I feel overjoyed and privileged to be offering Shamanic Trance Dance in Bristol, as I know how powerful and healing the rituals can be. I first did this dance, and had a very profound experience in 2005 or 2006 with Zelia at Buddhafield, where I used to work and still do from time to time. In 2001, after a period of intense suffering with alcoholism and an attempt to take my life, I was fortunate to find a spiritual path, and have been training ever since in the twelve steps, meditation, Buddhism, insight enquiry, taoism, chi gung, shamanic journeying, tantra, energy healing, bodywork and dance. Suffering is a blessing in hindsight, and seems to be a vital part of training in wisdom and compassion.
I love practicing in nature, meditating by streams and in forests, to the sound of the rain and in the light of the evening sun. The world is so beautiful when the mind is clear and the heart is open, and it seems to speak to you, even become your perfect teacher. I am inspired by the ideal of the Bodhisattva, a being who works for the benefit of all beings knowing there is no separation. I find this spirit in shamanism as well, which honours life and sees all as interconnected, and I love to find ways to serve life, to serve awakening, and create change. I write a blog about these things, and offer meditations and hypnotherapy on it. I currently work in the field of addiction and mental health, as well as offering healing and coaching. I also write music and play cello, studied sound therapy and psychoacoustics, and love board sports, photography, painting, walking, and dance.
I have always found this ritual to be very powerful, and believe that it opens up communication with the depths or the heights depending on how you look at it. This source is a perfect healer, because it has walked this life with us and knows our wounds and traumas, and knows what we need to experience to heal or release or empower. It doesn’t matter to me whether these sources of guidance are internal or external because I don’t see them as separate and also love to revel in the mystery of it.
To be able to hold space for this kind of work is an honour, I love it and feel intense gratitude. The training with Zelia was beautiful and magical, and showed me how deep this work can go.
