What is Spirit Medicine?
by Monté Gagné

At its core, Spirit Medicine is designed to work alongside someone to support their wellbeing on every level.

Spirit Medicine is a healing modality based largely in the traditional shamanic practices of the indigenous medicine people of Peru. At its core, Spirit Medicine is designed to work alongside someone to support their wellbeing on every level. It is based on the foundational belief that good health stems not only from a healthy mind and body, but also from a balanced free-flowing energy body that is connected and open to Spirit. In this sense, Spirit refers to the infinitely powerful, awesome and mysterious energy of the Universe of which we are all a part.

What can you expect after booking an appointment? Most sessions will begin with calling on the directions for support. This is often called “opening sacred space” and is a practice used all over the world by many cultures and traditions. The directions represent many aspects of life to many people, from the elements of nature to different sacred animals, ancestors, colours, etc. In my practice, the focus is on gathering up and connecting the energies of the physical body (South), the mental emotional body (West), the individual soul aspect as well as the ancestors and future generations (North), the Great Spirit or All that is (East) the Earth Mother (below) and Sky Father (above). When these forces are centred, aligned, and working in harmony, it can be very empowering and lead to insights, release, deeper clarity, and healing on multiple levels. Simply calling on the directions is a healing practice in and of itself.

At the beginning of each session, there will be a brief dialogue and sharing of information, but most of the work in this type of practice takes place at the level of the energetic, beyond the realm of words. It is understood that any clearing or shifts in the energy body will also lead to change in the mental, emotional, and the physical self, as they are all connected. These adjustments may continue to ripple forward long after the session is over.

During a session, a person will likely be asked to use their breath to help move and release energy. Often this is done through working with a specific energy centre or chakra linked to the physical body. I am a full mesa carrier, which means I work with 13 medicine stones that I have gathered over my years of study and initiation. These stones have all been blessed and anointed in ceremonies by my teachers and have also been part of my own personal healing. Usually a person will be asked to choose one stone to work with for each visit. Not only are the stones beautiful, but they are very good at anchoring and holding energy while an individual does their work. Other tools that can often come into play during a session are feathers, rattles, drums, bells, scented water, smudging smoke, crystals, and toning.

Journeying on behalf of others is also one of the skills of the shaman and is an important part of my practice. Journey work can lead to visiting the underworld, the middle world, or the upper world. Sometimes there will be lost energy in these worlds to be retrieved and brought home for a client, whereas other times there will be energy to be expelled and released. All of us function best when our energy bodies are intact and whole, with neither extra nor missing parts. Teaching methods for maintaining and clearing personal energy fields is also part of the practice of Spirit Medicine.

Because this is deeply intuitive work, no two sessions will be exactly alike. Depending on what an individual is ready for or interested in working on as well as what comes up in the moment, the work can be very subtle and gentle or sometimes large energetic shifts can occur. It is always recommended to follow up an appointment with excellent self care. This can include taking sea salt and baking soda baths, hydrating and flushing with extra water, extra sleep, or any other self-nourishing practice that can help to anchor the work and complete any processes that may have been set in motion.

My path toward working as a healer has stemmed largely from my own need for healing as well as my strong vision of living in a more healed and healthy world. Over the past decade of my life, I have studied Reiki with Kathleen MacKay, Universal Healing with Christine Harrington, YogaDance with Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Cherokee Body Work with Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona, Healing the Light Body with Dr. Alberto Villoldo, and Qigong with Deborah Davis. My primary teacher is Deborah Wray who currently lives in Virginia, MA. She is the founder of The Gateway School of Shamanism and is the teacher with whom I have done advanced mentorship work. In 2012, I journeyed with Deborah to Peru to connect with and source from the land plant medicine and the lineage there. It is my intention to continue to study and learn from the deepest sources I can find, as well as to offer and share what I have learned in the spirit of love compassion and kindness to all.

Monté Gagné can be contacted in Saskatoon by phone (306) 371-2974 or email: prairieshaman@outlook.com. You can also find her on Facebook. Also, see her colour display ad on page 33 of the 19.5 January/February issue of the WHOLifE Journal.