Kyle Kingsbury Podcast - #229 Alyson Charles

Episode Date: December 6, 2021

Alyson Charles as with everything came into my view at just the right time. I’ve had questions about Power(spirit) Animals lately and VOILA!! She gave me great clarity on my questions as well as graced us with her backstory and journey to now. Enjoy this one fam I certainly did. Connect with Alyson:   Website: www.alysoncharles.com  Instagram: @iamalysoncharles  Facebook: Alyson Charles  Twitter: @AlysonCharles  YouTube: Rock-Star Shaman Alyson Charles  Show Notes:   No notes today y’all, but do head over to alysoncharles.com/animalpower and preorder a copy of her book! Also, go check out her podcast which I jumped on after this one:  Apple  Spotify  Sponsors:   Lucy Go to lucy.co and use codeword “KKP” at Checkout to get 20% off the best nicotine gum in the game, or check out their lozenge. Upgraded Formulas from our boy Barton Scott!! Get your mineral levels figured out and head to www.upgradedformulas.com, punch in “KKP15” at checkout and get 15% off your order including the hair mineral test! Eaton Hemp Head over to eatonhemp.com to get my favorite hemp based food and wellness products around. Use “KINGSBU” at checkout Inside Tracker track your genetic datapoints and let these folks help you optimize your life at info.insidetracker.com/kkp use code “KKP” for 25% off for a limited time. Connect with Kyle:   Fit For Service Academy App: Fit For Service Academy  Instagram: @livingwiththekingsburys   Youtube: Kyle Kingbury Podcast  Kyles website: www.kingsbu.com  Zion Node: https://getzion.com/ > Enter PubKey  >PubKey: YXykqSCaSTZNMy2pZI2o6RNIN0YDtHgvarhy18dFOU25_asVcBSiu691v4zM6bkLDHtzQB2PJC4AJA7BF19HVWUi7fmQ   Like and subscribe to the podcast anywhere you can find podcasts. Leave a 5-star review and let me know what resonates or doesn’t.

Hello, hello, everybody. Big stretch in the yawn. Allison Charles is the guest today. And she, let's see here. I mean, I'll talk about it on the podcast, but I was in ceremony with her partner, Luke Story, who's been a guest multiple times on this show. And he had her latest book, Power Animals.

And I was like, wow, dude, I had no idea. Let me look through that. And I was like, wow, dude, I had no idea. Let me look through that. And immediately reached out and we went back and forth on dates, but we had finally enough time to do a pod swap where I went on hers and she came on mine. We discussed her own path to healing, how she met Luke, the ceremony that bonded their souls together. And then we dove into the book and really understood what is a power animal? How do we work with these things? And as a tool of divination, really what is the magic sauce behind the 100 animals that she had put together and compiled?

The artwork in this book is absolutely incredible. We'll link to a place to purchase her books from alisonsharles.com in the show notes. But I loved this podcast because it really has been one of the ways that synchronicity has shown up for me. Probably the most often I'd say is through the connection, my connection to the plants and animals and certainly has been very strong lately as I continue to get messages with regard to how to work with nature and best practices for the land that we're hoping to regenerate and that we are regenerating. Not hoping, the land that we are regenerating. There we go. And that's it. You're going to love this one. Check out our sponsors.

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Yep. Easy peasy. Yeah. So I was, I'll tell the audience why you're here. There's, I have heard, I heard so much about you. It's funny because like you meet somebody new, it's like, Oh, I've heard so much about you. And it's like, Oh, you know, sometimes I, okay, maybe, you know, like, what was it good? Was it bad?

Who knows? Um, but I had, I remember, uh, talking to Luke and he was just, there was a, you know, a gleam in his eye. He was a different, he was, he was really excited and he was just, there was a, you know, a gleam in his eye. He was a different, he was, he was really excited and it was really cool. So you guys are engaged now, right? You and Luke, or did you, were we not talking about that? We can edit that out. They don't know who Luke is. So good. No, no. Well, you know, what I will say here in this moment is that what most people don't know is that on our second or third date, we actually got married in a spiritual ceremony unexpectedly in a teepee out in the sacred deserts. The spirit of peyote had called for both of us to sit together. And so we answered that call.

And we had not, before this real wedding ceremony that took place on the second ceremony day, we had not even decided before that moment that we were even together as a couple. Like I said, it was our second or third date. And the next thing you know, there was this whole other divine current enveloping us. So we have had a wedding ceremony in front of, um, strangers in a teepee. And so we, we, we are married. We are married. I call him my husband and he calls me his wife. So, yeah, I love that. Yeah. That's what, I mean, you're in my phone as fiance, but, but it's a, it's, it felt like that energy. Yeah. And this is a great, you know, this is a great lead in. So, I mean, I definitely want to get into your

background, especially with plant medicines and, um, and just anything of the realm of spirit. You have a new book. And so I was in ceremony with, um, Luke Story and a handful of other amazing gentlemen on Equinox this year. And Luke, he goes, shameless plug, you know, and he held up your book. And he said, you know, my wife just finished her book, Animal Power, and it's all on spirit animals. And there's beautiful artwork. And I saw it and I was just mesmerized by it. And I was like, she's got to come on. I got to have her come on and immediately got the pre-order on Amazon. And yeah, it's just phenomenal. And of course, you brought in a copy and asked me to thumb through it. And we stumbled

upon a couple of big ones in the B category, but we'll dive into that in a second. I guess, I'm not sure where the best place to start is. I normally start with growing up and things like that. But talk about your trajectory onto the medicine path and really into the spirit world. Because it's not typical for people to write a book, especially if they don't have an accent, on spirit animals, right? Yeah. Yeah, God, I know. I feel all of the different trajectories that we could go down in this moment as well. So maybe I'll start, I do call them power

animals. So I'll start there. And then the next place I'll go into is thank you for feeling the power of the book. Thank you for supporting me. Um, you know, I really felt that, you know, Luke was like, Oh, Kyle just texted and said he ordered on Amazon. And I just, I want to thank you for being so present to your acknowledgement of my work. So I'll say that. And then, yeah, I mean the path for me to get to this moment, wow. I had always been into spirituality and metaphysics, even from the time I was a little girl. That was the category I was always drawn to. I was not ever a child that read like, you know, the babysitter club or comics or growing up, I didn't get into romance novels. Like I was always studying feng shui and the healing power of colors and learning how to read people's palms.

