A SHAMANS JOURNEY TO BE THE MEDICINE
Tue May 10, 2011, 9:10 am

 “Shamans are the original healers who are known to heal themselves. Shamanism is direct experience, accessing the wisdom and knowledge of the divine in all including nature and self to live in wholeness and love. For me, it is a neutral path of discovery, healing and understanding, simple, elegant and real. All things in life make sense and freedom is possible.” Janet StraightArrow

As a white woman in New Jersey no one was more surprised than I to find my calling as a Shaman. I was a top Realtor making multiple six figures who was also raising a family and studying spirituality and healing for twenty-five years when I met a Shaman who told me that I was one too.

It was 1992 and I had two daughters in school and a busy life. I had lived a full amazing life graduating two colleges, racing Porsches on major racetracks, captained sailboats on lakes and in the Caribbean, modeled clothing and so much more. Shaman?

I did not believe him as it was too foreign to my reality and did not fit my vision of myself. He said I was going to work just like him. Over the next seven years he mentored me as i studied around the world. After he died I realized that no matter the outward expression, we carried the same lineage of truth and love that heals and transforms those we work with. 

This meeting awakened me in ways I never would have imagined. At forty my life suddenly took a new direction into having direct experience and learning more about my life purpose and journey. Within a year I discovered that I was a teacher and healer with my deeper purpose unfolding. I alignment with many spiritual paths and yet the Shamanic one did pull me deeper.

I studied many things with many teachers and masters. My Real Estate career fueled my studies and I began to teach what I was learning in simple clear ways to groups of people immediately.

I found myself to be a healer who could help transform peoples bodies and lives and yet I was not feeling it was correct to just do it for people as their changes were not always permanent when they took no responsibility to change.

I learned so much more from working with people as I was taking classes and doing private work with teachers and healers. I found that there were many exciting results and also missing pieces to many traditions being taught and wanted to know how to make permanent change possible for everyone.

I left Real Estate in 1999 and I still counsel Realtors in how to balance their life and make more money in less time as I did. A big part of my success was in integrating all of the wisdom I was living with business and caring more about serving than being served.

For years I bridged Real Estate with my healing and teaching practice until it was time to focus on one. Jumping out into the arena of holistic healing while still taking intense courses and apprenticing with several masters and teachers and discovering more about who I was and what I was here to offer was quite the ride.

It was a life of research and deep experience and still is. Never boring or bored it took quite a bit of change inside and out to bridge the practical woman of the world with the spiritual mystic and teacher.

I let go of lots of roles and rules only to find deeper connection to all parts of life and me. Separating illusion from truth and letting go of how it is supposed to be according to others helped me have more and more of a direct experience for myself.

I found comfort in the writings of the masters of all traditions who shared what I was going through and discovering. I was fortunate to be able to study with many renowned people and even take some smaller classes and do private work with them.

Since a child I felt different and did not understand why many people acted against themselves and others. Adults could speak wisdom and truth and still could not live it. I wanted to live it and find ways others could as well. This was an inner guidepost for all of my life.

I was less concerned with fitting in and preferred being with people where I could be true to myself. Myself was always changing so I met many people and groups along the way.

I began spiritual and healing studies at fifteen when a doctor gave me a dire diagnosis. I remembered hearing the story about a man called Jesus and his reality was more aligned with mine than the doctors. The problem was there were few really living this and so my journey as to how, began. There are many wonderful stories but for this piece I will move back to my journey as a Shaman.

In studying Shamanism I found a purity and profound connection with nature, spirit and all of life. I studied with many teachers from traditions around the world and others who also brought things together from many places.

I was given permission to do ceremonies and teach and yet there was more to helping people connect to their true selves, spiritual support, healing that was more important and to develop along the way.

Various masters and teachers in spiritual healing traditions would want me to be one of them. I received sacred names from different traditions and honored and embraced the teachings that were more about oneness and truth rather than separation and moved on.

