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juniper stokes 12/12/22 juniper stokes 12/12/22

Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

The Egyptian Goddess Ma’at holds all cosmic truths, law, harmony, and balance in her wings. She weighs our hearts against a feather at death… or does she? Discover the deeper truths to Ma’at’s mysteries.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead — Entering the Afterlife

It is said that when you die, the Egyptian Goddess Ma’at awaits at the halls of the afterlife. Here, she weighs your heart against a feather to see if you have passage to paradise…or if you’ll be devoured by a monstrous god.

A feather-light heart is the secret to passing through the halls and judgements of the underworld.

In Egyptian mysticism, the neteru, the gods and goddesses, are both deities and higher truths.

Ma'at represents justice, truth, law, and balance. She is the cosmic principle that maintains order on earth, that prevents chaos from disrupting natural order.

As with many religions’ take on the afterlife, it appears that our lives are judged by some outside source. Grand, powerful beings decide if our sins are too great to enter heaven, or ascend to paradise, or get off the wheel of samsara.

This is a superficial understanding of a much more nuanced and loving truth…

Want to deepen your connection with Ancient Egyptian spiritual practice? Grab your copy of this free guide filled with daily rituals!

Judgement Day or Divine Neutrality? A Channeled Message from Ma’at

In my personal spiritual practice, I often channel divine beings. The art of channeling is a full-sensory experience for me, as my body becomes attuned to their wisdom and I can feel the cosmic truths shared by the divine.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to channel Ma’at during a shamanic teacher’s reunion with Sandra Ingerman. The love I felt in the presence of this goddess is not something I can describe in human words, and she shared a beautiful perspective on our afterlife judgements — one that we can begin to implement during our lifetimes.

Ma’at shared that in the afterlife, it is not so much that our hearts are weighed on a scale to determine our fates…we are the scales.

We have the power to to shift, release, and transmute any heaviness that does not serve our spiritual ascension.

And even if we choose to do so through being devoured, our feather-light souls emerge renewed.

Simply being in the presence of this goddess is healing, as she witnesses our souls from the perspective of divine neutrality.

Contrary to all the religious tales around judgment day, divine neutrality is the complete absence of any judgment. It’s the ultimate non-dual, unity consciousness state of being. And it’s the most purely and powerfully loving energy I’ve ever experienced.

You may have heard me use this term before — it’s the exact same feeling I get in the presence of Archangel Azrael, another deity who helps souls along their journeys in the afterlife.

It’s no coincidence that the beings who assist our souls in death embody the spirit of divine neutrality: Judgment as we know it is a uniquely human quality. When we die, we realize the perfection and eternal love of all that is.

Perhaps most importantly, Ma’at shared that we do not need to wait for the time of our passing to transmute the heaviness carried in our hearts.

Her divine love is always available to us, always ready to help us remember our own transformative power.

A Meditation for Healing with the Goddess Ma’at

Ma’at shared a visualization that we can do anytime to transmute heaviness and embody a feather-light heart:

Imagine yourself merging with a set of giant, golden scales. On one side is your heart, the other a feather.
Notice the initial balance you experience. How heavy is your heart? What burdens does it carry?
See the darkness and heaviness carried in your heart begin to flow into the feather. As this magical feather absorbs your pain, the energy is immediately transmuted into lightness so the feather never gets heavy.
Continue witnessing and feeling this process until your heart appears as light as the feather.
When complete, feel yourself separate and unmerge with the scales, offering Ma’at gratitude for the healing.
Feel the lightness in your being and see yourself filled with a golden-white light. Allow yourself to rest in this glow before returning to everyday life.

Beginning September 2025
Cultivating a
Feather-light Heart

*A 42-Day Journey with the Ideals of Ma’at*
**Learn More**

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a healing practice with the Egyptian goddess Ma'at

juniper stokes 11/17/22 juniper stokes 11/17/22

The Ancestral Convergence: Food & Ritual for Healing this Thanksgiving

I recently saw yet another post about eating ancestral foods and working with ancestral plants on Instagram…

Eat the foods your ancestors ate. Return to the foods that enlivened your DNA throughout generations. Turn to the native plants of your ancestral lands.

This was the message.

On the one hand, I love it. This is something I teach in my Rewilding the Spirit course, having students do a bit of research and prepare a meal that their bloodline ancestors might have enjoyed.

Yet I also teach my students how to connect with their land ancestors—the local ancestors that are keepers of the land they live on now, in this lifetime. Ancestors with whom it’s equally important to partner. Here, we prepare and enjoy local, wild foods to attune our current DNA to the current land we live on.

Reading this post on ancestral foods so close to Thanksgiving here in the States got me thinking—what would an ancestral Thanksgiving meal actually look like?

the ancestral convergence - food and ritual for healing this thanksgiving

I recently saw yet another post about eating ancestral foods and working with ancestral plants on Instagram…

Eat the foods your ancestors ate. Return to the foods that enlivened your DNA throughout generations. Turn to the native plants of your ancestral lands.

This was the message.

On the one hand, I love it. This is something I teach in my Rewilding the Spirit course, having students do a bit of research and prepare a meal that their bloodline ancestors might have enjoyed.

Reading this post on ancestral foods so close to Thanksgiving here in the States got me thinking—what would an ancestral Thanksgiving meal actually look like?

Would we turn to our recent American ancestors—those who cemented stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie into our collective consciousness?

Or perhaps we celebrate local abundance and honor the spirits of the land here, with wild rice and three sisters (squash, beans, and corn) themed cuisine? (An approach my family usually takes...)

Or maybe, as the post suggests, we travel further back to the native lands of our blood relatives.

I have to laugh as I think about what option three would look like…my Dutch, Irish, Swiss, French, and Welsh meeting Mike’s Italian and German heritage would create quite the menu!

And what if we tried to really incorporate all our ancestral influences? Pumpkin pie, wild rice, pickled herring, spaghetti and (vegan) meatballs…

As ridiculous as this image might seem, I actually love how clearly it demonstrates an important truth:

We are the convergence of many ancestral lines.

Ask yourself: What would a truly representative ancestral Thanksgiving dinner look like in your home?

A Thanksgiving Menu with Ancestral Cuisine

This year, Mike and I are having a quiet dinner…but still going all out on our menu, as I’m somewhat addicted to cooking.

Our menu tends to mix some traditional foods with some local ones, and I always try to add a bit of wild, foraged plants in the mix. As we’re both vegetarian and I’m gluten free, everything becomes an updated fancy-pants version of ancestral cuisine.

We’ll have a few dishes I make every year—butternut and wild rice salad, boozy spiced cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread rolls, and green beans. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy always make the menu as well. (You can find a few of my favorite recipes here!)

We often have a stuffed pumpkin for our main, but I’m changing it up this year with a sagey mushroom, chestnut, and walnut loaf. Fingers crossed it turns out!

Gratitude, Trauma, and a Complicated Time of Year

Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time to focus on gratitude. Yet, I think many of us are sensitive to the fact that this holiday brings up many challenges, as well…

For those who have lost loved ones—and so many have, especially in the past couple of years—Hallmark images of happy family holidays can feel like knives in the heart.

For those who experienced early childhood trauma, any holiday focused on family can heighten a complex array of difficult emotions, decisions, conversations, and more.

And, while Thanksgiving is still a time to reflect on all we’re grateful for, it’s also becoming more and more a time to reflect on the ancestral traumas that gave birth to this holiday. The very real scars on the peoples and lands who tended this earth before the arrival of settlers cannot be ignored.

These challenges are real and painful, and they can make it easy to slip into guilt and despair. They can even activate fear around even publicly celebrating this holiday.

Yet gratitude is one of the highest vibration states we can enter into. Gratitude shifts our energy and opens our heart. It fortifies our spiritual strength in trying times. It tells the earth and our loved ones that we appreciate all the gifts in our lives. It communicates our own true worth to our innermost selves.

What if we treated our Thanksgiving menus as opportunities for healing? What if we ritualized our feasts as vessels of ancestral reconciliation?

Thanksgiving rituals for healing - navigating complicated legacies with love

Rituals for Thanksgiving Healing

Rituals work because of the powerful confluence of intention and energy they create. Though seemingly magical, they are one of the most powerful ways I know of to create real, observable change in our lives.

Any major holiday is already charged with extra usable energy—generations of repeated intentions and actions have already ritualized these days.

This means that when we set the intention for our Thanksgiving dinners to become healing ceremonies, we really can impact our personal and collective energy in powerful ways.

Though the details of your personal rituals will look different depending on your intentions, a few pieces will be the same:

Set your intention for healing before you begin preparing your meal. Then hold this intention throughout the cooking process. See your love, gratitude, and desire for healing flow from your heart, into your hands, and into the food.
If possible, state your intentions out loud at your dinner table. Invite the others present to offer their intentions for healing, as well.
Affirm that as you consume the food laid before you, your body becomes an alchemical vessel of transformational healing. Just as your digestive system physically transmutes food into energy, the energy of intentions you’ve poured into the food alchemizes into healing.

Any and all healing intentions are welcome here. Trust your guidance. Here are a few suggestions depending on what might be alive for you in this moment:

For family gatherings that might trigger personal trauma or seemingly inevitable conflict, try infusing the food with the emotions you wish to cultivate more of—perhaps self-worth, protection, or family harmony.
For those who wish to honor loved ones across the veil, you may like to prepare their favorite dishes. Imagine the part of them that lives on in you getting to enjoy the meal through your physical vessel. Allow space for their physical absence to be named, and perhaps their spiritual presence to be welcomed.
If your heart is pulled toward all the people without healthy, hot meals at this time of year (or any, really), a beautiful practice here is to harness the energy of your own gratitude. Have everyone around your table feel a deep sense of gratitude for all the abundance you enjoy. Then imagine this abundance spreading to all beings. Visualize, with all the energy and focus you can harness, a world in which all people are fed. This practice might seem small, but it's a little bit of collective magic that really does spread blessings upon the ethers.
To contribute to our collective reconciliation around the traumas inflicted on native populations and the land here, learn about the traditional foods of the ancestors where you live. See if you can incorporate and celebrate these foods into a menu with your own traditional dishes. Set the intention that as your body harmonizes these foods, so harmony and reconciliation build in our collective. Focus on shifting guilt and judgment to love and visions of a better future for all who walk this land.

