The Silver Bullet Talk

The Silver Bullet Talk

It is tradition that with the coming of a New Year we create in our minds a cross-road of introspection between the past and the future.  

It is therefore common that we reflect upon the unaccomplished resolutions to which we committed last year, and without greater self-analysis call ourselves `flakey' and `undisciplined' and continue to declare new resolutions for the following year, resolutions that will similarly remain unattained.  

It seems we can thus pass an entire lifetime without losing the weight we want to lose, without learning the new ‘latest and greatest’ we wish to learn, without playing the instrument of our dreams, without spending more time with our families, etc. 

As an existential strategist, father and friend I often find myself engaging individuals who, year after year, have seen their lives go by and (now desperate) wish me (or anyone) to rescue them with a few chosen words of solace or inspiration.  Now-a-days I dare not post about any ‘personal’ matters due to the fact that I’m asked a ton of questions looking for instant solutions. This is frequently when I offer my ‘Silver Bullet’ talk, which goes something like this: 

The European Medieval tradition relates that a gunshot with a silver bullet is the most certain and reliable method of killing a lycanthrope, that is, a `werewolf,' that diabolic figure that for centuries terrorized the existence of a superstitious people who believed in supernatural beings and therefore in magical solutions that would end the same. 

For most of us the days have passed in which we feared werewolves, placed gargoyles on our rooftops to ward off evil spirits, and lined the entrances of our homes with rings of garlic to fend off vampires.  Nonetheless, the concept of a `silver bullet' as a metaphor for a quick, effective, and effortless solution to a challenging and resilient problem remains.  

Logically the expression is often applied with skepticism, sarcasm, and irony:  although it is common that problems manifest that are as gloomy and overwhelming as werewolves,' rarely do they present with `silver bullets' as solutions. 

Nevertheless, in today's world this is what people seek most: an immediate solution with a minimum amount of inconvenience.  

We want to lose weight but continue eating sweets, drinking beer, ingesting fats, and only exercising from the couch to the bed, from the bed to the table, from the table to the car, from the car to the office, and from the office to the couch.  

We want our relationships with our significant others to improve, but without self-compromise and only as a result of indicating the improprieties and defects our partner exhibits as prerequisites to our relational bliss.  

We want our youth to stop taking drugs, but without our having to stop consuming alcohol or nicotine, which constitute, by far, the two drugs that cause the most social and economic damage.  

We want our societies to be safer, cleaner, more prosperous, even more beautiful, but we continue to delegate our civic duty to a class of professional politicians who year after year deceive us with words only to later disappoint us with deeds.  

We want to understand the self, personal power, ego, personal history and self importance, yet provide only a fleeting ‘goings over’ of attention to The Work that assists in this understanding.  

In short: We want the silver bullet that kills the `werewolves' of our existence and that changes our lives, our relationships, and our circumstances but without the effort of changing our own perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors. 

During these days of festivities, celebrations, promises and reflections, take a few moments to contemplate upon your lives, your families, your neighborhoods, your societies and countries, and if you find defects and problems therein, think about the following:  If you are not part of the solution you are the problem; and when you search for `silver bullets' to solve your problems know that you do not have to look beyond yourself to find the werewolves that terrorize your own existence. 

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous Holiday Season and New Year, 

TMMK

Power Plants and Allies

The basic rule for this power plant (cannabis/marijuana) and the ally.

The basics of the rule were taught to me by grandfather Crowfoot (Blackfoot medicine man) when I was 14. The teacher instructs the apprentice in the basic rule, and then the ally continues to instruct the apprentice over the future years.

Read this completely before starting (start date is Oct. 15), and have all sacred items, containers, trowel, shovel, red cloth, large garbage bags, place of power for plants, fertilizer and white leather string, etc. to carry out the rule ready by this date. I will share with you the basics of the rule that I was provided with.

From that point on, after your first plants have been planted, grown, pick and cured, the ally in marijuana will instruct you directly. If you are first nations, most of what I write will make sense. If you are first nations, try and find a medicine man that has this plant as an ally, and see if he will teach you. If you are white, like me, then totally rely on intent, because it will all unfold if this ally is for you, and the ally will become another guardian and teacher for you.