And it's funny too. And of course, in hindsight to watch the weaving of all of this, because even when I was a, um, radio morning show radio host for a hip hop station, I was, I still was finding a way to bring in, I was having psychics join us for the morning show. And I was doing dream analysis for the call, um, for the listeners that would call in. So it was always present. However, due to some childhood stuff, which, you know, we, you know, almost all of us walking the planet have that to some degree. Um, I had to make a decision at a very, very young age, like two and a half years old, whether or not to choose my relationship with God dad. So I hit that, that precipice and, um, you know, it was a big weight to bear at two and a half, not even three years old. Um, yet in that moment,

I chose to preserve my relationship. And I, every time, like all these years deep into telling this story, I still always feel the percolations of the emotions of that moment. Um, cause it was a huge turning point in my life. And by making that decision, I really took my spiritual powers and innate abilities down to, I want to say like 5% or less. um, because I am a seer and I have a lot of abilities that are very strong and online and I couldn't have both. I couldn't see all that I could see with my dad. Um, I had to shut it down. So it wasn't until I had a simultaneous divine intervention and spiritual awakening moment that happened more than a decade ago. And the instrument for providing that simultaneous life-changing moment was in a previous relationship.

And it was like super, you know, abusive, toxic, destructive. And I was in it for almost two decades. So I was really entrenched and I couldn't seem to find my way out of those cycles of insanity and abuse as smart, adept, quote unquote, well as I was. And that was the funny thing because by that point in my life, I had grown up, my dad owned fitness centers. Here we sit in the Onnit headquarters. This was the world I knew growing up as a child. My second home were gyms. I was a two-time national champion distance runner. I had been a division one college coach at this point. I had been a head personal trainer at a gym in Florida. And so from the outside, I looked incredibly successful, incredibly healthy,

incredibly well, yet I couldn't seem to pluck myself out of this 16 and a half year, like really dysfunctional, toxic situation. So it took all of my guides to come in one day, um, to snatch me out of, of living in that way. And there's a whole story behind it. And I'll let you tell me if you, if we want to go into the specifics of it, but I will say in this moment that my clear audience gift got turned on and I could hear spirit speaking to me and giving me specific instructions. And it was through me listening and heeding those instructions that my egoic shell got obliterated. The veil finally lifted. I dropped to my knees and it was, you know, simultaneously the most anguishing and horrifying and terrifying moment coupled with being the most miraculous

life-changing moment as, as well. And so that, that was the point that I really had no choice to finally answer the call of the truth of who I am and why I'm here. And that is shamanism and spirituality. That's, that's incredible. And we, we can dive in deeper into that relationship if you want, or we can, you know, continue to, to paint the path forward. I I'm open to either. I think even though we have, um, I'd say a primarily male audience, there are certainly men in abusive relationships and it seems to be a common human thing to, to stick around longer than needed if the lessons aren't being learned, you know, and, seems to be a common human thing to, to stick around longer than needed. If the lessons aren't being learned, you know, and, or to find a different partner

who shares the same qualities as all the rest. And, uh, and that seems to be a commonality. So maybe, um, you know, to the degree that you're comfortable with break down, you know, some of the patterns that drew you into that. And some of the patterns, you know, was it just one day, like a flash and all of a sudden things got switched back on and you couldn't, couldn't stay? Like, how did that really unfold? Yeah. Yeah. So I'll, I'll give, yeah, like some tiny little gem nugget cliff note. Uh, the one that flashed in first was I was able to connect a dot. And I also want to say, I love my dad, You know, next week, I'm flying up to where I'm from in Indiana to visit my family and to celebrate his retirement.

And like, we're, we, we are on good terms and I love him. He was just a person operating from a lot of, of his own childhood trauma that had not been dealt with and healed. And obviously when we're moving in life from that place, uh, there tends to be a lot of distortion and dysfunction that comes out as good of a person as you are and as good of a heart as you might have. So I want to make that clear. But what happened with my dad being my coach and also my dad and me running in my first road race at two and a half years old, my body became not my own body. Like me being told what to do with my physical vessel by someone outside of myself, specifically a male, um, and having my body, I mean, look, I reached that quote unquote highest levels of success as a runner, but, um,

it was traumatizing in a lot of respects as well. So how that then carried over and pivoted over and that kind of dynamic, addictive dynamic then transferred over to my previous relationship was, you know, we were both college athletes and we got together at a young age, both from a very denial riddled, trauma ridden place. And that entrenchment then allowed me to get roped into a similar essence of dynamic. Only this time it was my ex-fiance who I did not have eyes to see at the time. It took me 16 years. Um, and in that divine intervention moment to realize he suffered from a lot of addiction issues and sex addiction being one of them. So then here I am again, a different way for that dynamic to play out. I'm allowing a man to kind of control and dishonor my body and tell my physical vessel what to do to fuel their needs so that they feel better, so that they feel stronger, so that their needs are met at the demise of my own. So for, I mean, I guess the term that's coming up in my head is service sex. And obviously there's, that's a, you know, a low level, the low

hanging fruit of that could be, I'm tired. I don't really want it, but I'm going to do it to please you. The deeper end of that spectrum could be, use your imagination, right? Where I will actually dishonor myself and to the harm of physical pain and take it as far as you want. So obviously that spectrum is large, but no matter who I've talked to from the sex experts,

from Dr. Wednesday Martin to men, to anybody, this seems to be a real issue, especially in marriage and long-term relationships where there's almost like a guilt placed on the woman of, you know, this, you're all I've got. You got to do this for me. You got to service this. And that's not good for anybody is my point. Yeah. And I'm really glad that you're bringing this up and I'm glad that we kind of entered into these waters together because I feel something really rich here that goes on both sides. I mean, when you think about, especially over here in the U S like how we're taught about

sex, and I know there are plenty of other people having this conversation, but I really haven't gone into some of these specific threads of like, you know, we're taught through porn and like, we're not taught sacred sexuality. And so here I am as an almost, my birthday's on New Year's day. So I'm almost 43 years old. I'm still just now at this point in my life learning, I'm still like, I want to say in more of the primary stages of learning, what is sacred sexuality? How does my being, you know, draw upon those energies in a healthy way? How do I connect with my husband and how do we unite in an honoring, healthy way? Even if in uniting in a healthy way, there's still some of those more

primal, like at times animalistic energies to it. I mean, it's a whole entire world that is not presented really at all to us growing up and through adolescence. And so I think that for that reason and a ton of others, it's almost set up for us to not thrive in a successful way when it comes to relationships in general, but especially when it comes to the most powerful way that two people can unite in sexuality. I mean, you know, that connection point is incredibly powerful and it conjures what some would, you know, deem the most potent energies that humans can connect with. And we're doing it from a very dysfunctional, unhealthy place. And so for me, I really have been committed for a long, long time in facing myself and taking responsibility. I mean, when I had my spiritual awakening moment,

not long after that was my final, finally acknowledging that he had sex addiction issues among some other stuff. And I had a lot of codependent issues, complete lack of self-worth, self-respect, self-honor. And then not long after me finally facing that, and that was scary waters because that's a lot of darkness to that. Me facing the sex addiction piece, I could go in and I could look at it and then I would get trembly and terrified because it was so dark and scary in there and then I'd have to exit out. So me really facing that specific one piece took a long time. Then when I had maneuvered through that enough, then I had to take responsibility that for almost two decades, I allowed my physical vessel to be disrespected on a nearly daily basis. I mean, if you add,

