ABOUT SHONAGH
I am an independent thinker and ever curious about the deeper layers of reality. I dig beneath the surface story in an effort to see the bigger picture and gain a greater understanding while utilizing my intuition and insight. I find the psyche endlessly fascinating and I am in awe of its great depth and mystery. I love to learn and have been an autodidact for the greater part of my life. My favorite saying goes, “Every man has two educations. The first he is given. The second, more important, he gives to himself.” I thoroughly enjoy showering clients and loved ones with helpful wisdom, compassion, humor and nurturing. I am a mother of two amazing daughters and a lifelong, passionate student of the mystery.
In my work, I am a teacher, counselor, author and poet. Of Celtic heritage, I follow the wisdom of the ancients, inspired by the Ban Draoi (dree) and fili, (Gaelic for a Celtic medicine woman/seer/poet). As a modern medicine woman I bring my connection to nature and the spirit worlds into my flourishing practice where I host individual retreats and do online counseling/mentoring with clients from all over the world. This is deep, psycho-spiritual work where we delve into the rich territory of the psyche. I cherish the mystical and the practical and I weave my knowledge of Natural Law, the Logical Fallacies, and traditional food wisdom into my work.
I have studied with master teachers and for the last 12 years, I have apprenticed myself to the mushroom teachers, who have led me into profound connection with the spirits of nature and my ancestral roots.
Books
Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine: Creativity, Ecstasy, and Healing I am honored to be a contributor to Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine. This book explores the transformative powers of feminine consciousness and altered states revealed by contributors from many paths – scholars, visionary artists, anthropologists, modern shamans, psychotherapists, and more. It explores the archetypal dimensions of the feminine principle and the ways in which entheogens offer open access to these ancient archetypes, including goddess consciousness and the dark feminine. Contributors examine the female roots of shamanism, including the role of women in the ancient rites of Dionysus, the Eleusinian Sacrament, and Norse witchcraft. Also discussed are psychedelic and embodied paths to ecstasy, such as trance dance and holotropic breathwork, as well as the similarities between giving birth and taking mind-altering drugs. This is a rich exploration into the power of plant medicines and the recasting of the medicine-woman archetype for the modern world.
Love and Spirit Medicine Love and Spirit Medicine chronicles my life-changing mystical journey through the ending of my marriage and my explorations into the realms of the sacred mushroom. It details a year of monthly shamanic journeys under the tutelage of the mushroom spirits within the classroom of the forest. This is a woman’s telling – raw, vulnerable, and honest. It offers hard-won wisdom as I traverse a dark night of the soul and emerge whole and greatly resourced as a result of the multiple initiations I faced during that profound time of my life. This book is a love story that shares what can happen when an intrepid woman steps off the well-trodden path of convention and enters into the mystical realms of the ancient nature teachers.
Ix Chel Wisdom: 7 Teachings from the Mayan Sacred Feminine I was initiated into the mysteries of Ix Chel (pronounced eeshell), the Mayan Mother Goddess, through a shamanic ceremony in the Yucatan with my teacher, Miguel Angel Vergara. That initiation opened a door to subtle messages that I received when I tuned into the energy of Ix Chel. This book is a love letter to women, consisting of 7 rituals that are done to honor the goddess within. It is a treasure box of wisdom for women of all ages.