LightSong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast

LightSong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast - Manifesting Miracles
It's an Inside Job: How Our Beliefs Shape the World We Experience
What if the thing you most want to change isn't actually outside of you?
In this episode of LightSong Talking Stick - Manifesting Miracles, Jan Engels-Smith explores a foundational principle of shamanic practice and manifestation: lasting change begins within.
Through questions and deeply personal stories from members of the LightSong community, Jan examines what happens when we stop trying to fix other people and begin paying attention to our own beliefs, expectations, judgments, and perceptions.
The conversation begins with a difficult question about loving someone whose behavior has caused pain. How do we remain loving without expecting another person to change? Is it possible to accept someone exactly as they are while still honoring ourselves? And what role might challenging relationships play in our own spiritual evolution?
Jan offers a deceptively simple answer:
You don't have to change them. You change yourself.
From there, the conversation opens into unconditional love, soul contracts, acceptance, and the ways our judgments can lock both ourselves and others into roles we've unconsciously assigned them.
One participant shares a remarkable example from her own life. For years, she carried the painful belief that she was excluded by her family and that her father would never reach out to her. Rather than attempting to change him, she began examining the belief itself. She deliberately looked for evidence of inclusion, noticed the ways her father did express love, and interrupted the familiar thoughts that reinforced her old story.
Then something unexpected happened.
Her father called her.
It was something he had never done throughout her adult life.
For Jan, the story illustrates one of the central teachings of this conversation: change inside, and the world outside can begin to look very different.
The discussion goes deeper into the nature of unconditional love. Is unconditional love truly possible while we're living a human life filled with opinions, reactions, and judgments? Jan suggests that learning about love is one of the purposes of being here—and that the difficult people and circumstances in our lives can become catalysts for that learning.
Another participant shares an extraordinary experience after a severe injury in which her ordinary sense of identity disappeared. In its place was an overwhelming experience of oneness—a vast field in which there was no separation, conflict, personality, or judgment. There was simply love.
She returned from the experience with one clear message:
We are here to help each other.
The group also explores the relationship between observation and reality, the energetic power of our opinions, shamanic journeying into possible futures, and what happens when we begin questioning beliefs we've previously treated as facts.
Who have you placed into a category because of something they did years ago?
What expectations are you carrying into your relationships?
What belief about yourself or someone else have you repeated so often that it now feels like truth?
And what might happen if you allowed something—or someone—to simply be?
The episode closes with a word that captures much of the conversation:
Allowing.
Allowing doesn't mean approving of everything that happens. It means releasing the constant need to judge, label, control, or force an outcome. It creates the neutrality from which something new can emerge.
Because ultimately, as one participant beautifully summarizes:
"It's an inside job. All of the answers are within me."
About Jan Engels-Smith
Jan Engels-Smith is a shamanic practitioner, teacher, author, and founder of LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. For more than four decades, Jan has explored consciousness, healing, personal transformation, and humanity's relationship with the unseen realms. She has performed thousands of soul retrievals and trained students around the world in shamanic practices designed to help people reconnect with their innate wisdom and spiritual nature.
Jan is the author of Becoming Yourself: The Journey from Head to Heart and Through the Rabbit Hole: Explore and Experience the Shamanic Journey and Energy Medicine.
Learn more about Jan, LightSong, classes, and shamanic training at LightSong.net.

