We are no longer living in the old traditional ways. We can’t go back. It’s like asking the butterfly to return to its cocoon. The laws of nature keep moving us forward into transformation and growth.

The leading governments of the world have a surging pull to go back to old traditional values based on fear that they have no control. The Vatican for example is also stuck in a time warp that does not fit this modern age.

Trying to stuff the butterfly back into its cocoon…. It just won’t regress and in doing that they are preventing what naturally needs to transform. Transformation will happen one way or another, nature will see to it if no one else does.

We may have been part of the old traditional ways in former incarnations and may well be descendants of traditional pathways but we are not our past, nor should we live there. It is not wise to ‘live’ in the romanticism of other life times. We chose this life, this earth suit, this experience and this time to be alive with all its challenges.

Many through disgust of corporations running the show, want to return to a sense of community and connection to the land. Some are able to do that, but they too will be challenged by things like soaring land rates, poisonous coal seem gas, development applications nearby, extreme weather patterns due to Chemtrails and HAARP and the unconscious collective that effects each and everyone no matter how far away one may be. There will be challenges in all places.

The time of the monk living on the hill far away from humanity is over as is the time of the guru who will take care of your developing consciousness.

This is the time of patience, integration, perspective and self-responsibility.

This is the weaving time. Time to integrate your medicine so it is a benefit to you and those around you.

A spiders weaving web takes, skill, patience, integration and perspective.

The spider teaches us about the feminine creative weaving of all aspects of ourselves (both male and female).

Shamanic medicine tools can be weaved into your life, to help integrate the changes and challenges while assisting one to gain perspective.

This is why contemporary shamanic practices are valuable for today’s times.

It assists in navigating non-ordinary reality as much as it assists in navigating this ordinary reality. Its not an intellectual theory of knowing, it’s a deeper practical spiritual doing.

I am not a traditional shaman. I walk the path of the shamanic teachings from all cultures. I honor the original shamans of the earth and would not think of comparing myself to them or their traditional ways.

I am a modern woman with an old soul who has chosen these challenging times to be of service in navigating the spiritual, psychic and astral worlds, seeing beyond the smoke and mirrors of the ego’s protection and educating through my writing and shamanic counseling.

This is my weaving of medicine into my life along with other tools that come my way. If you think you know it all and have nothing to learn, think again. That’s just your ego talking. One is unable to receive or weave with perspective if one is so full of their own importance.

Each person is unique and each person needs to be treated as such. The overall health system would do far better looking at each person individually and holistically assisting them to create a recipe of wellness that includes several modalities and paths of support. Less Band-Aid therapy and more grounded weaving of tools that can be implemented.

As a contemporary shaman, I assist people in weaving shamanic tools into their daily life, in a recipe that is fitting for them personally. I needed to learn these tools myself to help me navigate my life’s challenges.

When I am offering a tool I often share it with the phrase ‘This one you can do in the shower, on the toilet, or even on a bus” Because we need tools we can use in the modern fast paced world. Some take a little more time but their should be enough of a variety that you can choose the right tool for the needed moment or know what it is you need to do to bring alleviation to a situation.

Some tools I use:

Inner sanctuary journey

Recapitulation

Quantum Dynamics

Soul Retrieval

Animal Totems especially when dealing with psychic invasion.

Meditation for Sensitives

Inner child comforting and listening to my inner child’s needs

Voice Dialogue, embracing the different aspects of my personality

Calling my spirit into my body

Inner house cleaning (removing blockages in the body)

Drumming and gratitude to the unseen.

Meditation within my belly and within my heart and within my feet.

Writing out my shadow issues in my journal without criticism

Receptive channel (singing, speaking my spiritual lives, guides and totems)

Simply sitting with no agenda and just being.

Breathing long deep relaxing breathes out.

Knowing when to ask for help and finding the person that can assist me to unravel what I am unable to do myself.

How will you weave your medicine into your world?

What medicine will you weave into your life?

 

Whatever your weaving its good to include these elements

***

Earth: Nurture and ground your body, connect to the earth.

Fire: Feed your passion, your heart song, be your own ignition key

Air: Clear the mind of clutter and negative lies, let the inner witness assist you

Water: Understand and validate your emotions, you reactions, your inner child’s needs, what makes you feel safe and taking responsibility for how you feel.

Blessings on your own weaving.

Odette

I was talking with my brother not long ago about my blog and he suggested I write about my top five books. So today I share with you books that have made a profound influence on my life. I had to go to seven as some I just could not leave out. I could probably think of more, but these are the ones that instantly come to mind. Each book has changed my inner trajectory in a positive way and are an intricate part of my spiritual philosophy and view of this journey of life.

Memories, Dreams and Reflections. C.G. Jung

This is the book that put madness and the workings of the mind into perspective for me. To see that Jung traversed his own inner darkness, his own inner madness and found insight during these deep times was profound for me on my journey through the shadow times. He is likened to a modern shaman and a master in understanding the symbolism of archetypal mythology. He came out of those dark times with so much to share for the betterment of mankind. He was much more forward thinking than Freud and was not afraid to look inside his own inner failings for insight. It’s an enjoyable read of his journey into understanding the collective unconscious and where his work took him.

 

A Souls Journey. Peter Richelieu

I have rarely read a book and then bought five copies to give to others. I always knew that reincarnation was a natural journey of the soul but in this enjoyable novel it cemented my understanding. It begins with a man in grief who has lost a brother in war. He shouts to the powers that be for answers and soon appears a small Hindu man with a turban in his office ready to take him on a journey from the laws of reincarnation to the reasons the soul of a baby leaves before birth as well as the art of astral travel. I remember being very alert to my own astral traveling during the journey with this author. The book is not heavy and deeply insightful in understanding the path of the soul. It’s a great read for someone who is curious of the workings of the soul and its journey over lifetimes.

