Rainbow Warriors: Past, present and future

 

The following is an excerpt from my book, PAPA'S TRIBAL CAFE: A SINGLE PARENT'S GUIDE TO NURTURING RAINBOW WARRIORS.  

Beyond indigo children, the generation of Rainbow Warriors is upon us....

THE OBJECTIVE: RAINBOW WARRIORS

And as he spoke of understanding,
I looked up and saw the rainbow leap
with flames of many colors over me.              
                                                    -Black Elk

Rainbow Warriors have been referenced and observed peripherally whenever and wherever humans have stepped into the spiritual light and wherever they have wondered on the divine potential of the human spirit. 

Their vividness sharpens and they step more clearly into direct focus, when they are seen through the gaze of cultures that have cultivated harmonious relationships with our Mother Earth.  The principles of spiritual warriorship that they embody have been developed and matured, preserved like treasures, and refined throughout history, by cultures as diverse…as the rainbow.

Prophecies and visions of Rainbow Warriors primarily weave through Native American tribal cultures, but like many hero tales, they are also referenced in distant and disconnected cultures.  Petro-glyphs on the Iberian Peninsula trace them back to prehistoric times.  The Ancient Hawaiians carved images of them into lava.

Some references are easier to authenticate, some are more difficult, some have multiple versions, and some are just fragments.  Ultimately, determining whether they are fact or fiction, metaphor or prophecy, is not important within our context here.  Encouragingly, their power lies beyond the scope of any individual prophecy.   Their power lies even beyond the sum of the parts, we might assemble.

Like the rainbow itself, there is a powerful vibration and a strong resonant vision that they are all reaching towards, but none can touch.  That vision has a dynamic relevance to our world, as we are experiencing it, now.

A small body of determined spirits fired
by an unquenchable faith in their mission
can alter the course of history.       -Gandhi

The most well-known Rainbow Warrior related prophecies and most extensively documented, come to us from the Hopi clans, but elements are woven through the oral and written history of the Lakota Sioux, the Cherokee and the Cree, as well. 

The importance of prophecy to the Hopi view of life is underlined by the fact that countless generations of Hopi were strictly adherent to the guidelines and tenants of their prophecies.  Their prophecies outlined for them the central purpose of their existence and mapped out for them the path they needed to follow.  Their World view and belief in prophecy was so strong, and central to their culture, that they were able to complete missions, migrations that took generations to finish. 

Their prophecies shone like beacons illuminating their life’s journey.  The core of their faith was based on the fulfillment of their future prophecies.  Their faith was not a passive faith either.  They were not waiting around for their prophecies to become manifest.  They prepared the way.

Their faith was an active faith which required great effort, an effort that extended even beyond the intricate and elaborate rituals of their numerous ceremonies.  The Hopi were a deeply spiritual people that acted in accordance with the Great Spirit to actively bring about the manifestation of their prophecies.  They purposefully avoided comfort and luxury, because it was their understanding that it would lead them away from their faith and to a place where they would take things for granted.  During their great migrations they avoided settling in lush tropical bountiful climates, and instead chose to settle in desert, where they would have to pray and dance for rain. 


They were able to endure tremendous difficulties with the strength they drew from their faith in their prophecies.

It is only materialistic people who seek
to make shelters.
Those who are at peace in their hearts
already are in the great shelter of life.  
                         -Oswald White Bear Fredericks

The idea of prophecy, of actually perceiving the future, while it may tickle our imagination, is very difficult for someone living in our culture to connect with, unless we have had a convincing first-hand experience. The psychic and intuitive powers we all possess, in varying degrees, have withered like unused muscles.  The idea of basing our actions and beliefs on prophecies stretches not only our imagination, not only our concepts of time and space, but our concept of free will.

Our perceptions of time and space are confined and trapped within the literal and linear walls of our pedantic, logical existences, defined by alarm clocks, school bells and starless nights.  Our culture has programmed us with a rigid, straight line view of time that is, as out of harmony with the web of the connected universe, as humans are out of harmony with the web of life on our Earth.  We can no more see the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future than we can see the inter-connectedness of all animal and plant life.  We act as in a vacuum.

