For several years, I have been asked if I would ever lead a trip abroad. This idea has held limited appeal; I like the freedom to move. I’m comfortable taking risks with my own life, not with others.



With persistence, the students of Sig Ep Fraternity from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursued the idea of having me lead them on a journey. Nine active members, one alum and one chaperon were now my traveling companions.

I agreed to this trip under three conditions: first, I am not a babysitter; second, understand this is not a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo rainforest exhibit in Omaha NE; and third, and most important, come with the attitude to give.



Achuar Shaman from the village of Chicharat © Dean Jacobs

We were going to places I’ve been before, so I knew the risks were minimal. But any time you climb into a small plane or step into a bus in a developing country, there is a certain amount of risk. It’s a question of how we wish to live our lives. One is safe and boring; the other is rich and alive.



We only had two weeks. This sounds like a large amount of time from the viewpoint of our U.S. culture, but it is really a small window. My intention was to have an experience that would normally take two months to create — authentic connections with a different culture and the natural world.

Ecuador is about the same size as Colorado. And like that state, it has a mountain range that passes through the middle. The beauty of nature and the people of 21 indigenous cultures who live there is incredible.



Rainforest Flora © Dean Jacobs

We were on our way to visit two different cultures. One group, called the Caranqui, lives in the community of San Clemente among the Andes Mountains. The other culture is the Achuar nation of the Amazon Rainforest.



Before we left the large city of Quito, we made a stop at a school supply store and filled several large boxes with notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, soccer balls and whatever else was on the list that the Achuar had given me. The Sig Ep Fraternity members took to heart the attitude to give condition.

In San Clemente, the Caranqui taught us about their traditional relationship to the earth, which they call Pachamama. We stayed in people’s homes and learned how to connect with a different world. While there, the group planted more than 90 trees of a native species designed to help stop erosion and provide lumber. Included was a visit to the community school where the soccer balls were presented and an impromptu game was organized.



Watching the university students run and laugh with the young school children on the soccer field was a testament to the humanity that we share.



Dean Jacobs has a playful moment with Achuar children from the village of Tiinkias © Dean Jacobs

From 10,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains, we drove nine hours and dropped 7,000 feet toward the Amazon Rainforest city of Puyo. Our lungs were filled with tropical humid air as we stepped off the bus; it was such a contrast from the cold mountain air of the morning.



The next day we flew deep into the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. With each passing mile of endless green trees and brown rivers outside our plane window, time was turned back.



We left everything familiar behind and in the process gained something new.



After 45 minutes, the familiar Achuar village of Chichirat came into view on the horizon. In the middle of the village, I could see the brown dirt landing strip where our plane would safely land.



Once on the ground, from the window of the plane I saw familiar faces of people who were smiling and waving. My Achuar friend, Roman, had come to meet us.



Welcome back to the rainforest my brother,” Roman said.

Achuar Kids © Dean Jacobs

The Achuar have been asking me for a couple of years to bring some young people to the forest. That day had finally arrived.



The Sig Eps from the University of Nebraska helped me fulfill the request.



The energy and excitement of the Nebraska students was palpable. Soon they were playing soccer with the Achuar children in the heat of the jungle, running and laughing just like they had done in the Andes Mountains.



The next four nights we stayed in the rustic camp the Achuar people had created in the village of Tiinkias.



As we walked into Tiinkias, I learned they had been waiting eight hours for us to arrive. Two rows of children dressed in traditional regalia formed a tunnel that funneled us to a banner that read “Welcome, Ecotourism Center of Tiinkias.”



Tree Frog Ecuador Rain Forest © Dean Jacobs

Underneath the banner stood two teenagers who painted the faces of each member of the group to welcome them to the Achuar community.

My eyes welled up with tears; it was so clear they had worked so hard to prepare for our visit.

At the end of the four days, I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes. The Nebraska students and the young Achuar children they connected with also were teary eyed.



One of the Achuar mothers gave a stirring speech. Even though I do not speak her language, I felt in her heart the passion for her people and their way of life.



A young Achuar warrior from the village of Tiinkias © Dean Jacobs

Our guide translated her words: “Please come back. You have helped us so much. We love that you play with our children and bring us school materials so they may learn and grow. We love that you care about the rainforest and our way of life. Please come back, please, for we shall not forget you.”

Nor shall our hearts ever forget a passionate mother.

All Photographs Are © Dean Jacobs

Dean Jacobs Photographer Bio

Dean was born in Wahoo, Nebraska and spent his early years living on a farm. When he was five, his family moved to Fremont, Nebraska. Growing up in the Midwest gave him an appreciation for the simple things in life.

