About Helen Lebel
I grew up in upstate New York, just outside of Albany in the town of Colonie. Being obsessed with horses at an early age I spent a great deal of time outdoors, exploring the woods nearby and riding bareback on my horse all over town. During the summer my friends who also had horses and I would frequent state fairs and horse show events, sometimes sleeping overnight in an extra stall to be with the horses during the show. In retrospect I believe the horse was an early animal totem for me. I also spent many days hiking and exploring Thacher Park, along the Cliff Top and Indian Ladder trails. Unlike today, we spent most of our childhood hours out of doors in nature. This close relationship to our natural world would foster a reverence of place and a bond of communication that has continually buoyed me through difficult times.
My mom was an artist working for the State Museum at Albany, working on many of the exhibits there such as the wolf group, the Iroquois group and many more. When I would visit her work during the off-hours, I would be given free reign to explore the museum on my own. I was always drawn to the crystal cave, which was lit up and glowing a luminescent pink, spiraling away and down into who knows where. I pictured myself crawling in and down deep into the cave into yet another world. I believed that the animals and people in the exhibits came to life when no one was there. My days spent exploring the museum's many exhibits became the fuel for magic in my dreams, and later on provided an incredible bridge to other worlds during shamanic journeying.
When I was 12 or 13 years old my father gave me a copy of Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan - A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. I read it cover to cover and felt completely captivated and drawn to the things that Castaneda had been learning from his teacher, Don Juan Matus. My interest in shamanism remained high throughout my life until I reached the age of 37, when circumstances were such that I felt compelled to pursue formal shamanic training. My first workshop experience learning how to take a shamanic journey was at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, in 1998 while I was involved in a certification program through the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now known as Sophia University in Menlo Park, CA). Michael Harner taught the workshop, so I had the privilege of working with one of the leading anthropologists in the field who would eventually become a leader in re-introducing core shamanic healing methodology to contemporary society. His warm sense of humor and passion for shamanism led us through various techniques of the shamanic journey, and I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to discover that I had remarkable experiences and intuitive insights on behalf of the people I worked with. I have continued to maintain a personal shamanic practice and to further my studies in the tradition. I have also had a very high interest in psychology as it applies to spirituality, and the healing of the mind. Although there are branches of psychology that are oriented towards scientific research and do not embrace the spirituality of healing, I have come to believe that there is a beautiful intertwining of psychology and shamanism - the true intention of both being to heal and restore wholeness to an individual.
Fast forward to today - I am constantly in awe of the beauty and overwhelming compassion of the other-worldly spirits that I have the grace to be in communication with. I feel so fortunate to have discovered my passion at an early age in life, and feel absolute gratitude that I can work on behalf of people who need healing in their lives. Shamanic healing may not be for everyone, but if you are curious to learn more or are in need of healing and this place resonates with you, please contact me.
"A path is only a path, and there is no affront to oneself or to others in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, this question... Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it does not it is of no use." --- Carlos Castaneda
I grew up in upstate New York, just outside of Albany in the town of Colonie. Being obsessed with horses at an early age I spent a great deal of time outdoors, exploring the woods nearby and riding bareback on my horse all over town. During the summer my friends who also had horses and I would frequent state fairs and horse show events, sometimes sleeping overnight in an extra stall to be with the horses during the show. In retrospect I believe the horse was an early animal totem for me. I also spent many days hiking and exploring Thacher Park, along the Cliff Top and Indian Ladder trails. Unlike today, we spent most of our childhood hours out of doors in nature. This close relationship to our natural world would foster a reverence of place and a bond of communication that has continually buoyed me through difficult times.
My mom was an artist working for the State Museum at Albany, working on many of the exhibits there such as the wolf group, the Iroquois group and many more. When I would visit her work during the off-hours, I would be given free reign to explore the museum on my own. I was always drawn to the crystal cave, which was lit up and glowing a luminescent pink, spiraling away and down into who knows where. I pictured myself crawling in and down deep into the cave into yet another world. I believed that the animals and people in the exhibits came to life when no one was there. My days spent exploring the museum's many exhibits became the fuel for magic in my dreams, and later on provided an incredible bridge to other worlds during shamanic journeying.
When I was 12 or 13 years old my father gave me a copy of Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan - A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. I read it cover to cover and felt completely captivated and drawn to the things that Castaneda had been learning from his teacher, Don Juan Matus. My interest in shamanism remained high throughout my life until I reached the age of 37, when circumstances were such that I felt compelled to pursue formal shamanic training. My first workshop experience learning how to take a shamanic journey was at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, in 1998 while I was involved in a certification program through the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now known as Sophia University in Menlo Park, CA). Michael Harner taught the workshop, so I had the privilege of working with one of the leading anthropologists in the field who would eventually become a leader in re-introducing core shamanic healing methodology to contemporary society. His warm sense of humor and passion for shamanism led us through various techniques of the shamanic journey, and I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to discover that I had remarkable experiences and intuitive insights on behalf of the people I worked with. I have continued to maintain a personal shamanic practice and to further my studies in the tradition. I have also had a very high interest in psychology as it applies to spirituality, and the healing of the mind. Although there are branches of psychology that are oriented towards scientific research and do not embrace the spirituality of healing, I have come to believe that there is a beautiful intertwining of psychology and shamanism - the true intention of both being to heal and restore wholeness to an individual.
Fast forward to today - I am constantly in awe of the beauty and overwhelming compassion of the other-worldly spirits that I have the grace to be in communication with. I feel so fortunate to have discovered my passion at an early age in life, and feel absolute gratitude that I can work on behalf of people who need healing in their lives. Shamanic healing may not be for everyone, but if you are curious to learn more or are in need of healing and this place resonates with you, please contact me.
"A path is only a path, and there is no affront to oneself or to others in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, this question... Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it does not it is of no use." --- Carlos Castaneda
I have a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, I am certified in Counseling Psychology and Human Services through UC Santa Cruz and certified in Health and Wellness through the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now known as Sophia University). I have also completed the Advanced Shamanism 3 Year program through the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and have completed many other shamanic workshops through FSS as well. I have been working on behalf of clients in the shamanic arena since 1998. Am I a shaman? I do not consider myself a shaman, but I do utilize shamanic techniques I have learned to aid in a healing process. Learning is never complete, and there is always more for the curious mind!