I don't know, I'm not good with math, but if you take 16 and a half years times 365, I mean, that's a shit ton of days of letting your, your vessel be dishonored. So I'm like, holy shit. You know, I, after my main initial veil lifting, I had awakening after awakening after rude awakening after rooting and rude awakening after rude. And they still, you know, come into this day. Yeah. Mary Margrave, who's one of my favorite people, and she's on my short list of spirit counsel. I know I've mentioned this before, but she said one of the hardest parts about when you

finally access the divine feminine, which speaks through emotion, not through words and not through the rational mind, but through the emotional body that these things that come up, you know, you have your first, your first unveiling is like, oh, there's a transgression and that's the root of X, Y, and Z. And then as that gets processed, there's the, that other trans transgression, the one that where you said, okay, I'm going to allow this to a certain degree. It's not saying like women hold their hand up and say, rape me. I'm not saying that at all. But what I am saying is that on the spectrum and in certain circumstances, we say yes to that transgression or at least having allowed it to take place for however many years, right? And that's the hardest pill to swallow by far.

It is unimaginably harder than the ability to say, here is the perpetrator. And when we have to look in the mirror and recognize the part of ourselves that was the perpetrator, that can be sometimes the most challenging piece of the equation. Yes, I agree. And that was another awakening moment that I had was realizing in all those years that we were in relationship, it was so much easier for me to look outside of myself and to point the finger and to say like, you, you know, referencing my previous partner, you've got this, this, and this to work on. You're doing this in such an unhealthy way.

And that was my unconscious way of not facing myself. I'm not working on my own issues. Um, and, and also continuing to allow myself to play small and not to answer the true calling that was inside of me. And so, yeah, I mean, once you, once you let yourself finally expand and unite and connect in with the unseen realms and divine support, and I did that through my surrender moment that happened not long after my awakening. Once you're then in that allness of that most magnificent and infinite operating system, once you're connected into that. Oh my God. I mean, if you so choose, you will forever more be devoted to the infinite unraveling of nodule after nugget, after thread, after layer. I mean, and it just continues to open and open and open and open. And it's been the most incredible way I can imagine to live life, but it's freaking brought with it like so many initiations that have honestly, I've had my hand on the eject button and people are like, and, um, and that's, and yet that's what I signed up for. And that I think is my definition of most fully divinely living life is being with the allness and not closing ourself off from the exploration on that darker, scarier side,

but really leaning in to the trust of all of, of why that's presenting and, and, and finding the beauty and the richness in there, but it requires such trust and courage. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. So keep, keep us walking on this path. You, you start to reclaim the gifts that you were born with. You heal, um, very long term, uh, dysfunctional relationship. How long after that do you, when do you bump into Luke? What is your, what is your work with plant medicines and power animals up until this point? How does that start to unfold? Okay, beautiful. So here we are. Okay. So I just got the vision. I, yes, I have dropped my knees and I had my awakening in Brooklyn. And it's a vortex there. You know, I've heard of a lot

of other people that had their spiritual awakenings there. And I'm so grateful to that city to this day. So, yeah, I am slobber crying. My life's been turned upside down. I've made the appointment to go to the doctors to get checked for STDs because the graphic evidence that I had found on that day was incredibly confronting and very terrifying. Thank God I somehow, through the grace of God, God has remained healthy. And then the next step for me was flying to where I'm from in Indiana and staying at my grandma's house. Like I was losing my mind and I really needed to get to a

place where I felt rooted and comfortable. And what happened while I was at my grandma's and that back den bedroom, um, God, it was such a powerful portal for me because my grandma and my mom allowed me space. Uh, and I just want to take a moment to acknowledge them because that was, I'm sure it was so hard and scary for them, you know, to witness me coming in, having had that experience and to feel me, you know, I have a really big energy and I'm sure it was, it was scary for them to feel their daughter, granddaughter in that room in the house going through what I was, but they gave me such grace and space to find my way through that scariest time. And my grandma's pretty close to passing away and she just, you know, I'm just feeling her energy and presence a lot in this moment. I just want to take this opportunity to just honor her

and thank her. I've had an incredibly close relationship with her my whole life. And so I just want to say out loud in your show and thank you for providing me the space to do this. But yeah, thank you, grandma, for always being there for me. And so what happened in that back room, I just had awakening after awakening. Basically divine came in and was showing me my entire life. They were flashing me back to experiences and memories that I didn't even recall, but showing them to me from a place of light and non-illusion because what had happened was I was living my whole life in denial and blinding myself from all of the real shit that was going on. So they're like, okay, step one in your process

and remembering who you truly are, because we're going to show you A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we're going to replay it, but in truth. And so I just had awakening after awakening and realization after realization. And amongst all of that, they were also turning additional gifts on of mine online. So my clairvoyance was coming in, my clairsentience was coming in. And so I realized in that moment that I really needed support and I wasn't the person who I thought I was. So that was when I made my surrender moment and surrender statement. And I expressed to my soul, great spirit and great mother earth, like out of my own way finally, and allowing that clear and strong alignment to the unseen realms and the directions coming in from that place.

And not only did I open that pathway fully and clearly, and not only did I allow the instruction to come in, but I did the third most important step was I fucking heeded it because a lot of us just stop with the listen and we just keep fucking walking forward, doing what our ego wants us to do. But I actually listened to all of the quote unquote illogical advice that would come in that made no sense. And they would guide me to all of these different healers and practitioners. And they guided me to my aunt, who's a shaman. And that's actually where I first connected with my power animal allies was in a soul retrieval journey with her. There, she was facilitating for me and my core

power animal, the black Jaguar came in. And then after that soul retrieval session, three other supporter animal allies, the bear, the deer, and the frog all came in to help me with that time in my life. So the power animal realm, they were the first spiritual guides that came in after my awakening. And so, um, needless to say, that's one of the reasons why I have such a deep and reverent relationship with them. And it was, it was essentially, I never set out on a quest to become a shaman. I never set a goal or like, you know, said, Hey, you know, it'd be cool to have this job. I set out on a quest to finally face myself and heal myself and get into a place of wholeness and totality and acknowledgement of all the aspects. And in my quest of doing that, my soul and my being finally arrived to a place of readiness for that soul calling that was always encoded inside of me, just waiting for that readiness to then um, you know, to, to be a shaman.

It was always there, but it didn't have room to move. It didn't have room to express until, um, I had done enough healing. And then once that got activated and turned on inside of me, I mean, there was no denying it. Um, and that's been the path that I've been on ever since. And I know there's a lot in that, but that was the next phase. It was like having additional awakenings, surrendering, listening to the instructions, heeding them, healing myself, facing myself for a long time, and then boom, remembering who I am. So that's where we are now.

