This weekend in preparation for the beginning of the ancestral healing medicine wheel, I journeyed to my family totem. The helping spirits showed me one of my ancestor grandmothers from pagan times dressed in a wolf fur with the head pulled up over her crown. It was night, and the clan was gathered around a fire in the middle of the forest.
This middle-aged woman led her tribe in ceremony. She merged with the wolf and began dancing. She channeled an incredible raw power – wild and free. Her spirit soared, and her energy was electric.
Wearing masks during ceremonies and healing rituals is an ancient shamanic practice. In donning a mask, we step out of the self and into the energetic template of what it represents. As we embody the channel of what is being expressed through us, we gain the power and wisdom of that energy.
Even in modern times, we can make masks from papier mâché, textiles, or even tagboard. It’s not the beauty of the masks that matters – it’s the intention and energy that are imbued during its creation.
May we all channel and remember our natural power.
This work is real, and it matters.
March 21, 2022