September 25, 2024 • 59 mins
How does one transition from a structured life in Iowa and North Carolina to the mystical realm of shamanism? In this episode, Ebony Mixon takes the reins, unraveling my personal journey with thought-provoking questions and deep explorations. From my childhood memories in Winston-Salem filled with artistic mischief to the mysterious guidance from my grandmother, every story and experience weaves into the tapestry of my spiritual path.
Listeners are taken through the evolving landscapes of my life, exploring the pivotal moments that shaped my spiritual awakening. We discuss deeply personal family stories, nostalgic childhood experiences, and the profound bond with my wife, Pam, whose support was, and continues to be, a cornerstone in my journey. Together, we reflect on the challenges faced within organized religion, the transformative power of Reiki and shamanism, and my professional, worldly journey ranging from graphic arts to bartending and beyond, which collectively enriched my spiritual perspective.
Closing with reflections on embracing one's past, the significance of interconnectedness, and the ethical dimensions of modern spiritual retreats, this episode is a heartfelt tribute to the journey of self-discovery and healing. We emphasize the importance of grounding and self-awareness, the role of traditional healers, and the necessity of genuine intention in spiritual practices. Join us as we share wisdom, gratitude, and the profound lessons learned along this path, offering a beacon of insight to all listeners.
Learn more, schedule a Q&A by phone or video, or book a shamanic session at www.everydayshaman.net
Visit my Facebook page - https://m.facebook.com/jeffreybrunktheeverydayshaman?mibextid=LQQJ4d
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jeffrey Brunk (00:00):
Hello everybody and welcome to another episode
of the Everyday Shaman.
Thank you for joining me Today.
I have a special guest that'sactually been here before.
It's Ebony Mixon and you mayremember her if you've heard the
podcast about dreams.
I call her the dream therapist.
We're going to flip the scripta little bit on this episode, so
it's going to be a littledifferent.
(00:21):
I hesitate to talk about myselfbecause of I don't know.
It just doesn't feel right, butEbony had come up with the idea
to interview me, so I'm goingto be answering questions.
I have no clue what Ebony willask and I hope to be able to
answer everything as succinctlyand clearly as possible, if I
(00:41):
can.
It's going to be different and Ihope you enjoy it and I hope I
don't embarrass myself too much.
But I'm really not concernedabout what others think about
what I say, because I just speakthe truth as I know it and what
I'm told and what I've gonethrough.
If you don't remember Ebony, bythe way, she lives in Detroit,
has two wonderful kids and agreat husband, teaches American
(01:02):
Sign Language, is an advocatefor women that have had issues
with birth or with stillbirthsand miscarriages, and she's a
wonderful person.
So, without further ado, ebony,it's great to have you here.
Ebony Mixon (01:17):
Thanks for welcoming me back to the podcast
and good to be back here.
Jeffrey Brunk (01:21):
Yeah, and it's your idea to do this and I think
it's a great idea.
Ebony Mixon (01:26):
I thought it would be a great idea for listeners to
get to know you and learn moreabout you as a person, so we can
know who's this guy that we'relistening to on this podcast.
So let's jump right into it.
If you could just tell us alittle bit about yourself, you
know where you grew up.
Jeffrey Brunk (01:46):
Well, that's a long, that's a broad question.
Ebony Mixon (01:49):
Where are you from?
Jeffrey Brunk (01:51):
I was born in Iowa, actually, but at the age
of two my parents moved to NorthCarolina.
So I'm from originallyWinston-Salem, I guess, where I
grew up till about fifth gradeand then moved to Lexington,
north Carolina, another smalltown in North Carolina in
between Charlotte and Greensboroand in between Charlotte and
Winston-Salem, somewhere in themiddle of the state, and I lived
(02:12):
there for oh, I guess until Igraduated from high school and
then it was sort of livingeverywhere.
I kind of went where the windtook me.
I've never been one to stay inone place for a long time until
here, just in the last four orso years.
Four and a half years Lived inMyrtle Beach as a bartender for
a while.
It's just going wherever Iwanted, it's just trying to
(02:34):
experience life.
But yeah, north Carolina I callhome, I guess, or I used to.
Ebony Mixon (02:39):
That makes sense for a free spirit.
Jeffrey Brunk (02:41):
I'm in Virginia now, I'm sorry.
I shouldn't say where I am now,in the middle of the woods,
probably where I belong.
Ebony Mixon (02:48):
That sounds just about right for such a free
spirit to kind of bounce allaround and kind of go with the
flow.
Is there any particularexperiences that you had growing
up that you think contributedto you becoming a shaman?
Jeffrey Brunk (03:03):
Well, I didn't even know what a shaman was
until I was going through whatthey call the shaman sickness or
the dark night of the soul, andmy wife, pam, actually told me
she found out what that was.
I'd never heard of it.
Same with Reiki.
But as a child there were a fewexperiences and I can remember
a couple.
Specifically, one that I stillhaven't quite figured out was as
(03:25):
a kid of somewhere betweenseven and nine, my grandmother
kneeling down and just tellingme remember who you are?
And I never knew what thatmeant and, to be honest, I still
don't completely know what thatmeans.
I do know.
After my mom and dad died, mysister found a piece of paper in
the files where they had had metested, kind of like Sheldon on
(03:46):
the Big Bang Theory, as alittle kid, and I don't remember
this and I don't know why.
I was born in call I'm sure youknow what that means with a
placenta over and years andyears.
I mean I was in my late 40sprobably when she told me that.
(04:07):
But as a child I remember oneincident sitting in church in
the South that's what you did onSunday and it had been raining
for days and days and days andall I wanted to do was go
outside and ride my bike andjump ditches and be a kid.
And I remember sitting thereand just closing my eyes, going
stop raining, just let it stopraining.
I didn't speak it out loud andwithin a minute or two I looked
(04:31):
up and it was a large church,stained glass windows, and the
sun came out and it stopped andit didn't start again.
And this, I think, was sometimeduring early fall maybe, and
that was my first experiencewith that.
And then I'd had otherexperiences, especially with
weather, where whether Irecognized I don't think I even
recognized that I was focusingin tension.
(04:52):
I was too young or just toostupid to know that moving the
wind and moving clouds and therewas a time living in Northern
Virginia, standing in a stormoutside and no rain hitting me,
which I know was really hard tobelieve.
That was very bizarre to me.
But I can feel rain Even on thesunniest of days.
(05:13):
I can say it's going to rainlater and it's just a knowing
about that and a feeling I get.
It's not like the feeling youget as you get older, when it's
in your bones and your creek,and it's just knowing those
things, having a strongconnection, always having a
strong connection with animals.
Again, as a child I went to mygrandmother's house out in the
country and had my uncle at thetime, which is another thing.
(05:37):
I'll go to him first.
Actually, he was 16 when hepassed and he was playing
Russian roulette with mygrandfather's service revolver
and didn't know it was loadedand so that didn't end up well
and he and I were very close andI remember going to the funeral
and Casket was sitting up on astand and there were two steps
(05:57):
leading up to it and I sat onthe step and I was talking to
him.
Not talking to him like youwould saying you know things you
would to someone who's passed,but literally talking to him.
Not talking to him like youwould saying you know things you
would to someone who's passed,but literally talking to him
like he was standing in front ofme.
Well, he had a BB gun and Iremember being at my
grandmother's house and I shot abird and it still haunts me to
this day and I was five yearsold, six years old, and finding
(06:21):
that bird and burying it and itjust killed me.
It's just like I felt somethingwithin me had died a little bit
with that bird.
So I've always had a verystrong connection to nature and
animals, even growing up in thecity, but having that connection
and always being sort of aloner.
I have thousands ofacquaintances to this day but
(06:43):
count on one hand and threefingers probably the number of
true friends I have, because noone ever understood me.
I don't believe some, evenwithin the family.
So yeah, as a kid I guesslooking back on it now I didn't
know it then, but looking backon it now I can see it's like
feeling like not belonging tothis place, this earth, and I
still have that feeling.
Ebony Mixon (07:04):
So you mentioned being kind of a loner.
So how would you describe yourbehavior as a child and going
into your teenage years?
Were you a troubled child?
Did trouble find you?
You know, were you a straight,a academic type student?
What was that like for you?
Jeffrey Brunk (07:24):
It was a really it was a good childhood.
I wasn't a troubled child.
I had a great childhood.
My parents were wonderful, mysister wonderful.
I was very protective of her.
I was not a straight A student.
I was very much into art.
I would get lost.
I remember getting lost.
It was fifth grade and I woulddraw.
I remember this particulardrawing of airplanes and being
(07:45):
in a battle, but I was makingthe noises out loud and I was
called out by the teacher fordoing that.
I was totally lost in the scene.
I had one real friend therewhen I was a kid that lived
across the street inWinston-Salem.
It wasn't a troubled childhood.
I got in trouble with the lawone time as a kid because we did
(08:05):
something stupid.
We broke a light out of a bankATM drive-thru thing and they
came looking for me, scared thecrap out of me.
As I got older I started goingthrough a little bit of a
metamorphosis and keep in mind,I was a child of the 80s, so
cocaine was well you know, itwas everywhere and I did partake
(08:27):
and did party a lot.
I have a friend who was nineyears older than me.
He's still around and he's oneperson that I could pick up.
I haven't seen him in years butI know I could pick up the
phone.
We'd pick up exactly where wewere, you know, back in the 80s
because we had a good friendship.
But yeah, my childhood was good.
I had a very close relationshipwith my grandmother.
(08:47):
She came from a large family.
My mom and her mom and she wasone of my grandmother was one of
10 kids.
They were not your typicalSouthern people.
For the time my mom was adowser.
My grandmother, I believe, hadvery strong gifts of some sort.
One of my formative things waswhen she died, and I still
(09:08):
remember this very clearly.
She died of a brain tumor andmy girlfriend at the time had
driven me to the hospital and Iwas still in high school and
it's when the police this song,every Breath you Take that album
came out and I just laid myhead on my girlfriend's lap.
I was in the passenger seat andjust bawling, and that song came
on Every Breath you Take.
(09:29):
And now to this day, whenthings are going on, and because
we're human, we all have thosedays that song will come on.
I've had it come on inplaylists.
It's not even in playlists,it's a reminder.
Ebony Mixon (09:44):
So you grew up close to your grandmother.
You also mentioned your mother.
You have a sister.
Did you grow up in the housewith your father?
Did you have any other siblings?
Jeffrey Brunk (09:56):
No, just the four of us.
My sister is about a year and ahalf almost two years younger
than I am.
My mom was at first, I guessshe stayed at home.
My dad worked for PiedmontAirlines, then became US
Airlines his entire career, andmy mom got a job in radio.
Back when radio was you openedup the window to see if it's
(10:19):
raining and that was yourweather forecaster.
And then moved up into cabletelevision and became a manager
and that's what moved us fromWinston-Salem to Lexington,
north Carolina.
Her job started working when Iwas 12 years old, crawling under
houses and trailers stringingcable TV with all the spider
crickets coming out filthy, andI loved it.
(10:40):
I did that all the way throughhigh school.
Ebony Mixon (10:43):
You also mentioned going to church in the South, so
would you say that your familywas religious growing up?
Jeffrey Brunk (10:51):
They were not religious in the way that you
would think of sitting aroundhaving Bible study type things.
You know, we went to church onSundays and after church on
Sundays we'd go to mygrandmother's where she would
fix fried chicken and mashedpotatoes.
That was the best part of thewhole day.
And then we lived the rest ofthe week our lives.
But I never had that.
(11:12):
Even then, at that age, I neverhad that feeling that I saw
other people have.
It's like why are they so happy?
Why can't I get that?
And it took years and years andyears to realize they're not
all really happy.
There's a lot of mass song, butI didn't know that at the time.
Ebony Mixon (11:30):
So does anyone else in your family?
Does your sister?
Would you say that they're morespiritualist or more like
yourself?
Jeffrey Brunk (11:40):
Kelly, if you're listening and I know you will be
I think you have more giftsthan you are aware of.
She was also born in call.
I admire her so much and I knowthat she and she'll deny this,
I know, but I know for a whileshe resented me because I've
always been a free spirit andwould just pick up, go by myself
(12:01):
different places, and shealways stayed put close to the
family and so as my parents gotolder, she was there caring for
them.
She knows more about them thanI do and when she just visited
us recently and there's so manythings that I did not know about
them I'm so proud of her andwhere she's come to, she helps
(12:24):
people now that have recentlygotten out of prison, out of
jail, have no jobs, have noinsurance, have no prospects and
trains and gets them placed injobs and gets them insurance and
she's a friend to these peopleand she's so proud of them and I
admire her and I'm so proud ofher.
She has different gifts.
(12:46):
I think she has other gifts too, but she has gifts of
discernment, gifts of compassionand it's just.
She's a wonderful person.
