A Shamanic Wisdom Walk Along The Road Less Travelled

Reflection—Shamanic Wisdom Walk July 24, 2026. By Heather Price

The Walk of Belonging and Connection

The mountain, the ancient spirits of the forest, and the Creator ultimately choose who is to take these sacred walks, and when they are to occur. Though many may express initial interest, a selective calling brings together the exact collective meant to step onto the path. On this day, hundreds of years of combined wisdom and deep spiritual history arrived at the base of Mount Tibrogargan to seek a deeper truth.

Station 1: The Mount Tibrogargan Car Park

The journey began where daily life ends and a sacred portal is opened. Gathering as a collective, the group shared initial introductions and backgrounds quite extensively, and the search for a common theme began. Before a single step was taken toward the trail, a beautiful confirmation of unseen presence arrived. The spirit of a beloved soul sister, a close friend and dedicated healer whose physical passing had occurred two years prior, joined the circle as a little Willy Wagtail in a nearby tree. In that moment of shared remembrance, searching for a common theme among the group, the collective intention crystallised into a singular focus: an exploration into belonging and connection. This opening gathering served as a Metaphor for Conscious Alignment, where individual lives paused to tune into a shared, higher frequency.

Eventually, after a great deal of authentic and intimate sharing, the theme began to surface.

Station 2: The Two Large Guardian Trees

Finding their way to two old, huge guardian trees—a grandmother and grandfather of the forest—the group stopped to pay their respects. Here, they formally shared their names, where they had come from, and their deep intentions for the walk, explicitly asking for permission to enter the World Between Worlds and the Forest Dreaming. At this threshold, the hurried nature of human time dissolved. Strong messages echoed from the ancient forest, urging the travellers to remain fully anchored in what is happening today rather than casting their gaze too far into the future. Two women received clear messages from the guardian tree that played out for each of them when it came time for them to walk with the sacred staff.

Standing in quiet reverence, the group held a sacred, timeless space for one another as they crossed into the forest's embrace, recognising the extraordinary privilege of witnessing each individual's unfolding journey. This space of deep surrender became a Metaphor for Honourable Entry and Relinquishing Control, where all desire to manage time or direct the walk was released to the wisdom of the land.

Station 3: The Angelic Tea-Tree

Moving past the threshold with a sacred staff that bridged decades of walks on this mountain, the group of wisdom-keepers paused by a delicate tea-tree. Its unique bark dripped downward to meet the Earth like a skirt of angel wings. This location became a powerful Metaphor for Absolute Vulnerability and Softness. A profound sense of feminine energy, softness, and sacredness filled the air, revealing a deep capacity for letting go as the feminine skirts draped off naturally. Within this etheric gentleness, the staff-holder reflected on the deep necessity of shedding our armour:

"There are things to drop away to enable something you want to come into the world—to drop away some of our beliefs and values to survive as a collective."

Station 4: The Green Fern Family

Further along the path, the group encountered a lush, thriving community of the Green Fern Family. Sheltered beneath the larger canopy, these ferns grew close together, sharing the moisture and shade of the forest floor. This sanctuary became a beautiful Metaphor for Communal Support and Shared Values. It stood as a living reminder of how a small, dedicated group can sustain one another, mirroring the recorded reflection:

"We may imagine that we can influence humanity to become 'one' when we share the same sacred values—even when wars are being fought over values, land and religion. While not seemingly realistic—that is still a treasured dream. We can begin with our small group... we are all connected."

Station 5: The Large Tree Off the Path (On the Left)

With the wise elder of the group leading with the staff, we then paused before a magnificent, large tree standing prominently off the main trail to the left. To witness its magnitude, the group had to shift their gaze away from the established, beaten path. This majestic tree served as a Metaphor for the Courage to Be Different. It illustrated that true belonging does not require rigid conformity or staying neatly within the boundaries set by others. It reminded the walkers that light filters through the canopy to reach us wherever we stand, bringing a revelation of pure, uncomplicated existence: the truth that we can be loving just for the sake of it, offering kindness and softness without doing anything to earn it.

