Hon. James McCallion, 32° KCCH
Venerable Master, Director of Education
In last month’s issue, we delved into the shamanic principles of divine law, exploring the teachings of the clan mother “guardian and keeper of justice.” We considered weighing the truth, and the pursuit of knowledge with fairness and impartiality. This led us to contemplate the notion of balance, where we introduced Taoism, its philosophy of Wu Wei, and their alignment with the teachings of Freemasonry, particularly those embedded within the Royal Secret.
For the month of April 2024, our focus shifts to the wisdom of the 4th Moon Cycle, spotlighting the clan mother known as “Looks Far.”
Revered as a seer and oracle, she serves as a conduit to enlightenment and heightened awareness, and carries with her the “Medicine of Prophecy,” seeing the Truth in all things. She is most known for being a guide to human spirits taking “dreamtime journeys” to other realms and back again. So, what is a Dreamtime Journey?
Across cultures, shamans have described spiritual realms as tangible dimensions accessible through altered states of consciousness (i.e. dreams via sleeping, and ritual “journeys,” or “quests”). These realms, though symbolic, represent realities beyond conventional time, space, and physicality. While shamanic journeys may be metaphorical, the wisdom gained from such experiences is undeniably practical and invaluable.
The process of this journey is usually through vivid dreaming, vision quests, or healing quests. Vivid dreaming is the act of engaging your dreams for the benefit of journey. It facilitates the practice of regular sleep schedules and diet, and limited distractions, that allow you to spend more time in REM sleep (where dreams occur). This is followed by articulate and speculative dream journaling. A vision quest (also referred to as the Warrior’s Way) embodies profound introspection and connecting with your inner wisdom and resilience. A healing quest enables you to concentrate on the healing process, addressing specific areas of yourself (or others if you are a practitioner) that require particular attention and support. Both quests may facilitate sacred plant medicines to assist in the journey process, however, to preserve the integrity of those medicines and prevent from the unintended advertisement for recreational use, their names and processes will not be mentioned here. Other paths towards this type of spiritual journey involve the practice of astral projection.
The word “Dreamtime” refers to both ancient Shamanic creation stories and an actual dimension or spiritual realm. Through “Looks Far,” we glimpse into the Dreamtime, perceiving the unfolding of events across time, the genesis of the universe, the creation of humanity, and the intended role of humans in the world. It is here that observing the True Truth happens. This is the fundamental lesson of the 4th Moon, Seeing the Truth. It is said that “Looks Far” guides us through these realms, deciphering the esoteric symbolism embedded within our dreams and waking visions, and uncovering the truths concealed within their psychic messages.
In many respects, “Looks Far” shares similarities with Anubis, the Egyptian deity overseeing the underworld, and the role of the Senior Deacon within a lodge. All three serve as a guide and are tasked with the care and protection of their initiate, traveler, etc., leading these souls from darkness or ignorance towards knowledge, purification, and ascension to higher realms of consciousness.
It is also interesting to find commonality between the concept of “Dreamtime” and vision quests, or journeys, and the underlying message found in the first section of the 31st degree Inspector Inquisitor or Initiate of the Egyptian Mysteries. When two knights converse within a cave, their discussion turns to the significance of hieroglyphics adorning the walls. The younger knight contends that these symbols, being pagan and undesirable, should be scraped off the walls and the rocks turned to mortar for use in building churches. However, the older knight disagrees, recognizing profound wisdom in the ancient markings. Suddenly, they find themselves transported back to the Egyptian Court of the Dead, where their journey unfolds with the observance of lessons on life and beyond. Metaphorically speaking, they dip their hands into the river of time, space, and physicality to reacquaint themselves with the mysteries and wisdom of the ancients, and we observe that much is gained from their pursuit.
“Looks Far” teaches us that the future encompasses both potentialities and probabilities. That there is a direct correlation between our physical manifestations and the choices we make of our own free will and accord, and to recognize the power of our dreams to shape and influence our individual paths through seeing the Truth. According to Shaman Sams,
“Learning how to see, is not an easy task for most humans. We are stubborn and insist that if we can’t see the entire truth in a glance, the truth isn’t there.”
“Visions that every human encounters on the other side of the golden door of illumination [peeking into Dreamtime] are the reflections of joy that exist beyond the illusions of physical sorrows. The world within worlds is open to everyone who chooses to travel beyond the pain that limits our ability to see the truth.”
There’s a wonderful quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer, who after deep study of the Tao Te Ching, found himself transformed by its message. Dr. Wayne postulates
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at [begin to] change.
I ask that in the Moon of April, you contemplate how you can prophesy your journey towards seeing the truth, transforming your perception of truth, and manifesting your desired paths.
