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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Living your Soul's Purpose

How do we walk the line between the Old Story Rules and the New System we are creating? Once you have found the path to your soul's purpose, how do you stay the course? Our lives are often a great web of responsibilities, expectations, addictions, and distractions that create conflict in our hearts and rob the clarity in our minds. In that tension between who you have been and who you are becoming one hesitates to act and loses confidence that there was ever true guidance at all. Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, as she answers listeners' questions about the day-to-day effort and art of living your soul's purpose. The secret is remembering that we have only one true responsibility, which is to live our soul's purpose. And no matter the situation that arises on that journey, we have the most power to create change on ourselves in the moment.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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FLDS Crushing Cars in Texas

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

First it was the giant watchtower. Now it's their cars. FLDS members at the Yearning For Zion Ranch have been observed crushing their cars... and lawnmowers. It's further evidence that they are dismantling that particular stronghold in the wake of a probable Texas takeover. Here are the strange details.

In a Jan. 31 report by Monique Ching in the San Angelo Standard-Times, James Doyle says that "around 50 nice cars" including Cadillac Escalades have been destroyed by the FLDS in Texas. Doyle offers a possible explanation: There are liens on the cars.

Kathy Mankin, of the Eldorado Success, photographed some of the activity at an FLDS property last month.

With the State of Texas closing in on taking away the YFZ Ranch and no reported response from the FLDS to fight this action, you can only wonder what is going on with the car crushing. Are they packing up and moving out? And why lawn mowers? [All emphases mine]

So, once again, the response from Warren Jeffs and his remaining followers is one of less engagement with the outside world. They're not fighting back. They're closing ranks, reducing their footprint, and possibly moving to more hidden locations. On the one hand, I'm glad to see the cult breaking down and attriting its membership. On the other, I fear all the more for those who are left. Jeffs is only increasing his vice-like grip. He's micromanaging the most intimate details of their lives and forcing them to share in his suffering with a beans and water diet. And it's only going to get worse.

William Henry on the Judgement Day Device

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

I noticed this article about the Muslim view of the apocalypse The Huffington Post and it reminded me that I've been meaning to listen to two recent interviews with William Henry. From the article:

Muslim and Christian views of the Apocalypse are remarkably similar, albeit with a different ending.

. . .

Contemporary Muslim apocalyptists have even borrowed from their Christian counterparts, such as Hal Lindsay, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, to discern the dates of the Antichrist's arrival, said David Cook, an expert on Islamic eschatology and associate professor at Rice University.

. . .

Some Muslims don't like the idea of Jesus playing the messianic hero, and have thus assigned a larger role to the Mahdi, said Cook. That belief is strong among Shiites, particularly the "Twelvers" in Iran, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often spoke of the Mahdi's return.

William Henry's research adds an important piece to the puzzle of apocalyptic prophecies: the Ark of the Covenant. Henry believes that all the players are seeking the ark, in hopes of harnessing its mythical power. Above is posted his recent interview on Red Ice Radio and his interview on Awake in the Dream can found here.

The whole thing is a study in the dangers of literalism. Supplemental reading and listening can be found here and here.

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." ~ Luke 17:20-21

Pope Benedict XVI Resigns

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Wrote His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI:

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013

BENEDICTUS PP XVI

The Burning Times Continue

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

The highly publicized torture killing of an accused witch in Papua New Guinea is a brutal reminder that they still burn "witches" in some parts of the world.

A young mother was burned alive in Papua New Guinea this week after townspeople accused her of being a witch.

According to multiple reports, Kepari Leniata, 20, was tortured and killed in front of a mob of hundreds in the town of Mount Hagen. The woman, stripped naked and covered in gasoline, was burned alive on a pile of trash by relatives of a young boy who had died earlier in the week. The relatives had accused Leniata of killing him with sorcery.

If anything, it's a growing trend. Deep-seated cultural beliefs result in numerous murders, despite their illegality.

PNG's sorcery act dates back to before 1975, when the nation was a colony of Australia.

The law acknowledges the widespread belief in sorcery and tries to regulate it; however, the courts have increasingly backed away from sorcery cases.

Sam Mullet to Go Away for Awhile

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Click to See Press Conference Video

Samuel Mullet, the bishop of the rogue Amish sect that terrorized Amish in four Ohio counties with  hair clippers, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Aaron Polster to fifteen years in prison. Fifteen of his followers who carried out the brutal attacks will all do some jail time, with sentences ranging from one year and a day to seven years.

The most complete record of today's proceedings I've been able to locate is from WKYC in Cleveland, and it includes a partial transcript of comments. Each of the defendants took responsibility and many offered to take on the punishment for others. In particular, several of the husbands offered to serve for their wives so that they could go home to their children. Judge Polster gave the lightest sentences to the women and deferred a number of them until after their husbands are released so that the children would be protected.

Many of the defendants were characteristically Amish -- apologetic, contrite, and accepting of justice for their fully confessed wrong-doing. To my ear Sam Mullet still managed to come off as a self-pitying martyr.

"I am being blamed for being a cult leader....I am not going to be here much longer...my goal in life is to help the younger people...if somebody needs to be punished, I'll take the punishment for everybody....let these mothers and fathers go home to their children"

"I'm not taking the farm with me. I'm not going to be here much longer. My goal in life has been to help people that are the underdog, to help people who are frowned on, mocked.....,"

"Let these dads and moms go home to their families, raise their children, I'll take the punishment for everybody. There's a lot more things I could say, but everything I say is twisted and turned."

