All in a Name: How Singing Wind Came to Be

I was in my late twenties when my husband developed cancer. A good friend guided us to

a chiropractor who did special healing work. Dick wasn’t healed of the cancer, but the

comfort given to his soul helped in making his passing a gentle experience, shared with

the whole family.

My motivation to learn to heal intensified.

The next spring I went to the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY and studied with Michael Harner and later that year with other teachers for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. I studied Shamanic healing processes called Soul Retrieval and Shamanic Extraction.

Another teacher, Jean Houston, taught Shamanism, Buddhism and Deep Psychology. Learning to meditate, remembering to listen deeply to the messages within and around me, restored the inner knowing I had as a teenager.

What is Shamanism?

"What's really important about shamanism is that there is another reality that you can personally discover...we are not alone" — Michael Harner

This quote is from the website for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies:

“Over tens of thousands of years, shamans developed a time-tested system of healing, using journeying and other practices. Michael Harner uncovered and synthesized these methods, enabling a breathtaking and personal access to the spiritual realms that is available to everyone. These teachings make possible nothing short of union with the entire cosmos.”

In May of 1992 decided to pack up my two boys and all our homeschooling curriculum

materials in my minivan and rented a camping trailer. We went on a journey across the

United States for three months, traveling over 6,000 miles. We met interesting people and

ate meals with other homeschooling families traveling before tourist season.

One young couple told us about Sun Bear and other Native American teachers who led searchers on

Vision Quests in the mountains. This narrowed my direction; I now had the name of the

teacher I knew I was supposed to work with. Sun Bear passed away that summer, but

when I arrived on Vision Mountain in Spokane, Washington in August 1992 and went on

my first Vision Quest, his apprentices and the new leaders of the Bear Tribe Medicine

Society, Wabun Wind and Wind Daughter were my Teachers.

I’ve studied for years with Wabun Wind and Wind Daughter, taking on the responsibility

of praying in ceremonial ways when asked, and learning how to lead the sweat lodge

ceremony. (The sweat lodge is basically a sauna done in a ceremonial fashion with a lot of

praying and singing.)

They organized yearly gatherings of Bear Tribe Medicine Society members where Native American elders sat with us and shared their wisdom. This led to sitting with other Native American elders and shaman for sweat lodge teachings and vision quests. My favorite teacher was Bear Heart

In 1995 I was attending massage school in Ithaca, NY. There was a Rainbow Festival

nearby, so a friend and I cut afternoon classes to go. I sat at the healing tent, essentially the

first aid station, providing Reiki for the afternoon. While working on a young woman with

many health issues I began singing to strengthen and focus the Reiki energy. It came to me while singing that my medicine name was Singing Wind.

I’ve used it as part of my business name ever since. 🪶