The Upper World Spirit Allies Celestial/angelic spirits Spirit guides Simplified Map of the World Tree and related elements of the shamanic realms The Middle World Humans Animals Nature spirits For use with the Post Tribal Shamanic workshops with Kenn Day www.shamanstouch.com The Lower World Spirits of Ancestors Greater Animal spirits
Working with Spirits Types of spirits Archetypal Spirits Anything from Santa Clause to Zeus. Generally referring to those entities who begin as thought forms reflecting from the depths of the human consciousness and evolve into autonomous spirits. Divine Spirits Gods and goddesses. Earth Spirits Includes land spirits; spirits of specific power spots Ancestor Spirits Generally found at rest in the Under World. Some may also appear in a more purified form in the Upper World Plant Spirits Spirits of specific trees (dryads). Particular medicine plants seem to have a spirit relationship much like that of wild animals, with their greater spirit appearing in the Under World. Animal Spirits Greater animal spirits appear in the Under World. Lesser ones appear in the Middle World. Shamanic helping or teaching spirits Spirit allies. Synthetic or Created spirits Spirit entities created by the shaman for their own purposes. Techniques for interacting with spirits: Summoning Evocation: Calling a spirit into the space around you or into some vessel other than your own body. Invocation: Calling a spirit into your own body to share space with you or to take over your body for a time until released or banished. Journeying Using shamanic body to go visit the spirit on its home ground.
Shaman s Touch The Technology of Shamanic Healing Preparation for performing healing work: Clearing you don t want to share a distorted resonance. Ability to digest Qi cooking the Qi in the three burners. Regular practice This provides the catalyst for the client at a soul level. Adequate Shen the critcal mass of shen needed to reach beyond your own body. Shamanic Healing : Integration The overall thrust of shamanic healing is integration bringing all the parts into a unified whole. Medicine Body Touching the different layers of the client: Body, emotions and spirit/soul. Extending Shen How to extend your awareness into the client s body. Inner-Body Journey Moving into the client s body as a landscape of their healing. For use with the Post Tribal Shamanic workshops with Kenn Day www.shamanstouch.com
Ceremonies Ritual/Ceremony What do we mean? The term Ceremonies is a western word used to refer to a wide range of activities in traditional cultures - everything from religious activities to shamanic or magical rituals. We will be using more specific terminology in the context of this workshop. Ceremony: Any activity used to commemorate, acknowledge or honor what is. Ritual: any activity used to bring about a change in what is. Some of the purposes of ceremony in a traditional culture: Maintaining the cohesion of the society Reminding the members of their roots in the infinite Keeping the living connected with their ancestors honoring the rites of passage for individuals and groups Why Do we perform ceremony in our post-tribal culture? Examples of ceremonies: Marriage; Naming; Graduation; and, Memorial. Pipe Ceremony is an honoring ceremony that uses the power of the pipe and of the plant spirits to weave connections and bring people together in a space of openness and truth. Sweat Lodge (also called stone lodge or medicine lodge) How does the sweat lodge work? What needs does it address? The lodge ceremony represents birth and emerging from the womb - both the womb of your mother and of the Great Mother (Earth). The apparent duality between lodge and fire is a powerful force which energizes and deepens the experience. The orientation of the lodge to the natural setting allows it to be supported by the spirits of the land.
The puposes for sweat lodge are many, but the come down to a few basics: Purification: On a purely physical level, the sweat helps to cleanse the body of wastes and open the pores. On a more spiritual level, it releases old toxins and makes room for new growth. Connecting: As the participants enter the sweat lodge together, they are returning to the womb - together. This space is incredibly intimate and highly charged. This allows for greater connection between the participants and with all their spiritual allies and ancestors as well. Gratitude: It is important to feel the great gift we are offered in this ritual and to recieve it fully, which also means offering our gratitude to all those involved. Gratitude for our life is also an important element of this ceremony. We return to the womb to renew our appreciation for our own birth/life. Sweat rounds - each time the door of the sweat opens and new rocks are passed in is a round. Honoring - the first round is to call in and honor the Grandfathers and other spirits who will be helping. purificaion - This is often the most difficult round - sometimes taking more than one round - as we work to move through any obstacles to realizing our intention. connecting - The is a powerful round - focused on a deepening of existing connections and the cration of new connections. gratitude - giving thanks to all the spirits who have helped us as well as the ancestors and the embodied humans, the host/ess, the land, etc. sweat roles pourer - This is the person who sits to the inside of the door and runs the sweat. doorkeeper - This is the person who sits to the outside of the door (last one in) and helps to keep order and maintain the energy. firekeeper - This is the person who tends the fire, maintaining the balance between the fire and the lodge. participant - This refers to all other participants. ettiquette Be respectful - follow the directions of the pourer - communicate with either the pourer or the doorkeeper if you begin to experience any dificulty. Drink and then pass the water when it comes to you. Do not pour water on the rocks. This is for the pourer to do.
DreamBody Workshop DreamBody This is the vehicle for the conscious dreamstate, much as the Shamanic Body is the vehicle for those states of consciousness. Inner Dreams These are dreams which take place in the internal landscape of the dreamer s psyche. Outer Dreams These are dreams that take place outside the dreamer s psyche, while the dreamer is in DreamBody. Dreamscape The shared landscape of dream experienced by dreamers beyond their psyches. Techniques for entering dreamstate: Prepared sleep Bøn Technique for entering dreamstate while awake Moving into DreamBody from Lodge in Shamanic Body Dream Constellation