PAN International 83
PAN - Provisional Astroshamanic News
Ezine of the Sacred
Editorial Director:
© 2008
Dear Readers and Friends,
May this PAN reach you as a blessing, for this is the veritable intent of PAN and the underlying essence behind its form. Blessings are meant to heal whatever and whoever has been cursed and wounded, while also releasing a traditional human practice: cursing and wounding others, and self-cursing and wounding, which are indeed the same practice.
There seems to be so many potential pursuits in this world, with copious concerns and enticements keeping us engaged at all times. Yet, on the healing way to the holy place, the one that keeps shining when all other routes waste away, the vital training is on the art of blessing, which includes both dispensing and receiving blessings.
This PAN heralds the concluding round of summer, namely the cycle of Virgo, when the Sun prepares to move into its dark cycle, the journey of progressive obscuration of its outer luminous form. This is the inevitable encounter with the forms that are bound to die in external lives, the passage through the portal of sacred transmutation, the supreme shift from form to essence. In this crucial zone, as the outer heart brings its work to completion, blessings provide the oxygen that revives the mystery of the sacred heart, our promised essence.
When autumn strikes, visible forms wither and gradually fall apart, unleashing their luminous essence, letting go of useless wrappings and offering their original gift. Yet, if I fail to see the essence and repudiate its blessing, I will be left with rotten forms and all will be dead. On one side lies the dissipation of forms, a bare and inanimate skull, on the other dwells a crystal ball, the transparency behind the form, the precious essence glaring out of a dead form, which is indeed what the form was always there to serve and communicate.
All forms, no matter how intimately close, including our own physical body, may fall or be taken away in a moment just like autumn leaves or ripe fruits. It can be the most painful experience to see beloved partners, relatives, friends, pets, places and any form we treasure in life, as they decay and vanish from sight. This is the inevitable destiny of all physical forms, we all know this. And yet why do we expect that they renounce their fate? Why do I condemn them for what is bound to happen? Why do I live in a world of dreams and malice where we pretend that this is not the case, feeling in love, talking about love, making love, yet detaining our beloved ones in a barren land of captivity? Why do we sentence their essences to death burying them with their forms?
Forms came into being to bestow their essence, and it is these essences we long for and not their form. Essences navigate through all types of forms. They are never bound to one form. And until we learn to accept this, there is no way out from misery and pain. Yet, in a world where forms keep being confused with essences, it is inevitable to be in misery and pain. And still this pain can become the major source of liberation if we accept to delve into its mystery and wake up from all forlorn dreams.
As human beings, confused by forms and craving for essences, we can choose to support each other in this awakening, allowing forms to serve their essence. It is this essence that I truly claim, which is also what I am called to offer as blessing to all travellers I meet on the healing way to the holy place.
“Let us come daily to this holy place, and spend a while together. Here we share our final dream. It is a dream in which there is no sorrow, for it holds a hint of all the glory given us by God. The grass is pushing through the soil, the trees are budding now, and birds have come to live within their branches. Earth is being born again in new perspective. Night has gone, and we have come together in light.” (ACIM, W407)
The greatest wish I have for each of us, beloved readers, is that we may lovingly treasure and hold the essence of any form we encounter in life, whatever and whoever we relate with through our bodies, emotions or minds. This is, as I see it, our birthright and promise on the healing path. And as this PAN unfolds, it is the essence and blessing that it gives to you, enduring no matter whether the provisional form will continue or not.