Seers, clairvoyants and shaman, once central to communities whose world vision extended beyond the tangible and into the mystical, are now looked upon as amusing curiosities, or relics of primitive civilizations.
\

First I was a God

Then I became a myth

Now, I am forgotten    
                             –Through the Eyes of the Phoenix

Beyond prophecies, the lives of these spiritual people were so interwoven with the mystical in all aspects, that what we call mythology was to them the very real interplay of the physical and spiritual worlds, an ultimate reality where all is metaphor and all is reality at the same time.  It is hard for us to imagine the depth of their perception. 

I looked about me and could see
that what we then were doing
was like a shadow cast upon the earth
from yonder vision in the heavens,
so bright it was and clear.
I knew the real was yonder
and the darkened dream of it was here.
                                                      -Black Elk

As the Hopi predicted would happen, the emergence of economics as the guiding force of society has had devastating consequences on the balance of life on the planet.  Greed is unique to humanity and thrives in the heart of those motivated by the fabric of the material realm. The Hopi believe that as man has been consumed by our greed, we have forgotten our spiritual nature. They believe that mankind has lost our way, again. 

They believe it has happened before, three times, and that each previous period has ended with massive acts of destruction wiping out the majority of humanity.  Each time only a select few, those who remained true to their higher spirit, were saved. The last time they believe the instrument of the destruction was a great flood.  Of course, they are not alone in this belief.

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for
a token of a covenant between me and the Earth
                                                                   -Genesis 9:12

Yet while the warning signs appear ominous, and even if the Hopi clans (whom were also the forefathers of the Mayans) are on the brink of extinction, hope still permeates their vision and prophecies.  They believe Man has the potential to re-align himself, to return to harmony, to lead with enlightened actions, to re-connect with our spiritual nature, to avoid disaster. Their prophecies tell them this is possible.  Rainbow Warriors have existed for centuries as Hopi heroes for future emergence and beacons of hope for a volatile, unbalanced future.  A future they believe is upon us.

Whether the ancient prophecies of a deeply spiritual people are literal visions about to become manifest, or if they exist “only“ on the metaphorical plane, they are equally precious to us, in that they can heighten our awareness of our present condition and help us focus on envisioning a solution: the nurturing of a tribe of Rainbow Warriors.

His voice was not loud, but it went all over
the universe and filled it.  There was nothing
that did not hear, and it was more beautiful
than anything can be.  It was so beautiful that
nothing anywhere could keep from dancing.
And when I looked down upon my people
yonder, the cloud passed over, blessing them
with friendly rain, and stood in the East with
a flaming rainbow over it.             -Black Elk

We are living in a culture that has predominantly lost its spiritual vision. The numinous and magical world of spirit woven like a spiraling strand of DNA through and around the physical realm we interact with has become invisible to us.  And yet, at the same time, we have something now that no culture till now has been privy to, and that is the awareness of, and access to, the wide breath of spiritual wisdom that has come before us.
 

The spectrum of spiritual wisdom from the vast array of cultures that has predated us, is all within us and available to us.  Keys and guides, insights from a multitude of paths light our way, if we choose to access them.  We have the unique opportunity to draw from any and all of them.

We are living during a time of profound significance and unprecedented potential, not only because of the breath of wisdom and experience that has preceded us and is available to us, but in light of the unparalleled vista that stands ahead of us.  During the lifetimes of our children, every aspect of the human experience will be intensified. 

Our children are set to face in their lifetime, the culmination and consequences of all the paths the human heart and mind have initiated. From the power of love, to the power of greed, from capitalism and New World Orders to elite tribes of Rainbow Warriors, from the toxins we have polluted the Earth, our environment and our culture with, to the apex of all spiritual wisdom we have gleamed, all that we have initiated and set in motion, is about to reach its climax.
 

Our children will experience the consequences, the challenges, and the rewards.  They will determine the outcomes. Bright light, long shadows and the entire spectrum of the Rainbow are converging on the new frontier.

In the course of human history, it is now harvest time for humanity on the planet earth.  It is in the hands of our children to decide which crops will be harvested.  It’s high noon on the new frontier.  Showdown time.  Economically, socio-politically, environmentally, techno-logically and spiritually, this generation will determine whether Humanity is about to manifest their greatest potential, or whether we will allow our capacity for love to be swallowed up by our greed and fears. 

The time for the emergence of true spiritual warriors and the time for them to unite is upon us.  The time of the Rainbow Warrior is now.

