Morning Meditation - with Spotted Jack Rabbit

Friday August 1st



So today, I found myself with Spotted Jack Rabbit. Actually - let me back up a minute - I've been reading The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, and have decided to do all of his exercizes in order and in depth. So I was thinking about that right before I opened the book and found myself face to face with Spotted Jack Rabbit.

He put his hands on my head, and I realized that I was kneeling in front of him, which surprised me because that's never happened before and was totally unexpected.

With his hands on my head, he began praying in his own language which I did not understand. As he was praying, he reached up and pulled water out of the air and sprinkled my head with it.

then he reached down and picked up a handful of earth and sprinkled that on my head too. He then blew smoke in my face.

I was just wondering about the element of fire (I'd just had water earth and air) when he picked up two sticks that were on fire. I thought of them as "fire sticks" and he put them in my hands.

He motioned me to bring my hands (holding the sticks) up over my head. I turned now, and saw that behind me was a mound of sticks and branches - I struck the mound with the fire sticks and it burst into flames.

Now there was a big ceremonial fire, and there were dancers all around it. And I joined in the dancing, circling once around the fire.
Then I saw a blanket on the ground, and I lay down on it.

Spotted Jack Rabbit covered me with another blanket, said more prayers, and then began piling stones on top of me until I was covered except for my head. "He's grounding me," I thought.

And he said, "Call now to Great Spirit," and I called, and he said "Call now to Great Spirit," and I called, and he said "Call now to Great Spirit," and I called. This continued for a while until it became a kind of a chant. And then I saw darkness and a light.

And I said, "Help me and be on my side. Support me. Help me... be on my side. I will do my best to walk the good red road... help me please and be on my side."

Then, without any real idea if Great Spirit would help me or not, I opened my eyes (in the dream) and the dancers were around me, and they lifted the pallet I was laying on - the blanket which now had branches underneath it. They tilted it up so the rocks fell down, and amazingly none hit my feet. The blanket covering me slid off, and I was standing.

I then realized that my hands were tied to the framework of the pallet that had just been lifted. I turned my back to the fire and walkled backwards toward it until the branches caught fire and burned away.

Then the blanket burned away, and my clothes... the fire was not hot. It did not burn me, but the clothes, the blanket, and the pallet went up in flames.

Then my hair caught on fire and burned away, then my skin, and my body, and I became a "shining one" and I danced around the fire with the others who were now shining ones as well.

Then I heard him callime me back. I heard him calling me back, calling me back, and everythign seemed to morph backwards really fast and soon I found myself kneeling in front of Spotted Jack Rabbit, and his hands were on my head.

I thought - this is a blessing - an initiation - an acceptance of my decision to pursue the shamanic training.

I stood up and he smiled at me and ruffled my hair. I gave him a hug. He was pleased, I could see, but he brushed it off as if to say... "Aww... it was nothing really."

And that was it...

~what's this?