ShamanTalk

This week, I'm talking with HeatherAsh Amara, author, teacher, and someone who's been doing this work for over three decades. We talked about how the spiritual landscape has shifted from guru culture to something more community-led, what unconditional leadership is, and how discernment is just judgment with less drama attached.We also got into firewalking, what happens in your body when you walk across hot coals, and why a bad book review might actually be good news. Plus social media, abundance, AI, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is just start.A wee note: I recorded this at the end of 2026. I’ve been tardy in getting this conversation posted 🙂Find HeatherAsh: Website: https://warriorgoddess.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarriorgoddessrevolution?igsh=cTF0cmxkejlyc2V6Mentioned in this episode:Scottish Highlands & Hebrides Pilgrimage 2026 with Rhonda & Ash - (2026 sold out - 2027 wait list open - https://warriorgoddess.com/scottish-pilgrimage/)Wild, Willing, Wise by HeatherAsh Amara Warrior Goddess Training by HeatherAsh Amara HeatherAsh's Substack, Out of the Fire: https://heatherash.substack.com/It's Not Your Money by Tosha SilverThe Telepathy Tapes podcast The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Barry and Marina's firewalk events https://kickashfirewalks.co.uk/

In this powerful conversation, I welcome Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. to discuss his new book, The Poisoned Arrow: A Toltec Guide to Overcoming Fear. Miguel shares candidly about how the book emerged from personal experiences, including a concussion, caregiver's fatigue, and a cancer scare, making it a deeply authentic exploration of fear in real-time healing. The discussion weaves together Toltec wisdom, modern challenges such as AI and social media, and practical approaches to working with both rational and irrational fears.About my GuestDon Miguel Ruiz Jr. is a Toltec Master of Transformation and author of multiple books, including The Five Levels of Attachment and The Mastery of Self. He carries forward the teachings of his grandmother, Madre Sarita, the spiritual head of their family. From that early age, he was called upon to translate Madre Sarita’s prayers, lectures, and workshops from Spanish into English. In this way, through constant repetition and review, he learned the content of her teachings in both languages. Miguel now brings ancient Toltec wisdom into practical, accessible language for modern life, transforming the lives of countless souls. Find his work:The Poisoned Arrow: A Toltec Guide to Overcoming Fear - Available wherever books are sold

In this episode of ShamanTalk, Rhonda McCrimmon is joined by author, teacher, and witch Judika Illes, well known for her encyclopedias of spells and magic. Together they explore the hidden threads of witchcraft woven through fairy tales, the importance of protection spells, and how magic shows up in daily life.Judika shares her origin story, from growing up with a love of books and tarot to becoming one of today’s most recognised writers on magic. She explains why fairy tales hold coded shamanic teachings, why children respond so deeply to archetypal stories, and how spellcasting begins with clarity of intention.Find Judika:Judika's website is under maintenance currently - http://judikailles.com/Instagram - @judikaillesFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJudikaIlles/

When a sudden and severe illness confined her to bed, Carrie picked up a paintbrush and began to create. The act gave her comfort and a sense of purpose. She describes how she chose to build a temple to creativity within the limits of her condition. This daily choice continues to shape her life. Beauty, colour, song and small rituals turn her home into a sacred space.Join author Carrie Schmitt for a FREE live class Awaken Your Creativity - A Sacred Art-Making Ritual to Begin Your Journey.Thursday, September 25th 2025 – 6pm PST | 9pm ESTCLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILSFind CarrieInstagram, @carrieschmittCarrie's new book is available for pre-order now: Awakening Creativity, A Sacred Journey to Reclaim Your Inner ArtistAvailable on Amazon and other retailers. In this conversation, we explore creativity as a living relationship. Carrie speaks of it as something you meet with devotion and trust. It responds when you treat it with respect. Skill grows through practice, yet the deeper aim is union with the creative spirit.Our discussion connects this with the Three Cauldrons. The lower cauldron involves releasing the harsh voices that many of us carry from childhood. In the middle cauldron, you learn steadiness, so that your relationships with both people and your art hold more kindness. The upper cauldron opens to inspiration, the stream of divine illumination. When you move your own self aside for a moment, that stream can flow through with ease.Words hold power. Carrie speaks of the harm caused when we use language of battle to describe the creative process. Phrases about blocks or resistance set you against yourself. She invites people to speak with care. In her workshops, she asks students to treat themselves and their art with non-violence in word and thought.00.01 – Welcome and introduction to Carrie Schmitt and her book Awakening Creativity02.15 – A blessing to open the conversation03.11 – Carrie’s origin story and the sudden illness that changed her life06.07 – Painting in bed and the sense of a creative spirit as companion09.39 – Choosing a temple over a prison, daily beauty as practice13.00 – Redefining what it means to be an artist18.04 – Creativity as spirit and links with the Three Cauldrons and imbas forosnai19.32 – Words as power, why battle language harms the creative self22.07 – Battle in Celtic tradition and the balance of masculine and feminine25.27 – Working with creativity as a force rather than against it28.34 – Acceptance and surrender in the creative process29.23 – Creativity scars and how to heal them through new stories34.17 – Creativity as sacred ritual, the Vade Mecum journal, and pilgrimage39.25 – Collective creativity and community practice40.55 – The significance of the nine temples in the book42.46 – Ancestors, embodied wisdom and epigenetics55.25 – The morning menu, starting each day with joy and play01.00.41 – Community and family as support for the creative spirit01.01.30 – Closing reflections on a world where creativity is restored to its place01.06.09 – Practical details on Carrie’s free class and where to find her work