Using card decks as oracles
Ancient cultures interacted with their environment to receive signs and messages from nature and helping spirits. Part of this happened naturally by what they observed and came in contact with throughout their day. They learned to read and interpret the signs around them – such as noticing which animals crossed their path and which direction the smoke from the fire blew.But at other times, they desired wisdom and assistance from the spirits without waiting for a response to occur naturally. So they devised methods of inviting...
The fun of the journey in learning a new skill
When I was a little girl, someone gifted me with a book of paper dolls – the kind meant to be punched out along the perforations and then dressed with the outfits, held on by fold-over tabs.I was 4 years old – young enough to still take afternoon naps and old enough to resent it. Later that day, my mother was going to help me punch out the paper dolls and the doll clothes. But I knew what that meant – she would punch them out while I watched.So when she put me down for my nap, I snuck the book of paper dolls into bed and used my nap time to...
Going on a divination walk for clarity
A divination walk can help us find clarity around an issue in our lives. When we pose a question while outdoors, nature brings signs and messages in response. Our higher self interprets these signs and speaks to us through our intuition.While on a divination walk, everything we see, hear or encounter has meaning in light of our query. Even a whiff of an aroma, a glimpse of a color, or an animal darting across our path is somehow a message.Begin by allowing your intuition to draw you to a place in nature for your divination walk. In your own...
Ancestral healing and compassionate witness
Here’s an example from my personal healing journey about how we might use compassionate witness to bring healing to our ancestral line. This healing can happen during a shamanic journey or meditative state.I always realized that my motherline carried a heavy feeling of grief. The grief was so tangible, it showed up in old family photographs, etched on their faces and in their posture. I never knew its origins until one of my ancestor mothers visited me during a healing session around my desire to be more present with myself. She...
The tipping point in spiritual awakening
Malcolm Gladwell coined the phrase “the tipping point” in reference to social change, where an idea, belief or product gains enough momentum to spread throughout the national consciousness. We can use the same phrase to talk about change on our spiritual journey.We reach a tipping point at several key places on our own personal healing journey. After each tipping point, our lives open up and blossom:· when we decide to let go of the hurts and wrongs of the past and forgive· when we choose to stop blaming, judging and criticizing...
Building a home altar for support
A home altar can be a source of support to us in our healing process. If we arrive at a crossroad on our path or feel heavy energy around an issue in our life, we might build a temporary home altar to provide extra support and spiritual guidance.Altars can do many things, but at their simplest purpose, they are a place of focused energy. They can support us in our healing, they can be a place to meditate and gain clarity, they can honor the spirit guides we work with regularly.Altars can also be used as a source of energy. For instance, if we...