Jun 28, 2016

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Chronic Illness and Shamanic Practice with Kelley Harrell

Living with chronic illness is a challenge, a challenge more and more people are being required to navigate daily in an already busy life. How can we use our shamanic practice most effectively and efficiently to respond to chronic illness, whether our own, a client's, or with a loved one? How do we cultivate good energy hygiene or even go for a walk daily when chronic pain is robbing us of the energy we do have? What is reasonable to expect or responsible to promise from shamanic healing as a resource for the chronically ill? This week author, teacher, and shaman, Kelley Harrell, joins host, Christina Pratt, to explore how we can apply shamanic practice to address chronic illness and how to avoid the fantasy, illusion-no matter how well meaning, and the false claims that arise from our pain and fear of the Unknown.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Jun 21, 2016

Bill Donohue Crows Over Defeat of Church's Victims

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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The Catholic Church and its lobbyists appear to have defeated the Child Victims Act in New York State, and Bill Donohue's victory lap is offending pretty much everyone.

The gloating head of the Catholic League on Monday ripped into the “victims’ lobby” he says is out to “rape” the Catholic Church over the issue of child sex abuse.

. . .

“The bill was sold as justice for the victims of sexual abuse, when, in fact, it was a sham,” Donohue wrote.

He blasted the legislation as ”a vindictive bill pushed by lawyers and activists out to rape the Catholic Church.”

Yes, that's right. He accused people who were raped by Catholic clergy of trying to rape the Church.

Donohue has a long history of saying shockingly offensive things about the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church, minimizing these crimes, and even accusing victims of being "gold diggers."

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Mythical Beasts and Weirdness: Working with Helping Spirits

A mythical beast is a beast that we believe never existed in physical form, like dragons, the basilisk, and the phoenix in the Harry Potter novels. But never is a long time. If they never existed, then why do similar mythical beasts appear in different stories the mythology of peoples who never spoke or met? Whether you believe they were real or are imaginary, mythical beasts are very special helping spirits to work with in shamanic altered states. "You need to pay attention," explains host and shaman, Christina Pratt, "There is a quality of being not of this world when we engage the mythical beasts. But we work with them because they remind us that our souls are not limited to this world either. Mostly we engage the mythical beasts to grow up and stop acting like our silly, violent, consumerist culture has anything to do with the real reality and why we are here.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Jun 19, 2016

A Conversation with Jordan from Spirit Science

Appearing at The Truth About Cameron and Celestial Reflections.



Update: Jordan to Add Teal's Paintings to Spirit Science Store (See Below)


I was recently contacted, out of the blue, by Jordan Pearce, proprietor of Spirit Science. I have never personally met Jordan. I'm familiar with his work in the spiritual community, but the only personal information I've heard about him has been relayed to me by mutual acquaintances, like Teal Swan. I will refrain from repeating this third party gossip. Let's just say that I wasn't left with a very favorable impression of him. Jordan and I had no prior communication, so I was a little confused by his familiar tone in his initial contact. It seemed rather presumptuous, but I was intrigued enough to respond and see where this communication might lead.

His second message was more condescending than the first. I saw what I thought was a rather obvious agenda. In retrospect, his motives for contacting me are, at best, unclear. I assumed, based partly on things I'd heard, that he was getting back into a business collaboration with Teal, and thereby had a vested interest in clearing the decks. After seeing this blog post, in which he describes being "denied access" to her, I wonder if it wasn't more to curry favor with her. Either way, I felt it would be best to break contact with him. To my surprise, he became relentless. He sent me a number of messages and even tried to initiate a voice chat. I decided to re-engage, but only if he would consent to having his words published. He did.

I wrote him a somewhat detailed reply to what I thought were his major points. I had hoped for a fruitful exchange and realized after I'd sent that message off, that there were a number of things I needed more clarity about. I had begun to prepare a follow-up message, when Jordan abruptly terminated contact and blocked me on Facebook Messenger. Bear in mind that he pursued communication with me for days in messages dripping with affection and heart emoticons. I was blunt and dismissive and still he pursued me. But, when I finally wrote him back with an open and detailed message and invited him to continue with a meaningful exchange, he blocked me.

What follows is our entire exchange, copied verbatim from Facebook Messenger:

Jun 16, 2016

Mary Magdalene: Penitent, Prostitute, or Illuminator?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Pope Francis has taken a big step, by elevating the commemoration of Mary Magdalene to a liturgical Feast. He should take the greater step of clearing her of criminal charges.

In a letter announcing the change, the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Arthur Roche, writes the decision means one “should reflect more deeply on the dignity of women, the New Evangelization, and the greatness of the mystery of Divine Mercy.”

