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Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-Newsletter
www.shamanism.org
February 2007
Vol. 1, Issue 1
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Welcome to the first issue of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-newsletter. This bimonthly e-newsletter will contain information and articles about shamanism and shamanic healing. It is designed to offer interesting and practical information for shamanic healers, students, and those interested in shamanism. We welcome your feedback and ideas. Please contact the Editor, Susan Mokelke.

The Journey
The Two-Week Intensive Course in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic healing will be held this year March 11 - 22 in Sonoma, California, at an idyllic retreat center with marvelous food. This "life-changing" course is a way to immerse yourself in the shamanic experience. The new Indigenous Shamanisms track is now launched, starting with a five-day seminar with Tom Cowan on Celtic Faery Doctoring, held in the San Francisco Bay Area, May 20 - 25. Registration materials are now available. The 6th East Coast Three-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing begins in Madison, Virginia, June 3 - 8. This year the Five-Day Harner Method Shamanic Counseling Training will be held Boston, Massachusetts, August 20 - 24.

The annual Gathering of the Council was held on January 27 in Tiburon, California. The successful gathering featured presentations and experiences with several special guests, including Dr. Bradford Keeney, who offered an exciting presentation on "Becoming a Kalahari Bushman (San) Shaman."

In February 2007, an Inuit elder, Mr. Kablalik, who has been a long time correspondent with Michael Harner, will be traveling to San Francisco at the Foundation?s expense to participate in the FSS Basic Workshop and for firsthand consultation with Dr. Harner about ways the Foundation can be of service in helping to preserve his people?s traditions.

FSS Field Associate Sarah Sifers reported after a recent visit to Nepal that FSS Living Treasure Pau Karma Wangchuk is doing well. According to Dr. Sifers, the FSS annual stipend is one of the main reasons Wangchuk continues to survive into his mid-eighties and is able to treat patients who seek him out for shamanic healing. Read more...

The contributions of FSS members help support Mr. Kablalik's efforts on behalf of the Inuit people, as well as FSS Living Treasures like Pau Wangchuk. We invite you to join us and receive special member benefits - and support shamanism worldwide. Thank you!

Shaman
Vikings and Crystals
The BBC reports that Vikings may have used a special crystal called a sunstone to help navigate the seas even when the sun was obscured by fog or cloud, a study has suggested. Read more... Submitted by Tim Flynn, Three-Year Program graduate, Santa Cruz, California.

NOTE: We invite you to submit news about shamanism for our readers. Please submit no more than a few brief paragraphs, including the source of the news item to the Editor.

Siberian Shamanism
Click here for an interesting article about an exhibit on Siberian Life at the Brunei Gallery in London. The article notes that Siberia is "one of the few places left where Shamanism is the dominant religion." Then, look at the article on the FSS website about the Foundation's 1993 expedition to Tuva, "Tuva, Land of Eagles."

Each issue, we plan to post an article of interest from a past issue of Shamanism, the Foundation's scholarly journal, one of the exclusive benefits received with an FSS membership. For the February e-news issue, in the spirit of Siberian shamanism, the article posted is a follow up to the 1993 expedition to Tuva. Written by Paul Uccusic, the Director for FSS Europa, "Shamanism Alive and Well: The 1999 Legacy of the First FSS Expedition to Tuva," can be viewed on the FSS website. (Originally published in Shamanism, Vol. 13, Nos. 1 & 2, Fall/Winter 2000.)

Healing
Power Animals
When I do Power Animal retrievals (refer to The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, Chapter 4) for people, they ask me how they can stay close to their animal. One thing I suggest is to find out if the animal you are working with needs help in ordinary reality and give to an organization that is helping to protect them. Many clients have done this over the years, and have felt that this way they are thanking their Power Animals in some tangible, real way. They feel, as I have observed too, that continual work with their animals here pleases their power animals and strengthens the relationship. Submitted by Lora Jansson, Three-Year Program graduate, Seattle, Washington.

NOTE: "Healing Words" contains helpful ideas and suggestions from shamanic healers. FSS presents them as a service to the shamanic community without endorsement; as always, each shamanic healer is responsible for using these ideas in a responsible and ethical manner. If you would like to submit a helpful tip, email the Editor. (No more than two succinct paragraphs, please.)

About FSS
Internationally renowned anthropologist Michael Harner pioneered the return of shamanism to contemporary life. In 1985, he founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies to preserve, study, and transmit shamanic knowledge worldwide. Join the thousands each year who take the Foundation's rigorous training in Core Shamanism, the near universal principles and practices of shamanism not bound to any specific cultural group or perspective.

NOTE: You are receiving this email from the Foundation for Shamanic Studies because you are a member or have taken a Foundation course or otherwise indicated your interest. In the future, for environmental and economic reasons, FSS will rarely send hard copy mailings. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, including course schedules and information relevant to the practice of shamanism, add [email protected] to your address book today. You may also update your email address by clicking on the Update Profile/Email Address link below.

Thank you!

Copyright � 2000-2007 Foundation for Shamanic Studies, a non-profit incorporated educational organization.


Editor: Susan Mokelke
Foundation for Shamanic Studies

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