Online foundation in shamanism
***Next course beginning September 2024***
This interactive course takes participants on a intimate journey into the ancient practice of shamanism, covering all the key tenets of the path. It is designed to act as an immersion into the world of the shaman over a six month period, whereby regular online meetings and ceremonies will be supplemented with rituals and practice to be done by participants in their own time. This will involve a journey of discovery, transformation and healing. Particular focus will be on:
Introducing and strengthening participants connection with their spiritual allies
Providing a solid framework to enhance this connection and provide context and a container for all the shamanic work
Mastering the practice of going into trance on a regular basis to access wisdom and power from the invisible realms
Connecting to and healing ancestral lineages
Strengthening spiritual connections with your local environment and the spirits that reside there, to ground and solidify the work.
As with all Second Sight offerings, the intention is to make the path of shamanism accessible and relevant to the modern world, whilst retaining and honouring its authentic, indigenous roots. The course is a good preliminary and preparation for more in depth work like the more extensive three- five year practitioner trainings offered by Second Sight.
Each session is highly interactive with lots of opportunity for questions and sharing of experience. Support is also provided, if needed, outside of the dedicated live sessions from Jez or his team. Students will also be able to chat and interact with each other through a ‘Course Hub’, specifically dedicated to their cohort, where they will also find course materials and resources.
The Online Foundation in Shamanism also welcomes participants into the vibrant and growing Second Sight community with regular in person meet ups and the opportunities for peer learning. These are facilitated through specially designated website community channels and social media groups.
The course will include (but not be limited to):
MODULE ONE
An Introduction to Shamanism
What shamanism is (and isn’t!) and how it links to animism- the view that everything is alive and is imbued with ‘spirit’
What are the different types of spirits and how they are defined
Different shamanic systems/perspectives/worldviews (Core, Traditional, etc.)
Shamanism’s indigenous roots and how its manifested in different cultures throughout the world
The history of potential shamanistic and animistic cultures in Britain and Europe
The art of trance and connecting to spirit allies through the power of the drum
MODULE TWO
An Introduction to the Medicine Wheel
What the Medicine Wheel is and how it provides both a framework and container for the shamanic work
The relationships within the Wheel, including the four directions, four elements, four seasons and four stages of life
Working with the elements as ancestors
Working with the spirit representatives of each direction
How to call in the directions and begin to make a Medicine Wheel on the land where you reside
Setting up an altar
MODULE THREE
Connection to the Land Spirits
Cultural appropriation and the importance of Shamanism being rooted in the environment within which it is being practiced
Methods and rituals to connect and form a relationship with the spirits in your local environment
The necessity of honouring and feeding the land and making offerings
The intention and purpose behind such offerings
Finding and feeding a ‘power place’ in nature
CEREMONY ONE
Connecting to Spirit Representatives from the Local Environment
MODULE FOUR
The Power of Intention and Prayer
Why intention and prayer are so important to the work
Learning the art of them both. How to frame and express prayers/ intentions
Working alongside spirit to power up the prayers
The importance of reciprocity
What gets in the way of intention and blocks manifestation. How unconscious belief systems can interfere with living a good life and deprive people of their power.
Making an arrow of intention
MODULE FIVE
The Art of Dreaming
How different cultures work with their night dreams and different dreaming traditions
The power of dreams to effect and alter day time reality
Looking for omens and signs. Scouting out potential futures
Dream oracles and their role in healing
‘Waking up’ in the dream
Working with spirit allies and/ or ancestors through dreaming
Receiving visions and prophesies through dreams
Re-entering dreams through shamanic trance work
MODULE SIX
Connecting to the Ancestors
Ancestral wounding and the passing down of destructive patterns
Diagnosing these patterns
Ancestral healing, how it is possible to heal these wounds and curses
Feeding the ancestors, so that the ancestral gifts and blessings have chances to come through
Practising shamanism in connection with your ancestral roots
CEREMONY TWO
Feeding and Embodying an Ancestral spirit
MODULE SEVEN
The Purpose of Ritual and Ceremony
How ceremony is at the heart of all shamanic practice
The purpose of ceremony- bringing the community together, cleansing the social body, healing individuals, rebalancing natural energies, renewing sacred contracts with the land.
