Learning NOT To Lose My Shit Is A Daily Practice

Spirit story for the day, "Learning NOT to lose my shit is a daily practice.

Trust me, I'm not all about the light.

I'm both. Dark and light. Mostly dark.

Who says that a healer has to be only about peace and love?

Why should we feel guilty about having a 'human' emotion when we are living in a human body?

I've learned to use my darkness to move unwanted energies away from my clients.

I've learned to dive into the darkness in order to connect with my pain. Because THAT is where it lives. Inside of the darkness.

My fear, anger, and scared shitless self lives there too.

So, should I ignore this part of myself? Should you?

Should we pretend that we are always warm and fuzzy?

Oh, hell no! How is that authentic?

If we ignore this part of ourselves, we might as well ignore our light.

Loving ourselves means ALL of ourselves. Our whole self.

Not just the sweetness, but the mud. The yuck. The sticky rage that we do not want to show the world. Because, if your like me, oh boy, it ain't pretty!

Thing is about shoving anger down into the pockets of our energetic body...it rots there.

We end up getting things like cancer and high blood pressure...or some other God awful disease.

Our body fills up with inflammation the more we stubbornly push it deeper and deeper away from our truest selves.

If you are mad. Be fucking mad.

It's only when our anger builds up that it hurts us...and, others.

If we willingly acknowledge it when it first makes it's explosive entrance-- instead of slamming the door on it, the toxic energy won't be able to grow.

Meeting our shit where it is, however it appears, is so so so SO important in this kind of healing work.

Without the dark, the light would not exist.

My daughter is my greatest teacher for not losing my shit.

She has taught me NOT to pour gasoline on the flames of my anger. She has taught me even if she is terrified, to sit in it. Not to react with a fight or die attitude.

She has taught me that it is better to shake uncontrollably and remain calm than to unleash fury on another.

My daughter demonstrated this so gracefully recently.

When someone was putting her down for a choice she made, Madeline connected with the pain underneath the anger.

She cried while my throat constricted and my whole body tightened up. I was ready to throw down with a woman that I felt was bullying my daughter.

She said, "No, I will NOT go down to her level, Mom. That is NOT who I am." That is not who she is. Wow.

How did my 22 year old daughter master this response while my 45 year old self still has to work on reigning in the fight?

Healing work is about connecting with the love inside of ourselves and sharing it with others.

LOVE is way more powerful than anger. It softens that energy instantly.

The key is standing in the middle. Letting yourself FEEL the darkness, while standing IN the light.

I will always be intense, protective, passionate, and full of fire. This isn't a bad thing unless I use this energy the wrong way.

Instead, I am going to keep dancing. Dancing with ALL the human emotions that we face each day.

Anger is just pain in disguise anyway.

Soooooo, just for today, I will not lose my shit! :-)

I will stand in awareness like my wise daughter.

I will stand in compassion for people that I feel are hurting my children, or husband, or cat for that matter!

I can STILL be a Momma Bear, but I don't have to destroy my opponent.

I can look at what is coming up for me--what trigger, what pain, and I can sit in it. Just like my daughter.

For as long as it needs to transform into love."

#loveyourdarkasmuchasyourlight #darkness #light #healers #feelit#tohealit #shamanism #shaman #shamanicreiki #loseyourshit #balance#love #practice #thankyoudarkness #thankyoulight #loveitall#beALLofyou

What If The Pain Was THE GIFT?

Spirit's message for the day, "The pain IS the gift."

The pain really IS the gift.

It's when you feel like you can't go on--when you are sitting in a pool of your own vomit and tears that the pain asks...

What's up?

What cycle are you so tired of living that you are willing to break IT even if it breaks you for a moment...or two.

The pain will ask you if you are WILLING to heal yourself NOW or later.

The pain will give you a clear choice: love yourself THROUGH this, or continue the same self-destruction for another five years.

It will SCREAM at you to look at things differently...even when you can't look at yourself in the mirror.

Pain is a badass teacher--even if we don't want to learn today. It will keep showing up until we are ready.

Pain is unapologetic.

It doesn't care if your to-do list is completed or if 'it is the right time'.

Nope, pain only cares about YOU, NOW, IN THIS LIFE.

The pain LOVES you enough to ask you what YOU love to do.

What are YOU passionate about? What would make YOU happier than this moment of anguish?

The pain begs us to ask ourselves, "What the flying fuck do I REALLY WANT?!"

Which way do I really want to go? And, with who?

The pains SHOWS us what truly needs healing within.

The pain has this spectacular way of grabbing us by the shoulders and shaking us AWAKE.

Only you get to decide whether we go back to sleep.

