My professional life is grounded in the rigorous and logical world of science and research. I’m a firm believer in the power of empirical data and the scientific method, but I’ve also come to understand that a truly balanced mind holds the known and the unseen in equal regard. Not everything that is real can be easily measured.
This dual perspective is not a mere hobby; it’s an intrinsic part of my identity, as fundamental as any research project I’ve undertaken. For generations, the women in my family have walked with a foot in two worlds, their senses open to the unseen. My Surinamese great-grandmother (Nana) was a spirit worker and a bridge between this world and the spirit world, with a preternatural ability to heal… a piaiman (the equivalent of a shaman/medicine man).
It was hard for piaiman in the early 20th century, many were killed, or converted, and in her case she was forced out of Suriname. Once she moved to the United States, she actively discouraged us from discussing these experiences out of fear that we would be committed, which nearly happened to my grandmother whose gift was talking to plants. Nana would tell us that if we ignored them, they might go away and while it was too late for her, it might not be too late for us.
Some part of me was lonely and would play with the spirits. Once, I was playing tag with a shadow figure and he cheated and I complained to my great-grandmother, she warned, “Don’t get their (the spirits) attention; you don’t want this!” Sorry Nana, I didn’t have any more a choice in it than you did. As it would turn out, her abilities were the only inheritance I would receive from my family.
I learned to be mindful of who knew about my abilities and beliefs. Early experiences were highly traumatic, which I am still processing. Perhaps more traumatic was being forced to hide what I am. When I went to college, I put a lock on that part of my life and stepped back into the shadows with only a handful of people knowing even my interest and belief in “the woo-woo” and having metaphysical items hidden often in plain sight. The experiences never fully stopped.
I’ve learned to approach these experiences not with superstition, but with the same curiosity and respect I bring to my academic work. I’m curious about them and I want to know the truth while still trying to keep one foot deeping planted in reality.
Today, my journey is about finding my way back to the light and to my truth – blending the quantifiable world I study with the intuitive world I’ve inherited. It’s an exploration of the full human experience, one that honors both the lab and the lessons whispered on the wind.
For those who wish to hear about my company where I sell tinctures and other metaphysical items, please see Shamanic Bits & Bobs.