Walking the traditional shamanistic path created a bit of a conflict for me: Wodan, Frigg, and others aren't in that lore. Or are they? How to reconcile walking a path that does not venerate the spirits that called me to it?

By going back to the beginning of course.

So welcome back to the campfire! This episode is me trying to outline how I came to a reconciliation on how to walk one path while not believing in things the way others do brings me to the oldest path of all.

The dream is real. It starts there.

Okay, the wyrm did go away I'll give it that. I shouldn't be surprised where it might have gone, but I was... and that prompted me to think about animism, the corruption of the concept, and then ultimately I started to think about those sexy angels.

Take a trip with me from hell to heaven and how science backs it all up.

In this episode, Spearcarrier opens up about a tumultuous return to—and swift departure from—a commercial shaman school. After feeling "poked off the dragonfly branch" and losing connection to the spirits, a moment of intervention from the spirit world itself turns everything around.

We explore the differences between the expensive, "cookie-cutter" Western shamanic training and the more traditional Ulchi belief that spirits, not schools, select and train the shaman. Spearcarrier discusses the dangers of the commercialized path, the importance of finding a listening elder rather than a guru, and what it means to be a "small shaman" healing in a quiet house.

Topics Covered:

• The decision to leave a shamanic school after less than 24 hours.
• How a spirit blocked my sight to get my attention (and how I got it back).
• Discovering the Ulchi path and its parallels to my own upbringing.
• The problem with "spiritual humvees" and pay-to-play shamanism in the West.
• Healing from spiritual wounds and the value of taking it one day at a time.