I love that. And I love like, you know, Jung uses the term synchronicity and it's when we're in alignment to the daemon or the high self or the soul, whatever you want to call that, where we start getting these downloads, we start receiving the transmission. And if we take heed, then there's more, right? The answer is yes. As Paul checked, God always says yes with an exclamation point and more. And I've felt very strongly in the last probably, what is it now, November, since that journey with Luke, which is only my second, I mean, I say only, it's more than some people do in a year, but that's very little for me to do, have only three major ceremonies this year. And that was, you know, by design to take time off and to really heal my relationship to the medicine and my connection to that. But

with those three journeys, it just feels like, like one step after the next, you know, if I'm walking the invisible bridge in Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones, I don't even need to throw the dirt out to see that it's there. I just, I can trust each step. I can know that I'm guided the whole way. The path is illuminated before me. And it's, you know, connection after connection, after connection with all the things that I'm finding are pertinent to me in my life right now. And so, as you spoke about that, being connected to the right healer, the right shaman, the right people, that becomes so undeniable. People say, how do you know that what you're seeing there is real or not, or those kinds of things when they're talking about these journeys.

And Luke said it best. I remember Luke before he had done plant medicine. And his trips out here chatting with me and Aubrey, I think were somewhat of an influence. And, you know, he came back and he's like, as an addict, he was worried, or as a recovering person, he was worried that there would be, you know, a bit of feeling off kilter.

And he said he'd never felt more sober than in that experience with ayahuasca. He'd never felt more sober than in that experience with ayahuasca. He'd never felt more real than in that experience. And to me, that just captures it, right? Because these experiences become undeniable. And that's, you know, once we've opened that portal, if you will, that's what happens in everyday life. So it's not like, oh, hey, I got to wait for this next journey to have my questions answered. Your questions are answered. You can see it clearly that the path is laid out. And that's really cool that those things just systemically started to go click, click, click, click, click in your life. Yeah, yeah.

And that leads me into one of the other questions you had posed is, so my pathway, and of course, I'm going to love that it was divinely designed this way, but I was on the shamanic path for many years before any spirits of any plants called to me. And I do think it's important to bring that up and to speak to that point, just to allow people to remember that it is possible to align with your true divine calling and to have your spiritual gifts open up without having to sit in a plant medicine ceremony. I mean, I'm living, breathing a testament to that. So I actually, you know, with so many years deep in, I didn't know if any plant medicines would ever call to me. And the funny thing is, um, and of course it would work this way. I, um, I was

sitting at a, a hape ceremony and, and I mean, I, I guess technically that is a plant medicine. So by this point I was working with some, some milder ones, Sananga and, and Hapé. And so I had, I had gone to a plant medicine church and I was there for a Hapé ceremony and I did not know, nobody told me that after the Hapé circle, that it was transitioning over into grandmother medicine, ayahuasca. I, I, no one, no one told me. And so, you know, the hape is complete, you know, I'm very open, sensitive creature. So I'm still very much just in that process, um, in that connection. And then, uh, the facilitator, the, the woman shaman said, you know, okay, like if you feel, well, we'll take a brief break and then, you know, find your spot.

If you feel you need to move as we transition over to grandmother, you know, okay, like if you feel, well, we'll take a brief break and then, you know, find your spot. If you feel you need to move as we transition over to grandmother, you know, medicine, I was just like, did I wait, say what? And so, um, that was actually a really lovely and kind of, um, you know, light in some ways, but also a pretty deep initiation moment for me because that was a confronting time because here I had been out as a shaman and a public figure teacher for quite some time, teaching that you can unite with your truth and all these divine powers without sitting with plant medicines. And then here I was, you know, being invited in and called in. And it wasn't until that moment that I realized that my ego had

kind of gotten attached and started to enjoy the identity of being a shaman who had never worked with a plant medicine, because there's so many misconceptions that those two things always go together and they just don't. And so I really had to sit with myself and I actually chatted that through with the facilitator. And I was like, look, this is what's coming up for me. I'm realizing that I had grown to like that I, you know, this, and I can teach from that place, but I, I think I'm really feeling the call and I'm here for a reason. And after really sitting with that question for a long time, I did decide to sit that night in my first ayahuasca ceremony. And I'm so glad I did.

It was definitely the right thing. And I've only worked with her probably another four or five times since then. So I've sat with her, you know, just around a handful of times with different facilitators in different locations. Um, the one, the plant medicine that has, um, on the deepest, most ancient level just resonated with me the most is peyote. I definitely am clear in past lives. Like I've been a facilitator of that medicine and I prefer to sit in like really traditional ceremonies where you sit upright and don't move and just like in a teepee. That's the one. I mean, that's one reason I have not done it yet. And since moving here to Texas, I have felt a stronger calling specifically to that medicine for a number of reasons,

but because of its history here and in connection with the ancestors of this land and some of the different people, Dr. Will Tagle, who's a true elder in every sense of the word, you know, there's such a rich history of that medicine here. And, you know, hopefully this isn't the case, but we may see, you know, that medicine takes very, a very, very long time to grow and it's not being harvested correctly. So it might be one of the last few opportunities to use that medicine. But the idea that I would sit, you know, like we had an opportunity in Panama and it was a guy who came in, I think from this area and it was called the tribal gathering.

So people from indigenous elders from all over the world came and brought their unique medicines to the land and their unique gifts to the land. And it was kind of a choose your own adventure. You know, you'd sign up, you'd put your name on the list. You'd have a conversation and get cleared the okay from the maestro and maestra. And then you'd be able to sit with a variety of different medicines. Not all at the same time, of course,

but throughout the course of 10 days. And I was with my dad who joined me for ayahuasca two nights while we were there. We ended up turning down. I mean, we helped these guys erect and build their teepee. So like I was fully in. And while I was sitting with Ayo one night, I had heard from another person there

that this is a very traditional thing. You actually sit on your knees. You can't lay down. You have to watch them the entire time. And there's an arc to it and there's a story and it is the story of their tribe, right? And he said it was fascinating, but it wasn't his journey to go within.

It wasn't his journey to use that medicine and do his own work. It was a collective story to be shared and received. And that to me, it wasn't drawing to me at that point. And certainly, my old man just beat to all hell. I was like, this guy couldn't sit on, he couldn't sit upright for two hours, let alone 16 or whatever it is.

So we ended up passing at that point. But is there a draw to that medicine because of your history with it and prior experience of prior lifetimes? Or is there something in particular that stands out about that, that you really are drawn to? It's going to take a moment in this present time to see what comes up when you ask that. I mean, the first thing that entered in is yes, that really deep reverent ancient connection from past lives. Yeah. I,

I definitely have a lot of visions of being out on the land, um, and constructing those teepees and sitting in there with sacred grandfire and, um, yeah, the drums beating and those stories being passed on. I even feel it, you know, really deeply as I'm saying it right now. So I think that is the primary thing. And so, yeah, there's just that, that giddiness is a weird way to put it, but because it can be incredibly exhausting and challenging in all those hours. And oftentimes they're back to back ceremony. So two nights in a row, you commit to this specific process. But yeah, on that ancient soul level, even if it's just like anguishing sometimes for many hours at one time

on that ancient level, my soul is just giddy to be able to have the opportunity to return back to that smell, to that taste, to those songs. And I'm just like, oh my God, I'm home again. When I'm in a teepee with the fire and that medicine and the spirit of that medicine, I do not feel any more home than there. And so that's what draws me in. And also too, I love how each spiritual teacher, each shaman, we're here to provide our own unique divine blueprint and transmission and ways that shamanism is to emit out of us. And it's all beautiful and we're all different.

