Hygiene for the Soul: Getting to Know Irma Sierra
December 9, 2011
To conclude Sharon’s first experience with Shamanic Healing, she interviewed Irma. Please join us in getting to know our practitioners through these interviews, and introduce yourselves in the comments!
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What do you do at Raksa?: I am a Shamanic healing practitioner – its an ancient paradigm for healing on the blueprint level or energy body level. Shamans see everything coming from emotions. For example; trauma can leave an imprint in the body. It can over time crystallize and continue to attract the same things and experiences. Addictions can manifest and then over time it becomes physical. I like to explain things practically….the treatment is an opportunity to release emotional or soul trauma.
How would someone expect to feel during or after a shamanic healing session?: Each session is unique…one can expect to release of heavy energy and emotions. Wanting to shift, heal or unstuck the patterns, memories and/or pain releasing them from their energy body. Most people feel relaxed sometimes calmer sometimes happy or energized. However addresses things from the past you might feel like you experienced an energetic enema! Like a detox, a feeling low energy can happen. Feeling tired or spaced out from the cleansing of your chakras. Integration time after the session is important. Homework is given after the session to integrate the pieces and help the client become responsible for the healing. It’s a team session – working together to heal. I help you step up to your own healing, there as a guide to help move energy. Its up to the client to show up!
How long have you been a Shamanic Healer ?: I started in 2006 and the training is a 2 year program and I continue to take advanced courses.
Why did you start down the Shamanic Healing journey?: As a young child I always had a spiritual slant but did not know how to articulate it. I always liked the idea of something outside of our world – my grandfather who was a yogi, planted seeds….and it carried over to me. As I got older, things in my life came together and I got depressed while in college. I thought it was my soul or something in me – showing me a quest. The depression moved me to explore different modalities to heal. I went to a healer and I remember thinking “ how can this session work?” ….I was skeptical. The healer gave me homework and did it….went through the motions and a month later I realized that my issues I brought to the session were no longer a problem in my life. It worked to my surprise! And I wanted to learn more. Shamanic Healing is hygiene for the soul…. A spirit tune up.
What attracted you to Raksa?: The energy. The embracing of diversity - of different healing modalities – you can explore healing and wellness from several gifted practitioners. Raksa is a warm and welcoming community.
Where are you from? I was born in Honduras and my roots are in Latin America. I did some traveling and been in Los Angeles for 5 years.
Favorite activities: I enjoy being in nature, love the mountains, hiking, traveling, reading and learning. I really love reading and learning about the spirit, nutrition and healing. I also enjoy music, dancing, the arts and checking out creative events around LA.
Shamanic Healing
December 7, 2011
Today, Sharon shares her experience with shamanic healing. Check back tomorrow for a short interview with our own shamanic practitioner, Irma Sierra.
This week I experienced my first shamanic healing session. Irma, the shamanic practitioner at RakSa set a calm and open tone from the beginning. I was not sure what to expect and just decided to embrace whatever happens. Irma had a beautiful collection of stones and other objects that each had a meaning or represented something for her. She asked me to pick a stone and the session began. Irma cleared the space with beautiful words and flower water – to my understanding calling on powerful animals, mother earth and father sky to create a sacred place for us. Afterwards, as I held onto the stone that I choose, we started talking. I did a lot of talking! Irma delicately guided me to express what I would like to work on, improve, let go of etc. To my surprise – emotions came to the surface almost immediately. As if my most inner self finally got the chance to speak. Challenges with relationships, expectations, and wanting to truly accept things “as they are” came to mind. Irma guided me to use the stone, my breath and awareness to let go of any painful energy. Irma said that everyone experiences the sessions differently, and for me its clear that my spirit, body & mind needed to express itself. Irma continued the session using different healing tools such as feathers, music and sage.
She also gave me some visualizations to explore and some homework to do – to help integrate the session, process and heal the topics that came to the surface. This shamanic healing was powerful and evidently I needed it more than I realized. It is an experience I think everyone would benefit from and most importantly it reminded me to take time to nurture myself. Its so easy for most of us to get caught up in our busy “western” lives and this Shamanic Session took me back to the roots – the basics of taking care of my body, mind and spirit.
This morning, Katherine relates her experience taking our own Tory Jeen Valach’s Interactive Tarot Workshop.
The sala was abuzz with excitement this past Saturday as Tory Jeen Valach led her third Interactive Tarot Workshop in the series of seven.
“Tarot is a beautiful, loving guide and healing tool which can assist each of us in tapping into our own inner wisdom and intuition. We are each born with these inner abilities and using the Tarot is nothing to be afraid of, rather a gentle way to share your feelings and insight with others” she says. As we embarked on our journey to discuss and discover the 10 Minor Arcana Wand cards, I was eager to get started with my first Tarot experience.
I must admit, my previous knowledge of this practice was highly lacking and what I thought I knew came directly from movies and television. This was my opportunity to put those assumptions aside and have a fresh, new experience with an amazing teacher and other Tarot enthusiasts and students.
Tory began by passing out packets that she prepared for each of us, containing a color copy of each card we were to discuss, as well as the traditional meanings. Starting with the Ace of Wands, we took a minute or two to process and observe the card, taking note of what feelings were brought to light during our observation. After, we discussed our interpretations, bouncing thoughts off of each other, expanding on ideas and considering the card from many different, yet connected, viewpoints. We did the same for the remaining nine cards, each discussion becoming more passionate as we students began to feel more comfortable with each other and in trusting our intuition.
Following the analysis of the cards, we split into pairs and performed readings on each other. Tory made her way around the sala, jumping in and reading for each one of us. That was such an amazing bonus! It was very clear at this point how much we had learned; here we were, reading for others without notes or pamphlets. We simply felt the cards and spoke from the heart.
My first Tarot experience was enlightening, informative and transformational. This is a healing modality that I am eager to pursue and will definitely be attending Tory’s workshops in the future and am looking extremely forward to a private reading. Although the cards spoke to me in many different ways, they never failed to speak and that, to me, is the largest testament of their power and capacity.