 

Soul Retrieval. Sandra Ingerman

Sandra brought one of the greatest tools in traditional shamanism into the contemporary western world. When I first read this book I understood how I had lost myself through life’s challenges. Sandra has a way of sharing medicine that is accessible to the modern mindset. The book is a wonderful introduction into the fragmentation of the soul and how those fragments of the soul can be retrieved. I myself do a more cognitive participatory soul retrieval but none the less this was the book that woke me up to the fragmentation of the spirit and how to return that which is lost, safely. If you are walking the shamans path, this should be on your bookshelf without question. Its the cornerstone of my path of service and how I healed. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Entering the Circle & Master Of Lucid Dreaming. Olga Kharitidi

True journeys of a Russian psychiatrist who is fed up with the orthodox path of psychiatry and follows a calling to understand the shamanic pathways to wellness in Siberia, Her orthodox mindset is challenged greatly but the process she goes through is really enlightening as she uncovers her own wounding. In Masters of Lucid dreaming there is much medicine in the understandings of why we create our own wounding’s and why people do not heal. Both books I found a bit of a workshop for my own inner journey and they have little gems inside for you to awaken to your own challenges. Great reads regardless and I really enjoyed the path this woman took in laying down her orthodox mind to journey deeper into the world of the shaman and the mystic. I love these book and they have enhanced my work and my medicine profoundly.

The Healing Quest. Marie Herbert.

This book changed my view how women treat themselves and the difference between a Vision Quest (fasting) and a Healing Quest (Nurturing). This was a huge insight into the damage one can do to themselves by punishing or being harsh in order to learn. The healing quest is the journey of a woman in grief and how she finds the path to self nurturing and self-healing with the shamanic womans medicine of self-love and self-care. For anyone in grief, this is a beautiful story of healing and one that directed my inner self abuser to be more of a self nurturer.

 

 

The Bridge Between Two Worlds. A Shamans View Of Schizophrenia & Acute Sensitivity.

Odette Nightsky

 

I really had to consider this. I was very conscious of not tooting my own horn so to speak but this book is very sacred to me because writing it changed my life in so many ways. The research of it, the time it took, and the medicine it offered me personally and in being of service to others. What I have found is many people who have never moved through mental health issues relate to it also as it is primarily directed to the sensitive person living in the insensitive world. They say books can be life changing. Writing it was totally life changing for me. It shares my views and tools to understanding and working with other worlds through the shamanic perspective in overcoming entity invasion, psychic attack and other ways to find balance. Available as an Ebook @ my website.

Reading can be an enjoyable escape or a journey further into ones own psyche. Both can be enriching. These books have a little of both so you can enjoy and explore and be enriched by the journey.

 

The adventure awaits.

 

Blessings

Odette

Integrity

A quality of being honest and having strong moral principles

A state of being whole and undivided.

Authenticity

Of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine.

---

 

When I was very young it was important for me to be a ‘good girl’. I had a strong innate moral code to the point that my mother recalls how I would reprimand anyone that crossed over a sign that said ‘private’.

I was what is referred to as a ‘goody two shoes’. At school I would try very hard to do what I was told and to blend as best I could with my peers. Being accepted was a huge deal to me. I did not like mean people but I was also fascinated by what I perceived as their strength. Something I didn’t feel I had. I was however a champion at adaptability. When you move around a lot you get to learn how to adapt as a survival mechanism.

My inner eccentric which is pretty damn close to my authentic self, was not quite comfortable in amongst the others of humanity. My authentic self was trying hard to find its place and it knew there was more to it, but it had no idea where to find it.

At 11 years old I said to my parents I want to get christened. I thought the romanticism of a nun looked pretty cool and lurking in there was the deeper meanings to life that intrigued me. A life of integrity perhaps? My parents happily supported me in my wish, only to find not long after that I was not buying the religious control program one bit, nor was I much of a follower even though my needy behavior with my peers said differently.

The good girl thing wasn’t working for me very well. I wasn’t very academic as my grades would attest, nor did I have any desire to work hard for my grades, be a library monitor or a prefect or for that matter….a nun.

After a while I got bored with trying to be a good girl and hunted out more challenging opportunities. I hung out with the tough kids, smoked, swore, wagged school, went out to discos and shared bottles of booze and snogged boys. None of it really appealed, but fitting in did. My sense of humor was fast becoming my greatest asset, a great cover for someone who is swimming in a sea of possible sharks and the like.

However I would often come out with bizarre or very deep questions that would send my peers either in reels of mocking laughter or stares of ‘What is wrong with her’. My authentic self wanted to dive in deeper and that’s not what was socially appropriate. I felt my questions were much like stink bombs I would let off and people just moved away as I was seen as a downer. So back to the ‘funny girl’ to be more accepted.

As the years went by I found myself seeking out more ways to challenge the image of who I thought I could be. All were important lessons and all took me to some very dark places within myself as I went against my authentic sense of integrity. I jumped into a flaming volcano. I paid dearly for it on many levels and the cosmic smack in the face was profoundly powerful. What I woke up to was that I had lost my authentic self. I was living for the influences outside of me. Thinking that outside influences knew better than me what was my path. I had turned myself into a sheep and that created anger and self loathing.

I gave my power away to others I admired or wanted to be more like. I dived under a rock rather than face myself and trust in my own inner authentic compass. The need to belong to this human race was becoming less relevant and the need to be comfortable in my own earth suit was far more important.

