About Wandering Stars

WELCOME!

Wandering Stars was formally initiated on the New Moon in Libra at 8:18 p.m. 10/8/2018, to forge a balanced center for holding space with a loose-knit community of friends - all sojourners on the path of seeking mystical experience, increasing spiritual awareness, physical and mental health, and simply finding inner peace.

In particular, the work here is focused on utilizing various healing practices and psychedelic therapies that have been clinically proven to assist people in dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance addictions/withdrawals, and other health issues which are a barrier to well-being and self-realization.

While most of these methods are derived from various ancient world spiritual traditions, there is absolutely no religious doctrine preached here - all are welcome, no matter what your beliefs are. Wandering Stars and our associates have seen proven results when applying these healing techniques with everyone who earnestly partakes in them.

So… having said that - Hello!

My name is Shane Clayton, and Wandering Stars is the current focus of my life-long spiritual journey - one that began “way back when” in the Summer of Love of 1967. Like so many of the “boomer” generation, my introduction to transcendental meditation, alternative spirituality, and mystical experience came via the popular “hippie” counter-culture movement and the attendant use of psychedelics - particularly LSD and Psilocybin mushrooms, and of course Cannabis.

My introduction to the shamanic use of psychedelics to induce mystical experiences in “vision quests” came first via Carlos Castaneda and his series of books during these early years - writings that are still relevant to my work over 50 years later. This led me to research and experiment with other authentic Mesoamerican shamanic psychedelic traditions including that of the Southwest US Mescaleros with peyote, the South American Ayahuasceros with DMT, and the Mazateca of Oaxaca and Salvia divinorum, who also introduced the Western world to “magic” psilocybin mushrooms in 1956. The entheogenic practices of Mexican indigenous cultures cross over in many ways, and these “abstract core” teachings are the primary influence on the vision quest ceremonies held here at Wandering Stars.

My introduction to the Kemetic or ancient Egyptian tradition was initiated a decade later during a visit to the touring Tutankhamun exhibit in Seattle in March of 1978. Later, in 1993, I encountered a trinity of Egyptian divinities (Neteru) I was previously unfamiliar with through my involvement with a Gnostic group in Sacramento. This Egyptian connection culminated for me on the Spring Equinox morning of 2018 - forty years to the month after my initial Tutankhamun experience - a sunrise observance directly overlooking the Great Sphinx, with the Pyramids serving as gargantuan backdrops.

The Sphinx was ingeniously constructed to align perfectly facing the Equinox sunrises, making this a most auspicious event, intentionally timed on my part. Immediately after that, I was allowed to enter the Great Pyramid alone, and after ascending the Grand Gallery and ducking through the passage into the King’s Chamber, I spent nearly an hour by myself sitting with my back to the East wall facing the red granite sarcophagus in the West. It was then that an overpowering mystical experience swept over me - a transmission seemingly triggered by my vocal vibration of AUM which resonated through the empty granite-walled space. Some folks call these experiences “downloads”, and they wouldn’t be far off the mark.

And so, the core of my work here proceeds from the study, research, experimentation, and application of the primary source of the Western Esoteric Traditions - the Sacred Sciences of ancient Egypt. While it is not a prerequisite that visitors share my focus on Egypt, it is important to understand the “pure stream” from where this all comes from. I can boil down my answer to the question “Why Egypt?’ to Dion Fortune’s statement above, the “pristine stream” and “fountainhead” of all things Western is undeniably ancient Egypt.

The deeply resounding spiritual or altered states of awareness I experienced in their temple ruins, and my fascinating discoveries and realizations later led me to create reproductions of the fabled ancient Egyptian temple incense - Kepu - also called Kapet or Kyphi by the Greeks - as well as their Merhet - the Seven Sacred Oils. (See my article “Welcome to Egypt!”)

Based upon the most up-to-date archaeological translations of the hieroglyphic inscriptions carved upon the temple walls, these are to my knowledge the only truly authentic reproductions for sale to the public at this time. The results of several years of research, acquisition of rare ingredients, and experimentation and familiarity with fragrance alchemy are now shared in limited quantities through my “The Egyptian - Sacred Scents” store, which is the retail “business” part of what Wandering Stars is all about.

