Imagine that you happened into a Valley when you were out for a hike. You set up Camp in the Valley for the night, and during the night you were attacked by bears. You get up in the morning, not having slept much because you were shooing off bears all night long. In addition, all your gear was scattered, so you spent the better part of the day recollecting, cleaning, and repairing your bear-mauled gear. Late afternoon came and you were tuckered out, so you decide to spend the night again. This time you set up tin cans on a string around the perimeter to warn you of the approach of the bears. You put some pointed sticks in the ground to injure the bears if they get too close. That night, sure enough, the bears attack again. They get all tangled up in the tin can string, the pointed sticks are like toothpicks to them, they are not scared off…just pissed off! Again they attack your camp. A mess ensues. You still cannot just up and leave…you need your gear. So the next day you dig a trench and cover it with sticks and leaves and you sleep in that, thinking to protect yourself from the attackers. Still, the bears make a mess of things. And each time they attack, while not badly injuring you, you suffer wounds and loss of sleep and your health suffers and you are scared all the time.
What has occurred? You have taken up residence in this Valley…though that had not been your intent. You are stuck in an ever-deepening pattern of survival in a Valley of Bears.
What to be done? RUN! Get out of that Valley! Run over the Ridge and down into the next Valley where you will find…anything but Bears!
I am not really speaking of a Valley of Bears, however. What I am speaking of is that experience where you feel you are being psychically attacked, over and over and over again…that no matter how you fight and stave off someone or a number of someones cursing you, attacking you… you seem to be perpetually under attack. Or maybe it is Addiction that has you cornered and unable to escape into freedom. It could be any number of afflictions that are keeping you imprisoned, stuck, helplessly caught in futility. So you ask for help from a Therapist or a Healer. But no amount of psychologizing or metaphysical explanations of ‘what it means’ has any effect. You have wandered into the Dark Valley of the Soul.
I have seen this over and over with people. They get caught up in the Dark Valley and cannot get out because they keep trying to hold on to what they have (pride, cherished beliefs, etc) before they leave. And some – I have encountered this amongst many tribal peoples – simply take up residence in the Dark Valley and live there for generation upon generation, refusing to leave, as they have come to think of it as Home.
It is time for you to leave the Valley. You have entered into that Dark Valley, as anyone on a Journey of Spirit does (yes, we all do!) in order to learn about curses, addictions, mental and/or emotional indulgences, and the like. Only then are we able to move on into other Valleys, to step into your Dream, and walk out of the Dark Valley. There is a whole other experience of life awaiting you.
And if you cannot find the strength or motivation to get out of the Valley, or if you keep getting lost and end up back in the Valley…by all means, ask for help from someone who is intimately familiar with the Valley and its mythic topography! You might even ask some Shaman you know.
Participation
Sliding Scale: $22 – $104
Contributions for your participation are on a sliding scale. Be honest and fair in the assessment of your capacity to contribute. Thank you!
To Participate:
- Register Here
- Immediately make your contribution: PayPal.me/jadegrigori
- I will send you an email with your Zoom access code for this event about one hour before the start time.
- At the stated time, click the Zoom access link and you will be online in the event.
- Please make sure your device (a computer is best) is set up for video and audio.
- After the event, I will email you the link to download the video of our ceremony. You will have 24 hours to download the ceremony video. Please do not procrastinate!
