I was born during an emerging New Moon when it is dark and hidden symbolizing the Dark Goddess, death and opportunity for rebirth. My birthplace was a white community on the edge of an Indian reservation located on the unceded territories of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne), Apsáalooke (Crow) and Eastern Shoshone Sovereign First Nations. These lands sit at the base of a mountain range where rivers descend from the icy mountaintops and disappear into the belly of the Great Mother reappearing elsewhere born anew.

Nearly dying at the age of seven, I passed through the first rite of passage of the shaman. My five subtle senses were awakened allowing me to feel, see, hear, know, taste and smell the realm of energy. Alone and unguided, I began having shamanic dreams, conversing with the Stone People and perceiving into the hearts of people around me who scapegoated me for being a truth teller while using fear to silence me. While some experience their shamanic awakening as a time of beauty, I was initiated into a dark night of the soul that lasted decades.

I grew up in an isolated western frontier community in a working class family. Both valued similarity of thought and behavior instead of diversity. During college, an east coast Jewish professor conducting research on the Navajo Reservation taught how the Navajo respect and value their children in contrast to white American culture. This changed how I fundamentally saw myself and the world. I became open, understanding, accepting and respectful of other people’s cultures and contributions to the world.

As a child, I experienced religious abuse within my family and mainstream church instilling within me a deep fear of God. To face my fear, I immersed myself in Christianity and earned a diploma from an evangelical adult Bible school that first introduced me to energy medicine (e.g., laying on of hands, prophecy). After graduating, I let go of the tenets of institutionalized religion to pursue the deeper truths of the most ancient form of spirituality known as shamanism.

I experienced my feminist awakening during a Master’s program to become a licensed therapist. Due to a lack of client screening and supervision by professors, I was assigned a deeply traumatized client who I was unqualified to help. I asked for help. A grey-haired white male professor who didn’t like my tone claimed I was the problem, failed me with only one semester remaining and had another white male professor deliver the news. Several years later, I passed the course, but no longer had the desire to pursue a therapy career.

As a Registered 1st Degree Reiki Practitioner, my first client was a domestic abuse survivor. When I placed my hands on her face, energy traveled into my hands, up my arms and into my head releasing through my eyes and nose. I cried my client’s unshed tears. Confused and shaken, I never did Reiki again. I passed my second rite of passage of the shaman by honoring the wisdom of my physical and energetic bodies. Once again, I recommitted to pursuing the deeper truths of the most ancient form of spirituality known as shamanism.

My birth name was “Danielle,” which means “God is my judge.” Judgement was my constant companion. As an adult, the name “Hanna” floated through my mind for several months. Alone in an empty room I pondered out loud, “Why do I keep thinking of that name?”. A crystal clear voice spoke over my right shoulder, “It’s your name.” To heal the heavy energy of God’s judgment that was my birthright, Spirit called me to legally change my name to “Hanna,” which means “Goddess of Life.”

In mid-life, the plant spirits peeled back the masks of my false ego to reveal my true self. Then, a comprehensive psychological assessment revealed there is nothing “wrong” with me. I am neurodivergent, which means my central nervous system functions differently than neurotypical people. The unique expression of my neurodivergence allows me to be an empath, intuitive and highly sensitive person with shamanic gifts to perceive what most people miss.