To the rescue, here I am
Want you to know,
I’m a rainbow too     -Bob Marley

So, what then does it mean to be a Rainbow Warrior? 

Diversity is inherent within the rainbow.  Rainbow Warriors are birthed from diverse cultural and spiritual backgrounds and visions.   They are blessed with a diversity of gifts.  They employ a diversity of methods in executing their mission.  History has blessed us with many shining examples.

What is crucial now, what defines the magical and heroic calling of this generation is, is that they unite.  The elite rainbow warriors must, act collectively.  It is the only path to harmony and true transformation.  It is the only way to restore balance.  Only through unification can the warrior tribe collectively bring humanity into their heart center, so that we may realize our highest potential, as a collective.  Remember, the white light is the entire spectrum of the rainbow unified.
  

Those who take no part in the making of
World division by ideology are ready to
resume life in another World, be they of
the Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. 
They are all one brothers.  
                        –Oswald White Bear Fredericks

Interestingly, the Hopi believe that these warriors will be led by the great spirit through, and find each other by, communicating through an opening at the center of their forehead, “the door on top of the head.”  Not coincidentally, this same communication portal is called “the gate of heaven” by Taoists and is the third-eye of Buddhists and of Hindus.  It is a portal that opens for all of us when we are centered in our hearts and we are connected to the Earth and the Heavens, when the light flows through us, unobstructed.

It is of utmost importance in the nurturing of Rainbow Warriors to understand, that they already have their missions within and that as they refine their minds, bodies and souls, all of their inner portals and doors and channels will open so that they will be able to communicate clearly with their own hearts, each other, and the great spirit, God, the Universe.

Remember:  To nurture, is not to mold or put upon.  It is to support and bring out.  A seed has within it already the full grown tree.  What it requires is healthy soil, water and sunshine.  And particular care when it is a fragile sprout.  In this way their path will unfold, we don’t need to map it out for them.

Young Warriors not only have their missions, but they have the means to accomplish them, their gifts, within as well.  They need to be encouraged so that those gifts may come out. They need to be supported and inspired, so that they can build the confidence to discover and believe in their powers.  They need to be challenged, so that they will grow strong.  And they need to be loved so that they will love themselves and in turn realize compassion.

Their gifts will be revealed and they will discover their missions, of their own accord.
  

A very great vision is needed and the one
who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks
the deepest blue of the sky.     
                                -Crazy Horse 
                                                             

Their Warrior spirit will rise as they become centered in their hearts.  Teach them to listen to their hearts and encourage them to be brave enough to act accordingly.  Make no mistake about it:   Compassion is the source of courage. True courage stems from the belief in something bigger than oneself.  Selfishness undermines courage. The dark side cannot know courage, because they are rooted in fear. A selfish person cannot know courage. True courage is fueled by love. Put into action, compassion and courage define a hero. 

I have three treasures
To maintain and preserve:
The first is Compassion
Compassion:                                                                                                                                   Attack with it and win                                                              
Defend with it and stand firm.   -Lao Tzu

A Rainbow Warrior is a hero on a mission.  Rainbow Warriors are committed to their missions and to having the strength to see them through.  Rainbow Warriors work through and learn from whatever obstacles arise and overcome whatever enemies present themselves, especially those from within.  They strive to transform fear into love, inside themselves and in the universe around them.

Rainbow Warriors embrace, unite and lead.  They continually refine their warriorship and strive to inspire others to do the same.  They seek harmony, illumination and enlightenment.  They act with compassion, courage and integrity.

Rainbow Warriors understand that their greatest weapons are within and they must always be kept sharp.  They know their most essential weapon is a strong clear heart.  It must be the center from where all action springs forth.   But in order for the heart, the soul, to be healthy, the mind, body and soul must function in union.  They all must be healthy.  Each reflects and affects the other.  All three need to be strong, flexible and tuned.  All three need to be nurtured.   

Let’s explore how we can do that…..    (END OF CHAPTER)

Radioactive Clouds, Radioactive Rainbows

"Did you feel that rumble, did you hear that sound?
Well, it wasn't no Earthquake, but it shook the ground...." -Gil Scott Heron

Above all, if we are to be effective parents, we must lead by example.

