Shaman Mother, dedicated to healing her students - Interview

Can you please introduce yourself?

Hi, I am Cynthia Barnard! I have been working as a shaman teacher, writer/ healer for over twenty-five years while living outside the Boston area in the town of Boxford. I have lived here for 41 years and married for 47 years with my husband Chet. We raised four children together and now enjoy five grandchildren.

People always imagine shamans as native people untouched by our modern society. How come you chose to be one?

Honestly, I don’t think I chose it, but it chose me. (I was very much a material girl living in a material world.) It was literally a calling that started in my early thirties. I experienced a light coming to me during a past life regression. I had just given birth to my third child. The light spoke to me and said it was time to prepare me for what I was meant to do. I was here to help a lot of people and I was about to embark on a huge spiritual experience

How does your family handle you being a shaman?

My husband had great difficulty in the beginning. He thought we had a wonderful life, and I was messing things up. I was a stay-at-home mother and now I am leaving to live in Ecuador for a few weeks to study with shamans. My children were young enough to accept without judgment. They were always my priority and that didn’t change with my vocation. My husband now sees the blessing of my calling and supports me wholeheartedly.

When did you discover your true passion for healing?

During my thirties, a friend developed breast cancer. I babysat one of her children when she went to treatment. I sent her flowers and cooked for her, but I thought if I was her, I would want to heal. I decided to find out what made people sick and learn how to help them heal. I thought It had more to do than bad luck or bad genes.

I studied the mind/body and how emotions affect health and then one thing to lead to another. I studied nutrition, herbs, supplements, crystals, belief systems, and spiritual teachings. I would read every night as the children slept. During my dreams, I had a variety of masters, shamans, and spiritual beings teach me as well. It was a very profound period of my life. Then I volunteered with neighbors and people who had terminal cancer in my community to teach them a holistic approach to healing.

How do your clients find you? Do they know what they need exactly when they first contact you?

ALL my clients are referrals by other students. (as I like to call them) I never advertise or rarely do self-promotion. People who have studied with me and had profound changes in their lives are my best advertisement. Most people either have a health issue or a relationship problem. They just know they need to change something in their life and conventional therapies are not working for them. Recently I have had a lot of people who come for spiritual growth and teachings.

How long does it usually take to help your clients?

Every person is different so I don’t think you can circle a date. I have had people come for just one session and feel a huge difference in how they view the world. A lot of people in the past use to see me for “Soul Retrieval “work. (very shamanistic). Healing is a process. The first session takes at least two hours of talking about their life from birth to the present. We go over their relationships, health, sleep, diet, exercise, belief systems, and even their dreams at night. Next, I do an archetypal chart in the second session to help them understand themselves. It is important to know one's mental, emotional, and physical patterns to heal. Then we do soul retrieval work and past life so see and heal any traumas in the soul. I also do energy work on them after we talk to clear any blockages in the chakra system. Also, I always give homework, as being a teacher. (it could be reading a book or watching a movie or self-examination process)

How did you find the time to accomplish so much? You have raised 4 kids and based on your biography, you had your fair share of travel, learning, you also teach, write! I start to think your main skill is time management!

Thank you for mentioning the time management skill. I always had a lot of energy!!! Sometimes I look back and wonder how I did it. I loved being a mother and taking care of my children and now as SHAMANMOTHER, I care for people and the little child that resides inside of them. I traveled only a few times a year when the children were young but as they grew older, I was able to travel more frequently. The traveling was part of my work to open stargates of energy for the divine feminine which has been out of balance on earth for thousands of years.

What are your next projects for the future?

Right now, I am working with an illustrator for a children’s story I just finished. I am editing a self-help workbook entitled” Check Your Baggage.” I will do a ceremony and teachings for the winter solstice. I will bring a group to Sedona for a spiritual Retreat in March 2021 and Mt. Shasta for the Fall Equinox. I am keeping my fingers crossed to bring a group to Egypt next November and I usually end the year in Bermuda with a yoga retreat. (hopefully, travel will open soon) But it has been nice being home. No place like home! Play with my grandchildren!