On 31st July we left Vancouver and took the Rocky Mountaineer train to Whistler, a village located in a beautiful mountainous area of British Columbia in Canada. In winter it is a ski resort, which featured as part of Canada’s hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The areas surrounding Whistler are very wild, with mountains, rivers, waterfalls and dense forests. Bears and other wildlife thrive in this natural habitat. The native Canadian’s are referred to as First Nation, and two such tribes who inhabit the area are the Squamish and the Lilwat Nations. We hired a guide who took us in his Land Rover (essential in this terrarin) for a six hour exploration deep into the forests and mountains.

Our guide, Blake, is one-eighth Australian Aborigine, (his mother is half Aborigine and his father Caucasion). He has decided to make Canada his home and followed the Aborigine side of his ancestry. His love of unspoilt nature shone through, and he proved to be a remarkable person.

We were shown the ancient hunting ground and trails of the First Nation people, as well as the rivers and lakes where they fished and travelled in their canoes. We shared our belief systems and we learned much from him as he did from us. We were honored that he took us to the place where he went to experience his times of solitude and tranquility. The journey was exciting as Blake drove his Land Rover along steep, winding and narrow tracks with ravines on both sides! At last we reached the summit, a rocky area that stood so high that we were level with the glacier covered peaks of the surrounding mountains. Below were the valleys, canyons and temperate rain forests. We were humbled and stunned by the beauty of nature. It felt as if we were standing at the rooftop of the world.

As we travelled back to Whistler and our hotel we shared with Blake our interest in meeting First Nation people and our intention to visit the Squamish and Lilwat Cultural Centre in Whistler the next day. Blake informed us that all the people who worked there were either Squamish or Lilwat people and that we would gain much knowledge from them.

That evening while we were having dinner in the open air at the hotel, we were approached by a young lady employee. Her name is Karolina of Czeck origin. She told us that she had felt drawn drawn to speak to us. The conversation that followed was initially about her affiliation to First Nation Canadians’ that had been initiated by her Yoga teacher. She then shared where she was in her life. It was her last day working at the hotel and also her birthday. She was leaving Whistler the next morning to drive with a friend to Mexico, stopping over at many destinations along the way.

Clearly she had closed one door and another was opening for her. She told us how she had heard that we are Shaman and we knew that we should give her a copy of “The Journey of a Shaman”. She was delighted and opened the book at random. It fell open at the beginning of a chapter and it transpired that the content was relevant to the healing that she needed. We facilitated the necessary healing and she visibly lightened. As she said good-bye, we hugged.

It transpired later that she had then shared her experience with her friends in the hotel and there was to be a sequel to this episode!