About Ulrike

Ulrike is originally from Germany and has lived several years in France until the pristine beauty of Mother Nature has called her to British Columbia in 1994.

She is a bodyworker and intuitive healer with a Certificate in Integrated Bodywork from The Healing Bodywork Centre in Vancouver, where she was trained in Swedish massage as well as the basics of lymphatic drainage, reflexology, Shiatsu, and Polarity (balancing the body's subtle energies). She has also been initiated into Reiki Level 2 in the Usui Reiki tradition and has successfully completed a certificate course in Soul Process Acupressure (PA).

Ulrike is a peer counsellor with a Certificate in Peer Counselling from the University of British Columbia, where she has acquired basic counselling skills focusing on self-awareness, life skills, and personal growth. She has been facilitating peer support groups for many years and volunteered with S.A.R.A., a non-profit society, supporting survivors of childhood abuse and sexual assault.

Ulrike is a shaman apprentice of the Wolven Path, a northern European lineage tradition, in a three-year apprenticeship program with Reverend Shaman Dr. John-Luke Edwards. Shamanism is her spiritual practice and way of life.

Ulrike is a student of Tantra. One of her esteemed teachers is Maa Parvathi Nath Saraswati, a Yogini of the Kashmir Shaivism and Vedanta traditions and heir to three ancient lineages transmitted from woman to woman since the origins. Ulrike has also studied Tantra and Sexual Healing with Maryse Côté, an internationally renowned instructor of neo-Tantra and healer who combines ancient Trantric and Taoist practices. Ulrike strives to co-create a more loving, sex-positive world by assisting individuals who have suffered childhood abuse or sexual trauma.

Her other passions include riding horses through the spectacular and remote Chilcotin Mountains, scuba diving off the stunning BC coast, and travelling the world to immerse herself in other cultures.

To contact Ulrike, please call 604-765-0685 or email: ulrike [at] kaleidoscopehealing.com

About Ulrike's Teachers

Dr. John-Luke Edwards is a Transpersonal Psychotherapist & Shamanic Psychologist with over 28 years experience. He is a Certified Canadian Counsellor, and is a registered counsellor with the Canadian Counselling Association and the Criminal Victims Assistance Program. He is the Presidor and a Minister of The Sacred Circle of The Great Mystery and a Minister of the Circle of the Sacred Earth. He has worked supporting those caught in the drama of abuse and abusing, working with victims, survivors and perpetrators of sexual abuse. He has also worked as a Spiritual Director, Retreat Facilitator, Aids Counsellor, and Loss & Grief Counsellor, and is a tutor of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Studying with Dr. Ahmina Raheem in Process Acupressure and with Jean Sayre-Adams in Therapeutic Touch, he has incorporated bodywork therapies into psychological practice. www.wolfindark.com

PNN Maa Parvathi Nath Saraswati was born in India into a family with ancient lineage of Yoga and Vedanta. Raised with these teachings and principles, at a very young age she began her training. She was formally initiated into the Pratyabhijnana Marga of Kashmir Shaivism by a yogini adept. Over the years she received the full transmissions of this tradition integrating them with Yoga, Vedanta and Samaya Tantras (a specific scientific school of yoga wisdom). Later, she received the Shree Vidya transmissions through the eminent Shree Amritananda Saraswati of Devipuram. Parvathi is the disciple of Lalita Devi and heir of the deepest tantric tradition of Kashmirian Shaivism. The lineage of the Nath goes back to Matsyendranath himself and through him to the oldest sources of Shaivism. It is to this emblematic master that Abhinavagupta pays homage in the opening of his Tantraloka, as initiator of the Kaula lineage. www.parvathinandanath.com

Judy Shanley is a Master and Teacher of Usui Reiki (under the Late Christopher Humble with direct lineage from Master Dr. Usui) and has also been initiated into Karuna Reiki Levels I & II. She is a certified Yoga Instructor and has worked as programmer, facilitator and coordinator for Outward Bound Canada - Community Programs. She currently offers trainings and workshops combined with outdoor adventures through her company Hridaya Wellness.