All plants have allies. I have allies in tobacco, sage, cedar, sweet grass, marijuana, swamp mint and red willow. Each plant is unique and has its own rule. Although each rule when written out it seems long, to observe the rule will come naturally, just like breathing.

The first part of the rule is to "gain a home" for your plants. To "gain a home" for your plants requires the use of tobacco, cedar, sage and sweet grass, and must occur on the first nice day on or after Oct 15. To get tobacco, cedar, sage and a braid of sweet grass is accomplished in two ways. 

The traditional way - Take a few pouches of tobacco (its O.K. to buy pouch tobacco in a store) to a nearby first nations reservation. Go to the band office, explain that you are looking for a braid of sweet grass, cedar and sage for ceremonial purposes and could they direct you to an elder that would have these items. Offer a pouch of tobacco for being directed to said elder.

Don’t worry, nobody will ask you what you want these sacred items for. If somebody does get nosy, just tell them you have been instructed by a first nation friend to do this. When you meet the elder, give him/her a pouch of tobacco and explain you need a braid of sweet grass, a bundle of sage, and some cedar. Ask if you may come back when these sacred items are used up.

The non-traditional way - find a store that deals with first nation items. These stores usually carry braids of sweet grass, bundles of sage, and cedar. Pay for the items, but make it clear that you are viewing payment as donations and are not buying these sacred items since sacred items cannot be bought or sold. Tell them to keep the bill and give a pouch of tobacco to the person at the till. After receiving the sacred items, next buy yourself a small frying pan, cast iron skillet type. Then get a bag of BBQ briquettes and BBQ fluid starter.

During the summer, find a place out in the country that is private and out of sight. It should be a place of power for you. Usually, a relatives place out in the country is fine, (tell them that you have an interest in communing with nature, and use your stalking abilities). Find a place that makes you feel good. Go to this place over the summer and visit it over a period of time to make sure it is indeed a place of power for you. This is called "testing your place of power".

Once you are certain of the fact that you have "gained a home" for your plants, take the iron frying pan, BBQ briquettes, BBQ fluid starter, tobacco, cedar, sage and sweet grass to your place of power. This should be done on Sept. 21 or the first nice day after that date. Go to this place and smudge exactly at the rising of the sun. Rising of the sun can be obtained from the local newspaper.

If you already know how to smudge then follow the direct knowledge you have from these plants. If you do not know how to smudge, I will teach you what has been given to me, then the allies in these plants will teach you from that point on. Your body will know the right way.

To smudge, place BBQ briquette in frying pan and soak with BBQ fluid starter. Light briquette. While briquette is getting hot, take a bit of tobacco, same amount of cedar, the same amount of sage and same amount of sweet grass and mix together. To take the sweet grass from the braid, place top (skinniest) part of braid between thumb and finger. With other thumb and finger just below top thumb and finger, rotate braid until skinniest portion is detaches from main braid. It may take a vigorous rotating.

Once all power plants are thoroughly mixed, place contents in your hand and face west. This is my direction, the direction of courage and power. Your starting direction will be revealed to you during your first smudge. From that point on you start in that direction. The west is the direction of the thunder beings. I am a thunderstorm gazer. In this direction say a pray for your place of power, your future plants and ally! And anything else that pertains to courage and power. Then face north, this is the direction of cleansing, the giant beings. Say another prayer pertaining to this direction. Then face east, this is the direction of wisdom and knowledge. Say another prayer pertaining to this direction. Then face south, this is the direction of warmth and love, the direction you plant ally requires. Next, lower your head and the mixture in your hands and give thanks to mother earth and pray that she will bless your efforts. Then look up (45-degree angle) to the sky, raise mixture to 45-degree angle and ask the eagles to guard your place of power, ask father sky to send rains, give thanks to grandmother moon. You will need her help later once the plants are full grown, and ask grandfather sun to help nourish your plants. Then look straight up and raise mixture above your head and give thanks to tune-can-Sheila (the Great Spirit’s helper) and wakan tune-ca (the Great Spirit) for your life, the life of all plants, and ask that the ally be kind and gentle with you.

