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Searching the World of Dreams: a Story of Empowerment

Posted on December 1, 2016 at 1:50 PM Comments comments (2)
It has been many months since I have written due to a deep journey of spiritual and physical transformation I have been on healing my body and the remnants of ancestral trauma hidden within my DNA and also my psyche. This journey has lead me to study with various shamanic teachers, work further in my gardens and focus on my dreamwork, while seriously deepening my relationship with Nature. I thought that I had gotten as far as I could go until I lost my health due to the stress in my life, the toxins within in my environment and perhaps even the result of my trip to Peru. I thought that by eliminating some of this stress and detoxing via herbs, I would recover my health, but in fact my condition worsened until I was forced to dig even deeper.

When you are on a spiritual path, truthfully the learning never ends because we are all walking this Earth seeking to learn what we have forgotten. We have forgotten what we once knew, the wisdom of the natural world. It is only through our reconnection or reawakening to our true selves that we can walk our true path and embrace our destinies. As long as you suppress your deep, inner passions, are untrue to your heart and do not live in alignment with your inner guidance, you will not find true happiness or balance within your life. 

I had to find this out the hard way when my body no longer responded in the way it always had. I had always taken my health and my physical strength for granted, however suddenly chronic fatigue, pain and inflammation in my body brought on by the stress of not living my truth fully, was coming back to haunt me. My body begged me to wake up. The answer came through in my dreams, in my waking life and in my physical cells which were screaming loud and clear that I was not living fully in alignment with my highest truth. Despite the help of various alternative practitioners, I continued to make only minimal progress and would often rebound afterwards which left me extremely frustrated despite my belief in the methods I pursued.

By listening to my dreams, the constant signs within Nature and by facing my fears one by one, I was able to heal myself slowly, very slowly. It has been an arduous journey over the past 10 months filled with anxious moments, fear and moments of self doubt. During these moments of deep, inner searching, it was always Nature that did not fail me. This autumn I was finally able to restore much of my energy via my dreamwork and the introduction of wild mushrooms into my diet. The mushrooms actually found me and it was incredibly empowering to begin foraging and creating new meals to heal my body. I knew I was about to delve deeply into another level of understanding of the natural, miraculous world we live in where all that we need is there for us, if only we remember and use this ancient knowledge.

As a first generation American, I was born into a culture that associated darkness and fear with the realm of the mushrooms although this knowledge still remains in some areas such as Europe, Asia and Siberia. Today mushrooms are just something we may occasionally buy at the grocery store and most of these mushrooms do not have nearly the properties that wild, medicinal mushrooms have in nature. However, incredible breakthroughs are currently being made into the healing powers of mushrooms both for the human body and also in terms of bioremediation for our planet through the healing of soil, as well as providing many forms of resources in a sustainable manner. 

As much as I was fascinated by the fungi world for longer than I could remember, I had never found anyone that could teach me this ancient wisdom so they remained relatively unknown to me-- a deep mystery within my psyche. That was, until the mushrooms came to teach me themselves... This autumn the mushrooms caught my attention via my own property as well as a nearby park. They screamed loud and clear that I needed to access this ancient wisdom within me. 

Gradually with the help of books, an online forum and trusting my own inner guidance, I began to overcome my fears and heal my body. It seemed the more I went off the beaten trail in the wooded areas I searched, the more I would find another mushroom that gradually healed my nervous system and the inflammation within my body. It was a test of faith of the deepest proportions, but one that was richly rewarding as I accessed ancient memories of my ancestors who once knew the healing powers of the mushroom realm. I am certain that my Russian/Ukrainian grandparents knew this wisdom. 

(Note: Photo to the left is of Amanita Muscari var. Guessowii which is not edible but poisonous/ hallucinogenic though it is believed to have healing properties in certain shamanic traditions.)

And so I continue deepening my connection to this misunderstood realm that is available to all of us, as well as the deep healing available through the plant world and all of Nature. As a result of my experiences and tracking my dreams for more than 20 years, I have decided to teach a new workshop "Introduction to Dream Interpretation: Finding the Guidance Within" at Ceier Chiropractic and Holistic in Elma, NY beginning January 2017. Please see my 'Green Inspirations' page for further information.

Blessings of Abundance and Joy this Holiday Season!

2016 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.

Restoring the Sacred to Western New York: a Story of Spiritual/Material Conflict (Part 3)

Posted on March 26, 2013 at 12:01 PM Comments comments (157)
 
This story is part of a series. It is recommended that you refer to Part 1 and Part 2 of this trilogy before reading the following (photo of Chautauqua Lake, NY by Matt Roginski Photography above).
 
Consciousness and human intention are things that are greatly influenced by the geography of an area, but an area is also simultaneously influenced by the intentions of its inhabitants.  We only know that which we are taught, unless we choose to move outside that realm into the unknown and learn to trust our intuition and inner guidance.  Human intention is a powerful thing and it is the guiding force behind many a success and failure, whether at an individual or community level. 
 
As mentioned in prior posts, the knowledge of geomancy and sacred Earth energies was known by many ancient scholars who at some level passed on their knowledge and traditions to the Europeans, particularly the Freemasons who came to this country.   There is increasing evidence now that the Freemasons built and also influenced many sacred structures around the US, leaving behind various signs of their beliefs and knowledge of the cosmic influence on architecture called archaeoastronomy, which has been practiced for thousands of years throughout various cultures and civilizations.  Scott Wolter, a forensic geologist from the History Channel's documentary program "America Unearthed"  has been presenting much of this information on the influence of the Freemasons in the US, providing evidence to support the idea that much of history is not as we've been told.
 
I think that evidence of an underlying knowledge about Earth energies and ley lines is evident throughout much of WNY.  The Chautauqua Institute located on the lands surrounding Chautauqua Lake in WNY, was created in 1874 by Lewis Miller, an Akron, Ohio inventor who was father-in-law to Thomas Edison.   Miller sought to create a utopian community "devoted to the highest ideals of the spirit and the intellect."  Some would think his choice of land for such a utopian society a mere coincidence, however, I do not.  Throughout history there has always been this connection that people have made between architecture and a link to the cosmos, or spiritual energies from the heavens connecting to the Earth and an understanding of the need to locate structures and communities in certain areas (photo of Chautauqua Institute above). 
 
The Chautauqua Institute has still maintained its original intention which was that of a pursuit of higher learning and spiritual awakening and the radiance of the healing land energies there is still evident when walking through this community with its carefully created structures and well cared for gardens.  Though it does seem to be more of an elitist community of homes as it was originally intended, it is also open to the public and still draws people from all over the world even today with its cultural and educational programs.  A wide range of scholars and progressive thinkers have visited these grounds and there is even a miniature replica of the city of Jerusalem created on the property.  I'm confident this is not a random placement, but symbolic of sacred Earth energies existing in the area.
 
A second location in the Chautaqua area that is significant is Lilly Dale, one of the first spiritual communities that was created in the WNY region of Cassadaga Lake.  This community was originally created by two women in the late 1800's and is today still devoted to metaphysical topics, spiritual studies,  as well as developing psychic abilities.  This community was created during a time of tremendous spiritual activity within the WNY region, with various religous and spiritual groups seeking a place to practice their individual beliefs throughout the area.
 
Although many may criticize a gathering of psychics and question their validity, a tremendous amount of progressive and inspirational teachers from around the globe have gathered and taught at Lilly Dale throughout the years and continue to do so every year.  The underlying concept there is the connection to the realm of spirit and a belief in something greater than the material world.  The old growth forest which is part of this community is inherently sacred and powerful, and I believe the message of spirituality from this location once again is not an accident.  There is undoubtedly a history of strong spiritual patterns existing within WNY.
 
Chautauqua Lake, unfortunately, has succumbed to tremendous problems with contamination from pesticide, fertilizer and sewage runoff, resulting in excessive algae. The surrounding region is also relatively poor relying mostly on the tourism industry which has been affected by these contamination problems.
 
What do most of the areas within WNY mentioned in this story (see previous posts) have in common?   They are all areas of powerful and sacred Earth energies, however, some through heavy development and their misuse, desecration and/or subsequent blockage of natural harmonious Earth energies, have become areas of economic decline, crime, poverty, disease and/or various forms of hardship.  Others, because of their spiritual intentions continue to carry on today with their work and bring light and awareness to this region.
 
I believe that the more powerful an area in terms of it’s natural existing Earth energies, the darker and more negative the experience of living there can be if the integrity and right use of these energies is not upheld by it's inhabitants and those in control of the natural resources.  The land becomes increasingly more negative when toxic chemical and nuclear waste has been buried in these areas, or water has been built upon and/or redirected, as the Earth struggles to breathe and restore balance.  Also, some areas should never have been developed with mundane activities, but rather imbued with a continuous spiritual reverence because they are too powerful for daily life and are easily contaminated by human thought and actions.
 
If you happen to live in one of the areas whose natural Earth energies have been distorted by human intervention and lack of awareness, despite your best efforts, your life will most likely be impacted negatively by the underlying energy of your community and city depending on the toxicity and imbalance of the land.  Each person's experience will vary depending on what your soul resonates with and your particular need to resolve patterns within your ancestral DNA.   Sometimes the more you try to improve your situation, the more you may struggle and seemingly lose the battle, but in truth it is all a path toward self awareness and your body's need to restore balance.  I've seen incredible challenges that clients have had to overcome while living on various properties around WNY, some which were once part of large estates which represented a history of misuse of power within WNY.
 
