S H A M A N I S M H E A L I N G M Y T H S W I S D O M WAY S N E W C O M M U N I T Y

ISSUE 92 2016
www.sacredhoop.org

CELEBRATE THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

ARE WE PLAYING AT
BEING SHAMANS?
BEING AUTHENTIC
Urban Shamanism in Mongolia
A Real Shamanic Calling
STEALING THE SPIRITS?
Cultural Appropriation -
the rise of the S-word
Being Bogusly Indigenous
Are you a Fluffy Shaman?
WOMENS SACRED
EMPOWERMENT
Mother Wound Healing

Sacred Self Care

When ill or disabled
Birds and Spirit
Omens in Nature
Spines of Protection
Sacred Life of the Hedgehog
Spirit of the Tundra
Siberian Shamanism
meets Contemporary Dance
 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES

Available as a paper and eBook from Amazon,

Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo Books, Google Play.
For a free preview, including the Table of Contents,
go to iUniverse or Barnes & Noble Nook
Dr. Kowalewski writes in a clear and compassionate way, showing how
sometimes, at death, it is necessary to perform healing work on a soul
to help it transcend.This is an important book.
SANDRA INGERMAN, MA: author of Soul Retrieval

Drawing on first-hand accounts and cross-cultural research, Dr. Kowalewski

offers us an engaging Western perspective on the art and methods of
the psychopomp. Anyone whos going to die will benefit from this highly
readable book.
BILL PLOTKIN, PhD: author of Soulcraft

This is the most in-depth treatment of the subject that I have ever read.
Using personal experiences to illustrate specific aspects of psychopomp
behavior and activity is not only interesting, but very helpful to those
learning about it. Good job!
SERGE KAHILI KING, PhD: author of Urban Shaman
Dr. Kowalewski has written a comprehensive book on one of the basic
tasks of the shaman.This is a highly readable, well-researched work,
detailing a number of his personal experiences as a conductor of the
spirits of the dead.This book is highly recommended.
DANA ROBINSON: co-author of Shamanism and the Spirit Mate
This important book is an informative, thorough, cross-cultural overview.
Dr. Kowalewski speaks with authority as a near-death experiencer and
practicing psychopomp.The text is enriched with fascinating examples,
concluding with a most important chapter on what psychopomp practice
means for our everyday living. A very welcome addition to the literature.
PENNY SARTORI, PhD, author of The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016

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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES
FAIT H N O LTO N SCANDINAVIAN CENTER FOR
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( d e t a i l s s e e we b s i t e a n d A m a zo n )

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CONTACT: courses@asbacka.org
(U K)01239 682071
WWW.SHAMANISM.DK

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016 3

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 who is really a shaman? : page 15-17

Are we stealing and exploiting tribal culture? : pages 28-32

EDITOR, DESIGN AND PRODUCTION:
Nicholas Breeze Wood
DESIGN AND EDITORIAL CONSULTANT:
Faith Nolton
PROOF READING:
Linda Booth, Faith Nolton
CONTACT DETAILS:
Sacred Hoop Magazine
Anghorfa, Abercych, Boncath,
Pembrokeshire, SA37 0EZ, UK
Email: Nick@sacredhoop.org
Tel: (01239) 682 029 Darkhad shamanism from Mongolia : pages 6-14
www.sacredhoop.org
PUBLISHING POLICY:
SACRED HOOP seeks to network those wanting to
learn the spiritual teachings of indigenous peoples as a
Contents
living path of knowledge. Our contents cover the integration of both
old and new ways, and insights that contribute to a balanced and TOUCHING THE PRIMORDIAL ROOTS . . . . 6-14
sustainable lifestyle in today's world. Urban shamanism is not just a Western thing, now that
We honour all paths and peoples and do not include material from, or mass migration from the steppes to the city has occurred in
give support to, any individual or group which seeks to oppress or Mongolia. Kevin Turner talks with shamans in Ulaanbaatar.
discriminate on grounds of race, lineage, age, sex, class or belief.
Nor do we knowingly publish any material that is inaccurate. ON BEING A SHAMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-17
Views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. With the increase of popular are you a shaman? type
ISSN 1364 - 2219
websites online, Mary Mueller Shutan looks at the reality
of being a shaman and how the word has become devalued.
DISCLAIMER:
Whilst making every effort to be accurate, the SOUL BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-22
editors will not be deemed responsible for any Birds have held a sacred fascination for humans as far
errors, omissions or inaccuracies appearing back as we can go. Brian Taylor looks at some of the
in Sacred Hoop Magazine.
ways birds featured in the mythic lives of our ancestors.
Sacred Hoop Magazine
and-or individual contributors. HEALING THE MOTHER WOUND . . . . . . 23-27
No part of this magazine,
either written text or visual art, may be reproduced There is, an often un-noticed patriarchal worldview which
in any way whatsoever effects both men and women across the world.
without the written Bethany Webster encourages us to look at this pattern
permission of
the Editor. and shows how it is tranmitted from mother to daughter.

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HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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Birds and the soul : pages 18-22
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION - THE S WORD . . . 28-32
Are we stealing sacred traditions from Native people?
Daniel Molar was accused of this, and explores if it is true.
DURING DIFFICULT TIMES . . . . . . . . . . . 33-35
When an illness or an injury interferers with your life how
do we maintain our sacred connections and practices.
Michelle Easton shares some ways that have helped her.
BOGUS INDIGENOUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Are we perpetuating the myth we are acting like real
shamans whenever we do our shamanic practice?.
Barry Goddard questions our way of thinking.
ON BEING FLUFFY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Shamanism has become a sexy word, and is now used to
sex-up lots of new-age products. Nicholas Breeze Wood
makes a plea for looking at old-time shamanism, so we know
what the real thing is, during these days of the sham-manic.
TUNDRA HUNTER AND SHAMAN . . . . 38-41
When Arctic explorer Jon Turk met choreographer and
dancer Jody Weber, little did he know that a dance
exploring the role of shaman and the sacred within
Siberian culture would emerge from the meeting.
BALANCING THE SUN AND MOON . . . . . 42-44
The sacred life of the hedgehog. Claudia Bonney shares
some amazing world folk traditions about this little creature.
BOOK AND MUSIC REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . 45-47
PEOPLE ON THE PATH EVENTS DIARY . . . . 50-53
THE FOUNDING INSPIRATION FOR SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE IN 1993
Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all,
and around and about me was the whole hoop of the world...
I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the
spirit and the shapes of all shapes as they must live together
like one being. And I saw that the Sacred Hoop of my people
was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight
and as starlight and in the centre grew one almighty
flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother
and one father, and I saw that it was holy.
(From the vision of Nicholas Black Elk Lakota Holy Man: 1863 - 1950)
Twitter: @TheSacredHoop
Healing the mother wound : pages 23-27
From the Editor
We live in a dramatically changing world. I
chat to shamans in Mongolia on a daily
basis via Facebook - something that was
unthinkable even ten years ago. Old ways
are changing and being lost, new ways
are emerging - some of them wholesome,
but many of them seemingly facile.
In Mongolia, people are moving from the wild open steppes to
the cities, and shamanism has become a way to express cultural
identity - with old traditional forms mixing with new-age forms
imported from the West and Russia. Our first article meets
traditional shamans living in Ulaanbaatar, trying to balance the
modern with the ancient.
In the West, nowadays, it seems everything is shamanic, from
clothes to cornflakes, yoga to yogurt. Many people declare
themselves to be shamans with seemingly no real understanding of
what a shaman is and does. This theme is explored with our
second article and is a recurring theme in this issue of Hoop.
Shamanism comes from an understanding of animism - a
knowledge that everything is alive and connected. Humans have
always observed nature, and birds have been a vitally important
aspect of this sacred observation. Our third article about birds and
the soul reflects this.
But humans have become increasingly removed from nature. With
that separation we have become increasingly removed from
meaningful initiations into adulthood - perpetuated by a patriarchal
culture which suppresses women and infantilises men, resulting in
out-of-control giant toddlers like Donald Trump. So Bethany Webster
looks at the mother wound, a major cause of this lack of maturity.
Of course, such soul-searching pales into insignificance when we
are gripped with pain or illness, and our next article offers some
practical help to keep us connected to the sacred at such times.
All shamans are artists - but not all artists are shamans goes
an old saying. Jon Turk and Jody Weber look at the meeting
between shamanism and art in the form of contemporary dance.
Today, as I write this, the news is full of stories about disastrous
coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, caused by a
change to the natural environment. Closer to my home, I no longer
see the hedgehog that lived in my garden a few years ago - it has
gone, as so many of their kind have. Our last article is about these
wonderful little beings and the surprising role they have in many
sacred traditions from around the world and across time.
Things are changing - we need to hold on to our hats, and
maybe we need to roll up into a spiney ball from time to time too.
Blessings to all Beings
Nicholas Breeze Wood
X Subscription Details: Page 59
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OOP ISSUE 92 2016
5
 Im soaring over landscapes, then
shamanically journeying upward
through the levels of the Upper
World, my trusty iPod providing the
drumbeat power to propel me into
these transcendent realms.
I consult my spirit teachers on
many topics, and in the midst of this
I hear an interruption: Youll soon
be tested - accept the challenge. I
drop down through back into the
Middle World, to my hotel room in
Ulaanbaatar. Removing my
headphones and mask, I sat up to
make notes on my shamanic
journey. I did not yet understand
what was meant by tested.
My discovery of Darkhad
secrets was about to begin, not in
the terrain of their origin, but in
urban Ulaanbataar. Chimge, my
interpreter, and I squeezed into the
back of a loaded jeep and drove
over dirt alleys to an outer suburb
to meet the chief of the Darkhad
Shamans Association.
Previously, at a great meeting of
shamans on a summer solstice in
Khentii, we had been personally

Touching
invited to interview him and his wife
- who is his assistant and also a
shaman herself.
In contrast to the friendly

Primordial
rapport we had when we had met

The in Khentii, our reception this day

Roots
was to be one of the most hostile I
had ever encountered. We were
held in the outer kitchen, his wife
scowling and accusing us, Why
have you come? Are you here to
steal our shamanic secrets? We
have met many media people,
anthropologists, and so-called
researchers. We know what you
Meetings with Mongolian Darkhad shamans want - only to fill your own pockets
at our expense. You understand
Kevin Turner nothing about shamanism. How
dare you come here!
My ray-beings who transcend felt walls, Chimge, now cowering near the
door, ready to run, meekly protested,
My ray-beings who transcend the ger, But it was you who invited us!
My golden light of a mirror, I rolled my eyes and sighed,
thinking that our trip may have been
My reins-beings of silk scarves, wasted. I thought I would stand and
My Tenger who is watching us from above, politely bow out of this fiasco, but I
My Tenger who belongs to me and does not depart, found myself rooted to my seat by a
mysterious force. I felt indignant at
My Upper World spirit, who has been here and is watching, the harsh reception, yet an inner
My Upper World spirit, who has been guarding, keep on guarding, voice urged me: See how this plays
out. So I listened, remaining
My tornado-like air beings, outwardly calm and inwardly
My thunderbolt-like light-beings focused. With a turn, nod, and silent
low wave of my hand, I assured
Become my partners, on my side. Chimge we would be all right.
I took a different tack with our
Words of a Darkhad shaman invoking the spirits. hosts: I fully agree with you. Most
researchers know nothing of
shamanism. But I fully acknowledge
that shamanism is a true spirituality,
and that spirits and other realities
are real. Please, your wisdom may
help me to understand more.
The chief had now entered, and
upon hearing these words via
Chimges translation, mumbled
something to his wife in their
dialect. Her attitude slightly
softened, and we were invited into
the main room. A first step.
The room was carpeted in deep-
blue wool and had a shamanic altar
against the north wall. The caustic
force these two emitted was so
strong that Chimge hid behind me.
I asked a number of questions,
but the couple remained evasive. I
pressed for more, but was greeted
with only vague or general replies
that could have been gleaned from
even the briefest perusal of
information about Darkhad
shamanism. I wanted to toss my
notebook in the air and walk away,
but the mysterious force held me
fast: see this through
Finally I decided to change tack
again. Enough with humility! Power
entered my voice. I too am a
shamanic practitioner. Unlike those
researchers that only took from you
and understood little, I believe I can
understand your practices!
Chimge looked at me in
disbelief, but translated anyway.
So you are a shaman? asked
the chief. I boldly replied in the
affirmative.
So prove it, his wife cawed, with
a pinched scowl. The chief turned to
me and said, Yes, prove it.
I nodded, and gulped.
Tell us my husbands health
condition, how it can be remedied,
and how long he will remain in this
world.
Uh-oh - I know nothing about
this man. To make matters worse, I
then realised that I didnt have my
rattles, my usual tool for entry into
a shamanic state of consciousness.
For a moment I was speechless,
and Chimge began to lean in her
seat, as if to make a run for it. I
considered declining the trial, but
then I recalled the message from
my journey: accept the challenge.
I asked that the lights be
lowered. A single low grunt from
the chief to their teenage son at
the far end of the room brought
down the lights.
Helping spirits heard my
desperate inner call, and a force
moved through my hand, shaking
my pencil next to my head as
though it were a rattle. I inwardly
imagined hearing the rattling, just
as I practice daily. I surrendered to
reliance on years of practice, on
the many healings and divinations I
had done before. Trust.
A medical diagnosis and
divination emerged from my mouth
as fast as the spirits could inwardly
show me, complete with uncanny
details about the old shamans
past, present, and brief future.
Chimge translated, looking
utterly bewildered, as if wondering,
is he just crazy, or could this
Westerner actually be a shaman?
The chief and his wife just sat
there, their mouths ever so slowly
gaping open as the divination and
prescriptions continued. It would
not be ethical to divulge his medical
condition, so I will not give details
here, but when the pencil stopped
its metronomic movements next to
my ear, I closed the session.
Silence... The couple looked at
each other, faces slack. The
shamans wife was the first to speak.
Kevin, your diagnosis and
divination are the same as that of
both the master shaman we asked
last week and the medical doctor at
the hospital in the city. Enormous
smiles broke forth on their faces,
and they shouted in unison, You
really are a shaman! I nearly
collapsed with relief, but remained
outwardly nonchalant, as if to say, Opposite: a
Well, of course. Darhad shaman
I looked back at Chimge with a drums during a
wink and smile; she looked pale. I ceremony in an
do often misinterpret divinatory appartment in
information from the spirits. Thankfully, Ulaanbaatar
they had apparently considered this
divination important enough to make it Below:
crystal-clear for me. a busy street
The chief then asked for a in Mongolas
general divination for his wife, and capital city
she turned toward me, now Ulaanbaatar
enthusiastic to hear what my spirits
had to offer. I took up my shamanic
pencil close to my ear, and shook
it. Plunging into the hidden worlds,
I asked, What does she most need
to know at this time? I immediately
saw that she drove a vehicle, but
that he did not.
Yes, thats correct, they
confirmed when I told them this.
I then perceived a number of near-
accidents, all in the past few weeks.
I saw that she drove a vehicle,
which they confirmed when I told
them this. I then perceived a
number of near-accidents in the
past few weeks. They both nodded.
I emphasised that my spirits were
saying she had to wear a seatbelt
for the next year, with no exceptions.
She admitted that she never wore
seatbelts, but that she now would
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Below: Yes, thats also correct, they
a Darkhad both nodded. I emphasised that my
shamans drum spirits were saying she had to wear
with a typical a seatbelt for the next full year,
internal bow and with no exceptions. She admitted
arrow design. that she never wore seatbelts, but
The bow, which that she now would.
occurs in many Her family and social
types of shamans relationships were discussed, as
drums in well as some minor but detailed
Southern health concerns. They both
Siberia, is able confirmed the divinations as
to shoot both correct. Chimge, breathless now
magical arrows from translating, looked dazed and
and also some introspective.
say it helps Then the lights were raised, and
shoot the the dark clouds metaphorically
shaman into the parted. The couple, now all smiles,
spirit world: called to their children to bring tea
the shaman is and snacks, and the drawers below
the arrow and the altar were opened to reveal all
the drum is the manner of hidden shamanic
bow implements and tools.
We have not shown these to
others; this isnt for public
knowledge, and I will honour their
request and describe only portions
of our conversation here.
My mother was a very famous
shaman in the old days, explained
the chief, now relaxed, with a cup
of tea and an easy manner. I
8
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became her assistant at thirteen
years of age, and a full shaman at
twenty-three. Im now sixty-three.
He grinned a toothless smile to
his wife. Ive trained over 200
shamans, and my wife has made
over 200 costumes. She
mimicked sewing and smiled.
The chief went on, My
grandfather had long believed that I
would become a shaman, so he
began to send me shamanic
equipment from the age of seven.
He glanced at his son, and
continued, My first healing was done
intuitively with a drum, for someone
with head trauma from a car
accident. Ive never looked back.
The Darkhad and Tuvan dialects
of Mongolian are closely related,
and the Darkhads themselves may
have traveled southeast from Tuvan
areas centuries ago. Both Darkhad
and Tuvan shamanic traditions
share a drum-healing technique in
which a helping spirit is called into
the drum, which is then beaten
while circling around a client. This
technique is surprisingly effective; I
practise it myself.
We discussed soul-portion
retrieval [soul-retrieval],
psychopomp work, and
depossession - all part of an
experienced shamans repertoire.
I usually drum out possessing
spirits, said the chief. But I dont
personally guide deceased souls
who are lost, or stuck here, to the
Upper World. I send my helping
spirits to help them to the most
appropriate afterlife places.
For soul-portion retrieval -
returning lost parts of a clients
spirit that have dissociated due to
trauma - he said that he ties a blue
scarf around the client, and calls
the soul parts into the scarf.
The client must then wear it for
three days, until the parts are all
completely reintegrated into them.
I was asked to keep his other
personal techniques private.
The afternoon drew to a close,
and after I promised to send photos to
their son by email, the chief and his
wife looked at each other again.
Perhaps, its now time for you to meet
Munkhjargal b, a powerful Darkhad
shaman living here in the city.
After two hours of standing outside
a Stalinist block of flat, faceless,
gray-beige concrete buildings
downtown, harsh judgments about
Mongolians began to bleat from the
herd of thoughts I call my mind.
I had been a spoiled, impatient
traveller all month, often feeling
inconvenienced and irritated, and
today had been a long, drudging
day of misleads, misinformation,
late drivers, rain, bad food - and
now this. I had not even had a ten-
second call to my phone to say hes
too busy - I was beginning to think
that Munkhjargal b was probably
having a good laugh on us.
I finally resigned myself to giving
up for the day, and left the street
corner with Chimge to find a meal.
We would have to wait to finally
experience Munkhjargal and his
Darkhad style of shamanism - but
we would discover it would be
worth the wait.
DARKHAD COSMOLOGY
It is believed that the Uhaa - Black
Darkhads - have lived on the eastern
short of Lake Khuvsgul for the past
six centuries or so. The Darkhads
are mentioned in The Secret
History of the Mongols 1 as being
some of the most trusted in
Chinggis Khans employ; but
because of the constant migration of
peoples in Inner Asia and its ever-
changing landscape of epic songs,
poetry and legends, much about
them can only be conjectured.
It has been said that Darkhad
shamanism is the most original and
least influenced by Buddhism and
Communism - but this is disputed by
some scholars, who point out that
Khuvsgul province was just as
inundated with Lamaism as the rest
of Mongolia. However, during the
Communist era, shamans in the
remote areas of Khuvsgul were
probably far enough from the
notorious persecutions to avoid
being sent to the Soviet-style
gulags. Stalin ordered the murder of
over 20,000 Buddhist monks, but
many shamans survived. Nevertheless,
much was done to destroy ongons,
ovoo, and other paraphernalia of
shamanism at this time.
Originally, there were three
traditions of Darkhad shamans - the
Tengerleg B - Sky shamans; the
Ongot shamans - those who work
with ancestor spirits; and the Lu
shamans - those who work with the
nagas and nature-spirits. These
categories have blended together in
recent centuries. Darkhad shamans
with whom I spoke reported that
they work with all three spirit
sources - Tengers, Ongot, and Lu -
as though that is the norm.
A family can have its own
shaman, called nuuts b [private
shaman]. These shamans work
only for their family members.
Some use exclusively the hel khuur
- jaw harp - but most use a drum.
In Darkhad cosmology, matter
emerged from chaos, which
collapsed and divided into Father
Sky and Mother Earth. All life-
forms on earth developed from the
interaction between the two.
This remarkably resembles
modern scientific theories
postulating a Big Bang, and
divisions into light and matter, and
the interplay between starlight and
cooled dust resulting in the life-
forms of today. Shamans would
regard this similarity as only
natural, as they consider
themselves able to directly perceive
cosmic origins while in a shamanic
state of consciousness.
As in many shamanic
cosmologies worldwide, the
Darkhads acknowledge a tripartite
world, the Upper World consisting
of powerful helping spirits, the
Middle World - our world - as a
mixed bag of pleasure and pain -
including helpful and nonhelpful
spirits as well as our ordinary reality
- and the Lower World, which is
considered the source of all
manner of trouble. However, it was
not always seen this way, and it
may have been only in later times
that it was portrayed as such by
Buddhists and Zoroastrians. Some
Darkhads reject the concept of a
After hours of standing outside a
Stalinist block of flat, faceless, gray-
beige concrete buildings downtown,
harsh judgments about Mongolians
began to bleat from the herd of
thoughts I call my mind
tripartite world however, insisting Left: the entry
that the three worlds are not to a Communist
separate but overlapping realities. era appartment
These three worlds are further block in the city
subdivided - the Upper World seen of Ulaanbaatar
as comprised of nine Skies,
Tengers, realms, or deities, which
was later divided into ninety-nine,
with fifty-five White Tengers in the
western realm and forty-four Black
Tengers in the eastern realm.
The Middle World consists of two
realities - seen and unseen. The
Darkhads refer to these as the Light
- ordinary, visible - and the Dark -
nonordinary, invisible - Worlds.
Light and Dark here, of course,
do not imply good and bad..
Though more than eighty years
separate their fieldwork, Buryat
scholar garma Sanjeev in 1935 and
Swiss researcher Judith
Hangartner in 2016 both failed to
find consistent belief systems
among Darkhad shamans.
Shamanism is not a belief system,
taught and accepted, instead it
consists of maps created from
individual experiences of spiritual
realities, and the practical methods
for working in them. Left: many
Because the shaman works in Mongolians
nonordinary reality, the maps and combine both
methods naturally reflect a high shamanism and
degree of subjectivity. So Buddhism. Here
researchers unfamiliar with the a Buddhist stupa
ephemeral terrain of non-ordinary sits beside
reality are likely to see more an ovoo shrine
differences than commonalities. decked with blue
Becoming a shaman in the khadag offering
Darkhad tradition usually starts with scarves
It has been said that Darkhad
shamanism is the most original and
least influenced by Buddhism and
Communism - but this is disputed
by some scholars, who point out
that Khuvsgul province was just
as inundated with Lamaism as
the rest of Mongolia
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 Ongon refers to both the ethereal spirit itself, as
well as the material effigy or spirit house, which
is often, but not always, made in the form of a
doll. Shamans call upon their ongon spirits to
perform all manner of healings and divinations to
this day. Once a shaman is merged with an ongon
spirit, they can drink enormous amounts of vodka,
sit on fires, lick red-hot irons, and more

