The First Medicine

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Andrew Soliz grew up a seemingly normal guy. He had the business, the house, the wife, the kids, the mini-van and the Labrador retriever. Yet for Soliz, that wasn’t enough; he still wasn’t happy. So Soliz continued to seek more and more and eventually began to teach about the First Medicine.

When he was young, his grandmother initially influenced him in the traditional ways; as he got older, he sought a “normal” life. Years later, when his grandmother passed away, she began coming to Soliz in his dreamtime, telling him that he had work to do. She showed him visions in his dreams that came true in life and she was eventually able to guide Soliz back to his roots, following the traditional ceremonial ways of his First Nation, Lakota descent. Following this path Soliz says, saved his life, gave him purpose and made him healthy and happy. He says he had no choice but to give others the gift that was given to him. So Soliz began leading people on spiritual wilderness journeys and teaching men’s rites and rituals. He says that the true gifts in life are the ones that you share, that you pass on to others.

Andrew’s partner, Carrie Woodburn also grew up living a normal life. Eight years ago, Woodburn discovered the healing aspects of energy and began splitting her time between working at her job in Corporate America and teaching seminars and helping others to heal through energy. Woodburn says that she is incredibly blessed and that working with energy is not easy, but intensely fulfilling.

When Soliz and Woodburn paired up a couple of years ago, they created a powerful partnership and loving personal relationship. Now together, they take people on transformational journeys, including the wilderness adventures. They teach the balance of the masculine and feminine through action, not words: Soliz and Woodburn live what they teach. Most importantly, they teach people how to love again – themselves and others.

Recently, they took a group of twenty-one people on a twelve-mile long canoe trip down the Black Canyon River in Boulder City, Nev. Soliz says that waters are healing and since we as human beings are made up of 75% water, it is important to connect with the water in more ways than drinking and showering in it. By going out into nature, spending time with the water, realizing the power of the water, we remember who we really are and become whole again.