Alchemical Healing Arts

2011-11-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

Alchemical Healing Arts & Sharlyn Hidalgo’s Newsletter # 6 November, 2011

Hi All, Here we are beginning a New Celtic Year. November 1st marks the New Year and we begin to make our intentions and plan for a new round of activity. I am busy with tarot, astrology, and tree readings, alchemical healing, and the writing of my second edit on my book about Egypt, sacred travel, and Mohamed Nazmy. I started this book in August of 2011 and here I am still at it. It is a daily practice! I won’t be doing classes for a while because I so want to complete this project before my trip to Egypt in May of 2012. I want to be able to take the manuscript to Mohamed who runs Quest Travel in Egypt and is responsible for the sacred tours of so many luminaries on the planet such as Nicki Scully and Jean Houston to name a few. This book is about this special man and his work in the world. His vision is to bring peace and he does this one relationship at a time. He has taught me so much. Anyway, that is the bare bones of it for now. For more information on my work & readings go to www.alchemicalhealingarts.com

The Tree that goes with this month is the Birch Tree.
The Beith Birch portal rules over the time period from November 1 through the 28th. Its themes are new beginning and endings, new seeds of hope gestating in the deep earth and in the dark, Scorpio energy, elimination, regeneration, and letting go, weeding out of thoughts, feelings, and actions that impede growth, and clearing for the new, returning to innocence, releasing judgment (giving the left brain a rest), resolution of conflict, pliancy in recovery after trauma or shock, seeing things from a higher view, and letting in the magic. The totems of Birch are the snake, phoenix, eagle, and all of the crone goddesses.

Activity: Imagine yourself standing within a grove of lovely birch trees. It is November, so you are bundled up and cozy within your warm cloak or coat. Notice the slender white bark of these trees and their whispering leaves as the branches dance with the winter wind. Allow yourself a moment to close your eyes and see, sense, feel, know or imagine this moment of stillness except for the whisper of the moving leaves and branches of these trees.

In this very moment you shape shift, and you magically find yourself becoming a slender birch tree. You have actually entered this tree and now have an opportunity to communicate with the dyad of this tree family. Take a moment to feel this experience…. (pause.) Notice your graceful branches as they reach up towards the light and then drop down with the weight of your many leaves, notice your pliant yet strong white and silver trunk, and your root system that extends down deep into mother earth…. (pause.) As you notice the stance of this tree and its special way of moving and being, give it your gratitude. In the silence of a November day, feel the grace of this tree. Feel it move up towards the light. Listen to the whispering leaves. They have a message for you….

Think of this tree’s ability to shed its skin. Allow yourself to drop habits and ways of thinking that are limiting in the same way. See your old “bark” simple blowing away. As an eagle flies to very top of your tree allow yourself to see with the eyes of the eagle. View your problems and concerns from a higher perspective. What can you learn from your situation? What can you forgive in yourself and others? What stubbornness, grudges, resentments, or need for revenge can you let go of? What judgments about yourself or others no longer serve you? Simply let go, let go, let go…. Now take a moment to take some long deep breaths.

This is also the time of the year to honor Scorpio energy and the power of the crone. Speak out loud the names of your grandmothers and elders as a means of paying them homage.

Give yourself some time to consider what you would like to create and draw to you this next year. Take a moment to contemplate your own goals and wishes. Make a list of your new intentions and goals. Remember that the sky is the limit and that the Universe responds to your heart’s desires. Be open to the full potential of possibilities here and refuse to be stopped by any perceived limitation.

Cut an apple through the middle and contemplate the symbol of the pentacle. Just like the seeds form a pentacle in the center, so is there a pattern of perfection for each person within themselves. Take a moment to appreciate your own unique pattern and to love yourself.

Take the seeds from the apple and name each one with one of your goals. This seed is my desire for a wonderful trip to Egypt. This seed is my desire for….. Place these in a special place on your altar so that you can remember your desires when you see them, or plant them into a little container of earth. Light a candle to represent these new intentions for the Celtic New Year.

Give gratitude to the Birch tree for its teachings. Take a moment to stand like a tree, feel rooted in the earth, and spread your arms upwards toward the skies. Tone if you are willing. Intentionally connect with and experience your own inner knowing so that you may walk the month and the New Year in a good way.

