The Shamanic Way
with Stephanie Phelps



Articles:

* Shamanism and Catastrophic Illness - A Journey to Wellness

* The Dreamer - Orchestrating Life Upstream

* Medicine Wheel Experiential Shamanic Study

* Walking the Path of the Medicine Wheel





Shamanism and Catastrophic Illness

A Journey to Wellness

By Stephanie Phelps for Labyrinthina.com


Many of us are aware that when we heal ourselves, we aid in healing the world. A great truth is that the most blessed gift we can share with each other is that of transforming our wounds into sources and tools of power and wisdom.

I was introduced to the contemporary reinterpretation of ancient healing practices that are still used in North and South America. While I was working as an Intuitive Medium, connecting the “Other side” with loved ones, I used Energy Medicine to help people come to terms with their grief and sorrow. However, I realized that although I could help people heal their emotional and spiritual grief, I could not restore their physical health. I set out to discover the instruments I could place into my medicine bag that would transmute my abilities into achieving equilibrium of the whole body: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. I was introduced to a very well-known Shaman, and embarked upon the teachings of Inka Medicine ways. After many years of study, practice and initiations I have the tools in my medicine bag that can assist in changing lives.

I first met Larry Frank in the fall of 2008, when he came to seek my advice. Larry had been on a spiritual journey for many years, and had studied shamanism, participating in numerous ceremonies with various teachers. Of late, he had been feeling broken and lost. He had just been through the roughest six months of his life, and he related to me the following story…

“I was still recovering from achilles tendon reattachment surgery, an umbilical hernia repair; a “spot” on my lung was discovered during the work-up and diagnosed as a possible tumor. While the cat scans, x-rays, etc. were being studied for the lung spot, an additional “hot” spot was found on my right adrenal gland. Due to the biopsy, I exhibited full-blown symptoms of pheochromocytoma. I was told I was a walking time bomb, liable to have a stroke or heart attack at any moment. And then, my significant other informed me she no longer wanted a relationship. I was living 24/7 with the distinct possibility that I may die at any time. As my blood pressure was out of control, I was scheduled, and then rescheduled for surgery numerous times. It was during this period that I was referred to Stephanie Phelps.”

“Immediately upon entering her office, Stephanie’s warm and caring nature, tempered with great empathy, helped put me at ease. We focused on clearing negative entities from my Luminous energy field. Then, prior to the surgery, we worked to clear any negative energies and entities that may have inhabited the hospital room and surgery theater.”

“Prior to surgery, I felt at ease, although I had had a premonition that I may die during surgery, which I indicated to my sister and best friend. Stephanie’s work left me prepared for any eventuality. On December 17, 2008, as I was being wheeled into surgery, the last cognizant thought I had was, ‘My lungs are going to fail.’ Two days later, I awoke in ICU from a supposedly simple hour-and-a-half laparoscopic procedure, strapped down with tubes poking out of my orifices. The surgeon informed me that as they had started the laparoscopic surgery, the adrenal vein burst, and they had to cut me open from sternum to hip bone for a compete adrenalectomy. As they started the surgery, my lungs failed, and my heart stopped. I died.”

“They started my lungs and heart back up, and I am here today, still working with Stephanie. Thanks to this special Healer Shaman I am embarking on my soul’s purpose, and continue to seek her counsel.”

After meeting Larry and assessing his situation, I had begun with a technique known as “Illumination”. It is a foundation for much of the healing work in my practice. It is very effective for assisting with a variety of problems--a fast-track for transformation.

During my healing sessions, I track any negative energy that is affecting the person, and remove it, guiding the person through the process and identifying the energy that is holding the patterns in place--the things that keep that person “stuck”. This removal technique combusts the dense energies that prevent one from moving past personal obstacles. I follow by flooding the chakras with the Light of the Sacred. In this way, together we develop a new, broader map, incorporating the healing that has just taken place. Part of the process is working with breathing, including use of my medicine stones, or Khuyas.

