Shaman Introduction (In-depth Review)

When the Door of Hope closes, the Door to the Shaman opens...

“What is, is what will be” - Four Hawks (That is, what we empower with heartfelt thought WILL manifest)

In my "career" as Shaman, I have experienced many fantastic things!

I have: visited with deceased relatives, both mine, including my Dad and Grandma, and those of many other people; found lost Objects; visited with the Spirits of peoples' deceased pets; investigated suicides, which so far have always been the result of a spirit Invasion; restored missing Soul Pieces; checked out haunted areas and even de-haunted one; seen many of the Spirit Invasions and Intrusions people suffer, and removed them; restored peoples' Power Animals (Guardian Angels); seen several tumors or threats of cancer reduced or eliminated; seen my own and others' past lives; performed healing and protection Rituals; divined the Future as well as Spirit Health; stood with and even spoken a few Words with Jesus; and the list goes on and on. It is a remarkable gift, the ability to perform Shamanic Works, and I do so with great humility and gratification. I hope you will find resonance in the paragraphs that follow, and that I might be able to help you...

WHAT IS SHAMANISM? (Shaman Intro)

"Shamans" are people through whom Healing and Sustenance flow from Helpers and Guides in the Spirit World to those who come seeking his or her Help. As you read this introduction and some of the other entries on this site, consider whether what I do could likewise bring you Healing, Understanding and Peace. You can contact me on the "View My Complete Profile" Page (the link to this page is at the bottom of the "About Me" column on the top right side of this page).

Shamanism has been practiced across every pre-Western Culture, and for thousands of Years...and is now flourishing again across our World, as traditional religious Organizations fall short in helping some people reach full Spiritual Health, and achieve their spiritual Destiny.

Despite a total lack of Connection, each Shamanic Culture came to virtually the same Conclusions, and performed similar Rituals and Ceremonies, in communicating with and honoring the Spirit World. This Spirit World, although the Basis of all Existence and therefore Life itself, is now left largely unexplored by most modern Cultures and Religions. It is hinted at by asking one to have "Faith" that it is there, but most can only hope that it is, and really have no firsthand experience of it (except for the unexplained events of selves, family and friends). A Shaman has learned to visit this World at Will, and to deal with and get help from Spirits who live there. They are always waiting to bring Answers, Help and Healing to us who are living in this Existence/Reality...just one of many, by the way. Hence, "Hope" and "Faith" are replaced with Certainty, what some Shamans, myself included, call the "Knowing."

A Shaman is a Man or Woman who has been called in one way or another to learn how to interact with the Spirit World to bring about Healing, Good Fortune, Blessing, etc. for the People or a Person. This involves first adopting a centered Existence in which all Life and Everything are honored as Sacred Extensions of the Great Spirit, as opposed to being Tools for one's own status-advance and wealth-building. One learns the Language of Nature, through which the Spirits can reach us all the time...when we listen. Then, the Shaman trains to perform the Duties required to become the "Channel" or "Hollow Bone" for the Spirit Helpers to work through. For in all Cases, it is not the Shaman who brings Healing or Correction. It is the Helpers working THROUGH the Shaman, who serves as their Intermediary, who give the Knowledge to the ill Person, whose Healing Mechanism can then be activated to achieve the all-powerful Self-Healing.

HEALING

Shamans know that in many Cases, true Healing comes from removing Spiritual Dirt, Damage or Invasion, which often later manifests as a physical, emotional or mental Ailment. Moreover and most importantly, all Healing comes from within. Most "miracle" or "spontaneous remission" cures of modern Science are the result of the Ill Person achieving a self-induced Cleansing of their Spirit Being. This is accomplished through changed Thinking and the discharge of Toxic Thoughts and Beliefs, arrived at through Activation of the Link to the Spirits, without knowing how. Shamans can cleanse People of these Spirit Illnesses, and this often leads to Healing in all other Aspects as well.

