Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-newsletter

Foundation for Shamanic Studies E-Newsletter

www.shamanism.org

February - March 2010
Vol. 4, Issue 1

In This Issue
	FSS News Articles & Information Healing Words

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	About FSS Join the Circle of the Foundation Shamanic Training *Learn core shamanism from experienced Harner-trained FSS faculty. Find a course near you.* Faculty & Staff Find a Shamanic Healer Drumming Circles ShamanicStudies Channel Videos Michael Harner's Shamanic Journeywork® Series Drumming & Journeying CDs/MP3s Shamanic Products * * * * * * * * * * Non-ordinary reality is not a consensual reality, and indeed if it were, shamanic practitioners would have no function, for it is their responsibility to alter their state of consciousness and perceive successfully what others do not. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the shamanic practitioner is the ability to move back and forth at will between these realities with discipline and purpose in order to heal and help others. – Michael Harner, "Science, Spirits, and Core Shamanism," ©Shamanism, Spring/Summer 1999, Vol. 12, No. 1. Members of the Circle of the Foundation: Please help us by renewing your membership promptly and online, if possible. Paper mailings are not only costly, they hurt the trees – and we would like to spare as many as we can! Thank you. Editor: Susan Mokelke Contributing Editor: Timothy Flynn

Greetings

Boa Sr, the last member of the Bo tribe recently died. The Bo, an ancient tribe that lived in the Andaman Islands off India's east coast in the Bay of Bengal, is now extinct, along with the tribe's language and memories. Colonized by the British in 1858, the Bo and other tribes of the island were decimated by disease and many driven to alcoholism. Today, many of the world's tribal peoples are on the edge of extinction, certainly in terms of the preservation of the knowledge of their ancient ways. It is thus especially touching and hopeful to witness change happening, such as the Baniwa working to bring back their shamanic traditions and the Inupiat Eskimo dancing again. By honoring the shamanic knowledge of indigenous peoples and supporting them, it is heartening to be part of this change. Thanks to Cindy Jarrett, Three-Year program graduate, Fairfax, California, for submitting the article about the Bo. Susan Mokelke Executive Director Submit your ideas and news for the Articles and Healing Words sections to the Editor.

