My first encounter with a Shamanic Astrologer was May 13, 2022 … and I didn’t even know it!
My friends Happy-O and Johnny Free had invited me to the annual Spring Fest at their resort, Heaven on Earth, in Prescott. The day was complete with nature in The Dells, flowery souls, vegan potluck, heartful cacao ceremony, body-melting massage under the trees and a sublime outdoor musical concert by John Dumas. It was a beautiful and memorable day for many reasons.
Over the following summer from my own “heaven on earth” at The Moon Ranch, I began looking toward the fall’s events and planning the first gathering at my place for October after the summer heat passes. I remembered the day in May and invited John to bring his musical magic to SouLounge for a Sound Journey Under the Stars to “kick off” the season.
But October’s Scorpio season did not fail to deliver! The biggest storm of the year roared through Goodyear on the exact day John was scheduled to come! Trees came down, rooves came off, patio furniture and trampolines ended up in the neighbor’s yard. It was a huge force! So the starlight concert just wasn’t meant to happen … at that time.
Plus there’s this little foundational Universal principle, “as without, so within” — and yes, there was also a personal “storm” within going on too! And not only with me! Many people I knew were having turbulence and lightening and thunder and massive winds of change during that time!
So we rescheduled.
On November 11th (yes, 11/11!) John and his beautiful partner, Ako, came from Sedona to the Estrella Foothills to guide a group of us through his amazing Shamanic Sound Journey. John Dumas is a world-renowned “sound journeyman” and uses many instruments – didgeridoo, hand pan, flutes, drums, rattles, and whale sounds from his own body! — that lead the listener through an experience, something that touches your body and soul very deeply.
John & Ako spent the night and in the morning, joined me on a land walk in the property behind my house. We came across a small stone circle with a 4-directional cross in the center that I had put together a few weeks before without knowing why. I like arranging and making patterns with the beautiful rocks on my land and I had heard something about the “4 directions” so from this, somehow a circle had formed. Seeing my nascent attempt, John said, “We should build you a stone cirlcle that works!”
Works?!?!? … Yes!! I’m intrigued …
He continued to explain how stone circles are built around the world to commemorate and ceremonialize astronomical & astrological events and to track cycles and seasons; basically a sort of calendar that connected the Above with the Below, connecting and applying what’s happening in the sky with what’s happening in our experience on Earth.
I realized that my instinct to build that first circle was from a deeply seated seed somewhere within me, a part that knew that building circles and somehow “patterning” the elements reflected the patterning of All that Is. Something was coming together. John, music, circles, stars (“Estrella” Mtns.), the name I chose (Moon). Like the bend in the nearby Gila River, I was in a wave that had taken a turn but I wasn’t yet aware of the new direction.
The circles also represent the astrological zodiac wheel – the one we’re all a little bit familiar with, the one that has our “sign” on it. I had always been a reader of astrology because I love many forms of studying the “human condition.” I had received personal and relevatory chart readings and even tried to “learn astrology” but had no clue about different forms of it or any connection to the actual sky! So got bored and overwhelmed with memorization and lose interest.
But now John was putting it together! He was bringing together the importance of the wheel (zodiac, stone, wheel of life, etc.) and what it means to the human! Now it was starting to make sense and be interesting! Even further intrigued …
That’s when he introduced to me the Shamanic Astrology Paradigm™ and told me about the journey with his teacher, Daniel Giamario. When I met John 6 months earlier, I had no idea how that meeting would flow into the massive shifts that have happened since then! It turns out that John has studied with Daniel and has been a Shamanic Astrologer for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of a chart’s archetypal energies and the directional flow of a soul’s journey. (This is also why his musical “journeys” are so potent!)
So that weekend in November I had my first reading from the Shamanic Astrology paradigm … and my eyes / heart / mind were instantly opened! I’ve had many years of inner healing and “spiritual work” so I was ready and willing to see the areas of my life that were not in alignment for me … and so it was!!!
Woww! Right before my eyes from this circular chart, I had an objective view of the story John was telling me as he was interpreting my unique cosmological imprint. His story weaved together where I came from (my lineage), what I came here to learn and experience on this Earth and in this lifetime (tools & initiations), and what the overall directional flow of this journey is to be – the current life’s intent that I could “rise” into IF I choose to align with that flow. (There is always free will.)
I could see, sense and feel what he was saying and what I was seeing was true. I could see what my path had been all of this life and before; what my lessons, fracture points, tendencies, afflictions/addictions, habits, tools, etc., have been and are; and how that, as I chose to consider the direction of this “map,” I felt uplifted, open, excited, “lit up!” This visceral experience was so notable it was as if my cells were changing deep inside, they were getting excited, uplifted, lighting up for the new direction! This is flow! This is how it feels in the body!
Once we feel it in the body, we can take action based on what we feel. It serves as confirmation of the alignment with the flow of our soul’s intent! It becomes a strong motivator to make decisions and take action based on that feeling! The more I took action in the direction the chart had indicated, the more of this experience I had! It was and continues to be True for me.
A little over a month later, John & Ako returned to gather our community members and build a “circle that works.” On December 19th, we searched a “felt” the right location on the land then John opened the space by playing his flute to the directions and elements as we set our intentions … and the stones came together! It’s as if the circle had already been there and we were putting it back in place, re-ordering, restoring the pattern. (More on the stone circle in upcoming posts.)
All this to say, I was “bitten by the bug” of Shamanic Astrology, the archetypal understanding of the human condition, and the connection with Earth & Sky! By learning about some very important transits (initiations) that I am currently experiencing, I’ve been able to work with them in awareness, acceptance … and excitement! These initiations have supported me in deeply connecting with my soul’s purpose and original intent, with making hard decisions and cutting ties with old ways (and often people), making space for my sacred work, and taking the courage to walk a new path that I love, that uplifts me, that gives me life!! This IS NOT the path of least resistance! The process has NOT been easy or “all light and love” … but for me (all of us?) there is nothing more important than finding these things for ourselves!!
Since these auspicious happenings, I joined members of Turning of the Ages Mystery School in Oracle, AZ in April to gather with the founder, Daniel Giamario, who currently resides in the Phillipines with his wife, Lynne. I got to learn directly from his and others’ vast and deep wisdom and to hear first-hand from others about how impactful this paradigm is, especially at this very important “turning of the ages!” It was an amazing week of making key connections and being among a group of souls all talking about there planet positions and transits and archetypes and lives. I had found my tribe!!
I feel so passionate about what this paradigm has done for me and for thousands of others who have found it that I am now becoming a fully initiated Shamanic Astrologer in the Turning of the Ages Mystery School (TOTAMS) and I’m honored to have Daniel as my mentor, John as my guide/friend (and shaman), and other “seed people” who have been instrumental in the school that called to me and showed me my path.
There will be much more to write about this passion journey but for now, I’ll end with some of Daniel’s words:
“What is offered here is not dogma or copyrighted material but rather is intended to inspire inquiry and imagination … It elucidates the journey of the soul in these times … offering guidance for co-creating and consciously participating in the unfolding of Great Mystery.
We as Shamanic Astrologers are committed to … a life recognizing and celebrating the union between Soul and Spirit, between Land and Sky, between Feminine and Masculine, between Body and Mind, and between Shadow and Light.
We are committed to a Life in the Service of assisting any sentient being desiring connection, or reconnection, to the magical link between Earth and Heavens, and in navigating the initiaions necessary for aligning with life purpose.
Our highest priority and deepest motivation is love … we are committed to Dreaming the Dream Onwards.”
And so it is.
