Liminal space – part 2 – giving up the life you planned
About five years into my shamanic practice, several people inquired whether I taught others to do what I did. Their queries stirred something in me. I said yes and committed to offering a two-year shamanic medicine wheel. After deciding that the program would meet one weekend every three months, I had the sinking realization I wouldn’t have the energy both to teach the medicine wheel and maintain a practice in two locations. Although I was living in Wisconsin, I also traveled to Iowa one week a month. The moment I pulled this fully into my...
Liminal space – part 1
During the first year of the pandemic, I felt lost and adrift in the middle of a sea with no shore on the horizon. All my usual routines were upended. At first I resisted. I was sad, I was angry, I was afraid what the future might bring. My life and the world around me were in chaos. With no end in sight, I found myself in a place of “not knowing.” Whenever anyone asked me a question about anything, my standard response was, “I don’t know.” How did I feel? “I don’t know.” How was my practice changing? “I don’t know.” When would I teach...
The gathering place of ancestors
Each family lineage has a Gathering Place of Ancestors in the Lower World where the ancestors and other family members gather to receive healing. Every family’s location is unique. It’s frequently a natural setting that has meaning to the family. It is often reminiscent of the ancestral homeland – such as the misty green hills of Ireland, the jungles of Brazil, the islands of Polynesia, or the Black Forest of Germany. It might also be a structure such as a castle or village. Within the Gathering Place of Ancestors, there is a place where the...
Spontaneous compassionate depossession
Someone asked last week if it was possible to have a spontaneous depossession. Yes, it is. Although the physical body may look like a solid mass, we are actually a rather spacious collection of rapidly moving particles. Under the right circumstances, a disembodied spirit such as a ghost can merge with the body or energy field of a living human. This is known as having an entity or an attachment. Although possession is a natural phenomenon, it is neither optimal or desired. Souls that choose to remain in the Middle World after their death...
Strong receivers are also strong senders
Through our natural gifts, empaths can sense energy and emotion in the environment. These abilities function like a radio antenna picking up sound waves. Empaths are strong receivers. We’re less aware that these same abilities also work the other way. Strong receivers are also strong senders. We know how overwhelming it can be when someone ignores our boundaries, drains our energy, or unloads anger at us. Empaths are strong senders, and without realizing it, we may be doing the same thing to others. This shadow aspect of being an empath is...
Fall into winter
Fall is normally my favorite season. Most years, I enjoy the shift from the heat and humidity of summer into more comfortable temperatures. Here in southern Wisconsin, the vibrant colors of autumn often provide breathtaking scenery in the Baraboo Hills. This year has been tougher. The shorter days and longer periods of darkness have been shocking to my system. Along with the chill in the house from turning my thermostat down overnight, it’s harder to get out of bed in the morning. Because I don’t like cold weather, it’s more challenging to...