Trusting Your Gut as a Shamanic Practice

You may wonder how trusting you gut is a shamanic practice. Let me tell you a story.

About nine weeks ago, I started a new diet, a new way of eating. Instead of eating mostly carbohydrates, some proteins, and some fats — and that’s about all there is to eat, people

Whale learns to cook broccoli and peppers and garlic and capers

— I changed my percentages so I am now eating more fat than protein, and very few carbs. This plus lots of exercise, works surprisingly well to take off the weight and tone up.

When I embarked on this new way of eating I decided to go strict with it, so, I got a kitchen scale, and used a calorie counting app, mostly to keep track of my “macros,” which is a fancy way of saying how many grams of protein, fats, and carbs I was consuming at each meal, each day, each week. That activity created a certain mindfulness which made up for eating no chocolate candy or pasta. I also weigh myself twice a day, and record my progress in a note book. All of this is to acheive a certain state, a zone, and to stay in that state, once you get there.

All good until the end of week 6, when I embarked on what became a 2,000 mile, 12- day road trip through most of Florida, in my efforts to celebrate the Labor Day weekend with friends, then evacuate family members and button up two dwelling units, and then to evacuate in advance of Hurricane Irma.

I didn’t pack my various weights and measures at the start of my trip, but I did pack a cooler bag. And every so often in my travels, I bought food, cooked it, and repacked my cooler bag, wherever I could. I vowed to stay on this diet for the duration, because I had worked so hard up until this point.

I arrived at a Red Cross Hurricane Shelter in Marianna, Florida on Sunday night, just a few hours before Irma began making land fall on the Florida Keys. I was a very weary traveler, and was grateful to find shelter. Dinner was being served as I arrived: non-beef hot dogs (eg, corn-and-sugar-based) in buns, pretzels, and brownies. I also saw a bowl of chopped up fruit. None of this was on my diet, so I ate hard boiled eggs and cheese from my cooler. Not every meal was like this, but most were. By the second day, my Very Dear Man and I were making jokes about it.  (I want to be sure to emphasize that the rest of the accommodations at this shelter, were comfortable and gracious, as in a-state-of-grace, we were well cared for by the volunteers from the entire town, and we have no complaints about this experience.)

Let’s return to where the shamanic practice kicks in: I had to figure out how much to eat to stay in my zone, and how long I could eat my food in the cooler, before the contents became too warm to eat safely. This happened intuitively. My intuition kicked in, because I had no choice, but also, I trusted myself, and allowed it to kick in. Some of it was due to an imperative I had pushed myself into. I chose to stay on my diet, and I couldn’t eat spoiled food. I needed to get enough calories, and stick to the ratios of proteins, fats, carbs. And it happened.

I’ve also been learning to cook since I started this diet, but that’s a story for another post!

Share your peace with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the Big Waters all around us, for we are all connected.

[Timeline was correct when post was drafted 9/20/2017]

(c) 2017 to present, Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

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Shamanic Driving

Shamanic Driving is when you drive your car somewhere, and reach an altered state in the process.  I’m not advocating this as a technique, but I’m going to describe it in this post.  Shamanic Driving is different from Sonic Driving, which is when you go into an altered state through the use of a rapid, monotonous sound or vibration.

Here’s home Shamanic Driving works: 

Get in your car.

Put on music 

Head out on a highway, for a 100 mile journey through beautiful, but somewhat monotonous scenery.

Add a rain storm, and then windshield wipers.  

Note the drone of other cars and trucks on the highway all around your car, to the East of you, to the South of you, to the West of you, to the North of you, above you the sky or rain, below you, the hiss of tires running through the rain on the  pavement…

By this time, you have “Siri,” ocassionally telling you, “you are on the fastest route and the way ahead is clear.”

I feel focused yet relaxed.  

My phone rings.  My friend is reminding me how to get to her house.  We’re chatting.  A motorcyclist has just whipped around me, going way too fast in the rain.  I change lanes to avoid him, and end up in the fast lane, and suddenly,  I’m passing a truck.  I’m in the truck’s blind spot, pulling up, now along side the back third of the truck.  

Suddenly, “because everything happens suddenly, or not at all,” the truck signals, and starts moving into the fast lane, where I am.   I begin narrating this, calmly, to my friend,”why’s this truck coming over here?” I’m breaking, defensively, I’m honking the horn, I’m moving to my left, not wanting to leave the pavement, still honking.  My friend on the phone is telling me to focus, and we all are.  And the truck backs off, yet we keep going, and ahead to the right, I see the police car lights blinking blue in the rain, and I realize, the truck was just trying to obey the Move Over law.

