I'm so happy to see someone else finding this issue so complex as to feel hesitant to speak out! And I've long believed that providing spiritual tools is an important component of change; I even go so far as to believe it's more about energy and that shifting our own and helping others to shift theirs so the overall energy field is impacted is possibly the most important contribution. I also get that many people, even including lots of spiritual seekers, don't believe in the power of those things...
I agree with all you're saying. It's easy to become overwhelmed and downhearted. We can't deal with everything, everywhere, and every day. We need to keep our sanity and tend to our survival and well-being before we can assist others. I no longer offer therapies due to chronic health issues. I do what I can, where I am and with what I have. I only travel abroad to see my parents. So many spiritual practitioners travel the world to teach which is admirable. However, by doing so they contribute to global warming and all its associated ills. I've come across spiritual teachers from one end of the globe teaching at sacred sites at the other end of the world. Is this wise or necessary? This is where the term industry comes in. It doesn't sit right with me. What if local people taught local practices to local people? That would make much more sense to me.
Hi Sue, I am also guilty of flying around but there are complex reasons for that. I teach ancestral Northern European spirituality. A lot of people with Norse/Germanic ancestry are spread all over the planet (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc.) When I teach in Wisconsin (USA), a large room fills with people who know that they cannot "steal Native American" spirituality (as that is counter-cultural appropriation) so they ask themselves what their ancestors did. In this case I fly across the Atlantic so 30 people are not going to fly the other way. (And many could never afford to fly the other way and access the material through in-person teaching). We are even trying to schedule courses back to back so I fly back and forth only once for two courses, which mean working with 60 students in total.... Many people don't stay local these days! That is an issue....
Ot is indeed! I'm originally from Germany but I have lived in England for 37 years, much longer than I did in Germany. I'm interested in the Northern tradition which is mine by birth, but I'm also interested in the Celtic tradition. Is that cultural appropriation? I hope not. I think I've earned the right to feel British by osmosis. I know many places such as Ireland are swarming with Americans wanting to trace their ancestry. Luckily, the Irish are very welcoming. I wouldn't be so patient, to be honest. At least you're teaching about your own culture. I've come across Americans for example, doing workshops in Glastonbury about Avalon. Really? It's not their business as far as I'm concerned. I'd go with a native teacher instead.
Thank you for writing and sharing this. I have found, personally as an HSP, I have to limit the amount of time I can engage with war and conflict across the world. It's not that I don't engage, but I have to place boundaries around that engagement. I remember when Russian troops invaded Ukraine at the start of this round of conflict and war. I sat at my kitchen table and wept. I thought of what so many of our ancestors went through in WW2, their deaths and stories still so alive in my ancestral field. For war to come to Europe after so many years of relative peace.
I think of the conversations with my dear friend, Bashka, an 85 years, a Jewish wise woman born in Brooklyn of Latvian Russian immigrants, now living in Ohio. Her grandfather was a Rabbi.. her mother and grandmother sight seers. .Many of her wider family murdered in the Holocaust. She is so against what Israel is doing is Gaza, and does speak out about it. She, like me, finds it astonishing that so many Israelis whose ancestors died in the Holocaust, are now supporting the genocide against the Palestinians..She speaks plainly. She remembers when she lived in Israel in the late 50s, early 60s how her Israeli family treated her as second class, despite the fact her parents had financially supported them for years.
I listen to my Palestinian academic colleagues at work speak out about the racism they've experienced in academia down the years and the pain and trauma they are experiencing daily. They write about it eloquently in the Financial Times and other publications.
Yes, the world is at war. We are living in a time where there in more armed conflict taking place at any time since the end of WW2. We are moving towards the rise of totalitarianism, threats towards democracy (which has it's flaws but is still a young political system in the grand scheme of history) and increased risks to peace in Europe.
America is already in a stade of civil war and armed conflict between it's citizens in everything but name.
And what can I do? There are so many battles, so many frontlines on which to fight or take action.
I start by thinking what is in my personal sphere of control and influence?