In terms of exposure to geopathic stress (toxic Earth energies), the more your body is compromised vibrationally on a continual basis, the more you will seek out unhealthy patterns and locations that will continue your negative experiences, so it becomes a negative spiral of events unless you recognize these patterns and learn to overcome them.  A healthy, vibrationally balanced individual will generally not be attracted to unhealthy situations or geopathically stressed areas unless they are conscious of what needs to be done and willing to work to restore the area to balance as part of their path in life.  Dr. Ernst Hartmann, who spent 30 years studying the affects that land energies have on the immune system, has been quoted as saying "individuals placed above an area of geopathic disturbance soon lost the ability to defend themselves against harmful bacteria that previously they were able to withstand."

If you put the pieces of the puzzle together, after a while you stop believing in coincidences and start recognizing that dire economic, disease and societal patterns existing within a city or region have a root cause.   In the case of WNY, I believe it is a history of land desecration in it's many forms, both unethical business practices and also physical destruction of the environment, that contributes to the problems that many people experience while living in WNY.  Though we may consciously have had nothing to do with decisions that were made throughout the history of a city, we are still affected by their consequences at an energetic level.  I believe it is our destiny, as well as our karma, to work through and resolve these societal patterns within our area, by recognizing them within our own lives (photo of Darwin Martin House, Buffalo, NY by Matt Roginski Photography above). 
 
I've heard countless numbers of stories from clients, friends, acquaintances, and even random people I've met who experienced tremendous challenges and often even tragedies while living in this region.  Some had left and later returned to the Buffalo area in their later years.  Often times their misfortune directly coincided with their return to this region, many encountering all forms of challenges, as though this cloud of darkness hovered over the region of Buffalo and the feeling was palpable as soon as your plane descended upon the airport or your car approached the region. 
 
I've also known of several geomancy teachers who came from other parts of the world and immediately became overwhelmed and exhausted from the energy of the Buffalo-Niagara region, due to their heightened sensibilitiess and often times they even experienced their own challenges during their stay.  Some locals, who have been born and raised here and never left, have experienced nothing but hardship and illness.  Eventually you believe it's the norm and that life is meant to be a struggle because that's what you've grown up with and all you've ever known.  Once you're in the negative spiral, it takes a tremendous amount of effort and awareness to break it.  That is often where faith comes in and a recognition of the meaning behind life lessons.  Recognizing that life is meant to be so much more is part of the road back from being a victim to creator of your own destiny and thriving in a changing, challenging world.  These challenges are increasing on a daily basis around the globe as the Earth works to restore balance.
 
I can write about this all now because I have recognized the patterns, as I reflect on my own life since moving back to WNY and especially my experiences while living in one particular town several years ago.  For me, my most profound heartwarming, creative and spiritual experiences have occurred right here in WNY.  It's very possible that my creative abilities and level of environmental and spiritual awareness would never have developed to the same degree, had I remained in a fast paced, high energy city like Washington, DC for the remainder of my life and continued in a career that did not fulfill me.   I will never know for certain, but I believe in my heart I know the answer. 
 
Although my life became challenging shortly upon my return to WNY,  I also started moving in the direction of who I always was and not the person I thought I should be, as I began pursuing my passions.  Though it often happened in profound and unusual ways, it wasn't until I moved to the town of Alden that I was met with all forms of challenge and frustration that included health, career, personal and financial issues that kept me constantly on my feet and often overwhelmed me to the point of exhaustion.  I even had a close call with death in the first home when I went into anaphylactic shock while gardening and was rushed to the emergency room.  Given what I knew about how our environment affects our wellbeing, I worked hard to transform the energies of both homes during those years and restore balance to my life. 
 
In the first home, I felt the energy was a time bomb waiting to explode because the land had so much debris that had been buried there and the historical patterns had not been positive.  One of the previous owners had prematurely died suddenly, another had suffered from cancer, and another had lain collapsed in the house for days before someone had found him.  One bad thing after another happened while we were living in that house, and yet I felt a strong heartfelt connection to the land and a desire to heal it.  I learned a great deal while living there, but it was a tremendous challenge. 
 
In the second house in Alden, I knew more about how to work with Earth energies, but still I moved to a new level of understanding because the situation was very different.  Despite what I knew, my worked seemed all to no avail, as anything that could have gone wrong did, as soon as we moved in to this house.  I continued to work intimately with the land and gradually things improved, but it would seem that there was always something that would crop up to challenge my faith and resolve (photo of Aldinger Farm Sunflowers, Alden, NY below).
 
After several years, I eventually made the decision to move when we discovered our neighbor had been killing our pets and other animals in the area out of rage and lack of respect for animals.   I realized I had to speak up about what was going on when others were afraid to or chose to look the other way.  I later learned that I was not alone in my struggles in Alden, as I would eventually come to find out by talking to other people who were living or had lived there.   This eventually led me to conclude that there was something inherent in the energies of the land that attracted such misfortune and ill will from neighbors (see Earth Energies: What is Your Home Telling You?).   There was something that appeared beyond the scope of my immediate control over my home environment and the principals of feng shui or geomancy as I had come to know them.
 
Interestingly, Alden is also home to the Wende Correctional Facility which is a maximum security prison housing over 1,000 inmates.   It was also very close to the neighborhood where I was living at the time.  The land where this facility was built was originally donated by the Otto Wende family to Erie County to be designated as a public park.   While the land initially became a farm to feed correctional inmates in the Buffalo area, it eventually was decided to build a housing facilty for prison inmates in the 1920s.   Although the facility does have a productive horticulture program which contributes to beautifying public spaces, there is no doubt that the energy and consciousness of such a facility has affected the overall energy of the area of Alden.  People who think they are not consciously affected by working in such a facility are mistaken. There is also the fact that the original intention of the Wende family for the donation of this land was eventually completely disregarded and contrary to the original desires of the owners.
 
Nevertheless, I have never seen more passionate people, as during the town of Alden's attempt and eventual success in preventing a Walmart from being built on natural wetlands adjacent to my neighborhood during those years.   It was a definite step in the right direction toward maintaining the integrity of the land of Alden and preventing further contamination of it's natural existing water source, by preserving the integrity of one of five aquifers in WNY that lies beneath the town of Alden. I became seriously involved with preventing this development when a neighbor who initiated the campaign, approached me in 2006 to help him with his efforts. Sadly this man died suddenly of a heart attack shortly after the developer pulled out of the project and our mission had been accomplished.
 
I'm confident that much of the hardship, disease and malaise that exists within the WNY region is related to the contamination and redirection of natural water sources. When you understand what Dr. Emoto's experiments have shown about the energy matrix of water, it's not hard to conclude that chemical and nuclear contamination of the surrounding land, and not allowing the water to purify itself through natural land elements and methods, has had a profound effect on this landscape and the consciousness of its inhabitants.
 
Even the flow of water coming from the Niagara River into the Falls has been artificially manipulated for many years now, changing a natural flow of energy to the area, thereby decreasing its life enhancing power.  Christopher Bird, author of  The Divining Hand discusses the Chinese belief that the Earth is like a human being and water's significance is expressed in his statement "Passing to and fro out of sight, the hidden veins of water served, like the bloodstream of animals, to remove impurities from the body of the Earth...and to deposit curative minerals within it.  The Earth's circulatory system was matched by an ever-undulating network of currents in the atmosphere."  This understanding is integral to the true foundations of feng shui.  The aim is to seek healthy sheng chi (energy) and avoid unhealthy sha chi. If you are surrounded by ill will and mal intentions by neighboring properties, your own life will be tremendously affected because of the constant flow of water energy through the land and into your home.  These black streams of sha chi can course through a property and can wreak havoc in your life. 
 
The Russians and Austrians have also done a great deal of research on this concept of water carrying information and holding negative vibrations, and I believe it's relevant and was substantiated by the experiences I had.  I could just not dismiss them as coincidental, after what I'd gone through and what I knew.  Water can have tremendously healing qualities if it is vibrationally clear, but it can also have the opposite effect if it comes into contact with negative intentions and toxins.  It is also a life giving force which cannot be denied and can no longer be taken for granted (see movie on global water crisis.

Though at the time it was extremely challenging living in both houses, I am now grateful for all that I experienced and overcame there.   These experiences enabled me to view life from a much different perspective and I learned to fight for what I believed in and develop an inner strength, faith and resiliency that deepened my spirituality and connection to Nature.   I also gained an understanding of the nature of Earth energies  and water to such a greater degree, as I began to recognize the profound physical and energetic contamination that is rampant throughout WNY.   Since we are surrounded by water in its many forms, this is highly significant in terms of the vibrations held in the land energies here.  There are patterns here in WNY and within all of our lives.  It is up to each of us to discover and understand their meanings.
 