However, when the staff-holder attempted to walk back onto the path, she was held back by a vine that wrapped itself around her legs and the staff.

The staff-holder then said to the vine: "I see you – I hear you – I know you want to keep me here".

The little vine replied: "That tree when you look at it is connecting the Earth to the Cosmos – it is powerful – but you didn't notice me; I am important too – it is not only the big ones who are important – look further to tiny little ones with new ideas and gentle ways - each stone has powerful energy of the earth, albeit very simple - there are simple things that are really important".

We talked as a group then about what we had witnessed at this station. Here is a contrast—the big trees are impressive and amazing, and we are drawn to them first—but we need to be aware. More subtle ones appear, and we were feeling we need to listen to these rather than the big ones that are in our face. To notice what is big is important, but also—to notice what you are not noticing. Notice that you are fighting to get there—to the big dreams—but maybe these things take money, energy, and time, while the smaller things carry greater value.

The message the staff-holder received from the guardian tree came back to her at this point—“Be more aware! You don’t have to make everything you vision happen—it is happening in its own time—stop pushing.” This observation reflects the element of ether. This element exists in the spaces in between the solids and tangible, and it pulsates energy, rather than pushing it toward something it is not ready to receive or manifest.

All walkers agreed then to consciously aim to be more present with daily small things rather than pushing toward the big things—be present, take time to listen to internal whispers, to look for things we may have missed seeing and valuing, and give these our attention. The staff-holder shed tears, overcome by the wisdom of the forest, and her own internal knowing and remembering.

Station 6: The Crossroads

The walk eventually led to a clear crossroads where two distinct paths intersected. Rather than turning away or choosing a diversion, the staff-holder and group of shamanic wisdom walkers maintained their focus and paused before taking the path that continued straight ahead, continuing on their true trajectory. This intersection served as a Metaphor for Divine Clarity and Direct Intention.

Standing to the right side of the path to allow other walkers to pass, the group stood close to hear what the staff-holder had to say, which turned out to be nothing like she had intended to share. This station represented the power of 'staying focused and loving anyway', she said. She went on to explain that when moments in life and its noise and the competing directions of the external world threaten to distract us, true alignment comes from keeping a steady, purposeful step forward along our chosen spiritual path.

From the staff-holder: “The Mountain is saying let guilt and sorrow go, and let it melt into the earth – all the sorrow – to love anyway; to go the path less travelled – commit to that.”

She shared that the guardian tree had earlier told her to: just be there – you are fine – you're taken care of – to stop looking outside of yourself, and the walk had reminded her to connect with tribe where you can be authentic.

At this point, another shamanic wisdom walker explained that crossroads can be seen as places of chaos, opportunity and destruction. In Ireland a crossroad, or rather a crossing place, is called a trasnú, and how when you go through crossing places – you often find where we are meant to be going. She commented on how crossroads and change in life can be uncomfortable, and how important self-compassion and kindness is when this occurs. Patience and perseverance, when a crossing appears on our path, often reveals a new and more harmonious path. It is at such times, as the Fern Family reminded us, that knowing who is in our tribe and reaching out to them assists us to find the courage to challenge anything out of place with our value system.

Stop 7: The Ancient Hollow Tree with Mycelium

The final walker took the staff, and by this time we were deep within the forest. The staff tugged, calling us to halt, and the group stood before an ancient, hollow tree, its weathered centre cradling a living mycelium, a broad white flat fungus clinging to the back inside trunk wall, in its depths. This site became a profound Metaphor for the Invisible Thread of Interconnectedness. The hollowed centre spoke of the spaces left behind by time, grief, and life's hardships, while the mycelium beautifully demonstrated how life uses those very spaces to build unseen, vital connections that nourish the whole ecosystem. It mirrored the realisation that our individual vulnerabilities are exactly what bind us together into a living, breathing collective.