Other Illness is caused by a Person's losing a Part of their Soul, due to a traumatic Event in their Youth, Gestational Period...or even a Past Life. These Soul Parts flee to a Safe Place in the Spirit World. The Shaman goes out to find and retrieve it, and then restore it to the Person, who then re-achieves Healing and Wholeness. This restored Spirit State leads to Healing in many more instances than People can achieve by themselves.

Sometimes Illness is caused by more simple problems, such as a messed-up Chakra. At the bottom of this Intro, I discuss these a bit. Finally, of course, many Illness and Conditions are simply there as Defects in our Health and must be dealt with by Physicians...they are part of our Earth Walk. There are Illnesses that must simply run their Course as Part of the Individual's Path.

OTHER SHAMANIC SKILLS

A Shaman can: retrieve lost/forgotten/future Information (fortune telling); contact deceased Loved Ones or Friends; locate lost Objects; analyze and alter Energy States in those who have fallen ill physically, mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually; restore missing Soul Pieces; remove spiritual Intruders, etc. Again, much Illness and Unease derives from at least one Problem in a person's spiritual State, be it an Intrusion of foreign Energy or a Loss of a part of one's Soul. In Western Cultures, the predominant "seeing is believing" Mentality leaves People wide open to all sorts of unseen Spiritual Maladies that are simply not healed by physical and/or psychological Interventions. Even though the Symptoms may be eased or eliminated, the root Cause remains and the Problem often returns. Shamans, however, can see into a person's Spirit Body and ascertain what the root Cause of Illness is, and then attempt to remove it. Sometimes Shamanic Intervention is not allowed, though...more on that below.

Shamans have many Tools beyond the Journey given them by their Spirit Helpers to deal with these Beings, but always rely .. from one or more Higher Spirits that are working with the Shaman. These Helpers often appear at first in the form of totem Animals, such as Owls, Hawks, Deer, etc. Humans relate better at first to these Forms than they would the Spirit itself, and can use the Qualities of that Totem in their Shamanic work as well.

If a Shaman happens to end up alone in a bad Situation while in the Spirit World, he or she calls for Help immediately...and it always arrives. Shamans always journey with at least one Guide or "Power Animal" for such Strength and Protection. I have at least five I rely on and honor. I recently came very close to being taken from here while rescuing someone's Soul Piece. My main Helper pulled me to safety in the nick. It is WELL WORTH THE RISK, though, to restore someone to their intended personal Beauty. Some of the other Tools I use include my painted Drum, antique Mongolian "Toli" (Brass Shaman "Mirrors"); ancient Moqui Stones; Peruvian Chumpi Stones; clear Quartz and other Crystals; Feathers; Tarot Cards; Mongolian Divination Coins; and Smudge (Sage, Juniper, Sweet Grass, Palo Santo).

Shamans can move through Time and Space instantaneously, going into the Future or Past, and change (shape-shift) into other types of Beings, such as Birds. In fact, in the Center of Existence where Shamans go to at the Journey's Beginning, all of Time and Space, from all Realities and Universes, meet at that one Point, known in Physics as a "Singularity" and in Mongolian Shamanism the "Gol". From there, the Shaman can go anywhere in Space or Time, again nearly instantly. Fire from a Candle is usually the main physical Representation of the Gol, and so we always have one lit while working.

THE SHAMANIC JOURNEY

One of many Tools, the Shaman's Journey involves honoring the Helper Spirits and then using, in many cases, a steady Drumbeat to reach the brain-wave Level (Alpha, Theta) where the Spirit of the Shaman can leave his or her Body and venture out into one or more of the three Spirit Worlds (Upper, Middle and Lower) for Guidance. Most People pass through this Brain-wave State on their way to and from Sleep, and so many Spirit Appearances occur at this these Times. Shamans have learned to stay at this intermediate Level for Minutes, indeed Hours on end. Dancing and Drumming together are also employed.

