May 2016

Greetings all!

Thanks to everyone who made my first online course and the April trip to the Bay Area so great!

This week I'm headed to Portland, OR: May 5-7 for an ancestors talk at New Renaissance, personal sessions, and a day of ritual on the land. Later in May I'll be in Saxapahaw, NC: May 20-22 for a day of water-focused ritual in/on/near the Haw River, an ancestors day, and sessions, and after that in Athens, GA May 27-30 for an ancestors intensive and sessions.

You may know that the focus of my 2009 doctoral research in psychology was on the use of shamanic healing methods by mental health professionals.  I'm excited to now offer an online class: Earth and Ancestor Wisdom for Therapists and Other Healer Folks (May 12-June 2). Sessions will be encouraging, resource-abundant, and include time for Q&A. If you're a therapist or otherwise work with the human psyche and you want to responsibly harmonize earth ways with your clinical practice, check out the info below or link to register & for details. Cost is roughly 1,000x less than writing a dissertation and maybe half of one session of therapy.

Finally, just a bow of gratitude to everyone for your trust and support. The demands of daily live, ritual tending, and just getting to know the land here in Western North Carolina often mean that I don't reach out to folks as often as I'd like, and I'm always happy to hear from people I'm shared in circle with. Good thoughts and prayers from here in Asheville!

Warmly,

Daniel

(828) 767-9234
ancestralmedicine.org

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Ancestral and Family Healing: Intro Teachings 
Portland, OR // Asheville, NC // Boulder, CO

Attendees will learn a basic framework from which to safely and directly engage family and older lineage ancestors as sources of guidance, healing, and spiritual inspiration. Discussion will include ways to assist those who have yet to join the ancestors and how to approach ancestor reverence in ways that support personal, family, and generational healing. 

No prior experience with ritual, ghosts, or really anything needed. Skeptics and those who feel burned by your family are warmly welcome. For details on any given event see the calendar of events and here are times and dates: 
There's also a new full-length recording of (one-version of) the intro talk on my site if you look on the ancestors page, fourth paragraph down, the link is Intro to Ancestral and Family Healing.
Honoring Spirits of Place and the Natural World
Portland, OR // Saxapahaw, NC

For folks drawn to earth-honoring traditions (e.g., animism, shamanism, indigenous ways, pagan traditions) one of the primary tasks is to come into more conscious and respectful relationship with the larger web of other-than-human relations. These others include but are not limited to the collective wisdom or spirits of animals, plants, stones, bodies of water, weather, and 1,001 other local powers.

In the first half of 2016 I'll guide the following outdoor rituals emphasizing inclusive, heart-centered skills for honoring spirits of place. Each is a little different as the local powers and needs at each location vary:
  • May 7, Portland, OR. Animal, Plant, & Fungi (Facebook event)
  • May 21, Saxapahaw, NC. Honoring the Spirit of the Haw River (Facebook event)
For descriptions of each event see the Facebook page or the calendar of events. Participants can expect to learn empowering practices for engaging our other-than-human relations. 
Ancestral and Family Healing: Three-Day Intensives 
Athens, GA // Asheville, NC // Boulder, CO

Everyone has loving and wise ancestors, and by reaching out for their support we access tremendous vitality for personal and family healing. In addition to supporting repairs with living family, our ancestors encourage healthy self-esteem and help us to clarify our destiny, relationships, and work in the world. 

Participants will learn to relate safely and directly with family ancestors, both helpful guides and the dead who are still in need of assistance. Expect to engage lineage ancestors through prayer, song, visioning practices, offerings, forgiveness work, and group dialogue. This is the foundational ancestor training I've guided throughout the United States since 2005. 

There are no prerequisites, however, experience with inner work/psychological healing and relating with spirit guides/teachers are both helpful. Folks new to ancestor work, adoptees, and those with a tough experience of family are welcome. Those with a healing arts practice will learn new skills to support your work.

Spaces are limited; preregistration and full attendance requested. Trainings are 10am-5pm each day. 2016 dates include:
Cost is $300 in the Southeast and $400 west of the Mississippi. As always, talk with me if you need flexibility to attend. See ancestors page for details on my approach to this work.
Earth and Ancestor Reverence for Therapists 
and Other Healer Folks 
Four Thursdays, May 12-June 2nd
8-9:30pm Eastern / 5-6:30pm Pacific

Mental health professionals, like many in the modern Western culture, are increasingly drawn to diverse expressions of earth spirituality (e.g., indigenous paths, animism, shamanic healing). This raises important ethical and professional questions about when and how to incorporate these perspectives and healing methods into the therapeutic relationships with clients, many of whom may have no particular interest in earth wisdom.

This four-part online course will introduce participants to the existing literature and research bridging modern psychology and psychotherapy with diverse forms of earth spirituality. From this foundation, we'll then explore how different foundational elements of earth-honoring paths can be professionally and ethically harmonized with the professional delivery of mental health services. Participants can expect to:

-Get acquainted with existing bridges between psychotherapy and animist ways
-Explore when and to what degree to incorporate earth-spirit views with clients
-Learn basic ways to clinically work w/ ancestors and other-than-human guides
-Identify professional and clinical risks in openly incorporating earth-spirit ways

The use of shamanic healing methods among mental health professionals was the subject of my 2009 doctoral research in psychology, and I strongly believe that clinicians can work from a highly ethical position while still selectively incorporating less traditional perspectives and healing methods into their practice.

The focus of the four 1:30 sessions (8-9:30pm Eastern) will be:
-Animism, Earth Wisdom, & Psychotherapy (5/12)
-Ancestors & Psychotherapy (5/19)
-Other-than-Human Kin & Psychotherapy (5/26)
-Personal Destiny, Soul-Level Calling & Psychotherapy (6/2)

Each session will include plenty of time for Q&A, and anyone who works with others in a healing/mentorship/guidance capacity may find the material to be of benefit. The course runs once a week from
Thurs, May 12th - Thurs, June 2nd, 8-9:30pm Eastern, 5-6:30pm Pacific. Cost for the series is $80. Sessions will be recorded and available to all participants. 

For more context on my angle on this work see: Blog Post on Animism and Clinical Mental Health. To register or for further details, please see: Link for Learn it Live Course. 
Personal Sessions

Individual sessions tend to be about ancestral and family healing, spiritual guidance and mentorship, or occasionally consultation for folks building a holistic healing practice. People sometimes reach out to try to make sense of a spiritual calling, and I'm also a therapist with a Ph.D. in psychology if you're struggling with the 1,001 things of life and just want to approach it all from a more holistic angle.

I offer a free 15-minute phone consult to decide if you'd like to set a session. Sessions can be by phone or Skype, in-person in Asheville, or sometimes in-person when I'm traveling to teach (e.g., CA, GA, NC, OR, CO). For more info see: personal sessions.
Dr. Daniel Foor | (828) 767-9234 | ancestralmedicine@gmail.com | www.ancestralmedicine.org
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