Shaman Heals Insecurity and Addiction

By Kristen McGuiness How a Shaman Helped Me Deal With My Deepest Insecurities and Severe Addiction These methods are unconventional, but they’ve kept me sane and sober. April 4, 2014 The following article first appeared in The Fix. Also on TheFix.com: Brain Restoration: Too Good to be True for Addiction and Disease?; Howard Dean and the Politics of Recovery ; Tap Tap Tap: A Path to Healing and Recovery. Lidia leans over me and shakes her rattle, asking me to breathe in deep to the child I was. I feel the heavy stone as it sits on my belly, the scent of copal and green tea heavy in the room. I have done a lot of things to get sober, but in many ways, this hour with Lidia has kept me there. When I was barely a year sober, I had gotten a traffic ticket, had my wallet stolen, and was dumped by a guy all in the space of one week. My boss found me crying in my office one night, and offered to introduce me to someone. At first, I thought she meant a potential love interest, but she meant Lidia, her therapist. coque iphone 2019 As I quickly found out, Lidia was not only a licensed counselor, but also a Curandera, trained in the Shamanic energy work of the Peruvian and Huichol native peoples. The work that began that day in Chatsworth has carried me through my sobriety, and at the same time is deeply connected to it. Because what Lidia has taught me is that our souls are hardwired to our mental impulses. The belief systems which have been handed down from my Hungarian, Italian and Irish ancestors still live in my actions today and the lies that my forebears told themselves, and their children, in order to survive often echo in my own behaviors. And like the DNA that spirals through my chromosomal identity, those stories create the spine of my resentments, my fears, and how I have learned to love.On my first trip, she had me talk about where I was at in life—describing the frustration of my work life, my love life, and the childhood that had been so key in shaping the choices that led to both. Despite her loose white linen garments, and the hippie decorum of her home (nestled in the middle of suburban Chatsworth), it could have been any therapy session anywhere. But then she pulled down the shades, turned off the lights, pulled out her circle of sacred stones, and we began dipping into the shades of consciousness that pool around that desire to drink something or take something in order feel better. On that first day with Lidia when she had me choose a stone and then laid it on my body before pulling out a rattle and helping me channel the energy passed down by generations and solidified by my own beliefs and perspectives, I saw what I had yet to find anywhere else: the neurosis that lies beneath the addiction. And together Lidia and I began to heal it. At one time, I saw Lidia every month, but today, I only see her three to four times a year. The reason is simple, I have gotten better. But life still comes up. Through my time with Lidia, I left a job I did not love for one I did, I wrote and published my first book, I created a career as a writer, I fell in love and got married, I moved to Paris for a Masters degree, and came home to Los Angeles to new and exciting adventures in my career and in life. Now, as I prepare to embark on the next phase – getting pregnant and starting a family – I turn to Lidia again. We discuss my need for control as I have been trying to time my pregnancy with a Chinese gender predictor chart and the most desired astrological signs. That would be a control issue, I believe. Lidia again challenges me to find why this need for control still pervades my life. She explains to me what I had yet to realize myself, “It sounds like an addictive behavior. You’re compulsively trying to plan for life when you know that life doesn’t work that way.” Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Yes, I know that tune. It doesn’t take me long to trace back this addiction. When I was growing up, my father was imprisoned for marijuana smuggling. Nearly every year, he would give me a date for his release – June 4, 1988, November 10, 1990, August 30, 1996. I know these dates like the back of my hand. I would plan for them, dream about them, illustrate them in perfect detail. The day my father would be free, the day my daddy would come home. But then that date would pass, and my father would remain incarcerated, as he had been since I was four. The habit is old. If there is something I want, I will immediately feel the need to design its acquisition. I will formulate dates, I will plan big events, I will want to control what was never, ever in my control in the first place. And l do this all with the mind of an addict: obsessively, compulsively, unable to stop even when I know it’s not good for me, let alone those around me (just ask my husband). Lidia has me get on the floor and choose a stone. It isn’t as strange as it used to be. The process is now comforting, like settling in before a massage. I choose a strangely molded one that looks like a purplish brain. Lidia places it on my belly and we begin to channel the energy that can either hold back or inspire my deepest potential. coque iphone I begin to talk, but its not really a deliberate dialogue, it’s born from that liquid consciousness – the one that speaks in scents and colors and not in language or reason. coque iphone en ligne And in that stream of thought, I recognize the games I play with finance, with my relationship, in my career. My unending need to plan vacations and track dates and calculate numbers and premeditate fantasies and goals and babies in ways that are not necessarily healthy. The time passes quickly. The tears have come and gone and I am breathing deeply on Lidia’s floor when suddenly I feel a ripple of energy run up along the left side of my shoulder and around my neck. It’s a strange experience, one I have never had before while meditating. Lidia shakes the final spell of her rattle, and closes the ceremony. I open my eyes to see her sitting above me, looking down. “The weirdest thing just happened,” she tells me. “As you were laying there at the end, I saw this image of a swan wrap itself around your neck. coque iphone xs max It was so clear, I could see it move up your shoulder and then your two necks intertwined.” She laughs, “I wondered what it was going to do with its little webbed claws.” I gasp. This is why I come here. This is why I continue to come here. Because beneath the addiction, beneath the twelve steps, beneath the recovery and the sobriety, is the magic of being alive. And Lidia and I dance together in that. coque iphone I tell her how I felt the same thing, and I realize what the feeling was, “It was feathers. I could feel feathers moving alongside my body.” Fuck yeah, magic. After we get up, and close with a final prayer, turning the room back into one that could double as any therapist’s office anywhere, she pulls out a book on medicine animals. In it, we read about the swan, “Swan… The power of woman entering Sacred Space, touching future, yet to come, bringing eternal grace.” Kristen McGuiness is a freelance writer and regular contributor to The Fix who wrote previously about old timers in AA and sober travel, among other topics. She is the author of 51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life.

