Shamanic Terms and Explanations

As promised, here is part two of .. getting to know me. I have recently come into contact with some new acquaintances and I am posting in my blog some frequently asked questions, and maybe some that you have thought of but have not asked.

I will start with some basic terms in shamanism.I mentioned in my  last blog that I call myself a shamanic practitioner but I would like to add that I am not really fond of labels. It is similar to calling yourself Baptist or Catholic or Hindu or Buddhist. There are many different beliefs within a particular label and sometimes those beliefs can be interchangeable. I believe that whatever belief system you feel most comfortable associating with, as long as it fulfills you and does not hurt people or animals, then it is what is right for you. In this blog I will talk about some common terms within the shamanic practice, how they are similar to other terms we are more familiar with, and how I use them in my practice.

What is "journeying?"

Journeying is a term in shamanism for the ritual of going into an altered state of consciousness and taking travels into the world of spirit. It is not unlike my experiences in my former belief system of Christianity in which I would have extended periods of prayer in which I would receive guidance and messages from the Holy Spirit. In Christianity I would reach this level of consciousness through the use of worship music and in the sect I was in, through movement and dance (yes, I guess you could say I was a holy roller..) , and in shamanism we achieve this state through drumming. It is also not unlike the experience of meditation, in which this state of consciousness is reached through meditation music. As I have stated before, the means by which we achieve this state is different, the terms or labels are different, the end result is basically the same. We achieve connection with our Higher Source through whatever means we are comfortable and familiar with.

What is a "soul retrieval?"

During our lifetimes, we leave behind pieces of our "energy" or "soul" in time periods and places where there was a high degree of emotion attached to an event or place. Many times when there is a traumatic event, we experience a rush of emotion and a piece of our "soul" or " life force" or "energy" gets stuck. A shaman or, as I call myself, a shamanic practitioner, will go into a "journey" for their client and go into the past or into the place where the pieces of their client's energy has gotten stuck and retrieve those pieces and bring them back to their client. While in the altered state of consciousness, the shamanic practitioner will receive images or indications of where the pieces of the clients soul have been lost and, with the help of their Spirit Guides, bring those pieces back to the client.

What about good and evil? Are you ever worried that you will run into an evil spirit or that you are connecting with Spirits that are not of the light?

In my former belief system, I was taught that whatever was not in line with the belief in Jesus was from the devil and that we could only access God through Jesus. This has not been my experience since I left that belief system. I will say that whatever is from "God" or our Higher Source will make us feel better, and whatever is not in our best interests will make us feel bad.  I have experienced nothing but joy from being released from the bondage of thinking that everyone else was wrong except for me and my particular beliefs. My current belief is that if I feel good, my emotional guidance system is telling me that I am connected with God or the Higher Source or Higher Power. Being connected with our Highest Power will always make us feel good. I still connect with Jesus and He still gives me messages. He is not mad at me for accessing other Dieties. Sometimes when I connect to Him He is in the company of some of these other Dieties. He has come to me while in a shamanic journey and while meditating. Belief systems do not have to be exclusive. Yes I believe that there is evil in the world. However my life has only improved since releasing myself from the belief that every other belief system was wrong or evil. And I have never once come into contact with a demon or the devil since I have started on this path.

Let me say that if your belief system makes you happy and fulfilled and serves to help you be a better person, then by all means, continue on your current path. I stayed on one path for the first thirty five years of my life, until it ceased to fulfill me. When I began to be discontented and depressed, then I knew it was time to find out why and correct my path. Always use your internal guidance system as your compass to help you find your way through this life. If you are happy and fulfilled, then there is no reason to change course. When you cease to be happy, then it is time to make a course correction.

So, what do I do?

I connect with Spirit and give messages, individually and sometimes, via my blog, to whomever is out there reading. Yes, I can use cards, such as tarot and other divination tools. Sometimes I am able to access information through numerology and other tools. Sometimes I may connect with loved one who have passed. I also convey healing energy via the practice of Reiki. I teach spiritual principles in monthly classes at my home in Winchester, Virginia. Recently I have begun joining couples in marriage. You do not have to be any particular religion or belief system for me to officiate your wedding.

Those who have been following my blog for years may already know most of this information, but for the new arrivals to my blog, this is who I am. This is what I do. I hope for future connections. Blessings to you on your individual path.

The Wilderness

I am one who believes in signs. I also believe that signs are different for each individual. I have heard some say that they have a particular sign if a loved one who has passed on is communicating with them, or if they are needing the presence of Angels. For me a lot of times it has to do with numbers. Having studied numerology, and read several books on the subject, one of the books resonated with me and listed certain numbers and what those particular numbers represented.

