“You’re going to think this is weird”
I’ve lost track of the number of times during shamanic healing sessions clients have said “you’re going to think this is weird” before sharing something they’ve experienced. By mainstream physical world standards some of the things they talk about may seem unusual, but in the spirit and energetic realms anything is possible. When we journey, dream, or otherwise open ourselves to spiritual experiences, we travel into what’s known as non-ordinary reality. We might fall down a hole and see a white rabbit hopping by, wearing a vest, looking at...
What I’m learning about anxiety
I recently committed to co-facilitating a one-day class on managing anxiety with my friend and colleague Mo. Since then, I’ve been taken on a scenic tour through my own anxiety. I’ve been aware that this is related to the class – I’m getting a chance to directly experience while observing. My teaching mentor says, “You can’t teach what you don’t know.” As a spiritual teacher, I am in agreement with using my personal challenges and life lessons as teaching stories when they can inspire or educate others. Because I’ve dealt with my empathic...
The ancestor grandmothers
One day a sense of sadness began to arise as I was walking through the woods. I left the trail and found my favorite rock. As I sat, the heavy emotional weight continued to build. Slowly the breeze began to blow. At first just little puffs, then growing. The tree branches began to dance, creaking against each other and saying, “Let go, let go.” My ancestor grandmothers came with the wind. They wanted me to acknowledge the legacy of sadness I carried. They wanted me to mourn and then to release the burden of the grief on the wind. Their...
Faville Prairie and self care
Sunday morning a friend and I went on a field trip to Faville Prairie near Lake Mills, WI. It had been on my calendar for a month, and I was looking forward to the event because it came at the end of a particularly busy time. An old friend would call this “giving myself a biscuit.” It was a beautiful sunny morning to visit the prairie. We ambled, looked and listened as our tour guide pointed out the different vegetation. He manages Faville Prairie for the Madison Audubon Society and is intimately familiar with the local flora and fauna. He...
Going to nature
I have a special relationship with the nature spirits at Steinke Basin. I walk there as often as I can, especially when I’m dealing with something uncomfortable or heavy. Nature has the power to soothe and heal. It helps us remember who we are. Recently I experienced a bout of anxiety, and I took myself out for a hike. I walked very slowly, exhaling my anxiety to Mother Earth to calm my runaway thoughts and the pounding of my heart. Nature helped me remember the peaceful part of myself and reminded me I was safe. Earlier this summer, I tapped...
Challenging my assumptions
Back in my 30s, I went on a weeklong canoe trip to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. It was a true wilderness experience – no cell phone reception, no electricity, no corner grocery. We lived for seven days with two canoes, a tent and the food we could carry on our backs. Our route took us on a meandering loop through seven different lakes. The hardest part was portaging between lakes when we carried all our gear and the canoes upside down over our heads. I learned that my body could do so much more than I thought it could. Although...