Online: Earth-Based Ways of Knowing Course (Part 1)
The intention of this course is to introduce folks to earth-based epistemologies (ways of knowing) and the ways that these can support the healing of intergenerational, collective and historical trauma in the modern world. Some epistemologies we will explore include: ceremony, song, poetry, talking circles, movement, and drum journeys. This course will be focused on experiential, communal, and embodied ways of engaging with knowledge and its co-creation. Participants will be reflecting on the holistic nature of their own beings: body, heart, mind, and spirit. Each class, is held in a ceremonial container. There will also be a personal ceremony presented as “homework” at the end of each class. Folks will come away with basic earth-based spiritual tools they can utilize in their own lives as well as a stronger connection to their ancestors.
These are the topics we will explore:
January 27, 2024: Week 1: What are Indigenous Ways of Knowing?
February 10 2024: Week 2: Connecting with Our Ancestors
February 24, 2024: Week 3: European Indigenous History (Part 1)
March 9, 2024: Week 4: European Indigenous History (Part 2)
March 23, 2024: Week 5: Indigenous Approaches to Healing
Trauma
April 13, 2024: Week 6: Movement, Song, and Drumming as Medicine
The classes will run from 10 am to noon Calgary time.
Investment: $120 or heart gift
To Register email: info@spiraldanceshamanics.com
Testimonial:
Jen is a inspired, generous and wise teacher. During the Earth-based Ways of Knowing class, she held the space for deep experiential learning and often courageous sharing by the participants. Bringing in and introducing a wide range of ceremonial and ritual elements from a wide diverse cultures and ancestry, Jen gifted participants with a more profound and grounded learning experience of the healing power of ceremony. Through the sharing of her own experience and years of study, my own life learnings and understanding of ceremony and ritual were re-affirmed, re-awakened, or gifted with new awareness. Jen is a gift to all who have the opportunity to learn and grow through her teaching.
Celebrant Alison Moore
Online: Earth-Based Course (Part 2): The Herstory of Goddess Worship
In this second course offering, we look more specifically at goddess worship that goes back tens of thousands of years in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We look at the relevance of the goddess to earth-based practices today–inclusive of folks of all genders. How can we bring the ancient wisdom of the goddess into our rituals in a way that supports sustainable and peaceable change in the modern world? These are some of the topics we will be exploring in this course. Participants will be reflecting on the holistic nature of their own beings: body, heart, mind, and spirit. Each class, is held in a ceremonial container. There will also be a personal ceremony presented as “homework” at the end of each class. Folks will come away with basic earth-based spiritual tools they can utilize in their own lives as well as a stronger connection to the earth-as-goddess. (Pre-requisite: Earth-Based Ways of Knowing: Part 1)
These are the topics we will explore:
February 3, 2024: Week 1: Goddess Worship in Neolithic Europe
March 2, 2024: Week 2: The Egalitarian Nature of Matrifocal Societies
April 6, 2024: Week 3: The Rise of Patriarchy: The Goddess Goes Underground
May 4, 2024: Week 4: Goddess Worship in Modern Times
The classes will run from 10 am to noon Calgary time.
Investment: $100 or heart gift
To Register email: info@spiraldanceshamanics.com
In-Person: Community Drumming (Calgary, AB)
Carell and I look forward to another wonderful year of supporting healing and inspiration in our community in Calgary via community drumming during the equinoxes and solstices. The location is at Carell’s in the Riverbend neighbourhood of SE Calgary. Save the dates:
Spring Equinox: March 21, 2024 from 7-9 pm
Summer Solstice: June 20, 2024 from 7-9 pm
Everyone’s welcome. No shamanic or singing experience necessary. If you are interested in joining, please email Carell at carell@kilifestyle.ca to book your spot and receive more information. Exchange is by donation.
Online: Sing A Mony
January 20, February 17, March 30, April 27, May 25, June 22
From 12-2 pm Calgary time
Sing-A-Mony is a ceremony aimed at helping us to heal ourselves and the earth through creating sound as a community.
We bring people together monthly to:
*provide hope for future generations
*foster inclusion and community
*honour our lineages and the spirits of the land
*send energy to the Earth Mother for her healing
*encourage fun, humour and lightness
*provide a safe space for healing through sound, voice, sharing and song
All genders 18+ are welcome to this ceremony. No shamanic or singing experience necessary.
