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I help my clients step into their power with deep purpose, unwavering confidence and crystal clear vision.

Jessica Riphenburg, Shamanic Practitioner

Born into a family of natural intuitives, mediums, clairvoyants, and artists, I’ve always considered brushes with the spirit world to be a fact of life. While none of us knew that there were words to describe our natural gifts, we were well aware that, for some reason, each of us served as a beacon for the unseen, for supernatural events, and premonitions.

My first brush with the spirit world came at age five, and while I hadn’t yet heard about our “family gifts”, I accepted this experience as a normal part of life. As I got older, though, I realized that families like ours were anything but normal. Wanting so badly to just fit in, I did my best to sweep my experiences under the rug.

In my late teens, supernatural occurrences, spirits and signs began revealing themselves in bolder ways, slowly but surely upping the ante, patiently calling me to step onto my soul’s path. I was not only misinterpreting the messages, I was starting to get pretty freaked out and depressed! I started to worry that something very serious was wrong with me. What I didn’t realize was that a perfect storm was brewing, and that I was on the precipice of a life-altering breakthrough.

In 2011, I received a true blessing in disguise. I suddenly became very ill with Lyme Disease, which turned my world upside down for nearly a year. The illness catapulted me into my spiritual practice, and I began developing my natural gifts. During that chaos, my first mentors appeared. I dove into my inner work, healed a lot of trauma, and began to uncover my deeper life purpose.

Fun facts about me

  • I have a knack for unusual animal sightings. Usually this means going down a rabbit hole of seemingly endless internet searches about [fill in the blank] animal after a special sighting. 

  • I love designing sacred spaces- both indoors and outdoors. When visiting my friend Alicia in Asheville, NC, she expressed that she needed major help in decorating her new home. In less than 24 hours, I pinpointed the emotions and memories she wanted her space to exude, created a cohesive theme, sourced a lot of new decor, repurposed and rearranged her belongings, and, KAPOW! Total transformation.

  • At 17 I started my first side business, making and selling accessories that I sold to local specialty shops. I was ballsy, too- I popped into stores unannounced, showed off my wares, and a couple shops actually bought my items on the spot! I am SO grateful for those shop owners for supporting me in my entrepreneurial efforts, as that experience gave me a ton confidence and gusto for future ventures.

  • I was a teen mom, as well as a single mom (for a decade!) My daughter is one of my best friends. We are two peas in a pod. I call her Tiny Amiga. She is wise beyond her years, and full of love, compassion and kindness.

My Training

I’ve been practicing shamanism since 2011. I express my deepest gratitude for all of my mentors and teachers of all forms.

Thank you to my human shamanic teachers, including Timothy Cope at The Foundation For Shamanic Studies, Ana H. Larramendi of The Hollow Bone, Katherine Wood of Vibrant Tree Ministry, Victoria Johnson of The Condor Journey, Betsy Bergstrom of Heart Centered Shamanic Healing and Michelle Hawk. The lineages I have learned within are Andean and Core Shamanism, and I utilize both in different ways. The School of Lost Borders guided me through my first Vision Fast Ceremony in the Rocky Mountains.

Thank you to my spiritual teachers, including many spirit helpers, guides animals and elements. These guides have been training me for nearly my entire life! In shamanism, we believe that our spirit helpers, allies and power animals are just as real and you and I. They deliver powerful teachings, wisdoms, insight and initiations. The formal trainings I have received are the foundation of my work, and the teachings and gifts bestowed upon me by my guides are the secret sauce.

Thank you to my earthly teachers, NATURE! Nature is a powerful teacher, and when we learn how to listen, we receive volumes of wisdom, clarity, guidance, healing and even methods and techniques for how to help ourselves and others. MY heart bursts when I reflect back on all of the special, magical, and sometimes rather intense/slightly dangerous(!) experiences I have had while learning from nature.

Thank you to all of the authors who have written inspiring, insightful and educational books that have allowed me to take my knowledge to an even deeper level. Thank you to the visionaries, film makers, producers and artists that have created powerful videos, channels, films and documentaries teaching us about different shamanic cultures, ways, wisdom, and the challenges these cultures have faced/continue to face. Thank you for sharing your teachings in a way that I could access them.

Thank my “guinea pigs”- those brave and kind souls that so graciously allowed me to sharpen my skills while working in their energetic fields! I also give thanks to the abundance of the Universe, who gifted me so many wonderful friends and family members that actually said YES to my request for volunteers. I logged over 100 hours of practice time honing my craft before offering my work in exchange for money This was such a gift for which I am beyond grateful.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Q’ero shamans emerged from their remote village high up in the Andes Mountains in the 1950’s to being to share their medicine, wisdom, and tools with anyone in the world that wanted to learn. This was part of their ancient prophesy called the Prophecy of Pachakuti. This is why you’ll find that many non-indigenous people are trained in Andean Shamanism. People travel to Peru from around the world to train with these master shamans, and the shamans travel to the people too! Many Q’ero shamans visit the US on a regular basis. If you would like to learn more about the Prophesy of Pachakuti, visit my resources section here.

“Core Shamanism consists of the universal, near-universal, and common features of shamanism, together with journeys to other worlds, a distinguishing feature of shamanism.” -from The Foundation For Shamanic Studies. Unbound to any specific cultural group, Core Shamanism is a breadth of work that belongs to all of us, because, as humans, each of us are descendants of shamanic cultures.

If you’re feeling called to learn more about shamanism and how to engage with shamanism in an ethical way, I would recommend checking our Michael Harner, Sandra Ingerman, Andean Shamanism, and, of course, learning about the shamanic cultures of your own ancestry. Again, check out my resources section here for some good places to get started.

much gratitude to you all

Thanks to those that have played an important role in my journey: my spiritual healer and mentor Richard Slade, for seeing my Divine light and Soul Purpose, and reminding me of it often. Thank you Jaimes Johnson and Neil Mathweg for seeing something special in me, and for taking me under your wing as a mentee years ago. Thank you Bret Boegge, Dan Spransy, Tony Tucci, Emily Hickey, Carrie Kilman and Alise Wasserburger for playing significant roles in my life- your belief in me, your trust, kindness, support and friendship was critical in getting me here. Thank you Susan Oshman and Mary Binkley for your support, generosity and kindness back when I was a “wee one” learning the ropes in my former career. The success I had there resourced me to step into my heart’s work. Thank you to all of the clients that I have had the honor of serving since beginning my entrepreneurial endeavors in 2006. Thank you CEM for flipping my world upside down and opening the door to deep and transformative healing. And of course A BIG thank you to my mom, husband and daughter for relentlessly cheering me on. I would not be here if it weren’t for you all!


CLIENT RESULTS