Please know, these practices aren’t meant to replace the very real-world actions needed to reconcile and heal a horrific legacy of colonization. Nor do they replace the self-healing and resourcing necessary to navigate complicated family legacies. (And for goodness sake, if hunger pulls on your heart be sure to donate to local food banks!)
My intention here is to help transform the underlying energy of our collective traumas so that we can create greater leaps in healing in the physical plane. Just as we tend our own well-being in mind, body, and spirit, we can tend our collective well-being through multiple modes and layers of healing.

An Invitation

This Thanksgiving, take some time to reflect on the many lineages that make up your ancestry. Feel into where healing is needed. Feel into where celebration is called for. And enjoy the sacred dimensions of the wild convergence that is you.

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juniper stokes 11/2/22 juniper stokes 11/2/22

Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

Even if you’ve only dipped a toe into the wild world of spiritual practice, you’re probably hearing a lot about ancestors right now. Ancestral altars, thinning veils, and the ghosts of ancestors past. We tend to experience a heightened awareness of all-things ancestral around this time of year. Yet recent years have brought about a collective zeitgeist in our interest in ancestral healing. But who are “the ancestors” really? The answer to this question is actually much more complex that tracing back your blood lines (though of course that’s part of it). As we step through this dark portal filled with ghosts of the past, let’s dive into who the ancestors really are—and how we can begin to work with them.

All Hallow’s Eve. Samhain. Dia de los Muertos. Halloween.

Even if you’ve only dipped a toe into the wild world of spiritual practice, you’re probably hearing a lot about ancestors right now.

Ancestral altars, thinning veils, and the ghosts of ancestors past.

We tend to experience a heightened awareness of all-things ancestral around this time of year. Yet recent years have brought about a collective zeitgeist in our interest in ancestral healing.

But who are “the ancestors” really?

The answer to this question is actually much more complex that tracing back your blood lines (though of course that’s part of it).

As we step through this dark portal filled with ghosts of the past, let’s dive into who the ancestors really are—and how we can begin to work with them.

In this article, you’ll explore:

The difference between a bloodline and milk line
Our individual ancestors—the known and unknown, well and unwell
Our collective ancestors—the spirits of the land, our transcendent wisdomkeepers
Our more than human ancestors—who else are we born from?

Individual Ancestors

Let’s begin with the obvious—those ancestors who gave us our individual lives. Our bloodline relatives.

Even within this seemingly straightforward category, there are a few important distinctions to make:

Bloodlines & Milklines

Our bloodline ancestors are fairly straightforward. These are the ancestors without whom we would not exist, those who have given us the DNA that makes us who we are.

Our milkline ancestors are just as important, though rarely discussed. Milkline ancestors are those who have strongly influenced your family line, though not through blood.

Step-parents, adoptions, nannies and other primary caregivers—wherever these ancestors fall in your family history, their influence and energy becomes part of your lineage.

In my ancestral healing sessions, I treat our bloodline and milkline ancestry as equally important, because they are.

I also work with what I call lightlines. Lightlines refers to the spiritual lineages we carry—those from our other lifetimes. This is a bigger topic than this article allows for and one I’ll expand upon in the future. For now, it’s just enough to recognize that your lightline ancestors may be influencing you just as much as your bloodline and milkline ones.

Known & Unknown Ancestors

Oftentimes, when someone first steps into the work of healing with ancestors, they focus on their known ancestors—grandparents, great-grandparents, and perhaps even further back relatives who can be traced through family histories.

Yet our unknown ancestors greatly influence us as well, and it's perfectly possible to meet them through deep journeywork.

Our unknown ancestors are those who lie beyond the reach of family history. While some of these ancestors may be from lineages you’re aware of, many will emerge in surprising places.

Humans have become intertwined through millennia of exploration, domination, and celebration—and we can probably all trace seeds of influence back to common ancestors. While these seeds might seem like small drops in an ocean of DNA, ancestors from unknown and surprising lines can be quite impactful when it comes to our present day experiences.

Well & Unwell Ancestors

Many of us have very complex relationships with our ancestry…

For some, recently deceased relatives were cruel or challenging during their lifetimes, and connecting with their energy doesn’t feel healthy.

For all of us, we have ancestors who did horrible things. This is the way of humanity. Whether known or unknown, bloodline or milkline, every person alive has ancestors who were slave owners, rapists, conquerers, persecutors, murderers, and generally cruel idiots.

(And for what it’s worth, we’ve all had plenty of lifetimes we’d likely be ashamed of, so try to resist judgment here.)

We also all have ancestors who have endured horrors and tragedies of all types. And while some may have found strength and growth through their experiences, others may have been shaken to the core, carrying wounds and resentments to the grave.

If our ancestors get stuck in harmful or traumatic patterns, even after death, they remain unwell ancestors.

If they do the work to evolve their souls—whether through lifetimes as a living human or through soul work on the other side, they become well ancestors.

And, of course, so many of those who have crossed over fall somewhere in the middle.

This is probably the most important distinction to be aware of when it comes to working with and honoring our individual ancestors: If a deceased relative is coming through with advice, it’s essential that you can recognize whether this advice is still rooted in ego or is coming from a more expanded consciousness.

Our well ancestors, also known as compassionate ancestors, have become so completely aligned with their true spiritual nature that they are more like spirit guides than deceased relatives.

The well ancestors offer us gifts that live in our DNA and our karmic legacies. They have timeless wisdom and experience to share with us, supporting our own survival and good fortune from higher vantages and loving perspectives.

For millennia, the well ancestors were humanity’s primary spiritual allies—knowledge of who they were was known in ways that most of us (in the modern West at least) have lost touch with. Rekindling our relationship with our well ancestors can be life-changing.

If you’re feeling concerned about your unwell ancestors, know that ancestral healing is completely possible and transformational, with effects that ripple in all directions of time.
Much of the healing work I do in private practice revolves around tending our unwell ancestors. This might be in the form of restoring balance where harm has been done, untying tethers and cords to past trauma, releasing old agreements and vows, and helping our ancestral “ghosts” cross into the light (to name just a few!).

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Collective Ancestors

While much of popular conversation about ancestry revolves around our individual bloodlines (and milklines), we also have collective ancestors. These are the benevolent spirits of the land and the grandmothers, grandfathers, and wisdom keepers who watch over humanity.

Our collective ancestors are no longer tied to specific bloodlines. Though they once lived as humans, these ancestral spirits have transcended human systems of relation to become wise elders for all of us.

The Land Ancestors

When we work with the spirits of nature, many of the beings we connect with are land ancestors. These beings have deep ties to a particular place, usually formed during their lifetimes on earth. Now, from the other side of the veil, they continue to tend and protect the land energetically.

If you’ve ever been to a place in the wild world that just feels good, it’s likely that ancestral tending is happening beyond our physical perceptions.

For those drawn to earth healing, forming relationships with our collective land ancestors is a powerful practice.

(Quick tip: If you’re going to travel somewhere new, see if you can meet the land ancestors of that location first—here’s how.)

The Wisdomkeepers

You might have heard some spiritual practitioners refer to “the grandmothers”, “the elders”, or other groups of ancient and wise spirits. These are the wisdomkeepers, ancestors who hold teachings, lessons, and knowledge for humanities evolution and ascension.

Universal grandparents, these spirits were often shamans, temple tenders, medicine people, and wise elders on earth—though, they may or may not have been recognized as such during their lifetimes. After crossing over, they choose to anchor uniquely human knowledge and guidance in service of all humanity.

In addition to the elders, Bodhisattvas and ascended masters are also collective ancestors who continue to anchor the divine compassion on earth.

Non-Human Ancestors

Magical Mating & Overlighting: Individual Non-Human Ancestors

A warning: Ok. If you’re generally spiritual and interested in ancestral healing you’ve probably been on board so far…this section is where ancestors get trippy. It may or may not resonate with you, and that’s fine. But I’m including it because there will be a few people who really need to hear this. You’ve been warned. And feel free to skip to the last section—it’s actually the most important one, and I think you’ll be back on board ;)

If we trace just about any cultural mythology back far enough, we’re led to a time when humans co-existed with other realms. Gods and goddesses mated with mere mortals throughout Greek or Norse tales, and the fae ruled the land alongside the humans in Celtic lands.

Perhaps, you’re descended from a more magical mating than you realize…imagine the ancestral connections this might open!

Many who descend from the British Isles feel as though there must be some Sidh or fae blood running through their veins. And perhaps there is.

Or, perhaps their connection with the fae comes through overlighting. Though the term overlighting comes to us from Celtic traditions, it’s a universal phenomenon.

Overlighting refers to a spirit merging with, or “lighting up”, a physical being.

This term is often used for nature spirits—devas who enliven an oak or rose, for example.

When it comes to ancestral explorations, however, overlighting refers to a specific magical act: a non-human spirit overlights (merges with) a human. The intention here is to share unique gifts with that human—or that human’s bloodline.

While overlighting can take place at any time, conception and birth are two especially influential moments. This act might be done without the human parent’s awareness, or the parents may consciously engage in overlighting rituals in order to imbue their child with spiritual gifts.

In either case, the bloodline becomes infused with non-human ancestry.

Explorations of individual non-human ancestors must be done from a place of wholeness, clarity, and groundedness.

It can be incredibly tempting to bypass the traumas of your human ancestors—and to bypass the human journey you’ve agreed to take in this life—in favor of more magical—and thus further removed—tales.

Do the work of being fully human first. Then, when you know you can engage from a place of non-attachment, delve into your magical lineages.

And as a note, just as there are universal ancestral elders in the human realm, we can all connect with universal magical ancestors. So don’t worry if you feel fully human ;) The magic is still there for you.

All is Kin: Collective Non-Human Ancestors

Our bodies are made of the same elements as all of life on earth. We share the same divine spark that enlivens all beings.

All of earth is our kin.

And so, all of earth contains our ancestors.

The trees (living or deceased), the ancient stone people, the spirits of nature, the tiny microbes in our soil and water, the Earth herself…these are our ancestors just as much as any relative by blood.

Even the stars share their cosmic DNA with us humans—a phenomenon many people feel deeply aligned with. What ancestral wisdom can we connect with through the light beings in the sky?

The late Lakota elder Joseph M. Marshall III, taught that he began each day with silence, smudging, and a prayer—mitakuye oyasin, a Lakota phrase that loosely translates to “all my relations”.