Cities carry their own unique energy and depending on where you’re living and what you’re experiencing, I'm confident that if you're being challenged, this is what you have chosen at a soul level to move past your trauma in this lifetime and any ancestral issues (see Patterns: Overcoming Ancestral Trauma) held within your DNA.   Your home can either provide you with a safe and life enhancing source of security and inspiration or it can seemingly be your worst enemy draining the very life force out of you by creating all forms of mental, emotional and physical stresses on your well being.   This is becoming increasingly more prevalent as the Earth goes through changes.  Understanding the energies of the land you have chosen to live upon, is the beginning of changing your circumstances and living a harmonious, healthy, joyful life.  Knowing the history of the town or city you live in, is an important part of changing the future both individually and collectively (photo of Guaranty Building, Buffalo, NY by Matt Roginski Photography above).
 
We are all linked to a huge web of energy that covers this planet. Learning how to recognize the history and the patterns such as those present in WNY is the first step toward healing this planet and your own life.  A home and its occupants can only be as well as the land that exists beneath their dwelling.  Restoring and enhancing the energies in your own environment is key to creating balance in your life.  Buffalo is not alone in it's challenges, as there are many similar former manufacturing cities around the world which are currently suffering from a similar predicament and those in areas such as Chernobyl or Fukishima that have been facing a far more severe challenge.  I think the answers lie at an individual level for all of us.  Though the circumstances appear daunting at times, focus on one's individual self and environment can ultimately have far reaching effects for all of us.
 
It is my sincerest hope that other countries follow the initiative of Ecuador who has now given constitutional Rights to Nature (Pachamama) to prevent further environmental degradation of their country.  Ecuador's courageous movement led by it's own indigenous President and people serves as a symbol for other countries to follow in the forthcoming years.  The Rainforests of this world are desperately needed to anchor healing energies for this planet on a global scale.  Without them, this planet will surely die and humankind with it.  For those living in areas where the land has already been desecrated, it's important to know that all can be healed.  The plants, technology, and awareness required to restore balance, heal the soil and water, as well as ourselves exists, but it requires a combination of spiritual and physical work on everyone's part-- right relationship with the land and an understanding that this planet is a living being and we need her.
 
How do we integrate our need to create economic development and prosperity while maintaining respect for cultural and architectural achievements, and the right use of natural resources?   I believe the answer lies in working alongside Nature by understanding it's inherent characteristics and perfection, as well as developing technologies that harness these natural existing energies while utilizing sustainable, ecological methods.   No one benefits in the long term when land is desecrated, least of all our children or descendants.
 
Healing and restoring the sacredness of all life to the area that we live in through our actions and intentions is paramount in these changing and tumultuous times on Earth.   We simply cannot continue the same patterns and expect different results.   You also cannot simply run away from what challenges you because these patterns will follow you wherever you go.   Unknowingly you will be drawn at a soul level to similar patterns of dis-ease in your next choice of home regardless of it's geographic location, unless you resolve these energetic patterns right where you are and then you can move on.  Recognition and understanding are the keys to opening the door and initiating healing.  Holding a higher intention for restoring the sacred energies of WNY or wherever you may live, is the key to transforming the well being of this planet. 
 
The answer lies within each and every one of us to restore the sacredness to the land that we occupy, and in so doing, create joy and wellness within our lives and communities, as well as for our descendants.   Piece by piece these parcels of land will connect both physically and energetically, eventually restoring health and well being to this planet we call HOME.   We cannot wait for institutions and organizations to take the initiative to clean up the mess made by industrializaton and development, we need to clean up the mess within our own domain.  Take care of yourself and your space, however large, small or insignificant your home may seem and wherever it may be, and imbue it with your intentions and love, and make it  SACRED ONCE AGAIN.
 
 

Blessings of Earth Wisdom!

 
 
For a different prospective of the Earth view the movie "Overview."
 
 
References and Further Information:
 
 
 
 
 
 




Copyright 2013 Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.

Restoring the Sacred to Western New York: a Story of Spiritual/Material Conflict (Part 2)

Posted on March 6, 2013 at 10:13 AM Comments comments (843)
Note:  This story is part of a series.   Please refer to  Part 1, for the beginning of this trilogy on WNY.
 
 History and modern geomancy have shown that the master builders of Europe built churches and other sacred buildings and municipal structures on natural sources of power including ley lines (natural Earth grids) and natural water sources contained beneath the Earth.  Most, if not all, were once sacred places of worship by ancient civilizations before the construction of these magnificent structures.  This also occurred all around the globe.  Due to the innate sensibilities of ancient peoples and their surprising awareness of cosmic energies, they lived more in alignment with the natural forces of Nature and honored their life enhancing qualities (photo of Abbey of St. Pierre, Beaulieu sur Dordogne, France above).
 
The more sacred a place from the standpoint of Earth energies, as well as human intention, the more powerful it’s energy to transform. The desire to harness these energies by those who sought to increase their wealth and power by controlling these sites, has been the subject of wars for millenia and the rise and fall of many nations.  Building over sacred water sources can invoke the healing and inspirational powers of the land, but this power can be enhanced or abused depending on one's intentions.  Prayer and meditation over these areas, particularly in the case of cathedrals and sacred temples, has wide reaching effects. Spending time near these powerful Earth energies has the ability to induce altered states of consciousness, as well as to influence the consciousness of people within a region over time. 
 
The consciousness of a region is also greatly influenced by the type of land that a city is built upon because different types of rocks have different frequencies due to their mineral content and history.  The bedrock beneath WNY is primarily limestone, shale and sandstone.  Limestone has been greatly quarried here, disturbing Earth energies and contributiung to land imbalance.  It also has a history of once being submerged in water and is composed of millions of tiny, dead sea creatures.  Limestone is more porous and therefore permeated by water more readily than a stronger stone such as granite would be.  It is also a conductor, so the flow of water through limestone can replicate electricity like current from a battery, which can be harmful to health over long periods of exposure.  Geomancy, which true feng shui is based upon, recognizes the geological features of an area in terms of mountains, streams, rivers and underground water and other features of an area because they have an effect on human behavior and development.  To be born in limestone country is to excerpt from Limestone, 2009
It is believed that towns built on soils containing silica have the highest rate of spiritual development.  Quartz contains silica and its natural frequency is one of balance.  Limestone, sandstone and shale are composed of varying degrees of silica.   Silica is necessary within the human body to support the bones, blood and connective tissues of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.  It is also required for healthy land to regulate naturally existing energetic pathways in the Earth and allow for healthy vegetation.  Granite boulders or structures which contain quartz are often used to restore the feng shui of an area when doing Earth acupuncture because it is a conductor of energy and drawns in cosmic forces, in essence re-informing water in the surrounding area.  Silica is basically the glue of all life on this planet.  Horsetail (comprised of silica) revitalizes the soil and is often found growing when land is allowed to heal from man made stress.
 
Western New York is a perfect example of lands that are imbued with the sacred energies of the most life giving force on this planet, fresh water which supplied sustenance, hydroelectric power and also a means for transportation and trading of goods.  Underground water also provided a medium for spiritual development because water is a carrier of information and can be affected by thought and prayer.  This region is home to five different aquifirs that exist under various towns.  The power of water, which was eventually harnessed and sometimes redirected, originally contributed to a variety of developments in this area including economic and material, as well as idealistic and spiritual. One town in particular also utilized water to heal.
 
Towns such as East Aurora became significant in terms of the  Roycroft Movement   led by Elbert Hubbard, who was instrumental in reviving a sense of pride and artisanship within one's work and creations.  This human intention and focus lies at the heart of imbuing objects with sacredness and their corresponding power to attract good or bad fortune.  The clearer and more loving the intention of an artisan and the higher the quality of materials used, the more powerful the object, furnishing or architectural structure, in terms of energy and feng shui.  Objects made with integrity have a much higher vibration than those carelessly created by a machine or an unrespected and mistreated laborer.  
 
The Roycroft campus, which was part of the American Arts and Crafts period in the US, is still maintained in the town of East Aurora, NY today.  It reflects an interest in restoring and maintaining these high standards amidst an era fraught with mass production of imported products of often lower quality that have no doubt contributed to the destruction of the American economy and made planned obsolescence a norm within our materialistic society.  There are also powerful Earth energies located in the vicinity of the campus which have affected the spiritual development of the surrounding region and contributed to this awareness and focus on quality and artisanship.

Another area of interest in East Aurora is the Hawkcreek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center whose innovative environmental education and outreach programs have touched the lives of people and animals around the globe, as well as fostered a new sense of awareness of our need to take responsibility for the stewardship of this region, as well as our planet. 
 
My years of volunteering with this organization served to change my life in terms of increasing my awareness of environmental issues, as well as giving me the opportunity to have amazing intimate experiences with birds of prey and other wildlife.  My need to support their environmental message has stayed with me on a long term basis, even after leaving so many years ago.  I'm certain that other volunteers and interns have felt the same way.  Organizations like this are not coincidental, they arise from levels of awareness that are stimulated by a cooperation of man with Nature. When we connect to the Earth and Nature at an intimate level, we simulaneously seek to protect that which we learn to love and respect.

