Becoming Sovereign: The Energy Behind Thoughts, Words & Actions That String, Tie & Bind

What would change if you could be more aware of the energy behind thoughts, words and actions?

The words you think, and the words you speak, hold power. The same is true for your actions. And you can bring others (energy) into the picture when you think, say or do things that involve them. 

We can easily tie our energy to others by the things that we think, say or do.

This concept is shamanic in nature (spirit-based) and was/is understood by ancient and indigenous cultures from around the world.

‘Tying energy’ is not innately negative. It can be used for specific beneficial purposes. However, for the purpose of this blog, we will focus on how this kind of energy can be significantly limiting

How you think, how you speak, or how you do something significantly influences the power of underlying energy…

It’s less about WHAT you think, say or do…but HOW!

Energy is much more complex than we often realize.

It lives within everything and can be easily influenced – whether by our own doing, by others, by our family and friends, by our environment (past or present), by nature or spirit, and more.

Things like intention, purpose and resonance influence the underlying energy behind thoughts, words and actions.

The type of thought and the direction it leads affects the energy that’s behind it.

Tone, cadence and volume affect the energy behind words.

The feeling that you have as you do something affects the energy that fuels an action.

There are many other factors!

Have you ever noticed the presence of an energetic string that was attached to something that was said or done to or for you?

For example, when someone says one thing, but means something else. Or when someone does one thing, but anticipates something else in return, with or without full disclosure or consent. Perhaps you have said or done things in this way too.

Energetic strings can easily live within expectations, anticipations, obligations, debts and more.

Shamanically, strings can also live within curses, oaths, vows, promises, dedications, devotions, traumas (abuse, neglect, manipulation, etc.) and more.

Strings, ties and bindings come into play when a certain kind of underlying energy is not at the forefront of an exchange in a clear and communicative way.

When something is strung, tied or bound, it locks the energy into a specific place or aspect for a specific reason or purpose, which then helps it to stay put. This typically creates a negative energetic influence.

When you expect something, you can easily end up tying an energetic string to that potential outcome. This might lead you into an unfavorable territory if the outcome doesn’t come to be in the way you expected (ex. disappointment). If I have an expectation about something, I also invite a level of openness, discovery and trust in that things naturally unfold in the best of ways, even if I don’t understand how or why. To me, this is a practice of having an intention while surrendering to the outcome.

The same is true for anticipations, which are quite similar energetically to expectations. When you anticipate, you could be reaching a string to that thing, which would then pull you from your body, and the present space and time, towards what it is that you’re anticipating or expecting. These energies could surface as anxiety, having a ‘busy’ or ‘distracted’ mind, feeling disconnected from current sensations and feelings in the body, and in some cases, the experience of catastrophic thinking (worse-case scenarios playing over and over).

The energy of obligation tends to go hand-in-hand with energetic strings. When you feel obligated to do or say something, you are being pulled in the direction of that string, regardless of if you want it/to or not. This generally does not feel good. Obligation tends to create feelings of guilt or even shame if it’s not fulfilled, regardless of the bigger energetic picture at play.

Debts without a doubt create energetic strings – Hopefully ones that are fully agreed to and deemed of worth to the holder of the debt. Debts that appear after-the-fact (ex. through the ‘you owe me’ mentality) represent the existence of energetic strings that were not originally at the surface, nonetheless still existed. I think about the giving of a “gift” that actually had strings attached. Or how some parents can make their children feel indebted to them simply because they are their parents, without consideration of their children’s best interest, or if they even served their children well at a larger scale.

In the simplest of terms, a curse is a very common kind of energetic climate that places a hold on an individual’s space, which limits, restricts or governs their destiny in unfavorable or undesirable ways, typically through repeating patterns, behaviors, situations and outcomes. A curse is a type of foreign energy, which means it’s not authentic or original to those affected. Although, the energy of the curse still lives within or overshadows those affected through a negative influence.

Curses can include the energy of strings, ties and bindings. This would in turn anchor the limiting climate and negative influence of the curse even more into the spaces of effect through having additional energies that, for example, keep it in place or hold what is being tied or pinned. To learn more about curses, read this blog: What is a CURSE?! Are They Common? – Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness Blog (surrendertosoulwellnessblog.com)

Oaths, vows and promises can easily create strings that bind the receiver of the oath, vow or promise to what is sworn to, for or by. Cultures including the Norse (Viking), Gaelic (Irish/Scottish), Old English and many others have detailed accounts of these energies existing within them.

