the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step....this is step one, y'all

wondering and wandering, i finally looked up the wiki definition of "shaman" and a couple things caught my attention: shamans are either born into the craft and mentored by an elder family member or they are self-proclaimed by personal experiences of severe illness and self healing. shamans also tend to be of the "two-spirit" variety, clinging neither to their assigned sex nor its opposite, but moving fluidly through gender roles and expressions.

as i read, it struck me that i come from a long line of healers and i overcame a terrible flu that should've killed me, with the help of friends and my own desire to continue living. i also consider myself of the "two-spirit" variety....riding the thin line between yin and yang, i embrace the duality of my existence.

shortly after proclaiming myself an "urban shaman" my girlfriend searched for a book for me to be begin my studies. she found a book called Urban Shaman! i considered this a good sign and set out to study. within the first two days of reading, i caught a bad cold that was going around. i pressed on and used some of the exercises to heal myself...within 3 days i was well again...others with the same affliction suffered at least a week before shaking it. the power and simplicity of this handbook blew me away. at times, i could only read a few pages before having to set it down and let it all sink in.

quickly, i began practicing on myself and others. seeing tremendous results in myself and having a confidence in my ability to facilitate the same experience for others, i put myself out there with child-like abandon. it actually didn't matter if what i did for people actually worked or didn't, i was expressing myself with love in a way i hadn't been able to do in many years...to genuinely offer love to people and their hurt and apply the healing energy i know i have within me to the present moment and sharing that vibration with others. first you gotta believe, then you gotta do the work, all i can do i hold a place and facilitate the movement of energy.

i'm continuing my studies and practice and with each success and failure, i become more and more confident of my role in society. it comes with the same kind of pressure of not knowing what you'll be when you grow up...but you just relax and realize that it doesn't actually matter. you'll just be who you are, but older.

the way of the adventurer is a harmonious path, inclined to love and confidence and positivity. the battles are adventures, evil is just the other side of good, and bloodshed is a symbol for cleansing, not a death sentence. as we transition from duality to unity, we are changing rapidly. the inner work is what counts...loving self and others, thinking positive thoughts, being happy with all things as they are.

thank you for reading. may the good things of the day bring you happiness and the hard things of the day make you smarter and stronger. each obstacle is an opportunity, it's all in how ya look at it.