Our ‘Teachings & Stories’ article content focuses on teachings and stories from traditional shamanic cultures as well as teachings some of our authors have received through their own experience of walking a shamanic path. You might also be interested in our ‘Teachings & Stories’ audios.
Winter Solstice/Yule (December 18-January 6) This is the season of religious and cultural celebrations worldwide, including Christmas, New Year, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa. It’s the darkest day of the year, around December 21, yet with that darkness comes the promise of...
We live in a world of increasing disorder, proliferating injury to humankind, accelerating loss of Earth's life forms, and spreading destruction of Mother Earth herself. And yet, I find hope and comfort in ancient wisdom and practices. Shamanic people the world over...
Several months ago I read about an intriguing idea that I initially dismissed, yet one that continued to dwell in my consciousness. The idea was to write a poem in ten minutes or less without regard to any familiar structures usually associated with poetry. Instead,...
In the northern hemisphere, as we step into winter, the north on the medicine wheel, we have stepped into the embrace of the Dark Feminine. What is this power, and how can we work with it? I hope this article helps you grasp what is happening in our world right now...
Introductory note by Jaime Meyer, SSP Board President: I’ve been fascinated with how much vitriol is expelled into the world trying to define what shamanism is. When this discussion gets heated, as it often does, I believe we have stopped talking about shamanism, and...
In the melting snow at the very beginning of spring, my eye caught a bright reflection on the ground: chunks of broken glass along a wall. When I looked up, I saw that the outer window of the classroom above my garage had been shattered. The window was double-paned,...
Below is the video of the Lughnasadh/Lunasa Celtic Ceremony by Dr. Karen Ward and John Cantwell, originally aired live on August 7th, 2023. THE CELTIC FESTIVAL OF LUGHNASADH (LUNASA) When the birdsong calms as the crops grow towards harvest, the earlier sunsets...
This month we are republishing “Australian Aboriginal Wisdom,” an article by Hank Wesselman that we first published in our Spring 2014 issue. In it Wesselman reflects on the concept of dadirri, a word that means deep listening and quiet stillness of the soul. This...
This month of December we are republishing an article that Itzhak Beery, who presented at our conference this past fall, wrote for us in 2012 about the discernment of spirits, particularly what many call “evil spirits.” As Itzhak says, evil energies feed on darkness...
As we write this, hurricane Ian is approaching the west coast of Florida, thousands of young men in Russia are fleeing their homeland or risk incarceration for taking a stand against their country's war in Ukraine, and women in Iran are risking their lives to protest...
My daughter is still young enough to want to cuddle up with me when she’s scared or just in need of comfort. I cherish those times when we get to nest together in that way, her brother stopped joining us when teenage years hit. Our habit of snuggling was especially...
One of the most interesting things I’ve encountered in my shamanic work is the emotional connection that the land has with us. We often think of it as the other way around, that we are the ones actively experiencing a connection to the land, whether that be through...
By Stephanie Rutt with a postscript by Tom Cowan. Then one day I knew if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. God is everywhere. —Alice Walker from The Color Purple Some thirty years ago, my husband took me deep into the Maine woods to introduce me to wilderness...
This year, February 3rd marked the celestial midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and for the Celts, this is "Brigid time." It is called Imbolc (pronounced IM-olk), one of the cross-quarter days on the Celtic Medicine wheel. Brigid is arguably...
Today, across the vast expanse of northern Europe, sub-Arctic Russia and Mongolia, stretch many nations of reindeer-herding people. The Sami, the Evenki, the Chuckchi and many more. Many cultures, languages and customs abound, but something these people share is a...
This month we are republishing an article written by our editor Nita Renfrew that we published in our print journal in the fall of 2013. Her article, “The Shamanic Grail Cup – the Sangraal,” traces the origin of the Holy Grail to Mongolian and other Asiatic sources,...
The shaman's path is unending. I am an old, old man and still a baby, standing before the mystery of the world, filled with awe. ~Don Jose Matsuwa I've been haunted by this statement from the renowned Huichol shaman Don Jose Matsuwa since I first read it back in...
SSP Board President Jaime Meyer interviews 2019 Eagle Feather Award recipient Gogo Ekhaya Esima, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in the mental health field, a trauma survivor, a Spiritual Coach, and initiated healer in the South African Sangoma tradition. SSP’s...
Astronomically, February 1 is the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox. In the Celtic shamanic tradition, this is an important day dedicated to the Goddess Brigid. SSP offers you this overview of the Celtic Goddess of new life, of new fire, Brigid,...
This year I returned to beekeeping and bought a package of honeybees for the first time. I’ve avoided packaged bees and prefer to catch swarms because in the process of swarming the bees have proven their vigor. I wanted a sure thing, though, so I shelled out $180 for...
The Society for Shamanic Practice asked a few "Shamanic Elders”—those who have walked the path for some time—to share their thoughts on things they wished they had learned earlier on the path. In no particular order, here is some "advice from elders." Laurie Schmidt:...
Much is written about the mystical and spiritual dimensions of shamanism, including how to work with the Elements, the nature of shamanic journeying, and the ins and outs of soul-level healing. However, what can get lost in the mix is the perspective underpinning all...
Dark eyes, the color of rich, loamy soil, hold my gaze. “Would you run for me?” The woman’s voice spills across my shoulders and down my back before drifting upon the breeze. The green grass of a running field stretches to my left. Out of view, horses chuff and stamp...
“If we allow a story to enter into us, we also enter the psychic ground held in that tale. A story reads us as much as we read it. As the Aboriginal hunters of Australia say, “You can’t hunt in the tribal lands until the country knows you!” By entering the symbolic...
This year’s winner of the SSP Eagle Feather Award is Bhola Banstola, a 27th generation medicine person from Nepal. For many years, Bhola has taught extensively throughout the world. Recently he has turned attention toward making ethnographic and shamanic healing...
“Nearness to nature... keeps the spirit... in touch with the unseen powers.” ~ Charles Eastman, Ohiyesa It was after I became a Pipe carrier on the Red Road (Native American spirituality) a few years ago that I slowly began to understand that I must work with the...
I first became aware of Rolling Thunder in the late 1970’s when I read Doug Boyd’s book called simply, Rolling Thunder. Although I was never to meet him personally, I was fascinated by this powerful healer who demonstrated extraordinary abilities and skills,...
The early autumn day was gray with a low and heavy sky. Around mid-morning, rain began to fall. The thick atmosphere took on a meditative rhythm, expressed in the soothing patter on lush late-summer vegetation. I was drawn to the large window overlooking the swift...
I learned about the world of Ifa, the indigenous religion of the Yoruba people, from Oba Odumade, a babalawo from Nigeria. Oba was a traditional healer and diviner as well as a master drummer and ceremonial leader. I met him in Los Angeles in 1992 and remained his...
I created a Transition Blanket in preparation for my father's imminent death. To this day, this sacred object continues to bestow life-altering blessings on my entire family. I'm convinced that this divinely inspired gift is meant to reach far beyond my own family...