The forthcoming astroshamanic workshop takes place in
In
The next astroshamanic one-week workshop at the Findhorn Foundation will be the most unprecedented, Restoring the Fragmented God: A Healing Voyage into Christian Shamanism, from 6 to
Love is Work in Action and… by Franco Santoro
The following is an excerpt from a recording of the first day of the workshop Restoring the Fragmented Heart: The Way of Sacred Relationships given by Franco at Jesi (
The most distinctive saying in the Findhorn Community is “Work is Love in action”. And this is indeed, as I experience it, what we do our best to practice. When I let go of the sense of survival, fear, duty and moral obligations that I attach to work, and I gladly embrace it as a creative act of liberation and natural generosity, work turns into Work and becomes Seva (the Sanskrit for “selfless service”). And then “Work is Love in Action”. This is surely a most appealing motto, especially from a Virgo perspective. Yet, this workshop on sacred relationships takes place shortly after the Equinox and the entrance of the Sun in Libra. The Autumn Equinox is the border line between Virgo and Libra, an area of radical shift, the balancing point between two polarities. On the Virgo side daylight and activity still prevail, while on the Libra part night and receptivity gently take over. This is the gateway into another realm where things are reversed. Hence, in the context of this workshop, I will use the saying “Love is Work in action”, also taking the liberty of adding a slight Libra refinement, i.e. “Love is Work in Action and… Non-Action”.
I consider sacred relationships as ongoing rapports which allow us to uncover the loving connections with whatever and whoever exists. Here shamanic work can be a way of acknowledging and implementing this Love, and the way it operates, in action, as well as in non-action. Shamanic perception is based upon the experience of the interconnectedness and unity of all existence. This is the key state of affair in life, a condition that continues to subsist no matter what we do, whether we act or non-act, whether we are aware of it or not. The main characteristic of current human societies is a lack of awareness regarding this unity, which is also the cause of all pain and troubles this planet has experienced since separation took over.
Shamans employ many tools that allow them to uncover, retrieve and experience the awareness of unity in order to heal our illusory perception and unveil the interconnectedness of life. Some of these tools involve drumming, trance dance, rituals, chanting and other apparently outlandish practices. Apart from these things, which can look most glamorous and attractive for some of us, what ultimately counts is the awareness of unity, which is indeed the experience of Love. In this workshop I will use practices, such as shamanic drumming, trance dance, astroshamanic touch, etc., and yet, what I want to stress is that these tools are not indispensable per se. Their only purpose is to serve the shamanic experience of Love, which can also be achieved with alternative means. Shamans are traditionally pragmatic and unconcerned with dogma. They use only what produces the desired effects. Certain tools work for some people and not for others. Yet, the priority here is the result (Love) and not the practice (Work). When this is clear, Love itself is free to find the best Work, the greatest course of action or stillness. “Love is Work in action and… non-action.”
Sacred relationships can take any form, and do not necessarily imply being in a conventional relationship. The outer form of a sacred relationship is merely a tool, a practice, such as shamanic drumming, trance dance, etc. What counts is its essence. The form needs to be honoured with integrity and awareness of all its practical implications, yet the form is meant to serve the essence. The form is a provisional representation of the essence, which is bound to be released once the essence is unveiled. When the form becomes the main concern, I lose awareness of the interconnection beyond the form and the essence is inevitably lost. The form turns into an idol, a barren doctrine, a desperate fetish, whose sole concern is self-preservation, while its inexorable destiny is death. And since the essence threatens its forlorn survival, the form will subdue and repress the essence. Then there is only work and no Love, a bogus relationship devoid of any sacredness and Love.
A sacred relationship is not based upon the type of physical interaction I have with another being, if it is my husband, my partner or friend, if I meet him regularly or do certain things with her. I can have a sacred relationship also with someone I have seen only once in my life or with whom I have not done any of the things one is conventionally supposed to do in a relationship. I can also have a sacred relationship with what is not normally regarded as a legitimate entity for relationships, such as a tree, stone, elf, angel or spirit animal. There are many possibilities in the realm of sacred relationships, yet what I wish to stress first of all is that the main purpose of this workshop is becoming aware of our existing relationships and transforming them into sacred relationships.
A first element of attention, in the above regard, is the relationship I have with myself, my Higher Self, and ultimately God, which is the primary relationship, the starting point of a huge chain of relationships. As Thomas Merton puts it “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.”
