It is true-America is a melting pot. We have so many cultures-each rubbing against and affecting the other. We cannot unlearn what we learn from one another-so over time we intergrate our knowledge and something amazing forms-unlike anything in the World!!
From this interaction formed a type of Shamanism called Appalachian Folk Medicine -Practitioners of this are Called Appalachian Folk Medicine Women mostly-or I am sure there are a few-Appalachian Folk Medicine Men.
I am gonna speak about some things about being a Medicine Person-there is much MORE than the tad I am gonna speak on.. and I know this-it actually would take many articles to cover it all...
I follow the olde ways... I am not a new age shaman that caught a bad cold and thus says they had the NDE" Near Death Experience"-no -to me and to many more olde ways practitioners -it MUST be true death!
Let me tell you why.
A Medicine Person/Shaman has a few criteria needed- you MUST have the Near Death Experience to go through the Veil of Death and receive "gifts of Spirit"
Without those gifts -shaman is just a word...A true Medicine Person-has to go into the world of spirit to get answers-at times to fight off bad spirits- to seek aid for powerful spirits.. the NDE is an access point to receiving gifts- you can't be a powerful practitioner without WALKING THROUGH THE VEIL OF DEATH AND RETURNING WITH GIFTS AND AN ASSIGNMENT TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY ...
You must recieve direct gifts-like songs,ceremony and ability.
You will either be taught by a person or persons but it can be DIRECT spirit teaching!
We know everything has consciousness and we can speak to this -to affect change and healing or to simply learn!
You must walk between the world of the mundane and the world of spirit at ALL times!
As ones power grows-they BECOME the Vortex-They BECOME living ,breathing ,walking SACRED SPACE.. all the time!
Much of our power is knowing we are powerful.
We are given special names in ceremony- some of these are never spoken outloud or shared-others are public spirit names-I have both SandraBear and Spirit Weaver -and in the Celtic Tradition I am called Madonna of the Doves. Doves in old days were Oracles.
A shaman /medicine person-does NOT need spells, tools or particular incantations...we have gifts of spirit.
We DO most of the time use tools but that is for the sake of the ones that come to us-AND- we resonate with certain tools knowing they have a consciousness and a spirit!
Over time we are "called out" by certain plant medicines to work with- I work with mainly mugwort- she is a Moon Plant and helpful especially to women.I work with many herbs and teas-but Mugwort Medicine-or the magickal energy of mugwort is my particular plant medicine.
We are also
'called out" by certain animal spirits -I will talk much more about that at another time...
We ALSO must serve a community- we get called to be this-because there is a need !
I don't do spells but shamanic manifestation -If so- if I did spell work-I could perhaps use the word Cottage Witch, Hedge Witch ,Green Witch, Garden Witch-but do not because we in my family sprung from not only the Celtic Shamanic Path as a line of Druids-but also from the Cherokee Medicine Ways as descendants of the Bear Clan.
My Dads PATERNAL family was Cherokee ..I do have many Witches in my Dads MATERNAL family-his Mom was Irish and they WERE Cottage Witchs- but I was not taught that way till the last few years.. I was taught directly by my Druid MATERNAL Grandfather... My Mothers Father.. got it?? lol.. I know confusing to you-not to me! ..Oh and My Mothers Maternal side- were not consciously anything other than Christian and Farmers..but they planted by Moom phase,know more about plant medicine than anyone I have ever seen and were named-get this CRAFT-yes my maternal Grandmothers maiden name was Craft!! Heehee....
My Grandfather as a Druid of a Line of Wearers of Brown. As Practitioner of the Celtic Mother Earth Dana-they were taught in the Druidic College of Avalon Arising (I will blog on that later as well) .He taught me that Witchs were uneducated and Druids were more orderly taught and deeper taught.Now-please don't get mad-that is what I was taught.. I DIDN'T say -that is what I believe! That is obviously some old back in the day prejudice . I studied Witchcraft for 2 years to get to know the system as well-and found it to be very deep and amazing!
I don't call myself a witch-but many friends I have that are witchs would call me a witch...I still stand with Appalachian Folk Medicine Woman. It has passed down in my family-and it is what rings true for my soul!
I am going to share abit about our ways..
I use the word" Medicine Woman" -as it is more traditional to Indigenous Native American Ways.. we never called ourselves Shamans.I have called myself a Multicultural Rainbow Shaman in the past-but more as a marketing tool or to be understood. I even called myself a Cherokee Shaman for awhile but that was just for a few weeks- I am NOT strictly taught ONLY Cherokee Medicine so that would be disengenous and disespectful to ones who are... Mine IS a Rainbow path of Multicultural Medicine/Appalachian Medicine.
I am registerable Eastern Band Cherokee- my mixed race Grandfather was raised off reservation by a white family before the 1920's and so was NOT registered. I have several 1st cousins that proved our blood line and his family tree and so ARE registered.
We don't call ourselves Shamans ya know- never have.. tradtitionally ...I use the word today "Shaman" here and now-because people seem to resonate with it and understand it more than Medicine Woman... I still call myself Medicine Woman.
I call myself an APPALACHIAN Medicine Woman and not strictly Cherokee because I have another side and that is Celtic/Irish. That Medicine Way is vitally important to my development and I have chosen a blended path. Well I didn't really chose it-it blended in my family for hundreds of years in the rural deep Southern Appalachians.
We are a people who are strong and independent. Fiercely so. May you understand there once was alot of prejudice against ones of mixed heritage-from BOTH sides.. still is actually.
Except that we are really powerful and people need our healing.
We helped and help the sick, some specialize in care of the dying- many tend young mothers who just had babies. My specialty is KEEPING people healthy, pain managememnt and through my gift- have been priviledged to heal cancer, MS, arthritis,depression,anxiety,social disorders, lower tumor sizes by 1/2 in a night,have gangrene heal the Doctors had given up on- oh and lots more.. the CREDIT goes to Creator-AND the bodies amazing ability to SELF heal once energy/spirit blockages are removed!
I do my work partly in group setting-Folk Medicine Healing Circles. I also let ones come by at set hours without appointment to see me.
Right now I am in transition in a move back to the Western North Carolina Mtns near Chimney Rock-Once I get moved I will start seeing folks again.
I am excited to be moving home-because pople there understand going to a Medicine Person.. In Pittsburgh No one seemed to really get me.. in a deep Catholic stronghold-they thought I was a Witch or an Angel- some thought I might be dark and evil.. let me assure you... I am light and love here...I could just never mesh here and do my work.
I am going home to my personal power places-to do my work in an energy that works for me-in a place that understands MY KIND!!
There are many, many ones of Cherokee and Celtic line there..I don't have to explain myself. I don't have to be judged as maybe a "fake" Shaman... yeah by ones that never experienced me at all- they judged and ,marked me as a wannabe Indian or a White Shaman.
I don't WANNABE anything-I am that I am....
I am gonna go ahead and get registered in the Eastern Band of Cherokee once I move- so I can whip out my card if needed. Does that REALLY make me more credible? I dunno-but I am going to do it anyway- just because I am tired of mean folks running their mouths.. they are called trolls right?? Anonymous trolls who hiding behind their keyboards can write anything about anyone want anytime.. and so they do!
So enough-I am tired of writing-I have blogtalk radio show today w my husband a Christian Mystic and conscious home builder -we are BOTH part Cherokee-I am Cherokee /Celtic-He is Cherokee/Egyptian.. and a total hunk may I say..looks "The Rock" sorta Hawiian- ALL manly yummy... - at 1 pm- every weekday 1 to 2:30 pm! www.blogtalkradio.com/newearthprophet
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