As a theme, a "Symphony of British Music" creates a less than coherent narrative. "Disco at the end of the wedding," another description offered by organizers, is even less helpful... unless you're considering the possibility that we are looking at a stream of alchemical symbols. A wedding is a marriage of opposites, or polarities -- a representation of the transcendence of duality and return to oneness. One notable example, attributed to the Rosicrucians, is The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rozenkreutz. Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval give a thorough analysis of the symbolism in The Master Game, concluding:

It seems to us beyond serious doubt that a great allegory of death, rebirth and spiritual transformation lies at the heart of the Chemical Wedding and that Adam McLean is right to compare the entire process to an ancient mystery initiation.

So was the closing ceremony celebrating a completed initiation into the mysteries? I'm inclined to say yes. The only other explanation is that a lot of highly respected talent collaborated on a giant mess with a few random symbols poking out by happenstance.

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Real Life is Messy

If we live in our comfort zone the "to do" list gets done, all the bills get paid on time, and you never have your driver's license suspended because the speeding ticket you got from the traffic robot was sent to your old address so you never knew. And if we live in our comfort zone we are living where we are already dead. "Without discomfort there is no warriorship and without warriorship there is no life," says host and shaman, Christina Pratt. "Life happens at the interface of our comfort and discomfort zones. It is that daily step into discomfort that takes us into where we are becoming, awakening, and aligning our life with a clearer consciousness of who self." And into where we often make a mess because we are learning. The messiness of life is a great gift. It helps us to know where Life as the Teacher is schooling us, how to craft a powerful question for our journeys, and precisely how our heart spirit is calling us into deeper alignment with our True Self. Join us this week as we explore the many ways to use the mess you have made of your life and your shamanic skills to divine a clear and effective path forward for whole-hearted living and joyous well-being.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Cave Art for Children?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

No one ever went broke catering to the innate shamanic consciousness of children. For example: Where the Wild Things Are... and a very large percentage of children's books. That one just happens to be my favorite. It has everything: a journey into non-ordinary reality, communication with strange creatures, therianthropy (aka. shapeshifting), use of a boat over strange water. All common features of a shamanic journey.

Sometimes when I'm watching cartoons with my daughter I'm just brought up short by the commercials. Usually it's because of the pandering, manipulative, sugar-pimping marketing. But the GlowCrazy™ Doodle Dome™ I want for myself. If only they made it a little bigger.

Some of this alludes so directly to the mysteries of prehistoric cave art, I have a hard time believing it's not deliberate. Starting at 0:14 on the counter is a sequence on drawing aliens from outer space... kind of like the famous images that appear on cave walls in Kimberley, Australia.

Richard Dawkins: Psychonaut?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

This is a bit of fun. Graham Hancock queries famous atheist Richard Dawkins as to his willingness to experiment with mind altering plants. The answer may surprise you.

Could This Be a Lost da Vinci?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

We'll have to wait and see if this is really a da Vinci but you know what I notice? Mary Magdalene (?) has no eyebrows. Neither does the Mona Lisa and according to a recent discovery, it's because that layer of paint has worn off. Da Vinci added eyebrows on top of the last layer of glaze to lend a more three dimensional look. I wonder if that's a technique he taught and if the same is true of this painting.

Fiona McLaren, 59, had kept an old painting in her Scottish farmhouse for decades. She reportedly didn't think much of the painting, which had been given to her as a gift by her father. But after she finally decided to have the painting appraised, some experts are speculating that it may in fact be a 500-year-old painting by Leonardo da Vinci and potentially worth more than $150 million.

. . .

The Daily Mail says the painting may be of Mary Magdalene holding a young child. The painting is now undergoing further analysis by experts at the Cambridge University and the Hamilton Kerr Institute, who will attempt to uncover its exact age and origins.

Even if the painting is not a da Vinci original, it is believed to at least be from the da Vinci school, created by one of the master's pupils during the 16th century.

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The Power of the Teacher
(Rebroadcast for March 18, 2009)

You have the gathered the love of your path (Healer) and the wisdom to guide you along it (Warrior). But where is the power to make it real? The power comes from the Teacher's ability to see through his/her own stories to the deeper truth to the soul and it's longing. The shamanic skills of the Strong Heart are used to transform all aspects of self that have become righteous, positional, judgmental or controlling. Walking the path of your soul's purpose demands passionate commitment to the process without attachment to the outcome. Teacher cultivates a robust relationship with the Unknown and the fundamental truth that All is One and there is no separation. Having exposed the lie of separation, the Teacher brings Balance, Wholeness, and Trust to the life expression of the Authentic Self. The strong heart of the Teacher gives us access to our power to step into our own self-mastery and sovereignty.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Rover Curiosity Takes Pictures on Mars

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

History was made today as Curiosity landed on Mars. The rover has begun returning photos from the red planet.

