Witchy Winter Wellness Guide
Spiritual practices for health and recovery
As we all know by now, I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, or wellness expert. I mean, with “professionals” like the steroid-infused Liver King out there selling supplements with stunts on Instagram, who needs my meager contributions?
That said, I am a shaman, which makes me an expert in the world of the wounded healer. And, on the heels of our Reclaim Your Darkness Virtual Retreat, I’ve had the pleasure of stumbling on a variety of healing modalities, tips and tricks that spring from an unexpected source: namely, the world of spirit.
Winter is the ideal season to embrace self-healing, rest and recovery. It also happens to be the most psychic time of the year. Coincidence? I think not.
The Dream Raven
Two days ago, I started to feel a bit sick. Like, not actually sick, as in the kind of sick caused by a bug like the flu. A client commented that I “looked tired” on Zoom, I was sensitive to smell and sound, and I noticed a major shift in my normally robust appetite. I felt a bit feverish, and at one point a Japanese silk screen in my dining room seemed to shimmer like I was living in a simulation. I had a rough night with very little sleep, feeling increasingly like I was going to get hit with a big, multi-day illness. Eventually, though, I must have fallen asleep, and I entered a bizarre shamanic fever dream.
The main feature? A gigantic, four foot tall raven repeatedly opening a garbage can against the wishes of a small group of men. He was eating the garbage, and he was too big and dexterous and strong for them to stop him.
I woke up, astonished at the giant dream raven, and wondering what it all meant. Within a few hours, I started to feel better, amazed that I had not entered the full glory of later-stage flu. Then it occurred to me: the garbage the giant raven was eating was whatever toxin or pathogen had been “bugging” me, and it had helped me recover. Quickly.
This “dream raven”, as I’ve been thinking of him, wasn’t just a totem animal. This was something more. This was a spiritual medicine “man” in feathered form, and it was a tremendous reminder of just how powerful the other side can be for us here in the material world. He, quite literally, ate my illness, an activity presented to me in the shamanic, symbolic language of dreams.
What else is possible? What kind of potential do we, as humans, really have? Well, I don’t have those answers, but I do know that going into a slower, more spirit-centric mode can produce tangible value for every area of our lives- not just the woo.
Go into the yin
In our recent Reclaim Your Darkness Virtual Retreat, we explored the healing value of connecting with the rhythms of nature, specifically the slower, less active yin energy of winter. In our society, we push through the darker, colder days of winter with the same vim and vigor of summer, fighting our bodies’ natural inclination to hibernate. This rejection of our connection to nature causes all kinds of physical and mental health issues. It also disconnects us from our yearly pilgrimage to the land of spirit.
In our Reclaim Your Darkness Virtual Retreat, we all enjoyed a crucial reset, and one attendee commented, “I feel like I went on a vacation after this weekend - I’m in such a different frame of mind right now.”
I had the same experience, and my rhythm has been markedly different- and slower- since our event. I learned so much from the other practitioners in this virtual retreat, and wanted to share just a few key snapshots (and resources) with all of you, too:
A descent journey with Elisha Halpin
Elisha Halpin is trained in neurosculpting, breathwork, and holds an MFA in Dance and Somatics while currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology. Needless to say, she’s educated in a variety of topics and brings a particularly impressive intellect to the work of woo.
She joined us in our Reclaim Your Darkness Virtual Retreat to guide us through a “descent journey”: a guided meditation designed to neurosculpt our nervous systems such that we can recover from burnout. I got so much incredible feedback on Elisha’s neurosculpting session, with clients asking me about my own personal experience. And, to be honest, I couldn’t give them an answer. Why? Well, I don’t remember any of it. It was so effective, I left my body almost from the jump! I had an early experience like this with Yoga Nidra, the neurological reset meditation, too. The reason? Likely that I’ve burned myself out so badly this past year that I need to go “under” to receive healing. In other words: I definitely got what I needed.