And, if you decide that you need to sit in the pain longer...that is OK too.
Stay in your darkness as long as it takes.
Stay with your broken pieces.

You will need them for when you are ready to come back HOME to yourself.
To who you are meant to be in this lifetime.

But, know that the pain will NOT give up on you and your worthiness to experience love.

True love. Self love.

The pain IS the gift that will open you to the light of yourself.

Embrace it with all your might. ❤

SARAH NORWOOD

SHAMANIC HEALER, INTUITIVE REIKI MASTER, & MEDIUM

WWW.SHAMANICMOUNTAINHEALING.COM

#pain #love #healing #darkness #light #shamanism #painisateacher#learningtoloveyourselfthroughthepain

Happy Summer 2018!

Shamanic Mountain Healing's Newsletter "Got Energy?" A FREE monthly Newsletter about EVERYTHING energy! Shamanic Healing, Reiki, Chakra Balancing, Aura Repair, Soul Retrieval, Past Life Regression, Spirit Guides, Power Animals, Spirit Stories/Messages & More!  Happy Summer 2018! Balance your chakras, strengthen your aura, heal trauma energy, travel to a past life, unblock your energy field or learn how to become your very own Shaman! Shamanic Mountain Healing is offering:  $10 Off All Services Until the End of July!  1.) 60 or 75 Min. Distance Intuitive Energy Healing Reading/Session  2.) Shamanic Soul Guide: BE Your Own Shaman Session *Email: shamanicmountain@gmail.com with the type/length of session and Sarah will send you an invoice (via Paypal) with the discounted price! See below for more detailed information about Shamanic Mountain Healing's Services.  What type of healing session should I try? What are my options? Shamanic Mountain Healing's Services: 1.) DISTANCE Intuitive Energy Healing/Readings: During a DISTANCE Intuitive Energy Healing/Reading session, Sarah meditates and goes on a Shamanic journey. Once she travels to this alternate realm in the Spirit world, she calls on your Soul to join her. Then, Sarah utilizes a powerful and unique healing process is called Shamanic Reiki- a beautiful combination of two ancient healing methods, Shamanism and Reiki. Distance energy healing utilizes an energetic process where the Shaman is in one location and the client is in another.  During an intuitive energy healing/reading session, Sarah not only calls on your Spirit, she calls on spirit guides/helpers (animal, ancestor, and angel guides) and any other enlightened beings to help you heal a current or past issue or trauma. Distance energy healing is extremely powerful as energy is not bound by time or space. It can be felt across the Universe at anytime, anywhere. Sarah’s gifts are enhanced in a deep, meditative trance-like state. This why her energy healing sessions are *NOT* done by phone or in person. In Sarah’s energy sessions, she utilizes a variety of healing modalities including Shamanic Reiki, traditional Reiki, aura repair, chakra balancing, soul retrieval and recovery, karmic cleansing, and soul possession clearing. Sarah, also, has the gift of channeling psychic messages during your sessions. Oh how we crave so many answers in our life! What is our life purpose? Will I get that job? Is he/she the ONE? Sarah is able to tap into the Universe and ask Spirit for these answers. Whether you are looking for information about your relationships, finances, career, etc., Sarah asks her Guides to show you the Way. She ‘scans’ your energy field and taps into your innate truths.  Remember, EVERYTHING is temporary and YOU have the POWER to change and shift your own reality in any moment. Her readings will give you a ‘current’ answer, but the rest is up to you!Sarah will ask Spirit and the Universe for the answers to all your questions. Sarah asks her guides for a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Sometimes, they will elaborate on the answers and sometimes not. Sarah relies solely on her Spirit Guides (and yours), and the Universe, to send her the answers you are seeking. Your spirit tells Sarah a story which guides her and the Shamanic Reiki energy to go wherever it needs to go in order to heal you. The more consistent energy healing sessions, the faster you can heal and release what no longer serves you, so that you can move forward to a happier, healthier and more balanced life! ”Your spirit tells Sarah a story as you travel together in a Shamanic realm.” Sarah will ask her spirit guides, as well as yours, to guide you during your energy healing journey. Sometimes, just removing stagnant energies and repairing the aura is the only purpose of the healing session. Other times, things go deeper; Sarah may need to help cut cords, connect you to a lost loved one, or heal various parts of you that are in pain. Remember, the energy and messages come through Sarah, not from Sarah. These sessions are about you, not her. Sarah does not try to interpret them. She only relays the information that is channeled through her and, frequently, what she see does not make sense to her! Sometimes, several spirits come inside of Sarah’s body and perform the work on clients. Other times, Sarah simply sees or hears the spirits as situations play out before her eyes. They (the spirits) visually show Sarah what is going on within a person. Sarah is able to scan and ‘read’ someone’s body and see where blocked energy or specific memories are stored. The spirits even yell at Sarah or joke to get their point across! Every session is completely different. She never know what will happen! Her job is to simply watch, feel and listen. Sarah ‘assists’ you and the spirit guides to facilitate your unique healing process. These transformative sessions are not completed on the phone with you because Sarah finds that distance energy healing/readings are more effective when performed in a deep, transitive and alternate, shamanic state. Once Sarah is connected to spirit in an alternate, Shamanic realm, she records your energy healing session while sharing everything she sees/feels/hears simultaneously with you. **After the completion of your 60 or 75 min. session, Sarah will immediately email you a customized audio recording in an MP3 format that you may keep forever. Your MP3 audio file will be sent via DropBox so that you can easily download and listen to your session at your convenience 2.) Shamanic Soul Guide: BE Your Own Shaman Sessions: No matter where you are in the world, experience one-on-one (intensive) Shamanic Soul Guidance LIVE with Sarah via Skype or FaceTime! These ‘close up and personal’ sessions are for people that desire to to take their healing practice to the next level! Create your very own Shamanic healing practice or learn how to heal yourself with Shamanic Reiki techniques. These 75 minute sessions are offered in a Skype OR FaceTime format so that you are working face-to-face with Sarah as she lovingly guides you to finding YOUR WAY of healing. These sessions are for the beginner level all the way up to advanced. If you have always wanted to learn how to meditate, journey to alternate realms in the Spirit world, meet your Spirit Guides, or even learn how to become a certified Shamanic Practitioner…these Skype or FaceTime Sessions are for YOU!  Sarah was once a 19 year old woman that walked into an office for what she thought would be an acupuncture session. It turned out that the doctor was, in fact, a very powerful Shaman from the East Coast. Little did she know that he would teach me how to go safely on a Shamanic journey through meditation and heal herself for the next 27 years! So, she’s been there. She knows how lonely it can feel at first. Sarah will take your hand and walk WITH you through all your fears. She will guide you through the darkness AND the light. Shamanic Soul Guide: BE Your Own Shaman Sessions may include: Live Energy Healings, Usui Reiki Training, Shamanic Meditation Techniques, The History of Shamanism and Reiki, Shamanic Practitioner Level Training, Intuitive Mentoring, Psychic Energy Readings, Unlimited Email Support, and More! These intensive 75 minute sessions will offer you an incredible opportunity (and a safe space) to explore your inner gifts at a much deeper level. Sarah, also, gives you a free Shamanic Soul Guide journal to help you express your deepest desires! With 27 years of Shamanic practice under her belt, Sarah is so happy to to finally be able to share ALL of her own wisdom, tips, stories, heart and Soul with you!  Sarah Norwood will lovingly mentor and teach you how to discover YOUR special Way to becoming your very own Shaman! Anyone can learn how to practice Shamanic healing! You don’t have to be ‘spiritual’ or ‘psychic’ to do this. You only have to be open to exploring the depths of your Soul- even if it hurts, even if it makes you furious, sad or scared. We will get down to business together! We will embrace what works for you, what you love, what relaxes you, what calls your Soul’s name and ignites your passions. Your Way is the ‘right way’ to heal! Sarah Norwood will mentor you on how to safely go on exciting Shamanic journeys to the Spirit world, help you enter alternate realms in the Spirit world, meet your Spirit Guides, learn how to open your own chakras, fly beside you into a past lives, cut karmic cords, clear negative energy from your life and so much MORE! Becoming your own Shaman will open you up to a whole new world of love, forgiveness, empowerment, abundance and a peace you may never have known before. Shamanic Healing can be profound and life-altering, offering a life beyond your wildest dreams! Sarah will meet you where YOU are in your healing practice, helping you discover YOUR unique gifts. There is no right or wrong way to heal yourself. Sarah will help you identify, and expand upon, the gifts you already have inside of you! Sarah will gently assist you on your unique healing path–leading you directly to your life purpose! Sarah will mentor you, listen to you, support you and help you expand upon your own intuitive gifts! **These sessions are offered by DISTANCE through Skype OR FaceTime to allow Sarah to work with people all over the world! Book Now Shamanic Mountain Healing's Social Life  Yes, not only is Shamanic Mountain Healing on Twitter, FacebookandYouTube, it now has a Blog! Social media is a beautiful way to connect with people, share Spirit stories/messages, talk about energy, chakras, Shamanic healing and how to live  your DREAM LIFE. Check out SMH's Blog here today! Shamanic Mountain Healing's Blog!

Your Gifts Are YOUR Way!

