...How Does Your Garden Grow?

Wow! In just the past week alone I feel as though my metaphysical skills have grown exponentially. And it is with definite hesitancy that I say "my" because all I'm doing is getting better and better at getting out of the way and allowing things to happen.

What I am discovering with more and more clarity is that living a shamanic life is not about learning new things, but letting go of the things you've already learned. It's good to have structure to build from, but it is a flexible thing to propel you into something new -- not so much rules as guidelines.

In a way it is like 'making it up as you go along' because it is basically a process of being presented with a situation, checking in with your guidance, and going forward with whatever you are guided to do. There is no way to prepare for that! Perhaps that is part of the reason that in the past some shaman and medicine people have been looked down upon -- because they really were just making it up on the spot. But it wasn't out of charletainistic intentions, it was because the shaman's ego or personality couldn't know what to do. So when I am presented with a situation now, my attitude is, "Alright, let's see what I can do," rather than, "If A then goto B, if C then goto D." My entire life is becoming more organic that way as I tune into the flow rather than trying to figure out what what I should be doing. This may be a trial to those around me (and if it is I truly apologize) as one result is that I have difficulty being "on time" to things. This is actually a bit of a struggle for me still because of the knowing that I am always in the right place at the right time -- even if if that right time is late according to external perceptions of time...

"Gandalf! You're late!"
"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins! Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to"

Anyway, there have been a few instances this past week that have made these lessons of trust and letting go dig deeper and become more solidly rooted.

The first one was at a camping festival last weekend, and could probably be classified under "Snow White Moments." A friend was bit by a bee. After making sure she was okay, I just found myself, without thinking about it, walking over to where their nest apparently was underground, and where a number of them were still buzzing angrily about, crouching down and holding my hand out toward them. I'm guessing it was a reiki thing -- the energy healing that I do -- but they started to calm down and returned to their nest. That raised a couple eyebrows (including my own!). Then I did reiki on the friend who'd been bit, and by the time I was done, the swelling around the bite had actually gone away.

The 2nd instance was at my counselor's house. We had finished my session and I was getting ready to leave when she started talking about her deceased mother, saying she can always feel her with her. Instantly I got a flash of an older woman standing behind my counselor. "Did she have grey hair, and was she a bit taller than you?" I asked. "Yes. Can you see her?" "Uh-huh." "Does she have anything to say to me?" I quieted myself and went within, almost instantly feeling a happiness and a pride. "She is so pleased with what you've done with your life and she is proud of you." As tears began to fill her eyes, a chill ran up my spine, indicating the validity of the information. And as I headed out the door she mentioned how her mom had never gone anywhere, but with my counselor also being a flight attendant, her mom was enjoying the ride. "You're living her dreams!" I blurted out without even thinking. More tears and more spine chills.

The interesting thing is that this was a first for me to do that on the spur of the moment, and with a human. I have numerous cases of working with deceased animals but not so many humans.

The third experience just happened yesterday. I was in this little metaphysical shop giving a sample Medicine Card reading to the owner, to see if I am good enough to read there on a permanent basis (which, of course, I am ;)). I actually finished the reading and was explaining to her my process and how the cards are just a starting point for me to communicate with the animal guides. She stopped me and asked if I could tell what her animal guide was. I just said 'sure' and closed my eyes to see what I could find out. Instantly this big, beautiful swan was there and she sat up in the water and opened her wings. She was pure white and exuding light. I had no idea, when I closed my eyes, what I would be able to do or find out, but I just went for it and there it was. Ta-dah!

This whole process is just so miraculous and magickal to me, and as my garden of experience continues to grow and bloom, I am constantly being blown away and in awe of the beauty of Life in Her spiral dance. There simply are not words, except, maybe...

Ta-dah!!!