Thanksgiving at Loma under pine trees

One day I heard about the history of thanksgiving in school and I was so excited because I wanted to share it with my grandpa. As soon as I got back from school, I saw him working on the land so I decided to take him some water. He was resting under some pine trees, so I sat next to him while he drank his water. "Grandpa, I learned in school about Thanksgiving. Why did you never told me about this beautiful story?", I asked him. "I am sorry my child but I did not wanted to tell you a lie", He responded. I asked him, "What do you mean grandpa?" He explained,"The story you heard it did not happen that way. They did not share their food with us, it was us who shared our food with them because they were dying and we thought them how to survive here in our lands." A cold feeling ran through my spine, I was shocked. Still bewildered, I asked "Did we celebrated this holiday before they got here grandpa?" I will never forget what he told me next. He told me, "Yes and here is what I want you to remember. We celebrate thanksgiving every sunrise, every sunset, when we sit down to eat, when we hear the birds singing, when we see the rain falling from the sky, even when we make a fire to cook our food and keep us warm in the cold winter. We need to be thankful for every single breath of life, for our families, for the land that is provided for us, for these trees that we rest under, for the water you came up to bring me, for our health for the beauty and the love within us all and around us. That's why we make ceremonies to love and respect one another. This is why we live in harmony with the earth and our ancestor, through the sacred calendar and out traditions. The celebration of thanksgiving has been commercialized to make money and the true story behind it is has been hidden, but imagine if society did not not assign a day to be thankful. Do you think people would arrange gatherings with their love ones and friends? Some people need to be reminded and be told about these things, my little boy. Most people will go through life believing these lies because the truth is too painful to accept."

Juan Errante

Spiritual Identity

The dictionary defines “identity” as the condition of being one’s self. As we experience the hardships and struggles of life, we are so desperate to know who we are that we start losing our minds and buying all the costumes society has created for us to forget our spiritual identities. But, what we want to be is different from what we need to be or from what we were sent here to accomplish.
Somehow we forgot The Universe (Creator, God) is perfect. This entity can be called anything you like because it can manifest itself according to your faith, even if you decide not to follow anything or anyone. So, how do you define yourself?

You were taught to be the best since childbirth to fulfill someone's expectations or to fit in your family or society, but there are always going to be people who are one step ahead of you. Other people’s accomplishments have a way of making you feel like you’re not measuring up and that is an endless battle with yourself.
Being "in-style" or "cool" does not always indicate or define who you are, but it shows that you are desperate for attention. Being well known does not take away your loneliness. It just makes you that much more lonelier. When you keep a small circle of friends, you feel more comfortable knowing that your friends are the only ones that you really want to spend time with.

What you wear or how your face looks shouldn't be more important then how you make another person feel. Fashion is an illusion created by your own mind and insecurities that it causes you to compare yourself with other person. There is nothing more beautiful in this world then allowing your own spirit to roam freely.
Being bright or smart: This is another downfall because we don't think the same way or make the right choices all the time. Sometimes making poor decisions allows you to explore your own capacity to think things through and to become a problem solver. This is how we all earn wisdom. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes because each time we learn more about ourselves.

Women are becoming as thin as twigs and men are getting more pumped and tanned these days. Every magazine cover in today's world displays young models with perfect bodies and it affects us unconsciously in our everyday lives. We use this as a place marker for who we think we are and consequently we find ourselves looking at our reflections every chance we get creating insecurities. Men are obsessed going to the gym and high protein diets to look manly, while some women starve themselves just to fit into those new skinny jeans.
Maybe looking beautiful or handsome is a survival instinct that has been primed into us from the beginning of time. Perhaps its because society has made us so self-conscious that we can’t feel better about ourselves until we’ve “beaten” out other people by looking like Miss Universe or like a model on the cover of a magazine. Life is not a competition. No matter how you look like there is plenty of people who will find you beautiful and attractive just the way are.

 Wealth: There is not much to say other than, "if you can be rich and be poor, then you can be poor and be rich.” I have seen many spiritual people who have sold their souls in the name of greed. You can be rich and forsake everyone around you, if money your priority.
Or you can be wealthy in your own mind and spirit. Hold close to those who truly care for you because they will never disappear like that spare change in your pocket.

