And So The Story Goes

Author Alberto Villoldo states, “When we drop our dreary stories of victim, rescuer, and perpetrator, we become storytellers and mythmakers and are provided for in every way. We no longer have to live in fear because we're no longer the victim of our ancestral or cultural stories about scarcity, intimacy, aging, or creativity. Regardless of what we own, we go from scarcity to abundance, from having been cast out of the Eden to walking with beauty on the earth. We see what everyone else sees, but think something different about it. We become like the lilies of the field, who neither toil nor spin but have all that they need. We may still have to punch a time card, but we can live the life of the artist or poet, with many creative resources available to us”. And so it is for me since I have gone through these past several years on my spiritual path and life work. So much in my life changed when I dropped the big old bag of stories I was carrying around with me. I played every role in the drama filled world you could play. Starring roles on occasion brought me to applause, which my ego loved, or to tears as I was a disappointment to others. My emotional response rode the rollercoaster of my family and peer based reviews. Rarely, if ever, did I stop to reflect on how I thought or felt I was doing? My daily actions were more reactions than choices I made with intention or consideration of lessons learned or possibilities offered.

Practicing my shamanic lessons and rituals keeps me grounded and out of story that does not serve me. I have learned to read between the lines, listen for the unspoken, see the mists beyond the trees, and look for the guides and revere their lessons. I seek beauty, I stay present in the moment, or I try at least. It is not always easy. There are days that present themselves quite challenging and as much as I look upon those days with a bit of remorse, they always prove to be the juiciest, or the most lesson filled, or abundant with surprising gifts. But only if I approach them without story and remain open to what may unfold.

I am rich. Not monetarily but with so many resources to add to my crafting of my life. I have plenty. Not with an abundance of material things that society appreciates, but with other gifts of life: friends, family, wisdom, awareness, compassion, wonder and more. I am blessed. Each day offers potential for me to learn more, give more, receive more, celebrate more, and honor more.

The story of my life has changed in ways I never dreamed possible. What the future holds I look forward to with excitement. What the past held, I no longer fret over. What today offers I embrace and celebrate and accept. Like the storyteller and mythmaker, I recognize that my story can go to amazing lands and places, meet up with charming characters, be colored by whimsy and more. Finding the riches in life is easier now. Holding on to what is important to me and not to others does not cause so much conflict within me. And when there is the difference of opinion it is so easy to just observe it as their story, not mine. There will always be new beginnings, new chapters and even when I am gone, there will be no endings, just more possibilities.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Visiting With Our Shadow Self

Many people are fearful of the shadow world. They would rather not explore it, face it or even discuss it. But as a shaman I know the gifts to be found there, the lessons to be learned and the beauty of my soul that has been revealed there. As the late Debbie Ford said, “You can't be fully yourself if you have aspects that are hiding. The shadow holds the truth of all authentic parts of being human - your vulnerability, your discontent, your jealousy, or an experience from the past that you haven't digested. The only way to invite them out of the shadow is to bring them into the light. The light is a new perspective in which you see everything that's happening is happening to help you develop your soul. Then you're free - free to be who you are most authentically, free to ask for what you need, free to find your joy and bliss, free to share your gifts.” There is so much wholeness and greatness to be embraced once we face our shadow world. We all have a shadow self that needs to be revealed, understood and brought into the light of the day. Our soul then can be fully embraced, it can expand to all its possibilities and receive the healing it may need. Without doing the work we need to do to explore our wounds, uncover our disappointments and sadness and accept our vulnerable parts we stay stuck. Our freedom is the gift for this effort. We are given freedom to be our beautiful self, to share our gifts, to trust our truth, and to share these attributes with the lives of others.

Working with the shadow of self requires having self compassion. Ego will want to shame or blame us. Anger may try to enter the equation. Peace, patience and flexibility will serve you well when working with this aspect of our self. Working within the shadow world means being open to different perspectives on a situation and exploring the possibilities we have not been willing to entertain in the past. Many times it helps if we have someone to support us in the shadow work process to help keep us balanced and in our truth.

