WiseWomanhood School

Supporting Women - Body, Mind, & Soul

Inner Work

Strengthen Support from Ancestors

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We can strengthen the support of ancestors who have gone before us. Certainly, they already pay attention to us at times. Yet we can develop our relationship with them. Many cultures have traditions that do this and the fall is the general time of year especially attuned to this work. Helpful ancestors can include unknown ancient ancestors with various talents, teachers and dear friends, as well as blood relations we have lived with and known.

Strengthen by Celebrating All Saints / Day of the Dead

Two well known traditions in our culture revolve around the ancestors.  My friend Kathy recently shared that in New Orleans it is a tradition on All Saints Day (the day after Halloween) to visit and bring flowers to the tombs of ancestors. Similarly, this is celebrated around this time in Mexico as Day of the Dead. People gather at the graveyards, even picnic there with some favorite foods and drinks of their departed loved ones.

Strengthen by Prayers, rituals and charity to support Ancestors

In the Hindu tradition this time of year is Pitru Paksha. It follows the moons and this year it fell September 20 – October 6.  This time of year is for mourning the dead, doing prayers and rituals to support them in the afterlife, and doing acts of charity in their name.  These practices an certainly work at any time as well, but go with the energies of the year at this time.

Strengthen Relations with Ancestors on Samhain / the Roots of Halloween

Ancient Celts believed that on Samhain (now celebrated as Halloween) the good departed souls came back to earth to visit their living relatives.  Honoring and welcoming them, you can make a special altar – photos of them, some of their favorite foods, a candle, and maybe some rosemary sprigs, symbolizing remembrance. You can also do some of their favorite activities in memory of them, giving them a chance to re-experience them through your actions.

Strengthen by Celebrating Your Ancestors’ Death Days

You can do all these activities on the person’s death day as well, to honor them individually. Some traditions do this very importantly on the year anniversary of the death.

Following these traditions will amplify your relationship with helpful ancestors. You may then notice little signs of their input through signs and intuitions. Or you may hear or see them in a vision.  You can call on them for support when you are feeling low or facing a big challenge.  The give and take between you and your helpful ancestors is supportive to both of you!

For more work with the unseen realm, including farther back helpful ancestors you may not know about, consider the Shamanic studies and support offered by Terra.

Shamanism with Terra

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Shamanism is a timeless practice that connects us to Heaven, to Earth, AND our Deepest Self. These practices seem to be inherent in those who try it, yet generally dormant in our culture. It was dominant for the thousands of years that humans lived sustainably on the planet as part of Nature, rather than apart from Nature.

  • Want to make the belief that all of life is sacred more than an opinion?
  • Looking for a practice that sustains you….and may help sustain the Earth too?
  • Ready to delve into the unseen realms?

You can enjoy and experience the power, protection, and nurturance of Shamanism in your life. Terra offers these supportive guides to creating your own practice:

MONTHLY SHAMANIC STUDY GROUP

Step One – Understand how shamanism is healing for people and the planet.  Learn basics about the Lower, Middle, and Upper Worlds and what they are like.  Find out more about what journeying is and how to do it. A lecture by Terra on YouTube.

Step Two – a guided journey to meet your Power Animal in the Lower World. Terra will meet with you privately via Zoom to help you journey. Meeting and relating with your Power Animal is a crucial part of journeying safely. Your Power Animal is your power and protection. This is a session by donation and you can sign up by emailing Terra at wisewomanhood@gmail.com  with your schedule and wish. This session takes up to one hour, maybe less.

Step Three – Once you have a Power Animal, you can join our free monthly Shamanic Study Group. A group meeting creates a community, as well as way to learn from each other. We meet the 4th Sunday of the month, 10 am Mountain Time for up to 1 ½ hour. Terra leads a topic share and discussion, then rattles for everyone to journey. After the journey, participants take notes on their experiences and share with the group. Register at wisewomanhood@gmail.com .  There is also a similar group the 2nd Sunday, same time with Jyoti Wind, another practitioner, which you can sign up for at wind.jyoti@gmail.com .