the onset of tatah unah - twitch and
fall - altered-consciousness seizures.
These may progress to repetitive
fainting, known as unadag, which later
develops into the mysterious bgiin
vchin, or shamans sickness. north; where the shamans ride the
Conventional medical treatment
produces no healing for this, and at this
point, another shaman is usually called
in to determine whether it is a common
illness or indeed bgiin vchin. their worlds to ours. This is quite a
If it is considered shaman
sickness, a shamanic teacher or
initiator may be assigned, or chosen
by divination; or in some cases the
spirits - ongon [ongot], or udam -
lineage-initiating spirits known as
udha in standard Mongolian - are
already present and attempting to
teach or initiate the novice.
The illness is most often a result of
resisting and not heeding the call of the
spirits. Once the initiate learns to enter
a shamanic trance state with intention,
and develops some level of control over
perceptions in Haranhuui - the Dark
World, the illness usually subsides, and
the novice learns to work with the
spirits and to heal others.
The word udam - origin spirit - is
the Darkhad word for the standard
Mongolian term udha, or shamanic-
lineage spirit. These spirits are in
charge of the process of transforming
a person into a shaman. Ongon are
described as hii uzegdel mayagaar -
beings of air or gas - and the shaman
perceives them as if in a dream.
The concept of the ongon is
essential to Mongolian shamanism,
which seems to be primarily one of
invoking spirits from the other worlds
into ours - rather than journeying to
those spirits in their worlds. The term
ongon refers to both the ethereal spirit
itself as well as the material effigy or
spirit house, which is often, but not
always, made in the form of a doll.
Shamans in Mongolia call upon
their ongon spirits to perform all
manner of healings and divinations to
this day. Once a shaman is merged
with an ongon spirit, they can drink
enormous amounts of vodka, sit on
fires, lick red-hot irons, and more.
In contrast to Siberia in the far
drum - or drumbeat- or spirits to other
worlds, Darkhads report that drums
are generally considered vehicles on
which the ongon spirit travels from
change of perspective from the
common concept of shamanic
journeying.
According to most scholarly
reports, Darkhad shamanism would
appear to almost entirely consist of
invoking the ongon spirits, who are
often considered to be the souls of
shamans of previous generations.
Some ongons might be considered
all-compassionate, but in most cases
they appear to be ethnocentric spirits
who have highly individual histories -
sometimes tragic - and who must be
appeased and cared for if they are to
work for the shaman.
After death, shamans become
ongon spirits, and are honoured and
called upon by living shamans. They
differ from the Tenger spirits of the
Upper World, who seem to be more
like deities and belong to
transcendent, almost mythic realms.
Swiss shamanic researcher Judith
Hangartner claims that most Darkhad
shamans no longer journey to other
worlds, as ascents to the sky are
absent from most accounts by
shamans, but I have found this to be
simply an omission by the shamans - a
trade secret that is not readily revealed
to outsiders. I believe many shamans
assume that researchers and other
noninitiates cannot possibly understand
what ecstatic journeying truly entails,
and therefore simply do not discuss it.
Hangartner, on the other hand,
reports that Darkhad shamans merge
journeying and embodying into a

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single inspirational practice, in
which the shamans say they are
uhaangui - unconscious
I would say that they are not
unconscious, but rather in a
shamanic trance state. It is the
meeting of two worlds, merging
shamanic journeying to other
worlds, and inviting their helping
spirits into this world - and often
embodying them.
I understand this from my first
hand experience, but it is not easy
to explain in ordinary terms.
Shamanic practice is not always an
either-or situation - journeying out
to other worlds versus inviting
spirits from elsewhere into ours -
but often a meeting of both.
There are home ongons and
field ongons, each with their own
outdoor spirit house of fetish doll.
Sky, land, and water also each
have their own tutelary spirits, but
many old field ongon fetishes were
burned by the Communists.
It has been reported that
Darkhad shamans reject
reincarnation, believing that souls
remain in the dark realms of the
dead forever, but there does not
seem to be universal agreement in
this area, as all of the shamans I
interviewed acknowledged some
form of multiple movement of souls
in and out of incarnation.
It may be that Darkhad shamans
take the view - like most other
shamans worldwide - that this life
is more important for us to focus
on now; that we must live fully in
the present rather than be overly
concerned about other lives.
Darkhad shamans, like other
Mongolian shamans, experience
the concept of soul as a continuum
of consciousness. They speak of
three souls, or soul aspects. I
gathered from researchers and
from the shamans I interviewed
that there is, first, an eternal
oversoul aspect; then a second
aspect, a vital soul, akin to an
astral personality complex, which
incarnates time and again as a
process of development; and a
third soul aspect related to a near-
physical energy associated with the
very temporary physical body.
The Darkhad see the vital soul as
migrating from life to life, and say
that portions of this soul can
sometimes leave the body due to
fright, shock, or trauma, in which the
attention moves away from the
conscious mind in self-defense. This Opposite - top:
appears to correspond to the modern carved wooden
psychological notion of dissociation. ongon figure
In the shamanic world, it results in a represents a
need for soul-portion retrieval. spirit and acts
Cataleptic trance - loss of normal as a house for
consciousness, with rigidity of the that spirit
body - can be found in Darkhad Mongolian or
shamanism, and can happen at any Evenki people,
given moment. Assistants usually early C20th
revive the shaman quickly, though
the shaman may remain uhaangui - Opposite -
that is, with no memory of the bottom: carved
merging or switching experience. wooden ongon
Some Darkhad shamans figure, complete
movements start with three upward with hair and
jumps, followed by drumbeats iron jingle cones
accompanied by swaying or sometimes representing
pawing about like an animal. a shamans spirit
The tamlaga - invocation songs - Mongolian
of a shaman may be partly liturgical, early C20th
and partly spontaneous - the spirits
teach these songs directly to the
shaman. Darkhad ongon sometimes
speak Tuvan, the language of their
Siberian cousins to the northwest.
MEETING MUNKHJARGAL B Below:a
Days of waiting eventually became Darkhad shaman
a week, which provided me with an in trance during
opportunity to relearn patience. We a ceremony in
arrived at Munkhjargal bs flat in the his ger out on
early evening to discover that part of the steppes
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Below: the audience were already there,
Munkhjargal seeking personal divinations in
bows before his advance of the evenings ceremony.
ongon altar in an We brought tahil - offerings of money,
appartment in and idee - offerings of white food
Ulaanbaatar such as yoghurt and milk.
Chimge and I introduced
ourselves, although the recognition
in Munkhjargals watery eyes was
clear enough, as we had met before
in the altar room of the Shaman
Partys political headquarters.
The evening commenced,
despite Chimge struggling admirably
with the Darkhad accent and dialect.
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A family who had arrived early,
carrying juniper branches, were
busily tying white paper khadags
[offering scarfs] to them. Blessings
would enter these flag-like
receptacles when the spirits arrived.
The shamans tushee - assistant
- prepared Munkhjargals costume
and the altar arrangements, and
warmed the shamans drum over a
large candle to let the heat enliven it
and pull the skin taut for a richer sound.
Another assistant was there to
interpret the message of the spirits
which emerges from the shaman.
This assistant is called the
helmerch - and is usually a relative,
or an apprentice in training to
become a shaman themselves.
More persons now entered,
some murmuring in the Darkhad
dialect and placing tahil here and
there. More assistants gathered
and arranged them. The majority
were onlookers, but all would
participate - all would be part of the
spirit visitation and blessing,
creating a living spirituality.
The hoimor, or altar, rested
against the north wall, as is usual
in Mongolia. The west side was for
guests, and the east side for
clients and family members.
Today there was more room on
the east side, so we were asked
to sit with the clients. The door
area - called the d - was left
open and unoccupied in case
spiritual expulsions occurred
during the ceremony.
Evening fell, lights were darkened,
and the room was lit by only a small
fire and by flickering candlelight; it
was too dark for cameras.
Munkhjargal mumbled invocations
to the spirits to come and enjoy the
food offerings on the altar. He was
now starting to shift from normal
into shamanic consciousness, but
still coming and going between the
two - the state of oron garan.
Songs of praise - called matgaal,
daatgal - prayer, and ddalga -
invocation continued, as the entire
room began to fill with a panoply of
invisible presences. Libations of milk
and vodka were poured on both the
altar and the fire.
Munkhjargal staggered toward
his ceremonial reindeer boots, which
his assistants had at the ready. They
purified the boots with juniper smoke
while Munkhjargal mumbled more
prayers and invocation songs. Then
came his shamans jacket, which
was smudged and purified by even
more juniper smoke.
Munkhjargals assistant and
interpreter dressed him as he
turned in the shadowy firelight.
Merging with his helping spirits was
now imminent.
Finally, the shaman donned his
headgear and suddenly he took a
huge leap backward as he fully
merged with his helping spirit,
crashing to the floor with an
enormous thump!
The audience held its breath.
The enspirited-shaman now - not
Munkhjargal alone, but a merged
being - rose and imbibed a small
cup of vodka offered by his
assistants. He took up the drum,
and began to beat it powerfully.
Munkhjargal and his spirits leapt
about in the small space, beating
the drum wildly - truly a master of
two realities, the shaman
remarkably neither stepped on the
fire or on bystanders, nor crashed
into anything in the crowded room,
missing them on all sides by mere
inches. He chanted prayers for a
spell, and then broke forth in
hysterical laughter.
Finally, the spirit itself started to
sing through Munkhjargal, and the
shamans interpreter stepped in. One
by one, each ongon spirit spoke to
family members about their
successes and misfortunes, and
advised them on these, and the
shaman beat his drum furiously each
time one ongon spirit left and another
arrived. The family was astonished by
the accuracy of the divinations.
Some spirits were humorous;
others were fierce. Illness,
marriage, studies, business
matters, family strife - nearly every
topic was covered.
While in Munkhjargal - who
moved according to their control -
some ongon spirits leapt forth to
extract negativities from a client, by
wildly brushing a tree-branch whisk
over and around them.
Another spirit made strange
animal sounds, and at times
Munkhjargal appeared to be
choking or vomiting.
This continued for hours, and
Chimge finally stopped attempting
to translate as we both slumped
against the wall, dazed by the
spectacle.
Then, without warning, the
shaman dramatically threw his
drumstick into a corner of the
room, signalling a close to the
session. His assistants rushed to
undress him in reverse order -
headdress, jacket, then boots. He
was disengaging from his ongon
spirit now, and we began to have a
sense once again of the man we
met before the ceremony started.
Munkhjargal soon appeared as a
mere mortal once again. He offered
closing prayers, offerings, and
libations to the altar and to the fire.
overhead lights returned, and the
blessed idee offerings were passed
out to the audience; more vodka
was poured, and cigarettes given to
all takers. The ceremony had been
a success - the spirits were
invoked, arrived, and imparted their
wisdom, healings, and blessings.
A SHAMAN SHARES HIS TALE
I didnt want to become a
shaman, said Munkhjargal in a
thin, raspy voice as he took a long
drag from his Altan Navchis
cigarette - a popular brand in
Mongolia. My paternal grandfather
insisted that I take his hereditary
shamanic implements, or else they
would be given away to others.
His watery eyes rolled back in
his head briefly, and he smiled. I
went into the army at age eighteen,
but I already knew that a spirit was
following me. As soon as I left the
army, my first teacher appeared - a
Darkhad lama who taught me all
manner of shamanistic Lamaism
[Buddhism]. Then, when I was
ready, my shaman teachers came -
first a female, then a male.
The audience leaned closer to
hear the foreign guests questions
- and, more importantly,
Munkhjargals answers - all the
while with no break in the flow of
vodka, food, and tobacco.
Chimge, tightly pressed
between us, performed admirably
under the gaze of so many, and
with so much power lingering in the
room after the ceremony.
My first healing was memorable.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I
felt I was in touch with the spirits
and their power. A man had
collapsed and fallen unconscious -
he had no breath, no heartbeat. I
gathered the power of Heaven
Munkhjargal and his spirits leapt
about in the small space, beating the
drum wildly - truly a master of two
realities, the shaman remarkably
neither stepped on the fire, or on
bystanders, nor crashed into anything
in the crowded room, missing them
on all sides by mere inches. He
chanted prayers for a spell, and then
broke into hysterical laughter
above and Earth below, and
collapsed them, breathing the power
first into the mans right nostril, then
his left, then both. The client lived.
Accolades rose from the crowd
upon hearing this, as they nodded
to each other, toasting and tipping
cups of vodka to their lips. The
shaman remained impassive.
Sometimes I hlgleh - to ride
an animal spirit - and I cut the cords
of hel-am - malicious gossip - free
from my clients, though I rarely
remember much of anything that
happens during the ceremonies.
The spirits and I change places,
and Im completely uhaangui -
lacking memory or conscious
awareness. I exit from about here.
He indicated a space about four
fingers above his head. This got my
attention, as I had experienced the
very same thing above my head
during some Central American Below:
shamanic initiations, and I smiled. small copper
He nodded at me and grinned, and cloth ongon
as though he had read my figures as part of
thoughts. I often get a message a shamans altar
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Evening fell, lights were darkened,
and the room was lit by only a small
fire and by flickering candlelight;
it was too dark for cameras.
Munkhjargal mumbled invocations
to the spirits to come and enjoy
the food offerings on the altar
just as I return, though, that I can
remember afterward.
I asked about alcohol and
shamanism. Munkhjargal replied,
The shaman consumes alcohol not
for himself, but for his helping
spirits. In moderation, alcohol can be
beneficial for the average person,
but in excess, one risks agsan -
alcohol-induced spirit possession -
which often leads to violence.
Researchers of Darkhad culture
point out that alcohol abuse is
more likely caused by economic
downturns than by spirit possession
- a theory to be expected from
economists, anthropologists, and
sociologists. Indeed,
overconsumption of alcohol can be
triggered or exacerbated by
economic ebbs and flows.
From the shamans viewpoint,
alcohol as a depressant weakens
the average persons spiritual
defense system. Drinking to the
point of blacking out is almost
universally acknowledged by
shamans as one of the worst
spiritual blunders one
can perform,
weakening a person
and making them
susceptible to
intrusions from
entities here in the
Middle World who
may be suffering a
state of confusion,
anger, or depression,
or not even realising
that they are dead.
These souls may be
so attached to the
sensation of alcohol
intoxication that they
may even wait for
drinkers to weaken
themselves with
Right: alcohol, so that they
butter lamps and can enter their
small offerings bodies and once
of food on a again experience that
shamans altar sensation.
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Depossession work is
considered a routine activity for
many shamans - one that has been
lost to the modern world of
psychology and psychotherapy,
with some notable exceptions.
Attachment of entities to an
alcoholic individual could be one of
the reasons so many alcoholics and
other addicts find it so difficult to
become - and stay - sober. This
may not be a popularly accepted
concept, but this shamanic view
may reflect a spiritual reality - or at
least provide an alternative
approach to treatment.
Over 300 different shamanic
healing and divination techniques
exist, continued Munkhjargal, but
no single shaman uses them all.
one that I do use is mouth-harp
healing: First I blow a helping spirit
into the hel khuur - mouth harp.
With a second breath, I inhale
negativities from the client into the
harp, and then I quickly exhale and
expel them into fire, or outside.
We discussed psychopomp work
briefly, and he warned about
detoxifying afterward.
The ukheeriin buzar - unclean
fragments - of the dead surround
graveyards and hospitals, so you
must be careful to cleanse before
and after this work.
I explained that I usually did my
shamanic work without a costume,
and he replied, Some shamans have
no costumes at all, and only work with
mouth harps - but these shamans
have less protection. Among the
Darkhad, the shamans costume is
both his doorway and his protection.
The weeks wait had been more
than worth it. I found my body subtly
vibrating with the evenings power.
Chimge and I left late that night to
find the wet streets of Ulaanbaatar
sparkling in the city lights.
We walked to find a main road
with taxis, and collapsed in the
back seat when ours arrived. A
tired and satisfied silence, perhaps
a blessing of the spirits,
accompanied our ride back
NOTES:
1: The Secret History of the Mongols is
the oldest surviving Mongolian-language
literary work. It was written for the Mongol
royal family some time soon after Chinggis
(Genghis) Khan's death in 1227CE, by an
anonymous author.
Kevin Turner is the Director for Asia for
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies
(FSS), a teaching faculty member, and a
field research associate. After years of
study with yogis, monks and lamas in
India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and
Japan, Kevin met Michael Harner in 1997
and began his shamanic path. He has
worked with shamans in Mongolia,
Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, and Mexico. Born
in Arizona, USA, Kevin has lived in Asia
for over 25 years and currently teaches in
nine countries in Asia.
www.shamanism-asia.com
This article is an abridged and edited
extract from Kevins new book Sky
Shamans of Mongolia; Meetings with
Remarkable Healers. Read a review of
the book in this issue of Sacred Hoop.
 On Being a Shaman
Mary Mueller Shutan

Recently a top-ten list of

how to know if you are a shaman
has been making the rounds of social media,
such as Facebook. This is a rather typical new-age list of
things which make the reader feel special if they have experienced
them. The list includes such things as a history of childhood trauma,
feeling you are an introvert, having numerous vivid dreams and having
a sense of being at home in nature. All of these apparently mean that
if you have them, you have a calling to be a shaman in modern society

O ne of my own shamanic teachers

once said to me: Any white
person who has had trauma, thinks
that they are a shaman these days,
and this sentiment certanly seems to
be true: feel out of place, sensitive,
have a horrible childhood? Then you
must indeed be a shaman.
We really seem to want our
experiences - especially our pain -
to mean something, and top-ten
lists, such as the one I mentioned,
posted out to the Western new-age
shamanic movement reinforce this
- you are special because you have
suffered, and being a shaman is
the reason for your suffering. No
wonder these kind of messages
are so appealing to many people.
What is interesting about the
Western be your own shaman
phenomenon, is that it often seems
to be perpetuated by authors and
shamanic teachers, but in my
experience, it seems extraordinarily
rare to see many of these authors
and teachers do much actual
shamanic work themselves.
This is important, because
becoming a shaman or spiritual
worker of any sort - while being at its
core a calling - is also actual work.
Being a spiritual worker, means that
you are of service to your community
- however you define that.
Being a shaman is not a self-help
path, or a personal health path of
becoming whole again; instead, it is
a path of service, similar to becoming
a plumber, or school teacher, or
caretaker, or doctor, or priest.
And it is not a superficial thing
either, to be of effective service
means that you have put in years
(or often decades) of direct
experience, endured the difficulties
of your spiritual path, and learned
to traverse the spirit realms in ways
that are of benefit to others in your
community. It means being an
intermediary between the spirits
and the people.
And its a path that takes a long
time to develop - its not something
learned in a weekend, and certainly
not something a person is
automatically ready for because
they fit criteria on a list they read
on a website.
Being a shaman is something
that relatively few people have the
capabilities of doing. I say this not to
perpetuate any idea of specialness -
which as I said many disaffected
people, drawn to spiritual work seem
to desperately need - but simply to
point out that a true shaman has
traits that most people do not.
A shaman must be able to work
with the spirits and beings of
varying sorts. These spirits are not
self-created energies, or
psychological archetypes, or
disassociated aspects of the self -
they are spirits.
A shaman needs to have the
ability to see, and directly
experience other spirit beings
beyond themselves and they
need to be able to communicate
with these spirit beings, who are as
complex as any human, and who
are not singularly dark or light,
or compassionate or
uncompassionate - just as none
of us are purely those things either.