The basic strategic assumption of this work is that whatever I perceive in others is a projection of this primary relationship. Here we are usually confronted with two main categories of projection: people we love, feel very well with or strongly attracted to, and people we hate, feel uneasy with, or repelled by. Members of these categories are not absolute and during the course of our life can at times move from one side to the other. Whenever I meet such folks this is astroshamanically an indication that I project on them something very powerful within me. Hence these people, though this may not be very romantic, are merely educational devices aimed at showing the lost parts of my soul and teaching me how to retrieve them. What may cause some confusion here is that what I see projected in someone is not necessarily what the person truly is in that particular moment when the projection takes place. Also that person may project something that has nothing to do with who I am in that given moment. This is definitely a major cause of troubles in relationships. And, as I see it, there is no true relationship with the other person unless I manage to be aware of what I project on him-her and what she-he projects on me. There can be a real relationship only when the partners involved learn to identify and lay aside their projections, and come to terms with what is left, which, according to astroshamanic perception, is the mystery bit, i.e. the secret of the interconnectedness and unity of whatever and whoever exists, or in other words, the mystery of Love.
Yet, I believe there is no way I can access this mystery unless I manage to uncover and rise above the net of projections, which in astroshamanic jargon is called “Paheka Rubhe” (the Binary Network of the Totem Spirits, which is astrologically described by the 144 combinations of the Sun and Moon’s position). An effective way of dong so is slowing down, ceasing to move around like a robot, questioning my assumptions and learning to observe what is truly happening whenever I meet someone or think about that person. Meditation, shamanic journeys, trance dance, recapitulation are examples of practices that can allow me to slow down and disengage from the pressure of projections. These techniques help to become aware of what is happening behind the smokescreen of everyday relationships. The states of consciousness they attain proclaim the fundamental unity of everything and everyone, the acknowledgment that we are made of the same substance of the stars and that our rhythms are at one with them. We are part of the same universe, and we cannot isolate ourselves from what is outside of us, for all we see is the projection of who we are.
With projection everyone I consider in my outer reality is factually a part of me operating as my perception of the other. Everybody becomes an actor in my personal movie, taking a role according to a given script. Whatever and whoever we see is the result of what we bring to it. My ego, or what I perceive myself to be in the script, functions as a filter between the inner and the outer world. Until I manage to understand how my projected parts affect others, I will not be able to find out how the projections of others influence me. Well, this may appear as a bulky mess, and yet things become very clear when I succeed, even for a few seconds, in moving behind the screen of projection, which is precisely what we intend to explore in this workshop….
A Case Study of Astroshamanism: New Paradigm of Spirituality and Religion by MaryCatherine Burgess
As we reported in PAN, issue 80, MaryCatherine Burgess, Associate Chaplain at the University of Edinburgh, in her book New Paradigm of Spirituality and Religion: Contemporary Shamanic Practices in Scotland, published last April by Continuum, illustrates a field research and case study on three shamanic practice groups in Scotland, among them astroshamanism. Burgess explores the historically difficult relationship between religion and spirituality by applying cross-cultural elements of shamanism and Daniele Hervieu-Leger’s analytical model of Religion as a Chain of Memory. In her work she uncovers a shamanic worldview that carries in its memory and practice a lineage of spirituality, not belief. This distinction sheds critical light on a new paradigm of spirituality and religion that reflects how many in Western societies currently respond to institutional religion.
As for astroshamanism, Burgess describes her experience during two
We include herewith some excerpts taken from Chapter 6, titled “Exploring Connections Between Cross-Cultural Shamanic Elements and Neo-Shamanic Expressions in
Shamanism Defined and First Discovered
Franco considers shamanism to be an ancient and widespread spiritual method or system of healing – one in which shamans, who are familiar with states of consciousness that enable communication and collaboration with spirit guides in the exploration of the spiritual dimension of reality, help themselves, their communities and their planet achieve a direct and experiential sense of the unity and interconnectedness of all life. He defines astroshamanism as “a spiritual system of healing aimed at enlarging human perception through the integration of the basic principles of shamanism with experiential astrology, the ancient Mystery Religions, pagan and early Christian traditions in the context of contemporary society”. Shamanism for Franco, especially astroshamanism, offers an alternative to the prevalent world belief system of separation by revealing a sacred way of receiving information about the original and continued unity of the world –one which helps people come to know their multidimensional selves in a very practical way. […]
Shamanic Vocation and Initiation
Shamanic vocation and initiation can occur in ways that typically include heredity or a spontaneous call; illness and/or dreams; death and resurrection experiences; and/or the bestowal of spiritual allies or a possible power song.