The Khuya is a stone that carries particularly fine or abundant energy, and is considered a stone of power. My Khuyas have been initiated through a lineage of shamans. When we work with the stones in the Illumination process, they help with transforming, or mulching, the dense energy.

In describing the Illumination process, we begin with the Luminous Energy Field: the Aura, or Spirit Body, which surrounds the physical body. The Aura is an invisible matrix that holds the imprint of all our karmic, personal and ancestral memories, traumas, wounds and beliefs. These imprints can become activated to mirror a personal history that repeats itself, compelling us towards behaviors, relationships, accidents or illnesses that replicate the original trauma. They may also manifest as addictions, headaches, anxiety, depression, anger, shame, blame, sadness, etc. An Illumination is the energetic clearing of the negative imprints in our Luminous Energy Field. It is one of the ancient energy healing techniques that come from the Q’ero shamans of Peru, the descendants of the Inca.

The Illumination process includes balancing the chakras, as well as clearing out negative patterns and imprints, transforming wounds into sources of power and compassion. Imprints to the Luminous Energy Field appear as sluggish energy around the chakras. During the healing, the heavy emotional energy of the imprint is drained through the chakra. An Illumination is helpful when you feel stuck in a behavioral pattern which continues to repeat itself. Each individual struggles to heal from traits (emotional, mental, spiritual or physical) that are part of his/her ancestry. Emotional traumas of one’s past continue to haunt, and do not respond well to other healing modalities.

It is a great honor to share my years of experience with the hope that I can inspire others to move fully into the life they were born to live.


The Dreamer - Orchestrating life up-stream

By Stephanie Phelps for Labyrinthina.com


Life is indeed an extraordinary journey; little do we know when we are confronted with the unknowable that it is already known. Our Dreamer or Higher Self is orchestrating life up-stream in a way that is what we can call, “divinely perfect”.

I recently attended the Crystal Skulls World Mysteries Conference on the date 09.09.09, in Tempe, Arizona. The Conference featured Mayan Elder and Solar Priest - Hunbatz Men, as well as many of the top crystal skull owners and their renowned crystal skulls from across the world.  I was gifted a ticket to attend this conference from the organizer. This gift came to me only because of a woman who attends my medicine wheel ceremonies. Brenda had a vision in my medicine wheel about a crystal skull coming to her, and through that experience she actually became the keeper of the smoky citrine skull shown to her during a shamanic drumming journey. Brenda was the first person to sign up for this conference, and she shared her story with the organizer on how she came to be the keeper of the skull. For some reason, Cece, the organizer, thought it fit to gift me a ticket to attend the Crystal Skull World Mystery Conference.


On my first day at the conference, I was thinking about how I never really have had an affinity with crystal skulls, although it was about a year ago that I had had my first encounter with a skull, and it happened to be the Mitchell-Hedges, when I attended the Seeking Global Transformation Conference. The story of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull was shared by the keeper, Bill Homann, and the crystal skull was displayed. I learned that for over 80 years, the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull has been regarded as an archaeological treasure, a technological marvel, and a sacred artifact. There are people with intuitive gifts that are able to access the extraordinary secrets and wisdom locked within the crystal skulls, and the skull delivers messages that will affect the lives of all those who are willing to listen.

It was most interesting to me that, while in attendance at the Seeking Global Transformation Conference and in the middle of a lecture given by Burt Jansen, I was called telepathically by the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull to go find and be with it. I listened to my intuition and removed myself from a very interesting lecture on crop circles. I walked upstairs, feeling drawn to an unknown destination. I saw my friend, Linda Rettinger, in the hallway and I told her that I had been called to be with the skull; she said, “You have come to the right place.”

To my surprise, doors opened, and I walked into a private room to find the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull sitting on top of a table surrounded with four chairs; one of those chairs was empty--waiting for me. My private session began with a very personal one-on-one with the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull.

