Category Archives: shamanism

The Void and the Empty Chalice

Winter has joined us here in Oregon and nightly covering us with her blanket of deep white frost. If there was any moisture in the air, we’d certainly have snow. Since the beginning of Samhain (right after Halloween), I have been slowly moving deeper into my personal cave, covering up with warm blankets preparing to hibernate for winter. For me it’s just instinctive… weather turns cold… hibernate! Give me a snuggly blanket, a book and a pair of knitting needles and I’m one happy bear!
As Yule approached quite a few years back, a teacher of mine, Patricia Ballentine (www.TheCreativeFlame.com), explained this to me with the idea of the Empty Cup or Challice. Continue reading →

Honoring Our Ancestors

Samhain (sah-win or sow-een) is the fourth and final fire festival (or cross-quarter holiday) in the Celtic Wheel of the Year.  The veil between the worlds grows thin, as the portal opens into the Celtic New Year, and we begin our decent into the dreamtime.  It is a time of releasing the old, planting seeds for the coming year, deep visioning, receiving transmissions of wisdom, and communing with ancestors, faeries, and the spirit world.  We are reminded of the importance of the season of bone that follows the harvest and precludes the spring – a time of silence, of resting, of the death of all that is completed, and the incubation of that which is to come.

This is also a time for remembering all our ancestors and loved ones who have passed into the world beyond.  Many traditions honor their ancestors at this time. For the Celts, the celebration is Samhian, in the Hispanic traditions it is known as Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead”. The Christian Church incorporated these festivals into a festival known as “All Souls Day”. Continue reading →

Quiet Before the Storm?

Recently we were talking with a friend who is also shamanic practitioner, just catching up and staying in touch.  Our discussion turned to how we were all doing in our practices, and strangely, we discovered that the month of September for us, her and others that we know, it has been ‘quiet’.  Even though there is daily life activity, the pervading energy feels like a ‘waiting’.  A waiting for what?  It is almost like the collective whole is holding it’s breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop, the door to open, the planets to align? Continue reading →

Aspects of the Self – Who’s Driving Your Bus Today?

How many times have we done something totally marvelous, or dumb, rude, mean or off the wall and then looked back and said “Did I REALLY do that? It’s not like me to behave or do . . . ” We treat these actions like someone else is responsible for them, and to be truthful, there is, but that “someone else” a part of you, a personality aspects or archetype. But in these cases, just one aspect is acting (or acting out) in a manor that is not representative of you as a whole.

Through our work assisting others with shamanic journeys and retrieving soul pieces, we have found a group of aspects or archetypes each person carries that have been ignored, stuffed or abandoned along the way. And like a child that is being ignored, they tend to struggle for control so that they can be seen or heard. This is sometimes not in our best interest. Continue reading →

Earth Day 2011

It’s funny how we need to pick a day to celebrate the earth… particularly when our ancestors celebrated and honored “The Mother” every moment. They literally “worshiped the ground they walked on”.

earthhug1But let’s thank Senator Gaylord Nelson, for beginning the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd back in 1970. The government set aside another day for us to honor our “Mother”. This was, according to Senator Nelson, a way to “put the environment into the political ‘limelight’ once and for all” (his words). Now, Earth Day, is celebrated in most countries of the world.

As we humans have “evolved”, we’ve completely lost our connection to the planet we live on and the world that we live in. We “think” we’re individuals or separate beings. Continue reading →

Helping Our Animal Companions

Okay, I admit, I’m not the best at blogging. To be perfectly honest, I’ve had a horrible case of “blog block”. (Hmm… this must be the tech update of writer’s block.) Gary hasn’t been much help either as far as suggestions so I get 100% responsibility for the blog (or lack there of). And, like I’ve mentioned before on this blog, you don’t really want to hear the ramblings in my head… But, if you have something shamanically related you’d like to know or hear about, please pop me an email. I’m open to suggestions. I’m actually writing down a list of ideas when I get them, if I can remember them by the time I get to the computer 🙂 So, we should be on top of things for a while.