Once your prayers are finished, take a little bit of tobacco and sprinkle it on the mother earth as a cleansing for your smudging area. Once the BBQ briquette is hot (a grey color) take the mixture you prayed with and place it on the BBQ briquette. The sacred plants will begin to smoke immediately. while on your knees facing your direction, bath yourself with the smoke by cupping your hands and directing the smoke to your hair, then your head, then your shoulders, then each arm, then your torso. Breathe in a tiny bit of the smoke and exhale it. Stay there and continue to place the unburnt portion of the mixture on the briquette until all the mixture is burnt. After smudging and while unburnt portion is smoking, sit back, relax and let the allies in these power plants take you away. It is sort of like daydreaming, or shifting your assemblage point. It is different for every person. Once the mixture is finished smoking, place used mixture on the ground in a clockwise direction, starting with the direction you started your pray with. You are now clean and your power plants home is now clean. You are ready for Oct 15.

On Oct 15, or the first nice day after, you are going to "start building a home" for your power plants. Why Oct. 15? On Oct 14, mother earth moves into her cleansing phase (winter), and for this plant you cannot "start building a home" for it until mother earth is in the cleansing phase.

To "start building a home" you will need one small cardboard box per plant site, lined with plastic inside, a shovel, and red cotton cloth (1 square yard per box). Before sunrise you must have completed the following. Do a smudge ceremony for yourself, as per earlier smudge ceremony, also smudge the box(es), shovel and pieces of red cloth. To smudge items, pass items through the smoke first west to east, then south to north. After this smudging is completed go to the specific place where you plan on planting your plants. Sprinkle tobacco around the area you are going to take soil from for your plant. Sprinkle in a clockwise fashion. All directional movement must be in a clockwise fashion. While you are sprinkling the tobacco, give thanks to mother earth and ask her to bless your plant. Then dig enough dirt for a medium size planter.

Number each dig site and box so you can return each plant to its specific site. I make a map and number my boxes, and place a numbered stake at each site. For each site you dig, you place tobacco, say your pray and number. After each digging, close the box and then wrap it up in the red cloth and place in the car. nothing rides in the trunk. you don't ask your friends to ride in the trunk; the allies neither.

When you get home place boxes in a private place, where wife, daughters, or other females cannot see boxes. The reason you do this is because females who are "on their moon" (monthly period) will take the spirit from the ceremonial dirt. Keep each box wrapped in the red cloth. If the gals should find the boxes it is not a big deal, as long as they are not having their period. If they find the boxes during their period, forget it and start over next year. Leave over the winter.

Feb. 15 is "introducing plant to new home" day. Take Feb. 15 off from work. This is a magical and mysterious day. Why Feb. 15? Because mother earth moves into her wisdom and knowledge phase. Plants start to grow on this day because the sun is high enough in the sky to give energy to plants started on this day.

For this day you will need smudge materials, medium size planters, seeds, and a small trowel. How you get the seeds is your business. Do not smoke mixture you get seeds from if seeds come from street purchase. If you have a friend or acquaintance, have them save you seeds. I usually plant 9 growing sites, as each plant produces around 1-2 pounds of smoke and around 50 seeds for the following grow times. This is your smoke with your ally and is not for sale or for you to give away!

You can smoke with other warriors after a smudging ceremony for both of you. Everything must be completed by sunrise on Feb. 15. To start the day, you smudge exactly as before, except you start the BBQ briquette outside! Once fire is out and briquette grey, you can bring the iron skillet in and place on top of a large metal tin, or something that will not transmit heat. You smudge indoors this time in the room you will be starting your plants in. This room must be facing south or southwest. The smudging will consist of you, each box (still wrapped in red cloth), medium size planters, small trowel and seeds.

After you and all items have been smudged remove red cloth from the specific box and number each cloth and each medium size planter (each will match each dig site). You only need to smudge once. Each box is smudged, each planter is smudge and the trowel is smudged. Remove red cloth and place on floor. Then the box is opened, using the red cloth as an altar, the dirt is removed from the box into the planter. Plant seeds about ½ to 3/4 inch below compressed soil surface and place each planter on top of its respective red cloth so it can have sunlight as long as possible... I usually plant 2 seeds per planter, about a thumb length apart. Use water and outdoor plant fertilizer to nourish plants until "taking plant home" day. "Taking plant home" day occurs on May 24, or first nice day after. Why May 24, because father frost goes away on May 23 and does not return until Oct. 14.