Many Journey Results come in metaphor Form, and are therefore best interpreted by the Shaman working with the One being helped. Keep in mind, though, that EVERY Image produced has been designed for the Seeker, not the Shaman. Sometimes the Events are not shown as they happened exactly...or even close, but the underlying Wounding that resulted IS real. The Reason for the Inaccuracy is that People tend to try to block out and disown the Memories of such Events. However, when the Shaman investigates, the Wounding Energy presents itself in a different but still interpretable Form. So even though key Events from earlier in Life may come in a bit hazy, they are accurate in Essence. I have never received erroneous Info from the Helpers. It is up to the Helped One to try to decipher the true Meaning of the Information, but the Shaman is there to help with a lot of the Imagery not readily understood in our Culture.

THE THREE WORLDS

The Upper World is the Place of Guidance/Future and many high Shaman Spirit Ancestors who know much and also us, and houses the Upper World Soul (genealogical in nature...links to blood ancestry) called the Ami (pronounced "em") in Mongolian-based Shamanism. We have a link to our Eternal Soul Essence which resides in this World through our uppermost Chakra. This Essence reincarnates over and over as we progress spiritually. Our Spirit Parents reside in this World. I have seen in my Journeys there that other Universes are linked together here as well.

The Middle World is where we live now, and our Soul Piece here is called the Suld ("soold"). It remains here after Death to help Those left behind, and eventually merges into Nature as a Helper Spirit. There are many such Spirits here (sometimes referred to as 'ghosts"). There are also many Shaman Helper Spirits here as well. Unbeknownst to most Westerners, Animals, Trees, Rivers, Mountains and Stones also have their own Spirit Essences that have much to offer. Our World is FILLED with Spirits, helpful and otherwise, and yet how few of us accept this as Reality...and pay the Price. Some have witnessed that the "Spirit" Middle World runs parallel to ours, with quite a few Variations at play. This would explain Dreams we have in which things seem almost right, but then have weird Morphings ongoing.

The Lower World is the Place of Empowerment/the Past and houses the Soul Part known as the Suns ("soons"), which carries past-life Information. This World also houses Peoples' "Power Animals", actual Spirit Beings who take the form of an Animal to bring to you the Strengths and Abilities of that particular Animal, that you may be weak or lacking in. Everyone receives a Power Animal at Birth, but in Western Cultures most People lose them...because they don't even know they are there. Shamans journey to retrieve Peoples' lost Power Animals and restore these needed Strengths to People.

All three Worlds are beautiful and lush..I have seen is no Evidence of the Fire/Torture-driven Hell promulgated by some Western Religions in my Journeys. The Upper and Lower World Souls reincarnate, the Middle World Soul does not. Most Middle World Souls help those they have left behind and after several Generations become a more broad-based Spirit. Upper and Lower World Spirits usually return to their respective Worlds and await their Reincarnation. The "worst" Souls, who have gone totally "negative", are usually not allowed to reincarnate, as they are too disturbing to the Sacred Balance. Yet we have to accept that even these Being are manifestations of the same Great Spirit who has manifested as everything and everyone else. I have made quite a few Visits to Middle World Souls on behalf of Clients who wish to know how their deceased Loved Ones are doing.

Trouble occurs when Middle World Souls from people who have died, or Lower World Souls that come back up here illegitimately (or refuse to "go home" is the first place), attach themselves outright to "our World.". These Spirit Invasions can occur when either the after-Death Middle Soul or Lower World Soul latch onto a Person or Place where it does not belong. The Invasions can be by either Relations Souls, or total Stranger Souls.

Troubles can also arise if People offend Spirits living in their Area with actions that dishonor Nature. During a Journey, the Shaman sees these Souls and tries to right their Path. There are also those Dark Entities that must be dealt with, some quite dangerous. The worst of all Dark Spirit Beings are usually "dissolved" prior to becoming Threats again, as I mentioned just above.

ASTRAL PLANE

There is also an "Astral Plane", where raging, confused and temporarily dangerous Earth Souls go to cool off, or await eventual Extraction and Healing by a Shaman...an in-between Place wrought with Danger. I try not to go there unless absolutely necessary. This is probably close to the Concept of "Purgatory" in Christian Thinking. It is not a Place Earth Souls want to be, and I have retrieved at least one suicide-Soul from there.

