Author Archives: Debbie

Pacific Northwest Madrone – Depth & Integrity

Madrone Tree

Courtesy of Arbutusarts.com

“Magnificent, dramatic, exciting, mystical, inspiring, magical, sensual … these are some of the words people use to describe the Madrone Tree, a favorite of the hardwood trees of the Pacific Northwest.”

This introduction to the Madrone Tree from Arbutusarts.com gives a perfect segway to the magnificent Madrone. We are blessed here at Shaman’s Grove with many madrone trees among the Oak, Firs and Pines. While I love all the trees here at The Grove, I am always awestruck by the shiny and peeling bark and twists and turns of the madrones. Continue reading

Monsanto sues Vermont for wanting to tell the Truth!

As you all know, I very rarely get publically involved in anything political or controversial in our blog, but this is something I feel VERY passionate about — keeping our food supply safe and healthy. So I’m passing this along and let you know what’s going on at the grassroots level. If you feel drawn to join in the support for Vermont (and ourselves), every donation helps, no matter how big or small.

Interestingly I received this from a blog I occasionally read from the UK through my Druidic connections. Read what’s happening with the state of Vermont and the giant Monsanto and what you can do to support Vermont and our rights to healthy food.

As this is a controversial issue, and we’re not debating its merits here, please do not post any comments. I’m just passing along information to those who may want to know and help.

We made our donation today to support Vermont.

We did just come back from a lovely trip gathering sage for our own ceremonial use. My next blog I will tell you all about it.

Until next time –

Pleasant Journeys,
Debbie

Getting To Know Your Shamanic Drum

Shamanic DrumHello Friends. I’m almost back in the shamanic world again. Spring at “The Grove” is always a busy time, and a lot of things get postponed (like meals, accounting, blogs, housecleaning…) This spring we’ve been putting up over 300′ of field fence around the garden (including cutting trees for around 40 fence posts), getting new beds made and planting, as well as building a pen for our baby chicks and caring for the land. Keeps us out of mischief 🙂

So this morning over tea, I got a chance to catch up on one of the blogs I read, Shamanic Drumming by Michael Drake. We’ve known Michael for years and enjoy his blog and the book (The Shamanic Drum: A Guide To Sacred Drumming) and CD (The Shamanic Drum Instructional ) he has on shamanic drumming.

As you all know, we do drum making playshops/workshops and help people create their own drums. Many of these drums are used for shamanic healing and some are simply instruments used to make joyful sounds (hmm…I bet that’s still a form of shamanic healing…)

During our drum making playshops we introduce ceremony many times during the workshop, offering thanks and healing to the spirits that offered themselves to be used in creating the drum, and welcoming the spirit of the drum. Continue reading

Hummingbird – Open Your Heart

hummingbirdI can always tell when Spring is truly here by the return of the hummingbirds. I keep a feeder on the front deck and delight in the antics of the “hummers”. This Spring, as I sat at my desk working, I was visited at my office window by a lovely green hummingbird. It just hovered in the window and watched. The messages came clear, one being that a feeder in my office window was needed. Our friend who was visiting from The Netherland saw to it that a new feeder was quickly added. So, now I get to work and enjoy their multiple visits. Of course, they torment the cat who sits on the window sill and watches. I have my very own Nature Channel 🙂

The hummingbird is associated with love and joy. In MEDICINE CARDS: THE DISCOVERY OF POWER THROUGH THE WAYS OF ANIMALS, Jamie Sams and David Carson tell us that the hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart. When we connect with hummingbird consciousness, we delight in the sheer joy of living, and of living the bliss of loving. Our life becomes a wonderland of sensuous delights…We live for beauty, delighting in flowers, aromas, fine mist, and delicate tastes…We laugh and enjoy creation…We appreciate the magic of being alive and the of the beauty around us.

Hummingbird feathers open the heart chakra.  Continue reading

Robin – The Bringer of Change

“The red, red Robin goes bob, bob, bobin’ along…”

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The trees are blooming, flowers are peeking up from Mother Earth and Spring has arrived. But we know Spring has truly arrived when we spy the robins hopping through our yards and parks.

Robin, like Spring, signifies stimulation of new growth and renewal. Robin teaches us how to “spring forward” and welcome the new growth and experiences, with joy, laughter and a song in the heart. Like robins that get their nourishment from the earth, pulling earthworms out of the soil, we are reminded to ground and pull up life energy from Mother Earth to nourish our physical and spiritual selves. Yes, it is true that the early bird gets the worm (and a healthy does of life force energy)! Continue reading

The Worlds of the Shaman

worldTreeWe often hear that the shaman travels “between worlds”. When asked how we travel through time to recover soul pieces, Gary and I  say it is because in the dimensions we travel, there is no time, space or distance. That the spirit world is non-linear.To quote our book Shamanism and Soul Recovery – Everything You Wanted To Know But Didn’t Know What To Ask 

“The shaman is one who chooses to “walk between the worlds” of everyday reality and the spirit realms for guidance or healing. They are able to slip out of their ordinary reality into an “altered state of consciousness”. In this state of shamanic consciousness, the shaman is aware of both the physical world and the spirit world or “Otherworld” at the same time. Continue reading

The Worlds of the Shaman

artist unknown

We often hear that the shaman travels “between worlds”. When asked how we travel through time to recover soul pieces, we often say it is because in the dimensions we travel, there is no time, space or distance. That the spirit world is non-linear.

To quote our book Shamanism and Soul Recovery – Everything You Wanted To Know But Didn’t Know What To Ask –

“The shaman is one who chooses to “walk between the worlds” of everyday reality and the spirit realms for guidance or healing.