If a dedication or devotion is made, it’s possible that the dedicate-ee or devote-ee creates energetic strings that intertwines them with what the dedication or devotion is to or for. Hindu culture, amongst others, have this imbued in their cosmology.

When working with these energies, it’s important to consider the terms put in place and the life span of the energy.

It’s quite common to overlook these things upon the creation of the energy, regardless of how it comes to be.

Energies can be put in place for a specific purpose and length of time, which would then hold firm for that period of time, sometimes even if circumstances change.

It’s possible for these to remain in effect throughout various lifetimes of the soul and/or affect generational lines and/or the lands we live on or come from.

Note: In my experience, almost all kinds of these energies are workable and do NOT have to continue in the same manner. Most things are able to be cleared, reworked or renegotiated – given new levels of awareness, circumstances and the individual’s right to their own optimal well-being.

This might propel you to think about or feel into how energies of the like may be influencing your well-being…

Energy lives within and fuels everything – therefore it influences and manifests within your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Your well-being is connected to the concept of sovereignty –

Sovereignty is a birthright that means you have the right to be in service to your own well-being in an authentic and beneficial manner.

With sovereignty, you have the ability to be your own self-governing individual, with agency and authority over your energy, thoughts, beliefs, choices and actions, so that they are of benefit and in right relation to you. Becoming sovereign includes becoming aware of your energetic space and what lives within or in accordance with it.

One of my teachers, Betsy Bergstrom, speaks beautifully about these teachings.

Betsy shares that becoming sovereign is a path, and our relationship to sovereignty grows and evolves over time, just as we do. Learn more about Betsy’s work here: About | Spirit-Wise

Sovereignty comes into play if there are energetic strings (created through a thought, expression or action) that tie or bind the sovereignty of those involved together (under a specific set of terms, conditions and period of time).

Some people have more power at their disposal to harness or create these energies.

Strings, ties or bindings can be created with love, or with the opposite, and anything in between.

There is an amount of intent involved, although it could be from a sub/unconscious place. And intent doesn’t equal impact. Even with the best of intentions, the impact can become something different.

When we’re stringed to something, we’re connected to it and influenced by it, whether we want it, like it, agree with it, or not.

There are many factors to consider when working with these energies.

Sometimes we do not or cannot fully understand what we’re getting ourselves into, or what we’re energetically agreeing to, or what is being forced onto us, or what still stands today even if the circumstances or arrangement has changed.

It’s possible to create energetic strings where your sovereignty and the sovereignty of someone/something else becomes intertwined. This means your will and the will of someone/something else is also intertwined.

Will is an aspect of sovereignty that influences personal power, energy levels, drive, sense of self, vitality, lifeforce and more.

I tend to visualize the tying or binding of sovereignty or will as a braid. The different sources of will can be braided together into one.

When your will is tied to someone else’s, or vice versa, there is a shift of influence.

This alters the field of energy that you share and impacts each individual (energetic) space of those involved. The quality of energy, thinking, expression, behavior, desire, motivation, even life path direction and more can be influenced as a result. 

Energy is influenced much more often than we would like to think or realize.

It’s possible for an influence of the like to be of benefit, if there is conscious consent, understanding and choice for all parties involved, and if there is a potential for renegotiation if/when circumstances change.

It’s likely for these energetic situations to become undesirable or unfavorable if things are forced, withheld, repressed (sub/unconscious), altered, unknown, or coming to be through ulterior motives.

Often there is a lack of consent or comprehension about the totality of what’s happening, what or who’s involved, what the arrangement entails, for how long, and why.

Ancient and indigenous cultures knew/know that when something is thought, voiced or acted upon, it creates a line of energy that directs the soul.

For example, cultures have been intentionally tying or weaving prayer into reality through clothing, jewelry, tapestries, carpets, flags, baskets and more, which brings the energy of the intention and the energy of blessing into the everyday world.

Where and how is your soul being influenced, directed or affected through what you think… how you think it…what you say…how you say it…what you do…and how you do it?

There is a lot to consider here.

I work with clients to provide support, clarity and healing regarding these energies (whether it has occurred in this life, a past life, or in a client’s generational line) in my private practice, Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness.

Personally, I always strive for conscious intent, consent and comprehension. This is a work in progress.