The key takeaway? Learning about my burnout type via her incredible online quiz gave me substantive insight into my recovery type and how, specifically, I can recover efficiently. Here is a link to her website to learn more about your burnout type, check out her meditations available on Insight Timer, and much, much more: https://elishahalpin.com
Increasing conscious awareness with Holly
Holly Brodt is a retired St. Paul Police officer with a litany of certifications around mindfulness coaching, stress recovery, meditation and much, much more. You can learn all about Holly and her very impressive practice here: https://www.resiliencypowereducation.com/about
During Reclaim Your Darkness, Holly led us through an unexpectedly mind-altering, deeply meditative presentation around cultivating awareness. Holly does a great job of helping us achieve peace without spiritual bypassing: i.e. not denying the downsides of reality, but rather confronting and integrating them as a part of our overall reality. Holly is Buddhist, and let me tell you something: Buddhists do this shit better than just about anybody.
The key takeaway? We’re not bringing our whole selves to our work, business, family, etc. if we’re in adrenal fatigue which, by its very nature, prevents us from being fully present. Holly is offering TOTEM people a special offer for the short term, so if you’d like to set up some time with her to get out of adrenal fatigue, fight/ flight reactions, or just become more present, chill and aware, please reach out to her HERE ASAP.
Quantum breathwork with Jennifer Eldon
Full transparency: I left my body during this session, too! But, the good news is it wasn’t my first breathwork session with Jennifer! Jennifer of JenniRose Breathwork is a “graduate” of our TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching program, so I’ve had a bit of a special preview of her incredible talents for a minute. Check out her info on her very cool website here: https://www.jennirosebreathwork.com
Jennifer walked us through a great, guided three-part breathwork meditation using an awesome Spotify playlist that kicked off with Nine Inch Nails. This breathwork is legit, creating all kinds of somatic release, detox, and deep nervous system recovery. As with my previous breathwork sessions with Jennifer, I felt as though I returned to my cosmic origins. For lack of a better term, I felt “cozy” in my skin, able to be without needing to do.
The key takeaway? It sounds obvious and a bit stupid, but I really do think we all forget how to f*cking breathe. Especially when we’re on the go, overscheduled and hurrying and stressed and scared with scarcity. And even if you’re an experienced yogi or meditation coach, trust me: it helps to receive instead of be the one guiding others.
Vata season with Colleen Soisson
Full disclosure: I’ve historically been a bit Ayurveda-reluctant. So many of the Ayurvedic practitioners I’ve met- all men, aside from Colleen- have seemed a bit rigid and overly technical. Colleen is NOT that, and I loved her breakdown of how Ayurveda can help us embrace and reconnect with the natural rhythms and seasons all around us.
Colleen walked us through Vata season- aka winter. In Ayurveda, this season is associated with the element of air, and by weaving this awareness into how we eat, sleep and live more broadly, we can do what the rest of nature does: go inward, rest and repair, and prep ourselves for spring again!
The key takeaway? Colleen showed us a self-massage technique in Ayurveda called Abhyanga. The basic premise: our skin absorbs nutrients, herbs and minerals sometimes better than our digestive systems, and by massaging specifically-infused oils we can support our mental and physical health through this cold, dark season. Check out her website here for more info: http://www.colleensoisson.com
The upshot of reclaiming your darkness?
The whole Reclaim Your Darkness experience was mind-blowing. I felt genuinely altered for days, and now that I’m about a month away from the event I’m still in the newer, slower rhythms we established in our live sessions. I’ve felt totally reconnected to spirit, experiencing more psychic downloads in the last few weeks than the previous several months.
And I think it’s this reconnection to my energy body and to spirit that is enabling my physical healing as well. Years ago, if I had gotten sick, I would have gone through the whole trajectory of the illness with worsening symptoms, days in bed, and much, much more. Now, if I feel a bit odd, I simply rest and do what my intuition is telling me (when and what to eat, rest, etc.). And I think it’s this new rhythm that has put me in touch with my innate healing capabilities, including my dream raven friend😉
I’ve just received some tailored Abhyanga oils and herbals mixes from Colleen (see photo below) and I’m going to work with her throughout this season to maintain the progress I’ve already achieved with our weekend immersion. As someone with O-neg (and Rh negative) blood, I know that I absorb nutrients more efficiently through my skin than through digesting food. Besides: who doesn’t like a massage with warm, herbal oils and a nice hot shower afterwards? Sounds like heaven.
Drinking your way to spirit?
