Monday, February 7, 2022

 

Alchemical Healing Arts & Sharlyn Hidalgo

Newsletter #32: Winter 2022

www.alchemicalhealingarts.com

Sharlynhidalgo@hotmail.com

Hello Dear Friends,

Hopefully, the winter is treating you well. I must admit that I am more withdrawn and introspective of late with less to say. I am more or less waiting for all of this trauma to pass us with all of its ramifications. I am honoring my stillness, my procrastination, my lethargy, and my desire to hide for the time being. And yet I do like to reach out and say hello as the wheel turns through the holy celebrations.

Happy Imbolc! This cross-quarter holiday in the Wheel of the Year always brings me hopefulness. On my walk yesterday here in Seattle the sky was grey and the temperature cold and yet I was able to spy snow drops, crocuses, and some others little flowers which made me smile. They are anticipating more warmth and light with each new day. Those first little plants that so boldly bloomed even when the temperature these days can be below freezing, I had to tip my hat with gratitude to each one for renewing my hope and for being so brave. So as true as it is that I have been less that joyful, I do welcome spring and the renewal that it brings me.

I also think about Brigid, the muse, the daughter maiden Goddess who shares her inspiration, joy, and new life. I recognize that young maiden energy that lives in my soul in spite of my age. She is youthful, and full of creative anticipation. I recapture that feeling and that creative aspiration. I recognize that like the return of the sun and the blooming of the plant life that I saw yesterday, this creative energy never dies and is always reborn. It happens without our effort. It returns like the sap of the tree or the pushing forth of the buds out of the soil, with the return of the light.

What is the teaching of Imbolc? 

The seed is sprouting forth.

Our Hope comes from the light’s new beginning.

Behold! Our maiden Brigid is our muse.

She ignites our inner flame of light.

We seek the spark of her inspiration and fire.

What is the teaching of Imbolc? Create.

Look for the hope. Don’t wait for it. See the signs within and without. We are invited to open up to the new energy in spite of what the daily news reports. In spite of the world’s problems, in spite of our own challenges… It is a choice. And I choose right here and now to focus on the beauty and the wonder that nature is sharing with me. Be it the ice and snow of blizzards or the heat and fire of too much sun and no rain or just the temperate energy that I reside in today… there are signs of hopefulness in the animals and in the folks around me and in the sky and in the earth and the water and the air and the plant life. Join me for a moment today to connect with nature and let’s go out and discover the signs of hopefulness that are so graciously being offered to us…

I send you my love and gratitude for your kindness and support. Wishing you kindness and support in your endeavors until we meet again in the spring.

Best, Sharlyn

 

Alchemical Healing Arts & Sharlyn Hidalgo

Newsletter #31: Fall 2021

Hello Dear Friends,

I am enjoying teaching my Celtic Tree Apprenticeship and I am so grateful for the zoom technology that allows me to share with students all over the world. We have studied the Birch and the Rowan and next month is the Alder. So happy to share the sacred teachings of the Celtic trees.  I want to thank everyone who signed up and also for all the encouragement to begin again.

My new book Celtic Tree Ogham: Rituals and Teachings for the Aicme Ailim and the Forfeda which is about the last ten ogham of the Celtic Ogham tree alphabet will be available December 8th. Again, I am reminded of the healing energies of the tree dryads and nature. I am as resolved as ever to protect Mother Earth. I love these tree teachings and this practice that leads me through the seasons with gratitude. Here is the link on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Tree-Ogham-Rituals-Teachings/dp/0738768294/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=sharlyn+hidalgo&qid=1637259427&s=books&sr=1-3

And here is a podcast of a great interview about my new book: Celtic Tree Ogham coming out in December. Here is the link to Nancy Yearout's High Road to Humanity on her YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CFyDFH5auzU  

 

 About the Pharaoh’s Daughter: People are buying my novel and that is thrilling for me. It is always scary to put a new piece of work out there in the world. I am just so pleased that I got it completed, edited, formatted, and published! So grateful for the support! If you have read it or are  planning to do so, would you mind posting a review on Amazon? I would so appreciate it and would love to gift you with a tree reading for your thoughtfulness. Just let me know. Here is the link:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/057873530X/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sharlyn+hidalgo&qid=1620329276&s=books&sr=1https://www.amazon.com/dp/057873530X/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sharlyn+hidalgo&qid=1620329276&s=books&sr=1

 I send bright blessings to each of you as we move towards the solstice, winter, and the holidays. I am grateful to still be here and to share my work with all of you.