Thanks to a remarkable combination of engineering and mathematics, a NASA satellite in orbit around Mars was able to capture a picture of the split second when Curiosity fell from the skies to its successful landing on the surface of the red planet.

"We have ended one phase of the mission much to our enjoyment," mission manager Mike Watkins said. "But another part has just begun."

And in a splendid second act, the rover beamed back its first images from the surface of the planet, including a shot Monday night of Mars' Mount Sharp looming in the distance, the object of Curiosity's own programmed curiosity.

The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, with dunes in the distance. And beyond rises the highest peak of Mount Sharp, at a height of about 3.4 miles taller than Mount Whitney in California. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to past environmental change.

Sixteen Amish Mullets and Millers Reject Plea

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Bishop Mullet Strikes a Pose

The case of the Amish hair-cutters will proceed to trial. The sixteen defendants rejected a plea offer that would have given them sentences of 2-3 years. They'll take their chances at trial where they face potential sentences of twenty years or more.

The defendants include members of an eastern Ohio breakaway Amish group. Prosecutors said the attacks were hate crimes.

The defendants said they were internal church disciplinary matters not involving anti-Amish bias.

So, they're stickin' with that story. Two problems: 1) The judge found that a sectarian conflict can be considered a hate crime and the Bergholz clan is a break-away sect, and 2) That they consider attacking people in their homes and cutting off their hair and beards -- something the Amish consider an assault on their religious beliefs and highly degrading -- a form of "discipline" tells you everything you need to know about Bishop Sam Mullet. He also considers putting his own male followers in a chicken coop and sleeping with their wives a form of discipline. Sam Mullet is one sick twist.

Goateed Easter Island Head Tony Robbins

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

The Colbert Report
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Stephen Colbert's take-down of Tony Robbins and his firewalk fiasco is a must see. Hilarious!!! I do have one small concern: That James Ray will see this -- when he gets out of jail -- and steal some of Colbert's ideas. Can't you just hear Ray telling people that they need to "play full on" as they're rolling in a pit of broken glass? I know I can.

But you know what strikes me? Tony Robbins charges less for seminars than James Ray. And he apparently offers a range of rates based on different levels of access. I also found this which shows a top rate of about half of what James Ray charged for the Spiritual Warrior seminar which was about half as long and killed three people. I'm sure Robbins's income is greater -- many, many more people. James Ray, on the other hand, groomed a substantially smaller following and used a variety of mind manipulation techniques to soak their credit cards for vast sums. You know what else I noticed looking at Robbins's website? He has a clear refund policy... as opposed to a strict no refund policy. If you don't like a Robbins event, you can turn in your materials and get a refund. Compare that to being constantly reminded that you paid a lot of money if you don't want to participate in an activity or you choose to leave. No one got a refund from James Ray. Not even the people he cooked to death.

I say none of this because I think Tony Robbins is a really great guy. And I'd rather roll around in broken glass than go to one of his events. I say it because it puts into such sharp relief what a horrible, awful, dangerous person James Ray is by comparison.

Olympics Opens With Ascension Blueprint

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

I've been getting caught up on my Olympics Opening Ceremony viewing. As stated, I was not home on Friday evening so I had to record it. I was at a Lughnassadh (Lammas) ritual gathering. It rained. We all got wet -- which was kind of nice, actually. And it produced this magnificent rainbow. My husband got one good snap of one end of it, with his cell. You can also just make out the traces of a quickly dissipating second rainbow that started to form alongside it. But it was one of those magnificent, full bows that you could see from end to end, arching over the trees. I was about dumbstruck, not only because it was a beautiful ending to our ritual, but because we were seeing it at the exact same time as this year's Olympics was kicking off, replete as it is with rainbow imagery.

That said, it's taken me a while to plow through my recording of the ceremony... mainly because it's just awful. When it comes to the performing arts, I'm a "less is more" kind of person, so on that score, this show utterly failed for me. I get that Great Britain is rich in history and great literature. It's also produced many great musicians. But did we really have to hear to them all? I hate medleys. They insult my intelligence.

Perhaps the goal was to obscure all the esoteric imagery, because there was a lot of it. I guess if you can't achieve subtlety in scripting your subtext, putting your audience into total, sensory overwhelm is the next best thing. There were some beautiful images and tableaux in both the film montages and the arena performances but they were nearly lost in rapid-fire smash edits, dizzying camera angles, and what I can only describe as a huge, overcrowded mess.

The spiritual imagery started right from the beginning as did the assault on the senses. The opening film featured an electric blue (pearl) dragonfly (immortality) emerging from the water at the source of the River Thames, marked by a stone reading:

Isles of Wonder

This stone was placed here to mark the
source of the River Thames