 What I received was extraordinary, and some experiences are best left without words. I will share that on a physical level, my heart opened up to a new place of being. It was as if I had just run a quick mile: my heart was racing, and I felt pumped. Bill Homann, keeper of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull, later told me that the skull opens and works with the heart chakra. What I became aware of after my encounter with this skull was that my intuition increased tenfold, and my telepathic powers were heightened to a new level. When gently nudged, I took action, trusting in my intuition, and I received a great gift on that day. I am so glad that I listened to the message to leave the lecture and find the skull, rather than feeling it was just a figment of my imagination. This was the start to an unknowable adventure.  

Upon arriving home that evening, after having my encounter with the Mitchell-Hedges skull, I laughed out loud, because on the walls of my living room and family room for the last three years had been hanging four incredible oil paintings; all have images of crystal skulls! These oil paintings were painted by the French-Canadian artist, Jeannie Vellux. She channels one painting a year, and these metaphysical paintings are large, approximately 4’ by 5’. Jeannie had thought that with groups of different people coming through my home for Medicine Wheel ceremonies, there might be a potential buyer, and I would receive a commission. I loved having these powerful paintings in my home--each one was a conversational piece and really made a statement. Jeannie’s metaphysical world opened up at a Sedona sunrise ceremony led by a Native Shaman, who bestowed a blessing at a gathering which included ancient and modern skulls. That connection has inspired her ever since.  I laughed again when I thought of how I could have been living with these huge paintings these past years, all of which were about the crystal skulls, and not have them influence me, or bring them into my life in some way. 

So, here I found myself a year later at the World Mysteries Conference for 09:09:09, and I must say that my first day there was rather uneventful. The second day, I struck up a conversation with a lady in the women’s restroom, Marta Thomas, who was from Chicago. Marta had just returned from New Zealand and is a producer of documentaries. I was surprised when she said that she had been trying to come to my Medicine Wheel for two years. We talked, sharing stories, and she asked that if there were people from the conference who were interested, could she bring them, and we could have a Medicine Wheel ceremony on the last day of the conference. This invitation took on a life of its own, and soon I heard that there would be presenters with their ancient skulls coming, and people from all over the world wanted to attend this gathering around my Medicine Wheel! Linda Rettinger was instrumental in organizing and directing the people who wanted to come. Linda asked if I would be willing to have a few of the ladies spend the night, as it would be too late after the ceremony for anyone to drive on to Sedona. My first thought was, “Oh my God-- the windows need washing, the beds need changing, and will I have time to prepare some food for everyone?” (Funny how we put the most obscured obstacles in our way…). But that thought only lasted less than a nano second.  I felt there was something big brewing in the undercurrents of this pending Medicine Wheel ceremony and the people who were coming. 

The Medicine Wheel ceremony was a first-time experience for many of the attendees. I had invited Taka, a well-known multimedia artist and master didgeridoo player, to come invoke the primordial sounds of the ancients through the didgeridoo, ushering us into the realms of the Dreamtime. The crystal skulls were out in all their glory placed in a circle, with people from all around the world. We shared from the heart, and it was an introduction to who we are and why, and how we came to be in this moment at this time. A rich golden tapestry was woven, with beautiful patterns and the colorful stories all interlaced with one another.  This was a view of life from above bought down in time to find its connections with the significant colorful threads of many lives who heard the call to come together for this event, and create a new story.  The ceremony became the beginning of spinning gold.

My house was full and the evening came to a close with Dr. Jennifer Welch from Durban, South Africa, keeper of the ancient Tibetan skulls; sound healer recording artist, Lia Scallon from Ireland; medium and author, Michele Brennan from Australia; and Dr. Luitguard from Germany, all spending the night. With a lot of last-minute excitement and chaos for all the sleeping arrangements, we did manage to sleep with the angels, and had visions of crystal skulls dancing in our heads.

