Impressions of a Woogity Tourist: My Family Vacation

So, I've been on a vacation with family that I couldn't afford without their good will. It's been wonderful, memorable, and an exhausting whirlwind, like most vacations. Since it included Sedona Arizona, New Age stronghold and supposed supernatural hotspot, I made it a point to get my woogity on with each stop and my impressions.

Sedona Arizona: Beautiful, it's a mixed bag of natural wonder and capitalist tourist trap. It's really white in the way that only an older tourist spot can be, complete with racist caricature mascots, serial numbers filed off New Age shop converted to Catholic gift shop, vortexes that did not impress, I didn't sense some great deal of power in this place. I think it more a well worn groove in reality, beholden to the New Age paradigm of magick. On the other hand, it IS beautiful nature and they have some awesome rock shops there. I picked up some Angel Aura Quartz by feel alone, not knowing it's rather touchy feely name. I don't care, this crystal point can do some work.

No alien contact, and the tiny bit of work I did trying to speak to spirits seemed to indicate the spirit's here are 'oppressed' with peace and light. Like they've been drugged, drunk, and beaten with good vibes until they grumpily just gave up.

The Grand Canyon: It's cliche, but it's something picture truly don't do justice. It's huger than huge, your eyes can't take it all in at once it's so big. While I couldn't do so due to limited time and family obligation, I could've sat near the edge meditating and communing with that place for hours. I still feel as if the cool air of the canyon is there in my lungs with me. I think you could learn a lot more here than Sedona if you can speak to the spirits.

Las Vegas: I'm sure there are people who feel different. Let's be honest, I'm a scientist and I often shake my head at people who are overwhelmed by feelings and vibes from a place, unable to cope, often chalking it up to overreaction. Maybe even, a little bit of preoccupation with the negative rather than the positive.

All that being said, I DO NOT like the vibe of Las Vegas. It's a temple of excess, a hungering monster that chews up performers, fortunes, people's lives, and all the while distracts them with pretty lights while trying to find more ways to extract money from them. "Nothing is sacred, everything is for sale." Unlike other human achievements that spit in nature's eye that I find noble, this is just a tribute to greed, the warped and twisted abortion of the American Dream, and I can't help but feel an overwhelming negative energy here. On the plus side, it inspired me to do some energy work to adapt (some work with Nidhoggr and some evolution based energy body adaptation- might go into detail in another post), feeding off the glitz and glamour and turning the negative energy there into something positive, but it's still kind of awful.

I'm almost certain there are some energy parasites running around here just sucking up energy.



Overall

I'm having a wonderful trip with people I love. That's more magic than the magic stuff, but the unique opportunity of experiencing the energy and spirits of different places felt like one I shouldn't pass up.

Post Beginner's Mind, 30 Days Challenge Research Summary

In the course of this challenge, I started thinking I could just use a book I bought without realizing said book was, in fact, primarily elemental shamanism based and not quite as rooted with the gods of the Norse Pantheon. While from a personal standpoint, this stumbling block made the challenge feel very much in the vein of Beginner mind with Beginner mistakes, I realize that an organized post mortem of my research processes, spurred on in some instances by Jormangund themselves, may be of value.

Research Sources:

Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the North Tradition by Galina Kraskova & Raven Kaldera

Wikipedia for various myths, including Jormangundr mythology as well as research on Aeon and Mehen

The Jotunbok: Working with the Giants of the Northern Tradition by Raven Kaldera

http://www.northernshamanism.org for information on Ergi, the Ior rune, and pointing me towards Jotunbok

Post Challenge Post

So, I made offering to Jormangundr again, but I did so with a little less ostentatiousness. The cold kept me from venturing outside, so I instead used my small altar and made my propitiation.

Nothing much of note happened, but I feel it was necessary to make the point. I did not do this just for the challenge, or just for the petty mortal goals, but I did wish to establish and explore a relationship with the world serpent. I may not make offering every day, but I won't be bound by an arbitrary 30 day cycle either.