John of God & Spiritual Surgery

Invasive surgeries, pharmaceuticals and the like are the common ‘go to’ for most people when faced with illness and disease. coque iphone Yet ancient and spiritual procedures provide a less invasive alternative, with surprisingly successful outcomes. john-of-god.jpgJohn of God is the most famous spiritual healer of the 21st century. Though he says he was once just a ‘simple farmer’, since 1978, Joao de Deus, ‘John of God’ has been healing those who seek his help. Known worldwide, John of God’s message and methods offer a spiritual solution that’s lost in western medicine. He taps into the power of the conscious meditative mind and the metaphysical energy we all have as humans to help heal one another. People flock to see him, at the Casa Dom Inacio in Abadiania, Brazil, on their last bits of hope for a cure. coque iphone en ligne And hi success rate continues to amaze both hopeful devotees and western medical experts, alike. John of God has called Brazil home since birth. Brazil is known for its deep traditions of shamanism and spiritism, both firmly rooted in the belief that souls can cross boundaries between earthly existence and the afterlife. soldes coque iphone It is these very spirits John of God calls “Entities” and he uses them in his healing work. John states: “No physical or mental illness is beyond the possibility of cure… Healing may be physical or spiritual.” “The healing Entities who work through John of God are the spirits of deceased doctors, surgeons, masters and Saints.”, says disciple and scholar Heather Cummings. coque iphone 8 There are two types of treatments offered by John of God. Visible or invisible surgery. The invisible is done through meditation and remote ‘operation’ done by spirit. The visible is done by John actually removing tissues from the body with no anesthetic used other than ‘spiritual’. outlet coque iphone John says that when he does a healing, he has no recollection of anything during the procedure: “I do not cure anybody. God heals, and in his infinite goodness permits the Entities to heal and console my brothers. I am merely an instrument in God’s divine hands.” john-of-god-orbs He leaves his body while the Entities use his body to heal people. They are thought to be the spirits of those who have passed on, who are now dedicated, from the spirit realm, to healing human pain and suffering. coque iphone en ligne John of God’s healings are spiritual. He states: “My mission has nothing to do with religion.” He instead taps into the energies we all possess as members of the human race that connect us all, regardless of religious belief. For the most common, ‘Invisible’ surgeries, John uses what he calls ‘The Current’ – a group of around 400 volunteers that meditate daily at the Casa to help with his healing. These meditators create an electric current, a vibration, similar to a river, that uses the constant flow of healing energy created by selfless disciples to help John heal their fellow human. coque iphone pas cher Despite skeptics, there is evidence that energy healing is a reality and can be powerful. It’s estimated that John of God has treated, either in person or remotely, more than 8 million people in the last 40 years of practice. For more information on John of God, a great resource is the book John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who’s Touched the Lives of Millions, co-written by Heather Cummings, who devotedly serves John of God’s mission as translator, medium and a guide to visitors and pilgrims. Tour details: http://www.miraclesofjohnofgod.com/tourdetails.htm Video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLQ08ROO1g Documentary links: Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYF0SWma000 Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpRLXXcbZkQ by Sara E.

