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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Cycle of Transformation: Part Five

The last part of the Cycle of Transformation involves using all the skills you have learned in the cycle to dismantle your False Self. The False Self is more than the ego or the personality you identify with. It is an entire 'person' you constructed as a child to make certain that you fit in, get along with people, survive physically, and do nothing that scares you. The False Self always moves us away from our authenticity. To truly manifest a life guided by our authenticity and purpose in service of all living things, we must learn to recognize the False Self and free up the power we have locked away in it.

This week guest host Langston Kahn, senior teacher at the Last Mask Center, will interview students who have completed the Cycle of Transformation and Dismantling the False Self, the last part of the 4-year training process offered which begins with a week-long residential workshop, Masks of Illusion and the Authentic Self. They will explore together what brought them to the Cycle, how their lives have been changed by their Dismantling and what it's like to be supported in transformation by a contemporary shamanic community.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Vanilla" Rape, Unrepentant Self-Pity, and Toothless Edicts: The Moral Sickness of the Catholic Church

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

***TRIGGER WARNING***

On March 29th, Pope Francis took the unprecedented step of making Vatican City officials and diplomats mandated reporters of sexual abuse. Reminder: It is now the year of our Lord 2019.

The edict, called a Motu Proprio and which goes into effect on June 1, comes after an international summit of church leaders convened at the Vatican in February to address the abuse and protection of minors. It is the first set of concrete protocols established by the Holy See in response to the sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Roman Catholic Church to its core.

But the Church was "rocked to its core" in January of 2002, when the Boston Globe ran a groundbreaking expose in its "Spotlight" section. That was when whispers, rumors, and dark humor became full-blown, public scandal. The Church hierarchy had known about the problem at least as early as 1985 when Father Thomas Doyle tried to sound an alarm at the US conference of bishops. His warning was ignored, as those same bishops continued to quietly move pedophile priests from diocese to diocese. For an organization "rocked to its core," it sure is taking its sweet time in taking any meaningful action. And this edict, appropriate as it may be, is not particularly meaningful. It's mostly symbolic, governing only Vatican personnel, and intended as "a model," not a directive, for the wider Church.

The decree and accompanying guidelines have no legal impact on parishes or congregations in other nations. Archbishop Charles Scicluna said in an interview with Vatican News that the edicts "are not intended to be for the rest of the world, they actually contemplate the concrete situation of Vatican City State; a number of minors, who either live there, work there, or visit ... always within its jurisdiction."

The Vatican's editorial director, Andrea Tornielli, acknowledged "very few children" will ultimately be affected but said that while the edict is limited in scope, the pope wants it to serve as a model for the entire church. The new requirements "contain exemplary indications that take into account the most advanced international parameters."

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Ancestral Healing and Activism

When we change patterns held by our ancestors, we become free to change those patterns within ourselves. Ancestral Healing empowers not only the healing of past and present wounds but also the embodiment our deepest gifts. No matter where your people are from originally, ancestral connection is rooted in your cultural history. When you restore the native wellbeing of your own bloodline lineage and receive the powerful blessing of their support, you become an active part of the true transformation of systems (internal and external) of injustice and oppression. Join us this week as Langston Kahn and Christina Pratt share their adventures in healing their ancestors and themselves. And how doing this work has inspired a depth of understanding of what is needed to cure our cultural illnesses and how, together, we can be the medicine in that cure.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Cycle of Transformation: Part Three

Traditionally, our Ancestors are meant to be a primary source of blessing, wisdom, love and protection. However, when the dead aren't tended well they hijack the living, their unresolved issues snowballing down the generations and becoming a source of disease and dysfunction. What if we could repair the dysfunction in our lineages and receive the full blessings we are meant to embody? What if with the wisdom of our ancestors we could vision and create a more beautiful world for our descendants?

This week Langston Kahn, guest host and a senior teacher at the Last Mask Center, will interview students involved in the fourth year of the Cycle of Transformation, the 4-year training process offered by the Last Mask Center, which continues in year four with a week-long residential workshop, Laying The Bones To Rest. They will explore together how their work with ancestors have changed their lives and their experience of vision and purpose deepened after four years of being held in this work by a contemporary shamanic community.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Cycle of Transformation: Part Three

We are given so many stories by our culture that limit how we use our power. Often these stories involve what it means to be a man or a woman and what we are allowed or not allowed to do as a result. What if you were given the tools to dismantle every single story except I am one with all things. What would it feel like to viscerally experience your innate divinity, your connection to all living things and that your power and ability to co-create your life in alignment with your purpose is limitless? And then what if you could use that power to create the more beautiful world your heart knows is possible for the next seven generations?

This week Langston Kahn, guest host and a senior teacher at the Last Mask Center, will interview students involved in the third year of the Cycle of Transformation, the 4-year training process offered by the Last Mask Center, which continues in year three with a week-long residential workshop: The Sacred Self. They will explore together the inner transformation required to step up as leaders in their own lives and how their lives have changed and their experience of power, choice and how they use their energy has deepened after three years of being held in this work by a contemporary shamanic community.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Esoterica

Leader of Alleged Sex Cult NXIVM Hit With Child Porn Charges

Keith Raniere, the founder of an alleged sex-cult that masqueraded as a self-help organization, has been hit with yet another charge, per Reuters: child pornography.

In March 2018, Raniere was arrested and charged with sex trafficking for his involvement in NXIVM, an organization that allegedly brainwashed, manipulated, and blackmailed women into being “sex slaves.” He also, according to new court filings, coerced underage girls into his operation. At a Brooklyn hearing on Wednesday, federal prosecutors said that Raniere had sex with a 15-year-old girl who later became his first “slave,” and that he had a sexual relationship with at least one other child.