When I dived into the fascination of the spiritual path, I did so with gusto. I dived here, I dived there, and I dived a little bit everywhere. I’m a diver by nature, not a surfer. Interestingly enough it says in my astro chart, be mindful of not getting involved in cults. It seems I was born with bullshit cult radar and even when I did dive in to check things out, my radar always, always pulled me out and said. ‘No, this is not your path’. So I never really feared that a cult would swallow me up yet I do totally get why others find the need for it and each to their own walk. The cult for me was my social peers and it took me a good while to awaken from that influence.

In other lives I have, on the whole been a lone walker who stood my ground, spoke from my authentic self and has been killed for it over and over again. This time it took me quite some years to realize that I didn’t have to hide behind the memories of the nunnery, the covenant, the monastery, the temple, the veil, the fire, the banishment or the hang mans noose. It’s ok to be my authentic self. It’s not about others accepting me as much as it is my own self acceptance.

My authentic self is big on integrity, always has been. That is something that has walked within me lifetime after lifetime. It’s much like the feeling the two black panthers that walk beside my spirit body give out. They are full of integrity, clear and honest with me and have very good boundaries. They can smell out danger and disrespect fast and do not put up with any form of attack. Other than that they are loving, affectionate and playful.

I am averse to bullying, snobbery, bigotry, racism, shaming, exclusion, and elite-ism. I’m from the old school of understanding that humbleness brings growth of spirit. When I am with a client, I am not seeking to have power over them or feeding my ego (if that was what I wanted I would have stayed on the stage). I am looking for a common place where we are equal, where there is mutual respect, a meeting of the souls and where I can be of guidance. What I have learned is not owned, but I have worked damn hard to re-remember what I feel is important.

There have been several times in my life where I could have grabbed fame by the tail and ran with it, but spirit had other ideas, as did I it seems. I remember being on stage and getting standing ovations, or being crowded by people fanning my ego. It was flattering, don’t get me wrong but not deeply nourishing enough. I like to be of service to people, see the gifts I have been given put to good use. The gratitude that comes is deeply heart warming and soul affirming.

I like many are a work in progress to become more authentic. I have worked on the inside for many years, lifetimes. I feel more whole than when I began this life as my attention was divided into so many fragments of influence. I kept looking outside and forgot to ask myself what it was that was important to me personally? What did I really believe in? What did I value? And that is it ok to be uniquely me regardless of others opinions.

When I really got comfortable with my truth, it showed that those who love me are comfortable as well, no matter how eccentric I may seem. I don’t need to convert them or convince them of any theory or right view of the world, it’s within me sitting comfortably. I do not shove my beliefs on anyone. I invite them to take a peek. If they are curious they will inquire further. I feel like I am now honoring my authentic uniqueness. I am not a copy of anything or anyone. I am my own original self with all the flaws included and I have created my business in line with what is important to me and what I am here to offer. Enlightenment can find me when ready, I’m in no rush and busy enjoying all life has to offer. I’m into being real, not being perfect.

This has nothing to do with how another lives life or thinking that anyone is living a better version than anyone else. It’s about being able to live in line with your own values, morals and sense of integrity.

Look into your own private walk with yourself and how you are traveling with your own personal integrity, morals and values.

Is your compass working?

Are you walking inline with your inner compass?

Food for thought……

Remember there is no-one else like you in the world. Seek to be your unique authentic self rather than a copy of someone you think you should be.

 

Blessings

Odette

This workbook is a great tool for the beginner,

The one who wants to dive deeper

And those that want to train in the field of contemporary shamanism with safety.

Please go to www.contemporaryshaman.net to purchase.

Blessings

Odette

As in every blog I write I share from my own experiences. I am not a god, a prophet or a guru. I am a spiritual being living a human experience like all who read this article. I have found a way to manage my past traumas that work for me and this is the path I offer guidance in. I also acknowledge other teachings that I have learnt that have added to my recipe of wellness and recovery.

So lets begin by sharing with you what I believe happens when trauma occurs.

Trauma: a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.

You have heard of what they call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is the termed used after someone has come through a traumatic situation and is left deeply disturbed and rattled from it. They feel they have no way of escape as it feels as if the trauma lives within them. This happens to all who have experienced extreme trauma. PTSD triggers will send the person right back into the event and because it’s all too much to bear then and now, dissociation (fragmentation) often occurs.

This may appear like the lights are on but nobody is home or freaking at the triggered replay so heads into battle mode to protect themselves against a past threat that feels like its come back to claim them. You may see this protective instinct as your ally until it becomes overly reactive due to more stress factors and then the inner protector is way out of balance and starts acting out to the detriment of the person experiencing the trauma.

The key word here is FRAGMENTATION.

For someone who is experiencing trauma and feels overtaken by it the energy there is a natural tendency for a part of the emotional body to split off and fragment. You will find this time and time again in references to do with childhood trauma. The victim may split off so much as to lose the memory however the memory still stays within the emotional, the astral, the mental and the etheric body, so if there is a trigger from the outside like a trigger memory threat the alarm is set off and more fragmenting will occur. The body goes into automatic pilot to save itself. People who experience trauma have often told me that their spirit was not in the body at all when the trauma occurred. I can relate to that experience fully. It had left the body already in horror. This leaves the Auric body like a broken spider web with holes and that’s why recovery can seem so hard as the Auric web is damaged and not strong enough to cope with the continual triggers.

The memories of the trauma do not leave. Talk therapy does little to assist. As it’s deeper than what the logical mind can cope with. You will notice when things get too close to the bone in talk therapy that dissociation will occur, they have left the room, not deliberately, just because that’s the only way they have learnt to cope with overwhelming pain.