In ending I wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is such a lovely time to give our gratitude for what we do have; and not spend too much time on what we are lacking. I will be in Miami visiting my daughter who goes to the University of Miami and also visiting with my husband’s brother’s family. Funny to think that I used to say and believe that I would never get to Miami to see my daughter, too much money, no time, blah, blah, blah. As soon as I said to myself that yes I would go to Miami, it manifested. In my heart of heart’s I wanted so much to go and visit my daughter and see her musical theatre conservatory program and be with her on Thanksgiving. And I am leaping for joy that I changed my mind. You can too. Just open your mind and let go of the blah, blah, blah reasons why you can’t or won’t do something. The universe is responsive once it gets a clear message. Best to each of you, Sharlyn

My Fall Newsletter, September, 2011

2011-09-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sharlyn Hidalgo’s Newsletter # 5: Fall, 2011

Fall Offerings of Alchemical Healing Arts:

• A free teleconference (except for your phone charges) on tree healing and a guided meditation on Sunday October 2nd at 5PM PDT. Please register for the class at Sharlynhidalgo@hotmail.com I will send you the call number and the conference code.

• Tree Class in Seattle, Saturday, October 22: 1-4,$85

• Alchemical Healing II Class: Wednesday nights, Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 and Nov. 2: $285

• I now have Paypal account on my website for those of you who would like readings or sessions via the phone or skype. Go to www.alchemicalhealingarts.com to see my services. Email me to set up an appointment. It has been really fun to use skype to connect with so many of you that have read my book and are interested in the trees.

Hi all,
Finally we are having some sun in the Pacific Northwest, after a relatively cool summer although I can’t complain given the weather conditions in so many areas of our country. My heart goes out to those of you who are living with the drought, the fires, the flooding and the winds of the storms.

I sent out a note asking for feedback from subscribers about what they were dealing with right now. Thank you so much to those of you who responded. By asking I am hoping to build community. I know that we can support each other in our successes and in our troubles.

Many are worried about finances and work. Many still have jobs but because their employers are downsizing and cutting costs they have an increased workload and this is stressful. Others spoke about their desire to move away from situations and people that sabotage their life. How can we be around others intense emotions without taking on their energy? How can we bring our life into balance when we have so much on our plate? How can we better manage our time? How can we move through necessary goals with grace and ease?

Many of us are going through dark nights of the soul. How do we deal with our loved ones who are addicted? How do we deal with emotional pain, physical problems and financial worries? What to do if we are just plain miserable? How can we be with what is happening in the world which is undergoing so much suffering? How can we hold compassion and awareness rather than becoming totally overwhelmed? What if we are experiencing the health decline of people we love? How do we deal with anxiety and a sense of doom? Others are asking, how can we return to the enjoyment of the natural world and people that we love? How can we move towards the life we want? How do we reconnect with gratitude for life? There is indeed a lot on our minds. Can you identify with some of these questions? I know I can. I also know that as a community we have many solutions and answers. If you have some ideas send them my way and I will get them out to folks.

Lately I am working on shifting my thoughts and feelings moment to moment from separation consciousness to unity consciousness. How do we stay open again and again to the fact that we are already perfect, whole, and complete? How do we stay in gratitude and keep an open heart? So while contemplating your responses and considering my own issues, I turn to the trees of this last part of the Celtic tree Calendar year that ends on October 31st. What do the trees have to tell us? We have three trees that have teaching for us. These are Ngetal Reed, Straif Blackthorn, and Ruis Elder. We also have the White Poplar or Aspen which represents the Autumn Equinox and we have the symbol of the Grove which accompanies October 31st and the celebration of Samhain known as The Day. All of these trees are willing to offer us support and teaching.

Ngetal Reed covers the period of time between September 5th and October 2nd. Reed refers to the grasses, pampas grass, bull rushes, bamboo, cattails and any plant with long, hollow shoots. Have you heard the expression be a hollow bone? Reed reminds us to be a hollow reed for spirit. Reed suggests that we get out of our own way and allow. This portal marks the end of the yearly cycle as we gather in the crops and prepare for winter. The totems and guides here are pike and owl, and the goddesses Athena and Artemis that know how to hunt. They will assist you, what are you hunting? Make a list of your last intentions for the year. These require only direction and your last burst of focus. In your mind’s eye aim your arrow of intention at the bull’s eye and let it go with the expectation that you will receive your heart’s desire. Are you willing to receive and expect the best? Are you able to trust that what you have intended is already yours? Can you feel the joy of already receiving? I admit that this can feel like make believe, but it is actually this process that speeds manifestation. Stop talking about what you want to do and take the last steps you need to make it happen. Stay to the good. See it, smell it, feel it, know it, dance it, say it…. Do not feed the worry; exercise some discipline here. Creating a feeling of joy is necessary in order to invest this discipline with energy. The joy is the fuel for manifestation.

Reed also encourages us to use sound. The use of wind instruments or our own voices is a way to infuse life into our dreams. Whistle, breathe deeply, focus your breath on your intentions, chant, and sing medicine songs that you make up to call your desires into life.