For the past several days I kept seeing the numbers 333. They would show up as the time on the clock, the odometer reading, the total of a customer's order,  my change as I paid at the grocery store, or how many calories I  had burned while on the treadmill. To me the numbers 333 mean that it is time to connect with the Ascended Masters. This could be Jesus, or Buddha, or a number of other highly evolved Beings with whom I regularly connect. It was a couple of days before I had time to really get still and get into meditation and see who was requesting an audience with me. When I did I realized that it was Jesus calling me.

For the last week or so I had been going through a bit of a challenge. My work schedule had taken its toll upon me and by the time I got home I had no energy left for connecting or doing the multiple other tasks required of me to get ready for teaching a class or meeting with a client. I had seriously thought about "quitting."

Jesus told me I was going through my wilderness experience. He wanted me to share this with others as He said that this was something many others were experiencing as well. It was something He experienced in his life on earth, too. In the Bible, it was recounted as the time when He went in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Now I am not sure at this point in my ongoing evolution of my belief system whether or not I believe there is a devil. I am inclined to say that the devil was an invented energy, given the task of scaring people into line so that parishioners were afraid to not follow the rules. After many years when so many people believe in something, its energy becomes manifest. I do believe that there is a force of dark energy, but it is few and far between when I actually come into contact with this energy. But this is a different blog. This story is about the wilderness.

Jesus at this time was contemplating how to take his message to the world. The "devil" (or could it be his own thoughts battling against the Higher Thoughts?.. after all, He was human) had tempted him to throw himself off a cliff, arguing that if God raised him from the dead, it would grant him credibility and an audience. Jesus told me that thinking about quitting is essentially the same thing: spiritual suicide. However, my motivation was not that I would gain an audience. My motivation was I was just plain tired.

There were two other temptations. One was to turn stones into bread. The other was that the devil would give him all the nations of the world if he would only bow down to worship him. The symbolism to me was easily recognizable in the temptation to gain the world by giving away our souls. Some start out genuine, really wanting to help others, and then somewhere along the line they start to get recognized and they feel compelled to continually come up with new "stuff" to market themselves and at some point prostitute their own souls. I think Jesus was warning of the temptation to say what people want to hear just to gain recognition. He was telling me to always say what was in my heart, and don't make things up just to get noticed. Also I think it speaks of those who claim some sort of special status because they have studied for years with some big name or important teacher.

The stones turning into bread was a bit more difficult to decifer. Jesus' reply to this temptation was that man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This tells me to always say the words that are given to me by Spirit, and not to rely on anything I might come up with on my own. When we rely on our own knowledge or our own thoughts, it is like trying to eat rocks. Not very tasty or beneficial.

Sometimes I shy away from teaching lessons based on Bible stories, maybe because I was brought up in the church and don't want to be stereotyped, or maybe because I still have issues with the things that I experienced while in that belief system, but I still talk to Jesus and when He gives me a message, I am going to share it. This was for me, but I am sure there are others out there who can benefit from the message.

If you feel like you are going through your wilderness experience, Jesus said that it would eventually be over and after you have passed the test, that's when the good stuff starts to happen. Jesus came out of his wilderness experience and began to teach and gain an audience just because of the message and his own integrity. No one had to endorse him.  The message spoke for itself. When the message is pure, it will speak for itself.

Take heart. Go through your wilderness with the confidence that within the wilderness there are lessons to learn, and when you come out, you will be better than before. Just keep on going. Jesus said so.

Surrender

This morning I was blessed to have brunch with a very dear friend of mine. Though our belief systems are not exactly the same, we each have a love and acceptance for the other. I am always anticipating what will be our topic of conversation, as Spirit often has a message somehow wrapped up in our time together. Today was no exception. Despite my agenda for today, I had to rush home and try to write down the message for today.

We started out by talking about her recent decision to claim back all the things she felt had been stolen from her life and the lives of her loved ones. She talked about years stolen due to her fears. She talked about an autographed picture of Marilyn Monroe. I related how unknowingly we steal parts of the souls of our loved ones or even enemies through intense emotions and how it was possible that pieces of her soul were possibly in the energy field of those she had dreams about or thought about frequently. We both talked about the things we wanted to accomplish in this lifetime, but sometimes felt that our time was stolen due to everyday obligations.