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Shamanism is not a path of love and
light - as it is often made out to be -
nor is it safe; instead it is work that
continually opens you in both joyful
and distressing ways
Above: Siberian Anyone without the ability to work
shamans drum with these spirit beings is not really
and leather doing shamanic work. Without this
drum bag. ability one is simply doing mental or
Probably Tofalar psychological work, which can be
people. Early helpful, but is something very
C20th different to shamanism in the real
sense of the word.
The mental and the spiritual
realms are two distinct things, and
due to the misunderstandings of
pop psychology - which has often
taken on aspects of shamanism as
another form of self-help - there is,
i believe, a basic and distinct
misunderstanding of the nature of
spiritual work as a whole.
In modern Western society, we
seem to have a spiritual vacuum - a
void within ourselves - and because
of this people often rush out to
attend shamanic workshops - often
at spiritual vacation spots - looking
for initiations and experiences in
order to fill this void.
Shamanism is being sold as a
commodity, and many who sell it
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know only too well that
they can tell their students
that they are special in
some way, sometimes
even making up initiations
or giving certificates
announcing that their
graduates are now a
shaman or have passed a
shamanic course -
whether or not the student
has any actual ability, or
have enough experience
to effectively work for their
community.
Such students may
never get beyond the
romantic illusions
perpetuated by the
modern Western shamanic
movement. They may
never generate a deeper
level of understanding of
the cultures they have
been taught about, and
initiations that they may
have undergone. They
may never realise that
these initiations, and any
resulting certificates, may
not be worth the paper
they are written on.
Another common factor
currently, seems to be a
lack of knowledge which
people have about their
own ancestral culture.
Workshops often advertise
exotic spirituality, and many people
rush to the popular spiritual culture
of the day. This used to be Native
American medicine wheel
teachings, but in recent years this
appears to have shifted on to
Peruvian shamanism. This allows
for the modern spiritual aspirant to
romanticise a culture without
understanding that cultures actual
history, mythology, or the present-
day reality of that culture.
The spiritual aspirant can then
feel as if they are standing and
associated with the proverbial other
- a culture outside of their own - and
announce that they are now part of
something bigger, which they can
view as mystical and romantic. They
don't have to deal with the messy
every-day reality of that culture, and
by removing themselves from their
own Western culture they can neatly
sidestep the responsibility of being in
that one too.
I think this is one of the biggest
reasons so few people avoid
exploring their own ancestry - their
own spiritual culture - digging down
deep into their own backyard.
In online spiritual communities
there are many discussions (and
often arguments) about the very
term shaman too, about what the
term means, and who can use it,
and so forth.
These can occasionally be
interesting discussions, but in
reality most of them are steeped in
illusions about the reality of
shamanism - such as those ideas
perpetuated by new-age authors
and psychologists, who may have
little real idea of what actual
traditional shamanism entails.
While the term shaman
certainly did, of course, come from
a specific culture, it has now taken
on a life of its own.
I seem to see what appears to
be a form of arrogance within
workshop shamans - those
people who has appropriated the
term for their own use - and anger
and animosity amongst many of the
worlds indigenous people, who
have had so much taken from them
already, only to have spiritual
tourists romanticise their culture,
and try to usurp their spirituality.
With the word shaman now
often just another term for a mix of
self-help psychology and creative
visualisation techniques in the West,
I think it is quite possible that many
of the participants of new-age
shamanic workshops are, in reality,
self-creating a whole host of spirit
helpers, guides, power animals, and
energies of varying sorts.
These creations may indeed
help them with their self-healing,
but there is, I think, a danger that
they also continue that sense of
feeling special, and, if they are
not truly independent spirits, these
self-created beings can end up
saying things to their creator which
their creator wants to hear. These
self-created spirits' are typically
one-dimensional, without much if
any personality, and often seemed
to be singularly focused on helping
the practitioner, without any needs
or wants of their own and without a
helping involvement within the
wider community.
While doing a degree of
personal psychotherapeutic work is
essential for anyone pursuing a
spiritual path, there is a distinct
difference between this self-help We might realise that we can Mary Mueller Shutan was fascinated by Below: Mongolian
type of work and true spiritual work. come into our own strength, our own mythology, spirits, the occult, magic, and shaman wearing a
different religions and spiritual paths since
The biggest difference of course ancestry, our own cultures, without she was a child. It wasnt until she was in fringed, vulture
being the actually interaction with having to romanticise, fetishise, or her early twenties that she stopped feathered face
spirit beings outside of the self. appropriate anothers ways. Perhaps denying her own experiences and started mask, They are in
It seems to me that it is a rarity then we can learn that the spirit looking for answers, initially studying trance - taken
acupuncture and Chinese medicine. She
for people to actually traverse the world is all around us - and to reach over by their
then developed and interest in shamanism
spirit worlds and meet real spirits - it we do not need to participate in and folk, chaos, and ceremonial magic, helper spirit - and
as they are instead only meeting any form of spiritual tourism. studying with curanderos and several other the spirit is giving
self-created parts of themselves Perhaps then we will know spiritual healers who taught her to see a blessing
which masquerade as spirits. If this enough to realise that many of the beyond the illusions and experiences
shed had. Mary is the author of The
is indeed the case, is it any wonder initiations, and the words of Spiritual Awakening Guide (2016).
that many teachers and authors teachers and gurus and authors - www.maryshutan.com
then look for an ever wider who tell us we are special and mary@lotusbodywork.com
audience, so as to perpetuate the can be shamans - are false or at
myth that anyone can be a best misrepresentative. Perhaps NOTES:
1: The Post Ten signs that youre
shaman. This romanticises the we will then be able to begin to a shaman and dont know it:
idea that shamanic work is safe really question things. www.bit.ly/Ten-Signs
and all about love and light, and
is something which can be done As the modern Being a shaman is not a self-help path, or
on the occasional weekend here shamanic movement,
and there. and its merging with a personal health path of becoming whole
If it was otherwise, the popular
movement - which often seeks to
the psychology and
self-help schools,
again; instead, it is a path of service, similar
say how exciting it is to do seemingly not going to becoming a plumber, or school teacher,
shamanic work - would, I think, out of fashion any
certainly lessen; as becoming a time soon, we can, or caretaker, or doctor, or priest. It means
competent spiritual worker takes as individuals, move that you are of service to your community
an incredible amount of time, beyond being
effort, and fortitude, as well as a placated by those
natural aptitude. who seek to tell us
Shamanism is not a path of how special we
love and light - as it is often made are, and come into
out to be - nor is it safe; instead it our own direct
is work that continually opens you experience of
in both joyful and distressing ways. spirituality.
We can realise
Certainly wanting to heal perhaps that
oneself - to be as solid and modern psycho-
grounded in ones life as much as spiritual methods
possible - is a wonderful and may be helpful,
important thing. But bringing real but unless we
self-realisation to this work is also have the ability -
essential, as by developing that we and feel the
begin to become more aware of necessity to put in
those who seek to commercialise decades of work
the shamanic path. We need to be in order to be a
able to determine who are the good spirit
people who are only using workers - we are
psychological self-help methods, not shamans.
and who are the people who We might all
actually have a shamanic calling, have a spiritual
and a natural aptitude towards path, but not
serving their community; and ability everyone is called
to be one of those age-old to be of service to
intermediaries between the spirit their community,
realms and ordinary reality. to be an
intermediary
When we look beyond the between the
surface - when we go beyond the spirits and ordinary
current new-age model and its reality.
romanticised versions of what a And that, at the
shaman is - we might find that end of the day is
what we were told to be true, by okay - not
our teachers and favourite authors, everyone is meant
is simply incorrect. to be a plumber.

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 Soul
Birds
Liminality and
Transformation
Brian Taylor

Birds were - and in many

traditions still are - strongly
associated with beliefs
about the survival of death,
with shamanistic practice,
and with divination. This
article attempts a brief
overview of the widespread
pre-modern conviction that
birds act as intermediaries
between humans and
a divine realm

Right: painting cave of Lascaux shown with a

of an ithyphallic bird mask or head, and a similarly
man with a drawn bird either perched on, or
birds head and forming the carved head of, a pole
a possible bird- beside him. This image has
headed staff acquired almost iconic status in
from the recent years, not least because it
Lascaux caves, may represent a proto-shamanic
SW France scene, although this possibility -
popularised by Mircea Eliade,
author of the book Shamanism:
Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy -
has been contested by others.
But whatever
its meaning,
amongst the two
thousand some
images found in the
Lascaux cave system,
he is one of the only
The human interest in birds goes found at the Peche Merle cave site human figures; and his
back a long way. A carving of a in the Midi-Pyrnes region of location, within a deep terminal
water bird in flight, created in France, and the Lithuanian- chamber of the cave, suggests a
mammoth ivory and found in a cave American archaeologist Marija culturally sensitive function. Siting
in the Swabian Jura - a low Gimbutas - known for her research such emphatic bird imagery at the
mountain range in Germany - has into European Palaeolithic and very depths of an important cave
Inset: stylised, been dated to about 30,000 years Neolithic cultures - has interpreted would certainly have been a powerful
Late Palaeolithic old; and there is a finger drawn owl the various Palaeolithic bird-women way of evoking flight, whether
ornithomorphic in a cave at Chauvet, in southern that have been discovered as during a shamanic rite or at the point
female figurine France, from the same era. possible early evocations of a of death.
carved from The earliest known universal Bird Goddess.
mammoth ivory, ornithomporphic [bird-human] figure There is also a ithyphallic 1 Like Eliades work, Marija
Ukraine seems to be a bird-headed woman image of a bird-man in the French Gimbutas work has also been

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critisised by subsequent researchers,
and her concept of a universal Bird
and Snake Goddess has been
rejected by subsequent generations
of feminist archaeologists. Stanford
University anthropologist Lynn
Meskell has argued that a meta-
narrative of the fall of natural
humanity from a mythic matriarchal
origin has given rise to: an
archaeology of desire.
Left:
models of
flying swans
carved from
mammoth ivory.
Malta, Siberia.
Paleolithic
C20,000 BCE
cranes were perceived as especially
important in the Northern European
Despite this, there is Neolithic, and that birds may have
however, still copious been regarded as bearers between
archaeological evidence for the human and spirit worlds?
cultural importance of birds during
the neolithic period.
Left: a painting
Lynn Meskell and British
of the ba bird
archaeologist Ian Hodder point out
soul from a
widespread symbolic association
papyrus. Egypt
between birds and death across
C500300 BCE
neolithic Turkey and the Middle
East. Drawing on ethnographic
parallels, archaeologists have
discussed the possibility of crane
and vulture dances being Animals, perhaps especially
performed at Catalhyk, an birds, preoccupied the ancient
important neolithic settlement Egyptian imagination, and their art
discovered in Southern Turkey. This abounds with birds. Many of their
was a culture where engagement deities were represented in bird or Far Left: carved
with death was intimate and bird-headed form, and some were neolithic vulture
pervasive the dead were buried believed to manifest as birds. One stone at
beneath the floors of houses and creation myth describes a goose - Catalhyk,
with distinctive vulture iconography. the great cackler - breaking the Turkey
At two large neolithic burial sites primordial silence and laying her
in Northern Europe - Ajvide in cosmic egg upon the watery abyss.
Swedish Gotland, and Zvejnieki in In his commentary on the Egyptian
Latvia - a striking preponderance Book of the Dead, John Taylor, of
of the wingbones of water birds - the Ancient Egypt Department in the Below: carved
including ducks, the common British Museum, writes that: more bone bird,
crane, great cormorants, whooper than perhaps any other society they found at the
swans and guillemots - have been directed a vast amount of their material foot of a grave at
found during excavations. At some culture to counteracting death. Zvejnieki, Latvia.
sites a particular species
predominates, suggesting a
totemic mutual affiliation between
humans and that bird in question.
The use of birds wings in child
burials is particularly poignant, as at
Bgebakken, a site in Denmark,
where a young woman was buried
with a child. The childs body lay on
a swans wing. In a further neolithic
site excavated in Estonia, another
child was buried holding part of a
cranes wing in each hand.
Although there is no way of
ascertaining the local meaning of
cultural detail, ethnographic
evidence suggests that swans and
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Right: a ba soul
bird on the
footpiece from
a coffin. Egypt
C900700 BCE
Painted wood and
plaster
28 x 32.1 x 14.3 cm

Far right top:

mummified ibis
offering. Egypt
C500300 BCE

Below: Anubis The Egyptian Book of the Dead objects of veneration on an The underworld depicted here is
weighs the heart contains several chapters devoted industrial scale. a fearful place whose residents see
(in its canopic jar) to helping the souls of the no light, eat clay and dust, have no
on the Scales of deceased transmigrate into bird According to feminist accounts hope of escape, and are dressed
Truth, against form in order to go forth by day the prototypical Sumerian hero- like birds in coats of feathers.
the goddess into the sunlit world. myth the Epic of Gilgamesh was Migrating to Siberia, we find
Maats ostrich The winged Goddess Maat written during an increasingly bronze age rock art that appears to
feather. The weighed the hearts of the dead violent patriarchal era. prefigure the cosmology of
crocodile headed against an ostrich feather, and the In one scene Gilgameshs historical shamanism, and even the
devourer, Ba - or personal soul - was said second self - the hairy wild man ornithomorphic detail characteristic
Ammit, waits to hover over the body in the form Enkidu - has a prophetic dream of the traditional costumes.
behind the scribe of a bird before being re-united about his death. In the dream a Eliade interpreted ecstatic soul
god Thoth, ready with the universal Ka soul. man with the expression of a flight as evidence that shamanism
to eat the souls Sadly for birds such as the thunderbird and the talons of an was an early precursor to
of all those who sacred ibis, the ancient Egyptians Eagle, abducts him and takes him transcendental religion - including the
fail the test sacrificed and mummified their down to the house of darkness. winged souls of Christianity. although

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Eliade's perspective has been
challenged by advocates of earth-
based spirituality, recent
commentators still argue that bird
symbolism played a crucial role in
shamanic practice.
Birdwatchers called dagil
issuri in Babylon, and
oinoskopoi in ancient Greece birds such as gulls and storm
were once interpreters of bird
omens. The Greek word for bird -
ornis - came to mean portent,
and in modern English,
auspicious is derived from the
Latin words avis - a bird - and
specere, to watch.
Detailed manuals for corvid
divination were published in ninth
century Tibet, and not much later
in Ireland. Not surprisingly, Left: the Burney
folklorists have concluded that Relief, a terracotta
beliefs about birds mediating plaque showing an
between humans and a divine unknown winged
realm, and human souls goddess (generally
assuming the form of a bird, are thought to be
both ancient and widespread. either Lilith,
There is, of course, a tradition in Inanna-Ishtar, or
Britain and elsewhere, that sea Ereshkigal).
Mesopotamian
petrels can embody the souls of 1800-1750 BCE
drowned sailors. Throughout the
Hellenistic Greek world, and
across the Roman world, birds Below: the Raven
eggs were placed in graves. Crown, an early
I became interested in this version of the
material after a series of startling royal crown of
encounters with birds illuminated Bhutan. Silk
a difficult and complex brocade and
bereavement. silver. C19th
Detailed manuals for corvid
divination were published
in ninth century Tibet, and
not much later in Ireland.
Not surprisingly, folklorists
have concluded that beliefs
about birds mediating
between humans and
a divine realm, and
human souls assuming
the form of a bird,
are both ancient
and widespread
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human and other-than-human
deaths. Peter Fenwick, a British
psychiatrist who has studied End of
Life experiences, has found that
personally significant birds
often appear in the flesh, or
in dreams, around the
time of a death. All of which opens
up some very interesting questions.
As an animist I am concerned
that we learn to work with birds in
ways that acknowledge the depth
of relationship and reciprocity that is
possible across species boundaries.
This, of course, necessarily entails
learning about and respecting the
needs of particular birds, and doing
what we can to protect local wild
habitats in a time of anthropogenic
mass extinctions.
Brian Taylor worked as a community
development worker, mainly for users and
survivors of psychiatric services, and
completed a PhD in applied social
sciences. He has written on 'mental
health', astrology, and animism, and has
had a close affinity with kingfishers since
they helped him survive a protracted
bereavement some twenty-five years ago.
A referenced version of this article,
and contact form can be found at:
www.animistjottings.wordpress.com
NOTES:
1: An ithyphallic Image is one which
is a representation of a male with
an erect penis.

Above: iron It soon became clear to

water birds me that the rational scientific
(probably loons) discourses of ecology and
and other metal ornithology bracketed out a
spirit objects on whole domain of experience
a shamans coat. - an entire range of
Yakut people. phenomena which had
Siberia Late become fundamental to my
C19th understanding of the
natural world.
Top right: ritual I also realised that I was
wooden ducks far from alone, both in
on poles acknowledging such
representing a experiences, and in reaching this
shamans helper conclusion about the scientific
spirits. Koyak paradigm. Many of our finest
people. Siberia naturalists describe moments of
Late C19th inter-species communion, and convey
a sense of what might be called the
Right: a magic of nature.
shamans drum Furthermore, intimate, numinous, or
with iron loon spiritual encounters with birds often seem to
bird handle. occur around moments of biographical crisis,
Evenk People, and especially - if the reports I have been able
Siberia. C19th to document are anything to go by - around

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T he mother wound is the pain of
being a woman, passed down
through generations of women in
patriarchal cultures; and it includes Healing
Mother
the dysfunctional coping mechanisms
that are used to process that pain.
The mother wound includes the
pain of: comparison - not feeling
the
Wound
good enough - shame - a
consistent background sense that
there is something wrong with you
- attenuation - feeling you must
remain small in order to be loved -
guilt - for wanting more than you
currently have.
The mother wound can manifest
as: not being your full self because
you dont want to threaten others -
having a high tolerance for poor
treatment from others - emotional
care-taking - feeling competitive
with other women - self-sabotage -
being overly rigid and dominating -
conditions such as eating disorders, Bethany Webster
depression and addictions.
What many people do not realise
In our patriarchal, male-
dominated culture, women are
is that the core issue at the centre
conditioned to think of themselves of womens empowerment is
as less-than and not deserving or the mother wound. Difficulty
worthy. This feeling of less-than
has been internalised and passed
and challenges between
down through countless mothers and daughters
generations of women. are rampant and
The cultural atmosphere of
female oppression puts daughters
widespread but
in a double bind. Simply put, if a not openly spoken
daughter internalises her mothers about. The taboo
unconscious beliefs (which is
generally some subtle form of Im about speaking
not good enough), then she has of the pain of the
her mothers approval, but has in mother wound is what
some way betrayed herself and her
own potential. keeps it in place, and
However, if she doesnt keeps it hidden in
internalise her mothers shadow, festering
unconscious beliefs, and her own
limitations - but rather affirms her and out of view
own power and potential - she is
aware that her mother may
unconsciously see this as a
personal rejection. The daughter rage at having had to give up parts If we avoid dealing with the pain
doesnt want to risk losing her of herself in her own life. associated with one of the most
mothers love and approval, so Her compassion for her mother, primary and foundational relationships
internalising these limiting, a desire to please her, and a fear in our lives - that with our mothers -
unconscious beliefs is a form of of conflict may cause her to we are missing a pivotal opportunity
loyalty and emotional survival for convince herself that its safer to to discover the truth of who we are
the daughter. shrink and remain small. and to authentically and joyfully live
It may feel dangerous for a that truth.
woman to actualise her full A common objection to facing
potential, because it may mean and healing the mother wound is to PERPETUATING STEREOTYPES
risking some form of rejection by let the past be in the past. There are several stereotypes
her mother. This is because the However, we never truly escape which perpetuate the mother
daughter may unconsciously sense from or bury the past, it lives in the wound including: look at
that her full empowerment may present as the obstacles and everything your mother did for you!
trigger the mothers sadness or challenges which we face every day. (said by other people) - my mother