But one of the threads that I know that I'm here to reconnect, especially, um, our culture over here in the United States back to is the sacredness and the reverence peace. And so ceremonies like that definitely have it completely embedded. Um, so yeah, I'll be curious. I love to hear, I didn't know, you know, I don't know your backstory with a lot of these ceremonies, and I love that you sat with your dad. And I think it's really cool that the spirit of peyote seems to be calling to you more, and I'll be curious to see where it takes you. Because wow, it is truly one of the primary things that brought Luke and I together into our sacred union. You know, we, we had been

friends for a long time and I also know him from before his first plant medicine ceremony that, yeah, it took him a long time. And I, and I know he had had those conversations with you and Aubrey to, you know, he, he took a long time to discern if that, that way was right. Cause he, at that point had been about 22 or 23 years sober. So it was a big decision point for him. But anyways, yeah, we had been friends. I was living in New York for like 15 years. He was LA based, but we were both speaking at a consciousness conference in New York city. And that was the first time he had ever gotten on my radar because when I went to, you know, promote this, this event that I was speaking at, I wanted to tag all the other speakers.

And so I was just going through the list and I saw Luke's story. I went to his page and I was like, huh, just remembered feeling a little, huh. And the other funny thing is on that Instagram post, which is still on my feed to this day, if you scroll back long enough, enough years, on the left side of that graphic, I put all of the speakers, but for some intuitive reason, I tagged his name right on my heart center because I was in the graphic. And I just remember doing that, but I didn't stay attached to that thought. You know, I just remembered consciously putting his name there and then just kept it moving. And so then he, we spoke on different panels, but he waited for mine to kind of suss me out to see if I was like the right vibe to go on

the lifestylist. I guess I passed the test. And so then the next day I invited him to a building that I was a part of, um, in Midtown Manhattan. And we did the interview there. And that was a significant first meeting because while we were not ready to see each other in the way that we do now, our souls were definitely communicating. He, you know, had a big heart opening. He was interviewing me on his show, but his heart got blasted open and he cried for the first time on his own show. So he had this sense of safety with me and the ability to finally unlock these vulnerabilities and these heart medicines within him that are so potent. I mean, you know, Luke, he's just all heart. I mean, so little ego.

He's just such a beautiful soul. And yet he had never had a safe access point with anyone yet. And he sensed that with me. And so in hindsight, he actually does say sometimes that he looks back and he does acknowledge that that is the moment he fell in love with me, but we just weren't ready to, to sense that because he was celibate and I was celibate. And so our journey is we remained friends for, I don't know, three and a half plus years. And when I would go to LA and for whatever talks events, I would let him know we'd grab tea, vice versa. He would, oh, then there's this funny one. And this is kind of be a little, maybe TMI for some folks, but whatever.

When he, when he came to, um, he was doing something in New York and we met up at the hotel lounge where he was staying to grab tea and catch up. Like we always tried to do. And, um, he's like, Hey, you know, so what's the latest. And I'm, you know, when I'm comfortable with someone, I'm just, I prefer to be completely transparent. I don't like to be wishy-washy. I just like clear, direct energy lines, just fucking keep it clear. And I just said to him, I, and maybe I'll, you know, I don't know, make the language a little lighter, but I basically said, I was like, well, how I am, what I'm experiencing in my life, in my body right now is I, my body wants a penis and it wants ejaculation. Like my, I could only imagine being in Luke's shoes, having been celibate, having known you and liked you and

been attracted to you and hearing that come out of your mouth. And you're gorgeous too. It was like, well, this is, this is audio only. So I've apologized to the listeners, but yeah, I get, I'm just putting myself in his shoes. It's like, say what? Yeah. He handled it really well. You know, play it cool. Yeah. He played it really cool. I think he had worked on having, you know, healthy boundaries for quite some time. And we had a kind of already established that between us. So I felt in safe space to keep it real. And, but that light, that switch had been turned on inside of my body to like that desire. And I know it doesn't happen for every woman, but it had for me that desire to be a mother and to learn what, what it's like to become impregnated. And, and so it was very strong and very activated in me. And at that point,

I want to say in that conversation with him, I was probably on year four of my celibacy, something like that. So I was deep into my own celibate path. Um, so yeah, I, I said that to him and then we just, you know, carried on. But there's these hilarious moments that we're able to look back on in hindsight of our journey of being friends first that we just crack up about now. But what the turning point for he and I was when I had made one of my trips to LA, did the quintessential, hey, I'm in town, want to grab tea? He said, yes. And it's actually perfect timing.

He said, why are you here this trip? And I said, I'm actually not taking any meetings. I'm not filming my show. I'm not doing anything work related. I've made the decision that I'm going to move here. And so I'm activating that, that energy. That's my sole purpose for being here. And so I had no idea. Well, I'll get to that in a second. So he says, yes, he shows up to the hotel to grab tea with me. And I had no idea that the previous relationship that he had been in, that it had ended. I was so happy for him that he had finally found love. I had actually given him advice when he came to me for that a couple of times. I was in full support of that relationship. Um, and I thought it was it for, for them. And, um, and so when he showed up and was just like, you know, I forget at that

point, a couple months out of that or something, I was really shocked, um, to hear that news. And so I, he told me that story. Then he moved to the other side of the table at one point. And I was like, what is he doing? Because it was a very pronounced shift. And he was like repositioning himself and like directly across from me like you and I are now. And I was like, what is going on? Because I could feel the shift.

And he got himself steadied and re-centered. And he said, you know, I'm not sure if you knew this, but I've always been interested in you. And I, even though that's like a subtle light statement, our history and me never being clued into that he had ever had any interest in me, my, I was rattled. My brain was short circuiting. I was like, did I just hear what that, did he really say that? And it was really discombobulating for me. And I stammered and stuttered and I was like, I know, I had no idea. And he, and he just stayed very strong and stoic. And he was like, so I'd like to take you on a proper date sometime soon.

