Unlocking the Wisdom of Nature: Lessons from the Turtle | Spirit & Destiny

May 29, 2024February 12, 2026spiritbearcoach

As we enter the summer months, now is the time to go for a walk in nature and look at the lush amounts of green grass and leaves on trees. But have you ever thought of looking at nature as to how it could be used as a metaphor to our life’s problems or questions?

Native American wisdom, the Elders say that if something shows up four times to you meaningfully, it has a message for you. Think of it as our unconscious mind having the answer and is trying to make your conscious mind aware of it. I wrote a number of articles awhile ago for Spirit & Destiny the UK’s best selling spiritual magazine, on how we could learn from the animals that surround us, and if they did have a message for us, what would it be?

This month we look at the lesson from the Turtle your co-coach.

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Walk in Peace;

Walk in Beauty

until we meet again…

BIO: Johnathan Brooks MA, PG Dip, FMAC is an experienced Master Executive and Personal Coach with 1,800+ hrs in the field, who has trained in a wide range of personal development methods including CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (postgrad), EFT Emotional Freedom Technique, Master NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming, has a Postgraduate Diploma Degree in ‘Coaching and NLP’, which he passed with a ‘Commendation’, a Master of Arts in ‘Applied Coaching’ and certified Career Coach. He is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Bio Trivia: Johnathan is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and whose godfather was Yul Brynner who won an Oscar for the ‘King and I’ film (1957).

He is a Fellow of the Association for Coaching (FMAC), Master member of the European and Mentoring Council (UK) and a professional member of the Association of NLP.

Click here for Johnathan’s L inkedIn

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How Coaching with Cards Transforms Sessions

July 24, 2019February 12, 2026spiritbearcoach

I’ve always been interested in how cards can be used in coaching sessions, some directly and in-directly.

In my personal practice I normally work on a new client about 30 mins before they arrive not necessarily knowing what the problem is yet. One of the first things I do is draw an angel card and I see how this relates to the client’s issue that day, but without telling them about the cards during the session. I’ve been working like this for the last 23 years. I think of it as observational research and the cards always without fail relates to the clients situation in some way. Cards have been a great aid for asking insightful coaching questions that then lead to very creative and resourceful sessions.

Recently for a new client, I drew the angel card of Fun, next I pulled the Trickster from the Native American Path cards, which is also as it happens to be about laughing at the realisation of the crooked path one is on and not to be so serious. The next card I pulled from the Medicine Cards deck was Beaver, which is about working hard and working together. I then let it be to see what opened up during the coaching session.

During the session he mentioned social anxiety (not working together), he was retired and wanted to use his time more effectively but didn’t know what to do with his time, but wanted fun. He also mentioned that he got frustrated with others and gave the example of road rage that he gets. So anger became our first piece of change work that session, as the anger also affected his personal relationship with his partner.

When he left, guess what his personalised car number plate was? Ans: FUN

‘Walk in Peace;

Walk in Beauty’

— Spirit Bear Coaching

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If this reflection has offered insight or comfort, and you’d like to help sustain this work and help make coaching accessible to others, you’re welcome to contribute here.

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Embrace Spiritual Wisdom Through Owl Medicine

February 5, 2019February 12, 2026spiritbearcoach

Close up of Great Grey Owl perched in a tree in winter — The Owl – ’tis good medicine

‘After the darkness and storms of troubled winter, protective snow now blankets the forest with silence. Forest is what the shamans call “the dwelling place of spirits” and it’s the home of the sacred medicine bird, the owl. Aided by the clairvoyant owl, from this quiet, white place our deepest spiritual wisdom rises with hope for the coming thaw, to seek our truth from our compassionate depths.’ (Brooks, Spirit & Destiny, Feb ’14 p.47)

Walk in Peace;

Walk in Beauty

until we meet again…

BIO: Johnathan Brooks MA, PG Dip, MAC is an expert Life/Career Executive Coach with 1,500+ hrs experience, who has trained in a wide range of personal development methods including the “Power Therapies” (CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (postgrad), EFT Emotional Freedom Technique, Master NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming), has a Postgraduate Diploma Degree in ‘Coaching and NLP’ which he passed with a ‘Commendation’, a Master of Arts in ‘Applied Coaching’ and certified Firework Career Coach. He is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Bio Trivia: Johnathan is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

He is a full member of the Association for Coaching (MAC), full member of the European and Mentoring Council (UK) and a professional member of the Association of NLP.

Support This Work

If this reflection has offered insight or comfort, and you’d like to help sustain this work and help make coaching accessible to others, you’re welcome to contribute here.

Support Spirit Bear ☕ →

Stolen Generations: Survivors of the Indian Adoption Projects and 60’s Scoop

August 31, 2016April 10, 2018spiritbearcoach

Due to the success of Two Worlds (Book 1) and Called Home (Book 2), I was asked to write the introduction for the new anthology Stolen Generations (Book 3), which was published April 2016.

A highly anticipated follow up to the history-making anthologies TWO WORLDS and CALLED HOME: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects series, STOLEN GENERATIONS: Survivors of the Indian Adoption Projects and 60s Scoop offers more narratives on the history of land-taking and child theft/adoption projects in the name of Manifest Destiny in North America. These narratives make clear that Lost Children are not only survivors but resilient. A collection of adoptees’ firsthand accounts and the historical background of the Indian Adoption Projects and 60s Scoop, along with pertinent news, quotes and bibliography, this stunning new anthology has been edited by award winning journalist, adoptee-author Trace L Hentz (formerly DeMeyer).

Contributor: INTRO: Johnathan Brooks (Northern Cheyenne & Cree)

You can order the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stolen-Generations-Children-Adoption-Projects/dp/0692615563/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472472318&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Generations+Trace

’til we meet again,

Walk in Beauty;

Walk in Peace.

‘Causing the Miraculous by Spreading Beauty, Truth & Harmony‘

Johnathan Brooks, MAC, MA, PG Dip is a Life Coach who has trained in a wide range of personal development treatment methods including the “Power Therapies” (CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (postgrad), EFT Emotional Freedom Technique, Master NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming), a Masters of Arts Degree in ‘Applied Coaching’ and has a Post Graduate Diploma Degree in ‘Coaching and NLP’, which he passed with a ‘Commendation’. And is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

He is a full member of the Association for Coaching (MAC), a Gold member of The Professional Guild of NLP and a full member of European and Mentoring Council (UK).