The intensity of the events that are unfolding and emanating from Japan is massive.  On many levels, life on Earth will never be the same.  Details are emerging and transforming every second.  A clear image of what precisely is happening may never emerge.  It wasn't until years later that the public learned that the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear disaster had blanketed Europe in a radioactive cloud.  Radioactive clouds are after all, invisible.

Scientists tell us that the 9.0 earthquake affected the earth's rotation so that we are spinning faster now by  a few micro-seconds.  Anyone who has been paying attention, however, is aware that time is accelerating a lot faster than that and has been from before the quake hit.  2011 has been and will continue to be, all about momentum.   We have already experienced escalating solar winds unleashed by strong solar flare activity, increased volcanic eruptions (including one in Japan during the ongoing quakes and aftershocks they are experiencing), economic upheavals and political revolutions.   Everything is connected and the message is the same everywhere: Transformation.

I remember, many years ago, a friend made a simple observation about how much trust we take for granted during the simple act of driving.  We just assume, he said, that the cars speeding along in the opposite direction are going to stay on their side of the double yellow line.  Anyone of them could take our life away in a micro-second with a simple quick shift of direction.

In the same way, we take an awful lot for granted in trusting in our living spaceship Earth.  From water, atmosphere, gravity and electro-magnetic fields to 24 hour rotation, seasonal tilts and a harmonious, unerring dance with the Sun and Moon revolutions, we trust and assume that everything will stay on course and inside the lines.

Ongoing revelations from the Japanese epicenter are warning us, in no uncertain terms, that we are taking our living spaceship, our source of abundance and sustenance for granted and there are consequences when trust slips into negligence and taking for granted turns into taking advantage of.  This is not a new message, it is a message that has been repeated almost to the point of redundancy in recent decades, but it has never been delivered with such brutal and undeniable force.

Here for all to see is what happens when we underestimate the power of the Earth and simultaneously overestimate the reach of Man.

It's time to take care of our ship.  It's time to stop taking our Mother for granted.

This is no longer an issue that can be divided down party lines or conservative versus liberal viewpoints.  It is not something that needs to be debated between industries and activists.  Actions requiring great courage are upon us.  Every decision, in every arena, must be contemplated in terms of promoting a sustainable, harmonious relationship with our living home. We can not go to sleep and expect to wake-up back wherever we thought normal existed.  We definitely can not allow greed to continue to be the fuel of economies and political systems.  We must rise-up, collectively with strength, courage and compassion.  We must rise-up and act in every direction, in every relationship, with every breath, with integrity and constant vigilance and respect for this delicate planet.

Great healing is needed on every level right now.  With the momentum building and the process of massive change and transformation already upon us, it is essential that we connect with our deepest healing powers and inform this transformational process with those healing energies.  Compassion is the source, courage is the fuel, to heal must be our intention.

The radioactive clouds are upon us, there is nothing for it.  They are here.  The years I spent living in the land of endless rainbows, Hawaii, taught me some big lessons.  One of them was that  gray clouds, often have more than a silver lining, many have rainbows smack in the middle of them.

That holds true for radioactive clouds as well.  Even in the midst of overwhelming tragedy, rainbow bridges exist for us to transcend the disaster and destruction.  Those bridges can lead to a realization of our collective highest potential.  The massive change we are in the midst of can become a transformation of heroic proportions.  To embark upon the rainbow bridge is to give birth to the hero within.

What is crucial is that we understand those bridges require inner and outer work to cross.  We must have the courage to first of all look inward, to bravely question our intentions and beliefs, so that we can truly become effective healers in all our actions. Only then will we have the power and magic to unite and collectively transform those who doggedly refuse to let go of their greed-motivated exploitative relationships with our fragile eco-system.  Make no mistake about this, the crossing of a rainbow bridge often requires great struggle and the willingness to fight. The yellow brick road led to OZ, but not before struggles were fought.

Great places to begin:  In the mirror, with our children, helping those directly effected by the collected disasters, helping to clean-up the environmental damage and putting an end to nuclear power.

"There's only one way to keep them safe,
There's only one way to keep them from melting down,
Shut them down, shut them down"

The Power of Dreaming in the Light

Today's blog I am offering as a guest writer for the inspiring "Intentional Conscious Parenting"  blog on Blog frog, which is so wonderfully run by Carol and Stacy. They are both a great source of wisdom and a great networking hub for conscious parents. 