Apprenticeship with Terra: Shamanic Practice

Wish guidance in exploring the Shamanic worlds?

Terra offers you guidance through recorded and live journeying, recommendations for readings and further studies, and support in finding/strengthening your relationship with your Spirit Helpers.

Apprenticeship with Terra includes 2 personal monthly sessions, approximately 1 hr live zoom or in person meetings; access to all her shamanic recordings of past study groups;  attendance at monthly group study group on zoom , and Text/email correspondence, both personal and group, on relevant topics.

$300/ 3 month session, can be extended month to month after that or another 3 months if desired.

Available on demand.

YOUR SACRED GARDEN

Live Zoom class, next session TBD – email with interest in individual session

Imagine a place in Nature that’s special to you – real or imaginary. We will use this in creating a Sacred, Safe place in the Middle/Dream World  to do Shamanic work.  It is another technique for accessing and interacting with the Spirit World.

  • This is a place to begin and end journeys.
  • Meet helpful spirits here, ancestors & saints, gods & goddesses.
  • Participate in healing work here.
  • Increase your personal power and spiritual immunity.
  • Initiate changes in your personality and habits.
  • Keep gifts and tools from spirit journeys here.

To indicate interest and register with Terra Be sure the type of session you’re interested in as the subject line.

RITE OF THE WOMB

Next Zoom session , TBD , email interest, Individual sessions possible

In this beautiful ceremony we will cleanse our wombs of old emotional baggage, allowing for more radiant health of our physical AND our spiritual wombs. This will support our creativity on all levels. (Especially helpful if you’ve had a hysterectomy.)

Terra received this ceremony and was empowered to pass it on by the woman who received it from the Grandmothers who have conquered death – Terra sees them as the Ancient Mothers.

You’ll receive further instructions on how to continue the ceremony to fully empower yourself and pass it on to other women.

To register (free) email Terra at wisewomanhood@gmail.com

SHAMANIC JOURNEY TO DEEP LIGHT AND LOVE

Live Zoom class, next session, TBD, email interest, Individual session are possible

A guided journey to your deep self, your light and love self, your Atman, Guardian Angel, or Oversoul. In this way, you can more easily remember it and reconnect to it.

Part One – Getting Acquainted with Your Atman, Oversoul, Aumakua, Or Guardian Angel

Part Two – Shamanic Journey and Meditation Practices To Strengthen Your Connection

REGISTER HERE

CHANDRA SHAKTI – CONNECTING TO THE FEMININE POWER OF THE MOON

Next Zoom session TBD, Individual sessions are possible

We will begin with talking about the Feminine Power of the Moon and go on two journeys to the Moon:  One to meet an embodiment of the Feminine Power for direct, personal teachings and another journey to fill and empty and fill again with the Light of the Moon, entraining to the spiritual as well as physical light.

If you haven’t journeyed before this class, contact Terra at least one week before class to have a journey experience.

Email Terra at wisewomanhood@gmail.com to know when this is next offered. Be sure the name of the class you’re interested is in the subject line.

PRIVATE SHAMANIC MENTORING

Starting on your Shamanic path? Want some structured guidance? Meet privately with Terra via zoom for teachings and journey. Donations accepted via PayPal or Venmo, register at wisewomanhood@gmail.com

Terra Rafael has been exploring shamanism spontaneously for decades. During the last 7 years she’s practiced more consciously with mentor, Jyoti Wind. And since COVID Terra took classes with Sandra Ingerman, Alberto Villaldo, Itzhak Beery, and Hank Wesselman (nine months weekly).She is now studying regularly with Paul Francis at the Three Ravens College via zoom classes. Paul offers many resources free, as well as classes.

Ayurveda and Shamanism

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As an Ayurveda & Shamanism Practitioner, I’ve been asked how they go together.

Shamanic Roots of Ayurveda?

I’m quite confident that the sages who originally received the teachings of Ayurveda did so from the unseen world. Shamanism is an ancient tradition throughout most of the world…we all have shamanic ancestors. Hunter gatherers seem to have tuned into Nature (as the Ayurveda Sages did) to know what was safe to eat, where to find their food, and how to heal those with disease.