. . .

In the year since Raniere’s arrest, a growing number of individuals with ties to the operation have been arrested and faced charges. NXIVM’s foundation has also increasingly cracked. In April, Smallville actress Allison Mack, who claims she instituted the ritual of branding sex slaves with Raniere’s initials, was arrested and charged with sex trafficking and forced labor; and in July, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, former bookkeeper Kathy Russell, and co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren Salzman, were charged with racketeering conspiracy for their involvement in a criminal organization. (Since Raniere’s arrest, he’s also been charged with forced labor, wire fraud conspiracy, and human trafficking.)

And, just hours before Raniere was hit with the most recent child pornography charges, Nancy Salzman plead guilty to her racketeering charge, making her the first person from the operation to be convicted. In the courtroom, SFGate reports that she broke down, saying, “It has taken me some time and some soul-searching to come to this place.”

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Cycle of Transformation: Part Two

What if the juiciest parts of yourself, your humor, your creativity, your sexuality were waiting for you in the shadow realms? What if the parts of yourself that had been judged, feared, rejected and repressed were actually necessary for you to live your soul's purpose? What would it feel like to bring those parts of yourself back into your fullness and to transform them into allies through love?

This week Langston Kahn, guest host and a senior teacher at the Last Mask Center, will interview students involved in the second year of the Cycle of Transformation, the 4-year training process offered by the Last Mask Center, which continues in year two with a week-long residential workshop, Dance of the Shadow Self. They will explore together what fears they held in anticipation of delving deeply into heart-centered shadow work, what differentiates shadow work in The Last Mask Community from other approaches and how their lives have been changed by their work.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Cycle of Transformation: Part One

What if you had a chance to hit the restart button on your authenticity? To peel back all the layers of trauma to reveal the magnificent human being you came here to be? What would you risk pursuing if you knew you would be held by a community to love and support you through the entire process?

This week guest host Langston Kahn, senior teacher at the Last Mask Center, will interview students involved in the first year of the Cycle of Transformation, a 4-year training process offered which begins with a week-long residential workshop, Masks of Illusion and the Authentic Self. They will explore together what brought them to the Cycle, how their lives have been changed by the first year of the teachings and what it's like to be supported in transformation by a contemporary shamanic community.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Remembering True Initiation: The Initiation Series Wrap-up

In the opening of Curing our Cultural Sickness: The Initiation Series on June 8th, shaman and host, Christina Pratt, presented the hypothesis that the lack of meaningful or functional initiation from childhood to adulthood is at the root of much of our cultural sickness. In the weeks that followed Christina interviewed a diverse range of shamans in the hopes that in hearing about the qualities of the experiences that actually transformed them from many different perspectives we could remember again what true initiation is.

We learned that humility, the willingness to be empty, and asking our questions from that uncertain stance is essential to engage the initiatory potential in experience. We learned that pain, sacrifice, and a willingness to feel are all critical. And finally we learned that allowing oneself to be transformed not once, but at least three layers deeply into ourselves is necessary to even begin to call an experience "initiatory."

Join us this week as we explore all that we learned from these stories of initiation and what that means for our culture going forward.

**This show originally aired August 3, 2010.**

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Initiation Series: Gretchen Crilly McKay

Sangoma (shaman), Gretchen Crilly McKay is our guest this week in our Initiation Series: Curing our Cultural Sickness. She joins us to discuss her traditional kuthwasa (initiation) experiences in Swaziland, Africa, under the mentorship of Zulu shaman, P.H. Mntshali. It is our hope that in hearing the stories of a diverse range of contemporary initiation experiences-that have functioned to truly transform individuals into shamans-that we will come to remember what initiation truly means.

Gretchen's admitted love affair with Africa, the "home" of her soul, began decades ago. A consultation there with sangoma, P.H. Mntshali-who would become her mentor-revealed that her life had been difficult because she had not followed the path her ancestors had chosen for her. Through the traditional initiatory path of the sangoma, Gretchen became the woman she was meant to be.

Gretchen's private shamanic practice is in Southern California where she seamlessly combines traditional African practices, like throwing the bones, with cross-cultural shamanic practices, like soul retrieval, extraction, and healing with spiritual light to serve her clients and students. Her extensive calendar of classes, apprenticeship & mentoring, and two year advanced training can be found at www.ancestralwisdom.com

**This show originally aired June 29, 2010.**

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Initiation Series: Michael Dunning

Shaman-healer, Michael Dunning is our guest this week in our Initiation Series: Curing our Cultural Sickness. He joins us to discuss his exceptional initiation experiences with a Yew tree in Scotland and how they transformed him.

It is our hope that in hearing the stories of a diverse range of contemporary initiation experiences-that have functioned to truly transform individuals into shamans-that we will come to remember what initiation truly means.

Michael gradually became aware of his calling as a shaman-healer following a near -death encounter with an elemental spirit in the far north of Scotland. A second near-death experience occurred several years later that entirely destroyed his health. Michael began to experience regular visions, prolonged out - of - body states and intense physical pain. Managing his daily life became a great challenge. He was finally rescued by a friend who lived in a small cottage close to a 2000 year-old, female yew tree. This marked the beginning of a ten-year period of healing and a shamanic initiation through nature, which took place under the vast enclosure of the tree. Michael now teaches Yewshamanism throughout New England where he is a biodynamic craniosacral therapist and teacher.

**This show originally aired June 22, 2010.**

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.