So I befriend the 50 year Sudanese old HR professional who fled for his life with his family from Khartoum, and then once they were in relative safety, made the difficult choice to fly to France, spend weeks in the camps at Calais, and risk his life in a small boat, nearly drowning off the coast of Dover before being picked up and ending up in Brighton. He's finally been granted asylum as his faced certain death in Sudan, and is now trying to find a way for his family to join him (wife and four children under 14) and get a job.
This is my way of taking action without becoming overwhelmed..That and keeping heart centred and connecting with compassion.
Spiritual work, death doula work, ancestral healing work, can become exhausting if not practised with care and clear boundary setting. Spiritual workers and healers have to be able to do this. Some.of us do this work pro bono or low cost on top of a full time job. But those who devote their whole lives to this work full time have to be able to make a living..The Anglican church employs their spiritual workers, their vicars etc. and gives them a roof over there head in many cases. It may be low paid. But it is still paid.
This has been a bit of rambled response to your essay, but much to think about.
I hear you! And I am HUGELY in favour of boundaries. So much so that I am rethinking my boundaries almost weekly, because things move so fast and norms are also moving fast. If I am to be the Eye of the Storm I must practice self care and periods solitude, silent time without all this washing over me. We must all replenish our well, if we are to do what we can.... X
Thank you for taking time to even draw near to this subject Imelda, I can FEEL the effort it took, and I appreciate you. From one spiritual practitioner to another, I feel we all have a different part to play in this world, and if we try to do “it all” that’s obviously not only completely impossible and therefore utterly demoralising ( not good for ANYone) but also misses the gift of each of our unique offering. A lot of my focus is on that, encouraging, inspiring and supporting others with their unique contribution. We all play our part and when it comes from a place of spiritual connection and surrender, our collective power for good is enormous. Much love and companionship Imelda, from Jo’s friend Beth ❤️
I agree with you!! And please give my love to Jo. I stand guilty of flying to the USA and back without writing her a proper (handwritten) letter! :( Wild blessings from a Swedish Forest!
A very thorough article, written with real compassion and thank you for expanding it to a more 360-degree vision. I do wish you wouldn’t have thrown the “genocide” accusation around quite as quickly, and maybe spend some more time on how Hamas inflates death numbers and how the UN just recently had to officially decrease the death toll issued by Hamas by no less than 10,000. This is not to disregard the victims of conflict in Gaza by any means. But how can you help Gazan children who are paraded in front of cameras as the ultimate marketing tool for a terror group to stay alive and continue what they started? Have you taken into consideration the indoctrination by Hamas of its own children as a form of a spiritual superimposition? So yes we want to cloth, feed, care for and protect all children in Gaza and elsewhere, but what to do if these children are ultimately thrown into the fangs of (any) extreme form of religion that sees their death as a necessary sacrifice for the greater goal of destroying Jews / infidels / gays / moderates / Christians…? The world must come to terms that this conflict is an expression of not just a territorial quarrel but a form of spiritual warfare made physical that goes to the very core of our understanding of who and what we are in this universe.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! The key issue I was answering this time was the accusation thrown at spiritual teachers. I am not a political commentator - I am a teacher of Seidr and Sacred Art. Substack kept warning me that the essay was way too long, so I cut out five lengthy paragraphs before pressing "send". All the points you make are completely valid (!!), but they all deserve in-depth essays covering those issues in great detail. Maybe you will write an essay of your own in response? Thank you again!
Thank you for writing something that very clearly and eloquently voices what I have not been able to put into words as a shamanic practitioner. My work is done every day, whether I have clients or not. I feel that the work I do in private, in prayer, in ceremony far outweighs any statement I could make on social media. I am not a famous spiritual leader or teacher and when I’ve contemplated speaking out about the conflict between Israel and Palestine I’ve felt unsafe to do so, not to mention, unqualified. I will continue to work on healing my clients, myself, the earth, and the cosmic grids in good conscience. Sending you much love and appreciation. Francine
Dear Francine, absolutely vital shamanic work is done by people who are not in the public eye. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge how important that daily, steady, spirit-led work is. Thank you! Sending you much love and appreciation right back today! Imelda
Thank you dear Imelda. I do not know if we have seen the same post but I have seen a very similar one. It has sat with me too. Thank you for the exhaustive research you have carried out for this essay. I like Lucya have primarily remained silent due to lack of enough knowledge and as you say so well the many complexities it brings with it. Aside of all the conflicts in the world near and far the issue of charging and fees seems to forever rumble on in our world. I like you have causes close to my heart where no fee or very reduced fee have been charged yet as you say why do we need to say so? Conflicts are not only war as is happening in Palestine and many other places but as you say the day to day reality for many whether that be domestic violence, knife crime or one of the many other harsh realities of life so many live with. I think your words will be rambling around inside me throughout the day.
