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5000 YEAR OLD SHAMAN STATUE
The Art Institute of Chicago announced a major long-term loan of a copper statue called Striding Horned Figure believed to have been made 5,000 years ago, at the dawn of the third millennium B.C. in the area of modern southwest Iran. (See the figure at the right: Unknown/Proto-Elamite. Striding Horned Figure, 3000-2800 B.C. Copper. Height: 175 cm [6 7/8 in]; Width: 5.4 cm [2 1/8 in]. The Art Institute of Chicago. Anonymous loan.) Read the article from the artdaily.org. Submitted by Timothy Flynn, FSS Three Year Program graduate, Monterey Bay area, California. 
HMONG SHAMANISM AND WESTERN MEDICINE
Hmong shamans are gaining wider acceptance in Merced, California, as education increases trust between them and physicians. Read the article from the Bakersfield Express online. Submitted by Timothy Flynn, FSS Three Year Program graduate, Monterey Bay area, California. Note: At the January 2010 FSS Council Gathering, the Foundation sponsored a conversation with Michael Harner and two Hmong shamans associated with Merced's non-profit Healthy House (DVD of the conversation available as a gift to Council members). TUVAN SHAMANS TAKE A MORE PROMINENT ROLE
Faced with severe societal ills and a younger generation leaving for the cities, shamans in the semi-autonomous Russian Republic of Tuva in Central Asia are taking a more visible role to help. Watch the video report by Nick Lazaredes, from SBS Dateline, Australia. FSS LIVING TREASURE SICHINGUA ON VIDEO
This video features a ceremony by FSS Living Treasure, Sichingua, a Daur shaman from Inner Mongolia, China. It was produced by a Chinese television station (ifeng.com), with the assistance of the Morin Dawa Museum of Shamanic Culture. Though not in English, it is very interesting to watch. The production is formatted in 11 short segments (accessible by clicking on the photos below the video screen). Watch the video. Submitted by Kun Shi, FSS Field Associate for China, and Susan Grimaldi, FSS Audio-Visual Field Documentation. Note on translation: You can enter the video website page link into the Google translate tools web page and get a general idea of what is happening. Paste the web link below into the "translate a web page" box and select Chinese in the left hand box and your language in the right hand box. Click TRANSLATE. Here is the video web page link: http://v.ifeng.com/culture/201009/abfcfd3f-8684-4456-a167-78a63d3868a5.shtml 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.
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THE SANTA SOLUTION
Perhaps you've had this disagreement with your spouse: "I don't want to lie to our child. I'm not going to tell him there's a Santa Claus when he's asks me, because I know there isn't one!" I knew it wasn't worth arguing with her, the colossal presence of Santa in our culture makes it impossible to deny HIS presence. Our son will turn three a few days after Christmas, with little help from me he now swoons at the thought of Santa. My wife has surrendered to the inevitable. This is not the end of the discussion in our household, in fact our journey with Santa is just starting to pick up steam. Of course Santa is real, he is a compassionate helping spirit. He lives in the Upper World, in a place very similar to the North Pole. He's a very special spirit; once a year he can walk the Earth. Shamanism teaches us that any being in our awareness can appear to us as a helping spirit when we journey to the Upper or Lower Worlds of nonordinary reality (NOR). I've found that figures like Santa are especially helpful to journey to. They are stolid elders of the spirit world, reminders of our shared shamanic past. They are also especially potent allies in our exploration of NOR because they are both intimately familiar and powerfully otherworldly. They help those of us not raised with shamanism tread familiar ground into a magical new world. My wife smiled with approval when I made the connection between Santa and shamanism. It is a way to make the mythical tangible and the tangible spiritual. "Poppa will journey to Santa soon and ask him what special gifts he wants to give us," I explained to my son when he asked about Santa. "Because Santa lives in the spirit world I will journey to him to visit before Christmas as part of our preparation for this wonderful holiday."  Eric Knight Holbrook. Used under non-commercial Creative Commons License."I've come to ask you for advice on what gifts I should give my son and wife, and for any other wisdom you can give me at this time of year." He guided me to a workbench where he began to work at gifts for us all. "Don't forget yourself, or Bella." He fashioned some special gloves for me, and treats for our family dog. I studied his actions carefully, making sure I would remember each detail about the gifts I was to prepare in his name. "And there is more. I want you to dance. Start now, every day. My Reindeer will show up to help you learn how to dance correctly. You'll need some bells. When you're ready, you can share this dance with your family and you can all do it together on Christmas." There are so many stories in our culture that are instantly ignited with practical magic when you are initiated into the shamanic journey. Alice in Wonderland is a journey to the lower world to receive power at adolescence. A Christmas Carol is a journey of healing through the power of the helping spirits. Santa travels to the middle world through the smoke in your chimney. The Tooth Faery transforms suffering into joy. Instead of deciding Santa is not real, my son will learn that Santa belongs to a realm that we can all access, one that can radically impact our daily lives. Someday my son will learn to make his own journeys to Santa to ask what gifts he might help Santa bring to this world. In the meantime I will learn Santa's dance and share it with my family. That's the best gift of all! Tim Flynn, FSS Three-Year Program graduate, Monterey Bay area, California. Tim plans to report how it goes on Christmas Day on his blog. Check his website to see how it turns out. 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.)
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SUPPORT OUR WORK
For more than two decades, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies has worked to preserve, study, and teach shamanic knowledge for the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants. Michael Harner's pioneering work has led to a revival of shamanic healing in a contemporary context. In addition to its training programs, attended by thousands annually, the FSS works to preserve and revive indigenous shamanism as well researching the practical applications of shamanic healing and knowledge to present day problems. 
FSS Living Treasure, Daur shaman Sichingua. Photo by Meng Huiying.
The work of the Foundation is carried out through the many projects supported by your generous contributions – including the Baniwa Shamanic Revitalization, the Living Treasures of Shamanism program, and the development of new workshops and training programs such as Shamanic Dreamwork™. Read more about the current activities of the Foundation on the Foundation's news blog. Your support is critical and immensely appreciated and we ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We welcome to our Advisory Council those who invest $5000 and above annually for three years. Please email Development
Associate Carolyn
Fee if you wish to discuss the many
convenient ways to give. We are very grateful for your generosity. Michael Harner Susan Mokelke |
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Editor: Susan Mokelke
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Editor:
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