The town of Lancaster is part of this story because it lies on a direct meridian of energy (Broadway Ave.) which runs into the city of Buffalo and also lies on two of five aquifirs existing within WNY.  The area also consists of Como Lake Park which was originally designed after  the tourist resort Lake Como in Italy.   Natural water sources in the area have made the creation of this body of water possible.  Como Lake Park is one of the first multi-purpose parks in the WNY where the energy of Cayuga Creek, the historic stone structures and shelters once built with integrity and artisanship, and surrounding wild areas offer serenity and peace when not inundated with partygoers who often lack awareness and respect for the sacredness of the land. 
 
Although I enjoy the quietness and beauty of the park during winter, I find walking through the woodland trails of Como Park during summer months, similar to finding myself in an exotic rainforest with much lush vegetation and wildlife along the Cayuga Creek Nature Trail. Unfortunately, there has also been much indiscriminate wetland development in the lands surrounding the park and throughout much of Lancaster, contributing to imbalances of land energies in this area which I personally have experienced living in a suburb nearby.
 
When you indiscriminately develop wetland, you destroy the surrounding protection of a landscape and its water source.  This creates disturbances in the natural life enforcing energies of an environment.  When natural water streams and underground water sources are redirected and/or contaminated, it creates stagnancy in the landscape which results in the land not being able to breathe properly and the residents of these neighborhoods often experience a wide range of problems including the premature dying of trees, excessive wetness in unwanted areas, and also an increased susceptibility to disease and parasites because the land has gone into a destructive/deterioration (not life enhancing) phase.
 
Wetlands filter toxins and wastes because the natural plants, trees and other inhabitants of these areas work together in unison to purify the water and form balanced ecosystems.  The purification process which underground streams go through is subsequently destroyed when these areas are eliminated and built upon, creating water stagnation and imbalance in the surrounding environment.  Building over these areas ultimately leads to structural problems for residents as well as a host of other problems which inevitably surface as time goes on.

The town which once utilized the healing gifts of water and lies on the same energy meridian as Lancaster is Alden, NY.  Alden was once a bustling spa town that began offering it's healing gift in the late 1800's via “healing black waters."  It also lies on one of five aquifirs within WNY. The black mineral rich waters existing in this town are one of only two known locations in the entire United States.   The other black water baths were found near Detroit, Michigan and are partially active today in an attempt to revitalize interest in their curative powers.  
 
The healing black water baths were once world renown, drawing people who sought to be cured of rheumatism and other ailments due to the many minerals contained within the water. Minerals offer different frequencies which the body absorbs when exposed to them.  By immersing themselves in a mineral bath to release toxins that the body had accumulated, it's not surprising that people's energy and health was restored to equilibrium.
 
Unfortunately, people eventually stopped believing in the healing powers of the mineral baths due to the advent of conventional medicine, which led to a decline in business.   Sadly, many bath houses in the town were also destroyed by fire and the last spa finally closed.  A historical marker was placed at the St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in 1971, where a labyrinth now exists.  It is the location of the last black water healing bath house in Alden.   Although the healing black waters are no longer utilized, the sacredness of the town of Alden can still be felt in areas like Joe Panza's Nature Trail and are reflected in the nearby old growth trees in the neighboring park, which anchor much of this sacred land energy where a bath house once stood.
 
Another significant town within WNY is Lackawanna, home to the magnificent Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church which is one of the grandest in the area. I'm confident that the choice of it’s placement was no accident as its creation drew famous architects and artisans from all over Europe to fulfill the dream of one man, Father Nelson Baker.  Father Baker had no idea how he would obtain funding for such an ambitious project and yet somehow he managed to produce a miracle which still exists today.  
 
Sometimes during my most challenging of moments, I have found myself drawn to the Basilica to light a candle and focus my prayers and intentions, feeling the need to access the Divine energies anchored there.  They can be found amidst the beautiful angel sculptures and incredible artwork and iconography that is reflective of the great cathedrals of Europe.  The columns of Earth energies generated by water that are prevalent beneath the Basilica were still very palpable when I last visited and offer a continued source of energetic support.  Unfortunately, the town itself is filled with a general malaise which is evident just walking the streets and viewing the many struggling businesses and dilapitated structures that surround the Basilica. 
 
Lackawanna is also home to the once vibrant Botanical Gardens which still envelope you with a feeling of peace as you step through the doors. Upon a recent visit though, I noticed there is also a feeling of exhaustion and lacklusterness amidst the many tropical plants and trees found there. This structure was incorporated into plans made by Frederick Law Olmsted, whom I mentioned in my previous post.  He designed a park system which connected land throughout the area of Buffalo and included the construction of this building.

This green world created by human intention, no doubt offers tremendous healing powers to the public by it's very nature.  However, there is also a feeling of exhaustion amidst the vegetation, as it continues to give energetically to the public that seeks upliftment within these manmade walls, particularly during challenging times, and yet there is no source of land energy to revitalize the plants and trees within the structure.  I could feel that the energy within this building is one of a struggle to maintain vitality.  I know it is due to the contamination of the region and the natural land energies which are now blocked. Plants and trees are a huge indicator of the wellness of an area.
 
Though many sycamore trees still anchor healing energies near the building, when a landscape cannot naturally revitalize itself, due to what I believe in this case is largely industrial contamination, it inevitably suffers.  Regardless of whether operations have ceased and contaminants are seemingly contained by man's technical methods for a period of time, the negative vibration of such toxins physically and/or subconsciously affect all those around it and eventually the toxins seep into the surrounding landscape to affect the groundwater. Water, just by it's proximity to a toxic substance, is energically affected and it's healing matrix is distorted. 
 
Unfortunately, these special places are in close proximity to the former Lackawanna Steel Company built in 1902 and later called the Bethelehem Steel manufacturing plant, once the world's largest steel mill in the world.   This site contributed to building a nuclear arsenal during the Cold War Period which exposed many employees to radiation  causing tremendous health problems and it was known for dumping of much of its waste materials  into the surrounding area during its many years of operation.   In 1982 it closed it's doors for good and left a desolated wasteland alongside Lake Erie. The site was later designated as a "significant potential threat to human health and the environment."   These manufacturing activities certainly contributed to the contamination of underground waters and the overall decline of the powerful energies of this area where the Basilica and Botanical Gardens are still located.
 
What's also interesting to note about the history and acquisition of this land for the Lackawanna Steel Company is that it was purchased by John J. Albright, a wealthy Buffalo businessman who was frequently accompanied by the president of the Pan American Exposition at that time, John Milburn.  Because of the extensive plans for the Exposition in 1901, the land required to begin construction of the steel mill was often acquired from landowners at a very low price because the sellers assumed that their land would be used in a positive way to support the Exposition.  Ultimately, the land was easily obtained and the construction (destruction of the region) began. 
 
 
(photo of Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY by Matt Roginski Photography)
 
 
Eventually cholera, typhoid and influenza outbreaks were rampant in the early years amongst the many immigrant workers employed at the steel mill, due to extremely poor working conditions.  Profit and power were the main focus and obviously not the well being of its workers, as with most large corporations during the industrial era.   Many employees also died due to the introduction of electricity and the inability to understand it's consequences for the many foreign workers at the steel plant who were challenged by the English language. 
 
Wealth was concentrated amongst the select few in Buffalo during the height of its booming era and acquired through the back breaking labor of foreign immigrants looking to make a new life for themselves and their families in the New World.   It's interesting to note that cholera is also associated with the tubercular miasm (societal pattern of disease) that I have found to be related to the land's inability to breathe, such as when there is a disruption of naturally occuring land energies and the waters become contaminated and/or stagnant.  I believe that availability of fresh water is at the heart of all wellness and the subsequent manipulaton and desecration of the surrounding land and waters contributed to the rampant spread of disease during this time period. Unfortunately, we haven't ventured that far from this pattern within WNY, we just have a new host of diseases to deal with and far more methods to cope.
 
Albright prided himself in being a shrewd businessman.  Not surprisingly, he lost most of his fortune during the Great Depression and his incredible palatial estate in downtown Buffalo was demolished well before its time in 1935.  The estate was sold in parcels for homes of the wealthy. Although Albright left a legacy of culture including Albright Knox Art Gallery, which houses works of art from around the world, and lands donated to the Unitarian Church, perhaps his donations were not just out of generosity, but also to ease his conscience at a soul level for the true legacy that he left behind. 
 
I believe that Albright was familiar with the importance of feng shui because a Historian at the Unitarian Church  has been quoted as saying "Albright knew how important it was to have properties near his estate exist in harmony with his own."  I wouldn't be surprised if his knowledge of geomancy went farther than an interest in aesthetics.  The Freemasons knew much of this knowledge of geomancy during this era and I'm certain influenced the decisions of many wealthy landowners and businessmen at that time.
 
It's interesting to see how philantropists often donate their funds after having gained tremendous material wealth at the cost of environmental degradation to an area and in this case leaving a legacy of disease and hardship to its surviving population.  What good are works of art and gifts of culture to an area that has been destroyed physically and energetically as well as plagued by cancer and other forms of disease as a result?  I think we can all answer that question for ourselves.  Unfortunately when you abuse the powers of the Earth, it comes back to haunt you at many levels, as has been seen by the rise and fall of so many empires and individuals throughout history.
 
Did Father Baker know at a soul level about the impending economic doom and cancer that would eventually descend upon the town of Lackawanna and it's surrounding areas of Buffalo? Is that why he felt the need to anchor light and worship in this area in the 1920s after the building of the steel mill? We will probably never know his complete motivations and perhaps he didn't truly know himself.  He just knew that he had to accomplish his mission and he did.
 