Subtle causes of disease addressed

Ayurveda makes it clear that most disease starts with disturbances of the mental, emotional, and/or spiritual bodies. Shamanic healing follows time-tested processes to strengthen our spiritual energies to repel such assaults. And when that doesn’t happen, shamanism give us ways to repair the energetic template. It does not require a person to subscribe to spiritual practices outside their own religion.

Connecting to our Highest

Shamanism is best practiced as self care on a daily basis. It is about connecting to the highest in ourselves and in Nature, just as Ayurveda is. Simple ceremonies focus us on the forces of our lives. Inner journeys can connect with the Lower World of Nature, the Middle World of Human, and the Upper World of Spirit and Soul. Our spiritual life is then based on our personal direct experience, rather than belief in what others tell us.

Progressing through our Experiences

Shamanism realizes the blessing of being incarnated here on Earth and facing our challenges here to learn what we came here to learn and progress – the experience of the senses, responsibility, respect, and Love. Journeying is much like a guided meditation, while ceremonies abound in both Vedic and Shamanic realms.

Connecting

Through journeys we can tune into ourselves and others on a subtle level. Slowing down enough and being quiet enough we can hear the wise spirits of plants to support the physical beings. The Spirits of the Elements can speak to us – guiding everyday choices. We can meet our Atman or other spiritual beings in the Upper World. All this I have done.

This is why I am sharing shamanism with people – it has strengthened my life and feels in accord with using Ayurveda techniques to support them.

For More about on-going shamanic experience group

For a Basic Shamanic Journey

Ancestor Season

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Ancestor season is now. So many cultures find the veils to be thin between the land of living and those gone from Earth in this season. From the roots of Halloween in Europe to Mexican Day of the Dead to Hindu Pitru Paksha – all are about honoring those who have died before us, especially our beloved ancestors.

We can remember them.

One simple way is to make an Ancestor Altar. With photos, objects reminiscent of them, even their favorite foods and drinks, we can create space to remember.

We can honor them.

One tradition is to deck their graves with flowers and decorations. Another is to contribute or work for a charity in their name. And certainly we may send our best love and wishes to them, to sustain them in the Other World they are now in.

We can commune with them.

Whether you might use a Ouiji board or go on a shamanic inner journey to the land of the dead, you can still contact you ancestors , now in spirit form. They may give you a sign, showing up symbolically to you in the form of an animal, a rainbow, or finding a coin like those they often gave you when you were a child. Your love for them is a pathway between you.

However you choose to relate to your ancestors, this is the prime time for it. Know that you are the result of hundreds and hundreds of ancestors, known and unknown. And they can be there for you now.

For more about Shamanic Journeying contact Terra.

Meditation with Terra

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Want a steady, satisfying meditation practice?

Meditation has many benefits for your body, mind, and soul – including stress reduction, improved attention, better memory, and even increased creativity and feelings of compassion.

Meet with Terra and discover together how to support your meditation practice.  Terra has many different techniques available to suggest and can match them to your temperament and needs.  An on-going support system to get your new habit started and ingrained (usually takes 2 months) is in place.

First meeting – Terra will find out about you, your habits, your needs and actually get you started on a beginning practice.  30 min phone or video call.  You’ll also get a PDF full of information and tips. PDF includes information on: Meditation Basics; Different Meditation Techniques; Scientific Studies on Meditation Benefits; and a Weekly Meditation Check List to track your progress and needs.

Second meeting – After one week of practice, Terra will help you tweak  (or totally change) your technique, according to your experience.  More suggestions to help may be emailed  30  min phone or video call

Six Weekly Reports – Short check ins between us via email or text each week  will give you the support and accountability to establish your meditation habit.  More suggestions to help may be sent to you when needed.

Terra Rafael has meditated for over 45 years, practicing many different forms over that time : TM,  mantra meditation, visualization meditations, guided meditations, somatic meditations, breathing meditation, meditation on an object…She studied meditation as an Ayurveda student as well.

REGISTER HERE