'I' speak then 'God' speaks in silence

(The Eye of the Heart) July 22, 2025: How does God communicate with us? By silence or by ritual, by internal quiet or Lion’s Gate Portal and full moon breathwork? Here is a ritual (visualization) to activate our power on 8.8 (August 8th). Is it so much psychobabble from Holistic Transformational Coach Naomi Buff, or is there something to it?

Stillness is better than the hard work script.

Native American shamanism: 17 ways

A shaman is one who seeks to have a direct experience of truth rather than an intermediary's.

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Classic Siberian shaman in trance, Kysyl, Russia

Native American shamans have served as spiritual bridges between [the spirit and human] worlds for thousands of years.

These respected healers and wisdom-keepers maintain harmony between humans, nature, and the spirit realm through sacred rituals and practices. Their ancient methods continue to fascinate modern seekers who recognize the profound connection these traditions have with the natural world.

Vision quests: seeking spiritual direction

The wilderness becomes a classroom during a vision quest. Young tribe members venture alone into nature, fasting for days while praying for spiritual guidance.

The physical hunger opens doorways to visions, dreams, and messages from the spirit world. Animals might appear as guides, or ancestors may share wisdom during this powerful journey.

Upon returning, the seeker often receives a new name, reflecting their spiritual identity. This rite of passage transforms not just the individual but strengthens the entire community.

The insights gained during vision quests provide direction for personal growth and sometimes reveal a healing path or special purpose. More

• 

  Entheogens for shamans

  Inside the hidden world of Ecuador’s last uncontacted tribe The Huaorani are an indigenous group that’s lived deep in the Amazon for generations, mostly cut off from the outside world. Often called “Ecuador’s Last Savages,” they’re known for being fierce warriors — and even now, many of them are still fighting to stay isolated. From poison-tipped spears to mind-bending hallucinogens, here’s how half the tribe has managed to stay uncontacted...
• VIDEO: The only Native American tribe that never surrendered (The Yaqui of Sonora, Mexico)
• Archaeologists in South Korea find a 1,400-year-old crown decorated with jewel beetle wings
• Samuel Cole, MSN.com; Xochitl, Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Craziest Hippie Fest in Jungle (VICE)

The craziest hippie festival in the jungle

 

Amelia Dimoldenberg | Brit GQ

(VICE) Not satisfied with the traditional festival mission of getting off our nut, there is a new wave or brand of event which claims to transform mind, body, and soul (the living breath or spirit).

VICE's Amelia Dimoldenberg is invited deep into the jungles of Costa Rica, to attend Envision Festival on a quest to rid herself of her chronic awkwardness and open her third eye through bitcoin conferences, Buddhist drum circles, and vaginal eggs.

• Envision Festival 2026
• Meet Amelia Dimoldenberg, The One-Woman Powerhouse...

Why hippies dance like this (Tam Integration)

Subscribe to VICE: Subscribe-to-VICE. Check out full video catalog: VICE-Videos. Videos, daily editorial, and more: vice.com. More videos from the VICE network: fb.com/vicevideo. Get the best of VICE daily: bit.ly/1SquZ6v. Facebook: fb.com/vice. Twitter: vice. Instagram: vice. Download VICE on iOS: apple.co/28Vgmqz or on Android: 28S8Et0. WATCH NEXT: VICE sat down with experts studying super rats to hear how the rodents got so strong and what can be done to get them under control: vice.video/2kiAwyl.

• Amelia Dimoldenberg, VICE, May 24, 2018; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Korean Shamanism Explained (RFB)

What does a Siberian shaman (Sanskrit shramana) do but communicate between worlds?

Korean Shamanism Explained

(Al Jazeera English, Jan 21, 2022) Buddhists in South Korea rally against gov't 'religious bias'

(ReligionForBreakfast) Feb. 20, 2025: Korean Shamanism (Musok with its trance mansins) is a dynamic religious tradition rooted in spirit mediation (not meditation), ritual healing, and ancestral veneration to appease the spirits all around.

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  Siberian Soviet shamanism

  00:00 Basic overview
• 1:25 What is shamanism?
• 5:46 Shamanic deities explained
• 7:38 Who are the shamans?
• 12:40 Shamanism in Korea's religious landscape
• 14:25 Why the stigma?
• 18:26 Korean shamanism in the 21st century
• 21:37 Sign up for Nebula: Get Nebula using link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/religionforbreak...

