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Time [GMT -6] : 07 Sep , 07:12:26 |
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| 28 Jul 2010 09:26:24 pm |
| SNAP Conference |
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July 28, 2010
SNAP Conference
There is a SNAP Conference this weekend in Chicago. I was not able to attend but was able to provide some support. SNAP stands for survivors network of those abused by priests. Their web site is: www.snapnetwork.org/
The topic of abuse by priests hits close to home with me. I was raised in the Catholic Church. As an adult, I began to search outside the Church for answers and discovered that I needed to reach beyond the Church for the healing I needed. As I progressed in my healing, I found that my Catholic upbringing was a source of much of the pain I felt inside. And when I was told by a sister that one of our older brothers had been molested by a priest, a lot of my past struggles began to come into focus. But the monumental effort of healing was only beginning.
Because my family would not discuss the molestation and had kept it a secret for decades, I went to both a reporter and the Kansas City, Missouri diocese with the information. Unlike the experiences of most, I received an immediate apology from a diocese official for the pain that this priest had caused my family. The apology didn't go very far in helping me heal, but it was a better response than most have received.
It was only recently that I discovered that by reporting this incident, a priest who had been abusing for many years was retired to a facility where he could harm no more. The last count I have seen reported is that 17 have come forward with credible allegations of molestation against this priest. How many others are there who have not come forward? And how many instances of molestation could have been prevented if my family had been willing to confront this abuser?
But my family refused. And when I tried to confront the situation, as well as other abusiveness within the family, I was attacked unmercifully by my own family. What I discovered through this extremely painful process that continues to this day is that those who refuse to confront abuse become abusers themselves. And when confronted with their abusiveness, they attack. It has been a hard lesson and one that has caused a lot of pain and suffering. The sad thing is, just as with pedophile priests, it is the most vulnerable in my family who receive the brunt of the abuse.
It was my first trip to Peru that connected me with my God. How ironic. I was brought up to believe that native peoples, of whatever land, were savages who needed to be converted. But it was a shaman who was the one who gave of himself and led me to experience something that had been missing from my life. He used his talent to bring a priceless gift to me. It certainly wasn't traditional and it is not for everyone, but I needed something drastic. I was in so much pain I had daily thoughts of suicide. It was the shaman who showed me a light at the end of the tunnel, a light on which I could focus in my deepest and darkest depressions in the years that followed.
My fight for justice did not end with this priest and the abusers within my family. I have taken on injustices in my own community and have been attacked relentlessly for doing so. Someone recently asked me if I was afraid of the karma I might be bringing on myself. What karma, I asked? I believe in the golden rule. Do unto others. I want to be accountable for my actions. How can I be accountable for my actions if I don't hold others accountable for theirs. If I don't collect debts that are owed to me, I cannot pay my bills. If I don't hold others accountable, I can't be accountable. I don't always have to literally collect the debts, but I need to tell the truth about those that don't pay their debts. If I don't I will attract more of the same. That is karma.
I believe that what the questioner was referring to was not karma, but punishment. Her fear represents the typical thinking of a person who has been abused.....the cycle of thinking that makes it difficult to break out of the abusive pattern. It goes something like this: If I stand up to an abuser and ask demand that they stop the abuse (whether within the family or in the community at large), I will be punished. Therefore, I will be silent rather than risk more abusiveness.
That is not karma, that is the abuse cycle playing itself out. The irony of this sort of thinking is that more abuse will be attracted by being silent. Yes, you risk retaliation when you stand up to abuse and you must prepare yourself for that possibility and take precautions. But if you don't speak out, you will attract even more abuse. Abusers have a way of sensing those they know will keep silent.
And, as those from SNAP can attest, you cannot just speak up once and expect to be heard. It takes repetition. Eventually your voice becomes stronger and louder and others join in. That's when real change begins to happen.
Much of the healing I have done has come from non-traditional means. By non-traditional I mean it is not accepted by most of our society. It IS traditional from the standpoint of native cultures. Their healing techniques have been around for centuries and can be very effective. Some have tried to hijack these ceremonies for personal gain with disastrous results. As with any modality, one has to be discerning and not give away one's personal power. The goal (if I may use that word) is to achieve personal awareness and that cannot be achieved if you give your personal power to another. That is nothing more than abuse from which we are all learning to heal.