Here are a few things that Spirit wanted us to know, regarding pieces of our lives that we felt had been stolen from us. The main thing that Spirit let us know is that there is no entity (like the devil or his cohorts) out there specifically targeting us to steal from us. We, by our acknowledging that we felt stolen from, were creating the idea in our mind that we had lost something that needed to be returned. The idea is, that when we felt the loss of something, that we would engage our Divine creative ability to manifest that which we felt we had lost. Instead of focusing on what had been stolen, why not instead create in our intentions that which we would instead like to manifest? If we have lost a picture of Marilyn Monroe, for example, then, instead of focusing on getting it back from someone who stole it, why not create a vision of that picture in our minds and focus on having it or something better, hanging on our wall? I have for awhile believed in the mantra, "what you focus on grows." Instead of focusing on the thief, or on that which is stolen, instead focus on creating the possession of that which we have lost. If we have lost a home, or a job, or any number of things, we can recreate what we have lost in our lives by our intention.

By the same token, however, there is the seemingly contradictory message from Spirit, that at times, we need to come to a place of surrender of that which we wish to manifest. If we find ourselves in the position of having meditated, visualized, and intended for something to manifest, and, after a period of time, have still not seen the thing for which we are focused come to pass, there is a point in which it is necessary to surrender to the Divine Higher Wisdom in our lives that for which we have been intending. At this point in our conversation I almost felt that I was channeling Jesus, who told us that when he incarnated on the earth, He knew that his Divine purpose was to teach mankind about love and forgiveness. He said that he was accomplishing that to a degree, but it wasn't until He gave up His right to what was His, that the true manifestation of that purpose came to pass. He gave up his life of ministry, allowed himself to lose it all, and then the manifestation of that purpose was reborn. There comes a time in our lives, especially those to whom is given a calling to be of service, that what burns in our hearts has to be relinquished, so that it can die a death to what we think it has to be or how it has to be accomplished, so that Spirit or the Divine Plan can unfold.

Most of the time we will agree that the major turning points in our lives came while we were busy doing something else. It is only in retrospect that we recognize those times in our lives when we crossed major thresholds that led us in a particular direction. So I say, yes, decide to create something positive in your life. State your intentions. Meditate. Make specific steps that lead you toward your goal. But, at the same time, be aware of the fact that it is only through surrender of all our plans and the ability to change directions if Spirit leads us, that our true calling and purpose can ultimately come into our lives.

So, just for the record, my intention is to be a force of healing to all those with whom I come into contact. I would like to spread love and light to every person I meet. If Spirit allows me to do this through delivering spiritual messages or shamanic healing, then so be it. However, if there is a different plan, I am open to that too.

Use my example of my intention to create your own message to the Universe. Create your intention, but be open to a change in plans. Know that we are the creators of our lives. But surrender to the idea that there might be a bigger force at work, making the wheels turn or stop. And it is all okay.

Red Lights Don't Necessarily Mean Stop

A while back I was out running and I ran into Jesus. Not literally, mind you. If you have read any of my previous blogs you know that I frequently connect with Higher Beings when I am exercising. I wasn't intending on connecting with Him, but I was made aware of His presence when I got to that place during my run when my mind is out of the way and my spirit is cognizant of the world beyond this one. It is my belief that the unseen world is not millions of miles away, but just beyond our ability to physically see and sense it. There is a thin veil that separates us from the multitude of presences that are not in body, and this particular time it was Jesus who intercepted me.

At that particular interaction He reminded me from where I came and how much my thinking had changed in the past few years. I had gone from a traditional Christian viewpoint to now a much more expanded one and there were several messages that He gave me at that time which I felt needed to be put in print. I had published a few of the messages into blogs but was trying to compile the rest into what I thought was to become my second book.

Here it is several months later and it seemed that I had come to an impasse. I was unsure of how much to reveal in my story of how I got here from there and wondered if I should even be writing it. I had felt after this contact from Jesus that day during my run that He had wanted me to expound upon some of the information He had given me that day.This weekend was to be my writing weekend, since my husband was out of town and I should be facing several hours of quiet time. The material was struggling to come forth in written form. While I was struggling with the story, I got a message for my blog which I took time away from the writing of the book to publish. I was amazed at how the message had just flowed through my fingertips and what a difference from the struggling I had been facing with the book.

I remembered a message I had gotten a couple of weeks back as I was driving from one side of town to the other. I was headed to my husband's place of business and I had been instructed by Spirit that if a traffic light was red I was to take the alternate route. There were several ways to go to my destination and it seemed that every time I was faced with a red traffic light, there was an alternative. I could turn a different way and keep moving forward. The message I had gotten that day was that if I hit a red light, then I was to take an alternate route. I was told by Spirit that I would always have an alternative if I came up against an obstacle to moving forward.

