Are you wearing your medicine today?

FOR almost as long as I can remember, I’ve been dreaming of things to create in the waking world. Whether asleep, or during a shamanic journey, it’s not unusual for me to come back with designs that simply have to be turned into physical objects.

In the shamanic world, this is known as bridging the dream and is one of many ways in which medicine objects are created.

In the early days, of course, I didn’t really understand the significance of such dreams. I’d just wake up, desperate to start crafting, then spend hours creating the piece I’d ‘seen’ on the spirit plane and – very often – know exactly who needed it. Most often, it would be a piece of jewellery, but it might also be a dance staff, rattle, drum, divination set… anything at all. As these dreams became more frequent, and the detail of the pieces became more complex, the wonders of the creation process began to unfold.

Shamanism on air: plenty to Feelgood about

Click to hear me being interviewed about shamanism on FM radio

IT’S been a while since my last blog, but so many of you have been asking to hear the my full radio interview, rather than the three minute teaser clip, so I thought I’d better oblige.

If you click the link at the top of the page, you should hear me chatting with Stafford FM’s Ian Beddow. What a lovely chap! For those who don’t know, Ian is married to the very lovely Kate Beddow – one of my Twitter friends. Kate is a reiki healer and has a really beautiful energy; her business name is Growing Spirit and you can also find her on Facebook…. go look her up. Go on. Yes, right now! 

If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it

WE have a beautiful figure of a totem pole. It’s sleek, black, finely crafted and carries wonderful memories from our last trip to Canada. In terms of medicine objects, it’s one of our favourites.

Various Haida-style creatures blend together seamlessly and, near the top of the pole, an eagle spreads his wings majestically, promising freedom, clarity, soaring to new heights; magical magnificence.

At least, that was the case, until our delightful kitten decided to brutally attack his sworn totem enemy, sending him cascading from the top of our highest bookcase, crashing to the ground with two broken wings.

Of cowries and kestrels: beginning a year-long shamanic adventure

The One Year Shamanic Circle begins on April 8, 2011.

SOMETIMES, no matter how much our heads try to steer us in a certain direction, the energies of the universe seem to have entirely different plans for us. We can spend weeks, months, even years pushing towards our goal, only to end up turning around and doing something entirely different and, sometimes, when we accept the transition and go with the flow, our souls begin to sing.

You see, in this western world, it’s so easy to tune out our hearts and operate from the tactical, strategic, careful, sensible brain-mind instead.

Nothing wrong with that, you might say – where would we be if our accountants, lawyers and estate agents flicked off the analytical switch and began to operate purely based on emotion?

Well, as the old saying goes, it’s important to have balance in all things. So, when the brain-mind starts to completely overrule the heart-mind, it’s not unusual for spirit to start giving us a few gentle prods. And if we ignore the prods? Well, prepare your posterior, for the full-blown spirit kick is sure to follow!

Tune in and trust

Every now and again, often when energy and spirit are the last things on our minds, something happens to remind us to let go and trust.

Signs and signposts are around us all the time, little messages from the universe to show us we’re not alone – and sometimes, just sometimes, those whispers on the wind are pure magic!

Today, for me, has been one of those magical days – full of awe-inspiring moments that reminded me just how amazing the unseen world really is.

It all began this morning…

What is shamanic healing?

A shamanic practitioner may use a drum, rattle, herbs and feathers during your healing

As a shamanic healer, I’m often asked to explain what I do; it’s a difficult answer to fit into a nutshell but, essentially, shamanic healing is healing at the spiritual level.

Really, shamanic healing is a kind of spiritual reconstruction – a method of reuniting us with lost parts of our soul and removing spiritual blocks.

In today’s Western society, it is not uncommon for people to feel lost, or that a piece of their vital essence is missing. From a shamanic viewpoint, when we face periods of difficulty, or trauma, throughout our lives, part of the soul – our essence – can actually split away. In most cases, this happens as part of a coping mechanism; the piece leaving us takes with it the worst of the pain and, in some cases, a selection of the memories connected with the trauma. However, although this allows us to manage and get on with our lives, we are usually left with the sense that something is missing.

What is shamanism?

What is shamanism? Wow! That’s a huge question… but it’s one I’m asked frequently and try to answer as openly as I can. Those of you familiar with this ancient spiritual path will know just how tricky it can be to answer what seems to be a simple query, and I hope I’ll be able to cover some of the basic elements in this blog. I’m aiming for shamanism in a nutshell!

Okay, the first thing to point out is that shamanism is NOT a religion; shamanism is, in fact, a spiritual path thought to pre-date any religion. The truth is that nobody really knows exactly how old shamanic practice is, although various sources claim it can be traced back at least 50,000 years.

Essentially, shamanism is an ancient way of gaining knowledge and is thought to be the oldest healing tradition in the world. The word ‘shaman’ actually comes from Siberia’s Tungist tribe and translates as ‘one who sees in the dark’. Historically, the shaman served as the communicator between the physical and spiritual worlds, bringing forth guidance and teachings and integrating parts of our life force that we have been separated from, helping us to regain our natural power. In short, shamans bring about healing by ‘mending’ the soul.