Be willing to let go of that which you have not accomplished. Every season some plants do better than others. It has to do with the weather and all of the growing factors. This is true of the fruits of our own labors and desires. When some fail to grow or thrive, it is time to clear the garden and recycle and compost. We don’t get mad about this, we simply begin to prepare for what we will grow next season, knowing that the cycle continues and that we can depend upon it.

Straif Blackthorn shares the month with Reed and is a messenger. We all face strife and challenge. And we all have had to navigate our own dark night of the soul. Our nation is suffering in its dark night of economic distress and is experiencing so many challenges to its democracy. Blackthorn always reminds us that renewal is promised if we open to new opportunities or direct our creative energy to open new doors now that others have closed or are closing. This of course is a creative challenge. Are you open to seeing new doors or are you fixated on the door that has closed? You can call on this tree for protection and to help you learn and grow while you are in the midst of dissolution. Look to your difficulty as an ally. What does it want from you; what thought, feeling, or behavior is not serving you as you navigate a perceived difficulty? Is it a call to something greater? My greatest challenges were really a purposeful experience. I was challenged to change my thinking about everything and let go of judgment, fear, and limitation. It wasn’t the situation as much as my thoughts about the situation that was the problem.

The Eadha Poplar and the Aspen mark the Fall Equinox which this year falls on September 23rd. These two trees offer stabilization after a setback. They can offer you a strong sense of perseverance and courage, as well as strength and resolve. These are trees that will help you navigate through adversity. The equinox is a day of balance. Move to a point of neutrality between the dark and the light of your life. Breathe into this neutrality and let it spread to every thought, feeling, and action. Breathe this into every cell of your physical body, your mental body, your emotional body, and your spiritual body. Take a look at your life from a larger perspective. What is really trying to happen here? What do you need to let go of as you prepare for a new cycle? Listen to the leaves of these trees as they dance in the wind; do they have a message for you? It is not for me to say what that message it; as this message is a special communication that you create with a tree.If you want this relationship ask the tree to communicate with you. Do this with an actual tree, or close your eyes and imagine connecting with the tree that you see in your mind’s eye. Ask for guidance and notice what you notice.

Riuis Elder represents the last lunation of the year and runs from October 3rd to the 30th. This tree encourages us in letting go, recycling, and preparing for winter. This portal marks the end in the beginning and the beginning in the end. If I have learned nothing else from the trees is that everything has a cycle. We begin, we grow, we create, we come into fullness and we move towards decline and end, where we must let go and let things die and fall away. Then we are asked to recreate and to resurrect ourselves anew. We are asked to begin again at another level as we spiral up towards the light. Where ever you are in your life today, right now, you are somewhere on that spiral. If you are challenged it will change, if you are at the height of your success, that will change. It is a circle and a cycle and a spiral. So here we stand upon the cycle of death and rebirth of another season. Where are you on this spiral?

This tree also teaches that although our elders may have passed out of this dimension, that they and our ancestors form a lineage of support. They had aspirations that they held dear, and they understand that we too have seeds of soul purpose that we desire to fulfill. They are on our side, even if that was not true when they were here in the personality and limitation of their human body. Remember that on the soul plane they are no longer within that limitation and they have a lot to share. Ask them for help. They have suffered through difficulty, pain, and challenge and they understand. They are part of your healing team no matter what you are experiencing. Although we can’t see them, we can feel into their support. They cannot help us but by our invitation. Let them know you require their love and support.

The DAY is called Samhain (sowin), Hallowmas or All Hallows and we also know it as Halloween. This is a day to go within and make a recommitment to your own spiritual practice and connection to source. It is also a time when the veil between dimensions is thin, and we can give our gratitude to and ask for the guidance of our ancestors as well as the dear animals that we have loved that have passed on. The ancient people of the British Isles did not fear this connection and took time to develop relationships with their ancestors and loved ones.

This is the holiest of days to reevaluate your life, do your forgiveness work for yourself and others, connect with the dead, and let go of that which was not accomplished or of that which you have labeled as failure. Think of it as a crop that didn’t thrive, and then let it go. Pat yourself of the back for what you did accomplish. Give yourself some praise. On the 31st make some alone time for introspection and to connect with source. Meet with others and have a ceremony to let go so that you can begin again but at another level. Sit within a grove of trees and allow the group of trees to speak with you. Listen to the messages of the leaves as they whisper to you in the wind.

I don’t have any easy answers but I do know that taking time with a tree can balance you, support you, encourage you, and remind you of your true essence. The refreshment that a tree offers you can put you back on your feet again!

Thank you so much for your interest in this work. I wish each of you a full and joyful autumn!

Blessings, Sharlyn

2011-06-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

My book The Healing Power of Trees has been doing quite well and I am so pleased to be able to share what I have learned about the trees with so many people. I am grateful to those of you who have purchased my book!