LightSong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast
The Wounds and the Gifts: Reclaiming Your Creativity and Power
What if the parts of yourself you learned to doubt were never missing at all?
In this episode of LightSong Talking Stick, Jan Engels-Smith and Micah Schwader explore creativity, imagination, self-worth, and the beliefs that can separate us from our natural sense of who we are.
We enter life as creative beings, filled with curiosity, imagination, and possibility. Yet somewhere along the way, many of us receive messages that tell us we aren't talented enough, worthy enough, creative enough, or important enough. We learn to question our instincts, compare ourselves to others, and look outside ourselves for validation.
Jan shares teachings from decades of shamanic work about the innate value of the human spirit and why imagination is one of our greatest creative powers. She describes how experiences such as bullying, rejection, and childhood wounds can shape an identity based on unworthiness—but also how those very wounds can point us toward gifts we developed because of them.
As Jan puts it, the wounds and the gifts aren't on opposite sides of the coin. They're on the same side.
Micah connects this idea to creativity and writing, exploring how beliefs about who we are can shut down creative expression. Whether through writing, painting, designing a home, inventing something new, imagining a different future, or simply creating the life we want to live, creativity is not reserved for people who call themselves artists.
We are all creators.
The conversation also explores the idea of writing your own creation story: not simply describing the beliefs you've inherited but consciously imagining what you choose to believe about yourself, Spirit, Source, and the life you are creating.
Jan and Micah discuss how childhood dreams and visions can reveal something deeper about our nature, why children often arrive with distinct personalities and gifts already visible, and what might change if we learned to recognize those gifts rather than shaping everyone according to the same expectations.
Along the way, they share stories about soul retrieval, art and inspiration, childhood dreams, twins with remarkably different personalities, an unexpected message from a newborn baby, and the mysterious ways our identities sometimes reveal themselves.
Ultimately, this episode offers an invitation:
Look back at the places where you were wounded, diminished, or taught to doubt yourself—and then look again.
What strength did you develop? What gift emerged? Where have you already created something extraordinary despite believing you couldn't?
And what becomes possible when you begin seeing yourself not through the limitations you've accumulated, but through the innate value, creativity, and possibility that were there all along?
Your imagination matters. Your gifts matter. Your life has an impact. And perhaps reclaiming your power begins by remembering that.
About Jan Engels-Smith
Jan Engels-Smith is a shamanic practitioner, teacher, author, and founder of LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. For more than four decades, Jan has explored consciousness, healing, personal transformation, and humanity's relationship with the unseen realms. She has performed thousands of soul retrievals and trained students around the world in shamanic practices designed to help people reconnect with their innate wisdom and spiritual nature.
Jan is the author of Becoming Yourself: The Journey from Head to Heart and Through the Rabbit Hole: Explore and Experience the Shamanic Journey and Energy Medicine.
Learn more about Jan, LightSong, classes, and shamanic training at LightSong.net.
About Micah Schwader
Micah Schwader is a transformational writing coach, editor, publisher, author, and shamanic practitioner who has spent more than 30 years helping people discover and express the stories that matter most. His work explores the intersection of writing, creativity, discernment, inner guidance, and personal transformation, helping writers move beyond formulas and external expectations to uncover what is authentically their own.
Micah is the author of Stumbling Into Grace: The Adventures of a Transgender Shaman and works with writers, authors, leaders, and creators to use writing as a means of exploration, discovery, and authentic expression.
Learn more about Micah and his work in Life Coaching at ShamanSezz.com. For information about Micah's Writing Coaching, editing, and publishing work, visit inspiredlifepublications.com,

LightSong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast
Techno Spirits: A Shamanic Perspective on AI, Technology, and Fear
Is technology something to fear—or could it actually be part of humanity's spiritual evolution?
In this fascinating episode of the LightSong Talking Stick Podcast, Jan Engels-Smith and Micah Schwader explore an unexpected concept that emerged during one of LightSong's shamanic practicums: Techno Spirits—spiritual allies associated with technology that may be here to help humanity navigate one of the greatest periods of change in history.
Rather than viewing technology, artificial intelligence, and constant digital connection through the lens of fear, Jan and Micah invite listeners to consider a radically different perspective. What if technology is not something to resist, but something to enter into conscious relationship with?
The conversation moves beyond debates about AI, 5G, and emerging technologies to explore the deeper spiritual questions beneath them: How do we respond to change? What role does fear play in shaping our experience? And how can discernment, trust, and intentionality help us move through an ever-changing world?
During the episode, Jan and Micah discuss:
The origin of the concept of Techno Spirits during LightSong's online practicums.
Why resistance to change has accompanied every major technological advancement in history.
How fear and belief shape our relationship with technology.
Viewing AI and technology as tools rather than threats.
The importance of discernment when working with new technologies.
How AI can support creativity by freeing the mind from repetitive tasks.
The relationship between intention, vibration, and the technology we use every day.
Lessons from Fukushima, evolution, and humanity's remarkable capacity to adapt.
Why raising your own vibration may be one of the greatest contributions you can make to the world.
How choosing trust over fear creates a different experience of life.
Micah also shares how he incorporates AI into his professional editing process—not as a replacement for creativity, but as a practical tool that allows him to spend more time doing the deeply creative work that only humans can do. Jan expands the discussion into a broader spiritual teaching: every challenge, whether technology, politics, climate change, or uncertainty, ultimately becomes an invitation to examine our relationship with fear and consciously choose another way.
Throughout the conversation, one message rises above the rest: Life continually presents opportunities to evolve. When we shift from resistance to relationship, from fear to trust, we open ourselves to entirely new possibilities.
Whether you're fascinated by artificial intelligence, curious about spirituality and technology, or simply looking for a more peaceful way to navigate change, this episode offers a refreshing perspective that bridges ancient wisdom with the modern world.
About Your Hosts
Jan Engels-Smith is a shamanic practitioner, teacher, and founder of the LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. With more than four decades of experience, she has trained thousands of students worldwide in shamanic healing and spiritual practices. Learn more at LightSong.net.
Micah Schwader is an author, transformational writing coach, editor, and shamanic practitioner who helps people discover clarity, purpose, and healing through the power of story. Learn more at InspiredLifePublications.com and ShamanSezz.com.

Lightsong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast
Recognizing the Patterns That Shape Your Life
Why do we keep finding ourselves in the same situations, even when the people, places, and circumstances change?
In this thought-provoking episode of the LightSong Talking Stick Podcast, Jan Engels-Smith and Micah Schwader explore one of the most transformative concepts in personal growth and shamanic practice: patterns. From recurring relationships and life choices to deeply held beliefs and daily habits, they discuss how recognizing these patterns can become the key to healing, self-awareness, and lasting transformation.
Drawing from decades of experience in shamanism, counseling, writing, and personal development, Jan and Micah share powerful stories about how journaling, memoir writing, shamanic healing, and conscious self-reflection reveal the hidden narratives that quietly direct our lives. They explain why we often remain trapped in familiar cycles, how our stories shape our reality, and what it takes to finally break free.
The conversation also explores:
How journaling and stream-of-consciousness writing uncover lifelong patterns.

