SHAMANIC PRACTICE
The word Shaman derives from Siberia (šaman) and means „someone who knows“. Shamans are mostly people who have a special „spritual connection“ to nature and often have the position of a healer or a spiritual guide. Shamanic practice, to me, is about generating and maintaining an atmosphere of healing, clearing and seeking spiritual guidance. Shamanic practice is not nessesarily a religious practice, but rather a deeply respectful spiritual connection to nature and all beings.
In my workshops and retreats I share from my own spiritual and practical experience, which has a lot to do with healing.
The root of the very word healing comes from whole – and in my view, shamanic practice is about becoming whole – meaning to see our holes and to learn to be with that void.
Shamanic ceremonies, rituals, prayer, symbols – in general, whatwever you confronting in your life – is conceived in – as Medicine, meaning possibilities or challenges to grow.
Fire ceremony
Shamanic practice is based on the understanding that we – as human beings – are not seperate from the rest of the world. We are part of the all-one (nature/existence/uni-verse), and therefore we find everything we need to stay healthy and/or to become whole again – in nature – and in ourselves!
In any case – to practice shamanic healing, we don’t need any certificate nor a specific spiritual tradition or religion. In fact – in my view – religions have – mostly – a very dogmatic, exclusive approach to life, while the shamanic way of life is (normally) open and including.
Many ways of life can lead to happyness
Healing is a lot about overcoming Trauma – wounds of shock which we experience during our childhood, war, accidents or other turmoils in life.
Our shamanic rituals and ceremonies use various techniques to help us opening our senses to become receptive to blocked emotions and hidden memories. This process is unobtrusive and often releases suppressed and blocked emotions, manifesting as tensions on a deep level in the subconcious of our mind and body. When we open our channels of understanding and compassion to old situations, we can release those tensions and gain understanding about our behavioural patterns. The results range from feelings of relief and easiness to profound changes in behavior and attitude to life.
As a Shaman, my inner drive is to empower myself and others to reconnect to our own inner source – to become whole and powerful.
My path to Shamanic practice
In the late 80’s I met one of my teachers – Frank Natale. Frank was working in the field of personal growth and self-awareness seminars and helped in many ways to take the shamanic / spiritual aproach back into our western culture.
In his seminars and trainings I reconnected to many long forgotten childhood memories, traumatic and even past life experiences. My connection to nature and spirit was reactivated and I got inspired to share this new/old knowledge and the techniques I learned.
Since more than 20 years I offer trancedance, shamanic journeys, meditations and various other rituals and practices for spiritual growth and self healing. I share this on my own as well as with various partners.
As a musician, I always play live music for amost all of my events, which supports the quality of „being in the moment“ – the quality of live music, played on real instruments in real time, helps people to step much easier into the „otherworld“ and to move into trance.
Trance? What you mean Trance?
Trance is a state that most of us were once very familiar with.
Remember the time when you were „just playing“ as a child? Whatever the theme was – cowboy and indians, firebrigade, sherlock holmes, policemen… You were totally emerged in it, yet fully „present“. No doubt that you were who and where you were! And – no inner judge was questioning that setting! You were who you were!!!
That was a state of deep trance.
This is what I invite in our journeys. The total state of HERE-NOW. No doubt, no questioning. And once you have experienced it, it gets easier every time. Sometimes you slip out of it – then you slip in again… It is the way to allow yourself to „being total“.
Following I explain some of the practices I offer:
TranceDance – Intuitive Healing Dance – Blind Dance – Dark Dance
One of the oldest and easiest ways to experience healing Trance states is dancing. Equipped with a bandana (blindfold), your feet planted firmly on the ground, using the energizing breathing technique „breath of fire“, the journey begins: ‚Close your eyes, focus on your intention, start the breath of fire and begin to move in the rhythm of the music and you find yourself in trance…‘ – in a state of alertness + awake and yet – in a vast inner space where the physical laws are not longer valid… you may encounter wild animals, spirits, angels, spiritual alliances, healers and guides… You may become or meet with other beings, find yourself in the forest or the mountains, in your past or future… Trust your body and let yourself be danced – and when the dance is over you will be richer, more clear, in peace…
TranceDance is one of the oldest ways of reconnecting with our inner forces – empowering, uplifting, energizing, motivating. A great way to step out of old habits and to look at your life in a different way.
Dancing without looking outside creates a different focus. The energy which is usually used to look out, getting approval, trying to connect with others – is used to look inwards, opening up to our emotions, feelings, memories. The aproach of TranceDance is opposite to traditional dancing + no steps to learn, no moves to make, no special clothes to wear (except that it is as comfortable as possible). Instead you try to let go of control, let the body move by the impulses of your inner impressions, the music and so on. Let yourself BE danced!
Shamanic Journey
The shamanic journey is in some ways very similar to a TranceDance experience. You go on an inner journey to find answers, healing, clarity, guidance – only this time you lay down on your back, in a safe, cosy environment, and you use the sound of the shaman’s drum to travel inside or outside yourself. The drum is your vehicle to go on a journey. Again we use the blindfold, the breath of fire and the intention and search for our answers. Often we do this in a group, but I also offer these journeys for individuals, specially for delicate issues.
