MamaWize is about connecting women by sharing wisdom and building community.  This monthly Wize Woman of the Month column spotlights strong women juggling many responsibilities and making a positive difference in the world. I recently had the extraordinary experience of a healing session with Rebecca Singer, this month’s Wize Woman.  My time with Rebecca was nothing sort of transformational, and I am honored to share her voice and wisdom with you now.

Rebecca Singer is a Shamanic Healer and Spiritual Teacher who lives in Portland, when she’s not in Mongolia. With roots deep in ancestral healing traditions, she works with people to help them be who they came to be and want to be. For 25 years, she has dedicated herself to connecting with the earth and sky and bringing those spirits forward to heal and guide others.  She lives with her partner, Will and her two Costa Rican dogs, Salsa and Osa. Learn more about Rebecca and her work at www.shamanicenergy.com or email her at becca.sing@gmail.com

What makes you feel most alive? I love being surrounded by the wildness of nature… whether on a horse running across the Mongolian grassland, or standing at the top of Mt Chirripo in Costa Rica. And I have to say, there’s nothing quite like being on a camel….so exquisite! I also feel totally alive as I stand in pure light as a healer, drumming and calling out to the Spirits in song on another’s behalf.

My mom always told me… to be afraid.  She didn’t say it in so many words, but certainly did with her actions.  Fortunately, because my spirit was BIG and adventurous, I didn’t let this message slow me down!  I learned that I really didn’t need to be afraid, but I really did need safety and protection.  Oh, and mom often also told me  to “tone it down.” Sorry mom, it just wasn’t meant to be!  I love you.

This always takes priority in my life: To me, it’s all about being true to my heart, and following my passion. I have stepped off many a metaphorical cliff, with no landing in sight, yet somehow always landed on my feet.  My path has led to many different countries and cultures, through many relationships and single-motherhood, and from actress to teacher to non-profit volunteer. I have learned to go where I am called to continue my healing work.  The next phase of my life includes a commitment to assisting the Mongolian Reindeer people… and so it goes.

Who or what inspires you? My partner, Will, inspires me with his capacity for kindness, as does my son, Liam, with his music.  I am likewise inspired by the Dalai Llama; Rigoberto Menchu; (my first teacher) Patricia Spradling; (my three legged dog) Salsa,… because of her loving eyes and eternal happiness; Siberian Tigers; Butterflies; Charlie Chaplin; the performers of Circue du Soleil; Jane Goodall; and the Reindeer people of Mongolia.  Oh, and all of nature; fierce and gentle conviction, and big laughter.

What’s one thing you’ve accepted about yourself with age? As part of a broader acceptance that at age 61 I won’t be able to do absolutely everything I would love to do in this lifetime, I realize I can’t uproot myself continually anymore.  I need a rhythm in my life, which for me means spending some of the year here in Portland and some abroad.  Another bit of acceptance:  my outside appearance sometimes appears older than I feel on the inside… but other days they are congruent…and that’s ok!

Who are you a mom to? Biologically and in my heart of hearts I am mom to my amazing son, Liam Singer, a gifted musician (check out his latest CD, “Dislocatia” )  I have also been a mom to various animals; students in schools, prisons and juvenile justice systems; and people in the process of dying.  I believe I bring a mother’s loving, healing energy to every client… and share it from the bottom of my heart.  I once climbed 2 kilometers down a rainforest mountain – over tretcherous terrain the Red Cross was afraid to navigate – to help a wounded man (I didn’t know) after a car accident in Costa Rica.  Is that being a mom?

What advice would you give other Wize Women? It’s our time. Speak out. Step up. Wake up. The world is depending on our wisdom to come forth in writing, speaking, song, healing, laughter, art, action. Be loud. Be bold. Be gentle, Be compassionate. Treat others with respect, and demand to be treated respectfully. Come on. Get healed. Get whole. Your healthy feminine energy is being called to transform the planet. IT’S OUR TIME!

Visit www.shamanicenergy.com to learn more about Rebecca and her work.

If you know of a Wize Woman you would like to see featured on MamaWize, be sure to contact me!

Until next time,

Delila