Who is Bodhi Koyote?
Bodhi Koyote has been initiated through the process of katabasis into the realm of soul and psyche. Having lived through Shaman’s sickness, 9 years of incarceration, chronic debilitating pain, Complex PTSD, bouts of psychosis, among other trials and tribulations - Bodhi has learned first hand what it means to traverse the underworld of the physical realm along with the underworld of spirit and psyche as well.
Having grown up through much dysfunction and traumatic circumstances as a boy, in his youth Bodhi lost himself in the oppressive beliefs about himself and about the world living a largely unconscious existence. Losing his way down dark paths and disconnection from reality and furthermore from himself, he saw the world as a threatening and dangerous place - and did what he thought he had to survive. At the age of 19 he found himself face-to-face with a psychotic break and a member of a violent white-supremist bike gang that reminded him of his abusive father. After confronting and nearly killing the man, Bodhi spent his 20’s in prison surrounded by darkness and depravity. Yet as Spirit would have it, this was a turning point for Bodhi on his spiritual journey, and prison became grounds for shamanic initiation and a deep dive into the underworld - in multiple ways, in multiple realms.
Within and since prison, Bodhi has continually dedicated himself to growth and expansion, immersing himself in deep spiritual/psychological exploration of the psyche and soul. This has transpired in many ways and by way of many forms, such as: varied participation and facilitation of spiritual ceremony, pouring sweat lodge and becoming a drum carrier (both while still in prison), men’s work, mentoring troubled/traumatized youth, training animals for disabled veterans, training and licensing in bodywork and massage therapy, shamanic/spiritual counseling, study and practice of delving into the unseen realms of self and beyond in search of healing and growth.
While trials by fire and darkness burned away at his life, Bodhi has come to clearly understands these so called catastrophes to be initiations, tests, lessons, and invaluable forms of growth, learning, and expansion that could not have been achieved otherwise and furthermore trained him to do this powerful work and readied him for the sacred duty of holding space for others - especially those in crisis, and those healing through debilitating trauma and difficulty.
Bodhi specializes in holding space for people who find themselves in deep turmoil and strife, for he knows the darkness within which these challenges reside.
He does not claim to be a healer or a shaman, but his heart’s work is that of healing and shamanism, and he believes that each of us must heal and save ourselves, that each of us are to become our own shaman. And for Bodhi, being of service looks like walking with a torch into the darkness alongside others on the path of becoming whole, the path of self-discovery and rescue.