She's much like my mom, which,by the way, my mom had a
tremendous sense of humor, verywitty, very snarky, and we both
picked that up, and sometimesthat's a good thing, sometimes
it's a bad thing.
(13:06):
I look at it as a good thing.
Ebony Mixon (13:08):
How would you describe your father?
Jeffrey Brunk (13:10):
Quiet, moody.
He never talked a lot.
He never talked about hismilitary service.
It wasn't until after he diedwe found out some things about
his military service.
He and I did not really bonduntil I was maybe 16.
It was his efforts.
I was in Boy Scouts and hebecame an assistant scoutmaster
(13:30):
and we went to Philmont ScoutRanch out in New Mexico and
hiked 110 miles with the groupover a course of a couple of
weeks and he and I bonded thereand I have very, very great
memories of that.
As he got older and as thingswith me during my upheaval were
happening, I remember him.
I remember walking into theirplace in Charlotte and him
(13:51):
getting up and running over tome and hugging me and saying,
finally we've got our son back,and he cried.
He opened up more.
He became softer over time.
It was a good relationship.
He became softer over time.
Ebony Mixon (14:04):
It was a good relationship, so it sounds like
you had a really good foundationfor where you are now with your
childhood.
Jeffrey Brunk (14:10):
Yeah, I look back at my dad too and I didn't know
at the time as a kid, but mydad's dad left them.
When he was my dad was nineyears old and I know it was hard
for him but he never talkedabout that.
I think he internalized a lotof things.
So I don't think he totallyknew how to maybe be a dad in
(14:32):
the traditional sense you mightthink of one, but he did the
best he could and he tried andhe was always there for me.
There was one time as a childand we're still living in
Winston-Salem I don't rememberwhat the issue was, but sitting
on a porch outside the kitchenand he just came and sat beside
me and said son, are you okay?
You just seem kind of blue.
There was just a genuineconcern.
(14:52):
It sticks with me to this day.
He was there, you know.
I knew he was there.
Ebony Mixon (14:57):
Nice.
And so, after high school, didyou go to college or did you
jump right into working?
Jeffrey Brunk (15:06):
I started off at Elon for a year.
Elon now university Did notlike business administration.
You know you pick your majorand I hated that I was in math
101 with the football playersbecause I was never good in math
and I took an art course andI'd always liked art you know
kind of like drawing the littleplanes and stuff in fifth grade.
So I was only at Elon for oneyear and then I went, always
liked art, you know, kind oflike drawing the little planes
and stuff in fifth grade.
(15:26):
So I was only at Elon for oneyear and then I went to Randolph
Tech, which at the time was thesecond best graphic art school
next to Rochester Institute ofTechnology, and I got a degree
from there.
I had a job lined up before Igraduated with RJ Reynolds in
their main headquarters doinggraphic arts, and I stayed in
(15:48):
that for a while and thenstopped.
I've worked so many differentjobs and so many different
careers and self-taught in themajority of them, aside from the
graphics, just searching forwhere I was supposed to be and
what I'd like to do.
But I've never worked inanything more than three years.
I do it, I do it well, or elseI'd hate it and leave that only
(16:11):
happened once and then move onto something else.
So everything from being agraphic artist or stringing
cable under a house to workingwith CTOs and CEOs of major
telecommunications companies,selling them ICs and electronic
components that I learned byreading data books, to being a
(16:31):
stockbroker, to you name itthere's not a lot I haven't done
Bartending, bar management,sales, which I swear I never do,
but that's just relationshipswith people.
So, but it's been good that Idid that, because it's allowed
me to be able to talk toeveryone from you know, the guy
digging ditches on the road crewto the guy sitting in the
(16:51):
office in the big, tallbuildings that makes million
dollar decisions.
You know they're all the same.
They all have the same typestresses, different
circumstances, but the same typethings that affect us all.
Ebony Mixon (17:04):
So I did read your book.
It's been a while but I doremember it was some very
interesting points that kind ofled up to your spiritual
awakening.
Jeffrey Brunk (17:18):
Interesting is a very nice way of putting it.
Ebony Mixon (17:21):
Very drama.
I'm not a big reader but ifit's interesting, there's drama,
it captures my attention andyour book definitely had a lot
of moments that captured myattention.
So as you were going working,you met your first wife, got
(17:44):
married, had children, and thenyou talk about in the book where
things just started to change.
Your whole routine of lifebegan to change.
Could you tell us a little bitabout that?
Jeffrey Brunk (17:59):
Well, it might have started.
I mean, she and I had beenmarried and I'm not going to
speak ill of her at all and I'lljump ahead to say a lot of
things that happened during thetime of my upheaval shaman,
sickness, dark night of the soul, whatever.
I could have handled a lotdifferently, but as far as them
happening, I think it wasnecessary the things that
happened for me to be who I am,because I wasn't where I needed
(18:22):
to be, and that's not saying Ididn't love my wife or kids.
I can't remember how many yearswe had been married.
Well, when everything reallythe crap hit the fan, we'd been
married 19 years, but being athome and being more kind of a
stay-at-home dad, I was the guythat picked up the kids, went to
the games, did all this.
I sold so much of stuff on eBay.
I paid for a full one-weekcruise for four at a time, but
(18:46):
it also was.
I guess I started quieting mymind some then and becoming
curious about things, and thechurch that we were going to
this was in Cary, north Carolina.
I don't know.
I had made some friends there,older guys, professional guys.
One of them actually ended uphiring me.
That's where the whole thingwith selling electronics to
(19:08):
major corporations and readingdata books came in.
But it was staying home andthen going to that church.
I was in full-blown search modeat that point.
I joined the pastor parishcommittee, I was on choir, I did
Stephen ministry, I did thewalk to Emmaus, I studied
disciple Bible study the entireseries went through that.
I've read the Bible two and ahalf at least.
(19:30):
I know twice, but probably twoand a half times and still was
searching for that same thing.
Everybody had coming out of thechurch on Sunday, never got it.
And then I saw within the guysthat I'd made friends with, both
married.
One in particular went througha midlife crisis, was having an
affair.
The hypocrisy was just soblatant and I started seeing it
(19:53):
in other people, people thatwere close, and I thought this
is not what I'm hearing fromthem while they're in the
building or from the personbehind the pulpit.
This is the true people, whothey are.
They're there either to be seenor to make an appearance.
So I started kind ofquestioning other things and
(20:14):
first thing that I looked into,I bought a book and I was told
by a psychologist well, that'sthe worst book you could buy,
but at the time I just was justtrying to learn new things and,
bobby, if you're listening, myex-wife.
This was still one of thefunniest things to me.
Ironic that happened was herfinding that book on the shelf
and throwing it at me on aSunday afternoon.
(20:34):
The hell is this, you know,throwing a book on peace by
someone who follows someone whopreaches peace.
I found very ironic so Ilaughed and things kind of
snowballed.
From there we moved to NorthernVirginia and went to a church
and this was the kicker for me.
It was a communion Sunday andmy son was nine and, as kids
(20:56):
tend to do, accidentally droppedthe bread in the cup and there
had been this woman in the choirand every song she raised her
hands in this hallelujah and,just smiling, she held the cup
and when he dropped that breadthe look on her face was of such
contempt and disgust.
And then she gets back up onstage in hallelujah and throwing
her hands up again afterwards,and then every Sunday, the first
(21:20):
20 minutes being dedicated tothe financials, followed by the
passing of the basket.
It just didn't sit with me.
I can remember people mumblingthe Lord's Prayer, which is
supposed to be the end all ofevery prayer in Christianity.
There was no intention behindit, there was just part of a
routine, and so I was searchingmore and more and more and I
(21:40):
became more verbal about it,which did not go over well much
of the time, and that led to myquestioning myself who I was and
what I'd been taught and whatI'd followed for so long, and
that sort of led to how I foundmy wife, now Pam, in a very
unorthodox way, and we'll talkabout that if you want to ask,
(22:01):
because it's in the book and herparents know all about this.
Ebony Mixon (22:05):
Yes, I was going to ask you know how did that
affect your relationship withyour first wife and with your
children, and how that led toyou meeting Pam, your wife now.
Jeffrey Brunk (22:19):
Well, my first wife wasn't too happy, to say
the least, and I was sort ofstupid because I had met Pam, my
wife now, online on an adultwebsite.
But I went there to writehonestly, went there and I
blogged and her husband at thetime, who were still friends,
read the blog and said you'vegot to read this.
And she did, because I wrote alot.
(22:41):
I had a blog at the time calledYelps from the Closet also, but
I would blog on this websiteand it was her photo and
normally you go on to thoseadult websites and the photos
people post are going to be ofgenitalia of one type of another
, and hers wasn't To me in mymind.
I saw a butterfly of anotherand hers wasn't To me in my mind
.
I saw a butterfly and I sent amessage just saying I love your
(23:03):
profile photo, very classy.
She contacted me and I saw herphoto and I went oh wow, she's
way out of my league.
And we ended up meeting andspending five hours at a winery
sitting under the trees,drinking wine, eating cheese,
talking about spirituality,numerology.
(23:23):
She had printed out all of thisinformation and we just hit it
off from the beginning and Iended up living with them for I
believe it was eight years andthey had a large house.
I've actually spent more yearswith her kids than I have my own
.
Went to a block party for awedding or something in our
neighborhood with my ex-wife andstupid me during you know,
vodka is my nemesis, that's mykryptonite, or it was and
(23:48):
telling people about her andwhich quickly got back to her
like within the time by the timeI got back to the house that
night, you know, in thecul-de-sac and um didn't go over
well, but for the first time inmy life my ex had asked me do
you love her?
And it surprised me even.
I said yes, I do.
I mean, there was justsomething that it was like we'd
(24:10):
been searching for each otherand we're still together.
And it's been 17 years.
We've been married 13, butwe've been together 17.
Didn't go over very well withmy wife then and my kids, I
think, are still having troublewith it.
But my ex-wife has contacted mewithin the last year and things
have changed in her life andshe told me that I was right
about I don't know exactly what,but I took it as an apology.
(24:33):
But she asked me for some help.
She was very scared aboutthings going on in the world and
all and kind of blew my mindbecause she was not the same
person then that she was.
When I met her, it was as sheclimbed the ladder, and it can
happen to anyone.
Money and things and power canaffect people in different ways.
With her, it took her time, ittook her attention.
(24:54):
She wasn't the same person thatI met.
She wasn't necessarily a badperson at all, it was just I
started searching at the sametime for something else, not
another person, but somethingthat I'd been searching for as a
kid at the same time that thiswas happening.
It was like the perfect storm,I guess.
So I lived with Pam and herhusband for a long time, owned
(25:15):
my own pet business, sustainedmyself after the divorce and
actually gave that away becausethat came to me at a time when I
needed it and I had someone oneof my employees that was going
through a rough time and I justI gave it to her.
I said you don't have to pay forit.
This got me through a bad timein life.
You're going through a bad timein life, and so I gave her the
pet service and I'm hoping ithelped her as well.
(25:38):
But Pam is actually the onethat introduced me to Reiki
After we were sitting on the bedand I had my hand on her
forehead and I didn't realize it, but I was moving my finger
around her forehead and she saidyou do know you're chasing a
headache around my head and Ididn't realize that, but I could
feel it.
I guess Now I can put my hand onher head and just take it away.
That's how it sort of started.
(25:59):
I did four years of Reikitraining to become a Reiki
master.
I took time in between eachlevel to kind of hone practice.
I didn't jump into it and I getvery upset with these ads on
Facebook that say become a Reikimaster in eight weeks Bullshit,
you can't do it and if you can,you're not doing it right.
Do it, and if you can, you'renot doing it right.
(26:22):
And that led to the shamanicstuff.
And I never heard of shamanismuntil I had gone to a crystal
shop and this African-Americanlady I think she may have been
from Jamaica introduced herselfand we started talking and she
told me she was a shaman and Ididn't know what that was.
And Pam researches everything.
So she looked it up and I got abook by Sandra Ingerman on
shamanic journey, came with a CDand a drumming track and I was
(26:43):
able to journey the very firsttime.
Started out being what's myspirit animal People wanting to
know what their spirit animal isTo being now where it's not
about finding spirit animals,it's about getting more in the
dirt.
I look at Reiki as being a goodthing and I don't want to upset
any Reiki practitioners orpeople that receive it.
But I look at it more, in mypersonal view, as a band-aid
(27:06):
than the shamanic parts, and Istill use elements of the Reiki
training.
I get more down in the dirtwhen I do shamanic journeys,
like within the cellular level,to encounter shadow elements
darkness elements or elements ofdarkness.
Ebony Mixon (27:31):
To encounter shadow elements, darkness elements or
elements of darkness.
That is really where thingshave led.
Most of my mentioned shamansickness and the night of the
dark soul.
Dark night of the soul.
Could you just give a briefexplanation of what that is and
(27:52):
how did that fit into that timeframe?
