Local Legend: Donna The Healer Talks Urban Shamanism, Cockatiels

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — If you've ever been to the city's Halloween parade, you've likely been blessed by urban shaman Donna Henes.

Henes, or Mama Donna as she is known, is a crystal-toting, parade-blessing, planet-watching spiritual teacher whose been making headlines in New York City for decades.

The New York Post, detailing her fight against evil demons, called her an A-List exorcist. Her solstice tributes are frequent subjects of New York Times profiles. The Village Voice once described her as, "part performance artist, part witch, part social director for planet earth."

Henes' spiritual and decades-long career has led her to bless millions of people in more than 100 citys, write five books, and compose the only satellite peace message orbiting in space, she says.

Henes likes to think of herself as a typical Prospect Heights local. Read: nothing typical about her.

(Does your neighborhood have a Local Legend we should feature? We're taking nominations here.)

Patch talked to Henes as part of our Local Legends series, where we interview iconic New Yorkers about the neighborhoods they call home.

Here's what she had to say about Prospect Heights.

Describe Prospect Heights in three words:
Body, mind and spirit.

What's a Prospect Heights ritual that had particular meaning for you?

After 9/11, I took my urban shamanic practice to the streets of this community, offering compassionate listening to every one I encountered. I went to visit the FDNY precinct on the one-week anniversary of the conflagration to pay my respects.

The neighboring community had blanketed the sidewalk up and down the street with offerings of flowers, candles, cakes, tears and messages — one written on World Trade Center stationery and sent as a thank you for saving his life on that fateful day of reckoning.

There was a chalk list of the missing from this firehouse posted outside with pictures and names.
I shook the hands of one traumatized but sturdy young man and thanked him. I engaged his misting eyes with my own and told him that I prayed that their dedication and sacrifice would be the foundation of a new way to live together as a world community. He locked my eyes and squeezed my hand and bit his quivering lip.

He had seen quite enough of war.

Describe your perfect day in the neighborhood.

* Early morning tea on my terrace with a great book.
* Swim at the gym in the schul with the pool.
* A stimulating, productive workday with clients, writing or ritual projects.
* Rose night in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
* A moonlit dinner and wine on the terrace with my sweetie.

What's your quintessential Prospect Heights story?

I was walking in the Botanic Gardens in early June some years ago. As I turned onto a new path a flash of yellow caught my eye way up in a tree. What was tropical bird doing in a pine tree in Brooklyn?

A crowd gathered silently, mothers restraining their small children. Everyone held their breath.
I lay my hand down, palm up and the bird calmly walked onto my hand and sat down. Hello! Ola! I picked it up and pressed it to my solar plexus and it shuddered and released what I can only describe as a deep sigh of relief.

I carried it as I walked around not quite knowing what to do and many strangers came up to me offering the varied blessings of assorted cultures, “Oh, honey god’s talking to you!”’

“The elders say the souls of your ancestors visit on the back of birds!”

“This is your lucky day!”

I went to the café and fed it lettuce. A gardener approached me and asked if this bird had flown to me and I told him that it had. He told me that a big parrot flew to him in the garden, too. It landed
with its claws right into his chest.

The guy took it home where they still live happily together. So I took his suggestion and carried it out. It never made a sound the whole time we were walking in the garden, but as soon as we exited
through the revolving gate, it started singing like crazy. I walked directly to the pet
store on Vanderbilt and bought a cage.

The owner informed me that this was a she cockatiel. I called her Ola and she l lived with me for 9 years, flying free in the loft, but spending most of her time sitting on my head.

We had an most extraordinary fascinating relationship. And then, one day exactly nine years to
the minute after she flew to me, she managed to escape and flew away. Nine is the spiritual number of completion.

And so ended that miracle adventure.

How does Prospect Heights influence or support the work that you do?

This neighborhood is delightfully diverse: ethnically, culturally, racially religiously, sexually, but very united in community spirit and positive energy.

My daily experience of living in an environment of mutual respect, appreciation and support feeds my soul, inspires my creativity and affirms my spiritual vision of the possibility of unity through diversity and a peaceful world, which is reflected in everything I write and every ritual I perform.