Rattling the Bones

For as long as I can remember I’ve dreamt in Wolf form. In my early twenties I suddenly started dreaming in Raven form and finally when I reached my late thirties I was able to dream as an Snowy Owl. When I was six years old I used to draw these pictures of a woman half human and half wolf. I can still picture her face and have strong impression of her personality. My father would always ask me: “Who is this woman?” I’d look up at him surprised and state: “Me!” I’ve often wondered after having two children of my own if my parents ever asked themselves any questions about my childhood development. Were they like most other parents out there and thought that most of my childhood experiences were imaginary creations? Did they worry when my eccentric behaviours stretched beyond 10 years old? What did they think of the stories I told and did they believe in any of them? Like I’ve shared before dreaming has always been an important part of my life. So much so that I re...

For First Nation Medicine People the connection with Mother Earth is incredibly important. Understanding trees, plants, rivers and the creatures who live in this habitat has been a crucial facet of Aboriginal spirituality. When you read books or stories connected to indigenous shamanism there’s always references to the medicine or power of nature. I’ve come to notice that lots of these stories are what often motivate individuals to seek out Medicine People or Shamans. People are hungry for purity, hope, beauty, abundance, magic, adventure and the unknown. Yet, lots of these people forget that Shamanism is outside Western expectation, indoctrination and perspective. Shamanism demands from the seeker a commitment to an experience; to challenge taboos; to reach beyond scruples; and to surrender completely to the Universe. It’s difficult to let go of control and yet, it takes doing it once to get access to these stories and to suddenly be characters in them. We have a...