The idea of being a guest blogger ignited my thinking around the idea of perspective and how important diverse and expansive perspective are to both growing children and growing parents.

Having lived my entire childhood, my youth, and most of my adult life in America, I feel a strong connection to all things American.  For better or worse. everything from baseball and beer commercials, two-party politics and ex-Monsanto executives serving as Supreme Court Justices to Native American "reservations' and ancient Redwoods, Nat King Cole and Nirvana, my psyche is saturated in Americanisms.

More recently, the smoothie of my consciousness has been enriched by some new perspectives.   My son Phoenix and I have lived the last five years on an agricultural Greek Island.   Here in the land of my ancestors, famous for their strides in the Maths, Sciences, Philosophy and the Arts, and on this particular island healing and medical insights, our perspective has expanded. The shift of perspective that a connection to my roots and a view of the USA from the outside has offered has been enlightening and instructional on many levels.

As a suburban teenager growing up in a typical white-picket fence, two-car garage community, mowing and watering the lawn in the spring and summer and raking and bagging the leaves to be discarded with the trash in the fall, were not only part of my weekly chores, but became a way of earning money, as I went to work for a friend's lawn care business.  In those days the thought that row after row of manicured grass lawns just might represent an enormous waste of resources, was not yet even in the germination stage of my conscious thinking.


This photo, is not me as a suburban American teenager, but my son Phoenix before a traditional Greek dance performance.....

Here on the Island of Kos, in the Aegean Sea, the only grass fields are the ones cultivated for playing football(or soccer as it is known to Americans).  The typical home here is surrounded by olive, orange, lemon and pomegranate trees and likely has grape vines somewhere on the porch or terrace.  Once spring comes, whatever front or back yards locals have, no matter how small or big, are turned into farming space.  With the first day of Spring a week away, I have spent the last week starting seven different kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, some rare green beans passed on from the Cherokee (pre-America) nation,  lots of watermelons and canteloupes.    Greens and herbs I will sow directly into the Earth in the next couple of weeks.

My personal journey from a lawn mower pushing teen to a farming father, has been a journey of perspective that has been informed by location, culture and an expanding awareness of the delicate balance between humans and the living Earth.  The "typical" American teen (if such a being exists), including those living in the concrete jungles of American cities, is much more environmentally aware than I was some thirty years ago, but the idea that every American grass lawn could actually be a productive food-producing farm is as far from a reality as it was then.

Of course it doesn't take leaving America to come to an agricultural perspective of the Earth.  My own perspective widened drastically when I moved from the sprawling brown clouded-air of Los Angeles to the fertile rain forests of Hawaii's Big Island.  There are certainly many environmentally conscious Americans pioneering perma-culture techniques and sustainable relationships with the Earth, but by and large they are the exception. not the rule in a culture that has morphed out of an American dream built on a post-industrial vision of transcending the toil of the land for the automated comforts of the technological age.

This lack of cultural perspective is a significant obstacle for the caring, environmentally conscious youth who somehow has been able to avoid being absorbed into the obsessive computer, mobile phone mentality of their peers.  Their culture is an obstacle because they have no real models of action and for the most part have to be self-motivated on their quest to re-connect with the earth and establish a harmonic relationship.

Here, for example, the rites of spring planting and sharing of local water sources have been taking place for more than two thousand years.  And significantly, two thousand years ago, this was not some pre-historic shadow of current practices, but a thriving organized, democratic community with theaters, medical schools and at some point aqueducts to transport the water.   In fact, this island was much more self-sustaining then, with a more diversified economy and without a reliance on the resource exploiting tourist industry.  But that is another story, the point here is that, the cultivation of the Earth, the use of resources and the production of food are all an intricate part of the cultural perspective that serves as a foundation for the youth in this community.

It is not born into the psyche of a generation who are rebelling against their elder's wastefulness in an effort to somehow reverse the massive damage unleashed by a culture that has come to view  magical, fertile Mother Earth as an ornamental art piece which we can manipulate to accent the view from our computer desks.

In the same way that art for arts sake, is no longer a responsible expression of a conscious artist, a lawn for aesthetic purposes is no longer a responsible use of resources or energies.  This example is, of course,  just one of a multitude that we, my son Phoenix and I, have learned as our perspective has broadened by moving from city to islands, from state to state and from country to country.  Awareness and perspective are inseparably linked together in all things.