Love, Sharlyn

 

 

 

 

Monday, August 30, 2021

Newsletter #30: Summer 2021

Hello Dear Friends,

I have missed you all and am eager so connect with you. I hope you are all well and thriving through these challenging times of drought and fires, storms and floods, the extreme summer heat all over the US and the pandemic. What times we live in!

We are no longer locked down here in Seattle but covid cases are on the rise, so we are back to wearing our masks in public. I don’t mind this at all as I feel that it protects others.

I have been working on the final  edits of my upcoming book Celtic Tree Ogham: Rituals and Teachings for the Aicme Ailim and the Forfeda which is about the last ten ogham of the Celtic Ogham tree alphabet. It will be available in November. Again, I am reminded of the healing energies of the tree dryads and nature. I am as resolved as ever to protect Mother Earth. I love these tree teachings and this practice that leads me through the seasons with gratitude.

People are buying my novel and that is thrilling for me. It is always scary to put a new piece of work out there in the world. I am just so pleased that I got it completed, edited, formatted, and published! So grateful for the support!

Special Offer: I am asking folks who buy and read my novel The Pharaoh’s Daughter if they would write a review for me on Amazon. Because I have self-published this book, I need help in getting the words out about it, and reviews help with this. I would like to offer you a Tree Reading in gratitude for purchasing the book and for taking the time to write a review. I use my Celtic Tree Oracle deck to choose your tree, and then I tune into the tree and share its special message for you. So let me know if you are willing!

Now that the edits are complete for my last tree book, I am left with a time and space. Wow, it has been a while since that has been the case. I would love to hear back from you to know what you are doing. I miss contact with others as I haven’t taught a class since the March of 2020. I could have chosen to use zoom and continued to teach but my heart just wasn’t in it. I have continued to do readings on zoom however and am offering Tree Readings. Tarot Readings, and Astrology Readings if any of you are interested.

I have some sites to offer:

Netflix: The Biggest Little Farm is a documentary about a couple who leave their LA apartment to start a sustainable farm in Moorpark, California. It is fascinating how they learn to develop a truly sustainable farm and heal the soil and the environment.

John Willmont, aka the Woodland Bard, is coordinator of Bards in The Woods, keeper of a Tree Labyrinth, and performer of tree, forest and water mythology in Ireland. He does a weekly Nature Folklore session on Sundays. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

http://woodllandbard.com/

http://naturefolklore.com/

http://carrowcrorycottage.com/

TreeSisters: women seeding change: A charity organization that helps to plant trees around the world. They do amazing work. Each time you donate to TreeSisters, you are funding the planting of trees and tropical reforestation. https://treesisters.org

Last week they celebrated the launch of a new planting project located in South India, brought to you through collaboration and partnership with Cauvery Calling.

If you would like to support this work and continue reforesting the world you can support this project - and all of their tropical planting projects - by making a donation here: https://treesisters.org/give

Khemenu Wisdom Center and Zahra Indigo Rønlov, MA. She offers monthly Wisdom Talks and this last one with Bruce Lipton was extraordinary. Check it out. Truly remarkable! I love Zahra’s work in the world, and I think you will too. https://khemenu.center

Here is the URL for the watch links for Wisdom Talks: https://sacredwitness.center/wisdom-talks

Signing off for now and sending love and gratitude your way, Sharlyn

Thursday, May 6, 2021

 May 6, 2021

New Alchemical Healing Arts & Sharlyn Hidalgo

  

Newsletter #29: Spring 2021

www.alchemicalhealingarts.com

Sharlynhidalgo@hotmail.com

Hello Dear Friends,

It has been a long time since I have written my newsletter. I have been sequestered here at home in Seattle and am now ready to reenter the world again.

My Novel:

I am so happy to announce the debut of my novel: The Pharaoh’s Daughter: A Spiritual Sojourn: The Healing Powers of Past, Present, and Future Lives in Egypt. It is now available on Amazon in either paperback or e-book. I have been working on it through this whole epidemic, and the writing of it has kept me sane. You can see all of my available books by just typing in my name on Amazon or here is the link. Just copy and paste it into your browser.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/057873530X/ref=sr_1_7keywords=sharlyn+hidalgo&qid=1620329276&s=books&sr=1-7

This is what the back of the book says:

Sara’s obsession begins with her first visit. From there, she embarks on a spiritual journey of renewal that takes her deep into the mysteries of Egypt—and herself—past, present, and future. She does not understand what drives her, but she knows the answers are along the Nile, in the tombs of Saqqara, and on the pages of the Pyramid Texts.