Here, relations are all beings. The sun, earth, and moon. Your family. The birds and trees in your neighborhood. All of us.

And if we’re all related, all of life gives us our ancestors.

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juniper stokes 6/18/22 juniper stokes 6/18/22

3 Creative Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice, Litha, Midsummer, or whatever your word of choice, is celebrated in many wonderful ways throughout the world, including dancing around bonfires, seasonal feasts, visiting sacred wells and waters, and leaving offerings for the fae. I’ll be dipping my toes into all of the above this solstice, as well as a few new activities I encourage you to try…

Summer Solstice is celebrated in many wonderful ways throughout the world, including dancing around bonfires, seasonal feasts, visiting sacred wells and waters, and leaving offerings for the fae.

I’ll be dipping my toes into all of the above this solstice, as well as a few new activities I encourage you to try…

1. Watch the sunrise and sunset with a grateful heart

Watching the sunrise and sunset has many benefits for our minds, bodies, and souls—what better time to intentionally set aside time for both than the Summer Solstice? On this day, allow the time, energy, and intention you give to witnessing the sun’s cycles connect you with its divine solar energy.

2. Collect the morning dew for magic and healing.

This idea came to me from Betsy Bergstrom, and I love it so much I wanted to share with all of you :)

If you’re in an area where lots of dew accumulates, you might be lucky enough to be able to fill a small jar with the dew of the solstice. Shake off leaves and tip full flowers into your vessel. This will be magically potent water that you can use for rituals, healings, and spells throughout the year.

If this means of collection is challenging, you can also soak a cloth in the dew of the grasses. Your cloth will become a healing cloth for the next solar cycle. You might lay it upon injuries or use it in rituals.

3. Take a prophecy walk.

One of the assignments I give to my Rewilding the Spirit students is to take a quiet, intuitive walk with the intention of receiving omens from nature. This walk can be in the woods or simply your neighborhood—often, closer to home is even more impactful because of your ongoing relationship with the spirits of your land.

As you walk, try not to talk or listen to podcasts or music. Set the intention to receive guidance about something that’s been on your mind, and then open your awareness to signs from the universe.

Betsy also mentioned that Solstice gives us a beautiful opportunity to set the intention of receiving prophecies for the year to come on this walk.

Remember, the universe communicates in symbolic language. Think of the messages from your walk as a dream to unravel over time.

How will you celebrate Summer Solstice this year?

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juniper stokes 5/1/22 juniper stokes 5/1/22

5 Steps for Communicating with The Spirits of Nature

The spirits of nature are always around us. You’ve probably sensed their presence on occasion. A tingling in your spine. A breeze that you just knew had a message for you. A stone with a face so clear it could not be ignored. It is absolutely possible to drop into deeper communication with these nature spirits. All it takes is a heartfelt intention, patience, and practice. Here are five steps to get started.

The spirits of nature are always around us.

You’ve probably sensed their presence on occasion. A tingling in your spine. A breeze that you just knew had a message for you. A stone with a face so clear it could not be ignored.

It is absolutely possible to drop into deeper communication with these nature spirits. All it takes is a heartfelt intention, patience, and practice.

Do you want to start communicating with the spirits of nature? Here are five steps to get started.

1. Slow Down

Feel into the pacing of your life. For most of us, a sense of tension or frazzled energy arises. Why? We’re moving at a rapid pace that is foreign to our natural way of being.

When you’re tied to your to-do lists and glued to multiple screens, it’s next to impossible to be present. But the present moment is exactly where you’ll find the spirits of nature.

While most of us love the idea of a slower paced life, actually getting there is another story. It’s actually an act of revolution.

You can begin by carving at least a bit of time each day to pause and focus on the present moment. Go for a meandering walk. Meditate for 10 minutes. Anything that helps you just be is welcome.

Then start bringing slowness into more of your life as it is. When you’re preparing food, for example, really be present. Remind yourself that the rush is often self-imposed. Put on music you love, delight in the colors and flavors and creativity and nourishment unfolding on your cutting board.

As a slower pace of life becomes more natural for you, your energy will shift into greater attunement with the pace of nature. This alone opens the door to communication with nature spirits.

2. Harmonize with Nature’s Rhythms

Similar to slowing down but just a bit more intentional, harmonizing the rhythms of your life with the rhythms of nature is another powerful way to cultivate the ability to communicate with the spirits of nature.

Here are a few simple ways to explore living in alignment with the cycles of nature:

Watch the sunrise and/or sunset each day. This has powerful impacts on your physical body and spiritual well-being.
Practice moon gazing. Spend a few minutes gazing at the moon each night. Over time, you’re body will start syncing with lunar cycles. Notice the unique ways this affects you physically and energetically.
Eat seasonally. Do you know what’s in season when where you live? Or better yet, do you grow a bit of your own food? Eating seasonally doesn’t need to be extreme—I certainly still eat salads in the winter! It can become an intentional way to connect with the seasons though. What does your body crave right now?

As you track your energy levels, moods, and physical body throughout these cycles, you’ll begin to learn more about what your authentic self craves. Then, as you make adjustments based on this information, you’ll find that the voices of nature’s spirits become even louder in your awareness.

3. Tune into Your Body

Our bodies are of the earth, and they are powerful vessels for receiving the earth’s messages.

Remember, the spirits of nature don’t necessarily speak English as a first language ;)

One of the most common ways for the spirits of nature to communicate with us is through our bodies. This usually comes in the form of feelings and sensations.

Trust what you feel—even if you don’t know what it means right away. This confirmation of spirits’ presence is the first step.

Then, over time, you’ll start unpacking the messages you receive in ways that are unique for you.

Some will see images, others will hear words, and still others might just have a knowing. Regardless of how your communication comes through, know that it will happen.

You can use your breath to begin attuning your body to receive nature’s wisdom. Follow your breath into the present moment. Then bring your awareness to your body. Notice the sensations without judgment. Then expand your awareness beyond your body to the nature spirits around you. What shifts? What sensations can you start associating with their presence?

Another way to prepare your body for communicating with nature spirits is to drop a grounding cord deep into the earth. This attunes you our mother’s energy and keeps you grounded as you open your intuitive sight.

4. Start Where You Are

All of us cohabitate with numerous land spirits. This includes the ones we can see—the trees and stones and birds—and the ones that exist just parallel to our 3D reality—the fairies and devas and ancestral spirits.

These beings are well aware of your presence.

Forming relationships with the beings you already live with is a beautiful way to show respect to the more-than-human world. You’re life already impacts these spirits of the land, and when you become more conscious of this, these spirits will often respond quite clearly.

It’s important to remember that this is true even of those who live in apartments or in areas that seem more separated from the spirits of nature. These beings live everywhere, and they don’t view property lines in the same ways that we do.

One beautiful way to begin cultivating a relationship with the spirits of your place is through a sit spot practice.

Simply find a place that you visit regularly—once a week at minimum.

Then, spend some time there regularly. Notice the plants, stones, and animals that frequent that place. Observe how it changes throughout the seasons.

Practice slowing down, opening your senses, and tuning into your body.

Notice where your thoughts travel while you’re here, or insights that might arise throughout your life because of your sit spot time.

This is nature communicating with you.

It’s not uncommon to receive a gift after several visits to your sit spot. If you’re so lucky, be sure to give thanks and treat this gift with the reverence it deserves.

5. Reciprocity

Perhaps the most important thing anyone who wants to communicate with the spirits of nature can do is practicing reciprocity.

The earth gives us so much. And it restores divine order when we give back.

What does reciprocity look like? There are many ways to nourish a reciprocal relationship with the earth. Here are just a few ideas, and I encourage you to practice all of them!

Love and gratitude. Offering your heartfelt love and gratitude for the simple presence of nature’s spirits and the earth herself is invaluable. The earth feels this gift from your heart. Intention, focus, and authentic love are all that’s needed. If you’re really dropping in here, you’re eyes will probably start to water from the power of your gift and receptivity of the earth.
Picking up trash. We’ve probably all come across the random bit of trash on a hike or walk in nature—some places with more than others. The spirits of nature are truly harmed by this litter, yet they rely on us to remove it for them. Bring a bag with you wherever you walk or hike and pick up garbage as you go. This act alone just might accelerate your ability to communicate with nature spirits faster than anything else.
Offerings. Giving physical offerings to the earth and her inhabitants, especially when you’re gathering her gifts, is greatly appreciated by the spirits of nature. Just be sure that the gifts are appropriate and won’t disrupt the natural ecosystem (when I visit the delicate desert ecosystems in Canyonlands I only offer love). Small crystals, a strand of hair, cornmeal, dried plants, or fairy foods are all common offerings.
Lifestyle. Is your lifestyle ecofriendly and sustainable? Are the products you use natural? The deeply ingrained structures of modern life make it next to impossible for us to live as sustainably as we wish we could. But even if personal lifestyle changes seem like drops in a bucket for the challenges our earth faces, what you do matters. The spirits of nature are watching, and they are far more willing to communicate with those who show them love and respect through daily actions and choices.
Earth Tending. As your nature spirit communication deepens and your spiritual skills grow, you may feel called to the art of earth tending. This involves spiritual and energetic practices that actively support our earth. Energetic and crystal grids, soul retrieval for the land, clearing dense energies, and transfiguration ceremonies are just a few of the potentials in this realm.

It’s more important than ever for all of us to learn to communicate with the spirits of nature and the earth herself.

Not only do these beings need us to show up and act on their behalf, they can guide us safely through the turbulence ahead in exchange.

And the more you tend to the wild spirits around you, the more in touch with your own wild spirit you become.

The world needs our wildness awake and alive.

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juniper stokes 4/20/22 juniper stokes 4/20/22

8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

Why working the elements, the fae, and other spirits of the land is the key to making magic and miracles happen.

What are the benefits of working with the spirits of nature?

All of us co-exist with a wide variety of nature spirits—some we can see, like trees and stones, and some are best met through our other senses, such as fairies and elves.

When we enter into conscious relationship with the seen and unseen beings all around us, miracles begin to unfold in our lives.

Why? Because our connection with these beings influences every part of our lives, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Many of the nature spirits around us are very aware of our presence, our behavior, and our intentions.

