Mar 23-25, 2007
The earliest Celtic people in central Europe called the great Mothering Spirit “Danu,” the Life Force behind all that is, and they named their great river, the Danube, after her. Danu journeyed with her children into the Celtic lands of Britain, Ireland, and Scotland, where the major spirits were called the “Children of Dana.” The visionary poets, seers, healers, and druids came to be known in Gaelic as the aos dana: the “People of the Gift,” for Dana is the great gift of mystic vision, the ability to see and join with the Life Force that shapes our world.
We’ll learn to live consciously and creatively with the Dana energies that inform the tales of Brigid and Lugh, Finn McCool and the Fianna, the Mythic Forest, the Sacred Deer, the Salmon of Wisdom, and the Realms of Faerie. We’ll learn to read omens in nature, discover the mysteries of the cauldrons of our souls, and learn to live in harmony with the Gaelic “medicine wheel.”
The shamanic practices you will learn can reconnect you with the mysticism that infuses nature with divinity and links the natural and supernatural. They can be used for your own spiritual growth or in a healing capacity with others. Come join us whether you are new to shamanism and Celtic ways or are already well versed in the practice of these ancient mysteries.
Tom Cowan holds a doctorate in history and humanities and leads international workshops, retreats, and pilgrimages focused on shamanism, Celtic spirituality, and the mystical life. He has written five books, most recently Yearning for the Wind: Celtic Reflections on Nature and the Soul. He is a shamanic counselor, a scholar, a member of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, on the Board of Directors of the Society for Shamanic Practioners, and a minister in the Circle of the Sacred Earth, a church of animism dedicated to shamanic principles and practices. He’s been practicing and teaching shamanism for 23 years.