As Sara learns about Egypt’s old dynasties, she is struck by spontaneous visions of a life as Iput, the daughter of the Pharaoh Unas and the initiate priestess of the goddess Hathor. She learns of a sacred scroll, full of revelations, called the Book of Light. Are these dreams? Or memories?

One life time, bleeds in another. Synchronicities, dreams, visions, meditations, and relationships force Sara to reexamine her reality. the farther she falls into Egypt, the more she is pulled away from her secure but staid life in America.  

Would you give up everything to answer questions about your past? Would you leave the world you        know to meet an inexplicable yearning? If you are like Sara, you would follow your heart to discover    the hidden story. Sara’s journey offers illumination not only of her own life, but our world. As the        stories of Sara, her husband Thomas, and her guide Amir bind together through time, we learn of        the healing power of forgiveness and the reality of reincarnation.

Their last adventure together is a wake-up call—a warning that Sekhmet is ready and willing to enact Ra’s threat if we do not find healing, reconciliation, and commitment to join together to heal      and help our planet. As Thomas, Amir, and Sara awaken to a new consciousness, a new way of being    together, and a new life focus, we see that this is a story about our future.


There are actually three stories going on here:

Story One: It is loosely based upon the life of Iput who lived during the Old Kingdom in ancinet Egypt. She was the daughter of Unas, the last 5th Dynastyp pharaoh, and the wife of the pharaoh Teti who becan the 6th Dynasty. If you appreciate the idea of reincarnation, and love Egypt, I think you will enjoy this book

It is a story about a modern-day woman who is called to leave her safe life in the States and seek answers to why she keeps having memories of her past life as the daughter of the pharaoh Unas, as well as an initiate priestess of Hathor at Dendera. Finally determined to investigate these memories, she comes to Egypt to resolve what has now become an obsession. She also discovers that her past life as Iput also involve her guide Amir, and her husband Thomas. In fact, they share three incarnations together: the past, the present, and the future.

This is also a story about the healing power of reconciliation and forgiveness no matter what lifetime the wounding occurs in.

Story Two: Sara’s own healing takes place as she visits the temples along the Nile and at Saqqara and Luxor. She encounters the healing powers of the gods and goddesses, and the temples, sites, and tombs of ancient Egypt.

Story Three: And while all of this is going on, Sara discovers that she has another past life in the far ancient past as a priestess who scribes a scroll hidden for posterity in a cave in Egypt. In it there is information about our true ancestors and how the human race came to be, the value of the Pyramid Texts found at Saqqara in Unas’s and Teti’s tombs, and a final warning for humankind involving the lion goddess Sekhmet.

All of this information comes to her through spontaneous memories, visions, dreams, and meditations and is verified by the experiences that her guide and husband have. The outcome is surprising even to me as I wrote this novel, which I have been working for since 2010 and I am absolutely thrilled that its birth is approaching.


Launch News and a Special Offering for You

I hope you will enjoy this book. If you choose to buy it, and if you like it, I would like to ask you if you would be willing to write a review for me on Amazon. If you are willing to do so, I would like to thank you for buying and reviewing my book with a tree reading or tarot reading. The tree reading, I can write out and email to you, and  the tarot we could do via Zoom, Your choice. Just let me know when you have completed the review and a way to contact you. I am at Sharlynhidalgo@hotmail.com


My Other Projects:

I have spent my time writing, writing, and writing. So, I am finally getting my projects completed. I just finished my third book on the Celtic tree alphabet and Llewellyn has agreed to publish it. It is called The Last Ten Ogham of the Celtic Tree Alphabet. It will be out in the fall of 2021. So that is great news. I am happy with my work and with these teachings and feel that this is my final book on the subject.

In the meantime, I have created my own collage tarot cards and have written up what I have discovered about them in the thirty or so years that I have been reading them. I have finally created all 72 cards. This has been a lovely creative project and it had helped me to say sane in these rather insane times.