My advice:  Avoid stagnation in all things, stay vigil in your quest to expose your children to diverse and varying perspectives and thus expand their awareness.  Whether this entails moving, traveling or exploring, have the courage to open doors and seize opportunities wherever they may be and to conquer the illusion that financial constraints may limit you.  And turn that lawn into a farm!


I will continue to riff on this theme of expansive perspective and share whatever insight I may have gathered along our path of expanding perspective on my Conscious Parenting/Nurturing Rainbow Warrior blog.  I also look forward to doing a live chat on Carol and Stacy's blog on Thursday April 21st. 9PM Eastern and to hearing your perspective!

Rainbow Sunglasses

 

    Each one prays to God according to his own light.
                                                                                                                         -Gandhi

A Rainbow Warrior tribe EMBRACES all colors of the light.  White light is all-inclusive.  It is the spectrum unified.

One of the amazing gifts that living now, at this point in human history, brings with it is that we have access to massive amounts of spiritual wisdom.  The wisdom of many enlightened beings and spiritual pathways lights our path.  All that has come before us, is within us and this unprecedented age of communication has brought with it keys to an amazing storehouse of wisdom.

When we choose to embrace rather than to divide we open ourselves and others to jewels and treasures.  We have countless shining examples of enlightened beings that have used a particular religion to gleam the light, but have then gone on to transcend religious borders and to use the power of compassion and love to effect positive change.

      “Basically, after I had more interaction with followers of
      different traditions, I developed a firm conviction that in
      despite of different philosophies, all carry the same message
      – a message of love and compassion” -Dalai Lama

Think of Martin Luther King (Christianity), Gandhi (Hinduism), the Dalai Lama (Buddhism),  Black Elk (Lakota Sioux) as four clear modern examples of spiritual leaders who were able to use their particular faith as a tool in the face of great oppression and were then able to radiate light based in compassion to teach others.

It has been a helpful visualization for me to see all religions as sunglasses with different color lenses.  Each helps to see the blazing glory of the sun, which is difficult to stare at directly and each offers a unique perspective of the same light.  Never before in human history has man been able to try on so many pairs of sunglassses and thus been able to access so many beautiful visions of the one light.

Those who take no part in the making of
World division by ideology are ready to
resume life in another World, be they of
the Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. 
They are all one brothers.  
                                –Oswald White Bear Fredericks

In this rapidly transforming world, where political leaders and their "you're either with us or against us" mentality too often manipulate and inspire fear rather than love and where corrupt spiritual leaders stoke the fires of hate and greed by encouraging separatism, it is possible to focus on the gray clouds rather than the rainbows that are smack in the middle of them.

It is an integral part of the conscious parenting mission to not only be tolerant of other paths, but to embrace them, for we are surrounded by spiritual treasures. Ultimately, by giving our children access to rainbow sunglasses, they will learn to see the sun without glasses, with their eyes closed, directly with their heart.

What is a Rainbow Warrior?

I love this painting of a Cretan Warrior which comes to us from the ruins of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete.  I love it because it reminds me of several things.  Firstly, it reminds me that 2,500 years ago, humanity was concerned with beauty, grace, honor and courage.  This warrior reminds me that what is great and essential within us, is not necessarily found in so called progress.  It reminds me that creating beauty is precious and that walking with honor is eternal  and that it transcends cultures and nations.

It is a curious phenomenon of our modern day life that not only the creation of beauty and walking with honor have been left behind in the pursuit of material wealth, but so has our ability to perceive wonder and magic in our daily lives been dulled and faded.  I say curious, because in many ways, our children, this beautiful blossoming generation, have the ability and potential to realize, collectively, humanity's greatest and most divine potential.  They certainly have within them the ability to create beauty beyond measure and they are born with shining integrity and radiant love that is the essence of honor.  And their ability to perceive magic and wonder is innate, it will expand if exercised and wither if it isn't. So it is curious that at a time when humanity is collectively sinking under the weight of mass greed, that a generation is being born full of divine potential.