Thank you Lyn! On the ultimate level I believe that external conflicts are externalisations of internal conflicts and ancestral trauma held in human minds. I am not sure I am ready to write an essay about that any time soon though! I was reminding my students here in Sweden very recently that the Dutch word for war, OORLOG is etymologically related to the Old Norse word Ørlög. Make of that whatever you will... Another essay for another day when I am feeling brave.... Bear Hug to you! XXX
I think you do a great job. All this suffering by ordinary people who are generally pawns of more powerful people is about power imbalance. In your spiritual work as you have said healing holy work of becoming whole light filled beings works at the heart of this joined with all good people who are aware or even not aware of their true divine nature are addressing this. We need more! And it is fundamental and addressing root issues.
Hi Nicky, yes there is so much to say about (dark) power structures. One dimension I left out of my essay was power struggles because of political interest in the region by other big players on the world stage. Then again, I will leave it to the real experts to write a book about all this... Thank you!
Yeah, the reason I've not blogged about the situation is primarily because I'm nowhere close to being sufficiently expert on the topic to write an influential post about it. I have donated money to charities helping victims of conflict.
I'm so happy to see someone else finding this issue so complex as to feel hesitant to speak out! And I've long believed that providing spiritual tools is an important component of change; I even go so far as to believe it's more about energy and that shifting our own and helping others to shift theirs so the overall energy field is impacted is possibly the most important contribution. I also get that many people, even including lots of spiritual seekers, don't believe in the power of those things...
Thank you, I agree that all beginnings happen energetically before they take material form. So energy work is more important than it "seems"!
I agree with all you're saying. It's easy to become overwhelmed and downhearted. We can't deal with everything, everywhere, and every day. We need to keep our sanity and tend to our survival and well-being before we can assist others. I no longer offer therapies due to chronic health issues. I do what I can, where I am and with what I have. I only travel abroad to see my parents. So many spiritual practitioners travel the world to teach which is admirable. However, by doing so they contribute to global warming and all its associated ills. I've come across spiritual teachers from one end of the globe teaching at sacred sites at the other end of the world. Is this wise or necessary? This is where the term industry comes in. It doesn't sit right with me. What if local people taught local practices to local people? That would make much more sense to me.
Hi Sue, I am also guilty of flying around but there are complex reasons for that. I teach ancestral Northern European spirituality. A lot of people with Norse/Germanic ancestry are spread all over the planet (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc.) When I teach in Wisconsin (USA), a large room fills with people who know that they cannot "steal Native American" spirituality (as that is counter-cultural appropriation) so they ask themselves what their ancestors did. In this case I fly across the Atlantic so 30 people are not going to fly the other way. (And many could never afford to fly the other way and access the material through in-person teaching). We are even trying to schedule courses back to back so I fly back and forth only once for two courses, which mean working with 60 students in total.... Many people don't stay local these days! That is an issue....
Ot is indeed! I'm originally from Germany but I have lived in England for 37 years, much longer than I did in Germany. I'm interested in the Northern tradition which is mine by birth, but I'm also interested in the Celtic tradition. Is that cultural appropriation? I hope not. I think I've earned the right to feel British by osmosis. I know many places such as Ireland are swarming with Americans wanting to trace their ancestry. Luckily, the Irish are very welcoming. I wouldn't be so patient, to be honest. At least you're teaching about your own culture. I've come across Americans for example, doing workshops in Glastonbury about Avalon. Really? It's not their business as far as I'm concerned. I'd go with a native teacher instead.