Updates/ September, 2011

2011-06-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

I am currently writing a book about Mohamed Nazmy who owns Quest Travel in Egypt and is responsible for creating the tours in Egypt for many of the new thought leaders and writers such as Gregg Braden, Nicki Scully, and Jean Houston. He is a man who's purpose is to bring peace and understanding through travel. He is convinced that when we become brothers and sisters with people in other countries that we promote peace and acceptance and that we can change the world one relationship at a time. He wants people to come to Egypt so see the truth about his country; that the people are kind, loving, and open hearted. He wants us to become peace ambassadors. We can go home and tell our friends and families and communities that Muslims are good people who want peace, and that Egypt is a very special place. In my mind traveling to Egypt now is a political statement! Mohamed is excited for us to visit Tahrir Square and to realize that we are all apart of this movement. He sees new hope and joy in the young people of his country now.

Also, thanks for all of your good words about my work with the trees and about my new book!

2011-03-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

My website is www.alchemicalhealingarts.com

2011-03-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

2011-03-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sharlyn’s 2nd Newsletter: March 2011

Hi All,
This month I will write about the Nuin Ash Tree that resides over the portal time of February 21 – March 20.
The tree represents the connection between the inner world and the outer world. Its basic teaching is that what is going on internally is reflected externally. That tells us that we are in charge of what goes on around us. Look to what you are thinking and feeling and how you are behaving. If that is depressive or chaotic this will be reflected. I am not saying that there is fault for being depressed or in chaos. Shit happens. What I am saying is that we are responsible for what we do with the challenges of our lives. One can work with depressive or negative or chaotic thoughts and feelings.
Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I hear a voice that says something like,” Life isn’t worth living.” Then I immediately feel depressed. Now when I hear that I don’t believe it. I simply say, “Yeah, another day, I am so excited. I am so grateful!” My mood shifts immediately. What I am saying is that I don’t believe my thoughts. I don’t know where they come from and so often they are just plain unhelpful.
I am not saying that it is easy to disengage from thinking that is not helpful. It takes effort and dedication. And yet this is the biggest and most important work that we can do. If we change our thinking we change our lives, and we change the field around us.
The Ash is also the symbol of our own inner tree which is our central point of inner guidance, intuition, and connection to source energy. Here is where we find that small quiet voice of knowing. If you meditate on a central tree at your heart and enter the tree through its door, you can sit right in the center and listen. Here you can receive wisdom, comfort, rest, and the solitude you need to really center yourself. Here you receive knowing, guidance, and reassurance. Here is where your own inner strength and courage lives. Take some quiet time to imagine your inner world tree and communicate. You will be surprised.
If you want to read more about the Ash you can refer to my book The Healing Power of Trees at: http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Trees-Spiritual-Journeys/dp/0738719986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275430704&sr=1-1#productPromotions
If you haven’t purchased it you can open the book on the site and read about the Ash.

Announcements:
1. I will be reading Tarot at East/West Bookshop on Roosevelt here in Seattle on March 7th and the 21st from noon to 6 pm.
2. Alchemical Healing II Class: March 24th and 25th here in Seattle at my home
3. Journey to Egypt with Nicki Scully and Sharlyn: Oct. 10 - 24

Blessings, Sharlyn

The Healing Power of Trees: Spiritual Jouneys Through the Celtic Tree Calendar

2010-10-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

My book The Healing Power of Trees: Spiritual Journeys Through the Celtic Tree Calendar is now available. You can read more about it at http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Trees-Spiritual-Journeys/dp/0738719986

2010-08-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

I am announcing my new website at www.alchemicalhealingarts.com

I hope you enjoy it! Love to each of you, Sharlyn

Expanded Reverie in Seti's Tomb

2010-06-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Expanded Reverie in Sethos the First’s Tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt
October of 2007

One would believe that an experience in a tomb within the Valley of the Kings would be a very interesting encounter with the ancient Egyptian beliefs about death and the afterlife. I was excited to be going into this real Egyptian tomb, and I expected a super museum like experience. I was shocked at my actual experience. Who would think that visiting an Egyptian pharaoh’s dark deep tomb in the Valley of the Kings could be an experience of light?

We were all very excited at the prospect of visiting the tomb of Sethos the first. We were told that the tomb had not been opened to tourists for 20 years as a means to protect it. (This is part of the magic that Quest Travel manifests for its groups.) We walked away from the throngs of tourist from all over the world and found ourselves traveling up a distant lane to a set of stairs. As we stood above the entrance we were bristling with anticipation. We watched as Danielle was given the key and walked down the shaft to the iron gated door. At first it would not open and we worried that “fate” would not allow us to enter. Then after some juggling, it opened and we began our silent and reverent descent into the dark slopping corridor leading to the tomb. As we reached the bottom we noticed with relief how cool and dimly lit it was in contrast to the 100 degree heat and the blaring sun above in the Valley of the Kings.