I am one who believes that if faced with a closed door, then another door must be open somewhere. I do not believe that my path forward is engraved in stone or that there is only one way forward. The message that I have gotten is that if something isn't working, then something needs to be changed. I am therefore putting the book to rest until Spirit gives me the go ahead or shows me an alternative way to spread the message.

My message from Spirit for today is that there are others out there who are struggling with what they felt like was their instructions from the Spirit realm. They have been trying to put into action what they felt at the time was direct instructions from Source on their best plan of action. Sometimes we may feel like we have been led by Spirit in a particular direction and then the path seems to disappear from view or be overcome by obstacles. Spirit says not to have your path set in stone. Be willing to change your direction if the way forward continues to elude you.

There is a story in the Bible about Abraham and how he felt like he was led by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on the alter. Isaac represented to him God's promise of a nation that would be born of his seed and Isaac was that seed. Then God told him to kill his son. On his way to obey what he felt was the instruction from God, an alternative plan from God emerged. This story could be a parable of how sometimes what we feel like is direct instructions from God may not be exactly what we thought or that there may be an alternate plan that comes forward after we have moved forward with the original plan. The message is... be willing to change your course of action if the original course of action is not working.

One lesson I have learned in my study of Shamanism is that one of the ways to get stuck on your path is to think that there is only one way forward. Be willing to have your plans change. This represents flexibility.

Just for today, think about how something you have been working on has not been bearing fruit or moving forward. Think of an alternative plan of action and take a step in that direction. Sometimes a closed door may mean that there is a better way. Let us all be open to a change in plans. This year is a year of changes. What you think is your best path may be open to change. Let us all move forward in the way that is best for all concerned.

Ants and Jesus

This is a bit of a humorous story to illustrate how our friends in the animal kingdom often come to relay messages to us.

About a week or so ago I came into our kitchen to the sight of an army of ants marching across my kitchen counter. A couple of years ago we had engaged in warfare with the ant kingdom and lost. We were forced, after an unsuccessful attempt to contact the soul of the Ant and negotiate, to call an exterminator. After that, we had only seen them on occasion outside. It seems that they had returned. My husband sprayed some sort of spray and rid the kitchen counter for the time being, but I knew that we had tried that before and they just returned with a vengeance. So I decided to try again to communicate with them.

I will mention that I have had success communicating with the animal kingdom in the past. I was able to negotiate with the squirrels to stop eating my tulips. I telepathically communicated with a mommy cat who had either had kittens under our shed or moved them there from somewhere else, and convinced her to move them again. I frequently communicate with my ally the Crow. But the Ant has always been resistant to my efforts. This time I tried a different approach.

I asked the Oversoul of the Ant kingdom if there was a particular message it was trying to communicate to me. Ants represent community and working together. They also represent moving forward on a project, and the warnings against laziness. They also speak of planning ahead. In this particular case I felt the Ant was telling me to move forward on the projects that Spirit had been leading me to do, and not to procrastinate. I have begun to hold classes in my home on spiritual subjects, and this speaks of community and the need to work together with others. I thanked the Ant for the message and asked them to please move their projects outside. I told them I would give them a gift in return. I took the jar of honey that they had located on the counter and poured the contents outside in the garden, thanking the Ant for the message and inviting them to partake of the honey outside of the walls of my home. I also told the Fairies and any others of the animal kingdom that they could share the honey with the Ant as long as it was okay with them. No more ants have appeared in the house!! Success!!

But this is not the end of the story. A few days later I had a dream of ants crawling up the basement walls. Although we don't have a basement I thought this may be symbolic: possibly relating to something hidden or underneath or subconscious? Maybe.

The next day an interesting thing happened. I was at work at the Post Office when I was privileged to wait on a street preacher. I had waited on him before and we exchanged pleasantries. He left but then came back in and told me that for some reason he felt he had a message from the Lord for me. He told me that he had had an experience that he wanted to share. He told me that he was in his basement the other day when he came upon an army of ants crawling up the wall of his basement!! He felt like it was a message from the Lord and had gone to the Bible to look up any references to ants. He had found a verse in Proverbs that speaks of the ant and its message of working hard and not being lazy. He told me that he would pray for me and he asked me to pray for him. At first I was puzzled and was unsure of the meaning of the message. I am not of the opinion that I am lazy or need to be encouraged to work hard.

