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A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine.     March Theme: "In Touch"     Volume 1 Issue 3     ISSN# 1708-3265


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The Envelope Please…
Featuring: Tira Brandon-Evans

Aleesha: Tira Brandon-Evans is my Reiki Grandmother. This means she attuned my Reiki Master/Teacher who, in turn, attuned me. Tira is a woman of high integrity, no nonsense, and down-to-earth values. She speaks her mind and allows the people around her to feel safe with the knowledge she is speaking 'her' truth and you don't need to interpret what she really means. (Did she mean yes when she said it, or was that a no-yes?)

I had the honor of meeting her 6 years ago when I was running a coffee shop. She would come in once a month to drop off her newsletter 'Earthsongs' and stop to chat for a moment or two. I never really got to know her, but her reputation preceded her. I knew about her and I immediately respected her because of it. You know the kind of respect you give to someone you don't really know but you know of his or her work?

Well, as the years passed we found ourselves meeting and getting to know each other better with every meeting. My "blanket" respect starting changing into a deep respect as I watched and listened to her. Over the last year my respect has grown ten-fold, as she has started coming to my home to assist my daughter and myself with our Shamanic journeys. We play music (Tira drum-stirring and my daughter and I playing the bowls), sometimes she chants (which is more beautiful than I can even express in words). Then we settle in for a journey.

My daughter is 17 and has suffered from lactose intolerance since she was born. Tira assisted her on a journey, taking her deep Inworld to retrieve the parts of her soul which were lost in her childhood… asking the powers Inworld to assist her to remove this dis-ease from her body. Since the healing journey, my daughter can eat almost anything, (cheddar, ice cream etc.) although some foods are still off-limits (like cream cheese) but it's nothing she can't live without.

She is no longer eating lactose tablets before every meal, every time she puts something in her mouth. It's amazing how many things have lactose in them (even trace amounts), which would have her in terrible pain for 45 minutes afterwards. The healing she received was deep and cleansing.

When Tira told me she was instructed by her Ancestor Guide to start up a service for others to experience her assistance in journeying, via phone calls, I was absolutely thrilled! Now others could experience the power within the space Tira holds while Inworld. Tira, unlike other Shamans, doesn't do the journey for you… rather she takes you there, walking you Inworld and allowing you to experience your own growth, your own healing. In my opinion, this is what makes the healing even deeper, because you are there to fully experience it instead of hearing or reading about it after the fact.

For those of you who are just meeting her today, Tira Brandon-Evans is a Celtic Shaman, Faery Doctor, chartered herbalist, wisdom keeper, Reiki Master/Teacher, mentor, teacher, writer, publisher, motivational speaker, cultural creative, and human being. She is a crone, who, at fifty-nine years of age, has been helping people transform their lives for over thirty years. And just so you know, she's a very, very fine human, so please don't skip over this particular part 'cause in my world, you have got to walk your talk, and she certainly does!

I wanted to ask Tira some questions so you could all get to know her. I don't ever suggest you get deep work from someone you don't know. So reading someone's website (in this Internet day and age) is a wonderful start to getting to know people, but I thought we would take it one step further and share this interview process to allow you all to hear her answers to my questions.

Tira, you call yourself a Faery Doctor and a Faery Shaman can you explain these terms to my readers?

To me, they all mean pretty much the same thing. Just as the Native North Americans never called themselves shamans neither did the Celts. Shaman is a Siberian word modern anthropologists apply to a wide range of native or traditional healing practices. In Ireland and Scotland traditional healers are called Faery Doctors to this day. I am a shaman, a kind of natural healer who allies herself with the good folk of the Shining Realms. I depend on my ancestors, my animal guides, and my Faery allies to help me help others. Because I am descended from Celtic speaking people - Irish, Scots, Welsh, and Belge - my ancestors are Celtic. Therefore, I am a Celtic shaman. It's my ancestral path.

Why is your mentoring service called "Clarity Transformational Journeys and Enchantments"?

I am offering my services to people who may or may not have the ability to journey themselves, but clarity is what I hope to bring to them. The journeys we will take together are transformational and very enchanted as you will meet the Fair folk who are willing to assist you in whatever manner you may need. I also provide Transformational Enchantments, so the name to me, is rather self-explanatory!

Tira, I've heard you say this many times, what do you mean by the term Transformational Enchantments?

From time out of mind wise women/men have used charms and enchantments to make and mend, to help and heal.