We entered a most beautiful environment. It felt sacred and I felt blessed to be having such an opportunity. I was struck with the incredible beauty of the full size paintings of the pharaoh and the amazing Egyptian deities upon either side of the corridor. The colors were vibrant and the images breathtaking. This was a place of deep aliveness. I immediately began to experience a sense of happiness, peace, and joy. This surprised me because I had always imagined I would experience a sense of grief, heaviness, or eeriness in such a tomb.

Just as we entered the large main gallery, I heard an inner voice say, “Hello and greetings! The tree lady has come to visit. Hello.” I was pretty surprised to hear this. I have done healing work with the trees for many years, but had never thought of myself as “the tree lady.” And this was the last place I would have expected to hear such a greeting. I was rather thrilled to have been recognized by the energies of this tomb, but a bit taken back to be greeted so.

We noticed small rooms on the left and right as we moved into this large open room with tall pillars and a high ceiling. And on all the sides of the room and the pillars stood colorful exquisite larger than life paintings of Anubis, the pharaoh, Hathor, Osiris, and many more. We walked through two pillars and then stepped down to a room that had a beautiful round vaulted ceiling. Nut the sky goddess was arched across the ceiling sky and on either side at the top of the connecting walls were Isis and Nepthys acting as guardians and protectors. The ceiling was studded with golden stars and painted a beautiful lapis blue. In the corresponding back wall was the gods and goddesses of Egypt lined up above a large hole cut into the floor which housed the original sarcophagus which now lies in the British museum.. There were pictures of animals depicting various constellations.

As we settled in to do ceremony, I sat on the porch like stairs and leaned against one of the supporting pillars. Then the lights were turned off and we were enveloped in total darkness. At first I began to feel fear and panic, but I refused to give my attention to it. I demanded it “null and void” and it stopped. Then Peter Sterling began to play his hand held harp and with the angelic music I became calm and receptive. We toned together and then Danielle and Friedemann began to take us on a journey to open our hearts.

I don’t remember too much of what was said as I was off having my own journey. These are the words that were shared with me on my inner voyage:

“This is a place and not a place. This is not a tomb as you know it. This is a hall of peace and transformation. Here is a sacred intelligence. Here I am form and the formless. I am the duat. I am the end and the beginning. This is not a place of death. This place holds a blue print demonstrating how one is able to live a conscious life…a life of love and grace. This place tells the story of how one is to go through transition in life, and transition even in death…as all things change, but there is no end. Open to your evolution and allow the vibration of this sacred place to expand you and break all limitation. You have always been free. Walk with us now and embrace your own divinity. As you hold our hands we are the gods and goddesses of nature. I am the pharaoh as a fully realized human being. This is your destiny. We are alive in other dimensions, always available to you. Be open to all possibilities. Experience and remember this holy vibration. When you remember this place you will remember this expanse, this light, this bliss, and this love. Let this sacred white light re-form you.”

At this instant I was standing in pure white light and nothing else. I lost track of time and space. I stood in joy, peace, and oneness. This was indeed an enlightening experience!
I was surprised when we came to the end of our meditation and the lights were turned on. I was not sure how long we had been journeying. I felt tremendous joy and ecstasy. I felt like the top of my head was blown off and I had the sensation that I was very, very tall. As we explored the rest of the tomb and took in the amazing art upon the walls, I grounded and brought myself back fully into my body. I was truly blown away by this unexpected experience of light and life and regeneration, rather than darkness and death. When it was announced that it was time to leave I really didn’t want to go. This place felt like home. I felt safe here. I noticed that I was free from worry or mind chatter. I was ecstatic. I was changed.

Humor is always part of this journey in Egypt. I was further "helped" with grounding by being taken straight from the tombs to a rather raucous donkey ride. That was the last thing I could think one would do after an enlightening spiritual experience! It was a perfectly wonderful way to end my expanded reverie!

This place and this experience have not left me even though it has been three years since this visit. I continue to connect to this higher realm of consciousness that was shared with my in Seti’s tomb that is full of light, expanse, love, and joy. If I forget this state of being, all I have to do is return to my memory of standing in that special place and absorbing that incredible energy! I can hear the words again and I become one with the art, with the sacred, and with the ancient wisdom. The presence of that intelligence and love fills me up. I find myself opening but again to miracle and all potentiality. I open again to my full potential as a spiritual being on the planet with work to do as a light bearer. I want to share the light that was shared with me!

We were so honored that day to be able to have this tomb experience to ourselves. As happens in the temples and tombs, when given to ceremony, their power and consciousness comes alive and is shared. Not everyone had the same experience in the tomb that I did, but everyone who goes to Egypt on these special tours has many of their own sacred experiences. I can confirm the awakening that waits for you there.

