From the deck of the Afandina, by Indigo RønlovDear Friends,

Only a week shy the ides of March and I can only shake my head in awe at the weather roller coaster we've been presented. For instance, it snowed hard all night a couple of nights ago, but we only had a few inches to show for it and the sun was peaking through the clouds while it was still snowing. Heavy rain is predicted for the next week. Meanwhile daffodils, blue bells, crocuses and other early bloomers are racing to the sky ahead of schedule, oblivious to what looks like winter's grip. Welcome to March in Oregon.

Egypt

If hard winters are the norm where you live (or even if not!), please consider traveling with us (Shamanic Journeys, Ltd.) to Egypt next year. If you feel called, please check out our 2018 tours, February 22 - March 7 and March 8 – 21. The February tour will be led by Normandi Ellis and Indigo Rønlov, and is catered for those who have either already been to Egypt or who already have a relationship with Egypt's pantheon and cosmology. Please go to Egypt—Off the Beaten Path: Through the Layers of Time to learn about and register for this tour.

The March tour, The Wisdom of the Neteru, will be led by Indigo Rønlov and Debbie Clarkin, and has the same itinerary as past tours. It will focus on building relationships with the neteru (pantheon), the temples, and the ancient initiations that open doors to the mysteries that will be relevant for these evolving moments.

Indigo and NormandiThose who have traveled with us in the past are familiar with the breadth and depth of our quest, and how it is presented in a way that allows participants to take part in the creation of the alchemical process that brings out each person's unique contribution to the circle, most of whom who have responded to a call that they have been waiting for their entire life. Our work has certain principles upon which it is based: All rites, ceremonies and initiations are threaded through the heart. Each participant has an important voice, which is encouraged through attention to journal writing, paying attention to dreams, and the sharing of experience in the temples, Medju Neter (sacred hieroglyphs) and Anubis Oracle readings, and the shamanic journeys (guided visualizations)—all of which help to direct the processes that are unique to each tour. Although the leaders have been given glimpses of the work of each tour, they mostly remain a mystery until we are in Egypt and are able to include everyone's intention into the mix, including those of the family of the Egyptian neteru.

All of the spiritual work that we accomplish in Egypt is happening on three levels simultaneously: your personal intention and requirements for wisdom and ancient eternal truths that guide you through your personal transformation and healing, transformation and healing for your family and community, and transformation and healing for the world.

The ancient Egyptian adepts that built and consecrated the temples, art and writings of their time invested the eternal wisdom that the pharaohs and other high initiates of the priesthood obtained directly from source into the sacred monuments that still hold those energies today. Any sensitive seeker with an open heart can feel them, yet an experienced guide who has developed relationships with both the people and gods of Egypt can intensify your experience and open doors that would otherwise be invisible.

Deb Clarkin at the PyramidsIn addition to the connection to source that our leaders provide, we at Shamanic Journeys, Ltd. have been leading tours to Egypt since the late 1980s, and I must admit I had to learn the hard way how difficult travel in Egypt could be. Although my first several agents were certainly reputable, our tours were plagued with illness for a variety of reasons. We were also bound by the ships' itineraries, which were designed to move people as quickly and cheaply as possible, without regard for any serious quest. I am pleased to say that since our agent in Egypt built a boat to our specifications and we have our own personal chef, those problems are in the distant past! I paid my dues, though, and went through six agencies before connecting with Mohamed Nazmy in 1991, after which I finally discovered a company that respects service to its clients as their most important asset. Consequently, we have built and maintained our reputation based on impeccability, comfort, luxury, and the special perks I have earned over the past three decades. Our nine night sails allow us to do our work, relax as we sail the Nile and appreciate its timeless beauty, to appreciate the depth of the firmament as the sky goddess Nūt glitters as she arches over us, dine in comfort on the nourishing food created to suit each person's dietary needs, awaken to the pastoral beauty as we discover water buffalos bathing along side our spacious and elegant dahabaya. The dahabeya is more like a private yacht than the crowded ships to which most visitors are relegated. Our dahabaya is not bound by the same rules as the big cruise ships which, for reasons I have never understood, rush up and down the Nile racing to beat one another to the sites while we meander and show up at the temples when no one else is there most of the time. We also go through the government minitries to have special permits to allow us private visits during hours when the temples are closed, including sunrise between the paws of the Sphinx and at the island temple of Isis at Philae. We also have private time in the King's chamber of the Great Pyramid. Think about it—the Great Pyramid is our personal playground. No other tourists!

