We Become Who We Are - by Karen Mitchem Hefner
I am an Energy Medicine and Shamanic Practitioner, Ceremonialist, Usui/Tibetan, Holy Fire and Karuna Reiki Master, Firewalk Facilitator, Angelic Guidance Counselor, Minister, Life Coach, and Teacher. I know that is a lot of things — especially for someone who began their career as an IT engineer and consultant. Somewhere along the way, I listened or was nudged into discovering a different way of being.
As a youngster, I excelled at school, and struggled to fit in or do as others did or wanted me to do. For one thing, I loved math…loved it…and still do. That was not a popular thing for a girl, especially growing up in the late 60s and 70s. It was just one of many things about me that created a feeling of “other.”
I got married at 18 years old for all the wrong reasons. I had lost my mom as a young girl, just a month from turning 13 years old, and I felt very empty and far away from myself. My marriage created the appearance of belonging in the very small town where I lived in southern Oregon. Although the marriage was wrong for so many reasons, a couple of years into it, I conceded to the pressure from my husband and his family and agreed to get pregnant. The result was a beautiful boy who ultimately gave me hope and strength and a reason to escape that relationship and that life.
I have always been a seeker. I went from church to church, beginning as a child sitting in Sunday School at an Assembly of God Church while people were baptized in water, overcome with emotion, and at times overtaken by the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. For me there was a level of curiosity, fascination, and lots of questions.
As I moved through my teen years, I continued to see answers, attending many different churches, and reading many sacred texts along the way. I tended to leave when I was told who to vote for, or was invited to book-burning ceremonies, or was faced with the demand to adhere without question to sermons and specific bible interpretations. I felt that all the churches and religions I explored held some teachings and beliefs I resonated with, and all had an underlying basis of love, but they were layered in dogma, judgement, and ultimately lacked whatever it was I was searching for.
Through my divorce and the subsequent realizations about my life, I met a group of people who were following what would be considered a form of pagan and/or wiccan practices. I found myself reveling in ceremonies and rituals that honored the Earth and the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine aspects of being human. It felt good and right, and I enjoyed many years of creating altars and rituals that honored the eight Sabbats of the Year: Yule (Winter Solstice), Candlemas (Imbolc), Ostara (Spring Equinox), Beltane (May Day), Litha (Summer Solstice), Lammas (Lughnasadh), Mabon (Autumn Equinox), and Samhain (my favorite).
As a single mom, with no financial support, my priorities focused on my son. During those early years after my divorce, I worked to put myself through school and earn an interdisciplinary master’s degree in business and computer science. I felt it was the best way to provide him with a home and a future. As soon as I had my degree in hand, we packed our belongings and headed north, to the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon in search of a job, a home, and opportunities for community and culture not found in the small town we left.
It was not an easy transition, and there were many challenges for both of us. Ultimately, I found work, succeeded in my career, bought a home, and was immersed in corporate American as an IT Engineer and Consultant. All appeared to be going as planned, when one day…the phone rang.
Life changes often come with a phone call. This one was from my doctor. I had found a lump in my breast and had gone in to have it checked. They had immediately biopsied it, and the call was to tell me the bad news —breast cancer.
I lost my mom to breast cancer, and her mom. I had taken all the precautions at the time, or so I thought, but here I was…after the initial double-mastectomy surgery, I learned that it had metastasized through my lymph system and was considered Stage 4. Statistically, things did not look good for me, and the allopathic protocols and doctors began an immediate regimen of chemotherapy and radiation.
I had always said I wanted to be just like my mom…this was a lesson in, “Be careful what you wish for…”
In the days and weeks and months after my diagnosis, I discovered a strong, powerful, unrelenting, and formidable desire to live. My son had just turned 18 years old. I was not ready to leave.
The will to live lit a fire inside me that resulted in an exploration of alternative medicines to compliment, and at times offset, the allopathic approaches that were ravaging my body. I learned about Reiki, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, homoeopathic remedies, hands-on healing, auric clearing soul retrieval, and many more. It was during this experience that I found healing and training in shamanic and energy medicine.
My first experiences came through the teaching of LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. I began studying with LightSong, and never looked back. After earning my doctorate, I sat on the council, taught classes, and became immersed in core shamanic principles. This led me to understand my true passion and calling to be a healer and a teacher of energy medicine, mystery school traditions, and shamanic protocols.
Everything I have experienced, learned and studied has brought me to where I am today, and I am grateful. I have become more of who I am , and I continue to become.
Today, I am the founder of Igniting Spirit, which provides a way for me to offer healing, guidance, ceremonies, and teaching to those who are seeking. I am also a part of a group of amazing teachers and healers offering ceremonies and teachings under the banner of “Earth Heart Collaborative.”
I believe we are all on our path, and we are all unique and magical expressions of Spirit. I invite you to join me in class, in circle, in session, or in ceremony, as we learn more about ourselves and our gifts.