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 sacrificed so much for me, I would
be so selfish to do what she could
not do. - I dont want to make her
feel bad. - I owe loyalty to my
mother no matter what - If I upset
her, she will think I dont value her.
The daughter may experience
fears about fulfilling her potential,
because she may fear leaving her
mother behind. She may fear her
mother feeling threatened by her
dreams or ambitions. She may fear
uncomfortable feelings from her
mother, such as envy or anger. All
of this is usually very unconscious
and not openly acknowledged or
talked about.
We all have sensed the pain
that our mothers carry. And all of
us are suspicious to some degree
that we are partly to blame for her
pain - therein lies the guilt. This
makes sense when considering the
limited cognitive development of a
child, which sees itself as the
cause of all things. If we dont
address this unconscious belief as
an adult, we may still be walking
around with it and greatly limiting
ourselves as a result.
YOU CANT SAVE YOUR MOTHER
No sacrifice a daughter makes will
ever be enough to compensate for
the high price her mother may have
had to pay or for the losses she
has accrued over the years, simply
Daughters growing up in a
patriarchal culture have to choose
between being empowered
and being loved. Most daughters
choose to be loved, because
there is an ominous sense that
being empowered may cause
a grave loss of love from the
important people in their lives -
especifically their mothers.
So women stay small and
unfulfilled, unconsciously
passing the mother
wound to the next
generation
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by being a woman and mother in
this culture.
And yet, this is what many
women do for their mothers very
early on in childhood: they
unconsciously make a decision to
not abandon or betray their
mothers by becoming too
successful, too smart or too
adventurous. This decision is
made out of love, loyalty and a true
need for approval and emotional
support from the mother.
Many of us confuse being loyal
to our mothers with being loyal to
their wounds, and thus, complicit in
our own oppression.
These dynamics are very
unconscious and they operate on a
continuum. Even the most healthy,
supportive mother/daughter
relationships may have this
dynamic to some degree, by virtue
of simply being women in this
society. And for daughters who
have mothers with serious issues
(addictions, mental illness, etc.) the
impact can be very damaging and
insidious indeed.
Being a mother in our society is
unspeakably difficult. Ive heard
many women say: No one ever
tells you how hard it is, and
Nothing prepares you for when
you get home with the baby and
realise what is being asked of you.
Western culture, especially American
culture, is very hard on mothers,
offering little support and many are
raising children alone. Our society
has several unspoken messages to
mothers, which include: if
motherhood is difficult then its your
own fault. - shame on you if youre
not super-human. - there are
'natural mothers' for whom
motherhood is easy. if you are not
one of these, there is something
deeply wrong with you. - youre
supposed to be capable of handling
it all with ease: having well-behaved
children, being sexually attractive,
having a successful career, and a
solid marriage.
For mothers who have indeed
sacrificed so much to have children
in our culture, it can truly feel like a
rejection when your child surpasses
or exceeds the dreams you thought
possible for yourself.
There may be a sense of feeling
owed, entitled to, or needing to be
validated by your children, which can
be a very subtle but powerful
manipulation. This dynamic can
cause the next generation of
daughters to keep themselves small,
so that their mothers can continue to
feel validated and affirmed in their
identity as a mother, an identity that
many have sacrificed so much for,
but received so little support and
recognition for in return.
Mothers may unconsciously
project deep rage towards their
children in subtle ways. However,
the rage really isnt towards the
children. The rage is towards the
patriarchal society that requires
women to sacrifice and utterly
deplete themselves in order to
mother a child.
And for a child who needs her
mother, sacrificing herself in an
effort to somehow ease her
mothers pain is often a
subconscious decision, made very
early in life, and not discovered as
the cause of underlying issues until
much later when she is an adult.
The mother wound exists
because there is not a safe place
for mothers to process their rage
about the sacrifices that society
has demanded of them. And
because daughters still
unconsciously fear rejection for
choosing not to make those same
sacrifices as previous generations.
In our society, there is no safe place
for a mother to vent her rage. And so
 Our first enounter with the Goddess was with
our mothers. Until we have the courage
to break the taboo and face the pain
we have experienced in relation to our
mothers, the divine feminine is another
form of a fairy tale, a fantasy of rescue
by a mother who is not coming. This
keeps us in spiritual immaturity

often it comes out unconsciously,
directed to ones children.
A daughter is a very potent
target for a mothers rage because
the daughter has not yet had to
give up her personhood for
motherhood. The young daughter
may remind the mother of her un-
lived potential. And if the daughter
feels worthy enough to reject some
of the patriarchal mandates that
the mother has had to swallow,
then she can easily trigger that
underground rage for the mother.
Of course, most mothers want
what is best for their daughters.
However, if a mother has not dealt
with her own pain or come to terms
with the sacrifices she has had to
make, then her support for her
daughter may be laced with traces
of the messages that subtly instill
shame, guilt or obligation.
These messages can seep out in
the most benign situations, usually
in some form of criticism, or some
form of bringing praise back to the
mother. Its not usually the content
of the statement, but rather the
energy with which it is conveyed,
which can carry hidden resentment.
The way for a mother to prevent
directing her rage to her daughter -
and so passing down the mother
wound - is for the mother to fully
grieve and mourn her own losses.
And to make sure that she is not
relying on her daughter as her main
source of emotional support.
Mothers must mourn what they
had to give up, what they wanted
but will never have, what their
children can never give them and
the injustice of their situation.
However, as unjust and unfair as it
is, it is not the responsibility of the
daughter to make amends for the
mothers losses or to feel obligated
to sacrifice herself in the same
ways. For mothers, It takes
tremendous strength and integrity
to do this. And mothers need
support in this process.
LIBERATING THE CHILD
Mothers liberate their daughters
when they consciously process their
own pain without making it their
daughters problem. In this way,
mothers free their daughters to
pursue their dreams without guilt,
shame or a sense of obligation.
When mothers unwittingly cause
their daughters to feel responsible for
their losses, and so unconsciously
manipulate them to share in their
pain, it creates a dysfunctional
enmeshment, reinforcing the
daughters view that she is not worthy
of her dreams. This then supports the
daughters view that her mothers
pain must somehow be her fault,
which can cripple the daughter in so
many ways.
For daughters growing up in a
patriarchal culture, there is a sense
of having to choose between being
empowered and being loved.
Most daughters choose to be
loved instead of empowered,
because there is an ominous sense
that being fully actualised and
empowered may cause a grave
loss of love from the important
people in their lives - specifically
their mothers. So women stay
small and unfulfilled, unconsciously
passing the mother wound to the
next generation.
As a woman, there is a vague
but powerful sense that your
empowerment will injure your

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 relationships. And women are some mothers who are un-loving
taught to value relationships over most of the time, whether because
everything else. We cling to the of addiction, mental illness or other
crumbs of our relationships, while struggles.
our souls may be deeply longing for Until we are willing to face these
the fulfillment of our potential. But uncomfortable realities the mother
the truth is that our relationships wound will be in shadow and continue
alone can never adequately to be passed through the generations.
substitute for the hunger to live our We all have patriarchy in us to
lives fully. some degree. Weve had to ingest
it to survive in this culture. When
The power dynamic at the centre were ready to confront it fully in
of the mother/daughter relationship ourselves, we also confront it in
is a taboo subject and the core issue others, including our mothers. This
at the centre of the mother wound. can be one of the most heart-
Much of this goes underground wrenching of all situations we must
because of the many taboos and face. But unless we are willing to
stereotypes about motherhood in go there, to address the mother
this culture, such as: mothers are wound, we are paying a very high
always nurturing and loving - price for the illusion of peace and
mothers should never feel angry or empowerment.
resentful towards their daughters - The cost of not healing the
mothers and daughters are Mother Wound is living your life
supposed to be best friends. indefinitely with: a vague,
The stereotype which says: all persistent sense that theres
mothers should be loving, all of the something wrong with you - never
time strips women of their full having actualised your potential out
humanity. Because women are not of fear of failure or disapproval -
given permission to be full human having weak boundaries and an
beings, society feels justified in not unclear sense of who you are -
providing full respect, support and not feeling worthy or capable of
resources to mothers. creating what you truly desire -
The truth is that mothers are not feeling safe enough to take up
human beings, and all mothers space and voice your truth -
have un-loving moments - although arranging your life around so you
it is of course true that there are dont rock the boat - self-
A daughter is a very
potent target for a
mothers rage because
the daughter has not
yet had to give up her
personhood for motherhood.
The young daughter may
remind the mother of her
un-lived potential.
And if the daughter feels
worthy enough to reject
some of the patriarchal
mandates that the mother
has had to swallow, then
she can easily trigger that
underground rage for the mother
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sabotaging yourself when you get
close to a breakthrough -
unconsciously waiting for mothers
permission or approval before
claiming your own life.
RELATING WITH THE SACRED
Theres a lot of talk these days about
embodying the divine feminine and
being an awakened woman. But
the reality is that we cannot be a
strong container of the power of the
divine feminine if we have not yet
addressed the places within us
where we have felt banished and in
exile from the Feminine.
Lets face it: Our first enounter
with the Goddess was with our
mothers. Until we have the courage
to break the taboo and face the
pain we have experienced in
relation to our mothers, the divine
feminine is another form of a fairy
tale, a fantasy of rescue by a
mother who is not coming.
This keeps us in spiritual
immaturity. We have to separate
the human mother from the
archetype in order to be true
carriers of this energy. We have to
de-construct the faulty structures
within us before we can truly build
new structures to hold it.
Until we do this we remain stuck
in a kind of limbo where our
empowerment is short-lived and
the only explanation for our
predicament that seems to make
sense is to blame ourselves.
If we avoid acknowledging the
full impact of our mothers pain on
our lives, we still remain to some
degree, children.
Coming into full empowerment
requires looking at our relationship
with our mothers and having the
courage to separate out our own
individual beliefs, values, thoughts
from hers. It requires feeling the
grief of having to witness the pain
our mothers endured and
processing our own legitimate pain
that we endured as a result. This is
so challenging, but it is the
beginning of real freedom.
Once we feel the pain it can be
transformed and it will cease
creating obstacles in our lives.
AFTER THE WOUND IS HEALED
As we heal the mother wound, the
power dynamic is increasingly
resolved because women are no
longer asking one another to stay
small to ease their own pain.
 The pain of living in patriarchy
ceases to be taboo. We dont have
to pretend and hide behind false
masks that hide our pain under a
facade of effortlessly holding it
together. The pain can then be seen
as legitimate, embraced, processed
and integrated and ultimately
transformed into wisdom and power.
Once women increasingly
process the pain of the mother
wound, we can create safe places
for women to express the truth of
their pain and receive much needed
support. Mothers and daughters
can communicate with one another
without fear that the truth of their
feelings will break their relationship.
The pain no longer needs to go
underground and into shadow,
where it manifests as manipulation,
competition and self-hatred. Our
pain can be grieved fully, so that it
can then turn into love, a love that
manifests as fierce support of one
another and deep self-acceptance,
freeing us to be boldly authentic,
creative and truly fulfilled.
When we heal the mother
wound, we begin to grasp the
stunning degree of impact a
mothers well-being has on the life
of her child, especially in early
childhood when the child and
mother are still a single unit. Our
mothers form the very basis of who
we become: our beliefs start out as
her beliefs, our habits start out as
her habits. Some of this is so
unconscious and fundamental, it is
barely perceptible.
The mother wound is ultimately
not about your mother. Its about
embracing yourself and your gifts
without shame.
We address the mother wound
because it is a critical part of self-
actualisation and saying yes to
being the powerful and potent
women that we are being called to
become. Healing the mother wound
is ultimately about acknowledging
and honouring the foundation our
mothers provided for our lives so
that we can then fully focus on
creating the unique lives that we
authentically desire and know we
are capable of creating.
The benefits of healing the
mother wound include: being more
fluent and skilled in handling our
emotions, and seeing them as a
source of wisdom and information -
having healthy boundaries which
support the actualisation of our
highest and best self - developing
a solid inner mother who provides
unconditional love, support and
comfort to our younger parts -
knowing ourselves as competent -
feeling that anything is possible,
open to miracles and all good things
- being in constant contact with our
inner goodness and our ability to
bring it into everything we do -
deep compassion for ourselves and
other people - not taking ourselves
too seriously - no longer needing
external validation to feel OK - not
needing to prove ourselves to
others - trusting life to bring us
what we need - feeling safe in our
own skin with a freedom to be
ourselves - and so much more
As we engage in this healing
process, we slowly remove the
thick fog of projection which keeps
us stuck, and we can more clearly
see, appreciate and love ourselves.
We no longer carry the burden of
our mothers pain and keep
ourselves small as a result.
We can confidently emerge into
our own lives, with the energy and
vitality to create what we desire
without shame or guilt, but with
passion, power, joy, confidence,
and love.
When we heal the
mother wound, we begin to
grasp the stunning degree
of impact a mothers
well-being has on the
life of her child
For every human being, the very
first wound of the heart was at the
site of the mother, the feminine.
And through the process of healing
that wound, our hearts graduate
from a compromised state of
defensiveness and fear to a whole
new level of love and power, which
connects us to the divine heart of
Life itself.
We are from then on connected
to the archetypal, collective heart
that lives in all beings, and are
carriers and transmitters of true
compassion and love that the world
needs right now.
In this way, the mother wound is
actually an opportunity and an
initiation into the divine feminine.
This is why its so crucial for women
to heal the mother wound: Your
personal healing and re-connection
to the heart of life, by way of the
feminine, affects the whole and
supports our collective evolution.
Bethany Webster is a writer,
transformational coach, international
speaker and what you could call a
midwife of the heart. Her work is
focused on helping women heal the
mother wound so that they can step into
their divine feminine power and potential.
She is the author of the forthcoming
book Healing the Mother Wound.
www.womboflight.com
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Cultural
Appropriation
and the S- word
Daniel Moler
Above: Daniels Yep, I probably shouldnt, but Im
flier for the Sun going to do it. I am going to talk
Lodge Gathering about cultural appropriation. And,
more specifically, Im going to
address the S word, shaman, never had to deal with racial profiling,
and its use.
First of all, Im a white man. I
really cant help that. Believe me,
Ive tried.
Im very aware I come from a
long lineage of assholes, who have
run entire civilisations into the
ground, massacre innocents by the
millions and millions, as well as
continually disenfranchising the
less fortunate even to this day.
Worse yet, Im a middle class
white man from a middle class
background. Also, Im the middle
child in my family. I even grew up
and currently live in the Midwest of
the USA as well.
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Everything about my profile
suggests I am destined to be stuck in
the middle, between the two
extremes of society. Therefore, I have
indigenous ways of life, because for
disenfranchisement, or being labelled
with any stereotype - other than
being middling of course.
I make all that sound like a
problem (and I will get into that),
but really its a privilege, one that I
do not take advantage of. However
I appreciate having it, and I teach
my kids that appreciation everyday
too, pointing out to them how they
will never know what its like to be
pulled over by a police officer
because of the colour of their skin
and all the other related injustices. I
teach them it is their responsibility
to use their privilege to help those
less fortunate: We need to help
solve that problem, I tell them,
Not be a part of it.
But, my privileged lot in life is a
problem for me too, because of
this: I am a very spiritual man. So
where can I go find a relationship
with God (or whatever you want to
call the Big Cheese) which means
something to me?
Im pretty much American. My
family, on both sides, dont really
have much connection with their
ancestry, so I have nothing to tie
me back to whatever homeland my
great-great-great grandfathers
came from.
At the same time, I was raised
your average Protestant Christian,
but I have always felt something
empty within that system of
organised religion.
And unfortunately for me - as a
colleague of mine likes to remind
me from time to time - I read the
works of the influential American
philosopher, historian and political
activist Avram Chomksy way-too-
early for my own good. So now, I
have gone down the rabbit hole of
awareness and understanding, and
know I am a citizen of the colonial
problem, living comfortably on top
of that graveyard of genocide,
which is called the Americas.
I dont want to be a part of the
white, colonial system. I dont want
to be a part of the problem. So,
where can I go? What can I do?
Just as some of my black
friends are stuck with always being
identified as black, so I am stuck
being identified as the generic
standard, the colonial output of
mediocrity.
FINDING A SPIRITUAL HOME
I have always been drawn to
every culture on the planet those ways
are the root. They are humanitys
original ways to have a relationship
with the world - where the world is
seen as something sacred. When one
feels lost, the natural human instinct is
to go back to the source.
I used to flit from thing to thing,
being a seeker and trying to find
something with which to identify.
After many years of wanderlust, I
finally found my hearts content,
and have settled into two spiritual
communities - which are distinct in
and of themselves, but which overlap
consistently. These are the Heartland
Ayllu, and the KC Pipe Circle.
 intent of being a give-away, a 2012. Both groups are made up of Left: the late
prayer of thanksgiving for the world. good people, trying to do right by medicine man
the Earth and all of humankind. Sun Bear
Both of these communities
Below: photo
operate within the Kansas City TROLLING MEDICINE
created as an
area, and both (despite each So, heres the kicker; I - as well as
advert for a
having an origin in traditional North my fellow community members -
Wild-West
or South American native cultures) get a lot of flak for doing what we
show, depicting
has its own values, traditions, and do. And, surprisingly enough, not
a re-enactment
belief systems. I am heavily from the conservative Christians in
of a Native
involved in them both, and was Kansas - who, you would think,
American man
initiated by Don Oscar to be a would be appalled by our fire-pits,
stabbing General
sanctioned teacher in the PMT in tobacco smoke, and drumming.
Custer. C1905

I come from a long lineage of assholes, who

run entire civilisations into the ground, massacre
innocents by the millions and millions, as well as
Here is a breakdown of each of disenfranchising the less fortunate, even to this day.
them: The Heartland Ayllu
(pronounced Eye-you) is a Im a middle class white man from a middle class
spiritual community local to me,
made up of mesa (an altar in
background, the middle child in my family. I even
Peruvian shamanic tradition) grew up in the Midwest. I am destined to be stuck
carriers, all of whom are affiliates
of a global shamanic lineage called in the middle, between the two extremes of society
the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition (PMT
for short).
The PMT was founded by Don
Oscar Miro-Quesada, a curandero
(folk healer) from Peru, who was
tasked by his teachers to bring the
work of the mesa to the gringos
in the North. He was to do this in
order that it may bring some
understanding between cultures,
and turn the tide of Western
domination for the better.
Oscar has always said that the
PMT was founded and inspired by
his life in Peru, but it is most
definitely a cross-cultural lineage.

