I taught secondary school for 31 years--16 years in middle school and 15 in high school--in Holdrege NE, Berthoud, CO and Thornton CO. My students called me Ms. Wood, Miz, and Wood, but you can call me Katherine. These were the years that I spent a lot of time talking to teens about the issues and challenges they were having. I always tried to match them up with young adult (YA)  books who had characters  dealing with similar topics. A special hello and thank you  to my former students!!

Being in relationship with people teaches me a lot about myself and about what we as humans value. Being in relationship with spiritual support in the other realms is like having a press box filled with helpers who can guide me about what is going on downfield. 

I come from a giving tribe. I have 3 wonderful brothers who gave me sisters-in-law and nephews and nieces who have given me more in-laws and great nieces and nephews.

I had the honor of helping to raise one boy and one girl, and they've given me four grandchildren who give me regular delight. We give back by adopting an animal each year at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado.

I have one living uncle and two aunts and one uncle on the other side. I have 6 cousins who have brought spouses and children and their children's children into the family. We've always stayed close--mostly through family reunions. In August 2017, we all gathered in Douglas, Wyoming for the total eclipse. It was my last outing with my Aunt Carol who had planned it for all of us.

...read and write!

...spend time with fun people.

...go into Nature to hike and take pictures for greeting cards.

...travel. In 2016, a highlight was the Caribbean. Highlights in 2017 included Alaska, hiking through Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah, and a trip to Boston's historical sites. My 2018  goal is to finish visiting every state in the US.

...create sacred art.

...see clients, teach classes and write books sharing shamanic principles.

...take shamanic journeys into the hidden realms to get information that helps me live a more conscious and connected life. Read THE HIDDEN WORLDS, a book I wrote with Sandra Ingerman, to find out how to do a shamanic journey. It came out in 2018.

...take classes on anything and everything. Right now I am learning more about talking to birds.

Shamanism is the oldest spiritual practice on the planet. Anthropologists have found evidence of shamanic practices going back 100,000 years, and they have found this evidence in all geographical locations on the planet. 

The basic beliefs of shamanism include:

  Everything is energy. There is no good energy or bad energy. It is all just energy.

  Everything is connected in the web of life. So what is done in one place to one person or object impacts everything.

  There is no death. Life continues in different forms. 

  Everything communicates so it is possible to talk to animals, rocks, plants and everything on earth.

The shamanic journey is a way to go into the theta brainwave state using some type of sonic driver (drum, rattle, clacking sticks, chanting--anything monotonous). The journeyer goes to Upper World, Lower World, or Middle World with an intention, usually to ask a question.

Some say we come into the world with several angels and several animals accompanying us. Many children talk to these beings which adults sometimes call "imaginary friends." Do you remember your power animal? Or have you always had a special connection to some type of animal?

There are many classes offered for young adults to learn more about shamanism. To find classes in your area, check out the website of my co-author, Sandra Ingerman: www.shamanicteachers.com or read one of her many books on the topic.

You can also follow our YA books. In The Hidden Worlds you can learn how to do the shamanic journey right along with the characters.