As political events have unfolded, I’ve become more and more aware of the negative impact they are having on women. Although I do sign petitions, complain far too much on FB, and make calls at times, I’m not cut out to be a political activist. However, there is something I can offer women who are being traumatized by the rhetoric and actions of Donald Trump and our new government: feminist shamanic practices that heal and strengthen women.

That’s why I’m offering The Time of the Warrioress Gatherings, which are designed to do just that.

Feminist shamanism offers many ways for women to process and free themselves from negative feelings they may be experiencing in response to the current political climate.
Becoming a feminist shamanic Warrioress for these times, by means of awakening and integrating the full spectrum of feminist shamanic goddess energies available to us, is one way women can become both potent adversaries and powerful antidotes to the patriarchal abuses our new government is directing at women and others.

Formal feminist shamanic talking circles, during which each woman’s concerns and thoughts are attentively listened to but not challenged, can help heal feelings of “not being heard.”

Engaging with other women in feminist shamanic drumming, singing, chanting, and movement releases negativity and engenders a sense of belonging and feminine empowerment.

Direction-specific feminist shamanic meditations, visualizations and affirmations bring one into alignment with the stability of the feminist shamanic Medicine Wheel Mandala, and with the strengths and accomplishments available to us within each direction within the mandala.

Psychic protection methods, which involve breathwork and movement, protect us both from our own imbalances and from the imbalances of others, while simultaneously empowering us.

And feminist shamanic journeys, during which one can engage with various shamanic goddess archetypes, will over time enable us to awaken, activate, and integrate the many faces of the Sacred Feminine into our individual sense of self-identity.

This is a major focus of the Gatherings, because the patriarchal culture in which we live values only one aspect of the sacred Feminine as expressed by women: its “make nice,” seemingly submissive face. I say “seemingly submissive,” because when one begins to shamanically engage with that aspect of the Feminine, one soon learns that behind that pleasant and diplomatic façade lies the awesome power to free us from internalized patriarchal religious and social belief systems.

I believe that women are going to need to take the lead in pushing back against Trump and his agenda. I believe that we can find the strength to do so by awakening, accepting, integrating, and learning to value and express the many faces of the Sacred Feminine in every area of our lives. I believe that by banding together in an effort to do so, once-traumatized women, standing side by side with female political powerhouses, can become a force capable of resisting and bringing down Trumpism, and of eventually reversing the tsunami of patriarchal abuse that we’re being subjected to in today’s socio-political climate.

In feminist shamanic practice, there is no hierarchical structure, as there always is in patriarchal traditions and practices. Rather, the teacher, if healed, understands herself to be like a compass, pointing the way towards a  feminist shamanic awakening, but always allowing the student to proceed at her own pace. Needless to say, the dance between shamanic teacher and student is a delicate one, and the bond between them can easily be broken should either the student or the teacher become entrapped in ego-generated thinking.

In the early stages of the student’s experience, she will very likely perceive the teacher to be flawless. To counteract that tendency, the teacher must make an effort to demonstrate her humanity to her students at the same time that she demonstrates her shamanic power. The reason for this is that it is understood that each one of us brings a valuable perspective to the interpretation of reality, even the most raw novice. This understanding must be balanced with the teacher’s responsibility to guide her student correctly, and to counter eruptions of ego imbalance within the student’s psyche that will be detrimental to the student and to those the student may eventually attempt to heal or teach herself. And almost every student, at some point in her shamanic development, will succumb to the urgings of her ego to test her power against that of her teacher.

This is a critical point in the student’s training, and a trial for the teacher, for she must simultaneously realign the student’s ego, while maintaining her stance as guide rather than authority figure. It is at this juncture that the student will either quit training, be released from training by the teacher, or realize her ego-imbalance and become willing to bear the humbling experience of bringing it back into balance under the guidance of the teacher.  The successful negotiation of this struggle by both student and teacher is a necessary prerequisite for the student’s admission into advanced levels of training.

As the teacher-student relationship develops over time, the feminist shamanic teacher encourages the student to rely more and more upon her own judgment and direct shamanic experience, and to bring all that she is becoming to the talking circles and councils of her shamanic group. Eventually, the student and teacher stand side by side, working together on healing and research projects, advising and supporting one another in countless ways.

Some tools used by feminist shamans.

When one fails to completely heal one’s own wounds or to release one’s own sorrows before becoming a teacher of others, one puts oneself and others at risk in particular ways. One such risk, and perhaps the most dangerous one, is that one may overcompensate for feelings of low self-esteem and victimization by perceiving oneself as somehow enlightened or spiritually superior to others. When this occurs, one becomes blind to one’s own flaws, wounds and neuroses, and they are then often projected onto others. We see this kind of thing happening all the time, particularly among cult leaders. The supplicant or student or apprentice is convinced by the teacher or leader that this or that or the other is wrong with him, and that the teacher is the only one who can fix him, or show him the way to lasting health, wealth and happiness. The results of falling into such a trap can be emotionally, psychically and financially devastating.

To anyone considering apprenticing to a shamanic teacher, I urge you to exercise extreme caution and critical judgment about the character, ethical stance, possible hidden agendas, and camouflaged personal issues the teacher may be struggling with before you make either a financial or an emotional commitment to the person. Sometimes two people simply don’t click, for whatever reasons. Naturally, you will want to continue your search for a teacher elsewhere if this occurs, but sometimes there are much more dangerous energies at play. Following are a few good rules of thumb to help you make sound choices. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after an encounter with a potential teacher, or any other person, you should consider that you have entered a psycho-spiritual danger zone, and you should exercise extreme caution regarding continuing the contact.

1. You are left feeling frightened, guilty, inadequate, diminished, or wrong in some vague way after talking with the person.