GOOD VERSUS BAD

In manifesting itself, the Great Spirit has taken Forms that run the Gamut from Light to Dark, "Good" to "Bad", "Positive" to "Negative"...in an effort to achieve Sacred Balance (also called Yin/Yang) while experiencing All That Can Be, and allow us to attempt to do likewise. So, there is Plenty of what I call "Dark Being Energy" out there that can cause Illness. This Energy is often able to be transmuted so that the effected Person can return to living with normal, manageable and balanced Amounts of "good and bad". This Balance is the key to a successful Life. No-one is perfect, but striving to cancel a debilitating "Darkness" with the empowering "Light", and then add a bit more Light, is the Goal. The Shaman is skilled at transmuting this Dark Energy...that is, removing it and returning it to the Spirit World for conversion to Good Energy.

“IMPRINTS”

Events in this or a prior Life that were very emotionally challenging can also "imprint" into one's Spirit body and become a source of Illness. Villoldo (see the book section at the bottom) goes into this with great detail. Our Energy Bodies (the Aura) easily absorb Energies from any Source, so if one is unaware of an Intrusion of negative Energy, one can liken this Imprint to rubbing your Eyes after touching a Germ-infested Doorknob...the Illness manifests in Secret. These Events can also cause partial Soul Loss, and the Shaman journeys to bring this Piece back to the effected Person. These are closely related to Chakra problems, discussed below.

SACRED PATH

Another Key Concept: Sacred Path. Because we are comprised of Soul Parts that reunite for subsequent Lives, we each come here with a Spiritual Plan. This Plan may involve a wonderful Life..or a Life filled with Suffering and early Death. The Goal is to be a stronger Spirit when leaving than when we arrived. However, we forget this Plan at Birth and spend the rest of our Lives either trying to remember...or not. Many never do, and live with an Incompleteness that can be added to by Spirit Illnesses, either inherited or obtained while in this Life. Even if we hear that Inner Voice calling us to the Truth about ourselves, we can be dazzled by the Culture we live in and go after its Rewards instead. We still have Choice in Life, and the Series of Choices we make helps determine whether we approach, find or move away from the Plan.

Therefore, in most Cases, Shamans do not Journey for People unless the Shaman is asked...we do not want to interfere with the Sacred Path of the Individual until they themselves recognize something is amiss. I have, however, been allowed to journey for some Folks out of Love, and been given valuable Information to try to heal them with. However, since the Person does not know of this Help, they do not "own" and incorporate it, and the Effects of the Journey may therefore be considerable watered down...again, it depends of whether or not the Person's Sacred Path included a behind-the-scenes Intervention by a Shaman or not.

Finally, a Shaman does not share by-name Information with others unless the Person being helped allows it. I learned this Sacred Path Concept most strongly in my Study of Cherokee Spirituality, who try to maintain it as a major societal dictum. Of all the Shamanic Concepts I have learned, this one flies most strongly in the Face of Western Culture, where interfering with another for their own Good ("we know better"), without their Permission, is almost the number one social Tenet. It is nearly impossible to live in the West and follow this Precept to the Letter, for everyone else around the Situation will demand to know why you did not intervene when you had the Chance, and then excoriate you for failing to do so.

Bottom line: Unless it is your Sacred Path to live with a certain Illness or Situation, a Shaman can fix it IF YOU are willing to be helped: Remember, all Healing comes from Within. The Shaman merely serves as the "go-between" for the Spirits with the Help, and you, the one who puts that help into practice.

THE POWER OF THOUGHT

It's worth mentioning again here how important Thoughts are. Many believe the Great Spirit has thought, and continues to think, the entire Universe, us included, into Being. This Insight is most prevalent among Incan Shamans, but it now being advanced by some of the World's most enlightened Physicists as well. One's own Thoughts likewise have creative Power. Whatever you think, you are right. Thoughts, tied to strong Emotion and/or Belief, become actual Creations if left to "percolate" long enough. Some Shamans, Jesus included, were and are able to produce objects seemingly out of thin Air, or to change one object to something else. When a Shaman takes on a different Appearance, using this same Power, it is called "Shape-shifting." If your Thoughts are based in Limitation, Restriction, Cultural Pressures, Others' Beliefs about you...then you are creating a Life for yourself that does not express who you truly are...a Recipe for Unhappiness and even Illness.

