Shamanism
Spirit Guides Communicate In Many Different Ways
Do you feel that your guides are helping you to connect with your soul or higher self on a daily basis? If not, it is most likely because you are not asking. Our spirit guides do not come to our aid without being requested. We must pray and ask for messages or signs.
Spirit guides communicate with us in many different ways. They speak to us through our intuitions, our senses, our dreams, as well as during readings and channelings, and through signs. All things in the Universe are capable of serving as a communication from Spirit Guides. To gain access we must simply believe and become more aware. Continue reading
Butterflies Are Messengers From God
The butterfly is often a messenger from God. It is a sign from your spirit guides.
A few years back I told a new client that I saw a butterfly around her. The more I read this client, the more I kept seeing this butterfly.
Several weeks passed and then she called me up about a yellow and black butterfly that she had seen in her backyard. There were in fact two of them that were following her around. I thought it could be a departed family member from the past looking over her. But I was not sure. Neither was she.
As years went by I started to see butterflies more often around certain clients. These clients always returned saying they had seen the butterflies. Some saw several butterflies. As I would do more readings, the colors of butterflies I saw also changed. Continue reading
The Secret To Smudging Is In The Smoke
“The secret to smudging is in the smoke.” These were the words of my mentor when I undertook my Ukuthwasa as a shaman initiate many years ago in Southern Africa. I have also come to know that the true intention behind any smudging ceremony is a very significant part of its success.
An initial part of my rigorous training as a Sangoma, or traditional healer, was a self-cleansing ritual using Mphepo, made up of herbs indigenous to Southern Africa.
“Smudging,” simply put, is the burning of certain herbs to create a cleansing smoke bath. The smoke is used to cleanse areas used for rituals and ceremonies, as well as any tools or objects used for such cleansing, as well as to cleanse people. Continue reading
From The Inner Circle At Stonehenge
A radiant dusk was upon us when we reached the top of the concrete staircase. Emerging from below, our trivial conversation abruptly ceased. We were stunned into an instant, breathless, respectful silence. Before us rose the towering magnificence of Stonehenge… graceful and glimmering in the late Summer sunset!
Being so suddenly in the presence of the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe, was the most memorable moment of my entire journey. I had the privilege of being a member of a small private party on a special tour to this magical place. Our visit took place after hours, with special permission from the authorities.
The exclusive access we were granted enabled us to visit Stonehenge at sunset, and later under starlight, after the site was closed to the public. Most importantly, we had the unique privilege to enter into the inner circle, which is not accessible to day visitors. Continue reading
A Black Bird Visits My In-Laws
A black bird is believed to be a good omen by some, while others see it as a sign of misfortune. My experience with a black bird sign proved to be both.
I was over at my in-laws’ house one day when we noticed this black bird trying to get into the room. I thought the bird might be injured the way it was acting. It kept hitting the window hard, trying to fly inside. I felt this must be some sort of omen, but decided not to share this notion with my in-laws.
At that moment I got a call on my phone from my ex-wife. Our son had fallen off his scooter and broke his arm. After the call, the black bird was still doing his thing, but eventually gave up and flew away. I thought then that this must be the news the black bird was bringing. Continue reading
The Shaman’s Schmetterling In Gottsdorf
In my previous blog I shared the story of the sign I received from the ancient oracle during my visit to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Well, the magical presence of the butterfly totem did not end with my visit to Greece. In all of the other countries I was to visit on this particular European tour, I would encounter butterflies at every sacred site, and during special moments I shared with significant others.
The miracle continued when I arrived at a country inn in Gottsdorf, outside Berlin, Germany. This was to be the venue for a four day meditation seminar I was attending. The event was set to take place in a cozy Yoga studio attached to the small hotel.
The moment I entered this room, I noticed a small altar the seminar organizer had set up for the time we would be working in this space. The display was charming and colorful, but that was not what drew my attention. No, what struck me instantaneously was the large, vibrant butterfly hanging on the brick wall behind the altar.
Yes, indeed. I had received yet another mystical route marker along this personal odyssey into self-realization. This time the butterfly was not black and white, like the one who came to whisper in my ear at Delphi. Instead a brightly colored paper butterfly waved hello to me from above! It was like a psychedelic kaleidoscope reminiscent of the shapes one sometimes sees in sacred geometry art… or tie-died T-shirts from the 60s. Continue reading
Old Green Eyes – The Ghost of Chickamauga
The American Civil War was fought 150 years ago, yet people remain fascinated with its history. As it turns out, the battlefield said to be the most haunted is located right here in the South, not too far from where I live.
Chickamauga, on the border of Tennessee and Georgia, takes its name from a Native American word meaning “bloody river.” It was the second bloodiest battle of the war after Gettysburg, so the name turned out to be quite fitting.
Many ghosts, including those of a Confederate soldier and a bride-to-be pining for her lost fiancée, have been spotted at Chickamauga. But the most famous legend, “Old Green Eyes,” may not even be a traditional ghost at all. Legends surrounding the spirit go back to the Cherokee and Creek tribes who originally lived in the area. They tell of a large-bodied creature, or sometimes a floating head, with sharp fangs and glowing green eyes. Continue reading