Living the Sacred Ordinary

Living the Shamanic Way Every Day: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary

Originally published in 2019. Thoughtfully updated in 2026.

I recently caught myself thinking that I live the shamanic way every day. And I paused there, and I asked myself, so what does that mean? To me, it is centered in the indigenous and shamanic concept of walking in two worlds. I’ve always got one foot in this world, this very physical "real" world. And I have another foot in the spirit realm, in the world of potential and of complete connection and oneness with all things. So I started exploring what that means and how I might explain it to people. I recognized that I am often hiding that part of me, afraid people will think I'm crazy.

​I don’t want people to know how unusual my perspective is on all things. I don’t want people to see all of the ways I see, feel, and experience things because truthfully, they might think I'm crazy. But I’m not crazy; I’m very sane, and I'm even logical. This is just how the world has always been for me. Somehow, as an adult, as a parent, a business owner, as a grown woman, I have this ridiculous idea that I need to be respectable. I have to do things certain ways, and that doesn't include walking in two worlds at the same time.

Luckily, in the last few years and particularly the last few months, I’ve realized that maybe I don’t have to be that boring; maybe I can go back to my childlike self and allow the real me to come out. So in the spirit of showing up authentically, I am sharing with you how I see the world and how I live contemporary shamanism.

Walking in Two Worlds

To me, living the shamanic way every day means things are more alive, and I feel connected and able to communicate with all things. I pay attention when a power animal or spirit guide shows up in physical form.

Listening for Everyday Messages

When I’m driving around in the morning, and I see a red-tailed hawk, I know there’s a message in that. Perhaps I need to pay attention today; there is something coming in. Perhaps the hawk is just reassuring me that he is there. Then if I see another, I know Hawk is trying to tell me something. When I see a third one, I know there is a very clear message being delivered. I tune in and usually get a hit on it right away. So that’s it; I’m driving to the bank or to the grocery store or wherever, but if I start to see certain birds flying in the sky, I recognize that my spirit guides are talking to me.

Every Meal Is a Sacred Exchange

At the time this was written, my husband and I raised most of our own meat, vegetables, eggs, and other food together. We ate from the land we stewarded.

Receiving the Gifts of Nature

Even the simple act of eating dinner was—and still is—a sacred act to me. When I'm eating food from this land, it's not just food. I put it in my mouth and realize I am receiving a chain of care, moments of service, and the sacrifices made for others' well-being. I recognize that I am taking in the spirit of the four-legged or the green-leafy rooted ones. That is how I eat. I don't simply eat a vegetable; I receive the spirit of the plant kingdom. I don't simply eat meat; I receive the spirit of the four-legged and ask to embody some of their qualities. All of this happens in the blink of an eye, so naturally that I'm often not consciously aware of it. It's simply the quiet prayer running through my heart: "Dear lamb, dear chicken, dear lettuce leaf—thank you. I am so blessed."

Living the Sacred Ordinary

You may think I am crazy now. I'm not. I am highly educated, completely sane, totally in control of my faculties. It's just that I live in a way that is connected to spirit and nature. And therefore, my every action, every thought, every deed is twofold. It's of this world, and it's of another place as well.

Over time, I've realized that living this way isn't unusual at all—it simply requires paying attention. The more I notice the quiet conversations happening between Spirit and the ordinary moments of my life, the more meaningful life becomes.

The Sacred Ordinary isn't about escaping this world in search of something mystical. It's about recognizing that the mystical has been quietly woven into this world all along. Every encounter, every animal, every meal, every sunrise, every unexpected coincidence has the potential to become a conversation with Spirit if we're willing to listen. Stay tuned for more blog posts on how I live the shamanic way every day. How I live the Sacred Ordinary.