Maryse Coté was initiated to Tantra in India in 1980 and studied with Osho for seven years, as well as with Margot Anand and Saraswati & Avinasha. She is certified from Dr. Scherer, founder of the Academy of Massage and the Healing Arts in Santa Fe, and taught massage at the Utah College of Massage. She started her private tantric practice in 1989 in California and has since facilitated as a sacred intimate for thousands through her trainings, workshops, and private practice. Maryse has explored Buddhist teachings and practices over a number of years and since 2000, she has been studying the ancient Vedic teachings of Advaita Vedanta as well as Sexual ChiKong and Taoism. She currently resides in British Columbia, Canada. www.sacredsexsecrets.com

Dr. Ruth Sigal was a Registered Psychologist and faculty at the University of British Columbia Life and Career Centre. In her twenty-five years as Director of the former UBC Women's Resources Centre, Ruth participated in the development and delivery of various certificate programs. She maintained a private practice and continued to train counselling students and volunteers until she lost her battle against cancer in December 2008.

Mary Benson holds certificates in a vast array of healing modalities including bodywork, reflexology, lymphatic drainage, Reiki, Integrative Energy Healing, craniosacral therapy, and myo-fascial release. She has been in practice since 1998 and used to teach Integrated Bodywork through the former Healing Bodywork Centre in Vancouver.

back to top

About Shamanism

Shamanism is the primal ground from which all spiritual traditions have emerged. It is the ancient tradition of our ancestors, who took Nature as their spiritual teacher. It is a living wisdom rediscovered by those who have explored the hidden terrains of consciousness and glimpsed the vastness of reality. Our modern paradigm of living is becoming increasingly unsustainable. In these times of global upheaval, environmental disregard, and disintegrating communities, we feel separated from one another, from the Earth that sustains us, and from our connection with the sacred. Now we are being called back to our roots, to the original earth-based spiritual practices. We are called to listen and remember the “old ways” of our ancestors: to honour the sacredness and connectedness of all living beings and our planet; to gently walk in oneness with all kingdoms and beings, both physical and non-physical; to live in harmony and respect with nature, the directions, the elements and the Divine.

Shamanic Healing

From a shamanic point of view, the source of all things is Spirit. In a healing, the shaman journeys to the source of the illness or disharmony in the spirit realm and effects a change there so that healing can occur here. This means bringing energy back from the spirit world to put it were it belongs in the physical world, or removing energy from the physical world and returning it to were it belongs in the spirit world. The energy retrieved from the spirit world may be a lost soul part, a power animal or helping spirit, or information. The energy removed may originate in harmful behaviour patterns, intrude from the environment or others, or may be residual energy from past trauma. Shamanic healing is often used in conjunction with more common healing modalities, like counseling, meditation, and bodywork. It is intended to enhance, not replace, conventional health care.

For people who experience chronic mental, physical, or emotional pain, depression, or addictions, shamanic healing can be a means to reach the source of the pain in spirit and release that pattern of suffering from your life. To truly heal we must include all four levels of the human experience in this process and bring balance to the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual energies. The core practices have changed very little and modern shaman use much of the same processes and tools as our ancestors thousands of years ago. Shamanic healing is a way to repair deep soul traumas without re-traumatizing yourself or giving up your power to a healer. It is a path for restoring joy and meaning to your life.

In her healing work with you, Ulrike may include shamanic practices to support your healing process, if you wish. For example:

Soul Retrieval to return and reintegrate parts of the soul that were separated so that you can move forward Whole.
Power Animal / Helping Spirit Retrieval to find and connect with your own greatest ally and guide.
Shamanic Journeying, more empowering than guided meditations, allowing you to find the answers you seek, and even to "go back" and amend what happened, working with your power animal and helping spirits.
Extraction to remove intrusive energy that may be blocking you.

The Fourteen Sacred Laws

Everything is an inseparable part of the Whole.
The universe is the sacred expression of the Will of the Divine Source; The Universal Creator Spirit; The Great Mystery and is created and maintained with Love and en-souled with Life.
The soul is the reflection of the Divine and will define itself and return in its perfection.
Everything is characterized energy and is interchangeable with everything else. Mind, matter, spirit are different levels of the same energy.
All energy is in motion and follows the law of harmonics; it will achieve maximum efficiency with minimum effort and return ultimately to the Source. Creation is the song of the source, its dance The Great Mystery.
All things in the universe have life, but they and others experience it in different ways, or hear the song in different tunes. Nothing is truly dead, for all is in motion.
Everything is made up of the same primary elements and receives the same energies; individual beings organize themselves differently. Therefore everything evolves within the law of its own being.
Everything evolves by continually seeking harmony and balance with everything else.
The only constant in the Universe is the inevitability of Divine Grace and the destiny of change.
Everything is completely and ultimately linked to everything else and everything is subject to the Sacred Laws.
Everything comes into existence through the feminine principle, moves through the male principle and eventually comes into the balance of the source.
Children, the young and the new, must not be harmed for the continuity of life and the promise of the future is through children.
Everything is a reflection of an inner state not yet recognized.
Circular motion is the law of everything; Lineation is but an illusion. Absolute beginnings and endings do not exist, because there were and are no true beginnings.

