Shamanism 101
January's Newsletter
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Welcome to January's Newsletter!
"Yes, there will be initiations and challenges, and nothing will be put forward for you to experience without a good reason for your understanding of it".
 
Dr. Steve Serr, Ph.D., Founder of Shamanism 101

Although our calendar is the result of human conventional thinking, it is also true that we are beginning a new cycle.
 
Even though the New Year has a meaning in the collective consciousness, it means nothing in the cosmos. What it means to us is, after all, a personal feeling which is the result of our own experience and understanding of life.
 
However, we still feel the upswing of hope at this time, of the opportunity to enter a new chapter of our lives. The new year brings with it a time for reflection, change, and re-evaluation. The new year also falls shortly after the solstice, which does indeed herald a new season for our Earth's cycles and for our lives, reminding us that things are changing, and with them, our shamanic work, which continues to evolve and adapt itself to new understandings and forms of expression.
 
Deborah Pack, one of our instructors, and our school registrar, gently reminds us to sing in celebration the passing of seasons. She invites us to embrace such changes and express joy for the gifts winter will bring.

She says:
 
"Dance for joy"
 
In her song Debbie reminds us that after all, JOY can be a powerful medicine when outside is dark and cold, or hot and dry.
 
Next, in this edition of our newsletter, we have included a ritual to release the past, as I gently realize that the way we do ceremony is a reflection of our own selves and the way we approach life. I have shared the following:
 
"The way you approach this practice is connected to the way you move through life".
 
Rituals can be very powerful in understanding how we are flowing through life, and they help us to see beyond what we usually cannot perceive and understand.
 
Heidi Kummi will elaborate a little on the power of shamanism and art. Making art in any form is a way to express ourselves and our talents. Shamanism and art are deeply connected. Heidi says:
 
"Art and shamanism have been on the planet for thousands of years".
 
As we explore this powerful connection, we are perhaps re-awakening memories of an ancient past to which we belong.
 
Finally, Daniel Raccani invites us to spread out love. As the shamanic practitioners of today, we are reminded that we have the power to dream:
 
"Whether we believe it or not we are dreaming this sort of fear based existence into reality and this is where I feel that as the shamanic practitioners of today we need to come into play with our understanding of the idea of interconnectedness and the web of life to positively influence and bring forward real change in our world".
 
There is much work ahead for all of us. May it be filled with JOY and the knowingness that we too can make a difference. Everything starts when we shake our rattle and enter a new dream.
 
R. Theseus Spano, Shamanism 101 Instructor & Editor
Song to Welcome Winter
Deborah Pack, Shamanism 101, Instructor 

The wolf howls
The moon is full

Dance for Joy
Dance for Joy

Cold is near
Cold is here

Dance for Joy
Dance for Joy

Rest and Recover
Deep in Sleep

Dance for Joy
Dance for Joy
A Ritual to Release the Past
R. Theseus Spano, Shamanism 101 Instructor

Releasing the past: a ritual with Mother Nature and the Natural Forces of the Universe. 

There are 4 stages in this ritual:

-          Preparation
-          Fulfillment
-          Gestation
-          Release

Desired location: a forest with a long straight path that goes from side to side. The forest, a symbol of life and the expression of Spirit, so deeply connected to our subconscious. The path, a symbol of our lives across time and space. 

Preparation: you will work on releasing any past situation, person, addiction or behavior that is still causing pain in the 'here and now'.
You will walk along the path in the forest, as if going back in time, and each time you remember something you would like to heal and release, you will collect a pebble, stone or rock.
You will also collect an extra stone or pebble.
When this is done, you will have reached the other side of the path which represents the past.
Now it is time to move back to the present time and release that pain.

Fulfillment: while walking all the way back to the present, you will connect with a Tree, and hear its call. Each time this happens, you will draw on the pebble, stone or rock a symbol that represents what you wish to release (for example a cigarette for addictions, or a sad face for depression, etc). The symbol, which needs to be simple and eye catching, will be drawn with a water based marker.
It shall be buried at the feet of the tree. You will dig with your bare hands. As you do so you can whisper something like 'I give you to the Earth now with full forgiveness, you no longer belong to the present and here you shall transform'.
Once that particular tree is left behind, you should never look back, but keep focusing on reaching the present time (the beginning of the path).
On the last pebble, you will draw a heart, a symbol of love and compassion, and bury it at the feet of the last tree. You can hold your hands on the heart, and express gratitude.
At this point, you will leave the forest, without looking back, and return to your life silently.

Gestation: this is about waiting for a rainy day. It can happen over a few days, or over a few months. It does not matter. You will have to wait for that moment. 

Release: when it rains, wherever you are, you will stop for a moment and look at the rain. You will realize that the rain will make the soil moist, thus all symbols that were drawn on the pebbles will fade away and will be released in the earth.
As the symbols are released with the power of water and earth and your intention, you can whisper or chant something like 'You are released, I am free, I am free to be'.

This concludes the ritual.

The way you approach this practice is connected to the way you move through life. Will you get lost along the path? Will you hear a tree calling you? Do you really want to release the past, are you ready, do you stand in your own power? Are you wandering around without a specific direction? Will you return to the present time smoothly, or will you wander around as if lost? Do you know where you are? (In the forest, but also in your life). 
Art and photo courtesy of Heidi Kummli
"The portal of healing and creativity always takes us into the realm of the spirit."
Bringing Shamanism into Your Art
Heidi Kummli, Shamanism 101, Instructor
Sitting at my altar, I gently and consciously crumble the sage between my fingers. The smell awakens my senses and I can feel my ancestors close by. I call upon my spirit guides to help me with this cleansing. As I light the sage my thoughts dissipate with the smoke as I open myself up to Spirit and to hollowness, allowing healing to come through and for wholeness to take place.
 