The KC Pipe Circle was inspired

by the late Ojibwa medicine man
Sun Bear, who was intent on
opening up the sacred teachings of
his people to the modern world,
including the white man.
The KC Pipe Circle meet
monthly, and share the chanupa -
the sacred pipe - which was given
to the people in various ways,
depending on each tribal groups
account - such as in the Lakota
legend of it being brought by White
Buffalo Calf Woman.
Currently the circle is led by a
medicine man called Lee Stumbling
Deer, and it is a humble group,
centred on family values and the
open acceptance of ones own
spiritual heritage.
We meet once a year for a sacred
dance, which was founded on the

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They began trolling the invite
with more comments, such as:
Its not enough they stripped
ancestors homes.. tryn to steal
them ways too... people try to
steal indigenous ceremonies
Spiritual candy bars sure
taste good... read
a book by Black
Elk and become experts...
Recently, I sent out an on-line
invitation on Facebook, for a meet-
up, which I was coordinating, and
this invitation was bombarded with
criticism by a group of individuals
who - for lack of a better reference
point, might consider themselves
true natives.
The meetup - for a mens group
- which was open to all faiths - was
called a Sun Lodge. It was called
that because the Sun, in the PMT
is a symbol for the masculine, and
a lodge generally denotes a
sacred gathering space.
This seemed pretty harmless,
well, at least I thought so. That
was, until people began posting
comments on the events Facebook
page, inquiring what we were
doing, and what a Sun Lodge was?
Someone asked: What shaman
will be there? And then this initial
critic gathered - or perhaps invited -
other friends to comment too.
Together, they began trolling the
invite with more comments, such
as: Always tryin to exploit them
ways. Its not enough they stripped
ancestors homes. Tryn to steal
them ways too. People try to steal
indigenous ceremonies, use key
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trendy words, sounds amazing...
Spiritual candy bars sure taste
good... Read a couple of books by
Black Elk and become experts...
Now, I know the person who
started this trolling conversation,
and ironically he used to be
involved in both of my
communities, until he got
connected with some authentic
natives. Now he seems to sit atop
his soapbox, declaiming others for
their spiritual hucksterism. He
even travels around the area
teaching drum workshops, claiming
to be a real Native American -
even though hes actually a
small-town farmboy. People love
his stuff, they think they are
getting that authentic Native
experience, because of his darker
skin and his long, braided hair -
and he talks the medicine man
talk really well too.
There was a lot for me to digest
from this whole interaction. The
people trolling claimed not to be
judging, but said they were just
trying to warn the world. But they
didnt know those of us who
facilitating the event, and they
didnt even take a minute to listen
to what we had to say - instead we
were clearly being accused of
cultural exploitation.
They - the trollers - continued to
post on Facebook, by finding
websites belonging to white
people - who they said were
pretending to be shamans-for-hire
- and posting the links on the page
with added heckling comments.
The whole online conversation
certainly triggered me, but instead
of engaging into a full-fledged
debate - as I normally do - I simply
deleted the events invitation.
Over time, though, the
interactions sat with me, curdling in
my stomach like bad bourbon. What
exactly was the issue here? What -
if anything - was I exploiting?
The event I had advertised was
a free gathering - no money
involved, except thirty dollars I had
spent out of my own pocket for
donuts to share. Its not like I was
taking anything away from anyone
in the name of spiritual
enlightenment. The gathering was
truly just a group of men, coming
together to pray, to talk, to share
their hearts, and that was all.
So, why the controversy? And
why am I and others like me being
followed by authentics who are
accusing us of spiritual thievery?
CONFRONTING THE S WORD
One of the trolling comments
posted on the event page read:
You had me running the other way
at the word shaman. And I began
to wonder about that too; why was
there such a fret over the word
shaman, what was the big deal
about the word - such a big ol
scary word that one...
As I said above , I was accused
of using this trendy word as a way
of stealing indigenous practices,
but is that really the case here?
In the two groups I am involved
in, our practices were inherited
from spiritual teachers drawn from
two particular traditions.
As Ive said, Im active within
those traditions, but Im not
claiming to be a medicine man,
even though I am a sanctioned
PMT teacher. I certainly have the
right, and the experience, to hold
sacred spaces for fellow humans,
in order for them to gather to pray
Shaman, or amn may Left: elaborate Tungus
(Evenki) shamans
have started out as a costume, including a
Tungus word, but now it is fringed jacket hung with
ongon spirit charms and the
essentially a white mans shamans smoking pipe,
boots, a dudig ritual
word we use to describe apron and a
a specific type facemask
C1900
of holy man we
might encounter
in indigenous
settings
within those particular
traditions, and I think I
should be able to do that
without fear of any
retaliation.
So, the question I ask is;
how is shaman an
indigenous word?
Well, the short answer is, of
course, it isnt. Well, it is - but it isnt...
Let me try to explain with a little
history lesson. The word shaman -
as many of you will of course know
- comes from the Evenki people of
Siberia. These people were formally
known as the Tungus, and the word
shaman [amn] was first
originally mentioned in the journals
of a C15th Russian priest called
Avvakum Petrov. Petrov described a
witch doctor figure of the Tungus
people, and from that account the
word entered into Russian.
The word was then later
adopted by the C17th Dutch peoples from Peru - but you will
statesman, Fellow of the Royal find both in an English dictionary.
Society and expert on matters
Russian, Nicolaes Witsen, who Shaman, or amn may have
brought it to the West. started out as a Tungus word, but
Overtime amn evolved into a now it is essentially a white mans
generic term to denote a priest, word we use to describe a specific
medium, medicine man or woman, type of holy man we might encounter
or witch doctor, within any sort of in certain indigenous settings.
tribal community whom the West In fact, the definition of
came into contact with. shaman has become something
As the science of anthropology very precise, and not attributed to Opposite: part
grew over the centuries - becoming any one tradition or religious of the cultural
a more viable area of study due to institution at all; and my favourite appropriation
the growth of colonial expansion in definition is by Dr. Roger Walsh - Native Americans
that time - the word became a professor of psychiatry and have suffered,
common trope within the field. anthropology at the University of a tacky new-age
As with all languages - even California - who says this of it: dreamcatcher,
indigenous ones - words evolve, Shamanism can be defined as a perporting to
and their definitions change, family of traditions whose be a Native
morphing and melding into one practitioners focus on voluntarily American sacred
another. For example, the words entering altered states of object, and a
condor and puma are not consciousness, in which they carved wooden
English words - they are from the experience themselves or their Cigar-Store
runasimi language of the Quechua spirit(s) interacting with other Indian figure
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We honour the land, we honour
the ancestors, and we honour
all our relations. If we throw
around the term shaman
every once in a while it needs
to be remembered that we
know where it comes
from and what that
term means; and
we dont use
it lightly
entities, often by traveling to other
realms, in order to serve their
community.1
So, if we go with that definition,
a shaman does not necessarily
even have to be a member of a
tribal or religious group; they could
be a Christian, or Jewish, or a
Muslim, or Hindu, Wiccan, or
Buddhist, and be of any nationality,
as it is a type of spiritual practice -
involving direct interaction with
world of spirit. Nobody owns the
word, and it is a rather nebulous
term at best, which has only found
its definition through centuries of
linguistic evolution.
Furthermore, I would argue, that
calling something shamanic doesnt experiences encountering those
actually have to mean a shaman will
be present. One does not beget the
other. I think it could be argued that
shamanism is a school of thought;
after all, does the ancient Greek
philosopher Plato need to be
present, in order for a group of
people to engage in a discussion
about Platonic philosophy?
A friend of mine and I have
discussed the use of the S word
many times. Should I use the word
shaman, or the term
shamanism, or shamanic, when asking them for permission to be
describing my own spiritual
practice. He says he couldnt
personally care less, but suggested
if it bothered me so much, then I
could use the term shamanist,
which denotes being a student of
the shamanic arts.
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That seemed a good term, and I
use it sometimes, with a major
emphasis on the student of part.
We are all students of life, and we
are all learning how to be on the
Earth - some of us being more
passionate about it than others.
GRANDMOTHER WISDOM
But, being who I am, I still needed
a final resolution on all this, and I
sought out more opinions.
So, I was fortunate enough
recently to be able to have a
conversation with Thana Redhawk,
a poet, activist, and singer-
songwriter of Azteca, Apache,
Cherokee and Osage lineages.
Thana is a board member of the
Native American Entertainment
Coalition of California, as well as
being the youngest Grandmother
on the Grandmothers Circle - the
Earth Council.
She caught my eye through her
work with Native American author,
poet, actor, musician, and political
activist John Trudell - one of my
heroes. John is a chairman of the
American Indian Movement (AIM), as
well as being one of the facilitators
for the Native American occupation
of Alcatraz Island in 1969 2.
Generously, Ms. Redhawk lent
me her ear, and listened to my
woes over my colonial heritage, as
a white man, living on land tainted
by genocide and exploitation.
People are so quick to judge
each other, she told me. That was
not the original tribes way.
She spoke of her own
that take advantage of what they
learn from traditional wisdom
teachings, saying to me: I do
understand all that is occurring with
whats being called the New Age
movement. We should talk about
what is culturally appropriate and
what is not.
The only thing you can do,
when you are in a territory - and
this goes for anyone - is to talk
with the elders of that territory, and
the ancestors of that territory. By
putting your tobacco down and
www.danielmoler.com
there. Then, talk with the elders
about what your heart is seeking.
Because when someone
comes to them in that way, then
they know that Creator sent you,
that you are not there to
misappropriate anything. Youre
there because that is where your
heart and spirit have guided you.
She affirmed that I seemed to
have been taught appropriately by
my own teachers, though there will
always be those who are on guard
about their traditions.
Because where we stand in
protecting our traditional ways,
she continued, Some are more
open to it than others.
My personal point of view is that
we all gather in one circle, because
we are all one humanity, one race;
the human race. And when we
understand what inspires us, and
where our hearts and spirits are,
and create dialogue from that,
thats where the healing begins.
I dont know about others. I
dont know about New Agers who
use unicorn energy to sell chakra
crystals, because Im not one of
them, and Ive criticised them
many, many times.
I know my communities. I know
the Heartland Ayllu and the KC Pipe
Circle. I know the local elders who
humbly lead those communities -
although they would grimace at the
use of that term lead.
We honour the land, we honour
the ancestors, and we honour all
our relations. If we throw around
the term shaman every once in a
while it needs to be remembered
that we know where it comes from
and what that term means; and we
dont use it lightly.
In essence my dear critics, we
have put down our tobacco - so get
to know us, and maybe you might
just find that you agree with what
we are saying and doing.
Daniel Moler is a writer, artist, educator,
alchemist, shamanist, and all-round
student of life. He has taught college
courses in many areas of study, including
art, literature, and philosophy.
Daniel is the author of two books: Red
Mass and Machine Elves 101. He also
provided a contribution in Ross Heavens
book: Cactus of Mystery, and has
published fiction and nonfiction works
around the world in magazines, journals,
gaming modules and online.
He lives near Kansas City in the USA
NOTES:
1: The World of Shamanism: New
Views of an Ancient Tradition, p. 15-16.
2: For information of the Occupation
of Alcatraz, see the article at
www.en.wikipedia.orgwiki/
Occupation_of_Alcatraz
 During the
Difficult
Times
Maintaining a sense of the sacred
during times of illness or disability
Michelle Easton
Periods of ill health, or adjusting to
physical limitations are hugely
challenging; this is often the
moment when people first question
the nature of the world around
them, and begin to develop their
spiritual practices.
Those times of trouble are, of
course, often the moment when
we need our spiritual practices and
that deeper relationship to Spirit
the most. But, perversely, it is at
these times that Earth based
spiritual traditions and practices
can seem the most out of reach.
For those who are bedridden,
suffering chronic pain, disabled or,
for some other reason, are unable
to spend time hiking in the hills or
sitting by a fire, connection to the
land and nature can seem a distant
dream; something to long for once
health improves.
This is the situation in which I
found myself, after injuring my back
a year ago. Since then many of the
everyday practices which connected
me to the land and fed my spirit
have been unavailable to me.
Because of this, I have had to dig
deeper in to my self and the
wisdom teachings I have learned
over the years, in order to find ways
in which I can stay connected.
What follows are some of the
ways I have found support from the
land and Spirit through this time.
YOUR HOME IS THE LAND
Even a building in the centre of the
biggest city in the world is built
upon the land. Forging a
relationship to the land you live
upon is central to all of the Earth
based traditions, so get to know
the land under your home - be it in
a city or the country.
The building you live in is also a
gift from the earth, think of all the
trees which make up the floors and
doors, the stone in the walls or the
sand in the bricks; think of the
fabrics of cotton and wool, or the
plastics from the black oil - which
came from deep within the mother
- in all of the furnishing and
decorations around you. When you
get going, I am sure you will find
that the list you can create is huge.
The land is holding your home
and all of these other relatives -
be they trees, plants or stones -
have given away so that you can
have this place to live. So, if you
can do nothing else, you can at
least simply say thank you to the
land, and all of those beings you
name and remember - and the
many you are not consciously
aware of - to honour them.
If you can, do a little more and
make a house altar. This could be
as simple as a stone or stick
brought in from your garden or
brought from near by. Lay it on a
beautiful piece of cloth, perhaps
give an offering in a bowl or
After injuring my back,
many of the everyday practices
which connected me to the
land and fed my spirit have
been unavailable to me. And
so I have had to dig deeper
into my self and the wisdom
teachings I have learned over
the years, in order to find ways
in which I can stay connected
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 sprinkled upon the stone - cornmeal
is often a good offering for the land
- and sit with the altar and have a
chat with the natural things on it, or
sing a song to them as a gift.
If you work with trance or
undertake shamanic journeys, ask
to be taken to meet the spirit of
the land your home is built on.
Remember to approach with
respect, and introduce yourself.
Again, open a dialogue, talk to the
land spirit and ask it if it will be
willing to help you, and remember
to say thank you and ask what you
can do for it in return. If you are in
a big city, there may be many
layers of human activity close to
the surface, so you may need to
go deep down, in order to find the
land that is beneath.
I was once told that learning to
hear the land in a place full of
human activity, is like trying to hear
someone speaking a foreign
language across a crowded room
full of people talking in your
mother tongue.
One night I woke up in
pain and didn't know what
to do. I was struck by a
weird glowing white shape
in the darkness. I saw it
was a large white
flower, my beautiful
little cactus had put
out a huge flower.
The harshness of
desert life teaches
cacti all there is
to know about
endurance, so now
in the worse of times,
as I lay in the pain,
I knew I was in
the understanding
company of my cacti
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The first thing we pick up on is
the human energy, because that is
the most familiar to us, but if we
keep working to develop our
relationship with the land, her
voice slowly becomes more and
more familiar to us, and we begin
to truly hear her, even in the
busiest of places.
SACRED CLEANLINESS
Keeping yourself and your home
clear when you're sick or suffering
can be as difficult as it is
necessary. One good way to work
is to burn smudge. Try using white
sage smoke to clear the energy of
your room, followed perhaps by
sweetgrass, in order to bring in the
sweetness of life.
These two have been my
favourites recently, and thoroughly
smudging my bed and blankets
has been a bit of a revelation!
But for me, at times, lifting
blankets, or wafting smoke about
has been physically impossible, and
for some people smoke is simply a
no-go area anyway. When this has
been a problem for me, I have
turned to my relationship with water.
Here is one simple ceremonial way
to smudge with water.
Find the most beautiful glass or
cup you own, and fill it with water -
from a spring is lovely, but if the
bathroom sink is as far as you can
get that will do just fine. Water is
our Grandmother, without her there
is no life of any kind, anywhere.
Now the important part: lay
back, relax and talk to the water -
and I do mean speak out loud,
because your physical voice has
power. You can start by introducing
yourself, tell her about the sweet
things in your life. She has had a
hand in the creation of everything
you have ever loved or enjoyed, so
express your gratitude. Take your
time with this as gratitude builds
upon itself and simply giving voice
to it can be a powerful healing.
Once you have given your
thanks tell her what's going on for
you, just as if speaking to a dear
friend, and then ask her to help
you by clearing your home for you.
Next, dip the tip of a feather - or
your finger tips if you don't have a
feather - into the water and gently
flick it around your room or your
whole home. As you do this, see
Grandmother water washing away
all the stuck energy, the suffering
and the pain that has built up there
during your illness.
Bless yourself with the water
too, especially the areas of your
body which are causing you
problems. At the end, if you have
used one, bless your feather with a
few drops too.
Any water that is left is full of
your prayers, and it can carry them
out into the world, so treat it with
respect, drink it, pour it on the
garden, or in a house plant pot,
but I would never tip it down the
drain as that's not very honouring.
This simple practice is a great
way to develop a direct relationship
with Grandmother water, and you
can continue the practice by
speaking to her every time you
turn on a tap, get in the shower, or
are caught out in the rain.
THE BEAUTY OF THE MOMENT
Before I wrote this article I spent
some time talking with a close
friend, Shoshana Dennis, who has
suffered chronic pain herself for
the last 10 years.
 She expressed that the isolation
she has felt due to her condition
has been one of the hardest things
to deal with, and we both
recognised that its easy to become
bitter or envious of the world when
we feel segregated from it.
Shoshana told me that when
those kinds of feelings come up,
she makes a concious choice to
express gratitude. So instead of
being annoyed or depressed that
she's had to cancel that outing she
was looking forward to, she gives
thanks that she is able to cosy up
on her sofa, or in her bed.
She told me help can be found
in anything that brings you into the
moment, reminding you of the
beauty of the world and that she
uses her still, resting times to
deepen her ability to observe.
Paying attention to what's
outside your window, or in your
garden is important. Getting to
know the gang of sparrows who
live on your street, watching the
trees change with the flow of the
seasons, or following the cycles of
the moon. All of this will remind
you of that you are part of the
world, and that it would be a less
beautiful place without you.
One of the ways Shoshana
works is by making an altar right
next to her favourite chair in her
living room. Upon it, she includes a
glass of water, a candle, a house
plant and some incense - which for
her all come together to represent
the four elements, water, fire,
earth and air.
Importantly she also takes a
little time to sit watching the candle
flame every day, quietly listening to
herself and spirit.
My version of this is the dozen
or so cacti that live in my bedroom,
who of course, I talk to all the time.
Some of them are medicine
plants, and some are normal
house plants - one of whom I
rescued from the reduced section
of a garden centre several years
ago, and it was this rescued cactus
who came to my aid, in the darkest
of my moments.
From May until mid September
last year, the pain in my back was
constant, the pain killers didn't
touch it and I hadn't slept properly
for months. One night in July I fell
asleep for a couple of hours, but
woke up around 3am in so much
pain that I didn't know what to do. Michelle Easton is a ceremonialist
I felt totally desperate, and panic following a medicine path and has been
started to set in. As the panic rose, taught by both First Nation and European
teachers. She also has a degree in
I glanced towards the window, and Ecology and works to promote
was struck by a weird glowing sustainable agriculture and wildlife
white shape in the darkness. For a protection across southwest England.
moment I thought I was michelleeaston101@yahoo.co.uk
hallucinating, but then I slowly saw
it was a large, white flower. My
beautiful little rescued cactus had
Keeping yourself and your
put out a huge, sweet smelling home clear when you're sick can
white flower, something it had
never done before. be as difficult as it is necessary.
As I looked with amazement, it
came to me that the harshness of Try using white sage smoke,
desert life teaches cacti all there
is to know about endurance, and
followed by sweetgrass, in order
this little one - who had needed to bring in the sweetness of life.
rescuing - knew endurance all
the more. But at times wafting smoke about
So now in the worse of times,
as I lay in bed and endured the
has been physically impossible, so
pain, I was in the understanding I have turned to my relationship
company of my cacti.
with water. Water is our Grand-
All of these ways of relating to mother, without her there is
the world are based on the
teachings I received from Ron no life of any kind, anywhere.
Evans and Jose Brown, I am more
grateful than ever for the times we Lay back, relax and talk to
shared. I also give my thanks to the water - because your
Annie Spencer for her ongoing
teachings and support. physical voice has power
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 bogus
the
indigenous
Ive been trying to
write some advertising
copy for the shamanic
healing work I do, and its
not proving easy. I would
like to write about traditional
shamans and what they do -
suggesting that I am, in
someway, part of that timeless
lineage; that what I do echoes
back to the dawn of time etc. But I
cant bring myself to do it, because
I don't have a living knowledge of
these traditions, and therefore
wouldn't actually know what I was
talking about. It's an integrity issue.
Ive spent a fair bit of time with
a Chippewa Cree man, who used
to come and stay with me. He gave
teachings, told stories and ran
sweatlodges, and we used to have
great metaphysical conversations
over breakfasts. During one of
them he told me that what I do
would be described as a personal
medicine by his people, but that is
the extent of my connection to a
living tradition, and I want to be real
about things, and not sex them up
into something they are not.
I think that the worlds living
indigenous traditions are both an
inspiration and a burden for
Westerners. We can be too eager to
make the indigenous link to what we
do, even if its just by implication;
and, not to put too fine a point on it,
I think it is often a bit bogus. We
may not realise this bogus nature,
because our shamanic teachers may
have talked in those terms too -
mine certainly did, although they
hadnt had much to do with
indigenous people themselves. I
think there can be an element of
wishful thinking, which gets passed
on from teacher to student.
Our spirit helpers might tell us
things too. I knew a man whose
spirit helper was giving him Lakota
teachings - and they were good
teachings too - but whether they
were real Lakota teachings or not,
36 HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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Barry Goddard
in my view he couldnt say they
were Lakota, because he received
them from his spirits.
Its also not enough to visit
someone in the jungle for a few
days valuable as that might be
and then add it to our CV to gain
indigenous cred. The real stuff
gets transmitted through getting to
know people, and that takes time.
What I think all this comes down
to, is a search for authenticity, and
what we think authenticity is. It is
not essentially a quality to be found
in outward forms, in eg the latest
teacher, just because he is from
the Peruvian jungle, or because he
personally knew Don Juan.
Authenticity is an inner experience,
and it is a quality we hopefully learn
over time to sense and to trust in
others - often through betrayal,
when teachers turn out to be far
more human than we might have
wished them to be.
This distinction is well-
expressed in the Buddhist tradition,
where there are stories of people
looking up to the great Lama, just
because he is the great Lama, and
not recognising that the guy who
really has the goods is working
amongst them as a pig-herder.
This is why the novice shaman
goes through their well-known
'illness' - their initiation, their trial.
They are being re-shaped - by the
spirits, if you like - to be a suitable
vessel for their work.
In the West we tend to express
this process in more psychological
terms: dealing with our wounds
etc, but usually there is some
larger dimension also trying to
emerge, it is about much more
than just trying to sort out the past.
I see this process a lot in my work
as an astrologer, where the outer
planets - the spirits - can seem to
take people's lives apart. It can be
protracted and painful, but there is
usually some new way of being,
something very real, trying to emerge.
So it is this hard-earned
inner quality that is real, not
any connection to indigenous
people. I think by seeking the
indigenous we can actually
disempower our own gifts,
because we seek validation by
trying to concoct a connection
to indigenous people. What we
do needs to stand alone, we
moderns have our own spirit
connections - our shamanism is
what we do, not what indigenous
people do - even if our
shamanism is inspired by them.
Ive been an astrologer for
many years, and something Ive
noticed about the astrological world
is that it is very accepting of all
sorts of different types of astrology.
Apart from the odd traditionalist,
you dont get fundamental
astrologers suggesting that
somethings are not real astrology.
In general the shamanic world
similarly seems welcoming of all
sorts of different types of
shamanism - but it also sometimes
seems to be a bit fundamental
and overly-concerned with what
is real shamanism and what
isnt. Saying our shamanism is
more real if it has an observable
link to an indigenous tradition
seems to me to be like Christians
quoting from the Bible all the time.
Of course, on the other hand,
we dont want too many people
claiming to be shamanic healers,
when they havent gone through
the years of personal training
necessary for true integrity -
although I suspect that those sorts
of healers have always been part of
the shamanic landscape.
What I suppose Im seeking for, Barry Goddard spent
is a way to describe what we do the 1980s and early
90s involved with
here, without validating references organised Buddhism,
to the traditions of indigenous but eventually ground
peoples - valuable and profound as to a complete halt.
their example can be. Shamanism appeared,
One of humanitys weaknesses seemingly out of
nowhere, giving him
seems to be an attachment to the a direct experienc of
past, as though that was somehow Spirit that gradually
more real, and in some way turned everything
validates what we do now. We live in around. After a
couple of shamanic
a unique time, where it is possible to courses he found,
drop all that and start afresh. Now is through, trance-dance,
a melting pot, where there is room his own way of doing
for original inspiration. Our spirit healing work. Barry is
helpers know what to do, they're on also an astrologer.
He lives in Exeter in
the case, and I think they can do South West England.
wonderous things - if we don't get in www.shamanicfreestate
the way too much. .blogspot.co.uk
I have practised fluffy shamanism
- some say I still do. When I
started out on this path several
decades ago there was little
accurate information available and
no internet. Many of the teachings
shared with me were a sort of
pick-n-mix of Native American
traditions, pop psychology,
ecological awareness, new-age
spirituality and other sweeties, all
blended into a kind of cosmic
rainbow candy bar.
All of this was generally
delivered as traditional Native
American wisdoms, although
luckily, back then, we were also
able to work with notable people,
such as Grandfather Wallace Black
Elk, Sun Bear and others - so we
pretty quickly got to know some of
the differences between the real
and the faux.
But these days, what Im going
to term fluffy shamanism seems to
be around even stronger, and I
seem to come across it on a regular
basis - such as a conversation I had
recently, with someone online who
was being taught shamanism by
her dead 'Red Indian' guide (their
words). They told me this Red
Indian had informed them there
was no such thing as a harmful
spirit - who might be hostile and
dangerous - because everyone in
the Spirit World was all full of love,
and only there to help the living.
Does this type of thing matter? Is
it a worry that some people choose
to call anything they like
shamanism? Does it matter that
there is reiki-shamanism, yoga-
shamanism, crystal-shamanism,
ascension-shamanism and all the
rest? Does it matter that
shamanism is so ill-used as a
word, that it is applied to things
which have nothing to do with actual
shamanism? That everything, from
pop records to business skills, acting
to cornflakes, gets the sex-up that
adding the S word can give it?
Recently I was talking with some
people I know about the lack of
initiation into grown-up-ness
people in the West seem to suffer
from - and the roots of this lack of
initiation stemming from a concept
called the mother wound - see
the article by Bethany Webster in
this issue of Sacred Hoop.
During this conversation we
talked about fluffy shamanism too,
On
Being
Fluffy...
Nicholas Breeze Wood
and someone (not me) pointed out
that surely it was obvious - it is not
adult shamanism - not shamanism we may see the often petulant child-
practiced by initiated adult people.
Instead, it's often a sort of
children's fantasy shamanism - kind
of 'all bunny rabbits and rainbows'
(not that I have anything against
rabbits and rainbows). This lack of
initiation is of course not about
being an initiated shaman - its
about being an initiated adult.
Being an adult means we take
responsibility for our actions - the
current global environmental and
social problems are caused by
uninitiated adults not taking
responsibility for their actions. Look
at America right now - Donald
Trump is a larger than life little boy
- an uninitiated child, pretending to
be an adult - and he is popular
because he appeals to other
naughty little boys - rather like a
class comedian who all the other
naughty children like to see
showing off. Of course, I'm not just
singling out America, its just that,
Trump is a perfect - in our face -
example at the moment, the rest of
the West is just the same.
As I see it, much of the new age
movement is not very grown up. It
often does not seem to wish to deal
with the difficult stuff - focusing
instead on love and light, and
negating the uncomfortable bits.
This is not said from a 'one-up'
position, we all need to raise our
level of adulthood (I know I do). We
can all look around us at this time
and see the dire straits which
humanity and our planet is in, and
like actions of our leaders, but do
we see our own child-like actions?
For shamanism to be a powerful,
effective thing in the West, it needs
powerful effective people practising
it - people who look at the traditions
of old-school shamanism and see
its raw power and beauty, and aim
to get as close to that as they can
in their own authentic practice. If
we turn shamanism into babyfood,
ideal for easy consumption, it is
going to lose its taste and its
nutritional properties. I fear fluffy
shamanism is very much part of
that babyfood world.
Nobody can police shamanism
and establish a new-age fraud
squad, but we can be on our own
case. Are we living on the wild
edge as much as we can? Are we
in the comfort zone in our
practices? Do we aim to weed the
fluffiness out of our lives by being
ever vigilant, knowing what real
shamanism is, and seeking to
initiate ourselves as adults?
Surely we need to live life - and
practice our spirituality - with as
much adult awareness as we can
muster. Awareness is like a
muscle, we need to develop it and
we all love our comfort zone - even
when its time to get out of it.
The world will survive - the earth
does not need saving - but humans
do - and it seems to me the only
way to do that is as adults.
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TUNDRA, HUNTER AND SHAMAN
Jon Turk and Jody Weber
Top: moonrise One evening, after I had spent an
over mountains evening in a small bookstore in
in Kamchatka Massachusetts, giving a reading
from my book about travels with
the Koryak people of the
Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern
Siberia 1, a woman came up to me
and introduced herself as Jody.
Above: Dancers
She told me that she was the
perform in the
artistic director for a dance
Weber Dance
company called Weber Dance and
company
that she had liked my reading,
adding that she was interested in
knowing if I might consider working
with them to integrate the Koryak
message into the ecstasy of dance.
Jody told me that she had been
making dances for over twenty
years, and had immediately
recognised the power of my story
and the importance of the Koryak
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peoples message. She told me that
she felt she had nothing to lose by
asking me, and as it turned out, I
had nothing to lose by saying yes.
It seemed we were destined to
create together, and so we
constructed a dance called
Synchronicity and the Sacred
Space, where the magic of the
Koryak worldview was expressed
as the joyous movement of swirling
bodies. Our artistic collaboration
continues to generate an ongoing
dialogue about the message of
Tundra, Hunter and Shaman.
JONS SIBERIAN STORY
My story starts back in the frozen
landcape of Kamchatka... The first
blast of a Siberian winter formed a
thin film of sparkling ice across the
river as Oleg, my friend and travelling
companion, adroitly steered the
speedboat around sand bars and
snags that were invisible to me.
The ice made a sing-song
tinkling sound as the aluminum hull
blasted its way through, in the early
morning light of this remote and
roadless landscape.
We had a full load of half-frozen
fish on board, and Oleg was
smiling contentedly because we
had been successful enough to
feed his family, with excess to give
away to those too old or sick to
fend for themselves.
Suddenly he killed the engine
and the silence of the tundra
engulfed us again. The boat drifted
aimlessly, bumping gently into the
ice, and spinning slowly in the
current. I looked up, expecting that
there was a mechanical
malfunction, but I hadnt heard
anything amiss.
He held my gaze. Jon.. he
said, and then he paused.
I looked into his broad weather-
beaten face, short cropped
moustache and four-day stubble
beard, half indigenous Koryak and
half Russian Cossack; two of the
toughest races on Earth.
Oleg asked me: Do you know why you
failed your journey to the Other World?
I recalled the day Moolynaut, a 97-year-old
shaman had attempted to lead me to the
Other World, to talk with the Raven spirit.
No I said. Oleg looked at me a moment
and said: Youre a lousy traveller in the Other
World. So you must journey on the Tundra
His eyes were hidden behind
dark goggles that bulged outward
like fish-bowls, and his head was
covered by a dog-fur beaded hat,
with protruding lobes that
resembled the ears of a friendly,
inquisitive wolf.
Oleg continued in Russian: Do
you know why you failed to complete
your journey to the Other World?
What?
I was taken aback, in all the
time I had known him, through all
our adventures together, Oleg had
never talked about spiritual
matters; it was always about
motors, route-finding, ice and
snow, hunting and fishing.
I recalled the day - a week ago,
in the village - when Moolynaut, a
97 year old shaman, born during
the reign of Czar Nicholas II, had
attempted to lead me to the Other
World; to talk with Kutcha, the
Raven spirit, who had healed me.
I remembered the fear as I
trudged through the hallucinogenic
labyrinth, then the sudden retreat and
the blind flight away from the portal
to the Other World, the certainty that
I was absolutely incapable of making
the shamanic journey.
I looked up at Olegs calm,
almost beneficent smile.
Nyet. No I said, I dont know skin and an exhaustion that defied
why I failed to follow Moolynaut on a
journey she had trod so many times.
Oleg looked at me a moment
and said: Jon. You are simply a
lousy traveller into the Other World.
But you are an excellent traveller in
the Real World. So you must make
your journeys on the Tundra.
With that, Oleg turned and
grabbed the pull cord of the
outboard motor, but before he jolted
the engine back to noisy, smoky life
he said: You will be cold, hungry,
tired, frostbitten, and perhaps you
will die out there. But that is where
you must make your journey.
JODYS AMERICAN STORY
I sat on the physician's table
waiting for the infectious disease
specialist to arrive again. I had an
awful sheen of sweat covering my
retreated home to meditate.
any amount of sleep.
My body seemed strangely not
my own, as if I was lodged in some
dingy rental house in an unknown
city. I had been ill for almost three
months, run down by endless
rounds of antibiotics which
continued to fail.
The doctor arrived and reported
my results - I had surfaced
momentarily. "What do I do now?" I
had asked him.
"Cross your fingers and your
toes" he replied.
I was struck deeply by this
absurd response from a highly
trained professional at a prestigious
Left: Oleg,
Jons half-Koryak
and half-Cossack
travel companion
Bottom Left:
Moolynaut, a 97-
year-old Koryak
shaman
hospital, and I felt suddenly certain
that medical science was not going
to heal me. I drove home in the
deep wet chill of late winter with a
sense of exhaustion that seemed
to have seeped from my physical
body into my spiritual self - or
perhaps, I wondered, if it was the
other way around.
I have always meditated, but I
had never considered myself
dedicated to the task. I picked it
up and then dropped it again when
life started to whirl and thrash with
the relentless activity that is the
nature of our modern world. But
that night I was too tired to be
caught up in anything, and I
I sat quietly and acknowledged
that I had been ignoring Spirit. I
asked what it wanted of me and then
I waited. I don't mean that I sat on
the couch waiting for a voice to
respond to my demands, I mean that
I opened my heart to the river of
energetic information that is
constantly available to each and
everyone one of us - if we just listen.
And then there was a reply
stranger than anything I could have
imagined.
It is difficult to describe how
startling it is to come into full
consciousness out of sleep and to
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If you spend enough time
in nature, the tundra will
initiate your spiritual journey,
because in its silence and fury
it will somehow - eventually,
irrevocably, in a guaranteed
way - seep into your
think-too-much-know-it-all brain,
soaking up all those extraneous,
chaotic thoughts that distract
you from living in the moment
find oneself seated on the edge of
one's bed in the moonlight. There
was nothing dream-like about my
state and I thought, "What is
happening?"
As I slid my hand across the
cool sheets I was startled to hear
the sound of water sloshing on a
metal surface - as if I were
submerged in a great tank of
water. While it was clear that I was
not dreaming, it was also apparent
that something quite extraordinary
was happening and I slowly turned
my gaze to the left.
There, kneeling on the floor,
was an enormous being of light. It
was so large it could not have
stood upright in my bedroom, and I
Below: the could see currents of light flowing
rugged isolated through its human form.
landscape of Very slowly it lifted its right arm
Kamchatka and took my left forearm in its
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hand. It was an invitation to travel
inwards to the Other World - to
begin the journey of the shaman.
JONS SENSE OF THE TUNDRA
So, the following year, together
with a Russian friend called Misha,
I returned to northeast Siberia to
do a walk-about on the tundra
Over the years, I have visited
northeast Siberia on eight different
occasions, often for months at a
time; and during all these
expeditions, and throughout all the
conversations Id had with the
traditional people there - whether in
deteriorating Soviet-style row
houses, around campfires, or in
skin tents on the tundra - no one
has ever outlined the Koryak
worldview as a single
comprehensive manifesto. I came
to realise that it didnt work that
way out there, but, despite that, I
have taken the liberty of stating
that the Koryak people perceive
that our personal power,
mindfulness, tribal survival, and
journeys to the Other World and
the Real World all arise from an
integration of the tundra, the
hunter, and the shaman.
If you spend enough time in
nature, the tundra will initiate your
spiritual journey, because - in its
silence and fury it will somehow -
eventually, irrevocably, in a
guaranteed way - seep into your
think-too-much-know-it-all brain.
It will soak up all those
extraneous, chaotic thoughts that
distract you from living in the
moment, and becoming that
glorious, perhaps unattainable,
bundle of pure awareness and
action. Of course there are other
ways to do it, but in my experience,
the journey into mindfulness is a
walking meditation, not a sitting one.
As the hunter you move
through the tundra, aware of your
muscles, bones, and body position,
often tired, frostbitten, hungry and
strung out. In Siberia, a hunter
travels through blizzards, across the
barren tundra, and this is not as
metaphor, it is reality. When I say
hunter, I dont mean necessarily in
the sense of the final thrust of a
spear, or crack of a rifle, I mean the
word more as someone having the
qualities of an athlete, whose
survival is dependent on an intimate
synergy between body and spirit.
To stay alive - and come home
with dinner - a hunter must control
the wild chaos of spurious thoughts,
and concentrate on a simple action,
such as tracking an animal in the
snow, or finding some shelter in a
storm. These activities involve that
magical mindset of focus, action,
and awareness, and when your life
has become a coiled bundle of pure,
uncomplicated action and
awareness, you enter a state of
being, sometimes called flow,
which is the same as mindfulness.
Once the tundra and hunter
have cleared the decks, theres
the shaman.
This does not necessarily - but
does not exclude - being the
woman with the drum, or the man
in an eagle headdress. Wonder.
ecstasy, journeys to the Other
World - if it is your inclination and
within your ability to go there - and
magic, if you want to use that word.
Being the shaman is not only
being a spiritual leader, it is about
being the dancer, the artist, the
musician, the person who leads the
rest of their people on a path into
ecstasy; because without ecstasy,
we can never realise our full potential
as whole, complete human beings.
It all sounds easy doesnt it, but
of course it isnt; but its out there,
I am certain of it.
JODYS SENSE OF THE DANCE
My life-long work as a choreographer
and dancer has taught me about the
nuanced language of the human
body, and informs my work as a
shamanic practitioner.
My inward journey healed me,
and continues to heal me, at deep
levels which echo into my ancestral
lines and sweep clear the path of
my future selves.
As Jon has so eloquently
articulated, nature and a focused
mind and body are two essential
starting points of the human
journey towards integration.
Spirituality completes the triad, and
draws both balance and ecstasy
into our experience of the world.
So what does this mean in
2016? How might we apply this
deep wisdom to our present
chaotic condition, and begin to
dance a new world into being?
My shamanic practice indicates
that we must first re-acquaint
ourselves with our energy bodies, and
then deeply integrate our energetic
state with our physical bodies.
The energy body speaks to the
physical body through the chakra
system.
The chakras align with the
endocrine system.
The endocrine system speaks
the chemical language of the body
and regulates balance.
Through this extraordinary and
dynamic network, each of us has
the capacity to balance our physical
and energetic selves. We cannot
continue to ignore the body as
many academics and spiritual
leaders do - nor can we accept the
insistence of pop culture that our
bodies are commodities for the
corporate Western world.
Western, mainstream
perspectives deny the very core of
what it means to human, and
create a disassociation from the
natural world which is profound.
Instead, we must begin to
recognise the body as an
extraordinary system which houses
consciousness, and allows us
simultaneous access to the
physical and spiritual planes.
The hunter has always
recognised this integration, with
their powerfully present mind -
gathering information from the
physical world, the weather, animal
migration patterns and geography -
the hunter intergrates physical
information with information about
the spirit of the herd.
As we begin to recognise this
connection and practice, the deep
mindfulness and exquisite physicality
of the hunter, we can begin to
recognise the energetic web that
connects all life here on earth.
We are then no longer separate
from the tundra, from our fellow
tribesman, or from the nature of
the shaman, who facilitates our
expeditions to the Spirit World.
It is from this place of unity that
we may begin to heal the great
wounds we have inflicted on this
magnificent conscious world we
call earth.
As I reflect on that visitation with
the being of light who came when I
was gravely ill, I sense the
imperative nature of the invitation. Above: Dancers
The time is now. perform in the
We have the tools for change. Weber Dance
The wisdom of the tundra, the company
hunter and the shaman can show
us the path, and with that
awareness, it is time to dance a
new world into being together.
Jon Turk received his Ph.D. in chemistry
in 1971 but altered course to engage in
extreme outdoor expeditions. Jons
circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island was
nominated by National Geographic as one
of the Top Ten Adventures of 2011.
His most recent book is: The Ravens
Gift: A Scientist, a Shaman, and their
Remarkable Journey through the Siberian
Tundra. His next book: Crocodiles and
Ice: A Journey into Deep Wild, will be
released in September 2016.
www.jonturk.net
Jon@jonturk.net
Dr. Jody Weber was awarded a Ph.D. in
dance history in 2005 and is currently an
Associate Professor of Dance at
Bridgewater State University. She is the
Artistic Director of Weber Dance, and has
presented her choreography in Boston,
New York City, San Francisco, and many
other locales. After experiencing spiritual
awakenings and journeys, she began
studying shamanic practice under Alberto
Villoldo and is currently finishing her
studies under that master.
www.weberdance.com
weberdance@rcn.com
NOTES:
1: For articles about Jons travels in
Kamchatka and about Koryak shamanism,
see Sacred Hoop Issue 69.
Sacred Hoop wishes to thank Chris
Engles for providing the two photos
of the dancers.
HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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 Balancing
the Sun
and
Moon
The Spirit Power of the Hedgehog
Claudia Bonney
Above: Daurian Having found hedgehogs in my
hedgehog garden, some years ago in the
(mesechinus middle of a British city, I soon
dauuricus) on found myself beguiled by them;
the steppes of and so with, observation and
Mongolia research, I learnt all about them.
Their recent dramatic decline in
numbers led me to campaign in my
local neighbourhood to raise
awareness of their plight and get
everyone involved to help. One
garden doth not a hedgehog haven
make! They need lots of inter-
connecting space to feed and meet
a mate.
But as I am a shamanista of
sorts, I have always been
interested in looking deeper at
things when an aspect of nature
crosses my path, and so I was
curious about what hedgehog
might mean shamanically - both
now and historically - and perhaps
uncover what their medicine might
be for us now.
As I explored the subject, I was
amazed to discover this little brown
creature really does pack a mighty
42
HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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mystical punch: from protecting us
from malign spirits and mishaps, to
helping us cheat death and acting
as a totem for rebirth. Hedgehog is
important in fire making, saved
humanity and featured as the main
advisor to God in several creation
myths, stretching from here all the
way back to ancient Egypt and
beyond... who knew!
BRINGER OF BALANCE
Hedgehog, it seems, is seen as a
keeper of order and knowledge, a
symbol of night and day, a balance
of both yin and yang, masculine
and feminine. Its physical form is a
sunburst of spines - like the rays of
the masculine sun - but as a
nocturnal animal too, it is a being
of the dream times other world, of
rebirth, and therefore the yin,
feminine, aspect of Creation.
There are many tales of the
wise old hedgehog, found across
the globe, where it is the bringer of
fire to humanity as well as helping
God create and give birth to earth.
A Romanian folk-tale tells of
how God sent a bee to ask the
hedgehog how he should create
the world. Humble Hedgehog
replied: Who am I to tell God what
to do, and went on his way again.
But bee knew that Hedgehog
had a habit of talking to himself,
and so followed him and overheard
him muttering: Well of course God
must know he needs to create
room for the water and the fish,
and so He should certainly make
mountains and valleys.
Bee went back and told God
what hedgehog had said, and so
the earth was created accordingly.
Another tale from Bulgaria tells
how the hedgehog saved humanity
from disaster, when Sun and Moon
planned to marry.
Hedgehog was noticeably
absent at the wedding celebrations,
and so Sun went looking and found
him alone eating rocks.
Sun asked: Why are you eating
rocks Hedgehog? To which
Hedgehog replied: Well, when you
marry Moon you will have many
children together and they will light
up the sky with their fiery
brightness and burn all the plants
and trees. After this there will be
no food to eat., so I am practising
eating rocks, as it will be all there
is left!
At his words Sun realised the
error of the marriage and called it
off, and so humanity saved.