“Essentially, all I do is love the wounded parts in me to help you love the wounded parts in you.” ~Sarah

Our gifts are our Way. It can take years to discover how we best connect with the spirit world and the healing energy in the Universe. I believe every person has a knack or a niche. A Way. Do you just 'know' things? Do you hear Spirit? Feel Spirit? See Spirits? Smell Spirit? Do you need to be moving your body out in nature to connect with higher dimensional energy? Do you need silence? Music? Drumming? Body work? How do you connect with the loving energy in your Soul?

Learning how to tap into your gifts on a daily basis is so important in order to learn how to become your own Shaman. If there is one bit of advice that I can offer you for cultivating your Shamanic healing practice IS to practice. To do some form of meditation or relaxation technique every day without fail. The more you get used to relaxing your body and mind, the easier it is to fly to alternate realms! Shamanic journeying is most successful when we are in a relaxed state of mind, body and spirit.

What do you do to feel bliss?  A oneness with the earth and Universe? What brings you peace? Music? Silence? What is the best way for you to connect with the Spirit world? Here is my Way, what is your Way?

The Spirits That Move Me- My Way

I have always felt Spirits step in, and out, of my body. Sometimes, they move my head and curiously look around the room. I’ve learned that I can pop Spirits out of my body as easily as I can let them in. I can tell if they are just lost (in limbo) and want a body to make them feel alive again--or if they have a specific reason for making themselves at home inside of me. I can feel if they are angry Souls or...if they are free, if they like to dance, if they have wings, if they are healers, if they are animals, if they are funny (and, they often are), or if they are dark or full of light. Some have messages for me. Others are just passing through. One thing is for sure...they know, that I KNOW they are there. Oh the fabulous and interesting life of a channeler!

This all started long ago…one of the first times I remember having a Spirit jump inside my chest was while I was meditating on my couch. I saw a quick, blurry shadow cross in front of me and then the Soul was inside of me, moving my head, arms, torso, fingers, etc.  I felt crazy. I mean, I couldn't even IMAGINE what I must look like as I experienced these random movements.

Soon, though, being a medium for Spirits simply became a part of my life. Some Souls made me dance while others used sharper hand movements as if to clear the air of bad energy. As I sit here writing now, my writing Spirit is in me, moving me. I am swaying on my chair and letting the words flow through me.

They always have something to say. The Spirits often tell me their thoughts or what to say to my clients. They heal my clients by working through me or they clearly show me what a client needs to learn/heal so that they can move forward in their lives.

A Spirit may even communicate a personality trait, show me a hair color, express a body gesture that only the client would understand or reveal a special symbolic message. Sometimes, Spirit will point out when a cord is attached between two people. We will, then, cut this cord together! Other times, Spirit will lead me into a past life of a client, identify a current pain or illness, help me locate a trauma that is stored in a client's body or even guide me to where fragmented parts of a client's Soul is hidden so I can do a 'soul retrieval'.

So, what started out as a simple channeling of a Soul in my living room 20 years ago has turned into my Way of healing. I am a medium or vehicle for the Spirits to heal myself and my clients. They dance inside of me as I close my eyes and completely remove myself from my body. I call it ‘sitting down’ in the chair in my office. I trust that my Spirit Guides will heal my client. It is when I remove myself completely that I am the clearest channel for their healing.

I learned early on that it is NOT about me. 

I am not a Guru or Healer. 

With the help of the Spirits, I am a channel for the healing that needs to take place in the current moment.

Since I am a trained Reiki Master and Shamanic Practitioner, I combine these ancient healing techniques in my healing work. I begin by closing my eyes and opening up my crown chakra, third eye, throat chakra, heart and let the LOVE flow out of my arms and palms into the client’s feet. I tap into pure love in the Universe. It is not a religion or even a New Age spiritual practice. It is just connecting with the love, allowing it to flow in my body, fill me up and therefore pass it along to the person that needs healing. When my arms lift up from my elbows (as they are doing now), this is my cue that the Reiki energy is flowing. I shut my eyes and begin to see what is around the person, or within, the person.

Sometimes, I see darkness or stuck energy in a chakra. I will call on Archangel Michael to help remove the dark energy. I call it psychic surgery. It all depends on the person for what Angels, Healers, Spirits or Guides come help them during a session. Often living, or dead, Spirits will enter a session if a person still has a pain attachment to that person.

For instance, if someone has been raped physically, the person that did the rape may show up if the client is ready to heal this part of themselves. The Spirit may be alive or deceased. It doesn’t matter. It is just the energy that is still attached or bonding them together. The Spirits that visit my clients during their energy healing sessions will describe or demonstrate their individual characteristics to me. This is to prove to a client that it is really them. They show me only what their living loved one could possibly know about them.