Linda Rettinger invited me to join this extraordinary group of women for a couple of days in Sedona. We were to meet up with other Medicine People at sacred sites, continuing the high level of ceremony, prayer, and song. Our first destination was Montezuma’s Well. Upon arrival, Inca Medicine Man Wachan and his wife, Martika, Elk Dreamer, a Yaqui native, and others were waiting for us.  The songs and stories were shared at a level of heart I had not previously ever before experienced. There was a feeling of kismet, bridging the lives of all of us in a powerful bonding of consciousness that rang out into the planetary grids and blanketed our earth in beauty. Making ceremony together felt natural, and everyone participated in their own way. Wachan and Martika sang a song that moved us to tears. They stood side-by-side, and their energies became melded as one powerful force. Their song rang out, echoing around the walls of Montezuma’s Well, and carried up into the etheric realms--there was a strength and force that came through unlike any other time I have heard them sing this song, awakening and uniting the masculine and the feminine in equal partnership. The second golden thread had been spun, with all of us together weaving the magic of this incredible gathering of medicine people and our focused intentions of prayer. I felt a stirring deep within the loins of the collective masculine and the feminine, birthing oneness with equal honor and respect on that day. We also prayed for all the people struggling with addiction problems, and again, this was a powerful healing for the people present. I could feel the ripple reaching out in waves beyond what was known, and could not be told. When we were complete with our ceremony at this site, we said our goodbyes to some of the medicine people who had gathered, and moved on to the next site.

George, known as Elk Dreamer, took us to Cathedral rock in Sedona for ceremony.  Meeting George was another orchestration that the concerto spirit was conducting, or spinning gold. Elk Dreamer was the medicine man who led the very first sweat lodge I had ever attended. This lodge was the catalyst for my shamanic transformation over ten years ago. It was because of Elk Dreamer holding sweat lodge and the gifts he shared over ten years ago that I became a Medicine Wheel Keeper. I had not been in touch nor seen Elk Dreamer for over eight years, and he knew nothing of the way he had touched my life. To my amazement, there stood the medicine man that had transformed my life, and he was the humble, beautiful soul I remembered.

We gathered at Oak Creek with the backdrop of red sandstone towers, known as Cathedral Rock.  This is a powerful, magnetic vortex resonating strongly with the feminine. Elk Dreamer was always the story teller, and he shared the legend of this site, sang his songs, and we had a talking circle. Our energy and presence at this site drew others to join us, and again there was a gathering of all one tribe of those who heard the call. When I was downloaded with the realization of events that had just unfolded, I was overcome. I was supposed to be in Peru this week, and it didn’t happen because I was to be with these people doing ceremony in my country, in my language, in our ways. Elk Dreamer was to come back into my life for the completion cycle of my phase as a Medicine Wheel Keeper, which I had been keeping as a secret from myself. 

The realization of the timing and synchronicity of being in that place at this time, when I was to be in Peru with my mentor, was again a huge lesson in trusting Divine timing, and how the universe takes care of us, even when we can’t understand why things are the way they are.  Had I gone to Peru, I wouldn’t have been at the World Mysteries Conference, and I would not have met the extraordinary people who became recognized as my ancient soul sisters.  The magic of this four-day adventure in Sedona and Hopi land continued through a conspiring unknowable force conjuring up the knowable, taking us to the Prophecy rock, toning and channeling through crystals skulls in Lemurian temples, shifting our energetic vibration, and creating the golden luminous threads spinning out to touch lives. Living in the moment and through passion is key for creation, and the magic that is manifested in the golden moments of truth and time are as powerful as the energy that it takes to create stars.

