Everything you’re about to read is an accident.  While she was supposed to be an author and columnist, being a neoshaman, Druid, or any of that woowoo stuff wasn’t part of the deal.  The plan was for Kelley to be a journalist for National Geographic and travel the world writing about its secret sacred sites and rituals of native peoples.  When the time came to make that leap, something odd happened.  Stories of the landscape began to speak of the mystery everywhere, and Kelley stayed put to listen. Penning those stories, she found herself scribing Nature’s past and recording tales of souls consciously steering through the wreckage of multiplanar corollaries, something quite different from indigenous beat reporting.

It ended up that Kelley Harrell became an author and neoshamanic mover and shaker in North Carolina.  She is author of “Gift of the Dreamtime: Awakening to the Divinity of Trauma,” and her open dialogue with souls is recorded in her regular column, “Intentional Insights: Q&A From Within.”  Her poetry, essays and fiction have been published in many journals and anthologies.  Walking the path of the modern Druid, she’s a Global Goddess Priestess, and her shamanic practice is Soul Intent Arts.  She’s also a proud founder of the nonprofit organization The Saferoom Project.  Kelley lives in North Carolina with a wonderful lover and a couple of energetic Twinkies.

Things ended up a far cry from the way they were supposed to go, but sometimes life just is.

What are you working on right now?

I’m hoping to find a publisher for my novel manuscript.  It’s funny.  I’ve established a prolific writing career penning personal experiences of the wyrd, that for a lot of people are unbelievable and push bounds of imagination.  Now that I want to actually make things up and write them down, I’m struggling to prove cred as a creative writer.  Go figure.

I am completing final rounds of druidic study, which are proving to root me in a community role as a spiritual caretaker of the land.  Having chosen the obligation to do soul healing on various locales in need, I am opening my work to public ceremonies, in hopes of fostering a heart connection to the land in others.

3 Trends that excite you?

I’m very excited by the growing awareness of Nature and food, particularly with regard to consumption.  One way I am cultivating interest in the soulful aspects of food consumerism is through teaching a class on the Animism of Food.  So many people have environmental and food allergies, that I would like to offer an experiential perspective on the spirituality of food, and how to form a relationship with it that feeds the soul, chakra system, and etheric field, which when nourished, physical conditions abate.

The spiritualization of digital communication fascinates me.  So many groups come together that would likely be unable to due to location or timing, managing to create cohesive communities that shift energetic reality.  I know of many groups who only have an online presence, yet set a ritual intention at a specific date and time, then all focus on that intention at the set appointment.  Yet many people can’t or don’t achieve that within their own families or household.  Imagine if we all made a date to spend five minutes focusing on compassion or gratitude instead of tuning into American Idol.

This age of PDA-Anything Anywhere/Cell Phone Collective Consciousness is powerful.  Humanity has no doubt contributed some amazing leaps in technology to the ways in which we connect and communicate, and I stand in awe of this particular one. It makes me wonder what being on the grid really means, and how Nature fits into that dynamic.  In animism, all things have souls, which means the souls of PDAs must be extremely elevated consciousnesses to do all the things they can, and for the potential they represent.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I invite them in and talk with them.  In my shamanic work, I travel out of my body to visit destinations in the spirit realm.  I meet characters there, books, themselves, projects, future liaisons, plots, landscapes, scenes.  I imagine going to the place that feels most comfortable and ask the presence of my idea to meet me there.  I ask what it needs from me, and I state what I need from it.  We meet somewhere in the middle and allow our life force to merge.  Meeting concepts and constructs this way enables me to feel them.  Once something becomes perceivable at a feeling level for me, it becomes intuition.  When it becomes intuitive, it’s as good as done.

What is one mistake that you’ve made that our readers can learn from it?

Don’t be passive or vague.  If you are unwilling to state your needs, which entails that you clearly understand what your needs are, they can’t be met. I have gone into too many projects in an artfully clouded haze thinking “the rest will evolve as it’s needed!” only to find myself hitting walls part-way through.  Even within gloriously raw inspiration, you’ve got to set some parameters.

Understand what you need from a project as vividly as you understand what the project needs to come into being.  It’s not possible for such planning to detract from the creative force.  Rather, it only enhances it.  Feel secure about what you’re doing and the art will flow more easily.

What is one idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Don’t follow the rules.  Honor them and hold in your consciousness why they are there, then let them go.  Do what feels right for you.  I find that my best missed opportunities in publishing have been because I was trying to do the right thing, which was not my nature.  Sometimes you align with the guidelines you’re given, and sometimes you don’t.  Rules are the constructs that make everyone the same, when we are anything but.  You may get chastised.  You may risk losing precisely what you are hoping to accomplish. But when you have clarity on your truth, it will manifest in a solid outcome.

What is a shaman?

That is probably the thing I as most asked.  To be true to the perspective, there is no one answer.  Shamans are spiritual ambassadors who travel into soul realms for some purpose of gaining information or healing, which is then brought back to be shared with who needs it.  Beyond that, there is no prescription for what a shaman is, what a shaman does, or how s/he does it.

As a woman born and raised in the west, for most of my life I have been very out of touch with world indigenous cultural spiritual approaches.  Most people in western culture are, hence the term “neoshaman.”  As modern celestial travelers, we are not the soul seekers who originated this practice or this perspective.  For me it is right to make this distinction in my work and personal path.  I cannot be what I am not; I am what comes next.

Are you religious?

In a Universal observation of many facets of many religions, certainly. With regard to any dogma or philosophy, not at all.  I do not claim a specific religion for my own path.  It does not suit me to do so, nor is it entirely complete to say that I am merely spiritually attuned.  While I do experience multiple levels of being all the time, I find it necessary to bring some discipline to my perspective.  I identify as an animist, one who recognizes a soul in all things, that All Things are interconnected, and in such, all of life is equal.  If there’s a church for me, it’s under a gorgeous old tree in the middle of a vast green nowhere.

Connect:

http://www.intentionalinsights.com/

http://soulintentarts.com/

http://www.kelleyharrell.com/

http://www.saferoom.org/

Kelly Harrell on Facebook

Kelley Harrell on Twitter

http://www.soulpancake.com/people/SKelleyH

John Koenig is an experienced digital marketing consultant, specializing in search engine marketing, social media, web analytics and usability. He has worked in-house at both search marketing and interactive agencies, on the client side, and as a freelance consultant for a number of clients including multiple Fortune 1000 clients.

John is a graduate of the Lundquist School of Business at the University of Oregon.

He is heavily involved with multiple ocean advocacy non-profits; currently holding the Vice Chair position for the Portland Chapter of Surfrider Foundation. Among many of their initiatives, John Koenig is active in Portland Surfrider’s campaign to ban single-use plastics in Portland, OR.

John also helped co-found and launch the non-profit, Warm Current. Founded in 2008, Warm Current supplies impoverished locations and communities around the world with ocean sports gear. They work to promote ocean environmental awareness and economic development through the gift of surfing. Warm Current currently operates out of Portland, OR with partnerships and reach in Mexico, Chile, Peru and Morocco.

John’s an avid surfer and spends much of his time on the north Oregon Coast. When there’s no surf, John can be found in his Portland surf shop shaping surfboards for friends, family and the occasional client.

What are you working on right now?

Among the many irons I have in the fire right now, I’m working to build and manage the growing SwellPath team. Our team here is everything and it’s an ongoing job to be recruiting the right people professionally and culturally as we continue to grow.

Warm Current is also gaining a lot of momentum and we’re continually looking to add new partners locally and abroad.

3 Trends that excite you?

1. A Gen Y-driven workplace

Business is changing more drastically than ever before. Our generation (Gen Y) is just getting started. We’re about 5 or so years into the workforce and making a big stir. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 2009 has seen the greatest increase in startups. We’re ambitions, social and itching to make an impact. This is less a trend and more a fundamental change.