Good luck on your journey,
Charles Kempf
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Category : Newsletter
| By : admin |
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| 20 Mar 2010 05:03:27 pm |
| Amarillo Conference / Older Than America |
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March 20, 2010
Just a couple of quick notes.
First, Georgina Lightning has been nominated for an award for her movie Older Than America. At the end of this message is the email I received from Ms. Lightening. You can view a trailer of her film at www.olderthanamerica.com.
Second, I am working to organize a conference in Amarillo, Texas which features Native ...
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Category : Upcoming Events
| By : admin |
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| 20 Mar 2010 04:41:03 pm |
| A New Personal Economy |
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Below is the previous newsletter:
January 14, 2010
A New Personal Economy
As I began to think of creating another newsletter, I looked back on how long it had been since my last submission.....over a year.
I'll begin this issue by reviewing the past year. In the last newsletter (I have posted it on my website at http://www.charleskempf.com/blog/) I wrote about personal power. This past year has been a year of owning some of my personal power.
2008 ended with me being asked to be camp director for a March, 2009 vision quest. Being camp director is mostly about managing the flow of energy. Keeping the energy flowing enables questors, and other attendees, to get the most out of their experience. The quest can be healing and allows for individuals to come away with a clearer vision for their lives. The energy of a vision quest is quite high. There are many sweats and participating in them can bring issues to the surface for individuals to release. Emotions can get raw. People are tired and dirty. Feelings can be easily hurt. Keeping the energy positive and flowing is an important task. Fortunately there was a good supporting cast and the quest was a success.
After the quest comes the real work....the return to our everyday lives where one must put into practice the insights gained from the quest.
That was how the year began.
2009 ended with me being called on to step up my efforts to expose wrong-doing in the local community in which I live, confronting issues on a state level and, to a lesser extent, addressing issues that are of national concern. All of these required me to get in touch with more personal power than I realized I possessed.
Along the way, I was advised by well-meaning acquaintances to walk away, to let it go, to steer clear of certain powerful individuals, or even to move to a new community. But how does one walk away from one's own destiny? Even if I was successful in leaving behind the controversy (as if karma would allow me to leave it behind), how could I live with myself knowing someone else would suffer because I walked away instead of speaking out...just like I was harmed because those who came before me chose to remain silent. How could I refuse to acknowledge my own personal power in the situation?
As is always the case in a situation like this (confronting one's destiny) fears are experienced and ultimately erased. And in that process, more insights occur.
One such insight came through a friend I reconnected with towards the end of 2009. Here is a portion of what that friend wrote to me: "Corporations have influenced and often controlled our world and yet they have an inherent flaw." "Their main intent is to make money." "...a corporation can actually be sued for making decisions that place the good of mankind over profits."
Her words reminded me of a previous newsletter I sent out (refer to my November 26, 2008 blog entry at http://www.charleskempf.com/blog/) in which I made note of a father who was so worried about the possibility his daughters would be diagnosed with breast cancer that he put together a plan to offer $1 billion to the person who discovered the cure. I also wrote that the breasts represented nurturing and that this might be a clue to the consciousness that gives rise to the disease. What I did not catch, even in my own writing, was a very clear contradiction: An issue of nurturing cannot be solved with money alone. If that were the case, it would just be a matter of raising enough money. The only proof you need that money is no substitute for nurturing is the example of a small child, or even a flower.
How many stories have we heard recited about children growing up in the most daunting of conditions who rose from that environment and went on to achieve great things because of the nurturing provided by a parent or guardian or teacher? Likewise, a flower does not require massive amounts of money to be beautiful, only the proper nurturing. A focus on the inherit value of nurturing, not the money value, offers the most hope for a cure. The thought form that gives rise to breast cancer can be eradicated but only if enough individuals begin to realize the value of nurturing.
I want to take this idea of the problem with a focus on money a little further. Have you ever heard of the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge? The prize is offered to anyone who can show evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. Even though the prize has been offered since 1996, it has never been claimed. There could be a lot of reasons for this and any discussion of the topic could could be rather lengthy. But I want to draw attention to one possibility.......focus. Anyone who has a primary focus on matters of health or spirituality or happiness will, by definition, not be focused on money. And anyone who is primarily focused on money cannot be focused on spirit. Therefore, anyone who is likely to be tempted by the prize money has lost their focus on the "supernatural". So it is not surprising that the money has gone unclaimed and is likely to remain unclaimed UNTIL someone with "supernatural" abilities is spiritually guided to claim the money.
