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| Christmas Eve, hosting some of my Reiki students. |
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| Here I am with my partner Richard Muehlbronner!Photo by old friend Dr. Joseph Price, MD. |
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out the rest of my site!
Home Life:
I am
blessed, and constantly challenged, as I share my home
with my vibrant Leo partner
Richard and our 'blended family' of four loving and entertaining kitties: it's not easy, being a quintuple Gemini!
Jezebel and Miss Jane Russell head up the clan,
with the two young male charmers, Baby Bart Simpson
and Mr. Bronner keeping
everyone lively and on their toes. Richard is the 'green thumb' in the family, and monitors the lives and welfare of all
the house plants,
Yard People and cacti. It's a colorful life...
| Here we are at a Day of the Dead party, |
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| honoring all the ones who have come before us. |
People who do healing work always have a great
vitality for life and living! Here we are on the Day
of the Dead (November 5, '05), at the home of Anastasia and Clint Cleaver, honoring the Buffalo Nation (Richard wearing the buffalo tooth)
and the native people of Turtle Island (me). Richard was a tree surgeon for 18 years and loves all manner of Green People.
Photo taken and kindly provided by Judith
Jurgaitis.
I've been teaching and holding classes of many kinds in my wonderful old stone house for over 20
years. We've had fire ceremonies in the fireplace, Medicine Wheels built in the garden, and many classes, talks and
demonstrations inside the house. All of the classes have to do with some aspect of healing, whether hands-on, lecture, meditative,
hypnotic, modern or ancient, quiet or full of sound, as in our drumming circles!
These have included:
- Shamanic Drumming
and Journeying
- Shamanic Counseling
- Past-Life group workshops
- Private
Past-Life Regressions
- Human
Potential workshops
- Reiki Energy Healing trainings and lectures
- Reiki Practices (Free eve.: 3d Monday)
As with any kind of ceremonial
work which is based on love and respect for the earth and all her creatures, the blessings from all
of these happenings have permeated the house and the land. There are indigenous 'elders', Old Ones who lived on the
land over 200 years ago, who show up from time to time, in non-ordinary reality, when we are traveling on the drum.
They are happy to see that we are focused in an earth-honoring way.
We're on the Northwest edge of Philadelphia, PA, near the community of Chestnut Hill. We're easily reached via SEPTA public transpor-tation:
train (R7) or bus (L). Both stop very close to our location. Please see http://www.mapquest.com
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| Bears always love to dance and play... |
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| ...and we offer many dances at Birdsong Chamber! |
The Bear, in many
indigenous societies, is a helping spirit, or 'totem', with very strong healing 'Medicine'. She helps me on a personal
plane, for my own health and wellbeing, as well as supporting work I do with my private clients and students. Whether I am asking for physical healing, doing a Soul Retrieval to help heal a client's wounded spirit, or facilitating traditional Reiki Energy healing, s/he focuses
and magnifies whatever healing
effort is being made. Often Bear gives me valu-
able insights into the cause and possible
solution to the problem. I honor
Bear for decades of sweet friendship and unflagging support.
How I received my name:
During a shamanic journey (traveling on the drum), I went to the
Lower World
to spend some time with Bear, my totem. I was surprised to be taken to
sit with the Bear Shaman (who has the collective wisdom and power of the entire Bear Nation). He showed himself
to me as a male human form, similar in look to a Native American person. He led me to an ancient stone kiva (ceremonial chamber) where he brought me into ceremony; during this
time he took out my heart and said it was too small for the healing work I would be doing. After replacing it, he said, "And
now you will be known as Bear Heart."
It was some time in the spring afterwards that I met
my teacher's Sun Dance Uncle, Marcellus Bear Heart Williams. He was the presiding elder at an all-night honoring
ceremony for my teacher Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow). Joseph was honored for the successful completion
of his (Southern Ute) Sun Dance Vision, and the establishment
of 20 Peace Chambers at U.S. and European loca-tions, to
avoid a world war.
Had I met Grandfather Marcellus before my own ceremony,
I would have doubted the truth of my naming, maybe attributing it to wishful thinking on my part. However, the Bear
Shaman got to me first, even to the extent of guiding me years earlier to a special pair of ceremonial earrings which contained
my name in images. So I received the name and endeavour to carry it well.
| My spirit helper relaxing. |
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| I always want to honor the Bear nation and pray for their wellbeing. |
In this picture,
Bear is reminding us
to 'Chill Out' and remember to
enjoy life...to stop and
listen
for the peace in every moment.
Each animal 'Nation' has a particular strength or 'Medicine', and Bear understands all the facets of living in health and
balance.
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