Dean graduated from Wayne State College earning a degree in Biology, with minors in Earth Science and Art. After graduating, he worked in the administration of Wayne State College as the Assistant to the President before moving on to Purina Mills. Eventually this path led him to Pfizer Pharmaceuticals where he was employed in sales and marketing for 10 years.

After a great deal of soul searching, Dean left the security of corporate America and decided to pursue other dreams. This was the beginning of a process that would lead to a traveling adventure that would initially span twenty-two and half months and cover twenty-eight countries. He’s still traveling and has visited over 50 countries around the globe.

Taking photos became a natural expression of the journey for Dean as he documented and verified the common ground of our humanity. To Dean, photography is a discovery process where something extraordinary can be found within the confines of ordinary life.

Dean’s goal is to share his stories with hopes to change his audiences’ perspective about the people and cultures in the world, while also helping them remember their dreams. Ultimately, his mission is the same for everyone he meets; “Which story do you want to write about your life? It’s your choice. If you can’t find anything good, you be the change.”

These days, when Dean is not traveling, he keeps busy as a contributing newspaper columnist, photojournalist, children’s book author, and keynote presenter across the country.

Blog / Website: DeanJacobs.org

Follow Dean Jacobs on: Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin

The third primary cause of Spiritual Illness in Core Shamanic belief is the existence of intrusions of inappropriate or negative energies that have taken up residence in the body. These intrusions interfere with the normal functioning of the Spirit body and need to be removed through the practice of Shamanic Extraction Healing.

Intrusions can become lodged within our bodies via conscious or unconscious thought projections. Like “curses” or psychic attacks they can have a strong negative effect on the Spiritual body, but they can just as easily be self-created thought forms that have become toxic over years of negative self talk and poor self image, or from living in a Spiritually toxic environment.

Intrusions are more able to take hold when there has been loss of power or if the Soul is fragmented and depleted through Soul Loss. In a previous article I invited you to imagine the Soul as if it were like a school of fish. We can see that if enough of the school is missing, the system is more vulnerable to further loss, and to opportunistic energies which may move in to fill the void.

These toxic and invasive spiritual energies may also cause illness, or pain, often of an inflammatory nature, usually in localized areas of the body, although they may move from place to place. The inflammation and pain may often be deemed by Western medicine to be psychosomatic or to have no identifiable cause.

It is the role of the Shaman to extract and remove these harmful energies from the body by performing an Extraction Healing Ceremony.

In Extraction Healing, the Shaman enters an altered state of consciousness and allows her Power Animal or healing spirit to merge with her and work through her body. Unlike spirit possession which is an involuntary spiritual invasion, the Shaman puts her Ego aside and invites the Spirit or Spirits in to perform the extractions.

A diagnostic Shamanic Journey is performed beforehand to ascertain the nature of the intrusions, and to receive instructions as to how best to approach the extractions. Sometimes there is a specific order or method that must be followed, and perhaps information about further ceremonies that are needed.

The Shaman must use her “strong eye” to see the intrusions, and each practitioner will use the diagnostic methods that work best for her, often enlisting the aid of her guides. There are also a variety of methods that can be used to perform the extraction itself. Any energy that is extracted is disposed of and neutralized so it will not return.

This kind of work can be dangerous to the Shaman if she is not well protected by her Guides and Power Animals. Some Shamans work by “sucking” the spiritual intrusions from the body which is particularly hazardous, and should never be attempted without proper training.

The extraction process is a hands-on healing, and can sometimes become quite rigorous. The intrusions, which have their own consciousness, may try to avoid capture and removal. After all, these energies have found a nice cozy home and do not wish to be disturbed.

The extraction ceremony is often supported by drummers and/or members of the client’s community who act as witnesses to the healing work. In Western culture, having this kind of Spiritual healing performed is so alternative to our usual model for healing that it is useful to have someone we are close to remind us of the power of the ceremony. Witnesses often or have a strong sense of the intrusions being extracted, and the more sensitive of them may clearly see the energy leaving the body.

After the extraction is complete, an additional ceremonial component may be performed to replace the departing spiritual intrusions with more positive loving energy. Each practitioner will have his or her favored ways of doing this.

For most people Shamanic Extraction Healing is just one part of the overall Shamanic healing process and often Soul Retrieval and other Spiritual healing methods will be necessary in addition.