To illustrate I present a few questions for the reader to ponder: How much of Ghandi's focus was dedicated to money? Would Martin Luther King, Jr. have accomplished all he accomplished if he was focused on money? Did either of them claim a million dollar prize? Were they influenced by a billion dollar prize for a cure? And yet, can anyone deny the "supernatural" things they accomplished? Great things can be accomplished, including great wealth. But to truly be in harmony with one's spirit, the spark that ignites those things and brings them into being must come from within.
This concept ties into another article I once wrote on the things I learned from a shaman that could be applied to business. In that article, I referred to the role of ethics. By ethics, I am not referring to externally applied laws, I am referring to being true to one's spirit and the guidance it provides. This takes work and practice and sometimes assistance from others. It must be cultivated and NURTURED. The reason it must be cultivated and nurtured is not because it is not inherent. It IS inherent, but our society teaches us otherwise and we, to a greater or lesser extent depending on our circumstances, let ourselves be lead away from what is inherent. That is why we must takes steps to reconnect with our spiritual selves.
Not being true to one's internal guidance system can lead to disastrous results. A friend of mine who worked as a federal law enforcement official prior to his retirement asked me about my thoughts on the tragedy in Sedona, Arizona, where several individuals participating in a sweat lodge perished. My response to him was that that it takes years of training for a person to learn to pour a sweat lodge properly. The stones that are chosen must be able to hold heat without exploding or giving off noxious fumes. The pourer must be capable of monitoring everyone in the sweat lodge. But most importantly, the individuals must be aware of their own limitations. If participants are shamed or goaded into staying in a sweat lodge or otherwise prevented from leaving when they know they have reached their limit, that's when disasters occur. After all, the intent behind a sweat lodge is to help one learn to trust their own guidance. It is counterproductive and dangerous when attempts are made to override another individual's spiritual connection. Not only is it counterproductive, it defeats the very purpose of the sweat lodge.
I informed my friend that the sad irony of the entire situation is that there are experts who have been doing this for generations. These experts don't require that you pay them large sums of money. All they require is that you approach the ceremony from a pure space. And no amount of money will convince them to offer the ceremony to someone who is not ready. The problems arise when someone takes a deadly serious ceremony like this and hijacks it for primarily monetary gain and/or seeks to override the participants own guidance system because of their own ego-centric needs.
This sad situation reminds me of another story I heard about a particular popular "guru". An acquaintance told me that he had attended a workshop given by a so-called spiritual leader. This "guru" supposedly ridiculed Joseph Campbell's famous advice to, "Follow your bliss." "What if killing others is your bliss?", this "guru" reportedly asked his followers. His question not only illustrates his inability to grasp what Mr. Campbell was pointing to, it exposes him as a spiritual fraud even though he is considered by many to be a guru. Spirit takes no pleasure in harming another. It is the ego-based individual which imagines it must destroy another in order to have fulfillment. And this "guru" does not know the difference.
This brings me back to the friend with whom I recently reconnected. Here is another quote she shared with me, "Mankind is evolving at an unbelievable rate and now is the time for all of us to look at evolving our corporations, governments and religions as well as our individual selves."
I would add relationships to that list. In other words, there is no turning back. As we have seen with our financial system, the old way will not work. Efforts to prop it up, if based on outdated ideas/models with the sole focus on earnings, will fail. A new system is arising to take its place...a system that is dependent on each individual finding their own spiritual connection and following their unique path. In other words, healing one's wounds and accessing one's personal power.
So...........follow your bliss. And if you don't know what your bliss is, it's time you started searching for it. And if you need help finding it, write or call. I would love to help.
Blessings on your journey
Charles Kempf
PO Box 51073
Amarillo, TX 79159
806-677-6206
charleskempf@gmail.com
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Category : Newsletter
| By : admin |
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| 13 Jan 2010 02:04:05 pm |
| Yellow |
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What does yellow have to do with health and healing?
I was prepared to edit a previous article I wrote to include in this newsletter, when I came across an article titled "Yellow expected as a bright spot for 2009" (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_re_us/color_of_the_year).