For example, I was once working on a client that was in the war. All of a sudden, a male Spirit started pacing back and forth near my client. I described this rageful, angry and swearing man to my client. The Spirit was chain smoking and saying that the 'war was bullshit' over and over. My client's eyes widened and said that one of his soldiers that recently passed away always said this particular (exact) phrase over and over. He said he was so mad at the world before he died. So, this deceased Spirit used the same language that he once used when he was alive. He embodied a distinct personality and physical attributes in a way that only my client understood.

Other times, the Spirits that join my sessions may be crying and trying to give the client an object that only held meaning between the two of them. They may express remorse for how they treated someone during their human life. Or, the Soul may be coughing or acting out his/her own death because this is what they did right before they passed away. Sometimes, the Spirit that shows up may be knitting or placing a bag of groceries on the client’s chest if the two of them sewed, or cooked, together. It is really whatever symbolized their relationship that is revealed to me. This helps my clients ‘trust’ that the Soul appearing is trying to communicate directly with them.

Every morning, I sit down to meditate before working. I usually take on the personas of my clients that I will see that day. I close my eyes and my appearance changes. For instance, I can 'feel' like I am smoking a joint and 'see' cut marks all over my arms. This tells me that I may be working on a client that smokes pot or self-harms that day. I may even act out a scenario in the client’s life the morning before I have my session with them. If a person is being beaten, I will see myself being hit or actually 'feel' the beatings.

If there is a national tragedy, I may hear the screams of Mother’s losing their children, I may feel the pain in my chest if people are going to be shot or feel the earth shake below my feet if there is about to be an earthquake.  I will see myself crying almost always before something dramatic happens. And, my Guides will appear in the Spirit realms wearing all black like they are at a funeral.

I have many powerful Spirit Guides and power animals. One of my master guides is a Native American Chief that flutters and chops his hands over the body's of my clients to rid them of toxic energy or spirit possessions. I, also, have an Angel named Sasha that flies into my chest so that I can feel her wings heavy on my back. She forces me to open my heart, stand in my power, and remember who I am. She is there for the sole purpose of helping my clients feel self-love. I have a dancer Spirit Guide that picks up the natural, vibrational rhythm of my clients. I literally sway back and forth for several minutes when he shows up. He helps me identify blockages or stagnant energies in the body's of my clients. I have a hawk guide that I flies inside of my body and takes me to alternate realms in the spirit world. I see through his eyes and my shoulder blades flap their wings! It's pretty amazing stuff! And, I am so humbled and grateful that I am their vessel. Every day feels like a miracle that I can be a part of another person's healing journey.

The only problem that I have with channeling so many lively, interesting, funny, powerful, and loving Spirit Guides is that I don’t remember what they said or did once a session is over. My clients will ask, "don’t you remember when?" and I will look at them with a blank stare. This is because the information is not for me to hold onto.

The healing energy shared is for the my client’s healing only. It is what reminds me that the sacred messages offered is flowing through me--not from me.

I am not Sarah Norwood during my sessions.  I simply jump between the physical realm and the Shamanic (spirit world) realms in order to receive answers to questions and become a medium for the healing energy.

I never had to 'try' and do what I do. Sitting and 'going' on journeys during my meditations was always instant. In some ways, I guess years of being dissociated as a child was actually where I learned to move between the human and spirit worlds. During sexual abuse and other traumas, I would leave my body. Afterwards, I would come back 'home' to myself. So in some ways, my earlier childhood traumas actually facilitated my innate ability to do Shamanic journeying. See? Everything leads us on the path we are supposed to be on!

Quite often, our pain leads to our purpose.

What I have found over the years of doing this kind of healing work is that most people want a quick fix. They want me to heal them overnight. They want me to tell them what to do. They want me to tell them ‘how’ to heal themselves, what meditations to practice, what stones to buy, whatever will make it ‘all go away’.

The truth is, Shamans don’t heal anyone. And, anyone that says that they can ‘heal’ you, beware!

There is not one set of guidelines, suggestions, prescription or rules that will heal you. You are the only one that can discover what works for YOU. No one else can ‘fix’ what is broken inside of you, but you. There is no step by step manual to your very UNIQUE healing process. You need to be an active participant in your own healing journey, taking 100% responsibility for the creation of your happiness.

People can offer suggestions, but I encourage you only to do the things that make your Soul feel good in some way. There are a lot of mindful, simple and quick things you can do to bring balance and peace to your body and mind.

One Way could be drinking a hot cup of green tea on a Tuesday afternoon while sitting on a porch swing. Another way to connect with your Soul could be driving with the tunes blaring from your car speakers with your sunroof open!