Talking Stick
The Talking Stick is a beautiful, ancient sharing ceremony from the Americas and is still practiced in many indigenous cultures. It is used for clarifying, teambuilding and healing of family wounds as well as a way to simply share your own inner truth, whatever it may be. It is carried by honesty, truthfulness and sincerity. The person who carries the Talking Stick is the focal point in the circle of participants. He or she has the possibility to share his thoughts or insights, a poem, a dance, a moment of silence… whatever it may be. The circle is holding the space and receives…
The Talking Stick ceremony supports every participant to be honest and sincere to the moment of truth in him/herself and the others.
DrumTrance – Trance Drumming – Drumming circle
The Trance Drumming is a sharing ceremony, all participants playing drums together in a circle. It is a non competitive way to share music and become one with sound, beat, drums and one another. Usually carried out around the fireplace, we step into a different space, often switching easily into a trance state. The sound of the drums supports a relaxing, soft, yet energized field where thoughts are gone and we can feel the sound with our whole bodies, getting massaged by the sounds and rhythm, become one with all around us.
Soulhunting
One of the most simple yet powerful ways of trauma healing I came across. Soulhunting is based on the understanding, that at any time a shock occurs in our life – may it be physical, mental or spiritual – that very part of our soul that is involved, diappears, hides, crumbles, because it is Incapable to deal with the pain.
Thus we fetch holes in our being, since these parts are missing. See the empty faces of people involved in tragedies and wars, Some of them are left almost without any soul…
To become whole again, we have to invite these parts back into our life, into our being (or someone has to do it for you). The scared hidden part(s) of the soul often appear as „hurt little children“ that need to be invited, seduced, allured – to be convinced that they are save now and that we can care about them. We invoke the sound of the double drum to send you on the inner journey, lying down on the back, searching and inviting the missing soul parts.
This is, in short, the process to begin with. This ceremony can be shared with many others, or done in an individual session.
Pipe Ceremony
The Pipe ceremony is another sacred sharing ceremony. Like most other shamanic ceremomies it is done in the sacred circle. The pipe is perceived as representant of the sacred world
„The ceremonial tobacco is usually very strong, the tobacco used in North America is nicotiana rustica, and usually the smoke is not inhaled, but puffed into, then out of the mouth in each of the four directions, acknowledging Father Sky, Mother Earth, and the Great Spirit as the pipe is smoked and passed from one person to the next around the circle.“
During the ceremony everyone is invited to think or speak his prayers for his/her own, families, ancestors and all beings health and wellbeing
Shaman’s Return – A Shamanic Experience Meditation
The Shaman’s Return is an amalgamation of the teachings of my favorite teachers Osho and Frank Natale. It contains five phases: Breathing, TranceDance, Shamanic Journey, Stillness and a phase of integration. Harshil and I created the music for it and it is available on Bandcamp.com, CD I-tunes, CD-baby and other online music stores.
Shaman’s Shake – A Shamanic Cleansing Meditation
The Shaman’s Shake is born from the insight, that shaking our body can release old tensions, caused by traumatic experiences. It is an ancient technique, used in many cultures, for healing and cleansing. Shaman’s Shake contains 4 phases: Gibberish, Shaking, TranceDance and Stillness. The music for this meditation will soon be available
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TRANCEFORMATION – live TranceDance events with Rishi & Dhwani
Prayer
Elders, healers, and teachers of the ancient Earth Wisdom traditions align themselves with natural forces to cultivate a balanced attitude and relationship with the environment.
A sense of well-being and feeling at home in the world from periodic prayer rituals provide attunement and harmonizing with the elemental energies. Native Americans speak of the resulting feeling as “walking in balance on Earth.”
The Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer addresses and invokes the spirits of earth, fire, water, and air as well as the powers of the four directions (or six, including above and below). Each of the elements as well as each species of animal and plant, constitute the domain of beings with whom it is possible to communicate and attune oneself.
You can here integrate the symbolism of the four directions to walk in balance and gratitude on the Earth with this prayer during the Thanksgiving season.
This prayer can integrate for you the symbolism of the four directions of objective space (north, south, east, and west) and the powers of the four elements, the inner and outer, the physical, and the psychic and spiritual.
Turn toward each of the four directions as the prayer is said, going around clockwise starting with the east; alternatively, one could turn one’s back receptively toward the direction.
Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer
O Great Spirit of the East,
radiance of the rising Sun,
spirit of new beginnings
O Grandfather Fire,
great nuclear fire of the Sun.
From you comes life-energy,
vital spark, power to see far,
and to envision with boldness;
with you we can purify the senses,
our hearts and our minds.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your energies may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the South,
protector of the fruitful land,
and of all green and growing things,
the noble trees and grasses.
Grandmother Earth, Soul of Nature,
great power of the receptive,
of nurturance and endurance,
of bringing forth and growing,
flowers of the field,
fruits of the garden.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the West,
spirit of the great waters,
of rain and rivers, lakes and springs;
O Grandmother Ocean,
deepest matrix, womb of all life.
With you comes the dissolving
of boundaries and holdings,
the power to taste and to feel,
to cleanse and to heal.
Great blissful darkness of peace.
WE pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the North,
invisible spirits of the air,
and of the fresh, cool winds;
O vast and boundless Grandfather Sky,
your living breath animates all life.
From you comes clarity and strength,
and the power to hear inner sounds,
to seep out old patterns,
and bring challenge and change.
The ecstasy of movement and the dance.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.