Yes, you can drink your way to increased spiritual connection. But I’m not talking about booze. Rather, I’ve been enjoying the psychic-supporting benefits of Blue Water Lily herbal tea. I first heard about this tea in a recent interview with Graham Hancock, author and creator of the incredible documentary series Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix.
Apparently, the ancient Egyptians drank it for its “psychedelic” properties, so I decided to give it a try. While absolutely NOT psychedelic ala mushrooms or even THC, I have been experiencing the most incredible phenomenon: near-nightly dreams about my past lives, ancient civilizations, and mythical beings. Yah. It’s been awesome.
One night, I dreamt about a race of giants that helped early humans create the foundations of civilization: agriculture, literacy, arithmetic, etc. I woke up and told my husband, “You know why all of those ancient structures were huge? Like, megalithic? It’s because there were giants.”
Yah, he thinks I’m nuts. But he’s a Pisces, so he’s weird, too!
Check out some Blue Water Lily tea for yourself or, like I did, pursue another herbal remedy that pops into your awareness. As I’ve said before: this work is like a spiritual scavenger hunt. You just have to follow the clues and, over time, you’ll start to see the full picture come into focus!
And, if you get a hit on a tea or flower essence or herb, go with it. Our systems are so much smarter than we’re encouraged to believe…perhaps, because if we listen to our intuition and dreams, we can become emancipated from a whole world of treatments and “medicines” and expensive products. Just saying. When there’s a profit motive, look a bit deeper😉
Flower Essences for Vata Season
I. Love. Flower. Essences. And it’s not just because I make them. Hell, an argument could be made that I make them to support my own habit and get high on my own supply!
And, while I love many of the TOTEM Flower Essences I do make, I don’t limit my intake to my own brand. In fact, there are several other essences that have been really helping me as I enter a slower, more intentional rhythm this winter, including:
Ceres Cycles and Cardinal Flower, from Desert Alchemy
Since I started to wean myself off of the birth control pill a few months ago, I’ve made an effort to take these two incredible flower essences everyday. Ceres Cycles, as the name might suggest, supports times of life when we need to go into ourselves, into the earth, and be somewhat dormant to ready ourselves for the metaphorical “spring” to come. I’ve been combining this flower essence with Desert Alchemy’s Cardinal Flower, which helps us be more conscious and intentional about our bodies: particularly with regard to what- and why- we’re eating. Hormones can be a bitch on modulating our appetites and cravings, and Cardinal Flower helps support me in making the right choices for my wellbeing.
Pink Yarrow, from Flower Essence Services
If you’ve been a client of TOTEM’s for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me evangelize the benefits of pink yarrow. I’m convinced that the first step in ensuring your overall health is to reinforce your energetic boundaries. We all leak our energy when we’re tired, run down, busy, or simply bad at asserting ourselves or having boundaries. And the world seems full of more energy vampires now than ever, making the task of energetic protection even harder to achieve.
I take FES’ Pink Yarrow Flower Essence every day, sometimes doubling up when I have a lot of client sessions or energy work ahead of me. Pink Yarrow plugs in the holes in your energy body, shoring up your energetic defenses to ensure that the proverbial barbarians don’t get through the gates. And, with holiday travel and family gatherings, this protection is never more important than NOW.
Reclaim Yourself, from TOTEM Readings
I’m so incredibly grateful that our desert rose plants finally flowered this past October. While they were late to the game, I was thankfully able to make our Reclaim Yourself Flower Essence. While Pink Yarrow helps plug in the gaps in your energy body, Reclaim Yourself calls back all of the disparate bits of yourself that others have taken hold of.
This Flower Essence is ideal for anyone that has a very human-centric profession like therapists, hairdressers, massage therapists, energy workers, teachers, or just a small business. You can learn more details and check it out on our Etsy shop HERE.
The winter “Soul-stice”
And, as we head into the Winter Solstice on December 21st, Reclaim Yourself Flower Essence, energetic boundaries and some other, old school shamanic tools can really start delivering major ROI, getting us through a season of travel and family gatherings better, faster and stronger than before!
In particular, it’s a perfect time of the year to undertake a Shamanic Soul Part Recollection. In this focused Shamanic Journeying Meditation, we work on the spiritual plane to recollect, integrate and heal the lost or damaged pieces of our energy bodies. Here are some of the basics:
Q: What are soul parts?
