David Riley
Reiki Master Teacher, Energy Healer,
Ordained Minister
I Am the Elder of My Tribe
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I walk the path not because I chose it, but because it chose me — a path revealed over time through memory, experience, and the slow unwinding of the world’s noise.
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As a child, I was different. I could feel the truth in people before they spoke, sense the tension in a room before others noticed. I was drawn to ancient civilizations — Egypt, Babylonia, the Celts, the Old Ways. The spirits of the ancestors whispered through stone and tree, and though I didn’t fully understand then, I listened.
​My Elders never pushed, never preached. They lived their medicine — gently, quietly, always inviting me outdoors, always nudging me toward the forest, to the “Tall People,” the trees, to speak with the Great Spirit. They knew that one day, I would remember. And I have.
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The wind speaks. The creeks write messages in motion. Ants, birds, bees — all messengers of Spirit. These are not metaphors. They are kin. The four elements, the seven directions, the two-legged and the four-legged — they are my teachers. They are my mirrors. I am not above them. I am among them. We are partners in this great weaving of life.
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Only through shedding the illusions of this world — the false teachings of success, the indoctrination of separation — could I begin to allow and flow. At first, in small ways. Then with more certainty. With every choice, consequence, and lesson, I remembered the truth: the way I live is reflected back in my environment.
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I am now an Elder, not because I claim the title, but because I live the responsibility. I walk the Red Road, not as a preacher but as a presence. I do not lead; I walk beside. I do not heal; I hold space for the healing you already carry. Spirit is my partner, and it is Spirit who brings the teachings, the signs, the visions — I simply stay in tune.
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Discovering your medicine begins with forgiving yourself, loving yourself, and allowing yourself to become. You are not separate from the Earth — you are the Earth. You are not broken — you are unfolding. The path is not outside of you — it is you.
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This is the medicine I carry. This is what I offer. But the walk is yours to take.