Thank You All, So Much! From Astra

Hello all – Astra here!

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I just wanted to let you know, I am stepping away from my role at Abundant Heart Center to give my energy to my new business, EMERGE: Embrace Your Truth.

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Abundant Heart has been a very necessary segment of my road and journey. Co-creating all of the fascinating services that ClareShale and I channeled from the Universe last year was like nothing I had ever before dreamed or conceived of, and it has been absolutely instrumental in my own growth.

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I have equally enjoyed being a witness for ClareShale’s transformation in all of this – she is a powerful shaman and leader – and of course I have been so honored and blessed to enjoy the growth and forward movement of our amazing clients. Our clients, truly, have been more astonishing than I could ever have hoped for – and to you, dear clients, I also say – oh my goodness – from the deepest well of my heart….I could never thank you enough for being You. I love you! ♥

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If you like, you can reach me at:astra@emerge-embrace.com– or friend me/message me on my AstraSpider BizShaman page, https://www.facebook.com/astraspider.

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I would absolutely love to keep in touch!

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Again my new business, which I have been lovingly creating and growing, is EMERGE: Embrace Your Truth, where I support you in stepping into your power! http://emerge-embrace.com/

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I would love for you to Like my new FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EMERGE-Embrace-Your-Truth/235849573166931

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And follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EmergeEmbrace

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Thank you all so much! ♥

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Astra Spider

Shaman and Mentor

http://emerge-embrace.com/

astra@emerge-embrace.com

Quietude in Music

by Astra Spider

It can be seen as ironic that one of the things that brings me to stillness is music. Logically, music is the opposite of quiet – as it is made up of sound.

Energetically, however, everything is energy and has energy – including “quiet”!

And being brought into the energy of quiet allows for dreaming – and dreaming allows for creating – and music is one of the most innately creative things made by a soul.

So, intuitively, it doesn’t surprise me at all that the mesmerism of certain melodies often brings me deepest into the sound of silence.

A song which pops instantly to mind when feeling into the stillness of music is “Pandora” by the Cocteau Twins.

Listening to Pandora brings me directly into a state of feeling lightly blanketed by a sprinkling of snow in afternoon sunlight – only it is not a cold snow. It is tepid, healing, perfect; the illumination of the sparkle of each flake echoing through the mirrors of my soul.

This song performs a Soul Retrieval (a form of shamanic healing) on me each time I allow myself to fully relax into the harmonizing care of its trance.

I am snow. I am silence. I am the sun.

What brings you into your state of stillness?

Love,

Astra

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

To Judge or Not to Judge…I Choose Not to….

by Astra Spider

I have been “accused” of, and judged about, seeing only what I want to see.

This makes me smile. The statement is not accurate. But I do understand how it may seem this way!

The reason for this judgment is due to the Order in which I perceive things – it’s not that I see some things and do not see others; it’s that I first see the essence of a person or situation. And this essence is always beautiful.

This does not mean that I don’t notice underlying “issues” or darkness – it means that I am not bothered by these things. One of Earth’s “rules” has been: There can be no light without darkness. We would not know what to call light, had we not also witnessed the dark.

I embrace the beauty of both.

Now as the Universe is shifting and expanding, and more light is coming in, I feel it in my body – there is an almost constant vibrational buzz. I am told by the Universe this will be calming down a bit after the new year begins…that the shifts will continue, but that we will be feeling them in a more slow, flowing manner – rather than these almost shocking jumps and starts that I have heard many folks talking about – and that I myself have been experiencing.

With these Universal shifts come new perceptions.

My experience for some time, as I said, has been to see the essence of a person or situation – and love it for its beauty. However, the “old earth” aspect of my perception was that there was often still judgement attached. I would see and love the beauty, but then would fall into the old mind-chatter of judging the reasons why a person did what they did, or why something happened a certain way.

The new way that has been blossoming in me is that I no longer identify with the old way of judgment. This doesn’t mean I don’t “care” if something unhelpful is happening, or that I allow unhelpful people to enter my domain. I take care of my energy. But, no matter what is happening around me, it is not for me to judge. Judgment is a block to abundance – so I will no longer have judgment in my life or in my heart. This is my choice.

And when anyone judges me, it makes me smile – for I see that I am being a mirror for whatever they need to work out inside themselves – and that is their responsibility.

 

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

I’m Not Waitin’ on Roosevelt Any More

by our roving shamanic reporter, ClareShale Mountain Star

This week has been all about noticing that the things that have held me back and taken a long time to be released in the past are now just non-issues. It (finally) feels like simply having the intention and a connection to the earth beneath my feet is enough to create any state of mind I choose.

Interestingly, the art I’ve been surrounding myself with over these last few days has been all about the transformational period of human history that occurred during the 1930’s. In particular, the turning point that occurred in the hearts of Americans — when they realized that their lives were impossibly difficult and it was time to stand up and do something about it. This time was a time for organizing, striking, and demanding fair wages and safe working conditions.

Astra and I attended a showing at Victory Gardens of “Voices of the People’s History” a cinematic production inspired by the work of Howard Zinn: A People’s History of the United States, one of the best selling history books of all time. This show spans 500 years of American History. The general story is about how regular, “ordinary” people stood up throughout those years and demanded what they wanted from those “in charge.”  It’s a story about the persistence and vision of the masses. This of course includes an in-depth look at the depression era social climate. The film presented a very moving reading by Danny Glover of the Langston Hughes poem “Ballad of Roosevelt”, followed by the song “Dear Mr. President” by the artist Pink. A brilliant juxtaposition.

