Meet Kate McKita | Intuitive Energy Guide and Pagan/Traditional Wedding Officiant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate McKita and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The name of my business Shadow and Beam Inner Alchemy is very carefully chosen. I changed it from the original name to more acurately reflect what I am about.

I have many moving parts to my business and as such I wanted a name that reflected the common thread. It was this common thread that was the most important personal choice and business philosophy that propelled me forward.

And that is the balance and harmony of shadow and beam; the dark and light. That binary becomes the whole that then becomes our center when there is balance. We get to that harmony through inner work, establishing presence, connecting to source and our guides. I knew that I couldn’t succeed if I did not have the spiritual foundation for the worldly entity that is now my business.

See, it’s all about chemistry. My internal chemistry, and our chemistry when we come together. So whether I am working as a coach and guide or doing a rune reading, the harmony comes first. So, I have to practice what I teach or it won’t work. The blessing there is that I am building into my business that which is essential to my whole self as well as the creative fire for others.

The part others may see as not fitting so well is the wedding officiant. What does shadow work have to do with planning a ceremony for a loving couple? I see it as my job to facilitate a harmonious union. Again, it comes down to the harmony and chemistry happening together. There will almost always be stresses that come up with a wedding. So, it is a natural fit actually that I can help those energies move creatively and let them deepen and enrich a ceremony instead of derailing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I call myself an artist because my life is my art. What sets Shadow and Beam apart is that it is an extension of myself. It is not something I do, it is me.

We are the artists of our lives and I want to share with those that choose to awaken what that can look like. How to be their own artist and begin creating the life they always wanted.

Choosing to create instead of follow is never an easy choice. I started my business two and a half years ago and I thought it was going to fail until I began to realize that I didn’t want to run a business, I wanted to create a movement. It is an extention of the dance that I do myself. Organic and always reinventing.

Not something you see in business very often. But for me it works and that is why you will see me doing so many different things. It’s all energy and all art. I work with horse owners so that their riding becomes more fluid and relaxed, a dance with their horse, instead of master and work animal. I do very personal one on one energy guidance and mentoring. I bring the artistry and harmony into creating ceremonies that are tailored to a couples unique style and life stories.

My brand, isn’t even mine. Haha. It is a reflection of the way the universe works. And I am the mirror, a calm reflection, so that others can also become the mirror.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, Colorado is amazing! First we would fuel up with the perfect breakfast at Luciles in Fort Collins. Best breakfast ever! A southern creole delight. Then we might do some old town shopping because this town has some amazing shops. The Golden Poppy Apothecary is my favorite by far. Then, Firehouse books, Little Bird Bakery, Natures Own. So many cool spots. Dinner at Mount Everest Cafe across town. I love the small family owned places here.

Next day I’m taking my friend up the Poudre Canyon. We stop at the Mishawaka for lunch, and contiue to lake Agnes for a cold swim and the most gorgeous sky. From there we head to Steamboat and a couple of nights at Strawberry park hot springs. Truly magical couple of days.

Other amazing places are the Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. I’d head south and stay in Crestone a night and then at the sand dunes for a couple of days to hike and be in Medano creek Then we’d head over to Pagosa Springs, and up to Glenwood springs. Catching a theme here. It’s all about hitting my favorite bodies of water. Coming home I would make sure that we got to go for an early morning dip at Horsetooth reservoir.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first and most powerful recognition that I need to give goes to source. I won’t go into too much detail here, but I have known my connection to the earth and all things since I was very small. I have been guided and danced with this energy my whole life. It shaped me and led me to this calling. So, all credit where it is due: with creation.

Of course within my coming home to self genesis, there are many individuals who were/are a part of the dance. I’d say my kids were a huge catalyst because I knew that I wanted to show them the deeper hidden things of the universe. And so I had to learn herbalism, nutrition, meditation, play (it is a skill), communication, all of parenting from an energetic and earth centered point of view.

Aside from source my own personal trauma was my biggest teacher.

There was Pappa Johnson. A retired pastor who showed me what prayer could be. Ironically, it would be this wisdom that led me to learn from the amazing Thich Nhat Hahn. His teachings taught me about the necessity of establishing presence in everything that we do. A state of zen throughout our day.

I learned to regulate my nervous system from numerous sources and teachers of meditation, breathwork and EFT. The five elements qigong is specific to the Spring Forest Qigong system developed by Chun Yi Lynn. His teachings took me to the next level of energy alchemy.

And last but not least are my current communities. My norse pagan family is rock solid kin and we are committed to learning and growing and supporting each other. Next is my sisters in arms. I have the best chosen siterhood anybody could ever dream of, Goddesses every one. They inspire, motivate and challenge me to be my best self.

Website: https://linktr.ee/shadow_and_beam

Instagram: kate_shadowandbeam and katherine_loeken_officiant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateShadowNBeam/

Other: @kateloeken on Tiktok

Image Credits
These are my personal photos and one from Meghan Blanton Photography.