THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN MY LIFE THAT'S USEFUL TO YOU, WHY ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE SHOWN UP???*****Now that that's over with, let's talk story!*****This is my invitation for you to visit my website, www.firetender.org. That's where you'll get to ride along with me on some of my journeys through the healing arts. There's lots of art for you to enjoy, all the info is free, there's even a link to a database of my articles, and to a free tool that will help you get into deeper connection with your own still, small voice inside. I DO have a plan...it's to get you interested enough in what I do to get in touch with me. Let's figure out how I can be of service!*****My marketing method could be described as "trickle down" as opposed to "trawling".*****Naturally, I want everyone to know my work. I want to sell my book. But there's a way I want to DO my work as well. To me, the internet is an outreach to find people who really want to work with me rather than just buy my products. I have not come here to absorb you into my sales machine, though I have stuff to sell. I have come to see if any of the gifts life has given me can be personally meaningful and useful to you. I suppose I have this image of using the web as a country doctor sort of thing. This is something we'll just have to see!*****I was given a powerful metaphor to explore; working on the edge of life and death. The end result was the firetender website which provides a resource for information and support, and is designed to act as a source of stimulation for those (especialy in the healing arts) who are struggling amidst battles between their head and heart.*****When I first got into my profession (I was on the first wave of Mobile Intensive Care Unit Paramedics in the U.S.), it was a heart-based decision. I truly wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives. Five years down the road, I realized I had donned so many impermeable layers to protect my emotions from the barrage of assaults they were subject to; I had hobbled myself as a human being and morphed into what I call a Flesh Mechanic.***** What followed was a quest to re-claim my humanity, and it all happened in the back of an ambulance!***** The balance of my career was spent actually appreciating the moments of human drama in which I was a participant. At the same time, I learned it was possible to do the highly technical, high-stakes work and still face my experiences as a human being without running; even from the pain. I burned out on the politics, not on the work!*****After my career in EMS ended in the mid-1980's, I extended my explorations to include; alternative medicine, 12-Step programs, the Human Potential/Encounter Movement, living with and tending fire for a traditional Oglala (Lakota) medicine family for sacred ceremonies, living in intentional community at a center for sustainable living, assisting in, developing and facilitating workshops, and throughout, participating in performing arts including acting, improvisation, stand-up comedy, film making, and music.*****Even while immersing myself in these other expressions of the healing arts I never abandoned what amounted to a personal obligation to clearly articulate the incredible textures of the life that I encountered while battling death. At first, it came through a movie I wrote, Healer, which was the opening night film of the 1994 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Though lost in a place called Distrubution Hell, its themes evolved into a non-fiction book that had a purpose.*****The broader medical culture in the U.S., as expressed in extremis by emergency medical personnel, discourages medics from talking to each other about incidents that rock their worlds. Not as if such things mattered, anyway! I felt that by sharing my experiences honestly; by telling true stories of moments that caused me to question every part of my life, I might grant permission to my peers to start speaking of and supporting each other in exploring the myriad of psychic, emotional, philosophic, and spiritual traumas they go through while trying to find their places as healers.*****The end result is a book, Moments in the death of a Flesh Mechanic...a healer's rebirth, soon to be available at www.virtualbookworm.com.*****Sure, I want you to buy my book! But more important is that you get interested enough in the work I do through the firetender website to connect with me. Together, we'll explore how my experience can benefit you. So check out my website, use its free tools and then, if you think any of the work I do in art, music, counseling, photography, speaking, writing, workshops or any combination that reflects how best I could serve you, drop me an e-mail and we'll see just how I might help to get you to your next stage!*****Here and in my web-site, you're dealing with the Shopkeeper, not the Shopping Cart!*****My desire is to use this high-tech world to build up real-life relationships. Soon, I'm sure I'll have to adapt and be dragged kicking and screaming into this digitally driven age. But as long as I can hold out, rather than resort to mass-marketing, I choose to seek out real people who can benefit from my life.*****Thank you for your help in getting there!**********Russ Reina, a firetender
"The path to connection is complete presence in the moment.
Connection is the Gateway to healing. Everything is a tool.
We enter the sacred space of healing together."
In my view, this is the essence of healing, the healer, and my work.
"No matter what you've got, someone's looking for it."
This philosophy keeps me alive. I am a Hope Fiend.
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly."
I got this from John Bradshaw, but he got it from somewhere else. If I waited for things to be in proper order, you wouldn't be here.
"It's amazing how much of each other we all are!"
One of my more complex thoughts.
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I am a healer when...
Time that has been given to me, I give to you
Gifts I've earned are shared, not hoarded
What is true in this moment is the start
Your desire to live in health and happiness seeks me
What was once my pain is now your tool
There’s a portion of my life that I’ve lived for you
Knowledge informs, but does not guide me
Connection to you is my greatest offering
Somewhere inside you, I see me calling out for help
Sacred space I build for you includes me
Walking away from you frees you to make your choices
Through me you find the healer in you.
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"It won't last, but it will never end."
DanandSandy Buchanon, guides, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1969
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It is not important that we believe in the existence of God
What IS important is that God believes WE exist.
There's a lot going on in my world. A lot of ways healing energy expresses itself through me. Right now, what seems to make most sense is for you to take a look at some of the things I have right here. Read an article or two. Then, if you're interested, follow a couple links. If you want to get the best overview of me and my work in the healing arts, just scan the TITLES of the articles I have featured on the emagazinearticles website. Then, you might want to explore the other links, firetender for the whole enchilada, which includes COMPLETE contact info, MySpace for unique photo art, and the WordPress site for a firetender's blog.
Remember in your travels through my work, if there's something for you, you'll be drawn to it. I trust you completely to ask for what you want.
Russ Reina, a firetender
firetender.org, LLC
P.O. Box 790971
Paia, HI 96779
http://www.mauihealingartist.com