Two days later we were back at the same theater watching “Waiting for Lefty;” a play by Clifford Odets which weaves together multiple stories from situations taking place during the depression.  It’s a layered piece that peels off, one by one, veils of societal restraint; going from frustration to desperation, to despondence to anger and finally circling into inspired commitment to action.  Our client Jeremy Glickstein gave a fantastic performance; I don’t want to give away anything about his role though, as it was such a great surprise! 🙂

At one point our favorite female character implores the group to “Tear down the slaughterhouses of our old lives!” I can so relate to the need to do that in my own life at times; and it totally relates to my personal theme for the week of completely letting go of whats not working. I know I’m going to remember that quote for a while. After the show we had the opportunity to chat with actor Warren Levon (“Agate”), who gave the final rousing monologue – an incredibly moving performance that brought tears to my eyes. Here’s a pic of Warren, Astra and Jeremy:

The aspect of this era that stands out for me as a shining gem is that moment when we realize: “Something must change and I need to be the one to change it.” It’s when our hearts can no longer bear the burdens and the heavy cloaks of others that have been heaped on us, and we realize that those burdens and cloaks were never ours in the first place. It’s when we give those ideas about life back to their original owners (parents, teachers, employers, etc) and allow ourselves to say:  “Now I create my life as my own!”

Here is a link to that Langston Hughes poem read by Danny Glover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HADGKw_wa5E&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL2FC920682755327E

Excerpt from:

Ballad of Roosevelt

Cold winds blow
And didn’t have no
Place to go
Pa said, I’m tired
O’waitin’ on Roosevelt,
Roosevelt, Roosevelt.
Damn tired o‘ waitin’ on Roosevelt

Here’s the rest:  http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5096/

Learning From the Pros – A Night at Victory Gardens Theater

by ClareShale Mountain Star – Abundant Heart’s Roving Shamanic Reporter

Oh wow – this past Monday night was the best! Astra and I have been so excited to check out Victory Gardens Theater, where our awesome client Jeremy Glickstein will be performing in “Waiting For Lefty” by Clifford Odets. (The show runs through October 2 so be sure to get your tickets!) We had the opportunity on Monday to attend the welcome reception and rocking presentation of Victory Gardens’ new Artistic Director, Chay Yew. The theater was lovely, the crowd was gracious and the refreshments were of course divine – however the best part was hearing Chay’s vision forward for what he would like the Victory Gardens Theater to be for Chicago: A meeting hall for the diverse communities of our city to come together and begin a dialogue. His hope is that through championing new works, diversity and young writers, bridges can be built using the transformational nature of theater. He is taking such a beautiful stand for healing in our city. Here’s Chay, third from the left, with other directors and artists talking about plans for the future:Another highlight for us was hearing poet Kevin Coval read from his new book,L-Vis Lives. It was so great to hear him share about growing up in the suburbs of Chicago during the 80’s and 90’s. I guess it’s because all those memories of early hip-hop and trendy breakfast cereal seem for me to be hidden inside my own heart – but there he was, weaving my memories into a stunning piece of poetry. Check out his website:http://kevincoval.com/kc/.

One last thing to share about our evening….We had a great chat with a Chicago actor who shared with us the title of a book (which you may be familiar with if you’ve studied acting): The Actor and The Target by Declan Donnellan. I definitely want to pick it up soon – but in the meantime there was one point that stood out during our conversation. Donnellan explains that there is no actor with greater talent or lesser talent – there are only performers who are less blocked or more blocked. He writes in the introduction: “The talent is always pumping away, like the circulation of the blood. We just have to dissolve the clot.” (p.6) That piece of advice is something I try to remember and apply in my life as a mother and shaman – I have everything I need in each and every moment, all there is for me to do is remove what is no longer helpful – what is not me, and I see the Truth: That the Universe is full of beauty and abundance and I am an integral part of that.

All in all it was a wonderful evening of sharing, learning and connecting. We are so glad we attended the event, and really look forward to some excellent theater this year from Victory Gardens!

ClareShale Mountain Star  – Empowerment Shaman

www.abundantheartliving.com

Date Night in Rogers Park – Shamans Go Out To Play

by ClareShale Mountain Star, our roving shamanic reporter

What a great Saturday evening Astra and I had – escorted by our dear men to the famous Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park. We enjoyed some great vegetarian fare and even a ukulele serenade! (Which was perfect, because just the other night we were discussing what a groundbreaking performer Tiny Tim was for his time period – check out this Youtube link to his spot on the Ed Sullivan show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YI83Hb6GKU…Talk about shattering cultural norms!) Sidetrack…ok….After our lovely dinner we were lucky enough to head to Duke’s – a local bar and music venue.  We were both so struck by the intimate performance space. It was literally like having the band play in your living room; complete with comfy chairs, unique art pieces and the added bonus of a full bar in the next room! 🙂 http://www.dukesrogerspark.com/DUKES_BAR/HOME.htmlThe band we saw was the Alltunators. Their website describes the group as: “an acoustic trio playing a mix of old-time blues, Americana, bluegrass, swing and original tunes. They combine powerful vocals and harmonies with a range of instrumentation including guitar, fiddle, mandolin, octave mandolin and upright bass.” http://www.alltunators.com/fr_home.cfm

I was so moved by the energy created through the musicians’ mastery of their instruments. My three favorite parts were Larry Shneider’s spirit as he rocked the upright bass, Andy Miller’s ‘magic with the mandolin’ and of course the brilliant female presence of Jessica Slater, whose vocals filled the room with power. My favorite song from the set, Diving Duck Blues, sent me into another dimension! 🙂

Thanks Universe, for such a swell evening.