I must admit it was confusing to learn so many traditions and find a way to integrate them into my life. It took many years to accomplish this.

I found that my path was rich and deeper as I integrated the wisdoms of all. Even in my shamanic practice and learning I felt more guided to be simple, neutral and free of fear and cultural beliefs and embraced the best truths from each.

I was guided by my inner wisdom to follow my own path since a child. There were many difficult lessons along the way and I learned to walk through fear and pain to find freedom and peace. When I was gifted the name StraightArrow things came together even more.

I found out that Shamans are known as ones who can heal themselves. As I gathered the teachings of my work the name Be The Medicine came to me and I embraced it immediately and it helped me put more pieces together. Be The Medicine encompasses teachings from all traditions that many are now studying and you become more comfortable with who you are.

There is no need for you to live the extremes of spiritual mastery in your life and you do not have to be a shaman either, but knowing that you can chose and find answers to all of your problems is important. You can also live the truth of your soul self who came here for a purpose to live in your life as you.

Each person is blessedly unique and has an amazing life to unfold and co-create. All of our sickness originates from not living our deepest truth and alignment, so it is well worth exploring and knowing who you are, enjoy, embrace and live it.

I also studied with Medical doctors, scientists and PhD's in all aspects of healing and spirituality.  i again live in the middle of the suburbs of New Jersey. After years of having healing centers on big properties I am now on the third floor of an office building in a town that is quickly becoming a hub awakening to holistic and ecological ways of living and healing. The inside space looks warm and welcoming with wall hangings from many traditions around the world.

Classes and sessions work with each person where they are at and relate fully to their lifestyle. I help people solve deep problems in life and healing with direct access to the causes and solutions by integrating all I have learned and worked with all of these years.

I facilitate healing and transformation by being aware and working with people and teaching them along the way. Often we are sitting in a chair or on the phone. No need for drums and feathers, crystals, herbs, oils, hands on energy work or special ways, healing is easily accessed when you know and help direct the correct healing pathway for each person. Although there is no need, we do use tools from many traditions when called for if it helps the person to receive the healing and movement in their lives.

Shamans are the original traditional healers and wisdom keepers of peoples around the globe who were often killed in recent centuries because they challenged the illusions of the culture, religions and control of the masses. Jesus and Buddha were Shamans of their day. Gurus, Lamas and others were also Shamans of their groups.

This is the time for all of us to let go of fear and live a grand life of love and truth.

Daily practice is important for all of us to stay awake and continue to progress. 

Tools and methods are an entrance to ways of healing but when applied to people there has to be deeper connection to soul, self, nature and spirit to determine what each person needs and facilitate complete healing. This is the work of Soul Shamanism an advanced course of study for spiritual seekers, healers and teachers to integrate into their lives and work. This is only one part of the work taught at Be The Medicine and the most advanced course.

Open to direct access to your soul, self and purpose and learning how to live it now with your family, career and health aligned with all of you. I have developed this practice over the past nine years that originates from Siberia that offers profound healing and direct access for everyone to their soul, self, healing and purpose.

I am offering the first level class introducing this work this weekend May 14-15 in Morristown, NJ and in Boston October 1 & 2. I will also travel to groups who are ready for a deep journey to self and healing. More Be The Medicine classes and recordings are continuing to be offered. See web site for more information.

To have profound complete healing you must go out of the box that you are currently in and open to new directions, change and responsibility.

Enjoy your own unique journey,

Blessings and Joy!

Janet StraightArrow

Be The Medicine, Living the Power of You!

janet@bethemedicine.com 973-647-2500 www.bethemedicine.com

if you have any questions or would like support please reach out to me for private sessions.

Tags; Spiritual Journey, Journey to Self, Walking your talk, Talking your walk, Living your purpose, Shamanic Journey, Journey to healing, Living your best life, Awakening to success, Living health, Wisdom teachings, Integrated healing, Shamanic Healing, Shamanic teaching, Spiritual Healing, Practical Mystic, Be the Medicine, Living the Power of You!