Living the Dream in Alaska

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Alaska … not the cruise that most people choose, but a retreat to learn and practice Huichol Shamanism, led by Shaman & Healer Brant Secunda.  We stayed in a lovely lodge right on the inside passage, with a view of the waters and snow covered mountains dividing the inside passage from the wild ocean beyond.  We witnessed eagles flying overhead every day, saw a couple of bears, a porcupine, and enjoyed the best salmon in the world.

One of the highlights was a whale watching boat trip …the whales were just amazing! We were lucky enough to witness a pod of whales bubble net feeding where 8 or 9 whales circled together and blew bubbles to stun the herring, then all came up at once with their mouths wide open.  This is rare to witness, but we saw them do it 5 or 6 times.  The boat had a hydrophone so you could hear them singing their love songs. Saw lots of whale tails and a baby practicing it’s flips!  Visited the Mendenhall Glacier and took a quick dip in the icy waters … swimming along with the icebergs. This area is rainforest so everything is huge … fields of wildflowers taller than me, plants with leaves 2′ across, with a backdrop of glaciers and snow covered mountains. This is the Shamanic version of Disneyland – with everything real!  While I make it a practice to try and connect with nature every day, it’s so easy to do in such a wild and beautiful place.