Join Patreon community: religionforbreakfast. Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters

• Religion for Breakfast, Feb. 20, 2025; Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Sacred Mushrooms: Secrets of the Goddess

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Mushrooms of the Goddess: Secrets of Eleusis

Persephone and Demeter, mother-daughter goddesses of ancient Greece. 

Sacred [Magic] Mushrooms

Author Carl A. P. Ruck has 4.4 out of 5 stars with 30 ratings. In the ancient world, men and women joined cults known as Mysteries to unite with the deities of the otherworld and achieve "eternal [or at least ionic] life."

The most important of the Mysteries existed for two millennia at the village of Eleusis. Its deities were Demeter and Persephone, interchangeable in their roles as mother and daughter.

• 

  What does the Goddess ask of us?

  Eleusinian Mysteries: secret drug initiations

The initiations and other rituals of this goddess-based cult were a profound secret: divulging information was punishable by death.

For centuries, scholars have probed the secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries and kykeon, its sacramental Eucharist -- a sacred drink containing psychoactive chemicals similar to those in LSD.

Christianity cult (J.M. Allegro)

Their discoveries have been buried in the arcane language of alchemy, the occult sciences, and secret societies.

Here, in prose accessible to all readers, Ruck unravels the Mysteries, revealing the awesome powers of the goddesses, as well as the pagan underpinnings of Western culture.

• Read sample: Sacred Mushrooms: Secrets of Eleusis (with preface by Huston Smith)
• The amazing ancient cities that all history lovers MUST visit

Lotus Dragon Tea Ceremony Sound Bath (2/24)

Mayumi (partiful.com), Dhr. Seven, Yifan Li (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hosted by Mayumi with Eric and Lighthawk: Join us for a nourishing evening of harmony, beauty, and vibrational regeneration.

We will commune with the spirit of the Blue Lotus flower through a tea ceremony, then be guided on an elemental dragon journey through sound co-created by Mayumi, Eric Matthew, and Lighthawk.

Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is a sacred plant ally that grows on the shores of lakes and rivers, originally from northern and central Africa, along the Nile River. Historically, this water lily was used in ancient Egyptian shamanistic rituals and healings.

The flower acts as a natural aphrodisiac and has soothing, mystical properties. Many believe Blue Lotus has been in use through the ages to become more lucid and awake within dreams.

From Mayumi's transcendent vocals and dragon priestess facilitation to Eric Matthew's deep attunement to sound frequency, flowing with his vast array of instruments to Lighthawk's unique, creative expression, and diverse sonic gifts, this is sure to be a memorable experience.

Lighthawk will also be serving a meal of kitchari for us to enjoy and ground in together after the sound bath.

We are gathering under the radiance of the Virgo Full Moon, so our personal and collective intentions will be amplified during this potent time of purification, healing, and empowerment.

Come receive deep, cellular vibrational regeneration and return to the ancient wisdom living within us all.

☥ This is an intentionally intimate container with the capacity for 13 people, so please RSVP.

LOCATION

The gathering is in Eric's beautiful home sanctuary in the hills of Studio City.

FLOW 𓆃

• 5:00-5:30 pm: Arrival + grounding into the space

• 5:30-7:30 pm: Blue Lotus Tea Ceremony + Sound Bath

• 7:30-8:00 pm: Eating kitchari + community connection + grounding integration

BRING

• Yoga mat or blanket to lay down on and anything that would make you feel comfortable, cozy, and relaxed for the sound bath

• Sacred object(s) you would like to charge on the altar (optional)

• A healthy snack to share as we nourish and connect afterwards (optional)

• Your open heart and full presence

💖 We look forward to sharing this sacred space. ♾️

• RSVP to Lotus Dragon Tea Ceremony (Partiful)

• Venmo $44 to @mayumi_minato to secure a space. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we are open to offering sliding scale options. Message one of our facilitators to discuss possibilities. INFO: partiful.com/e/vrMYMTJ3N4QThNpKVAyj

• Mayumi on IG: instagram.com/shaktimayumi

MEETUP RSVP:

• Nature Center: Lotus Dragon Tea Ceremony & Sound Bath w/ Mayumi, Eric, Lighthawk, Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 5:00 PM | Meetup

• Disclosure Project: Lotus Dragon Tea Ceremony & Sound Bath w/ Mayumi, Eric, Lighthawk, Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 5:00 PM | Meetup

• PasaDharma: Lotus Dragon Tea Ceremony & Sound Bath w/ Mayumi, Eric, Lighthawk, Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 5:00 PM | Meetup

Joe Biden condones slaughter, pardons two

Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 11/20/23; Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Mmm, that bird looks good. Pres. Biden pardons national Thanksgiving turkeys Liberty and Bell during ceremony on South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 20, 2023 (CBS News/Getty Images).

