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Thoughts Beneath The
Trees
Workshops
& Gatherings
Creativity,
Healing
& Shamanism: Workshop
A special event for your creative spirit.
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Spring Quarter 1998
Hello Creatives:
SPEECHLESS NEAR SAN FRANCISCO
I consider the opportunity to share thoughts, and exchange ideas with the many people who
receive this newsletter to be a real privilege. A privilege I don't take lightly,
and feel very personally. It seems now I have apologized in nearly every newsletter
for sending it out too late. Well, I have really outdone myself this time. This
issue covers the months of March, April & May. Thus, I will announce the
Guestbook registration drawing winners for each of those months right at the start of this
writing. However, the long delay is not without reason and has also forced me to
reassess my ability to publish this on a monthly schedule. The remainder of this
issue will be more personal in nature.
AND THE WINNERS ARE;
March;
US
Kevin Peterson
Salina, KS
INT.
Jeff Eitel
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
---
April;
US
Angela Barrios
Springdale AR
INT.
Dr. Eldo Stellucci
Alba, Italy
---
May;
US
Keith James
Nashville TN
INT.
Tamara Durrant
Camlachie, Ontario, Canada
*A word to those who enter monthly and have the site bookmarked.*
We have moved to a new server so please update your bookmark to;
http://www.vantagequest.org/gb2.htm.
Thanks to everyone who has posted this drawing on contest sites, told friends, and
generally helped out.
COUNTING CROW
This morning I walked the wooded road that stretches along the Carquinez Straights here by
my home. My intent was to find the words to "eat crow" for this long
delay. To elucidate the events that blocked the path and had kept me from my
intended purpose. Each time I had tried before and been left speechless. Instead of
distilling my initial intent, an interesting synchronicity occurred. While in the
midst of my thoughts, a real crow cawed loudly above my head and circled my path for
sometime. I looked up in amazement. There was the crow as if called by my
thoughts and far above it, in the hazed blue sky, an eagle soared looking down upon the
whole event. Crows and Eagles are not common sights here. My transpersonal
curiosity peaked. There must be meaning in this event.
Returning home I looked up the meaning of crow again in one of my books on "power
animals." I knew in many Native mythologies the Crow is a Shape Shifter and can
travel between the spiritual and physical worlds. However, the following words
jumped from the page branding my heart in the process.
"Crow is an omen of change....With Crow medicine, you speak in a powerful voice when
addressing issues that for you seem out of harmony, out of balance, out of whack, or
unjust."
Since the inception of this company, first as EnterQuest, and then revised as Vantage
Quest, things have been "out of whack." Unlike most companies, this one
started backwards. This project began as my dissertation research relying on favors from
old friends to provide the recording facilities. Then, when people wanted to buy the
Harmonic Matrix, a company formed loosely on a "Hollywood Handshake."
Unfortunately such handshakes are generally short term speculative deals. As in this
case, those involved who have little interest in, or understanding of, the project make
little or no investment of their time or money. Some involved did not fulfill their
comments to me; thus, I am unable to complete the project as first envisioned. While
12 Matricies have been made, I will be unable to release them at this time. Likewise, over
the past two years I have had requests to distribute versions in Korean, Arabic, and
Spanish. For the same reasons I
am unable to provide those versions. Notifying you about those releases was part of
the purpose of this newsletter.
Over the course of this project I have had to take over more and more of the duties
delaying my research. Now, from Producer to Promoter, from Web Wizard to "Tone
Shaman," I simply can't do it all. It is now at a point where I must redirect
my energies for the next several months to complete what started this project, the
dissertation.
HERE'S THE BOTTOM LINE;
The Vantage Quest VI CD is still for sale and will remain so. When I am able, I will
re-record the remaining 11 Matrices and release them. To do this more quickly, I
hope this project will attract new partners, and investment. I know the power of all
the matrices and regret that I can't share them with you now. You the customers have
verified its usefulness repeatedly. I thank you.
For the next months this newsletter will be quarterly. The monthly drawing will
remain as it is. I will continue my humble attempt to make this writing useful and
filled with some sparks of inspiration. I will also continue to add educational
articles to the website when possible. I hope you will continue to share your
comments, suggestions, and thoughts with me.
Hopefully the crow's message of raising my voice is correct and change can now flow
easily. Oh, and the meaning of the Eagle.... Eagle is the messenger of the
"Great Spirit" in this tradition. I guess its presence was to make sure I
got the message. I did.
Now for a couple of the events that have inspired me in the past couple of months.
PERUVIAN WHISTLING VESSELS
The vessels are Pre-Columbian artifacts found in archeological digs of Andean
civilizations. The purpose of these vessels was unclear until a few years ago.