When we ignore them, which honestly they’re used to at this point, at best they ignore us as well. But depending on the type of spirit and our behavior, we could find ourselves experiencing lots of unhelpful blocks or trickster energy.

Still others are basically asleep to our human world. We’ve ignored each other for so long that it’s as if we’re both living our own parallel yet separate dreams.

This separation is an illusion though. We co-exist and do influence each other. When we “wake up” these beings through the loving intention to create a reciprocal relationship, an immense amount of spiritual support becomes available to us.

Anyone who continues to deepen their relationship with the natural world will experience gifts across the spectrum of life. Here are a few…

1. Spending time in nature is good for our health.

There are entire books written on the physical and psychological benefits of spending time in nature—The Biophilia Effect by Clemens G. Avrayis one of my favorites.

From the way our coevolution with plants makes them potent sources of medicine, to the healing terpenes found in summer forests, to the countless studies that show seeing greenery and growth alleviates depression, and so much more—spending time in nature is critically important for our health.

2. The nature spirits can offer us unseen support for all of life.

The better relationship we have with those we live with, the happier our lives will be—this is equally true for people and spirits.

Just as nature spirits can create obstacles or have trickster energy, they can also remove obstacles and create seeming miracles in our lives.

Cultivating a strong relationship with the spirits of nature where you live can help you be at the right place at the right time—even if it seems unrelated to being in nature. Meeting important people, finding the new opportunities, and experiencing greater abundance are all natural outcomes of right relationship with nature spirits.

3. You and your property will experience extra protection.

One particular area of support nature spirits can share with us is that of protection—for yourself, your loved ones, and your property.

When I lived in Denver, porch pirates were rampant in my neighborhood, and other theft wasn’t uncommon. Every single day, I would partner with the spirits of nature to surround my property and home with spiritual protection—and we never once had anything stolen.

I want to be clear that there are no guarantees here—sometimes shit just happens. But I absolutely know that we were supported by the spirits of our place in this way. (I mean, I ordered a lot of boxes…especially during the pandemic. this really does seem miraculous to me!)

4. Deepening your relationship with nature leads to magical and practical gifts.

The more you engage with the natural world, the more the natural world will engage with you. At a basic level, this can be seen in the joy of a successful garden, finding “treasures” on your walks and hikes, discovering secret spots in nature, amazing animal sightings, and intuitive hits on which plants to turn to for healing remedies.

I spent about a decade deepening my relationship with the nature spirits of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and sooo many gifts emerged over our time together—including lots of fun animal encounters, which I pretty much live for.

But the one animal I always wanted to see but never had was a big bear. Over the years, I saw moose, fox, elk, mountain goats, tons of birds, and many more…but in all my time I’d never gotten to see a bear.

On my final trip to my favorite spot in the mountains before moving out of state, I finally saw a huge brown bear. It sauntered right by me, no more than 20 feet from where I sat. It took years of love and dedication, but I know this sighting was a true gift from the nature spirits there.

5. Partnering with the spirits of nature is key to our survival.

At this point, when we look at the massive changes and imbalances on our planet, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. We must start listening to the needs of nature if we’re to have any future at all.

Partnering with the spirits of nature is how our ancestors survived, and it’s time for us to do the same.

When we learn to really listen, we tap into a hidden resource for navigating a rapidly changin world We intuitively know how to prepare for extreme weather events, how to plan for seasons and crops, when to move, where to find the medicinal and edible plants, and so much more.

Please understand that this doesn’t mean we’re immune to the collective effects of natural disasters and climate change. No one, no matter how beloved you are to the earth, can escape the effects of our collective actions, not to mention there’s a lot of mystery and karma involved here.

It does mean though, that you will absolutely be better prepared and supported for navigating the times ahead.

6. You’ll be able to work magic with the elements.

I’ll admit it: One of my pet peeves in spiritual communities is the tendency to cry out for “rain dances” in times of drought and fire, or to perform collective ceremonies to stop flooding, to ask the wind to blow another direction and soften its gusts.

Yes, working with the elements is important and possible. What drives me crazy, however, is the idea that we can ignore the elements, abuse the earth, and then simply decide to “do ceremony” for the weather when it suits our needs. Nope!

Being able to perform weather magic and work with the elements is a privilege that comes from taking the time to establish a long, secure, reciprocal relationship with these powerful energies.

But when you really take the time to come into deep relationship with the elements, everything becomes possible.

The elements are the building blocks of our world and carry immense power beyond our comprehension. Working with the elements is the key to making magic with real-world, miraculous results, both in your personal life and in service of our collective.

7. Partnering with the spirits of nature helps you rewild your life.

We evolved in intimate connection with the land, the seasons, and the more-than-human world. Returning to these natural connections restores our essential nature—the truth of who we are before society and culture tame our wild spirits.

Your true self is uniquely gifted to fulfill your role on our planet. When you tune into your true nature, you’ll find that you already know what to do and when to do it. You’ll find joy and wholeness are already within.

Rewilding takes us out of chronos time and into kairos time, a circular wild world where anything and everything is possible.

The wild spirits of nature remember how to be wild. They can help you remember, too.

8. You’ll experience greater fulfillment as you expand your circle of compassion.

Partnering with the spirits of nature opens you to an entire new world of meaningful relationships, and you’ll soon discover that you’re never really alone.

Nurturing these relationships opens us to more meaningful dimensions of life and brings deep fulfillment on a soul level.

Want to learn how to start working in partnership with the spirits of nature? Here are 5 Simple Steps.

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Why working with the elements, the fae, and other spirits of the land is the key to making magic and miracles happen.

juniper stokes 1/22/22 juniper stokes 1/22/22

The Color Bubble Practice for Energetic Protection

A simple practice to protect your energy

Here's a super quick practice for energetic protection.

This is a great one for times when you need a little extra "cushioning"—maybe you're about to go to a crowded place, for example—and a great daily practice. Try this each morning for a week and see what happens!

Quickie Practice for Energetic Protection

First, breath into your heart and notice the light there. See this light grow and fill up your entire body, and then go beyond your body, creating a bubble of white light around you.

Most of you have probably done something similar to this before—and it works! Your energy, intention, focus, and partnership with spirit will create an effective orb of protection around you.

But if you want to go further, experiment with filling your bubble with different colors! Every color has a different vibration, and therefore different protective and healing qualities.

Visualize the bubble filling with green, blue, violet, red...

How does each color feel? Over time, you'll learn your own unique color language and know exactly what color to use when 🙂

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juniper stokes 1/14/22 juniper stokes 1/14/22

Are Your Thoughts Your Own? Claiming Mental Sovereignty

If you've ever really looked under the surface of your thinking mind, you've probably already realized that so much of what we think, believe, and even feel is heavily influenced by outside sources.

How many of your thoughts are your own?

If you've ever really looked under the surface of your thinking mind, you've probably already realized that so much of what we think, believe, and even feel is heavily influenced by outside sources.

Our family patterning. Our education systems. Our work environments. Our social groups. Religious organizations. The news or entertainment we give our attention to. And now more than ever, our social media feeds.

Yet beyond these clear pulls on our consciousness, there are even more subtle and potentially dangerous threads involved...

These are energetic threads created from magnetic thought forms, mass hysteria and hypnosis, collective trauma, and more.

Most of these threads are natural occurrences with no hidden agendas behind them. They simply arise, and we can learn skills to disentangle from them so we can return to sovereign wellness.

But some of these threads are absolutely intentionally created. As creepy as that might sound, we can 100% learn to unhook from them as well.

Curious as to what all this means? What kinds of "threads" I might be referring to? And most importantly, how you can protect yourself?

Good! Our world needs us to unhook from the chaos out there and come back into our hearts, our truth, and our power.

This is why I'm teaching a six-week course all about psychic protection. We begin February 1, and classes will be recorded in case you need to miss one.

There are a few spots left. If you feel even the slightest pull, it means you're ready to claim new levels of spiritual sovereignty. Join us.

juniper stokes 1/7/22 juniper stokes 1/7/22

Is Possession Real? (Spoiler...yes)

Around winter solstice, I got a possession…

Sometime around winter solstice, I got a possession.

A what? Like in The Poltergeist? Yeah...kind of. There really are disembodied spirits that can influence us to varying degrees. But I promise, I've never seen this actually look like The Poltergeist.

What typically happens is that someone starts feeling low energy or mildly depressed/anxious, but there's not really a reason why.

Over time, if the possession isn't taken care of, it can lead to a host of harmful effects—anger issues, addictions, chronic illness.

The problem is, these are all normal human things, so we don't realize that there's a foreign energy involved. Even people who live and breathe this work, like myself, can be influenced without realizing it.

I'm extremely grateful that years of training have taught me to recognize the subtle signs that a foreign entity is attaching to me early on.

For me, it's a very physical sensation. I know that when my back has a certain type of tingle, someone is with me who shouldn't be.

I've actually had bouts with this tingling for years, but I'd always chalked it up to my own anxiety. Thankfully, I have a better understanding of the layers involved now, and I know to take action right away.

With this possession, I tried to clear it myself. Well, I actually reached out to three friends who are gifted in this area first, but with the holidays and everyone traveling, no one had time.

So I tried and tried to clear this being. I went to nature to partner with the strength of the earth. I smudged all over the place. I tried to compassionately help the being move into the light.

While I felt a little better with the earth and smudging, nothing worked.

Sometimes, when a really big entity attaches to us, we become so depleted so fast that we simply aren't able to heal ourselves. This is why we need each other so much when it comes to healing!

Fortunately, one of my favorite magical energy healing women got back to me after the holidays and we were able to have a session. She confirmed what I felt and was able to do the work to clear the being (though it sounded like a heavy lift this time even for her!).

My heart's deepest wish is to illuminate this phenomenon to others. So many are suffering and don't need to be!

The first step is awareness. If this is new or interesting to you at all, please come to my free class on January 12th. I'll be talking about a lot of surprising influences on our wellbeing, including this one.

The next step is protection. Obviously, if my experience tells us anything, it's that sometimes shit just happens. Actually, if the past few years have taught all of us anything, it's that shit happens that we can't control, and there's no good reason for it.

That said, there are plenty of things we can do to lessen our chances of picking up foreign energy. Just like eating well and exercising can support our physical immune system, good energy hygiene can support our spiritual immunity.

