A SACRED WORLD

There is nothing more mysterious than the Otherworld—the world of spirit. This sacred world lies ever so close to our world of matter. Many do not realize that it is just a hair’s breath away. Most shamanic traditions view the Otherworld as having three different worlds—the Upper World, the Middle World or Middle Earth made famous by Tolkien’s trilogy Lord of the Rings, and the Lower World.

This Otherworld is the sacred world of gods and goddesses, archangels, myoos, guardians, ancestors, spirits of the land—such as the faeries and the spirits known as elementals and many others known by different names from different lands. In addition, there are also much older energies that are very primal in their vibration and when awoken may be a force to reckon with. I remember one time when my wife and I assisted our teacher, an elder and Indian doctor, the late Vince Stogan in conducting an ‘animal burning’ on one of the First People’s Reserves in British Columbia. There had been un-explained accidents that had happened and the elders of the ‘band’ felt that they were rooted in a spiritual/shamanic cause. They needed Vince’s help to set things right. Vince and his wife, Mom Stogan, were the carriers of the old shamanic traditions and were considered the most powerful elders alive.

An ‘animal burning’ is different than a traditional burning conducted for the ancestors, the ones that have passed over, the forgotten ones and the spirits of the land. It is conducted to feed the spirits of the animals, which also includes old primal spirits. It is considered more dangerous than a traditional burning as one of these primal spirits may ‘show-up.’ And one did - as we were assisting Vince in the ceremony. Once he had called in the ‘spirits’ to feed—an Old, Primal Sea Serpent came around the bend of the river—it was time to leave. This is just one of many experiences that I have had with these primal vibrations—ones not to be ‘fooled’ with. The totality of the worlds—this world and the Otherworld—is sacred and needs to be respected and honored. When the harmony of both is destroyed, the fate of humanity is hanging in the balance. The harmony has been shattered and the results will be drastic and destructive at the end of this Age.

GUARDIANS OF HEAVEN

Of all the spiritual mysteries, one that has consistently fascinated and perplexed people is the existence of heavenly beings. And the question that is always posed: are they real or myth? What does your heart see: myth or reality? I will answer this question later in this chapter. But for now, let’s explore these Otherworldly beings.

I use the term being, even though, energy may be more appropriate. These beings take on various forms all dependent on the culture and the underlying spiritual/religious tradition that claims them. It is a fascinating subject to explore and is simple on the surface but very complex underneath.

In the past heavenly beings have been referred to as gods and goddesses, bodhisattvas, immortals, garudas and avatars to name a few. Due to the complexity of our subject manner, we will simplify and limit ourselves to a brief discussion of four separate classifications of heavenly beings—Angels, Myō-ōs, Akuas and Mesoamerican Deities.

Continued