Returned soldiers know this feeling well. They are programmed and conditioned to handle things but how can a heart be conditioned to handle trauma? The brain can be brainwashed to a certain extent but the heart, the spirit, the soul will still carry the torment. There is no war without trauma. Whether that is the war going on outside of you or the wars going on inside of you.

Steps To Healing Trauma:

Inner Child Sanctuary.

It begins with the child needing to feel safe.

One cannot heal from the core without feeling safe.

I cannot share enough of the benefits of inner child work as that is the core of the being that is traumatized. It needs to feel what safe is, it needs to feel what trust is. This begins with you. So how do you build a sense of safety or trust when you really don’t feel you had much of it growing up or what you had was ripped from you?

Start by creating your inner sanctuary space (Utube guide on my website). Make sure you have spent some time in there making it cosy and peaceful. A place you would like to invite your inner child to come to meet with you. If you have suffered great terror and you want to create a boundary around your sanctuary do it with nature e.g. trees, mountains, stones etc. If you have a known totem that makes you feel safe, call upon them to join you in the sanctuary to stay with your child. If you have yet to work with totems, look into that first and make sure you call upon one to work with feeling ‘safe’.

Then when you have been to your sanctuary several times and can rest in there and feel comforted, invite your inner child to come forward. Your child may be feeling very emotional, shy perhaps, grumpy, it might look fearful or full of darkness or simply run into your arms. Whatever it feels, its ok. It has a right to feel any feelings. Simply validate how it feels. Be the wise and loving one that brings it comfort. If you are a wounded parent and that makes you feel resistant as you have enough kids that need your energy, remember that when you connect with ‘your’ child and you nurture your own child, you automatically get nurtured, not drained. Spend time listening and asking your inner child what is it they need to feel safe in their sanctuary, follow your gut feelings on this. When you come out of that journey, write what your child told you and take steps towards it.

C.G. Jung often talked about the benefits of healing trauma from working with the inner child. As that is the place where the first impressions are made in regards to safety, trust, love and connection.

In time after you have done more work in the upcoming techniques you may like to call upon a guide for the balanced feminine and the balanced masculine to be with your child in the sanctuary. This will help to mend the broken masculine and feminine aspects within you. This will also help attract healthier partners and bring change to your self esteem and self worth. When your masculine within is worth trusting, you will gain more trust within yourself. When your feminine within is more nurturing your life will develop a more nurturing attitude towards yourself.

Soul Retrieval

Reclaiming the loss fragments and energies that were stolen or given away.

There are two practices that are highly recommended in this regard. To be honest my life started again after my first Soul Retrievall session. It’s probably the most profound inner spirit work I have ever come across. I can look back at events in my life that broke my heart and my spirit and I have no charge on the memory. I can talk about it without any trauma. There are a few variations on soul retrieval like the one Sandra Ingerman pioneered into the western mainstream (she is a huge gift to the planet) and then there is the more active participatory version that I learnt which is a combination of NLP and contemporary shamanism. Both done by well-grounded experienced practitioners are powerful. It’s much like returning the parts of you that have been lost due to overwhelming pain and grief. This work is best done with a good practitioner. Only attempt it yourself if you have others strong journey skills. Regardless as a highly practiced journeyer myself I would prefer someone to contain me while I explore where my fragments have gone. Fragments will appear differently depending on the individual. They may appear as a child, a symbol, even a pair of run down shoes and however they show themselves they always need to be cleaned of the debris’ or beliefs they have had before returning. Fragments can also be lost in others, by giving power away or feeling as if someone has stolen a part of you eg: your innocence. This is why its important to have a good guide with you to hunt down these things and bring them back. In meeting with the spirit of the abusers (as is done within the medicine I learnt) it’s often helpful to see their inner child and negotiate with them if they have something of yours. Children are much easier to talk to within the astral world. And if fear is overwhelming even when feeling safe then totems can be called upon to sniff out, find, and bring back your lost fragment. No-one should be pushed to do anything when they feel unsafe. Most of my clients have been willing by the time the core safety has been built and totems are always ready to help if need be at any time.

Recapitulation

Recapitulation is something that you can do to build strength before you find the right guide in the practice of Soul Retrieval work. Recapitulation is like Soul Retrievals little cousin. Don’t be fooled though as it can be very powerful. Energy is often lost when trauma occurs and also when one gets tangled in other people’s energy or is very susceptible to influences from outside of self.

E.g.: Your walking down the street and over the other side of the road there is a man and a woman screaming at each other, there is also a child in the car that you can see crying. You keep walking but you can’t shake off the feeling, You absorbed the upset and now you can’t get ride of it. You’re not helping the couple or the child so why are you still carrying it? What is the purpose? Who is it serving? It’s much like you walked past and put on all of their heavy coats of distress and now you feel horrible. It’s shamanic law that energy can only be used by the person that originally owns it. It is no use otherwise. Recapitulation can be done on a big scale or a small scale. I personally use it daily depending on who and what I encounter. Its wonderful at Xmas time with challenging family dynamics where I often go off the bathroom or similar and just do some recapitulation breathing. It can make such a difference and leads to responding rather than reacting. It takes the edge off the urge to fight or flight and the more one practices it the more natural it becomes. You can move to a deeper level with it also.

Here is a basic version from my workbook.

