Chapter 29 Deciding to Stay for Philosophy 2 — from my book Changes

Chapter 29

Deciding to Stay for Philosophy 2

Philosophy 1 was almost over and I was scheduled to fly home to Florida where I was living.  I felt a panicky desperation that I needed to stay a second week for Philosophy 2, which was happening right after Phil 1.  I called my husband and asked him to change my plane ticket for me because I needed to stay.

I was very pleasantly surprised that he didn’t object to me staying.  Plus, he took care of changing my flight for me.  I felt so relieved, but also nervous because Phil 2 was new territory.

Phil 1 was outlined pretty thoroughly in Tom’s book “Awakening Spirits”, but Phil 2 was not.  I was so nervous about continuing on, I had diarrhea for several days!

In Phil 2 we no longer laid on the floor for our meditations.  We sat up in chairs.  Tom said that we eventually want to be able to be in a state of meditation, where the spirit and the physical are evenly balanced, even as we run through the forest, like the ancient scouts could do.  Sitting up for our meditation was a step toward moving meditations.

In Phil 2 Tom led us in meditation beyond the great veil, past our personal medicine place and into the rest of the comparatively huge spirit world beyond.

In taking us out beyond our medicine places, Tom explained the different places along that path, guiding us through veil after veil.  Each veil separated one layer, place, or band as he called them, from another.  Going out through the bands was like going out through the layers of an onion, each band taking us further into spirit toward the Void and the Creator, and further from the physical.  He had us meet guides in some areas, and set up our own personal landmarks in other areas, as anchors for us in those places.

Tom emphasized that when going beyond that great veil that separates our personal medicine area with the rest of the spirit world, one must have extreme inner vision to do so, or at the very least, a purpose beyond self.  You would be foolish to go there to just to mess around, without a purpose beyond self, because that  can leave you vulnerable to the dark side and spiritual attacks.

I am not going to go into detail about the different areas between the veils that are found beyond the great veil.  This instruction can be found in Philosophy 2 classes at Trackerschool, or through a teacher who has been trained by Tom to teach this in person.

At Trackerschool there are instructors that Tom taught how to teach these things. And there are a few people out in the world that have been trained to teach this.  These teachers assisted him when he was physically present too.  People like Malcolm Ringwalt, of Earth-Heart Institute of Vision and Healing, who also teaches the vision quests and vision quest protector classes.

I will mention, however, that there is a place of healing there, beyond the great veil, where healing can be done for those the Creator sends you.

I mention that because that place comes into play later in my story.  I will call it the place of healing beyond the great veil.

I am so glad I stayed for Philosophy 2 right after Philosophy 1 class.  I craved knowledge, experience, and understanding.  I attended many classes over a ten year period.  My thirst for knowledge was great.  In Tom I found a person who could give me a map and lead the way.  He was someone I could believe had the experience to guide me because he would often demonstrate what he could do even without announcing it.  We students had to be paying attention.

We were like moths to a flame.  Some of wanted to be him; some of us fell in love with him; and some of us both.

He was a master of energy.  He was a shaman.  He acted like a combination of a drill sergeant and a mother hen.  He loved us and his mission in life was to share with the world what Grandfather Stalking Wolf taught him.

Grandfather Stalking Wolf was a Lipan Apache scout, medicine man, and shaman.  Tom was Grandfather’s apprentice for 10 years.

If you want to read more about Tom and Grandfather’s teachings, you can read Tom Brown Jr’s books where he tells, in great detail, about his time with Grandfather Stalking Wolf.  “The Tracker” is the first of these books, and the first one Tom wrote about his growing up as Grandfather’s apprentice.  There are also many wilderness survival books Tom wrote, which are wonderful to read.  I read all Tom’s books before attending Trackerschool, and I think it gave me a great head start when I went to Tom’s school.

Tom has taught people from all walks of life, from all over the world, many of whom spread this knowledge by teaching and passing this information on, in the places where they live.

As I continue writing this book I’ll be sharing more exercises Tom gave us as well as focusing on my personal experiences; finding out who I am on a deep level, and learning to live more as my true self in my daily life.