The shadows were deepening in the forest, and the stars were beginning to appear on this new moon night. The young woman looked around her, her anxiety rising. It wasn’t fear yet, but there was a long, dark, cold night ahead of her, and she tried not to anticipate what awaited her. She was sitting on a blanket, and all that she had with her were the clothes on her body. Creating a circle around her were tobacco prayer ties, each one of them carefully made by her earlier in the day, each one of them containing a prayer, a desperate appeal for help and clarity. An owl hooted, coyotes were heard in the distance greeting the night, and spring peepers were beginning their trilling song. A rustling in a bush close by startled her, and she held her breath. A small bird flew out from the underbrush and into a nearby tree. “I choose to do this,” she repeated to herself over and over. She thought she had prepared well, clarifying her intentions and commitment and purifying herself in the Sweat Lodge. She spent a day from dawn to dusk hiking in the forest seeking insight, fasting, praying, smoking the sacred Pipe, and trying to trust this Vision Quest would help her. She knew she would have to face her fears and prayed she would have the courage to remain in her circle until the sun rose.
This story sounds as if it happened a long time ago, in a former day and age when people sought answers from their intuition and received guidance from nature, the Universe, Spirit Beings and Spirit Animals, and their internal knowing. However, this was a recent event. I was shocked when my granddaughter, Chloe, came to me and asked me to put her out on a Vision Quest. Previously, she displayed curiosity about what I did but never showed a desire to engage in any part of it. She was at a significant crossroads in her life. She was accepted to several colleges, all offering substantial scholarships, and could not decide which one to attend. I won’t share the details of what happened to her that night because they are sacred to her, but when she emerged at dawn, there was a determination and greater confidence in her. She told me that she did not get a clear message about what college was best for her, but she realized that any decision she made could be changed if it wasn’t working out. She had the choice to make changes. Chloe went on to graduate with high honors, carrying a double major in science, and is now deciding between research or medical school, knowing that she has the freedom to change her direction in life at any time.
BRIEF HISTORY OF SHAMANISM
Shamanism is an ancient and powerful form of information retrieval. It is cross-cultural and predates religion, philosophy, and psychology. Historically, it is associated with indigenous and tribal societies, but all cultures were once tribal; therefore, Shamanism is believed to be universal. First Nation Peoples and some Indigenous tribes do not use the term Shaman. They refer to their healers as Holy Men, Holy Women, Medicine Men, or Medicine Women.
A Shamanic Practitioner can have many roles: Ceremonial Leader, Healer, Herbalist, Prophet, Journeyer between the Spirit Realms, retriever of information through altered states, dreamer, writer, artist, musician, and storyteller. These are some of the skills a practitioner can have knowledge of, but generally, they tend to focus on and master the ones that are most natural to them.
Shamanism is not a religion, but what is central to all practitioners is the belief in a Universal Web of Power, a Circle that supports all life. Everything in the Universe and on the Planet is interconnected in the Web and charged with energy, vibration, and life. Everything has a place in the Circle; everything is connected; therefore, anything is possible. If there is a disruption anywhere in the Circle then the entire Circle is affected.
“The hurt of one is the hurt of all. The honor of one is the honor of all. And, whatever I do this affects the Universe.” (Ta San Wi, The White Buffalo Calf Woman)
Water, earth, rocks, crystals, air, fire, plants, trees, animals, winged creatures, clouds, wind, and rain—those who crawl upon the ground and swim in the waters—have power, knowledge, and wisdom to share. The sun, moon, stars, and planets are all integral parts of the Web. Spirit exists everywhere and communicates with humans for individual growth or societal interventions. Meditation, journeying, trance channeling, and Vision Quests are some of the methods used to gather information to help heal mind, body, and soul illnesses. It is believed that all illness first dwells in the Spirit Realm and is caused by the individual being out of harmony with the natural world around them. The Shaman’s role is to help the soul find its way back to harmony, removing all that obstructs that purpose. Shamans believe everything is vibration, and by shifting or altering the vibration, communication is established and healing is achieved. The nature of Shamanism is that by assisting others, you heal yourself. While you are transforming yourself, you are transforming the planet.
Shamans are the stewards of the land and waters and strive to live in complete harmony with the ecological environment around them. An essential quality a Shaman must have is the desire to be a clear channel for Spirit. That requires the practitioner to be constantly aware and working on their own issues.
MODERN SHAMANISM
As a modern Shamanic practitioner, I can’t heal you or give you all your answers. Everything you need is within you. You have the ability and courage to empower yourself and find peace. I can help you develop trust in the Universe to provide guidance. I can help you:
Embrace nature as the natural doorway to Spirit
Understand and use cycles of Nature
Give guidance to navigate life
Connect to Spirit Guides, Power Animals, Ancestors, Higher Self
Find your soul’s purpose
Remove blockages to growth
Heal trauma through Soul Retrieval work
Explore Past Lives and their relevance to current lifetime
Heal through Ceremony
Create Ceremony for everyday use
Explore meditation, visualization, journeying
Dream Work
Healing repetitive patterns and reclaiming power
Healing Ancestral wounds
Shamanism‘s roots are ancient, but the application of shamanic techniques is ageless and applicable in these times. They are easily accessed and remarkably successful. When we heal ourselves, we heal the Planet and the Universe.
Barbara-Anne Prince is a shamanic practitioner with 40 years of experience working in the spiritual healing realm. She is also a psychic and channeler with expertise in Lakota Native American healing traditions and Ceremonies, soul retrievals, past life readings and regressions, energy healing, life readings, and spiritual counseling. As an ordained minister, she works with compassion and intuitive insight to help the process of self-discovery and clarity through inner work, Ceremony, and connection to the healing power of the Earth. She is an author and storyteller with many years of experience in Environmental Education and as a wilderness retreat leader, Montessori educator, and teacher trainer. Barbara offers opportunities for personal connection and healing using the natural environment and ceremonial work. To learn more about Barbara-Anne and her services, please email bearfootfarm1@yahoo.com.
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