What is for sure is that the Basilica and other sacred structures in this area have offered hope to countless numbers of people whose lives have been destroyed by the greed and the destruction of this WNY region by the hands of powerful, sometimes ruthless people who sought only their monetary gains, apparently giving little consideration for the effects it would have on future generations of inhabitants in this area.  Incredible works of architecture were also destroyed in the city of Buffalo in an effort to outdo another person or gain more power and social standing.  It is unfortunate that many beautiful architectural landmarks no longer exist because of the incredible affluence that once existed in this region and the need to obtain more material power. 
 
The ravages of industrialism are still seen today in many of the Buffalo-Niagara region's desolate landscapes. Despite this legacy of contamination and environmental destruction and their accompanying energetic patterns held within the Earth, there continues to be hope in a struggling area because there is always life and renewal at a cellular, environmental and spiritual level.   There is a growing interest in sustainable building processes and alternative methods of healing that are slowly bringing WNY out of stagnation and imbalance toward an increasing sense of renewal and revitalization.  But it is a very challenging process  and it requires everyone's participation on both an individual and collective basis.
 
The Earth will always heal herself as can be seen by the tremendous amount of natural disasters and erratic weather patterns being experienced throughout the globe, but ultimately she requires the cooperation and intention of mankind to work in unison with her and to love and honor  this planet once again.  WNY is an area surrounded by water and its underlying power is not to be taken lightly (photo of sunset over Niagara River, Buffalo, NY by Mateusz Pitak).    
 
Green spaces in Nature, as well as cathedrals and temples of worship and other sacred manmade structures, offer hope, healing powers and inspiration to many during times of change.  It doesn't matter how or where you choose to find your connection.  All of the Earth is sacred and where there is a spark of light and hope, there is a potential for so much more.  When we focus our  intentions and act in positive, loving ways toward our environment, there is also change and renewal at the most basic of levels, inside this planet Earth and within ourselves.
 
Read Part 3.
 

Blessings of Earth Wisdom!
 
 

2013 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.
 
 
References and Further Reading:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Emoto, Masaru, The Hidden Messages in Water, Atria Books, 2005.
 
Alden Historical Society
 
 
 
 

Restoring the Sacred to Western New York: a Story of Spiritual/Material Conflict (Part 1)

Posted on February 10, 2013 at 3:43 PM Comments comments (3)
Although we may think we have complete control over our lives, our well being is greatly influenced by our environment— both immediate in terms of our home and workplace, as well as the community, town or city and region where we live.  These locations all hold their own special Earth energies and energetic history due to the actions and intentions of their inhabitants  (photo of Blessed Trinity Church, Buffalo, NY).  
 
Geographic locations exert an energetic influence over our daily lives, whether positive or negative, depending on how long we live in a particular area, and eventually attracting health and good fortune or misfortune and disease to our lives.  Among some of the locations within Western New York with powerful energetic and historical significance are the city of Buffalo, the area of Niagara Falls, the town of Alden, the Chautauqua Lake area, and the town of Lackawanna.
 
Each of these locations have in some way significantly contributed to either economic, cultural, educational and/or healing and spiritual development in this region.  I believe they also hold inherently powerful Earth energies, though much of these energies have long since been covered by layers of wrong intention and misuse.  There are other towns which I feel significant and relevant to this story and I will be mentioning them in later posts.  Some locations within WNY, though significant, I will not mention largely because I don't have much personal experience with them and including them here would make this story much longer than it already is.
 
Sacred geometry is based on mathematical proportions found throughout Nature which create balance, particularly when applied to architecture via human intention.  Architecture itself, when created as a balanced, harmonic structure according to certain geometric principles, can greatly influence the well being of its inhabitants and that of a population.  The energies that these structures emanate both through human intention, as well as the harnessing of Earth energies beneath the land where they are built, can greatly influence the mindset of an area.  By harnessing these Earth energies via architecture, their powers are directed and intensified (photo of Lake Erie, NY below). 
 
Ancient and native cultures have traditionally known about this influence of harmonious Earth energies and sacred structures for thousands of years, carefully selecting their places of worship and/or living sites and creating their structures using ancient principles of sacred geometry.  Europeans once utililized this knowledge and applied it's techniques, and often brought these principles with them as they began building cities in the New World.   Areas such as Indonesia and Asia still use these principals of feng shui and sacred geometry even today.
 
Only if we understand the history of the location we live in, its inherent natural energies, as well what has been done to the land, can we change our future, as we heal the past through what we have learned.  You cannot simply demolish a structure or bury a toxic substance and expect, harmonious, life enhancing energies to follow.  The energy must be dealt with from the ground up and at a sacred level giving respect to Nature, as the ancient cultures once did.  Unfortunately, as a largely materialistic society, this has rarely been done in the US, after the desecration of land by industries that sought only profit and did not think about future generations, as they ravaged the natural life enhancing energies of the land where they built their manufacturing facilities.  
 
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to experience living in a variety of different cities and countries, many of which had very powerful Earth energies which had examples of architecture which were created intending to harness the Earth energies existing there.  Most challenging within my own life, has been my experience returning to the region of WNY where I grew up.  This area is comprised of twelve counties and home to one of the natural wonders of the world— Niagara Falls.  It is also home to many forms of architecture which I believe were constructed using information passed on by the master builders of Europe who employed sacred geometry and were aware of the importance of chosing certain locations to enhance the energy and integrity of their structures (photo of McKinley Monument, Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY).   
 
Four lion sculptures surrounding an obelisk at Niagara Square face the cross quarter directions (southeast and west, northeast and west) which symbolize guardianship of Earth energies and power within the city of Buffalo.  Interestingly these directions also represent wealth, partnerships, benefactors and wisdom in terms of the compass directions of the ancient art of feng shui.  I don't think this is to be overlooked because Buffalo's power was once based on economic wealth, but it is also the city of helpful people and community, where people always come together to help their neighbors in need.  I believe it is also a place where people use their experiences of hardship to gain wisdom and offer greater compassion to their communities and to the world.
 
Niagara Falls is a tremendous powerhouse of energy consisting of three separate waterfalls, which are the highest in the world and it has been a popular tourist destination in this region for many years.  The Falls border both USA and Canada.  There are also many different creeks in WNY which conjoin with the Niagara River which eventually empties water from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.  Both fresh water lakes are part of the five Great Lakes of North America which comprise the largest body of fresh water on Earth.  These natural water sources contributed to the rising power and reputation of the city of Buffalo, NY and the eventual affluence of the surrounding region in the 1800s.  They are also an extremely important source of fresh water for the region. 
 
Water has long been held sacred by ancient cultures because of it's life giving force and also it's means to generate wealth to those who control it.  Six (originally five) tribes of the Iroquois Conferacy lived in the WNY region prior to the arrival of the Europeans.   The Seneca, one of these original tribes, are known as "The Keepers of the Western Door," which is symbolic in many ways, not least of which I believe is the association with the divine feminine energies of water in this area.  The Door can be seen as the entrance into the womb of Gaia (the spirit of the Earth) and the sacredness of the surrounding landscape given it's powerful water energies and life giving force (photo of the Rose Garden in Delaware Park, Buffalo). 
 
The Senecas and other Iroquois tribes knew that whoever controlled this area would yield power, but I believe they also knew it was something to be held sacred and not abused. A door is also a threshold or opening to be respected, and in this case, it was the door to the new frontier and the rest of Northern America, a place for new ideals and freedom from oppressive systems. I don't think the responsibility of this Western Door should have been taken lightly, and least of all desecrated by industry. It is even possible that perhaps, some areas should never have been built upon because they were too sacred, but we will never know for sure. We can only learn from the mistakes that have been made.
 
In some Native American traditions, the West symbolizes our ancestors and the past, perseverance when challenged, as well as  self knowledge and our understanding of life's meaning.  The Seneca, a nation whose very principles were based on peace and the Iroquois Constitution known as the Sacred Tree of Peace, were warned by one of their prophets, a wise man named Handsome Lake, to maintain their ways of ceremony and spirituality after the arrival of the Europeans to this area, in order to ensure the survival of the Iroquois people.  It is unfortunate that the Senecas were eventually pushed further and further off their lands within WNY by the Holland Land Company who eventually sold most of the former Seneca lands to wealthy businessmen and developers.  Nevertheless, I believe that the spirit of the Wisdomkeepers or Guardians of this region continue to hold a sacred space within WNY and that this natural healing power will one day rise again to restore it's rightful place in the new paradigm of sustainability for this Earth.
 
Buffalo was once a wealthy, prosperous city built up by it’s proximity to the Erie Canal, Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes.  It was originally called “The City of Light” because it was the first urban area in the US to experience electricity due to the work of Nikola Tesla and the natural hydro power of the Falls.  My understanding is that this name was also given to Buffalo because it was considered a mecca of spiritual awareness during the 19th century, drawing people from all over the world including famous avante garde and revivalist architects and craftsmen, as well as many esoteric thinkers (photo of Gates Circle, Buffalo). 
 
