Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayamanatara.
Ayamanatara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up was a split between playing in the woods in New England with faeries and meeting people from different cultures all over the world. I was always seeking. I was baptized by my own choice at eight years old, and in high school, I read the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita.
I was desperately unhappy as a kid, and I think I thought if I could find better answers, I would feel better. Nothing I tried worked until my life took a drastic left turn when I was 24, and I decided to stop being so self-destructive and live a more spiritual life. I walked away from drugs and alcohol and made a deal with the Universe to pay better attention to guidance, as long as that guidance agreed to be really loud so I would have to at least notice it. I don’t recommend doing that, because the Universe got *really* loud.
I had two successful careers, in the Music Industry and New Media, while I was studying with some wonderful spiritual teachers, and gradually moved into healing and teaching full time. My learning path has wound through folk magic from the four corners of the globe, numerous Shamanistic practices, Kabbalah and the Western Mystery Tradition, and even intensive studies within the Abrahamic religions.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t believe any road is completely smooth – we learn from the bumps. In addition to walking away from drugs & alcohol, and finding my way through the major depression that began in childhood, I’ve had major health issues.
When I was 33, my health literally exploded, and I have had to spend years developing a lifestyle, diet, and meditative practice that allow me to function even through heavy duty physical pain. Most of the time, things are reasonably manageable; today, though, for example, I’m using a cane and wrist braces. It will probably shift back to my version of normal by next week. One of the things I have found is that, when I do a healing, or when I am teaching, the pain lessens — the Universe is still being loud.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Both my personal and work practices are a synthesis of my studies, from a distinct Shamanistic viewpoint that honors the masculine and the feminine, with a focus on community, equality, and empowerment. What that looks like is that I teach classes, create custom ceremonies, make tools for healing and empowerment, and work with people to improve their health and their lives, through a blend of Shamanism, Reiki, stones, herbs, sound, light, channeling, visualization, and counseling/coaching.
In working with a treatment center for six years, I developed a form of sound healing that is amazingly effective on ADD/ADHD and sleep disorders, as well as addiction recovery, and I hope to start clinical trials on that soon. My signature classes include a year-long course in Kabbalah, The Emotional Root Cause of Disease, a goddess-focused Empowerment Workshop called Becoming the Goddess, and a Healing the Ancestral Lineage workshop.
I have helped start a spiritual learning school, was the Resident Shaman at a day spa in Long Beach, and have taught and lectured at such diverse venues as the Southern California University of Health Sciences, Pagan Pride, Pantheacon, and The Conference on Current Pagan Studies, as well as teaching at smaller venues around the United States. I am the author of 6 books, including a book of action-oriented daily reflections and a textbook on Colored Light Therapy, and I have done numerous meditation recordings.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m not sure I can single out just one. I am constantly delighted with my work. When I see the lightbulb go off as a student connects information when a client has a major health breakthrough when everyone present connects with a ceremony I created when my guidance informs someone else’s success when one of my students makes a dreamed-about shift… These are all things that make me proud.
Pricing:
- Healing (45-90 minutes), Animal Communication, house clearing, and private instruction: $125 (plus mileage, if applicable)
- Personality Reports (written report combines numberology, astrology, and intuition): $175
- Custom Wedding Design and Officiating: $250 plus mileage/travel expenses
- Labyrinth Workshops for Team Building: $33/head (20% NFP discount), plus $20/head materials fee
- Custom Crystal Clearing Bowls: $65 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ayamanatara.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @thattwistedcat/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ayamanatara/
- Twitter: @Ayamanatara
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ayamanatara-los-angeles
Image Credit:
Evan Ballinger, Patrick Eleven, Peter Bankins
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