I pass him, and wipe my brow, my way of signaling to him, “that was close but we pulled through” because I drive With Spirit, tuned in, where ever I go.

And I am blessed.

Where ever you go, take Spirit wih you, and Share your Peace with Mother Earth and Father Sky and the Big Waters all around us.

(c) 2017 to present, by Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

The Work of a Shaman, so much more than Healing

Shamans do many things.  A lot of it is “healing work” but that can manifest in many forms:

1. Writer — The most obvious thing I do as a Shaman, is write these blog posts about Shamanism and about the Earthways Shamanic Path.  I start with the kernel of an idea, set it down and it unfolds.  I have to step aside when the words flow, or else the message gets mixed up.  I write in an Altered State.
2. Founder–The second thing I do as a Shaman, is nurture the Earthways Shamanic Path.  I arrange for ceremonies and classes.  I get the rooms or spaces and post the announcements.  I write the class materials and the ceremonies.  I haul the ceremonial or instructional material to/from the location.  I set up the Altar or training space, establish sacred space, conduct the class or ritual, thank and release the energies, close it all out and pack it all up.
3. Diplomat — I assist other people when they are conducting training or ceremonies.  Sometimes I function as a diplomat between groups and help carry the message from one group to another.
4. Coach — I’m here to Listen to people.  People seek me out, send me messages, talk to me, ask me questions.  I respond with information, insights, “thoughts and prayers,” and referrals.  This is what I call, Shamanic Coaching.  I don’t know everything, but I know many people, all with their own areas of expertise.  I check in with them on a regular basis and learn more.
5. Facilitator — I arrange sometimes directly, and sometimes indirectly, for you to meet people or receive information or make connections or to have experiences.
6. Prayer-er — I say “Prayers Going Up,” and send prayers to people because I BELIEVE it helps.  I visualize my prayers going up from a sacred fire or a candle or even a crystal, and I see it going UP and reaching the person in need.  It is Energy/Love and not directed to a specific outcome.
7. Healer — when people need healing, I serve as a conduit of energy.
8. Singer/Teacher —  I am connected to music, through the Whales.  I sing songs, and each people to sing these songs.  This is a healing aspect.
9. Explorer/Journeyer/Connector — I go out in Nature and renew my connection to everything that is there.  I meet and greet the helpers in the  Plants, Trees, Birds, Insects, animals, the water, the wind — what ever is there.  I gather plant materials to learn what can be used for smudging.  I am a Water Warrior.
10. Researcher/Journeyer  — I research techniques to achieve Altered States of Reality.  “Oh, the places I have been.” I teach what I have learned.  I attend classes, ceremonies and events.  I read.
11. I’m a Change Agent.  I help people make changes that they want to make.  Sometimes, I’m a catalyst:  I don’t change much, when I provide you with a book to read, or a phone number to call for information on a subject you are interested in, but it might be something that helps you make a big change.  But if I conduct a class or a ceremony, or attend an event with you, I am learning and growing, along with you.
12. Medicine Carrier — be it songs, or jars of smudging materials, or a book, or a feather, I bring with me, elements of ceremony and ritual which are essential to complete the healing that is to take place.

[Digression:  if the word ‘Shaman’ doesn’t seem to fit for a person who does all of this, what would you call them?]

Share your talents and skills and passion (“Your Peace”) with Mother Earth, Father Sky, and the Big Waters all around us.

Learn more about the Earthways Shamanic Path by visiting, Earthways Shamanic Path

(c) 2017 to present, Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

Gait of a Shaman

My Mom was very keen on posture, carriage and, bearing.  She didn’t let her back touch the chair in the dining room.  When we were kids, my sister and I walked around the house with books on our heads, to learn to control our gait.   Years of walking, bicycle riding, dancing, have given me a certain gait and with it, a rolling sense of confidence, poise, grace and strength.

Sanibel, April 2017

Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, this is the best way I can describe my “bearing,” but to me, this basic body/mind connection is also a shamanic tool.

If I need to, I can pull up a great deal of energy, determination, strength, just by walking through the doorway into a building or down a long corridor.  It may have something to do with moving through liminal space; I don’t know.  I just become taller.  My wing span unfolds.

… ” wearing my long wing feathers as I fly,  wearing my long wing feathers as I fly, I circle around, I circle around, the boundaries of the Earth.”

Share your peace with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the Bog Waters all around us.