Healing yourself and tuning your unique Gifts is a private process.

Healers can help or assist, but YOU have to discover what works for you. You get to decide what tools to put in your healing tool box. You have to ask your guides, or whatever you believe in, to bring forth a ‘healing team’ and healing modalities that are for your individual, highest good.

I utilize so many interesting healing modalities and things that bring me such joy! Essentially, your healing is up to you. I do believe in what I do and what I can offer people, but if it does not ‘call your name’ or ‘speak to your soul’, then DON’T do it!

When I work on clients, I offer energy healing and Spirit messages, but it is not up to me to analyze the messages or where the energy I offer goes in your body. That is up to you. What you do with the Shamanic Reiki energy is yours. I am only a channel of love, energy and Spirit.

I assist in my client’s healing, but they are their own healer. I may help my client's connect with parts of themselves that have been suppressed, hurt or scared. But, at the end of the day, it is up to my wonderful clients to change their lives. The people that want ‘Sarah Norwood’ to heal them, usually don’t end up coming back.

This is because healing starts and ends with you.

What is YOUR Way?

Shamanic journeying is all about finding your Way back home to yourself. It helps you peel back your own layers and look beneath it all--exploring the depths of your Soul. Loving your dark AND your light. Loving ALL of you. Every day is a new opportunity to heal and get to know yourself better. Here are some questions to ponder:


1.) How did your life story shape you? 







2.) How did you get here? 







3.) What is it that you really want in this life?







4.) Did you have unexplained spiritual experiences that intrigued, or frightened you? 







5.) Why do you REALLY want to learn about Shamanic healing techniques and (possibly) become Certified?  What is your long term goal or intention?







6.) Have you always known you have gifts, but haven't known how to access them? Or, are you just interested in an alternative healing method as traditional medicine hasn't worked?







7.) What do you 'know' deep inside of yourself to be true?







8.) Are you Empath, A Feeler, A Seer, Clairaudient, Clairvoyant, a Channel, A Medium? We all have heightened senses. Which ones are yours? How do they work? If you don’t know, don’t worry! We will explore this deeper as we work together! 

Another important way to become a good Shamanic Practitioner is simply to practice things that make you feel good. When we feel well, we have more energy to offer our loved ones and clients.

Write down what makes you feel GOOD: 



-What makes you happy?



-What relaxes you?



-What do you LOVE to do? Conjure up an image of yourself doing it even if it isn't something that seems out of reach. Sit in that abundant energy. Soak it in.



-What does it feel like when you are doing something you enjoy?



-Does your energy change?



-How does it change?


Test several ways to fall into a relaxed state:


-Do you need to sit up or lay down?


-Does holding crystals or stones help?


-Do you need essential oils like lavender or peppermint to relax and focus?


-Does it feel better to meditate at night or during the day?


-What time of day feels best?


Find a sacred, comfortable place in your home that is your go-to space for Shamanic meditation and healing:


-Where in your home feels best?


-Does it have a special chair or pillow?


-Is it a room full of light or is it dark?


-Do you have blankets to cover your body with if you go into a deep Shamanic trance? The body temperature can go down while journeying to altered realms.


-Do you have comfortable clothes on? Does it matter?

Everyone is different! Just BE YOU and do what feels GOOD! Your Path and Purpose Will Always Find You if You Stay True To Yourself!

Sarah Norwood, The Shaman that lives WITH Spirit and WITHOUT rules! 
Website: www.shamanicmountainhealing.com
Facebook Pages: Shamanic Soul Circle and Shamanic Mountain Healing

My First Shamanic Journey- What Lead YOU Here?

TODAY'S SPIRIT EXERCISE is at the end of today's Spirit Story, "My First Shamanic Journey-What Lead YOU here?"

As you read about my first experience with Shamanic Journeying, please think about how YOU came to be here today, right now...in this moment, on this Facebook page with all these loving Souls!!

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"Considering the fact that Shamanism can be traced all the way back to the Stone Age era, and is known as the first human ‘spiritual practice’, you would think that I would have at least heard the word ‘Shaman’ throughout my young life.

That would be a big 'NO’!

The only spiritual discussions I ever had with my family growing up were how I didn’t want to go to church on Sunday! I was raised Catholic. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the idea of praying to God in a church, it was that I personally could not ‘feel’ anything there.

I would follow along with the bible, saying all the right words and listening to the pretty choir and feel nothing. It was a place to repent our sins, look nice and be kind to a bunch of strangers. Afterwards, I couldn’t wait to tear off my tights and dress and go find my cat.

