This month’s newsletter is dedicated to our latest project Dying Consciously – The Greatest Journey.
Death is not a topic most people want to acknowledge, much less discuss. For the shaman, understanding death and allowing it to become like a dialog with a lover, allows us to be fully alive. The Shaman's mandate is to dream the world into being, so we must first clear those places where we are stalked by death - to be fully present and awake while we dream. We must clear the "death" that is part of our genetic makeup, part of our karmic story and let go of the old stories and uncompleted business. Otherwise, we unconsciously continue to dream our old dream.
To experience Dying Consciously, with a loved one through their final transition, or for yourself - at the symbolic, is an incredible gift. Thank you for being open to exploring the possible gifts this medicine has to offer.
With much love, Linda Fitch
Dean of the Healing the Light Body School
|
|
Dying Consciously - The Greatest Journey is a free service dedicated to helping people die consciously. This means that we seek to maintain consciousness intact through the journey of death and beyond. It is designed for all persons involved in the dying process: the individual, family members, and friends. It offers a message of hope that it is possible to bring dignity and peace back to the dying process and teaches us how to do this with easy to follow steps.
read more >
|
We are delighted to introduce our new monthly "International News" section. The Four Winds is growing and has spread into the United Kingdom, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Australia and Taiwan.
We welcome and acknowledge our international students and graduates through this newsletter and are enthused to let everyone know about the exciting programs and talks happening worldwide!
read more > |
Empty-handed I entered the world
Barefoot I leave it.
My coming, my going
Two simple happenings
That got entangled.
Kozan Ichigyo |
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
From the Hebrew Bible,
Twenty-third Psalm |
 
The Dying Consciously free DVD is designed for all persons involved in the dying process: The
individual, family members, and friends. It offers a message of hope, with easy to
follow steps that help to bring dignity and peace back to the dying process.
order now >
|
|
When a dying person retains his awareness after death, he enters the light easily.
My mentor compared this light
to
the dawn breaking on a cloudless morning,
a state of primordial purity -
immense and vast, defying description.
The Journey: The Work of Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D.
At this time, numerous places around the world are experiencing the death of old paradigm structures and maps – in government, economics, health care, housing, religion, and politics. This deathing is a necessary and natural part of the rebirth of a new paradigm.
On November 11, we made an important transit from the year long Fifth Night of the Mayan calendar into the Sixth Day. This new day, long foretold by indigenous prophesies, is a time of enlightenment – a powerful time of beauty, grace, and service.
We feel that this month’s newsletter is the perfect time to feature our stunning new website: “Dying Consciously – The Greatest Journey.” Linda Fitch, Dean of the Light Body School, has lovingly stewarded this project that will “assist the person making the journey beyond death do so in a peaceful manner, full of light.” The website serves as a comprehensive shamanic hospice and includes a step-by-step guide, an available free DVD and brochure to share with others, suggested reading, organizational support, and a volunteer resource list of Four Winds graduates who can assist with death rites.
In this issue, Leigh Ellen Key, Four Winds Non-Profit Coordinator, shares that the Dying Consciously Project is part of our non-profit organization. As this luminous project takes flight, we are seeking additional funding to cover associated costs. What better way to honor a deceased loved one than to make a donation to this project in his or her memory?
In our featured ceremony section we are pleased to share the Aya Despacho process. The Aya Despacho is a deeply loving way to honor our family member’s passing and help launch their journey with greater ease. We also visit the East Class of our Healing the Light Body School where the Great Death Rites are taught as a reminder that shamans journey to face death while living. As Alberto so eloquently puts it: “the maps are useful in death, but they are more important to help us understand the mystery of being alive. Once we understand the continuity of life throughout eternity, we attain freedom. Death ceases to stalk us, and we discover a self that dwells in infinity.”
We encourage you to honor that which is dying in order to allow what is to be born, as you step more fully into that light of Spirit. Then let us join together, in this time of the Sixth Day, to dream beautiful new worlds together consciously.
Peace and Blessings,
The Four Winds Staff
|
|
In the Healing the Light Body School, “East” class, our students learn specific processes that bring more mindfulness and flexibility to the way in which they perceive the world. They identify and work with their own perceptions and projections so that they are consciously dreaming beautiful and powerful dreams, instead of nightmares. To further free up their luminous energy fields in preparation for destiny work, students also learn & practice the Great Death Rites so they are not bound in time. In addition, they learn how to provide this sacred service to the dying within their community.
In many indigenous cultures, the Shaman helps to midwife the dying into the afterlife by performing death rites. These Great Death Rites were ancient maps that held the secret of conscious death. Today, in communities all across our planet, Four Winds trained students render spiritual assistance and healing to both the loved one who is passing and to his or her family.
Through the process, the loved one is encouraged to tell their life story in a new way – one that weaves together the major themes of their journey. This "life review" can be both tremendously healing and liberating for all participants. The Shaman and the family become sacred witnesses and support the loved one in forgiving themself and others. The Shaman also promotes healing by encouraging the family to give permission for their loved one to die – releasing them with love and forgiveness. In this way, the deathbed becomes an oasis of peace.
The Final Rites are perhaps the most important part of this process, and ideally begins before a loved one passes. The Shaman cleanses the luminous energy field of the dying person so that a lifetime of dense material in all of the chakras can be combusted. After death, the chakras are disengaged and the luminous field is set free.
The shaman learns to sit with death so they are avilable for life. Our long term goal is to teach the Dying Consciously work in communities around the world. If you are interested in attending the Dying Consciously portion of the East class, please contact Ruby Parker, East Class Coordinator>
For more information about the Great Death Rites or to locate a Four Winds graduate volunteer who can assist your family member to die consciously, please visit our website. For more information on our professional training programs, including the Healing the Light Body School, please contact Judy McCarthy, Associate Dean of the Healing the Light Body School or Danielle Bryan, HLB Coordinator.
|
|
When we resolve our unfinished business and embark on our own personal healing journey we are able to make death an ally in our lives.
Death gives us a unique perspective on life, keeping our priorities straight and our life in balance. We want to heal by experiencing symbolic deaths rather than literal death whenever possible. Many people say that cancer has been their wake-up call to claim life before their final transition.
In the Western world we have not been good with endings. We have not known “how” to let something go with grace and beauty. Whether a relationship or job, when we experience a symbolic death, we are re-informed about what is really important in life; motivating the changes necessary for us to be really alive, present and awake.
As we make death our ally, it is also important to learn how to cleanse the toxic, negative energies from our luminous energy field since we never know when death will knock at our door. This is the knowledge learned and experienced through the Healing the Light Body School journey.
learn specific steps you can take to make death an ally >
|
I personally used the death rites to release my mom 39 hours after she passed… It was powerful and I truly was able to feel her and say good-bye at that time.
I would be interested in being a resource. It's such a sacred gift to share with someone.
It was not hard to do the death rites, and it felt natural to do so. I felt privileged to have the chance to do these rites for my father. I am so grateful to you all for teaching me this work and making it available on the dying consciously website.
read the complete stories and more>
|
…Thank you for the teaching, but most importantly, I thank you for the web site, Dying Consciously. I recently worked with a cancer patient and as my client became more dependent on pain medication I was able to refer my client’s sister to your web site. Her sister called and thanked me over and over for my assistance and the website which helped a family that didn’t know the language of emotions to speak their love.
The most precious thing I hold in my heart is when her sister told me that she was able to see for the first time the “beauty and grace of her sister’s soul” while she was dying. How blessed we are that you offered this information to us…”
- Bonnie S. |
|
 |
|
 