If this sounds interesting, definitely sign up for Energy Hygiene and Psychic Protection! This is a live, virtual six-week class where I'll be teaching you how to identify foreign energy, protect yourself, and cleanse yourself from the basic subtle energies we all pick up on. This way, you'll be able to both keep yourself as healthy as possible and recognize the signs for when you need more support.

Then, for those who really feel called to this work, learning how to do extractions and psychopomp suffering beings would be a good next step. I only share these teachings within advanced trainings. If there's enough interest, I'll set some up this year—let me know!

May you navigate the wild worlds of spiritual beings with safety and ease.

juniper stokes 9/13/21 juniper stokes 9/13/21

Are You Scared of an Animal? Here's What Spirit Has to Say...

What does it mean if you're scared of, or don't like, your power animal? Is there a hidden meaning when you have a fear of a particular animal in general? Here’s how to look at animal phobias from a spiritual perspective.

What does it mean if you're scared of, or don't like, your power animal? Is there a hidden meaning when you have a fear of a particular animal in general?

In every intro to shamanism class I've taught, at least one student has received a power animal that made them uncomfortable. And I view this as an excellent opportunity...

Our power animals offer us just what the name suggests—POWER. True spiritual power that helps us decondition from false constructs and remember that we have far more ability to steer the direction of our lives than we may realizing.

When you connect with your spiritual power, your soul takes the lead and you enter unknown territory. And you know what doesn't like this? What wants to keep you small and safe and in the realm of the known? Your ego.

And what better way to keep you separate from your power than to make you afraid of it?

I remember years ago, at least a decade now, I dreamed that I was eaten by a crocodile. This dream was so insanely impactful that I developed a fear of crocodiles and alligators that lasted for years. On one level, I loved and appreciated them as part of the animal kingdom, but on a more subtle, embodied level, I felt fear whenever I saw them.

And I even saw one in the wild—only six feet from me! While kayaking in Queensland, I pulled up onto a beach and looked over only to see a baby crocodile calmly watching me.

This was both scary and exhilarating. And something shifted.

I now realize, through years of shamanic experience and study, that the crocodile that appeared in my dream so long ago was initiating me into its medicine through a dismemberment—one of the most traditional and time-honored forms of initiation.

When I understood crocodile’s true relationship with me, I began to work more intentionally with crocodile as a spirit guide. And wow. Talk about a powerhouse ally! So much power had been cut off from me when I resisted its medicine.

Now whenever I see a crocodile, my heart swells with love. All I see is beauty and all I feel is gratitude. The shift in my response has been a full-bodied transformation.

If you receive a power animal that you're scared of, take time to learn about its gifts and lifestyle. The more we know and understand our animals, the more we can appreciate and eventually learn to love them.

And, if you have an unexplained phobia or dislike of a particular animal, perhaps this is a signpost—where might you be afraid or resistant to your own gifts and power?

For help exploring these important questions, take a look at the Spirit Animal Workshop. It will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know about claiming your power through your power animal relationships.

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juniper stokes 7/22/21 juniper stokes 7/22/21

Bear Medicine

Meeting my first bear in the wild, understanding spirit animals, and knowing that we are not alone

We are not alone...

I saw this marking just two days before a huge brown bear sauntered right by me, maybe 20 feet away.

My eyes must have looked like a cartoon character's—I've waited my entire life to see a bear in the wild and I couldn't believe it had finally happened. For better or worse, pure ecstatic joy overrode any fear.

If you look up Bear as a spirit animal online, you'll find everything from bear signifying a cycle of hibernation coming, being courageous, motherhood, appreciating the sweetness in life, protection, and so much more.

When I encountered Bear, I knew the appearance was significant. I knew Bear was coming as a messenger from spirit—but I also knew that online animal references could not tell me the personal meaning of my experience. I believe that we must cultivate the ability to work with spirit without a middleman, the ability to find our own answers.

I felt that this bear's appearance was less about Bear medicine specifically, and more about me opening up to a new era of power.

I've just been through—well, I'm still in it really—an extremely challenging period of major transformation and initiation. Everything, in every part of life, has felt stuck, blocked , grief-ridden, unnecessarily difficult, and bizarrely bad for so long, despite my best efforts. But I've been making my way through, trusting in spirit and doing the work, and have finally felt a shift and a bit of levity enter back into my life.

The day before I saw this bear, I commented to my partner that a bear was the one animal I hadn't yet seen in these mountains that I wished I would someday, even though seeing one in the wild might feel a bit scary.

The timing of all of this feels like a pure gift from spirit, a sign of encouragement and confirmation that I am in touch with spirit and on my path. A confirmation that indeed, I have reached a turning point.

As I enter this new era, I feel Bear blessing me with power, protection, maturity, sweetness, rest, and so much more.

Many of these qualities of course overlap with what you might read online, and yet the major lesson and confirmation from my bear sighting had to come from my personal reflections about this encounter, my own intuitive perceptions.

Have you ever encountered an animal and wondered if it carried a message of some sort?

Animal sightings are one of the most common ways spirit communicates with us, and learning how to understand the omens and messages coming to you is an absolutely invaluable skill. If you’d like to learn more about how to interpret the animal messengers in your own life, be sure to take a look at The Spirit Animal Workshop.

This self-paced mini-class will teach you how to differentiate between animal messengers and power animals, and how to understand what animals mean without having to look them up in a book or online glossary. If you have any interest in spirit animals at all, then this is for you!

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juniper stokes 6/17/21 juniper stokes 6/17/21

A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

Understand major causes of illness from a shamanic perspective. What does shamanism say about illness, health, and healing? How is illness diagnosed, and what techniques are used? Discover the five main types of illness.

Being human means we suffer (yes, I took that little gem from the Buddhists). Our bodies are susceptible to injury and illness, and our minds struggle with emotional difficulties, addiction, and more.

You probably have a pretty good idea of what’s behind your challenges—from viruses and bacteria, to brain chemistry and the microbiome, to emotional trauma and straight up injury.

While these factors are important to understand and work with, from a shamanic perspective they paint an incomplete picture.

Shamanism holds that everything originates in the unseen world before it manifests physically—and that includes illness and disease. By tending to the spiritual and energetic roots of illness in addition to whatever physical, mental, and emotional support is needed, we can heal more fully.

Causes of Illness from a Shamanic Perspective

On a basic level, shamanism views illness as an energetic imbalance of some sort—either something is there that shouldn’t be, or something should be there that isn’t.

That said, there are a few areas of imbalance that are helpful to understand:

1. Power Loss

In shamanic terminology, the idea of “power” could be likened to life force, vitality, or chi. The late shamanic teacher and physicist Claude Poncelet also defined it as “the ability to transform energy,” which makes sense—when you are fully empowered, you are more capable of creating the changes you want to see.

There are many reasons we lose our power—it seems to be part of the human condition. A few things that appear to be connected to power loss are: having our boundaries violated, sacrificing our own integrity to get certain needs met, internalizing limiting beliefs about ourselves, and anything that disconnects us from our true divine nature. In some traditions, there’s even the act of stealing power.

How do you know if you have power loss? This often shows up as a lack of vitality or zest for life. If you seem unable to make positive changes or take action on your dreams, power loss could be at play. Other common symptoms of power loss include chronic illness, depression, fatigue, low self-esteem, poor boundaries, suicidal feelings, or ongoing misfortunes.

2. Soul Loss

This might sound scary, but it’s actually very common from a shamanic perspective. Soul loss is when a part of your soul’s essence leaves, usually due to some sort of emotional or physical trauma. This can be from a sudden shock, such as a car accident, or an ongoing difficulty, such as an unhealthy relationship.

When part of your soul essence leaves, it does so to protect itself—soul loss is a survival mechanism. And not to worry, your soul essence is never fully gone and is usually comfortably waiting in the unseen world for an opportunity to return.

How do you know if you have soul loss? If you’ve ever experienced an injury or trauma and never quite felt the same again—even after your physical symptoms healed—there could be soul loss. Other symptoms include addiction, PTSD, depression, a weakened immune system, dissociation, grief, or, in extreme cases, coma.

Shamanic sessions can help with soul loss

3. Entanglement

Entanglement is often the result of power or soul loss. It occurs when we take on energy that isn't our own—this may come in the form of intrusions, attachments, cords, or even possessions. I’ll go into more detail about what all these terms mean in future posts. For now, just know that this is all totally natural, even common, and very fixable with shamanic healing.

Symptoms of entanglement vary widely. You might have localized pain with an intrusion or enmeshed relationships that are sustained with energetic cords between you and another person.

Now, I know “possession” sounds intimidating, and it kind of is. Yet, in my own healing journey, working with possessions has been one of the most powerful practices I’ve experienced. Basically, some sort of spirit becomes enmeshed in your field with varying degrees of influence on your personality and life. It is an amazingly healing process to decouple from this outside influence and reclaim your sovereignty through shamanic healing.

4. Lineage Patterns

Much of what we experience has actually been passed down through our lineages. This is a complicated subject, but in short, I work with three main types of lineage healing:

Blood lines—this is the lineage held in your DNA, your genetic makeup
Milk lines—similar to blood lineages, milk lines incorporate other influential relationships, such as adoptive or step parents and important caretakers
Light lines—this is your own spiritual lineage, comprised of the many lives you've lived and all the vows, beliefs, influences, and experiences you carry from them

Shamanic work can help you uncover not only unhealthy patterns and curses, but also the hidden gifts within your lineages. It can also help you heal ancestral trauma in ways that serve generations to come.

5. Disconnection from the Natural World

For most of human history, our daily survival depended upon being in right relationship with the natural world. We recognized the spirit in birds and trees and rocks and rivers—in Mother Earth herself. We honored the sun, stars, and moon.

This need for intimacy with the natural world runs deep in our blood, yet we’ve largely forgotten how to nurture this relationship. As a result, we’re collectively becoming more and more out of balance with our environment.

The effects of this on our planet are clear—I won’t go into a laundry list of environmental destruction here. But what does this mean for us? What soul-level illness might be occurring because we’re missing out on some of the most important relationships in our lives?

Shamanism doesn’t ask that we all go live off the grid (and I’m in no hurry to give up my Netflix subscription!). But it does recognize that healing our relationship with nature is essential to the survival of our species and the planet. As above, so below; as within, so without.

Right relationship with nature - rewilding

Final Thoughts

So, are you worried you might have soul loss and intrusions and—gulp—even a possession?