Shamanic healing is a powerful and direct way to address the spiritual causes of illness, but is not a replacement for regular medical advice and treatment. It is up to each individual to be responsible for their healing journey and make the changes that are necessary for ongoing spiritual well being.

Photo Credit

“Light” Alice Popkorn @ Flickr.com. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved.

My energy has been up and down for the last couple of weeks, ever since that first healing session. For a few days I was great, but then the crash came and I spent a week barely able to crawl through the day. It was worse than before. Pain in every joint, a feeling of nausea that killed my appetite, constantly nagging. I know what it is – it’s the poison from the snake, released into my system as it was removed from my energetic self. (In case you’re wondering, I have no doubts about the reality of that snake. I feel amazing shifts in my body now that it’s released, even with the poison.)

My EFT/TAT therapist worked with me to release the poison, but it held on. My osteopath and myofascial massage therapist tried to release it. I still felt putrid. I can feel it now, not of me and yet within me. I’m trying to allow my body – both physical and energetic – the rest and recuperation time it needs to heal. But I must admit that I’m growing impatient as I reached the third anniversary of the beginning of my healing. And the physical trauma started a year before that. Wow. Four years of me being down. I am so ready to go!

I had another session with my shaman this week. My healer saw that poison immediately as we began our work. She told me that it was to be expected, and she would clear it. She asked for help and a magical healer, a unicorn, agreed to help release the first layer of the poison. Interesting, this unicorn. I immediately felt the love of my horses all around me – my magical teachers and healers. They worked together to release the first layer of poison and then I felt great. For 12 hours. That was four days ago.

As I write this I’m exhausted again. I had to lay down at 10:00 this morning I woke up at 3:30 this afternoon. It’s 7:00 pm and I’m still groggy. I’ve been like that three out of the four days since the most recent release. I’m in the dead zone – what I call the physical state in which our subconscious releases bad things. It’s also like being a walking zombie. I’ve been here so often in the last three, make that four years. I know it well. Even if it drives me crazy – it’s a good thing, more cellular slime is clearing – another layer of me is peeling away to leave room for the new and true.

I know that the place of light and limitless energy is ahead of me on my path. I also know that after holding that dark energy for all my life, I must be patient and allow the healing to take it’s own best path and pace. I am lifting, clearing, rising to my own clear vibration. But sometimes, like today, my patience wears thin. That doesn’t really change anything, it simply makes me cranky.

Funny, just as I was powerless as a child to defend myself, today I find myself powerless to push forward in my healing. Pushing only sets me back, and I’m committed to nothing but forward progress. And so I must accept the pace and flow of my healing, saver the energetic days in the same way I honor my slow days.

That too is a new learning for me. I’ve pushed through every other blockade or barrier in my life. Now it’s time to flow with my own path and push no more.

Photo Credits

Brute Force -Creative Commons – Some Rights Reserved – Eric Peacock
Feature Photo – Microsoft Clip Art Collection

In my last post, I told you that I was working with a shaman to release the dark energy that appears around me. I did just that —  and it was so much more.

The healer I worked with is an ordained minister. She is blessed with a connection to God,  angels and spirits of light with powers beyond our world’s understanding. I am so grateful for her appearance in my life — at the perfect time. But isn’t that the way it always is?

In the first five minutes she told me my life story. I hadn’t told her anything; she simply knew. She also immediately identified  a demonic force in my energy, literally sucking the life out of me. It was a huge, violent snake wrapped around my  energy body,  sucking my energy from the base of my neck through my spine.

The snake was a  gift from my father and grandmother,  beings who this healer of light identified as twin heads of the same demon seed. They weren’t beings of the light universe, come into physical form. They were beings of the darkness, evil incarnate in physical bodies.

They implanted that snake to control me,  to limit me,  to prevent me from walking the path that  is my destiny in this life. First it was in my subconscious, preventing me from remembering my truth for so many years. As we began to release those memories,  it moved into my emotional system. But then we released those negative emotions as well,  and so it moved to my energetic and physical body. It was literally sucking me dry,  preventing me from moving forward on my divine path, a path I’ve now learned was part of the agreement I made with the universe before I ever agreed to this life’s journey.

It was a nasty snake, attacking this healer as soon as she touched my energy. Vile, evil. So evil in fact that she called upon  the Archangel Michael to help us remove it. Archangel Michael  in turn called upon Archangels Gabriel and Rafael to help as well.  It seems it was quite the evil snake.