After reading the article, I thought I might add some information at the beginning of the newsletter, but that information quickly developed into a full-fledged article of its own.
According the the Yahoo! news article, "There's a prediction from a leading color source that cheerful and sunny yellow will be the influential color of 2009".
So what does this have to do with health and healing? Everything.
I shared with you in my previous article that I use the chakra system as a way to convey information, regardless of whether someone actually believes in chakras. The belief in chakras is not what is important, the information is what is important. (Don't look at the finger, look at where it is pointing.)
In the chakra system, yellow represents the third chakra, personal power. Some call it the will center. It is a place of action. Remember from the last article how I wrote that changes in beliefs will always necessitate changes in action? This is where that comes into play.
Let's back up a bit. The first chakra is associated with the color red. It relates to grounding and feeling safe in the world. Many of us have experienced some damage in this chakra through erroneous beliefs that were taught to us at an early age about what it takes to survive in this world. When one's grounding is threatened (home, health, physical safety, food, clothing) we rightly become enraged. You might say we become red with rage. However some of us were taught not to feel anger. When anger is suppressed, it becomes depression. When it is expressed uncontrollably or inappropriately, it can lead to violence.
However, when that anger is moved up through the chakra system, it moves through the second chakra...feelings (also sexuality and creativity, but those are topics for another time). Here, one can only move the energy through the second chakra through FEELING. And if you have been taught not to feel your feelings, you will experience difficulty. The key is to fully feel how it feels to have your grounding threatened....feel the hurt, feel the fear, feel the terror, feel the rage, feel whatever comes up. When you do so, you will move the energy to the third chakra......personal power. This is where action comes into play. Once the energy moves to this level, you will be guided as to what action to take.
What do we call someone who appears to have no personal power? Yellow. In fact, there is a song about it. Country music singer Kenny Rogers sang a song called Coward of the County. Here is a line from that song: "His momma named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow." In the song, Tommy eventually takes back his power, albeit in a violent way. The song also has an interesting message about beliefs that are taught to us and how we must break through those beliefs to find our own truth.
So what does all of this have to do with the article I cited at the beginning? Think about it. Wasn't the recent election about taking back personal power? After the events of September 11, 2001, many people surrendered their personal power to authorities who abused that trust. This election, among other things, was about taking back personal power. So it would seem to follow that yellow would enter the consciousness as a popular color.
To take this a bit further, compare the organizations pushing for change in an election held during the current unpopular war with the actions during the unpopular Viet Nam war. There was much less violence this time even though some groups were attempting to "recreate 68". It appears we are evolving, thanks to many leaders who showed us the way...leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King who showed us how to take back our personal power through non-violent means.
And here is how this relates to health. One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Dr. King. The quote is: "Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about things that matter." THIS IS A LITERAL TRUTH. Our health suffers when we do not speak our truth, whatever that truth may be. Speaking that truth requires that one be fully present in one's personal power and you cannot be fully present in your personal power if you have un-healed issues around grounding and/or feelings (sexuality, creativity, etc) ie the first and second chakras.
Here is another interesting point about the article I referred to at the beginning. Almost as an after-thought, the author included the following: "The fashion world first embraced orange a few years ago and that has evolved into yellow." Interesting choice of words. I have not yet mentioned the color associated with the second chakra......orange. We are evolving as a nation. Think about it. From violent protests around race and war (red), to recent years when individuals of a different sexual orientation began to become more accepted into the mainstream (orange), to taking back one's personal power by electing an African-American we hope will more accurately reflect the will (yellow) of the people. As the author of the article points out we are evolving.
Evolving as a nation can only take place if the citizens are willing to face their individual issues and evolve on a personal level. And when you work through those issues on a personal level, you WILL become a healthier person in all respects. It cannot be otherwise.
Blessings,
Charles Kempf
www.charleskempf.com
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Category : Newsletter
| By : admin |
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| 24 Nov 2009 02:06:16 pm |
| Welcome |
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If you are new to my web site, welcome!
As you can see by the dates on my posts, I have not been very good about updating my site. Please sign up for my newsletter and I will let you know the latest.
If you wish to contact me for a consultation, here is all you need to know:
I don't have a set fee. I look for those who can benefit the most from what I offer. I use a combination of intuition, dream interpretation, and an analysis of patterns ...
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Category : General
| By : admin |
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