A: The basic premise of soul recollection is rooted in the understanding that the energy body is as complex and multidimensional as the physical body. Doctors see the physical body as being comprised of billions of cells, tissues, organs and systems. Shamans see the energy body as being comprised of billions of energetic “cells”, tissues, organs and systems. When we refer to a shamanic soul part, we refer to this wide range of elements: from small soul parts (energetic cells or bits of tissue) to large soul parts (energetic “organs” or systems).
Q: What are the symptoms of soul loss?
A: Minor soul part loss symptoms include consistent fatigue, insomnia, feelings of random anxiety or stress, and generally feeling out of sync with others and/or with natural cycles (of the body, the seasons, day/ night, etc.) Major soul part loss symptoms can manifest as intense emotional pain, loneliness, depression, disconnection, and even some acute health issues. For example: I struggled with recurrent and very severe UTI’s and kidney stones for decades. I made an effort to recollect soul parts from a particular family member- at the behest and guidance of one of my Spirit Guides- and I have literally never had one since. Just saying. This doesn’t discount medical origins for ailments, but rather takes into account a correlation to chakras, energy issues, and energetic health overall.
Q: What are the causes of soul loss?
A: Emotional trauma such as an intense break up, protracted and vitriolic divorce, loss of a loved one or even a fight with a close friend can cause soul part loss. Physical trauma including traumatic injury, illness or any form of surgery (even planned procedures) can also cause soul part loss.
Occasionally, when one is anticipating a particularly difficult time, soul parts will go dormant as a means of protection until it is “safe” for them to emerge again. Smaller soul parts are connected with smaller traumas; larger soul parts are connected with larger traumas.
Join me for a Shamanic Soul Part Recollection
We’re doing another Virtual Retreat the weekend of January 14th, all with a focus on Nurturing our Inner Children. In this Virtual Retreat, I will be facilitating a fairly intensive, old school Shamanic Soul Part Recollection Journey Meditation.
I will be joined by four other incredible practitioners across a variety of expertise like physical therapy, astrology, acupuncture, and more, and we’ve scheduled this Virtual Retreat for immediately after the holidays on purpose.
In my experience, most soul part loss is a result of family trauma which, while originating back in early childhood, certainly gets triggered and re-injured when we visit family and relive holiday rituals with them. We’ve designed our Nurture Your Inner Child Virtual Retreat to not only help you heal after the holidays, but to take advantage of this unique window in winter to do some deep, soul-level work.
Check out details on this Virtual Retreat HERE, or email me with any questions: rachel@totemreadings.com.
I will be sending out a full sized bottle of Inner Child TOTEM Flower Essence to all attendees, and other practitioners are planning to share appropriate crystals and much, much more. Please consider joining us for this event. If it’s anything like Reclaim Your Darkness, it will shift your soul and way of being in the world- all for the better!
What’s next?
And stay tuned for more witch wellness tips, as I’m studying herbalism and developing my own, shamanic format- which I’m currently referring to as Intuitive Herbal Alchemy. I’m about to get some solid practice with this specific approach to herbalism thanks to two very lovely volunteer guinea pigs- thank you Jennifer and Angela!!!
Once a solid practice round is completed and all the feedback is turned into lessons learned and best practices, I’m going to be launching this service for all clients. Check in from time to time on our website HERE or email me to be the first to know!
And please follow us on Etsy HERE to get updates on new TOTEM Flower Essences, which we’re getting ready to formulate, bottle and share over the winter break. And that doesn’t even include the *NEW* TOTEM Flower Essences on the horizon: seeds and bulbs are in the ground and grow lights have been secured. Rumor has it poppy, tulip and tree flower essences are in the mix…so, just saying. It’s going to be pretty cool.
Thank you all so much, and please let me know how any of these witchy wellness tips work out for you, or what new and innovative wellness discoveries you make on your own this winter!
Consider becoming a paid subscriber
And please consider becoming a paid Substack subscriber in the New Year. We have SO MUCH PLANNED, including video deep dives on particular Tarot Cards, secret chapters from the draft of our book, The Skeptical Shaman, and much, much more! And, if nothing else, a Substack subscription makes a thoughtful, unique holiday gift.