The last piece of this story and how the magic of the synchronistic timing came together was having met up with Elk Dreamer.  I invited him to come to my Fall Equinox Medicine Wheel Ceremony. He arrived in silent power with his ceremonial pipe, which has been smoked in over 26 states and two countries. Little did I know that with this invitation to my equinox ceremony, the history of my medicine wheel would be completed, along with the sacred space I had created as a Medicine Wheel Keeper.   My Medicine Wheel was created in tandem with spirit through purity, innocence, and passion. It came from a direct experience of the sweat lodge with Elk Dreamer and the native elders in attendance that night. I was the only person left in the sweat lodge by the fourth round, and they shared with me, and said my life would change as a result of this lodge experience.  The very next day I had a full blown shamanic awakening with the spirit of every rock, tree, and cloud speaking to me. This was the beginning to my calling of Medicine Wheel Keeper. In the ten years I have been the keeper of this Medicine Wheel, many people have come to experience the ceremonies and personal healing. People have come from all over the world bestowing their gifts of stones and crystals for this space. This Medicine Wheel has grown into something much larger than I could have ever conceived on my own. Through its creation, much has been given birth, and it has been one of the greatest gifts in my life.



My husband arrived home that evening of September 22 to say that our home was to be sold at the end of October. I knew this day was coming, but the realization of this fact hit me with an auction date, and this would be my last Medicine Wheel ceremony in this space. How interesting that my chance encounter with Elk Dreamer, who touched my life over ten years ago, would be at my home for the first time for this last ceremony. My experience with this Medicine Wheel had gone full circle.  Elk dreamer was there at the beginning, and now the ending, which seemed strange, because in eight years our paths had not crossed. He had no idea the ripple he had made in my life, and how that exchange of energy in his lodge was a catalyst to sparking my divine connection to step in to the power and mystery of spirit. A veil had been lifted in his lodge. I said to him, “You had no idea that when I came to your lodge, you touched my life in a way that sent out a big ripple, which affected many lives, because hundreds of people have come to this sacred place to receive healing and transformation.” Elk Dreamer was very touched at this realization of the effect we have on others by coming into contact with just one life.

Some things we will never know concerning the effect we may have had on a person’s life: it may come through sharing an idea, or with a simple word, or even one kiss. It remains in that place of the unknowable, until it is known. Spirit is conducting a great concerto, and all comes back to a beginning, when we let go and trust in the golden threads of divine timing.

VIEW CRYSTAL SKULLS Photo Gallery.
Our thanks to Linda Rettinger for use of her photos.

The Medicine Wheel
Experiential Shamanic Workshop

Is there is an area or place where you feel stuck, or are seeking clarity or deeper understanding? To embark upon the teachings of the medicine wheel can bring you into a new place of seeing, living and embracing personal freedom.

The Medicine Wheel program is a series of experiential shamanic workshops based on ancient wisdom and knowledge; it is a training program that teaches how to increase your personal power and live an authentic life. It is comprised of quarterly weekend training sessions where you are taught the 4 directions of the medicine wheel, and how to apply these lessons in your life. Each direction culminates in a ceremony in which you will receive the Karpays, rites of passage and initiation into the lineage of the indigenous mountain peoples of Peru. With these rites of passage you will begin to grow your medicine body and learn to walk your life in beauty.

The Medicine Wheel is a Four Fold Path known as the Four Winds or the Four Direction of the Medicine Wheel. We start in the direction of the south. The south is known as the path of the serpent, the direction of power and energy. It’s where we shed our personal past and our programming, much the way a snake sheds its skin. It’s the work of releasing your past energetically and mythically, and it’s your first act of power. It is accomplished by working with the themes in your life that are keeping your energy stuck in the past. As these themes are healed your energy is brought into present time, this empowers you to live life differently and fulfill your life purpose.

In the work of the south powerful techniques are presented on how to practice non-attachment, non-judgment, non-suffering and beauty. So you no longer have to live the pain and the suffering of the past. In the south you will begin to assemble a Mesa, the Shaman’s altar, a collection of Khuyas or medicine stones which will assist you with your transformation into your new medicine body, and become the tools you can use for healing.

