Have you ever felt your soul fully merge with your body?
Your heart heal completely?
Or your mind become free from worry?
These were the feelings I gained after spending a week in tribal ceremony with shamans.
I went on this journey feeling like I had little to gain,
But I was definitely curious.
After all,
I had graduated from therapy,
Lived in my purpose through my work,
And have deep meaningful relationships.
What more could there be?
Within my second breathwork class I had a full meltdown.
It was obvious why I was there.
Like a flashing neon sign that I had never made space to see.
I did not know how to trust.
Not myself,
Nor anyone else in my life.
A wound that was unhealed from being a child of abuse.
You see,
I believe we all have these big heavy boulders that live inside of us.
They grow from our traumas and they weigh us down inside our bodies.
And through actions like therapy,
Mindfulness,
And meditation,
We take a sludge hammer to that boulder.
We break it up and then lodge its power over us.
But what we don't realize is that no matter how much of this work you do,
There will still be pebbles that need to be worked through.
And while in this shamanic experience,
I realized the healing powers of yoga,
Breathwork,
Education,
And plant medicine ceremonies.
The teachers and shamans were a display of pure love and guided us in shining a light on our fears so love could take over.
I gained more wisdom about myself and the human experience during this week than I had in my entire life.
And that wisdom is now a part of me.
It will stay with me forever.
It's a privilege and honor to share the 11 most profound pieces of wisdom I gained from that week with shamans in hopes that you might get curious about your own journey and wisdom you want to receive.
Number one,
We are a result of thousands of generations of our ancestors' traumas that were never healed.
This one blew my mind because it made so much sense all at once.
Of course our pain is passed down from generation to generation.
Our parents did the best they could with what they were shown to be true.
But the shamans told us that when we do the work of healing ourselves completely,
Our ancestors are dancing in the skies for they too are finally free of the pain.
Number two,
Hurt people hurt people and healed people heal people.
So whenever you can,
Be kind to those who hurt you.
They are likely deeply wounded themselves and could use love.
When the hurt is dangerous or puts you in harm's way,
Remove yourself completely so you can continue to heal and therefore heal others.
Number three,
When we can find stillness in the light,
Healing begins.
We live in a hyperactive world and the greatest healing happens when we're fully present with all of ourselves,
Not just the good parts.
Observing our emotions as points of data will lead us to greater existence and understanding.
Number four,
Your perception of me is a reflection of you.
Notice what bothers you about someone.
Is it what they say or how they act?
Notice what makes you feel connection to someone,
How they carry themselves or engage with others.
Then get curious about why those attributes disturb or ignite you so much.
When you really step back and contemplate with intention,
You will discover that those pieces are a reflection of yourself.
You wouldn't notice them for better or worse otherwise.
Number five,
Our body is the carrier of our soul and we must care for it with all of our being to truly live in union with our light.
We must be aware of what we're doing to numb our bodies.
Drinking a bottle of wine each night,
Watching mindless TV on end,
Scrolling through our social media accounts,
Eating an extra large pizza all to ourselves after we're already full.
These are the signs that we're out of alignment with our soul because we're hurting our bodies,
Our bodies which carry our light.
When we do these things,
We are leaning more into darkness instead of that light.
Number six,
Love your fears.
Our minds create fear out of protection,
But most of the time they do not serve us.
When we love those fears,
Their power shifts.
Using a statement as simple as,
You're so silly,
I love how scared you get about your life's path.
That short but intentional message to yourself will make you smile and maybe even laugh a bit about your own seriousness.
We must remember that anxiety is simply excitement without breath.
When you're able to loosen your body's tension through your breath,
Fear starts to melt away and love can enter fully.
Number seven,
We find what we look for and miss what we don't.
When you look for love,
You'll find it and when you look for frustration,
You'll find it.
So,
When you go into a place that normally causes you to feel annoyed,
Set an intention.
Tell yourself,
I'm going to look for joy here and you will be intentionally seeking out those moments.
For when you set an intention about what you want to see,
You'll always find what you're looking for.
Number eight,
Love accounting is not love.
You know those times when you do something kind for someone and then you place a tally mark in your column of things you've done lately to be nice for that person,
Especially with our life partners,
And then we get pissed when that person doesn't acknowledge or reciprocate an equal or greater act of love.
Well that's love accounting and when you do those things simply out of wanting to show and be love,
It's only pure when there's no desire or expectation for reciprocation.
Number nine,
Bad emotions want to leave your body,
But your stories keep them there.
Our bodies don't want to store bad emotions.
They want to purge them,
But the stories we associate to those emotions like,
I'm not lovable or I'm a fraud continue to stay inside of us and don't allow them to fade away.
This experience is scientifically proven to be associated with disease and death.
Find ways to move those emotions and stories through and out of your body.
Number ten,
Be a light worrier or a light worker.
Most of us live in such fear and pain or the darkness.
It's only love or the light that can make those fears vanish.
A light warrior is someone who plunges into the darkness and shines light on the evil and a light worker is someone who stays in stillness and has the light glow from them in every space they go.
I learned to spread the light by removing judgment and trusting myself and I now have peace.
Number eleven,
We all have the same purpose to be a vessel of love and light.
Everything else we make up.
Mental pressures and norms have completely turned us from human beings to human doings.
Always thinking we need to do more in order to have purpose.
It's a painful and unhealthy way to live each day.
So when you're in a place of feeling like you haven't achieved or accomplished enough,
Ask yourself,
Was I loving today?
Did I shine my light into this world?
And if the answer is yes,
You are living at the highest and greatest purpose.
If any of these eleven pieces of shamanic wisdom resonate with you,
Follow your curiosity and learn how you can integrate them into your beautiful,
Worthy life.
Will you bathe in the light with me?