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CBS News: Biden pardons two Thanksgiving turkeys, Liberty and Bell

Even turkeys aren't safe from Molester-in-Chief.

U.S. Pres. Biden pardoned two lucky turkeys today to mark the 76th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Ceremony, one of the time-honored, albeit quirky, White House traditions.

"I [give two gravy boats about the rest of them but] hereby pardon Liberty and Bell! Alright," the president said to applause.

"Congratulations, birds! Congratulations."

Leave your door unlocked, I'll see you tonight.

[The president was happy to keep two alive, presumably to make out with on the lawn before their mothers returned for them, while doing nothing about the babies in Gaza, other than suggesting to Netanyahu that maybe he consider pausing a little, just a tiny bit for some humanitarian aid to be snuck in or backing the genocide completely and covering for Israel in spite of international condemnation and outrage, and even getting into the fight, risking American lives by sending ships and weapons into the region to fight Iran and anyone the CIA is willing to call a "proxy."]

• VIDEO: White House issues brutal response to Biden's 'inappropriate' nickname given by anti-Israel critics
• Joe Biden’s 15-year-old granddaughter, Finnegan, gets a turn traveling to Asia with ‘Pop’ Biden (nydailynews.com)

Biden enjoys incestuous grooming-kiss with grandkid, Finnegan Biden, who needs inheritance.

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Don't worry, we have spares (body doubles).

Liberty and Bell hail from Willmar, Minnesota and have been staying in a room at the luxurious Willard InterContinental Hotel near the White House, as is custom. 

"These birds have a new appreciation of the word, 'let freedom ring,'" Mr. Biden said, reading a line written for him poorly. He's only aging and getting more enfeebled. This year's turkey pardon ceremony happens to fall on Mr. Biden's 81st birthday [and Chinese dictator Xi's wife, as Joe clumsily reminded him at APEC].

Grandpa's sexy and loves me.

The president doesn't have any other plans on his public schedule [because it's time for another golf vacation or maybe a visit to the plastic surgeon for some touch ups].

"I just want you to know it's difficult turning 60," the president attempted to joke, adding that he wasn't present for the first turkey pardoning event. On a more somber note, the president switched gears to remember deceased former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96 [while former Pres. Jimmy Carter keeps kicking at 99 in hospice care or assisted living].

I prefer my sexy grandkids to Jill, that bookworm and dud.

One indicted for war crimes yet not the other

"This week, we'll gather with the people we love and the traditions that each of us have built up in our own families," Mr. Biden said. "We'll also think about the loved ones we've lost, including just yesterday when we lost former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way. And let's remind ourselves that we're blessed to live in the greatest nation on this face of the earth."

I'm a young 81 and doing a bang-up job. Watch how big the BANG I make is going to be.

Joe Biden would never molest his daughter, no matter what Ashley Biden wrote (pp.67-68)

• Joe Biden sexual assault allegation (Shsssh!)

I also love kids, so we're good there.

The origin of the presidential turkey pardon ceremony is a bit murky. Pres. Harry Truman was the first president to hold a photo-op at the White House with a turkey he received from the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board.

The White House says Truman began the tradition, but that's a claim the Truman Library and Museum has disputed.

It's also possible the ritual began with Pres. Abraham Lincoln after his son urged his father to spare the bird they had planned to slaughter and devour for Christmas.

The take home message? Protect your birds.

This year's turkeys, which hatched in July, were sent to the White House from the Jennie-O Turkey Store.

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Jennie-O says the turkeys have been "receiving the five-star treatment befitting turkeys of their stature." Liberty and Bell will retire to a University of Minnesota farm in the Twin Cities.

Hey, Kids, want to touch my Peeping Tom?

