Monday, August 22, 2011

Tapping into Bay Area Resources: The Foundation for Shamanic Studies

Living in the Bay Area provides so much opportunity. There's nature: redwoods, ocean, rolling hills. And there's arts: symphony, jazz, rock and roll, theater. But there's also the high concentration of incredible people doing interesting things. And that results in opportunities to expand your horizons by taking workshops and attending lectures.

I spent this past weekend in one such workshop. Along with about 80 other people, I chanted, drummed, and rattled, while I explored how creativity can be spurred by shamanism. Yes, I said shamanism. You're probably picturing a medicine man from some ancient tribe, and you're not off the mark. If you pictured Val Kilmer acting like Jim Morrison in the Doors movie, well....

The class I took was taught by Sandra Harner, wife to Michael Harner. Michael is known as the father of modern shamanism. He has studied shamanism in various cultures around the world, and he has made some intriguing findings. First of all, people who are considered wise people, medicine men, or shamans in various tribal cultures all around the world all have very similar practices. They use ritual drumming or drugs to induce a trance, and then make spiritual journeys. (Don't get too excited - the Foundation's workshops all use drumming, not drugs.)

Michael and Sandra believe that the shaman has very real and important work to do on Earth. Shamans are compassionate healers who work with spirits, and they have a very strict code of ethics. In order to revive shamanism in modern culture, Michael created the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, an organization that aims at introducing shamanism to the Western world, and preserving tribal practices where they are threatened.

If you're interested, I suggest reading Michael's seminal book: The Way of the Shaman. If you're still interested, then check out the Basic Workshop.  The beauty of shamanism is that all knowledge is based on first-hand experience. In the Foundation's workshops, you get to experience spiritual travel for yourself.  So get out there and find your inner shaman.






1 comment:

  1. Have you read the book or seen the documentary 'Horse Boy?' Fantastic in both mediums. The author lives in a small town near Austin; quite near where the awful wildfires are, coincidentally. I had the pleasure of meeting their family at a local book reading a couple of years ago and can't deny that I was ready to take my son to meet some shamans too! I think I'd still consider it if it all felt right to me. You might also be interested in this place:
    http://www.thecenterfortruenorth.com/home
    It is run by a fantastic couple that I had the pleasure of working for when I lived in L.A. Check it out...

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