shaman
The Magic Of The Plant Kingdom
I recently enrolled in a course to become professional herbalist. Herbs are something I’ve always been interested in. I wouldn’t say I have a green thumb for growing plants and gardening, but I certainly do love immersing myself with the herbs. I love combining them with oils, making tinctures and herbal remedies, and doing all of this in a magical setting with candles and other healing modalities.
One of my herbalist instructors said something that stands out for me. She said that you don’t need to be a great gardener, farmer, or botanist to be an herbalist. She went on to say that many of her greatest students and graduates have been urban dwellers who live in big cities. Rather than growing and harvesting their own herbs, they purchase them from trusted suppliers, both locally and online.
Shamanic Healing For Chronic Illness
When treating chronic illnesses, such as depression or pain, we too often look only at the symptoms, and not the root cause. The fact is, most if not all of these conditions have at their foundation some form of loss: the loss of sensation, loss of control, or the fear of loss. For this reason shamanic medicine can be quite effective as a form of treatment.
Shamanism, the connection between the physical world and the spirit realms, is all about connections. As we look closer at chronic illness, we find that much of it is caused by a lack of connection: to our authentic selves, to our spirit guides, to nature, and to our intuition. This is whey shamanic healing can be of great value.
For thousands of years, before the emergence of modern medical practices, shamans were the healers and diviners of the community. Fortunately, their practice is as strong today as it was then.
A trained shaman is able to determine which type of healing we may need: soul loss or retrieval (often through past-life work), spiritual retrieval (a power animal, angel, or other spirit guide), or reconnection to the earth and spiritual realms. There are shamans with different specialties, just as we have physicians with different areas of practice. Continue reading
Spiritual Rituals Provide Sacred Space
Spiritual ceremonies, where humans gather together in a circle, are especially potent. An energetic hoop gathers over the circle to assist in the endeavor for the gathering, whether it be for the purpose of celebrating a new birth, honoring a solstice, or to express anything of importance to humanity, as individuals, or as a group.
Altars are also powerful. They are a gathering place for spirits to provide protection and shielding, to aid in a calling or, perhaps, to provide a sacred place for the energy of one who has crossed to another dimension to gather and connect. Or, we might choose to build an altar dedicated to providing an anchor for our business when we are away, the same as when we are present. Continue reading
My First Lesson In Karma
When we are young and inundated with life, wrapped up in the goings on of early adulthood, we sometimes miss important moments. But fortunately we can sometimes go back and touch on those things with our mind that we didn’t take the time for during those early years.
For example, I was thinking recently about a friend I used to go visit a lot when I was younger. She was from another country and her parents were much older than most who had a 15-year-old child.
We used to have sleepovers. One memory that stands out is waking up at her house one particular morning and looking out her bedroom window. It was late fall and I remember seeing her father sitting on a chair in their backyard, near the edge of the woods. He was playing a musical instrument which was some sort of Native American flute. Continue reading
Finding A Snow White Feather
Some time ago, I was sifting through my box of notes and papers collected over the years, and among all the documents and media cuttings, I found a list which describes the symbolic meaning of various colored feathers. Finding the list was a lucky coincidence. Or was it?
My husband and I live in a rural area outside a small town in South Eastern Spain. The people here are very friendly. Yet, without intending any disrespect, it is unlike many beautiful Spanish towns. I guess you could say that ours is somewhat soulless? It certainly is devoid of much in the way of any natural beauty, or cultural architecture. Another thing we don’t see much of either, is bird life.
More recently, I was thinking hard about an upsetting situation, while leaving the town hall. The outlook of the problem I was dealing with seemed bleak. But, as I left the building and turned a corner, I looked down and there was a beautiful snow white feather! A sign, or another coincidence? Continue reading
The African River Man
During the time of my ukuthwasa (period of initiation to become a traditional healer or sangoma) some decades ago in Southern Africa, my mentor and some other village elders would join our group of ithwasa (sangoma trainees) by the campfire and discuss other spirits. That is, others in addition to those of our ancestors.
We heard many tales of other spirits who control the rivers, oceans and lakes, as well as those who live in the sky and control the rain. There were also stories told of sacred places where spirits inhabited mountains, trees and rocks. I loved hearing those stories from various individuals whom have had unique experiences and felt they had seen and communicated with those various spirits. Continue reading
Cleansing Your Energy With Sage
To cleanse using the smoke of burning sage is an ancient Native American healing art, also known as smudging, which is designed to help clear negative energy. It can be used in your home, office, car, and also on your own energy.
If you are feeling depressed, angry, frustrated or even having trouble sleeping, smudging with sage can help you clear your negative thoughts and start anew. To sage yourself, buy organic sage. Place the sage in a bowl or an abalone shell (my preference because of the ocean energy it brings). Using a match or lighter, light the sage. It will briefly produce a flame and then it will just smolder and smoke.
Using your hands, pull the smoke into your face and upper chest area, over and over. While doing this, think about what you want to clear. Be specific and detailed. Then think about what you want to bring into your energy: peace, calm, love, positivity, hope, guidance, kindness, self-love, self-acceptance, vitality, youthfulness, energy, patience. It is helpful to take a shower afterwards, to cleanse all of the vibrations you just released off of your body and energy. Continue reading