Lately I have found myself in what I call the “north energies.” To me, the north energies represent a time of great reflection and stillness, a time to evaluate my life and notice what I am undertaking, holding on to, or resisting, as well as recognizing what I need to let go of. It is also a time of being in awe of the marvelous life ride I have been on and the choices I have made. I look forward to the possibility of one day viewing those choices with twenty-twenty hindsight.

I believe that each person is eventually called to connect with the esoteric, the vastness of Spirit, and the mysteries of life and that each calling is unique. Some of these callings will be blatant and others subtle; however, all will encompass a decision, then action, and often a great loss of the familiar. It is in the loss that many people bail from their commitments to follow the internal call that has sounded. If there is endurance, perseverance, determination, patience, and receptivity, then a life-changing transformation can propel a person onto a new purposeful life path that continually unfolds. Life is never stagnant. While consumed by these north energies, I have been reflecting on my life’s work, which is soul retrieval through the template of shamanism, and this is the beginning story.

Visions and a Voyage
of Discovery

I was introduced to alternative healing in a very alternative way. I had a vision. In my vision, an old Indian woman approached me. When I asked who she was, she replied, “I am you. I am your mother. I am your sister. I am your grandmother. I am Earth.” She had gray hair pulled back tightly in a bun, and her skin was wrinkled and weathered by life. She was wrapped in a wool blanket and smoking a pipe.