Culture and Nature Weaving Our Worlds

Nature is a powerful force around us. It has the power to bring great pleasure and relaxation, such as laying on a beautiful sunny beach by the ocean or sailing on a cool clear lake. Walking through the forest often provides a sense of calmness and a feeling of being grounded.

Ocean ViewNature can also provide tremendous destruction and create immense fear and discomfort. I just spent a week in a tropical storm in Florida. One day, we were laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, enjoying the bliss of beautiful nature. The next day, the winds were gusting at 90 miles an hour, palm fronds were flying all over the place, and rain created tremendous floods closing roads and destroying property.

In the course of 24 hours, my relationship with nature changed radically. Nature is a powerful force all around us.

Generations of Energy

Another aspect of our lives that is profoundly powerful is our ancestry — our culture, ethnicity, family of origin, training, and programming from both family and culture. These are powerful forces built into our very core; energies that come directly from our roots. Much of this is completely unconscious.

As I see it, a lot of the unfinished business from our ancestors gets passed down to us. Because of the higher levels of consciousness that are emerging at this time of human development and evolution, we have the tools and abilities to deal with many things our ancestors were unable to deal with. For generations, certain issues have recycled and been passed down. We are the ones that have been called to clear our lineage!

The World of the Ancestors

Stream Through ForestThis may seem like a daunting task, but if we realize that our ancestors are aware of what needs to occur and can help us, then we do not have to face this task alone.

From the perspective of the Dagara of West Africa, when a person dies here in this world, they are birthed into the world of the ancestors. When they are in the “other world,” they see what is going on here in our world, and use their power as spirits to assist us in our ordinary dealings.

Because they are in a state that is beyond time and space and have a clear view of the limitless possibilities, they are equipped to assist us in ways that we may not even conceive of. This is why there is so much attention given to things in the villages, such as ancestor shrines and prayers to the ancestors. This honoring is profoundly important.

The Sounds of Nature

In this Shift It! Nature Sounds track, there is the melody of the music, the rhythm of many different drums, and the sounds of nature: the forest, the ocean, and animals. It is a collaboration of energies that combine nature, ancestry, and other beings around us to come into harmony with all things.

Water and MountainsListen to this soundtrack and allow the power of nature to move and change the things in your life that need to be transformed. Take the sound of the water and allow that element to bring healing and reconciliation to every aspect of your life. As you hear the animals, realize that we are never separate from nature. Realize that all of these things that are creating the sounds have existed for eons: that the same ocean that you stand before is the same ocean that your ancestors have stood before; the sunrise and sunsets that you see are of the same sun that their eyes have seen.

Remember to give thanks to them for helping you in your healing process!

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Listen here to Shift It! Sounds of Nature

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Do you have any favorite sounds of nature? What do you do to connect with your ancestors? Tell me about your stories!

By Toby Christensen

Toby Christensen, The Healing Drummer, is a recognized expert and innovator in the field of healing music. “Change Your Rhythm and Change Your Life” is the foundation of his healing therapies, his teachings, and his music.

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