Incan Shamans have known for Millennia that one can literally "dream one's World into Being" with enough power of Intent. Even Western Culture is full of many successful people who have done just that. You can manifest all Sorts of Success and Healing, or Failure and Illness, into your Life with your Thinking. Programs such as “The Secret” tap into and explain in modern Terms this Ability. But it is as old as Humanity. Jesus often reminded us that if we believe without Doubt, we we pray for WILL happen.

This is why the Knowing is so crucial. What you think about the People, Places and Events of your Life has a profound Influence on how those Things effect you. I always used to tell my Children that nothing anyone says to you can hurt you unless you let it. Accepting all Things and Events as Teachers, as opposed to Aggravants or "Bad Luck", is the key. Knowing of the true Nature of All helps you think in Ways that strengthen your Spirit Being and bring Beauty to others through your Thoughts. I recently worked with a Woman who was being pursued by a Dark Spirit, thought into being by herself in a prior Life!

OTHER DIMENSIONS

In my Work, I have become convinced in the Existence of numerous other Dimensions that intersect and overlay ours. I have seen with my own Eyes the opening of a portal from one of these, and witnessed a Being attempting entry into our Realm. Physicists now generally support “String Theory” as the unifying Law to explain all of the Movements and Behaviors at the sub-atomic Level that defy Einsteinian Laws. They suggest at least 11 such Dimensions co-existing with ours. I have seen in Journeys the attempts by Beings from other Dimensions to come into ours, sometimes successfully. The “Shadow People” seen by many are such Beings. It is highly likely some of the other Visitors seen here, such as “Reptilians”, are likewise popping in and out of our World, through these Portals which are really Rips in the Time/Matter/Energy Fabric. I have seen a “shadow” Sun in the Vicinity our our own, one that exists in a Dimension very close to ours...and therefore has an Effect on us even though we cannot see it.

Another very important Aspect of other-Dimensionality is the Ability of Energy to go from one Dimension to another, and therefore to make it seem as if Energy in coming out of nowhere. In Truth, it has recently been demonstrated that once Spirit has manifested into Energy/Matter, it begins to rotate. As separate Strands of Energy/Matter rotate against each other, they create a new Vibration that is involved in the actual Creation process. We are all, and all around us, simply made of energy Vibrations. The Solidity of our World is an Illusion, a Construct to make housing our Consciousness and Souls easier. The ability to influence these Vibratory States with our Thoughts is the Basis of our Ability to heal and create, and mimics exactly the huge-Scale process the Great Spirit uses. Hence, we are not really “of God” as much as we “are God”, in small part of course...for we were “created in God's Image”, so if “God” can bring matter and energy into Existence and change it with Intention and Love...SO CAN WE!

OUR PERCEPTIONS

Another vital Understanding all People need and are deliberately kept from through modern religious, social and commercial Institutions that have a vested interest in “dumbing us down”: We each perceive our World based on our own Beliefs, Training and Experiences. Our Brains COMPLETELY filter out a lot of conflicting Information that defies these locked in Patterns. If you do not believe something is possible, you won't experience it even if it happens right in front of you. You will “look” right through it! You won't feel it, you won't hear it. This has been amply demonstrated through hypnosis Experiments, where Subjects who are “under” can see right through People to read Signs behind them. This is more commonly experienced in day to day Living when Witnesses to an Event all have slightly different Versions, and all are convinced theirs is the right One. And they are correct...they all saw the Event through their individual Filters.

