For more from Jim Tree, visit www.lessonsfromjimtree.blogspot.com.

This year I will be at the Sante Wellness Center in Silver Spring, MD, October 18-24. I will be offering several workshops and free presentations on both shamanism and writing/publishing, as well as individual consultation and shamanic healing sessions by appointment. See full schedule here.

Coming to the Nation’s capital, I can’t help but tune in to what I perceive as the state of our country today. I see many, many people reaching to develop personal spiritual paths, to make meaning of their lives, and to live with integrity. I see them developing an awareness of their own intuitive and healing powers – and wondering how to make sense of these new experiences.

I think all healing paths – the energy of love combined with compassionate intelligence – lead to the same place. They are all paths to the Great Mystery, each tailored to our own mode of perception and being. Shamanism itself has multiple paths and cultural identities, but with its 40,000-year history, I believe its core principles and practices form a well-suited foundation for any healing path. I find shamanism to be a useful structure for living in connection with the universe and the divine, for maintaining clarity and focus in my life, and for helping others.

I try to present shamanism not as a system of practices or techniques, but as a way of deepening our connection with the spirits of all things and living with inspired purpose. For me, shamanism isn’t about “spells and magic,” although the results can be magical, and it isn’t about “curses and supernatural power,” although it can be powerful. And it isn’t even about “messages and signs,” although it often gives us wisdom in these forms. It isn’t about giving us, as practitioners, healing power, even when healing happens, and it isn’t about immortality, even as we “walk in the land of the dead and return.”

For me, shamanism is about finding our way in a world that is larger than it appears, knowing where we go when we die, and opening ourselves to the adventure life is meant to be. That’s how I try to teach, and that’s how I try to help people heal.

I invite you to join me in DC, in Missoula, in my home via skype, email, or phone, or wherever our paths may cross. I wish you well on your own spiritual path, wherever it may take you.

I’m happy to announce Finding Eagle received its first book review! And they were nice!

You can read the full review here.

Pathways Magazine is a quarterly publication for mind/body/spirit/environmental resources in the Washington, DC metro area. You can view it online at www.PathwaysMagazine.com.

]]> http://www.findingeagle.com/?feed=rss2&p=531 0 http://www.findingeagle.com/?p=531&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=finding-eagle-reviewed-in-pathways-magazine http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FindingEagle/~3/VxqHj9eMY7g/ http://www.findingeagle.com/?p=362#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:19:16 +0000 Marge http://www.findingeagle.com/?p=362 Continue reading →]]> I found this on my floor as I was cleaning my office today (yes things have gotten a wee bit out of hand), and I thought I would share it with you:

One of the most important things shamanism has given me is the belief that I count. Like many other people, I have spent much of my life thinking up really good jobs, projects, or ways to help others, and never implementing them because I didn’t feel worthy. Our world is large and complicated, and there are always obstacles to discourage us and people to shoot down our abilities and ideas. There are voices of fear and smallness in our heads.

Katagiri Roshi said, “Your little will can’t do anything. It takes Great Determination. Great Determination doesn’t mean just you making an effort. It means the whole universe is behind you and with you – the birds, trees, sky, moon, and ten directions.”

A gift of shamanism has been to put me in touch with the universe and show me – if I listen closely and courageously – just what the universe supports and does not support in me. This has given me the power to begin to turn my ideas into action, which in turn brings much deeper meaning and satisfaction to my life.

Today I am happy the universe is bringing me wisdom from my carpet and a reason to keep cleaning.

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copyright 2010 Arthur Held

Last fall, The New Yorker ran an article about the future of the ebook as “multi-media” entertainment. Readers will soon be able to peruse a book on their electronic reading device, then flip to author videos, related movies, on-line discussions, and even real-time chats with the author and others.

My first thought was, “Oh, no!”

When I’m reading a really good book, the last thing I want is noise and lights and connectivity and hype, and all that jaggedness. What happened to curling up in front of the fire with my blanket, a hot drink, and the patter of rain on the window, slowly turning the soft pages of an oversized paperback with the matte finish  cover? On Sunday.

Alas, nothing lasts forever.

I, for one, do appreciate being able to jump in my car for a quick run to the store when we are low on milk or toilet paper. I don’t have to hitch the horses, unhitch them, brush them, feed and water them, and shovel their… well, you get the picture. Perhaps the time for the multi-media book has arrived.

As a baby step in that direction, this site is an attempt to “bring the book to life” in a fun and meaningful way. Please visit often to engage in the world of shamanism, spiritual growth, and the ups and downs of making and selling a book based on a personal life story.

Thanks for reading!

Marge