In this episode I interview someone who inspired me to launch Queerly Beloved and has made a big impact on my spiritual path, Alyson Charles Storey.    Alyson is an internationally renowned shaman, best-selling author of Animal Power and host of the Ceremony Circle podcast. Alyson went from being a national champion athlete, top rated radio host and a national daytime television talk show host to aligning with her calling as a shaman after a traumatic moment provided her awakening. Since then, her ability to share ancient sacred wisdom and divine energy and be a powerful catalyst for change has ignited a global phenomenon. Alyson devotes her life to living by the calls and directives of Source. Her best-selling book and card deck Animal Power, we're both the number one new releases in their categories. Her full bio is filled with epic accolades and stories, including the fact that Marie Claire magazine selected her as the cover story, and how she made history becoming the first person to perform on stage at the HBO film festival, where she guided a shamanic journey for over 10,000 people, (which we get into in this interview!). There's also a long list of amazing respected spiritual teachers from around the globe that she's worked with, so check out the full bio via the link below to see more of this amazing woman's journey and accomplishments.    In thge interview, after discovering and revealing our current drag avatars, Alyson shares an epic story about seeing a gigantic bat in Bali, and the transmission that happened in that moment that marked a long period of deep shadow work.  We then talk about this phrase "in relation," Alyson describing it as the favorite phrase she’s come across in this lifetime. We discuss how so much can be revealed when we ask, “how am I in relation to  ____?" Next, Alyson talks about how in shamanism you don’t turn away from anything, you lean in, and learn and experience that aspect of life. This leads to a conversation about the possibility of expanding our hearts by seeing God in everything- especially our adversaries or the things that cause us to contract. Then Alyson shares some profound wisdom about ego positioning in relationship to the path of enlightenment. We then look at the strategy of giving a name to shadow archetypes in our lives in order to have more levity (and compassion for ourselves) when these shadow shows up. Staying in the themes of names, next we hear the story of Alyson receiving the name Rockstar Shaman, and I share about naming from a queer perspective. Alyson also talks about the epic experience of guiding 10,000 people on a shamanic journey at the HBO film festival.  Coming back to power animals, I share about how Alyson's book Animal Power, had a profound impact on the life of one of my family members who was really struggling. We then get to learn more about power animals and how to work with them, and both Alyson and I share about the power animals that have shown up in our lives and how they have supported our journeys.  We end with an invitation from Alyson to be open and trust as we traverse these soul contracts.     Learn more about Alyson here- https://www.alysoncharles.com/about  Check out Ceremony Circles Podcast here- https://www.alysoncharles.com/podcast    Learn more about Wil here- https://www.wil-fullyliving.com/  Connect with Wil here- https://www.wil-fullyliving.com/contact Support the show