Visiting Egypt is the trip of a life-time. We hope you choose to share it with us.

Information about our winter and spring, 2018 tours: Egypt—Off the Beaten Path: Through the Layers of Time or The Wisdom of the Neteru

Ram Dass

I first encountered Ram Dass when I dropped out and went to San Franscisco at the end of 1966, where I started hanging out at the Straight Theater in Haight Ashbury. He was an advisor to my friends on the board, and over the years he was always someone I looked up to. I found myself sharing a stage with him in San Francisco in the '90s, the day after Timothy Leary died. I was especially interested in his take on my work, and he was exceptionally generous with his feedback for me, despite the unfortunate timing and his obvious grief. Although we never spent a lot of time together, we often met and hung out at various conferences and festivals, and I always listened carefully to him, for his wisdom grew with his age and with the challenges he faced with exemplary grace after the stroke that nearly took him out. From the time he was able to speak again, he chose his words with great care, and remains a highly credible, wise and beloved icon, and one well worth listening to.

Therefore, I am delighted to be able to invite you to a free virtual event, Relaxing Into Aging: How to Befriend the Changes with Humor, Grace and Lightness of Being.

Find out more and reserve your seat at https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/riaNS/shamanicjourneys/ Who better to guide us into a new relationship with growing older than Ram Dass, a man who, after his stroke in 1997, faced partial paralysis, aphasia and a host of physical challenges — including chronic pain and all sorts of inconveniences. Yet he considers his stroke an act of “fierce grace” that propelled him to a higher level of spiritual growth.

During this special online event with Ram Dass you will:

• Discover how to make friends with changes that occur as you age — even the most challenging ones!
• Learn how to release unnecessary suffering by becoming more mindful . . . even when that seems like an impossible choice
• Shift the way you relate to the inevitability of death
• Open to a deeper experience connecting to the universality of the changes you are going through

RSVP for free here…

A downloadable recording will be provided later to all who register, whether or not you are able to listen to the scheduled event at the time.

Full Moon Workshop and Celebration at CoSM

I just received my first look at the Sekhmet: Transformation in the Belly of the Goddess book as it will go out to endorsers. I'm working on a plan to launch this book, and have my first two events scheduled. The book will be released June 1. My first gig so far is at Alex and Allyson Grey's temple in the Hudson Valley, CoSM, with a three hour workshop in the afternoon on June 10. My Sekhmet workshop will be followed by CoSM's monthly full moon celebration. More info here…

Bruce and Nicki, OCF 2016
photo by Spike MaffordEvent with Nicki Scully and Bruce Lipton, PhD.

The following week, Saturday, June 17, I will be doing a two hour workshop, Stepping into your Power with the Goddess Sekhmet, including 30 minutes of discussion with Bruce Lipton, PhD., followed by a two hour workshop with Bruce, The Biology of Personal Empowerment: Thriving in a World of Change. This event is sponsored by the East West Bookshop in Mountain View, CA, and will be held at Ananda Temple: 2171 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. For details and to register, go to www.eastwest.com

I am also planning a virtual event but haven't decided on the date yet. If you have any ideas of any place or events in the New York area (I'll be visiting family in Soho during the week before and after the CoSM event) or near Palo Alto or the Bay Area around June 17, please let me know. I'm trying to keep my travel plans as concise as possible.

It's always good to hear from you. May the coming change in seasons bring peace and joy into your world, wherever you are.

With love,

Nicki