Initiation: Autobiography of a Shaman-Buddhist Apprentice

Reading INITIATION by Sharon Shier was a mind-boggling surprise! This is no pious recital of religious platitudes. This is the story of an ordinary woman precariously balanced between the very strong pull of her American, mid-western upbringing and the relentless hunger of her own unique spiritual intuition.

Following her into the unpredictable twists and turns of her sometimes reluctant, but always expanding, relationship with her remarkable spiritual Teacher is both unnerving and exhilarating. Sharon’s candor and humor lured me, the reader, into becoming, first, a secret witness and, gradually, a trusted confidant whom she led ever deeper into the adventure of her own metamorphosis.

By the time I reached Sharon’s stunning conclusion, I had glimpsed a range of human consciousness potential, not only within her but also within myself, that was different from anything I had previously imagined. My heart had been both inspired and chastened. In a simple yet startling way, INITIATION reveals the story of the divine spark that struggles to awaken within each of us. As such, it has the elements of both an intriguing mystery and an unfolding love story of a very high order.

Since her youth in Detroit, Michigan, Sharon Shier has always had a curiosity about life, a penchant for journaling, and an interest in the dynamics at work in the evolution of human consciousness. Prior to obtaining her Masters Degree in social work, Sharon worked for the city’s Department of Social Services. Post Masters Degree, she held a daytime position in one of Detroit’s large inner-city public school systems as a social worker, while also maintaining an evening private practice as a psychotherapist.

In 1992, Sharon began her apprenticeship with Wisdom Master Maticintin, who is both a Buddhist Monk and a Shaman. Her more than a decade of studies and spiritual formation activities involved her in travels to various parts of the United States and North America, notably, Arizona, the San Juan Islands of Washington State, and finally, the woods of British Columbia.

Sharon was ordained in May of 2002. At the time of this writing, she is on silent retreat at the HÜMÜH Buddhist Monastery in Westbridge, B.C., Canada. She is sometimes seen shoveling the horse paddock or walking by the quiet beauty of the Kettle River with a golden retriever called Dallas and a small, white poodle named Mini Pearl.