Hello Reader,
I am still arriving home.
It has been just over a week since I returned from Ladakh, in the Himalayas, 12,000 feet above sea level in northern India, and I am not sure I have fully arrived back yet. Life is tugging at me to get busy with the mundane and back to the daily grind. But there is some part of me that is still sitting in a room full of Tibetan monks, feeling the frequency of their chanting move through my body. Sound is powerful, and that sound was transformative.
I traveled to Ladakh with about 18 other souls. Some that were from the yoga nidra transmission course I completed this spring. I decided to go on this pilgrimage to disconnect from the noise and tune in to my inner guide and guru. It was a sacred journey — a Yantra. One that I knew would be a point of internal transition and that I would not return the same from.
We visited about 13 monasteries tucked into the Himalayas, moving through hairpin turns and rugged terrain. I'm still floored by how our drivers navigated it all with such ease and so much joy and laughter.
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One of the most significant stops was Lamayuru, one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, with roots nearly a thousand years deep. We witnessed the Drikung dances there, and it's also where we sat with the monks. Since I started my journey with Mantra over 12 years ago, I have longed to experience it. To be in that room and feel the vibration fill the space, move through the walls, move through my body, reach the places where words do not really go, that is not something I have language for yet. It moved me to tears, it cleared, it released. It was prayer and devotion that I have never experienced and long to experience again. |
We also had an unplanned opportunity to sit with an elder of the Kung Fu nuns, which I did not anticipate and will not soon forget. It was an experience that made me look more honestly at my own devotion.
She invited us to ask questions. I asked her, after all of her years of practice and devotion, what the most important lesson had been.
Her answer was simple, and it's punctuated my journey.
She said that living a devoted life is not only about how much we meditate or study. It's not only about the inward focus. It's about how that inward focus moves outward and changes the way we live in relationship to the world. She talked about the sustainability of this planet. About what we are or are not doing, to ensure the livability of this earth for the generations who will come after us.
That answer grounded my heart. Since then, my thoughts have been to take an inventory of how I'm living my life to ensure the sustainability of this planet for future generations. Are my thoughts and intentions in my personal practice to that end? Is my spiritual devotion truly an offering for the alleviation of suffering for this and future generations?
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It's easy, especially in healing work and spiritual practice, to make devotion something private. Something that belongs to our own path, work, or spiritual growth. And of course that matters. But what she pointed to is that our practice has to flow outward. It has to ask something of us for the world. Maybe devotion includes sacred activism. Maybe it includes feeding the poor, standing up to protect the earth, speaking up when it's hard, and paying attention even when it makes us uncomfortable.
Not all of us will serve in the same way. But perhaps we can take a moment to reflect on how we get to show up in our own way.
And to ask, "How does my inner work affect the world around me?"
I am still sitting with that one.
Capricorn has a way of asking the same kinds of questions. What are we actually building? What are we responsible for? What needs to be done?
Capricorn Full Moon
This Capricorn Full Moon feels like the right time for it.
Capricorn is practical energy. It asks us to look clearly at what is real, what needs structure, what we are responsible for, and what we have been carrying quietly for too long. This moon can bring tension. It can surface what has been building. But it can also bring the kind of clarity that finally gives us permission to move, release, or decide.
What I find tender about Capricorn is its symbol, the Sea Goat, part mountain climber, part creature of the deep. One-half knows how to ascend. The other half knows the water. I think we need both of those parts right now. The steady part of us that can keep going. And the feeling part of us that knows what is happening beneath the surface.
This moon is asking where you are. Are you climbing? Are you swimming? Are you ready to bring both parts into the same moment?
It's something worth pondering during this full moon.
May this full moon illuminate your inner knowing and help you release what is ready.
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Drum Making Circle and Ceremony September 12 | 12-5 PM Registration Required
We have had a wonderful response to this event. I have several confirmations. If you are interested, please let me know as soon as possible.
Cheyenne is Mexica, Yucateca Mayaa, and European. Over the years, she has been blessed to sit with elders and mentors from different tribes, receiving teachings that have deeply shaped her path. For the past five years, she has been teaching drum tying with humility, care, and reverence for what has been shared with her.
This gathering will be offered as a free community circle. Participants will only need to cover the cost of their own drum materials. Donations will be invited for Cheyenne as an energy exchange to honor her time, service, and the medicine she is bringing to the community.
This will be a sacred, hands-on gathering for those who feel called to create their own drum in ceremony and relationship.
You can register here.
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Doing the Work Together
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Community Full Moon Sound Baths | August 1st
Join us for donation-based community full moon sound baths at my property in Onalaska. These outdoor gatherings are held on or around the full moon as a way to rest, release, and reconnect with sound, the earth, and community. Together, we’ll use the medicine of vibrational sound, a simple releasing ceremony, and shared presence to release what is ready.
Space is limited to 25 people. Suggested sliding scale is $15 to $35. No one will be turned away for inability to pay. You can register here.
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Cacao, Sound + Fire Ceremony | September 26th
Join us on September 26th for a two-hour cacao, sound, and fire ceremony at GlassWing Medicine in Onalaska. This seasonal gathering honors the autumn equinox and Harvest Moon with ceremonial cacao, an immersive sound journey, and a fire ritual for release and renewal. Together, we’ll open the heart, settle the nervous system, and make space for what is ready to shift as the season turns inward.
Space is limited to 10 people. Energy exchange is $55-$65 with a payment plan available. You can register here.
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New Moon in Taurus Virtual Sound Bath | Oct 10
Join us virtually every month for our New Moon sound bath. This invitation to join a circle from wherever you are to plant seeds of intention and root ourselves in our bodies. A high-quality sound experience curated for full immersion and deep rest.
Virtual attendance. Register here.
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Sound As Medicine | August 22
The Sound as Medicine Sound Healer’s Training launches August 22nd, and 6 seats are open. This is an immersive journey into the practice and philosophy of vibrational sound healing, with all the tools you need to hold space for others’ transformation. There is so much we will cover during this workshop. We will be in a wonderful space surrounded by nature in a beautiful geodesic dome in Olympia.
If you've ever wanted to explore sound as medicine to your soul or others, this will be an intentionally held container to do just that.
You can find more information here.
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Evolution Wholeness Retreat
This summer, we’re also gathering for the Evolution Plant Medicine Retreat, August 13-16, where the forest meets the sea. This is a slow, ceremonial weekend to listen deeply, tend the heart, and receive the teachings of plant allies with reverence and care. Three seats remain. Learn more here.
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This is a 30-minute crystal singing bowl sound bath for an overstimulated nervous system, a sound journey designed as a soft landing place when the world has been too loud, too fast, or too much. Find a quiet place where you can be uninterrupted. You can sit, lie down, or be held by whatever feels most supportive.
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Angela Jackson
Certified Neurosomatic Intelligence Practitioner
Peak Somatic Preparation & Integration Guide
Certified Vibrational Sound Therapist & Healer
GlassWing Medicine • Onalaska, WA
I appreciate your subscription to this email. I hope you find it helpful on your journey.
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