Thank you for writing and sharing this. I have found, personally as an HSP, I have to limit the amount of time I can engage with war and conflict across the world. It's not that I don't engage, but I have to place boundaries around that engagement. I remember when Russian troops invaded Ukraine at the start of this round of conflict and war. I sat at my kitchen table and wept. I thought of what so many of our ancestors went through in WW2, their deaths and stories still so alive in my ancestral field. For war to come to Europe after so many years of relative peace.
I think of the conversations with my dear friend, Bashka, an 85 years, a Jewish wise woman born in Brooklyn of Latvian Russian immigrants, now living in Ohio. Her grandfather was a Rabbi.. her mother and grandmother sight seers. .Many of her wider family murdered in the Holocaust. She is so against what Israel is doing is Gaza, and does speak out about it. She, like me, finds it astonishing that so many Israelis whose ancestors died in the Holocaust, are now supporting the genocide against the Palestinians..She speaks plainly. She remembers when she lived in Israel in the late 50s, early 60s how her Israeli family treated her as second class, despite the fact her parents had financially supported them for years.
I listen to my Palestinian academic colleagues at work speak out about the racism they've experienced in academia down the years and the pain and trauma they are experiencing daily. They write about it eloquently in the Financial Times and other publications.
Yes, the world is at war. We are living in a time where there in more armed conflict taking place at any time since the end of WW2. We are moving towards the rise of totalitarianism, threats towards democracy (which has it's flaws but is still a young political system in the grand scheme of history) and increased risks to peace in Europe.
America is already in a stade of civil war and armed conflict between it's citizens in everything but name.
And what can I do? There are so many battles, so many frontlines on which to fight or take action.
I start by thinking what is in my personal sphere of control and influence?
So I befriend the 50 year Sudanese old HR professional who fled for his life with his family from Khartoum, and then once they were in relative safety, made the difficult choice to fly to France, spend weeks in the camps at Calais, and risk his life in a small boat, nearly drowning off the coast of Dover before being picked up and ending up in Brighton. He's finally been granted asylum as his faced certain death in Sudan, and is now trying to find a way for his family to join him (wife and four children under 14) and get a job.
This is my way of taking action without becoming overwhelmed..That and keeping heart centred and connecting with compassion.
Spiritual work, death doula work, ancestral healing work, can become exhausting if not practised with care and clear boundary setting. Spiritual workers and healers have to be able to do this. Some.of us do this work pro bono or low cost on top of a full time job. But those who devote their whole lives to this work full time have to be able to make a living..The Anglican church employs their spiritual workers, their vicars etc. and gives them a roof over there head in many cases. It may be low paid. But it is still paid.
This has been a bit of rambled response to your essay, but much to think about.
I hear you! And I am HUGELY in favour of boundaries. So much so that I am rethinking my boundaries almost weekly, because things move so fast and norms are also moving fast. If I am to be the Eye of the Storm I must practice self care and periods solitude, silent time without all this washing over me. We must all replenish our well, if we are to do what we can.... X
Thank you for taking time to even draw near to this subject Imelda, I can FEEL the effort it took, and I appreciate you. From one spiritual practitioner to another, I feel we all have a different part to play in this world, and if we try to do “it all” that’s obviously not only completely impossible and therefore utterly demoralising ( not good for ANYone) but also misses the gift of each of our unique offering. A lot of my focus is on that, encouraging, inspiring and supporting others with their unique contribution. We all play our part and when it comes from a place of spiritual connection and surrender, our collective power for good is enormous. Much love and companionship Imelda, from Jo’s friend Beth ❤️
I agree with you!! And please give my love to Jo. I stand guilty of flying to the USA and back without writing her a proper (handwritten) letter! :( Wild blessings from a Swedish Forest!
