We were saddened to hear of the death of Valerie Young on July 9, 2014.
Valerie was a Certified Shadow Work® Facilitator and Coach. She died at home at the age of 62 following a two-year battle with cancer. She faced her illness and her transition as she lived her life — with grace and courage.
Valerie was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduated from Wagner High School. She studied at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Pennsylvania, where she got her Ph.D. in anthropology.
For clients who requested it, she combined Shadow Work® Coaching with soul retrieval to create a unique opportunity for healing at the soul level. She had been introduced to her own shamanic gifts years earlier and pursued intensive training in advanced shamanism and shamanic healing with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She was on the referral list of Sandra Ingerman (author of Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self) starting in 1994. She was also a Family Constellations facilitator.
Valerie was one of the founders of Woman to Woman, Kentuckiana, a community of Woman Within graduates in the Kentucky/Southern Indiana area. She staffed weekends and led workshops and women’s circles. She shared her gifts generously and played an important role in the healing journey for many women in the Louisville area. She was known for her remarkable intuition and compassion, and her ability to bring help and love from those on the other side.
One of the great loves of her life was her music. Valerie had an extraordinary soprano voice with tremendous range. She loved to sing, play Celtic harp, and play piano and percussion in her beloved band, Keltricity. The last time she attended the annual gathering of North American group facilitators, she delighted her colleagues with a solo performance as well as by singing and playing alongside us. You can see beautiful photos of Valerie and hear her with her band at Keltricity.com.
Valerie was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Fanelli Young, and is survived by her father, Morris H. Young. She leaves behind many loving cousins and extended family members and devoted friends. Valerie was grateful for her many friendships and the love in her life, as well as many blessings and small miracles.
Before she left us, Valerie created a foundation to carry on her work. Her legacy is “The Living Sanctuary,” the gift of her house and land to be used as a place for healing retreats and workshops. Many friends and colleagues are grateful to have known this beautiful woman and will miss her deeply. Her smile and powerful spirit will remain in our hearts forever.
“On this side of life there is you and I, On the other side there is only us.”
This article, to which Valerie herself, Becky Schupbach, Alyce Barry and others contributed, originally appeared in our free email newsletter in August 2014. To subscribe, visit our subscription page.
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