. . .

“The Holy Father Francis took this decision precisely in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy to signify the importance of this woman who showed a great love for Christ and was much loved by Christ,” writes Archbishop Roche.

He also notes Saint Magdalene was referred to as the "Apostle of the Apostles" (Apostolorum Apostola) by Thomas Aquinas, since she announced to them the Resurrection, and they, in turn, announced it to the whole world.

“Therefore it is right that the liturgical celebration of this woman has the same grade of feast given to the celebration of the apostles in the General Roman Calendar, and shines a light on the special mission of this woman, who is an example and model for every woman in the Church.”

What Pope Francis has not said: that Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute and that her depiction as one has enshrined attitudes about female sexuality that have been more damaging to women than her lack of recognition as an apostle ever could.

Jun 14, 2016

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Plants and Elementals: Working with Helping Spirits with Daniel Abney

Elemental Spirits are often ignored as we reach for helping spirits in the vast range of land spirits, from the smallest garden sprite to the great mountain spirits and all the many manifestations between. And yet the spirits of the elements are constant teachers of balance and flow, the two fundamental energetic principles for physical health and mental well-being. Join us this week as geomancer, Daniel Abney, joins host and shaman, Christina Pratt, to explore our health and its relationship with the plant and elemental spirits. In our addictive rush to the altered states offered by the plants like ayahuasca, San Pedro, and peyote, we miss the powerful medicinal force of plants as helping spirits and the exceptionally direct and wise restorative force of the elemental spirits.

This week's guest:
Daniel Abney, LMP


Daniel discovered a strong relationship with plant spirits and elemental spirits through his exploration of shamanism and decades of dedicated spiritual practice. Today he offers himself as a geomancer and healer to the energies of the earth, the elementals, and the plant spirits who are often set awry by unconscious human action. He is a founding member of Last Mask Community and is regularly called upon to work with the earth elements at the retreat sites and ritual locations that house the Last Mask Community's work and teachings.

Daniel's massage training commenced at the Brenneke School of Massage in 1992. He has been active in advanced training and certifications since, accumulating over 3000 hours of formal massage education. Daniel's curiosity and fascination with the human body and its amazing and beautiful inter-supporting systems is the inspiration for his drive to keep studying and learning.


Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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Jun 7, 2016

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Working with the Spirits of the Land with Ana Larramendi

"Nature communicates through energy, not words. It communicates with us through signs, symbols, omens, and feelings," explains our guest Ana Larramendi of thehollowbone.com. Ana joins host, Christina Pratt, this week to share her wisdom and experience in communicating with the vast range of spirits of the land, from the smallest garden sprite to the great apu spirits of the volcanic mountains of the ring of fire. Ana cautions that our human tendency to approach all experience from an anthropocentric perspective is our greatest hurdle in communicating with our most abundant and ever present helping spirits. We need to slow down, be silent, visit regularly, and always engage with gratitude and respect. When we help the spirits of the environment around us they are able to help us live more vital, vibrant, and interconnected lives.

This week's guest:
Ana Larramendi


Ana H. Larramendi has spent her life weaving together her spirituality with nature skills to create a skill-set of tools for land healing and teaching students to detect and heal earth trauma. Of Spanish and Basque ancestry and born in Spain, Ana is a full-time shamanic teacher and healer, at The Hollow Bone, a private practice in Madison, Wisconsin. She offers a full range of shamanic healing forms, space clearing, and various land healing practices and offers a range of shamanic course work and her Earth Tenders Apprenticeship for more advanced practitioners.

Ana has been studying shamanic traditions since 1989 and is an international teacher of shamanic healing practices. She is a minister, public speaker, Vision Quest leader, wilderness enthusiast, ceremonialist, chef, translator and an initiated mesa carrier in the Inka tradition. Ana has studied extensively with teachers from many traditions including: Alberto Villoldo, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Sandra Ingerman, Angeles Arrien, Betsy Bergstrom, Tom Cowan, Dr. Larry Peters, Marko Pogaĉnik, indigenous Alto Misayoqs of the Andes, and Weather Shamanism with Nan Moss and the late David Corbin. She also studied for 6 years with Tom Brown Jr. of the Tracker School, learning tracking, survival and wilderness awareness skills.

Ana has been a lecturer for the University of Wisconsin Medical School, as well as teacher and Peruvian guide for Madison Area Technical College. She is a founding member of the Society for Shamanic Practice and was a keynote presenter for their first annual conference in 2005. Ana's work has been published in The Journal of Shamanic Practice.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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