Jeffrey Brunk (27:55):
Well, I'll back up a little on that because it
contributed to it.
When I started changing myviews on things and my awareness
started to grow and my need tolearn started to grow, my wife
convinced me to go, my ex-wifeconvinced me to go to a doctor
and it wasn't a psychologist ora psychiatrist, it was a general
(28:16):
practitioner.
But I never saw the generalpractitioner no-transcript.
(28:47):
Different psychological thingsgoing on, but that doesn't mean
everybody has a mental illness.
It ended up being where I waswith a psychiatrist.
I had a psychologist too,because during the you know,
during that dark night of thesoul time, it wasn't just a
night, it had a psychologist too, because during that dark night
of the soul time it wasn't justa night, it lasted a few years.
I was in jail a few times,arrested a few times.
(29:07):
But these medications played apart in that, and the one that
played the biggest part wascalled Effexor XR and I was on
400 milligrams and that threw meover the edge, especially when
combined, and not told not to dothis with vodka or wine.
And I sold wine at part time.
I was a wine salesman andthere's things about that time
(29:28):
that I don't remember.
Pam does, because she wasalways there for me during those
times.
She was the one that picked meup from jail.
She was the one that eithertook me to or picked me up from
the hospital when I was onsuicide watch.
It wasn't a pretty time and shehad people telling her let go
of him.
What are you doing with thisguy?
(29:48):
And I don't blame them.
I probably would have done thesame thing, but she stayed where
my ex-wife didn't.
But that dark night of the soulI lost everything.
I mean I had nothing gone.
I should have gotten more,probably financially out of the
divorce settlement, but I didn'tcare.
I got what I got and Ipurchased the pet service.
But that's when I startedgetting all of these messages,
(30:11):
usually through music.
You know, after the firstjourney it was through music.
Things that would come to me inlyrics, songs I'd heard a
million times but never heardthat part of the lyric before.
That spoke to me.
That was a very, very roughperiod of life, but I think it
was necessary because I did notlisten.
And I tell people on thispodcast don't get the universal
(30:32):
boot up the butt, because if youdon't listen and you're meant
to do something and you're meantto listen, you're going to
listen one way or the other.
I was stubborn and didn't.
It's hard to watch people.
You see where they're headedand what could happen if they
don't listen to what they knowinside.
And I wasn't even aware I wasbeing told something or if I was
, I was tuning it out.
(30:53):
As a kid I had almost died acouple of times because I'm
allergic to penicillin.
I was given penicillin as a kidand then there were the two
attempts as an older person andthen had a gangrenous
gallbladder.
I was within about a few hoursof dying then and I had so many
traumas, but a lot of them, Ithink, I brought upon myself by
not listening during that timeuntil I had to.
(31:16):
And Pam has been there and shestill is, and she's.
She gets upset with mesometimes.
She has gifts of her own andways of saying things and
conveying things that may be thesame thing I'm getting, but she
tells it in a different waythat's understandable, not just
to me but to other people.
Ebony Mixon (31:33):
So I don't know if that answers the question or not
yes, so would you agree thatthose times of hardship, like,
really made you sit down and bequiet and start to go within and
that kind of led you?
Jeffrey Brunk (31:47):
Well, that's a whole other thing, because I
didn't tell us I wasn't able toquiet my mind.
Now I mentioned I'd had a lotof jobs and a lot of careers.
I took one where I flew out toLA and it was working for a
company selling LED lightingsystems, and my territory was in
Florida, in Cocoa Beach, and Iwas still living in Northern
(32:09):
Virginia at the house with Pamand her husband and kids.
And so I moved to Cocoa Beachand lived with her cousin who
was a Jehovah, a devoutJehovah's Witness, slept on the
floor for three, maybe a littleover three months.
He had no television.
You know, devout Jehovah'sWitness slept on the floor for
three, maybe a little over threemonths.
He had no television.
You know strict Jehovah'sWitness.
But I was able because of my jobas a salesperson there was no
office there, I was on my ownand we were very close to the
(32:31):
beach to go to the beach everyday and sit and put my feet in
the sand and just sit and watchthe ocean.
It was quiet in the house, butI quieted my mind.
I didn't realize it washappening until I got back to
Virginia and the television wason.
It sounded like nails on achalkboard.
To me it's funny how thingshappen that way, where you know
I didn't realize that washappening, but just the irony of
(32:53):
being in the staying with aJehovah's witness in this
happening, a Christian would saywell, the Lord works in
mysterious ways.
Well, this is one of them.
Does that answer that?
I kind of forgot where that wasleading.
Ebony Mixon (33:05):
So you learned to really quiet your mind during
that time when you were stayingwith them and going to the beach
and not really having anydistractions?
Was that close to the time whenyou first did your very first
shamanic journey?
Or when did you do your firstjourney?
No, I believe that wasafterwards.
Jeffrey Brunk (33:24):
Well, I know I was still on the medications
which I quit them all coldturkey with no withdrawal
symptoms, but honestly I can'tremember if it was during that
time or not, I don't know.
Everything then just seemed togo so quickly.
A lot of it seems like a blur.
That's why I want to interviewPam on here one time, because
she would be able to elaborate,because she remembers everything
(33:46):
.
Ebony Mixon (33:47):
What led to your first journey.
Jeffrey Brunk (33:49):
It was Pam.
She didn't urge me to.
She suggested I try and I did.
I remember laying on the bedlike I do now not the same type
headphones headphones and thedrumming track, and I only said
it for like 30 minutes and wasable to do it.
Hey, I'm going to know you'regoing to listen to this, but she
still gets upset because shecan't do it and I said, yes, you
can just get to quiet your minda little bit and let things go.
(34:11):
But it was almost like anovelty act at first, like, oh
well, your spirit animal is thisand your spirit animal is this.
I found that the divine startsyou off with baby steps and then
gives you more, and I call themdownloads.
As you go and they get biggerand then there's between those
steps, there's a respite.
They give you a rest and a timeto either reflect on things or
(34:33):
recover.
In a way, when you're ready,you get more.
Now I can feel those timescoming when it's time to receive
more, and they're much moreintense.
It's not spirit animals anymore, but that's how it started and
that was at Pam's.
She has really guided me fromthe beginning as far as
following this path.
I don't think she recognizedthat this is where it would take
(34:56):
me.
But I believe that's a hugepart of the reason why we were
meant to meet.
No matter how it was, we metwhen, orthodox as it may have
been, she's like the end of myyang.
I can't imagine her not holdingspace for me when I'm
journeying, because she doesevery time.
She's the better part of me.
You know we have two distinctlydifferent personalities but
(35:17):
although we can clash at times,we also can't be without one
another and those personalities.
Ebony Mixon (35:23):
And did you use any medicine or anything to enhance
your experience?
Jeffrey Brunk (35:29):
No, no, I've never journeyed with any
psychedelics.
I have done an ego deathmushroom trip, but that wasn't a
journey.
I started that with anintention, like I would a
journey, but that quickly flewout the window.
But no, it's always been justdrumming.
I have journeyed.
For one of your sisters Ijourneyed under marker trees,
(35:50):
indian marker trees, because welive on Native American land.
Now I do have a drum and I'vejourneyed using my own drum, but
just drumming From the verybeginning, as it was taught in
the book Sandra Engelman book.
It was find your sacred space,go to your sacred space.
And that's what I'd done upuntil the last several months
when I was told no sacred spaceis within.
(36:10):
So now I don't go to a sacredspace like I used to, I go
within and I'm almostimmediately taken where I need
to be for the person or for thesituation.
Ebony Mixon (36:21):
So how long have you been journeying?
Jeffrey Brunk (36:24):
Oh, it's more than 15 years We've been
together, 17, so I'd say atleast 16, 17 years.
Ebony Mixon (36:32):
And at what point did you decide to call yourself
a shaman?
How did you think that cheapensit?
Jeffrey Brunk (36:38):
I've accepted that I associate myself more
with the shaman than I do ashamanic practitioner, but I
(37:02):
don't call myself a shaman.
My editor wanted to call thebook the Everyday Shaman and I
protested.
But his reasoning and it makessense is when people are
searching for something online,they'll type in shaman.
Are searching for somethingonline, they'll type in shaman,
they'll type in Reiki master.
So it was a way of, I guess,getting the book recognized and
(37:25):
so I had the everyday shamantrademarked and copyrighted.
The book, of course, iscopyrighted, but also had it
trademarked so I can use it forother things that I do.
But I do not call myself.
I don't tell people that I'm ashaman.
I still don't.
I advertise the podcast now,but I've had people find me all
around the world and around thecountry in the weirdest ways
because I don't advertise mywebsite.
One, it's too expensive and two, I'm not really good at that
(37:49):
whole search engine optimizationthing.
One lady in Idaho.
I asked her once how she foundme.
My intention for writing thebook was to reach one person.
(38:09):
My thing was if I could helpone person with my story've read
it so many times, I'vehighlighted it and I knew.
Right then I've reached thatone person because she told me
how it's helped her.
But she said she found methrough a pop-up ad, that she
was on some other page.
And I said it wasn't me,because I don't run ads and if I
(38:29):
did it wouldn't be pop-up ads,because I hate those things, but
that's how she found me.
People have found me.
That people have found me inthe strangest ways.
I don't look at it ascoincidence.
I don't look at anything ascoincidence.
They're synchronicities.
People are led to where they'remeant to go without realizing
it.
You know, there are things thatguide us to where we're meant
to be, whether it's where welive or who we're supposed to
(38:50):
meet.
So yeah, I don't call myselfthat.
I use the word issue.
I issue titles.
I don't call myself that.
I use the word eschew I eschewtitles.
Ebony Mixon (38:57):
That's interesting because I was going to ask you
that next is how you come acrossthe people that you've been
able to help over the years, butit seems like the universe just
sends them right to you.
Jeffrey Brunk (39:09):
Well, when I was at the doctor this week, a
phlebotomist came in and sheasked about the snake tattoo on
my arm.
Came in and she asked about thesnake tattoo on my arm and I
said, well, snake is kind ofimportant to me because
everywhere we've ever moved, theday we move in and this is true
at the door there's been ablack snake at the door and I'll
go back out and it's gone.
Ebony Mixon (39:27):
She said oh well, what do you do?
And I said well.
Jeffrey Brunk (39:30):
I do energy work and I was trying to.
I didn't know.
I still don't know exactly howto phrase it.
I said I do some shamanicthings.
And then I'm asked well, whatis shamanic?
And that's a whole other story.
And it's like let me, I just doenergy work.
You know Reiki.
And she ends up being you know,she's trained in Reiki too.
And then she asked me abouthelping her son.
(39:51):
And it's the weirdest thingbecause she's been there and
taken my blood gallons of it forthe past four years.
The strangest ways thingshappen.
But I just say you know, I doenergy work.
I'll watch and as long asthey're engaged and want to know
, I'll answer as much as I can.
But I don't say shaman and Idon't say Reiki master.
I did during this time with herbecause she had talked about
(40:13):
being a Reiki master and wantingto be one.
I said well, just be careful,because my first experience with
a Reiki master after I finishedmy training was not good.
I was sick for a week.
I said careful who you choose.
I expected this person'smindset and intention to be the
same as where I was, and itwasn't.
I literally was sick.
(40:34):
She did more harm than good.
Energy is transferable and herswas, and I've since learned to
protect myself.
Ebony Mixon (40:41):
Now, when I think about the word shaman, I think
about someone who lives out inthe forest with tents and
medicine and just you know,those really expensive retreats
where you're doing ayahuasca orsomething.
No, I'm not doing ayahuascathat sort of thing is kind of
what comes to mind.
Jeffrey Brunk (41:01):
Yeah, I've not done ayahuasca.
And people have asked mebecause you know, on the site
now I do have about this being aretreat slash refuge, but it's
only open to people that I'veworked with and only two, three
people at a time max, becauseanyone that comes I want to be
able to focus on themindividually.
Big groups you can't do that.
And they've asked if I doayahuasca stuff here.
(41:21):
I'm like no, it's a trendything.
People go on these retreats andthey're expecting all these
things to happen but they're notready for it.
It's like when I did themushroom ego death, I prepared
myself for days before I didthat.
I have to be in the rightheadspace and the right place,
physically in the right place.
If I woke up in the morning andI was not in the right
(41:43):
headspace, I would not have doneit.
And people just they look at itnow as something that's sort of
a vacation thing.
Oh, let's go get high and seefunny colors and what shapes we
see, or figures or whatever.
And that's not the purpose andthat's not the way the ancestors
of the people who practicetraditional medicine look at it.
You know one of my guests thenwe laugh about it and called me
(42:05):
witch doctor, but NativeAmerican medicine men.
I've even read because of what?
And I call him Yeshua.
That's how he introducedhimself to me.
The first time that Iencountered him, jesus was a
shaman.
