Nov 4-6, 2005
The important thing to understand is this: you are unique in this whole universe. You have never existed before. You will never exist again. If you do not fully and passionately express this unique genius with your life, it will be lost forever. When we can allow our unique genius to guide our life, we come into right relationship with our self, with all others, with the environment, and with the spirit world.
The purpose of each person’s soul is at the core of our health. Well being springs from our doing what we’re uniquely here to do, which satisfies our soul in a way nothing else can. All things begin in spirit, so when our soul is well, we are well, we are passionate, and we share our gifts with others. When we fall out of balance, dis-ease begins first in our spirit. Illness then becomes physical, psychological, and emotional.
Shamanism offers us tools for healing the soul. When we’re strong of spirit, our hearts open. We’re curious. We enrich the lives of others through the exchange of ideas, breaking bread together, sharing each other’s rituals, rejoicing in our shared relationship with spirit. Healing into one’s True Self becomes contagious. We redirect our lives toward expressing our unique spirit and the love that connects us.
The key to a life of meaning is to craft the vision and let it go, to surrender the “making it happen” to the Universe. Surrendering is an act of trust. The Universe will give you what you need, and it will be better than you can imagine in ways you could never imagine.
Christina Pratt is the director of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing. Her book, An Encyclopedia of Shamanism, was just released. She offers a four-year path of mastery called The Cycle of Transformation and teaches a popular graduate course on the Foundations of Shamanism at the University of Minnesota. She’s a skilled healer of exceptional clarity, humor, and inspiration who deftly weaves her authentic shamanic experience, extensive training, and experience with shamans from Ecuador, Nepal, Tibet, and Africa into effective healing rituals for contemporary people. She frequently speaks for the American Holistic Medical Association and serves as the spiritual advisor to their Board.
“Literally, shamanism is about not knowing. It’s about going to the spirits to ask. When I teach, it isn’t academic, and I don’t have a curriculum. This keeps the work vital and effective. I lead people into wild, unadulterated shamanism that’s completely appropriate for the particular group gathered at this particular time. I do real shamanic healing ritualism – not the same ritual over and over. I dance and get others to dance with abandon from their souls, even if they’re paralyzed by self-criticism, haven’t moved their hips in public in their entire lives, or are sitting in a wheelchair. They will leave understanding how, why, and when to use what they learn at Rowe. They will be able to take it with them, to use it in their lives, to live in a way that honors and celebrates the wholeness and integrity of their soul.”
— Christina Pratt