We want to empower ourselves and others to make rightful and authentic choices and actions that are beneficial and supportive of well-being, firstly personally and therefore collectively. I believe what is in alignment with (the greatest and highest version of) personal well-being is also in alignment with (the greatest and highest) collective well-being.

We want to advocate for our own and one another’s sovereignty.

We don’t give ourselves enough credit to honor and acknowledge the power and influence we have over our own world, and the world of someone/something else.

Part of our personal and collective healing work resides in becoming sovereign through becoming aware of the energy behind thoughts, words and actions.

Awareness of strings, ties or bindings can be elusive, shadowed or hidden to those being influenced. Sometimes, a shift occurs in life that brings forth the clarity of need.

Whether of your own doing or someone/something else’s, in the past or the present, it is possible to work with these energies through a variety of energy, intuitive and shamanic healing techniques.

These kinds of energies require an attuned eye to neutrally, objectively and clearly view the energetic situation, so it can be tended to in a way that’s compassionate, ease-ful, functional, sustainable, graceful and beneficial for the well-being of the client.

You do not have to suffer through the negative influence of these energies on your own. And, you do not have to try to repair them on your own!

If you feel you have been subjected to or involved in something of the like, there are many ways that you can bring more awareness into the workings of your energetic space. Things like yoga, breathwork, meditation, journaling, self-reflection, specialized therapeutic support and/or energy work encourage and promote this. 

It is possible to move forward with greater sovereignty, truth, authenticity, power, potential, freedom and flow!

I offer a FREE Discovery Consult for all new clients. Don’t hesitate to reach out or schedule – Let’s discuss what’s going on and how we can work with it.

May your day be blessed and beautiful.

With Love Always, 

Shanin | Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness

Did you know Dreams create Reality?!

Shamans have long known the power of “dreams”, aka thoughts, beliefs, hopes and wishes. Dreams manifest and take form to create reality, consciously and unconsciously. What are you dreaming? What are you feeding with your thoughts and beliefs, and in turn your actions? Are you dreaming for a world filled with beauty? Or are you (consciously or unconsciously) feeding the web of fear and hate? What would it mean to be in alignment with your dreams? Personal dreams impact personal reality AND influence the collective web. Lately it’s become easy to enter into a space of overwhelm, helplessness, anger, blame and so on when trying to solve the world’s problems. No one can do it alone.

We, as humans, have been collectively disassociated from Earth and our Earth-bodies for quite some time. Meaning, we are distracted, numb and disconnected from reality. This isn’t anyone’s fault; it’s increased through the progression of technology and modern society.
We are seemingly more connected now than ever (via smart phones, social media, etc), but we are missing sense-oriented experiences (see, smell, feel, hear, taste) that allow us to regularly communicate and connect with the natural world, our bodies and each other.

Try to use your senses, especially feeling, to move through dense emotions rather than numbing out. There are many ways to do this safely, and I realize it takes perseverance!

I believe we must do our part to first look within ourselves before we can make effective, outward change. For millennia, the inner-healing methods of yogis, shamans, and spiritual beings alike have been known and respected. In order to create positive change for the collective world, we must first work to install change on an intrinsic and personal level.

The first step is to recognize the truth of reality. Work on that as long as you need! From there, you can begin to ask harder questions: How have I played a role in reality? Is there something I’m ready to do or let go of, so I can make space for healing and growth?

Trust that healing yourself is the best thing you can do for the planet right now!

With Love, Shanin & Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness

March 2020 Energy Update

This time of year offers a pleasant reminder that no matter your experience of winter or the past, rebirth is inevitable. It is then partially our choice, partially Divine unfoldment, whether we are capable to let go of that which (unhealthily) binds us to past struggles, or embrace the lessons learned with a sense of closure and completion.

We are cyclic beings, much like Earth, since we are her people. Each cycle has its season; each season, a cycle. However, it has recently become clear in the collective Earth energy field that unhealthy repeating cycles may finally be ready to be brokenFinally, truth-telling light is shined upon these unhealthy cycles (in sometimes sudden, seemingly life-shattering but actually life-awakening ways), allowing them to be fully healed and rebirthed anew. This is all for your greatest benefit, ascension and unfolding. Others in your life that once participated in these unhealthy cycles may show their true colors, in telling, harsh or abrasive ways.

This results in a big shift and change in perspective. Something(s) you were once blind to, you are now able to see. This may also cause quite an upbringing of emotions and memories, self-blame and criticism, but Beautiful Being, please keep on and know that you are not alone in this process. Earth stands with you, as do many of us, including Eagle and all Bird Spirits. Old programming, belief systems and skewed perspectives are coming to the light to be observed, felt and cleared.