A lot of that has been takenfrom the texts that aren't
included in the Bible, that havebeen found Other things that he
did, but when you look at himlaying on hands and driving out
(42:28):
evil spirits, darkness, shadowIn my conversations with him.
He wasn't here to start areligion.
He was a rebel.
He was here to stomp on thetoes and get the attention of
people and say there is more outhere, and what is out there
that you think is a big whiteman with a beard sitting on a
cloud is within you.
He wasn't understood.
That's still the case today.
(42:50):
I don't know, it's frustratingto me that there are so many
people out there that claim tobe shamans or Reiki masters and
they charge just gobs of money.
It's really more of a businessthan it is about the betterment
of others.
I've been yelled at by Reikimasters oh, you're trying to
steal our customers because youdon't charge, Like no, it's just
the right thing to do.
And been turned away by Reikimaster that said, no, sorry, not
(43:12):
taking new clients.
And I'm like, are you freaking,kidding me?
You know how do you turnsomeone away that comes to you
and wants help.
That's probably more than youasked for, but, like Pam says, I
tend to go on a little.
Ebony Mixon (43:24):
That's completely fine.
It's like you know whatquestion I'm getting ready to
ask anyway, so if I just let yougo ahead you answer it.
Jeffrey Brunk (43:31):
I'm sorry, this is your, your your hosting today
.
Ebony Mixon (43:35):
You answer it right before it comes to me.
So, because I didn't reallyplan this out, I just wanted to
have a conversation, just anatural conversation to get to
know you.
And, like another thing, whenpeople think of healers and
shamans and priestess and allthese different titles, you
think of someone that's just soholistic and has this idea of
(43:59):
people think that they're soperfect that they're doing
everything the right way or acertain way.
Whereas you know you being aneveryday shaman, and now I've
gotten to know you, to know thatyou know you're just like
anyone else.
Jeffrey Brunk (44:13):
Anyone else except?
Ebony Mixon (44:15):
for some people who don't care to help others.
Jeffrey Brunk (44:18):
Yeah, there are people like that, and sadly
there are people that don't wantto help themselves, but they
still come to me.
You know it's not like gettinga shot of penicillin for an
infection.
People have to do things forthemselves as well, especially
if it's physical issues that arecaused by, say, a spiritual or
emotional issue and you know Iuse the whole ulcers caused by
(44:42):
stress thing.
What we think and what weinternalize manifests into
physical issues and people haveto take initiative on their own
and not just take the word of adoctor here, take this pill or
here.
They have to think forthemselves.
So it's not always healing ofthe body, it's also a lot of.
I found a lot of it is, and thissounds funny for me to think
(45:05):
that it's.
It's counseling.
It's like being a therapist ina lot of ways and I do that a
lot after journeys with people,after they've read the summaries
that I've write.
I don't put my interpretations,as you well know, inside the
summaries because they're notmeant for me.
The journeys aren't meant forme, they're meant for the person
I'm journeying for.
So things in there meansomething to them, not to me.
(45:27):
I may have an idea of who'sthere based upon colors or
whatever, or someone goes withme, I know.
But as far as say, animals orrocks, trees, water, whatever
things have a meaning to them,not to me, I don't interpret
them, that's not my job.
But if it comes to removing,something that has been caused,
you know, ancestrally, orsomething they've done
(45:49):
themselves or experiencesthey've had that's manifested
physical issues within them oremotional issues within them.
I clear those and take those asbest I can, and however many
times I need to journey, I will.
Ebony Mixon (46:03):
It takes that person to be open to the healing
and open to receiving theinformation and applying
whatever changes needs to bedone.
Jeffrey Brunk (46:13):
Men are the worst as far as being open to
receiving.
There's that whole macho.
I'm strong, I can't cry, Ican't show emotion, blah, blah,
blah thing.
I've never been that way.
But I'm also one that feels Ican handle this on my own.
And it's sort of lonely becausepeople think that I can handle
everything on my own.
But I also need others becauseI don't know everything.
(46:35):
I'm always learning.
I learn things from everyonethat I've worked with.
I'll learn something from.
I'm given information, sure, bythe divine and even by the
darkness.
But when people think, oh, hecan do this himself, he can heal
himself.
And it's not always the casebecause I've still got ego.
I'm still a human being.
I can set my ego aside and dowork for others, no problem.
(46:59):
But it's hard for me to do thatfor myself.
But I'm just another guy, I'mjust another person.
I'm no different than anyoneelse.
There's nothing perfect aboutme.
And all these unicorns andrainbows, people that are just,
everything is beautiful and theyset their place up come out
feeling great.
Well, it's not always aboutfeeling great.
Sometimes it is about feelingbad because you have to let
(47:22):
things go.
It's a change that happenswithin people that is
uncomfortable things that youdon't necessarily want to learn
about yourself.
And it took me a long time tobe able to really be frank about
these things.
And I'm just a vessel andmessenger and you can choose to
take that for yourself or not.
And I'm very clear I'm not adoctor.
(47:43):
But if I'm given advice orgiven a message to give someone
regarding a medical issue, I'mgoing to pass it along, but it's
up to the person.
But I'm always learning fromothers.
It never ends and there'salways something different.
I tell people not to have anyexpectations when I journey,
because people tend to thinkhe's journeying for this
particular issue, whether it'sphysical or otherwise, so when
(48:06):
he's done I'll feel better.
It's not always like that, atleast in the beginning.
Time as we know it is.
We look at the watch and it's 3o'clock or whatever, and it's
not the way it is.
Even in this realm.
We're in.
Time is fluid, any direction,and it's not always an
instantaneous thing.
I say have no expectations,because if I had expectations
(48:26):
for every time I journeyed, I'dbe wrong 100% of the time,
everyone is completely different.
Now, that intention that I have,that I go with.
What happens is that I'll gowith that one intention, but it
always leads to something elsethat's associated with that
intention.
Ebony Mixon (48:41):
So how has like, since you've been doing energy
work and this whole journey oflearning more about yourself and
about all these differentmysteries in the world, has any
of that changed the way that youlive your life?
Jeffrey Brunk (48:56):
For the most part it's sort of a double-edged
sword when you have an awareness.
There have been times that Iliterally will say and I think I
may have even said it todaysometimes I just go man it'd be
so much easier just to go backand live the life like I used to
before all this awareness wasthere.
But I know, I know it would beharder.
(49:16):
So it's a double-edged sword.
It's being aware of things,it's a blessing, but it also
sets you apart from other peoplebecause you lose people.
I take that back.
You don't necessarily lose themYou're farther down the path
than they are but some do dropaway because you're not the same
person that you used to be.
My interest changed.
It's not a pious life at all.
(49:38):
It's not that I'm a heathentype guy.
But I'm not a pious person.
I'm just a guy, just human,like the rest of us, who
experiences the same things inlife that everyone else does.
You know, maybe not the samecircumstances, but the same
emotions, the same feelings.
But it's the awareness of how Ideal with those, whether to let
(49:59):
them control me or whether Itake control of that.
It's stopping to think anddiscern and say how do I want to
spend my energy?
Do I want to be angry aboutsomething, or frustrated or
fearful, or do I want to justtake control of that and go?
I'm going to trust in what Iknow.
That's a hard thing to dosometimes because, I'll be
(50:20):
honest, there have been times inthe not too distant past where
I've gone.
I just want to go to the darkside and take care of some shit
right now, but I know if I do,it'll come back tenfold on me,
Just like putting good thingsout in the world comes back.
Putting bad things out therecomes back even worse.
I don't need that.
I don't need that.
I don't want that.
Even the worst people out there, they're still connected to us,
(50:40):
they're still from the sameplace.
Everything is interconnected, sodoing something to something
that is connected to us is doingsomething bad to us as well.
It comes back to us.
We're harming ourselves, butdamn if we don't sometimes want
to.
Ebony Mixon (50:55):
We're harming ourselves, but they don't
sometimes want to, and so how do?
Jeffrey Brunk (51:04):
you protect yourself from darkness, dark
energy and that type oftemptation.
I'm aware it's around and asfar as physically, since we
moved into this home, we've hadI've seen shadow elements that
I've had to clear and we haveorbs all the time, but they're
protected and it may be becauseNative American land.
It could be human, it could beanimal, it could be.
You know everything's energyoutside.
I've seen the things in thedaytime before.
(51:26):
But, the way I do it is, Iacknowledge those lower
vibrational, darker things asbeing part of coming from the
same place, being part ofespecially the shadow elements
of who we are, appreciatingtheir time and what they did
contribute, but being firm aswell, not fearful, not yelling
like on the ghost shows, whichto me are situation comedies,
(51:48):
because I've seen so much darkerthan any of these things.
Ebony Mixon (51:52):
But there's, a.
Jeffrey Brunk (51:53):
I don't use the word love, I use the word
acceptance.
But I will say you don't haveto, or you don't have to like
everybody, but you should loveeveryone or accept everyone,
because they are part of who weare, whether we recognize it or
not.
Everything's connected.
It's not just a metaphysicalthing, it's a scientific physics
thing.
It's been proven.
(52:13):
It's energy, it's flowing.
You can't destroy it, you can'tbanish it.
You know the ghost shows arefunny to me.
Because you cannot come backhere, I banish you from this.
I'm laughing.
It's like yeah, right, yeah itcan, and you can bring it right
in the door if you had a bad day.
Ebony Mixon (52:29):
So, with you talking about like some of these
experiences and you being human, of course you have bad days
too.
You have times where I'm sureyou feel overwhelmed with a lot
of the things going on.
What are some things you dothat helps you keep going, and
how do you take care of yourselfso that you can keep doing the
(52:49):
work that you've been doing?
Jeffrey Brunk (52:51):
There are days I have, honestly, that I think to
myself I just don't want to behere anymore.
And I'm not talking aboutsuicidal inclinations, I'm
talking about I don't feel likeI belong here.
But when I have those days andI have those moments during the
day, I need to be outside.
I just feel drawn and I will goand I'll sit up in the woods or
I'll just take a walk, because,you know, being down in the
(53:12):
woods here, driveway's a quartermile I'll just go for a walk.
But being outside is my therapy.
That brings me back, thatgrounds me, regrounds me.
It's so important for people todo that.
Unfortunately, it's gettingharder and harder.
There's not as many places todo that for most people, but it
really just takes.
It doesn't have to be likewhere I am, where we're
(53:33):
surrounded by forest.
It can be anywhere, that'swithout all the distractions of
society.
I started out doing walkingmeditations early, early on, and
just noticing things as Iwalked.
There are ways to be outside ina busy area.
It's Zen for me to work on myrocks, my brockhound, or to work
on walking sticks, which I'dnever done, woodworking before
(53:56):
that we moved here.
It's Zen for me.
It's almost a meditation, in away, even though I'm doing
something.
Ebony Mixon (54:02):
Very good, I appreciate you letting me come
on here and ask you all thesequestions.
Jeffrey Brunk (54:08):
Yeah, I feel like I'm probably leaving a lot of
stuff out.
Ebony Mixon (54:11):
Is there anything else that comes to mind that you
think listeners should knowabout you?
Is there anything else thatcomes to?
Jeffrey Brunk (54:17):
mind that you think listeners should know
about you.
For men especially, don't beafraid to show who you really
are.
You know, I know it's difficultto do and for everyone.
This society is unlike any otherbecause we're constantly
bombarded with social media andtelevision and you know so much
I tell people, don't discountwhat you may have always thought
(54:39):
of as being impossible orridiculous, things that seem to
be not in tune with the life inthe world that you're living.
I wasn't expecting any of thisin my lifetime.
I never knew what would happenin my lifetime or where I would
end up being.
Certainly not this.
I never knew what would happenin my lifetime or where I would
end up being.
Certainly not this.
I followed the path that I wasmeant to and when I've strayed
(55:01):
I'm usually gently nudged back.
But be open to things that areunseen and things that are you
might consider to be impossibleor even ridiculous.
There's a lot more there thanyou recognize, but be open to it
because it's there and a lot ofquestions that people have can
be answered if you just take thetime to accept that and to
(55:21):
listen not hear, but listen toyourself.
That's the most important thing.
Take care of yourself first.
Ebony Mixon (55:28):
That's very good.
Thank you for opening up andsharing so much about yourself
and your history, and this isjust a small bit a little piece
of getting to know you, and moreand more as we go through and
do more podcast episodes.
Hopefully I'll be back.
Oh, yeah, yeah, that soundsgood.
(55:49):
That would be cool.
Jeffrey Brunk (55:50):
Well, I'm going to take the reins back over now
and I want to thank you forgrilling me a little bit.
You know I tend to ramblesometimes and I'm scolded for
that sometimes, but there's somuch and I don't mind talking
about my past because it made mewho I am the good, the bad and
the ugly and there's nothing tobe ashamed of for anyone when it
comes to the negative thingsthat happen to us or the bad
(56:13):
things we do or the bad thingswe go through or the traumatic
experiences that we have gonethrough.
They make us stronger and theymake us able to better help
other people that maybe haven'tgone through something as
traumatic.
I regret some of the thingsduring those years and the way
going about things, but not thatthat stuff happened because it
was necessary for me.
(56:34):
Lastly, I want to thank Pambecause, literally and
figuratively, she has saved mylife on many occasions, and
that's what you really wouldcall love.
I want to thank everyone forjoining us here and I hope you
come back again, as I say everyweek, because I may say
something that drives you away,but if I say something that
upsets someone, good, becausethat means you've listened and
(56:55):
something didn't sit well withyou that you need to take a look
at.
So until next week.
Thanks for joining us and seeyou then, peace.
Hello everybody and welcome to another episode
of the Everyday Shaman.
Thank you for joining me Today.
I have a special guest that'sactually been here before.
It's Ebony Mixon and you mayremember her if you've heard the
podcast about dreams.
I call her the dream therapist.
We're going to flip the scripta little bit on this episode, so
it's going to be a littledifferent.
(00:21):
I hesitate to talk about myselfbecause of I don't know.
It just doesn't feel right, butEbony had come up with the idea
to interview me, so I'm goingto be answering questions.
I have no clue what Ebony willask and I hope to be able to
answer everything as succinctlyand clearly as possible, if I
(00:41):
can.
It's going to be different and Ihope you enjoy it and I hope I
don't embarrass myself too much.
But I'm really not concernedabout what others think about
what I say, because I just speakthe truth as I know it and what
I'm told and what I've gonethrough.
If you don't remember Ebony, bythe way, she lives in Detroit,
has two wonderful kids and agreat husband, teaches American
(01:02):
Sign Language, is an advocatefor women that have had issues
with birth or with stillbirthsand miscarriages, and she's a
wonderful person.
So, without further ado, ebony,it's great to have you here.
Ebony Mixon (01:17):
Thanks for welcoming me back to the podcast
and good to be back here.
Jeffrey Brunk (01:21):
Yeah, and it's your idea to do this and I think
it's a great idea.
Ebony Mixon (01:26):
I thought it would be a great idea for listeners to
get to know you and learn moreabout you as a person, so we can
know who's this guy that we'relistening to on this podcast.
So let's jump right into it.
If you could just tell us alittle bit about yourself, you
know where you grew up.
Jeffrey Brunk (01:46):
Well, that's a long, that's a broad question.
Ebony Mixon (01:49):
Where are you from?
Jeffrey Brunk (01:51):
I was born in Iowa, actually, but at the age
of two my parents moved to NorthCarolina.
So I'm from originallyWinston-Salem, I guess, where I
grew up till about fifth gradeand then moved to Lexington,
north Carolina, another smalltown in North Carolina in
between Charlotte and Greensboroand in between Charlotte and
Winston-Salem, somewhere in themiddle of the state, and I lived
(02:12):
there for oh, I guess until Igraduated from high school and
then it was sort of livingeverywhere.
I kind of went where the windtook me.
I've never been one to stay inone place for a long time until
here, just in the last four orso years.
Four and a half years Lived inMyrtle Beach as a bartender for
a while.
It's just going wherever Iwanted, it's just trying to
(02:34):
experience life.
But yeah, north Carolina I callhome, I guess, or I used to.
Ebony Mixon (02:39):
That makes sense for a free spirit.
Jeffrey Brunk (02:41):
I'm in Virginia now, I'm sorry.
I shouldn't say where I am now,in the middle of the woods,
probably where I belong.
Ebony Mixon (02:48):
That sounds just about right for such a free
spirit to kind of bounce allaround and kind of go with the
flow.
Is there any particularexperiences that you had growing
up that you think contributedto you becoming a shaman?
Jeffrey Brunk (03:03):
Well, I didn't even know what a shaman was
until I was going through whatthey call the shaman sickness or
the dark night of the soul, andmy wife, pam, actually told me
she found out what that was.
I'd never heard of it.
Same with Reiki.
But as a child there were a fewexperiences and I can remember
a couple.
Specifically, one that I stillhaven't quite figured out was as
(03:25):
a kid of somewhere betweenseven and nine, my grandmother
kneeling down and just tellingme remember who you are?
And I never knew what thatmeant and, to be honest, I still
don't completely know what thatmeans.
I do know.
After my mom and dad died, mysister found a piece of paper in
the files where they had had metested, kind of like Sheldon on
(03:46):
the Big Bang Theory, as alittle kid, and I don't remember
this and I don't know why.
I was born in call I'm sure youknow what that means with a
placenta over and years andyears.
I mean I was in my late 40sprobably when she told me that.
(04:07):
But as a child I remember oneincident sitting in church in
the South that's what you did onSunday and it had been raining
for days and days and days andall I wanted to do was go
outside and ride my bike andjump ditches and be a kid.
And I remember sitting thereand just closing my eyes, going
stop raining, just let it stopraining.
I didn't speak it out loud andwithin a minute or two I looked
(04:31):
up and it was a large church,stained glass windows, and the
sun came out and it stopped andit didn't start again.
And this, I think, was sometimeduring early fall maybe, and
that was my first experiencewith that.
And then I'd had otherexperiences, especially with
weather, where whether Irecognized I don't think I even
recognized that I was focusingin tension.
(04:52):
I was too young or just toostupid to know that moving the
wind and moving clouds and therewas a time living in Northern
Virginia, standing in a stormoutside and no rain hitting me,
which I know was really hard tobelieve.
That was very bizarre to me.
But I can feel rain Even on thesunniest of days.
(05:13):
I can say it's going to rainlater and it's just a knowing
about that and a feeling I get.
It's not like the feeling youget as you get older, when it's
in your bones and your creek,and it's just knowing those
things, having a strongconnection, always having a
strong connection with animals.
Again, as a child I went to mygrandmother's house out in the
country and had my uncle at thetime, which is another thing.
(05:37):
I'll go to him first.
Actually, he was 16 when hepassed and he was playing
Russian roulette with mygrandfather's service revolver
and didn't know it was loadedand so that didn't end up well
and he and I were very close andI remember going to the funeral
and Casket was sitting up on astand and there were two steps
(05:57):
leading up to it and I sat onthe step and I was talking to
him.
Not talking to him like youwould saying you know things you
would to someone who's passed,but literally talking to him.
Not talking to him like youwould saying you know things you
would to someone who's passed,but literally talking to him
like he was standing in front ofme.
Well, he had a BB gun and Iremember being at my
grandmother's house and I shot abird and it still haunts me to
this day and I was five yearsold, six years old, and finding
(06:21):
that bird and burying it and itjust killed me.
It's just like I felt somethingwithin me had died a little bit
with that bird.
So I've always had a verystrong connection to nature and
animals, even growing up in thecity, but having that connection
and always being sort of aloner.
I have thousands ofacquaintances to this day but
(06:43):
count on one hand and threefingers probably the number of
true friends I have, because noone ever understood me.
I don't believe some, evenwithin the family.
So yeah, as a kid I guesslooking back on it now I didn't
know it then, but looking backon it now I can see it's like
feeling like not belonging tothis place, this earth, and I
still have that feeling.
Ebony Mixon (07:04):
So you mentioned being kind of a loner.
So how would you describe yourbehavior as a child and going
into your teenage years?
Were you a troubled child?
Did trouble find you?
You know, were you a straight,a academic type student?
What was that like for you?
Jeffrey Brunk (07:24):
It was a really it was a good childhood.
I wasn't a troubled child.
I had a great childhood.
My parents were wonderful, mysister wonderful.
I was very protective of her.
I was not a straight A student.
I was very much into art.
I would get lost.
I remember getting lost.
It was fifth grade and I woulddraw.
I remember this particulardrawing of airplanes and being
(07:45):
in a battle, but I was makingthe noises out loud and I was
called out by the teacher fordoing that.
I was totally lost in the scene.
I had one real friend therewhen I was a kid that lived
across the street inWinston-Salem.
It wasn't a troubled childhood.
I got in trouble with the lawone time as a kid because we did
(08:05):
something stupid.
We broke a light out of a bankATM drive-thru thing and they
came looking for me, scared thecrap out of me.
As I got older I started goingthrough a little bit of a
metamorphosis and keep in mind,I was a child of the 80s, so
cocaine was well you know, itwas everywhere and I did partake
(08:27):
and did party a lot.
I have a friend who was nineyears older than me.
He's still around and he's oneperson that I could pick up.
I haven't seen him in years butI know I could pick up the
phone.
We'd pick up exactly where wewere, you know, back in the 80s
because we had a good friendship.
But yeah, my childhood was good.
I had a very close relationshipwith my grandmother.
(08:47):
She came from a large family.
My mom and her mom and she wasone of my grandmother was one of
10 kids.
They were not your typicalSouthern people.
For the time my mom was adowser.
My grandmother, I believe, hadvery strong gifts of some sort.
One of my formative things waswhen she died, and I still
(09:08):
remember this very clearly.
She died of a brain tumor andmy girlfriend at the time had
driven me to the hospital and Iwas still in high school and
it's when the police this song,every Breath you Take that album
came out and I just laid myhead on my girlfriend's lap.
I was in the passenger seat andjust bawling, and that song came
on Every Breath you Take.
(09:29):
And now to this day, whenthings are going on, and because
we're human, we all have thosedays that song will come on.
I've had it come on inplaylists.
It's not even in playlists,it's a reminder.
Ebony Mixon (09:44):
So you grew up close to your grandmother.
You also mentioned your mother.
You have a sister.
Did you grow up in the housewith your father?
Did you have any other siblings?
Jeffrey Brunk (09:56):
No, just the four of us.
My sister is about a year and ahalf almost two years younger
than I am.
My mom was at first, I guessshe stayed at home.
My dad worked for PiedmontAirlines, then became US
Airlines his entire career, andmy mom got a job in radio.
Back when radio was you openedup the window to see if it's
(10:19):
raining and that was yourweather forecaster.
And then moved up into cabletelevision and became a manager
and that's what moved us fromWinston-Salem to Lexington,
north Carolina.
Her job started working when Iwas 12 years old, crawling under
houses and trailers stringingcable TV with all the spider
crickets coming out filthy, andI loved it.
(10:40):
I did that all the way throughhigh school.
Ebony Mixon (10:43):
You also mentioned going to church in the South, so
would you say that your familywas religious growing up?
Jeffrey Brunk (10:51):
They were not religious in the way that you
would think of sitting aroundhaving Bible study type things.
You know, we went to church onSundays and after church on
Sundays we'd go to mygrandmother's where she would
fix fried chicken and mashedpotatoes.
That was the best part of thewhole day.
And then we lived the rest ofthe week our lives.
But I never had that.
(11:12):
Even then, at that age, I neverhad that feeling that I saw
other people have.
It's like why are they so happy?
Why can't I get that?
And it took years and years andyears to realize they're not
all really happy.
There's a lot of mass song, butI didn't know that at the time.
Ebony Mixon (11:30):
So does anyone else in your family?
Does your sister?
Would you say that they're morespiritualist or more like
yourself?
Jeffrey Brunk (11:40):
Kelly, if you're listening and I know you will be
I think you have more giftsthan you are aware of.
She was also born in call.
I admire her so much and I knowthat she and she'll deny this,
I know, but I know for a whileshe resented me because I've
always been a free spirit andwould just pick up, go by myself
(12:01):
different places, and shealways stayed put close to the
family and so as my parents gotolder, she was there caring for
them.
She knows more about them thanI do and when she just visited
us recently and there's so manythings that I did not know about
them I'm so proud of her andwhere she's come to, she helps
(12:24):
people now that have recentlygotten out of prison, out of
jail, have no jobs, have noinsurance, have no prospects and
trains and gets them placed injobs and gets them insurance and
she's a friend to these peopleand she's so proud of them and I
admire her and I'm so proud ofher.
She has different gifts.
(12:46):
I think she has other gifts too, but she has gifts of
discernment, gifts of compassionand it's just.
She's a wonderful person.
She's much like my mom, which,by the way, my mom had a
tremendous sense of humor, verywitty, very snarky, and we both
picked that up, and sometimesthat's a good thing, sometimes
it's a bad thing.
(13:06):
I look at it as a good thing.
Ebony Mixon (13:08):
How would you describe your father?
Jeffrey Brunk (13:10):
Quiet, moody.
He never talked a lot.
He never talked about hismilitary service.
It wasn't until after he diedwe found out some things about
his military service.
He and I did not really bonduntil I was maybe 16.
It was his efforts.
I was in Boy Scouts and hebecame an assistant scoutmaster
(13:30):
and we went to Philmont ScoutRanch out in New Mexico and
hiked 110 miles with the groupover a course of a couple of
weeks and he and I bonded thereand I have very, very great
memories of that.
As he got older and as thingswith me during my upheaval were
happening, I remember him.
I remember walking into theirplace in Charlotte and him
(13:51):
getting up and running over tome and hugging me and saying,
finally we've got our son back,and he cried.
He opened up more.
He became softer over time.
It was a good relationship.
He became softer over time.
Ebony Mixon (14:04):
It was a good relationship, so it sounds like
you had a really good foundationfor where you are now with your
childhood.
Jeffrey Brunk (14:10):
Yeah, I look back at my dad too and I didn't know
at the time as a kid, but mydad's dad left them.
When he was my dad was nineyears old and I know it was hard
for him but he never talkedabout that.
I think he internalized a lotof things.
So I don't think he totallyknew how to maybe be a dad in
(14:32):
the traditional sense you mightthink of one, but he did the
best he could and he tried andhe was always there for me.
There was one time as a childand we're still living in
Winston-Salem I don't rememberwhat the issue was, but sitting
on a porch outside the kitchenand he just came and sat beside
me and said son, are you okay?
You just seem kind of blue.
There was just a genuineconcern.
(14:52):
It sticks with me to this day.
He was there, you know.
I knew he was there.
Ebony Mixon (14:57):
Nice.
And so, after high school, didyou go to college or did you
jump right into working?
Jeffrey Brunk (15:06):
I started off at Elon for a year.
Elon now university Did notlike business administration.
You know you pick your majorand I hated that I was in math
101 with the football playersbecause I was never good in math
and I took an art course andI'd always liked art you know
kind of like drawing the littleplanes and stuff in fifth grade.
So I was only at Elon for oneyear and then I went, always
liked art, you know, kind oflike drawing the little planes
and stuff in fifth grade.
(15:26):
So I was only at Elon for oneyear and then I went to Randolph
Tech, which at the time was thesecond best graphic art school
next to Rochester Institute ofTechnology, and I got a degree
from there.
I had a job lined up before Igraduated with RJ Reynolds in
their main headquarters doinggraphic arts, and I stayed in
(15:48):
that for a while and thenstopped.
I've worked so many differentjobs and so many different
careers and self-taught in themajority of them, aside from the
graphics, just searching forwhere I was supposed to be and
what I'd like to do.
But I've never worked inanything more than three years.
I do it, I do it well, or elseI'd hate it and leave that only
(16:11):
happened once and then move onto something else.
So everything from being agraphic artist or stringing
cable under a house to workingwith CTOs and CEOs of major
telecommunications companies,selling them ICs and electronic
components that I learned byreading data books, to being a
(16:31):
stockbroker, to you name itthere's not a lot I haven't done
Bartending, bar management,sales, which I swear I never do,
but that's just relationshipswith people.
So, but it's been good that Idid that, because it's allowed
me to be able to talk toeveryone from you know, the guy
digging ditches on the road crewto the guy sitting in the
(16:51):
office in the big, tallbuildings that makes million
dollar decisions.
You know they're all the same.
They all have the same typestresses, different
circumstances, but the same typethings that affect us all.
Ebony Mixon (17:04):
So I did read your book.
It's been a while but I doremember it was some very
interesting points that kind ofled up to your spiritual
awakening.
Jeffrey Brunk (17:18):
Interesting is a very nice way of putting it.
Ebony Mixon (17:21):
Very drama.
I'm not a big reader but ifit's interesting, there's drama,
it captures my attention andyour book definitely had a lot
of moments that captured myattention.
So as you were going working,you met your first wife, got
(17:44):
married, had children, and thenyou talk about in the book where
things just started to change.
Your whole routine of lifebegan to change.
Could you tell us a little bitabout that?
Jeffrey Brunk (17:59):
Well, it might have started.
I mean, she and I had beenmarried and I'm not going to
speak ill of her at all and I'lljump ahead to say a lot of
things that happened during thetime of my upheaval shaman,
sickness, dark night of the soul, whatever.
I could have handled a lotdifferently, but as far as them
happening, I think it wasnecessary the things that
happened for me to be who I am,because I wasn't where I needed
(18:22):
to be, and that's not saying Ididn't love my wife or kids.
I can't remember how many yearswe had been married.
Well, when everything reallythe crap hit the fan, we'd been
married 19 years, but being athome and being more kind of a
stay-at-home dad, I was the guythat picked up the kids, went to
the games, did all this.
I sold so much of stuff on eBay.
I paid for a full one-weekcruise for four at a time, but
(18:46):
it also was.
I guess I started quieting mymind some then and becoming
curious about things, and thechurch that we were going to
this was in Cary, north Carolina.
I don't know.
I had made some friends there,older guys, professional guys.
One of them actually ended uphiring me.
That's where the whole thingwith selling electronics to
(19:08):
major corporations and readingdata books came in.
But it was staying home andthen going to that church.
I was in full-blown search modeat that point.
I joined the pastor parishcommittee, I was on choir, I did
Stephen ministry, I did thewalk to Emmaus, I studied
disciple Bible study the entireseries went through that.
I've read the Bible two and ahalf at least.
(19:30):
I know twice, but probably twoand a half times and still was
searching for that same thing.
Everybody had coming out of thechurch on Sunday, never got it.
And then I saw within the guysthat I'd made friends with, both
married.
One in particular went througha midlife crisis, was having an
affair.
The hypocrisy was just soblatant and I started seeing it
(19:53):
in other people, people thatwere close, and I thought this
is not what I'm hearing fromthem while they're in the
building or from the personbehind the pulpit.
This is the true people, whothey are.
They're there either to be seenor to make an appearance.
So I started kind ofquestioning other things and
(20:14):
first thing that I looked into,I bought a book and I was told
by a psychologist well, that'sthe worst book you could buy,
but at the time I just was justtrying to learn new things and,
bobby, if you're listening, myex-wife.
This was still one of thefunniest things to me.
Ironic that happened was herfinding that book on the shelf
and throwing it at me on aSunday afternoon.
(20:34):
The hell is this, you know,throwing a book on peace by
someone who follows someone whopreaches peace.
I found very ironic so Ilaughed and things kind of
snowballed.
From there we moved to NorthernVirginia and went to a church
and this was the kicker for me.
It was a communion Sunday andmy son was nine and, as kids
(20:56):
tend to do, accidentally droppedthe bread in the cup and there
had been this woman in the choirand every song she raised her
hands in this hallelujah and,just smiling, she held the cup
and when he dropped that breadthe look on her face was of such
contempt and disgust.
And then she gets back up onstage in hallelujah and throwing
her hands up again afterwards,and then every Sunday, the first
(21:20):
20 minutes being dedicated tothe financials, followed by the
passing of the basket.
It just didn't sit with me.
I can remember people mumblingthe Lord's Prayer, which is
supposed to be the end all ofevery prayer in Christianity.
There was no intention behindit, there was just part of a
routine, and so I was searchingmore and more and more and I
(21:40):
became more verbal about it,which did not go over well much
of the time, and that led to myquestioning myself who I was and
what I'd been taught and whatI'd followed for so long, and
that sort of led to how I foundmy wife, now Pam, in a very
unorthodox way, and we'll talkabout that if you want to ask,
(22:01):
because it's in the book and herparents know all about this.
Ebony Mixon (22:05):
Yes, I was going to ask you know how did that
affect your relationship withyour first wife and with your
children, and how that led toyou meeting Pam, your wife now.
Jeffrey Brunk (22:19):
Well, my first wife wasn't too happy, to say
the least, and I was sort ofstupid because I had met Pam, my
wife now, online on an adultwebsite.
But I went there to writehonestly, went there and I
blogged and her husband at thetime, who were still friends,
read the blog and said you'vegot to read this.
And she did, because I wrote alot.
(22:41):
I had a blog at the time calledYelps from the Closet also, but
I would blog on this websiteand it was her photo and
normally you go on to thoseadult websites and the photos
people post are going to be ofgenitalia of one type of another
, and hers wasn't To me in mymind.
I saw a butterfly of anotherand hers wasn't To me in my mind
.
I saw a butterfly and I sent amessage just saying I love your
(23:03):
profile photo, very classy.
She contacted me and I saw herphoto and I went oh wow, she's
way out of my league.
And we ended up meeting andspending five hours at a winery
sitting under the trees,drinking wine, eating cheese,
talking about spirituality,numerology.
(23:23):
She had printed out all of thisinformation and we just hit it
off from the beginning and Iended up living with them for I
believe it was eight years andthey had a large house.
I've actually spent more yearswith her kids than I have my own
.
Went to a block party for awedding or something in our
neighborhood with my ex-wife andstupid me during you know,
vodka is my nemesis, that's mykryptonite, or it was and
(23:48):
telling people about her andwhich quickly got back to her
like within the time by the timeI got back to the house that
night, you know, in thecul-de-sac and um didn't go over
well, but for the first time inmy life my ex had asked me do
you love her?
And it surprised me even.
I said yes, I do.
I mean, there was justsomething that it was like we'd
(24:10):
been searching for each otherand we're still together.
And it's been 17 years.
We've been married 13, butwe've been together 17.
Didn't go over very well withmy wife then and my kids, I
think, are still having troublewith it.
But my ex-wife has contacted mewithin the last year and things
have changed in her life andshe told me that I was right
about I don't know exactly what,but I took it as an apology.
(24:33):
But she asked me for some help.
She was very scared aboutthings going on in the world and
all and kind of blew my mindbecause she was not the same
person then that she was.
When I met her, it was as sheclimbed the ladder, and it can
happen to anyone.
Money and things and power canaffect people in different ways.
With her, it took her time, ittook her attention.
(24:54):
She wasn't the same person thatI met.
She wasn't necessarily a badperson at all, it was just I
started searching at the sametime for something else, not
another person, but somethingthat I'd been searching for as a
kid at the same time that thiswas happening.
It was like the perfect storm,I guess.
So I lived with Pam and herhusband for a long time, owned
(25:15):
my own pet business, sustainedmyself after the divorce and
actually gave that away becausethat came to me at a time when I
needed it and I had someone oneof my employees that was going
through a rough time and I justI gave it to her.
I said you don't have to pay forit.
This got me through a bad timein life.
You're going through a bad timein life, and so I gave her the
pet service and I'm hoping ithelped her as well.
(25:38):
But Pam is actually the onethat introduced me to Reiki
After we were sitting on the bedand I had my hand on her
forehead and I didn't realize it, but I was moving my finger
around her forehead and she saidyou do know you're chasing a
headache around my head and Ididn't realize that, but I could
feel it.
I guess Now I can put my hand onher head and just take it away.
That's how it sort of started.
(25:59):
I did four years of Reikitraining to become a Reiki
master.
I took time in between eachlevel to kind of hone practice.
I didn't jump into it and I getvery upset with these ads on
Facebook that say become a Reikimaster in eight weeks Bullshit,
you can't do it and if you can,you're not doing it right.
Do it, and if you can, you'renot doing it right.
(26:22):
And that led to the shamanicstuff.
And I never heard of shamanismuntil I had gone to a crystal
shop and this African-Americanlady I think she may have been
from Jamaica introduced herselfand we started talking and she
told me she was a shaman and Ididn't know what that was.
And Pam researches everything.
So she looked it up and I got abook by Sandra Ingerman on
shamanic journey, came with a CDand a drumming track and I was
(26:43):
able to journey the very firsttime.
Started out being what's myspirit animal People wanting to
know what their spirit animal isTo being now where it's not
about finding spirit animals,it's about getting more in the
dirt.
I look at Reiki as being a goodthing and I don't want to upset
any Reiki practitioners orpeople that receive it.
But I look at it more, in mypersonal view, as a band-aid
(27:06):
than the shamanic parts, and Istill use elements of the Reiki
training.
I get more down in the dirtwhen I do shamanic journeys,
like within the cellular level,to encounter shadow elements
darkness elements or elements ofdarkness.
Ebony Mixon (27:31):
To encounter shadow elements, darkness elements or
elements of darkness.
That is really where thingshave led.
Most of my mentioned shamansickness and the night of the
dark soul.
Dark night of the soul.
Could you just give a briefexplanation of what that is and
(27:52):
how did that fit into that timeframe?
Jeffrey Brunk (27:55):
Well, I'll back up a little on that because it
contributed to it.
When I started changing myviews on things and my awareness
started to grow and my need tolearn started to grow, my wife
convinced me to go, my ex-wifeconvinced me to go to a doctor
and it wasn't a psychologist ora psychiatrist, it was a general
(28:16):
practitioner.
But I never saw the generalpractitioner no-transcript.
(28:47):
Different psychological thingsgoing on, but that doesn't mean
everybody has a mental illness.
It ended up being where I waswith a psychiatrist.
I had a psychologist too,because during the you know,
during that dark night of thesoul time, it wasn't just a
night, it had a psychologist too, because during that dark night
of the soul time it wasn't justa night, it lasted a few years.
