The Wisdom of the Inner Shaman with Billie Topa Tate’

The new year brings time for reflection and an opportunity to experience and utilize the elements of sacred balance for our upcoming season. Billie Topa Tate´, of the Mescalero Apache tribe, is founder of MSI Wellness Center, in Evanston, and author of the new book Spirit Guide Invocations: Seeking Wisdom and Support from Sacred Helpers. She is an eighth-degree reiki master teacher, a mentor, teacher and healer and is dedicated to creating a sacred space one person at a time through her indigenous native teachings. Topa Tate´ draws upon ancient native wisdom learned from her elders and helps clients tap into their inner shaman. “Applying the aspects of the shaman to our everyday activities can feel empowering and refreshing for the soul. Using our inner tools to create a sacred balance helps optimize insights, intuition and action for the coming year,” she explains. 

How do we apply sacred balance in resolving stressful situations? 

Sacred balance is finding harmony within and applying indigenous knowledge to connect with empowering aspects in our life. It starts with respecting Mother Earth and resetting our breath and nervous system to the natural flow of nature. When we disengage from nature, we can become unsettled and anxious. Connecting with the clouds, trees, water, wind and other elements around us helps ground us and allows our bodies to respond, instead of react, to everyday stressors. Too often when we experience stress, we turn to coping mechanisms that don’t work. Instead of seeing stress as a closed door, the shaman sees it as an opportunity. Calling on the experiences of our ancestors and all who have come before us allows us to access our inner wisdom and intuition and know that we have everything we need to find peace. You don’t have to wait until there is an emergency to call for help. 

What daily practices of the shaman can we incorporate into our lives? 

Our inner shaman realizes that we have sovereignty over our space and energy fields and can manifest the qualities we want to flow around us. A five-to-10-minute sunrise ceremony ritual is a grounding and nourishing way to center our days and start refreshed. We begin by closing the eyes, placing hands on the center of the heart and turning the focus to unconditional love for ourselves. Then we invoke our angels, ancestors and other spiritual beings for guidance and protection, as well as assistance with projects and goals we are currently working on. This could be related to relationships, work, finances, health or anything else that is speaking to us right now. Finally, we ask for energy around us to be transformed into safety at all levels and manifested with wisdom, compassion and other qualities we aspire to. When we interact with the world on an energetic level, we feel the support of the universe.

How does the busy mystic incorporate these practices? 

The hectic pace of today’s world can make it challenging to slow down, but taking time to reset throughout the day can help us focus and center. The busy mystic has a life full of obligations from work, family, relationships and other responsibilities, which makes it all the more important to find balance. This starts with being mindful of energy and thoughts and incorporating intentional practices throughout the day. For the busy mystic, creating momentum comes easily, but maintaining it can be challenging with constant demands coming from outside sources. The key is to downsize the time of the practice without sacrificing the quality and intention. Instead of an hour of meditation, a 20-minute session can be equally beneficial. We can focus on our surroundings while walking to the car, do breathwork while at a child’s soccer game and be mindful of the flavors and texture of our food at every meal. Knowing that those tools are there at any time allows us to move forward with guidance. 

How does the shaman’s techniques help our sleep be more restful?

Sleep is an important medicine that heals us on the physical and energy level. This is an opportunity for our bodies to go into maintenance and repair that is crucial for our overall well-being. Since the unconscious does not require rest, it uses this time to go into the energy world and explore unresolved issues. Whatever issues we are working on in our current lives present themselves when we sleep. Using the powerful placement of words and intentions as energy tools, we can alleviate stress, resolve past lives, send love to those who have passed and more. The creator gave us sleep so we can invoke to resolve these issues and awake with an aura that is cleaner and lighter, giving us a more clear and peaceful view of the future.

Carrie Jackson is an Evanston-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings. Connect at CarrieJacksonWrites.com.