2. You feel “high” or somehow seduced by the person’s charismatic personality;

3. You feel confused after reading materials the person has written, or after attending a workshop of having a private session with the person;

4. An attempt is made to convince you that you have some special gift or talent that could or should be directed towards helping the teacher carry out a messianic agenda of some kind.

In all such instances, your body is the best alarm system you possess. Pay attention to what it’s telling you. If you experience fear, unease, anxiety or any other such indicator of danger, especially when it’s accompanied by an unpleasant physical sensation or thrill of fear anywhere in your torso, you should immediately back away from the person who triggered such sensations, and stay away.

Whether or not you ever grasp intellectually what transpired between the two of you, you can completely trust your body’s knowledge of what transpired between you at a psychic level. When you experience physical sensations of danger in the presence of another person, however charming that person may seem, it may mean that at best, you and this person are simply not psychologically compatible, and at worst, that the person has a hidden agenda for you that may not be in your best interests. Such warning signs can also mean that there is some unresolved issue in your own psyche that may not be ready for healing, but which may nevertheless be triggered repeatedly for you by a corresponding unresolved issue in the other person’s psyche. Whichever the case may be, if you continue exploring the relationship, it’s very likely that you will be hurt in some way by doing so, later if not sooner.

Often twistings of “truths” and symptoms of hidden agendas are very subtle and hard to recognize, so you should allow yourself time away from the person to think, to evaluate, to listen to what your own body and heart are telling you about the advisability of working with a particular person. If you are recovering from a profound trauma of some kind, or have recently experienced a devastating emotional loss of some kind, it’s likely that your capacity to engage in critical thinking may have been compromised. In such instances, you must be even more careful and rely upon the input of trusted friends and family members, and perhaps that of a good therapist whom you trust, to help you make a good decision in the matter of choosing a teacher.

“The Time of the Greening Earth” is the first in a planned series of audio-visual feminist shamanic “Small Teachings.” This particular teaching is about certain aspects of the shamanic East, one of the goddess archetypes found there, and her relationship to Otter medicine. In this kind of shamanic teaching, some of the teaching is transmitted as you view the painting, while some of it is transmitted as you listen to the short medicine story describing the painting, and some of it is transmitted in the shamanic singing and chanting that follows the story. I suggest that you view the panting while listening to the audio part several times, simply allowing the “medicine” in the teaching to find its way into your understanding of what you’re viewing and hearing. I’d love to hear about your response to this type of teaching, so please use the form below to send me your comments.

In this video, I share teachings about feminine beauty as given to me by five feminist shamanic goddess archetypes found within the Middle level of shamanic reality. These teachings about feminine beauty are part of my new booklet, “Shamanic First Aid for Today’s Woman, ” which also offers you a wealth of information about feminist shamanic ways, understanding yourself shamanically, and applying feminist shamanic principles to your daily life. I hope you find the video interesting and informative, and that it enriches your experience of yourself as a beautiful woman. I’d love to hear from you regarding your response to this video!

“The Time of the Greening Earth” is the first in a planned series of audio-visual feminist shamanic “Small Teachings.” This particular teaching is about certain aspects of the shamanic East, one of the goddess archetypes found there, and her relationship to Otter medicine. In this kind of shamanic teaching, some of the teaching is transmitted as you view the painting, while some of it is transmitted as you listen to the short medicine story describing the painting, and some of it is transmitted in the shamanic singing and chanting that follows the story. I suggest that you view the panting while listening to the audio part several times, simply allowing the “medicine” in the teaching to find its way into your understanding of what you’re viewing and hearing. I’d love to hear about your response to this type of teaching, so please use the form below to send me your comments.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that patriarchy is a thing of the past. It is still with us today, in forms ranging from the very subtle to the dangerously virulent.

It is all too easy for us to believe that patriarchy is something from our distant past, thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of countless dedicated feminists over the last century and longer. Their work regained and restored many of the rights and privileges that women enjoyed prior to patriarchy. As a result of their efforts, we now have the right to vote, work, and divorce, to name but a few.

But in reality, patriarchy is not something from our past. It continues to express itself today in the many virulent, yet often disguised or subtle forms of abuse that every woman encounters every day in our culture. Contemporary forms of patriarchal abuse continue to adversely affect women psychologically and spiritually.

Contemporary forms of patriarchal abuse can range from very subtle and confusing emotional and verbal abuse to actual physical violence, including battering and rape.

The thing to remember here is that whenever a person is the target for  any of these forms of abuse, that person is being subjected to patriarchal power-over behavior on the part of the abuser.

I highly recommend that all women read Patricia Evans’ book, “The Verbally Abusive Relationship,” which clearly defines the most common forms of patriarchal abuse, and  offers very helpful advice to women for recognizing and dealing with each of them. On page 81,  Evans offers a list titled “The Categories of Verbal Abuse,” which includes: Withholding; Countering; Discounting; Verbal abuse disguised as jokes; Blocking and diverting; Accusing and blaming; Judging and criticizing; Trivializing; Undermining; Threatening; Name calling; Forgetting; Ordering; Denial; and Abusive anger.

Feminist shamanism addresses all levels of patriarchal abuse, including the deeply internalized, often hidden levels of abuse so many women have suffered as children and young girls.

You might think of feminist shamanism, whether you experience it through feminist shamanic counseling, as a personal feminine practice, or simply by reading my feminist shamanic publications, as a kind of antidote to contemporary patriarchal abuse of women. To inform yourself of patriarchy’s roots, its symptoms, and its historical and contemporary impact on women and indigenous cultures, I recommend that you read the following books:

The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion, and Power in Celtic Ireland by Mary Condren

The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions by Paula Gunn Allen

The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans