Reaching The Stillpoint – an interview with Jim Ewin
Marilyn Rands, Spirit of Ma’at Magazine, Sept. 2013
https://spiritofmaat.com/magazine/august-2013-heart-of-creation/reaching-the-stillpoint-an-interview-with-jim-ewin/
Shaman and Reiki Master Jim Ewing is an insightful teacher and healer who is also extremely articulate about the ways and means of traveling this Path we are on.
As he states on his website: “We were born to be here now. It is our souls’ purpose to see past delusion and diversion and live truly, honestly, with love and compassion, without pain. The path toward healing, toward making our dreams realities, is within each of us.”
Jim’s experience tells him that hearing the messages of Higher Power means in some way lifting ourselves into the “real reality,” the vibration at the top of our breathing and between each beating of our hearts — the place where our guidance resides: the Stillpoint.
Marylyn: Jim, to begin, would you please define the Stillpoint for us, the place we seek to achieve in speaking with Higher Power?
Jim: Your heart is a liquid oscillator. At every beat, there is one moment when it is neither expanding nor contracting, when your being is infinite for one micro-millisecond, when every thought, every intention — your very being — are broadcast to the universe in all dimensions. This is the Stillpoint, the all-time-no-time point of power.[1]
Marylyn: And what happens for us when we reach this point?
Jim: Let me answer that with an example.
Last week there was a Total Full Moon Eclipse. I had been asked to give a talk on shamanism at a local church, and after the talk, I went with my partner to a very special place, an overlook of a local lake, and watched the Lunar Eclipse. It was incredibly powerful. We placed a blanket on the ground and watched, mostly in silence, as the Moon went from blinding whiteness to blood red to total disappearance, and then through the stages back again to blinding whiteness. It was a journey in both ordinary and non-ordinary reality, and I was definitely in my Mer-Ka-Ba, experiencing it all. And although it lasted for several hours of ordinary reality, it was a “sacred moment” in the Stillpoint of consciousness.
The next night, Bob Dylan performed locally at an outdoor concert here, and my partner and I attended, again sitting on the Earthly Mother, grounded. The Moon was above us, in brightness, in her glory. During the songs, as with the Eclipse, I could feel the Earth energy coursing up through my body and meeting with the energy of my heart. I did Reiki for the Earth and for all beings, connecting with the Christ Consciousness Grid, touching all physical and non-physical objects in this and other realities at once with my Higher Power, with my Mer-Ka-Ba.
And it took me on a journey.
I was in all-time-no-time — and I was back again at that hill during the Eclipse, overlooking the water, with all the birds, fish, two-leggeds, four-leggeds, plants, creepy-crawlies, stone people, Sun and Moon, Earthly Mother, all my brothers and sisters — Mitakuye Oyasin[2]. I was back again at every place I have drummed and done sacred ceremony, by myself and with others, all times in 3D, yet still connected with the Christ Consciousness Grid and at Stillpoint.
Again I could “see” the Moon in all her phases, the Eclipse from start to finish, as one event, one “moment.” I was “there” in all those places and “here” at the concert, all at the same time. And my mind was working, too, like a computer processing information, just humming along, listening to the music and integrating what was going on, jumping from past to present to future, being its usual monkey mind.
Dylan finished with an encore of “Like a Rolling Stone.” It was so powerful; but all the inflexions were different, not like the recordings burned into the consciousness of our generation. Although his voice was hoarse from singing, the verses were softer; they had a lilt to them that was less demanding or exhorting and more feeling — not a ranting indictment, but a questioning conversation.
The song seemed to speak to where we are today, those of my generation who, with gestures of defiance, began the independence of their youth by challenging authority and now are that authority, caught up from a different perspective in the same questions that once transfixed them — the answers still not found.
So there I was, feeling the Earth energy in my body, barely in normal reality, connected with Higher Power, listening to the icon of my generation, with the sight of a blinding white Moon turning to invisibility and then returning to searing whiteness, the full cycle of the Lunar Eclipse still burning in my brain.
I’m still trying to integrate the message. But these moments of all-time-no-time are giving me a message I must fathom if I’m to live in the Stillpoint. That’s my guidance, my question. That’s how we must live, being one with all-time-no-time in this time here, now, on this Earth — in total being and consciousness — if we are to fully ascend.
Four Doorways to Inner Guidance
Marylyn: Jim, as a shaman and healer, what can you tell us that will help us to contact and follow our own Inner Guidance? Exactly how can we access Higher Power?
Jim: We each have different doorways that are easiest for us. For example, I find my daily guidance through meditation, prayer, dreaming, and drumming. Let me go through these from easiest to most difficult.
The Meditation Doorway
The goal in any meditation for guidance is to get close enough energetically to the Source — the Stillpoint — to allow yourself to be guided — that is, to be receptive enough to perceive the messages of your Higher Power, be they visual, audible, or simply feelings or knowing our direction. Position yourself to go with the Flow of Creation as your individual lights allow.
The simplest, easiest way to get in touch with your Higher Power at any moment, anywhere, is to simply “put your butt on a rock.” That is, during the day — at work or wherever — go out and put your base Chakra on the Earth. Lean against a wall, or sit on a planter — something, anything, that connects to the Earth — and then simply breathe.
Prana breathing is good for this. Another method is the Gassho Meditation taught by William Lee Rand of the International Center for Reiki Training. To do this meditation:
Clasp your hands in the prayer position and focus on the middle fingers.