Why recurring life experiences often point to deeper spiritual lessons.

The difference between habits and patterns—and why both matter.

How changing your story can transform your future.

The role of the Medicine Wheel in breaking repetitive cycles.

Why vulnerability is essential for healing and authentic storytelling.

The importance of witnessing yourself rather than remaining trapped inside your story.

Shamanic perspectives on soul loss, unfulfilled dreams, and reclaiming your energy.

How healing requires changing not only your energy but also your daily behaviors.

Why patterns can be blessings as well as obstacles.

Along the way, Jan shares remarkable insights from her books Becoming Yourself and Through the Rabbit Hole, while Micah reflects on the life-changing lessons that emerged from writing his memoir, Stumbling Into Grace. Together, they reveal how awareness is the first step toward freedom—and why the stories we tell ourselves may be the very thing standing between us and the life we're meant to live.
If you've ever wondered why certain experiences keep repeating, or you're ready to create a new chapter in your life, this episode offers practical wisdom, compassionate guidance, and a fresh perspective on transformation.
About Your Hosts
Jan Engels-Smith is a shamanic practitioner, teacher, and founder of the LightSong School of 21st Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine. With more than four decades of experience, she has trained thousands of students worldwide in shamanic healing and spiritual practices. Learn more at LightSong.net.
Micah Schwader is an author, transformational writing coach, editor, and shamanic practitioner who helps people discover clarity, purpose, and healing through the power of story. Learn more at InspiredLifePublications.com and ShamanSezz.com.
#patterns #personalgrowth #shamanism #spiritualawakening #selfawareness #journaling #memoirwriting #writingtherapy #storytelling #healingjourney #consciousliving #mindset #innerwork #transformation #selfdiscovery #discernment #soulretrieval #shamanichealing #spiritualgrowth #personaldevelopment #habitchange #energyhealing #lifepurpose #podcast #LightSongTalkingStick

LightSong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine Talking Stick Podcast
Unconditional Love: A Shamanic Path Beyond Judgment
What does unconditional love really mean? Is it something humans can truly experience, or is it an ideal we continually grow toward?
In this thoughtful episode of the Talking Stick Podcast, Jan Engels-Smith and Micah Schwader explore unconditional love through the lens of shamanism, spirituality, and everyday life. Together they examine why the human mind naturally creates judgments and conditions, while the spirit world embodies an entirely different state of awareness—one of acceptance, allowing, and profound connection.
Their conversation moves beyond philosophy into practical ways of cultivating greater peace and presence. They discuss the healing power of nature, journeying, meditation, breathwork, and reconnecting with the rhythms of the Earth. Jan shares the remarkable story of spending more than a year sleeping outdoors after receiving guidance from Spirit, and how that experience transformed her relationship with nature, rhythm, and consciousness. Micah reflects on the lessons of his own vision quest, discovering how asking for grace brought life's greatest challenges—and deepest transformation.
Together they explore:
What unconditional love really means in shamanic practice
Why the ego struggles with acceptance and comparison
How nature offers one of our clearest experiences of unconditional presence
The spiritual practice of journeying beyond judgment
Why intention matters—and why we should be careful what we ask for
The difference between love, kindness, acceptance, and allowing
Simple practices that help us reconnect with ourselves, Spirit, and the natural world
Whether you're new to shamanism or simply seeking greater peace in a complex world, this conversation offers a compassionate invitation to move from judgment toward presence, from separation toward connection, and from striving toward simply being.
About Jan Engels-Smith
Jan Engels-Smith is an internationally respected shamanic teacher, author, and healer with more than four decades of experience helping people reconnect with Spirit, nature, and their inner wisdom. She is the founder of Lightsong School of 21st-Century Shamanism and Energy Medicine, where she taught Core Shamanism, spiritual healing, and personal transformation.
Jan is the author of Through the Rabbit Hole: Explore and Experience the Shamanic Journey and Energy Medicine and Becoming Yourself: The Journey from Head to Heart.
Learn more about Jan, her books, classes, and events: https://www.lightsong.net
About Micah Schwader
Micah Schwader is a transformational writing coach, developmental editor, publisher, life guide, and shamanic practitioner with more than 30 years of experience helping authors, thought leaders, and changemakers discover and express their authentic voice. Drawing on his experience as a writing coach, he now helps people looking to make changes in their lives reconnect with their inner guidance system through the practice and power of writing.
Micah is the author of Stumbling Into Grace: The Adventures of a Transgender Shaman, a memoir chronicling his journey through identity, spirituality, and profound personal transformation. Through his coaching, writing, and The Art of Discernment Method™, he helps people use writing as a path to clarity, self-trust, and meaningful change.
Learn more about Micah's writing, coaching, retreats, and resources: https://www.shamansezz.com