any opinions on this workshop lady...?

[all_adream]

Reposted somewhat from my own journal:

There is a lady who uses tons and tons of 'ye-olde ancient fae blood really really not human priestess high priestess highest celtic celtic really celtic priestess' language in her biography for some workshops (even ones at not-pagan.not-'kin venues), and I want to know if she is full of entertaining shit, not-entertaining shit, or just basic shit that we all have. Anyone have experience with her? Her name is Sharynne MacLeod MicMhacha, who wrote a book about moon celtic stuff which really looks like a graduate degree project, which could be good, which I have and will browse through. I do not have any personal experience of this person, nor grudges or opinions, but just want to know who HAS had experience and opinions, before I go spend bucks in some boonie retreat that might otherwise be better spent elsewhere...you know?

I am happy to meet and learn from good teachers, and have no patience really with the bogus, so I try to find out which is which before getting stuck with them! Thanks. Most of the websites related to her have broken links or just pretty photos.

Comments

[paleo]

It sounds like you've already formed your opinion of her. For right or wrong, something about her has got your skeptic senses tingling, so how likely are you to enjoy and gain something from and event feeling that way from the start?

After a brief glance of sites that mention her, it seems she runs with a more New Age, whitelight, crystals and channeling type crowd. Depends on if that is your cup of tea or not. I suspect that the value of her teachings is more of an emotional/subjective thing rather than something based on critical scholarship. Again, it depends of if you prefer the former or the latter style of spiritual learning.

[all_adream]

Every few years I go through some sort of experience where I want to slink unnoticed into a non-human bar, sit down next to someone gruff and helpful, or nongruff and helpful, and eventually get answers to stuff that I cannot really solve by myself. I don't want to just sit at some lecture by someone perky or nonperky talking *about* lore and stuff, if it isn't helpful to me. I am no longer scholarly, or patient with anything dubious. For example, there's a lady who works at a new age sort of book store that we go to now and again, who spends all her %$#@*&^ time telling the customers how she's 'part-faery' and 'has got fae blood' and the whole act, when really, she's just there to sell books and maybe not go out of her way to hit complete strangers up with the "I'm so exotic you wouldn't believe it here let me show you it you won't believe it really" thing when they just ask about some books by Thich Nhat Hanh or feng shui or whatever. I just want to know, actually, how to deal with it when I appear to be not-precisely-species-compatible with my human partner, just when there are endless violent reactions to even touching my arm or foot or whatever (no joke, and not the kind of violence like hitting but like severe convulsions and fugue states and other severe emotional states lasting for hours or days to that person and severe energy sickness to me and all), and I just wanted to see if anyone at all in the known universe is helpful at this. So, that's the complete indiscreet blurtout of what I really wanted to know, but also sort of secretly wished this lady would be cool to know, without having to spend major money to find out--thanks. And sure, if anyone has great ideas on this subject or just about that lady, I'm listening--!

[paleo]

I'm of the "check the mundane first" camp, so regarding your issues with being touched by your partner, my advice would be to explore possible physical or psychological reasons for it. Anything involving convulsions should be brought forth to your doctor.

As for exploring more spiritual/energetic reasons, you may want to pick up a few books on energy work, especially those that go into depth on shielding and non-conscious energy exchange (what some call psychic vampirism).

[all_adream]

Oh, I've done the medical/psychological/whatever things, especially since I got electrocuted for real a few years back and then eventually diagnosed with lyme disease, so the medical supervision, both traditional and alternative, has been there all along. I take a lot of herbal antiinflammatories and stuff like that, but no drugs or booze or mainstream stuff. The convulsions in me have happened for almost two decades, and then when they start in partners with no history of it (this dude is not the first, and it isn't just since I got cooked, then I want to know more about ways to modulate or whatever. I studied the whole spiritual emergency/energy work thing for the last thirty years, really, got degrees in stuff like 'transpersonal psychology', and have good experience in spiritual/religious matters, and am open to learning more. it's just a pain in the ass to have this keep coming up with various people, even after I have done stuff like gotten intentionally fatter, wear heavy clothes for insulation and covering (really), all sorts of stuff. I never did drugs or was any sort of serious drinker, and have meditated a ton. The only things that used to make it all get so severe were when I avoided sugar and all of that, which brought out a ton of perceptible effects, although now I do eat some sugar. 8shrug8 I was just hoping someone would say, "Oh, since you've checked the medical and other stuff, that clearly happens when XXXXXX occurs, so just eat even more organic flax seed and lie around in the yard grounding for an hour a day, and you'll be all set"--I have some Tibetan Buddhist friends who can help, maybe, but I was hoping this was some sekret 'kin thing that happens to everyone--

[all_adream]

I know that for a while there was some 'otherkin reiki' stuff going around, but I wasn't personally involved with the folks doing it, so I have no idea if anyone is still doing much active with it--

[arethinn]

Otherkin Reiki still exists. It's not a single movement or anything like that, although I suppose there are/were several specific folks who have been the main workers. But really it's just a descriptive term for the fact that it's been observed to change and mutate and generally not follow the rules when otherkin get a hold of it. See OtherkinReiki, Open Source Reiki, The Tapestry of Worlds Attunement, and Jarin's posts on the topic on his website Dreamhart.org.

[all_adream]

I'd run into one or two of those lately, and will look at the rest. Thanks! And people have said 'books about shielding and all', so I'm always happy to hear about more of the recommended titles. I find that some things work great for some and not for others, so am always happy to see options--

[all_adream]

Oh, and the actual workshop lady: on my own journal I posted two videos I had found about her, the first certainly ten-plus years old and pretty lame, like they all were then, and the second much more recent, in which she plays flute and sings with a Breton band, and the second one is much more lively and interesting--I just wanted to be fair in posting what I had found out, however little it is.