As they began to work,  she told me that Gabriel would hold my head and Rafael would hold my feet as Michael removed the snake. I could feel their hands on my body, feel the powerful warmth and loving energy flowing from their touch. It took quite a while. The snake fought them, attacking their energy, attacking my healer’s energy.

But finally,  it was placed in a golden sack and its energy transmuted into white light. Then, my angelic triumvirate went to work patching and filling my energy grid.  Everywhere the snake had been wrapped around me energetically, I was bleeding energy.

And then, leaving me with a warmth and glow beyond words, the Angels left me with a final thought.

“You are here to share your horrors and your healing —  to touch others, to help them heal as well. You are  already on your divine path. Be confident in your journey. You are loved.”

Photo Credit

“Cosmic Hand” h. koppdelaney @ flickrcom. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved.

If we think of the Soul as being like a flock of birds, we can see how the loss of parts of the whole can weaken the system, making it more vulnerable to intrusion, or further power loss. Each time there is Soul Loss, a part of our vital life force becomes detached from the ‘flock’ and is unavailable.

We may lose significant aspects of our nature, like the ability to sense when we are overextended, or whether it is safe to act on our instincts, or the understanding of how to navigate difficult relationship dynamics.

The strength of the original Soul Essence with which we were born is diminished further each time the soul is fragmented. Early childhood Soul Loss can lead to a lifetime of feeling incomplete and disempowered.

Sometimes Soul Loss occurs when there is an early instinctive knowledge that something in life is “just too much to bear”, like being born into a situation where there is a lack of nurture. Soul Loss both before and at the time of birth is also possible depending on the circumstances of the pregnancy, and because of the attitudes and procedures surrounding the birth.

Soul Loss can occur during emotional or physical trauma, such as an accident, abusive situation, sudden shock to the system, surgery, disaster, divorce, psychic attack, or death of a loved one. Not all trauma leads to Soul Loss, and sometimes the Soul Fragments will return on their own, but often this is not the case.

Soul Loss can result in post traumatic stress disorder, gaps in memory, or feelings of “being spaced out” and unable to focus or concentrate. It can manifest as chronic depression, dissociation, immune deficiency problems, addictions, prolonged and severe grief or — in extreme cases — as suicidal tendencies or coma. Many Shamans believe that if enough of the Soul is missing the result will be death.

Sometimes a Soul Part has been taken, or kidnapped, or unconsciously placed with someone for safekeeping. If there has been a circumstance where there has been repeated Soul Loss due to an ongoing situation, there may be many Soul fragments of a similar nature that have separated over time. I have had the experience in my practice of being able to gather up a number of soul fragments that, when reunited and brought back, amount to a significant amount of returned life force.

Soul Loss can make it very difficult to maintain healthy relationships, and may prevent us from living a fulfilled and satisfying life. If you feel like there is something essential missing in your life, or that you cannot access a particular state of being, or if you struggle with feelings of powerlessness or chronic depression, you may have experienced Soul Loss.

Soul Loss can weaken our system and leave us more vulnerable to illness and psychic attack (including the Spiritual Intrusions or thought forms, which we ‘install’ in ourselves through negative self projections).

Compensatory mechanisms and habits may be developed to make up for this loss of essential energy. These mechanisms can often cause distress, or lead to further loss. Addiction may be one way of trying to fill the void left by Soul Loss or Power Loss.

In order to return this essential life force to the client the Shamanic Practitioner performs a Soul Retrieval ceremony. During the ceremony the practitioner searches for and tracks down the Soul parts that have been lost, stolen or that have strayed. A Shamanic Journey is undertaken in an altered state of consciousness, in which the Shaman meets with her Power Animals and Guides, seeking their assistance in locating those lost or stolen soul parts which are ready and willing to return to help the client.

Each available piece of the Soul Essence is located, and communicated with, in order to ascertain how or why it left and the nature of the vital life force it represents. Each part is gathered and brought back through the “veil” between the worlds and gently reconnected (or “installed”) into the client’s being. Often the Soul Part is reintroduced through the Shaman blowing it into the body through the chest and crown of the head.

Once the Soul Retrieval is complete, a process of integration and support for the returned soul parts begins, as the client continues the healing process. Further journeys and ceremonies may be undertaken to assist in this process, such as ‘Soul Remembering’ and ‘Soul Release’ work, Extraction Healing, or Pattern Collapse.

Personal rituals and ceremonies may be revealed through the Spirit Guides, that will help to transform old habits and empower us to create lives filled with joy and love. If the client can learn to journey herself, she can contact and ‘converse’ with the returned Soul parts to learn from them, and to discover what changes they may wish her to make in her life to accommodate this returned life essence.