Raised a Christian in
While still a small boy, he also began to notice things that the adults either did not appear to see, or that they had decided should be only for adults, not children. Among the “things” he saw were the Bhi Jinah, spiritual beings that were to become friends and allies for him throughout his life. At about four or five years of age, he spontaneously began playing games that involved spending time in a different world – one with twelve states, for which he drew maps to describe them. In these maps, his family’s house became the world, and the various rooms in their house became towns or villages. The cosmology of this other world also developed its own mythology. There were even football teams with entire divisions. Each of the sectors in this world had a name, which Franco created as variations on family and environmental names he already knew. Though this was a creative way to integrate much of what he was learning in school, and it brought him great joy and ecstasy for many years, it was clear to Franco that this game was a fantasy.
Between sixteen and eighteen years of age, he began to question what he was doing, especially when he realised others did not share his enthusiasm about this game. As with many young people, this realisation left him feeling inadequate when dealing with ordinary reality, and he decided to destroy the maps. At age eighteen, he experienced a very powerful response to reading a book by Alan Watts, which then awoke something else within him. A short time later, he spent eight years exploring what he called “the dark side” – namely, the “provisional order” that keeps ordinary reality alive and separate from non-ordinary reality. All of these experiences from childhood into adulthood joined together to form a shamanic initiation for Franco. Among the challenges he continually experienced was his ability to see power, and other multidimensional selves, while having to accept that others often say they have not had those experiences and do not see what he has seen. […]
Shamanic Cosmology
Shamanic cosmology initially refers to the distinction between ordinary and non-ordinary reality, but then further divides non-ordinary reality, or the spirit realms, into an overall geography that includes upper, lower and middle worlds. These non-ordinary realms are generally accessed from an ordinary-reality starting point on earth. These points are often associated cross-culturally with the axis mundi, the tree of life, because that image seems to portray the connection between all the “worlds”.
With Franco’s background in astrology, non-ordinary reality is what he calls the
Shamanic Soul Flight/Journeying
Shamanic soul flight, or journeying, refers to the ecstatic experience of travelling into the non-ordinary realms of the spirit world and then returning to ordinary reality. The one journeying generally ascends or descends, though middle world journeys involve travel into the spiritual dimensions of what appears to be ordinary reality. On these focused and interactive journeys, one meets and works with spiritual allies who function as partners with the journeying in the provision of healing and/or information.
Franco journeys to all the realms he describes in his cosmology of the Sacred Cone and in this process he works with a variety of spiritual allies. Though he talks about the journey and teaches people about the importance of holding a clear intention prior to and throughout the journey, his best description of the method itself is in his book, Astroshamanism, Book I. There he not only discusses intention, but also draws upon the work of Michael Harner for a specific methodology of journeying. […]
Shamanic Consciousness
Rhythmic music, drumming, rattling, chanting and dancing are typical ways of achieving a shamanic state of consciousness that facilitates the shamanic journey into non-ordinary reality. Other ways of assisting this process include the use of costumes and fasting.
All of the practitioners use drums, rattles, bells and other rhythmic instruments; ritual, ritual clothing and ritual objects; music, song or chant; dance; and incense or sage. Franco also uses drawing, meditation, silence, gibberish, physical movement, body postures and elements of nature (e.g. earth, air, water, fire). […]
Shamanic Spiritual Allies
Spiritual allies in a shamanic context are experienced in a number of ways by humans who work with them. These allies form protective and supporting partnerships – becoming sources of power and guides to information and healing. They generally appear in human, animal and plant form; and in some cases, they unite with their human partners in a kind of spiritual marriage.
Franco tends to draw upon the spiritual energy of the Sacred Cone – the overall cosmology that connects the non-ordinary reality worlds – when he works shamanically. For him, that includes all spiritual guides, which are inter-connected and part of the whole anyway. When he works with groups, he calls upon whatever images make sense, are relevant, and help people access their spiritual support. Because of his own Christian background he sometimes uses saints, especially the Madonna. Due to his understanding of astrology he calls upon the planets, the sun and the moon. Furthermore, his experience with the Epic of the Sacred Cone prompts him to call upon Bhi Jinah, beings who populate the empty spaces and help keep whatever exists together. […]
Shamanic Soul Healing
As soul doctors, shamanic practitioners work on the soul level to help people in their healing process. Some of the classic methods of soul healing include: divining for important information; power animal retrieval; soul retrieval; extraction; helping people prepare for death; and performing psychopomp work for those who have died.
Franco has experienced spiritual healing himself and has helped others in that process. For him, the most important thing in healing is to create a relationship with what the illness represents – as in the Pythagorean tradition. He strives for luminosity out of darkness, and refers to the temples of Apollo and to underground caves where those seeking healing would go through a stage of darkness, then face the difficult reality that their illness had helped them deny, and finally experience the authentic light of integrating those first two steps of darkness and confronting reality. Though Franco can use the shamanic method of extraction, he does not consider that as part of his tradition, because it perpetuates the illusion of separation and fragmentation. […]
Community Support
Included in the concept of community support are aspects of a shamanic system in which members of the community somehow acknowledge that the call they recognize has come to a potential shamanic practitioner; support the work of that person by encouraging continued training and seeking spiritual assistance from the identified person; and monitor the effectiveness of the shamanic services that are provided. This may happen in different ways, depending upon the nature, size and location of the community.
Franco said that community reflects the inter-relatedness and interdependence of all life. His worldview is that all is one, which by definition draws people to each other in mutual support for their individual work of releasing any sense of separation, and discovering connections with each other. […]
Astroshamanic Trance Dance, Drumming and Chanting. Workshop at
Report by Astrid Gude
- The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the Soul. (Isadora Duncan) -
The annual Trance Dance workshop at
We danced our Intent, the shadow parts, the invisible partner, the void, opening up to spaces where the mind cannot take us, expanding into luminosity and embodying the sacred. The inner and the outer merged, the dancers became the dance, entering into zones of timelessness and returning to bless the environment with the gifts they received on their journey.
As Franco pointed out in his initial talk, in Astroshamanism the focus is on Dance, Drumming and Chanting on an inner level, on the inner experience rather on the aspect of teaching techniques or leading towards a performance. So the approach to drumming, for example, was a long introductory practice with the invisible drum and the listening within to the heartbeat, aligning it to the heartbeat of the earth. Astroshamanic chanting leads into an experience of the planetary energies, using non-ordinary, vibrational language as a basis for the chant. In this workshop ee went through the scale of Mars (Mars representing sheer energy) that took us from a state of utter depletion, through a stage of high energetic expression to the ecstatic space of all-oneness.
One of the highlights was the Dance of the Knives on Wednesday afternoon, a highly energetic dance from the Mediterranean tradition, in which powerful Tarantella music creates the space for a circle that holds two opponents, one challenging the other and finally being "killed" by him, through touching the heart. The astroshamanic sequence to this is a very moving part, in utter silence, in which all participants, one after the other, are brought back into life through gentle touch and loving welcoming words, the last one receiving the welcome of the whole group that has been constantly growing while moving from one person to the next.
Another highlight: the open event on Thursday evening when the group, which had already done several trance dances during the workshop, one also with one-to-one assistance, invited the public and held the space for them: drumming, rattling, holding the directions and being present as energizers and to give support.
All astroshamanic workshops are largely experiential, this one probably most of all, with us spending very little time in the mental realm, yet honouring the silence with a daily silent meditation.
Also the completion on Friday afternoon was mostly non-verbal, each participant having five minutes to express whatever was relevant to him/her at the end of the journey within this context. As a co-focaliser/assistant/participant/observer I was very touched by how much the group had bonded throughout the week, how each one's uniqueness transpired, how heartfelt, generous and trusting this sharing was and how much the luminous bodies had become activated.
The Hermit - Virgo: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot by Franco Santoro
We are about to complete the first part of this voyage through the Major Arcana, as we set to explore the Hermit. In the esoteric system of the Golden Dawn this ninth Arcanum is associated with the sign of Virgo, which concludes the semi-circle initiated with Aries.