Mummurings and Magazines

I’ve had a busy Rainy Season, and an even busier Hurricane Season. (This is the period of time most people call, “Summer,” but in Florida it is kind of Summer all year ’round, so I have my distinctions.)  Among other exciting things, I was recently interviewed by Linda Sechrist of the Natural Awakenings Magazine, about Shamanism, and my Earthways Shamanic Path. Linda did two great articles, The Modern Shaman and then a really great side bar called, The World Through the Eyes and Heart of Three Local Shaman.  I was so thrilled to be included in this article, and am happy to share these links with you.

 

What tools do you need, to be a Shaman?

Shaman’s Tool Basket

What tools do you need, to be a Shaman?

We’re having this conference, next week — perhaps you’ve heard about it by now?  It’s the Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering 2016 and you can learn more about it at our new website .  Before I had even finished lining up all the speakers, people were asking me, “Will you have vendors?”  Yes, we are having vendors, but more importantly, the Conference is about EXPERIENCING aspects of Shamanism:  learning how to go on deep meditations.  We call these meditations, “journeys,” and the skill is called, “journeying.”  Throughout the conference, you’ll have the opportunity to go on many different journeys for many purposes.

Shamans come from all over the world, and customs differ from one place to the next, but when I go journeying, I like to have a comfortable place to sit.  I like to wear comfortable clothes.  I prefer shade if I am outdoors.  If I’m outside I wear a sun hat.  I like to smudge myself with locally dried tree flowers.   I like to use a rattle to make a rhythmic sound.  And, when I have completed my journey, I like to record my experiences and quench my thirst.  Those are the basic needs.  Inherent in that is a list of objects: Chair, clothes, shade tree, sun hat, dried flowers, bowl, lighter, feather fan, rattle, notebook and pen, water.  Some extra things that I have found helpful are: a candle, a blanket or wrap, favorite talismans (I have some special necklaces, and some post card sized pictures, and family relics) a cloth to set them out on, and a pouch to put them in. I have a rattan picnic basket I put most of that stuff into:  It is my Tool Basket.

It’s that simple, really.  When I am teaching classes about Shamanism, I tend to bring a lot of stuff with me, for illustrative purposes.  And, when I am conducting special Ceremonies, for example, a Welcoming Ceremony at our Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering, then I would have more items, to decorate an Altar.  More candles, flowers, statues of totem animals.

I’ve been practicing Shamanism for a long time.  I have everything I need. Yet, I have a fondness for rocks and shiny-sparklie things.  And I understand that many people are new to their Journey,  and don’t have what they need to Journey comfortably.  When you feel comfortable, your confidence as a Shaman, increases.  So, yes, there will be vendors at the Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering and there will be opportunities at the Gathering, for you to make some of your basic Shaman Tools:  a rattle, and a pouch.

Share Your Peace With Mother Earth, Father Sky, and the Big Waters, All Around Us.

(c) 2016, Whale Maiden

Journey With Us on the Earthways Shamanic Path!

Announcing … the Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering 2016, will be held April 15-17, 2016 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, 13411 Shire Lane, Fort Myers, Florida 33912.

“Find the Magic in your land” … The Earthways Shamanic Path is an Earth-based religious path. It is based in Southwest Florida, yet can be practiced all around the world. We ask you to discover, “What are the Seasons where you live? How do you celebrate them?”

The Earthways Shamanic Path is based upon core shamanism. Our philosophy is that people are drawn to Shamanism, if they are meant to learn more about it. Each person is responsible for learning what they need to, for their personal growth. In this Shamanic practice, we learn to achieve altered states of reality through meditation, drumming and dancing, as well as through exploring nature, for greater self awareness and to “Share Your Peace With Our Earth.”

This is our first Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering, meant to foster a sense of community of like-minded travelers on paths which converge at this Gathering. It is intended for educational, spiritual, and, networking purposes. We will all learn from each other. Thus, we will offer you a certificate showing you’ve attended this Gathering, but we won’t be making anyone a shaman here.

This conference is open to all adults, ages 18+. Childcare is available, but must be arranged in advance of the conference.

This conference is sponsored by CUUPS — Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, Fort Myers. CUUPS Fort Myers Website

REGISTRATION:

Registration is open now! Click here: Eventbrite Registration – Get your tickets today!

After April 10th, there will be no further ticket sales through Eventbrite. You must purchase your tickets at the conference entrance.

INFORMATION:

For more information about this Path, visit Earthways Shamanic Path – Facebook page
or our Website.

We look forward to seeing you at our Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering! Journey with us and Share Your Peace With Mother Earth, Father Sky, and the Big Waters All Around Us!