Wandering Stars Cottage

However, my work at Wandering Stars Cottage is not intended strictly as a business. It is, first and foremost, a powerful sacred space - where I just so happen to be fortunate enough to live, practice, and create these sacred potions and fragrant mixtures. Those who come here are always friends and family, honored guests, and associates, in the truest sense - never “customers” “clients” or even “patients”.

My cottage is located on a hill overlooking a pond and eucalyptus grove, across the road from an expansive Butte Valley meadow called Rattlesnake Flats, bordered by basalt cliffs to the East overlooking a fork of Clear Creek. The property itself is bordered on the West by the other fork of Clear Creek which runs through Shirt Tail Canyon with its distinctive pyramidal buttes behind us. Most fortuitously, the cottage and visioning tent are aligned within a degree of true astronomical North, just as are Giza’s great pyramids. Everyone who visits agrees that the property has a deeply peaceful, calming, centering, and healing influence.

When I moved in the property was owned by Paula Barros, a certified yoga instructor, chiropractor, and healer, who established the foundation of the vibes here with her Clear Creek Healing Center. But then, just one month to the day after I established Wandering Stars, the deadliest and most devastating fire in California’s history occurred just a few miles up the hill from us in Paradise. The property here was part of a 2 mile-long swath from Butte College up to just past my place that firefighters rather miraculously saved. The landscape was black all around me until the rain came, after which the hills turned bright green. The energy here now, more than ever, is that of healing, rebirth, and regeneration.

Paula decided to sell soon after the fire and left the state, but returns now and then and will continue to stay connected with me and the property. The current owner, Heather Sanzone, purchased the farm in January 2023 and will be officially opening her Dragonfly Healing & Learning Center to onsite classes in 2025. A non-profit spirituality-based members-only school for children, Dragonfly will be uniquely suited to this amazing property. Heather and I have developed a very positive and harmonious connection and look forward to the concurrent development of our respective practices here in the coming years.

Wandering Stars

Open by appointment or simple request - or by invitation, Wandering Stars was conceived as a portal for those seeking integral mind-body-spirit consulting and healing utilizing interdisciplinary methods of self-knowledge, self-repair, psychedelic experience, and spiritual practice if desired - or as simply a safe, peaceful getaway to share with like-minded friends.

Wandering Stars has been consecrated as a library and refuge, a place of communion and vision quests, for those who may wish to seek such things, and so is my offering in Spirit - there are no preliminary consultation fees. Even so, this being a mutual exchange, offerings or honorariums are always gratefully accepted, as one may see fit.

After preliminary consulting, both you and Wandering Stars will know whether our healing services are right for you. We believe our rates for these are aligned with other local independent healers, including those of my associates who may assist with my Salvia divinorum “Veladas” or vision quests and other work.

That, in essence, is the core emphasis of our community work here at Wandering Stars, but without the additional encumbrances of monthly membership dues and/or culty requirements found… elsewhere. While we will discuss various mystical teachings of the world traditions and seek to integrate the most salient of their ideas and practices into our lives, ours is a far more open, egalitarian, and mercurial community.

Here, science and spirit coalesce, my emphasis firmly based on scientific data and critical research into the properties of the products and potions sold here. The same can be said for the psychological import of the practices of meditation, ceremony, and especially psychedelic vision quests.

In essence, we work primarily with the ancient Sacred Sciences of three of the oldest cultures - Egyptian, East Indian, and Native American, to bring the Spiritual and the Mundane together in our daily practice. Thus our motto: “Bridging the gap between Ancient Egyptian wisdom and modern healing practices.”

First and foremost, we seek what works for each of us, what appeals to our inner sense of what is right, what we are attracted to, and our inmost desire. We seek to collect wisdom writings, make libraries, share them, and preserve them for future generations. We look forward to building this community around the group practice of meditation and seeking the beautiful mystical psychedelic experience. I warmly invite you to join us in this endeavor.

The Work

For those who are interested, I offer an ancient way to assist in developing a personalized path, a user-friendly Astrology-based guidance/coaching portal inspired by and built upon the Egyptian Sacred Sciences, which are the undisputed root of Platonism, Hermetics, Gnosticism, Qabalah, and the Western Esoteric Traditions.

This eclectic mix includes smatterings of relevant Eastern Vedantic, Buddhist, and Taoist teachings and certain North American and Meso-American shamanic methods. I am not ashamed to say that I have “cherry-picked” what I believe to be “purest streams” from these, but would also point out that their core teachings are all generally found in common amongst each other - all coming as they do from what the wise ones tell us is the same long-lost source.

