Discernment and Protection at Spiritual Gatherings

Do you attend ceremonies, festivals, spiritual gatherings or community events? If so, this episode is a must for you! Just because an event uses spiritual language or addresses spiritual topics doesn’t mean it is held as a solid container. Events like this are often porous portals, with many people attending from all points on the spiritual path. Indiscriminate invocations, substance use, chaotic collective fields and concentrated gatherings can often lead to overwhelm, exhaustion, fatigue, unintentionally processing other people’s energy, leaky boundaries and energetic or entity attachments.Does this mean you shouldn’t attend spiritual gatherings? Absolutely not. Michelle and Katherine offer practical tools, awarenesses and advice for how to safely attend and enjoy spiritual gatherings while staying grounded, protected and anchored in your body and energy field.

Who are my spirit guides? How do I work with my Shamanic allies? Are some guides “better” or more powerful than others? These are common questions we hear from people on the healing path. Knowing who your spirit guides are and how to collaborate in functionally purposeful relationships with your Shamanic allies are essential tools for any practitioner, for your personal or professional healing work. Every guide has their own realm of expertise, their own purpose and medicine that will express differently in your work. Michelle and Katherine talk about how to develop meaningful relationships with your Shamanic allies, how to discover your spirit guides and best practices for integrating them into an effective and powerful healing practice.

Michelle and Katherine are delighted to welcome Dr. Oscar Pérez for a discussion on grief bearers, ancestral healing and Toltec wisdom teachings!According to Toltec wisdom, in each generation, there is one family member whose soul path includes feeling, holding and processing wounding and shadow on behalf of their lineage. Unfortunately, in the modern, western world, these people are often criticized as “too sensitive,” or rejected as the “black sheep” of the family. In some cases, these Grief Bearers (as termed by Dr. Oscar) dive into addiction and harmful behaviors. In others, they become helpers, therapists, healers and care providers as a means to pursue this soul path of lineage healing. But many of these people suffer from burnout, psychic and emotional exhaustion. Join us for a potent conversation with Dr. Oscar as we dive into what it means to be a Grief Bearer, ancestral reclamation and lineage healing, and animistic wisdom in the context of mental health and allopathic medicine.Dr. Oscar C. Pérez is the founder of Tending The Fires, a global community and initiatory school for natural-born healers walking the shamanic path. He is the best-selling author of The Flowering War: Toltec Teachings for Healing Ancestral Trauma, a groundbreaking work that has become essential reading for therapists, spiritual seekers, and leaders reclaiming their lineage and life-force from generational wounding.Dr. Pérez holds a PhD from Brown University, where his research focused on how intact, earth-based cultures use storytelling, ritual, and collective memory to metabolize trauma and renew the soul of the people. A lifelong student and initiated practitioner of shamanism, Dr. Pérez weaves ancestral wisdom, transpersonal psychology, and cutting-edge neuroscience into his signature method of Soul Recovery, rooted in the Toltec tradition.Through retreats, immersive trainings, and his signature programs, Dr. Pérez guides modern-day Grief bearers— spiritual healers, coaches, and therapists — through the deep work of becoming the healers their lineages have been waiting for.Dr. Oscar Pérez links:Website: https://www.tendingthefires.com/The Fire Clan, the exclusive Tending The Fires community: https://tendingthefires.mn.co/ The Flowering War book: https://a.co/d/ajQ6pzJThe Flowering War audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/71Ij3lNiMMvE0SA9nUqEfd?si=327372266bec4af7

Michelle and Katherine welcome congressional candidate Dr. Melissa Bird for a discussion on intuitive leadership, spirituality and politics, and the graceful revolution!As healers, mystics, practitioners and spiritual teachers, we know that we’re here to participate in the transformation and healing of the collective. But how does that translate out of our meditation and ritual practice into effective, right-aligned action? What is the “graceful revolution” and how can we all participate in it? What are the foundations of intuitive leadership, and how does intuitive leadership build community? How are spiritual practice and political activism deeply intertwined? Join us for a powerful discussion, including a few solid mic-drop moments! If you know you’re here to be a changemaker, you won’t want to miss it.About Dr. Melissa Bird:Dr. Melissa Bird is a fighter, a mother, a small business owner, and a proud descendant of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes and she’s running for Congress in Oregon’s 4th District to dig up what’s broken and build something bold in its place.Melissa’s lived experience as a social worker, lay preacher, wife of a veteran, and survivor of a system that was never built for her, or for most of us, fuels her campaign. She’s been told to wait her turn, to settle for scraps, to lower her voice. She’s done with that. She’s seen what happens when the government fails to meet people’s basic needs, and she’s ready to do something about it.As a nationally recognized speaker, policy strategist, and unapologetic advocate for working people, Melissa brings both fire and fluency to the fight. She’s battled for reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, health care access, and the rights of Indigenous communities. Now she’s taking that fight to Congress.She lives in Corvallis with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and one three-legged cat. When she’s not working, you’ll find her sipping Earl Grey with heavy cream and reading novels, because joy is also resistance.Dr. Melissa Bird’s Links:Website: https://www.drmelissabird.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-bird-016640199/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMelissaBirdSubstack: https://substack.com/@birdgirl1001Congressional Campaign Links: Campaign website: https://www.melissabirdforcongress.com/Donate here: https://donation.c-esystems.com/campaign/melissabirdforcongressCampaign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissabirdforcongressCampaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissabirdforcongress/