Video: Artist and the Shaman Trailer

This story connects the lives of four people in a quest for life’s deeper meaning. coque iphone With the help of a modern Medicine Man and Shaman, coque iphone xr the artist searches for the spirit of his departed famous father among the living in the healing red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. soldes coque iphone This critically acclaimed documentary is a story of grief and transcendence, coque iphone filled with music, coque iphone pas cher art, coque iphone 8 beauty, coque iphone 8 and Native American wisdom-moving tribute to our loved ones who’ve gone by.

David Carson – Healer, Author: Medicine Cards

David-photo1David Carson was raised in Indian Country in Oklahoma. At an early age David was taught the ways and signs of animals by his Choctaw mother and aunts, Opal, Ruby, Agnes and Phoebe. After writing Medicine Cards, with Jamie Sams, David traveled extensively giving readings and seminars about the teaching power of animals. David’s other books include Crossing into Medicine Country, 2013 Oracle, Find Your Sprit Animal and others. coque iphone xr David Carson’s newest work is called The Golem of Taos (a truish tale), a social satire and hilarious murder mystery based in the culturally diverse town of Taos, New Mexico, available at [email protected] and on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. coque iphone 2019 Click here to read an archived interview with David Carson. Discover the tool that millions of people worldwide are using for guidance, inspiration and help in finding answers to life’s question. coque iphone 8 This unique and powerful divination system draws upon ancient wisdom and tradition to teach the healing medicine of animals. coque iphone en ligne Medicine Cards found its way into the hearts and hands of many, guiding the way to healing the body, emotions, mind and spirit, and providing insight into and understanding of one’s unique purpose in life. coque iphone xs max Medicine Cards is a boxed set of 52 beautifully-rendered animal cards and accompanying book. Medicine Cards is an advanced tool for achieving personal growth and balanced living. coque iphone pas cher Learn the meaning of signs sent to us by animals in our daily lives. coque iphone 8 Learn how these signs are powerful and meaningful to our life situations.

Kate Shela – Shaman & 5Rhythms Teacher

kate-rhythmsKate is a 5Rhythms teacher, shamanic teacher, and an exceptionally gifted shaman practitioner, known for her enormous passion, a vulnerable sense of the intimate and the ability to create community and tribe. coque iphone 2019 soldes She is a senior instructor within the Moving Center School founded by Gabrielle Roth with whom she has been closely associated since 1992. vente de coque iphone She is accredited to teach both Waves and Heartbeat. coque iphone 8 Kate is also an initiate of the Path of Pollen shamanic tradition and one of a small handful of individuals authorized to teach seminars and trainings for women on behalf of the Path of Pollen. coque iphone x In that capacity she co-teaches The Way of the Melissae seminar, the year-long training Arte Triptych Melissae and The Trembling Veil and The Roar of The Roses with The Sacred Trust, a UK-based educational organization. coqueiphone Kate possesses a bold improvisational style and a passionate sense of humour that enables magic to ooze into the everyday moments. coque iphone pas cher She has worked with adults, teenagers and Rites of Passage, medical students,The Dolphin Connection Experience, nurses, drama students, The Ojai Foundation, gay men’s groups, dentists and doctors, Against The Stream,The Polish National Ballet, and The British Association of Anger Management – always aiming to empower people to inhabit their bodies more fully and to inspire a heart-driven life full of love and spontaneity.