Therefore, none of these practices are emphasized in particular, nor do I seek to “convert” anyone to any particular spiritual belief system - although I am partial to the ancient Egyptian religion, the oldest and most completely preserved without distortion or corruption. Although my work is based upon decades of both solitary and group experiences, the methods offered are provisional at best — and yet, they serve as a historically tried and true framework from which to explore each individual’s path leading to the Remembrance of their divine center and pure will.

My intent is to open up a playful, grounded yet uplifting, and mindful mental and emotional space and dialogue with each friend visiting me or my associates here. No heavy trips or initiations are requisite (unless you are interested in those sorts of things…) even my atheist friends find refuge here. Ultimately, I am just a provisionary guide and receiver to assist in focusing on and perfecting one’s own truth and pure will - not mine. My admonition is always “Physician, heal thyself!”

Mine is simply to do that too.

And finally, Wandering Stars Astrological Natal Horoscopes are always free for the asking. After all, Wandering Stars is a place that is expressly dedicated to assisting folks to know themselves and their divine nature and thereby find inner peace, whether here in person, online, or on the Akashic levels. Reach out, at any time - a listing of our services, rates, and contact information can be found below…

Thank you so much for your interest!

In Ma’at,

Shane

Wandering Stars offers several private and group services and products that support our work and practice here at the cottage:

EVENTS:

Pricing may vary, with a maximum of 12 guests per event

Sound healing sessions $25 per person group, $111 individual.

Lunar / Solar observances, gatherings, or ceremony - always free! Honorarium welcomed.

Guest Speakers and Presentations - pricing TBA

Virtual Egyptian Temple Tour slideshows - honorarium welcomed.

Monthly Sunday Morning Portico Meetings - always free! Honorarium welcomed.

OTHER SERVICES:

Consulting, Aromatherapy, Readings, Instruction, Guided Meditation:

Initial consultation (1 - 3 hours) and printed Natal Horoscope are offered at no charge (honorarium welcomed). After this, the fee is a sliding scale based on $50 per hour.

Egyptian or Vedantic Chakra aromatherapy sessions

Mind/body health and wellness consulting

Astrological charts and interpretations

Qabalistic Numerology interpretations

Tarot / I Ching Readings

Guided meditation, breathing, and chanting

Animal/Plant/Water/Earth and Elemental re-connection on the Dragonfly property.

Ska Maria Pastora Vision Quest Sessions

Egyptian Theurgy:

Theurgy centers on the practice of ceremonies or rituals, perhaps seen as magic in nature, performed with the intention of invocation/evocation of the noble ideal, action, or Presence of one or more deities. The Noble Ideal is to achieve henosis, that is, perfecting or identifying oneself with the attributes of the said divinity chosen by the aspirant (or truly, vice versa).

Henosis - ἕνωσις is the classical Greek word for mystical "oneness", "union" or "unity". In Platonism, and especially Neo-Platonism, the goal of henosis is union with what is fundamental in reality: the One, the Source, or Monad. The Gnostics called this realization or remembrance Gnosis - Knowing. The Hebrews call it Yechidah - unity. The Egyptians called it Ra or Horus the Elder “B’Hedety.” This protective “Great God” was depicted as the Winged Globe found on the lintel over every Egyptian temple doorway:

Wandering Stars Products:

‘The Egyptian’ Sacred Scents store: Sacred oils, unguents, perfumes, and incense reproductions

Wandering Stars Publications:

Easy to read, inexpensive formatted .PDF files of some of my companion articles, which are soon to be published together as books.

Again, should you require additional information, simply call, text, or e-mail me... my mobile phone number is (530) 434 - 0923 and my email is shane@wandering-stars.net. For location or to drop me a line visit my Contact Information page.

… and thank you again for your interest in Wandering Stars!

Sekhau!

In Ma’at,

Shane

About Wandering Stars content © R. Shane Clayton/Wandering Stars Publishing

2018-2025 All Rights Reserved

Wandering Stars is dedicated to expounding the Sacred Science of Ancient Egypt

In memory and in honor of John Anthony West

Born July 9, 1932 - Wested February 6, 2018

AUM