Michelle and Katherine welcome Amy and Nancy Harrington for a discussion on collaborative leadership, entrepreneurship and social change!Building supportive community networks can fuel entrepreneurship while fostering personal development and encouraging positive social change. So many healers, mystics and spiritual seekers feel alone or isolated on the path, and crave a community of collaboration and belonging.Join the Shaman Sisters and their special guests for a deep-dive conversation into what sisterhood makes possible personally and collectively.About Amy and Nancy Harrington:Sisters and business partners Amy and Nancy Harrington are the Co-Founders of The Passionistas Project Sisterhood, a global community for passion-driven women — especially from marginalized backgrounds — to find support, purpose, and empowerment. After leaving high-powered careers in Hollywood, where Amy worked on major films like Harry Potter and The Matrix, and Nancy created Academy Award campaigns, they now use their platform to uplift others. Through their Power of Passionistas Women’s summit, podcast, “Awakening Your Power” book series, and online global community, they foster connection, growth, and equality — rooted in sisterhood values like loyalty, empathy, and joy.The Passionistas Project Sisterhood: https://go.lunatrk.com/SH21Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThePassionistasProjectLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-passionistas-project/Instagram: www.instagram.com/thepassionistasproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PCPassionistas

Practicing Shamanism in the modern, Western world is fraught with challenges. Is it okay to practice Shamanism as a Western person? What is the most integral way of working with our Shamanic practices? What is Shamanism asking us to confront in ourselves? As modern, Western people working with Shamanism, we must consistently ask ourselves these questions (and more) to ensure our greatest integrity. Pursuing a Shamanic path is often at odds with Western culture of white supremacy, patriarchy and extractive entitlement. Practicing Shamanism in the modern, Western world means confronting our own conditioning and traumas (and those of our lineage), and rigorously living according to the values of Shamanic practice, including right relation with Gaia and with our spirit allies. If you’re practicing or exploring Shamanism or even just exploring your spirituality, this episode is for you. Michelle and Katherine dive into their decades of Shamanic study and practice and share powerful insights and invitations for those walking the path of Shamanism in the modern, Western world.

What is Shamanism? Where does Shamanism come from? What does the word “Shaman” mean? Those called to healing and spiritual development often brush up against Shamanism but don't know how to contextualize it within their journey. Michelle and Katherine get back to their Shamanic roots and explore some of the foundations of Shamanism as an animistic and mediumistic practice. They discuss some common misconceptions as well as some common ways in which people engage with Shamanic practice including utilizing trance and rituals, working with spirits, shamanic journeying, incorporated mediumship and being of service in their community. Are you called to Shamanic practice? Are you going through a Shamanic awakening or cultivating your Shamanic skill development? Enjoy these powerful insights and invitation from the Shaman Sisters to guide you on your path.

Is spirituality political? What is the “higher consciousness” of politics? How do we balance universal principles and the theory of transformation and spiritual teachings with the embodied reality of pain, suffering and conflict? Michelle and Katherine recorded this episode shortly after Trump’s inauguration. While the fascist takeover has hurtled forward and things are changing rapidly, this episode still offers a timely perspective on the intersection of spirituality and politics.

Michelle and Katherine are happy to welcome Furkhan Dandia for a discussion on the intersection of spirituality and therapy!Traditional therapy has long been dominated by the “supremacy of the mind,” cognitive processing and talking about our problems. But as more people turn towards non-religious, animistic spirituality, principles of energetic awareness and powerful spiritual forces are making their way into therapeutic understanding.Are you a therapist who wants to develop your spiritual practice and incorporate these skills into your work with clients? Are you a client who wants to be met as your whole self in therapy, including your spiritual and energetic consciousness? Either way, this episode is for you. Furkhan shares his insights on how spirituality can be integrated into therapy, enabling individuals to navigate life’s complexities with clarity and resilience.About Furkhan Dandia:After over 20 years of experience in the corporate world, Furkhan pivoted to pursue a calling in the therapeutic space. Alongside his work in addiction counseling, anger management, and entrepreneurial support, he holds a master’s in Counseling Psychology and currently hosts EZ Conversations, a podcast focused on health and wellness. His approach to therapy is deeply rooted in the belief that true resilience and healing emerge when individuals connect with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. He views adversity not as a barrier but as a doorway to growth—an opportunity to cultivate gratitude, humility, and inner strength. Furkhan emphasizes spirituality as a core element in his work, helping clients move beyond surface-level concerns to find purpose in their experiences and struggles. His goal is to guide individuals to recognize their own resilience, even in the face of life’s toughest challenges, and to live from a place of profound gratitude. WebsitePodcast: EZ Conversations:YouTubeLinkedInInstagramTikTok

We firmly believe that you have the right to ask your healer, therapist, medicine practitioner, coach or care provider about their values. Is it possible for a practitioner to be truly “neutral?” We say no. Regardless of their “professional neutrality,” any practitioner will inherently hold their own values and training as the standard of well-being to which they guide their clients.The beliefs and context of a practitioner will affect the relationship advice, coaching, medical counsel and support they offer. It is important to know before you work with someone if their values may create a conflict of interest between your best support and empowerment, and their own unconscious programming. Michelle and Katherine offer their advice and recommendations for how to navigate this important issue. Whether you are evaluating a relationship with a current practitioner, coach or healer, or inviting in a new therapist or mentor, tune in to this episode for guidance. (Also see episodes on “How to Choose a Spiritual Teacher,” and “How to Choose a Shaman.”)TherapyHealerMedicine practitionerCoachesEmpowermentRelationship adviceMedical sovereignty