AHNA Nurses Get Roses, Discover Star Journey

What nurse wouldn’t smile when given a rose? There were a lot of smiling faces in the audience last Sunday at the annual conference of the American Holistic Nurses Association held in Louisville, KY, June 1-5. Dr. Sonya Hardin and author Richard Geer were presenting their session on Star Journey, the method for reflection and self care.

As each attendee called out a word they associated with the Star Journey symbol of the Rose, Richard would present that nurse a single rose from a vase full of roses. “Unfolding,” “Valentines,” “Boyfriend,” “Divine Feminine,” “Thorns,” and “Music” were a few of the many thoughts expressed about a rose.

“When using Star Journey symbols, all your associations are valid,” explained Richard, “Trusting your own thoughts and intuition can lead to rich meaning and personal insight.”

Sonya Hardin, PhD, Professor of Nursing at University of North Carolina–Charlotte, pointed out she has been using the Star Journey method as part of her curriculum for graduate nursing students since early 2010.

“Since Star Journey helps a person gain deeper personal understanding,” said Sonya, “nursing students learn more about how to achieve their own wholeness. This tool has helped them be better prepared to truly help others and also to avoid burn out. I am so pleased with the growth I’ve seen in my students as a result of Richard’s classes.”

Attendees also got a look at the virtual world Second Life (SL), one of several types of media where Star Journey is found. A big screen allowed attendees to see into SL and Star Journey island, where the Symbols and Circle Pattern combine, creating a special place of peace and discovery — all in 3 dimenions and interactive. 

Richard introduced some of his colleagues who had gathered on the island. They talked live from around the world to nurses in the room. These included Vanessa Taylor in South Australia, sim designer and Gerry Marr in Santa Barbara, CA, counselor/therapist who uses Star Journey with teens. Also present in SL were communications aide Blonde Starsmith (West Coast US), and two students, Sinatra Zaks (Florida) and Zircon Zehetbauer (New Jersey). Helping connect the two worlds, real and virtual, running all the visuals, and making the session a seamless experience was education director Linda Lott, RN.

“From the positive feedback we recieved from nurses at the AHNA,” said Sonya, “we hope to return here again and present even more on the Star Journey method.”