Thursday, September 18, 2008

MOTORCYCLE MEDICINE...Riding Home

Medicine, according to Native American teachings, is anything healing to the mind, body, spirit which aids the seeker in feeling more connected and in harmony with nature and all life forms; my medicine is Motorcycle Medicine. Through Medicine Rides, I teach motorcyclists how to observe the signs of nature that can assist one in healing and seeking wisdom along life’s highways. A Medicine Ride is an experience you give yourself to learn and master new thought patterns and heighten your awareness and appreciation for the messages being sent to you from your natural surroundings. Getting off your well worn path of life and learning to follow the roadmap of your heart; the heart always knows the way home. Getting out of the fast lane and rolling through the curves, over the peaks and across the valleys; taking the unbeaten path, while enveloping yourself with all that surrounds you…just you, your machine and the open road…the perfect atmosphere for validatinging your freedom and learning to fly.

A Medicine Ride is led by me, Karen Allen, and custom tailored to the needs and desires of each group or individual and open to novice as well as seasoned riders. Originating outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, trips range from 1-3 days traversing 100-300 miles each day, winding through spectacular Southern Wisconsin back roads, over rolling hills amongst quilted landscapes with views that will take your breath away. These roads are magical! They’ll make you forget where you are and what year it is, and gently re-mind you of who you truly are.

A Medicine Ride is for anyone with a passion for motorcycling, as well as a desire to take motorcycling to a more spiritual level, utilizing freedom of the open road to free the spirit of one’s soul. A Medicine Ride is an experience for any motorcyclist seeking a stronger connection to the self and all life forms. Incorporating a combination of Native American spirituality and self-development exercises, a Medicine Ride will help you achieve a more peaceful, balanced and centered existence while opening your heart and enhancing the quality of your life.

As a student and believer in Native American teachings and traditions, as well as a perpetual student of life, I am a Martha Beck Life Coach, utilizing motorcycling and nature as tools for accessing the true nature of the self with a willingness to share my experiences, knowledge and wisdom to support others in using the open road as life’s classroom and the pavement as the optimal venue for unloading excess baggage.

I have been on a life-long quest, seeking the truth of my Self, getting side tracked many times along the way. Childhood traumas, 2 children and a divorce, years and countless hours in therapists offices all leading me to making personal development a priority and my Harley-Davidson Motorcycle on the open road my therapist.

Since purchasing my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1990, I’ve covered over 180,000 miles of North American roads during the past 17 years, letting the sound of my own wheels drive me crazy. With the aid of some very good teachers, including Martha Beck and Meadow DeVor, I’ve learned to turn down the volume in my head to hear the voice of my heart. There is great peace in discovering that the only wheels that need to be spinning are the two you’ve got on the pavement. I have traveled unpredictable roads, weathered many storms and mustered the courage to go where others fear. I am the Pathfinder who shares the knowledge of the way through the forest so the path may be clear for other bold travelers.

We all lose our direction in the chaos and uncertainties of life. As your Pathfinder, I will help you focus on what you can change; your perspective and awareness. I have a tool pouch of thought-altering exercises I utilize on the road to help you clarify your vision, heighten your awareness and cultivate a new perspective of your life, past, present and future. I will guide you in staying focused by assisting you through the roadblocks, and showing you alternate routes for thinking and responding to life. I am the compass that brings you back to your heart!

Riding a motorcycle is more than operating a machine; it’s an experience we give ourselves to increase awareness of the relationship of our surroundings to ourselves. When our awareness increases, we expand our experience and open our world to unlimited possibilities and unpredictable outcomes. As we become filled with the exhilaration of travel, we discover how easy it is to move into uncharted territory. This mobility brings freedom and personal power for discovering new places, not only geographically but also within our selves. With this awareness, we open up a world where we see glimpses of who we truly are, what we want to be and where we want to go. When we broaden our awareness on the open road, we learn to integrate the twists and turns of life and shift to a new level of insight. We begin to see new things, new opportunities and possibilities that have been shaded by our hectic lifestyles, experiences we’ve endured, and beliefs we’ve chosen to hold onto. We never know who we’ll meet on the road, what we will see, experience or feel that will inspire us and alter the course of our lives. We become aware of the need to shift up or down, proceed with caution or full throttle, when to take a break, how to weather a storm, and how to handle the curves with ease by preparing for the approach.

Let me put you on a highway and guide you in finding your own Medicine. I am also available for individual coaching and invite motorcyclists, as well as non-motorcyclists, to contact me at karenallen@wi.rr.com when you need support through life's twists and turns, or when you simply lose your direction and need some guidance to get you back on your road.

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