{"id":3081,"date":"2023-04-27T18:28:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T22:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=3081"},"modified":"2023-04-27T18:37:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T22:37:28","slug":"everybody-needs-a-little-woo-woo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=3081","title":{"rendered":"Everybody Needs a Little Woo-Woo"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

By Deborah Blackwell<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For a long time, I had a shaman on retainer. Call it woo-woo, but it works. I wasn\u2019t unfamiliar with woo-woo; growing up, psychics breezed in and out of my life, as my parents relied on them for any shred of hope they could to have a happier life. We all want to be happy, and we want someone to assure us that we will be. Especially when we\u2019re not.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At first, I didn\u2019t want any part of shamanic woo-woo. Sir Husband and I were deep in the throes of terroristic chaos from a former consort of his trying to wreck our lives. I had no energy for telling the sordid story to anyone, I was simply trying to survive it. Turned out this intuitive, down-to-earth shaman was not only a spiritual guide, healer, teacher, and therapist, she was also a friend and a lifeline for more than a decade. Then, she ditched me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What do you do when you lose a lifeline? I can\u2019t answer for everyone. But I baked a cake.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like a recipe, a shaman gives you steps to follow. A good shaman can help you decide what cake you want to make, and identify ingredients you\u2019ll need. Then, she supports your baking journey from a mystical, big-picture perspective.<\/p>\n

I wish she was there when it came to my first wedding cake. I had to learn on my own that while we all have the potential to connect with our inner woo-woo, sometimes we do need the help of a master baker. A good friend can also fill that role. Like the friend who, on the morning of my first wedding, asked me if I was sure I wanted to marry my ex. I felt the woo-woo rumble, but ignored it and said yes. My intuition and superficial desires were in direct conflict. If I had a shaman back then, she would have likely told me to keep my desires in perspective, listen to my inner knowing, and trust it. A little woo-woo would have saved me from myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve become a better cook since then, or a better listener. I try to tune in to the subtle messages that come in everyday life, the quiet forces that nudge me one way or another, usually for my betterment. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I don\u2019t; my intuition can get pushed aside by human desire or the buy-in to societal norms. Which by the way, we often later choke on.<\/p>\n

In the years I had my shaman, through terrible and good, suffering and triumph, she brought light to the darkness, blew on the embers of hope, and instilled belief beyond knowing. I welcomed her wisdom even when it was uncomfortable to hear. She was also a \u201cseer,\u201d an Indigenous medicine woman whose woo-woo helped heal my body and soul. And that she did. Just not in the way I expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I got salmonella that eventually caused POTS, my shaman insisted I was fine. She argued with me that nothing was wrong when I couldn\u2019t catch my breath. Or function. Or get out of bed. Then, without warning, my woo-woo warrior was gone. Poof. No explanation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to rely on and trust other people more than we trust ourselves. When my shaman disappeared, the gaping hole felt awful. For two long years I struggled and wrestled with my \u201cindependence.\u201dAlthough I\u2019m a certified life coach and helping others comes naturally, I couldn\u2019t seem to help myself.<\/p>\n

Then one day, a good friend who witnessed this desperation said, \u201cOh my God Deb, you need to find some woo-woo.\u201d She was right. It was time to write my own recipe. I had to learn to listen to me, believe me, trust me. I had to pick the ingredients, decide how to mix them, and how long to bake \u2014 and if my cake collapsed, what I needed to change. We can rely on others all we want, but nobody can help us like we can help ourselves. The woo-woo\u2019s inside you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was in my shaman\u2019s departure that I remembered something she said to me early on:<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t always bring peace to you. If you can embrace peace fully, even for just a minute, it will shift everything. Bake a cake. The presence and alchemy of ingredients coming together make something beautiful. That is you.\u201d<\/p>\n

So go ahead, bake a cake. Don\u2019t forget the frosting.<\/p>\n

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