And I was just like, what the fuck is happening right now? And I was just like, what the fuck is happening right now? And I was just like, oh, okay. Okay. And the funny thing is, I don't, I don't think I've ever told him this and I love you, honey. And I don't think it'd be a big deal, but I, I had a date that was coming into the hotel and I was like, we had to kind of wrap our chat up because, and they met at the door. I was like, Oh, Hey, you know, and he probably, he's not dumb. He probably connected the dots. But, um, you know, I was, I was dating people cause I was really ready to get into the sacred partnership. And so, um, so yeah, he really, I give him a lot of credit because in different, um,

points in our relationship, he's really been strong and adept at opening new rivers for us. And I was a little nervous because I didn't want to lose him as a friend. And I was scared. I was running the scenarios of like, one of us is going to like each other more than the other, or one's going to be like into the sexual piece and the other one's not. And then our friendship's going to go get weird. Um, but there was that deeper piece in me that was saying, lean into this. So I flew back to LA and our first date was on New Year's Eve and my birthday is New Year's day. So it was like a powerful night for me. And we, of course, you know, went to a Kundalini gathering. That's how we celebrated New Year's was chanting, you know, with gurus. Um, and, uh, yeah, that, that it was at that Kundalini gathering

that he said to me during breaks in between chanting, we were sitting facing each other and he said, you know, your, your medicine has been calling to me. And he, he referenced my, it being my medicine. Cause he knew how deeply I had worked with peyote. So by my medicine, he meant peyote. And I thought, and I said, huh, well, this is interesting. Um, and my first question is, well, who's facilitating? Cause I'm always very, very, very sensitive to all of that. Um, it's the most important thing, you know, to really question and take your time and determining who to sit with. And I was nervous about what he was going to say. And he's like, oh, well, you know, I ran into my friend Sanjay.

And as soon as he said that, I know that Sanjay sat in the same soul family circle of the facilitators with peyote. And so I knew he was then sitting with my teachers and he didn't know that he didn't know who my teachers were. And I'm just like, this is wild. So right out of the gate from him opening that gateway in that river by me leaning in despite my nervousness and saying, yes, this massive beyond words, beyond measure, divine activation just started to work with he and I and the spirit of peyote just want to honor and thank that medicine again. It came in and, um, I will button this story up by saying, cause it is long and it's in very in depth, but, um, I, I was very happy for him to know he was going to be in good

hands for that ceremony after our date, which went really well. He did give me a little kiss on the lips, but we were taking it very slow. And then I flew back to New York. I checked in with him and I said, hey, can you tell me the date again for the peyote ceremony? Because I just want to hold space for you. And he said, why do you want to come? And again, there's him opening up these rivers. And I thought, huh, cause I hadn't even crossed my mind. And I thought, maybe I do want to go. And I messaged the facilitators and they were beyond sold out. I mean, in the teepee, there's set amount of space. You can't fudge it. And I was like, huh? I thought, you know what? I'm going to get the ticket anyways. Even if I just stay in the Airbnb out in the desert and he goes,

and I'm just holding space even closer, fine. And so I flew back across the country. Like a few days later, we drove out to the desert together. Of course, one spot opened up and I, we ended up sitting that weekend and back to back, um, medicine ceremonies. That was a ceremony that we got married at. And so we were married before, long before we had slept together. And before we'd even decided to be a couple, we were like, and, and that is the power and the spirit of peyote.

You know, that's just one example of the power when, when you truly have a call from these spirits and, and you heed it and you work it with sacredness and reverence and, and respect, like this is one example of what can happen. And yeah, I mean, yeah, it could go on and on. Y'all are, y'all are fantastic together. It was just like right from the jump. I was like, Oh boy, this is great. This is awesome. Especially having y'all move here. Everyone's busy and I know you guys have massive, massive load on the plate with the home and everything going on and the busy schedules. But it's a treat anytime I get to hang with you guys. Likewise.

So let's dive into the book here. Cool. You said the first three that came to you were the black jaguar, the bear, and the deer. And the frog. And the frog, first four. Yep. You want to unpack those? Yeah, yeah, I do, I do.

I love to give them respect for how much they helped me. So yes, this, again, remember, this was at the point in my life where I was fresh out of my divine intervention and spiritual awakening moment. So everything's still just turned, everything's turned upside on the head. And I don't know, up from down, left from right. And I'm trying to sort my life out and figure out what the hell is going on.

And so these allies came in because every single power animal has different wisdom attributes, teachings, and medicines. And the frog came in to support me in the emotional territory and the healing waters of finally letting myself feel, I mean like, oh my God, infinite things, but the suffering and the pain and the anguish and just all the stuff that I had gone through in that past relationship that I had stifled down and been in denial around. It just, the frog helped it all open up. I took so many healing baths, meditating with the frog, speaking with the frog. And the frog also teaches to take leaps of faith and it only leaps forward. So it was like, girlfriend, no more going back because that was the pattern with my ex for almost two decades was exiting out, getting back in,

exiting out. And so the frog was like, we're only moving forward now. And that thankfully was the case. And then the deer came in to keep my heart open. The deer is heart medicine, the path of the heart. And you know, after, after heartbreak, it's understandable as humans to just shut it down. I mean, how many people do you and I know together that once they got their heart broken, like they never got back in a relationship ever again, it's scary. It's so painful. Um, but the deer helped me in that commitment and keeping my heart open and side note, huge note, the deer, uh, Kayumari is the sacred blue deer of the spirit of peyote. I was just about to ask you about that. Yeah. It looks like a blue Patronus from Harry Potter. Yeah. And so, so yes, the deer is an ally, even though my core

power animal, the one that's been with me since the day I was born and will be with me, you know, death and beyond is the black Jaguar. The deer has been working with me for over a decade now. And then the bear came in to provide that grounding, stabilizing, nourishing support. It would come to me in meditations. The bear would be sitting with its back up against a tree and then it would invite me to sit in its lap and lean my back against its chest and to learn how to surrender and to let go and to be held by divine masculine support and to learn how to be in my divine feminine and to release and release and be held by the unseen support and to learn how to be in my divine feminine and to release and release and be held by the unseen realms. So each one of them came in and played a really

significant role in healing me and getting me into a place of like divine alignment. Yeah. I love that. But unpack the Jaguar for us. I think that's the last one on the list. Right. Yeah. I mean, yeah, she's on the cover here of Animal Power. She has been the one who has taught me how to do deep shadow work and to face all aspects of myself and also spiritual reclamation. Because I think in my life journey, that's probably the biggest theme. You know, for the first quarter to almost half of my life, I was in complete denial and suppression of my spiritual gifts and truth and ability and purpose

and why I'm even here. And then once she came in, she's helped me to boldly and bravely and courageously, continuously allow my gifts to keep expanding and growing at the divine pacing, of course, that they're meant to, but to just completely commit to embodying my grandest spiritual abilities and truths possible. So she is fierce in that, for sure. I love that. Can I pick your brain on a couple animals that have been coming through to me? Yeah, let's talk about it. So for, I mean, since I, since we got our home and probably actually before that. So for, for the last few years, since coming here to Austin, we've had quite a few bees. They'll come into the house, never aggressive. They're just interested and they'll hang out. Like they're, they're, I can, I can tell it's not like there's a difference

between, you know, a bird flying by or like when the day bear was born, two hummingbirds came out at arm's length and just stayed right in front of my face for a minute. And I was like, what the fuck? Like, it was just, it was just unbelievable. Like they're right there. And I start, I'm like, I don't understand what you're saying, but I know you're here to tell me something.