The image of the wise Hermit has always played a major role in popular imagination. The withdrawal from ordinary life and the focus on the quest for truth were highly appreciated in ancient times, especially because they often involved saintly qualities and an attitude of devoted service towards those who had not “withdrawn”.
In Robert Places’ Tarot of the Saints, the Hermit is represented by Saint Anthony the Great, who is traditionally depicted holding a small bell, with a pig at his side and carrying a T-shaped cross. Similarly to St. Francis he was moved by the Gospel of Mark’s message, “Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor”, which is what he actually did. Yet, unlike St. Francis, Anthony spent most of his life in solitary asceticism and prayer. His example and miraculous powers drew nevertheless many people for healing and spiritual guidance.
In most tarot decks, including the Rider Waite Tarot, this trump portrays an old man covered with a monk robe and cloak, standing alone with snow at his feet on a high peak, holding a lantern with a 6-pointed star in his right hand, associated with the hexagram of the Seal of Solomon, or the Shatkona (representing Divine Union and merging of polarities), and a wooden staff in his left. The right hand is traditionally related with the conscious intention, which is here associated with light, wisdom (the lantern) and the capacity to unite the opposites (the Seal), while the left hand represents what is released, i.e. mundane power and the patriarchal path (the staff).
Similarly to Gandalf in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the Hermit, besides holding a staff, also wears a grey robe, representing the Middle World and the integration of the opposite polarities of White (Higher World) and Black (Lower World). Yet, unlike Gandalf or similar wizards, the Hermit is not associated with spectacular use of supernatural powers or overt wrestles with dark forces, although the fight takes place at an inner and spiritual level, as with the spiritual combat or warfare against the demons typical of St Anthony.
Through silence, stillness, contemplation and humbleness he moves beyond the conflict between polarities, reaching a pinnacle of initiatory wisdom, which he effortlessly, perhaps inadvertently, shares with those who struggle in the mist of ignorance and illusion. From the mountaintop he looks down, holding the lantern so as to illuminate the path for the seekers who are climbing and can easily get lost. He is compassionate, protective and caring, yet he is not available to descend to, or compromise with, those who call for support from the lower levels and are not willing to ascend. His function is to stand as a luminous signpost, so that the peak can be visible at all times for whoever is ready to go for it.
The Hermit functions as an inner lighthouse, representing the part within us which can disconnect from the emotional and mental mess of separated reality, so as to get in touch with our true Intention and original wisdom. His presence emerges whenever we have gone astray and are open to find our true bearing, when we choose to withdraw from the distractions of the outer world, focusing inwardly and embracing a solitary quest for truth. He shines his light from within, providing a luminous guidance and directing our steps on the path we need to go to fulfil our highest potentials.
When the Hermit’s lantern strikes in our life, this is a sign that we need to release our involvement with the busy activities of the world and take some quiet time alone. There is a vital urge to question how we have lived so far, ceasing to move around like robots and taking responsibility for facing our inner source. Meditation, silence, contemplation, aloneness and any form of spiritual retreat may play a major role at this stage. These may be the result of a voluntary choice or be brought up unconsciously by the soul through illness, imprisonment or other forms of isolation or solitude.
Solitude is indeed the key element for the Hermit, and the first association most people get when they hear this term, which also causes a wide range of reactions. Yet, as Osho would put it, the Hermit is alone and not lonely. “There is a tremendous difference between loneliness and aloneness. When you are lonely you are thinking of the other, you are missing the other. Loneliness is a negative state. You are feeling that it would have been better if the other were there - your friend, your wife, your mother, your beloved, your husband. It would have been good if the other were there, but the other is not. Loneliness is absence of the other. Aloneness is the presence of oneself. Aloneness is very positive. It is a presence, overflowing presence. You are so full of presence that you can fill the whole universe with your presence and there is no need for anybody.” (Osho, The Discipline of Transcendence, Volume 1 Chapter 2)
The Hermit confronts you with the awareness that your true goals have nothing to do with what is advertised in consensus reality, that there is a deeper realm shunned by the outer world and which is your task to explore, even if this means doing so alone. All ordinary ambitions and comforts lose their arrogant pull, while the desire for truth reigns supreme as the sole requirement that can warm your soul. The first step is to meet the Hermit and acknowledge aloneness. Aloneness (all-oneness) is our authentic nature. We are always alone. We came into this planet alone and we will leave alone. And also during our whole staying in this world we continue to be alone, although we may forget about it or pretend it is not the case.