Three Causes of Spiritual Illness

hank-wessellmen-booksThree Causes of Spiritual Illness by Hank Wesselman, PhD. As we pass through life on the physical plane, things happen. We contract flus and colds and viruses, and we sustain physical injuries, like falling off our bikes as children or experiencing sports injuries. As adults, we may throw our back out or experience a serious car accident, in the process, acquiring bruises, cuts, sprains, infections, lacerations, and sometimes broken bones. Some of us may also experience serious illnesses of an internal nature like cancer or hepatitis, heart disease or multiple sclerosis. Eventually we pass through old age and the progressive infirmity and death of the physical body. coque iphone 8 These are the givens–they are all to be expected as part of what it means to be an embodied, living being. But these are all effects, and what the shaman is primarily interested in is the cause. coque iphone outlet Watch a video of Hank discussing the three causes of spiritual illness:

Cause and Effect In looking through the shamanic healer’s eyes, the ultimate causes of virtually all illness are to be found within the imaginal realms–in those same regions from which illness derives its initial power to affect us adversely. Because of this, it is not enough to simply suppress the effects of illness with medication on the physical plane and hope for the best. For true healing to occur, the causes of the illness must be addressed. From the shaman’s perspective, there are three classic causes of illness, and interestingly, they are not microbes or bacteria or viruses. coque iphone 7 Rather, they are negative internal states that appear within us in response to negative or traumatic life experiences. The first among these is disharmony. Disharmony Disharmony is what we experience when life suddenly loses its meaning or when we have lost an important connection to life. Let’s take the case of an elderly couple who have had a long marriage, and suddenly one of them dies. They may not have had a perfect relationship, yet there is a deep bond between them because of all they have shared together. The survivor may go into crisis upon the loss of their mate, and within a short time, he or she may come down with something medically challenging, like cancer. Suddenly, they’re gone too. That’s disharmony. The state of disharmony that we experience in response to such life situations causes a diminishment of our personal power. This can happen in a subtle manner on the one hand, or in a catastrophic, life-shaking way on the other like losing your job, and in the process losing your livelihood. When we experience disempowerment, or “power loss,” it affects our energetic matrix, rendering us vulnerable to illness. Fear The second classic cause of illness is fear. A person who is walking around with a chronic sense of fear gnawing away at them is doubly vulnerable to illness because their anxiety aggressively and progressively diminishes their sense of well-being, and this, in turn, affects their feeling of being safe in the world. This sense of well-being is the base upon which our personal health system stands. When this foundation is affected negatively, it diminishes the ability of our immune system to function. And when our immune system goes down, we’re in trouble. It’s not too difficult to see that there is a feedback mechanism at work here. Fear, and the anxiety it creates, produces disharmony. In the same breath, disharmony generates fear, and if the two of them are working together, it doubly affects the protective mantle of the body’s immune system, as well as the energetic matrix. Illness is the inevitable result.

It is no surprise to Western medical practitioners that disharmony and fear can manifest themselves in diseases that are recognizable to science. Almost 500 years ago, the Renaissance physician Paracelsus observed that “the fear of disease is more dangerous than the disease itself.” This brings us to consider the third classic cause of illness–the phenomenon known to indigenous healers as soul loss. Soul Loss Among the traditionals, soul loss is regarded as the most serious diagnosis and the major cause of premature death and serious illness, yet curiously, it’s not even mentioned in our Western medical textbooks. The closest acknowledged context is “He/she has lost the will to live”. In Western society, soul loss is most easily understood as damage to a person’s life essence, a phenomenon that usually occurs in response to trauma. When the trauma are severe, this may result in a fragmentation of that person’s soul cluster, with the shattered soul parts dissociating, fleeing an intolerable situation. In overwhelming circumstances, these soul parts may not return.

