I had such a fabulous time at the 2nd Annual International Shamanic Conference that I just have to share some highlights with you. Perhaps you will be inspired to seek out some of these presenters, or better yet, attend next year’s gathering! And really, I just like writing about things I am passionate about.
So please ~ as you read, be aware these are shortened versions of my lasting impressions of the variety that I’m willing to share publically. I will aspire to not ‘butcher’ anyone’s message by inadequate regurgitation.
I was blessed to have experienced Tom Cowan facilitating a massive session of Shamanic Tending at various disaster or war sites around the globe. I definitely resonated with the idea of Shamanism Without Borders as well as the shift in thinking from ‘We can Save the Earth’ to ‘We need to heal ourselves, and the Earth is fully capable without us’ it takes our Ego right out of it, and rightly so. I felt a great alignment within me while Tending as opposed to facilitating a more direct Healing. I relished the Celtic vocal elements, a most enchanting and powerful component t ~ particularly to those immersed in reanimating Celtic ways. All of this tied in with a greater personal theme that was unfolding for me during the conference. A calling of what I am to incorporate into my way of life, what I was Retrieving and Re-establishing by other means & experiences over this 5 day event. Such a vibrant and juicy feeling that is! Here is a link to Tom : www.riverdrum.com
Christine Wallace (www.christinemwallace.com) facilitated a most fantastic retrieval of our Unique Gifts during a birthing process. I had always been intimidated by both – What WAS my ‘unique gift? Maybe I don’t have one! And in the back of my mind, rebirthing type stuff just seemed too hokey for me, I don’t know why, most likely others’ opinions of distain impressed upon & accepted by me – cuz I don’t really have any reasoning why I should dismiss such a powerful ceremony, let alone without even trying it. Well, as I said; it was FANTASTIC!! With over one hundred open and supportive witnesses holding sacred space, I journeyed to find my Unique Gifts and danced into the Womb with the beat of so many drums in my ears and the song in my soul. When I emerged I was embraced and held while I fully accepted the power now wrapped around me, then welcomed by the calls of my White Bone Sisters. I was sweetly overcome by how profound this was for me.
Shamanic Gardening and tending to the weeding & healing of myself & my N.O.R. Garden was such a welcome time spent with Julie Parell. A new “Spirit Buddy”, a remembering of the Green Lady often overlooked, some negative core beliefs weeded along with O.R. ways to work with the land spirits – so timely for me as I embark on bringing my shamanic practise out via tending to a public city garden this year. As always, new tools for clearing past junk out of my thought patterns & energy body are appreciated! Some of those old gnarly roots have dug deep into the soil of my being, and now I have a new way to pull them up and plant anew. Absolutely just what I needed and presented in a gentle way, which was deeply appreciated as I had packed a lot into these 5 days! I hope to cross paths with Julie again and I have two plants here in my own garden to remind & connect me to that time and to those we planted in the flower bed there.
Another favourite I attended was with Mark Loman presenting the Song of the Sidhe – oh how I hope to know the sound track he used while we merged with new Sidhe guides to learn of their realm and their use of the elements. Truly an experience like no other. I had worked with them some already, but not in this way before, but I will again. Many times. And as he said, “These aren’t the pretty little fluttery kind” They are the descendants of the Tuatha De Danann, who appeared to me as tall elegant warriors, reminiscent of the Elven race in the latest Lord of the Rings movies (but a little tougher looking than Orlando Bloom pictured below..grin). During this voluntary embodiment I was shown how to use the elements by facilitating healing work for my children. It seemed a conglomerate of Aryvedic and Homeopathic in a sense. And then I received a gift – the gift of a hazelnut. The gift to be still. That stillness before germination, before sprouting. All the potential stored in waiting for the right moment. The moment when the right type of tension has built to be the catalyst of something new coming into being. The Wisdom before the action. The Wisdom swallowed by the salmon.
I also found some powerful insights and new techniques during Jan Engels-Smith’s (www.janengelssmith.com) Egyptian Forgiveness Ceremony – or as I prefer to remember it as, the “Egyptian ‘I go before the grievance’ Ceremony”. Without getting into too much detail, this process resets the energetic field to a time before the Grievance occurred. It’s a fabulous addition to Soul Retrieval work and for me, on this day, I was able to clear some long standing inherited negative core beliefs. This energetic pattern of belief went so far back in my lineage I couldn’t even see the beginning of it – I had to ask my Power Animal to find the beginning for me! This clearing work not only has immediate impact in my life, but also for all my ancestors, plus my descendants ~ very right feeling work to do! It was one of those times I went into things thinking I know what to expect and WHAM! I’m hit with something else, something more important that is the true root of the issue. Love it when that happens – takes my left brain & Ego right out of it
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Au Set
Inspired by my Goddess Tarot Deck
Im currently in the midst of a Soul Regernation process facilitated by Elsa & Howard Malpas and some new Retrieval & Depossession Guides. (shamanicwarrior.com) A full series of sessions that culminated in a beautiful witnessed ceremony releasing our Care Taker Souls to go “on holiday” and welcoming in some new Divine Essence. I say I’m in the midst as my Soul Part has yet to return from its healing sojourn. The estimated time was 4 to 6 weeks from the time of the conference. My shaman woman friend and I were teasing each other, wondering if particularly tired souls might take two years vacationing before returning! Near the end of the ceremony, when the Divine Soul Parts began to filter into the group of over 100 people ~ a sweet giddiness swept through. I had a particularly sudden full on case of the giggles. It felt so good, but it was tough to stifle to an appropriate level until the end! A fabulous article about Elsa and Howards process they have been entrusted to animate was in a past article of Sacred Hoop magazine. (a most fabulous shamanic magazine if you haven’t checked it out already) In this archived version of issue #63 on page 25, the Malpas’ speak of the Soul Regeneration process and how it can help in shamanic healing. Here is the link http://www.sacredhoop.org/Issues-pdf/Hoop-63.pdf
We ended each day letting loose, embodying the rhythms of many drummers, toasty by the great grandfather fire, dancing, freeing and integrating the many energies of the day. A wild and magical time when the dancers are not longer dancing to the music, and the drummers aren’t drumming the beat – but the music, the Oran Mor, takes over and is playing Us. You’ll know it if you’ve felt it – a spontaneous possession of the spirit of sound vibration. I endearingly refer to these night gatherings as a Shamanic Rave. The Ancient kind. “So clean” as another shaman woman friend aptly said. I must also let you in on the blessings of Richard Hahn’s Tuvan Style throat singing that graced these nights with added magic. I can’t find a link to this particular gift of his, but I will add one when one is available to me. Perhaps you have already heard him at various Vancouver events!
There were many more happenings during this week that affected me deeply. I’m still integrating and processing much, and these are just a sampling of the 40 or so presenters at the conference. If you are inspired to look into next year’s international shamanic gathering, keep an eye on this cyber space for details : http://circleofgreatmystery.com/conferences.html
Thank you to John-Luke and the Circle of Great Mystery for making this most needed and special uniting of like minded folk happen!
May your feet walk with the light of the Moon and the warmth of the Sun be in your heart,
earthselkie
P.S. ~ THANK YOU to MoonFlower for taking some of the photos in this blog post!! xoxo