I can't emphasize enough how common and normal all of this is. Shamanic healing has been around for thousands of years, and as my own teachers say, it wouldn’t have lasted this long if it didn’t work. The reason we’re discussing these causes of illnesses is so that we can tend to them and heal.

Also, please note that this information is not intended to define or diagnose anything you're experiencing. Your “symptoms” could be related to something that would completely surprise your human mind. And in truth, these areas overlap quite a bit (since when has the spirit world been a fan of categories anyway?).

Ready to experience shamanic healing for yourself? Learn more about my one-on-one offerings.

Want to go deeper with these teachings? Enjoy a FREE workshop on Shamanic Illness & Health

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juniper stokes 2/8/21 juniper stokes 2/8/21

Projection: Healing a Toxic Phenomenon with Shamanism

At some point in our lives, all of us are the mercy of the projections of others. And we know from countless studies that this can affect our ability to bring our full self and gifts into the world in very real ways….

I became acutely aware of this phenomenon during my decade as a university lecturer. Many of the teachers I worked with would form these opinions about who students were and what they were capable of, and this alone had far too great an impact on these students' lives.

I made it a practice very early on in my career to see every student as a whole, individual person. I reminded myself that each one of them had important relationships, responsibilities, and gifts outside of my classroom, and remembered that I was only seeing a part of who they were. (This is something I continue to consciously do with my shamanic clients and students.)

The results of this practice were palpable. Students who had struggled with other teachers blossomed in my classes. Students who I might have written off at the beginning of a semester made surprising progress…And my teacher reviews were always stellar 😉

This approach was hard won for me though. One of my earliest, and still one of my favorite jobs ever, was teaching swimming lessons. I've always been a natural teacher, and I was incredibly good at helping kids make breakthroughs in their swimming abilities.

But there was one class. A super beginner class that was usually made up of 4 or 5 year olds. And I really messed up.

I had only 3 students in this class―two siblings, both about 4 years old and the cutest things ever. And an older girl, about 6 I think, with absolutely zero body awareness.

This girl seemed hopeless. She sank like a rock and thrashed in the water as if her only goal was to splash as many people as possible with her eyes closed.

So, as I taught this two-week session, the siblings made beautiful progress. It was so fun to help them bob and float, to learn basic kicks and arm motions. I loved it.

And the older girl made no progress. I had to fail her at the end of the session.

Parents have the opportunity to submit reviews after each session of swimming lessons, and I usually looked forward to getting mine because they were always so complimentary―happy words, happy ego 😛

The mother of the siblings gave me five-star feedback. The mother of the older girl raked me over the coals. She said I gave preferential treatment to the other children and ignored her daughter and then had the nerve to fail her at the end.

Wow. It stung. But she was right. And I knew it.

The next session, I taught the same class and the same girl was placed with me. My first response was terror―oh god, this mother hates me, and now I have her daughter again?

But I sucked it up and was determined to do better. I consciously efforted to give every student the exact help they needed, no matter what my first impressions were. I stopped viewing the girl as a lost cause and started seeing actual progress in her skills. At the end of the session, she still couldn't pass, but she had made significant improvements.

When it came time for parent feedback, her mother wrote that when she saw that I was her daughter's teacher again, she almost requested a move. But she was so glad she let her stay in my class. She saw the care I gave and improvement her daughter made, and she understood the decision to have her daughter repeat again.

I was young when this happened, as most swimming teachers are, and it was a formative experience for me. A tough lesson, but I've seen what's possible for people when we stop seeing them through our biased filters and open ourselves up to see their true selves.

The Dangers of Becoming Victim to the Projections of Others

Perhaps because I've been aware of the effects of projection from such a young age, I've been extremely sensitive to it in my own life.

Projection is a common, normal phenomenon, and in many cases, it doesn't make that much of a difference. In some cases however, we need to challenge ourselves to remember who we really are in the face of other people's views about us.

One of the more difficult examples of this in my own life happened during my three-year shamanic practitioner training.

I was fortunate enough to be in a relatively small group for this training―only about 25 people. For three years, I spent a huge portion of my time and energy with this community. As we shared our personal struggles and practiced hundreds of healings on each other, we really did get to know everyone in that circle quite intimately.

And this intimacy is what made projection from that group so especially dangerous and uncomfortable.

These were people who believed they knew me inside and out because of what we'd been through together. Yet, no matter how much of what they knew of me was true, there was so much more that they didn't see or know.

Part of their projections occurred because their views of me weren't keeping up with my own inner growth and transformation. Part of this was because our teacher held very strong opinions about who I was and what my issues were―and honestly, a lot of these were reflections of her own triggers. (Note: if you're a healer or teacher, do your work! again and again and again!)

By the end of my three years with this group, I could not wait to escape what felt like a cultish mentality about who I was. The group-think was powerful, and a weaker or less experienced person would absolutely have started to believe the projections put upon them.

Fortunately, my past experiences, as well as the intense personal growth and reflection I engaged in, helped me remember my truth. When I finally graduated, it felt like a toxic weight had been lifted, and I spent the next several months fully reconnecting with my soul's truth.

I don't share this example to shame anyone, and in fact I still absolutely love the magical humans from my training. I have so much respect for who they are and miss seeing them as often as I used to. I share this to show that none of us are immune to projecting upon others, and when it comes to spiritual or healing circles, I feel this can be especially damaging.

I've been reflecting on the role projection has played in my life a lot recently, as I've just experienced another challenging situation because of it. This one was at work. Have you ever had to work for someone who viewed everything you did through a critical lens?

As a recovering perfectionist, I've always had an excellent performance record when it comes to my employment, which currently involves editorial and marketing writing for spiritual content.

But about a year ago, a new manager was hired at our company. And let's be clear―this is a very gifted, heart-centered person who has positively impacted our team in many ways. Yet this person also decided, almost from the moment he met me, that I just wasn't good at my job.

It's been a surreal experience. Nothing in my process or the results I get has changed. Yet no matter what I do, how effective my writing is, or how much I try to show enthusiasm―the projection of me as "not good enough" has remained stronger than any actions on my part.

As a side note, I feel that part of this is because I have a deeply feminine way of working, and this manager thrives on masculine concepts like hunger, fire, and achievement. My process is quiet and deep. I dive into content, connect with the spirit of the book or course I'm working on, and emerge with words channeled from the divine. I wonder how many other women suffer because our way of working doesn't look like the masculine ideals our culture celebrates….

Anyway, all of this endless projection has made an already challenging year that much more difficult. It's been exhausting to keep looking at the actual results and numbers for my projects to keep reminding myself that I am good at what I do. And honestly, it just sucks when projection has the potential to hurt your livelihood.

I'm grateful, however, to work at a company where by and large my colleagues are capable of having difficult conversations without getting defensive or reactive. Recently, I was able to communicate what I felt was happening and how it was impacting me, and I'm hopeful that things will shift, though that's yet to be seen.

Shamanic Perspectives on Healing the Projections in Your Own Life

My inner strength and all the deep work I've done through shamanic practices have given me a clear and evolving understanding of my true self. I'm grateful that I don't easily fall victim to other people's projections.

I'm also extremely grateful that those closest to me―my family, my partner, and my closest friends―see me for who I truly am.

Given how difficult it's been to have projections placed upon me by my shamanic circle and colleagues, I can imagine how exponentially challenging it might be to remember who you really are when these projections do come from loved ones.

Think back upon your life. Many projections we receive are subtle―only your intuitive hits alert you their presence.

Many however, especially those we received when younger, will have obvious verbal clues, often in the form of parents or teachers telling us what we are and aren't good at.

Can you see what projections were placed on you in the past? If you feel called to, try journaling and witness what arises.

From a shamanic perspective, the verbal projections we receive when we're younger can become curses. Yes, it's a loaded word that probably conjures images of wizards and fairy princesses. But it also offers us an extremely accurate description of what happens when we receive and then internalize a limiting belief about ourselves.

In my practice, I'll often tend to this phenomena with either extractions or curse-unraveling. These are very energetic processes, ones that clears the imprints of projection from your field and energy body. When I'm able to work in person with someone, I'll also use specific essential oils from the Jade Purity Taoist tradition to anoint relevant meridian points―it's fascinating how our body's energetic blueprints actually shift to accommodate the beliefs of others, and how we can undo these shifts through energy medicine and shamanic practice.

Shadow Work: Is It a Projection or a Blindspot?

As detrimental as projections are, we also need to realize that sometimes a viewpoint isn't a projection so much as an arrow to one of our own blindspots.

Whenever you become aware how someone else's views about you are influencing you, it's important to ask yourself, are you experiencing a projection of something that's not true, or a reflection of something you just don't want to see in yourself?

Sometimes the answer will be obvious, but more often this will not be an easy process. It forces you to look at your own shadow, to really question what you believe and know about yourself. And I’m not going to lie―this can be a painful.

If you can dive deep, however, you will emerge with greater self-knowledge, strength, and resilience.

I've found shamanic practice to be especially effective at helping us see the difference between projections and blindspots. The helping spirits can reflect back to us who we truly are. They provide guidance to help us see where we are in alignment with our truth and where we've fallen off balance. And so much more.

Owning Our Own Projections of Others

As you investigate the places where projections have impacted your life, as I hope you're inspired to do, remember to check your own projections of others, as well.

It's all too easy to think you know someone better than they know themselves―to convince yourself that what you see is their blindspots, that your intuition is spot on.

Maybe this is true, and maybe it isn't. What would you see if you dropped that belief?

This line of questioning is especially important for those who consider themselves to be highly intuitive or empathic, as well as anyone who works in a healing profession. Always question your reactions and assumptions about others. With practice, you’ll begin to more easily discern between what is true intuition and what is a limiting projection.

If you have a meditation or journey practice, these are wonderful question to bring to your own spirit guides. Ask them to show you where you're holding false beliefs and projections about others, and then ask that they help you heal and release those projections. See if there are clues or patterns you can notice about where you start projecting versus intuiting.

As you explore these questions, you may like to focus on people you feel a strong charge around. If you have strong emotional reactions or triggers around someone, it’s worth seeing what might be lying beneath the surface. This is such a gift to yourself and others.

A Final Blessing

I honor all who endeavor to both free themselves from the projections of others and who are willing to do the deep work of owning their own projections.