Going through the Medicine Wheel has changed the way I live my life. I choose to live my life as the peaceful or luminous warrior. For me it is the luminous warrior who strives to live life impeccably; to show-up and do the best that one can. It is about walking a path of heart, walking through life consciously without pain or suffering.


Walking the Path of the Medicine Wheel


I teach the journey around the medicine wheel presenting you with options to explore and apply this cosmology to develop your own personal spiritual path, embracing personal freedom and live a life as a peaceful or luminous warrior. To embark upon the teachings of the medicine wheel can bring you into a new place of seeing and being, a place of balance and wisdom. You will grow your medicine body and learn to walk your life in beauty.  

The journey around the Medicine Wheel is a Four Fold Path known as the Four Winds or the Four Directions of the Medicine Wheel:   

We start in the direction of the south. The south is known as the path of the serpent, the direction of power and energy. It’s where we shed our personal past and our programming, much the way a snake sheds its skin. It’s the work of releasing your past energetically and mythically, and it’s your first act of power. It is accomplished by working with the themes in your life that are keeping your energy stuck in the past. As these themes are healed your energy is brought into present time, this empowers you to live life differently and fulfill your life purpose. In the work of the south we learn how to practice non-attachment, non-judgment, non-suffering and beauty. So you no longer have to live the pain and the suffering of the past. You will learn to become a Hollow Bone.   

The second direction is the West, path of the Jaguar, death of the old and transformation. In the west you work with your ancestors and learn how their stories and shadows live within you, and you will learn how to release and heal those biological and karmic patterns that live within you. The west is where the luminous warrior chooses her/his battles. Instead of fighting the battles everyone else wants you to fight, you fight your own battles and you learn what those battles really are. You will learn to become a Spiritual Warrior.   

The third direction is the work of the North. The North is the direction of magic, and the ancestors of our shamanic lineage. The archetype for the north is the hummingbird; teaching us how to make the impossible journey while drinking directly from the nectar of life. In the North direction you begin to step into your power in present time learning the practices of invisibility, mastery of time and how to keep a secret from yourself. You take off your mask leaving your ego behind and begin to walk a path of service. You will claim your power and learn to tell your Sacred Story.   

The fourth direct is the east. You finish in the east but truly this is where it all begins; it is the direction of destiny. The journey of the east is the hardest journey the Shaman makes. It is the path of vision and enlightenment. The archetype for the east direction is the Eagle or the Condor. It’s where you fly wing to wing with the Great Spirit. The Eagle/condor perceives the entire panorama of life without becoming bogged down in its details. The east is where we step into who we are becoming. This is where you step into a place of dreaming the world into being for yourself and future generations. You will learn how to come into right relationship with your Sacred Medicine.   

In the medicine wheel way you learn how to utilize the many tools presented through the lessons of embracing this ancient modality for problem solving and making this journey through life with more ease and grace. Walking the path of the medicine wheel can change lives and our perception of the world in a good way. It is about spiritual development and learning through the teachings of ancient wisdom, nature and ceremony. It is a path of personal empowerment for whatever you do in your life. It is a journey of self discovery, an opportunity to look at the undiscovered aspects of your true self.   

Walking the path of the Medicine Wheel has changed the way I live my life. I choose to live my life as the peaceful or luminous warrior. For me it is the luminous warrior who strives to live life impeccably; to show-up and do the best that one can. It is about walking a path of heart, walking through life consciously. The Path of the Medicine Wheel can show you how to become a peaceful warrior. The word Peace goes beyond the definition of peace the absence of conflict to its original meaning of uniting heaven and earth; a peacemaker and bringer of light and love; to walk a path of heart and to be of service and to walk through life consciously.   

Stephanie Phelps is available for personal mentoring Walking the Path of the Medicine Wheel, and facilitates groups around the world.    

We invite you to visit Stephanie Phelps online.


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