Something similar happens when I sit at my desk making art. The sunlight shines through the window, I hear the trees and the air rustling outside. Yet my focus is on my hands and which beads I should pick up with my needle and where I should place them on the suede. There is an opening in my consciousness, a feeling of oneness with everything, and through this, the art flows, reflection flows, the healing flows, and what the universe wants me to express flows.

Art and shamanism have been on the planet for thousands of years. I feel both are a way to bring healing in the universe and as humans in our lives. As a bead artist for over 35 years I have always felt a connection with the Earth and the animals upon Her. But it wasn't until I started practicing Shamanism that I could actually give a name to the practice and make sense of the messages and meanings I received. 

Art and Shamanism are similar in that they are a way of life, because when we heal, we can become whole. While we practice shamanism we can be inspired by what we learn from our experience. We can then bring these into our art or expression, whether it is visual art, poetry, movement, song, gardening, cooking, relationships and so forth. And while we express our talents, we can manifest the messages we received during our shamanic practice through our art, thus sharing it with the world.
 
My artwork has grown with more meaning than ever before as I honor and bring my power animals, spirit teachers and their wisdom into my work. I have always incorporated animals and healing stones into my beaded jewelry designs, but now they look more personal to the wearer and have a power that one can feel.
 
I invite you to create a special piece to wear or perhaps hang it on your wall; if you are not artistic you can make a collage using pictures or photographs easily found online. Incorporate items you have been collecting that honor your spirit guides; if you are uncertain as to what to use you can always ask your guides. By studying the meaning of animals we can find out what gifts they have to share. Adding gemstones or crystals into your artwork can also bring the spirit of healing of the stones. 

By making a piece of art that represents our spirit guides and teachers we are actually honoring them. If we can experience our shamanic practice through artwork, we can then amplify the healing and beauty for all the world to benefit from.
 
There are lots of instructions online or even kits to make your own rattle or drum; in this way we honor our practice and feel a closeness that otherwise might be lost. You can paint on the leather of your drum or rattle using acrylic paints. For my first rattle I used the root of an old tree that had blown over. I asked the tree if it was alright to use it and He answered that as long as I came back and share my song, that would be fine. I found a coyote den up behind the house once, and after they moved away I found a small deer leg that I incorporated into the handle of my second rattle, a gift from coyote. I also added the fur of my power animals to make it even more special. You can also use claws, teeth and bone in your art, to bring that healing power in your work and life. 
 
I like to cleanse my tools and my artwork after I have worked with them and find such a peace in doing so. I know that whomever see's or wears this piece of art will feel the oneness, grounding and aliveness that are the result of my spiritual work. 
 
Play with this connection between shamanism and art. What do they mean to you ? Let your own soul fly and sing your song, dance your dance, honor your spirits and share the healing.

Don't be afraid to create from your heart because like finding your soul song, it too will flow. And with the right intention you can bring beauty and richness to your life and that of others. Art, like shamanism needs and wants to be expressed. 
"Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by Love: this is the eternal truth..."
Buddha
The Web of Love 
Daniel Raccani, Shamanism 101 Instructor 
 
As the clock ticks and we march towards the end of another cycle of a calendar year, we naturally move into different seasons depending on where we find ourselves on the planet .

People in the Northern hemisphere move into Winter which can be one of introspection; while those in the Southern side of our great planet move into the Summer cycle to enjoy the bounties of the Earth and the extreme aliveness of this time.
  
What we both have in common is that now is the time to look back over the year that has passed and express gratitude for the many blessings bestowed upon us during a time of global challenge and transformation.

Even with the many natural disasters and profound human challenges, we seek in these times an opportunity for growth, as both we and the Earth strive for re-balancing.
  
As the Earth has now become so over populated, we drive our brothers in the animal kingdom to extinction, we pollute some of the world's greatest rivers and destroy many of the old growth forests for the sake of money and industry. This is an old view based on greed, attachment and fear, and one that no longer serves any good at all.
  
Whether we believe it or not we are dreaming this sort of fear based existence into reality and this is where I feel that as the shamanic practitioners of today, we need to come into play with  our understanding of the idea of interconnectedness and the web of life to positively influence and bring forward real change in our world.
  
After we move into a new cycle, we have the responsibility with our understanding of ordinary and non-ordinary realities to help weave a new dream, one that is infused with love and with the power to co-create a new reality with the help of the Universe itself, to truly make this age, a golden one.

It is our time to begin to recognize and create a new story for our existence,  one full of love and connection to each other and the planet, and though there seems to be much darkness, it is the shaman 'who sees in the dark', and has the ability to illuminate.

So, with the thought in the forefront of our minds of the smallest pebble thrown into the greatest lake, still creating a ripple effect, I'd like to think of all of us like that pebble by sending out Love and compassion to everyone, everywhere, and just see if we can bring much life to the web of love.

And that new dream is but a thought away.

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."
Lewis Carrol
  ~Thank you for joining Shamanism 101~
~ January's Newsletter ~