The fact that Quest Travel made our entry into this tomb with private time possible is beyond my expectation. This allowed me to have one of the most awesome and incredible experiences of my life time. I am so grateful for this trip and it is my hope than many of you will be able to travel to Egypt through Shamanic Journeys and Quest Travel. I have just returned from my 2nd trip and I was not disappointed. I have gathered new experiences of light and expansion. I am always reminded to remember my true nature and my own power. I know I will continue to return to Egypt as it is my soul home.

Sharlyn Hidalgo, MA
June, 2010

Sharlyn Hidalgo lives in Seattle and is a practitioner and teacher of Alchemical Healing. She also is a tarot reader, astrologer, dream worker, and healer. She has a masters in Psychology and works as a counselor as well.. She also is a circle leader and teacher of the Celtic Tree Calendar. Her new book, The Healing Power of Trees, Spiritual Journeys with the Celtic Tree Calendar with Llewellyn Publications will be out in November of 2010. To find out more about trips to Egypt go to Nicki Scully's website at shamanicjourneys.com

Off to Egypt

2010-05-08T08:57:00.001-07:00

I am off to Egypt for my second trip there and another incredible spiritual pilgrimage. I will try to keep in touch with you through this blog! Love, Sharlyn

Getting Ready for Egypt

2010-04-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Egypt on May 9th. This will be my second trip with Shamanic Journeys and Quest Travel and they do such an awesome job of taking care of us. The most precious thing to
me about this trip is the private time we have to do ceremony in the temples. I believe that the
ancient Egyptians had a cosmology that allowed a connection to spirit and nature that we have narrowly defined through our current religions. I find a connection to source in Egypt that I have not expereinced anywhere elese. I just love the energy there. To me the temples come alive when we do ceremony in them and they seem to amplify the particular ceremonial intention. I have never experienced the measure of bliss that I encountered in Egypt. In that sense it is my spiritual home! I just can't wait for my 15 day trip.

In the mean time I have been busy with tarot, astrology, and healing. This Saturday I will be at the Gaia Temple in Ballard in Seattle to read tarot for a fund raiser. E-mail me at Sharlynhidalgo@hotmail.com for the address. I am just completing a 5 week Alchemical Healing class and last week completed a two day Alchemical Healing I class. Both were very fun and potent and I am grateful to the students who showed up. The next class will be Alchemical Healing II on Thursday and Friday of May 27th and 28th here in Seattle. Nicki Scully will be up here in Seattle to teach Alchemical Healing III on the last weekend in June, the 26th and 27th.

So blessing to all of your and thanks for reading, Sharlyn

February Musings

2010-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

I finally find time to write again. I celebrated a lovely Candlemas/Imbolg Celebration here at my house in Seattle with a most lovely group of women. We sang, shared, and renewed our intention to live our passions, dreams, and spiritual intentions. I am glad I decided to do this because it had been a long time.

I am currently teaching a class on how to write mind treatments. This comes straight from my study of Science of the Mind teaching. This has proven to be a very powerful means of working with the laws of the universe to embrace my good and manifest my needs and desires. I am glad to share what I have learned.

I also begin a new series of Alchemical Healing classes beginning the last Wednesday of February for 5 weeks. I want to thank those who have shown interest in this work and have signed up. It is always totally exciting to delve into the magic of the Universe and break through restriction and beliefs in limitation. I have come to understand that I live in paradise and that the nature of life is towards expansion, love, and good. This is absolutely true.

In terms of the Celtic Tree Calendar we are now within the precinct of Willow until February 20th. Next comes Ash and she presides over March until the 20th. Willow is all about the collective and cooperation. She encourages camaraderie, intuition, creativity, and feminine perspective. Ash is about the link between the inner world and the outer world. She encourages us to understand that the outer world is a reflection of our conscious and unconscious states of emotion and states of mind. When we don't like what is happening we have the power to change it. We can change thoughts, feelings, and actions that express a better outcome. This is our choice and it is profound when we realize the power we have to create what we want.

I extend blessings to all of your as we move towards the spring. We are certainly within the cauldron cooking away that which is no longer relevant in our lives. There is so much to let go of and so much to open up to... We are indeed waking up...

A New Year Begins

2010-01-04T16:43:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you but I always enjoy getting back to my "real life" after the holidays are over. I make way for what new classes I want to teach and I reach out energetically as I brain storm for what my next project or enterprise will be. I love the newness of a fresh solar year. I clean out my closets but again and make a run to the goodwill to disperse of what I no longer need or cherish. I make some room in my life for new ideas and inspirations to percolate up. I pay attention to my dreams. I find this dark time of year a good time to slow down and just pay attention before I really get started. With Mercury and Mars both retrograde it is a time to refine, reevaluate, and complete. And although I make new plans, I will wait until the energy moves forward again before I begin in earnest. It feels like a new time on earth and I want to be open to what is being shared by the unseen realm. I want to listen to the guidance that is being offered. There is an abundance of light and love to uplift each of us. I am wishing each of you a wonderful new, bright, and brilliant year!

