sacred travel, sedona & shamanism

THE PULSE: Sunny Daze

Are you feeling the summer wind down? Trying to soak in the blissful moments leading up to Labor Day weekend in the USA?

We can all remember that “back to school” feeling as we were growing up. It is somewhat of a Universal feeling. The transition from August into September is real. You can tangibly feel it. It is ingrained in us, we'd dare to say almost on a cellular level. There's excitement. There's anxiousness. There are most likely new, unknown routines coming your way. And in most of the country, the colder weather is coming around the corner in the not-so-distant future.

Our SECRET POWER will help you reconnect with the land and Spirit. Grounding yourself will help you transition with more positivity, confidence and hope. And our DOWNLOADS. Woah! They even surprised us! They are flowing with guidance for this specific time of year. And THE PODCAST, perfectly timed. This week's episode is full of ideas for sacred travel and soul reconnection. So fitting!

We’re sending you sunny days this last week of August wherever you are!

THE PODCAST: Sacred Travel, Sedona + Shamanism

We're excited and honored to introduce you to Jim Berenholtz in this week's podcast. Karen and I both had the privilege of having Jim spiritually guide us on recent trips to mystic and magical Sedona, Arizona. His undeniable connection with Spirit, the land, Native American culture, music and meditation created life-changing experiences for each of us.

Jim has extensive knowledge and experience within sacred travel, as well as sacred healing. Oh, and did we mention he's a composer, musician and artist as well? His life's journey so far is fascinating! This episode is going to be chockfull of inspiration -- whether it's planning your own sacred journey or creating a daily ritual to help you tap into your most authentic you -- your soul. Here’s a snippet of our soul + wisdom-enriching conversation. Robyn + Karen: Let's start by talking about what you do. You refer to yourself as a ceremonial artist and others refer to you as a shaman. What is a shaman? Jim: The word shaman has a lot of charge around it these days. First of all it is not a word in native American culture. The word comes from the indigenous people of Siberia. Typically in those cultures, the shaman is a medicine person, a healer, a person who communicates between different dimensions of reality that are generally not that accessible or visible to most people. They navigate to the other dimensions, not just to the past or future or to the realm of the spirit beings of the ancestors who've passed on, but literally into other zones of perception of what this world is like in vibrational realms. For example to not just see the physical tree, but to see the spirit of that tree, to see the vibrational field of the tree or of a bird or a mammal. And when you are able to see or sense or feel those sorts of things, you can, in many cases, diagnose what's going on. Maybe there's emotional, physical or psychological problem that a regular medical person or doctor or psychotherapist just can't get to the bottom of it, but the shaman is able to penetrate into these other dimensions and often, see instantly what is going on. They are perceiving energy. They are working with vibration. R+K: So do you call yourself a shaman? Jim: A lot of my early spiritual training was in Mexico with different native cultures. And in particular I studied with an Aztec man of knowledge in central Mexico. He was a very gifted shaman and I became an apprentice. My teacher said that a person who is a shaman never says that about themselves. It is only for their community, for the people who they work with to say whether or not they are a shaman. And it really impacted me. As I studied with other teachers in other parts of the world, I saw that same humility and approach to the work that these healers and these shamans were doing. They didn't give themselves that title, but the people around them would say that about them. I don't feel it's my place to say that I'm a shaman or not. I can say that I work with shamanic practices that I've studied with gifted shamans, that I respect that as a tradition. So I'm very careful how I navigate around this territory because it is not my desire to offend anybody, but to really honor my native teachers from around the world to honor all these traditions to simply do the work I do. And if others want to say, I'm a shaman, that's fine. R&K: That says so much about your integrity as a healer Jim. Let’s talk about Sedona for a second. You’ve traveled practically everywhere. What makes Sedona special to you? Jim: One of the things about Sedona that makes it so special from my experience, it is the most responsive place I've ever been in terms of how nature responds to our prayers, to our thoughts, to our ritual and ceremonial actions. For example, just yesterday, I had a group of 11 women here, all of whom lost a child within recent years. They are bereaved mothers, which is a huge thing for them to carry. And so we did a ceremony in the medicine wheel around the spirits of their children. A lot of water ceremony is part of that, and we were receiving rain and message sounds and flyovers from birds at all the most appropriate moments as this ritual was happening. And it was obvious to everybody that this was going at auspicious moments when we said, or did a certain thing. So finally at the end of the ritual, I had everybody turn and hold their hands up towards the east. And I sang a Navajo song that is traditionally sung when a child is born at their first sunrise of their life. It's part of what's called “The Beauty Way Song.” And as we're doing this, a huge rainbow appeared across the Eastern sky and it was such a potent moment for these women, these mothers, to feel the spirits of their children in that rainbow. R&K: We are crying right now. Jim: This kind of thing happens in Sedona all the time. It's like an electrical grid that's all wired, hooked up together. And so this magic, what we would think would be extraordinary, is the ordinary here. R&K: Well speaking of extraordinary…thank you for sharing some of your extra-ordinary life stories with us. This is definitely a conversation to be continued! How should people if they're interested in learning more about working with you or learning more about your work, like your art, your books, your music, what's the best way for people to find you? Jim: I have a few different websites that people can go to for more info. If they want to learn more about my art or my music, or get the art and some of my products, they can go to hu-ra.com. It's all about sound and light or music and art. I have another website which is more generalized and has more information about my ceremonial work and that's www.jimberenholtz.com. You can contact me about mySedona tours through the email address on the website: contact@jimberenholtz.com R&K: Thank you Jim! We look forward to visiting with you again in Sedona! Listen to the full podcast.