A shaman has worked extensively with shadow in order to get to the place where they can offer their strengths in healing and soul retrieval and to be able to decipher the messages shared for the soul from the other realms. As with many spiritual practices, learning to be fully in one’s truth can take time spent in personal reflection. Learning to see the beauty in all things, even within our pain and loss, helps to bring the balance and focus onto one’s personal spiritual path.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Essence of Shamanism

How does one explain the essence of shamanism? How does one explain the power of dreams, the connection to nature, the healing found in beauty, or the depth that being present takes you in a shamanic practice? How does one explain the clarity that can be found and the shift that takes place when one practices this way of life? It feels trite to say that nothing is the same, yet it is so fully the truth. Shaman John Cantwell, from Ireland, states, “Shamanism is not a faith, but a wisdom tradition in which we learn purely from our own individual, collective and personal experience. It is not a religion and is dogma-free; indeed it supports any existing spiritual practice one already has. Many of us deeply desire a connection to our own ‘soulfulness’ and that of all other living beings in a free and natural way. This is the essence of Shamanism.” It is within this thought that one begins to understand that unlike many types of spiritual practices, shamanic practice cannot be put into a box of simple definition, as it is expansive and fluid in its measure.

Shamanic healing seeks to make one whole again. It may at times result in bringing back lost parts of the soul from a place of hiding or retreat in realms that go beyond what our eyes can see, our bodies feel or our ears hear, yet exist in a reality that is felt when one is experienced with the journey to them. This healing can help restore a person’s power, remove spiritual blocks, open the life of the healed to other perspectives, and help in discovering and restoring the impact of the energetic origins of illness and more.

Shamanic presence means being open to the relationships of spiritual guides, trusting on the use of rituals, being open to the life long lessons that are necessary for the evolution of ones shamanic path and remaining connected to the energies and creatures of the earth and the Universe. Soul care is a priority in the shamanic practice. This care can take on many different forms and utilize a variety of shamanic tools and practices that each individual soul care practitioner hones and develops to create a unique and personal relationship with.

No one book can be read, no one practice is for all, no one rite or ritual applies to everyone when it comes to shamanism. Yet the one aspect of shamanism that does apply to all is that when one is called to practice shamanism there is a resonation of truth, a freedom and release of what feels negative, old or blocking, and an embracing of what feels empowering, transformative and expansive. Life presents itself differently when on this path. Beauty is found in all aspects of it. This beauty transcends any current definition we currently have and the soul awakens in to a brilliance that was not seen before. Life looks different because it is. And so it is for those who share in the gifts and essence of the shamanic practice.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Living WIthout Expectation

Are you open to the messages of your soul, of your guides and of your life? How do you honor them? How do you breathe into them? I believe that each moment of each day brings to us gifts. We simply need to be open to receive them and ready to celebrate them. If the gifts are shrouded in what we consider to be pain or challenge how can we break through the initial fear or disappointment and ready ourselves for the lesson and beauty that will be revealed with time and understanding? Robert Moss states this, "Living by synchronicity isn't merely about getting messages. It is about growing the poetic consciousness that allows us to taste and touch what rhymes and resonates in the world we inhabit, and how the world-behind-the-world reveals itself by fluttering the veils of our consensual reality." How do you welcome the resonation?

For me I find that I am more receptive and able to live in the moment more fully, gathering the essence imparted to me with cupped hands and open heart, when I let go of my expectations. Expectations often lead to disappointment because we are only holding one possibility as an outcome of the many that are available to us. We invest our energies, our hopes and even our fears into this possibility and if and when it does not occur…we feel let down or that we have wasted our time or even frustrated and angry. But if we hold back from expecting and stay open to the options we are ready to “taste and touch what rhymes and resonates” within us.

I have learned with this practice that when I live this way the Universe provides me with experiences that far surpass my expectations. Life is fuller, sweeter, and so satisfying. The flow of the energies within my days is so much easier, there is a grace and a peace filled rhythm to them. When I get out of step from this walk in life, it quickly becomes clear. My days suddenly hold stress in them. Things look and feel less than positive. My relationships begin to suffer and my connection to Source feels distant. Lots of red flags begin to wave! Doesn’t take long to figure out something is up! And so a shift brings me back to center. And I begin again.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade