Shamanism and Life After Life:
Healing Initiations in Death, Dying, & Beyond
October 8, 15, 22, & 29
7:30-9:30pm ET each session
Live Online via Zoom
Death will come for each one of us.
Yet the Western world, historically, has not held a sound relationship with it; we shoo it away in conversation, and tell the terminal, “Oh, don’t talk of death - of course you’ll get better!” We feel lost as to how to help them. We harbor concerns about “what comes next,” no matter how “spiritual” we are. We reject taking ourselves off of autopilot each day, opting instead to live more purposefully “when I have more time, in the future” - a future that, for some, will never come.
And as if navigating personal grief when it arises, whether it be over lost loved ones, or dreams not destined to manifest, wasn’t enough, we may hold collective grief from witnessing the modern maiming of the innocent across the globe, as well as the globe itself - a maiming that ignores the truth that not all who die, are harmlessly at rest.
As we face a chaotic world swirling with both natural and compounded struggles surrounding death and dying, we may face, too, the aching question: “How on Earth can I help - and can I keep healthy, and even heal myself, in the process?”
In this strong container, you will experience powerful healing ceremonies and initiations that speak to different aspects of death, dying, and life after life - for the benefit of yourself, the dying, the deceased, and all of life.
Here’s the path you will walk in this healing experience:
October 8: Meeting Death as Oppressor, Ally, & Healer
“The dream he needed most was the dream that frightened him more.”
- Sherman Alexie
Are you being haunted?
Not by a ghost (though we will cover healing for this later in the course), but by death itself.
The historical Western tendency to deny death a place in our conversations and our consciousness may spare us momentary discomfort. But it can also notably contribute to relationship imbalances, a lack of purpose, and ill health. To embrace life more fully, it can be highly useful to embrace death itself.
IN THIS OPENING SESSION, YOU WILL:
Discover different kinds of death that you can experience - and a shamanic take on what can happen when you die,
Understand how “death rejection” can connect to illness and disharmony - and how relating to death can free up energy for healing and fulfillment,
Meet a transcendent spirit - your deathwalking guide - who will teach, heal, and support you in your explorations in death and beyond,
Journey to illuminate a hindering fear that you may be holding regarding death - and learning how to heal it.
You will also receive an individualized ceremony for healing that fear that you can perform before next session to integrate the power of our work.
October 15: Dying (and Grieving) the Good Death
“Dying / Is an art, like everything else.”
- Sylvia Plath
Although you may not know when, your time on this Earth will someday cease. And the same is true for everyone else.
Given that death is a part of life, it can therefore be useful to become equipped with tools for supporting and healing the terminal and the dying, as well as their families.
And when those loved ones pass, we are still here, “holding the bag” of grief. So how can we tend to the dying, along with tending our own grief - wherever it may stem from?
HERE, YOU WILL:
Walk through some ways to aid the dying - either shamanically or non-shamanically - in resolving their fears, physical and emotional discomforts, and relationship challenges while they still have time,
Discover the use of symbolism and art in teaching the dying how to journey for comfort and curing - and how this opens a doorway, literally, in your own journeywork,
Fly through your newly-created doorway to see what grief - whether personal or collective - it is time for you to acknowledge and lighten.
In addition, you will be given a special exercise to engage in preparation for next week’s Grief Dance.
October 22: Dancing with the Dead
“Good grief.”
- Charlie Brown
Our preparations made during the week, it is now time to experience the Grief Dance.
Not only that, but you shall “dance with the dead” to glean potentially-vital insights into what awaits those who die - insights that you can pass onto others - and experience a lightening journey that can make you laugh, cry, or even get stars in your eyes.
IN THIS SESSION, YOU WILL:
Circle with invited transcendent ancestors - those who have already “gone on” - to illuminate more of the secrets of what awaits you when you die,
Engage in the Grief Dance, finally allowing your personal or collective grief a voice - and a release - through the pathway of your physical body,
Journey to interact with a famous departed person - a figure in a field or hobby that you love - to glean their joy and wisdom for your life.
You will have the opportunity to practice merging - becoming one, physically - with the power of your deathwalking guide during the week to prepare for the healing work of our final session.
October 29: The Healing Power of Psychopomp
“‘Go on, go on, don’t look back, someday all of us will follow, and we will be together forever, not just for a short time.’”
- Muscogee Creek medicine man Bear Heart
Not all who die are truly dead.
For myriad potential reasons, the souls of the deceased do not always cross out of this world after death. Lingering in the land of the living, they can disturb homes and prompt unhealthy behavioral changes, substance cravings, depression, and even collective illness.
Fortunately, the shaman has a methodology known as psychopomp for aiding such souls in transitioning onward - thus opening the doors for the healing of the living, and the deceased.
IN THIS FINAL SESSION, YOU WILL:
Learn why some souls remain here after it’s “all over” - and their relationships to haunted homes and even “haunted people,”
Briefly examine the healing practice of depossession - freeing the living of the influence of the unquiet dead,
Discover and practice an embodied method of psychopomp for counseling lost souls - and lifting them into the light of the Beyond,
Explore mass psychopomp ceremonies - and observe as the transcendent spirits facilitate global healing for the wandering dead.
This advanced training is specifically designed to feature both methods for healing the self and for healing others, living and dead. It is especially for those who:
- wish a greater understanding of death and dying - or struggle with fears around it,
- serve as hospice workers, death doulas, or aim to aid dying loved ones experience a smoother transition, either now or down the road,
- have lost someone, or are seeking complementary grief-healing tools,
- those walking the path to becoming shamanic healing practitioners.
It also counts as the corresponding Shamanism and Life After Life module of the shamanic apprenticeship program.
This live sacred circle will provide you the opportunity for real-time connection with like-hearted persons with whom you can practice, share, and provide healing love and support.
As death is a journey that we will all make, perhaps one of the most worthwhile questions to ask oneself is: “Am I prepared to greet it well?” This question, too, extends to greeting death when it arrives for your loved ones, friends, or pets. By exploring the tools of the shaman - all while invoking powerful healing for ourselves - we not only get equipped with spiritual resources with which to aid the dying and the dead; we also cultivate a healthier relationship with the rite of death - and thus, with the sacred gift of life.
Ready to heal and heal others?
Participant cancelation and non-attendance policy: Prior to September 24th, full refund. From September 24th to 31st, 50% refund. On and after October 1st, no refunds. Discretionary exceptions may be made.