On May 24, or first nice day after, before sunrise, all plants and ceremony must be completed. This means getting out of bed really early. On this day take out to your place of power your smudging materials, potted plants (they should be 1-2 feet high by now), small trowel, shovel and respective red cloths, water and fertilizer mixture. Light up BBQ briquette in iron skillet and prepare smudging material. Remember everything must be completed by sunrise. Smudge yourself, the plants, small trowel, shovel, water fertilizer mixture, and red cloths. Once you and items are smudged then take each respective plant to its home (site). Sprinkle tobacco around each specific site, say a prayer to mother earth and each plant then plant each planter (soil and all) as a one whole plant in the hole dug in the ground the previous fall. Each plant and soil must return to its specific hole. Do one plant at a time in the same order that you dug the holes. Clean material out of hole, pour in a generous amount of water/fertilizer mixture, and then place complete contents of planter into hole. I usually have two plants per hole. Number each respective cloths again and save at home for "vacate the house" day.

During the "growing in house" period, go to see your plants as needed. This is usually when they need the watering/fertilizer mixture. Each time you go to see your plants is after sunset. After the sunsets, during twilight, smudge yourself, and the water/fertilizer mixture. Water plants in the same order you planted them. Before watering them, sprinkle tobacco and say a prayer to mother earth and your plant. Remember sprinkle tobacco in clockwise fashion.

Each plant has a name just like you and me. The plant will give its name as direct knowledge. Once you know each plants name then you know you and the ally are starting to bond. On or before Oct. 14, it is time to "vacate the house". Watch the weather reports. The day before the first predicted frost is when your plants want to "vacate the house". It is this frost date or Oct. 14. No later than Oct. 14.

On "vacate the house" day, get smudge material ready, large plastic bags, and red cloths. After sunset, smudge yourself, the plastic bags, and red cloths. Then go to each plant in order of planting, and sprinkle tobacco around plant, giving thanks to mother earth, and offering a prayer to your plant and ally. If you start to feel a presence at your place of power, or you see your ally, do not die of fright < evil grin>. Take the plant by the stem, right near the ground and pull up gently. Immediately turn the plant upside down. The plant must stay in this position from now on. Place each plant(s) in a respective garbage bag. Around each root cover with its respective red cloth. Take plant in garbage bag back home. Plants do not ride in the trunk.

When you get home place plants where no female on her moon can take the spirit of your plant away. Once per week, on “vacating the house" day, smudging yourself and each plant (each plant remains in the garbage bag), in the order that you picked them. Do this four times. On the fifth week after smudging, (remember all these parts of the ceremonies are conducted after sunset), unfold the red cloth from the root system, and place on the floor. Sprinkle tobacco around each red cloth. Do one plant at a time. Take plant out of garbage bag, above red cloth and take leaves and small stems off of plant stem and branches. Large branches and main stem are not used for smoking. All leaves and small stems should fall on red cloth. Next take material out of garbage bag and place on red cloth. Place used branches and main stem back in respective garbage bag. Tie up each red cloth with a white leather string. This is the new home for the ally of your plant. With the remaining plant parts in respective garbage bags, take this out next time you go to the Oct. 15 ceremony "gain a home". Following the smudging part of the ceremony, return these parts to their respective site, after sprinkling tobacco and saying a thanks giving prayer. The new holes to be dug will be in the same area, but do not use the same hole twice.

Thus, you can see the full circle nature of the ally involved with this power plant. With the amount you have grown, you shouldn't need to plant every year unless you need to. Depends on how often you and the ally want to get together. After thirty years I do not even need to smoke to reach my ally. I usually only smoke if I need a major shift in my assemblage point to a very deep level. This is just the basic rule involved with marijuana. It will teach you much more as you become more acquainted.

It is so much easier just to buy it from a dealer, but you will never meet the ally contained in this plant smoking store bought stuff. Before smoking this ally, smudge, as it is very particular about cleanliness as you can gather with all the smudging involved. Believe me it is worth it. It is a gentle ally, ready to teach and impart knowledge. It will also allow you to dream or divine on any subject or person. Caught my first wife cheating and "saw" it was with my best friend. Heard them say when their next meeting would be, told my lawyer and we nabbed her and him cold. As for your previous use who can say. Give this a try, if you can, and see what the ally says. Once the rule has been provided the ally will decide what is in your heart. Remember path with a heart.

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TMMK