This locking-out Power of the Brain is extremely dangerous when it leads to such Close-mindedness that People are willing to claim such Nonsense as “God is on our Side”, and “That's impossible...that could never happen!”, and “We are basically powerless in this Situation.” How many “impossible” Things have happened since recorded History began. It also prevents One from seeing the other Dimensions, Beings, etc., that move through our daily Existence. We make some terrible Decisions when we don't have the Big Picture. Mass Consciousness has tremendous Power to effect Changes in the World, both in Terms of Matter and Energy. This is why even today many South American Shamans get together to try to “dream” a better, safer, more balanced World Population into Existence. But they are coming up against literally Billions of closed-off, severely-limited, deliberately dis-empowered Minds.

This is why, at the Top of this Work, I say “What is, is what will be”, for we constantly create our Worlds of the next few Minutes, Hours, Days, etc., with what we are thinking NOW. The Mind is meant to be a Tool of the Spirit, but we have allowed it to become the Master.

Shamans attempt therefore to be as open-minded as possible, and to allow for ANYTHING to be possible. This allow us to see more clearly some of the astonishing Forces at Work in our Clients' Lives.

CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS

One of the first Concepts to “grab” me when I first learned about First People Spirituality was their Belief that Spirit inhabits all Things. More importantly, they also believed that EVERY thing, be it Animal, Plant, Mineral, Water...had Awareness. I understood this as a basic Tenet, but it would take me quite a few Years to truly grasp it. I have discovered through an Insight provided by our Earth Mother that Consciousness/Awareness is a BY-PRODUCT of Energy/Matter. This is an all-powerful Concept worth repeating in slightly different Form here: Everything in existence, from Light Beam to Piece of Dust to single-celled Bacteria, have a Conscious Awareness. And all of this is tied together into what has been referred to in the Past as the “Collective” or “Universal” Consciousness. This is another way we are all connected, and have the Power to greatly influence each other and everything Else with our Thinking.

I was further enlightened in this Matter by our Mother. It is the unique Combination of Materials of the human Body that allow us to be so high up in the Consciousness Scale. We “house” much greater Awareness than other physical Forms. We truly are in the Image of the Creator, for we have a level of Awareness that gives us the Power to create, analyze, plan. This is an extraordinary Gift, and one that has been, for the most Part, squandered in recent Centuries by the blind and dumb Chase for material Wealth and political/economic Power in the Hands of the very few. We could easily, and for many Thousands of Years DID, use our collective Consciousness to ensure the relatively peaceful and joyful Existence of most People. This is not to say that Dark Energies and Spirits did not plague our Ancestors as well, causing Imbalance. But our modern Cultures are so “out of synch” with the Balance of the Creator that we now invite our own Demise. Many believe, however, that in the next few Years the Alignment of the Solar System with the plane of the Galactic Center will cause a massive Consciousness Shift in Humanity away from Materialism, and into a more enlightened, higher vibrational State, closer to the Spirit State achieved by Shamans in Journey and Ritual. This has been encased in an astrological Conception as the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, for example.

It is now also believed in many Circles that Water has a special Capacity to hold and transmit Consciousness...and since we are up to 90% Water, it is no Wonder we are SO conscious. Moreover, Water transmits its “knowledge” instantly across Space, much as Thought moves instantly...so once we learn to use Water effectively as a “communications” medium, we will be able to speak with people on the other side of the world, or even with Beings in other Galaxies, in real time. This is much the same as Telepathy. Water is so vital to virtually all Aspects of Life that it is tantamount to a Dark Wish that we pollute it so. Hopefully the remarkable Abilities of Water will become widely known among the general Populations, which will hopefully force Changes.

SPIRITS AS ANIMALS, CLOUDS, ETC.

Spirits come to us many times as Animals, for this is a form in which they can talk to us from a physical perspective. The sudden and often startling visit of a Hawk, Owl or Eagle; or even a Blue Jay or Cardinal...a Woodchuck...as you make a critical decision, or even as you drive, can tell you what is coming and what powers you need most. Birds, Four-leggeds, even Cloud Shapes, all can bring you these key messages at precise times. One just has to be open-eyed and ready to read them. :) A key teaching: A Bird flying left to right is positive, right to left a warning. As we saw in the Discussion of Water above, Clouds most certainly can take shapes to send us messages, using their own Awareness and their link to our own Water Bodies. Ted Andrews' works go into great detail about the Powers and Characteristics each Animal brings. Anyone hoping to understand the Language of the Spirits in terms of Animals and Birds should certainly get copies of his works, or others like it. See my "A Great New Year Coming" entry in this Blog for examples of recent key visits to me...