Only if the encounter with the Hermit is successful, will the seeker return and dispense his gifts to the outer world. Most of those who have contributed blessings and love to this planet have done so after spending long time in solitude. As Osho says “real love is not an escape from loneliness, real love is an overflowing aloneness. One is so happy in being alone that one would like to share - happiness always wants to share. It is too much, it cannot be contained; like the flower cannot contain its fragrance, it has to be released." (Osho Talks on CD)
The Hermit is the key to true sacred relationships. Sacred relationships have nothing to do with the conventional idea of soulmates, or other concepts such as twin flames, twin souls or rays. These relationships are based on the premise that someone is the other half of my soul and that I need him or her in order to be whole and feel complete. In a sacred relationship I am not half of an entirety with another, we are both a whole. In a holy relationship, as A Course In Miracles puts it: “Each one has looked within and seen no lack. Accepting his completion, he would extend it by joining with another, whole as himself. He sees no difference between these selves, for differences are only of the body. Therefore, he looks on nothing he would take. He denies not his own reality because it is the truth.” (ACIM, T22:Introduction 3:2-6). The Hermit and Virgo mark an intense process of transformation aimed at providing the tools that can allow the soul to move from the painful arena of separated or special relationship to the realm of true relationships.
This trump indicates a time of transition, which may lead to a radical shift in one’s life, a sense of rebirth and reawakening to one’s authentic path. This is promoted through deep spiritual inner work, meditation and shamanic practice, yet by also withdrawing in retreat places in nature, aligning with the rhythms of the earth and cultivating silence. The withdrawal from social interactions, mundane concerns and activities is meant to change the focus from outer to inner, from ordinary life to reality, so that the primary relationship at work abides with the Core Multidimensional Identity, our true Self, and… God
“Man's loneliness is, in fact, the loneliness of God. This is why it is such a great thing for a man to discover his solitude and learn to live in it. For there he finds that he and God are one: that God is aloneness as he himself is alone. That God wills to be alone in man.” (Thomas Merton)
Forthcoming Astroshamanic Events
Please be aware that new events may be added with short notice. For further details or information please contact Franco info@astroshamanism.org or alternatively go to www.astroshamanism.org
To book Findhorn Foundation workshops, please contact bookings@findhorn.org or Bookings, The Park,
Cupramontana (
Restoring the Fragmented Heart: The Way of Sacred Relationships
Jesi (
Restoring the Fragmented Heart is a workshop with Franco Santoro that explores relationships from a multidimensional and astroshamanic perspective with the aim of healing our significant connections with others and transforming them in sacred relationships.
All those we meet in life are parts of a wholeness from which we have separated ourselves, and every single relationship is a path to that wholeness. Finding fulfilment through intimate love associations is one of the greatest desires of most human beings, yet this search can cause conflicts and pain. In this workshop we will track and release blocks to our capacity to love, identifying the underlying issues that hamper relationships, promoting healing, fulfilment and blessings. The aim is to support and implement righteous close relationships aligned with our authentic soul purpose. The workshop is designed for all types of relationships, encompassing couples in intimate or platonic connections, singles who wish to be in a relationship, partnerships in work or service, rapports with friends and relatives.
The workshop is held in English and Italian.
The retreat takes place near Jesi in the central Italian region of
There are only few residential places left and, if you are interested to take part, please book at your earliest convenience. Income related price: Euro 537 (high), Euro 497 (medium), Euro 467 (low). Bursaries are available. The cost includes half-board, accommodation in two or three-bedded rooms with bathroom. The event starts at
For bookings: Letizia +39 0731206687 or zone25@tele2.it.