2. Authenticity in marketing

Authenticity is being forced. Marketing used to be about one-way talking; of course now people can’t be forced to listen. Social mediums and apps are forcing brands to give up power and actually engage with their audience. It’s just the start and I see it infiltrating all areas of an organization and challenging antiquated approaches to marketing and advertising.

3. Cloud computing

Cloud computing has been a key trend over the last couple of years. From an end user perspective, on-demand access is key. I can get access to my data/profile from anywhere at anytime on any device. My browser is my desktop. For IT, there are other benefits of the cloud such as significantly reduced IT and energy costs through usage metering and scalability.

How do you bring ideas to life?

It’s all about execution with a little bit of planning. Sounds cliché but it’s true. Most ideas/organizations/businesses fail because of a lack of a clear plan, which leads to lack of execution.

Ideas are a dime a dozen; execution is everything. A lot of people would argue that not everyone has brilliant ideas, which is absolutely true. However, I come from the mindset that anything is possible; the only variance to success is the ability to recognize the amount of effort and reward of pursuing one idea over another.

What is one mistake that you made, and what did you learn from it?

I’ve made the mistake of continuing on projects regardless. There’s a lot of value in knowing when something isn’t going to succeed and walking away from it at that point. You have to fail to succeed and it only makes you wiser. I’m constantly working on different ideas and projects, not all of them get past a certain point though and I’ve learned when to walk away.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

In a more general sense, I’ll give some advice that I always practice – treat everyone with respect. It seems simple but when you start to grow and time is no longer a commodity, you’ll have to prioritize. Give the Fortune 500 CEO the same amount of time and energy as the bootstrapped startup entrepreneur. That’s a very difficult thing to do but everyone starts somewhere.

That’s obviously not the only reason to treat people with respect, but from a business standpoint the world is small and connected so the person you blew off yesterday could be that CEO tomorrow.

How do you balance your social and business projects?

I don’t necessarily see the two conflicting with each other but rather bleeding together. Of course it’s all about prioritizing my time between SwellPath, Surfrider and Warm Current.

Non-profit work is reflected in our approach at SwellPath, we have programs in place to give back to the community through monetary donations and services. We provide pro-bono work and support to organizations such as the United Way and Schoolhouse Supplies.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the work and the ability to have a voice and impact on other’s ideas. We have great clients and an amazing team at SwellPath. I love coming to work everyday, collaborating with the team and challenging the old approach.

Connect

SwellPath Interactive: SwellPath.com – @swellpath

Warm Current – WarmCurrent.org – @awarmcurrent

John Koenig Personal – JohnPKoenig.com – @johnpkoenig

Steve Markwell is the founder and mensch behind the Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, Washington. Long story short the Olympic Animal Sanctuary takes care of dogs. Not just any dogs, but rather the the worst of the worst who have been turned down by all other shelters and organizations. Pit bulls, guard dogs, wolf dogs, cat-killers  – animals that simply aren’t welcome in our society anymore. Steve Markwell is also an interview like no other we have ever done on this site, and I have decided to run this on Christmas. Hopefully it can help spread the word about the Sanctuary and generate some financial contributions for the animals in Forks, Washington.Whether you agree with Steve’s work or not; one should admire the passion and vigor with which he brought this idea to life. Personally, I have much gratitude for Steve’s work (which you’re about to learn lots about) and have decided to make a small donation myself. Animals have played a huge part in my life, albeit mostly cats, and I have always been maddened about the neglect that has met the animals who don’t fit our behavioral or physical ideals anymore. Steve Markwell has dedicated his life to helping just those animals – the ones who nobody wants to help.

Thank you Steve.

And merry Christmas to all.

-Mario

Please tell us a little bit about the Olympic Animal Sanctuary?

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit animal welfare organization and animal rescue in Forks, Washington.  We work primarily with dogs that are not good candidates for adoption due to behavioral issues, including biting, fighting, and killing other animals.  We also work with wolf-dogs and coyote hybrids, which by their very nature are inappropriate household pets. We are a no-kill organization and we believe that it is unethical and irresponsible to kill a companion animal for any reason other than legitimate euthanasia to relieve an untreatable and unbearable medical condition, or in rare instances where an animal poses a direct and immediate threat to the life of a human being or other domestic animal.

How did you get the idea for this?

As a kid I was bitten by dogs.  I thought nothing of it.  My neighbor’s dog bit me, my friend’s dog bit me, my own dog bit me, and it never once occurred to me that there was anything wrong with that — dogs bite.  When I realized that dogs were often killed after biting a human being, I was horrified.  I never stopped being horrified.  When I first set out to create an animal sanctuary, I was originally planning to work only with wildlife, but as I developed my plan, I began running across street dogs, fighting dogs, etc. with no other options, and I realized I needed to address the problem right under my nose before I started scouring the country for tigers and wolves to rescue.

Tell us about the beginnings of your sanctuary? Did it start with just one dog?

Sort of; I adopted a puppy from a pretty substandard shelter in Colorado in 2003, who turned out to be a coyote hybrid.  I had experience with wildlife rescue so I was equipped to care for him, and he grew into a fabulous dog, but I still had no plans to become a dog rescuer.  After we moved to Washington,  I took in a beach dog from the Neah Bay area, which is extreme northwest Washington, after she had been getting in trouble for killing the neighbor’s ducks and knocking over trash cans.  She was just a pet dog for me, though — I wasn’t taking her in because she wasn’t adoptable, I took her in because she belonged to a heroin dealer who’d stopped feeding her in the middle of winter and the neighbor was threatening to shoot her (which happens a lot in this area).  But then I found Abbie, a fighting dog that had been dumped at a truck stop north of Los Angeles with shotgun pellets in her chest.  I new she’d be immediately killed in a shelter, so the dog rescue effort became official.

How many dogs does your sanctuary host right now? Can you tell us some of their stories?

We have 57, and that’s about as many as we’re going to take.  Even at the next property we move to, I don’t want to take many more.  Some of them include Snaps, the dog that was forced to attack two women in SeaTac, WA in June, Rogue, a husky who killed a smaller dog and who we fought to save because his autistic owner tried to kill himself when the dog was confiscated, Max, a miniature pinscher who bit off a woman’s lip, Phoenix, an old Lab/pit bull mix with perhaps 20 serious bites to his name, including one that broke my hand a few months ago, Moose, a dog who lived with a meth cook for 10 years and was so ravaged by the toxins that it took over a year and tens of thousands of dollars in veterinary procedures (donated, thankfully) to get him somewhat healthy.  There are so many stories — you’re going to have to wait for my book to come out.

You only accept dogs that have no other options left available to them. Can you explain what that means and why you’ve established that rule?

Traditional sheltering models involve the killing of any animals that aren’t quickly adopted; no-kill shelters may not kill healthy animals, but they usually do kill any animal that fails a temperament assessment.  Some of those dogs find their way to rescue groups, but for the truly severe cases, even experienced rescuers may struggle to provide care for the animals, and placing them in a traditional home environment would be reckless.  We take those dogs because no one else will, and we don’t think they deserve to die simply because, whether by abuse or by genetics, they pose an inordinate danger to people or to other animals.  We can handle them, so we save them, and we love them as much as anyone else loves his or her dog.  We think animal rescuers need to take on these difficult dogs, and leave the easier ones to the general public.

Do you have any advice for dog owners on how they can be better owners when it comes to dogs that have shown signs of aggression?

