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So over two days of travel, a combination of rough roads and a long trip on the river, we settled into our rather surprisingly comfortable accommodations in the Amazon Basin. We were in the part of the jungle that was Machiguenga territory; where there was a...

“Shh. Just listen . . .” Her soft, gentle, loving voice also carried with it an authority that I could not resist. When prompted like this, I would quiet my mind and allow myself to be taken by the spirit of Ayahuasca, the shamanic medicine whose brew I had ingested...

There we were, Jesseca and I, in the heart of the Peruvian jungle in the Amazon Basin hours away from civilization, preparing for the third and final night of journeying with the plant medicine, Ayahuasca. I’d described in previous articles how the first two...

I came across this quote recently. It caused me to pause and reflect on the layers of meaning in this advice: “Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no...

For a period of time, my daughter, Catherine and grandson, Jaden stayed with me at a house I used to live in. There were a number of steps to climb to get to the driveway where her car was parked, and sometimes she would be in a hurry because she was late. I’d be in...

The Story of Roger and Elaine By Dave Barry Let’s say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and they enjoy themselves again....

Soul Calling What’s oatmeal got to do with soul retrieval? Well, I found out in a very personal way recently. In my shamanic work, one of the more common treatments is called soul retrieval or soul recovery. It’s based on the idea that as we go along in life we may...

(Excerpted from Earth Magic: Ancient Shamanic Wisdom for Healing Yourself, Others, and the Planet) At this time in human history, we’re seeing an evolution in consciousness, particularly as to how it affects our spiritual and religious philosophies and practices. It...

Samhain/Halloween (October 31-November 1) This is the time of year when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, the night when the dead return to visit us, to feast, and communicate with us. The seeds from the dying...

New Age Gurus, Cults, and Fundamentalism By Dr. Steven Farmer Recently I was pondering the various new age and metaphysical groups, practices, and in particular the various leaders and the styles of leadership they provide. While there are many fine teachers and...