Human Gifts: We were all created equal and we’re all good at different things. Some of us are better by being artistic, music, painting etc. Others are great thinkers. They can teach or be good at playing sports or an instrument. We’re all “gifted” at different things, but you shouldn’t let it define you.

There are plenty more things I can write about, but I don't think I have to say anymore than I already have.
Creator gave us all a spiritual identity that is above labels like good, bad, beautiful, ugly, fat, skinny, preppy, geeky, nerdy, or freaks.
The secrets of the universe are within us and all you need is a spark to radiate your beautiful fire within.

Juan Errante

The Sky Is Falling

His heart speaks with the strength of thunders, every living creature feels the power of the great sky.
The blood of his spirit flows in every river of this earth...



My friends and brothers gather to sing as the rising sun blesses
all creation with golden light...

Those who crawl kiss the soil, those who fly embrace the sky,
those who swim bless the water, those who walk kneel before his glory.


He sighs for you, for me...
His breath fills the open seas. His clear voice is calling us by name, the time is near...
I can hear his footsteps there is nothing left to fear.


The walls are falling...
The veil has falling...
The dream has awoken...
They are coming back for us...

"There is a power greater then ourselves, a power we still know nothing about, a power which holds the secret of the dreamer and the dream that we live in..."

Juan Errante

Spirits of Nature

Fox Spirit

While traveling on my way home from work my spirit was called to by another. I looked around to find out from where the voice was coming from, when I saw a relation laying on the side of the road. A red fox was there. I quickly pulled over to care for his remains. I removed his body from the road and lay him back on the earth where his spirit may find peace. I felt sadness and compassion in my heart, that he had met such a dishonorable death. I offered his spirit some tobacco, and prayers that one day someone would think and do the same for me. We too can meet an untimely and unfitting demise at any given moment. May someone think of us enough to give us dignity in death, and show compassion and respect for our remains.

Grandfather says:
Far too often men become arrogant in their thinking and believe that they are above the rest of our relations in nature. They think they are separate. That the only living beings that count the most are the human beings. This has become the gods of men, their high thoughts of themselves and those things that are produced from the mind. Sadly this type of arrogance has spread and tainted all races of man. When you see a fallen relation by the road grandchildren do what you can for that fallen spirit. Honor them as you would your own family. They are as much a part of you as the water, earth, and sky. Do not pass them by without a prayer .....without a thought. Remember the ways of your elders, and what ways we were taught in living in balance with all of creation. Love, honor, respect, and dignity. We are all connected in the sacred hoop of life.

-Juan Errante

www.giannicrow.com

Moonlight Sonata In Central Park

I usually like to spend time in Central Park around the summer time and autumn. That's when all the leaves are changing to beautiful colors.

One day I placed my MP3 player next to me and started listening to some music. As I closed my eyes, the sun was tingling on my skin and I took a trip into the waves of music.  A few minutes later, I heard someone saying, "that's a nice piece..." I opened my eyes and said,  "Sorry?" To my surprise it was a homeless person eating a sandwich. He said: "Moonlight Sonata, that's one of my favorite pieces" 

"I had no idea my headphones were that loud,"  I replied. 

He said,  "No, no, no! I saw it when it came up on your playlist. These days I don't see many young people listening to classical music."  

He went on talking about the topic. He had all my attention, at that point. He told me about the time he played for a very well known theater in NY, as he pulled an old photo album from a plastic bag. "May I show you something?" he asked. "Why of course," I said. As soon as he opened the first page, I recognized him. 

"That's you!" I said. 

He smiled as he showed me many pictures of himself

playing in different places around the country and Europe. It was as if he had jumped into a time capsule and was reliving his memories with so much joy, that I felt privileged just to witness this very moment. I lost track of time in his stories and those fascinating places. Then suddenly, he stops at the very last page of the album and sighed. It was an article in the paper with a picture of him. At that very moment,  I noticed there was a finger missing from his hand.

He never said... I never asked...  Politely,  he got up and thanked me for the chat and vanished among a group of tourists into Central Park.

~Juan Errante

www.giannicrow.com

Teachings From the Plant People

There is a spiritual awakening taking place. People from all walks of life are scratching their heads wondering if there is something wrong with them, because they do not understand what is happening in their lives. One of the reasons is because society and the media have influenced us on what spirituality is supposed to be or how a spiritual person should behave or look like.

Our paths are unique because there are different levels of consciousness.

Although we are called for the same purpose "to receive,  to learn, and to share," many will get stuck in the early stages of their path for lack of discipline or understanding. In this article, I will discuss the use and abuse of hallucinogenic plants or synthetic drugs as a method of "gaining" spirituality. The media and false teachers have influenced society to believe that you can simply use drugs to become spiritual.

When I was a kid my grandfather warned me about work with the "plant people" (the plants themselves) for my own recreation or experiments. In some cases, the plant people help us break through to our minds because our minds have been so corrupted to the point that we have forgotten about our own intuitive feelings. We are a generation of rational thinkers. In order for us to believe something, we want tangible, measured proof just like a scientist would. My grandfather once said, "You don't need to have faith in order for you to take hallucinogenic plants because it was made for skeptical minds." Peyote, mushrooms, Ayahuasca, Marijuana are not for amusement or entertainment purposes. Those plants are strictly for astral traveling and holistic ceremonies, they are not meant to be party drugs. The experience gained from a ceremony with these kinds of plants, is the wisdom learned though plants and is not for everyone, because you can create a psychological shock, leave a trauma, or even worse, become addicted.

Many people build up expectations because they feed on other people's experiences. Some get too curious and go deeper to see what comes up, not realizing that if you don't have a spiritual guide or a Shaman leading the ceremony it can become fatal. The wisdom of learning through plants is a cultural tradition that goes back to the days of our grandfathers.
 
One does not wake up one day and say, "I want to explore the spirit world, let me get high." Our bodies and minds are constantly crying out for help, and this is one of the ways Spirit has taught us how to heal our psychological problems. Hallucinogenic plants are for self discovery and connection to the spiritual world. 

In our tribes you were allowed to take it under the strict supervision of the elders and only if it was necessary or there was a need to explore ones path or find a deeper meaning of life and the unknown to refine your life.
Each plant has a personality, as each human does. Plants are very sensitive and intuitive. So be humble and remember that you don't know much when you are going to use their medicine. I also would like to remind all the indigenous people and spiritual leaders of today that our job is to be the guardians of the medicine plants and to teach people to respect them and honor the old ways. Remember just because you have the knowledge about the medicine plants it does not mean you have the wisdom to use them.

We are all in search of answers because deep inside we are all spiritual beings. The medicine plants give us a different perspective on our existence in this world and remind you of who you truly are, where we came from, and where we are going after we depart from this realm.

~Juan Errante 

www.giannicrow.com

Xibalba: Lessons from the Underworld

So there I was, staring at the mirror. The world outside my room was breathing. The clouds were dissipating into thin air in the Sky as the sun began to shine through the shades of my window.

My spirit was left for dead. Someone deliberately lied and deceived me and stomped on my trust. I couldn't trust my own shadow at that point, the only shelter I had was my altar and an old flute I played to comfort my broken heart in silence.

I wanted to give up my path, my dreams and everything I once believed in. All my fears and my demons were staring at me in the mirror, the warrior was drifting away into the underworld without warning, I fell in love with my pain and didn't want to let it go because it fed my anger and gave me a reason to cry.

I was in Xibalba (a place of fear). I grabbed my medicine bundle and I clinged on to it with my eyes closed as I visited all the sacred places I walked in my vision-quest. I felt how each one of the grandfathers began to show up as I called their names. I heard a voice loud and clear "You are loved, don't give up grandson..."

Xibalba had blinded me, and all my enemies had come for the kill. I could not hear my own heart and all I wanted was someone to listen and to understand me, but no one could help me unless I cleansed my own body, mind and spirit. I had to be compassionate and forgive myself, forgive my deceiver and accept the lesson. Because there is always a greater purpose from Great Spirit awaiting to bless us in the most unimaginable way.

Are you in a dark pit right now where you don't want to be reached or you are hiding from the ones that truly love you? It is my turn to pull you out from that state of depression and remind you not to give up! The world can be a cold and dark place for spiritual people, but you are not alone. My grandfather used to tell me: "This world becomes cold, and a strange place to live to remind us we can not stay here forever- we are on our way home."

One of the hardest things I had to go through is to close my

eyes in prayer and let the light guide me. People will always try to break you and separate you from your true nature. Some people are meant to stay in your life, some are just substitute teachers. 

-Juan Errante

www.giannicrow.com