rite of passage

Cycles, Life & Death, Suffering & Hope

Mother nature is cyclical, so we are. All that is born, lives, and dies… It is not something we can control.
Embracing this knowledge helps to understand life’s fragility, the importance of being present, the wisdom of acceptance and letting go.
In this tender talk, an interview with Gabriela Dias, Tantric Birth & Death Doula, I explore how to navigate life challenges while finding meaning along the way.

The Magical Call of your ancient prayer. How to listen? How to answer?

In this episode, I spoke with my friend Angell Deer.  Angell and I met last year when he hosted myself and my colleague, Merav Artzi, where we ran plant-medicine retreats at his wonderful property, The Sanctuary.  So I enjoyed being able to sit down with Angell and learn more about his story, what brought him into this work, and what he has to share.  He’s had a varied life and has an interesting perspective drawing from his own life experience and having worked in many traditions.  I think you’ll get a lot out of Angell’s sharing and his wisdom.   As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!
“After a career that scaled the heights of corporate success as a CEO of global companies, I reached a turning point in my life – material success and trappings had not necessarily made me really happy or fulfilled. I had a big degree, a big job, and success that most people aspire for, but I was not happy. I decided to completely change my life and embarked on a journey of self-exploration and meditation that took me from working with Mother Teresa’s mission in India, to the jungles of Peru in search of finding meaning in life and fulfillment beyond the material demands of society today. Through seeking to transform my own life to live with a higher purpose, I made a life-changing commitment to helping others in their search for peace, harmony, and happiness.
During the last 10 years and my transformative journeys across Asia & South America, I had rare opportunities to study and meditate with master healers and teachers of all faiths.  I am trained in Shamanism, Reiki & Medical Reiki, Sufi Healing, Sound Healing, Meditation, Herbalism, and Breathwork.
The big transformation happened many years ago when I started to dive into the plant world with my teacher in Peru & shamanic work with Native American & Norse traditions. I started to work with specific energies and Spirits who channel to me the healing I am using today. This method mix channeling, somatic energy work, breathwork, runes, and connection to Divine masters (Archangel Michael and Christ most frequently) through prayers. It is a very powerful energy healing that can give profound results on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual trauma.  This journey of transformation is never-ending, for me too. 
In 2015, I opened The Sanctuary Healing Center on my property in the Catskills where I do in-depth work with my clients, host workshops, and cultivates the land for organic vegetable farming, medicinal plants, and honey bees.”
To contact or learn more about Angell and The Sanctuary, visit his website at: https://www.thesanctuaryheal.com/ 
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My colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) and I are guiding plant dietas in the Sacred Valley of Peru September 14-30 and October 14-31. If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org
To book an integration call, visit: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com
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Music courtesy of: Nuno Moreno (end song). Visit: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen... and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  And Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project (intro song).  Visit: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H 
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Thanks and until the next episode!

The Spiritual significance of Climate change with Elder Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq

My interview with Elder Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq, shaman, traditional healer, storyteller, and carrier of the Qilaut (winddrum), whose family belongs to the traditional healers of the Far North from Kalaallit Nunaat, Greenland.
His name means ‘The Man Who Looks Like His Uncle’. Since he was a child he was trained by his family- especially by his Grandmother Aanakasaa – for becoming a shaman.
The spiritual task given by his mother is: “Melting the Ice in the Heart of Man”.
Angaangaq bridges the boundaries of cultures and faiths in people young and old. His work has taken him to over 70 countries around the world. He conducts circles, seminars, and Aalaartiviit – traditional sweat lodges. His teachings are deeply rooted in the wisdom of the oral healing traditions of his people, which enabled people over thousands of years to survive in one of the harshest places on Earth.
Angaangaq is a Keynote-Speaker at international conferences about climate change, environment, spiritual and indigenous issues. Since a ceremony in Greenland in 2009 where the “sacred fire” has been brought back to Greenland, he is carrying the title “Angakkorsuaq” – “Great Shaman”.
“The greatest distance in the existence of Man is not from here to there nor from there to here. Nay, the greatest distance in the existence of Man is from his mind to his heart. Unless he conquers that distance he can never learn to soar like an eagle and realize his own immensity within.” Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq
Please support our Elder with donation to Ice Wisdom https://icewisdom.com/aanakasaap-illua/

Myth, Mycelium, and Rewilding Masculinities

Join us for an exceptional discussion on Myth, Mycelium, and Rewilding Masculinities with Sophie Strand.
Some of the themes we explored:
How has patriarchy colonized the ideas of the masculine?
What does it mean to use mycelium to think through myths?
How can we root ancient stories in ecology?
What makes ancient myths potent in the age of ecosystem collapse?
How does storytelling allow us to transcend our human narratives?
What is the role of modern science in reinterpreting ancient myths?
How can we complicate our ideas of progress and individuality via folklore and biology?
Are there any modern examples of these ancient mythic figures?
How has the history of monotheism obscured the biodiversity of masculine spiritualities and archetypes? In particular, the figures of Dionysus, Orpheus, Tolkien, Rabbi Yeshua, Tristan, Merlin the Wizard, Parzifal, and King David were focus points of Sophie's recent books.
In this live discussion with Sophie, you will have the opportunity to learn some beautiful wisdom teachings from her and to ask questions.
Sophie Strand is a poet, historical-fiction writer, and essayist based in the Hudson Valley with a focus on the intersection of spirituality and ecology. Her first book of essays The Flowering Wand: Lunar Kings, Lichenized Lovers, Transpecies Magicians, and Rhizomatic Harpists Heal the Masculine is forthcoming from Sacred Planet Books (Inner Traditions). She has three chapbooks: Love Song to a Blue God (Oread Press) and Those Other Flowers to Come (Dancing Girl Press) and The Approach (The Swan )Her writing has been published by The Dark Mountain Project, www.poetry.org, Unearthed, Braided Way Magazine, Creatrix Magazine, and Your Impossible Voice. And you can continue to follow her work and poetry on Facebook or Instagram: cosmogyny.

Deep Intimacy

Our capacity to feel a deep intimacy with others is directly linked to our capacity to feel that intimacy with ALL of ourselves, including our pain, shame, anger, grief, and all our trauma. Only through self-work and through "opening the conversation" with ourselves and others can we dive to the depth of Intimacy, the depth of knowing who we are. We need to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Embrace your Spiritual Mission

A Discussion on spirituality, shamanism, religion, how to embrace fully who we are and dealing with the shame & struggle to come out in our fullness.

Rite of Passage

As we go through life, we go through deep transformations. In traditional society, Elders use to share their wisdom and prepare each individual through Rite of Passages. Today's as we lost those traditions we are often left alone and having to go through those transitions without the necessary skills and wisdom to grow through them.