For some, church is a sanctuary and a beautiful place to connect to God and the love in the Universe. I wholeheartedly respect and honor this belief! But, for me, something felt 'off'. Something was lacking in my religious experience.

Growing up, I was someone that was taught to question EVERYTHING. And, to trust my intuition.

I was a feeler. A seeker.

If I couldn't feel something, then I couldn't accept it as my truth.

When I was met with teachings or people that only had one answer to happiness, forgiveness or redemption, I was always left wondering 'but, why'?

Simply put, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that 'love' was limited to only one belief, one religion or one spirituality.

There must be MORE than one path that leads us to a connection with our higher selves. From a very young age, I felt that there was something larger than all of us on earth. A pure energy of LOVE that was offered to us regardless of who or what we believed in!

Raised in a home where equality for ALL beings was so important, I never understood a person's judgement or prejudice towards a certain kind of people. My parents told me that it didn't matter if you were gay, straight, black or white, religious or atheist--ALL living beings deserve love.

I perceived love to be something that didn't restrict or condemned us in any way. Love WAS freedom.

I was always on a quest to discover my OWN belief system.

When something didn't jive with me, I searched deeper.

Please know that I am not in any way condemning anyone that lives a life believing in God's light, love and teachings. God is magnificent and glorious! I will ALWAYS pray to God and be grateful for the love and comfort he has provided throughout my life.

Whatever you want to call 'LOVE'' and practice is solely up to you. That is what is so fabulous about life! We can be whatever we want to be, do whatever we want to do and have the freedom to believe in whatever we want to believe in!

My adventurous, free-spirit personality is exactly what lead me to my very first Shamanic Journey!

When The Journey Found Me-----

Everything changed when I went to a college down in Radford, VA in 1993. This was my third attempt at college life. My first school was too big, the second was too small, and this one was just right! Just like Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears, I was looking for self-acceptance and my place in the world. I always felt like an 'outsider' looking in. Alone. Misunderstood. So, I craved acceptance and love and found it in the most unlikely places!

My Sophomore year of college, I majored in English and minored in Psychology.

Coming from the Boston area, I never thought in a million years that I would meet a ‘Shaman’ in Virginia AND that he would be my favorite English teacher…ever. This tall, energetic man, was one that you might call ‘in touch’ with his spirit. He cut his own hair without looking in a mirror, slept in his office or a tent near the college, and often just ‘went with it’ in class, igniting a contagious excitement with totally random discussions.

And, I LOVED it!

He encouraged me to write about my PAIN and pushed me to be a writer without boundaries.

One day, he invited me to a Shamanic drumming out of the blue. Shamanic, Shamanism, Shama, whaaaat? What in the world was that all about?

Thanks to my father, I was about to find out! My Dad taught me to LIVE life from birth, to always be a curious cat, and to always be ready for the next adventure!

So, I ended up going to this intriguing ‘drumming’ with a friend of mine that evening. It was located at a small house on campus.

Once everyone arrived, I remember my English teacher, and some of the other kids there, thanked the Spirits in the house for allowing us to be there, and then, the manic drumming began.

I felt right at home once the ‘Spirit’ talk began. After all, finally, someone was acknowledging the ghosts that I had seen and heard most of my life.

My English teacher spoke as the drumming reached a constant, high pitched rhythm. He told us to imagine a place in the earth to go through to the ‘underworld’. It could be a tree or body of water, or even a hole. I was nervous, unsure of what was happening, but I closed my eyes and let the drumming take me.

Instantly, I saw myself in another realm. I went through a tree to the underground and landed in soft grass next to a flowing lake.

To this day, this still remains the ‘underground’ realm that I visit on my Shamanic journeys.

I met one of my power animals during my first Shamanic journey, the raccoon. I also met Sasha. She is an angel Spirit Guide of mine. She led me deeper into this mysterious, but beautiful altered dimension.

While exploring this wondrous, new spirit world, I still could hear the drumming faintly in the background. I was enjoying this ‘journey’. How cool was this?!

Suddenly, my Soul ended up jumping in the current of a large, raging lake and I sunk rapidly to the bottom. Black snakes began to choke me and I fought furiously to get to the surface of the water. I could not breathe.

In that lake, I experienced the symbolic violence that WAS my abusive life.

Finally, I jumped out of the cold lake as the drumming came to a climax.

Then, we were all instructed to go back through the hole we came from and back into our physical bodies.

As quickly as I had gone to the 'underworld', I felt my Spirit returning to the over-crowded room of college kids.

Wiping sweat from my upper lip, I was ‘back’. Back from what? What WAS that?

What the hell just happened?!

