The Cowshed shamanism

I have been a practicing pagan for over 30 years. I worked with a MicMac Medicine man for 10 years. What I practice is loosely shamanism. I work with a “Celtic” European flavor, in order to remain truer to myself as well as to minimize possible offense to Native Americans.

I am qualified to do ceremonies, for example:

Sweats

Fasting/vision questing

Talking Circle

Medicine Wheel/ Circle of Art

Making and using sacred spiritual objects (drums, rattles, pipe, etc)

I have worked with two ‘Grandmothers’: one MicMac, the other Northern Cree. From these ladies I learned such things as:

Wild Food harvest and preservation,

Tanning of hides, (moose, deer, rabbit, bear, etc)

Making hide\leather clothing

Making baskets

Living in the bush/woods in a “camp” in winter and summer

MicMac sea lure

Cree bush lure 

My mother was a hedge-witch or mountain-witch. So I have worked with natural medicines all my life. I acquired further immersion in natural/plant/ herbal medicines through my work with the Medicine man and the grandmothers. I have also spent some time collaborating with a botanist, along with continuous and ongoing personal study and research.

I am a practicing Reiki Master.

I do various types of energy healing

Relaxation therapy

Emotional Release therapy/techniques 

I can not in good consciousness name myself a shaman, or a witch, or any of the classification typical of these skills. If I have to have a label I would choose Sorcerer in the style discussed by Carlos Castaneda. I choose Cowshed Shamanism because I have spent 6 or so years with a Jersey cow named Honeysuckle. Some of the most peaceful moments of my life have filled me while milking her gift of creamy wholesome white goodness. I learned more than I can share here from her about love and about sticking up for myself. She could fight too!!  I learned about how we as a society have been systematically educated into slavery and starvation. Milk to me is a symbol of that enslavement. It is largely illegal to obtain and consume raw milk, and we have been carefully brainwashed into believing this is a good thing for our safety and health. It is in fact the opposite. A fact is that a cow (or goat, or...) will actually manufacture in her milk the antibodies to heal your illness. If I have a cold or flu or what have you when she licks my skin or smells my breath her body will respond with medicine to help me fight it. In the same way a mothers body responds to her own child's needs.  I have read campaigns against humans consuming animals milk, I can only say 'WHAT?'. Animals are our allies, we have evolved together and they care much more for us than corporations and by all appearances governments.   

So, I will remove the soapbox, and continue to the cozy warmth and pungent comfort of meditation and magic in the cowshed.