In the background comes another book about conversations with beings that live in a parallel yet safe magical universe. Unicorns, dragons, fairies, giants, elves and nomes, as well as the little forest creatures and birds—have been willing to share their wisdom. I always feel renewed when I take the time to tune in to these beings. More to come later about this new work…


A Question:

I get a lot of questions about which are the correct dates to follow in the Celtic tree calendar. There are actually two versions of this calendar, the Beth-Luis-Nuin version which begins On January 24th, close to the Winter Solstice, and the Beth-Luis-Fearn version which begins on the day at Samhain, November 1st.  Besides starting at different points in the turning of the wheel, they also have a different order.

I use the Samhain Beth-Luis-Fearn version myself. But if you are more familiar with the version that begins in January, and you want to figure out which is your birth tree, you can choose either version and choose the tree that feels more like you or you can opt to have two birth trees. One way to look at that you can have the support of two special trees. I don’t think you can say one is wrong and one is right. After all the calendar is a modern adaption of what we know about the alphabet and its use, and we have very little actual information available to us because the Celts did not write down their wisdom, and they passed it on by rote memorization and word of mouth.

And many folks do not match a tree to a date but follow the teachings. I think you just has to follow your own intuition here and use the calendar that works for you or let go of the timing all together.

 

As for The Trees:

We are now working with Oak month, and then with the protective Holly. She is all about justice, equanimity, balance, and working with duality. Think the twins, and Gemini.

I always take my books out and reread the sections to remind me of their teachings. Perhaps you will want to do the same.

I also think about the teachings of the Aspen and the Poplar because we are going through such difficult times and we don’t know how things are going to turn out. These two trees represent the 19th ogham of the alphabet, Eadha and the vowel E. Their teaching is all about how to deal with adversity. They teach patience, endurance, and remind us that all cycles gradually return to begin a new cycle. All situations have a beginning and an end.

This feels like the teaching we need right now. I come up against so many different emotions and I am sure you do too. Sometimes I face boredom. I feel sadness and deep sorrow, grief and despair for all of us. I am fearful about the future. Some days more than others I feel frustration, irritation and rage. Loneliness.

Some days I am hopeful and creative. Other days I find I am discouraged, distracted, and unable to do much. I think the best approach is to accept all of these feelings and be kind to yourself as you move from moment to moment.

Aspen and Poplar offer a strong sense of perseverance, courage, strength, and resolve. Success and victory are promised. Listen to the messages from the leaves of these trees as the wind moves through them. If you are having a lot of fear, go sit and place your back against one of these trees. You will be stabilized and strengthened.

I am glad that the planet is getting some time to renew itself. Taking a vacation from humans. The animals seem to really be enjoying it.


Thank you:

That’s it from my corner of the world. Would love to hear back from you as to how you are doing. Stay strong out there and cultivate patience. I know this hasn’t been a virtue that is supported much in our busy rat race culture. But now perhaps it will be. Be kind to yourself when you are having strong emotions and feel that you can’t cope, go back to deep breathing. This will pass like storms do and try not to judge your entire life on a bad moment. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and interest. Maybe I will begin classes again on Zoom once I get this launch complete. Thank you for your support in advance! Writing saved my life this last year, and I am grateful that I am able to share these writings with you.

 I wish you peace and health and joy. Sending My Best, Sharlyn

 


Saturday, October 31, 2020

Samhain, 2020: Just a quick note. Can't wait until the election is over!!! I am voting for Biden and Harris.

Stil locked down in Seattle ... since March. Yet still willing to social distance and wear a face mask and continue to wash my hands. Still it is not easy. I miss hugs and visits.

My new novel will be out in December on Amazon. It is called The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Spiritual Sojourn - The Healing Power of Past, Present, and Future Lives in Egypt. I am excited to get this out and am in the last stages of publishing. People who have previewed it have liked it a lot.  Their kind words have made me happy.

Another book about the last 10 ogham of the Celtic Tree Alphabet will be out in the spring. Glad that Llewellyn will publish this. 

Sending love out to all of you and thank you again for your support. Sharlyn

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Samhain, 2019, Seattle: It is a crisp cold day here in the northwest and a perfect dry day for Halloween trick or treaters. I had the honor last Monday, of running a ceremony for this last holiday as we travel through the Wheel of the Year and we honored our ancestors, and our recent loved ones and pets that have crossed the veil. We were surprised to find those on the other side eager to celebrate with us. They were full of dance and song and joy. No drab, sullen, or dark energies. Just the fun of all getting together! That was a lovely surprise.

Tomorrow begins the Celtic New Year. November begins the portal of the Birch and new beginnings. Let go of what was, and open to the new.  No regrets. Self forgiveness. Time to move forward with gratitude.

