Meet Martha Travers, a luminary in the realm of nature and spirituality. In this exploration, discover the roots of her profound connection with nature, her teaching philosophy, and the transformative power of WayCard Readings. Join Mystic Mag on a journey into inner medicine and the pursuit of a more connected and enlightened existence.
Can you please begin by sharing with us what initially inspired your deep connection with nature and your journey into exploring the spiritual and ecological aspects of life?
Well, that is such a beautiful question, and I first just want to express my gratitude to you for taking the time to ask me these questions and explore this with me. Gratitude is always a good way to begin any meeting, any encounter, and it’s part of my path to do that, to express that gratitude. We all are nature beings, so it’s very innate in each human being, and to look back in time and say where did this begin?
It began with our birth when we were given the great gift of having a body. The body is the earth element. That’s how we manifest in the world. Our spiritual essence manifests through the body. So I could say that my path began at the time of birth as is true of all human beings…
Your background includes teaching college students and promoting the idea of “following your bliss.” How do you see this concept intersecting with your spiritual and ecological beliefs?
So I am a writer. And my early teaching at the university was teaching introductory writing classes to first-year students. And what I realized very early on in working with them was that the best writing came when they were writing about something that they cared deeply about.
That if I assigned a topic, the writing would not necessarily be very exciting. And it certainly was perhaps not very interesting to them to do that. So as a teacher, I began learning how to help them access their voice, how to help them access what they most cared about, and to write about that…
You mentioned learning from the mystical tradition of the Andes mountains in South America. What were some of the key insights or practices you gained from this experience that you find particularly transformative?
So I spent 22 years as an apprentice to Alberto Taxo. And 10 of those years, I traveled to Ecuador, his home, lived in at various times in different communities, traveled with him. Many people around the world now have heard of the prophecy of the condor and the eagle. And this is part of Taita Alberto’s path.
And that is the idea that a time would come, and that time is now, when the eagle and the condor would fly in the same sky. And that means a time of peace. So even though we are in this extraordinarily difficult time on planet Earth, this prophecy pertains to these times…
Can you elaborate on some of the specific spiritual practices and actions that you guide individuals through during phone consultations, and how do these practices help individuals tap into their inner medicine and experience a deeper connection with the natural world and the broader universe?
Yeah, that phrase inner medicine is so important. And again, that’s connected to our bliss. And it’s connected to what I said at the outset, that this connection with nature is innate. It is who we are as human beings. So when I do phone consultations with people, I listen, they share with me questions that they may be having conflicts that they’re experiencing.
And depending upon what is happening with that individual person, we may explore classical meditation techniques, feeling the breathing, the sitting meditation forms, there are various forms, various paths of sitting meditation…
WayCard Readings sound like a unique and insightful approach to personal and spiritual exploration. Can you explain how these readings can help individuals gain deeper insights into their life journey and navigate the complexities of their paths?
Well, our mind, oftentimes, is caught in habits of thought. So the way cards help the person bypass the mind, anything intuitive that’s coming from the heart, that is inviting that mystical psychic dimension of who we are as human beings to become present, is giving the person the opportunity to see beyond the point of view that they might conventionally be repeating the story that they keep telling themselves…
What do you love most about your profession?
What brings me the greatest joy in my profession is witnessing the happiness expressed by my university students and clients as they engage in these practices or receive a reading. I don’t view this as something I am doing; instead, I see it as a reflection of our true nature and the transformative power inherent in these practices and cards, guiding us toward a lighter state.
Additionally, in expressing my gratitude to my teacher Alberto, who passed away in February 2022, I’ve authored a book titled “The Shamanic Teachings of the Condor,” set to be published by Inner Traditions in the spring of 2024. This book serves as a guide for individuals to navigate this path, whether or not they engage in consultations, workshops, or classes with me. Also, the WayCard book is available, offering another resource for those on their journey.
Experiencing the positive energy uplift in others, knowing that it reciprocally uplifts mine, is immensely rewarding. Every time we give, even without knowing who reads the book, there’s an energetic exchange, and my teacher Alberto, even in his passing, continues to receive whenever I share his teachings.
