Where Shamanism Fits In With A Heart-Centered Business

I’m a life coach. I help women to break out of the gray box of other people’s expectations and gain the authentic courage to start a heart-centered business.

And today I was speaking with a dear friend of mine (whip-smart, ex-high level government employee, director in the analytics industry…you get the picture) and I had to get really clear on something with her. Something I’d probably only talked about in a round-about way before.

One of the tools I use to help others to find that authentic courage is Shamanic work.

Let me put it another way: I’m training to become a shaman.

(Shamanic practitioner, to be exact. But that’s a different blog.)

Okay. There. I’ve said it.

Because it sounds a little bit out there, right? Even the word Shamanism has certain connotations, much less the word shaman. I mean, we all have a mental picture in our heads of what a shaman looks like, and it probably isn’t this:

But as more and more of us start to question the Matrix, as we start to wake up from our long sleep, the more we seek out deeper ways to connect with ourselves and the world around us.

And I’ve found it to be such a useful tool in my personal toolkit and in working with clients that it absolutely has to become an integral part of my offering.

There is no more holding back.

(Which keeps bringing up that song from the 90’s in my head as the soundtrack: Y’all ready for this? Synth beat…)

So what is Shamanism? What does a shaman do?

At its heart, Shamanism is direct revelation of the divine.

In order to help you, a Shamanic practitioner embarks upon what is called a journey – essentially a deep trance state facilitated by a drumbeat or a rattle ­– and seeks guidance and direction from his or her helping spirits: power animals, star beings, guides, ascended masters, your own helping spirits, or whoever else shows up in non-ordinary reality.

Of course, that’s an overly simplified version of what a shaman may or may not help you with. There may also be soul retrieval, extractions, power animal retrievals, or general healing.

And if you are exploring Shamanism on your own, then with the help of a drumbeat, you can tune in and ask questions and receive healing for yourself. (And I highly recommend Sandra Ingerman’s awesome book, Shamanic Journeying for Beginners.)

But Shamanism is so much more than just a tool.

It’s a way of life, but not a religion.

This path asks you to enter into a deeper connection with nature and the world around you, to wake up to what’s truly important in life (for instance, my helping spirits are continually reminding me that my work is with my family – not in some outer, public-facing sphere), and of showing the interconnected-ness to all things: plant, animal, mineral, human, planetary, Earth, sky, stars.

My learning has been to go into these infinite layers of complexity and dimension, to explore the great mystery, the unfolding of the unknown.

(Which is all great practice for starting a business, right? Because you really never know.)

My own personal journey with Shamanism:

It all started with a book in college called Entering the Circle about Siberian shamans. I read it, put it away and forgot it for many years, and then after I started writing romance novels (all of which feature shamans or shape-shifters- which could be seen as a way in which we reconcile our ancestral pull towards Shamanism), I realized there was something more for me there.

I began to research Shamanism, started exploring with the International School of Shamanism and also journeying on a regular basis. I felt called to start offering my own journey workshops and groups so that others could also get in touch with this ancient practice.

And then I needed to go even deeper. This year, I took a big leap and began a three year Shamanic Practitioner Training program with Julie Kramer in Colorado. (Hello, claiming your power!)

This work has informed my life on all aspects, asking me to step more fully into the space that I’m being called, even if it looks totally different from everything that I’ve known or everything that comes before. (Did I mention that I worked for three multinationals before? Or graduated from UVa? Or speak fluent German? Yeah. Didn’t prepare me for this.)

But that’s what I ask all of my clients to do: to step into that space of the unknown and to keep going, despite the not knowing.

Big surprise, but the message I’ve been receiving is the same as those I’m constantly preaching from the mountaintop:

It’s time to step fully into where you are being called.

It’s time to let go of all of those preconceived ideas about what you can and can’t do.

Let go of your fears, step up, follow your heart, and shine.

No more playing small. No more “I have to ask my husband”. No more “But the kids still need me.”

This is your time.

You will never be ready. There will never be a perfect time. There will never be a guarantee.

You don’t need more training. You don’t need another degree. You don’t need another certificate.

This is the only time.

This is your only life, my dear, and if it’s calling you to be something other than what everyone else expected…well, come talk to me.

I know all about it.