By Irina Osechinskaya

Practicing shamanism becomes a way of life. It changes perception of the world and a communication with it. In different shamanic traditions around the globe it is believed that the universe around us is alive and we are able to make a contact with any part of it, if we actually try. Even more, the world around us is communicating with us already, but often we are not tuned in to receive its messages. It is not necessarily a traditional communication though. And the ways it happens are extremely individual for each person. Some people would get such communication in a form of a word or a phrase that would come to them. Others would “hear” a message or even a song. For some, it’s their dreams that are a portal of communication. And yet for others it might be simply “knowing” an answer after a question was asked. And for some it might be all of the above and more.

For me, everything around is alive – the sky, the plants, the trees, the water, my house, the rocks and my car, candle flame – the list can go on. It brings me so much joy to see how the world is talking to me! One of my ways of receiving communication from some divine source is through the shapes of the clouds. Interestingly, I grew up in Europe, and the same way that people from different continents would look different, the skies and the clouds here in America are never similar to those in Europe!

I recently visited Ukraine, my home country, and discovered for myself the old knowledge that some old churches are power places, and therefore are magnifiers of a communication with a divine. I was totally amazed by how I would receive profound answers to the questions I asked and by the miracle of a “direct line.” I asked Christ how does He feel about so many images of His face in each church. The answer I got was that each of His faces and His eyes in particular are a portal to Him, and therefore He does not mind!

I want to encourage everyone to try to connect with life around us. You can make friends with the sun, with rain, with thunder, you choose. You will start noticing nature’s breathtaking beauty in every little thing. You will start having conversations with the wind or the stars. You can start by simply saying Hello – to your body, to the sky, the plants, the birds, the human beings, the angels. You can then thank them for supporting your life or for making your life that great wonder that it is. Talk to them, ask them for help, and ask them how you can be of service to them. Ask them to come to you in your dreams and be your teachers. Ask for knowledge; ask them to share their wisdom. Talking to the universe will bring magic and empowerment into your life!