The next morning I was out on my run and decided to send out a "prayer" for this street preacher. Normally I just pray for whatever a person's highest and best good is that it will be done. I felt the presence of Jesus and he told me not to judge this man because his beliefs were different from mine. He told me that he has a special place in Jesus' heart and that he loves him very much. I realized that working together in community means that we love all our brothers and sisters, not just the ones we agree with. I deliver messages from Spirit and so does this man. He is dearly loved by Jesus and who am I to think that my beliefs are any more evolved or spiritual than his?

It is easy to be tempted to judge someone because their interpretation of spiritual laws is different from our own. Our news the past few days has been full of the Chick-Fil-A incident, and I have friends on both sides, some who flocked to the Chick-Fil-A and some who boycotted it. The message I received from the spirit of the Ant and from Jesus was that I am not to judge someone who is different from me or whose beliefs do not match mine. We are all loved by our Creator.

Thanks to the Spirit of the Ant for the message and thanks to Jesus for explaining its significance. May we all love one another, even as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us... ( that is somewhere in the Bible...if I remember correctly)....

Talking to Jesus

It occurs to me that I may have posted this or a part of this before but I was instructed that this was for someone so here it is again......

Recently I was out for my morning run and before I had even gotten a hundred yards from my house I heard the crows starting to cawk at me. This is normally what occurs when the Angels have a message for me. They will call to me to let me know to pay attention. This time I acknowledged the crows greeting and told them I was open to receiving any messages that might be waiting for me. I heard the message, “Jesus wants to talk to you.”

I had not connected with Jesus in awhile. I had not been avoiding him, but I had my attention in other areas I guess. But the evening before I had received an email from one of my readers who wanted to know how she could be sure that connecting with her spirit guides was not evil or sinful. I had thought about my days and years serving Jesus when I had believed the same thing. I realize that if she wanted to be assured that spirit guides were sinful, she would not have contacted me. She wanted assurance that they were not sinful. I related to her a dream I had had years ago before I made the decision to explore other religious beliefs.

I dreamed that I was standing in line to be baptized. It was a long line and I was near the back so I was settled back and ready for a long wait. Suddenly I saw Jesus and he was standing beside me.

“What are you doing?” he asked me.

“I am waiting in line to be baptized,” was my reply.

“Well, you can stay here if you want but I am leaving.” He said to me.

“Where are you going?”

“I am going to Greece.” He said to me. So of course I got out of line and followed him. And then the dream was over.

I remember that at first I was puzzled by the dream. I thought that maybe I should look into taking a trip to Greece. At that time I was struggling financially and barely making ends meet, so a trip to Greece was obviously not what Jesus had in mind.  Upon reflection, however, I thought about how in the Bible Paul had made trips to Greece and how he had had difficulty getting converts to Christianity there due to their love of exploring different philosophies. It dawned on me that Jesus was telling me that it was okay to expand my horizons and learn different ways of thinking and believing, and that he would take me there or he would go without me if I chose to stay. And it was okay either way.

At that time I was attending a church that believed in giving and receiving messages from the Lord. I had learned to hear messages from attending this church and in particular a woman who would become my best friend and mentor, but the minister at that time had given me a message that I did not need to go other places to receive guidance from the Lord. He had told me that all I needed was right there in that community of believers. This dream seemed to be a direct contradiction of that message he had given me. I remember I struggled with the message. But a lot of things were about to change.

Here it is years later. I have explored different ways of thinking and believing. I guess I have to say that my own belief system is constantly evolving. I connect with Jesus on occasion but I also connect with many other Higher Beings of Love and Light. Sometimes Jesus is with these other Beings, sometimes not. But this day he was calling for me.

“I need you to tell your story,” he said to me. “There are many more people who need to hear what you have to say.”

“What do I have to say?” I asked.

“I need you to tell them how you got from where you were to where you are now.”

“I don’t want to offend anyone,” I said to Jesus. “Those who are open to the things I have to say will listen to my story, but many may be offended. I don’t want to open up any wounds that have healed.”

“You don’t put a band-aid over a bullet hole. It is important to get the bullet out of the wound so it can heal properly. There are many walking wounded out there. It is time to get the bullets out.”

Jesus told me many other things that morning during my run. I tried to remember it all and write it down when I got back home but I am still in the process of compiling the messages from Jesus into one publication. One day I will have it all available to read. Until then, I will have a message here and there from Jesus. Yes, He still talks to me. What He tells me is sometimes surprising. This day was no exception.