Modern Shamans may also follow through with spiritual counselling, or collaborate with psychotherapists, to support the client after Soul Retrieval. Some therapists find that issues that have not responded well to conventional therapies may be more easily addressed after Soul Retrieval. This may be because the Soul Part that needs healing has not been present to be healed until the Shaman has returned it to the client.

In my practice I have had some amazing and moving experiences with my clients, and the results are often miraculous, although for some it can take time to fully realize the benefits of Soul Retrieval. Often Soul Retrieval alone is not enough if there has been a long standing pattern of dysfunction or illness, and other shamanic techniques may be employed. I will discuss some of these in a later article.

Photo Credit

“Wake Up Call” h. koppdelaney @ Flickr.com. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved.

My fairies are not of the Tinkerbell variety — with lacy wings and scaled down Barbie bodies. No, my fairies are funny looking things, some with limbs like old apple branches, or bodies made up of leaves and bits of clumped earth, with wrinkled apple heads. Many of them are simply beings of light.

In my shamanic travels I have met my fairie blacksmith who provided me with a sword of discernment which serves me well in Spirit. The Fairie Smith’s nose was so long and wide he had to wear a leather harnesses to keep it from being singed in the fairie forge.

I have also journeyed to the fairie underworld where I was given a crown of golden light, and I was welcomed as if I were a Queen. I suspect that anyone who is accepted into the fairie realm of spirit is treated as royalty, so I don’t consider myself in any way special to be crowned in this way.

In fact, I think that I may be seen more as a servant to them at times, as they seem to require me to go and visit them in the garden from time to time and to provide them with various amusements and treasures. I have on occasion been given quite specific instructions on how to stay on good terms with the fairie folk who have chosen me as their caretaker.

In my garden, there is a sacred apple tree where the apple fairies congregate. Under this tree I have placed a tiny bench, picnic table, deck chair and a variety of other items that the fairies have at one time or another asked for (or demanded).

There is a miniature side board, porcelain telephone, cash register, sewing machine and coffee grinder, among other toys. They have a tiny croquet set, and boxes of miniature fruits and vegetables all made of fimo. They like beach glass and anything shiny, and at Christmas they wanted mince tarts.

Last summer I spied a tiny porcelain bathtub at a garage sale, and got a little excited “nudge”, so I brought it home and added it to the furnishings under the apple tree. I think this item may have excited them a bit too much, and some rambunctious behavior must have ensued, as it was not long til they broke it!

It took me a while to mend the tub and I had the sense that they were impatient to have it back. Then I started getting messages that they wanted a swing. Which makes perfect sense. If I were a fairie I would want one too! So I made a swing that hangs down from a branch of the tree, and they seem happy. For now.

Wherever I go now I seem to encounter the wee folk, and like to leave little gifts for these spirits of nature. Last autumn I was attending a shamanism conference in a rural area on the West Coast of British Columbia. I had brought four of the prettiest apples from my sacred tree as an offering to the Spirits of the land.

Just across from the cabin where I was staying was what I can only describe as a very friendly tree. Actually, it was a huge stump of an old tree, what is known as a nursery stump, with four trees growing out of it in a circle. It had called out a little “hello” to me one time when I was walking past in the drizzle. I chose then and there to offer my apples to this tree and the lovely spirit that had called to me, and to the fairies of the rainforest.

I was guided to take a bite out of each apple to open it’s spiritual energy up, and then place the rest of the fruit offering in the cradle of the stump between the four nurseried trees.

I approached the tree and felt its loving welcome, and a sort of exuberant joyfulness came over me. I took a bite from the first apple, and placed it between the four trees in the bowl of the central stump. The apple immediately jumped up as if being pulled by an invisible hand, and disappeared!

It was as if the offering of the apple from my Sacred tree had ‘popped’ through the veil into the ether. I went through the same process with the other three apples, all of which stayed put on the stump between the nurseried trees. I then circled around the tree four times to complete the ceremony of my offering, but I was also casting about looking for that first apple, as my rational mind was having a hard time believing what I had seen.

As I walked around the base of the tree, I saw a great many varieties of fungi growing from the base of the stump, as well as a variety of mosses and lichens. I was also very open and sensitive to the presence of the lovely rain forest Spirits, but no matter where I looked there was no apple anywhere to be seen.