I just completed our spring newsletter so if you want to follow up on the newsy stuff, here’s the link. I’m going to repeat the article on Helping Our Animal Companions here.

Also, we’re stepping into more current technology and  doing our first webinar in May with The Healing Ways of the Shaman — Shamanism and Soul Recovery. This is an introductory webinar that explains shamanism, soul recovery and the shamanic journey process. It is open to everyone. So, if you, your family or friends would like to be introduced to shamanism, this is a great way for them to find out more. There will be no charge for this webinar, but we always appreciate offerings. I will send out the email link a few days before the webinar. If all goes well, we will be offering more by webinars in the future. For more on the other activities we have on the schedule or a list of playshops we offer, check out our calendar.

If you haven’t checked out our online store — Shaman’s Marketplace, now is a good time. Since you’ve been so patient with my blog block, I’m offering our blog readers the same special as our clients and regular customers.  Spring Special and receive a FREE bag of gifting herbs with orders over $20 (playshops not included). Special ends 5/30/11. Enter the code SPRING in the discount/coupon box and we will include your herbs with your order.We’ve added a couple new items and there are some new, hand made smudging bowls in the works from a friend in Phoenix who throws pottery. And, I have some new Shaman’s Potions™ in the planning phases. So look for them with our next newsletter.

Okay, now that apologies are made and amends offered, here’s some info about soul retrieval and our animal friends.

Helping Our Animal Companions

Many of us have at least one fuzzy, furry, feathered, leathered or finned companion that share our home and heart space. They are our friend, confidant, support, healer and even our “kids” and “significant other”. They are simply a part of our family. And, like any other family member, they pick up on our life’s situations and can become stressed and strained and acquire physical and/or emotional issues, just like any other member living in a group situation. Things like illness, divorce, death and financial stress affect our animal companions just like they would our children or partners.

Animals also have a soul path of their own they must traverse. Like us, they have specific lessons that their soul must learn in this lifetime. And, like us, some of their paths are not easy. They experience trauma that cause their soul to fracture or split. Continue reading →

The Shaman, The Spirit Healer & the Earth

Talk about coincidences (and yes, I know there really aren’t any)…On Friday, I was forwarded the video links and this announcement from Global Spirit and asked if I would post it. Then last night we happened to be in Grants Pass and had the honor of attending a screening of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers’ movie “For the Next 7 Generations” (more on this next blog). Flordemayo, who is one of the speakers in this event is one of the 13 Grandmothers. Continue reading →

Lions and Tigers and Bears – Oh My … Animal Guides

Okay, so I’m behind AGAIN… Can I say I’ve been busy harvesting and preserving the fruits of the summer’s labor? Someone at the farmer’s market yesterday was buying zucchini… I’ve been trying to GIVE them away! (Hey… maybe zucchini should be our Fall Harvest Give Away!) I have also been working on developing and acquiring some new product for our website at www.shamansmarketplace.com.

And, besides, you don’t want to just hear me ramble. I’m sure you all have someone in your life who can fill that role if you need it. I’m not a rambler. Gary and I can ride in the car together for hours and hardley say a word. Just knowing we’re together and sharing the time together is heavenly.

Those of you who have worked with Gary and I over the years have heard us constantly referring to “we” when talking about your journeys. It sounds like we’re pregnant or have a mouse in our pocket, right? Well, we’re definitely NOT pregnant, but could possibly have that mouse in our pocket. An animal guide mouse that is. Continue reading →

Book Review – Awakening to the Spirit World – The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation

51vqnimsm2bl-_sl160_1Not long before our move, we were asked by the wonderful folks at Sounds True to review Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman’s new book, AWAKENING TO THE SPIRIT WORLD:The Shamanic Path of Direct Revelation. Ingerman and Wesselman have are joined by Tom Cowan, Carol Proudfoot-Edgar, Jose Luis Stevens, and Alberto Villoldo in this book. I’m always interested in hearing what other practitioners have to say about shamanic practice.
The book arrived just in time to find its way into a packing box headed for Oregon. Once the book found its way out of the packing paper, I began reading.