For those of you who live in the United Kingdom there are cheap flights from London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Birmingham and other British airports to Ancona, Pisa, Rimini, Forlì and Rome, all within convenient reach to the venue. Dave Mountjoy, taking part in the workshop, is driving from
Findhorn Foundation, 6-12 December 2008, Restoring the Fragmented God: A Healing Voyage into Shamanic Christianity This workshop aims at reviving our Christian shamanic heritage through an experiential exploration of some of its mysteries and wonders. The week is ideal for those wishing to heal, restore or deepen their relationship with God, including former Christians who intend to face unresolved grievances with their early religious roots. The workshop is a wide-ranging journey, encompassing a tapestry of shamanic practices from various Christian traditions, also with elements of esoteric astrology and A Course in Miracles. The week is open to seekers of all faiths and paths on the assumption that God is the same no matter the form of doctrine. Read further…
Cupramontana (
Findhorn Foundation, 28 December 2008–2 January 2009, The New Year Spiritual Healing Retreat (with Franco & Astrid Gude) An opportunity to promote expanded awareness and healing through meditation and spiritual practices. We will alternate periods of silence and dialogue, stillness and movement, touch and contact, relaxation and activity, group and individual work, bringing careful attention to our inner and outer world. We will scan the past year, extracting blessings and releasing grievances, paving a luminous healing way for the New Year. Read more…
Findhorn Foundation, 21 February–6 March 2009, FOUNDATION TRAINING in ASTROSHAMANISM:
This programme introduces participants to astroshamanism in a practical and effective way. Participants will experience tools for opening, discovering and supporting the relationship with their core identity and essential Intent. They will also focus on releasing blocks and retrieving hidden potentials, learning to bring shamanic healing work in their life and relationship with others. Read more… The training consists of two workshops, which can also be attended independently
21-27 February 2009, A Journey into the Inner Universe.
28 February–6 March 2009, The Voyage through the Zodiac
14-20 March 2009, Being with the Spirit of Cluny Garden (with Franco & Sverre Koxvold)
11-17 April 2009, Flowering of Life – A Spring Retreat (with Franco & Astrid Gude)
Disclaimer: All information provided in PAN is presented solely for inspirational or recreational reading, and it is not meant to substitute the recipient’s direct experience and investigation. The information is also given to strategically exemplify the different features of astroshamanic cosmology and is not intended to reflect Franco’s opinion or astroshamanism in general. Franco does not necessarily endorse any of the ideas and views expressed in this literature, including his own.
Astroshamanism Book I: A Journey into the Inner Universe and Astroshamanism Book II: The Voyage Through the Zodiac feature the core teachings of astroshamanism. They are available, together with various drumming and trance dance CDs, from Franco and by mail order from the Phoenix Shop at store@findhorn.com or +44(0)1309-690954.
The Operative Training in Astroshamanism (OTA) is a certificate course in core astroshamanism which allows you to study at home as part of an ongoing interactive training. Participants will learn a wide range of techniques, exploring all aspects of their soul, individual and collective, as they are reflected in the astroshamanic cosmology of the 12 Sectors, the 4 Directions and the 3 Worlds. They will receive initiation into specific healing and ceremonial practices according to each zodiac sign, integrating shamanic experiences with information drawn from astrology and other esoteric sources. The OTA can ideally be integrated with the One Year Course in Astroshamanism and the Astroshamanic Practitioner Training. For information contact: info@astroshamanism.org
Donations for PAN and Astroshamanic Healing activities: PAN is available free to anyone who has attended astroshamanic events/sessions or simply wishes to receive it. If you find PAN useful, inspiring, appealing or perhaps even revealing, any donation (small, medium or big) would be greatly appreciated (for further details contact info@astroshamanism.org). Donations will encourage us to continue on this path. Also articles and other forms of contribution are much appreciated.
PAN on-line: You can find an abridged edition of the latest issues of PAN on-line at http://panissue.blogspot.com/. The abridged Italian edition is at http://panitalico.blogspot.com/, while the full edition is available on request. The abridged Spanish edition is at http://panhispano.blogspot.com/ and the full edition is available on request.
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