You cannot force yourself to become conscious of the unconscious, but rather continue to surrender to the breath and trust the process and practices that connect you to that which is greater, to balance and to Spirit. Remain open to receive this connection to Spirit as it lives strongly, especially now, within the Air you breathe.

We are being asked to meet the dawning of each new day with centered presence, surrender and hope.

I am with you, and you with me. With Love Always, Shanin

Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness

What is a Shaman?

My Buffalo Drum

A Shaman in its most fundamental and westernized terminology means Healer. However, all Healers practice different modalities, and some may not resonate with Shamanic specific techniques. Therefore, not all Healers are Shamans. This word is used often, especially in Boulder County, which in most cases is a great thing (as it speaks to the ancient practices being revolutionized to fit our changing world!), but it can also be a bit confusing. No, Shamans do not have to be from indigenous societies to be powerful practitioners and healers, although there are many that are. Shamanism stems back hundreds of thousands of years. We do not know exactly how far back, but it is shown in prehistoric cave drawings that there was reverence for the animals and people in the community.

Shaman also means “one who sees in the dark”. Shamans are frequently referred to as hollow; they act as channels for high vibrational Spirit energy to move through them for a specific purpose and intention. Shamans clearly see and heal through their ability to be heart-centered, present and open, yet humble and honest. Acting as hollow vessels for frequencies that we are typically closed off to in our everyday lives, Shamans are bridges between this world and the spiritual worlds. Shamans work closely with Spirit helpers and guides, power animals, angels, ancestors, nature beings and invisible forces to serve the highest good and benefit of all. They are highly intuitive and open to their psychic abilities by being connected to that which is greater. It is their mission to bring enhanced balance and ease to the people and life forms of Earth. It is also common for Shamans to work closely with herbs, rocks, minerals and other earthly spirits. A shaman knows and feels that there is a Spirit in all things and works to build “right” relationship with each.

Shamans understand the importance of ritual, community, ceremony and rites of passage. They were the original doctors back before we had Western medicine. Those in need would visit the Shaman for healing from everything and anything: physical symptoms, emotional pain, mental instability and more. Shamans understand that illness, disease, imbalance, pain and suffering are more complex than our modern society likes to think, however I do feel that this is changing. Shamans treat illness and imbalance on subtle levels, because they know that all physical things have a spiritual root. We would be silly to ignore the power of Western medicine today, but Shamanism can offer a deeper and adjacent route to address the ailment and provide positive, healthy change.

My Smudging Fan for Healing Work

There are many practices and techniques, including: Shamanic Journeys, Transmissions, Extractions, Soul Retrievals, Power Renewals and more. They also have many tools in their toolbox, not limited to: medicine songs, healing words, buffalo drums, rattles, feathers, herbs, plants, crystals and more.

Shamanic principles, practices and tools are available to all of us. You do not have to be called a Shaman to embrace the benefits! It is a way of life – to bring in greater harmony, respect, connection, truth, love and energy into the everyday. It is the path of direct revelation, meaning each person who lives a Shamanic life has their own unique experiences within it. It is not limited; there are no rights or wrongs; there are no rules. It is that of meaning and that of liberation. You and Spirit lead the way together.

I hope this information was valuable to you!

Wishing you a blessed & safe holiday, new year & new decade! XOXO, S

Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness

Enhance. Embody. Empower.

The Chakra System: Free Your Energy

Some of you that have attended my public yoga classes over the last 2 weeks know that we are Journeying through the 7 Chakras…very exciting! 😊 Each week, we will focus on 1 of the 7 energy centers that have their individual homes along your central channel, physically up and down your spine. This main energy channel is known in yoga as the Sushumna Nadi (Nadi meaning energy nerve). I like to refer to the central channel as our River of Life. When our Rivers are clear and flowing, limitless potential and possibly become our reality. We open up to higher pathways of being, doing, interacting, and loving. However, it is very common to have energetic blocks along our central channels that impact the everyday flow and ease of Life. These blocks are sometimes located in a specific Chakra, as each Chakra contains its own unique energetic properties and qualities. They build on each other to *eventually* encourage a fully grounded, creative, powerful, connected, expressive, imaginative, and divine human…Wouldn’t that be awesome?!

I love teaching the Chakras…because this subtle system truly shows us something new each and every time.