(c) 2016, Whale Maiden.

Being In The Shamanic Flow

I don’t have a very long commute to my office, Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, and some days it seems to take me a very long time to get out of my house.  But today, I’ve realized that part of the work of being a Shaman is knowing that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, all the time, no matter what time it really is.  When you are a Shaman, you step into The Flow.

My little town has some boulevards:  roads which have two lanes going North, a lovely landscaped median, and two lanes going South.  These are also called, “divided highways,” as you’ll see in my picture, here.

My town also has more than its share of people driving around  who are just visiting.  I mean, they are tourists or snowbirds:  they aren’t from around here.  They get lost,  easily and frequently.  So this morning, I was driving towards this   “T” intersection, where a two lane road, meets up with this 4 lane boulevard, and I watched as a little car headed into the intersection, and then, instead of going  around the landscaped median and South, he made a tighter left, to the South, and began coming my way in the North bound lanes.  I stopped short, honked the horn, and flashed my lights and got his attention.  And by this time, I was straddling both North bound lanes, much to the confusion of the car behind me.  So, I ‘held space’ for the little car.  After a moment, the little car moved around the median and proceeded very slowly South.  And I made my way to my office.  No matter what time it was, I had arrived there, on time.

You can learn more about this at our upcoming Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering, April 15-17, 2016, here in Fort Myers.  Follow this link to our Registration page.

So I say, See the Magic in Your Land.  Feel It.  Feel your connection to the world all around you.  And I say, Share Your Peace with Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky and our Big Waters that surround us.

(c) 2016 all rights reserved, Whale Maiden

What is a Shaman?

One day a friend of mine asked me, “What is a Shaman?” I said, “a Shaman is someone who is somewhere between a priest/priestess, a healer and a teacher.”

There are shamans all around the world, and there have been since time began. Or at least since humans began.  Some people become a shaman because they grew up in a tribe or other indigenous close-knit community, and someone in that community taught them the knowledge of healing and divination that was handed down over generations.

Other people, like me, didn’t have the knowledge handed down to them from family members, but felt a “call,” to become a Shaman.  I’ll write about this some more…

I believe we are all connected through energy.  I am connected to people, plants and trees, animals and minerals.  All these are beings, and have an energy pattern that can be seen/felt and interacted with.

One of the things Shamans do, is go into Altered States of awareness.  That means, they do something to change their energy, to change their vibrations.  Some Shamans ingest plants or beverages that change their awareness.  In my case, I meditate.  I dance.  I make sounds (tones).  I listen to music.  I play a rattle or a drum.  The noises and the movements, change my vibrations, change my energy.  Once I’ve done that, then I feel calmer, and my senses are heightened.

If I do a walking meditation, which is part of a Shamanic Nature Trek, then, when I am outside and calm and relaxed, I see more of the plants and animals and minerals around me.  The colors are more vivid, the sounds are more pronounced.  I get in tune with the vibrations of the plants and animals and minerals around me.

Also while in an altered state, I travel to the other worlds to meet with my animal guides and spirit teachers.  We all  have animal guides and spirit teachers.  I go on these journeys to solve problems and help myself and other people.

Since being a Shaman is a way of being, it becomes the way you operate.  So I say, See the Magic in Your Land.  Feel It.   And I say, Share Your Peace with Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky and our Big Waters that surround us.

(c) 2016 all rights reserved, Whale Maiden

The Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering is coming!

Hello Everybody!  CUUPS of Fort Myers is hosting the first ever, Earthways Shamanic Path Gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, April 15 through April 17, 2016.

This is a new pagan path, developed here at CUUPS of Fort Myers.

1. We study the Seasons as they unfold where we live. We learn what those Seasons are, their physical-environmental aspects, their spiritual aspects and what they mean, and how to celebrate them.

2. We approach the world through a shamanic perspective. We drum and meditate to achieve altered states. We go on shamanic journeys. We communicate with spirits and guides. We do this to help ourselves, or to help other people or other beings.

3. We believe that Shamanism is an ancient earth-based spiritual practice with modern applications. We recognize that you can be Shaman and Wiccan, or Shaman and Druid, or other combinations. But for us, we are Shaman and this is our Path.

4. We say, “Share Your Peace With Our Mother Earth, Father Sky, and The Big Water.”

We have a lovely brochure:

EwSP Gathering 2016-Brochure.02252016

You can visit the Eventbrite website to learn more information and to register.  If you want to split your payments, Whale Maiden takes PayPal and has a SQUARE, and will be happy to help you with that.  Contact Whale.Maiden@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks everyone.