As a thought arises, gently brush it aside until the mind is free, clear, and empty.
In other words, just practice breathing, centering, grounding — and put the intention out that you will be guided by your Higher Power in all you do. You will be surprised at how effective this is.
And it can be done anywhere. I do it a lot at work, just go outside and ground, center, breathe. Any passersby just think I’m taking a break.
If you do this, you will find yourself refreshed and calm, center-directed — acting and not just reacting. You can then proceed with full mind, body, and Spirit to address any question.
Marylyn: Can you give us an example of how you do this in daily practice? Is there any special way you ask your questions?
Jim: For me, I find that arising before dawn gives me the clearest direction and ability to be open to the whispers of my Higher Power.
I start by looking at the Mayan Codex, a chart prepared by Ian Lungold, translated from the Mayan calendar, that tells which way the Divine wind is blowing for that day.[3] I meditate on the meaning for the day.
I also meditate on the Native American Medicine Wheel, to see which direction I am facing that day, and which challenges I am most likely to encounter, as well as how to meet them.[4]
These practices take a bit of studying. More simply, I have several meditation cards and books that I may choose from at random — impulsively, because they seem to “feel right.”
Scanning through the meditations in the cards or books, I notice what “pops out” at me. Sometimes it’s something that is comforting, sometimes it’s troubling, but the message usually finds a place in my day — often with a big “I told you so!”
Whichever way I look for my message, I write down whatever I discovered during my meditation and carry it with me through the day for reference.
Marylyn: Does this work?
Jim: You bet! I wouldn’t get up before dawn every day and do it if it didn’t. I’d just sleep in or watch cartoons.
Marylyn: Can you give us an example of an insight you received in meditation and how it showed up in your life?
Jim: Sure. This example happened when I was traveling.
When I’m away giving workshops or lectures or whatnot, I modify my daily routine a bit. First, I “drum up the sun” wherever I am, to get a feel of the Earth energies of the place and to shamanically tell the local spirits that I am there and mean no harm — that I come in peace and am grateful for any way they might help me.
The messages I then receive may be as gentle as a bird flying overhead, or a wave upon the water. Our inherent wisdom or Higher Power can translate these kinds of signs into inner “knowing.” Afterward, I write down what I perceived as my guidance for the day.
So one time when I was on the Gulf Coast, I went out to “drum up the sun” and noticed a pipe sticking up out of the water. I ignored it. A moment later, a big wave came and hit the pipe, which — incredibly — splashed only me, slapping me right in the face. I had a friend sitting beside me who was untouched. So I took notice.
Later, I looked in the Mayan Codex and the energy for the day was Six Reed, which means, “Be flexible. Let spiritual guidance flow through you like a garden hose, not a steel pipe.” I laughed and laughed. And, yes, the workshop I was teaching that day did require me to be exceedingly flexible!
The Prayer Doorway
Marylyn: What about prayer? Can we receive answers from our Higher Power by praying? And if so, how does this work?
Jim: Prayer works! There probably is no greater power than prayer. But you also must remember that every moment of your life is a prayer — every thought, every deed. It all goes out on the lines of your Mer-Ka-Ba into the universe, in this and other dimensions all the time.
The great power of prayer is within our hearts; it is an eternal cup that is never empty.
Our mind can play tricks. It can dazzle us with straight lines that create intricate webs. But it is our heart — that spherical power of all-encompassing, womb-like love and compassion — that solves any and all problems.
We are each and all part of the universal hologram, creating our world energetically. That energy is our constant prayer, the real prayer of our existence and our world, collectively and energetically. No matter how powerful your intent or sacred your ceremony, that “prayer” can be diluted or negated if your thoughts and actions, the “constant prayer” of your being, is contradictory.
The Stillpoint is the place of power. You contact your Higher Power by approaching the Stillpoint, in meditation or prayer, using conscious intent. The challenge is to make yourself wakan (meaning “sacred” in Lakota), to be consciously “in” the Stillpoint so that you can manipulate yourself and your world to be in the Flow of Creation.
The Power Dreaming Doorway
Marylyn: I understand that you also use dreaming as a way to contact your inner guidance. Can you say more about this?
Jim: Dreaming, which everyone does, is the easiest way to access Higher Power. However, to make use of it, you must learn what I call “power dreaming,” which is similar to what has been called lucid dreaming. The difference is that in lucid dreaming you are seen as being in, but not a part of, the dreams. In power dreaming, you are in total control and can obtain knowledge and power. Shamans have done this for thousands of years.
You don’t need drugs or plant medicines to “see” non-ordinary reality, although you can naturally enhance your ability by taking a melatonin tablet — an over-the-counter supplement — before you go to bed, until you get the hang of it. Oh, and eat bananas. All energy work burns up potassium, so you can eat a banana or drink Gatorade™ before you journey or do energy work, to ensure you’re not depleting your body.
The chemicals are already there in your brain to “see” in non-ordinary reality. It’s just a matter of learning the techniques and having enough will, discipline, and intent, to carry them through.
The first lesson is to keep a notepad by your bed. Set the intent before you go to sleep to remember your dreams and start writing them down the moment you awaken. Over time, you will start to remember them and actually have opportunities to participate in them. When those opportunities arise, remember to look for your hands. If you can see your hands, you can control the dream. From there, you can go anywhere or do anything.[5]
(Continued in Part 2.)