In every (I think) spiritual tradition, there is a common teaching of the complexity of our beings. In yoga, it is referred to as the Koshas, meaning “bodies” or “selves”. I like to feel into this such as, we have many layers to our beings that interact together for our greater wholeness. We know we are much more than our physical form.

Here is my interpretation: We have a Physical Body – which gives us access to manifested form and our 3D world. We have an Energy Body – which contains our circulating lifeforce and is directly connected to our breath. We have a Mental Body – which holds our thoughts and belief structures. We have an Emotional Body – which contains, of course, our emotions. And we also have a Spiritual Body – that which is eternal, connected to Source, Spirit and all that is.

All of these “bodies” are constantly working together for your greatest benefit – making you, you. Intuitively, they as a whole comprise your Field. Your Field is sometimes referred to as your aura, but I prefer Field, as it is different for each being. Your Field is the entirety of you; everything that lives in your current awareness bubble or plane. Your Field is flexible – it can expand and contract, hold onto outside energies and show you certain cycles/patterns about yourself. Shamanically, it is known that thoughts and emotions are things. Just because we cannot see them, touch them in this 3D world of form, does not mean that they are not real. Thoughts and emotions actually hold an immense amount of power to influence our everyday lives.

It is also known in the Shamanic world that every being has a unique Spirit or essence (even plants, rocks, etc). Each Spirit, like each Chakra, also has its own properties, qualities, teachings and “medicine” – that offer gifts of wisdom and healing to our earthly lives. If you open yourself to a specific Spirit (ex. your favorite tree in the backyard or park), you can then uniquely perceive it, work with it and deeply relate to it. We are so used to getting immediate satisfaction and being on sensation overload with our current societal advances and technology use, that we have forgotten how to use our inner senses to perceive and connect with things more subtle – like our energy, thoughts, emotions, Spirit and Nature.

Your Chakra System lives in your Energy Body. It governs the flow of your energy (otherwise known as lifeforce or prana) and has great influence over your other layers of self as well. We want free flowing energy! Your energetic lifeforce is responsible for the rhythms of your heart, cycles of your breath and other autonomous functions that sustain life in your body. And what is so beautiful about this system is that we can actually tap into it and begin to direct, clear, transmit, and upgrade our energy to a new, cleaner and more effective way of functioning. Isn’t that awesome?! And it is not out of reach!

Getting familiar with your Chakras is a great start. AND it serves as a continuous practice to come back to that will always bring you into deeper relation with your energy.

Until I see you or hear from you again, Be Well…and don’t forget to set intentions to enjoy the pleasures of the harvest this month! With Love Always, S

How Distracted Are We?

I typically speak to releasing distractions in the beginning of almost every one of my yoga classes, workshops, or intuitive healing sessions. Often times we are being pulled outside of this moment here and now – either with chains binding us to the past or with ropes trying to lasso the future. It shows up to me energetically as strings that connect us to a time and space outside of now, tugging at us for attention and surely, distraction. It is an absolute necessity to release these distractions before we are able to fully enter our environment or the vast inner world of our Mind, Body, and Spirit – for whatever specific purpose or intention we may have in doing so. To objectively enter our internal and external landscapes, we must (at least try to) release the grasps of our mind that manifest as worries and concerns for everyday life. Our “little” mind is fed from these distractions and is not something to ostracize, rather it is ideally taught that it doesn’t run the show. 

Shamanically, it is known that to enter a healing trance state or to connect with Spirit, we must be freed from these everyday ordeals – even if it is just for a few moments during a practice or healing session. In yoga, it is the same. We have fluctuations in our mind that yoga practice, firstly and fundamentally, helps to cultivate awareness around so that we may observe that they are even there. And secondly, yoga teaches us how to be in flow – how to allow life, and the constant stirring of it inside of us, to have space to be. This happens when we allow thoughts to simply stream without clinging to or pushing them away. This happens when we ride the waves of an emotion until the water becomes clear and steady. This happens when we accept that our muscles are shaking so tremendously and come after we feel incredibly invigorated with aliveness and vitality. When we get out of our own way, and typically this means mentally, the intelligence of our Body and the intelligence of Spirit can come through for whatever greater purpose aligns at that time.

