When I began writing The Evolutionary Empath three years ago, I had the most unbelievable experience with an owl on the very first day I put pen to paper.

Do you ever suspect that we are not as intelligent nor advanced as we have ever been?
Over 30 ancient cultures have recorded the rise and fall of human civilization in a vast cycle of time …

Chattering happily with one of my travel mates, I suddenly stopped talking and proclaimed with glazed eyes, “I’m feeling a bit woozy and light headed. I need to breathe and try to ground myself.”

Most recently, after completing and submitting my book manuscript, I reorganized my entire office, which bled out into the hallway, stair well and temple space. Art on the walls had to be rearranged. Colors had to be altered. Coziness had to be amped up. Ceremony had to be performed. The flow of energy had to be rerouted.

There are numerous “themes” a shamanic adept encounters in embracing the shamanic lifestyle. One of the most intense and challenging is the death and rebirth mysteries.

In traditional shamanic cultures, shamans were selected in specific ways, often through a near-death experience, such as an illness, lightning strike or animal attack. They were chosen by Spirit and called into service. Sometimes they went willingly, sometimes grudgingly. Nonetheless, the path to becoming a shaman was distinct and narrow.

I have always loved collecting beautiful objects and infusing them with special meaning. Long before I knew I was a shamanic being, as a child I had a crocheted draw-string bag (remember those from the 70’s?) that held all of my special amulets and trinkets.

Pa…cha…ma…a…ma…
You just naturally want to complete the rest of it, don’t you?

In PMT training we are taught our mesa is a reflection of us. It is a physical representation of the non-physical world. It is a living organism. Not only does it reveal our unique individuality, but it reflects our energies, patterns, and beliefs; it provides guidance and presents us with indications of things occurring on a subconscious level.

I never cease to be amazed at how the natural world is continually communicating with us, giving us signs and symbols that so directly correlate to our individual circumstances that coincidence becomes an impossibility. I have two astonishing examples of this phenomenon…which occurred on the same day!