Investment by donation to local food bank or pay it forward in some way.
Other details will be shared upon receipt of RSVP: info@spiraldanceshamanics.com
“Do you know what I’ve learned? That although ecstasy is the ability to stand outside yourself, dance is a way of rising up into space, of discovering new dimensions while still remaining in touch with your body. When you dance, the spiritual world and the [physical] world manage to coexist quite happily.”
-From “The Witch of Portabello” by Paulo Coelho
Dance, rhythm, and music have been used by shamanic cultures throughout the world for healing and celebratory purposes. These elements were and are often entwined in ceremony and guided by the culture’s medicine person. Shamanic cultures the world over weave these three practices into their daily lives because they know of the increased health and well-being they bring into the lives of the people. These creative modalities give the body and the psyche expression without words. In short, they take the ego mind out of the equation so we have a chance to experience our true selves.
It is fair to say that most people in the Western world are disconnected from these readily available healing tools. One need not have extensive formal training in any of these modalities to receive healing benefit from practice. This is intended as an invitation into a spiritual experience that has no dogma and is not affiliated with any one religion. Everyone can practice it. It is through the experience of it that healing naturally occurs and since no two people are exactly alike, each person will have a different experience.
When in the midst of dance, we can heal without words by learning to tap into the body and spirit wisdom that is lying dormant inside of us. The body does not lie and so these patterns, emotions, and memories that tend to get trapped in our bodies are naturally released and transformed through movement. Along with patterns that don’t serve us any longer, we have a chance to witness those that do. The beauty is that it is never too late to heal pain or celebrate victories from the past. Indeed, engaging in this ceremony takes courage and willingness to show your true self; that is a huge victory in and of itself!
Soul Vine Dancing Ceremonies are done in a spiritual container of safety with a very specific alchemy, led by an experienced shamanic practitioner. Dance at your own pace in a way that works for you, your body, your heart, and your psyche. Most of all, I encourage you to be gentle and forgiving with yourself through the practice. Allow what’s there to be there: joy, grief, sorrow, anger, boredom, exhaustion, resistance, or sadness. You may have a lot of negative inner dialogue. Keep moving through all these. Don’t stop. They are indicators that something is shifting! Talk to your High Self while you dance to show you what needs healing. Let go of the past. Move that healing right through your being. Allow your body to move the way it wants and needs to–even if it doesn’t look pretty or seems weird to you; it knows what it’s doing! Dance for and with yourself. You are worth it; we all are.
Warmly,
Jen Snow Hawk
Other Offerings:
Along with one-on-one lomilomi, reiki, and shamanic coaching, Jen also gives workshops, creates, and leads ceremonies upon request that are tailored to the specific needs of the inquiring group or individual.
House Blessings
The land your house is on has been around for millions of years since the earth was created. A lot of history has happened on that spot; this ritual can help you align with the ancestors of the land your home is built on. Spiritual cleansing rituals can support the healing of the past to bring peace into the present. Good for homes experiencing much unexpected and unexplained chaos, extensive home repairs, and freak accidents.
Some ceremonies and workshops done in the past include:
Reiki Level One for Kids (Ages 5-9)
An Introduction to Energy Healing for Teens (Ages 12-16)
One Billion Rising: A Dancing Ceremony
Ongoing Drumming and Singing Evenings in Calgary
Women’s Circles
Rites of Passage Ceremonies are also available to people who request them.
What are Rites of Passage Ceremonies?
Rites of Passage Ceremonies have been done the world over by Earth-based cultures since the beginning of human existence. From birth to death, humans experience many transitions and life markers that shape their life walks. It is well known by shamanic practitioners that ceremonies that mark these changes through celebration, challenge, and learning are integral to healthy growth and maturation in the individual.
Some of these passages include: conception (for people wanting to conceive a child), mother blessings before the birth, welcoming the baby, naming the baby with their medicine name that is encoded with their life’s purpose, puberty rites for both girls and boys, marriage ceremonies, marking ceremonies (after a major completion or accomplishment), vision quests for finding direction in life, elder honouring ceremonies, death and grieving ceremonies – to name a few.