The causes of soul loss can be many and varied. There may be traumatic perinatal issues that happen around the child’s birth experience such as arriving into life only to discover that they are not wanted, or that they are the wrong gender—they’ve come in as a girl when everyone was hoping for a boy. Soul loss can also occur when a child is mercilessly bullied or teased at home or at school, day after day, or when a young person is molested by the one who is supposed to be caring for them. When someone has been raped or assaulted, has suffered a shocking betrayal, a bitter divorce, a traumatic abortion, a terrible car accident, or even a serious surgery, soul loss is assured. Many of the young men and women who were sent to war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Viet Nam, Korea and beyond, came home personally damaged because they had suffered terrible soul loss. Our medical specialists labeled their disorders as post-traumatic stress syndrome, but they had little to offer these “walking wounded” in terms of true healing, and many who survived are still deeply traumatized at the soul level by what happened to them in war. Symptoms of Soul Loss Soul loss is easily recognizable if you know what you’re looking for. Here’s a checklist of some of the classic symptoms: • feelings of being fragmented, of not being all here. • blocked memory–an inability to remember parts of one’s life. • an inability to feel love or receive love from another. coque iphone 8 • emotional remoteness. • a sudden onset of apathy or listlessness. • a lack of initiative or enthusiasm. • a lack of joy. • a failure to thrive. • an inability to make decisions. • an inability to discriminate. • chronic negativity. • addictions. • suicidal tendencies. • melancholy or despair. vente de coque iphone • chronic depression. Perhaps the most common symptom of soul loss is depression. In the early 1990s, Time magazine did a cover story on depression in America that revealed 60 million Americans were taking anti-depressant drugs on a daily basis, representing about 30% of our population. Today that number is closer to 80 million, representing about 40% of society at large, and sometimes that number jumps in response to a national trauma. On the Friday following 9/11, a television newscast revealed that 7 out of 10 Americans polled were experiencing significant depression in response to the tragedy, an indicator of soul loss on a national scale. coque iphone 8 Although the term “soul loss” is not familiar to most Westerners, examples of it are expressed daily in our language and descriptions of personal hardships. Media interviews and news reports include individuals’ comments such as “I lost a part of myself when that (trauma) happened” and “I have not been the same since.” When discussing soul loss with inquiring individuals, most everyone has a sense of having lost a “part” of themselves at some time in life, yet virtually no one has the awareness that the missing part(s) could be recovered. They can. About Dr. Hank Wesselman Research paleoanthropologist Hank Wesselman is one of those rare cutting edge scientists who truly walks between the worlds. A native New Yorker, he has spent much of his life living and working among traditional tribal peoples, primarily in Africa and Polynesia. He served in the US Peace Corps in the 1960’s, living among people of the Yoruba Tribe in Western Nigeria for two years. It was there that he first became interested in indigenous spiritual wisdom. Since 1971, he has conducted research with an international group of scientists, exploring eastern Africa’s Great Rift Valley in search of answers to the mystery of human origins. During this time, he has worked alongside such worthies as Dr. Don Johanson, Lucy’s discoverer; Professor Tim White, whose expeditions have been featured in several TIME magazine cover stories, as well as members of the famous Leakey family. He is one of the primary investigators involved in the discovery of the “Ardi” sites (Ardiptithecus ramidus) in Ethiopia–recently revealed to be the famous missing link between humans and apes that Charles Darwin predicted would be found in Africa. Hank’s research is involved with the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the sites (4-6 million years old) at the time they were laid down. Hank is also a shamanic student, practitioner and teacher, now in the 28th year of his apprenticeship. In addition to his scientific papers and monographs, his books include his autobiographical trilogy: SPIRITWALKER: MESSAGES FROM THE FUTURE (Bantam, 1995), MEDICINEMAKER: MYSTIC ENCOUNTERS ON THE SHAMAN’S PATH (Bantam, 1998), and VISIONSEEKER: SHARED WISDOM FROM THE PLACE OF REFUGE (Hay House, 2001). These unusual books are focused upon a series of altered state experiences that began spontaneously out in the bush of Africa and document his investigations into a hidden reality that most of us have heard about, but few have experienced directly. In his explorations of these inner worlds, Hank may have also provided us with a glimpse into the possible evolutionary future of humanity. Combining the sober objectivity of a trained scientist with a mystic’s passionate search for deeper understanding, his books also contain revelations of the generally secret teachings of the Hawaiian kahunas. His smaller teaching books include THE JOURNEY TO THE SACRED GARDEN: A GUIDE TO TRAVELING IN THE SPIRITUAL REALMS (Hay House 2003) and SPIRIT MEDICINE: HEALING IN THE SACRED REALMS (Hay House, 2004) co-authored with his wife Jill Kuykendall. Hank is the co-author with Sandra Ingerman of the award-winning book Awakening to the Spirit World, voted the best Body-Mind-Spirit book of 2010 by the Independent Publishers Association. His most recent book is The Bowl of Light: Ancestral Wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman, a compilation of his mystical talks with the Hawaiian Elder and kahuna Hale Makua over the last eight years of his life. Larry Dossey MD has described Hank Wesselman as an expert guide who fully realizes that he is playing with scientific and spiritual dynamite. Hank currently lives on the Kona coast of Hawai’i island with his family, where they are involved in sustainable food production on their farm in Honaunau. He continues to write and to teach workshops across the country and abroad.

