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Restoring the Sacred to Western New York: a Story of Spiritual/Material Conflict (Part 3)
| Posted on March 26, 2013 at 12:01 PM |
 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: Dr. Mercola, Should You Protect Yourself From Earth Radiation? Copyright 2013 Awen Environments/Clarissa Harison. |
Categories: Ancestral Trauma, Earth Energies, Earth Rhythms, Energy of Cities, Feng Shui, Feng Shui of Cities, Gardening with Nature, Geomancy, Geopathic Stress, Green Living, Healing Water, Health & Wellness, Holistic Health, Land Abuse, Living Arts, Nature as Teacher, Plant Medicine, Sacred Cities, Sacred Space, Spiritual Ecology, Spirituality
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