HOMEWATERS HEALING ARTS
Come home to yourself.
There's no wrong reason to start. We'll find out what's needed together.
Welcome
Rocks. Plants. Rivers. Seas. My great-great-grandmother knew how to listen to all of them.That knowledge nearly disappeared. I spent years training in shamanic and Hawaiian healing traditions and learning directly with those who came before me, and it was my homecoming.Coming to my true home changed the course of my life. Let me help you find yours.
You may be here because:
Someone you love is gone, and life doesn't fit the same way anymoreTrauma or a major change left you feeling like part of you is missingYou're standing at the edge of something — a beginning, an ending, or bothTherapy helped you understand what happened, but something still feels unfinishedYou've always sensed there was more to your experience than the physical, and you want to explore that safelyYou're not looking for more answers; you want to make room for a different kind of knowingYou are called toward this workNo matter what brought you here, welcome!
Healing / Guidance
One-on-one healing, protection, purification, or guidance work. You don't need to know exactly what you're looking for. We'll figure it out together.
Threshold Work
A steady presence and guidance through dying, crossing, grief, and beyond.
Ceremony Design
A ceremony built for your transition; yours to perform, or mine to lead. Alone, or with others you choose
About
My name is Mariana Tomas-Savage. My great-great-grandmother was a vidarica — a recognized healer — known well for her healing work in the Balkans.That knowledge didn't pass down through my family. I'm the one rebuilding it, through formal training and years of deliberate practice — not because it was handed to me, but because I heard the call and chose to pick it back up. Doing this work is how I keep choosing that, one person at a time.Before dedicating myself to healing work, I spent years helping people navigate profound transitions in another way—through coaching, organizational psychology, and guiding individuals and organizations through change. While the settings were different, the work has always been the same at its heart: helping people move through uncertainty with clarity, compassion, and integrity.I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, with my roots firmly here, but stretching to Croatia and Serbia, and my branches reaching to the island of Hawai'i. Everything I offer here grows out of that ground.
Training
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies — two-week intensive, currently a student in FSS's three-year advanced training programFour years of study in Hawaiian healing traditions, including energy healing and Ho'oponopono-rooted forgiveness practiceACC-credentialed coach (International Coaching Federation)MA in Organizational Psychology
Approach
I hold training on both sides of this work: the shamanic and ceremonial traditions themselves, and the coaching and psychological training that keeps that work responsible and clear.No matter which offering brings you here — a session, threshold support, or a ceremony of your own — you're working with someone who holds both the ancestral thread and the structure to use it responsibly.
Shamanic Healing or Guidance
Most people don't arrive knowing what methods of healing apply to them. But they do know there is something they want to work on.My role is to listen first. Together we'll understand what's bringing you here, and from there the approach will be selected. No worries, it is not your responsibility to know the language or the methods; it's mine.Because most people are curious about what a session might include, here are some examples: soul retrieval, extraction, guidance/decision support, restoring of personal power, purification, power animal retrieval, Hawaiian energy healing, or Ho'oponopono-rooted forgiveness practice, along with healing song, prayer, and other practices from my own lineage.This work complements medical and mental health care — it is not a substitute for either.
Threshold Work
Some transitions ask for a different kind of presence. Threshold work is for those facing death; their own, or someone they love, and the time surrounding it.Psychopomp work is also offered, and it means helping a soul find its way as it crosses over. This kind of support can reach someone even when they're no longer able to respond or seem present in the room. Whether someone is in the process of dying, or has already passed, the work is the same: helping that crossing happen with more ease.As with all my client work, we'll start with a short conversation to make sure it's the right fit.If you work in hospice, palliative care, or as an end-of-life doula and think a client or family might benefit from this kind of support alongside your own, I'd welcome that conversation too.
Ceremony Design
Not every kind of healing needs me in the room. Sometimes what helps most is a ceremony, designed for your specific transition, that you carry out yourself, or one that we experience together.Ceremony works by giving shape to what's still formless: speaking something into reality, calling in what's next, and marking an ending to create real closure. This might mean honoring the end of a long caregiving chapter, leaving a marriage, an unmarked loss, starting over after a major identity shift, entering parenthood, moving into a new home, or moving into a new life stage — maturity, late adulthood, or old age, among others.I offer two kinds of ceremonies: individual and group. Both can be designed as self-guided experiences that you perform on your own, or I can personally lead the ceremony, holding the space and guiding you through each step.Group ceremonies often carry a unique depth and power. When people witness and participate in one another's transitions, the shared intention can amplify the experience in meaningful ways. At the same time, leading a group ceremony well requires experience and careful preparation. During our consultation, we'll talk through your intentions, your comfort level, and who will be involved so we can decide together whether a self-guided ceremony or one led by me is the best fit for your situation.Think of ceremonies as personal rituals for spiritual, emotional, and mental health.In the words of powerful ceremony healers C.A. Hammerschlag and H.D. Silverman: "Ceremonies are a way of telling stories—even painful ones. Ceremonies create times of blessing. Ceremonies provide a structure for getting in touch with our hearts. Ceremonies help us see the old certainties in a new way, and something good always happens."
Investment
Every offering begins with a free 15-minute conversation before any commitment. All sessions are available in person or remotely, with a sliding scale offered across all three — no one is turned away for financial reasons. Reach out to discuss what works for you.