The Unicorn Totem as a Healing Helper

2009-12-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from my book The Healing Power of Trees, a Woman's Spiritual Journey with the Celtic Tree Calendar which will be out in the fall of 2010. This story is from the Hawthorn chapter. Hawthorn is the 6th tree in the Celtic Tree Calendar and the unicorn is one of the major totems for this tree and the month of April.

This is a story of how the unicorn totem helped a dear family member when she was recovering from surgery. She had a cancerous tumor removed from her forehead. She was scheduled for radiation treatment and was not looking forward to this regimen.

In meditation and through guided visualization we asked for guidance and help with this upcoming treatment. A unicorn appeared in my sister-in-law's journey. In her mind's eye a graceful white unicorn appeared standing in a green field. He was stately and regal and she could describe him in detail to me. He looked at her with intense love and understanding. He communicated with her telepathically. He told her that he would be with her through her treatments and that she was to keep her focus upon him. He would provide her courage and a connection to the world of magic, joy, and healing.

Her regimen was to be very intense and the radiation treatment was scheduled for five days a week for seven weeks. She was placed in a mask that held her head tightly so that she couldn't move. This allowed the radiation to be administered only to the area of her forehead that needed treatment. At first the mask was intolerable and suffocating and she suffered acute claustrophobia. She also was told not to move and she has always had a persistent cough. She wondered how in the world she was going to manage not coughing.

From her very first treatment, her unicorn appeared in her mind's eye and began to communicate with her. He asked her to focus her attention on him. While doing this she began to relax and she was able to move into a dream state. During the treatment she found that she could drift out of her body and into a blissful experience. In this relaxed state she had no need to cough.

Throughout her treatments, the appearance of her ally the unicorn was a signal to relax and calm herself. The unicorn also provided her with a connection to courage which she needed in order to keep showing up for more treatments. He engaged her in an experience of magic, peacefulness, and childlike wonder. The feeling that he brought to her through each and every treatment carried her through.

It is synchronistic to me that the unicorn appeared for her with his amazing magical spiraled horn sprouting from his forehead. Was this the perfect ally for healing the exact area in which my sister-in-law was experiencing difficulty? Did he communicate with her through their third eye connection in order to guide and support her in her healing process? Without a doubt he offered her loving healing energy and a pattern for how to navigate through her uncomfortable treatments. Upon the end of her treatments, the MRI showed no more cancer there. We were all so grateful and relieved for the outcome. My sister-in-law was extremely grateful to the unicorn and he is a staunch protector and ally for her to this day!

It is my experience that guided journeying and energetic healing practices can be used to help one to get through uncomfortable and difficult treatment regimens and to enhance the healing and recovery process. Every person will come to their own unique set of totems and helpers. For my angel sister-in-law it was the magical unicorn. Unicorn has proven himself as a willing helper in healing.

2009-12-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

I would like to recommend Danielle Hoffman's new book to you all. If you buy it from Amazon.com on December 8th you will receive up to $3000 in bonus gifts so it is a wonderful day to purchase the book. I went to Egypt with Danielle and she is an incredible priestess of light. This book takes you through the spiritual teaching and transmissions that the temples in Egypt offer you. The great thing about it is that you don't have to go to Egypt to have the experiences. I took many of these journeys with Danielle right here in Seattle and they were powerful and enlightening.

Here is her information:

The Temples of Light by Danielle Rama Hoffman, is being offered, along with $3000 in bonus gifts, beginning on December 8th at 12:01 am. We invite you to visit - www.thetemplesoflight.com/promotion and then click on the “order” link, order the book on Amazon and return to the promotional page. Enter your name and email address to reach the bonus page. The bonuses are not available until December 8th.

I am offering one of my stories from my upcoming book The Healing Power of Trees, A Woman's Spiritual Journey with the Celtic Tree Calendar that is being published by Llewellyn and will be ready in the fall of 2010 as a part of Danielle's bonus package. So hope to see all of you again on December 8th so that you can read my story on the unicorn totem and healing.

