About Me.
Merle
they/them
I am a mixed race (Korean/white), disabled, queer, non-binary shamanic practitioner, poet, writer, and multidisciplinary artist. I offer shamanic healing sessions on a 1:1 basis as well as occasional group workshops both virtually and in-person. During a session with me, I connect to my spirit guides to work with the spiritual fabric of a client's needs, which may include accessing guidance about future paths ahead; shifting illness, trauma, and embodied stories; and bringing the whole system closer to a place of balance. Balance is at the heart of this work, and it can support folks in facing what may be difficult to look at and metabolize by getting to the spiritual root of an issue and learning how to work with the lessons and messages therein. Shamanic healing is a relational form of healing--sometimes the healing comes out of shifting one's relationship with what it is they are encountering.
My shamanic path started in April 2013 and includes intensive training in ancestral and transgenerational trauma healing work, divination, and ritual work. In terms of lineage, my primary shamanic teacher is Myron Eshowsky whose teachers include Mandaza Kandemwa, Malidoma Somé and Sobonfu Somé, among others. I have also learned from Sobonfu Somé in grief work, and I am currently enrolled in True Earth's Medicine for the People program, lead by ShuNahSii Rose, to further strengthen my connection to plant teachers and plant medicine. My creative and spiritual work are closely intertwined and I am especially interested in working with the power of stories in healing work, including lived and embodied stories. I am also available for creative consultations on how to incorporate ritual and shamanic methods into the creative process. I am also especially passionate about working with fellow QTBIPOC.
I am living with a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis; I was first diagnosed as stage IIb in 2014 and then a tumor shattered my T8 vertebrae in 2015. I have been stable with no evidence of disease ever since. My own healing journey has included both conventional and holistic medicine working in tandem and I truly believe I would not be here had it not been for the spiritual support I received from other healers who came through for me during the acute phases of my healing. I will see fellow cancer patients pro bono as my schedule allows. My story also includes ongoing ancestral healing of the legacies of war, assimilation, domestic violence, and breaking transgenerational cycles of abuse and it is out of these experiences that I feel able to put out a hand to others who are experiencing something similar in their constellation of family dynamics. I am the child of two immigrants; my mother is South Korean and my father was born in France to my French immigrant grandmother and white American grandfather. Militarism, imperialism, empire, and colonialism are also threads I am unraveling in my own story, which have organically emerged as threads that many of my clients are also untangling for themselves. I am just a human like any of us, and the nature of this work is for me to be a vessel and channel for Spirit to come through with guidance and healing.
You can read more about me and my work here. To reach out with questions or to book a session, please reach out via email: merlegeode@gmail.com.
First time clients should plan for 90 minutes for the first session; follow-ups are 60 min. My rates are set on a sliding scale, $80-140/session. As a guideline, $110 is suggested for a sustaining contribution; $80 is suggested for folks experiencing financial hardship; $140 is suggested as an offering that aids my ability to offer free and discounted sessions for those who need access to that. If the sliding scale is still a barrier to you receiving the services you need, please reach out and I will do my best to accommodate within my means.
Covid Protocol:
As an immunocompromised person, I am only seeing clients who are fully vaccinated and boosted. Clients will be asked to submit proof of vaccination upon scheduling their first appointment with me, and I will be asking for updated proof of vaccination over time as the efficacy of previous vaccines taper off. I require masks for indoor in-person sessions. If you are not comfortable with this policy, you can opt for a virtual session with me. During times of high community spread, I will assess what feels best in terms of in-person sessions, which may be moved online when transmission rates are high.