The word enchantment means to sing or speak a magical formula, to delight, to charm.

If you apply that definition, positive affirmations are enchantments. We speak positive affirmations in order to charm our own minds, bodies and hearts into believing good things. So positive affirmations are really like healing spells or charms.

Many of these enchantments come to us across the ages, handed down from one generation to the next. These traditional charms are powerful, filled with the healing power and blessings of our ancestors.

Unfortunately, many of the ancient enchantments have been lost to our world. Some were lost because sudden death prevented those who knew the charms from passing them on. Others were lost because new religions condemned the old ways and people were afraid to teach their ancient wisdom to the next generation.

One of the main reasons we journey into the Shining Realms is to discover enchantments - old and new. Once we have formed close bonds with our ancestors, guides, and allies they are willing and eager to teach us charms, spells, and enchantments which we may use to help and heal, to make and mend.

Transformational Enchantments are the tools you need to transform yourself and your world.

We are often given enchantments or charms when travelling in the Shining Realms. These are one of the gifts our guides and allies give us to help us in this world.

Because I am a Shaman I am often being given enchantments to help people with their healing. Sometimes when I hear of someone who is ill my ancestor guide reminds me of a traditional charm which will help. Sometimes he gives me a special enchantment just for that one particular case.

Why would someone want to engage in Transformational Journeys and practice Enchantments when there are so many other good healing techniques out there?

Not everyone should engage in Transformational Journeys or practice Enchantments. Transformational journeys are not right for everyone. People who are under the care of a psychiatrist should consult with their doctor before engaging in any Shamanic practices. People who are liable to be very nervous or fearful should also avoid Shamanic journeys. Fear draws a dark curtain over the imagination. The Fair Folk communicate with us through the imagination. Fear creates a sort of static in the mind and spirit, which makes clear communication impossible.

On the other hand, Shamans have been helping people to heal themselves and transform their lives for thousands of years. So there must be something inherently valuable in what shamans are able to offer.

One of the most obvious is in the individual nature of Shamanic treatments. Everyone is a unique and valuable individual. We all have unique needs and our life-path is individual to each of us… alone. Most people want to lead a full, rich, and vibrant life.

Some may have walked many paths in their life, always searching for the key to unlock their enormous potential, but that key has always eluded them. They may have read many books filled with good advice and exercises to help them become an enlightened and effective individual, but after a time the books and the exercises no longer meet their needs.

Many people find working with a Shaman on a one-to-one basis is the method of transformation they have always been seeking. Sometimes it's good to work together.

Together we define their goals, establish their transformational strategies, and monitor their progress. Together, I help them learn how to live the full, rich, and rewarding lives they deserve.

What qualifies you to offer this service?

I have been assisting people to find their path with the Society of Celtic Shamans for many years now. Hundreds of students have come through the Society and learned to connect with their ancestor guides and spirit animals. My path is to teach and assist, and this brings me great joy and sparks my passion. I've been in contact with the Fair Folk since I was a small child and have learned a great deal in my fifty-nine years.

Okay Tira may I ask you some more about what you are offering to people? What exactly are Transformational Journeys?

These are Shamanic journeys into the Shining Realms, into the world of the Fae. The Fair Folk are ancient and eternal spirits of earth and sky, of wind and water, of fire, stone and tree. They are our friends and allies.

As a Faery Shaman I am able to carry people into the Shining Realms and help them connect to their own ancestors, guides, and allies. This is an amazing and transformative process in and of itself.

There are many different kinds of journeys, which may be roughly divided into a few general categories: connection journeys, healing journeys, journeys of discovery, and journeys of initiation.

A healing journey is what you did with my daughter for her lactose intolerance. Can you tell our readers about these particular journeys?

Healing journeys are undertaken to help people who are ill recover their health. As everyone is an individual these journeys vary greatly from person to person. But there are a few kinds which seem to occur again and again. First, there is the simple healing journey in which we go into the Shining Realms to find out how to treat a particular physical ailment. I have conducted many journeys of this sort and what usually happens is we meet someone Inworld who gives us a particular herb or some specific advice related to the illness.

One woman I helped in this way had suffered for years from headaches and fatigue. A Faery told her to start going to bed earlier. So, she started going to bed two hours earlier than before and her fatigue and headaches cleared up in a matter of days. Now you may read this and think, "that is too simple of an answer" but you would be surprised at how simple the answer is sometimes. It's staring you right in the face and yet you do not or cannot see it.