First, I don’t call it aggression.  I reject the very notion of canine aggression, because it implies that there’s some kind of deliberate, immoral act taking place.  Dogs bite, fight, and kill for two reasons, the primary one being a natural reaction to something they perceive as a threat, and the other being prey drive — the dog’s natural instinct to hunt and kill.  I want to emphasize the word ‘natural’ — we’re not talking about abnormal, twisted behaviors here.  Dogs are predatory mammals of the order Carnivora, and fighting, biting, and killing is what they are designed to do.  Those teeth are there for a reason.  So my first bit of advice is to get over the idea that these behaviors are out of the ordinary — they’re not.  Second, behavior management first, behavior modification second.  What that means is that if a dog bites strangers in your home, don’t let the dog near your guests.  If he kills cats, keep him away from cats.  Take whatever measures you have to to ensure the safety of yourself and your family, your neighbors, other animals, and the dog itself.  Then, if the dog’s behavior is lowering its quality of life or making the animal unsafe, address the behavior using reward-based conditioning.  Reward what you like, ignore what you don’t like.  Never, ever punish the animal, dominate or intimidate the animal, or make demands of the animal.  These ‘dog whisperer’ techniques ruin dogs and make problem behaviors worse.  If you do decide to consult a dog trainer or behaviorist, be very careful and make sure the person only uses reward-based conditioning.  Another thing I suggest is that you adopt the mindset that you are the dog’s guardian, not the other way around.  There’s no actual technique here, just a frame of mind to inform your decisions.  Your job is to protect your dog and keep that animal safe; when the dog realizes that, many of the problems you encounter will simply disappear.

How do you deal with these animals?

I use my magical affinity for animals and my mystical connection to them to reach into their souls and become one with their spirits.  Don’t believe me?  OK, here’s the deal: every dog is different, so I deal with every dog differently.  Some dogs want to be with other dogs most of the time, so I let them.  Others need more human companionship, so that’s what they get.  Some are dangerous around food, so they get fed in a safe area where they won’t hurt anyone.  Some are dangerous around other dogs, so socialization is limited and highly structured.  There is no one size fits all solution; apart from sound nutrition, patience, and routine, there’s quite a bit of variation in each dog’s management.  It also helps that I don’t mid taking a bite from time to time.  I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t mind it.  Besides, I’ve been told that girls like scars, and there’s a chance that might be true.  I don’t really know, because I’m always working.

How do you utilize the Internet to market your efforts?

We have a website, an email newsletter that we’re still streamlining, and we’ve recently been running ads on Facebook. I’m excited about the possibilities with Facebook; our fan page is growing rapidly, and the ads have brought a high return on a very small investment — it’s not a ton of money, but in terms of percentage it’s huge.  We get nearly a 1% click-through rate on our Facebook ads, which is insane. I believe the Internet is a vital tool for marketing this organization to my generation and the one that came up after we did.  Marketing to a younger demographic is something few charities try to do, but it’s a big part of our marketing philosophy.  I want to bring people my own age into the philanthropic process, and I’d rather get a hundred, ten dollar donations than a single, thousand dollar one because it extends the privilege of donating to more people.  That said, a hundred, $1000 donations would be even better, but it’s not what we’re going for.  We never ask for more than a dollar.  We’ll be doing even more online in the future; I don’t think we’ll ever do traditional direct mail marketing; it uses a tremendous amount of resources, the return on investment is low (these programs usually lose money for year before they become profitable), and waiting around for elderly people to die and leave their bequests is pretty creepy in my opinion.

How can people help the Sanctuary?

Not to be crass, but send money.  Send a dollar or more.  If you don’t have a dollar to spare, ask someone for a dollar and send it to us.  Stand on the corner and hold out a cup, play crappy guitar ballads at the train station, do whatever you need to do to get an extra buck, and send it our way. It will go directly into animal care and facility improvements.  At this time I don’t even take a salary; it all goes to the animals.  After you’ve sent your dollar, spread the word about Olympic Animal Sanctuary; share this interview with people, become our fan on Facebook.  If you live in our area and want to volunteer, get in touch and we may be able to work something out.  If you have something unique to offer that you think will help us to grow and reach more people, let us know.  And if you have a special gift with animals and you think you can really turn our program around and put us on the map, please don’t contact us directly — we will detect your spiritual energy and contact you psychically.  If you don’t hear from us right away, meditate harder.

Olympic Sanctuary Website

Olympic Sanctuary Facebook Group

Steve Markwell on Twitter

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