Well. At least he offered to do the right thing, even if he resents it.

Please Keep Sam Mullet in Jail

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

That is the urgent plea of 14 Amish letter writers from as far away as Pennsylvania and New York state. For their family members who are married to Mullets, for their grandchildren, for the good of the Amish, please don't let him "become loose."

The content varies little. Sam Mullet is running a cult. His followers are brainwashed. Things have begun to improve in Bergholz since his incarceration. But the strangest wrinkle is that letter after letter extends thanks -- to the judge, the prosecutors, and the FBI by name. That is how afraid the greater Amish community is of Sam Mullet. The Amish, one of the most independent, self-reliant populations in the country -- a network of communities that almost always wants to handle things internally assisted by nothing but God's grace and their own ability to forgive just about anything -- is grateful that the government stepped in. And they won't feel safe unless Sam Mullet spends the rest of his days in a federal penitentiary. And that is exactly what prosecutors are asking for.

Federal sentencing guidelines call for a level 32 punishment, which translates to 10 to 13 years, but prosecutors are asking the judge for what's known as an upward enhancement. More time. They want life in prison for Mullet.

Mullet and his merry band of hair-cutters are due to be sentenced tomorrow.

Could FLDS Stronghold Be Auctioned Off?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

The two major US strongholds of Warren Jeffs's FLDS, where what remains of his loyal following attempt to follow his increasingly bizarre edicts from prison, are under fire from state authorities. Texas is moving against the Yearning For Zion Ranch, where Jeffs conducted the criminal enterprise that landed him in prison -- trading in young, female flesh. The FLDS community in the sister cities of Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona is under criminal investigation for, well, trading in young, female flesh. That one of those young females recently escaped the clutches of forced marriage -- and worse --  can't help them. Now comes word that FLDS owes millions in back taxes on its properties in those sister cities. In Utah, they're now delinquent over five years, which could trigger an auction.

Years of legal battles over a large polygamous property trust have counties on the Utah/Arizona border helpless to collect back property taxes until the trust is dissolved.

“I think it’s too convoluted at this point,” said David Whitehead, treasurer for Washington County, Utah. “It’s hard to collect the taxes.”

Properties owned by the United Effort Plan trust owe over $4 million in back property taxes to Utah and Arizona.

“The Utah taxes have reached their critical point,” said Jethro Barlow, CPA, who provides accounting services for the trust. “Every property has some delinquent tax.”

Utah seized the trust in 2005, on the grounds that it was being mismanaged, but their intended liquidation of assets has been tied up in legal battles ever since. Now, it's racked up $6 million in legal and accounting fees. Turns out imploding cults are expensive.

Utah has agreed to hold off on putting what's left of its FLDS footprint on the auction block, for now. Developing...

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Shamanism in the New World

The shamanism of today must continue to evolve if we are to respond to the times we have chosen to live in. Our contemporary shamanic practices have not been immune to the influence of the Old Story. Now is the time of the New Story of the People in the beginning of a New World. This week we explore how the lie of separation, so foundational to the Old Story, undermines the personal message of love and self worth from our helping spirits. And, more importantly how that lie keeps us engaged in the age-old religious battle between good and evil, instead of using our understanding that Everything Is One to return even evil to it's origins. Fear of the Shadow also drives the Old Story effectively keeping us from facing our fears and experiencing meaningful individuation and initiations. But with our helping spirits we have an avenue into the Shadow that allows not just understanding, but the rescue, transformation, and integration of the original ally form. Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, this week and she unpacks the Old Story in our shamanic practices and challenges us to write the New Story with our shamanic work in the world.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Church Critiques Just Like Pogroms

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Speaking of the self-pity and tone-deafness of the Catholic hierarchy... Were we? Yes. Yes, we were. But Archbishop Gerhard Müller, the Vatican's head of doctrine, has broken my irony meter.

In an interview published Saturday by Germany newspaper Die Welt, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller likened the sentiment directed toward the Church to that of the pogroms against Jews in Europe.

Mueller, who leads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was quoted as saying that those attacking the Church borrow arguments used by totalitarian ideologies such as Communism and Nazism against Christianity.

Let's see... A German representative of a Church that killed Jews during the Inquisition, collaborated with the Nazis, and that, in general, has a pretty terrible record of anti-Semitism, now equates the most powerful church in the world with persecuted Jews.

So, are Catholic clergy being dragged from their homes, beaten to death, starved, shot, gassed, or, say, turned into lampshades? Not last I heard. What has happened to these tragically oppressed victims? They've been criticized for protecting priests who've raped children. Oh the humanity!

The Apologia of Cardinal Mahony

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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This week the Los Angeles Diocese finally released all 30,000 abuse related files. They came with a very public censure of Cardinal Mahony by Archbishop Jose Gomez. And Cardinal Mahony took to his blog to defend his record with a rebuttal letter. It is a startlingly open conflict between two church officials.

Wrote Gomez:

I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children. The priests involved had the duty to be their spiritual fathers and they failed.

. . .

I cannot undo the failings of the past that we find in these pages. Reading these files, reflecting on the wounds that were caused, has been the saddest experience I've had since becoming your Archbishop in 2011.

My predecessor, retired Cardinal Roger Mahony, has expressed his sorrow for his failure to fully protect young people entrusted to his care. Effective immediately, I have informed Cardinal Mahony that he will no longer have any administrative or public duties. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry has also publicly apologized for his decisions while serving as vicar for clergy. I have accepted his request to be relieved of his responsibility as the regional bishop of Santa Barbara. [emphasis added]