SECRET POWER: Connect to the Land + Spirit from Home

According to Jim, wherever we are at any moment in time, we are the center of the Universe as we are experiencing it. We have an above, we have a below, we have a right and left a front and back. Those are the four directions, the earth and the sky. And you can begin with meditation to anchor that awareness into your living space or wherever you are. See yourself in that sphere of energy. You can ritualize it by lighting candles in each of the four directions in whatever room you're in. You can put certain ceremonial objects around you. Embrace your relationship to the forces of nature, both of the ground and of the sky above and of trees. Trees are magnificent beings and to just. Stand with your back against the tree and feel that spine in your body connected with the trunk of the tree or to hug the tree.

THE DOWNLOAD: The Light Within

As the summer comes to a close, there can be some inner sadness. It’s the season that universally symbolizes fun, sunshine, and carefree moments. Who wants that to come to an end? Yet, it’s part of our human experience. Our downloads this week help us release the anxiousness and reframe this time of year.

KAREN’S DOWNLOAD

Remember the light is always within you. The light is always there.

As you turn the corner into these later months of the year see the distance that you’ve come. You have in fact made progress. Your walk along the way has been uniquely your own.

Release any call to judge it, the circumstances or yourself.

You are a wonderful creation…full of love and good intention.

It is not about the destination…it is ALWAYS about the journey.

And you have shown up. You have asked to be used as a vessel of light. You have taken the steps. You have done the work. It is not about perfection or even accomplishment. It is about waking up each day and asking “what can I do to help make this world a better place?” “What am I here to do?”

It is in the asking that you move ahead on your journey.

The calendar is just a human measurement of time.

It matters not the season.

It matters not the date on the calendar.

It matters not the year

In realness, there is no time. No measurement at all.

Be “in” life.

Be “in” your journey.

You are guided and never alone.

The sun and the light are seasonless.

The sun and the light are always there.

ROBYN’S DOWNLOAD

I’m shown a path of white light. As I walk on the path and look around I see a park with kids swinging on swings. I then see the seasons changing within the park. Fall. Winter. Spring. Summer.

Although the seasons are changing at the core of it all, it’s how do you feel? How can you have a sunny disposition no matter what the season or the weather?

As things are changing and going back to a more “normal routine” because summer is winding down, what can you do to keep the spark within yourself? Keep the happiness? It’s all perspective. While you may miss some of the lightness that summer brings, that’s what makes it special. You can keep the light of summer in your heart.

What else should we all keep in mind this week?

Know that you are equipped with whatever may be coming your way in the next few weeks. If something surprising comes your way or if something feels overwhelming..know that you can handle it and you will find a way to take hold of the situation rather than let it take hold of you. We have the answers within.

Get still and ask for the guidance from within — your soul will guide the way. And if the something that happens evokes emotion…let it flow through you. Release it. Don’t pretend all is the same, or all is ok…it may not be ok for a little while and that in itself is ok. These are the times that we grow. Remember that.

Try not to be hard on yourself. We will always have room to grow. We will always surprise ourselves with what we know or what we can do. That is what this journey is all about.

And when needed, ask for help. The right people are around you — they will heed the call…they too are equipped. Follow the flow. If it’s too hard, change directions and ask others for help or move along a different route. You are loved. You are supported.

SEEKING CENTER PODCAST SCHEDULE

AUGUST 2 The Power of Community in the Face of a Diagnosis

AUGUST 9 The Not-So-Woo Woo Real Estate Agent That Will Get You Meditating

AUGUST 16 Psychedelics 101: The Power of Plant Medicine

AUGUST 23 Resetting Your Energy: Reiki, The Divine Rays, + Sound Healing

AUGUST 30 Sacred Travel, Sedona + Shamanism

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