It all began in the 1980s when Jaki was introduced to her first ‘natural medicine’ and her passion for the healing arts was set ablaze. The details of that journey, from then to now, are described below, in her own words.

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Master Herbalist

"For as long as I can remember, at least since my early 20s, I have been passionate about natural philosophies of healing and living, with a focus on foods and medicines. More importantly, as I began to incorporate them into my life, I found them effective and reliable. After several years of personal immersion, my first step in formal training was completing two Master Herbalist Certifications in 1988, one through Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in Calgary, and the other with Humbart Santillo in the United States. This combination provided the diversity of understanding and training I felt was important to offer natural healing therapies and education to others. Shortly afterward I started a part-time natural healing practice."

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Natural Foods Cooking Instructor/Consultant

"Through those early years of establishing a healing practice my family started to grow. Now there were two children to feed, and my philosophy of using wholesome, natural, unprocessed, and delicious food seemed more important than ever. I spent a considerable part of my day preparing foods from scratch and after several years, began to be sought out for my expertise in this area. I started teaching cooking classes to a wide and diverse audience, from health food stores and community centers, to Continuing Education seminars for Professional Organizations and the Trym Gym lifestyle program at University of Calgary. This venture of introducing people to ‘food for the body and soul’ spanned ten years and led to opportunities such as writing articles, training staff in health food stores, and offering recipes and consulting services to cafes and restaurants."

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Aromatherapist

"In the early 1990s I started using essential oils (aromatherapy) in my healing practice. Having a strong foundation in plant medicines I found it easy and fun to branch out into this area. I was fascinated with the oils’ potency and effectiveness but the more I used them the more I became aware of the different qualities they held from their herbal counterparts. I decided it was time to further my training and in 1997 completed my Certification in Aromatherapy from the Michael Scholes School of Aromatic Studies, in Los Angeles, California. While my current focus is on custom blends for individual clients, two blends that I developed have become popular enough to be sold by other practitioners:

The Cold/Cough/Flu/Immune Support blend, and the Molloscum Relief blend." 

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Plant Spirit Medicine

"Near the end of the 90s, with the opportunity to look back on a decade of practice, I was very pleased overall with the effectiveness, safety, and economy of natural plant based medicines. But I could also see that some clients were not improving as much as I’d hoped, or they were dependent on their herbal medications to stay well. In many of these cases I sensed an inner distress contributing to their dis-ease and recognized it was time to branch out from traditional herbal therapy and find a way to address those deeper ills."

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"After reading the book Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan and being captivated by the healing method he described there, I enrolled in his two year training program in Massachusetts during 1999-2000. This was my first introduction to shamanic spiritual healing and Classical Chinese Five Element Medicine. Initially, the practice of using plant medicines that had their source in the realm of Spirit was difficult for me to accept and embrace. I had prided myself on my grounded and scientific approach to wellness but I could not deny the results I saw in myself and others who utilized this medicine. I graduated as a Plant Spirit Medicine practitioner in the Fall of 2000."

 

Writer

"In the summer of 1999, just weeks after I began training with Eliot Cowan, I had an experience while hiking in the Rocky Mountains that I can only describe as ‘spiritual’. While I couldn’t know it at the time, that one event set the course of my life in a new direction, changed my personal outlook on healing and medicine, and my understanding of the true nature of the world around us. I discovered that there was a full, rich, and formerly untapped resource that was just as real as the physical world I could verify with my five senses. I found myself venturing into realms I never imagined existed and had much to learn. The journey to understand the nature of that experience and the world view I was introduced to took approximately five years, and culminated in the publishing of my first book Heeding the Call: A Personal Journey to the Sacred."

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"Through intense experiences of spiritual connection I learned first-hand what the ancient sages, wise men, and medicine people of our planet had all known—that Nature was alive and conscious and could be a personal resource of growth and healing. I came to understand how our Indigenous peoples had learned about food and medicines, animal migrations, weather patterns, and how they had ‘come-to-know’ the ways of living and being that ensured their survival.

After those five transitional years, I felt I had a solid foundation and began drawing upon my new understanding and skills in my healing practice, with wonderful results. After another eight years had passed, I decided to share the features of this way of life, both professionally and personally, in my second book, The Medicine Path: A return to the healing ways of our indigenous ancestors. My newest release, The Rhythms of Wellness, is about the importance of the Chinese clock (now known as the circadian rhythm)  in everyday life."

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Spiritual Elder

"In the year 2000, while seeking a teacher and a context for this shift in my world view,  I was introduced to a Traditional Cree Elder named Fishwoman (Pauline Johnson). She, more than anyone else I had met, understood the nature of the experiences this spiritual journey had led me to and the responsibilities it held. Even though I am not First Nations she took me under her wing and accepted me as a student in ceremonial protocol. She offered to share her understanding of relationships with the natural world, as well as how to connect to the land in a respectful, reciprocal way through song and ceremony. In April 2002, during a Traditional Naming Ceremony, I was given the Spirit Name, One Who Walks with Eagle Mountain. In September 2004 Fishwoman again honored me, with the gift of a sacred pipe and in 2006, with her blessing, I became a sweatlodge keeper for my community. In 2008, at of one of the Vision Quest ceremonies Fishwoman and I co-hosted, she noticed the community had begun to address me as 'Elder." She turned toward us all and said in acknowledgement,"Well, they've spoken. You're an Elder now." This role is very dear to my heart because being accepted as an Elder in my community does not come from completing a particular form of training or a specified number of years; it is an acknowledgement awarded by the community I serve and the Cree Elder who has guided me and watched me grow. It is truly an honour."

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