• Remember the situation with the person in your mind make it as real as you possibly can, with feeling, images and thoughts and keeping this in focus….
• Start with you head turned fully to the left, turn you head as slowly as you can all the way to the right, breathing IN, breathing your energy back from the situation with the person.
• Then turn you head slowly, back to the left, breathing OUT all the way, breathing out any energy that is not yours.
• Continue these head turns, breathing as slowly as you can, IN from left to right and breathing OUT just as slowly, turning you head from right to the left.
• Notice your breath, don’t force it, just notice if you are breathing more on the IN breath or more on the OUT breath. Are you taking more energy in or giving more energy back? It is not important which of the breaths is the stronger, it is just energy and there is no right or wrong about the situation.
• Keep turning you head and breathing this way until your breath is mild and gentle and equal in both directions. Then turn you head from LEFT to RIGHT to LEFT with no breath at all, this acknowledges completion of RECAPITULATION with the person. Cut cords with the person and all of the feelings and thought from that time.
• If you had contact with many people in your day this individual recapitulation may only take a couple of head turns with people who were not so important.

Past Life Journey work or Regression.

Some traumas are locked further in the past than this life you are now living. Past life journey work or a well-trained therapist can make a huge difference in unlocking the fear based bonding program you may have with certain people. You may love someone who bashes you and as many times as you try to leave, there is something deeper that makes you stay, something even deeper than what you know of your own inner victim. Many people in abusive relationships have stories that go way back beyond this earthly life. They have contracts with each other that are even stronger than the blood ties that bind families; it’s a soul bond. I have heard people including myself say at times in challenging relationships that ‘I’m not leaving till I work this one out, cause I don’t want to do it again’. I finally came to the realization that the lesson wasn’t in enduring it; the lesson was about saying I no longer want to do this to myself. At that moment I was freed to make a choice not from the elastic band of dependence, but the knowing that I was freeing both our souls from the bondage that was eroding our love. Past life work gave me great insight to the wider story, the wider perspective and what my own learning was about. If you want to have a little experiment, a little taste of what I mean in a very standard form look into Brian L. Weiss. He has a simple regression Utube that is easy to follow. See where it leads you. In past life journeywork that I have trained in, it looks in deeper to other things as well as the regression. We seek to clear vows, promises and contracts made. This can do much to bring the breath of life into the constraints and fears that is trauma. This is not intended to end relationships in any way its to remove the unknown aspects and offer the choice of free will beyond bondage

These four paths are my touchstones to overcoming trauma. They have helped me greatly with my own wounds and they have been incredibly enriching and somewhat enjoyable due to the adventurous spiritual nature of working with dense and wounded feelings. My inner child really likes working this way to the point of when I have sought support and the therapist is not really that way inclined I have told them what best works for me and they have been very receptive. I close my eyes and I can go anywhere as long as I am well contained: Safe.

I hope this has helped to give you a taste of what you can look into to heal core wounds. I have seen the strength that builds in my clients as they do this work. The resilience grows and grows. It’s a honor to be a guide in this way of working with spiritual beings who reside in human bodies.

All of these practices  and more in depth versions are available in my workbook.

The Guide To Contemporary Shamanism In Your Own Home. Through my website

Am just renewing stock and should be re stocked by early September.

Blessings

Odette

Earlier this month I posted a quote with a picture related to the soul making an agreement before they incarnated into this particular life. There were many people in agreement but a number of others felt challenged by that concept as they did not believe a soul would willingly choose to be a victim of such suffering.

Philosophers and those on a spiritual path have been debating this concept for centuries. There are many books written on reincarnation and the souls destiny for those that want to dive deeper. I am not here to preach the right way to view things, rather I am writing to share how I came across this point of view and why I myself believe this to be true. Each person must be able to sit comfortably with their truth and each person’s truth is right for them.

So this is my experience of discovery.

As a very young child I traveled with my family to live in a third world country. I distinctly remember the beggars at the window of the car. The young boy with one arm leading the blind old lady, the man pushing himself along on a piece of wood with makeshift wheels because he had no legs. It made a huge impact on my psyche. I was a deeply empathic child and felt the trauma of others or any animal in pain. Not an easy child to understand being born into a middle class conservative background where emotions where not given too much time.

I was also absolutely terrified of the dark. What happens when there is an absence of light drew me to investigate the shadows and how to understand it even more. I tried Christianity for a minute or two thinking that it would have a few answers for me, but I just could not buy the concept of heaven and hell and the devil and sin. I personally felt it was a bare-faced lie that made no sense. My parents did not tell me what to believe in this regard at all. They were believers in god in hard times but not in religion as such. I will always be grateful that they encouraged me and supported me in my own path to faith. I was clearly searching for some kind of understanding of why I was here feeling like a total stranger on a strange planet.

To be honest I don’t ever remember being told about reincarnation. I believe I came into this life knowing it. As much as I am very esoteric I am also a healthy cynic and like the practical aspects of the spiritual path. In some way it has to make logical sense to me.

In my latter 20’s I became unstuck and moved through a very traumatic spiritual emergence that was laced with potential psychotic influences. Madness. What a scary ride it was. I could not make sense of what was going on. It’s like everything I was terrified of when I was young was coming to get me. All the fears of the dark, of the unseen, the ghosts etc had my address and they were not going to let me rest until they had trapped my soul for good.

This terror ride was not in my plan nor did I know how to cope with it. I was always interested in the occult but how to manage invasion of the most terrifying kind? Nope, had no idea.

I desperately struggled through (and I do mean struggle) to the point of travelling across the world (not knowing why really) and found myself in a house being tormented by continual night terrors.

Soon I would find myself enrolling in a course that involved re-incarnation journeywork and contemporary shamanism. This course and what I experienced would change my life and direction. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into but my inner curiosity lead me in that direction right at the last minute and I took the plunge.