It is important to reflect on the past or set goals and have vision for the future, but it will not promote the intrinsic feeling of connection that we as humans seek. These days we tend to pick up our phones, computers, or turn on the TV to feed this connective impulse. We live in a world where there is seemingly more connection, and at the same time, more distraction than ever. Through technology, this craving for connection is perhaps briefly fulfilled, but not at the level that our higher selves, or soul-selves, know is possible.

Last week, I went camping on the Grand Mesa (one of the largest in the world!) on the western slope of Colorado. It is incredibly beautiful out there. There was barely cell phone service, and I chose to not bring my laptop (phew!). Being without these simple everyday distractions opened the door for me to enter the mysteries. Every morning, I would watch a squirrel do its daily routine – run across the way, grab something, and take it to one of 4 hiding spots. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. The chipmunks came out in the afternoon and at night. There were several of them hanging around, and they acted as my cute little audience when I played the native flute. On our way off the Mesa, we stopped to sky dive! It was my second time and was definitely more enjoyable than my first. Overall, the trip was fulfilling and amazing.

I share this because the “door” (or portal) to presenceSpirit, and flow doesn’t have to be as extreme as off-grid living or jumping into the unknown abyss – the door is actually always here and is waiting for you to open. All it takes is a few moments to truly breathe into your being, consciously release your distractions, and become aware of what is. In any healing practice (even something as simple as going for a walk or cooking yourself a meal), doors will open when you are without distraction. Try out listening, responding, acting, and being from this connected place sometime…and notice what you find. <3

Thank you for reading. Please visit my web page https://surrendertosoulwellness.com/ to read more about receiving a long-distance Intuitive Healing.

With Love Always,

Enhance. Embody. Empower.

Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness

Shanin Weisberg

Working with The Medicine Wheel

There are countless ways to practice with the Medicine Wheel. I do encourage an intuitive approach when working with spiritual symbolism, as we will all take something different from it. Trust your gut on how the medicine of the Wheel wants to work with/through you. Do not force, let this be a beautiful evolution (the evolution is part of the teaching, too! 😊).

Below I provide you with a simple Incantation to speak clearly to call upon the energies of the Wheel. You may face each direction as you go through the Incantation. It is important to note that you must embody a reverence for the Spirits (Energies) of the Wheel as you go through this practice. After, you may wish to dance or sing or free-write to soften the mind and let the energies of the Universe move through you. Notice how and what you feel. Remain open to receive the energies.  (You may also choose to draw the Wheel, meditate on the Wheel as a whole, or meditate on a specific section/animal/element/etc.) In Shamanism, there are no rules to what is right or wrong. How liberating! Enjoy.

Incantation: 

“With respect and honoring, I welcome and call upon the Spirits of the East. I invite your powers and wisdoms to bring me clarity, perspective, intuition, and new beginnings. 

With respect and honoring, I welcome and call upon the Spirits of the South. I invite your powers and wisdoms to bring me passion, determination, perseverance, and playfulness.

With respect and honoring, I welcome and call upon the Spirits of the West. I invite your powers and wisdoms to bring me renewal, rejuvenation, fluidity, and acceptance of the dark. 

With respect and honoring, I welcome and call upon the Spirits of the North to bring me home. I invite your powers and wisdoms to bring me the knowledge, the abundance, and the Life I seek. 

East, South, West, North – Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So be it! Aho!”

Surrender to Soul Wellness

Enhance. Embody. Empower.

Always Love,

Shanin Weisberg

Yoga Teacher, Chef, Shamanic Energy Healer

The Medicine Wheel: The Wheel of the Year

Happy New Year!

What a beautiful time to recognize and appreciate the ending of a year

& The passing through to a new!

This is a potent time to reflect on the previous year. This is also a potent time to clarify your intentions for the upcoming year – helping you to manifest and create the life of your dreams. Intention-setting practices like meditation or yoga or ceremonyvision boardsartmusicdance, and any other form of creation or expression is a beautiful way to call in the energies you wish to cultivate in the upcoming year. Through these conscious actions and efforts, we create space for our intentions to manifest and ground into our Earthly life. 

I have felt a deep pulling, now more than ever, to work in closer harmony with The Medicine Wheel – especially during this compelling time of transition and completion, commencement and rebirth. The Medicine Wheel is of Native American decent, and it represents the cycles of life as they turn and turn around the symbolic Wheel of the Year. Appearing as a circle, the Medicine Wheel as a whole teaches us about the never-ending lessonsrhythms, and evolutions of life – spinning around and around as each year passes. The Wheel is split into 4 parts, a part for each of the 4 Directions/Elements/Seasons correlating with one another to share a similar message and teaching. For each section of the Wheel, there is also a Gatekeeper – a specific power animal that holds the “medicine” of that part of the cycle.

