Trust Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

Today is a big day for me!

As many of you know (those who are already on my “Hoot List”), I’m honored and delighted to be participating as a presenter in an online gathering of 24 fascinating people from all walks of life who have faced great loss or major life challenges and not only survived, but also discovered truths, approaches, perspectives, and strategies that serve them well in moving forward with their lives.

The “I AM Symposium” began two days ago, on Monday, October 12^th – and if you sign up today for the entire program, you’ll still be able to hear the first presenter’s talk for free. Each day a single presentation is broadcast, and those who have signed up for the event have 72 hours to listen each one.

If you can’t manage to snag the time each day to listen – or if you miss the talk of someone you’d love to hear but didn’t catch them within the “free” 72 hour window – or if you just find you would like the opportunity to listen to each presentation at your leisure, as many times as you would like, you can purchase and download the entire 24-speaker package for $47. (Just scroll to the very bottom of the sign-up page.)

Sorry for such a detailed explanation, but details are helpful. And no matter which way you look at it, either “completely free” (but requiring a somewhat disciplined listening approach) or 24 unique presentations for $47 – it’s a pretty sweet deal.

I started this post out by saying that today is a big deal for me because my “story” airs today. It’s personal, it’s real – and this is the first time I’ve ever participated in such a venture, so I have no baseline as to what to expect. And even though I often write with stark honesty, direct from my heart, about personal issues, I rarely “speak” of such things. So, this was a stretch!

If you’ve come to my website because you just heard me on the “I AM Symposium” broadcast, welcome! I’d like to offer you the opportunity to receive a free chapter of my book, Owl Medicine, in thanks for signing up for my Hoot List, if you choose to do so. (And I’m trying to figure out how to do this on my own, without bugging my most revered Web Master, Mark. If I don’t figure it out within a day or so, I will ask him to set it up!)*

As I mention (a lot) in my presentation, I feel listening – true, deep listening – is one of the greatest gifts we can give both ourselves and other people in our lives. And as much as I am a fierce advocate for the necessity of listening as a part of a healthy and fulfilled life, I also know how very, sometimes uncomfortably, challenging it can be to really and truly LISTEN to the messages we’re receiving. The chapter from Owl Medicine that I’m offering you shows you just what I mean (and how I’ve sometimes had to learn the hard way).

I hope you enjoy the I AM Symposium! Of course, if you love it, please do not hesitate to share it with your friends.

Finally, I urge you to “stay tuned” if you’re interested in perhaps attending a Listening Retreat with me…

*And if anyone who already is a part of my Hoot List would also like to receive the free chapter, just send me an email and I’ll get it out to you!

Intentions, Affirmations, Clarity

…we hear these words all the time in relation to "getting what we want."

We are told that stating our desires and goals clearly, to both ourselves and the world (even if only by writing them down or confiding them out loud to a friend) – in other words, affirming our intentions with clarity and specificity – will manifest them.

Many of us believe that this means that, if we are clear enough, or state our intention firmly enough, or are so specific with the Universe that it can’t be sidetracked into giving us anything other than precisely what we’re asking for, that we’ll get what we want. Immediately. We’ll get what we ask for.

And of course, we’re all familiar with the Mick Jagger rendition of how this often plays out in reality:

"You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well you just might find
You get what you need."* (emphasis added)

And many of us have, at least internally, balked at that truism. Experiencing it can stink.

Getting What We Need Leads to Getting What We Want

bobsacks

I’d like to posit the theory that "getting what we need" may not be what we think we want, but it often – almost always, in fact – ultimately leads us to getting what we want.

The trick is that our "wants" evolve. And often, they’re most intimately crafted and carved out of what we initially think we want by the stepping stone of getting what we need. It is amazing, once we open ourselves to receiving, how that simple receptivity can change everything, and we discover a pathway to truly receiving what we both want and need.

I read a delightful post the other day about just this process, and I decided to write this so I would have an excuse to share it – and add my two cents, of course.

This is the Magic of Life

I believe we are amazing creatures. We have remarkable intellects, which give us the ability to think and reason and hypothesize, research, write, and experiment. We also have another aspect to ourselves which is every bit as essential to our nature: we have the power of imagination and creativity, intuition, and awareness of the unseen.

I also believe that we are much more than "just" our bodies. We are much more than "just" who we are in this lifetime, and there is more of an over-arching awareness to our experiences than we give ourselves credit for.

If we allow for both of these aspects of ourselves to come together as an integrated whole, instead of pitting one against the other and behaving as if the existence of one threatens the validity of the other, we are capable of achieving more than most of us ever give ourselves permission to even imagine. This is the magic of life, and this, I believe, is what we are here to discover and explore at this most precious time in our evolution.

Ask for What You Want ~ and Trust the Process of Getting What You Need

Ask...

derekskey

Just for the heck of it, I’d like you to reflect upon a time when you, maybe even secretly, gave that manifestation-talk a try. Let’s assume you were clear and nicely specific about what you wanted, as well as relatively assertive in your desire.

Let’s also assume that you didn’t get what you thought you’d so specifically stated you wanted, at least not in anywhere near the time frame you thought you would (or should) receive it. Instead, you got something that appeared to be the antithesis of what you’d "ordered up" from the Universe. "Oh, what a bunch of bulls@#t," you thought, and probably promptly dismissed the entire process as so much New Age BS.

My challenge is this: take another look at what unfolded in your life. What did receiving the antithesis of your request bring to light? How did you respond? Did you end up getting rid of the relationship or experience you’d hoped would be the "answer" to your request? Did the failure of that business bring you an introduction to a person who ended up being a font of inspiration and the perfect partner in a completely different venture? Did your experience of what you thought you wanted hone your perception of what you truly want? Did you realize that what you thought you wanted was actually destructive to your joy?

From this perspective, can you see the Magic of Life working in your reality? Can you see the intuitive, creative part of yourself bringing messages and lessons to your logical self (and sometimes banging it over the head when it is being particularly obtuse)?

Are you ready to trust that process again, only this time bringing even greater awareness and appreciation to what you receive?

What Magic might you experience?

*And yeah, it’s going to be tough getting that out of your head now, right? It’s the gift that keeps on giving!