Finding Sanctuary in Nature: Simple Ceremonies in the Native American Tradition

This is a guide for journeying inward and outward in search of sacred spaces and for teaching simple ceremonies for healing and wholeness that can be conducted anywhere and at any time. The world we inhabit is filled with turmoil and peace, happiness and sorrow. But we are not mere puppets of the forces around us, subject to energies beyond our control, as the author shows. We can create spaces in nature that operate in profound and lasting ways, promoting serenity, healing, wholeness - sanctuary. Nature, from this vantage point, is not some fixed image of a wild place but rather as diverse as the varying landscapes that form our world. It includes mountains, prairies, lakes, streams, hills, jungles, and thickets, even odd lots in neighborhoods, backyards and cityscapes. It comes in all sizes and shapes, forming the basis of life, as we know it, from a rocky stream flowing down a mountainside to a leaf that falls outside a window. And not only do we live with nature, we are nature, which explains why we can help shape our world. In Finding Sanctuary in Nature , the author takes us through a series of teachings designed to awaken an appreciation of the spiritual forces at large in the world using a shamanic perspective grounded in Native American thought. Included are hands-on exercises, step-by-step instructions for ceremonies, and notebook items from his own life, as with his previous book, Clearing: A Guide for Liberating Energies Trapped in Buildings and Lands . But Ceremonies takes Clearing to the next level - from clearing spaces of unwanted energies to creating sacred spaces within which to do simple ceremonies for healing oneself and others. It includes instructions for connecting with spirit guides and angels, interpreting symbols, making a medicine wheel (much like a labyrinth) and using it as an engine for distance healing, as well as ceremonies for daily living, returning an individual's lost soul pieces (soul retrieval), healing the Earth, and much more. There are four chapters, presenting how to find the sacred space within that is necessary to do ceremony with power; ways to create sacred spaces in nature so that ceremonies can connect the inner and outer worlds; suggestions for making ceremonies effective and lasting; and instructions for dozens of ceremonies. All the tools one needs to start doing ceremony are provided in this book, from the whys and hows to the basic teachings. Readers are encouraged to keep a notebook of observations that might prove useful in discovering new avenues for inner discovery; some entries from the author's own notebook are provided as samples. The first three chapters conclude with an at-a-glance review of major points for easy reference; the fourth is a compendium of ceremonies that are explained and outlined. Included also are key words to use in accessing more information on the Internet.