People often ask, "What makes the work you do at the Venus
Rising Institute for Shamanic Healing Arts shamanic? Isn't a shaman
an indigenous medicine man or woman? Doesn't shamanism involve the
use of mind altering psychoactive plant medicines? Isn't it necessary
to journey to a remote rain forest or village in the mountains of
South America?" People wonder how the work we do - which involves
breathwork, music, art creation and deep process work - could be
called shamanic?
In traditional
shamanism the Shaman is sometimes referred to as the Wounded Healer
- one who has survived a number of trials and initiations, sometimes
even near death experiences, and has returned to share the teachings,
healing and wisdom gained from those experiences with their people
or village. Someone who has learned to shape shift his or her reality
by moving from one form to another. One who is intimately connected
to the elements, the cycles of change, the spirit world, the earth,
and knows that we are all multidimensional beings and that we exist
simultaneously on many planes and levels of existence.
The shamanic
healer is compelled to heal his/ her self and to help others to
heal as well, be it on a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual
plane. They know that all healing has its origins in the spiritual
realms and that without divine intervention true healing does not
occur.
The Shaman
uses chants, prayers, musical instruments such as drums and rattles,
dancing, singing, smudging and other types of ritual to create a
ceremonial setting and an altered state. In these highly charged
states of non ordinary consciousness healing takes place that is
definitely beyond the brain, or ordinary consciousness as we know
it.
Sometimes
a shaman is called a "spirit lawyer." They may find themselves
bargaining and working with the spirit guides of another in order
for parts of a soul to be returned. At other times the shaman may
need to perform an extraction and assist an individual in releasing
some form of negativity trapped in their energy field.
All this
is associated with traditional shamanism. All this we do in our
healing and training programs at the Venus Rising Institute for
Shamanic Healing Arts.
During the
late 60's and early 70's I experimented regularly with hallucinogenic
substances. I often had incredible other worldly journeys rich with
profound realizations and new spiritual awareness. These experiences
made me want to be a better person. They contributed to my already
open mind, deepening my sense of connection to humanity and my awareness
of the oneness of all things. At the same time, these "trips"
did nothing to alleviate my growing drug and alcohol dependency,
nor did they improve my significant relationships or create any
kind of stability in my chaotic life. I was aware of old belief
systems and negative behaviors more than ever but felt powerless
to make lasting changes.
These hallucinogenic
journeys that I and many of my generation pursued were inherently
shamanic. While they were powerful and certainly increased my awareness
of the true nature of reality, they basically remained in the transpersonal
realm and were difficult to integrate back into everyday living.
In the 80's
and early 90's I studied Holotrophic and Integrative Breathwork
and discovered that it is possible to create an altered state -
to take a "trip" - without the use of a mind-altering
substance. I learned that healing can take place during non-ordinary
states of consciousness. At the same time studied with a Cherokee
teacher and with Wolf Clan Grandmother Twylah Nitsch and learned
the rituals and tools of the traditional shaman.
When I found
breathwork and simultaneously learned soul return and other shamanic
techniques I discovered the solution to the hallucinogenic dilemma
that I and so many of my generation experienced. I learned that
it is possible to experience deep altered states through the breath
and other rituals that did not take me so far out of my own psyche
that the experience became irrelevant upon my return to this plane.
I learned how to travel between the worlds soberly and safely. And
I began to heal many of my old wounds - emotional, psychological
and psychic - and I released long-held addictions. I discovered
that this healing can continue in the days and weeks after the journey
if it is psychologically grounded back into normal life through
an integrative process.
I have spent
the last 10 years blending breathwork process work with powerful
shamanic rituals and techniques that evoke higher states of consciousness,
where true healing can occur. The result of this work is the Venus
Rising Institute for Shamanic Healing Arts and the Shamanic Breathwork
™ Process. Our emphasis is on assisting others on a psychic
journey supported by ritual, music, dancing and art. Our facilitators
are trained in the shamanic techniques of soul retrieval and extraction
and utilize them to assist the journeyer in their process. These
are the tools of the traditional Shaman - and they are our tools
as well. Included in our process is the sharing of the journey with
others in the Shamanic Breathwork ™ Process Group, which assists
in the integration of the journey into everyday life.
Our facilitators
have journeyed themselves many times and have confronted their own
wounds and addictions - dying to their old selves and awakening
anew. They - like traditional shamans - have learned to shape shift
their own reality. They too are intimately connected to the elements,
the spirit world and the earth, and they understand the cycles of
change. Through the training they've received at Venus Rising they
are prepared to bring their understanding of the healing process
back to those they work with.
We at Venus
Rising are not doing traditional therapy nor traditional shamanism
… although what we are doing is highly therapeutic and truly
shamanic in the very best sense of the word. We are bringing shamanism
into the new age, adapting it to the needs of our present time and
offering it to the world as an extremely effective form of emotional,
psychological and psychic healing. We are the Aquarian Shamans,
and through our work we offer those who come to our workshops and
intensives the opportunity to "Awaken the Shaman Within."
This is truly Shamanism for a New Age.