A very thorough article, written with real compassion and thank you for expanding it to a more 360-degree vision. I do wish you wouldn’t have thrown the “genocide” accusation around quite as quickly, and maybe spend some more time on how Hamas inflates death numbers and how the UN just recently had to officially decrease the death toll issued by Hamas by no less than 10,000. This is not to disregard the victims of conflict in Gaza by any means. But how can you help Gazan children who are paraded in front of cameras as the ultimate marketing tool for a terror group to stay alive and continue what they started? Have you taken into consideration the indoctrination by Hamas of its own children as a form of a spiritual superimposition? So yes we want to cloth, feed, care for and protect all children in Gaza and elsewhere, but what to do if these children are ultimately thrown into the fangs of (any) extreme form of religion that sees their death as a necessary sacrifice for the greater goal of destroying Jews / infidels / gays / moderates / Christians…? The world must come to terms that this conflict is an expression of not just a territorial quarrel but a form of spiritual warfare made physical that goes to the very core of our understanding of who and what we are in this universe.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! The key issue I was answering this time was the accusation thrown at spiritual teachers. I am not a political commentator - I am a teacher of Seidr and Sacred Art. Substack kept warning me that the essay was way too long, so I cut out five lengthy paragraphs before pressing "send". All the points you make are completely valid (!!), but they all deserve in-depth essays covering those issues in great detail. Maybe you will write an essay of your own in response? Thank you again!
Yes I may. Though Substack does seem to favor short palatable pieces rather than in depth analysis so maybe back to word press! 😂
Thank you Imelda. Beautifully put
All my best wishes to you Kim! Thank you!
Dear Imelda,
Thank you for writing something that very clearly and eloquently voices what I have not been able to put into words as a shamanic practitioner. My work is done every day, whether I have clients or not. I feel that the work I do in private, in prayer, in ceremony far outweighs any statement I could make on social media. I am not a famous spiritual leader or teacher and when I’ve contemplated speaking out about the conflict between Israel and Palestine I’ve felt unsafe to do so, not to mention, unqualified. I will continue to work on healing my clients, myself, the earth, and the cosmic grids in good conscience. Sending you much love and appreciation. Francine
Dear Francine, absolutely vital shamanic work is done by people who are not in the public eye. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge how important that daily, steady, spirit-led work is. Thank you! Sending you much love and appreciation right back today! Imelda
Thank you dear Imelda. I do not know if we have seen the same post but I have seen a very similar one. It has sat with me too. Thank you for the exhaustive research you have carried out for this essay. I like Lucya have primarily remained silent due to lack of enough knowledge and as you say so well the many complexities it brings with it. Aside of all the conflicts in the world near and far the issue of charging and fees seems to forever rumble on in our world. I like you have causes close to my heart where no fee or very reduced fee have been charged yet as you say why do we need to say so? Conflicts are not only war as is happening in Palestine and many other places but as you say the day to day reality for many whether that be domestic violence, knife crime or one of the many other harsh realities of life so many live with. I think your words will be rambling around inside me throughout the day.
Thank you Lyn! On the ultimate level I believe that external conflicts are externalisations of internal conflicts and ancestral trauma held in human minds. I am not sure I am ready to write an essay about that any time soon though! I was reminding my students here in Sweden very recently that the Dutch word for war, OORLOG is etymologically related to the Old Norse word Ørlög. Make of that whatever you will... Another essay for another day when I am feeling brave.... Bear Hug to you! XXX
I think you do a great job. All this suffering by ordinary people who are generally pawns of more powerful people is about power imbalance. In your spiritual work as you have said healing holy work of becoming whole light filled beings works at the heart of this joined with all good people who are aware or even not aware of their true divine nature are addressing this. We need more! And it is fundamental and addressing root issues.
Hi Nicky, yes there is so much to say about (dark) power structures. One dimension I left out of my essay was power struggles because of political interest in the region by other big players on the world stage. Then again, I will leave it to the real experts to write a book about all this... Thank you!
Yeah, the reason I've not blogged about the situation is primarily because I'm nowhere close to being sufficiently expert on the topic to write an influential post about it. I have donated money to charities helping victims of conflict.
I hear you! And supporting reputable charities is always a good move.
Well said!
Thank you Caitlin! I am grateful that the first response here is supportive!