One of my many past relationships was a hauntingly beautiful woman who studied with a Cherokee Medicine woman.  She was/is herself a sound healer.  Along with blessing my store, this Grandmother did classes in my home on working with crystals and stones and led students through the four ceremonies of each season and direction and the four elements of air, fire, earth, and water.  The forgiveness ceremonies of the eastern tribes including Cherokee Peoples as I have read and learned from this Grandmother, were done in the fall – the ripening time prior to the harvest. The Green Corn Ceremonies were the time of year to release all “resentments” and forgive all people who have harmed us and as 12 step recovery suggests, to make amends to all you have harmed.  The west gate of our altar and my teaching and healing circles are focused on earning the gifts of the west direction, gifts like to love ourselves just as we are.  The gift of humility, trust, silence, daily prayer and meditation, love for the Creator, emotional honesty and the ability to set aside strong feelings to serve others.     Our autumn equinox sweat lodge is where we enter the lodge from the west door and altar.  As always, preparation is 90 percent of Ceremony, so use the time to prepare between now and our September 28th lodge. (conditional on the fire danger)

Autumn is the going within time as nature teaches us This is the time to do a personal  inventory, begin look at any resentments we have of self and others, to begin letting go of any criticizing and resentments we are holding on to and to begin practicing forgiveness and  expressing gratitude.

I will be teaching my class “12 steps and the Red Road” beginning next Tuesday the 15th and a few of  us will be working on logistics for zoom or face time broadcasts of the class.  The class will continuing for seven Tuesdays.  Not sure if it will be on Zoom or Face-time but will have up to 8-10 spaces for mask wearing participants in our Portland home.  The class will be from 7-9 pm at 2237 E Burnside, which is above our store.

Suggested donation for the series is $150, or $25 per class.  Register by calling Cedar Mountain (503-235-6345) and/or emailing me at patrick@cedarmtndrums.com.   These donations will go to the formation of a “Heartspace” Foundation to offer  teaching, creating and using drum,rattle,bells and flutes.  As I approach 80 years old, I still have a dream of continuing our old circles when prudent and adding some new offerings.  We have so many wonderful and talented folk in our circles who can offer sound and soul healing circles as well as drumming, drum and rattle making classes.  Top on my list is  to set up an apprenticeship program – I will have and share more details as they are revealed.

I have been invited to North Carolina again to teach another drumming, drum

and rattle making workshop .  If we can work out the details and as I have two children living there, get to see family also.  Lots of exciting things happening as we break the spells of fear and chaos through sound healing with drum, rattle and flute.  Continue working the 12 steps to retrieve our souls to follow what has heart and meaning.  Remember to practice building up our immune systems and to “feed the white wolf” by each day appreciating what we have to be grateful for and seeing the beauty in each other, taking loving care of first ourselves and then each other.