Our Shamanic Journey to the Temples of the Heart by Karen Brachman

Paul Sivert, the founder and owner of the Shamanic Healing Institute, spoke at the ACT October 8 gathering.  Paul is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (L.C.P.C.) and a highly trained shamanic practitioner healing professional.

The mission of the Shamanic Healing Institute is to heal and teach people through individual and group spiritual healing sessions, workshops, retreats, practitioner education programs and products.

Paul’s vision is to preserve the cross-cultural healing traditions and teachings and integrate them into energy healing practices.

Paul led us through one of the most common practices of the tradition, a Healing Journey. He began by creating a sacred safe space with a ceremony that invoked and welcomed our helping spirits from the South, West, North and East, from Below and from Above and by referencing the sun, air, water, fire elements.

Paul then led a guided meditation to ensure that everyone became aware of their personal spirit guide.

Paul explained that the focus for this journey would be to visit at least 3 of the 9 Temples of the Heart and would be induced by rhythmic drumming. He distributed descriptions of each of the Temples:

  • Temple of Joy – Soul
  • Temple of Grief/Sadness – New Beginnings
  • Temple of Humbleness – Softness
  • Temple of Hope – Gratitude
  • Temple of Anger – Transformation
  • Temple of Ego/Fear – Compassion
  • Temple of Harmony – Blessings
  • Temple of Sweetness – Nectar
  • Temple of Wisdom – Sacred Knowledge.

Paul suggested that we might want to take action in the temples to: 1) Let something go.  2) Ask a question. 3) Receive a gift.  4) Receive a message.

And so the drumming began.

When the final drum signal brought us back from our journey we shared our experiences. It became obvious that no two journeys were alike and yet there were common elements in all of them.

Divided into smaller groups we shared specifics about which temples we explored, our visions and any actions taken. The room was filled with increased energy and animated  conversations.

It was a remarkable afternoon and we all took away a better understanding of the potential and possibilities of integrating Shamanic techniques into our lives.

Thank you, Paul!