It is, of course, no coincidence that as humanity has become further lost in the concrete jungle of the material path and further disconnected from a direct connection with the living planet and the delicate eco-systems that sustain it, that we have simultaneously drifted away from emphasizing the pillars of the spiritual path, compassion, integrity, love and light.  It is no wonder that in a shiny skyscraper world littered with  flashy mobile distractions that is focused on economics and motivated by greed that we have forgotten how to perceive the magical realm and the empowering rainbow colored lights of the spiritual realm.

It is also no coincidence that now, at a time when humanity is set to face the challenges and consequences of major collective wrong turns, that we are blessed with a generation born with a soaring, powerful warrior spirit that is sourced in the deepest well of human potential.

The concept of Rainbow Warrior is an ancient prophecy whose time has come.  Hinted at from diverse and widespread cultures, it is most clearly expressed in the worldview of the Hopi nation, but the vision is a shared vision that by its very essence transcends any one ideology..  The vision of Rainbow Warriors, is a vision of  a tribe of warriors whose common bond transcends race, color, ideological and religious beliefs and draws wisdom from diverse cultures.

It is a vision of a tribe of leaders who are equipped with diverse gifts and are connected through deep compassion, courage and integrity.  It is a vision that understands the emergence of this spiritual warrior tribe would come at a time when humanity most needs them, at a time when man's focus on the material and economic would dominate the spiritual and thus create an unbalanced shift that would effect all life on the planet.  That time is now.

Make no mistake about it, magic is in the air, everywhere.  All that is built on faulty foundation is crumbling.  What is emerging is the profound. These are amazing, trans-formative times we are in the midst of.  The Rainbow Warriors are amongst us, their gifts are being revealed.  As parents we have meaningful, essential work to do. We must:  Lead them straight, with integrity.  Nurture their heart wisdom which is as ancient as the human heart.  Challenge them, so that they have the strength to rise up in the face of adversity and injustice.  And love them, so that they may love themselves and thus unlock the key that allows it all to flow: compassion......

Stormy Weather, No Coincidences

Many of us around the globe, especially those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, have been dealing with intense weather patterns this week.  Here, on this ancient Greek Island, where my ancestors, our ancestors, were tuned into nature on a much deeper level than modern techno man has the patience to comprehend, we have had some flash flooding and heavy rains.

Nothing, thankfully, too intimidating, but strong enough to remind me of the words of Choyam Trungpa.

From his book, Shambhala the Sacred Path of the Warrior,

"The Warrior's approach is that rather than trying to overcome the raw elements of our existence, one should respect their power and their order as a guide to human conduct."

Man has strayed from an intimate connection with the natural World, the living earth and the cycles of the cosmos and in so doing, we have, as we are all well aware, wreaked havoc on the delicate web of life.  We have seriously knocked things out of balance.  Our children face within their lifetime an onslaught of environmental challenges and massive transformation.

Trungpa's words point the way towards a valuable tool we can equip our children with to help them overcome the obstacles and unlock the opportunities. 
Our disconnection from the Earth and our increasing lack of attunement to the language of the natural world parallels our decent into collapsing eco-systems (and for that matter, collapsing economic systems).

My son is studying Homer's The Odyssey in school.  It is arguably the oldest written text we have, an epic poem passed on to us from thousands of years ago.  It is common within the tale to hear of sages being able to interpret the flight of birds and other natural phenomenon.

Of course it was not only the ancient Greeks who were aligned to the Earth and stars in such a way as to be able to decipher meaning. Native Americans, Hawaiians, Mayans, Aboriginals, Egyptians, Buddhists, Taoists, Jesus all were in tune to the subtle signs and changes in their environment.  In fact all ancient tribes and cultures had some sort of system to understand the cycles and movements of the natural World.  They all balanced their steps and actions accordingly.

Modern man is more in tune with the cycles of the Wall street casino, than the flight of the Eagle overhead, or even the cycles of the Moon.  This skewered perception is at the heart of the massive shift of balance that we are in the midst of.

If we, as a global culture had maintained our sensitive connection to our environment, to the migrations of birds, to the rumbles of the Earth and the flow of the Rivers, rather than allowing ourselves to be so fully absorbed by the force of greed and the acquisition of material wealth, our children would be facing a much different looking future.

Their task now is to reverse the damage and to establish a more sustainable future for their children, and all life on this delicate living garden, we call Earth.  Equipping them with the tools and wisdom they need to accomplish their task, is our responsibility.  The cold winter winds have a message, as does every tree, every bird, every star.  Understanding those messages, doesn't require any specific degree or training.  What it requires is awareness.  We need to develop and refine our self-awareness and a subtle awareness of our environment that doesn't rely on others to tell us what is happening.

