Discover the meaning of spirit animals in shamanism, how shamans work with animal spirits, and how your own spirit guide may reveal itself.

In earth-based spiritual traditions around the world, calling in the directions is the sacred act of inviting the energies of the four cardinal points – East, South, West and North – plus the centre, Above (Sky) and Below (Earth), into a ritual space. This ceremonial opening aligns us with the natural forces and cycles of life. By acknowledging each direction (often as Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit), we set a protective, intentional container for a ceremony.

Palo Santo – literally “Holy Wood” in Spanish – is a mystical tree sacred to South American peoples. For millennia the fragrant smoke of Bursera graveolens has been inhaled or wafted over altars and temples as a bridge between the earth and spirit. Andean and Amazonian shamans burn Palo Santo to clear negativity, bless their ceremonies, and invoke protection.