Shamanic Healing
$175 per session. Most sessions are about 60 min long.Threshold Work
$200 per session.Ceremony Design
$300–600 per ceremony, quoted individually based on complexity and delivery mode.
Testimonials
“I was exhausted from knee pain, and my back was hurting too. Stress was also a factor because I do heavy/hard work. I contacted Mariana and asked for help. She performed a shamanic healing that helped me a great deal. I also felt so deeply relaxed and at peace that I would like to do this every week!” - D.T.
"Mariana and her guides addressed some of my chronic health and personal energy challenges. My experience was different than other shamanic sessions I had in the past. I felt safe. I was able to deeply relax and be completely open to the possibilities. Mariana is gentle and transparent about her work and what is happening during time with her. There is no judgment and all questions are welcome. After my sessions and journey, I immediately felt lighter. A huge weight I didn’t know I had was no longer there. Within a day, my two main chronic issues were lessened, and within two days, were barely there. It’s been over 3 weeks, and those particular symptoms have not returned. I honestly was surprised by having such tangible results - and for them to hold this long.
I also have trouble protecting myself from energies that don’t belong to me. Mariana retrieved my power animal to help me with that and how to journey to continue learning from my power animal. I especially treasure that experience which is helping me become more grounded daily and more energized.
If you are seeking shamanic guidance or healing, I recommend Mariana as your Shaman Guide wholeheartedly." - S.F.
This work may not be the right fit if...
If you're hoping for a specific technique performed exactly as you learned it, or you're looking for a life coach or psychotherapist, this isn't the right place. I also won't be unpacking my methods or narrating each step as we go.Also very important to mention, I won't be trying to convince you, and won't be expecting that you share my worldview.If you're looking for thoughtful spiritual companionship, curiosity, honesty, and healing grounded in both tradition and discernment, we may be a good fit.Still unsure? The "Questions you might have" section below may answer what you're wondering but haven't quite put into words.
Questions You Might Have
What is shamanism?
The tradition of shamanism embodies one of humankind's oldest worldviews — practices for working with the unseen world to bring back what's needed for healing, guidance, divination, lost parts of the self, or a clearing of what no longer belongs. It shows up across cultures worldwide, each with its own form. My work is grounded in formal training, years of practice, and a personal spiritual relationship with my ancestors that continues to inform it.Shamanism: We Are Not Alone is an interview given by Michael Harner, the founder of the Foundation for
Shamanic Studies, in 1997. He explains in understandable terms the many kinds of shamanic healing work practiced today.Do I need to be trained in it to receive a session?
No. You don't need any background, belief system, or prior experience. Most people arrive with nothing more than a sense that something needs attention. The work happens through the practitioner — you're there to receive it, not to perform it.What is a "vidarica"?
A vidarica (vih-DAHR-ih-tsah) is a traditional healer in all South Slavic folk traditions, someone recognized in her community for her healing knowledge. My great-great-grandmother was one in the long line of women who did this work, and I am the continuation of that lineage.Are you a licensed medical provider?
No. I'm not a licensed medical or mental health provider, and I don't diagnose, treat, or give medical advice. This work addresses the spiritual dimension of illness and imbalance, not its physical causes. It's meant to complement medical and mental health care, not replace it.What if I'm skeptical?
That's welcome here. Curiosity is enough — you don't need to believe anything in particular for this to matter.What if I cry?
Many people do. Many don't. There is no wrong way to experience healing.What if I don't know why I'm here?
That's a fine place to start. Not knowing yet isn't a problem to fix before we begin — it's often part of the work.What if I've tried this before and it didn't help?
That happens, for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes the timing wasn't right. Sometimes something else was in the way. And sometimes healing did happen — just not in the form we expected, because what we receive isn't always what we asked for. Whatever happened before, we start fresh from where you are now.Will you judge me?
No. I am here to help, not to judge. I don't see people as broken. I also don't need your whole history to do that, so you never need to share more than you think is necessary.How do I prepare for a session?
Extensive preparation is not necessary. What you need to bring is an open mind and heart, and a willingness to receive.What does a healing or guidance session look like?
Every session begins with conversation. We'll talk about what's bringing you here, and whether this feels like the right kind of work for you.From there, I'll share how I think we should proceed, and answer any questions you have before we begin.The healing itself may be quiet, or it may not be; I might sing, drum, rattle, or sit in stillness, depending on what the work calls for. Some people experience emotion, imagery, physical sensations, or deep relaxation. Others notice very little during the session and find its effects unfolding over the days and weeks that follow. There is no right way to experience this work.Sessions usually run 60–90 minutes. Comfortable clothing is recommended, and some people find an eye mask helpful. Whether we meet in person or remotely doesn't change the outcome — this healing happens outside of linear space and time.We close by talking about what came forward and what might support your integration, the process of letting the session settle in and take root in daily life.What does a ceremony design session look like?
Here's how it works: we talk, you share what you're moving through and your intention, and I design a ceremony tailored to that intention. You choose whether others take part, and who leads it — me or you. It's a powerful way to reshape your future, heal, and support your overall wellbeing.Have a different question? Please reach out!This work complements both medical and mental health care, but it isn't a substitute for either.
Start a Conversation
You don't need to know exactly what you believe before beginning this work. Many people arrive with questions, uncertainty, or simply a sense that something within them is asking to be heard.This work is not about giving you answers or telling you what your experience means. It is about creating a space where you can listen more deeply, reconnect with what may have been lost or forgotten, and discover what healing looks like for you.
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