The Buryat people of Siberia the rising sun, so the Creator made the death of hundreds of Above: Egyptian
have a story about how Goddess of its spines look like the suns rays. thousands of the harmless hedgehog amulet
earth Etgen Eke once visited animals. Ironically hedgehogs are made of steatite
Khormusta Tengri - Khan of the BLESSINGS AND CURSES actualy lactose intolerant, therefore suspended on a
celestial tribes of the Western Sky. In Ancient Egypt representations of cows milk really isnt their cup of length of linen
When Etgen Eke asked for the the hedgehog were used as a tea at all! Middle Kingdom
sun and the moon as a gift, protective amulet - both against They were also feared in Britain, C17501700 BCE
Khormusta Tengri could not refuse, both real and spiritual mishap - because they were often believed Amulet length 9mm
and so Etgen Eke took the lights rather like the scarab beetle. This to be a witch in disguise, or a
out of the sky, and put them in a was because hedgehog witches familiar spirit, rather like
box, causing the whole universe to represented rebirth - probably due the poor old hare and cat were,
become dark. to its hibernation cycle - and also which also perhaps again points us
Khormusta Tengri was because it had a defence against to their underlying power and
distressed, and so he turned to his predators because of its spines - otherworldliness.
wise old friend Hedgehog for help. and apparent immunity against Finally the American tradition of
Using his profound wisdom, as snake bites. Goundhog Day - as the herald of
he was the wisest of creatures, spring new life and rebirth -
Hedgehog was able to return the Closer to home however, originated in ancient Rome as
sun and the moon to their heavenly hedgehogs have historically had a hedgehog day, but as early settlers
orbits, and so saved the day. rougher time. found no hedgehogs in the US,
Other Buryat versions of the tale In Elizabethan England it was they substituted a groundhog as
tell it was the goddess of the believed they stole milk from cows the closest thing. Below: Egyptian
ocean causing problems, but by sucking the cows udders at faience hedgehog
Hedgehog always plays the same night, and therefore in 1566, a Today we write and live the magical fetish
heroic role. bounty was placed on each myths and legends of tomorrow, C1900 BCE
hedgehog killed, which resulted in and therefore if you were to ask Length 71mm
THE BRINGER OF FIRE
The Buryat people also say the skill
of fire making came from
In Ancient Egypt the hedgehog a protective being -
Hedgehog, as they say that in the both against both real and spiritual mishap - this
beginning, neither the Tengri sky
powers, nor humans, could make was because the hedgehog represented rebirth and
fire only Hedgehog could, with his
sunburst of spines.
also because it had a defence against predators
According to the Udmurts and because of its spines
the Mari - both minority peoples
from Russia - it is the hedgehog
who showed humans and animals
how to make fire using stone,
steel, and tinder. They also say that
the hedgehog taught the people
how to farm the land, plough and
till the soil.
In Lithuanian legend the fire
making theme continues, as in
their traditional stories, they also
associate hedgehogs spines with
the suns rays. One creation tale
from these people tells us that all
the animals receiving their fur, or
hair, according to the place they
slept on their first night on Earth.
Hedgehog slept on a mountain
top and marveled at the radiance of