CHAKRAS

No discussion of Spirit can be complete without mentioning these 9 key Energy Whirlpools embedded in our Auras and connected to our Spines. When one or more of these Vorticies are dirtied, blocked, out of synch, we find manifestations of these Imbalances across the Spectra of Human Life. These range from physical Illness to mental, emotional to spiritual. These can actually be seen using the naked Eyes, and Tom Andrew's has a wonderful little Book out (on Amazon, B&N, etc) on how to do just that. I have used this Book and been able to read the Energy Fields around myself and many others as a result. The first time you see this Energy Field in person, your Mind WILL boggle... There are many ways to clear a damaged Chakra. Alberto Villoldo discusses Methods, as do some of the other Authors listed below. But I have a found a wonderful Website that puts it all right there for you. Visit http://www.neatstuff.net/avalon/texts/know-how.htmlstudy and read away. This site focuses on using Crystals, which I use in my Practice as well. If you do not have a precious-Stone store near you, apparently one can order these from this Site as well.

RATES

Many Shamans do not charge for their healing services, but do humbly accept Tokens of Appreciation in any form...whatever the Helped One thinks the services are worth to them. This compensation is to only given to honor the Work of the Spirits, and NOT the Shaman him- or herself. The Spirits are more insistent that non-healing Works, such as Visits to the Deceased, retrieving Power Animals, Investigating Past Lifes, checking for Hauntings, etc. be compensated. My current assessment is that this work can be valued at up to $100 an hour...most such works take about that much time. If you cannot afford that or find it unreasonable, or wish to send Gifts of a different Nature, that is fine. I WILL NEVER REFUSE TO SERVE ANYONE BASED ON INABILITY OR RELUCTANCE TO OFFER A GIFT. The important Principle here is to honor the Help given by the Spirits with a Gift to the Shaman, and this Gift should come from the Heart in Gratitude. Equally important is the Fact that being a Shaman is not a Job...it is a Calling. If you need me, no matter what, I will be here for you.

Also, please read the very first two entries (Jan 8, 2001 and October 19, 2001) before delving into the Journeys themselves..these demonstrate in great detail why I am on this Sacred Path.

Key Knowledge and Training Sources:

My over 700 Journeys to the Spirit World; The Many Protector, Helper and Teacher Spirits I've met there; 7-plus years of Experience; and these Readings, with an "*" indicating essential readings:

- Hillary Webb's "Exploring Shamanism"*

- Tom Cowan's "Shamanism as a Spiritual Practice for Daily Life"*
- Eliot Cowan's "Plant Spirit Medicine"*

- Sarangerel's "Chosen by the Spirits" and "Riding Windhorses" *
- Alberto Villoldo's "Shaman, Healer, Sage", "Mending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval" and "The Four Insights" *
- Kenneth Meadows' "Shamanic Experience: A Practical Guide to Psychic Powers" and "Where Eagles Fly" *
- Joan Parisi Wilcox's "Masters of the Living Energy"*

- Heaven/Charing's "Plant Spirit Shamanism"*

- Mary Dean Atwood's "Spirit Healing (version with Indian Story, now out of print, or the new version)"
- Jamie Sams' "Medicine Cards" and "Sacred Path Cards"
- Sandra Ingerman's "Soul Retrieval"
- Michael Harner's "The Way of the Shaman"
- John Perkins' works on Shamanism
- Ted Andrews' "Animal Speak", "Animal-Wise", "Nature Speak", and "How to Read the Aura" *
- Piers Vitebsky's "The Shaman"
- Stevens and Stevens' "Secrets of Shamanism"
Plus about 50 other works...