I also conduct soul-part retrievals. This means recovering pieces of yourself lost during times of stress and trauma. This is the type of retrieval I did for your daughter. Every time we experience severe stress or trauma - physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual - we lose a little bit of ourselves.

In order to deal with the trauma and stress we block it out. We push it away from us. When we do this we also push away the bit of our soul bound to the trauma. If we lead a particularly stressful or trauma-filled life, we may have lost so much of our soul mass we find it difficult to function.

We may become confused, depressed, and anxious. We feel something is missing from our lives. Sometimes we resort to alcohol, drugs, shallow sexual encounters, gambling, excessive shopping and other compulsive behaviours in an attempt to fill the emptiness within.

Discovering and retrieving missing soul parts is one of the most important things anyone can do. The more of yourself you are able to find and bring back from the Shining Realms the stronger and happier you will be. This is one of the main Shamanic journeys I conduct to help clients transform their lives.

Another of the journeys I conduct on a regular basis are ancestor healings. These are journeys we take in order to contact our ancestors and help them heal the harms they may have done to the great web of life during their lifetimes. These harms may affect us today and by healing our ancestors we are able to heal ourselves.

In one of these journeys, I helped a man meet an ancestor - a great-great-great-grandfather - who had been a slave owner in the American South. His ancestor knew and understood what he had done was wrong and needed mending and cooperated eagerly in our work of healing some of the harm. This freed the client from some nasty recurring dreams he had been plagued with from childhood.

As I said before, there are as many healing journeys as there are people seeking healing. These are just a few examples.

It's truly amazing how simple an answer may be to a problem and other times the answer is so complex. Journeys can assist people in such diverse ways! Do you guarantee successful Transformations?

I cannot guarantee anything, but if you are willing to believe in yourself and to trust, letting go of fear, I doubt you will leave without any transformation.

You live near Vancouver. How can you take someone who lives in London or Miami on a Shamanic journey?

Actually, that is the easy part. Because the Shining Realms exist outside of our time and space, time and distance do not matter.

I meet with my clients for 45 minutes, by telephone. So long as you are some place where you will not be disturbed - a place where you are relaxed and at ease - the distance creates no problem at all.

You should have a hands-free telephone - either a speakerphone or a headset - because it is hard to hold a phone and journey at the same time - although some people don't seem to have any problem with this.

During the first five or ten minutes we discuss your issues and/or your progress. For the next twenty to twenty-five minutes we journey. The remainder of your session we discuss the journey just taken.

I am available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, Monday - Friday. Evening or weekend sessions may be available on a limited basis by special arrangement. All sessions must be booked at least 48 hours prior to the appointed time and day.

Single sessions are available for $ 65.00. The monthly rate is $ 50.00 per session and the rate for twelve months of journeys and enchantments, if paid in advance, is $ 45.00 per month.

Do you have a completely open door policy?

No. As I said before, some people should not engage in Shamanic journeys at all. And then there is the fact there are only so many hours in each day. I am able to work with only three or four clients a day. Therefore, only people who are truly committed to transforming their lives are accepted into the Clarity Journeys program.

Transformation takes time, patience and persistence. I have to reserve my time for people who are truly committed to spiritual growth and evolution. Accordingly, I ask everyone to fill out an extensive questionnaire and communicate with all applicants by email before agreeing to work with them.

I maintain a strict seal of silence on any and all information prospective clients share with me. If I feel someone is at a stage in his or her life when they will benefit more from working with a local counsellor or seeking other treatment in their own community, I advise them of this.

I am not here to 'sell' Shamanic journeys. I am here to help people who are willing, ready, and able to transform their lives.

How do people contact you?

If someone feels drawn to find out more about "Clarity Transformational Journeys and Enchantments" they should visit my website.

I want to take this opportunity now, Aleesha, to tell you how much I appreciate your interest in my work and thank you for profiling me in this issue of Timeless Spirit Magazine. You are creating something really special here and I am proud to be a small part of it. Thank you.

It's an honour to shine the light on people who are truly legitimate healers. You definitely assist so many people to live more productive happy lives Tira, and I want others to benefit from your wisdom.

I hope you all are able to know Tira a little better. If you are interested in finding some answers, changing your life and deepening your spiritual beliefs, get "in touch" with Tira and allow the process to unfold for you.

much light,
Aleesha Stephenson





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