We have become accustomed to neon lights and TV news anchors pointing the way and telling us what is significant and important.  We must develop our awareness in such a way as to read our living environment with the same interest that we give to the internet and facebook.

By accompanying our children on journeys into nature and by entering into conversation with them regarding their and our observations, we begin to equip them with insight and wisdom that will serve them on a deep level.

It doesn't even require a step outside your home.  The next time the wind is howling and your plans for the day have been uprooted by a storm, consider the power.  Consider your steps, your integrity and humbleness, your power and your actions.

And share those thoughts with your children.






Papa's Tribal Cafe: A Single Parent's Guide to Nurturing Rainbow Warriors, by Odysseus, is now available through PhoenixVision Press at: http://www.eliterainbowwarriors.com/book Page.html or electronically through Amazon.

Papa, why do I have to go to school?

   

As a beautiful Sunday afternoon rolled into another Sunday evening, and the looming school week hung heavy in the air, my son Phoenix reflected back to me that simple and profound question, that no conscious parent can escape.  You know, the question that has hung heavy in our hearts since we were them and sitting in our first classroom, the question we have heard repeated over the years, by us, by them, out loud and in our hearts.........

"Papa, why do I have to go to school?

In all likelihood, unless we are homeschooling them, our children will spend more hours of the day, more days of their life, a larger percent of their educational years, in school, than with us, their parents.  How then, if it is our intention to nurture joyful, heart-centered, heroic children can we trust and rely on their schools to be an extension of this nurturing process?  

How can we, in essence, rely on an educational system that will take them in as young children and not release them until they have reached adulthood, to do a better job than we can do?  How can we trust that these precious formative years of their life are being attended to with the same care and intentions that we have?  How can we trust that what they are being taught is serving them in the most beneficial manner?

These questions don't have simple answers.  In fact meditating on them will more likely lead to more questions than to answers.  Because if we truly have the intention to nurture our children in a way that will reveal their gifts, center them in their hearts, and instill them with the courage and strength to be able to not only overcome obstacles, but to transform them into  opportunities, then the process of insuring that their educational experiences are beneficial is one of continual exploration.  There are no simple solutions.

There are however, two essential keys that will empower us and serve us as we navigate a course of action and educational path for our children. No matter  how much our family models might differ and the textures of our visions and priorities may vary, these keys will help us construct a foundation that will serve us and our children, our Rainbow Warriors. First of all, we must absolutely accept and maintain, throughout their educational years, no matter what the nature of their schooling may be, the responsibility of being their primary teacher.

Whatever teachers may pass through their life, whatever educational systems they may pass through, we are the constant, we must be there for them throughout.  Being their primary teacher is an absolutely vital mission. It is essential that we are vigilant in our continual presence and awareness and that we maintain a constant connection and communication with our children, so that we can support them and help them process their educational experiences in the most productive manner, and so that we can  help them by integrating, expanding, supplementing and discarding when necessary.  

Above all, as primary teachers, it must be our mission to insure that their heart wisdom is being nurtured and fed, that their minds are being exercised and not simply filled, and  that their individual gifts are allowed to be revealed and strengthened.  

We must accept, as their primary teachers, the responsibility of teaching them how to act courageously, with heart, with excellence and with strength.   We must accept responsibility for teaching them the value of integrity, the joy of beauty and the importance of idea being manifest in action. 

Which brings us to the second essential key in conscious parenting:  Teaching through action.   However varied the educational, and school situations are that we ultimately choose for, or with, our children are, we must not only accept responsibility to oversee, integrate and support the schooling by being their primary teacher, but we must be models, in action, for our children. 

"We forget sometimes that there are saints
living among us.
When we meet them, we are reminded,
not just of the presence of pure divinity
right here on earth,
but also of our own potential,
and of the responsibility we have to try
to live up to it  for our own sakes and
for the very future of this planet"  - Deepak Chopra

So, why do our children go to school? To learn!

Why do they go to the school they go to?  Why do they learn the things they are learning, in the way they are learning them?  Those questions my fellow teachers, are for us to ponder, hopefully, continually, as part of an ongoing process.