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016

43
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above: the me what hedgehog medicine
author with a means for u,s now I would say it
hedgehog in would be all of the above, plus the
her garden addition of what their tragic decline
is pointing at. What is good for the
hedgehog is good for us.
Also, for me their medicine is a
Below: the call to realign ourselves with nature,
common or a call for us to work together and
European collaborate, review our internal and
hedgehog external barriers. Hedgehog is a
(erinaceus reminder to ask ourselves which
europaeus) fences and walls help or hinder us.
And finally a powerful reminder of
the old maxim that we should
never ever judge a book by its
cover; as sometimes the smallest,
drabbest, pricklest littlest thing can
hold the key to help us all -
because in truth what is good for
the hedgehog is good for us too.
HEDGEHOG CARE TIPS
The myystical aspects of the
hedgehogs aside, the following tips
may bring the real animal into your
garden and your life, if you are very
lucky that is!
Make a couple of small holes in,
or under your garden fence, to
allow them to roam in and out of
your garden freely - the biggest
barrier to their survival is literally
barriers! Impenetrable fences and
walls stop them meeting, mating
and having enough food to survive.
It only needs to be small gap the
size of the end of a house brick.
Create or buy a hedgehog
feeding station, and place dried cat
food and a bowl of water in it
(never give them bread or milk, it
makes them ill). There are lots of
ready made designs to buy on line.
If you have a garden pond, put a
ramp in it, if it has steep sides.
Hedgehogs can swim, but they
need a gentle slope to help them
get out of the water. Ponds are
great for biodiversity, and for the
hedgehog a good supply of water
for them to drink on a hot summer
night.
Create a hedgehog hotel. This is
a hibernation station where they
are safe to spend the winter.
Again, there are lots of ready made
designs available to buy online, as
well as suggestions on how to
make your own.
Always check for hedgehogs
before you strim, cut back grass or
light bonfires etc. Hedgehogs often
make rather clumsy day nests in
places that are not very safe for
them, so do check.
Only use nature friendly slug
pellets, or the very effective living
nematodes - available at good
garden centres or online - to get rid
of your slug problem. But of
course, hedgehogs are wonderful
slug control agents, and once you
have they living happily in your
patch, they will keep the pests
down for you: they truly are the
gardeners friend.

Claudia Bonney, BA Hons, has been a

healer since she was a child. When she
was 20 years old, she suffered a
mysterious illness, after which she started
explored healing in a focused way, which
finally culminating in a formal
apprenticship with a Tuvan trained
shaman. She was one of the first healers
to work for the British NHS on a
haematology and oncology ward, and she
has also worked extensively in the field of
addiction. Claudia is a NFSH healer, a
traditional USUI and Karuna Reiki Master,
and Interfaith Minister.
She lives near Bristol, England.
hedgehogtotem@outlook.com

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 . . . . . . . . . . . REVIEWS
LEYENDA
Ana Alcaide
CD or Download: 55.56 mins.
ArcMusic EUCD 2647
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
This is the latest powerful album from
Spanish world-musician singer
songwriter Ana Alcaide. Ive been following her career over the
past few years and her albums have gone from strength to
strength. She has a love of the medieval music of her homeland,
especially the medieval music of the Sephardic Jews. But dont
get the impression her music is set back in the past - its far
from that, imagine a sort of Loreena McKennitt, meets Mari
Boine, meets Carolyn Hillyer - all infused with Spanish heat and
passion and left to marinate in a mix of spices and hot sunshine
and you will be thinking along the right lines.
Amazingly gutsy music, rich and delicate in places and dark
and earthy in others, with wonderful musicianship from her
backing band who accompany her on a wide range of instruments
- ancient and modern. The albums textures draw influences from
her native Spain and the wider Mediterranean sound world and her
work deserves to be know far beyond those lands.
Available from Amazon and iTunes etc.
On Spotify
www.anaalcaide.com
YouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-Ana
ELEMENTAL TANGENTS
Tracy Swain and Stephen Paine
CD and Book: 54.36 mins.
Also available as a Download
TnT-Photoart TSSP01
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
This is a five track CD of upbeat
newage music, each track being devoted to one of the five
elements - which in this case are determined as earth, air, fire,
water, and spirit. The CD is packaged within a small, hard cover
book which contains photos of nature, all of which have been
chosen to represent the five elements. The book also contains
poems which start each elemental section.
All in all, the whole set is designed to bring about a
meditation on the elements. Its a very nicely put together, and
it is clearly evident that great care and attention to detail has
gone into the production of it.
Musically the five pieces are a mix of keyboards, drums, bass,
acoustic and electric guitars, flute and other instruments
scattered here and there throughout the mix. The music does not
move me greatly, it seems a little soul-less, perhaps a bit from
the head, a bit slick, and I also found it a bit the same throughout
the album; but it is beautifully played and very well recorded; and
I am very confident that many people will enjoy it greatly.
www.elementaltangents.uk
Available from their website and selected shops,
Dowloads available from Amazon etc.
YouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-Tangents
QUICK SPARROWS
OVER THE BLACK EARTH
Laura Cannell
CD or Download: 64.39 mins.
Brawl Records BRAWL008
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
This is an album of darkly brooding and
very atmospheric ancestral music from British folk musician and
medieval music enthusiast Laura, who plays violin as if it was a
medieval fiddle - lots of strings bowed together at the same
time to make rich chordal drones, and other instruments such
as recorders and some percussion.
The album is a controlled improvisation, sometimes a piece is
free standing, existing only in the moment, and with others the
improvisation is based on fragments of medieval music - some
of it dating back to the C5th.
What she does is quite extraordinary - I would venture to say
it is almost as if the spirits from the past speak through her.
She loves drones and works them to great effect, producing an
album that truly haunts and entrances the listener as the notes
weave around you. its music to dream too, to fly your soul too,
to contemplate your insubstantial existence too before you too
become an ancestor. Music drawn from a deep well, totally from
the belly - and to the belly.
This is her debut 2014 recording, there is a newer one -
Beneath Swooping Talons - which is also available on Spotify.
Available from: www.bit.ly/BandCamp-LauraCannell
On Spotify
www.lauracannell.co.uk
YouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-LauraCannell
CAN DE DONA I HOME
L'Ham de Foc Album
CD or Download: 53.27 mins. of the
Galileo Records GMC055 Issue
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
This is a recent re-release of a 2002
album which slipped through the nets
upon its original release. L'Ham de Foc were a Spanish group
who explored the fiery folk music traditions of thier home land
as well as North Africa and Greece and combined them all
together with great skill and powerful artistry.
A mix of swirling bagpipes, a mixed variety of folk lutes of many
kinds, thick chordal vocal harmonies, and a wide range of
percussion, fiddles, zithers, flutes and shawms make for a dramatic
fusion album that is possiblly the best of its kind I have ever heard.
The music is varied and shows immense talent on the part of all
those on the album. It is a very rich banquet indeed, traditional folk
songs from several cultures - all played impeccably.
Sadly the group disbanded in 2006, although this album
reached the Top 10 of the World Music Charts for Europe in 2004.
Available from Amazon and iTunes etc.
On Spotify
YouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-Tangents
www.bit.ly/YouTube-DeFoc
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REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . .
VOICE OF THE WIND
Trevor Green
CD or download: 47.20 mins.
Self Released Album
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood

I generally find spiritual singer-

songwriters deeply pretentious, and so I
try to avoid most of them, most of the time. So it was a very
nice surprise to find this new album by American singer Trevor
Green. The press release on his website says he was adopted
into a Din (Navajo) family, but gives no further details, and
certainly a lot of Native American influences can be heard in
both his lyrics and his music.
Musically its far more in the rock Americana camp than
anything new age, and its got quite a kick-arse feel to it at
times as Trevor plays a variety of acoustic and electric guitars
and didgeridoo.... I wonder if Angus Young has ever fancied
doing a live didge solo? Beautifully recorded and produced, the
sound on the album is loverly and its very creative musically.
I confess I find a few of the lyrics a tiny bit cringe-inducing,
but not that many, and not that much on the whole. He deserves
to become an established voice - bridging as he does a fairly
mainstream rock feel, new-age thought, Native American
spirituality and damn fine guitar playing. I think he would go
down an absolute storm at lots of summer music festivals, and I
hear he has a troupe of Native American Hoop dancers on stage
with him on many of his shows which would add to the appeal.
Give him a listen - I am pretty certain you will really like him.
www.trevorgreenmusic.com
On Spotify (www.spotify.com)
Downloads available from Amazon and iTunes etc.
TouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-TrevorGreen
ONCE UPON A TIME IN TIBET
Director: Wei Dai
Beijing Purple Clove Film Co : 97mins
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
This is a film available for free on YouTube. It is a romantic story
about an American pilot, whose cargo plane crashes somewhere
in the wilds of Tibet during the second world war. Near dead, he
is rescued and reluctantly nursed back to life by a Tibetan
woman who has been outcast from her nomadic camp because
they think she is a witch descendant of a people conquered by
the Tibetan shamanic hero Gesar centuries before.
The film is their story, and the twists and turns of fate and
karma they endure. It is set against the turbulent times of the
second world war, when China was fighting itself in a civil war,
as well as fighting the Japanese, who had invaded the North of
the country. At this time Tibet was being leaned on by China,
who was to invade the country just a few years in the future.

LIGHT
Midival Punditz
CD and Download: 54.47 mins.
Six Degrees Records 6570367197
Reviewer: Andy Ashchurch

A beautiful and uplifting album which

mixes Western rock, ambient chill-out
and classical Indian and folk music . It is by a New Delhi-based
duo, Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj who are pioneers in the
growing Indian electronica scene.
It is pulsing, ecstatic music, which is beautiful to listen to and
beautiful to dance to. Its very positive music, and dare I say,
even cheerful - although it never crosses into the sort of
cheeriness I want to torture and then bury in the garden. It
certainly brings a bit of Indian sunshine to the often grey skies of
West Wales, and I think it would, undoubtedly bring the sun to
your skies too, with a smile to your lips and a tap to your toes.
Available from Amazon and iTunes etc.
On Spotify On BandCamp
www.punditz.com
YouTube: www.bit.ly/YouTube-Punditz
With the American airman speaking English, and the Tibetans
speaking Tibetan, the film is multilingual, and to help the viewer
there are English subtilties. It was filmed in Tibet, mostly on the
shores of Namtsco, a sacred lake, and the countrys wild, wide
open expanse are the backdrop to the film. Although there is
little actual shamanic or Buddhist content to the film, the rural
Tibetan animistic dharma-inspired mindset comes across fairly
well, and the film has a rather overall mystical quality to it, as the
wheel of rebirth rolls on in its inevitable way.
Despite being a Chinese film, filmed in an occupied country, it
feels a tender and sympathetic film, and is an enjoyable watch.
Available online free: www.bit.ly/YouTube-OnceUponATime

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 . . . . . . . . . . . REVIEWS
JOURNEY TO
THE DARK GODDESS
Jane Meredith
Moon Books
PB: 241 pages. 12.99: $18.95
ISBN: 978 1 84694 677 6
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
As a Tibetan Buddhist-shamanista, I
work with a lot of Tibets wrathful
beings, beings who encapsulate the
dark side of the psyche and the spirit world. The Dark
Goddess, whether she be Kali, Persephone, Hecate, Morgana,
Black Isis, Lilith or Ereshkigal - all of whom the book is
dedicated to - fulfills the same role. They are all spirit powers,
especially useful for women to look at and work with, as without
the dark places we can not come into our true power and
wholeness of being. Clearly and engagingly written, although
this is primarily a book for women, men would get a lot from it
too. I am very aware of the article we have in this issue about
the mother wound, and this seems to be a natural book for the
book-list connected with that article.
Embrace the darkness - you know it makes sense, for in the
darkness there are both dragons to transmute and personal
golden power to be discovered and claimed, and we all owe that
to the collective at this time of trouble and strife - if you want to
be powerful and effective you need to be whole, and to be
whole you need to seek, come to terms with, appreciate and
integrate the Dark Goddess - and the Dark God.
Available from Amazon etc.
SKY SHAMANS: Meetings
with Remarkable Healers
Kevin Turner
North Atlantic Books
PB: 209 pages. 18.99: $24.95
ISBN: 978 1 58394 634 3
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
To get a feel of this book, read the lead
article in this issue. A very enjoyable
and informative read, part travelogue, part book of interviews
with the shamans he meets and part book about Mongolian
shamanism I think this is possibly the book I will recommend to
people as a must-read, along with the late Mongolian-American
shaman Sarangerels book Chosen by the Spirits.
If you are familiar with Sarangerels book, you will find much
here to expand her teachings, as the book describes the
aspects of the three souls, the use of the drum, shamans
mirrors, and many other ritual objects, the shamanic cosmology
and the role of the spirits. It makes for a fascinating read and I
could not put it down when it arrived. It is written in an easy,
engaging style and is illustrated with many excellent black and
white and colour photos of shamans in action, and the ritual
objects they use in thier ceremonies.
My own slight criticism of the book would be small parts of
the concluding chapter, where I feel the author might be over-
egging the importance of core shamanism - but this is a very
minor quibble, and could just be a matter of our own personal
tastes, as I am not a fan of core shamanism per se, whereas
the author teaches it - as Asian Director of Michael Harners
Foundation for Shamanic Studies.
All in all, I found the book very well informed, extremely
interesting to read - it helped me understand various
technicalities on several points of Mongolian shamanic practice
- and one for the bookshelf of everyone who professes an
interest in shamanism.
Available from Amazon etc.
SHAMANISM
Christa MacKinnon
Hay House Books
PB: 216 pages. 8.99: $9.95
ISBN: 978 1 78180 587 9
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
A very good introduction to pan-cultural
shamanism, covering all of the basics
about cosmology and practice. I feel not to
do a big review here as I suspect many of
our readers are seeking more meat in
their shamanic sandwich and I get inundated with Introduction to
Shamanism books, most of which I don't review. This however is
well worth hunting down if you are in need of a 101.
Available from Amazon etc.
THE HARE BOOK
The Hare Preservation Trust
Graffeg Books
HB: 158 pages. 9.99: $16.95
ISBN: 978 1 909 82368 6
Reviewer: Nicholas Breeze Wood
Having made a visit to the remote shrine
of the dark age Welsh saint, Saint Melangell - the so called patron
saint of hares, these magical animals have been much more in my
conciousness and of course have cropped up in my spirituality.
This is a very loverly book, profusely illustrated with a wide range
of images depicting the natural history, mythology and spiritual
significance of this quintessential magical animal - and of course
Saint Melangell gets a mention. A delightful book for all those with
a love of the spiritual world and the natural world.
Available from Amazon etc.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE REVIEWS FOR HOOP?
Have you found some music, a film, or a book recently,
which you feel would fit well here in our review pages?
If so, wed love to get a review from you about it.
email: Nick@sacredhoop.org
We cant promise to publish it until weve seen it,
so why dont you send it in so we can see it!.
Hwww.sacredhoop.org
OOP ISSUE 92 2016
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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES

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HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES
The Shamans Mirror
Teaching Weekends on Shamanism
and the use of Ritual Objects
With Nicholas Breeze Wood
in West Wales

Including:
working with the
toli or shamans
mirror; ongons
and spirit figures;
using phurbas;
making offerings;
working with
ceremony and
altars; the voice
and the drum;
ritual costume;
intent arrows;
blessing wands
and whips and Photo:
shamans
other objects costume,
and aspects Amur
people,
of shamanism. Siberia

www.bit.ly/ShamanMirror

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016 49

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 Paul Francis (01492) 873 739 paulfran@gmail.com
www.therapeutic-shamanism.co.uk
JUL 16-17: FOR ALL OUR RELATIONS (DORSET) A
ceremonial gathering. Learn about and create powerful
and beneficial ceremony for our beautiful planet, clearing
ourselves and calling our finest allies to sing and dance
our love into the ground. With Brooke Medicine Eagle.
Contact Seersha OSullivan seersha@sky.com
JUN 17-19: BALANCING THE FLAME - SUMMER
SOLSTICE WEEKEND (GLOUCESTERSHIRE)
Community and EVENTs Weekend connecting us to the energies of the
June - Sept 2016 seasons and land on 60 acres of sustainable farmland.
We will work with the energies of fullness, warmth and
J UNE light. With Mandy Pullen and Jane Embleton. Contact
(01594) 541 850 or (01823) 672 689
C ommunity and E VENTS
June - Sept 2016

JUN 4-5: INTRODUCTION TO SHAMANISM www.mandypullen.co.uk info@mandypullen.co.uk

(CARDIFF) Two day course exploring shamanism, the
shamanic journey and how it can help you in everyday
life. With Maxine Smillie. shamaniclife.co.uk (01873)
858 391
JUN 9-15: VISION QUEST (NORTH DEVON) A four-
day vision quest in idyllic spot. Ideal for life-questions
like what is my purpose? and transitions. With highly
experienced practitioner Carlos Glover
carlos@earthwisdomteachings.co.uk
JUN 11: A WOMANS FIRE (SW WALES) The
intention of the day is to hold a traditional womans
ceremonial fire transforming the stuck and making
space for the new. With Maxine Smillie.
shamaniclife.co.uk (01873) 858 391
JUN 11-12: DEATH, DYING AND THE HEREAFTER
(GLASTONBURY) We cannot fully embrace life until
we embrace death as an ally. A shamanic perspective
on living in the body and beyond, how to dance toward
your death in a state of grace and beauty. Looking at
ways of preparing ourselves and others for the
transition to the afterlife. With Howard and Elsa
Malpas www.warriorintheheart.com Contact: Jo Read
(01458) 833 933 office@isleofavalonfoundation.com
www.isleofavalonfoundation.com
JUN 11-12: THE PLANT PEOPLE (NORTH WALES)
Working with plant spirits in shamanic work. Contact
JUN 18-24: WILD SOUL (SNOWDONIA) Reclaiming
ones wild soul and authentic self. A shamanism,
ecstatic movement and expressive arts retreat near
Mount Snowdon: With Natasha Saltzer (07825) 368
846 info@littleriver.eu, www.shamanisnretreats.com
JUN 18-19: THE MIDDLE WORLD (NORTH WALES)
Exploring middle world work in shamanism. Contact
Paul Francis (01492) 873 739 paulfran@gmail.com
www.therapeutic-shamanism.co.uk
JUN 19: PIPE CIRCLE (NORTH PEMBROKESHIRE)
A chance to sit with the sacred pipe, a traditional
Native American prayer ceremony. With Nick Breeze
Wood. Nick@sacredhoop.org
JUN 24-30: THE PATHS OF MARY MAGDALENE
WOMEN'S RETREAT (FRENCH PYRENEES) Explore
the aliveness in your body, voice and soul with healing
sounds and movement, shamanic journeys,
meditations and create your own personal water
ceremony. With Val Stagg. Contact (01736) 361 146
valstagg@btinternet.com www.spiritvoice.co.uk
JUN 25: JOURNEYS OF DISCOVERY (NORTH
CORNWALL) Drumming, healing and journey circle.
All welcome, novice and experienced who would like
to explore the world of the shaman. Warm, friendly
and open circle. Contact Derek (07788) 432 380
www.healingtree.org.uk

