Abbey’s love for the natural world and respect for all of creation has brought her to a spiritual path that combines shamanic techniques, guardianship, playfulness, and strength. She is a firm believer in the power of play and joy for healthy living. Abbey is the laughing guardian – believing that being fully present and playful is an important piece of the work she does.
She began her formal training in 1991 with the Church of Earth Healing. Under the teaching and supervision of Bekki Shining Bearheart and Crow Swimsaway, she started exploring the alternate realities by taking the Basic Shamanism class. At that time, there was a series of Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Shamanic training available through the Church of Earth Healing. Through the years, Abbey has had the privilege to work closely with Bekki and Crow via different avenues. Some of these avenues include, but are not limited to: ancestor work, weekend events, guest teachers, ceremony, etc. She attended their Shamanic Intensive for the first time in the fall of 1995. During this time, she was also engaged in a yearlong Tattoo and Body Piercing apprenticeship with Crow. A few years later, she found herself needing a refresher and decided to take the Shamanic Intensive a second time (Spring/Summer 1999). Working so closely with Bekki, Crow and The Church of Earth Healing for so many years has given Abbey a solid foundation from which to build her skills, interests and talents.
These days, you can find Abbey living in Las Vegas, NV with her two amazing canine companions: one wolf and one Border Collie. She teaches first grade in a small rural school about 45 minutes southwest of the city. She no longer sees clients in the traditional sense; she uses her shamanic training every day to help create and maintain a safe, happy, playful classroom environment in which all students feel safe to be who they are while learning to read.
The Church of Earth Healing 