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Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-Newsletter
www.shamanism.org
April 2007
Vol. 1, Issue 2
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"Today we are discovering that even the near-miracles of modern Western medicine are not always adequate in themselves to solve completely all the problems of those who are ill or who wish to avoid illness. Increasingly, health professionals and their patients are seeking supplementary healing methods, and many healthy individuals are also engaged in personal experimentation to discover workable alternative approaches to achieving well-being. In this experimentation, it is often difficult for the layman or even the health professional to distinguish the spurious from the effective. In contrast, the ancient methods of shamanism are already time-tested; in fact, they have been tested immeasurably longer, for example, than psychoanalysis and a variety of other psychotherapeutic techniques."
- Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman
Spring Greetings!
nature_hands

Spring is the time of beginnings, renewal, and rebirth. It is a wonderful time to commune with the spirits of nature, particularly of the plants, awakening from their long winter sleep. Go out among the plant spirits and see what they have to teach you about beginnings, renewal, and rebirth. Discover what is awakening in you.

Submit your ideas and news for the Articles and Healing Words sections to the Editor.

drum
NEW! The 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, at an idyllic retreat center with marvelous food. Register Now for this exciting seminar.

The 6th East Coast Three-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing begins June 3 in Madison, Virginia.

The Five-Day Training Course in Soul Retrieval, will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 11-16, with Sandra Ingerman.

This year the Five-Day Harner Method Shamanic Counseling Training will be held Boston, Massachusetts, August 20 - 24.

NEW! Indigenous Shamanisms track five-day seminar The Creative Sami Shaman will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area, September 16-21, with Ailo Gaup of Norway.

We are pleased and excited to announce a new Shamanic Innovations series. Beginning in October of this year, interested learners will have the opportunity to explore practical uses of shamanism in everyday life. The courses in this series have been developed by experienced practitioners and teachers of shamanism, building upon the principles of Core Shamanism and applying them to contemporary issues of healing. Information will be posted on the website soon about the first seminar to be offered.

In our February 2007 e-news, we reported that an Inuit elder, Mr. Kablalik, who has been a long time correspondent with Michael Harner, would be traveling to San Francisco at the Foundation's expense to participate in the February 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. Update: Mr. Kablalik plans to attend the June 2007 Basic Workshop instead. We will keep you informed as this cooperative effort progresses.

A long-time friend of Dr. Harner's, Anank Nunink -Nunkai, of the Shuar (Jivaro) people of Ecuador, recently visited the Foundation and Dr. Harner. Mr. Nunink-Nunkai reported on the difficult state of affairs for his people, whose way of life is being destroyed by development. He expressed to Dr. Harner that many of his people's traditions are now preserved only in Dr. Harner's book, The Jivaro. Mr. Nunink-Nunkai, who now lives in the US, is working on behalf of his people to preserve what can be saved.

The contributions of FSS members help support the efforts of indigenous peoples like Mr. Kablalik and Mr. Nunink-Nunkai. We invite you to join us and receive special member benefits - and support shamanism worldwide. Thank you!

Thanks, Volunteers!
We wish to express our thanks and appreciation to David Wigtil (attended several advanced FSS workshops) and Karin Benz (Three-Year Program), for giving generously of their time to translate two articles about shamanism from German to English. Thanks also to Steve Geske and Tim Flynn (both attended Three-Year Programs), for their help and advice on the website and web technologies.
You're the best!
Shaman
Åke Hultkrantz, the distinguished ethnographer and professor emeritus at Stockholm University, passed on October 3, 2006. Dr. Hultkrantz did extensive fieldwork among the Sami people of Europe and among the Shoshone, Arapaho, and other tribes of the North American Plains. At the 1999 American Indian Workshop in Sweden, Hultkrantz presented "The Specific Character of North American Shamanism," summarizing nearly 50 years work about the "patterns of shamanism," the interaction between northern Asia and North American spirituality.

Indigenous Languages Disappearing
Many of the world's 6,000 languages are rarely heard outside of a small area, and half of them are heading for extinction. Many of Russia's 41 languages are disappearing. Read the article online and listen to audio samples of a few of these languages.

Indigenous Languages Dictionary
In Western Australia, a language center continues to keep indigenous languages alive by producing dictionaries for the Pilbara's 30-some indigenous languages. ABC News Online

Where are the Bees?
Bee
The bees that pollinate flowers and crops are disappearing. Are mobile phones to blame, as some scientists suggest? It is a sad and bizarre mystery, one that may have serious consequences for all of us. The Independent, United Kingdom

Consider: What shamanic methods might be used to help in this situation?

Articles about languages and bees 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.

Shamanism and Creativity
Spring is a perfect time to awaken your own creativity. Read how the shamanic journey supports the creative process in "Shamanism and Creativity," by Dr. Sandra Harner, now posted on the FSS website. (Originally published in Shamanism, Vol. 12, No. 2, Fall/Winter 1999.)

Note: 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.
Healing
The more you practice shamanism and form strong connections with your helping spirits, the more effective your healing practice will be. In addition to healing, one way the spirits can help is when we have suffered an injury or a loss and are in pain or grieving. In these times, we can ask one of our power animals or teachers to carry the pain for us for a time, just until we are strong enough and ready to deal with it, or until we are in a position to seek healing. Not only can this help ease the suffering, it also helps to strengthen our connections with our helping spirits. This is a useful practice to share with clients, to assist them before and after the healing process and to help them form closer ties to their power animals. It is a profound healing in and of itself, when we experience that we are not alone. Submitted by Susan Mokelke, Three-Year Program graduate, Portola Valley, California.

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.

About the E-Newsletter
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-newsletter is issued bimonthly and contains information and articles about shamanism, shamanic healing, and the Foundation's activities. 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.

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 info@shamanism.org 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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