The plan for the city of Buffalo, NY was designed in a radial pattern symbolizing the sun, said to be built in accordance with sacred geometry by the land surveyor  Joseph Ellicott,  who assimilated many of the ideas of his brother Andrew Ellicott who planned the city of Washington, DC.   Downtown Buffalo contains a phenomenal park system designed by famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in New York City.  Interestingly the four lions of Niagara Square also symbolize the energy of Leo ruled by the Sun in astrological terms, representing the life giving forces of  the sun and fire combining with the surrounding water inherent within the Buffalo landscape.  Fire energy is also reflected in fault lines which represent fire or dragon lines within the Earth in terms of geomancy.  Though conflicting energies, they can work harmoniously together when properly utilized and integrated.
 
Buffalo was also the site for the Pan American Exposition in 1901 and is home to some of the most incredible displays of architecture including the Blessed Trinity Church, St. Paul's Cathedral and Darwin Martin House built by Frank Lloyd Wright, among a long list of other beautiful buildings.  The Blessed Trinity Church is an example of Romanesque architecture at its finest created by skilled and passionate craftsmen and it is imbued with rich symbolism including the Ten Commandments and signs of the Zodiac inside its walls, a wonderful representation of the Divine influence not only of the Creator, but also of the Cosmos in man's life.  A work of art such as this cathedral would be difficult, if not impossible to recreate today due to the specialized abilities and intentions of its builders, expertise which possibly no longer exists in this day and age.  St. Paul's Cathedral built in 1851, another amazing feat of architecture reflecting the interest in Gothic Revival at that time, can still can be experienced today as it sits on its triangular lot in downtown Buffalo (photo of St. Paul's Cathedral below). 
 
Later with the advent of the steel, auto and other industries, this magnificent city with its beautiful architecture, began to decline as the land was desecrated and any attempts at infrastructure failed miserably.  A once powerful and sacred area to the Native Americans, Buffalo and its surrounding region became an area of failed industry, urban sprawl, poverty, disease and crime.  
 
Niagara Falls which is fueled by the rich energy of the mighty Niagara River became one of those areas desecrated by the chemical industries and dumping of nuclear waste after WWII giving way to pollution, economic failure, poverty and tragic stories such as  Love Canal.  Tremendous amounts of toxic waste were buried in the land during the height of manufacturing eventually seeping into the water and air causing disease and birth defects for its residents during the 1970s and still continuing today.*  Toxic wastes don't just miraculously disappear even if people stop focusing their attention on them.  People just seemingly learn to cope with their results.
 
Western New York has extremely high rates of unemployment, with minimal opportunities so many eventually chose to leave this area in search of work and a better life.  As people loose their livelihood and/or succumb to disease and struggle, either they turn to God and their faith and often channel this into creative expression or compassion for others, or ancestral patterns begin to emerge and people turn to substance abuse and other forms of self-abuse when they no longer respect themselves. Often times this anger and despair gets channelled in a variety of negative ways.  If you do not respect yourself, how can you possibly respect the Earth, which is part of yourself, as well as all life within your environment? So it becomes a vicious circle of patterns held within the Earth and within a city.
 
The county of Erie within WNY has some of the highest rates of cancer  in New York State (with the exception of NYC), as well as high incidences of depression, thyroid disease, and muscular dystrophy in this area. Cancer and thyroid imbalances are often linked to geopathic stress, which is land that is generally stressed by improper use by humans, though it can exist naturally due to fault lines which may generate noxious energies from beneath the Earth's crust that are harmful to human and animal health.   I don't think it's a coincidence that we have a leading cancer treatment and research center such as Roswell Park in this region (photo of the Buffalo Psych Center). 
 
As mentioned, Buffalo does lie on a fault line and has experienced minor earthquakes in the past. Fault lines are fire energy and not only can they generate noxious energies, but also their negative aspects are symbolic of a division or rift in Earth energies and also in ideology of the people inhabiting the area, often contributing to differences of opinion and argumental energies.  I'm sure this has contributed to the conflicting views on infrastructure in this area and it's lack of cohesive development.  I also see this as a sign of the spiritual/material conflict which I believes lies at the heart of the rise and fall of Buffalo, as well as this surrounding region.  Without respect for Nature and its lands, a society is doomed to fail economically at some point and I believe this is what eventually happened here and continues to impede the restoration of vibrancy to this area.
 
I also believe that when patterns of land abuse exist, Mother Nature cries out and these patterns manifest themselves in many different forms including domestic violence, animal and child abuse, all which are highly prevalent in this area.  The key energetic pattern being abuse. Erie County alone has the 2nd highest rate of child abuse in New York State. Domestic violence is also often linked to animal abuse which is also very common here.  A recent report by a local news station highlighted the increasing rise of domestic violence seen in the Western New York area(photo of Green Woman Statue at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo).  
 
Are all these things a coincidence?  I think not when you have an understanding of Nature and geomancy (the study of Earth energies) as I do.  All  humans and the cities they inhabit have a shadow self, and in order to heal that side, you must look at it.  That is why I have included some not so pretty statistics and topics in this article, things which many people would rather not talk about, but they need to be recognized in order to be understood and healed. Sometimes life, including understanding and wisdom, is like a giant jigsaw puzzle.  You have to put all the pieces together before you can see the whole picture accurately and then it starts to make sense. 
 
Patterns can be changed by human intention and action, by working co-creatively with Nature to restore what once was.  The purpose of this three part story is to reflect on the magnificence of what this area once was and inherently still is.  By recognizing both WNY's strengths and what contributed to what I believe was this region's downfall and subsequent disruption of life enhancing energies of this region, I hope to provide a reference for other cities around the world, in terms of helping to understand the energies of their locations, as well as to prevent similar outcomes for those in developing nations where indigenous peoples are currently fighting to prevent the desecration of their lands.
 
Read Part 2.
 
 
With Blessings of Nature's Wisdom!
 
 
All photos are compliments of Matt Roginski Photography and are reprinted here with permission.
 
*A Special Note:  On the date of this posting, an article entitled "Has Love Canal's Demon Returned?" was printed on the front page of  The Buffalo News.  The majority of this article originally published under a different name can be viewed here.
 
2013 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.
 
 
References and Further Reading:
 
 
Bopp, J, Bopp, M, Brown, L, & Lane Jr, P. The Sacred Tree: Reflections on Native American Spirituality,  Twin Lakes, WI, Lotus Light Publications, 1989.
 
 
 
 
New York State, Department of Health
 
New York State, Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winter Solstice 2012: The Time of Great Expectations

Posted on December 12, 2012 at 12:12 PM Comments comments (3)
"When  one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." – Alexander Graham Bell.
 
This year is nearing completion as we also approach the time of prophecy for the Winter Solstice of 2012.  This astrological aspect has been spoken of in many ancient cultures, as it is the moment our planet shall align with the galactic center of the universe thereby completing a 26,000 year cycle which shall affect the energies of this planet for many years to come.  It is also a time of new beginnings. 
 
While many may continue in fear and chaos, others will find peace and a new sense of empowerment-- a knowing of their true selves grounded in relationship to All That Is.  The choice is yours.  Do you now see the path you have taken and understand the greater significance behind it?  Do you take responsibility for your experiences and embrace the unknown trusting that you are the creator of your own life and that you will be Divinely guided?  If you don't, then perhaps it is time to have faith in the vast power of this universe.
 
As this year draws to an end, there are so many reasons to be grateful.  A worldwind of activity has occurred in only one year and this will continue as the frequencies on Earth continue to rise.  I know that I cannot look at things the same way that I did just a year ago and I think many can say the same.  Amidst all the turmoil we have seen and many have experienced in the form of extreme weather patterns, disaster and disruption to their lives, it makes you realize how fragile life is in all its forms.  This is not a time for fear, however, but a time for courage.  It is a time for re-alignment with all that you hold precious and all that you believe in.  The process of transformation on this planet is just beginning.
 
Are there ways you could have done things differently?  Sometimes I look back at my life and think how different it would have been if I had made different choices.  Regardless, I think that although we certainly have free will to orchestrate our own lives, there is also much that is out of our control, subject to the laws of Nature and things that we have perhaps agreed to at a soul level prior to this lifetime.  There is also personal karma to work through with people that cross our path and patterns inherent in the locations we have chosen to live.  It is up to us to resolve them, individually and collectively within our communities.
 
Two years ago during the Winter Solstice I began this website and blog never knowing where it would lead me.  I have often wondered what difference my writing has made.  Have I fulfilled my purpose for writing?  There have been numerous times that I have considered writing my last blog, but something has always pushed me on, some inner knowing that defied comprehension, as well as the many comments I have received both publicly and personally from people around the globe.  Knowing that in some way my writing has affected people's lives encourages me to continue expressing my views and experiences.  I know I also write for the countless creatures and beings whose voices and messages need to be heard to affect change.  Sometimes it is just my love letter to this awesome and inspiring planet that fuels my fire.
 
  "Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us."
   ---Sir Thomas Brown
 
I do know that by sharing my experiences here on this blog, I have grown tremendously in both the strength of my convictions and also my understanding of my self.  Writing about these thoughts and emotions is not always easy because many times I have shared intense, highly charged moments and other times they are things I feel somewhat helpless to change because of the sheer severity of the problems and/or mindset within our world.  But then I remind myself that it all makes a difference.  I know that in my heart.  Each time there is a shift in perspective or an increase in awareness, it matters.
 