Re-birth is much easier to talk about than death. But it is death that allows us the freedom to be reborn, literally and symbolically. Every shamanic path has death as part of their initiation to become a person of knowledge and power. When we have symbolically experienced our own death we are free to dream a new world into being. Please join us this month to hear how to gracefully let go of what holds or stalks us and become visionaries and dreamers.
This months conference call with Linda Fitch, Dean of the Light Body School will include a new Q & A format. She will be delighted to answer your questions about Dying Consciously or the Light Body School.
Please submit your questions to
Jaya Deb Morrissey prior to the call >
Monday, November 24th
5:00 pm MDT (Utah, USA)
To Listen dial (616) 883-8400
Enter Access Code: 429628572#
Long Distance charges will apply
Check your local time: www.timeanddate.com
|
|
 |
|
|
 
This months featured ceremony is the Aya Despacho. It is another way to lovingly assist our cherished one to die consciously. The ceremony provides deep celebration for the life of the individual who is in the process of or has already departed and brings energetic closure.
The intention of the despacho is to create a rainbow bridge between the worlds, to ease the process of crossing over. read more > |
 
My mother-in-law Anne, was diagnosed with Alzhiemers when she was 49. Although her family was very close, many of her brothers were not able to be present to witness her slip away from this sad disease. Anne died several years before I started my Healing the Light Body training. I had the opportunity to administer the surrogate death rites for her in the East. None of my children knew what a delightful woman she was and she is deeply missed by us all.
At my wedding, Anne gave a wonderful collection of favorite family recipes including this incredible breakfast strata. I first tasted the dish Christmas morning with her before I was married. Today it is still part of our morning holiday tradition and one of our favorites at office brunches.
link to recipe >
|
Just as when weaving
One reaches the end
With fine threads woven throughout,
So is the life of humans.
The Buddha
|
Bringing Light in a Time of Change:
The Institute for Energy Medicine
by Leigh Ellen Key
For years, the Four Winds has supported projects in Peru to provide shelter and resources to the Q'ero people. These projects were carried out in the spirit of Ayni, or right relationship, which characterizes the work of our community of healers.
As part of our renewed effort, the Institute for Energy Medicine (IEM), an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization, continues this legacy in ways that respond to the needs of this time.
read more about IEM's core projects >
|
The beautiful artwork for Dying Consciously is titled The Great Migration. The artist, Melinda Allec is one of our Healing the Light Body graduates. Her inspiration for this painting was received while exploring the life and death principle. It is a visual representation of a map to the heavens through the eyes of Nature. Melinda donates a portion of each sale to support the Dying Consciouly project.
To order, visit Melinda's web site>
|
|