They are able to slip out of their ordinary reality into an “altered state of consciousness”. In this state of shamanic consciousness, the shaman is aware of both the physical world and the spirit world or “Otherworld” at the same time.

He/she acts as an interpreter for the spiritual realm. Shamans treat ailments/illness by mending the soul.

Alleviating traumas affecting the soul/spirit restores the physical body to balance and wholeness. They also travel to the spiritual realm to obtain solutions to problems afflicting the community. Shamans may visit other worlds/dimensions to bring guidance to misguided souls and to ameliorate illnesses of the human soul (Shamanism and Soul Recovery – Everything You Wanted To Know But Didn’t Know What To Ask, Debbie & Gary Gent, 2012, p.2)

So, what are those other worlds or dimensions we travel in? Many shamanic traditions believe that this unseen reality is divided into three separate worlds: the Upper World, the Middle World, and the Lower World. Each world has distinct qualities, including particular entryways and recognizable landscapes. The three realms are linked together by a vertical axis that is commonly referred to as the “World Tree.”

The Upper World above is the realm of unrealized potential, higher knowledge, and enlightenment. It is the domain of gods, goddesses, and evolved teachers/Masters. Many people experience the Upper World as very ethereal. The light tends to be bright, although the spectrum of colors can include everything from soft pastels to complete darkness. The landscapes in the Upper World are varied, and you might find yourself in a crystal city, phenomenal places of learning (i.e. classrooms and libraries) or simply in the clouds. In our training, this is where souls go when they are “taken to the light” to rest and prepare for their next journey. Here the shaman meets with teachers and ancestors who will aide the shaman through training and who will help guide the shaman in his/her work. Shamans also come here for cosmic wisdom, divine inspiration, insight, or to find ways to restore balance within themselves, their clients and Nature.

The Middle World is our reality as we know it. It is our day to day lives and the residing place of our physical bodies and our normal waking consciousness – the spiritual dimension of our physical world. Middle World journeying is a way of communicating with the spirits that live in all things present in our physical reality (Nature, pets, weather Spirits, the Moon, etc). It’s so parallel to the world we live in that we can visit all the places, people, and things we know in our ordinary reality. Shamans typically journey to the Middle World to find lost and stolen soul pieces, lost or stolen objects, or to do long-distance healing work. The shaman many come to both the Middle World and the Lower World to commune with Nature.

The Lower World is the realm of animal, plant and nature spirits, spirit guides, and the Land of the Dead. The Lower World is often be seen as being the place where evil spirits live, darkness pervades, and in general, not a good place. This is mainly due to our cultural conditioning of “Hell”. While the Lower World can contain some “not so nice” people and places, it is not a place of evil or Hell. The landscape in most places of the Lower World tends to be earthy, filled with mountains, deserts, dense jungles, and forests – the realm of Mother Nature. This is where guardian animals(Animal Guides/Allies) or helping spirits are found. It can also be a place of tests and challenges. This is where we often find soul pieces of those who are suffering and stuck. A spirit journey to the Lower World is generally undertaken to seek the help and guidance of an animal spirit, to recover lost power, or to find and return a sick or stuck person’s wandering spirit.

Shamans are said to travel to these worlds by climbing the World Tree. The World Tree is the bridge that connects these three worlds; it is the central axis about which the universe of the shaman extends. And it is on the Tree that the spirits pass from one world to another. The roots of the World Tree touch the Lower World. Its trunk is the Middle World and its branches hold up the Upper World.

extracted from Shamanic Connection’s Spring 2014 newsletter

Earth and Grounding Meditation

Exposed tree roots, JapanSpring is almost here! We’re beginning to enjoy the longer days and sunshine (albeit, some places Grandfather Sun is showing his face more than others.) I was recently looking for some guided meditations for celebrating the Spring Equinox for our other blog, Shaman’s Blog, and came across this nice, easy grounding earth meditation by Patti Wigington at About.com. It seemed very appropriate to share here at Nature Wise.

Often in our fast paced urban lives we become disconnected from the Earth. When we aren’t “grounded” we can find ourselves feeling scattered, spacey, out of balance and just not in tune with our lives. This is an easy grounding meditation that can be used any time to help you reconnect. Continue reading

Spring Equinox Ceremonies

SpringEquinoxEggPart of living a shamanic lifestyle is being attuned to the cycles of Nature, whether it be the phases of the moon, life cycles of the animals, fish and plants or the cycle of the seasons. Those of us who choose to walk a Shamanic/Druidic/Pagan path often acknowledge the “turning of the wheel” or cycle of seasons with some type of ceremony. Some celebrations are are grander than others, and some are very simple ceremonies.

The Spring Equinox is a day to celebrate the revival of life after a long cold winter. Our focus shifts from internal to external, from preparation to action. This is a time of renewal and rebirth…Eggs are hatching, birds are returning from their migrations, butterflies are breaking from their cocoons, plants are celebrating the return of warmth with vibrant greens and flowers of every color, the trees are bursting with new buds, and baby animals are appearing in our yards.

Spring arrives next week, on Thursday, March 20 at 6:57am EDT. So, let’s begin to think about celebrating it’s arrival with a ceremony. I’m offering a few simple ideas with plenty of time to plan. Choose one or more of these ideas and create your own Spring Equinox ceremony. Continue reading

Your Heart Software

red-heart-computerToday I was cleaning out my filing cabinet and in a file of “Jokes and Goodies”, I found this transcript and thought it would be a great share. I don’t know where it came from, but thank the author for his/her wisdom.

INSTALLING HEART SOFTWARE

A customer was experiencing difficulty installing the HEART program. She called the company that wrote the program to get help. This is a transcript of a portion of the conversation between the Customer and the Customer Service Representative: Continue reading