And it was the second I said that, I understood it was congratulations. Bear is going to be born today. And that was two days before he was due. And sure enough, he was born that night. So there's experiences like that, completely sober, that are just un-fucking-deniable. And I've learned, you know, through plant medicines and in everyday waking consciousness, when to heed and listen and when to recognize something is sticking out like a sore thumb, there's a message here.

And bees just kept showing up in that way. I mentioned about a year ago, I was in Sedona at an ecstatic dance for a fit for service and Porangi was playing for all of us and at Ob's Big Ranch back there with Bear Mountain behind us. And one landed on my hand and it started crawling around and I was like, Hey buddy, you know, and I was chatting with it. And, um, I was like, you want to stay with me? And I started dancing and moving again. And it just stayed with me. It stayed on my hand for 30 minutes while I was dancing on an ecstatic dance. And I was showing people, I was like, look at this. And they're like, Whoa, that's fucking weird. That's cool. You know? And cool. And then I actually started to soften

and really try to appreciate what was happening there and that deep sense of connection. I don't know if you've read The Fist Sacred Thing by Starhawk. It's an incredible book, very pertinent to the times right now. It's written in the future and it paints a picture that's eerily similar

to our current times. But one of the characters, Madrone, ends up becoming like a bee woman. You know, she works with the bees on a very deep level and ends up being covered in them and immerses, you know, as this bee person. But I've really gone into that and I've talked about wanting to keep bees.

You know, Aubrey just acquired a ranch that we're going to be able to tend the land to. And, you know, for whatever- That was coming in to be able to tend the land to. And, you know, for whatever. That was coming in right before you said it, FYI. So it is connected to this. Yeah. And so, you know, and even yesterday as I was driving into podcast, there was one in the car and just hanging out right next to me. And I was like, oh yeah. You know, and being sweeter and softening the message because I've just dropped a pretty deep, dark solo cast on kind of the state of things as they are. And it was just a gentle reminder to soften and be sweet. And so I have a full communication with them, but yeah, I actually met one of my buddies, Brent, who's a

member in Fit for Service who keeps bees in Hawaii. And I was thinking that, you know, there's no way I want to keep bees in the space suit. I want them to see me. And he actually does it naked. I was like, that's fucking it, dude. That's it. He's never been stung. I need to interview this guy. I'm like, that's it, brother. So like yet another synchronicity, you know,

all in the same week of like, okay, cool. Let's work with the bees. I love it. But I'd love to know more about them and why they keep showing up. They've been unrelenting more than any other. There is one other one, which we'll dive into next, but that's definitely been one that's been very pertinent for the

longest period of my life. So beautiful. And to be quite honest, I was pretty unexpected for me to hear that for you, but it makes total sense. So a lot was coming in when you were sharing that. So let me tune in to which ones to come in first. It's this one theme of you have exhibited and have grown an even more sacred, reverent acknowledgement within your own self and embodiment of your ability to achieve the impossible time and time and time again. And when you think of the bee, I mean, aerodynamically, they're not supposed to be able to fly. Like they're not built to fly, but they certainly do. And they do it with such beauty and such grace and they do such magnificent things through their ability to fly and achieve the impossible. So that theme was coming in.

And then, I mean, I think it's obviously no, uh, no coincidence that they also represent community and you seem to have, even though I'm still getting to know you, uh, you seem to have a really strong ability of uniting groups and bringing people together and holding incredibly strong, powerful space for communities to do whatever the intention is, you know, whether it's healing shadows and wounds or ecstatic dancing, whatever the essence or texture, you seem to be a uniter of community and also fertilizing projects. I mean, again, even though I'm in the initial stages of getting closer to you, the little tiny nuggets that I do know, I mean, we're sitting in on it and I know you've played a huge role of fertilizing, you know, these, this space and different projects

here. And then you referenced the new project with the land, which, you know, I don't know how much you guys have shared about that publicly, but I think the B is your main ally, especially when it comes to this new land project that you guys are building. So I don't know the full details. That's been loud and clear. So that, that is completely in alignment. Yeah. Yeah. So just keep talking to your friend, you know, and it would even, you know, be beautiful. I don't know that this will end up being the case, but the thing that just flashed in is like maybe on opening ceremony day, like maybe you facilitate something built into the foundation and the, you know, the unveiling of this project, like think you and the bee can really co-create and conjure some powerful things together. I love that. I love that. Absolutely. Well,

the other one that I want to ask you about, it's a very specific bird. So maybe you don't have, it's a Cooper's hawk. Oh no, I don't have that. Do you have a hawk or anything close to it? Yeah. Yeah. I'd love to know that. I'd love to know the hawk medicine. Oh, no, I don't have that. Do you have a hawk or anything close to it? Yeah, yeah, I have a hawk. I'd love to know the hawk medicine because I was on a walk with Dr. Will Tagel who wrote, he's written eight books.

He's been on the podcast. He wrote Walking with Bears. Phenomenal guy. He lives out in Wimberley. And he was, we were on a medicine walk and he pointed to a very specific medicine tree and said, this has been revered through the cultures of this land for its healing properties for X, Y, and Z.

And he looked down for a second. And right then, a Cooper's hawk swooped in. And it was as we were talking about community. And I was like, look, look, look. And he looked up and he goes, I didn't see it, but you did. So there's clearly something to community building, clearly something to the medicine of this bird. And, you know, since then, like anytime there's, um, and we have them not in our neighborhood, but there's a Frisbee golf course behind us with a big pond. And there's

a couple that are over there. So if I take them into the woods, then we, you know, have like a 50, 50 chance of spotting one. But, uh, all since, since this farm's been purchased, they've been flying inland now. And I've seen them, one of them landed on my fucking house the other day. And I was like, yo, like, yeah. Yeah. The thing, the thing that came in first and, and like the bee, there's different components I feel with each of these animals for you. Um, but I personally feel, and I, and I know this is true because I'm feeling the emotions as I'm about to say it, the hawk is really coming in, acknowledging you and really honoring you. So, you know, these animals come in for different reasons, for different seasons.

You know, the frog was a more brief one for me. The deer has been a decade. The jaguar has been my lifetime. So they come in and out for different reasons and different amounts of time. A lot of times, primarily they will come in to be our guides and our teachers and to help empower us. But I feel specifically the hawk for you is less that and more just trying to thank you. It's acknowledging you for your devotion and commitment to spiritual remembrance within yourself. Does that resonate? Yeah. Yeah.