For those of you that have worked with me before or who know me well, know that I LOVE learning from Earth and her natural rhythms, as it encourages me to recognize and honor MY own cycles. The Medicine Wheel is a powerful Shamanic tool that helps us do this.  If we embrace the “medicine” of the Wheel (otherwise known as the teaching), we can embody the different powersstrengths, and wisdoms it holds. If we implement into our Lives what reverberates and resonates for us, in return each rotation around our Wheel of Life is smoother and filled with greater peace and knowing. You can find many different variations of The Medicine Wheel out there – I offer one below that resonates with me. As always, you may discover your own and choose differently. 😊 

Traditionally we rotate clockwise, beginning in the East. The element that correlates with the East is Air; the season is Spring; the color is Yellow. The Gatekeeper of the East is known as the Eagle. The Eagle offers us the medicine of clarity, of sight, of perspective. The Eagle soars high in the sky, blown by the wind, gazing down onto Earth and all of its workings. The Air in which the Eagle soars is representative of breath, of intuition. This part of the Wheel symbolizes new beginnings, as the sun rises in the East each and every day. It is said that we first enter our Earth bodies in the East; it is also the place of conception. You can observe and feel this conception taking place during the Spring – when the Earth is waking back up from the silent solace of winter. We give our gratitude and respect to the East for bestowing us with a new day, new beginnings, with clarity and perspective, and with the chance to start anew.

Transitioning to the South, it is the place of Fire, of Summer, of the color Red. The Gatekeeper of the South is known as the Coyote. The Coyote offers us the medicine of resilienceperseverancedetermination, and a whole lot of playfulness and trickery. In the South, the heat of Summer burns like Red Fire to transform and grow and play. The South is a place of passion and action, of coming together in community to thrive. Beginnings conceptualized in the East gain momentum and shapeshift in the South, allowing for Divine manifestation.

Transitioning to the West, it is the place of Water, of Fall, of the color Black. The Gatekeeper of the West is known as the Bear. The Bear teaches us about renewalhibernation,rejuvenation, and acceptance of the dark. The Bear is also a fierce protector and nurturer. The sun sets every evening the West, encompassing the sky with Black darkness. It is said that when we are ready to leave our Earthly bodies, we will exit through the doors of the West. We also call upon this Watery energy to become comfortable with fluidity, with our emotions, with the rain; Water is known to have very cleansing and purifying properties, too. You can feel or imagine this time similar to the final stages of pregnancy – where the fetus lies in the dark, watery womb, replenished and renewed.

The final transition is to the North – the Element of Earth, Season of Winter, Color of White. The Gatekeeper of the North is known as the Buffalo. The medicine of the Buffalo is that of knowing and wisdomgratitude and abundance. When Native Americans would hunt and kill a Buffalo, they used EVERY part of the animal. This was seen as a representation of the ultimate surrender and an action that honored the cycles of life and death. The buffalo was respected greatly for it’s life-giving qualities. Everything comes full circle in the North. It is said that this is place where the Elders, Ancestors, and Spirits reside. I see Earth and the North as a place of coming home – of grounding into our foundation for the next turn of the Wheel. Do you remember Harriet Tubman? With help from a friendly white woman, she followed the North star to run away because she feared being sold as a slave. Once free, she went back to assist hundreds of others on their way to freedom on “The Underground Railroad”. Through the support of the North, she helped to close one cycle AND begin a new for the hundreds she saved.

We lean into the support of the North during this time of year – as we are preparing to cross the threshold into 2019.

Blessings & Best Wishes for you in 2019…

Surrender to Soul Wellness

Enhance. Embody. Empower.

Always Love,

Shanin Weisberg

Yoga Teacher, Chef, Shamanic Energy Healer

Home Practice: Bless Your Home

 You can easily bless your home (or any space) through your thoughts, words, and actions.

STEP ONE: Begin at your front door or the entrance to your space. As you walk in, look around and start to mindfully walk the perimeter of the room, slowly making your way through each part of your home.

STEP TWO: Gaze at your space with the feeling and the thoughts you wish to reflect onto your space – peace, comfort, safety, healing, etc. (You may choose to carry your favorite crystal or burn your favorite herb or wood as you do this.) Invite an inner feeling of Love and hold the clear intention to Bless in your heart center.

