If you are looking for a shaman in Kentucky or are seeking shamanic counsel on the phone, you found the right place. Here is a little bit about my journey into shamanism and this work.
When I was 22 and finishing my undergrad, I did an entire semester intensive on dreams and Jungian psychology. At this point in my life, I was in a deep inquiry into alternate forms of consciousness. I was still heavily involved in formal meditation practice and eastern philosophy, and yet I felt like there was something more for me. I loved the contemplative practice and the gifts it brings, but I also felt like it was nourishing only part of my soul.
During this time I stumbled upon two resources that became building blocks of my spiritual life. The first is the popular film, What the Bleep Do You Know. If you haven’t seen it, it is a great introduction to quantum physics and intention science.
Now that I think of it, the film was recommended at my first shamanic retreat, the second significant resource in my life.
While I was researching the science of sleep, I came across a reference from a Shaman in a medical college in Arizona. Interested, I followed the trail. Knowing nothing about shamans at all, I found an introduction class and signed up.
I’ve noticed that most shamans tend to fall into two stories. They either have a transformational experience that thrusts them down the shamanic path or they follow a trail of clues over time. I identify with the latter, hearing the whispers throughout my youth and following the crumbs. Finding shamanism felt like coming home.
Getting direct experience in shamanic practice brought me a great deal of clarity. I was already communicating with the world on an energetic level, but shamanism gave me a framework to operate in and it helped me develop that communication.
This brings me to one of the first lessons I learned during shamanic healing work. One day, while training in practice on physical healing, I was working with a client who had a nasal issue. The morning after we did the healing technique, I awoke and noticed I had a slight nose-bleed, which basically never happens to me, but I didn’t think much of it. When we assembled for class, the client came up to me eager to share that he had a nose-bleed this morning, which was miraculous since prior to the work he had a blocked nasal passage.
Interested, we brought the issue to the class and were blessed to have wise teachers that saw the miracle, and also the lesson.
In this case, I didn’t know how to protect my boundaries and do the work without becoming it myself. The lesson was invaluable.
This and several other lessons helped me learn more about my gifts and the many ways we can communicate with ourselves and the universe. More profoundly, I was taught how to handle it responsibly.
I learned how to protect myself, protect the client and how to do this work in an ethical and responsible way.
In the course of my shamanic training, I noticed a tendency I had. I found myself showing up in ceremonies asking for help, handing over my power, and expecting something else to take care of it for me. I learned if I wanted real results, I had to show up and participate too. Over the years of practicing shamanic healing in my home, I noticed this was a common tendency in others as well. Although people still had a powerful experience, they often showed up with a hands-off approach, like going to the doctor and asking for a pill. Yes, this healing can be miraculous, but you have to participate, and also, you have to do the work. If anything has evolved in my practice, this is it. I have learned more about how to help the client participate in her own healing. I can’t give you transformation, but I can help light up your path so you can see it yourself.
I have also seen how valuable it is to have someone guiding you, witnessing you, and holding you in the practice. I am so grateful for the teachers that I have had that knew this.
But my story comes back around. Meditation laid the groundwork for me to tap into my gift in shamanic work. In a way, shamanism was rounding off my spirituality in a means that was more feminine and came naturally to me. The two methods help keep me balanced. Shamanism helps me see, meditation helps me integrate.
I still use both practices and you will find in my work that I allow them to dance together. It is a non-traditional approach, but it is playful, and effective and puts you in the driving seat of your own transformation and healing.