As we approach this year's Winter Solstice, I give thanks to all the people, creatures and circumstances that have taught me about myself and reinforced my inner strength.  Knowing myself and what I will or will not tolerate has been half the battle.  Speaking my truth is something that at an earlier part of my life, was virtually non-existent.  Becoming clear about what I invite into my life and what I choose to participate in has been an ongoing process.  Boundaries that once didn't seem to exist, continue to be created and/or revised.  And yet others fall away as I realize the futility of them. 
 
It is an irony that the stronger you become and the more connected you feel with the Earth, the more sensitive and aware you are to dissonant energies within your environment, and the more uncomfortable they make you feel.  You also realize that many of the feelings you experience, are not always fully your own but part of the collective consciousness.  I realize now how important it is to differentiate between my own energy field and what I encounter on a daily basis, combined with maintaining my own inner strength and clarity.  As the fear may heighten on this planet in the coming year, the need for greater balance within one's self becomes an absolute necessity.
 
Some of you may wonder why I have a lion on my site.  I am in awe of these beautiful creatures who protect and balance the Earth and are so often exploited and misunderstood.  I am also a lion at heart with my sun and several planets in the sign of Leo which greatly affect my personality and path in life.  My lesson in this lifetime is to have courage, to protect that which I hold dear to me and to maintain my boundaries despite whatever may come my way.  It has been quite a challenge to create balance in my surroundings, as well as within my own life given the path I have chosen.  I'm sure there are many of you who can say the same.
 
By clearing patterns held within our ancestral memories, we pave the way for future generations and for a healthier balanced life on this planet.  By working through our own issues, we also clear patterns held within the collective unconscious-- patterns called miasms that exist within society.  We all hold these patterns whether human, animal or plant form within our DNA.  Whether you believe in past lives or not,  they are passed on through our ancestral lineage as I have mentioned before.  They must be healed and released for new patterns to emerge.  Know that when you resolve these patterns within yourself, the patterns of consciousness on this planet are changed.
 
"The acts of this life are the destiny of the next."--Eastern Proverb
 
I recently came across some information mentioning that the location of thoughts and memories is outside of our brain and that we access this information via magnetic fields in the Earth. Since science has told us that it is largely our brain that stores our memories and knowledge, this is a concept that is tough to accept.  If this idea is in fact true, it puts a whole other perspective on our personal experiences.  I believe the answer lies somewhere in between-- memory is held within us and around us. I believe that we have to stay open to embracing ideas that are contrary to what we've always been told.  I think it will be the only way to thrive in the years ahead and change the way we've always done things.
 
This Winter Solstice, be kind to yourself.  Find the strength to go within during the darkest days of the year and plan the renewal of your body and spirit.  Reconnect with your senses, honor your own temple, embrace the spirit within your daily life.  By creating balance within yourself and outside of yourself, you will affect this planet more than you know.  Reconnect with the rhythms of this planet and those within your own body.  Reawaken to the spirit in all life and embrace your authentic self.  Find gratitude and beauty within the smallest of moments and there you shall find peace.
 
Contrary to what some may have lead us to believe about this time of prophecy, we can we can all be encouraged to hear that several respected Mayan spiritual leaders have recently been quoted as saying "This time will bring positive changes for humanity, more balance and more consciousness to the world."   It is simply an end of a cycle and a way of being, not the end of the world. I think it's time that we all embrace the change that lies before us, not fear it or fight it. 
 
Trust that as long as you honor yourself and this planet in a sacred way, you will be safe.  Anything that comes your way whether seemingly difficult or unusual, is all an opportunity for growth and re-alignment with our changing planet.  Outmoded ways of doing and being shall fall away as we embrace that which we once knew and that which we have yet to learn-- our ancestral heritage originating from this vast, magnificent universe.  
 
"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."-- Joseph Campbell
 
Blessings of Peace this Winter Solstice!
 
For more information on the Mayan message visit here.
 
2012 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.

The Summer of Orb Weavers

Posted on September 9, 2012 at 11:12 AM Comments comments (178)
This summer I had the opportunity to experience the benefits of a re-vitalized ecosystem with many songbirds, pollinators, butterflies and other beneficial insects returning to my own backyard.  I had the awesome moment of witnessing the emergence of a beautiful swallowtail butterfly from its chrysalis just because I left a section of my yard unmowed. 
 
I saw the return of numerous  orb weaver spiders  which I've found to be the only predators of the destructive Japanese beetle.  Orb weavers are a sure sign of the revitalization of the landscape and their arrival is one I look forward to, not despise, because I know the land is healing and balance is being restored.  I also got to listen to the  Choir of the Crickets  once again, something I usually just hear while camping or at the lake.  They are no doubt, bringing a higher vibration to the land.
 
Though my yard may look unruly to the meticulously groomed, pesticide ridden yards of many neighboring properties in my suburban area, I know that restoring ecology to my own backyard is not only good for the environment, but also for my own health and that of my child, as well as our pets and the overall community.  A great book I read many years ago on this topic is Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards.  Although this book was written in the 90's, Sara Stein was well ahead of her time in recognizing that the gardening and landscaping methods we had grown accustomed to and come to accept as 'normal' in our society are actually destroying our environment and cannot be sustained indefinitely.  That is, if we want to have a healthy future for our children and this planet to survive. 
 
While I love the philosophy and information within this book, I will say however, that I do take exception to the author's use of the Monsanto herbicide Round-up and the burning of fields to eliminate unwanted plants.  I don't agree with using any chemical in the garden including the 'seemingly harmless' glyphosates which have since been proven to be the contrary.  Nor do I feel it is necessary to burn a landscape in order to place what you want in a meadow.   I also don't believe it's necessary to only use native plants in your landscape.  There are many, many medicinal/healing advantages to having exotic and naturalized plants in your landscape, so eliminating one for the sake of the other is not in my opinion, the answer.  Finding a balance between both worlds is.  If a plant is growing wild in your yard, there's a reason that usually only Nature knows and plants follow people when they are needed.
 
Being different is not always easy, however.  One weekend I witnessed one of my neighbors discussing my property with a guest at his backyard party.  I was mowing the lawn and wanted to go right over to him and tell him what I knew and how I felt.  Not only had this more recent development of homes pushed all the water from the previously existing wetland onto my property, but also the subsequent common use of pesticides from these homeowners had contributed to making the soil into an unhealthy, unproductive hard pan which reaked of decay when I first moved there over 2 years ago. 
 
I wanted to say all of these things, but I didn't because I knew it would only insight anger and increase tensions between us.  Instead, I chose to continue with my mowing and I write about my experiences here on this blog, in hopes that eventually people will wake up and realize that what they are doing is so contrary to the well being of this planet and the very health of humanity and all life.  I know I've said this before, but I will continue saying it until I see the last of the yellow signs in my neighborhood and community because it continues to amaze me how many people are still unaware.  Last night as I took a run through this neighborhood, I could just smell all the pesticide residues from the yellow signed properties, definitely not a healthy place to take a walk or be running, let alone allow a child to play.
 
Of great concern is also the activities that recently took place in cities like Dallas, TX and New York City, as well as states like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania with aerial spraying of pesticides to combat the West Nile Virus.  I believe many were unaware of these municipal sprayings as they were done during early morning hours and others expressed little or no concern to this activity which not only harms useful pollinators, but also animals and humans. Which town or city will be next?  What is truly needed is for the restoration of healthy landscapes which support beneficial insect predators and other forms of wildlife which create balance.  An excess of any type of insect is a sure sign of imbalance and spraying chemical pesticides will not resolve the problem, only create more imbalance and disease.
 
This excessive need to control our natural environment I believe stems from very deep rooted emotional issues and imbalances in our society and our ancestral DNA that need to be overcome and healed.  Attempting to control something so powerful as Nature is a wasted effort and so not in alignment with the way life should be.  Please give even just a little bit of space to Nature by allowing her to do what she does best. Choose to live gracefully and in awe and respect of Nature, and then she will bring you bountiful blessings beyond what you can imagine. 
 
Blessings of Awareness!
 
2012 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.
 
 
 

Fall in Love With Your Home

Posted on April 12, 2012 at 10:41 AM Comments comments (2)
Yes, I think you should love the house, apartment or castle that you live in, but that's not what I'm writing about.  I'm talking about falling in love with your  home-- your body, because it's part of the Earth.  I spent years tending lovingly to my gardens and neglecting myself, but it wasn't until recent years that I really began thinking about how important it is to love and care for your own physical body and not push it constantly to physical  and emotional extremes. 
 
Actually I think much of the lack of connection that exists with regard to this planet, all stems from a lack of respect for ourselves.  Once you realize that the Earth is part of you and that we are part of the Earth, you begin really focusing more on how you treat your body, the foods that you eat and the energies and/or people that you allow yourself to have relationships with.  You begin honoring yourself for the amazing collaboration of cells and organs that work in unision that support and house your soul. 
 