What was this Shamanic drumming supposed to teach us? Where we came from? What was our life purpose? I had SO many questions blowing through my head like a hurricane-force wind. But, this powerful wind was good. It felt like I had gone back ‘home’ for a while.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp tug on my arm. Clearly, my friend did NOT have a miraculous, healing and insightful journey like me. She was pale, wide-eyed and having trouble breathing. I could feel the anxiety radiating from her body. She pleaded with her eyes. Her eyes told me that we needed to get out of there.

Just as I was about to stand up and leave, my free-spirited English teacher started to ask all of us about our individual journeys. I sat back down as not to disrupt the discussion. My friend reached for my hand and squeezed, letting me know it was OK for us to stay a little longer. We linked arms and I began to listen to the kids share what they saw, felt or heard during their journeys.

I was fascinated in what others had to say even though I knew my friend was struggling beside me. People began sharing their experiences briefly...and then, it was my turn.

For fifteen minutes, I described in vivid detail my first Shamanic Journey. All eyes were on me just staring and silent. Normally, I was terrified to speak in front of large groups of my peers. But, it was not just “I” that spoke about my journey. I realized that my description of what had just transpired was not a small deal.

Something was speaking through me as I shared my first Shamanic journey. Who was I channeling? A Spirit, a Soul, an energy?? I wasn't even sure.

And, my ability to just ‘go’ on this meditative journey was like second nature. It was just..easy.

I didn't even try, I just 'went'.

Finally, I turned to my friend and she was staring at me with large, blank eyes. With a shaky voice, she started to tell the group about her experience, but she couldn’t get the words out. Something had terrified her and she was frozen in fear. I squeezed her hand, letting her know that she was ‘safe’ as she quickly described having a feeling that someone was pressing down on her chest. She said that she felt a large hand choking her while violently pushing on her chest the entire time. How awful?!

I felt absolutely horrible. How could I have put my friend through this? I felt selfish and ashamed that my own experience was so beautiful when hers was frightening.

At that time, I did not know that energy work could enhance what was already going on inside of a person. Energy healing tends to go to the core and can bring our deepest fears to the surface. It can also identify if we have negative spirits or energies attached to us. It can bring trauma and pain to the surface.

Today, I can look back and know that my friend may have had a spirit possessing her in that moment. It’s as if she was familiar with this toxic energy and it triggered her into a state of shock. Since this was my first journey, I was lacked the knowledge and skill to realize that Shamanic healing is not for everyone.

I had no idea how to help her with the horrific pain and discomfort that was evoked during her journey to the underworld. So, I just grabbed her hand and we left the house. We didn’t speak of that night again. In fact, it was one of the last times I ever saw her.

You Are HERE For A Reason--

Soooooo, have YOU experienced a strong or light current, steering you towards Shamans or Shamanic healing?
Ask yourself, what experiences have you had with energy healers, Shamanic books that you may have randomly picked up at the store or seen something on Google about 'Shamans'. Maybe you overheard a conversation about a Shamanic healing and the benefits of learning Shamanic meditation. Or perhaps you are just curious about ALL of it!

Write down or think about the various ways you have encountered Shamanism throughout your entire life. This is YOUR Story. Your Life. Your path. And, it has lead you here.

-How have your early childhood experiences shaped your beliefs?

-What are the belief systems that you bought into over the years?

-Are those beliefs in alignment with your Soul?

-Are you living your life for you, or are you in search of happiness from someone or something outside of you? Money, relationships, love?

-What do you MOST want in life?

-What has drawn you to this specific type of Shamanic work?

-Why now?

-How do you think becoming your own Shaman will help you?

-What outcome do you desire from becoming a Shamanic healer or healer in general?

Trust me, the Universe will answer all of your questions! Get clear. Put all your cards on the table and don't be afraid to ask the BIG ones!

Shamanic healing brings us back home to who we were meant to be in this lifetime. It leads us back to ourselves.

This is why the journey ALWAYS finds YOU!

Your divine 'home' is and has always been...deep inside of you. Becoming your own Shaman helps us to understand that we are ALWAYS connected to Source. When we deny ourselves love, we are shutting ourselves off from God or the Universe's divine love.We learn that we are perfect just as we are!

Once we realize that we don't need to go anywhere or do anything to be loved, that you can tap into your OWN love---- then you'll know that the Shamanic healing is working! Imagine being totally comfortable in your own skin, being your own best friend and feeling an unimaginable love for yourself every day?

Shamanic healing can help you achieve this!

It's been 28 years since my first Shamanic journey. I have journeyed thousands of times since. It is the single greatest thing I learned how to do! I am alive today after enduring trauma after trauma BECAUSE I learned Shamanic meditation.

Now, it's your turn. Are you ready?!"

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