May we all remember our true selves with greater clarity and joy every day.

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juniper stokes 7/27/20 juniper stokes 7/27/20

Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

How to understand the unique gifts and messages of your animal allies

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How often have you had an unusual encounter with an animal and immediately wondered, “What does it mean?”

Perhaps you saw an owl in daylight. Or you kept noticing images of elephants everywhere. Or maybe a huge spider appeared right in front of you on the sidewalk.

If you’re like many spiritually-inclined folks, the first thing you’ll want to do in these situations is google what that animal “means”.

I understand the temptation, but please—hold off!

The universe and spirit have many ways of communicating with us, including animal messengers. And the universe does not play by a set of preexisting rules. The messages each animal carries will be unique to you, and no book or website can tell you the full meaning of your encounter.

The same is true of power animals—spiritual helpers in animal form who share their gifts and medicine with us. While a bit of research can certainly be helpful, if you dive right in to other people’s interpretations, you’ll be more likely to miss important elements of your personal relationship with your power animal.

Animal messenger or “normal animal doing normal things”?

I can hear it now . . . Sometimes a bird is just a bird. It doesn’t have to mean anything.

That’s true. Not everything has to mean something.

But I have to be honest—one of my biggest pet peeves in spiritual communities is dismissing others’ experiences in this way.

Because the truth is, the universe is always communicating with us. Who are you to say what does or doesn’t have meaning for another person?

The great Advaita scholar Richard Miller, PhD, once spoke to this in a training while teaching us about the art of welcoming. As he explained, it’s too exhausting to keep trying to figure out which parts of life are trying to tell us something and which parts are so-called “normal life”, so he has the practice of “welcoming everything as a messenger”.

This practice of welcoming is a beautiful way to fall deeper into relationship with all of life. Every sensation, emotion, encounter, or insight can provide an opportunity to open to and learn from spirit.

If this sounds overwhelming, not to worry. This doesn’t mean you need to go through life looking at every little thing as a symbol to decipher or every animal as a messenger bearing life-altering news. Instead, it means that spiritual guidance is always available to us. To access this wisdom:

Relax. You don’t need to overwhelm yourself by seeing every little thing that happens as a critical message. You will notice what you need to notice.
If something does catch your attention, even if it’s something very common and “normal”, trust your intuition and recognize that you are noticing it for a reason.
You can also set an intention to receive a message from a spirit via the natural world. Bring your awareness into your heart, send your request to spirit, and then open your awareness, letting your attention wander and draw you to your answers.
Finally, once something does call your awareness, use the process outlined below to discover the meaning and messages it holds for you.

When to Pay Attention

Many teachers share that for an animal to actually mean something, rather than be a simple sighting, it must show itself to you four times. For example, let’s say you see a hawk on a walk, then on TV, then hear the word “hawk” in a conversation, and then find a hawk feather.

Still others will note that if an animal is behaving in an unusual way, it could very well carry a message for you.

If either of these happen, definitely pay attention.

And if you only see a normal animal doing normal things, but feel that there is a message for you, trust that too.

Maybe the Message is Love

Sometimes when our attention is drawn to something in nature—a beautiful flower, an animal sighting, or an unusual cloud—we’re receiving a blessing. In this case, you don’t necessarily need to go through the process below. Simply receive your hello from spirit and know that the “message” is love.

So, when you encounter an animal—whether a messenger in nature or an actual power animal—what are you to do? How do you figure out what the message is? How do you know what gifts your power animal carries?

Here’s the process I recommend for understanding your animal messengers and power animals. This is based on years of working with my own animal spirit guides and those of my clients.

Step 1: Journey to the Spirit of the Animal

Journey to the spirit of the animal. Ask them to teach you about themselves and your relationship. If you don’t have a journey practice, you can meditate on the following prompts.

If the animal in question is one you’ve encountered in ordinary reality, you might like to ask:

Are you here to share a message with me, or are you appearing to bring my awareness to a new power animal relationship? Or both?
What is the message you bring me?

If you’ve received a power animal, whether from a power animal retrieval or another means, you might like to explore some or all of the following questions:

What medicine do you carry?
What gifts would you like to share with me?
How may I carry your medicine?
What areas of life can you help me with?
Why are you appearing in my life now?
Are you a new power animal, or have you been with me for sometime?
May I have an attunement to your energy?
What name may I call you by?

If you don’t have a journey practice, or if you simply want support in going deeper, an experienced shamanic practitioner can help you discover personal gifts and messages from your animal spirit guides. This is one of my favorite things to do in a session ;)

Step 2: Use What You Already Know

After you’ve done your journey or meditation, think about any preexisting ideas or knowledge you already have about this animal. This process can provide many clues as to how the animal will support you.

Ask yourself:

What is my immediate reaction to this animal? Am I excited, fearful, surprised?
What symbology or associations do I think of first?
Are there any stories or myths that come to mind?
What character traits do I personally connect with this animal?

Then, reflect on what your answers might mean for either a message, or for unique gifts a power animal might share with you.

Step 3: Do Some Research

Once you’ve finished this personal exploration, it’s time to learn more about your animal in ordinary reality. Try to find out:

What do they eat?
Where do they live?
What is their social nature? Family dynamics?
What unique features stand out about this animal?
When are they most active? Quietest?
What are their biggest threats?
What do you find most fascinating about this animal?

Ask yourself how the following information might help you understand either the message or your power animal’s gifts.

Step 4: Access Our Collective Wisdom and Mythologies

Finally, go ahead and look up existing ideas, symbolism, and mythology about your power animal might mean. Even though we don’t want to fill our minds with other people’s and cultures’ ideas first, this information can be helpful.

As you explore, pay attention to a few things:

What feels right and relevant? Where do you get an immediate hit or “ah-ha” moment?
What doesn’t feel right or relevant? Not everything you read will relate your personal relationship.
Does the animal have any particular meanings within your own ancestry? What about within other cultures you feel especially connected to?*

*Make sure to explore a variety of cultural mythologies at this stage, as each might have quite different interpretations of your animal. For example: In North America, many indigenous tribes associate the owl with death. Yet in Greek and Roman mythology, the owl was a bearer of wisdom. Though in China the owl was viewed as an ominous creature, the Japanese considered the owl to be a sign of good fortune.

I’ll also encourage you to avoid the spirit guide websites out there—in my experience, many of them seem to exist just for profit and do not have the depth of meaning you can find in a book, such as Ted Andrew’s Animal Speak or Jamie Sam’s Medicine Cards. If you’re looking online, visiting sites that detail mythological or symbolic associations from more academic perspectives can be useful.

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Receiving messages from spirit through the natural world is a gift that has been bestowed on humanity since the beginning of our species on this planet. Be gentle with yourself as you learn to read the signs and deepen your relationship with the natural world. It is your birthright.

And, while the steps outlined here can initiate your journey into understanding your power animal, getting to know your power animal and its gifts is a lifelong journey. Revisit each of these steps often, and make sure to nurture your relationship with your power animal just as you would with a beloved friend.

Want more insights and guidance around spirit animals? Be sure to get your copy of The Spirit Animal Guidebook today.

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juniper stokes 7/16/19 juniper stokes 7/16/19

How to Work with the Spirits of the Land: 3 Powerful Practices

Learn 3 powerful practices to deepen your relationship with the spirits of the land. Animist rituals, shamanic journeys, and sacred reciprocity.

This is Part 2 in a 3-part series that explores Summer Travel Alchemy—how to use both mythoanimist practices and plant magick to support your summer travels. You might also like to see:

Every place on our planet is inhabited by spirits of the land—benevolent ancestors, nature beings, the fae, and even the spirit of a place itself.

This article shares shamanic practices for meeting the spirits of the land when you travel, whether you’re staying in a fancy hotel in a big city or camping off the grid.

Practice 1: Journey to Meet the Spirits of the Land

Whenever you travel, you visit the home of the many spirits who live there—this is equally true in both nature and cities. And, just as you would a friend or relative, it’s a good idea to check in before you come over.

In this practice, you’ll journey to meet a spirit of the land. Here, I outline a basic process for this journey, but always trust your intuition. You can adjust any part you’d like to, or even do this as a meditation.

If you’re new to journeying and would like more support with this type of practice, you might like to book a private session or check out one of my intro workshops.

Step 1: Preparation

You may prepare for this journey in whatever way will support you—whether that’s a full altar and ceremony, or listening to a simple drumming track in a comfy chair.

Step 2: Intention

Set the intention to meet a benevolent spirit of the land you’ll be traveling to. It’s important to make sure you clarify that you want to meet a benevolent spirit, rather than just any spirit. Just as there are all types of people, there are all types of spirits. You want to meet a spirit who is directly connected to the light and the divine.

Step 3: Trance State

Next, you’ll enter into a trance state in whatever way works for you. A shamanic drumming track, such as this one from Michael Harner, is a great way to do this.

Step 4: Empowerment

Now, you’ll meet with one of your allies. Often, this will be a power animal who will travel with you as you meet the spirits of the land. I like to attune to the ally that shows up and then to ensure that their understanding of this journey is the same as mine.

Step 5: Meet the Spirits of the Land

Allow your ally to take you to the spirits of the land. Depending on the situation, you may have one already there and ready to meet you, or it might be quite crowded! Here are some suggested questions to ask, though again, trust your own guidance and be open to receive.

Ask to speak with a benevolent representative of the land—state your intention for being there and see if someone is willing to meet with you
Find out more about this being—What is the being’s name? What type of being are they? What is their role? Can you learn anything about their history?
State your intentions for your travels there and ask permission to visit in person
Find out if there is anything you can do in reciprocity of your visit, such as offerings to bring, or a ceremony to have once there
Explore any other information that might be useful for your trip

Depending on how much time you have, you may want to repeat this process with more than one land spirit.

Note: It’s possible that you will not receive permission from the land spirits before your visit. If this happens, please know that you can negotiate! One of my teachers calls this “spiritual diplomacy”. Be creative and open, and see what types of adjustments can me made on both of your parts to ensure a positive experience that is of benefit to all.

Step 6: Thanks & Returning

Once your time with the spirits of the land has come to a close, be sure to give your gratitude for their willingness to meet with you. Then, allow your ally to help you retrace your steps and travel back into your body fully. Give thanks to your ally, as well, and re-enter ordinary reality.

