Full Circle Moments

Rainbow’s End | Lake Coeur d’Alene, ID | 2016

Have you ever seen a rainbow’s end? I took this photograph on June 18, 2016, on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. This was the first rainbow’s end that I had ever seen! It was no doubt a magical moment, but little did I know just how magical this event was, for it foretold of a significant spiritual shift and sacred pathway that was on the horizon.

A couple of weeks after witnessing this sacred gift, my husband, Brandon, and I flew to Scotland, to meet our friends and to go on a pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona with Andrew Steed. Andrew is a Celtic Shamanic Practitioner and professional Bard, and he offers amazing pilgrimages to sacred sites in the UK and other locations around the world. My dear friend Kristin had known Andrew for many years and suggested the trip.

The day before meeting Andrew, I witnessed a second rainbow’s end, after a spectacular thunderstorm in the lovely town of Oban. On July 2nd, we met Andrew at the ferry that would take us from Oban to Mull, and then on to Iona. I recall seeing Andrew for the first time, and he was like a bright colorful light radiating out pure love and joy! We learned that his personal symbol was… can you guess?... the Rainbow!

Truth be told, I had absolutely no clue at the time how impactful this first pilgrimage would be. Going on pilgrimage with Andrew Steed is no relaxing vacation! Sure, there are aspects of rest that are involved, however, he takes you to authentically meet the land, and if you are open and willing, you will end up meeting yourself, and this is where great shifts can take place.

It is now 10 years later, and looking back at that time, at that first pilgrimage, I am in awe at how much positive change has transpired in my life. Meeting Andrew was a massive catalyst for me, and I am forever filled with gratitude on this sacred connection. In the time since this first trip, I have taken Andrew’s two-year Celtic Shamanic Practitioner training program, followed by another two-year program exploring advanced shamanic study and deep ancestral work, have gone on multiple pilgrimages in the UK and Jamaica, attended workshops, and participated in two Wild Hunts.

Studying the Celtic Shamanic Pathways with Andrew over these years has been a blessing on many levels. It has brought me closer to my ancestral roots, which are predominantly from the British Isles. The shamanic work has helped me to release many personal and ancestral patterns that no longer serve me. It has been a sometimes challenging yet deeply rewarding journey that I look forward to continuing for years to come.

Andrew Steed & Jenna Redhawk | Glastonbury, UK | 2024

It is incredible looking back at that first rainbow’s end and how it foretold of this magical pathway opening for me. Rainbows remind me of portals, and it feels as though I stepped through a rainbow portal back then in 2016. Andrew teaches that in the Celtic medicine way the rainbow is actually a circle! He wrote about this in his book 13 Steps to Bringing Magic into Your Life, “So many people believe it is an arc, yet in point of fact it is really a circle. We only get to see a piece of the story; there is magic in unseen spaces.”

I love that. While we are in the story, we may only see a piece of it. Looking back over the past 10 years, 20 years, 50 years… what a magical rainbow journey it has been! Everything is beginning to make sense… all the pieces are coming together, leading to the ever present and very magical NOW.

This year marks two major “full circle” moments for me: 1) It’s the 10-year anniversary of walking through that rainbow portal, meeting Andrew Steed, and studying the Celtic Shamanic Pathway; and 2) After 20 years in academia, I have made the leap to being self-employed. I am overjoyed to be in partnership with Angela in our sacred creation of Celestial Pathways! I did not know it at the time, but the past five decades have all contributed to where I am now in the most magical of ways.

I look forward to experiencing this exciting journey as it unfolds!

With gratitude,

Jenna