I cried a lot on Nov. 6. And I spent several hours amongst the forest trees- so grounding. It was so unseasonably warm here in Upstate New York that I saw two snakes sunning themselves on the surface, rather than where they should have been, buried deeply within the Earth. I placed my knees, hands, and forehead onto the Earth, seeking some wisdom from snake and Mother Earth to carry me through these coming times. And they spoke: “The Path of the goddess and the path of the priestess have never been easy.”
I have been dancing with the name fire priestess for much of this year.
I’ve been working deeply with fire for almost 9 years. Early this year I began calling myself a fire weaver. Fire is the element of transformation and I began claiming the truth that through my relationship with fire and the spirits, I weave my own transformations and I help others weave theirs. But I only dared to quietly, internally, acknowledge that I am a fire priestess.
The message from snake and Mother Earth gave me the powerful nudge to know that it’s thyme* to declare out loud that I am a fire priestess. And it is thyme to say out loud that
I am queer. And it is thyme to share out loud that my heart yearns to work with teens who feel despair for the Earth, for humanity, for their own lives.
I felt deeply despairing when I was a teen and I desperately needed someone like my 46-year-old, (dare I say bad-ass?!) shaman/fire priestess self to share with and learn from. Instead, I had no one.
On Nov. 6, after I’d said goodnight to my two boys and gone to bed, my 16-year-old came into my bedroom and crawled into bed with me because he needed a cuddle. He has felt deeply impacted by the election result.
He is much bigger than I am now and I have no idea how many years it has been since he curved his back into my belly like that. I put my arms around him and tucked my knees up behind his knees and I held him. And we talked about the election and the world and things that matter and what he feels about it all. And about how my queerness makes me a target. And about how my shaman-ness and my priestess-ness make me a target. And about how his friends are not talking to each other about how they feel about the election.*It is thyme to talk about the things that matter and about what we feel. It is thyme to step into the work that our spirits came here to do to make a difference for each other, for the Earth, and for all life. It is thyme to claim that powerful name that declares your strengths and your gifts- even if it makes you a target.
If you are searching for your purpose, or if you know why you are here but need to heal the layers between you and your courage to step into your why, into that powerful name, I would love to support you on your journey. Let’s take an hour to talk together about what matters: https://calendly.com/sacral-transformations/shamanic-consult.
Blessings and Courage,
Betti
*Thyme: writing “thyme,” as in the medicinal plant, rather than “time” as in patriarchal linear time, is part of my work in deconstructing the capitalist tyranny of “too much to do too little time” that I’ve lived within most of my life. This work also involves forming a relationship to the Thyme plant, tending a bed of Thyme just outside of my back door, and drinking Thyme tea. Ah! the beauty of the Shamanic path to healing!
Betti Rooted Lionheart (she/ her) is passionate about working with Teens, Queer People, and anyone who feels despair for the Earth and Humanity. She is a Shamanic Healer, a Minister of the Church of Earth Healing, a Spiritual Empowerment Activist, a Fire Weaver and Fire Priestess, a Writer, a Facilitator of the Work That Reconnects, the mother of two sons, and the founder of Braided Root Waters Healing Sanctuary in Trumansburg, NY. Betti offers powerfully transformative one-to-one Shamanic Healing Sessions. She also teaches Shamanic Journeying so that you are empowered to heal and transform yourself, remember your power and purpose, and take aligned action in service of the Earth and All Life. Betti can help you reclaim the Divine Feminine through developing your own Earth and Goddess-centered Shamanic Spiritual Practices.
https://sacraltransformations.com, [email protected]