In the first journey to another life I remember the night before thinking that I might go to Africa as I had a deep connection to the culture. I was not travelling very well mentally but being an actress from seven to twenty seven with a will of iron when I need it, I can pull off the functional face when required

When I moved into the life where I needed to heal, I found myself as a man being dragged into the insane asylum called Bedlam in England (which previously I had never heard of). I have written about this is my book ‘The Bridge Between Two Worlds. The Shamans View of Schizophrenia & Acute Sensitivity”. What I saw in that life was a revelation.

From the moment I became unwell different messages came to me both within and from people I would come across and subjects I would research. I didn’t know what they meant individually but I wrote them all down and found after this session in Bedlam all the information that I had collected had a purpose and in time became a book to offer guidance and support to others.

More past lives were journeyed to and one after the other had a common theme of suffering. I often found myself the victim of horrific slow deaths and the longer I trained I also experienced the darker side of myself as the abuser. More often than not I was killed due to speaking out on behalf of those that have no voice in subjects that were not allowed to be talked about.

All the writings, research and experiences I had been collecting were unconsciously being weaved together without me really realizing that all that I was learning even through the terror and the un-wellness, had a purpose. The more I became really honest with myself about who I was under the survival performers mask the more l was able to accept being here on earth, the harshest place I have ever experienced.

The question of insanity that was plaguing me disappeared without me even realizing it. I was on the razors edge of reacting to what was happening or responding and I am so glad the responding won out. When I look back I can see why it was all meant to be and why I do what I do now. It became the journey of my authentic self being actualized.

To empathize with someones suffering is beyond agony. This is a quality I was born with. Empathy. Deep deep empathy that can crush my heart. So to be able to survive the pain I see in working with clients and what I empathize with throughout the world I need to personally remember that first and foremost they are a soul. A soul that exists beyond the body, the mind, the emotions… the ego.

Definition of the word ‘Soul’

A spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

There is another shamanic journey called ‘Between Lives and Death’. In this journey one moves to a time just before you chose to arrive into the world into this incarnation. I have journeyed many people in this regard (they are fully aware and participate, as we journey together with me as their guide) Each person has recalled their agreement before incarnating. Each person has found insight in why they chose, what they chose and all of them refer to the particular challenges they have come down for. Of course quite a few felt sad to leave where they were and not too keen on what they had to experience but not one of them was unwilling for more than a short time. There is a soul agreement to learn about certain aspects of being human on their own individual soul path.

For example. Think of someone perhaps like a lover you have met and from the first instant you are sure you know them. They are beyond familiar and you may even flash to other times when you have been with them in other lives. Don’t you think there has been some kind of agreement to meet again to peel away more layers of lessons you both may have together? Families and tribes often reincarnate together in different roles to relearn or release what they need to unlearn. Many who are partners now have been previous enemies . Many who are enemies now have been father and child or mother and sister. You may attract the same soul many times in different lives and roles to release karmic patterns.

If I look to the many lives I have experienced I have learnt such a great deal from the suffering and all that suffering has brought me to where I am today to do the work I do and to speak out in the name of those that are sensitive and afraid to share different ways of finding balance.

Look at the people in the world that have become great advocates after experiencing trauma and or tragedy. Those that move to change laws due to suffering, create charities and empower others to have hope. Like the life of Waris Dirie who born in Somalia and viciously circumcised as a toddler, chose to walk through the desert at thirteen years old rather than be given to an arranged marriage with an elder. She had never been exposed to anything that would encourage her to think differently or for herself. Since then she has thrived as a model and most importantly an advocate against the mutilation of women. Or another who I read years ago and wish I could find the book, of a woman born to such depravity, abuse and cruelty who half blind found a way through sheer resilience to be re-parented as a young adult by a couple who felt a bond with her and she became one of the most profound shamanic healers. There is a road out of suffering but we don’t know how long that road is. Each person is unique in that regard.

Recently I supported a situation to do with a sexually abused child. This story rips at my heart and the injustice can fill me with rage. When I move inside to seek guidance I am motioned to see the ‘Soul Story’ rather than the personal story. I am prodded to see this child as a soul who has chosen this path in some way for herself to learn what her soul needs to learn whatever that may be in order to balance her souls journey out. I also see that I have a part to play in doing all I can to support her path in life, in whatever way I can no matter how small I might think it to be. There is a reason why I am a part of her life.

Within religion when someone dies too young people say ‘God has a plan’ and I think they say that in hope that the god they believe in has a better idea than the cruelty they see. We all need to be able to adjust to the tragedies of the worlds suffering in some way to get a better understanding of our own beliefs. I’m not sure about the theory of a gods plan as much as I am sure there is a continuation, a profound evolvement, a bigger unravelling. Nature is chaos, yet nature has a continual rebirth of life and as we are a part of nature, we too are born, grow, and die to be rebirthed again.

Reincarnation makes sense to me personally and within the understanding of reincarnation the idea of the souls choice to incarnate into particular lessons with others seems logical.

I personally don’t believe the soul can see everything its coming down for but it understands that the lesson or learning is something that they have agreed to beyond the concepts of right and wrong and the ego’s desires.

I may have lived many lives and I may continue to do so but in this life I chose this particular story, this personality and this name. Yes, even when I was little I couldn’t relate to my birth name at all so when I was 24 it was changed to something that resonates with my soul. My life has been a tale of returning to my authentic self in just about every area. I feel responsible for my life and my choices rather than feeling a victim to my circumstances. I am now well aware of why I chose my path of exploration in this life and for what reason. I still have lots to unravel, learn, re remember but my soul had a destination and now I am inline with my destination I can actually say I have become more deeply content with my walk.