The Birch Tree Month

2009-11-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

November 1st through the 28th corresponds to the Beith Birch tree month of the Celtic Tree Calendar. The emphasis this month is on new beginnings, working through difficult negotiations, letting go of judgment, and reaching towards the light in all you do. The totems are the snake, the phoenix and the eagle. The crone remains a valuable ally during this time of endings and beginnings. Some of our great crones of death and rebirth are the Egyptian goddessses of Nepthys, Sekhmet, Nekhbet, mother Mut, and Neith. Others are Tiamet of Tibet, The Sybil at Delphi,Hecate,and Baba Yaga. In the Celtic mythology we honor the Gaelic Banshee, the Cailleach, the hag, Ceridwen, and the Sidhe. These ladies will provide you guidance and protection. These are your ancestral grandmothers. They are wise, loving,and hold the secrets of regeneration.

This portal corresponds with the astrological sign of Scorpio. November 1st is the Celtic New Year and it is also named the Day of the Dead in Mexico. We are encouraged to celebrate our loved ones that have passed over. Take a moment to send your love to your pets and your ancestors as well as friends and family that have left this plane. You may receive messages back from them of love and encouragement. They encourage you to follow your dreams and let go of your fears.

We have a new year ahead of us. The Celts believed that we should begin anew in the dark half of the year. The dark asks us to slow down and become quiet. Through contemplation and inner questing we can evaluate our year. Take some time to review what you want to reap and what needs to be composted back into the earth. Are you willing now to let go of that which no longer serves you and set new goals for the year ahead? The crone will assist you to choose what to let go of and the Eagle will help you to plan ahead from a higher perspective. Are you willing to take some quiet time for inner reflection? Are you ready to really go for your heart's desires?

Try to spend some time with a Birch tree. They are tall and slender ever reaching for more and more light. They often have papery bark that sheds and their leaves are small and heart shaped. The leaves rustle in the winds of autumn and you can listen to their whispered messages. They are graceful reminders to let go of judgment that separates you from others, and to honor your ancestors. The Birch provides you a door through which you may enter into your own strong inner guidance. The Birch leads you to follow your own personal truth and to begin a new year with spiritual resolve and intention. When you can't see the forest for the trees go within and ask Birch to take you up and into clarity.

I wish each of you a happy Celtic New Year and more light as you go another round on the wheel of life! May your dreams be many and may you be fulfilled.

The Elder Tree and the Grove

2009-10-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is the time of the year that emphasizes the Elder Tree and the month of October. The festival of Samhain (Sow-in) also known as "The Day" in the Celtic mysteries which occurs
on October 31st. This festival is represented by the ogham of Koad which stands for the grove. Groves of trees hold sacred space and represent the silence, the void, and the sacred temple. If you are able to, go sit within a grove near your home. You will experience the strong grounding and safety that a grove can provide. The grove represents all of the tree teachings.

This is a time to communicate with the ancestors and those loved ones and pets that have passed over. This is a time of year when the veil between the worlds is very thin, almost non existent, and so it is easier to communicate with those who exits in other realms. They have messages of love, empowerment, and encouragement for us.

Place pictures of these loving spirits upon your altars and also give your gratitude for them. Remember too that they are in a spirit form that is more expanded and therefore they are not limited by the personality or personal limitations that they experienced while they were upon the earth plane.

Th Elder tree month represents the end in the beginning, and the beginning in the end and marks the end of the Celtic Tree Year and the beginning of what is called the dark half of the year. What is emphasized is the letting go of what no longer serves or impedes progress and beginning anew. Initiation, reaffirming your spiritual nature, and renewal are key ideas for this time of year. This is also a time to honor your elders and to spend some time in silence and contemplation. Be willing to review your year and save the seeds that you find worthwhile and let go of that which is dead and unusable. This can be recycled and composted into energy for the year ahead.

The guides for this month are the crone and the hermit/wise old man archetype. These are your inner helpers. They hold the mystery of death and rebirth. The ibis, crane, and stork are also totem helpers that bring in higher communication and knowledge and connect you to spiritual source however you name that.

2009-10-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate the impact you have in your world. Any work that you do upon your self and any spiritual or psychological study that you immerse yourself in is important. Forgiveness and emotional self mastery improve life for everyone around you but mostly for yourself. You do always have a choice about what you think, feel, and how you act. You create your experiences and you attract to you what you are focusing your attention on. If you are constantly angry or upset you cannot attract anything more or less than this. You have to change your software so to speak. Become aware of what you are thinking and feeling in the moment, and if it is not worth your time, choose to change it. It is really so very simple. Try it.

Working with the unseen realm

2009-10-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a joy to receive pratical help from the unseen realms of totems, guides, and deities. This help is always available to us if we but ask. Do not underestimate the power of your own imagination. This gift helps you to navigate in many realms of consciousness and receive the guidance and spiritual infusion of hope that we all need.

The Healing Power of Trees

2009-10-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

Just entering blog space and very excited about my new book The Healing Power of Trees:Spiritual Journeys Through the Celtic Tree Calendar. This book explores the last 15 years of my life and my work with the energitic healing power of trees and my studies of the Celtic Mysteries.