The tree had a tape around it warning people not to go near the tree. The staff-holder spoke of how she took little notice of such warnings and restrictions and found her way past them quite often. She told the story of Covid and its mandates that seemed to her to be unjust and unfair, and how she vowed at that time to create at least one act of civil disobedience every day that she went out from home. She told stories of her rebellious, passionate nature, and how things she did were often questioned by those once close to her, with whom she shared her childhood, who often still found her a misfit.

The group talked about how all present had often felt like they lived on the fringe of society, and how good it is to find your tribe and to feel like you belong. The Whipbirds echoed the feeling of the group, crying out in unison, where one finishes, another will instantly follow by joining the 'song' being sung in support, adding their own insight and wisdom to the story being told. The Apple Watch joined in too! We were both seen and heard by the Nature Spirits for sure on this walk!

The following is condensed from Google AI and its sources:

With the song of the Whipbird, the male starts the song with a long, drawn-out, high-pitched whistle that ends in an explosive, sharp "whip-crack" sound and instantly and seamlessly, the female finishes the song by adding one to three sharp notes. Because they time it with such incredible speed and precision, it sounds to human ears like a single bird making the whole noise. The duet helps partners signal their commitment to each other and maintain their lifelong bond. It acts as a joint announcement to warn other birds away from their shared home in the thick forest undergrowth.

Station 8: The Stone Circle and Sacred Mandala

The sacred journey culminated at a final clearing defined by a timeless stone circle where we had a clear view of Father Tibrogargan. Here, the collective gathered to create a sacred mandala on the Earth, using it as a mirror to reflect deeply on the entire walk. This final destination served as a Metaphor for Integration and Sovereign Self-Compassion.

Within this protective mandala, it took profound courage to allow the external world to drop away, yet it happened completely naturally. As was beautifully captured at the journey's end: “We can be loving for the sake of it—and we can be loving and kind—to ourselves first, that change in us radiates out to form our energetic signature—‘be the change’.

To anchor these profound insights and seal the intentions of the journey, five daily co-creation cards were placed into the centre of the sacred mandala:

• Harmony
• Intimacy
• Smile
• Openness
•  Balance

Through these five cards, the eight distinct stops of the forest, and the living mirror of the land, the journey revealed that the harmonious and intimate connection we endlessly seek from the world is a landscape we must first cultivate within ourselves through openness and authenticity, and absolute self-compassion. When we find a balance between our World Within and our World Without, there is a tendency to smile at life, knowing a smile will set you free.

With deep reverence and humility, timeless gratitude is extended to the incredible collective who walked together, weaving their vast lifetimes of wisdom, shared history, and courageous vulnerability into the very fabric of the forest floor.

The shamanic wisdom walkers took a moment to pull together the wisdom that had been tapped into on the path. The journey reminded us to step away from daily life through a sacred portal of shared alignment, slowing down to ask permission of the land and anchor completely in the present moment.

Early on the walk, the feminine tea-tree spirit, with its skirt so gentle and strong, reminded us to let superficial stuff drop away—showing that when we let go, we can do so in a soft, gentle way.

The Fern Family reinforced the importance of walking with our tribe, while the next station, with its clinging vine, challenged us to find the courage to walk authentically and listen to the little voices needing support—willingly accepting help from others.

At the crossroads, we were reminded to remain steady in life's noise, maintaining an intention to love anyway, and to sit peacefully and patiently when change arises, knowing the right path will find us.

Finally, the ancient hollow tree reminded us that life exists beyond death, urging us to speak up and rebel against injustice.

As we reintegrate into the wider world, may we carry these lessons from the mountain in our hearts, remembering that the ultimate sacred walk is the one we take daily toward our own inner landscape of truth, connection, and absolute self-compassion.

This reflection comes from shared wisdom from fellow Shamanic Wisdom Walkers: