Solstice Blessings

Hi all

I just wanted to wish all my friends many blessings on Solstice or for Yule or Christmas ... whatever you personally are celebrating may your celebrations be wonderful!

There seems to be something interesting going on here with a pile of food and presents appearing. I wonder which one is for me? I do so love this time of year!

Many blessings to all Indie Shaman subscribers and customers; to all Indie Shaman Facebook friends and my personal Facebook friends.

Many blessings also and many thanks to all at Minuteman Press Bristol for looking after me so well during my visit and to everyone else I have visited over the past year.

And last but most certainly not least Many Blessings to all my friends who are reading this because they follow my blog.

As you can see I intend to take it easy over the holidays. I found a lovely little cot (it rocks you know!) that was made by June's Dad for her daughter's dolls when she was a little girl. So I have my own space all set up now with a bed as well as my chair - both are really comfy!

This evening we have candles lit all around the room for Solstice to help bring the light back. Not much light out there at the moment so maybe I should fetch a few more.

Happy Solstice everybody! And many bright blessings for the Coming Year!

Ezekiel
aka Shaman Sham the Wandering Hedgehog
(who is currently all wrapped up in the warm planning next year's adventures!)

Printing the magazine and protecting the environment

Now I’ve learned all about printing the Indie Shaman magazine with many thanks to everyone at Minuteman Press Bristol. It’s been fascinating watching their expertise at work and as I’m very nearly an expert now too I look forward to being able to advise June, the editor, when I get back home.

Here I am doing a post-press spot check of colours and print. All in order so on to the next stage.

When the print run is complete it’s time to collate, staple, fold and trim the edges.

All done! Just time to box the magazines. Oh, and what a great image on the front of this particular edition!

Just time for a chat with Peter about Minuteman Press’s all important environmental policy. Like Indie Shaman, Minuteman Press Bristol recognises that there is a great responsibility in printing magazines so they use only FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified paper. This means the paper is sourced from sustainable forests. A sustainable forest is one where felled trees are replaced by new trees. It will contain trees of all ages and care is also taken to ensure the safety of any wildlife there.

All the paper used by Minuteman Press Bristol is EU sourced as well as FSC certificated. Sourcing things as locally as possible helps carbon emissions – June told me that was important. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when people (I nearly said ‘we’ then but to be honest its people that do it not hedgehogs) burn fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are used in transporting things to different places so it’s much better if you can source things locally or from as least far away as possible. In nature’s cycle carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants and trees, which is one reason sustainable forestry is so important. But the trees can’t keep up with the amount of carbon dioxide people produce which is why it’s equally important to think of the ‘carbon footprint’ of everything you do.

Peter told me that the inks they use for printing are vegetable based too. We then had an interesting talk about plastic bags because Minuteman won’t accept orders to print them and Indie Shaman don’t stock them. I don’t like plastic bags either as my cousin hedgehogs in the wild can get stuck in them when they are discarded as litter and suffocate or starve.

As a hedgehog it’s always good to know that some people care about things like the environment and plastic bags. Maybe one day all people will but possibly all people aren’t as wise as hedgehogs yet. Well we do pass down our wisdom through the generations and we are quite ancient animals having been around for about 15 million years!

Visiting Minuteman Press Bristol to find out how our Indie Shaman magazine is made

Hi everyone

I was very happy to hear that Peter Wise, Director of Minuteman Press Bristol, had said to June Kent on Twitter that they would be happy to have me visit them to learn all about printing magazines and to give a hand with printing the Indie Shaman Shamanic Lifestyle Magazine. Peter said they had a desk and seat and cardboard box with straw all ready for me!

Having written a couple of articles for the magazine about my adventures I was very excited to get the opportunity to learn all about how the magazine is produced. June, who is the editor of the magazine, says she likes Minuteman Press because they are local, helpful, friendly and very efficient. In fact I have heard her say that without their help there wouldn’t be an Indie Shaman Magazine as ‘she hadn’t a clue when she started’ and that would have be a great pity as the shamanic lifestyle magazine is pretty popular now! She also likes their ‘environmental policy’ as things like that are very important to Indie Shaman so I am hoping to talk to Peter about what this is and learn a bit more about it.

In the first photo above I am helping one of the graphic design team make sure that the latest edition of Indie Shaman looks crisp and clear and that the colours are as they should be.

After a final few adjustments and a paw to the start button the press roars into life. Yes I started the latest Indie Shaman print-run!

Hot off the press the latest run of Indie Shaman is expertly (following intensive training) supervised by me.

Here I am having a well earned lunch break shared with Tom, Peter’s son and Minuteman Press’s youngest employee. Peter said I do eat a lot of worms but I was happy to share Tom’s food too.

Its pretty tiring learning all about printing but I’ve been having great fun. Next I’m learning about post production checks, bindery and despatch so I’ll be back to blog about them and the all very important environmental policy soon.

In the meantime I've had a telephone call from June who said that she has been learning about Seidr Shamanism which sounds pretty interesting. If you would like to learn more about Seidr June is interviewing Runic John for the next edition of the magazine so send her any questions you have and she could include them in the interview! June can be contacted via Indie Shaman or I don't mind if you post any questions in the comments on here.

With many blessings

(and not very inky paws thanks to all at Minuteman Press!)

Ezekiel

Pagan Federation 40th Anniversary Event

Merry meet and bright blessings.

What a wonderful atmosphere there was at the Pagan Federation 40^th Anniversary Event last Saturday and what lovely people there were there. I met lots of new friends who all seemed very happy to meet me and hear about my travels.

I got my chair set up on the Indie Shaman stall straight away as I wanted to get a good position where I could see everyone. The stall was very busy with people being especially interested in the Magazine. We also sold out of some of the large Fair Trade shamanic drums so June has to get more soon! It was also lovely to meet a new member, Graeme, in person who joined up on the day.

Getting a hug from Mike

I was very pleased to get the opportunity to meet Mike Stygal and get a manly hug which was great after knowing him online for so long. It’s difficult to sum up all of Mike’s work in few words but he was there as one of the Pagan Federation’s event organizers and is also an interfaith champion extraordinaire, running among other things the Pagan Moot Forum. I don’t know how he fits it all in! Mike congratulated me on all my ‘ologies and said I must be a very wise hedgehog now. Made me blush to the end of my snout but I don’t think he noticed!

Our stall was opposite Rev. Rebecca D’arcy who runs an Interfaith Ministry and Spiritual Counselling service including Sacred Ceremonies. Judith spent quite a bit of time chatting to Rebecca about Egypt as Rebecca also runs off the beaten track tours with ‘A Passion for Egypt’. I told Rebecca that I would really like to go to Egypt and that I am a very experienced and well behaved traveller. Her partner Agi Angliolini came to talk to me so I told her as well. I have my paws firmly crossed!

Sitting with Neil's Hedgewitch

We were also fortunate enough to be opposite the very talented Neil Geddes-Ward’s stall. I rather liked the young lady in the painting I am sat by ‘Hedgewitch’ but June and Simon fell in love with the sketch of the woman with the sword on the wall behind me and had to bring a small print of her home.

Geraldine Beskin from Atlantis Bookshops came over to say hello to June. Judith brought a book from their stall which June wished she had brought too. June also fell in love with a bracelet from Runesmith which she had to buy so she could take it home. Just as well the Indie Shaman stall kept her busy for most of the time or she would have been bringing most of the contents of everyone else’s stall home!

A hug from Carrie

Then the very lovely Carrie Kirkpatrick came over to speak to me and asked if I would like to visit her and Liz on the Goddess Enchantment Stall. Lucky me because I got a hug from her too.

Very lucky me all round because I had a wonderful time, received lots of hugs and learned lots of interesting things from many interesting people. Many thanks to all involved for organising the event. I believe a lot of them went onto further celebrations on the Sunday but we had to travel back home. Maybe we can go to one again another year and next time I’ll get someone to take me to some of all the great sounding workshops and talks I missed!

Many blessings

Ezekiel

Stonehenge by Moonlight

Hi everyone

As you can see I now have a new chair especially for me to sit on. This is because I am going to the Pagan Federation 40th Anniversary Event on 8th October and, as I told June, Simon and Judith I'm not helping out with the Indie Shaman stall if I can't rest my legs occasionally. It sounds like it's going to be a great day so if you can get along to London do come and say 'hi' if you see me.

A couple of weekends ago on 13th August I was lucky enough to go on a David Rowan Tour of Avebury and Stonehenge. Here I am at the start of the 'Stonehenge by Moonlight' Tour sat having a quiet drink outside the Red Lion at Avebury. June's walking stick turned out to be just a little bit big for me to use so she used it instead and carried me in my Indie Shaman bag to save my legs.

All the other people who were doing the tour were very nice to me. I was especially pleased to get to meet one of Secret World Wildlife Rescue's volunteers who told me all about the hedgehog she had rescued.

photo courtesy of © David Rowan

David gave a very interesting illustrated talk about the history and astronomy of Avebury and Stonehenge which I learned are both much more than just the impressive stones you can see. I was too busy listening to take notes so Judith took all the notes as she is writing an article about the tour for the Indie Shaman magazine. David very kindly said we could use some of his photos as well as our own.

Then we were off on our walking lecture tour. David has a masters degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. He is a fascinating speaker and really helped bring this magical landscape to life as we walked round. Of the two stones above the one on the right is said to represent the male and the one on the left the female. Everyone seemed to know what David meant by that but I had to wait to ask June when I got home.

This magnificent stone is called the 'Devil's Chair'. It is said that sitting in the chair results in pregnancy. Judith, Simon and June insisted I sit in it immediately although I did point out to them that I am a boy hedgehog!

Then as the sun was setting on the temple of the Moon at Avebury we set off in convoy following a ley line to ...

photo courtesy of © David Rowan

... see the Moon rise over the temple of the Sun at Stonehenge.

It was so peaceful and beautiful to explore and sit in the stone circle itself and felt such an intimate experience among such a small party of like minded people. It was impossible not to be touched by a sense of wonder and by the magic that surrounded us as the dramatic clouds parted to allow us to see the moon rise over the stones.

photo courtesy of © David Rowan

David drew up an astrological chart for the moment we were there.

Then we all had some quiet time to meditate or send healing before setting off back to our cars for a short drive to a local hotel for a quick drink and chat before setting off back home.

If you would like the opportunity to go into the circle at Stonehenge as we did I highly recommend contacting David Rowan. If you do we might even meet because if I get the chance to go again next year I will!

Many blessings to all my friends
Ezekiel

p.s. Many thanks to David Rowan for sharing his photos. For more photos and information about the Stonehenge by Moonlight tour, Stonehenge and Avebury, see Judith's article in the Autumn edition of the Indie Shaman magazine.

Hi everyone. I'm now back home with Indie Shaman having a good rest before my next adventures. I meant to write some more to my blog before leaving Ross and Sarah but I just didn't seem to manage to fit it in between all the learning and having fun. The photo above is one of my favourites showing the shamanic art class and tatuajes (tattoos). I didn't have a tattoo painted on my face as it may have ended up more permanent than intended!

I had a great flight back to England as Ross travelled with me which was a far more interesting experience than travelling alone as I usually do.


I must admit, even for a modest hedgehog such as I am, I feel I can safely say I know quite a bit now. Here is a photo of me teaching about banisteriopsis caapi (used to prepare Ayahuasca).

I also learned:
Lower, middle and upper world journeying
Mapping the shaman's cosmology
Power retrieval
Soul retrieval
Spirit extraction
Mapping the energy body
Energy balancing
Pre-birth, conception and family work
Ancestral healing
Earth healing
Community healing
Plant spirit shamanism
Making allies in nature
How to make 'magic potions' (pusangas, seguros and perfumes)
Floral baths
How to diet plants (and he's dieted rosa blanca and ortega and poppy)
How to conduct a salvia ceremony, san pedro ceremony and ayahuasca ceremony.

Unfortunately talking human is still not a strong point but everyone on the course seemed to have no problem communicating with me (and my writing is, as you can see, quite fine as long as someone else does any typing - paws weren't meant for typing!)


Sarah is well impressed with my wisdom as you can see.


Sarah knows quite a bit too of course although I helped by keeping an eye on her when she sang a song and led a journey ... just in case she wanted any help from a hedgehog. I will miss both Sarah and Ross a lot.

As I said earlier I'm currently back home having a bit of a rest. Although June did ask me to finish off my article for the Indie Shaman magazine which wasn't much hardship as Ross had sent most of it to June already. Indie Shaman has a particularly good cover on the Summer edition if I say so myself. Looks like June has been keeping busy while I've been away - she showed me the new Shamanic Lifestyle Shop she has been working on which is now online. Apparently if you are Facebook friend you can get a discount. That reminds me I haven't checked my Facebook page for ages so I must finish blogging and let my friends know I am back in the UK.

Speak to you all again soon
Ezekiel

Serpent and Condor - baths, bottles and ballyhoo

Many many Solstice Blessings to all my friends around the world.

I am still with Ross Heaven in Spain, assisting in ceremonies and generally being as helpful as I can.


Here is our St Peter's Day celebration, earlier in June, where I started the ceremony with a simple mesa for healing.


And here I am below with some Embruho juice all ready for a day of magic

Hope you are enjoying the photos as much as I am enjoying sharing them. I have some more to share before I leave Ross and Sarah in Spain and return to the UK where I am looking forward to seeing Stonehenge at Moonlight on a David Rowan tour in August and later on in the year going to the Pagan Federation 40th Anniversary Event in London!

Have a wonderful Solstice
Ezekiel aka Shaman Sham the Wandering Hedgehog
Indie Shaman