Bearcloud – Visionary Artist

BearcloudBearcloud is a Native American shaman and elder of the Ni-U-Kon-ska and Lakota traditions. He practices sacred ceremony in an ancient tribal manner. Bearcloud is also a Vision Seeker and extraordinary artist in oils. His paintings reflect the shamanic practices of Native American traditions.

Bearcloud does not like to call himself a shaman, as this is not the way elders see themselves. In terms of how the white culture sees a medicine man however, Bearcloud is indeed a shaman, practicing the sacred pipe ceremony and the rituals of the sweat lodge. Bearcloud makes his sacred ceremonies available to all who come for the right reasons. As a shaman, he leads people through the healing cleanse of the sweat lodge and guides them with sacred songs and prayers. The ceremonial pipe is passed during the appropriate phase of the sweat lodge ritual, and each participant offers up prayers or intentions with the ritual pipe.

Bearcloud is a true medicine man of the ancient Native American traditions. He has been taught by elders since his youth and he follows, in a sacred manner, the teachings of the ancient ways.

As a shaman, Bearcloud is also a visionary. He is a Vision Keeper for the ways of a New Earth. The Chameleon Project is a product of seven years of visions Bearcloud has received. He has painted many of these visions on huge canvasses. Others he has rendered in computer graphics, showing in a shamanic manner, the sacred geometry of the symbols that guide us into awakening.

Renderings of Bearcloud’s paintings of the Chameleon Pyramids vision are available on this website in articles Bearcloud has written, called The Chameleon Project Beginnings, and The Chameleon Pyramids. Bearcloud also sells at his Edge of Town Gallery in Sedona, Arizona, giclees of all his Chameleon Project Paintings.

As a Vision Seeker and Vision Keeper, Bearcloud is a tribal elder in a new manner. Still in his late fifties, Bearcloud cannot really claim old age as his ticket to elderhood. Indeed, Bearcloud does not himself personally declare himself to be an elder, yet he functions as an elder for many people who are seeking to discover the ancient tribal ways. In his ways however, he has reached the numbers that declare him an elder. He walks his life and does his work in a sacred manner. Because he is deeply attuned to the Great Spirit and Mother Earth, Bearcloud is a native elder who can be trusted and listened to.