Practice 2: Honor the Land with Offerings

Bringing offerings to the spirits of the land is a wonderful way to nurture a positive relationship with the places you visit. You may have received guidance during your journey to meet the spirits of the land, but here are a few more suggestions:

Bring small natural offerings that will not disturb the environment—dried flowers, small crystals, cornmeal or tobacco, or an item from nature that has personal meaning to you
Rather than add to the land, take away that which doesn’t belong there—perhaps bring an extra bag to collect litter and garbage
A custom anointing oil or aromatic synergy, made with the specific intention of bringing healing to the land (more on this in future posts . . .)
Do a healing ritual—make sure you’ve received permission from the land spirits first, and then follow your guidance to reweave the web of light there, do a soul retrieval for the land, psychopomp a building, or sing love to the Earth

Practice 3: Receive Gifts and Blessings in Return

Just as it fills our hearts to bring blessings and healing to the places we visit, these places often have gifts for us. Try to set aside some time to receive from the place you’re in.

Give yourself the space to spend a few moments in meditation, opening your senses to the many unseen beings around you. They might provide a healing of some sort, or simply acknowledge your presence. Either way, it can be a powerful experience to fully allow yourself to feel the many dimensions of reality in new locations.

How to work with the spirits of the land. 3 practices.

juniper stokes 5/27/19 juniper stokes 5/27/19

How to have a blessing ceremony for your summer travels

An 8-step guide to having shamanic ceremonies for travel blessings.

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Here in the northern hemisphere, days are getting longer, kids are finishing the school year, and travel plans are brewing!

Before I settled down in Colorado, I spent years traveling around the world. Over time, I developed a few pretravel rituals for safe, joyful, and enriching journeys.

This post contains my foundational pre-travel practice — a shamanic ceremony for travel blessings. Whether you’re planning an overseas multi-city tour or a weekend of camping in a nearby state park, you can use this shamanic ceremony to bless your upcoming adventures.

A Shamanic Ceremony for Travel Blessings

This is a general outline of my personal pretravel ceremony. Please know that you certainly don’t have to do everything I do! Feel into each step, then pick, choose, and adapt in any way that feels good to you.

1. Clean the House

Yes, this really is my first step. I like it because it serves two key purposes. First, I find that cleaning my house both physically and energetically helps create a sacred container for my ceremonies. Second, it’s so much more relaxing to come home to a clean space!

2. Clean Yourself

Following along with number one, I find that pre-ceremonial cleansing helps me step into harmony with my true self, my helping spirits, and the intentions I hold for the ceremony. I love a good aroma-infused Epsom salt bath--but even a quick smudging, done with intention, will help.

3. Set the Space

This can be as simple or intricate as you like. I tend to have my rattle, a notebook, and a pen nearby. You’ll also want some sort of altar for the ceremony. I usually set up a temporary altar with objects to invite in the elements, make offerings to spirit, and represent my travels.

4. Invocation

The invocation calls in and gives thanks for all the spiritual support that is with you and that will be involved with your ceremony and, in this case, your travels.

Over time, most shamanic practitioners develop personal invocation practices. If you don’t have a personal invocation yet, you can simply call on any beings you work with (perhaps angels or power animals) and intuitively give thanks for all the spiritual support, both known and unknown to you, that you’ll receive. Finally, affirm that the ceremony be for the highest good of the participants, and ask that the good work of the ceremony be of benefit to all.

5. Intentions

Now you’re ready to really dive into the ceremony. Clear your head, and think about what you really want this trip to be like. Do you want ease and safety? Joyful family connections? Spiritual growth? To meet wonderful or fascinating people? To completely relax and rejuvenate?

Once you have clarity around your intentions, it’s time write them down. Some people find that staying general works best for them, while others like to be more specific. I tend to fill up several pages during this part—affirming everything from staying healthy to sitting next to wonderful people on the airplane—but always surrendering the final outcome to the great mystery.

Tip: Be sure to keep your intentions affirmative. For example, say “I’m grateful that I experience perfect health throughout my entire trip,” rather than “I’m grateful that I won’t get sick or hurt.”

6. Focus and Let Go

When your intentions are clarified and written down, it’s time to focus and align your energy with your desired outcomes. I like to do this by reading my intentions out loud as I focus on feeling that they are true. You can invite all participants to share their intentions at this time.

Once this is done, offer everything over to the care of spirit. My favorite way to do this is by burning the pages I’ve written in a small bowl, with the smoke carrying everything to spirit. “Dissolving paper” is another option—write your intentions on this special paper and watch them dissolve when stirred into water.

7. Receiving Messages

Now you have the opportunity to ask for information around your upcoming travels. Again, this can be specific or general—from getting guidance on which AirBnB to book, to receiving messages about the overall lessons and gifts your trip will offer.

If you have a journey practice, this is a great time to do a short journey and ask your helping spirits for more information. If shamanism is new to you, you might want to simply ask a single question, quiet your mind, and see what comes.

Any divination practice you’re comfortable with will work here. Draw an oracle card, read tea leaves, throw the I Ching—your choice!

8. Closing

To end your ceremony, state out loud that the ceremony is done and your work is done. Give thanks to all the beings who participated, similar to during your invocation. Then release all benevolent beings, elements, and any others who participated in the ceremony.

A Note About “Getting What You Want “

I absolutely love doing this full ceremony before I travel. When I was younger, I spent about a decade traveling around the world on my own, and I have no doubt that working with my helping spirits before and throughout my journeys contributed to my ongoing well-being.

But this isn’t to say that I did a ceremony and everything was easy—I’ve been feverishly ill in India, picked up some crazy parasites in the Amazon, gotten swindled in Hong Kong, and wandered around lost and in tears in more cities than I’d like to say . . .

But I’ve had plenty of miraculous experiences as well—from a surprise hangout with the Roots in Tokyo (one of my favorite bands at the time), to connecting with Isis in the temples of Egypt, to finding the most perfect camping spot on a busy summer weekend in Colorado.

The thing is, having a ceremony isn’t a way to control everything that happens during your travels.

Ceremonies give us a wonderful way to communicate with spirit and begin creating the energetic building blocks that bring our desires to life—but in the end, we surrender the final outcome and our highest good to spirit. (And spirit’s idea of what your soul needs might be a little different—ahem, or a lot—than your own!)

My travels have been amazingly wonderful and ridiculously challenging, but I’ve always emerged with reverence for our amazingly diverse planet and gratitude for my experience. May your travels shower you with blessings and gifts!

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What Happens During a Shamanic Session?

Learn what to expect during a shamanic healing session.

Are you curious about coming to a shamanic healing session, but don’t quite know what to expect? Then this is for you!

Every shamanic session begins with an intake conversation. This is your chance to tell me why you came to this appointment and everything that’s going on in your life. The more information you share, the better.

Why? First, this information helps me know what I might want to pay more attention to during my diagnostic journey and helps me understand how the messages I receive might apply to your current experience. Second, I want to be sensitive to how I share information with you. Knowing what you’re already aware of helps me understand where you might need more context and where I can dive right in.

Once the intake conversation is complete, I’ll do a diagnostic journey. This is where the helping spirits tell us what types of healing will be most beneficial for you.

Next, I’ll follow the instructions from our helping spirits to provide you with shamanic healing, divination, and mentoring. Though a session can focus on any one of these areas, all three will usually play a role.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Healing

From a shamanic perspective, all illness, whether emotional, mental, or physical, first appears in the subtle body. Shamanic healing sessions address spiritual and energetic imbalances using a variety of techniques and energy work.

Often, I'll combine shamanism with my background in aromatherapy and plant medicine to bring about an even more holistic healing protocol. This may involve anything from an anointing treatment, to vibrational blends for you to take home, to a set of physically healing products infused with the energy of our session.

Divination

Divination is the art of communicating with the spirit world. Every shamanic healing session involves at least some divination, though you may choose for this to be the main focus. Divination allows you to ask questions about your relationships, purpose, current challenges, and more, as well as to communicate with spirit guides, loved ones on the other side, and the spirits of nature.

During a session, I'll sometimes communicate directly with the helping spirits in a journey, or I'll allow them to speak through me with the practice of mediumship.

Throughout the world, shamans have used a variety of tools for divination—from tea leaves, to throwing of the bones, to reading candle flames. I've been working with the Tarot and other oracle cards since I was 14 years old and offer card readings to support your divination session.

Mentoring

Shamanic healing sessions are also an opportunity for you to learn how to incorporate shamanic principles into your own life. This could be as simple as a bit of “homework” from your helping spirits, or it could be more in-depth training session that allows you to refine your journeying skills and eventually use shamanic healing for yourself and others.

Finally, our session concludes with integration and instructions for returning to regular life in a good way.

Want to learn more about the types of spiritual illness shamanism addresses? This free class is for you!

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A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

1. Watch the sunrise and sunset with a grateful heart

2. Collect the morning dew for magic and healing.

3. Take a prophecy walk.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

1. Slow Down

2. Harmonize with Nature’s Rhythms

3. Tune into Your Body

4. Start Where You Are

5. Reciprocity

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

1. Spending time in nature is good for our health.

2. The nature spirits can offer us unseen support for all of life.

3. You and your property will experience extra protection.

4. Deepening your relationship with nature leads to magical and practical gifts.

5. Partnering with the spirits of nature is key to our survival.

6. You’ll be able to work magic with the elements.

7. Partnering with the spirits of nature helps you rewild your life.

8. You’ll experience greater fulfillment as you expand your circle of compassion.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Quickie Practice for Energetic Protection

Download your FREE guide to Egyptian Deity Rituals

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Causes of Illness from a Shamanic Perspective

1. Power Loss

2. Soul Loss

3. Entanglement

4. Lineage Patterns

5. Disconnection from the Natural World

Final Thoughts

Want to go deeper with these teachings? Enjoy a FREE workshop on Shamanic Illness & Health

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

The Dangers of Becoming Victim to the Projections of Others

Shamanic Perspectives on Healing the Projections in Your Own Life

Shadow Work: Is It a Projection or a Blindspot?

Owning Our Own Projections of Others

A Final Blessing

Animal messenger or “normal animal doing normal things”?

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Step 1: Journey to the Spirit of the Animal

Step 2: Use What You Already Know

Step 3: Do Some Research

Cultivating a
Feather-light Heart