I was in jail a few times,arrested a few times.
(29:07):
But these medications played apart in that, and the one that
played the biggest part wascalled Effexor XR and I was on
400 milligrams and that threw meover the edge, especially when
combined, and not told not to dothis with vodka or wine.
And I sold wine at part time.
I was a wine salesman andthere's things about that time
(29:28):
that I don't remember.
Pam does, because she wasalways there for me during those
times.
She was the one that picked meup from jail.
She was the one that eithertook me to or picked me up from
the hospital when I was onsuicide watch.
It wasn't a pretty time and shehad people telling her let go
of him.
What are you doing with thisguy?
(29:48):
And I don't blame them.
I probably would have done thesame thing, but she stayed where
my ex-wife didn't.
But that dark night of the soulI lost everything.
I mean I had nothing gone.
I should have gotten more,probably financially out of the
divorce settlement, but I didn'tcare.
I got what I got and Ipurchased the pet service.
But that's when I startedgetting all of these messages,
(30:11):
usually through music.
You know, after the firstjourney it was through music.
Things that would come to me inlyrics, songs I'd heard a
million times but never heardthat part of the lyric before.
That spoke to me.
That was a very, very roughperiod of life, but I think it
was necessary because I did notlisten.
And I tell people on thispodcast don't get the universal
(30:32):
boot up the butt, because if youdon't listen and you're meant
to do something and you're meantto listen, you're going to
listen one way or the other.
I was stubborn and didn't.
It's hard to watch people.
You see where they're headedand what could happen if they
don't listen to what they knowinside.
And I wasn't even aware I wasbeing told something or if I was
, I was tuning it out.
(30:53):
As a kid I had almost died acouple of times because I'm
allergic to penicillin.
I was given penicillin as a kidand then there were the two
attempts as an older person andthen had a gangrenous
gallbladder.
I was within about a few hoursof dying then and I had so many
traumas, but a lot of them, Ithink, I brought upon myself by
not listening during that timeuntil I had to.
(31:16):
And Pam has been there and shestill is, and she's.
She gets upset with mesometimes.
She has gifts of her own andways of saying things and
conveying things that may be thesame thing I'm getting, but she
tells it in a different waythat's understandable, not just
to me but to other people.
Ebony Mixon (31:33):
So I don't know if that answers the question or not
yes, so would you agree thatthose times of hardship, like,
really made you sit down and bequiet and start to go within and
that kind of led you?
Jeffrey Brunk (31:47):
Well, that's a whole other thing, because I
didn't tell us I wasn't able toquiet my mind.
Now I mentioned I'd had a lotof jobs and a lot of careers.
I took one where I flew out toLA and it was working for a
company selling LED lightingsystems, and my territory was in
Florida, in Cocoa Beach, and Iwas still living in Northern
(32:09):
Virginia at the house with Pamand her husband and kids.
And so I moved to Cocoa Beachand lived with her cousin who
was a Jehovah, a devoutJehovah's Witness, slept on the
floor for three, maybe a littleover three months.
He had no television.
You know, devout Jehovah'sWitness slept on the floor for
three, maybe a little over threemonths.
He had no television.
You know strict Jehovah'sWitness.
But I was able because of my jobas a salesperson there was no
office there, I was on my ownand we were very close to the
(32:31):
beach to go to the beach everyday and sit and put my feet in
the sand and just sit and watchthe ocean.
It was quiet in the house, butI quieted my mind.
I didn't realize it washappening until I got back to
Virginia and the television wason.
It sounded like nails on achalkboard.
To me it's funny how thingshappen that way, where you know
I didn't realize that washappening, but just the irony of
(32:53):
being in the staying with aJehovah's witness in this
happening, a Christian would saywell, the Lord works in
mysterious ways.
Well, this is one of them.
Does that answer that?
I kind of forgot where that wasleading.
Ebony Mixon (33:05):
So you learned to really quiet your mind during
that time when you were stayingwith them and going to the beach
and not really having anydistractions?
Was that close to the time whenyou first did your very first
shamanic journey?
Or when did you do your firstjourney?
No, I believe that wasafterwards.
Jeffrey Brunk (33:24):
Well, I know I was still on the medications
which I quit them all coldturkey with no withdrawal
symptoms, but honestly I can'tremember if it was during that
time or not, I don't know.
Everything then just seemed togo so quickly.
A lot of it seems like a blur.
That's why I want to interviewPam on here one time, because
she would be able to elaborate,because she remembers everything
(33:46):
.
Ebony Mixon (33:47):
What led to your first journey.
Jeffrey Brunk (33:49):
It was Pam.
She didn't urge me to.
She suggested I try and I did.
I remember laying on the bedlike I do now not the same type
headphones headphones and thedrumming track, and I only said
it for like 30 minutes and wasable to do it.
Hey, I'm going to know you'regoing to listen to this, but she
still gets upset because shecan't do it and I said, yes, you
can just get to quiet your minda little bit and let things go.
(34:11):
But it was almost like anovelty act at first, like, oh
well, your spirit animal is thisand your spirit animal is this.
I found that the divine startsyou off with baby steps and then
gives you more, and I call themdownloads.
As you go and they get biggerand then there's between those
steps, there's a respite.
They give you a rest and a timeto either reflect on things or
(34:33):
recover.
In a way, when you're ready,you get more.
Now I can feel those timescoming when it's time to receive
more, and they're much moreintense.
It's not spirit animals anymore, but that's how it started and
that was at Pam's.
She has really guided me fromthe beginning as far as
following this path.
I don't think she recognizedthat this is where it would take
(34:56):
me.
But I believe that's a hugepart of the reason why we were
meant to meet.
No matter how it was, we metwhen, orthodox as it may have
been, she's like the end of myyang.
I can't imagine her not holdingspace for me when I'm
journeying, because she doesevery time.
She's the better part of me.
You know we have two distinctlydifferent personalities but
(35:17):
although we can clash at times,we also can't be without one
another and those personalities.
Ebony Mixon (35:23):
And did you use any medicine or anything to enhance
your experience?
Jeffrey Brunk (35:29):
No, no, I've never journeyed with any
psychedelics.
I have done an ego deathmushroom trip, but that wasn't a
journey.
I started that with anintention, like I would a
journey, but that quickly flewout the window.
But no, it's always been justdrumming.
I have journeyed.
For one of your sisters Ijourneyed under marker trees,
(35:50):
indian marker trees, because welive on Native American land.
Now I do have a drum and I'vejourneyed using my own drum, but
just drumming From the verybeginning, as it was taught in
the book Sandra Engelman book.
It was find your sacred space,go to your sacred space.
And that's what I'd done upuntil the last several months
when I was told no sacred spaceis within.
(36:10):
So now I don't go to a sacredspace like I used to, I go
within and I'm almostimmediately taken where I need
to be for the person or for thesituation.
Ebony Mixon (36:21):
So how long have you been journeying?
Jeffrey Brunk (36:24):
Oh, it's more than 15 years We've been
together, 17, so I'd say atleast 16, 17 years.
Ebony Mixon (36:32):
And at what point did you decide to call yourself
a shaman?
How did you think that cheapensit?
Jeffrey Brunk (36:38):
I've accepted that I associate myself more
with the shaman than I do ashamanic practitioner, but I
(37:02):
don't call myself a shaman.
My editor wanted to call thebook the Everyday Shaman and I
protested.
But his reasoning and it makessense is when people are
searching for something online,they'll type in shaman.
Are searching for somethingonline, they'll type in shaman,
they'll type in Reiki master.
So it was a way of, I guess,getting the book recognized and
(37:25):
so I had the everyday shamantrademarked and copyrighted.
The book, of course, iscopyrighted, but also had it
trademarked so I can use it forother things that I do.
But I do not call myself.
I don't tell people that I'm ashaman.
I still don't.
I advertise the podcast now,but I've had people find me all
around the world and around thecountry in the weirdest ways
because I don't advertise mywebsite.
One, it's too expensive and two, I'm not really good at that
(37:49):
whole search engine optimizationthing.
One lady in Idaho.
I asked her once how she foundme.
My intention for writing thebook was to reach one person.
(38:09):
My thing was if I could helpone person with my story've read
it so many times, I'vehighlighted it and I knew.
Right then I've reached thatone person because she told me
how it's helped her.
But she said she found methrough a pop-up ad, that she
was on some other page.
And I said it wasn't me,because I don't run ads and if I
(38:29):
did it wouldn't be pop-up ads,because I hate those things, but
that's how she found me.
People have found me.
That people have found me inthe strangest ways.
I don't look at it ascoincidence.
I don't look at anything ascoincidence.
They're synchronicities.
People are led to where they'remeant to go without realizing
it.
You know, there are things thatguide us to where we're meant
to be, whether it's where welive or who we're supposed to
(38:50):
meet.
So yeah, I don't call myselfthat.
I use the word issue.
I issue titles.
I don't call myself that.
I use the word eschew I eschewtitles.
Ebony Mixon (38:57):
That's interesting because I was going to ask you
that next is how you come acrossthe people that you've been
able to help over the years, butit seems like the universe just
sends them right to you.
Jeffrey Brunk (39:09):
Well, when I was at the doctor this week, a
phlebotomist came in and sheasked about the snake tattoo on
my arm.
Came in and she asked about thesnake tattoo on my arm and I
said, well, snake is kind ofimportant to me because
everywhere we've ever moved, theday we move in and this is true
at the door there's been ablack snake at the door and I'll
go back out and it's gone.
Ebony Mixon (39:27):
She said oh well, what do you do?
And I said well.
Jeffrey Brunk (39:30):
I do energy work and I was trying to.
I didn't know.
I still don't know exactly howto phrase it.
I said I do some shamanicthings.
And then I'm asked well, whatis shamanic?
And that's a whole other story.
And it's like let me, I just doenergy work.
You know Reiki.
And she ends up being you know,she's trained in Reiki too.
And then she asked me abouthelping her son.
(39:51):
And it's the weirdest thingbecause she's been there and
taken my blood gallons of it forthe past four years.
The strangest ways thingshappen.
But I just say you know, I doenergy work.
I'll watch and as long asthey're engaged and want to know
, I'll answer as much as I can.
But I don't say shaman and Idon't say Reiki master.
I did during this time with herbecause she had talked about
(40:13):
being a Reiki master and wantingto be one.
I said well, just be careful,because my first experience with
a Reiki master after I finishedmy training was not good.
I was sick for a week.
I said careful who you choose.
I expected this person'smindset and intention to be the
same as where I was, and itwasn't.
I literally was sick.
(40:34):
She did more harm than good.
Energy is transferable and herswas, and I've since learned to
protect myself.
Ebony Mixon (40:41):
Now, when I think about the word shaman, I think
about someone who lives out inthe forest with tents and
medicine and just you know,those really expensive retreats
where you're doing ayahuasca orsomething.
No, I'm not doing ayahuascathat sort of thing is kind of
what comes to mind.
Jeffrey Brunk (41:01):
Yeah, I've not done ayahuasca.
And people have asked mebecause you know, on the site
now I do have about this being aretreat slash refuge, but it's
only open to people that I'veworked with and only two, three
people at a time max, becauseanyone that comes I want to be
able to focus on themindividually.
Big groups you can't do that.
And they've asked if I doayahuasca stuff here.
(41:21):
I'm like no, it's a trendything.
People go on these retreats andthey're expecting all these
things to happen but they're notready for it.
It's like when I did themushroom ego death, I prepared
myself for days before I didthat.
I have to be in the rightheadspace and the right place,
physically in the right place.
If I woke up in the morning andI was not in the right
(41:43):
headspace, I would not have doneit.
And people just they look at itnow as something that's sort of
a vacation thing.
Oh, let's go get high and seefunny colors and what shapes we
see, or figures or whatever.
And that's not the purpose andthat's not the way the ancestors
of the people who practicetraditional medicine look at it.
You know one of my guests thenwe laugh about it and called me
(42:05):
witch doctor, but NativeAmerican medicine men.
I've even read because of what?
And I call him Yeshua.
That's how he introducedhimself to me.
The first time that Iencountered him, jesus was a
shaman.
A lot of that has been takenfrom the texts that aren't
included in the Bible, that havebeen found Other things that he
did, but when you look at himlaying on hands and driving out
(42:28):
evil spirits, darkness, shadowIn my conversations with him.
He wasn't here to start areligion.
He was a rebel.
He was here to stomp on thetoes and get the attention of
people and say there is more outhere, and what is out there
that you think is a big whiteman with a beard sitting on a
cloud is within you.
He wasn't understood.
That's still the case today.
(42:50):
I don't know, it's frustratingto me that there are so many
people out there that claim tobe shamans or Reiki masters and
they charge just gobs of money.
It's really more of a businessthan it is about the betterment
of others.
I've been yelled at by Reikimasters oh, you're trying to
steal our customers because youdon't charge, Like no, it's just
the right thing to do.
