Introduction

A shaman is one who walks in two worlds:
one seen easily by everyone,
another seen with the senses of the heart,
deep recesses of the mind,
and within the collective spiritual consciousness.

My inspiration for gardening and for writing this book comes from childhood memories I wish to preserve. I want to recapture the intense feelings of joy felt from the sight of butterflies, hearing the songs of birds or walking in green meadows filled with beautiful flowers.

I had the good fortune of growing up with a natural abundance of food that came from our family’s land. My father was an environmentalist who loved to plant tree crops. A past president of the American Nut Growers Association, he grew walnut, hickory, chestnut, plum, apricot, mulberry, apple and pear trees, which supplied a generous variety of great food. Along the edges of woods and pastures, Dad planted blueberries, blackberries, red raspberries and boysenberries. Next to a regular selection of vegetables were currants and gooseberry bushes with additional stands of asparagus and rhubarb. This diet of fresh, homegrown food provided a magnetic energy of vitality that sustains my well-being today.

We are what we eat. A regular diet of foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals and protein contributes to a long life, charged with energy and strength. Today, scientists from many disciplines are searching the planet for high-nutritional edibles, while indigenous people from the rainforests of Africa, Asia and South America are sharing their ancient knowledge of native plants with traditional uses.

I have a lifelong passion for gardening and spirituality and have continually sought knowledge from different cultures. My original education in cultural anthropology sparked my interest in the lifestyles of ancient indigenous people and illuminated, for me, their deep personal relationship with nature as the source of life and their belief in the sacredness of all things. The power of the sun, the moon, the four sacred directions, animals, and medicine plants were honored through songs, rituals of gratitude and sacred ceremonies.

As a result of these studies, I was drawn to study extensively with two exceptional indigenous women—Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch and Morrnah Simeona. In the winter of 1981, I met Grandmother, an internationally known teacher of traditional teachings of the ancient Seneca people. I became a student of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, and for the next 10 years I studied ancient indigenous practices with Grandmother at the Cattaraugus Reservation near Buffalo, New York.

Grandmother taught me how to walk on the earth in a balanced, peaceful way. During days of teaching, Grandmother connected me to those who had sustained the teachings through eons of time. She taught me ways to observe the natural world with inner vision, and the importance of honoring all creation with every step. She stretched my mind toward peaceful responses to every challenge in life, and she continually demonstrated the art of gratitude and another core belief of all indigenous people: As we breathe, we are one in the breath with all creation.

Through Grandmother, I became aware of one of the oldest traditions of sustainability, the Seven Generations concept. This is a common theme in indigenous cultures. Whenever you plant or create something, you consider whether or not the actions will work for your children, and their children, until seven generations into the future.

Near the end of our time together, Grandmother asked me to be a Keeper of the teachings of the ancient Seneca people. These are teachings that have been passed on directly from Senecas for thousands of years. This ancient wisdom helps one to understand the purpose of the soul and one’s true relationship to the earth. My purpose is Joy.

My studies with Morrnah Simeona began in 1980. She was an internationally known healer and teacher of the wisdom of the ancient Hawaiian people—a kahuna. Once a month for seven years, I studied with her and learned ancient shamanic clearing techniques for personal relationships, land toxicity and energetic entities.

In 1976, I began to study and practice dowsing, attending annual workshops with the American Association for Dowsers for many years, learning under countless teachers. Dowsing is simply asking a question internally using a tool such as a pendulum or a dowsing rod, and getting a yes or no answer. Dowsing trains you to learn to communicate with your intuition. As a gardener, I use it every day.

Energy studies led me into the study of herbs, Bach flower and flower-essence knowledge, and color healing. I studied three levels of reiki with Virginia Samdahl, therapeutic touch with Dolores Krieger, acupuncture, shiatsu with Shizuko Yamamoto, magnified healing, and many more healing modalities related to working with energies that influence the well-being of the physical body, the emotions, the mind and the energies of the earth, and sustainable practice. Once you understand the energetic power points in your body, it is that much easier to understand the energetic power points in your garden.

I spent a decade as a sensory integration therapist and environmental therapist in the occupational therapy department at a state hospital, where I observed how changes in the environment can impact the mental, emotional, and social development of a person.

I began my formal studying in 1990 with His Holiness Grand-master Professor Lin Yun, the founder and past leader of Black Sect Tantric Buddhism (Black Hat Feng Shui). By that time, I had already been using and teaching many of the basic concepts of feng shui related to color, the elements, natural energies, and making changes in individual environments.

My journey continued in 1991 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama: I attended a 14-day Kalachakra empowerment in New York City and a symposium in Costa Rica, “The Meaning of Peace,” where His Holiness the Dalai Lama gathered religious leaders from all religions to share their thoughts on the truth of peace.

The life of a shaman is a personal journey that knows there is an all-encompassing love and harmony that permeates everything. Peace and joy can be felt in the understanding that All is One, One is All. This book was written to share my journey, with an open invitation to create and walk your own shamanic journey in gratitude and honor.

I founded the Shambhalla Institute in 1991 for the study and application of how environment directly impacts the quality of life. My daughter Kim Colwell and I built the Shambhalla Institute to bring tools through consultation and training that would allow people to transform their spaces using shamanic, sustainable, psychological, feng shui and interior design principles. It is the combination of these modalities that will help you to make your own transformation in your garden spaces.

I honor your journey to express personal, emotional and spiritual goals.