Although I'd spent years exercising to extremes and experiencing weight fluctuations, for me the path back was via gardening and working physically with the Earth.  All of Nature helped me to look at my patterns as well as to transmute the experiences and  emotions of my past into something more positive.  I think there's something really powerful in that connection to your landscape and those quiet moments of seeing new life that you have created.  Someone once told me, "tend to your own garden, Clarissa" when I discussed my constant stress, lack of energy and inability to focus.  It took me years to really understood what this person had meant. 
 
It's been a long, gradual process but  I have really learned to recognize who and what depletes my energy.  Sometimes it becomes such a habit to be around negativity that you don't even realize how it drains your own personal reserves.  Now whenever I feel angry, irritated or anxiety ridden, I  take a walk in the park, do some form of movement such as dance, and/or do some form of meditation, prayer or rebalancing work.   Whether it's shamanic journeying, listening to sound harmonics or doing gardening, it all works.  Spending time with my animals is also a great source of rebalancing.  It's so easy to become overwhelmed with what's going on today when you read the latest headlines or you've come in contact with someone who's chaotic and draining so it's especially important to stay grounded and draw upon your inner reserves to move through these times of transition.
 
A great source to help with your journey to healing your body is Denise Linn's book  Unlock the Secret Messages of Your Body.  Her book, which is also available as a workshop, is based on a 28-day program that focuses on the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.  Each week you focus on a different element while you journal your thoughts, clear clutter (from your home and your mind) and learn about how your patterns have influenced your choices.  You can choose your level of commitment and whether you do a little or alot, it all has an effect and makes a difference.
 
Much of our attitudes toward our bodies and our health have been influenced by the generational patterns of our families which Denise discusses in her book. I have also touched on this subject in my previous post Patterns: Overcoming Ancestral Trauma.   I had the opportunity to study with Denise in 2001 when I began developing my energy work with homes.  Denise's latest book is a natural culmination of her lifetime exploration into the practices of ancient cultures and the importance of creating sacred space, as well as our need to focus not only on our homes that we inhabit, but also our physical bodies which are our most sacred space.  It's all tied together and only when you've addressed your attitudes toward all three:  this planet we inhabit, the home you live in and the body that holds your spirit, will you achieve balance within your life. 
 
Living with intention is becoming increasingly important as this planet changes, technology progresses and the need to re-align ourselves with what truly matters in our lives.  When we understand our patterns and our behaviors and how they affect our choices, we can learn to make new ones.  These positive changes will affect not only our individual lives, but also this planet for generations to come as we once again adopt a reverance for Nature and all of creation, including ourselves.
 
Spring Blessings!
 
Copyright 2012 Awen Environmnents/Clarissa Harison.
 

Patterns: Overcoming Ancestral Trauma

Posted on January 23, 2012 at 10:53 AM Comments comments (10)
Recently I began recognizing some patterns in my son that made me reflect on where they may have originated from.  Although my son is still very young and like most kids attracted to material things, I really began to ponder where this need to constantly shop, buy things and fill his room with stuff came from.  He also has an obsession with all things pertaining to war and combat.  These are not patterns that I admire nor wish him to continue.  A typical boy perhaps, but perhaps not. 
 
I grew up with parents who valued quality things and waited until they could afford them.  Once they had something, they took care of it and kept their belongings for a long time.  The throw away society that we live in today was not part of my upbringing.  While I greatly dislike clutter, I also have very little tolerance for waste and excessive consumerism.  As I think back to my family history, I believe there's more to my son's behavior and it may go back to his ancestors, something deeply ingrained within his genetic patterns.
 
Both my mother and father's parents lost everything during the war.  My grandparents on my mother's side suffered the loss of their twin sons during a bombing raid, not to mention their home and all belongings due to fire while living in Germany during WWII.  My grandparents on my father's side also lost everything; my grandmother her freedom and my grandfather his own life due to the policies of the Stalinist regime in the former Soviet Union. 
 
It's hard to forget that kind of loss and what it does to subsequent generations.  This world is filled with descendants of those who survived wars, famine, political atrocities and the Depression, something which I believe contributes to the excessive consumer and other negative patterns inherent in many cultures at this time.  More and more information is surfacing now about how previous memories of ancestors do in fact affect those descendants who have never experienced the trauma itself.  It may manifest itself in a variety of ways from health to emotional issues to the need to surround one's self with things.
 
Lately I've been focusing a great deal on familial patterns and discussed this subject in Planet Whispers: Wisdom from Soul Travelers from Around the World.  Not coincidentally, I recently finished reading some powerful information in Olga Kharitidi's book "The Master of Lucid Dreams"  which supported some of my conclusions.  In her latest book, this Russian psychiatrist discusses her shamanic experiences in the ancient city of Samarkand, the capital of Uzbekistan.  Dr. Kharitidi's shamanic teacher tells her that in order to properly heal her patients, she must begin to resolve her own pain.  He discusses the trauma that gets passed on to successive generations if it is not resolved and goes on to say "this force lives inside you and generates painful circumstances again and again."  These "spirits of trauma" are caused by "memory spaces" and created by personal experiences in childhood, as well as ancestral memories which interfere with our happiness and ability to live healthy, balanced lives. 
 
There was a time in my life when I had an insatiable need to buy things-- clothes, furnishings and other objects, and just fill my time with shopping whether it was at the mall or at garage sales.  It made me feel better for a while, but it never really filled the emptiness I was feeling within my life. 
 
It wasn't until my son was born and I was gardening intensively and had spent years working with clients to release patterns from their land, that this need went away and I began to feel more complete.  I eventually came to learn that the more patterns that I released from the homes that I lived in and worked with, the more patterns I released from my own body and DNA, essentially the memories of my soul.  I was subconsciously chosing the clients and homes that I had for a reason.
 
I'll never forget the time I went into a client's home to do an energetic space clearing and the entire home was filled with things up to the ceiling with very little space to walk.  It was an image similar to those episodes of the television series Hoarders.  I remember wondering what could have possibly happened to this woman to make her buy so many things and be afraid to throw anything out?  Obviously there was some major trauma this woman had experienced to reach this point, which no amount of energetic clearing could address. Years later when I revisited her home with my geomancy teacher, I came to learn that the energies inherent in the land were a large part of the problem. 
 
I also worked with a man whose basement was filled with loads of furnishings and objects he would never use.  When I asked why he needed to keep all these things, he admitted that he had once been extremely poor and these objects represented a kind of security blanket for him.  Both cases represent examples of memories held within the Earth which form the foundation for the properties which the homes were built upon.  The memories held within our body and more specifically within our DNA, go hand in hand with that of the land.  You cannot resolve only one situation because the two are intertwined and people will continue to seek out properties, usually subconsciously, that will manifest the patterns of trauma which are familiar to them, unless the patterns are resolved.  If the home has experienced patterns of marital problems and divorce or financial hardship, more than likely you will also experience the same while living there unless the patterns have been cleared.
 
Interestingly, I had read Dr. Kharitidi's  first book "Entering the Circle" almost 15 years ago in which she discussed her initiation into the realms of Siberian shamanic wisdom.  The book had a profound effect on me, although I didn't understand anything about shamanism at that time of my life nor the path I would eventually follow. The word shaman originates from the Tungusic tribe of Siberia and means "one who knows" or someone who is an intermediary between the human and spirit world.
 
Over the years I've worked with a variety of clients, as well as my own homes where I've witnessed reoccurring patterns both held in the landscape, as well as in peoples' lives.  I had to smile when I came across these words in Dr. Kharitidi's second book in reference to the city of Samarkand, but also having a much farther reaching message:
 
"This land wants to tell these stories for the people in other lands so they can obtain knowledge from them.  The psyches of ancient people need to come back to life to activate memory changes in the people living now....The traumas of people from the past continue to live in their modern-day descendants even though most of them don't have an awareness of it.  Telling their stories will help heal these ancient traumas and change something critically important in the lives of many modern people."  Excerpts from "The Master of Lucid Dreams" by Olga Kharitidi, M.D.
 
Memory imprints can have a powerful impact on our well-being.  If we aren't aware of and don't try to resolve these patterns, we will continue to repeat them in our lives drawing those people, those homes and those circumstances that will repeatedly remind us and reactivate those patterns of trauma within ourselves. One method of releasing these patterns is explained during Dr. Kharitidi's training, as she journeys into some of the memories of her own traumas and changes their outcome.  By doing so, she releases the guilt associated with these patterns.  The brain apparently does not know the difference between the past and more positive thoughts created in the now. In order to heal these past traumas, she works with the perception of these memories.
 
Being aware of and recognizing these patterns is the first step in resolving them.  There are a variety of activities such as shamanic journeying, acupuncture, visualizations and meditation which can help resolve these traumas and change our patterns.  Avoiding or ignoring these ancestral memories will only result in further frustration as the energies of the Earth continue to shift within the coming years.  The Earth is healing herself and by doing so she will also heal us, whether we're aware of it or not.  Look at your patterns, learn to understand them and find a method to release them because if you don't, they will follow you wherever you go.
 
"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart."  --Author Unknown.
 
Blessings of Awareness!
 
---------------
References:  Kharitidi MD, Olga, The Master of Lucid Dreams, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. 2001.
 
Cloud, John, Why Your DNA Isn't Your Destiny, Time Magazine, January 6, 2010.
 
2012 Copyright Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison.

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