I feel that very deeply for you. Yeah. Big time. So for people who, I mean, I imagine that the majority of my listeners have at least dabbled if they've made it this long in my show with some form of altered state of consciousness, whether it be deep breath work or a form of fasting or or of course, you know, the many tools that I've mentioned before. But even with that, that's not a guarantee that you're going to run up against, you know, a power animal. For many of my journeys, I didn't see them. I know the first time my wife and I did ayahuasca together, She spent her entire day as a bear with her deceased father as a bear, right?

And it was massive, just a massive day. And she would come out to purge anger and resentment and go to the bathroom. She'd come back in and the vision would pick up where it left off. I've never had a journey like that where it wasn't like just a one-off experience of the vision.

And then the next one was completely different, kind of like dreaming. It's very rare for me to get up and go to the bathroom and come back to the same dream exactly where I left it, right? And, you know, of course, I've had, even when Bear's soul spoke to me and mentioned that his name was going to be Bear and he was going to be our firstborn child and a boy, he didn't show up as a bear. It was just a blank spirit that I felt. And so in many of my journeys, I haven't come across the vision of these things. And so I don't want to let people know, it's not a requirement that you see these things in your altered state of consciousness or without it. But how would somebody start to approach in working with power animals? Because they can be such important allies.

They can help us see outside the box. They are a form of divination, you know, for any of the Potter fans, you know, like drawing cards, tarot decks, things of that nature. That, you know, in my personal experience, I've never drawn the wrong card. Right. You know, when I take my time and I really center myself and I draw and I have, you know, my own little modes of operating that my left hand gets warm, then I know I'm on a good spot, those kinds of things. But I've never seen someone draw the wrong card, even when they're surprised and they're like, really this? Then they go into ceremony and they're like, holy shit.

Yeah. That literally just happened to me last week. Yeah. So, so, um, this is such an accessible and amazing tool. And that's why I was so giddy to have you on. Cause I was like, fuck yeah. And I've never really talked about this before. You know, Paul check has been on more than any other person and he's, he's brought them up in his abilities, um, to work with them and teach people soul retrieval and guide them through those experiences. But even still, we haven't done a deep dive on this topic. How would someone approach, you know, they buy your book, how do they approach working with power animals and using your book? Yeah, there's a couple different avenues and pathways in, and they're all, you know,

whether you're just opening the door and crossing the threshold into the spiritual path, the hero's journey, or whether you're, you know, many years deep on it, you can do any of these practices. So let's say this is resonating with you and it's speaking with you, but it's newer. I would just recommend, I always love for people to build an altar space, even if you've never built one and you don't even know what that means. like literally altar spaces are just a place that you can devote to sitting at. Even if it's for two minutes, one minute each day, it doesn't have to be ornate or opulent. It can literally be a rock that spoke to you when you went on a walk by the river and a little tea light candle.

But it's a space where you feel safe to explore yourself and potentially the unseen realms. And maybe just sit and a little meditation, even if you don't have the altar, just sit and close your eyes, draw that breath, inhale into your heart center. Just allow the inhale to just wash through your heart for a moment to just get connected to that most powerful wisdom place. And to just simply ask, you know, if, if connecting in, cause the power animal world and allies, they really do love an invitation in. So if meeting them, communing with them, hearing messages and getting guidance or energetic medicine from the power animal world, if it speaks to you, just close your eyes, connect

with your breath, connect with your heart and just ask them, invite them in and say something simple like, you know, beautiful power animal world. If there is any animal ally who wishes to come forward to me, who wants to empower my pathway, my heart, my life right now, I'm opening that invitation. I'm ready to connect with you. And once you open that gateway, you can just sit there and people's abilities and awarenesses work in different ways. I'm very clairvoyant. So I see a lot of visions, but you might hear a whisper of, you know, dove or caterpillar, or one might come to you. You might feel its presence. You might feel like a big cat just walked over and sat next to you, but it's can be that simple of just speaking your readiness and opening the invitation and a meditation. My most recommended way, especially if you're wanting to unite with your core power

animal, because it's such a sacred relationship, I most advise sitting with a trusted shaman in a guided shamanic journey. And, you know, because of that, I did provide that as a free gift for anyone that pre-orders animal power from my website, from that pre-order page at alisoncharles.com, you can put your email into the form and you will get sent a video guided shamanic journey that I facilitate to call that power animal forward. Because when you do it in a journey and the shaman is drumming or rattling or whatever they're doing and guiding you into those other realms, you're able, you're the one then that's creating that relationship. You can see that animal coming forward to you. There's a space in that journey to ask it questions, to, to receive its medicine.

And so on a much deeper level than you're conjuring and creating that rapport and that relationship, because I do, you know, live power animal readings all the time. And that's kind of what happened with you at the hawk and the bees, you know, they come right in and they tell me exactly why they're coming to you, but like you're less involved then, and it's less empowering for you. So that's why I most recommend the journey. And then also just being aware of dream time. They love to come in during dreams. So keep a little journal at your bedside because when you are in those other realms, um, even though something might be vivid in the moment, it tends to waft away pretty quick. Um, so if you remember

that a hummingbird or a, you know, a freaking moth came to you while you slept, make note of it. And this, that's why animal power book was born. It's a, it's a compendium. It's a reference guidebook that features 100 animals to energize your life and awaken your soul. And so you can flip to the gnat and read its main keywords. The energy medicine messages are listed for each animal. It's messages specifically. So for example, for the gnat, one of its messages says, if you've been feeling a bit irritated or annoyed, examine where those feelings are coming from. Let yourself get to the root of the issue. Another message, I represent shadow work, the practice of getting to know the darker hidden aspects of yourself. It may seem easier to turn a blind eye to traits that are potentially harmful, but taking an honest look at your darker side is the key to

embodying your full power so that you can unconditionally love yourself. So each animal has messages like that, along with the power practice, which is a ritual where you can go deeper with that animal. So, um, the last thing I'll say, another way you can work with the book is by going to the back. Um, we have a couple of different cool indexes. If there's a thing, if there's an essence you're trying to call into your life, um, wisdom, teamwork, um, ease, healthy boundaries. So you're like, okay, I'm, my boundaries freaking suck. Like I need to work on these. I want healthy boundaries. You go to the section here, you find the word healthy boundaries. Oh, okay. Armadillo, eagle,

lizard, mountain lion, and skunk are all good for helping me with those. So you go to those entries and pick the one you want to work with and do the thing. You know, there's all, there's all sorts of ways to work with them. That's absolutely incredible. Well, we get it. I'm going to jump on your podcast here coming up after a small break so we can cut it here. Where can people find you online? I know you mentioned the website, allisoncharles.com. Yeah, that's the best place. You can get the book pre-ordered there and the guided journey at allisoncharles.com backslash animal power um i am on tiktok i haven't like done a video in many many months but it's shaman allison charles and then instagram is at i am

allison charles oh and i have ceremony circle podcast which you're about to be on so hell yeah we'll link to all that in the show notes thank you so much thank you brother i had a great time absolutely Absolutely. you