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Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-Newsletter
www.shamanism.org
April 2008
Vol. 2, Issue 2
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"The shamanic path is not a path traditionally intended to achieve enlightenment. It has never been typically a path for self-improvement. It has been a path followed because people cared for other people and felt compassion for them and wanted to help them through healing and alleviating their suffering. In following that path, gifts were then given them that were totally unexpected. By working the way that spirits seem to want us to work, they help us in alleviating suffering and pain, and give the healers gifts to help them work even more successfully. This then changes them, and they are never the same again. But that was not the intention; it was just a result. And as the shaman works to heal others, the shaman himself or herself is healed because of that desire."
-- Michael Harner, "Shamanism and Transpersonal Healing," a plenary session address at the Association for Transpersonal Psychology Conference, August 1993, Asilomar, California.
Greetings
nature_hands

New Arrival for Spring

The land is waking up from winter sleep, the birds are nesting, and flowers are blooming here in California. We at the Foundation are pleased to announce a Spring arrival - a new benefit for the Membership of the Circle of the Foundation. The website has been enhanced once again with a revised Members Circle and with Shamanic Services listings - where members at the Contributing level and above can list their shamanic practice. This makes it easy for people looking for shamanic healing to find a practitioner in their local area. Read more below.

A glorious Spring to you!
Susan Mokelke
Executive Director

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

drum
Advanced Residential Workshops in 2008: A new Three-Year Program in Advanced Initiations in Shamanism & Shamanic Healing will start October 26-31, 2008 in the San Francisco Bay Area, taught by Alicia L. Gates, including weekly discussion sessions with guest Michael Harner. The five-day Soul Retrieval Training will be held August 10-15, 2008 in Portland, Oregon, taught by Sandra Ingerman. The East Coast Two-Week Intensive in Advanced Shamanic Healing will be held November 2-13, 2008 in Madison, Virginia, taught by Nan Moss & David Corbin.

Michael Harner has been active this
Michael Harner
year as a guest speaker on three separate occasions. First, on March 6, he was the guest speaker at the California Institute of Integral Studies "Soul and the Sacred" lecture series. Michael spoke to an enthusiastic audience about "The Soul and Shamanism." Then, on March 19, Michael Harner was interviewed by Marilyn Schlitz in a teleconference about "Shamanism and Reality," as part of the Institute of Noetic Sciences "Consciousness and Healing" topics. (Listen to a clip. Members, login to listen to the full discussion.) Lastly, on April 2, Michael gave an inspiring talk on "Shamanic Journeying" to more than 400 participants at the Institute for Health and Healing Mini-Medical School Conference. Check the website for this talk, coming soon.

FSS Members Circle The enhanced Members Circle just went live on the Foundation's website.
Drum Circle
Members can now login to access exclusive membership benefits, including the FSS Members Forum and archival audio talks by Michael Harner. Once logged in you can also access the "My FSS" section where you can edit your contact information, create or edit your online Shamanic Services Listing or Member Bio (for qualifying members), and update your listing for the voluntary Membership Directory in the FSS journal The Shamanism Annual. In the public online Shamanic Services listings, people seeking shamanic healing and other services can search by location for a shamanic healer or diviner, Certified Shamanic Counselor™, or drumming circle in their local area. Members at the Contributing and above levels can post their shamanic healing service - and, for qualifying members, even add a description and photo. If you are a member, you can login now to activate your listing. Check your email inbox in the coming days for detailed email instructions for adding your Shamanic Services listing. If you are not a member, click here to view the benefits of membership and join the Foundation's shamanic community.

Foundation members Stephanie Helberg and Amy Greeson attended the recent 2008 Gathering of the Council in Tiburon, California. Amy, cofounder of Global Healing Radio, wrote a thoughtful account of her personal experience. "The love and energy of this group-- their heartfelt intentions and paths were inspiring beyond description." Read Amy's article.

Musical Bow cover
The new musical bow CD is now available in Michael Harner's Shamanic Journeywork® series of recordings. The musical bow is the percussive sound of a single plucked string stretched tautly between the ends of a bowed stick, an instrument once utilized by many tribal shamans in different parts of the world. In CD No. 4: Shamanic Journey Musical Bow, the Brazilian berimbau is played by Susan Mokelke, alone and with a rattle, providing a unique, effective sound for journeying.

The contributions of FSS members help support the preservation and practice of shamanism among indigenous peoples and the renewal of shamanism in a contemporary context. We invite you to join us. Receive exciting new benefits when you join as a Shamanic Partner, including the online Members Forum, access to archival talks by Michael Harner, and gifts of DVDs, books, and CDs - and support shamanism worldwide. Thank you!

An Invitation to FSS Members
We invite you to submit a photo of one of your creative works related to shamanism. Periodically, we will select a few of these photos to post on the FSS website. Photos of works might include paintings, sculpture, drums/rattles, weavings, and photos of shamanic places, etc. (Submissions must follow the guidelines below.) Click here to view the video of members' submissions. Share your work with us!

Guidelines for submission of photos of shamanic artwork: a. Must be an FSS member; b. Must be the creator of the work submitted and hold the copyright; c. No photos of people, please, unless you have a written, signed release to publish the photo; d. One photo only per member. Please include your name and a one-sentence description or title of the work. Send the photo as an email attachment to the Editor, Susan Mokelke.
Restoring and Dreaming
Shamanism in Tuva
Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism exist side-by-side in Tuva (Tyva, Russian), Southern Siberia, Russia. Read the article and watch the video. Tuvan throat singing is thought by some to have developed from people trying to communicate with nature by mimicking its sounds. Read the article and watch the video. From Russia Today.

The World of Shamanism by Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., is a comprehensive exploration of shamanism in light of modern medicine, psychology, neuroscience, consciousness disciplines, and religious studies. This book is now available through the Foundation's website.

Witches of the West
Interesting article about evidence of pagan rituals involving swans and other birds in the 1600's, discovered recently in the English countryside. Read the article from TimesOnline.

SUBMIT NEWS: 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.

The Mystical Experience of Shamanism by Susan Mokelke. Susan shares her personal experience of shamanism, not as a system of belief, but as a healing practice in partnership with helping spirits. Read the article in The New Statesman.

Note: Each issue we plan to post on the website or provide a link to an article of interest. Check the Articles section for several varied perspectives on shamanism and shamanic healing, many from past issues of Shamanism, the Foundation's scholarly journal -- one of the exclusive benefits received with an FSS membership.
Healing
Power Animals and Metaphors
To step into and acknowledge the world of power animals is to embrace the universal connectedness of all things. By honoring these animals in ordinary reality, we can benefit from the metaphorical teachings they send us.

In the spring, a robin came to build a nest high in a window of my shamanic studio. Male and female labored together. That night the winds came and the nest was blown to the ground. The next day the robins began anew and again that night the winds brought the nest down. When the third attempt failed, I thought, "Oh, robins, are you caught in an endless cycle that will never come to fruition?" I went off to teach and was surprised to return home and find, not only a strong nest on the window ledge, but the mother robin was already sitting. The next morning it was still there, and the next, and the next. One fine day two little beaks pointed to the sky and greedily gobbled up their meals delivered by busy parents. "Two. Hmm. And they never gave up. I am listening." I can apply the message of the robins' perseverance to my life. Each morning I journeyed with my avian power animals and gave thanks for their teaching. Elynne Hering, from Shamanism, Fall/Winter 2003, Vol. 16, No. 2.

NOTE: "Healing Words" contains helpful ideas and suggestions from shamanic healers, and answers to questions of concern to those practicing shamanism. 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. For environmental and economic reasons, FSS will send out less paper communications. 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 © 2000-2008 Foundation for Shamanic Studies, a non-profit incorporated educational organization.
Editor: Susan Mokelke
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