I wish all beings to be free from suffering, and I know that this growth, this evolvement, this natural chaos has an order of some kind that progresses beyond the human form.

If this subject interests you and you find yourself questioning some of what I share, investigate more. Read books on hypnotic regression, astral traveling, near death experiences and re-incarnation. They all have a familiar truth to the continuation of energy and the understanding of the souls journey. I honestly don’t think you can believe in re-incarnation without accepting that the soul knows more than you give it credit for in the grand scheme of growth, evolution and the natural cycle of nature.

Blessings on your discoveries.

 

Odette.

(c) Copyright O. Nightsky 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Many have read much about shamanism and how it pertains to the adult but very little has been shared in regards to how certain aspects of shamanism can be very beneficial to the child.

Looking back, if I knew even some of what I know now it would have been a great help. As I child I was incredibly sensitive, highly imaginative, acutely empathic, faery friendly and terrified of the dark.

I used to clutch my teddy bear (my inner child’s totem of protection) to my heart when I was very sad or frightened. I was fortunate to live in a home of love and safety but other outside influences made an impact on my sensitivity which made me feel very unsafe in the world. I also came from a culture that ‘otherworldy’ things were an intellectual interest but not a practice. As I have said before, imagination is the doorway to the other world. Children have this innately. I like many others lost that connection for a while as I tried to fit into the social roles that I was told were acceptable.

Spirit however had other ideas and I literally slammed into a cosmic wall to wake me up. It wasn’t pleasant, but in hindsight the breakthrough brought me back to the medicine that is authentically me.

When I have been to counseling in the past I have actually had to lead the counselor to my way of working with things. My mind is very strong and analytical  so if I drop my mind, close my eyes, go within and trust what I see and experience I get amazing results that continue to filter through in the weeks, months, years to come.

I have clients that now use what they have been taught with their children. This may be practices like setting up the inner sanctuary, looking inside the body to the upset and removing it, calling on a totem in the sanctuary to help them when they are scared or sad and how to deal with things that go bump in the night etc.

All have come back and told me how much the children loved it and how easy it was for them. You may need to skip the tunnel within the tree and just step through to a different doorway as the tunnel may scare the child or you could fill it full of fairy lights and soft green moss. Be very aware of making every step a safe and nurturing one and always tell the child they can say stop whenever they want. Never force them anywhere not even if you think it’s for their own good.

Imagination is hugely important and should not be shamed or belittled. If imagination is used for a grounding helpful purpose it can lead to deeper connections to the other world and more internal spiritual support.

Recently it was suggested to me to create a story to help a child dealing with issues of abuse and the process of ongoing legal procedures and assessments which can be very on traumatic. As I was writing it, I was thinking that it would have been wonderful to have read things like this when I was little, that were helpful tools of resilience in cased in a story format.

This may be something I will do more of perhaps.

Storytelling is the basis of much learning as most children are brought up being told stories or hearing stories whether than be at school or at home or at a friend’s place. You can create stories yourself. Access your own imagination and get creative. Don’t think about how they might like it, write it for your own inner child and see how it develops.

So I share with you the story of Starry The Fallen Star.

 

Starry.

The fallen Star Girl.

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful magical girl called Starry.

She came into the world and found true happiness.

She had many friends, some were birds, some were tigers and some were faeries, yes she knew all the fairies names off by heart. She loved playing with them all and even though other people did not see them, Starry knew they were real. She could see and feel things others couldn’t.

Then one day something really horrible happened to her and her mum and grandma did everything they could think of to keep her safe.

The king of the land and the people who made the rules did not understand how special hurt children were, and made them do things they didn’t want to do. So many people who cared about these special hurt children were so angry, but they had to be careful not to shout too loud or they would be in big trouble from the king and the people who made the rules. Those that cared found some brave knights and maidens who would not stop fighting till the hurt children were safe, but until they changed the rules there was nothing that could be done.

So little Starry knew that there would be days that she would have to go to places and meet with people she did not like, but she also knew that she would never be hurt on her body again like before because she was bigger now and she knew how to say NO!

This made her feel a bit braver.

She also knew that her mum would always be close by whenever she needed her; her mum was the best mum, who loved her to the moon and back.

Because her name was Starry, she thought that she could easily imagine a star inside her glowing so bright and she wanted to tell all the other special hurt children that they could do it too.

They could all imagine a bright beautiful star inside their tummy glowing so bright that it made her feel warm and safe.

So when Starry saw the other children that she played with and she noticed one was a bit sad or scared she would tell them about the magic star that every child can grow inside of them. She also told them that they could put colours in the star that they loved to make it their own special kind of star glow.

Each nigh as the children fell to sleep or when they had to go somewhere they didn’t want, they would take a deep, deep breath and see the star inside them growing bigger and brighter.

When you saw them from afar they looked like big shiny stars with children inside.

One day the knights and maidens would overthrow the king and change the rules but until then the children would shine their stars brightly no matter what happened.

Starry dreamed that maybe on day she would be a brave maiden and help to change the rules.

But until then, she shone her light so bright and smiled and big starry smile.

The end

Blessings Odette

Ps. The child I wrote it for, loved it.

Copyright(c)Odette Nightsky 2014.

Dear Kin.

I was recently interviewed by Erin McKeever from Cosmic Voices.

A lovely switched on woman who wants to be of service in sharing authentic medicine.

Here is the link below.

Sharing about my path, contemporary shamanism and more.

www.cosmicvoices.org/cosmic-voices-interviews/2014/5/13/listen-to-cosmic-voices-interview-with-odette-nightsky

Blessings

Odette

Ethics: moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity 

Values: principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.