Most thought they were personal water bottles that made a made whistling sound as
the water pours. (You can read a detailed description and history at the link
below.) However, the whistling sound carries much more than water. When blown,
the sound is a vessel that sails one into altered states of consciousness. This use
was rediscovered in the early 70's. A few people have since learned to recreate the
vessels and share their power with the world. The current artisan in this lineage is
Don Wright. Don graciously offered me a chance to experience the vessels for myself.
The use of sound to alter consciousness states in a useful manner is central to
Vantage Quest so I was anxious to learn about these ancient tools first hand.
So...What happened? First, the incredible beauty of each vessel astounded me.
The craftsmanship is remarkable. The experience is much more
difficult to describe. When blowing a whistle alone, all one hears is a normal
tone much like a toy whistle. However, when a second whistle (or
more), sounds simultaneously, the world begins to shift.
The combined resonance of the vessels is more than the "sum" of the sounds, nor
is it binaural-like interference beats from the various frequencies
present. There is a distinctive buzzing present that does not come from any of the
instruments. It reminded me of two sounds combined; specifically, the sound of wind
across high mountain peaks, and the sound of the Luke Skywalker's (Star Wars) "light
saber." A strange description, but it may give you a mental image of the sound.
The effect in the room is as if a hole opens in space and time allowing one's
consciousness to drift. This effect is present as one blows their vessel --
one feels "plugged in" -- and subsides when one stops blowing.
It defies my description. It very definitely produced an altered state of
consciousness. It seems to me that one could learn to use this consciousness state
in many ways after one passes the initial state of wonder about the experience. If
any of you should ever have the chance to try the experience, I give it my whole hearted
endorsement and my thanks to Don Wright for sharing it with me.
To learn more go to;
http://www.entheosound.com/
A BOOK REVIEW;
Karen Berggren's excellent contributions to this newsletter have been very useful so I was
very pleased to get a copy of her book. It gave me the opportunity to see just where
she had developed the wisdom she provided in her comments. When I picked it up, her
book was just the inspiration I needed. Below is a review of her book. You can
find the book everywhere including on our Selects page; http://www.vantagequest.org/selects.htm
"CIRCLE OF SHAMAN" by Karen Berggren
Oh so pleasant! Circle of Shaman is like mead wine for the spirit. It drenches
the mind's eye with sweet images of the mystical experiences found in everyday life, if we
only will open to them. Karen Berggren's story is an intoxicating adventure in the
borderlands where the mundane and mythic worlds embrace.
Books on shamanism run the gamut from ones steeped in academic objectivity to those
engulfed in spiritual narcissism and personal grandiosity. Circle of Shaman
differentiates itself from these by being a heartfelt personal encounter that connects its
knowledge with respected psychological and anthropological treatises. One is not
required to accept that these events happened in some distant land the reader will likely
never see, nor that the experiences are the result of some special quality possessed by
the author. The occurrences remain plausible yet filled with wonder.
Berggren has noticed that in a universe whose existence is vibration, new states of being
can be accessed by allowing ourselves to resonate with it in non-habitual ways.
Knowledge specific to various states of being can thus be captured through entraining
(resonating) to new rhythms. Entrainment provides a way to communicate across the
thresholds separating the worlds of body, emotion, mind, and spirit. Metaphors for
this experience fill our language like, "two hearts beating as one," or the
Beach Boys "picking up good vibrations." We all know it's there.
Circle of Shaman is a comfort to anyone struggling through their own "shamanic
initiation," or any of the crises related to a spiritual emergence. Besides
authenticating the experiences for those who have had them, Circle of Shaman is a
delicious invitation for everyone to simply join in the dance.
Karen's website has workshop information and more inspirations at;
http://www.tiac.net/users/newdream
SITE NEWS;
I have posted one new article on the site for those interested. "A Comparative
View of Creativity Theories" http://www.vantagequest.org/trees/comparative.htm.
Also, past issues of this newsletter are now posted for anyone who wishes to
review.
NEWSLETTER ADMINISTRATION;
If you are receiving this writing, it is because you have signed our Guest Book, bought
our product, or communicated with us in some other way. This is not "bulk
email." I maintain the list by hand, thus any multiple copies you received
result from either my error, or you have entered your name multiple times in our drawing
and I have failed to catch it.
As I've said, I still do this the old fashioned way -- by hand! If you don't want to
receive our newsletter, just send me a note and I will groom the list. I repeat. I want to
build a community of creative folks. I don't want to make "email enemies."
For those who do not know, I hold the drawing from the previous months Guest Book entries
about the 1st. of each month. The winner receives a free copy of our latest release.
YES, you can enter again each month, and many of you have, but ONLY ONCE PER MONTH.
Please let me know in the comments that you already receive this mailing so I don't
bombard you with multiple copies of this newsletter.
Well, that's it for this "Quarter." Thanks as always for your interest.
"Why not do some dreamin"
Carlisle
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02/02/04
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