FSS News

My Windhorse by Joy Markgraf Advanced Residential Workshops in 2010. The West Coast Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensive, with Alicia L. Gates, will be held April 12 - 23, 2010 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The East Coast Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensive, with David Corbin & Nan Moss, will be held October 24 - November 4, 2010 in Madison, Virginia. The Two Week Intensive, offered on the West or East Coast, is the best preparation for the FSS Three Year program. The new 4th North American Three-Year Program in Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing will start October 17 - 22, 2010 in northern Marin, San Francisco Bay Area. It will be taught by Alicia L. Gates. SPECIAL BENEFIT - Free one year Council Membership ($500 value) to those who complete the West or East Coast Two Week Intensive or begin the 4th North American Three-Year training in 2010. FSS Three-Year Graduates:* Don't miss the opportunity to renew and deepen your shamanic training at the Post-Graduate Healing Practices for FSS Three-Year Program Graduates with Alicia L. Gates, now on the East Coast, May 23 - 28, 2010 in Madison, Virginia. Registration is now open - this is the last year to experience this program in this format. Harner Shamanic Counseling with April Tuck, will be held August 7 - 12, 2010 near Portland, Oregon. Note: The Basic Workshop, which is a prerequisite for all advanced FSS workshops, will be held in various locations throughout the year. NEW Workshop – Shamanic Dreamwork We are very excited to announce that a new advanced weekend workshop has been developed, Shamanic Dreamwork. In this unique experiential workshop you will have the opportunity to explore the nature, meaning, and use of dreams among shamanic peoples, with dreamwork practices from a range of cultures. Researched and developed by Michael Harner, subjects to be covered include shamanic dream theory and big dreams, as well as dreams and the soul, spirits, shamanic journeys, the Dreamtime, and the vision quest. You will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge to contemporary life, including the use of dreams in divination, health, and healing. The first public offering will be in San Francisco in August 2010. Urgent Assistance Needed for FSS Living Treasure of Shamanism Michael Harner recently received an urgent message from his anthropological colleagues in Russia about FSS Living Treasure of Shamanism, Buriat shaman Bair Rinchinov, in Siberia. Recently his home with all of his shamanic tools burned down. Fortunately he and his family were not injured. The Foundation is collecting donations on behalf of Bo Bair to help him obtain a new home. Visit our website to read more and to make a donation to help. 2010 Gathering of the Council Baniwa Shamanic Revitalization. At the Friday evening event January 29, Dr. Robin W. Wright, Foundation Field Associate, gave a moving presentation about Living Treasure snuff-jaguar shaman "Mandu" Manuel da Silva and the inauguration ceremony for the Shamans' House of Knowledge. Performing the Ant Dance at the inauguration. Photo by Michel Wright. This revitalization was undertaken at the specific invitation of the Baniwa people and Mandu and his family, who wish to preserve and pass on the shamanic knowledge of their people. Dr. Wright has been working with them for years to help them achieve this goal and the Foundation is honored to be able to assist by funding their efforts. While much was achieved with the completion of the Shamans' House, including 12 new apprentices for Mandu to teach, ongoing assistance is needed to continue the revitalization. Mandu and his family are specifically requesting aid for the purchase of a new outboard motor for the boat used by the village. River travel is the way that people maintain contact and get to other villages, as well as obtaining supplies. Their old motor is constantly breaking down and is not expected to last much longer. Donations to help them obtain a new motor and for the purchase of fuel are most needed right now. To make a donation to help Mandu and his people, please visit the Foundation's website. In the "TO" box, enter the term "Baniwa". View the video of the inauguration ceremony. Back to beginning... Dialogue with Hmong Shamans Ye Her Va Meng Lee At the Gathering of the Council, January 30, we were honored by the presence of two Hmong shamans, Ye Her and Va Meng Lee, and by Marilyn Mochel, the Executive Director of Healthy House in Merced, California. Marilyn, who was an integral part of the project that allowed Hmong shamans to practice in a Merced hospital, shared her experience with us. Then, Michael and the Hmong shamans had a dialogue where we were privileged to hear the shamans sharing about some of the sacred practices of their shamanic tradition. Harner Shamanic Counseling Training Online Listing Members who have completed the Five-Day Harner Shamanic Counseling workshop may now list it in the FSS print directory in the Shamanism Annual and also in the online Shamanic Services listings. To update your information, log in to the Circle and select "Create/Edit Shamanic Services Listing" and check the applicable boxes for the training you have completed. Michael Harner's Shamanic Journeying and Drumming CDs in the Shamanic Journeywork® series are now conveniently available for digital download. These powerful, effective, and time-tested recordings – designed by Michael Harner with serious journey work in mind – have been used successfully by thousands of shamanic practitioners worldwide. Proceeds from the sale of these recordings and other shamanic supplies offered through shamanism.org are used to support Foundation programs such as the Living Treasures of Shamanism and the Baniwa Shamanic Revitalization. Certificates of Completion Certificates of Completion are available to all graduates of most of the FSS advanced residential training programs in shamanism and shamanic healing. Certificates of Completion acknowledge the considerable time and effort involved in the successful completion of FSS advanced trainings in core shamanism, such as the Two-Week Intensive and the Three-Year program. (Please note that these do not certify a person as a shaman.) Find out more and request your White, Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates online. The support of members of the FSS Circle of the Foundation helps preserve the knowledge and practice of shamanism among indigenous peoples such as Mandu da Silva, snuff-jaguar shaman of the Baniwa people, and Buriat shaman Bair Rinchinov, and the renewal of shamanism in a contemporary context. We invite you to join the Circle. Receive exciting benefits, including the online Shamanic Services Listings (with a photo or graphic) and FSS Forum, access to archival talks by Michael Harner, and gifts of DVDs, books, and CDs - and support shamanism and shamanic healing worldwide. Thank you! Members of the Circle of the Foundation 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 some of the submissions. Share your work with us! *Guidelines for submission of photos of shamanic artwork:* 1. Must be a member of the Circle of the Foundation; 2. Must be the creator of the work submitted and hold the copyright; 3. No photos of people, please, unless you have a written, signed release to publish the photo; 4. One photo only per person. 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. www.shamanism.org

Articles & Information

Korean Shaman Paintings For well researched articles and great photos about Korean shamanism and art, visit the website of the Korean Art Society Journal. (The journal is in pdf format, so there may be a delay as it downloads.) Submitted by Amanda Foulger, FSS Faculty, Topanga, California. A South Korean shaman manifests a greedy god. Photo by Laurel Kendall. South Korean Shamans Adapt to Cultural Change In a new book from American Museum of Natural History anthropologist Laurel Kendall, she explores how Korean shamans have fluidly adapted rituals and practices to the rapidly changing culture. Read the article. Submitted by Timothy Flynn, FSS Three-Year graduate, Royal Oaks, California. The Dogons of West Africa Read a fascinating account of the animist Dogon people of West Africa, one of Africa's most isolated ethnic groups, and view the multimedia slide show of the amazing complex of cliffside villages. Read the article, from the New York Times online. Submitted by Lou Judson, Novato, California. Native Dancing Ban Lifted A century ago, Inupiat Eskimo dancing was banned by Quaker missionaries as primitive idolatry. Now residents of Noorvik, Alaska, have wholeheartedly embraced the dancing of their ancestors. Read the article and see the photos. Submitted by Lou Judson, Novato, California. Back to beginning... 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. A Personal Look at Core Shamanism In this article, Timothy Flynn writes of his introduction to core shamanism and Harner Shamanic Counseling. Read the article by Timothy Flynn, Contributing Editor, FSS E-Newsletter. Note: Each issue we plan to post on the website or provide a link to an article or other media with useful information about shamanism or shamanic healing. Check the Articles section for several varied perspectives on shamanism and shamanic healing, many from past issues of Shamanism and the Shamanism Annual, the Foundation's scholarly journal – one of the exclusive benefits of the Circle of the Foundation.

Healing Words

What Matters Now All traditional cultures recognize certain people as natural-born mystical healers (shamans, medicine men, pick your label). Modern Western culture has no category for such people. But that doesn't mean they aren't here. Right now, everywhere, ordinary people born to the archetype of the shaman are feeling compelled to begin finding one another and fulfilling their inborn purpose. The great challenge of the 21st century is to wage peace on a globe full of humans while repairing the unintended damage we've inflicted on ourselves, other beings, and the earth. We need modern shamans to channel ancient "technologies of magic" like empathy, creativity, art, and spiritual interconnection, through "magical technologies" like medicine, computers, and satellites. That marriage of ancient and cutting-edge genius can heal hearts, minds, beasts, plants, ecosystems-almost anything. If you feel something stirring in your heart at the thought that you may be shaman-born, pay attention. This is not an accident. Some as-yet unexplained force is calling you join in a healing of unprecedented scope. And though that healing will, of course, follow the laws of science, doing it will feel like pure magic. – Martha Beck, Ph.D., is a coach, writer, and columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine. In "What Matters Now" (page 61). Submitted by Sandy List, Sausalito, California. Go to beginning... NOTE: "Healing Words" contains helpful practices, ideas and suggestions from shamanic healers, answers to questions of concern to those practicing shamanism, and inspiring stories. 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. (A few succinct paragraphs, please.) Contact the Editor...

About FSS
Internationally renowned anthropologist Michael Harner pioneered the return of shamanism and the shamanic journey to contemporary life. In 1979, Michael and Sandra Harner established the Center for Shamanic Studies, the precursor to the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, which took over the function of the Center in the mid-eighties. FSS is dedicated to the preservation, study, and teaching of shamanic knowledge for the benefit of the Planet and its inhabitants. www.shamanism.org

Join the thousands of people each year who take the Foundation's rigorous training in Core Shamanism, the universal and near universal principles and practices of shamanism not bound to any specific cultural group or perspective. The training program has been carefully developed by Dr. Harner and thoroughly tested to provide an authentic shamanic experience and practical results.

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.

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Thank you!

Editor: Susan Mokelke

Foundation for Shamanic Studies

Email: info@shamanism.org

Editor: smokelke@shamanism.org

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