Different ceremonies and the underlying themes that connect them
Transformation and healing within ceremony
The difference between ritual and ceremony
The purpose of ritual as the bridge between invisible and tangible reality
How to work with ritual to communicate with spirit and heal
MODULE EIGHT
Death, Transformation and Initiation
Shamanic perspectives on death and what is beyond
The rituals and ceremonies associated with death
The initiatory nature of the journey into the next world
Small deaths that occur in life. The importance of initiation to mark these passages through life
Death, rebirth and renewal as central to most shamanic healing ceremony
The art of letting go and surrender
Death as ally and teacher. Moving through the gateway of fear
MODULE NINE
Integration
Why integration is so important
How do we integrate everything we have learnt from the spirits and ancestors so far
The consequences of not integrating messages and guidance from spirit
The need to ground healing in this reality
The importance of gratitude and celebration, to praise the spirits and praise life
CEREMONY THREE
Ritual embodiment and celebration
PRACTICAL DETAILS:
Each module will involve meeting online for three hours, every three weeks. The course will begin on the run up to the Autumn Equinox on September 5th, and close on the Spring Equinox on 21st May. The meetings will include detailed information and the learning of practical knowledge alongside experiential ritual and shamanic trance work.
In between meetings there will be practice and rituals to be done at home and in nature, connecting with your local environment. Between modules 3 and 4, 6 and 7 and after 9 additional online sessions will be held for the group to participate in distant ceremony together. Each ceremony will last for two hours.
All teaching will be undertaken by Jez Hughes and will be assisted by an experienced practitioner.
DATES OF NEXT COURSE:
Beginning September 2024
Module 1: Tuesday 3rd September 7-10pm
Module 2: Tuesday 1st October 7-10pm
Module 3: Tuesday 5th November 7-10pm
Ceremony 1: Tuesday 19th November 7-9pm
Module 4: Tuesday 3rd December 7-10pm
Module 5: Tuesday 7th January 7-10pm
Module 6: Tuesday 4th February 7-10pm
Ceremony 2: Tuesday 18th February 7-9pm
Module 7: Tuesday 4th March 7-10pm
Module 8: Tuesday 1st April 7-10pm
Module 9: Tuesday 6th May 7-10pm
Ceremony 3: Tuesday 20th May 7-9pm
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Early Bird: £695 (if paid in full)
Standard: If you would like to pay in monthly instalments, the course price is £750 and we would need a non-returnable deposit of £295 to secure your place.
Hardship concessions available upon request.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND/OR TO SECURE YOUR PLACE
TESTIMONIALS
“I have very much enjoyed the course. I was wondering how the online nature would work but have found it didn’t detract from any aspect of the learning experience… The sessions were all very interesting and varied. The journeys and ceremonies were more powerful than I expected. The group was supportive… very enjoyable course! Jez and Anja were brilliant throughout.”
“I loved it. Getting Jez's transmission was incredible value for money - I loved the intimacy of the group, the conversational style of teaching and the checking in, answering of questions, sharing etc. I learned so much… it felt like we were all around the fire together as opposed to a class room.”
“I would describe my experience as getting hooked onto the mother and shown the world from the animistic perspective. As I told my peers in our group I consider this course a great asset to my life. We covered the foundational concepts around shamanic practice. Every class we practiced and dipped our feet, drumming into ecstatic states, shared rituals, got vulnerable, and got the goods. To top it off was blessed to have a seasoned hermano Jez lead the way and shine his light on us, who is always so wise and humble and always acknowledged where this comes from, like a blessed bridge between the descendentes and the modern word, supported by Anja, the other star to give us more examples of how to bring teaching to life.”
“I loved the online course as it was easy to access, learning in a group is interesting to me as I feel the dynamics are important in a community setting. I loved the ceremony work and you created a true sense of experience as I felt safe in my own space so I could truly relax and embrace the experiences I was having.”
