About & Contact
photo by Julie Szyba/Hopscotch PhotograpyHello! I’m Shannon Jackson Arnold.
I'm a soul specialist, a radiance amplifier, and a pathway illuminator, and I help people bloom bigger into life.
I believe that every loss is a portal to initiation — a firewalk, an open door, a bridge in mid-formation... a flower bud, unfurling with ecstatic delight. And every experience a chance to bloom more into our fullest self.
When we treat ourselves like the unique flowers we are — with our own seasons & life cycles, gifts & needs — we bloom into life, rather than wilting into pain. And in blooming, we allow undiscovered petals of our soul to greet the world.
From 1998 to 2009, I lead 1,000+ students through writing, self-inquiry & creativity courses. (In 2022, I started offering writing circles again!)
Since 2010, it's been my honor & joy to offer 1-on-1 Stargazer sessions, workshops and retreats, inspiring talks, and flower-filled photo-books for lovers of natural beauty.
My story (like yours) is a rich, beautiful & sacred unfolding. I’ll give you four significant touchstones, so that you can determine if my experiences & gifts are the type of nourishment you need.
1. I’m an insatiable researcher, explorer & curator of resources & possibilities. I seek to ground the soulful into everyday life.
From the best rituals to stay connected to your soul to the most exotic flower essence remedies, my quest for a more spiritually-tuned, simplified & creatively potent life will never, ever end. I follow the late Angeles Arrien's credo to walk the mystical life with practical feet.
I’m a perpetual student — I am always taking a class, consulting with experts, reading a pile of books, expanding my knowledge & toolkit. If you want to peek at my recent studies and experiences, you can view my most current resume here.
2. The four most impactful training experiences of my life?
:: Future Thinking, a 3-year leadership development program taught by Jan Smith of The Center for Authentic Leadership, which taught me the power of articulating my gifts and living my legacy, in each present moment.
:: The Novalis Institute and Linda Bergh's training as a Biography Facilitator, which showed me the power of guided imagination, artistic expression, life charting, and understanding of the soul's universal patterns through life as a portal to self-compassion, forgiveness & trust.
:: The Dying Consciously, Living Consciously intensive from The Four Winds' Energy Medicine School, founded by Dr. Alberto Villodo and based the wisdom of the ancient shamans of the Americas, trained me in energy healing techniques and ritual to assist in experiencing a conscious life and death. I have received the Rites of the Munay-Ki, a series of energetic transmissions from the Q’ero Inka lineage of the Andes and Amazon.
:: Private study with Katie Weatherup, author of Practical Shamanism, to hone and expand my soul-level healing skills in ancestral line repair, past life release, assisting souls on the other side and cord-cutting.
3. I have failed. Awkwardly & messily. (And gained lots of wisdom in the process.)
I have quit jobs, with a considerable lack of grace. I have been unkind to the people I love. I have procrastinated, squabbled with internal deadlines, and dragged my heels in confusion and fear. I have been overwrought with creative intensity, yet unsure of where to set my foot (or pen, or paintbrush) next.
I’ve learned to examine my energetic patterning, identify the right resources and create practical rituals to ground, center and replenish my creative potential. Which is a fancy way of saying: I’ve discovered what to do to course-correct and shift forward, when my ego is getting a little too big for its britches.
4. I have celebrated & grieved. (Often, at the same time.) I have experienced deep wounding & have healed with resilience.
I have experienced a wild spectrum of abundance and agony in my life — from the beautiful experience of giving birth to my daughter in a blessed pool of water, to holding my mom's hand as she transitioned from this world into the next.
I experienced childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse, and have dove deeply into healing cPTSD through a variety of tools and therapies.(Neurofeedback, Somatic Experiencing, cranial sacral therapy, Polyvagal Theory, working with a naturopath, esogetic light therapy, energy work, prescription medication when needed, and a caring, trauma-informed therapist were key for me).
I believe that the privilege of being alive is experiencing ALL of it — the fresh spring blooms, the close of each season, the moments that open your heart & take your breath away, the sweet simple savoring of the every day, as well as the sudden lightning strikes, and the precious space & electrified awareness that devastation & loss can create.