I was one of the lucky ones. I came to the planet provided for. I never had to go without food, clothes, water or nurturing. That is not to say that my life hasn’t been full to the brim of emotional and psychic challenges however I always felt provided for.

I was conceived by parents who were born in the 1930’s. Due to what they had been through, money, food and a roof over our head was the priority. Financial stability was the main goal.

When I left home I followed a similar pattern of thinking that money was my priority, however there was another side of me searching for meaning here on earth and over the years although of course I needed money to survive, it has always been an inner value of mine that all people should have access to therapy and the best treatment/ support no matter what their financial situation. I have worked and learnt via the homeless, the acutely sensitive (mentally ill) the drug addicted and the abused.

When I first started my own practice I was confused at what to charge people. I was told that I should charge my worth. To be honest I wasn’t quite sure how much I was worth therapeutically at that stage. So I struggled with setting a price and never felt terribly comfortable charging a lot.

Now days I know my worth. I fill a gap that many others do not fill. I am always growing and learning and adding to my practice but the general medicine flow is strong and stable now and has a medicine life of its own. The journeys are still very fulfilling and profound for many and I enjoy the medicine path I take to guide and assist others in finding their own recipe of wellness. I still need to pay the bills however do not like to ‘overcharge’. It would go against my nature.

This is not about me undermining myself in any way. This is about my personal ethics and values. I have been of service to many clients who have paid ridiculous amounts to therapists who have made crucial mistakes and the client has suffered from this irresponsibility.

I have always come from the perspective of what I would want as a client myself. My sessions are two hours in length. The reason for this is that many people who seek me out, need to feel safe, have time to explore and unravel their feelings and time to integrate the journeywork.

(I have vision of the old Freudian couch where the Psychiatrist interrupts the client in mid wound and looks at his clock saying ‘times up’ and charges like a wounded bull!)

What I am talking about is ‘quality time’ spent looking into ones own spirit walk.

I charge $80 Australian for two hours. And this is often what people charge for one hour. For those dedicated to the path and sessions with me who are limited financially (e.g.: single mothers on benefits) after the first session I charge $60 with a donation of organic produce, sage or herbs to grow etc.

I do this because it feels right. I do this because it is inline with my ethics and values. If people want to give more that’s wonderful as this assists others who are struggling financially.

I can still be of support to others by doing a free or donation email service guidance and occasionally sending the workbook or the Bridge EBook to those in desperate need. For instance an acutely sensitive man in a psyche ward in New York City had no money due to being homeless but had access to his email account periodically. So I sent him my first book. He was so very grateful and I was so happy to be able to offer support in some way.

I have a donation button on my website contact page. For those feeling more generous and for those that are able every little bit helps. I believe in passing it forward.

I have supported  people in person who have had no money at all and promised that they would give, but I never wait to see if they do. Some do some don’t.

 But I do not go beyond my own capacity to be of service as I value my own time also. I experienced burn out many years ago and learnt well from it. My ethical boundaries are strong as I stand with an open heart of service. I value each person on the planet no matter how they are financially placed and I personally feel that if you are on the spiritual medicine path and your intention is to be of service then it is important to get your priorities in order and place your spiritual ethics and values before your financial gain. Are you walking your talk?

May your own personal values and ethics lead you to a place of caring and being of service on this abundant medicine path.

As one gives so to do they receive.

Pay it forward.

It’s worth it. Believe me!

 

Blessings

Odette Nightsky

For most people establishing your own inner sanctuary is not too difficult. Many people create a place that is familiar to them and offers a sense of peace and tranquility.  Then in time there is the meeting with guides, animal totems and otherworldly beings that are connected to our inner development.

As time moves on and one grows and learns, do not be surprised at your sanctuary not being the same as when you first established it.

Your sanctuary is a reflection of your inner world as is everything in it.

You may be going through a huge amount of grief or an inner death and you may find your sanctuary dark with no life and no familiars to be found or you may be so stressed out that you find instead of an abundant forest with a cool refreshing river all you see is a bare, dry and a barren desert.

These are signpost to let you know the state of your inner being.

This is not permanent. This is transformable.

As you created your inner sanctuary you can transform it. Look into what it is needed to bring it back to balance and act on that intuition. As you act on it you will also be acting on your own inner needs and restoring your inner state of balance.

Guides may move into the background so others can come forward. Its ok as it’s a sign you are moving and growing.

Power animals may not be as strong in energy as others come forward to offer medicine. This too is ok, its natural. Just make sure you check that each new guide or totem is there for your highest good. Don’t trust you mind, trust your gut instinct. If they are ‘blow in’s’ seeking some energy just ask them to leave and see them walk into the doorway of light to the source of all that is.

Your sanctuary is transformable just as you are.  Like renovating and cleaning a house you can renovate your sanctuary.

As you grow and heal old wounds you may also notice that your inner child becomes older. The child’s age is an indication of the age where you wounds might be most predominant. Seek from your inner child what it needs within the sanctuary and from you. It may have been fine to play in the woods initially, but now it wants to feel more secure. It might want shelter of some sort or companionship in a different form.

Your inner child needs may change as you grow in consciousness.  All you need to do is ask, and your inner child will tell you what they need to nourish them and to feel safer.

They may need to know the boundaries of the sanctuary or create something different for themselves than what you have in mind.

It’s important to understand that giving to your inner child is not the same as a parent looking after your children and finding yourself tired out. The difference is that when you give to your inner child you ARE GIVING TO YOURSELF. You are filling your own cup rather than depleting your energy.

What you learn and experience in your sanctuary has great benefit to ones inner growth.  Spending time there can offer great teachings.

Let your sanctuary be your teacher.

Blessings

Odette