After a several weeks of intimate study of material, I began to wonder if there was going to be an embodiment of a sorcerer/teacher showing up in my life. The crows were swirling and squawking, squirrels were coming up to my feet, and wind had a funny twist to it. All signs seemed to portend an arrival of some sort, so I was on lookout.

Then appeared Frank Coppieters. It was as a result of a conversation about Reiki with Shay, who had been a student of Frank's. It just so happened Frank was having a shamanic gathering at his studio, and so we went, partly because Shay wanted to renew her connection, and partly because she felt I needed to meet him. The kicker was he used drumming as part of his gatherings. I am a professional drummer myself. This was certainly getting interesting!

The experience was fabulous. Frank was socially highly gracious, but when we went into his "light shamanic trance," as he calls it, he was positively otherworldly. His primal vocalizations conjured images of mystical worlds and cosmic places. And with hypnotic drumming accompaniment, punctuated with an array of bell and rattle sounds, I was whisked away on a magic carpet ride.

The two-and-a-half-hour session seemed like 15 minutes, and time distortion continued as I found myself driving and arriving home in what seemed like moments.

I reconnected with Frank again for a personal shamanic session, and was so blown away, I asked if he would be open to some freelance journalistic coverage. He was all game, and I sat with him for 90 minutes, covering his background and how he came to do what he was doing.

Some of you know I live in northwestern Wyoming just outside USA’s Yellowstone National Park. My little town is in Big Horn Basin, which is actually a huge valley between Big Horn Mountains on east and Absaroka Mountains on west.

Last Saturday night weather turned cold, and famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) Wyoming wind howled all night long. In morning I awoke to a hushed landscape.

The wind had calmed, and mountains and valley were covered with a bright and beautiful blanket of freshly fallen snow. Even though it was only October 24, it was a winter wonderland. Winter comes early in this high country.

But I love winter. It’s my favorite season. Although, since we have readers all over world, I know for many of you this time of year is advent of spring and summer.

Anyway, snow reminded me of upcoming holiday season. Thanksgiving (in USA) comes next month. And then, of course, Christmas in December. Since I can first remember, I’ve always loved those two holidays, especially Christmas.

I’m no longer a Christian in any traditional sense. But my large Italian family always made a big deal of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have many warm and wonderful memories of growing up in that loving, nurturing environment.

Whether you celebrate either of those two days or not, this certainly is a time of celebration for many. And for me, at this point in my life, every day is a time to celebrate. But November and December are special because many folks besides me are also in a celebrating mood. But not everyone.

This year I’ll spend Thanksgiving and Christmas alone. My son and daughter-in-law are in Africa for a couple of years. And most of rest of my family is back in eastern USA, about 2,000 miles away. Also, I have work commitments which will keep me in Wyoming this holiday season. But I will be going back East in early January for a belated holiday celebration with my family.