In a noteworthy turn of events, Michael Harner's book The Way of the

Photo by France Viana

Shaman, has just been translated into Mongolian, another indication of how Asian peoples are increasingly interested in Michael's work and that of the Foundation. The Foundation is receiving invitations to offer workshops in China and Indonesia, and there is interest, too, from South Korea. At the June Basic Workshop in San Francisco, a newly-made Sami-style drum (photo, right) was brought to the workshop by a participant. This was very touching to us - when Michael visited Samiland in the early eighties, drums were illegal to possess. An opening, a loosening, seems to be occurring, not just on a political level, but much deeper, in the souls of the people. Just as the US celebrates its political Independence Day on July 4th, perhaps someday the world will celebrate a spiritual independence day, where each person has his or her own personal relationship with the spirits. The continued dissemination of shamanic knowledge and the practice of the shamanic journey in a contemporary context bring the possibility of spiritual autonomy, of spiritual democracy - long a dream of Michael's - within our reach at last.

Susan Mokelke
Editor

 

2011-12 RESIDENTIAL ADVANCED WORKSHOPS

♦ The 1st Pacific Northwest Summertime Three-Year Program in Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing with Susan Mokelke, begins July 31 - August 11, 2011 in the Portland area, Oregon.

♦ Harner Shamanic Counseling Training with April Tuck, CSC, will be held August 15 - 19, 2011 in the Boston area, Massachusetts.  

♦ The East Coast Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensive, taught by David Corbin and Nan Moss, assisted by Elaine Egidio, will be held November 6 - 17, 2011, in Madison, Virginia.  

♦ The West Coast Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensive with Alicia L. Gates, assisted by Amanda Foulger, will be held February 19 - March 1, 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Includes a session with guest Michael Harner. The Two Week Intensive, offered on the West or East Coast, is the best preparation for the FSS Three Year program.  

♦ The 8th East Coast Three-Year Program in Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing with David Corbin & Nan Moss, assisted by Elaine Egidio, will begin May 6 - 11, 2012 in Madison, Virginia.

 

Please check the website FOR PREREQUISITES for these training programs, as some have changed.

 

For details and to REGISTER for any of these programs, contact Michael Flanagin: flanagin4@msn.com, (503) 282-6315.

 

2011 FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON 

The first FSS fundraising luncheon was a delightful and successful event. Bettina Giancana-Kane told her story about how shamanic healing cured her illness and gave back her life. Angeles Arrien gave a

Michael Harner & Angeles Arrien at the   2009 FSS Council Gathering

heartfelt introduction to Michael Harner and spoke about the influence and importance of his life's work in shamanism. Michael shared his hopes for the future growth of the Foundation's mission and Susan Mokelke, Executive Director, talked about some of upcoming opportunities and plans to carry the Foundation's work into the mainstream. Read more about our vision. Participants enjoyed lunch, conversation, and then participated in a silent auction, with items generously donated by FSS supporters. FSS Board member Robert Lee Morris, a world-renowned jewelry designer, donated two sets of his work; Christine Holden created a beautiful drum; Joy Markgraf donated an amazing double-headed rattle; and Christina Bertea offered a powerful stone sculpture. Thank you to those of you who were able to attend and to those who contributed - you are making a difference everyday in bringing the power of shamanism and shamanic healing back into our lives and communities.

NEW! SHAMANIC TRAINING IN CREATIVITY

istockphoto.com/Jan Derksen

We are pleased to announce the first public offering of a new weekend workshop, Sandra Harner's Shamanic Training in Creativity. Creativity is so ancient that it is at once fundamental and complex, even a driving force in our lives. Shamanism brings a fresh approach to Westerners for cultivating their creative potential. In this workshop, based on years of research, participants will have the opportunity to enhance their creativity through the practice of shamanic methods. Selected historical and anthropological examples will illustrate connections between shamanism and creative abilities, and a variety of specific shamanic exercises will be taught that participants can apply to their personal lives. The first workshop will be taught by Sandra Harner and held August 20 - 21 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Click here for more information and to register online, and for a calendar of additional scheduled offerings of this new workshop.

THE WAY OF THE SHAMAN TRANSLATED
Michael Harner's book The Way of the Shaman has recently been released in French in a new translation. This translation, La Voie du chamane, by Laurent Huguelit, who is an FSS faculty member in Europe, provides an effective rendition of this classic work. It is available from the publisher Mama Editions. In an interesting development, the book will soon also be available in Mongolian through a publisher in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

FSS ON THE WEB
♦ The Foundation's website recently received a new look. On the HOME page, various aspects of the Foundation's mission are introduced, with links to other pages for those who would like to know more. The same depth and breadth of information is provided to support your interest in shamanism, including: articles, video clips, workshops and trainings descriptions and calendar, shamanic services listings, and the preservation of indigenous shamanism through the Living Treasures of Shamanism and other projects. Upcoming plans include more use of video and other web technologies, and a regularly updated center column with a spotlight on current happenings, shamanic news, and aspects of interest to our visitors.
♦ The Foundation is now on Facebook. Visit our site and support us in getting the word out about shamanism and shamanic healing by clicking the "LIKE" button under one of the entries and sharing with your Facebook friends.

INTRODUCING NEW FSS FACULTY
We are pleased to welcome three additional faculty members to ourinternational team. Sarah Finlay and Peter Clark are teaching in the Canadian Maritimes. They are offering a Basic Workshop, The Way of the Shaman: Shamanic Journeying, Power, and Healing on July 16-17, 2011 in Chester,Nova Scotia.

Ellen Winner, who began her study of shamanism in 1984 with Michael Harner's book The Way of the Shaman, is offering the first FSS Basic workshop in Lawrence, Kansas on October 22-23, 2011. Sarah, Peter, and Ellen have studied extensively with the Foundation and are experienced shamanic practitioners.

SPOTLIGHT ON: THE SHAMANISM ANNUAL

Cowrie Shell Mask, circa 2002. Photo by Jeffrey David Ehrenreich.

Once a year, the Foundation issues its scholarly journal the Shamanism Annual. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has been offering authentic writings on the contemporary and indigenous practices of shamanism around the globe, first with Shamanism and now with the Shamanism Annual. The most recent issue of the journal contains articles on shamanism and African identity in New Orleans, contemporary shamanism in China, psychopomp practices of the Foundation's Living Treasure Tibetan shamans, shamanic journeying and the immune response, and shamanism and ecstatic union. The Shamanism Annual also provides a voluntary directory of individuals and drumming circles to help develop a worldwide community for healing and mutual help. The journal is one of the exclusive benefits of membership in the Circle of the Foundation.

CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION
Certificates of Completion are available to graduates of many of the FSS advanced residential training programs in shamanism and shamanic healing, including Harner Shamanic Counseling. Certificates of Completion acknowledge the considerable time and effort involved in the 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 HSC, White, Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates online.