STEP THREE: Sounds are a powerful tool that create our reality. Words, songs, and incantations can be a promising way to deliver a potent Blessing. Here is an incantation I have used that is quite simple but effective: “Bless this house. Bless this home. Heal this house. Heal this home. Love this house. Love this home.” You may repeat this as many times as you feel called as you walk around each room, being sure to walk the edges and corners. You may also replace the words house/home with space/place or any other word(s) that feels right. It may feel right for you to touch certain objects in your space, or move your hands in an organic magical way as you repeat the incantation. I would recommend repeating the incantation at least 3 times all the way through out loud with conviction, certainty, and feeling.

STEP FOUR: Once you have made it through the entire space, return to the center of the space or to the center of your home. Close your eyes and breathe for several moments into this Blessing that you have bestowed into your space. Thank yourself, and notice what you feel. Record any experience or reaction as you feel called to.

Always Love, 

XOXO

Shanin Weisberg

Yoga Teacher, Diet Coach, Shamanic Energy Healer

Surrender to Soul Wellness 

Enhance. Embody. Empower.

*First image of me was taken by Annabelle. Please check out her work here http://www.annabelledenmark.com/*

Own Your Power: You Create Your World

 

Happy Holiday & Winter Season!

I hope you are enjoying this healing, dark time of year as the sun shines less and the moon shines more.

I used to really dislike winter…you know…the cold, the lack of sun, the longer nights. But recently, I have found the sheer beauty and comfort in being home cozy, rested, reflective, and mostly in the dark.

The photo above was taken just as the season was changing to fall…I am in Rocky Mountain National State Park surrounded by mountain air, water, sunshine, and rock. I love this image because it beautifully shows the balance between light and dark, and also because there is an awesome orb glowing with the color of my Lifeforce – bright blue! 😀

The seasons are a great example of the entire spectrum available to us in the Universe. We have spring/summer (the light side) and fall/winter (the dark side). For most of my life, I was labeling or judging the dark (winter) as “less-than” instead of viewing it as an equal part of the greater whole.

The distinction between light and dark can be compared to many oppositions and reflections that are parts of one total whole….good and bad, self and other, earth and universe… there are an infinite amount of examples. When we open our perceptions to see the totality of each experienced spectrum, we also open to the beauty and the healing in each and every part. One gives definition to the other. We know there would be no light without dark, no good without bad, no self without other, and no earth without the universe.

Through our perception do we actually create each experience we have.
Through our perception do we actually create the Universe.
And the Universe always responds.

Shamanically, it is believed that we actually dream the world into being. I first learned this from teacher Sandra Ingerman. We dream the world into being through our thoughts, beliefs, actions, and perceptions. Because we are all a part of the Universe, we are all co-creating this world together. Individually, we have our personalized belief systems for which we base our own perceptions and actions around. And yes, surely some overlap with the “collective” as well. The “collective” is defined by me as being the Universal “way” dreamed into all of our beings by centuries of programmed beliefs, actions, and behaviors of mankind.

When the veil of illusion lifts away, when you begin to SEE the truth of your reality – things actually become a bit lighter and certainly clearer! We consciously begin to understand our most in depth under-the-surface workings, our unique code to how we function and perceive reality. You can call this getting to know our subconscious or unconscious Self. And, we actually build the foundation for our Life through our subconscious and unconscious Self – these parts we are mostly unfamiliar with.

We certainly dream our world into being through our deepest parts such as these…

Give yourself a moment to look within yourself for your answers:

With awareness, gaze around you…shift your perspective so that you may be able to SEE the whole…then ask yourself…

  1. How does my home space reflect me, both in feeling (vibe) and appearance (cleanliness & organization)?
  2. How does my work reflect me?
  3. How do the actions I have taken reflect me?
  4. How does my experience of yesterday reflect me?
  5. How does my attitude about tomorrow reflect me today?
  6. How am I thinking, feeling, acting and how does that reflect this perceivable moment right now?

Our perception and perspective begins with us, always.
We create our Life because we are Life!
We create our experience because we are the Creation!
We are Creation itself as it witnesses itself!

….

We are a unique and valued part of the whole of the Universe.

Own your Power.

How do you create your world?

Always Love,

XOXO

Shanin Weisberg

Yoga Teacher, Diet Coach, Shamanic Energy Healer

Surrender to Soul Wellness

Enhance. Embody. Empower.