Five ways to tap into your shamanic side

Could shamanic techniques help us to transform our lives? Sarah Negus, 52, from Surrey, believes so, having cured her chronic illnesses, changed her career and gained the emotional strength to leave her marriage after turning to spirituality. She now predominantly works with top CEOs and entrepreneurs to help them find deeper meaning in their lives, and says that we can all benefit from modern-day shamanism to deal with our uncertain world.

Growing up, Sarah always felt different. From an early age, she believed she could feel others’ emotions and considered herself to have spiritual and psychic gifts. But she suppressed them in a bid to fit in. At the age of 18, Sarah started work at an investment bank in the City, but soon burnt out – developing a number of chronic health issues by the age of 21, including a life threatening abscess in her throat. Sarah left the corporate rat race, choosing to get married and have a child. Soon after her son was born, she returned to work in property development, but never truly felt fulfilled. At this point, Sarah became burnt out once more and became stuck in a rut – having experienced multiple, non-serious car crashes, daily migraines, depression, chronic fatigue, and ulcerative colitis.

Sarah says: “At the age of 30 my life changed forever when I serendipitously met a shaman, a woman who went on to become my spiritual mentor. She took me on an incredible journey, culminating in a trip to Peru, where I took part in an ayahuasca ceremony, drinking tea with indigenous people as a way to open my awareness and bring forth my true purpose.”

This, says Sarah, opened her eyes to her own abilities, and she realised that she no longer needed to suppress the insight she had into other people’s energies – in fact she became inspired to put it to use.

Sarah Negus has these five tips to incorporate in to your daily life to help reduce anxiety and find purpose…

1. One of the main philosophies within the ancient art of shamanism is that we are deeply connected to our planet. Spend time in nature, in the woods, near water and allow yourself to feel at one with our environment. This calms the spirit and the mind.
2. Ensure you are grounded. This means coming out of your head, and allowing yourself to spend time (10 minutes) where you connect with your body, how you feel in the moment, how your feet interact with the earth. If you can, take your shoes off and put your feet on the grass. It is amazing how this will change how you feel.
3. Notice the animals and birds around you, if they appear in unusual places, or in groups of more than three, they will have a message for you. For example, a bird of prey invites you to listen to your intuition. A group of crows bring the news that your life is about to open up in magical ways that you cannot even think of and a deer comes to remind you that you are always supported.
4. Spend time each day free writing your inner thoughts – this is a clearing process for the mind, like clearing out the garage, loft or wardrobe. Write 3 pages daily of whatever is playing out in your head. Dump these thoughts onto a page, and then choose thoughts that help you feel inspired and alive.
5. Take yourself into a peaceful meditative state, in the hubbub of media noise this is a powerful way to find your own sense of self and what matters to you in your life now.