Right: Buddhist
tantric ngagpa
(a sort of tantric
shaman who
specialises in the
use of mantras),
wearing his red
and white zen
shawl, playing a
chd and bell
while performing a
chd ceremony at
the Lukhang
temple -
a temple sacred to
the naga spirits
close to the Potala
palce in Lhasa
Tibet

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JUN 25-26: THE SHAMANS MIRROR (NORTH
PEMBROKESHIRE) An informal teaching weekend
about the use of the bronze shamans mirror or toli.
With Nick Breeze Wood. Nick@sacredhoop.org
JUN 25-26: AN INTRODUCTION TO SPACE
CLEARING (STAFFORDSHIRE) How to clear your
home, workplace or therapy room of unwanted,
stagnant or negative energies for personal well-being.
With Roo Reygan www.holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
roo@holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk (01785) 713 721
JUN 25-26: THE SHAMANIC JOURNEY (WEST
LONDON) Introduction to shamanism, journey to
shamanic non-ordinary realities, connect with power
animals, space clearing, create sacred space, divine
using tools from nature, empowerment journey, canoe
journey. With Howard and Elsa Malpas (01458) 833
933 www.warriorintheheart.com
office@isleofavalonfoundation.com
J ULY
JUL 2: INTRODUCTION TO SHAMANISM
(CHELTENHAM) Learn the shaman's journey
technique and more with Mandy Pullen. Contact
(01594) 541 850 or (01242) 254 321
www.mandypullen.co.uk info@mandypullen.co.uk
JUL 2: LEARNING TO CONNECT WITH MOTHER
EARTH (KENT) First steps in learning to
communicate with the plant and animal kingdoms.
With Kurikindi-traditional Amazonian shaman. Contact
Seersha (07809) 722 097 seersha@sky.com
www.shamanicplanet.com
JUL 3 : SHAMANIC SUNDAYS (GLOUCESTERSHIRE
) Monthly journeying group on the first Sunday of each
month in Forest of Dean 10.30-1pm and Stroud 3-
5pm with Mandy Pullen. Suitable for beginners and
those more experienced. Contact (01594) 541 850
www.mandypullen.co.uk info@mandypullen.co.uk
JUL 3: SHAMANIC JOURNEYING CIRCLE
(GLASTONBURY) An evening of journeying together
using the drum, getting guidance and healing for
ourselves and each other. Times 7.30pm 9.30pm
No experience necessary all welcome. With Howard
and Elsa Malpas www.warriorintheheart.com (020)
8758 9950 or (07977) 935 633
warriorintheheart@btinternet.com
JUL 6: DRUMMING CIRCLE (SURREY) An evening
of drumming, rattling and using your voice. Then
relaxing Vipassana meditation and shamanic
journeying. With Michelle Corrigan. (07833) 558 253
www.purplebuddha.co.uk
JUL 7-10: THE ART OF THE HEALING VOICES IN
CELTIC SHAMANISM (STROUD) Residential course
teaches the applications of the three musical strains or
modes of ancient Ireland. Using toning and keening to
access our inner worlds, and explore how chant heals
C ommunity and E VENTS
June - Sept 2016
and unblocks the energetic body. With Cit Branigan
and Caitln Matthews. info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk
www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk (01453) 759 034
JUL 9-10: THE ROLE OF DREAMS
(STAFFORDSHIRE) Shamanic development workshop
exploring the role of dreams in shamanic work, and
dream building. With Roo Reygan (01785) 713 721
www.holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
roo@holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
JUL 9-11: SHAMANS BODY - MAGICAL BODY
(GLASTONBURY) Transformation through the
physical. Shamans and cutting edge research offer
empowering information about using the magic of our
earth robe in transformation - physical, emotional and
spiritual, whether seeking excellence or recovering
from trauma and challenges. With Brooke Medicine
Eagle. Contact: office@isleofavalonfoundation.com
(01458) 833 933
JUL 14: VILLAGE ENCAMPMENT AND
INDIGENOUS AFRICAN GRIEF RITUAL
(CUMBRIA) Contact Mairead: ohluaidh@gmail.com
(07910) 689 626
www.facebook.com/events/263995620606959
JUL 23: GUIDING SPIRITS (KENT) Meet your
personal guiding spirits using shamanic journeying,
drumming and trance dance. with Seersha OSullivan
Contact (07809) 722 097 seersha@sky.com
www.shamanicplanet.com
Hwww.sacredhoop.org
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 JUL 23-25: WALKING THE PATH OF HEART AND
HOLINESS (STRATHPEFFER, SCOTLAND) Help to
walk into this new time of peace, abundance and
loving light in a powerful and transformed way - with
love and oneness. With Brooke Medicine Eagle.
Contact: relax@crystalhouseretreat.co.uk Sarina and
Phil Armshaw (01997) 421 300 or (07890) 002 453
www.crystalhouseretreat.co.uk
JUL 24: PIPE CIRCLE (NORTH PEMBROKESHIRE)
A chance to sit with the sacred pipe, a traditional
Native American prayer ceremony. With Nick Breeze
Wood. Nick@sacredhoop.org
JUL 29-31: EARTH MY BODY, WATER MY BLOOD
(Shetland Isles) Disturbed by the current earth
changes, experiencing a strong call to help, but feel
powerless and don't know how? The weekend will
involve ceremony and working with the land, to cleanse
and restore balance in the world, and deep connection
to the elements and the wild life of this place. All
profits going to local a wildlife sanctuary. With Sarah
Howcroft and friends www.shamanism-wales.co.uk
(07968) 010 103 www.shetlandwildlifesanctuary.com
JUL 29-31: SHAMANIC PRACTITIONERS COURSE
(CO. MEATH, IRELAND) www.shamanismireland.com
info@shamanismireland.com
A UGUST
AUG 3: DRUMMING CIRCLE (SURREY) An evening
of drumming, rattling and using your voice. Then
relaxing Vipassana meditation and shamanic
journeying. With Michelle Corrigan. (07833) 558 253
www.purplebuddha.co.uk
AUG 4-7: FOR THE LOVE OF LADY GAIA
(GWYNEDD) Womens leadership healing circle and
earth ceremony. Nurturing and renewing each other
and the world - offering profound teaching on natural
spiritual and social leadership of women. With Brooke
Medicine Eagle. info@northwalesretreats.com Maria
(07497) 001 542 or Claire on (07970) 409 724
Right: a Chinese
Buddhist shaman
playing a double
sided damaru
drum and a shang
bell. He wears a
ritual crown with
represents the
five elements, the
four directions
and the centre
and the five
Buddha families
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www.facebook.com/events/581337918682000
AUG 5: SHAMANIC JOURNEYING CIRCLE
(GLASTONBURY) An evening of journeying together
using the drum, getting guidance and healing for
ourselves and each other. 7.30pm - 9.30pm No
experience necessary, all welcome. With Howard and
Elsa Malpas www.warriorintheheart.com (020) 8758
9950 or (07977) 935 633
warriorintheheart@btinternet.com
AUG 6-7: INTRODUCTION TO SHAMANISM PART
1 BASICS (STAFFORDSHIRE) Exploring the
Shamanic worlds, sacred space, journey techniques,
meeting spirit allies and developing relationships with
spirit. With Roo Reygan (01785) 713 721
www.holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
roo@holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
AUG 10-14: SHAMANIC IMMERSION RETREAT
(NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, USA) Rejuvenate your
body, refresh your mind and open new skills in just
days at this immersion experience. Weve assembled
outstanding teachers and artists to guide us. Youll
leave with fresh expertise, big ideas, deeper power
and new friends. With The Society for Shamanic
Practice. Contact: admin@shamanicpractice.org
www.shamanicpractice.org
AUG 13-14: THE SHAMANS PATH (BRECON
BEACONS) Introductory level weekend exploring the
worlds of shamanism, journeying, guides and power
animals, nature spirits, the elements, altars and
ceremonies, and healing. Good to attend if youre
thinking of applying for the Healing Practitioner
Course. With Sarah Howcroft www.shamanism-
wales.co.uk (07968) 010 103
AUG 18-21: UNITE THE SELF, IGNITE THE WORLD
(SOUTH DEVON) A ceremony synthesising Earth
Wisdom and process work for personal and planetary
transformation. With WindEagle, Carlos DiamondLight and
Sue Jade Dreamer. carlos@earthwisdomteachings.co.uk
AUG 20-21: AWAKENING THE SHUVANI
(HEREFORDSHIRE) Advanced course on Romany
wisdom. info@shuvani.co.uk www.shuvani.co.uk
AUG 20-26: SUMMER VISION QUEST (WALES) A
powerful quest in an extraordinary landscape, held by
an experienced and trained leader, in the wild cauldron
of the Brecon Beacons, with three days and nights
spent out in the mountains. With Sarah Howcroft and
friends www.shamanism-wales.co.uk (07968) 010 103
AUG 21: PIPE CIRCLE (NORTH PEMBROKESHIRE)
A chance to sit with the sacred pipe, a traditional
Native American prayer ceremony. With Nick Breeze
Wood. Nick@sacredhoop.org
AUG 25-27: BLOSSOMING INTO HARMONY
(KENT) Brooke Medicine Eagle Workshop. Contact:
seersha@sky.com (07809) 722 097
AUG 26-28: SHAMANIC PRACTITIONERS
COURSE (CO. MEATH, IRELAND)
www.shamanismireland.com
info@shamanismireland.com
AUG 27: BLOSSOMING (KENT) To release old
traumas and limitations, and move forward in sweet
loveliness - the flower of who you are. with Brooke
Medicine Eagle. Contact Seersha )07809) 722 097
seersha@sky.com www.shamanicplanet.com
AUG 26-28: THE NATIVITY OF THE GODDESS
ISIS (STROUD) This anniversary retreat for all
members of the worldwide Fellowship of Isis, honours
the coming of the Goddess Isis, with ritual, meditation
and dance. Caitln Matthews, Cit Branigan and
Cressida Pryor. info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk
www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk (01453) 759 034
S EPTEMBER
SEP 2: SHAMANIC JOURNEYING CIRCLE
(GLASTONBURY) An evening of journeying together
using the drum, getting guidance and healing for ourselves
and each other. 7.30 - 9.30pm No experience necessary,
all welcome. With Howard and Elsa Malpas (020) 8758
9950 or (07977) 935 633 www.warriorintheheart.com
warriorintheheart@btinternet.com
SEP 7: DRUMMING CIRCLE (SURREY) An evening
of drumming, rattling and using your voice. Then
relaxing Vipassana meditation and shamanic
journeying. With Michelle Corrigan. (07833) 558 253
www.purplebuddha.co.uk
SEP 8-11: 10TH RESIDENTIAL UK SHAMANIC
GATHERING (GLASTONBURY) A fine feast of
ceremony, workshops, discussion groups, dance and
teachings from many traditions with: Annie Spencer
Christiana Harle Trisha Mulholland Leo Rutherford
Martin Wilford Michelle Easton Supi Derek Gane
Amir Korvalian Jonathan Weekes Howard Malpas
Doris The New Age Guru Nina Milton Maria
Runningwater Kate Merriwether Catherine Brew
Angie McLachlan Rosemary OToole Sika Rose and
others. www.shamanconference.co.uk
SEP 9: BECOMING INDIGENOUS PROGRAMME
(DEVON) A 10 month deep learning journey into the
question of what it means to be indigenous to our
place, our land and our community. With Pat McCabe,
Charles Eisenstein, Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, Chris
Salisbury, Manda Scott, Carolyn Hillyer, Bayo
Akomolafe, Jonathan Horwitz and Zara Waldeback
www.schumachercollege.org.uk/becoming-indigenous
SEP 16-18: BALANCING THE FLAME - AUTUMN
EQUINOX WEEKEND (GLOUCESTERSHIRE)
Weekend connecting us to the energies of the seasons
and land on 60 acres of sustainable farmland. We will
work with the energies of the harvest and the Full Moon
eclipse on Friday 16th. With Mandy Pullen and Jane
Embleton. Contact (01594) 541 850 or (01823) 672
689 www.mandypullen.co.uk info@mandypullen.co.uk
SEP 18: PIPE CIRCLE (NORTH PEMBROKESHIRE)
A chance to sit with the sacred pipe, a traditional
Native American prayer ceremony. With Nick Breeze
Wood Nick@sacredhoop.org
SEP 19: SEPT BONES OF RITUAL (DEVON) A
C ommunity and E VENTS
June - Sept 2016
week of deep self-exploration as you investigate life
questions such as who am I, what is my purpose in the
world, who are my allies and how can I best serve my
community, using traditional techniques and ritual
practices from the indigenous South African traditions.
With Colin Campbell and Lucy Hinton.
www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/short-
courses/bones-of-ritual
SEP 24-25: SACRED OBJECTS (NORTH
PEMBROKESHIRE) An informal teaching weekend
about the use of ritual objects. With Nick Breeze Wood
Nick@sacredhoop.org
SEP 24-25: SHAMANIC AWARENESS,
CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION
(STAFFORDSHIRE) Working with trees and plants,
animals and the earth to develop and deepen our
understanding of the world around us. With Roo
Reygan www.holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk (01785)
713 721 roo@holisticwellbeingmidlands.co.uk
SEPT 25-28: MIDWIFING THE SOUL (SOMERSET)
Residential course teaches soul-retrieval, extraction of
spiritual intrusions and practical ways to guard the
three souls. Explore the Celtic concept of the soul
through the profound medium of soul-singing. Caitln
Matthews and Angela Cotter. Contact Jane May,
(01865) 407 680 janedmay@btinternet.com
SEP 26: CO-CREATION: THE FUTURE OF THE
MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE (DEVON) Explore
how to be a man and how to be a woman at this point
in history when we face the breakdown of our
historical narratives and archetypes. With Pat McCabe
and Charles Eisenstein
www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/short-
courses/masculine-and-the-feminine
Please send:
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PLEASE SEND US THE FOLLOWING:
Date of event
Title of event
SHAMANIC EVENTS DIARY Location of event (county or country)
Description (max 25 words)
POP is open to all subscribers
of Sacred Hoop Magazine
With: (leader or teachers name)
Contact: (phone/email/website)
to use for Free.
If POP users are not subscribers to Please email your entries to
POP@sacredhoop.org
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donation as an energy exchange Please note: we reserve the right to edit entries and
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OOP ISSUE 92 2016
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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES

t h e 1 0 th U K
Shamanic
Gathering
2016
3 Shamanism EarthSpirit Centre
3 Drumming
3 Workshops Glastonbury, England
3 Ceremonies
3 Community
Thurs 8th - Sun 11th Sept 2016
3 Chanting
3 Shamans Market Residential or
3 Sacred Connection and much more.... Non Residential
(07977) 935 633 warriorintheheart@btinternet.com
www.shamanconference.co.uk
HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
54 www.sacredhoop.org
 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES
SACRED OBJECTS FOR
YOUR RITUAL LIFE

UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL

BUDDHIST AND SHAMANIC
RITUAL ITEMS FROM TIBET,
MONGOLIA AND NEPAL

Sacred Objects lovingly

gathered and offered
to practitioners
and collectors by
Nicholas Breeze Wood

www.3Worlds.co.uk

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016 55

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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES -----

FOUNDATION FOR INSPIRATIONAL Making, Empowering and

AND ORACULAR STUDIES
FOS - Vision Knowledge Dream
Shamanic, Oracular and Ancestral Courses
Using Shamanic Drums
with By Nicholas Breeze Wood
CAITLN & JOHN MATTHEWS
Shamanic Practitioner Training (26th Year)
Healing Voice in Celtic Shamanism with
bean feasa, Cit Branigan
Voyages of the Soul: Death & Beyond
for full details send medium SAE to
Caitln Matthews
BCM Hallowquest,
London WC1N 3XX, U.K.
www.hallowquest.org.uk
Full colour,
richly illustrated
paperback with
many photos of
original shamans
drums, many never
published in the West before!
Available World Wide - $18.95US (plus p&p) from:
www.bit.Ly/soul-of-the-shaman
OR DIRECT FROM NICK An important
(UK only) from the
Hoop address on page 4 contribution to
UK Price from Nick: the study of
14 (incl P&P) shamanism!
Cheques made Michael Harner
to Nick Breeze Wood

Altre Beautiful Album of Animal Magic

Ancestral Music
by Nicholas 5 Day Animal Spirit Retreat
Vida Breeze Wood
An improvised wander
through melodies from
12th to 14th Century
England, France,
Occitania and Spain
Played on a (including breathwork, dance, art/crafts,
Medieval Gittern,
Pandiero (square frame shape-shifting, sweat lodges and cacao circle)
drum) and Sinfonye Somerset - October 21st - 24th - 350
sue@firehorsefengshui.co.uk 07786 291967
FREE download - www.bit.ly/Altre-Vida Sue Holmes - www.thehomehealer.co.uk

56
HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES
GET YOURSELF
NOTICED
advertise in
Sacred Hoop
this size is
only 35
(thats about $50us)
Contact us about
being in our next issue!

HEALING THROUG A RETURN

TO THE LAND : HARTWELL
Rites of passage, vision quest, movement into
eldership, soul and nature Since the 80s,
Annie Spencer has been creating ceremony
for healing, or celebration, and to bring
us back into right alignment with
our mother, the earth

To learn about her work visit

www.Hartwell.eu.com

2017 Nepal-Tibet-Mt Kailash Sacred Pilgrimage

Accompanied by Bhola Banstola - a Traditional Nepalese Shaman

who has been accompanying groups to the Sacred Places of the Himalayas for many years
Join us on this once in a lifetime pilgrimage to the compassionate heart of the Himalayan region,
the realms of Shiva and Parvati, Bon Masters and Buddhists, Jains, and the Shamans of Nepal and Tibet.
We will visit the venerable and sacred Mount Kailash, Chui Gompa Buddhist Monastery,
Milarepa Caves and Lake Manasarovar, on the full moon to bathe in the sacred waters,
The Kathmandu Valley, Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse.
Sacred and power places are for all to experience - join us on a journey to the Heart of Mother Earth
Space is limited so please send your registration to :
bhumi1008@outlook.com www.nepal-shaman.com

HOOP ISSUE 92 2016 57

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 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES

58
H
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OOP ISSUE 92 2016
 SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES SHAMANIC RESOURCES
shamanicteachers.com

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Offering you
Connections with
the Sacred World
in Every Single Issue

Worldwide Subscription Rate:

only 10 a year (approx $16U

to subscribe, or for more details please visit

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Tibetan Handloom
An exclusive online store of Buddhist
Ritual Handicrafts. Kathmandu, Nepal

UK eBay site - stores.ebay.co.uk/tibetan-handloom
USA eBay site - stores.ebay.com/tibetan-handloom
E: TibetanHandloom@gmail.com T: +977-9803 366 838
www.tibetanhandloom.com
MD: Neha Goyal Advisor: Bipul Goyal
An International Alliance
of dedicated Shamanic Teachers
Trained to teach by Sandra Ingerman, teacher and author
of many well-known books on shamanic healing including:
Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self
and Medicine for the Earth
who offer a variety of workshops on shamanic
journeying, healing, and planetary healing.
You can also find a local practitioner who can
perform shamanic healing work.
We are an alliance of teachers and
practitioners who work together
in the spirit of love and integrity.
www.shamanicteachers.com
HOOP ISSUE 92 2016
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The ritual clothes of a male great shaman of the
Selkup people of Eastern Siberia. Late C19th.
Only the most powerful shamans had a complete set of
ritual clothes, as in this example. The set comprises of
a jacket, made from male reindeer skin, to which are
tied iron ongon amulets, many in the form of frogs -
who saved humans during the time of a great flood.
Other spirit figures include several two headed
loon birds - who are the shamans pathfinder.
The fringes on the coat represent bird feathers.
On top of the coat at the front is a
reindeer skin apron, with bear fur
edging. It has iron ribs and jingle
cones fixed to it. The
bottom fringe has
several large
brass bells

attached.

On his head the shaman has an iron crown

with antlers, which represent the celestial
reindeer. The shaman becomes this animal
when he puts the crown on. The red cloth
streamers hanging from the crown are spirit paths
which lower world spirits use to climb up to the shaman.
On his lower legs he wears iron spirit shin bones and
knee caps, with red cloth tassles which represent blood vessels.
On his feet he wears leather boots, to which iron bear claws are fixed.