I have a wide number of applications for a special type of prayer called "Tobacco Ceremony." The divine messenger, White Buffalo Calf Pipe Woman, brought the "Tobacco Ceremony" to us some 500 years ago. I will typically use this ceremony when clearing haunting activity.

With this prayer ceremony, I found that I can anchor light anywhere, block-in or block-out any form of energy or entity, and "clear" an area of unwanted influences. For example, I felt the energies were "off" at one psychic fair I was at. I went outside and quietly walked around the building, doing the ceremony, giving thanks and asking that anyone, energy or entity be excluded from the building if it is not "working for the Light" or if it is not there for the betterment of all. Ten minutes afterwards, two of the "psychics" quickly packed up and left. I had never thought about them, either. Interesting, huh? I know a "channeler" that can't do readings in an area I've done ceremony on. What does that say about what was being channeled?

You don't need to smoke or use a special pipe. What I do is offer a pinch of the dry herbs in each direction. You may also choose to burn the herbs on a charcoal to offer the smoke. I carry a pouch filled with a generic mixture of tobacco, sage, cedar and sweetgrass, which is symbolic of the four directions. Other tribes use other herbs.

Let's do it, shall we? Place yourself in a state of grace. Begin with an open prayer/invocation, and then start by facing EAST (or what you perceive as east), which is the start of the Medicine Wheel, holding a nice little handful of your herbs. Raise your hand offering the herbs, and begin by addressing the "Grandparents of the East". The "Grandparents" referred to in this ceremony, includes ancestors, ascended masters, angels and the spiritual hierarchy of the planet. Give thanks to the Grandparents for all of their assistance, offer your handful of herbs and ask them for their assistance once again (insert request here), thank them in advance for their help and drop a pinch of the herbs in their direction. Do this exactly the same way facing SOUTH addressing the "Grandparents of the South", then WEST, then NORTH. Then kneel to address the EARTH MOTHER beneath your feet, making sure to thank her for feeding you and giving you a place to live, and offer the herbs and your special request and thanks. Then stand again and talk to SKY FATHER (God, Creator, Wakan-Tanka, etc.) offering herbs, thanks, your request, and thanks in advance for this assistance, and dropping some dry herbs. Any breeze will carry the herbs to where they need to go. It is done. Give thanks. Whatever you asked for is on its way if your intent was correct and pure. This is the short form. White Buffalo Calf Pipe Woman's version is considerably more involved.

If you are a smoker, you can do this ceremony very casually and even surreptitiously. Light up a fresh cigarette, face east, offer the smoke from your hand as you pray, then take a deep draught and mentally exhale the prayers as you blow the smoke carrying your prayers up to the Grandparents of each direction as described above. Works just fine. It's the intent that matters.

I will remind you of the importance of Universal Law when doing "ceremony". Prayer, especially a focused prayer like this, is a powerful form of thought/energy transmission. You will get back that energy multiplied in accordance with your intent in putting the energy out to begin with. Some people say it is multiplied three times, but in truth there is no ceiling on the multiplication aspect. So, for example, if you pray for advancement on your job, ask that it be done in harmony and for the best and highest good of all concerned... not just yourself. I know one lady that did ceremony to get a promotion, and got it, but because it was not done in a harmonious way, she was fired a month later. You can do ceremony to attract a new love to your life, by putting your "spec sheet" out in this prayer ceremony, but you cannot manipluate any person in particular as that will backlash on you. You get the idea.

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Those interested in purchasing an E-copy of Suzanne Powell's book, Fat Free Spirituality - Handy Tips from a Big City Shaman can call e-mail her at www.turtleisland.cc   She also offers a line of energetic products, pendulums, natural stone "medicine jewelry", angel and fairy art and "spiritual soap".