Shamanism, the world’s oldest form of healing, is founded on the belief that the universe is one in spirit—a universe in which animals, birds, stones, rivers, mountains are messengers and allies.

Shamanic training teaches you to connect with forces of nature, deepening your relationship with the earth while shedding of layers of the past and healing old wounds. It is a path that teaches you to live in Grace and with Spirit.

The following was written by one of my students. I asked Leslie’s permission to share it here as I felt its evocative imagery captured the transformative power and beauty of the shamanic process well.

POEM TO PACHAMAMA

Santa Tierra, giver of beauties
gentle as raindrops or the sharp claws of tigers,
red as the eyes of ancient tortoises,
redolent as coffees in the damp cool night,
round as ferns glowing green in deep forest,
thunderous as moth wings, rainbows, still pools…
You crack open our hearts with feather-soft fingers,
flood us loose from our fears with such munay
we can only be healed of our bitter tears.
we feed you, Pachamama, our shell shards and offerings,
nestle down in your warm sands
to nurture our becoming
by the whispering lullabies of Mama Cocha.
we dream lavender and roses, sunlight fluttering on leaves,
unicorns charging, lightning rippling on violet hills.
we wrap our roots deep in your diamond heart,
open owl eyes within your dark womb,
to radiant crystals, gushing fountains,
sweet-grass and sage, swift merlins, yellow lotuses,
the crawling jeweled glory of beetles.
you are blood and bone of us all, Nuestra Mama,
birther and healer of our burns,
bringer of death, bearing our freedom
and all balance in your bright cruel sword.
we cherish you, Nuestra Amada,
as saguaro cherishes water,
as aspen cherishes sunlight,
as the dying cherish mercy;
and we bless you, Sagrada Mama,
in our hearts, our words, our deeds;
we aid your precious children,
and we grow your sacred seeds.

~Leslie Morris Britt ©2009

Translation key
Santa Tierra: Holy Earth
Pachamama: Our Mother Place
Mama Cocha: Mother of the Waters
Nuestra Mama: Our Mother
Nuestra Amada: Our Beloved
Sagrada Mama: Sacred Mother

Bio: Winner of the Dave Fairly Award for Balladry, Leslie Morris Britt writes poetry, short fiction, novels, screenplays, and nonfiction. Her poetry has been published in Supralurid and elsewhere, her nonfiction book Speak To Me was accepted for publication by HarperSanFrancisco, and her story “Animal Dreams” was in the top 12 of Glimmer Train’s 2007 Flash Fiction Competition. A mesa carrier and earth steward in the Q’ero shamanic lineage and a Reiki healer/ teacher, Leslie works to heal, empower, and reconnect all species through Shamanic Reiki and narrative.

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©2009 Rose De Dan. All Rights Reserved. www.reikishamanic.com

A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author. Her classes, sessions and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.

Her book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism features heartwarming stories about animals and their role in her evolution as an energy worker and shamanic healer.