Just announcing that I will be starting another year's teaching of the Celtic Trees beginning on November 18th here in Seattle. Let me know if you are interested and are in the area.

Sending love and joy to all of you on this most blessed day! Sharlyn

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Hello Dear Friends,
Spring is upon us and I am glad for the return of the sun. Everything here in Seattle is blooming. It is a delight to see all of the new growth, and interact with the beauty all around me.  Happy spring to each of you!

I have been preparing another book for publishing so it has been awesome to come full circle to the 25 ogham of the Celtic Tree Alphabet. I have created ceremonies and stories for the first 15 ogham which is referred to as the Celtic Tree Calendar. I have also been working on the last 10 ogham which usually aren't included in the calendar.

The stories are full of the healing that has come to me through my connections and communications with the unseen realm and the Otherworld, that place of mystery. I am happy to demonstrate through my stories that the love and healing from these mysterious realms is real and available.

The ancient people of the British Isles knew this. And so their teachings, mythology, and lore are full of stories of interactions with ancestors, their beloved dead, and totems, guides, and gods and goddesses. The veil between the world is thin, and there is help and support and guidance if we but ask.  This is why I love working with the Celtic Tree teachings.

With the Turning of the Wheel we have embraced Imbolc on February 1st and the Spring Equinox/ Ostara on March 20th this year.  We show our gratitude to the Imbolc goddess Brigid and the Willow tree, and the fertility goddess of Ostara and the Ash and Hawthorn. I am looking forward to Beltane on May 1st. Here we will honor the maiden goddesses of spring and the steady Oak. The maiden and mother goddesses are all sending love, prosperity, and abundance as we approach the news growing season. Can you find a Willow, Ash, Hawthorn, or Oak in your neighborhood? Get outside and say hello.

The Ohn/ Furze or Gorse, the Ur/ Healther/ Mistletoe, and the Uilleand/ Honeysuckle all come forward to be honored at this time of year as well. They add beauty, fragrance, and color to our world and offer hopefulness, healing, and light. Get outside and take a look. See if you can find them growing in your neighborhood.

It has been a dark cold winter and the news and political situation has been just as dark and cold. The sun returning brings in the light and inspiration and I for one need it desperately this year.  I invite in healing and unity consciousness. I let go of my need to judge and hate. I invoke the beauty of the buds and flowers and  the bees and the birds. I forgive myself and others. My prayer and intention is to begin a new with a clean slate of loving intention. I bring my presence to each situation, to each person, to each day....

I offer to you a loving and supportive day. I send you kindness and compassion. I am grateful that my work offers you something meaningful. I find so much strength and steadiness in the teachings of the trees. I find them so very sturdy and constant and yet adaptive.  I try to be the same.

On that note, I end my spring hello. Another year of promise. It is time to plant those seeds to create good, sweetness, community, beauty, and love. Be
mindful of what you are creating with your thoughts, your feelings, and your choices.  Keep rising towards the light. Give your gratitude. Write a poem, sing a song, take a walk, smile at a stranger, and express your joy. You are magnificent and were created to create.

Sending you each much love and light, Sharlyn




Thursday, January 25, 2018

January Inights

Hello,
Can't believe it is January. I am recovering from a serious physical blow because of taking the antibiotic Cipro in May. The side affects are horrible and I am glad that they have placed a black box warning on this drug as it should only be used for a life threatening infection. All floroquinolene antibiotics have a huge risk. Needless to say I have been out of commission, and am just getting back on my feet.

I taught a lovely tarot class at the beginning of the monthand enjoyed it immensely. I just finished a companion book to go with my book The Healing Power of Trees and am waiting to see if it will be picked up for publication. If not I will publish it on my own. Also completed a historical fiction entitled The Daughter of Unas. It is about past lives in Egypt and involves one women's journey to  meet her past and complete her karma. It was fun to write. Can't believe I am done! Now for proof reading and finding a publisher.

I told myself I would finish these two projects before moving on to new things. There is a journey to Ireland in May I am considering. I have wanted very much to get back to the British Isles. Haven't been there since I was 24.

Today I had an interview on Zoom with a lovely woman who lives in Canada who uses my tree meditations. Her name is Sarah Marie Thompson and I so enjoyed talking with her. I was touched to know that my work is helpful to others. Yahoo!

Sending love and light out to each of you. Best, Sharlyn