I felt as if the fairies of the rainforest had recognized that the gift had come with a greeting from the fairies under my apple tree. I was just the emissary, or an inter-flora delivery person to the fairie realm delivering a bouquet of apples. I did feel very honored to have had this offering accepted by the fairies though, as I knew that this meant I should watch for a gift from them come the next new moon.

Well, when the new moon arrived I was indeed given a great and loving gift which was also a confirmation of many of the messages that had come to me from Spirit, and I am very grateful. The fairies continue to delight and bring blessings to my garden and to my life and I will do my best to fulfill my ‘queenly’ duty by keeping them happy and content. Now where can I put my hands on a miniature cider press?

Photo Credits

All photos by Alison Skelton

Some of us may know what our Power Animal is and may have developed a relationship with its spiritual energy over time. Others may not have any idea that they have this spiritual ally, nor are they aware of the benefits of cultivating a relationship with it.

Some Shamanic cultures believe we have only one Power Animal; others believe we also have Animal Spirit Helpers that come and go depending on our needs or circumstances. In some Shamanic traditions, the Shaman will collect as many Power Animals as possible: the more you have the more powerful a Shaman you are. They may even barter or steal them from one another!

I had my first encounter with a Power Animal when I was around 18 and had just begun a lengthy exploration of Witchcraft, which is a European Shamanic tradition. I had gone with a good friend to sit on a cliff by a beach one balmy summer evening. While we sat and talked of our newly emerging consciousness of magic and sacred feminine power, we began playing with different ways to say our names.

Names are powerful things in themselves, as all names are sacred, and to know the true name of anything connects you to it on a deep level. I began to say my name Alison as “All is one”, “All is on”, “All is Sun”, and a variety of other permutations.

As I sat and spoke these names, as if invoking another layer of my spirit, what looked like a dandelion seed, what we used to call a Dandelion Fairy, floated down out of nowhere and landed on my shoulder. As it did so it seemed to transform before me and it became a spider; slight and long legged at first like a daddy longlegs, but as it moved down my chest it somehow gained bulk and form, and by the time it reached my lap it was quite substantial. It seemed to drop to the ground with an almost audible thump.

If I had been a lone witness I might have doubted this experience. As it was, my friend and I speculated on how this could be, as we prepared to leave our oceanside perch.

On our walk home I was stopped in my tracks by a very large spider sitting directly in our path in the center of the sidewalk. I think I said “hello”, and commented on how odd it was for it to be just sitting there, as if waiting for me.

We carried on and I had a funny feeling that there was something afoot. Lo and behold, a block or so on I was stopped once again by another large spider sitting in the center of the concrete footpath. This was getting a bit spooky.

As if this were not enough, a block or so up the road I once again encountered a plump arachnid in the middle of the sidewalk striking a “here I am” pose. By this time I was distinctly unnerved, and wondered what strange force was creating this unusual series of events.

So, in all, counting the spider on the beach, I met the large dark spider four times that night, and Spider has been with me ever since. In Core Shamanic teachings one way to be sure that a vision of an animal in Shamanic journey is your Power Animal is when you encounter it four times.

Spider is a wonderful ally, and brings many gifts. She is the creator of words, as she weaves all their shapes in her web. She is the connector of all that is, the weaver of the web of life. For me she is also a facilitator of strong bonds with the women in my life, a creator of extended family and maintainer of matrilineal connections.

She has become an integral part of my healing practice too, as she can use her spirit web and bind fear, so it can be neutralized. I often feel her sitting on the crown of my head as a reminder of her spiritual presence and assistance in matters of communication and self expression.

Spider also helps me connect with the Power Animals  I depict in my Power Animal portraits. These mixed media works are created with the guidance of the subject’s Power Animals through the process of Shamanic Journeying. The Animal Spirit Guides indicate how they wish to be depicted with their human partners in a celebratory portrait.

Bringing the Animal Spirit through the ‘veil’ in this way reinforces the sacred bond, and connects the human subject more closely with the power, wisdom and ‘medicine’ that the Power Animal offers.

Whatever your Power Animal is, whether it be small or large, fierce or mild, it has much to offer. To connect with this spiritual ally helps us connect with the spirits of nature; as well it gives us protection, guidance and a sense of support in times of stress or loneliness.

If you have an awareness of your Power Animal I encourage you to cultivate a relationship with it. If not, perhaps if you open yourself to the Spirits of Nature and ask for it to be revealed, it will come to you in a vision or dream, or perhaps in some other magical manner.

Photo Credits

All Power Animal portraits by Alison Skelton © All Rights Reserved.