back to top

About Tantra

Tantra is an ancient feminine philosophy and yogic tradition that can be traced back 8-10,000 years and is still practiced in its purest form in some parts of India. Hinduism, Buddhism, Shaivism, Jainism, and Bön have their roots in Tantra. In more recent years, Tantra has been revived in both Eastern and Western culture where it has undergone many changes and adaptations and sometimes has even been reduced to its sexual aspects alone. In order to distinguish Western sexual Tantra from traditional Indian or Buddhist Tantra, this modern stream is commonly called neo-Tantra and sometimes Tantrism.

Neo-Tantra plays an important role in our sex- and body-negative patriarchal societies, where not only the feminine but also sexual energy have been suppressed, which has a severely polluting effect on the beautiful, loving, and natural expression that sexuality is. One might even say that the source of most social disturbances and violence is rooted in sex, or rather the lack of nurturing, fulfilling, uplifting sexual intimacy. The sexual abuse of different kinds that occurs every minute painfully evidences the sexual distress of our societies. Although perversion, abuse, rape, aggression, and war may not always appear to result from the lack of healthy sexual expression, the suppression of sexuality, which is our inherent nature, contributes to all of these.

In Tantra, both traditional and modern, the sacredness of the sexual union is emphasized with a focus on connection between the lovers and with Source. Tantra includes sexuality as an integral part of our humanness and it teaches transcendence of sexual energy to achieve higher states of consciousness. It is about reconnecting love and sex, being fully present with our partner; experiencing deeper intimacy; releasing the encultured attitude that sexual energy compromises spiritual advancement; learning instead to use that powerful energy to deepen our spiritual experience.

But Tantra is so much more:

Tantra is the Yoga of Presence, the art of being fully aware of all sensations, internal and external, of being sentient in this moment, because the here and now is all there is. It teaches acceptance of self and other, without craving or aversion and without the need to change anything. It is about discovering our true nature; learning to stay present in the body with whatever emerges from the shadows; freeing ourselves from bondage to the past; seeing the divine in each other, and in all around us; realizing that all beings are connected and that separation is an illusion; recognizing how we create our own experiences and understanding the mysteries of the universe; allowing our body's subtle energies flow freely, unobstructed by emotional residue. We are but energy, in constant vibration, constantly changing, connected to Source and to everything that is.

back to top

About Peer Counselling

We all experience difficulties and challenges in our lives. Sometimes, we cannot address them on our own or with the help of friends. Often, all we really need is someone to listen to us without judgment - and this is basically what counselling is: a chance to be heard and to look at a problem in a different way with someone who respects your opinions and decisions. A peer counsellor is an individual with related life experiences who has attained the knowledge and skills to assist others. The goal of peer counselling is to empower yourself, to enable you to meet your own needs.

As a peer counsellor, Ulrike offers you a safe, confidential space to explore your feelings and concerns. Her main approach is person centered and solution focused. She can help you uncover the answers, which lie within yourself, by providing a new perspective and helping you find more appropriate ways of dealing with difficulties with better self-awareness and in a more positive way. You will be accepted unconditionally for the person that you are and you can learn to do the same: to love and accept yourself exactly as you are!

Please note that Ulrike is not a clinical counsellor. If at any time you need more support, she will point this out to you and can even recommend a few qualified individuals if you wish.

back to top

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."

- Elwyn Brooks White

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

- Pablo Picasso

"We find comfort among those who agree with us -- growth among those who don't."

- Frank A. Clark

"You don't have a soul;
you are a soul.
You have a body."

- C.S. Lewis

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

"...each one of us is a union of all universal energy. Everything that we need in order to be complete is within us right at this very moment."

- Lama Thubten Yeshe

"The Tantric way is open to all the richness of human nature, which it accepts without a single restriction. It is probably the only spiritual path that excludes nothing and no one"

- Daniel Odier

"… love so deeply that love itself becomes your religion… that one day, in deep communion, in deep orgasmic experience, in that ecstasy, you both disappear and there is only God and nothing else. Remember, there is no need to be afraid... Love is one of the greatest doors to God, just as awareness is another."

- Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain aka 'Osho'