Category: Shamanism
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Encounters With The Sacred
I found myself trying to explain the client’s innocence to the tobacco spirit, and asking forgiveness for the client. The spirit asked repeatedly for the client also to apologize. Each time, a crow flew by and called. I again tried to explain to the spirit that the sacredness of tobacco gets lost in translation between…
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On Being Interviewed
This morning I met with a third group of students from a local college. The students have been interviewing me about shamanism in order to fulfill an assignment for an Ethnology course. Some students are focused on shamanism in the abstract. Today’s group asked a few general questions, then honed in on the role and…
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Spring, Gratitude, and The Medicine Wheel
Alicia Daniel, my friend and colleague, and a field naturalist at UVM, was the guest presenter in my class this week. Her theme was “Spring and the Medicine Wheel”. Although it had been snowing and raining for over 24 hours, Alicia gamely took the class to a nearby natural area to look for signs of…
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Thinking About Money
I’ve been thinking about money, a difficult subject. In many First Nations communities, shamans and other healers do not receive payment for their services. In those communities, healers usually hold day jobs, and heal in their off hours. Rather than paying for the healer’s services, families and individuals bear the costs of ceremonies and other…
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