[Or the poultry may be given to Hamas who will torture them by turning them over to the IDF who will slaughter them and smear their blood on doors before bombing them in mimicry or mockery of American Christian holy day celebrations, presumably. Too dark? Hah, soldiers on a killing spree would never do anything like that]. More + VIDEO

• 21 reasons why Americans are turning away from religion
• Code Pink: Women for Peace
• American Veterans for Peace
• Jewish Voice for Peace (jvp.org)
• Not In Our Name: Jewish voices for peace

This is the man we expect to stand up to out-of-control Israel?

SHOCKING AUDIO: My Daddy the Pedophile: A Memoir (Audible Audiobooks)

• Breaking Biden: Exposing the Hidden Forces and Secret Money Machine Behind Joe Biden, His Family, and His Administration (Alex Marlow)

Bhakti Fest, Joshua Tree (Sept. 15-17)

Bhakti Fest, Joshua Tree, CA, Sept. 15, 2023 | Afton Tickets; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

THE YOGA & CONSCIOUS MUSIC EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME IS BACK.

After a three-year hiatus Bhakti Fest is making its long-awaited return. The revival of a premiere 3-day Yoga & Conscious Music Festival, offering music all day, a wide variety of yoga, breathwork, sound healings, spiritual and wellness workshops in a magical high-desert setting (Joshua Tree Lake and Campground).

There will be much to do and see at Bhakti Fest, including an incredible line-up of amazing conscious musicians on multiple stages, premiere yoga classes, and a wide variety of spiritual and wellness workshops.

Favorite artists and yoga teachers will be returning, plus plenty of fresh faces. Enjoy an expanded KidsLand experience, beautiful art installations and live art, sound healings, bodywork in the healing sanctuary, a large array of amazing artisan vendors, and more.

Bhakti Fest features festival favorites such as Krishna Das, plus other beloved artists including Michael Franti, Ayla Nereo, Sol Rising, MC YOGI, Satsang, Ragunath, DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, Govind Das and Jacqueline Michelle, Kirtaniyas, and many more.

Practice with the world’s top yoga teachers and spiritual leaders such as Shiva Rea, Kia Miller, Andrew Sealy, Sujala Roy, Yogrishi Vishvketu, Michael Brian Baker, Jai Dev Singh, Kristin Olson, and many more to be announced.

• (Visit Bhaktifest.com for the full line-up coming soon). Bhakti Fest is a family-friendly, drug and alcohol-free event, and the programs are accessible to all levels.

Festival passes include everything excluding pre- and post-Fest intensives. These intensives take place on Thursday Sept. 14th and Monday Sept. 18th and require a separate ticket. A full festival pass is required to purchase the intensives.

Kids? Children under age 5 are free. The Bhakti Fest Kid Land is full of fun for the entire family.

Senior, local, veteran, and student discounts are also available. Reach out to info@bhaktifest.com for more information.

Accommodations include camping, RV camping with and without hookups, cozy trailers, and glamping yurts. It’s a powerful experience to camp under the stars of the high desert. But for those who enjoy more creature comforts, there are many local hotels, AirBnBs, and unique vacation home rentals available in the area.

For those who choose to camp, please bring own camping gear. Or purchase camping and RV's without hookups on the Afton Tickets website. For all other options, learn more here.

Please do not bring alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to this event. Note that tickets are non-refundable. Those one have purchased tickets and are unable to attend are welcome to transfer the ticket to someone else to sell or give the ticket away.

Join this heart-centered community for its 12th year of BHAKTI FEST.

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TO USE A PROMO CODE: Click the ticket link, just below the Event Title in the top left corner. See a link that says ENTER PROMO CODE. Click link and enter code.

• Home - Bhakti Fest
• Bhakti Fest: Joshua Tree, California - September 15th, 2023 | Afton Tickets

Learning from Ram "Be Here Now" Dass

Harvard's Dr. Richard Alpert became Ram Dass

Ram Dass -- though he has since passed away -- has been a pivotal influence on American culture for three generations. Every year, for the past ten years, Bhakti Fest Executive Producer Sridhar Silberfein has had the honor to meet with Ram Dass for a very special and intimate Bhakti Fest exclusive interview. Hear the most recent interview and the wisdom he has to share with bhaktas.