Foundation for Shamanic Studies In Person Workshops
In Person Workshops
All in person workshops are held in Derby, CT
**PLEASE NOTE: I will be away and will have limited access to email from March 21st to April 9th. Feel free to submit your registration, but please be patient, as I may not send your confirmation until April 10th.
Workshop cancellation policy:
Refunds will be given, minus a $40 processing fee, up to one month before the workshop. 50% refunds will be given up to two weeks before the workshop. Within two weeks of the workshop, no refunds will be issued.
COVID-19 policies for all in person workshops:
The FSS vaccination policy has changed effective 1/1/23, and vaccination against COVID-19 longer be mandatory for weekend workshops (it is still required for our advanced residential programs). I am not requiring vaccination for workshops listed below, unless otherwise noted. Being up to date on vaccination is still highly recommended.
If you need to be in an environment where everyone is vaccinated, please reach out to me. I am willing to run workshops with a vaccine requirement if there is interest.
Masks are welcome in all in person workshops; whether or not there is a mask requirement for each workshop will be determined by the level of respiratory virus (COVID-19, flu, RSV, etc.) in the community at the time the workshop is held. Please come to the workshop prepared to wear a mask for some activities even if masks are optional. Final instructions on whether or not there is a requirement will be send out the week of the workshop.
If you are not able to wear a mask for the duration of the day, please do not register for in person workshops, and instead take advantage of our many online offerings.
If workshops are cancelled by the instructor for any reason, full refunds will be issued. Otherwise, please note the cancellation policy at the top of this page. Refunds will not be given for participants who are not willing/able to wear a mask.
Please have with you for all in person workshops:
A rattle and frame drum (if you have them; having at least a rattle is strongly recommended)
Something to cover your eyes, like a bandana
A notebook to record your journeys (electronics are not permitted for this purpose)
A covered water bottle
Pillows, blankets, or whatever you need to be comfortable sitting and lying on the ground
Please dress in layers, and in a way that you are comfortable moving around the space
See individual workshop listings for additional items to bring
You must be in attendance for the entire workshop in order for it to count as a prerequisite for other FSS offerings (workshops wiht prerequisites, and the 3 Year Program). Please plan to be present for the entire workshop.
Please note that recording in FSS workshops is not allowed.
The Way of the Shaman
April 15-16 and April 29-30 (wockshops full; please contact me to be added to the waiting list. Please note that vaccination against Covid-19 is required for the April 15-16 workshop only)
This workshop is also being offered in July, please scroll down to register
Shamanic Dreamwork
Saturday-Sunday May 20-21, 10am-5:30pm
**Prerequisite: The Way of the Shaman (in person), OR The Shamanic Journey; Shamanic Divination in Practice; and Shamanism, Spirits, and Healing (online)
In this unique experiential workshop you will have the opportunity to explore the nature, meaning, and use of dreams among shamanic peoples, with dreamwork practices from a range of cultures. Researched and developed by Michael Harner, subjects to be covered include shamanic dream theory and big dreams, as well as dreams and the soul, spirits, shamanic journeys, the Dreamtime, and the vision quest. You will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge to contemporary life, including the use of dreams in divination, health, and healing.
It is recommended that you keep a journal of your dreams for at least one month prior to this workshop
Cost is $275 for this workshop
Shamanic Extraction Healing Training
Saturday-Sunday June 10-11, 10am-5:30pm
**Prerequisite: The Way of the Shaman (in person), OR The Shamanic Journey; Shamanic Divination in Practice; and Shamaism, Spirits, and Healing (online)
Participants are initiated into the extraction method of healing, including how to see, sense, and remove localized illness and pain connected to spiritual factors. This is an important part of shamanic healing training. They will also learn how shamanic practitioners can work in partnership to increase the effectiveness of this work. The Extraction Healing Training workshop is designed exclusively for people who want to bring shamanic healing work into their practice with others. The training is not designed for people looking for personal healing.
In order to get the most out of this workshop, you would benefit from having good practice connecting with your spirits and having a strong journey practice. Please contact me with any questions.
Cost is $295 for this workshop
The Way of the Shaman
Saturday-Sunday July 22-23, 10am-5:30pm
During the Basic experiential workshop, participants are introduced to core shamanism, the universal, near-universal, and common methods of the shaman to enter nonordinary reality for problem solving and healing. Particular emphasis is on the classic shamanic journey, one of the most remarkable visionary methods used by humankind to explore the hidden universe otherwise known mainly through myth and dream. Participants are initiated into shamanic journeying, aided by drumming and other techniques for experiencing the shamanic state of consciousness and for awakening dormant spiritual abilities, including connections with Nature.
Practice includes comparisons by participants of their discoveries in shamanic journeys as well as being introduced to shamanic divination and healing. They are also provided with methods for journeying to meet and study with their own individual spirit helpers in nonordinary reality, a classic step in shamanic practice. Participants learn how the journey is utilized to restore spiritual power and health, and how shamanism can be applied in contemporary daily life to help heal oneself, others, and the Planet.
In addition to the items listed above, please have with you a grapefruit-sized rough surfaced rock (NOT a crystal)
Cost is $295 for this workshop
Shamanism and Spirits of Nature
Saturday-Sunday August 12-13, 10am-5:30pm
**Prerequisite: The Way of the Shaman (in person), OR The Shamanic Journey; Shamanic Divination in Practice; and Shamaism, Spirits, and Healing (online)
From ancient times, shamans have worked with the spirits of nature for healing, survival, and knowledge. By learning from the plants and animals, from the rocks and mountains, from the winds and waters, and from the sun, moon, and stars, shamans helped their peoples live in harmony with the universe. In a world now out of balance, the way of the shaman can teach how again to respect nature, our Planet, and its inhabitants at a deep spiritual level. As our ancestors everywhere once knew, our survival depends on the survival of the other species. By working together intensively through shamanic journeys and other spiritual experiences, we will dedicate ourselves to working in both nonordinary and ordinary reality to restore and maintain a living Planet.
Please note that we will spend a significant part of this workshop outside. Please be aware of the forecast and dress appropriately for the weather (including dressing in layers and bringing hats, sunscreen, umbrellas, coats, or whatever else you need to be comfortable outdoors).
You may want to bring offerings for the land that feel appropriate for you; this may include any natural substance such as plants, herbs, food, birdseed, etc. This is optional, as this will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own as well.
Cost is $295 for this workshop
Shamanic Divination Training
Saturday-Sunday September 9-10, 9am-5:30pm
**Prerequisite: The Way of the Shaman (in person), OR The Shamanic Journey; Shamanic Divination in Practice; and Shamanism, Spirits, and Healing (online)
One of the classic tasks of the shaman is to journey into nonordinary reality in order to obtain answers to questions, both at the request of others and for oneself. Participants in the workshop have the opportunity to engage in divination journeys for each other as well as for themselves and to gain experience in using various time-tested shamanic divination techniques. In the shamanic search to become persons of knowledge, they learn, as shamans have from time immemorial, how to converse with plant and animal spirits, how to learn about the use of quartz crystals, and how to seek and receive revelatory knowledge from visionary sources.
In addition to the items listed above, please have with you:
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A rough-surfaced, grapefruit sized rock (NOT a crystal)
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A small quartz crystal, at least 1 inch long, and something to cover it when you are not using it
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A blanket
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8 small objects, which you can hold together in your cupped hands, which you picked up outdoors
Cost is $295 for this workshop