As a commitment to support the change I wish to see in the world, I donate 10 percent of what I earn to causes that support social and environmental justice. One organization I have joyfully supported over the years is the Arc of Appalachia.
Connect with me.
Drop me a line. I'd love to connect.
Other ways to connect:
Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonjacksonarnold/
Friend me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonarnoldpersonal
Join my email list here.
Gratitude & Lineage
I am deeply grateful for the many teachers, supporters, helpers and mentors I have had on my journey and the wisdom and lessons gained from each. There are too many to name, but those listed below have had a particularly deep impact on me, my life, and my work. Deep gratitude and many blessings to them…
- My husband, Michael, our daughter, Grace, & Dog Minnie (What it Means to Love and Be Loved)
- My family and ancestors
- Jan Smith (Center for Authentic Leadership's Leadership Intensive & Future Thinking)
- Diane Herold (Medical Intuitive, Animal Communication and Energy Work)
- Katie Weatherup (Practical Shamanism)
- The Four Winds Society Teachers (Living Consciously/Dying Conciously)
- Linda Bergh (Biography Facilitation & Conscious Dying)
- Sandra Ingerman (Shamanic Journeying and Ceremony)
- Julie Tallard Johnson (Writing)
- Rosemary Bourne (Esogetic Colorpuncture)
- Danuta Jirik (Somatic Experiencing)
- Jen Lemen (Path of Devotion, Seasonal Mapping, Togetherness)
- Teresa Riley-Baecker (Women's Circle Work, Ceremony)
- Kathleen Rude (Roots of Resilience / The Work that Reconnects)
- Sarah Baldwin (Somatics, Polyvagal Theory)
- Asia Suler (Intuitive Plant Medicine)
- Kathleen Callahan (Flower Essences)
- Brady Waller (Astrology and Tarot)
- Hiro Boga (Energetic Attunement, Working with Devas)
- Janice Sandeen (Human Design)
- Jakub Stritezsky (Human Design)
- Kim Gould (Emergent Human Design)
- Richard Rudd (The Gene Keys)
- Judy Bridges (Writing & The First Person Who Invited Me to Teach)
- Machaelle Small Wright (Perelandra Nature Research Center / MAP Program)
- Molly Sheahan (Green Hope Farm Flower Essences)
- Susan Palmieri (The Clearing)
- Kim Tedford (Essential Oils, Self-Care Rituals)
- Julie Szyba (Sisterhood & Garden Whispers)
- Sureya-Jeanne (Sisterhood & Wisdom)
- Susan Lyon (BEST Sessions)
- Kelly Caveretta (Energy Healing)
- Renee Murphy (Body Code)
- Martina Schmidt (Spiritual Mastery)
- Patty Jackson (Life Coaching)
- Barbara Mc Rae (Life Coaching)
- Sunni Boehme (Life Coaching)
- Natalie Bledstein (Cranial Sacral Therapy)
- Dr. Kyle Ferroly (Neurofeedback)
- Brian Gray (Astrosophy)
- Virginia Fidel (Energy Intuitive)
- Emily Waymire (Somatic Listening)
- Barbara Marx Hubbard (Conscious Evolution)
- Nancy Stranahan (Arc of Appalachia)
- Diane Bloom (Free Spirit Crystals)
- Dr. C.S. Chen, DO, LaC (Acupuncturist)
- Jeffrey Langlois (Nutritionist)
- Dr. Alicia McCubbins (Naturopath)
- Milwaukee ComedySportz (Improv Training)
- Angel's Grace Hospice
- The women's circles I've been blessed to sit in
- Grandfather Oak and all the Nature Beings on our land
- Writers Alexander Chee, David Whyte, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Joy Harjo, Clarissa Pinokola Estes, Pema Chodron, Mary Oliver, Julia Cameron, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Arnold Loebel. Thank you for the balm and sustenance your words are.
- All of my clients and students for all you've taught me and how you've helped me grow
- God, my Ancestors, my Angels and my Guides for the boundless love and support
Website Gratitude
This website has held up pretty well since it was created in 2010, thanks to the fine contributions of these talented folks…
Julie Szyba for the photographs
Alexandra Franzen for providing website vision, logo and initial copywriting
Natasha Lakos for logo and website design
Catherine Vo for coding technical support