Biography
Thomas Lightning Bolt age 35 is a Native American, descendant of the Mohawk Six Nations Iroquois (the Haudenosaunee, the great league of peace, the people of the Long House). He is also a descendant of the Abenaki (the people of the dawn). He was also adopted by a Lakota woman. During his early twenties he was selected, seemingly out of the blue, for an apprenticeship under a Coyote medicine man of a Northern California Tribe of Native Americans. During this apprenticeship Lightning Bolt was initiated into the highest levels of Native American mysticism, underwent a Shaman's death (literally), was kissed by the Thunder Beings (more than once), and instructed to use the power that he was born with (the Lightning) to help and heal the people of all nations of the Earth, that they may live.
On the night Lightning Bolt was recognized by his teacher as being ordained a member of the highest order of medicine carriers (medicine people) on the face of the Earth (of which the Native Americans are a part) and his teacher's highest apprentice to date, his teacher revealed himself to be a very well known Four Winds Medicine Man of the Teton Sioux, from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, who journeyed to the Spirit world six years prior to the beginning of the apprenticeship, who, as Lightning Bolt found out later, is hailed in literature as "The greatest medicine man of the last one hundred years." This individual (whose name shall not be mentioned here out of reverence and respect), explained to Lightning Bolt that he (this unnamed individual) has a thousand faces and has journeyed through time and space to find the right person to pass on the highest tradition to, and instructed Lightning Bolt to heal the people and make music with a Rock guitar.
For now, Lightning Bolt is making Native American flute music, but hopes in the future to find the right person to help him release some unique music he has created to share with the people. Lightning Bolt’s former teacher has been quoted as saying "These ways are given to us to be passed to others", and, "People who complain about people giving away medicine secrets know the least, for only by giving it away do you truly get to keep it." Through this incredible experience Lightning Bolt has learned many things, part of which is that the old ones are still walking this continent, and as his teacher told him "The old ones are just getting started", Immortals walk among us, and the old ways and the old powers, is alive and well!
Today Lightning Bolt performs healing ceremonies and other ceremonies free of charge, in service to the Creator, the Grandfathers, Mother Earth, and all our relations. Equipped with a Sacred Pipe, a Sweat Lodge, nature spirits from some of the most sacred and powerful places on this continent, a flute, a drum, a rattle, and a rock guitar, Lightning Bolt having overcome his own significant challenges and great personal losses, strives to bring music, healing, and hope to all the people and use what he has been so blessed with to restore Hope, Honor and Dignity to a people (seen and unseen), who have had it stolen from them for over three hundred years: The Native Americans.
Mitakuye-Oyas'in
Interview with Heyoka Magazine
This interview was conducted in April/May of 2007. This interview is not about lack of humility or ego, as people who know Lightning Bolt will vouch that he is very humble with what he carries. Lightning bolt will also testify, even on the sacred pipe, that everything discussed within the interview is truthful, honest and accurate. This interview is about sharing something special with the people, even though some people are not worthy or ready to hear the truth. This interview is a rare inside look at one of the most monumental apprenticeships in modern history.
This Interview has resulted in Lightning Bolt getting posted on a web site about "plastic shamans", which was oddly enough posted by the editor of Heyoka Magazine. The senior person of that web site and his associates are on a "Medicine Man Witch Hunt." Those kind of people and web sites (Native American claimed ran web sites included), web hosts included, are robbing the people of history, truth and healing, and are attacking any true medicine people who are not in their pocket, or who cannot be bullied, intimidated or manipulated. And to those people Lightning Bolt has this to say:
Memory is like fire, radiant and immutable. While history serves those who seek to control it, those who would douse the flame of memory in order to put out the dangerous fire of truth. Be wary of these people, for they are surely dangerous themselves, and unwise. Their false history is written in the blood of those who might remember it, and of those who seek the truth. I forgive you. And I will pray for you, that you may grow in a good way in love and beauty.
-Lightning Bolt
If people think Lightning Bolt shouldn't talk about some of the things that are discussed in the interview (talking about medicine within a public forum) then people should not proceed beyond this point. Enjoy the interview! Read the Interview.
Read interview directly on Heyoka Magazine web site here
"A man who has something and doesn't share it has nothing."
-Chief Frank Fools Crow
A second interview has been given by Heyoka Magazine in order to address some of the controversy resulting from the first interview.
The second interview is now also available on a blog dedicated to exposing the "Fraud" web site, which beautifully shows the character and the social terror tactics of it's creators. And another unjustified target of these people issued the following warning to the public....
"If you are thinking of visiting or joining New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans before doing so, please be prepared that if you do challenge A. Carroll, or his associate B. McEwan; they will delete anything that you say that exposes their abusive behavior and in its place insert derogatory, infantile, deceitful and inverse racist comments.
They will most likely also blame shift and classically project their own negativity and ignorance onto the person and attempt to make it appear to their audience as if it was the innocent person's fault. When all else fails, they may also attempt to make the person appear racist, condescending, patronizing and worse. Also expect to have your privacy violated by them posting your home address, phone numbers and email address online.
You can also expect that they will flip and twist your words and comments, like "he/she is calling us dumb Indians" or he will delete a fine point and say it's childish, rambling, insane, lazy, ignorant, sloppy, racist and so forth. This is obviously designed to distort and invalidate the individual by creating a false impression to his audience and followers, as well as to attempt to make himself appear more intelligent, wittier, wiser, superior and so on.
Then after the individual is through, this could also lead to another round of a viscous smearing campaign and dissemination of more deceit and other forms of Internet Hate Crimes on other forums, chat rooms, websites and cyberspace.
Al Carroll will use all forms of bullying and intimidation tactics that are often implemented by cultists and street gang members.
When this fails, he then retreats and hides out for a while until the individual disappears and then starts all over again on a brand new unsuspecting individual".
Photo Credits
Andromeda Gallexy (M31) - Sam Pitts
Sweat Lodge Frame - Edward S. Curtis
Indian - David Michael Kennedy
Flute - Wind Dancer Flutes
Rattle - Unknown