my journey

There are many names for those of us who connect the physical and nonphysical worlds, and can Journey to the Spirit realms to find answers, teaching and healing for the benefit of ourselves and others. Each indigenous culture has their own name but we, in the west, do not have our own identity. The word shaman has been adapted for this purpose but does not belong to us. I describe my practice as facilitating healing through the shamanic arts.

My deepening personal spiritual journey began in 1992 with Wallace Black Elk, the Lakota Elder. I did my first Inipi (Sweatlodge), asking that my feet be placed on my spiritual path, and my life changed. After searching for meaning in my spiritual life, I’d finally found a place to start. Nothing in my life has been the same since that Inipi.

In 1994, I found my spiritual community. Between 1994 and 2008 we gathered through the year and in the summers to do traditional Lakota ceremony. Through Hanblecya (Vision Quests) I connected with my Helping Spirits and Guides. I learned respect for traditional practices and developed deep gratitude for the elders who held these ways at great personal risk so they could be preserved and so that others, like me, could begin to find our way to our True Selves and to our direct connection with the Creator.

I began exploring shamanic practices in 2014. I discovered the depth and breadth of core shamanism and that it is seamless with the experiences I gained through my 25 years of practicing Lakota spirituality. In 2021, I completed a 3-year program of Shamanic Practitioner Training.

Studying shamanic practices has been rewarding, enriching and healing. There is so much we, in our western society, don’t know about our Spiritual nature, our True Selves and our ability to connect directly to the Spirit Realms for healing. When an illness is spiritual in nature, healing must be spiritual as well. Discovering the healing possible through these practices has led me to open my own practice. I’m privileged to offer healing through the shamanic arts. Please reach out to me if you’re interested in exploring what this process has to offer to you.

Andrea Coates Vinson