Shamans have always responded to the crises of their times. We live in a country fighting two wars; and wars are taking place in many countries around the world and maybe always will be. How should we as shamans respond to help heal the suffering that war causes in people, animals, the land, and culture? How can we be makers of peace? How can we tend our own feelings of grief, anger, disappointment, and disillusionment that can arise from war?
In his book War and the Soul, Ed Tick, a shamanic practitioner, says, “War’s arena is always cosmic, always mythic . . . War is an archetypal force that creates a larger-than-life arena into which we are irresistibly pulled. In war we embody and wrestle with god powers . . . War evokes in us an altered state of consciousness.” These are some of the ideas that we will focus on over the weekend.
To explore our role as shamans in the face of war, we will spend most of Saturday at Little Stony Point on the Hudson River north of Cold Spring and across from West Point, the nation’s military academy. We will ask the Spirit of the Valley and the Spirits of River and Mountains to teach us. Back at Bowdoin Park we will create ceremony based on what we learn on the River.
Bring shamanic gear, and also dress for the outdoors.
Contact Jim Wood at raveninthewood@aol.com or 845-531-8270.
May 7-9, 2010 at Bowdoin Park near Poughkeepsie, New York.