Siyape and LightSong by Jan Engels-Smith
Annually, I conduct a retreat, which we refer to as the Telepathic Practicum. Students from the LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine, which I founded in 1995, have the opportunity to come together in a weeklong camping experience to apply what they have learned in a natural setting—close to the earth and close to the spirits. We create a microcosm of what the New Earth could be like for all of humanity—a place of harmony, unity, collaboration, and support. During the week, we receive major downloads and teachings from the spirits that create the foundation for new concepts in healing modalities, new classes, and ceremonies to move energy in productive and impactful ways. One of the original students of LightSong, Colleen Benelli, has coined the phrase “spiritual research” to refer to the extensive numbers of journeys and emerging questions drawn from deep listening that develops into usable and powerful techniques. (Colleen has become an internationally known teacher of a blended philosophy of shamanism and Reiki and has founded Reiki Lifestyle.) Our spiritual research has led to new discoveries and new understandings that have altered many lives.
A class developed at LightSong last year called “People of the New Earth” applies the principle that to create a New Earth we must function at a higher vibration than we are currently experiencing. The challenge is to draw from the spiritual research from sources such as the Practicum new practical applications that can be replicated and implemented by people around the world, initially in classes such as “People of the New Earth” and eventually by everyone who shares a belief in the possibilities of dramatic positive change.
In the class, we worked on emergent understandings that evolved from our spiritual research. One awareness related to the meaning of “love,” a necessary and central component of any vision of a New Earth. The spirits had focused us specifically on the way that the word had been extremely contaminated by multiple uses—both sacred and profane—that the term lacked the clarity of meaning that is essential to generating the vibrations and energies that will drive the creation of the New Earth. We have used the term “love” in as casual a reference as “I love my new car,” as a profane equivalent of lust, and in the more profound feeling we have for our children. Such a disparity of focus renders the word useless in creating common insights in the “love” that must exist to change our world.
To initiate the energy of the New Earth, we must have a new word that holds the frequency of an expression of intimacy with Source. This was an effort of a higher magnitude than usual and we needed to draw on our spiritual research to guide us. The members of this class engaged in the process by doing individual journeys and sharing their discoveries in discussions and participating in the crafting of a new word that embodied the spiritual epiphany we had all shared and that broadcast the frequency that would support the New Earth. The word that made itself known is “Siyape”—pronounced see-yah-pay. What follows is an explanation of the etymology of the word. (Kate Chapman, a LightSong student who worked on this project, has provided much of this explanation.)
“Shen qi” is a Chinese term that most directly translates as “heavenly light” or “heavenly energy.” Like many Chinese symbols, the term has many layers of meaning. Shen often refers to a heavenly light as symbolized by the light of the sun, moon, and stars. It can also mean lightning, consciousness, and miracle. Qi is the Chinese form of “chi,” which is a component of Reiki, and means “energy.” The word itself is believed to be not only an expression of energy but to possess energy in itself.
“Shen qi” is a high vibration energy. “Shen” expresses a heavenly energy descending to the earth. The character for “qi,” on the other hand, symbolizes and energy rising up to the heavens. Its ancient character references asking or praying for something coming up from below and rising. The combination of these characters expresses the act of inciting this New Earth energy through prayer and intention, and the heavens responding by pouring its light onto the earth pointing toward a source light or source energy.
In the creation of the word “siyape,” the spirits led us to the first (S) and last (I) letter of “shen qi” for our first syllable. The “Y” is from the last letter in “joy.” “A” is a vocal expression of the sound “ah” which opens the heart and is often found in the words for “god.” “P” stands for peace and in combination with the previous letter and the letter “E” is derived from the final sound in the word “agape,” a Greek word that is translated “love” but with a special emphasis. The essence of “agape” is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love and involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will.
Thus, the word “siyape” incorporates a divinely spiritual higher vibration of converging energy that connects the New Earth with the far reaches of the universe drawing on the greater joy, peace, and love that is essential to altering our future and bringing it into alignment with Spirit. The creation of this new word also makes clear that we cannot continue to progress in the changes we seek unless we step beyond our limited and faulty view of what is possible and come to understand the unlimited potential of what we can become and what we can achieve.
In a related experience, the meaning of LightSong became clearer. The term is used as the name of the school but it is so much more than that. A few years ago, I started receiving the message from Spirit—the Source—the Universe that LightSong was to be the next mystery school of the planet. The audaciousness of the declaration seemed too beyond my grasp and I had a hard time accepting the idea in principle. I feared that I was inventing the concept myself and that surely the universe could not be suggesting such a mind-boggling notion. I rejected the information out-of-hand and did not follow through with spiritual research on the communication.
Shortly thereafter, the Council of LightSong, a dedicated group of eleven members that meet monthly to discuss ideas and possible direction for our school, came together for our customary deliberations. One of the Council members, Pamela Rico, announced that she had been contacted by a spirit that she does not normally work with. She had been informed that I was not accepting some communication from the spirits that LightSong was to carry the energy of the next mystery school on the planet. I started to cry at the revelation that the messages I had received were real and required me to respond. I asked the spirits for further proof (as if this revelation was not enough to convince me) and I awaited the universe’s direction. The next morning, I awoke and discovered on my computer a picture from NASA of a star constellation that looked remarkably identical to the logo that I had created for LightSong 2 decades ago. I reproduced a color print of both the logo and the picture from NASA and I was amazed to see the almost perfect correlation between the images. I use the images often in my presentations and I have come to understand it as physical evidence of the universe’s connection to us.
I was curious to discover more about this spellbinding communication from the sprits and I began my spiritual research. I found that the picture was from the constellation Cassiopeia. This year at the practicum, our spiritual retreat, we realized the compatibility and similarity of pronunciation and spelling of “siyape” and the interior part of Cassiopeia. The constellation is located in the northern sky and was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. There is nothing remarkable in all of that until you learn that the two primary nebulae in the Cassiopeia constellation are the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula (references to heart and soul of the goddess Cassiopeia as she appears in the night sky). The two terms are startling appropriate to the core of LightSong and its mission. This is a good example of how spiritual research can draw you deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the universe and constantly reveal the wonders of our existence and our connections.
LightSong is an incredible energy that I’m still learning about on many levels. She came to me in a ceremony in 1994. I did not use her to identify the school or healing center for a long time until I accepted the inevitable communication from the universe. She represents many things. She described herself as ever becoming without beginning, middle, or end. This year she revealed that she is Source energy and that she carries the frequency of vibration that is needed for the New Earth.
If the revelations of the profoundness of our everyday miracles register with you, then you are the carrier of this energy and are destined to be a participant in the creation of the New Earth. Do not resist the call. Use the words Siyape and LightSong. Feel their energy and embody them in your daily life—overtly and by actions that contribute positively to the emerging changes that will reshape our world. This will affect your baseline vibration and bring it to a higher level. Discover for yourself how you become that which you emulate and how every vibration in you becomes the energy needed for the New Earth.