White Man Red Road

White Man Red Road is a Spiritual Memoir and Love story. The story chronicles Wes's journey from apprentice to Sundancer in the Shoshone - Bannock tradition, and how he and and his wife used the ceremonies and teaching from this path to help her overcome the severe emotional and physical health challenges she was facing. Set in Los Angeles in the 1990's the narrative spans an approximately ten year period from the time Wes was introduced to the spiritual practices of the Red Road until he participated as Sundancer in that sacred ceremony. Though most principal characters have had their names changed by request, the names of Wes, his wife Victoria, and two other key participants in the story, Paul Williams and Robert Blake, remain unchanged. Throughout the book Wes conveys in an appropriate fashion the teachings and ceremonies as they are given to him by his teachers. While not a "how to" book, the narrative includes a great many details for his perspective on what it was like to experience these ceremonies, and the insights and changes they induced. As the story progress, Wes is able to use many of the things he has learned from ceremony in an attempt to help his wife, who was courageously struggling with various mental and physical diagnosis that were culminating in hospital and psychiatric stays. Together since 1977, the couple used to experiences, teachings, and strength gained from the Red Road journey to face a relentless series of challenges. The ebook version of White Man Red Road offers additional insight in the form of several video clips of Wes speaking about the material in the narrative. These clips are embedded in an enhanced version offered through the iBooks platform. Also included in that version are ten songs, written and performed by Wes, that incorporate the teaching and spirit of the Red Road as he has walked. The ebook contains all ten songs and their lyrics. For formats that currently offer text only version of the e-book, the CD is available separately. The Shoshone-Bannock Elder under whom Wes sundanced has vetted the lyrics to the songs and the music was released only after receiving the blessing of this Elder. Wes addresses head on the issues that often prove controversial around cross cultural Spirit journeys, from the outset of the book. The story is about a call to Spirit, a door that is opened, and the opportunity to use what is learned to help someone heal. Wes makes it clear that the story is never about "playing Indian", it is about honoring a set of traditions that were offered on the condition that they be respectfully learned and shared, and remaining authentic to who you are in the process. Wes wrote the book to fulfill a vow he made to his teacher to commit his story to writing and pass on what he had learned. White Man Red Road is the story of crossing cultures, transcending belief systems, persevering in Spirit, and growing a life much bigger than you thought was possible.

Wes Hamil is an author, teacher, musician and entrepreneur currently living in Colorado. His writing career spans 40 years and a variety of expressions. His work has appeared in publications for the financial, technology, entertainment and spiritual growth sectors. Specific examples are the Austin Chronicle, Gratitude and Trust.com, and The Texas Music Association along with a National Mortgage Newsletter. He was recognized nationally for his writing skills by National Scholastic Press and has pursued writing in addition to other business, spiritual and creative channels throughout his life. Wes has written and performed songs that have appeared in film releases by Sony Pictures, on television and in recorded compilations featuring Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, along with his own releases. He has taught at various yoga and spiritual retreats throughout the United States for the past 15 years. His current book is a spiritual memoir entitled ＂White Man Red Road＂. The book chronicles the journey Wes took from Apprentice through becoming a Sundancer in the Shoshone-Bannock tradition. During this time, Wes’s wife Victoria traveled a difficult path through extreme health challenges and the book incorporates the concurrent story lines of their relationship, and how they used the spiritual journey down the Red Road to persevere and overcome the obstacles they faced. The book was written by Wes to fulfill a vow he made to the Teachers who showed him the Red Road ways, who asked him to document his story. There are print versions of the book available, along with ebooks in formats from iBooks, Kindle and Barnes & Noble. The iBooks platform offers an enhanced version of the ebook which includes several video clips from an interview conducted with Wes where he adds additional insight to the text. The enhanced iBook version also contains ten songs and their lyrics written specifically to support and complement the book. The music is also available as a CD or may be download from all major e-tailers of music. White Man Red Road has received one offer of option to be turned into a script for a feature length film. Wes is currently working on a new book about the teachings of the Medicine Wheel as taught to him by his teachers, and supplemented by the 22 years he has spent practicing it’s use and teaching it to others. His website also contains spoken word meditations and affirmations written and performed by Wes, which includes the composition of the underlying meditative music. One of these projects is a guided journey through the Six Affirmations of Gratitude and Trust from the book Gratitude and Trust written by Paul Williams and Tracey Jackson. Both authors have vetted and support the guided meditation on their Six Affirmations as created by Wes and the audio is available on CD or download from various e-tailers, and can be streamed from www.weshamil.com