And been turned away by Reikimaster that said, no, sorry, not
(43:12):
taking new clients.
And I'm like, are you freaking,kidding me?
You know how do you turnsomeone away that comes to you
and wants help.
That's probably more than youasked for, but, like Pam says, I
tend to go on a little.
Ebony Mixon (43:24):
That's completely fine.
It's like you know whatquestion I'm getting ready to
ask anyway, so if I just let yougo ahead you answer it.
Jeffrey Brunk (43:31):
I'm sorry, this is your, your your hosting today
.
Ebony Mixon (43:35):
You answer it right before it comes to me.
So, because I didn't reallyplan this out, I just wanted to
have a conversation, just anatural conversation to get to
know you.
And, like another thing, whenpeople think of healers and
shamans and priestess and allthese different titles, you
think of someone that's just soholistic and has this idea of
(43:59):
people think that they're soperfect that they're doing
everything the right way or acertain way.
Whereas you know you being aneveryday shaman, and now I've
gotten to know you, to know thatyou know you're just like
anyone else.
Jeffrey Brunk (44:13):
Anyone else except?
Ebony Mixon (44:15):
for some people who don't care to help others.
Jeffrey Brunk (44:18):
Yeah, there are people like that, and sadly
there are people that don't wantto help themselves, but they
still come to me.
You know it's not like gettinga shot of penicillin for an
infection.
People have to do things forthemselves as well, especially
if it's physical issues that arecaused by, say, a spiritual or
emotional issue and you know Iuse the whole ulcers caused by
(44:42):
stress thing.
What we think and what weinternalize manifests into
physical issues and people haveto take initiative on their own
and not just take the word of adoctor here, take this pill or
here.
They have to think forthemselves.
So it's not always healing ofthe body, it's also a lot of.
I found a lot of it is, and thissounds funny for me to think
(45:05):
that it's.
It's counseling.
It's like being a therapist ina lot of ways and I do that a
lot after journeys with people,after they've read the summaries
that I've write.
I don't put my interpretations,as you well know, inside the
summaries because they're notmeant for me.
The journeys aren't meant forme, they're meant for the person
I'm journeying for.
So things in there meansomething to them, not to me.
(45:27):
I may have an idea of who'sthere based upon colors or
whatever, or someone goes withme, I know.
But as far as say, animals orrocks, trees, water, whatever
things have a meaning to them,not to me, I don't interpret
them, that's not my job.
But if it comes to removing,something that has been caused,
you know, ancestrally, orsomething they've done
(45:49):
themselves or experiencesthey've had that's manifested
physical issues within them oremotional issues within them.
I clear those and take those asbest I can, and however many
times I need to journey, I will.
Ebony Mixon (46:03):
It takes that person to be open to the healing
and open to receiving theinformation and applying
whatever changes needs to bedone.
Jeffrey Brunk (46:13):
Men are the worst as far as being open to
receiving.
There's that whole macho.
I'm strong, I can't cry, Ican't show emotion, blah, blah,
blah thing.
I've never been that way.
But I'm also one that feels Ican handle this on my own.
And it's sort of lonely becausepeople think that I can handle
everything on my own.
But I also need others becauseI don't know everything.
(46:35):
I'm always learning.
I learn things from everyonethat I've worked with.
I'll learn something from.
I'm given information, sure, bythe divine and even by the
darkness.
But when people think, oh, hecan do this himself, he can heal
himself.
And it's not always the casebecause I've still got ego.
I'm still a human being.
I can set my ego aside and dowork for others, no problem.
(46:59):
But it's hard for me to do thatfor myself.
But I'm just another guy, I'mjust another person.
I'm no different than anyoneelse.
There's nothing perfect aboutme.
And all these unicorns andrainbows, people that are just,
everything is beautiful and theyset their place up come out
feeling great.
Well, it's not always aboutfeeling great.
Sometimes it is about feelingbad because you have to let
(47:22):
things go.
It's a change that happenswithin people that is
uncomfortable things that youdon't necessarily want to learn
about yourself.
And it took me a long time tobe able to really be frank about
these things.
And I'm just a vessel andmessenger and you can choose to
take that for yourself or not.
And I'm very clear I'm not adoctor.
(47:43):
But if I'm given advice orgiven a message to give someone
regarding a medical issue, I'mgoing to pass it along, but it's
up to the person.
But I'm always learning fromothers.
It never ends and there'salways something different.
I tell people not to have anyexpectations when I journey,
because people tend to thinkhe's journeying for this
particular issue, whether it'sphysical or otherwise, so when
(48:06):
he's done I'll feel better.
It's not always like that, atleast in the beginning.
Time as we know it is.
We look at the watch and it's 3o'clock or whatever, and it's
not the way it is.
Even in this realm.
We're in.
Time is fluid, any direction,and it's not always an
instantaneous thing.
I say have no expectations,because if I had expectations
(48:26):
for every time I journeyed, I'dbe wrong 100% of the time,
everyone is completely different.
Now, that intention that I have,that I go with.
What happens is that I'll gowith that one intention, but it
always leads to something elsethat's associated with that
intention.
Ebony Mixon (48:41):
So how has like, since you've been doing energy
work and this whole journey oflearning more about yourself and
about all these differentmysteries in the world, has any
of that changed the way that youlive your life?
Jeffrey Brunk (48:56):
For the most part it's sort of a double-edged
sword when you have an awareness.
There have been times that Iliterally will say and I think I
may have even said it todaysometimes I just go man it'd be
so much easier just to go backand live the life like I used to
before all this awareness wasthere.
But I know, I know it would beharder.
(49:16):
So it's a double-edged sword.
It's being aware of things,it's a blessing, but it also
sets you apart from other peoplebecause you lose people.
I take that back.
You don't necessarily lose themYou're farther down the path
than they are but some do dropaway because you're not the same
person that you used to be.
My interest changed.
It's not a pious life at all.
(49:38):
It's not that I'm a heathentype guy.
But I'm not a pious person.
I'm just a guy, just human,like the rest of us, who
experiences the same things inlife that everyone else does.
You know, maybe not the samecircumstances, but the same
emotions, the same feelings.
But it's the awareness of how Ideal with those, whether to let
(49:59):
them control me or whether Itake control of that.
It's stopping to think anddiscern and say how do I want to
spend my energy?
Do I want to be angry aboutsomething, or frustrated or
fearful, or do I want to justtake control of that and go?
I'm going to trust in what Iknow.
That's a hard thing to dosometimes because, I'll be
(50:20):
honest, there have been times inthe not too distant past where
I've gone.
I just want to go to the darkside and take care of some shit
right now, but I know if I do,it'll come back tenfold on me,
Just like putting good thingsout in the world comes back.
Putting bad things out therecomes back even worse.
I don't need that.
I don't need that.
I don't want that.
Even the worst people out there, they're still connected to us,
(50:40):
they're still from the sameplace.
Everything is interconnected, sodoing something to something
that is connected to us is doingsomething bad to us as well.
It comes back to us.
We're harming ourselves, butdamn if we don't sometimes want
to.
Ebony Mixon (50:55):
We're harming ourselves, but they don't
sometimes want to, and so how do?
Jeffrey Brunk (51:04):
you protect yourself from darkness, dark
energy and that type oftemptation.
I'm aware it's around and asfar as physically, since we
moved into this home, we've hadI've seen shadow elements that
I've had to clear and we haveorbs all the time, but they're
protected and it may be becauseNative American land.
It could be human, it could beanimal, it could be.
You know everything's energyoutside.
I've seen the things in thedaytime before.
(51:26):
But, the way I do it is, Iacknowledge those lower
vibrational, darker things asbeing part of coming from the
same place, being part ofespecially the shadow elements
of who we are, appreciatingtheir time and what they did
contribute, but being firm aswell, not fearful, not yelling
like on the ghost shows, whichto me are situation comedies,
(51:48):
because I've seen so much darkerthan any of these things.
Ebony Mixon (51:52):
But there's, a.
Jeffrey Brunk (51:53):
I don't use the word love, I use the word
acceptance.
But I will say you don't haveto, or you don't have to like
everybody, but you should loveeveryone or accept everyone,
because they are part of who weare, whether we recognize it or
not.
Everything's connected.
It's not just a metaphysicalthing, it's a scientific physics
thing.
It's been proven.
(52:13):
It's energy, it's flowing.
You can't destroy it, you can'tbanish it.
You know the ghost shows arefunny to me.
Because you cannot come backhere, I banish you from this.
I'm laughing.
It's like yeah, right, yeah itcan, and you can bring it right
in the door if you had a bad day.
Ebony Mixon (52:29):
So, with you talking about like some of these
experiences and you being human, of course you have bad days
too.
You have times where I'm sureyou feel overwhelmed with a lot
of the things going on.
What are some things you dothat helps you keep going, and
how do you take care of yourselfso that you can keep doing the
(52:49):
work that you've been doing?
Jeffrey Brunk (52:51):
There are days I have, honestly, that I think to
myself I just don't want to behere anymore.
And I'm not talking aboutsuicidal inclinations, I'm
talking about I don't feel likeI belong here.
But when I have those days andI have those moments during the
day, I need to be outside.
I just feel drawn and I will goand I'll sit up in the woods or
I'll just take a walk, because,you know, being down in the
(53:12):
woods here, driveway's a quartermile I'll just go for a walk.
But being outside is my therapy.
That brings me back, thatgrounds me, regrounds me.
It's so important for people todo that.
Unfortunately, it's gettingharder and harder.
There's not as many places todo that for most people, but it
really just takes.
It doesn't have to be likewhere I am, where we're
(53:33):
surrounded by forest.
It can be anywhere, that'swithout all the distractions of
society.
I started out doing walkingmeditations early, early on, and
just noticing things as Iwalked.
There are ways to be outside ina busy area.
It's Zen for me to work on myrocks, my brockhound, or to work
on walking sticks, which I'dnever done, woodworking before
(53:56):
that we moved here.
It's Zen for me.
It's almost a meditation, in away, even though I'm doing
something.
Ebony Mixon (54:02):
Very good, I appreciate you letting me come
on here and ask you all thesequestions.
Jeffrey Brunk (54:08):
Yeah, I feel like I'm probably leaving a lot of
stuff out.
Ebony Mixon (54:11):
Is there anything else that comes to mind that you
think listeners should knowabout you?
Is there anything else thatcomes to?
Jeffrey Brunk (54:17):
mind that you think listeners should know
about you.
For men especially, don't beafraid to show who you really
are.
You know, I know it's difficultto do and for everyone.
This society is unlike any otherbecause we're constantly
bombarded with social media andtelevision and you know so much
I tell people, don't discountwhat you may have always thought
(54:39):
of as being impossible orridiculous, things that seem to
be not in tune with the life inthe world that you're living.
I wasn't expecting any of thisin my lifetime.
I never knew what would happenin my lifetime or where I would
end up being.
Certainly not this.
I never knew what would happenin my lifetime or where I would
end up being.
Certainly not this.
I followed the path that I wasmeant to and when I've strayed
(55:01):
I'm usually gently nudged back.
But be open to things that areunseen and things that are you
might consider to be impossibleor even ridiculous.
There's a lot more there thanyou recognize, but be open to it
because it's there and a lot ofquestions that people have can
be answered if you just take thetime to accept that and to
(55:21):
listen not hear, but listen toyourself.
That's the most important thing.
Take care of yourself first.
Ebony Mixon (55:28):
That's very good.
Thank you for opening up andsharing so much about yourself
and your history, and this isjust a small bit a little piece
of getting to know you, and moreand more as we go through and
do more podcast episodes.
Hopefully I'll be back.
Oh, yeah, yeah, that soundsgood.
(55:49):
That would be cool.
Jeffrey Brunk (55:50):
Well, I'm going to take the reins back over now
and I want to thank you forgrilling me a little bit.
You know I tend to ramblesometimes and I'm scolded for
that sometimes, but there's somuch and I don't mind talking
about my past because it made mewho I am the good, the bad and
the ugly and there's nothing tobe ashamed of for anyone when it
comes to the negative thingsthat happen to us or the bad
(56:13):
things we do or the bad thingswe go through or the traumatic
experiences that we have gonethrough.
They make us stronger and theymake us able to better help
other people that maybe haven'tgone through something as
traumatic.
I regret some of the thingsduring those years and the way
going about things, but not thatthat stuff happened because it
was necessary for me.
(56:34):
Lastly, I want to thank Pambecause, literally and
figuratively, she has saved mylife on many occasions, and
that's what you really wouldcall love.
I want to thank everyone forjoining us here and I hope you
come back again, as I say everyweek, because I may say
something that drives you away,but if I say something that
upsets someone, good, becausethat means you've listened and
(56:55):
something didn't sit well withyou that you need to take a look
at.
So until next week.
Thanks for joining us and seeyou then, peace.
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