Run by Shenoah and David face to face

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Many people have the wish to bring about changes in their lives. Making the change is often a struggle against inner thoughts and established habits and sometimes ends in the intention being discarded.  At this meeting we will be asking our spirits which inner thoughts or established habits within us, our inner demon, is ready to leave us.  

This meeting is based on work taught by Myron Eshowsky when he visited the UK in 2000. It should be noted that although Myron uses the word demons, he uses it only in the context of these inner thoughts and established habits and within the context of a specific cultural practice of creating spirit houses which we will explore during the meeting.
 
During the meeting we will be making a spirit house to house one of these inner demons. This small object will be made of air drying clay and you will need to bring a container to put it in to protect it on the journey home. The finished item will be no bigger than the palm of your hand..

There will be an additional cost of £2 for the clay.  Please bring something to work on – e.g a wooden or plastic board. You mat also want to bring items such as a knife or sculpting tools you can use when creating the spirit house. 

Myron Eshowsky is an inspirational teacher, shamanic healer and peacemaker. You can read about his work here http://myroneshowsky.com

1st Journey – drum journey
I’m going on a journey to meet the spirit of one of my inner demons that I am ready to let go of. (learn what it looks like, how it presents itself, its purpose, what it needs, how it wants the spirit house to look)

2nd Activity – Make the spirt house from air hardening clay
Make a spirit house for the demon. Do it in an intentional way, may want to sing / drum as you make it.

3rd Journey – drum journey
Journey to the demon, collect it and blow it into the house (much like a power or soul retrieval)

4th Journey – acted out journey to your own spirits (not the daemon)
I am going on a journey to ask where to put the spirit house, how often and for how long

5th Journey – singing
Asking for a song to help change my relationship with the demon

Run by Shenoah on Zoom

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With the daily reports of local areas and wildlife being threatened, climate crises, near extinctions and disasters it is easy to become overwhelmed.  Each of us can have a part to play in bringing balance but it is sometimes difficult to know what it is it most important for us to pay attention to and what exactly we can do.  At this meeting we will work with our spirits and in ceremony to explore how we can make a difference in the world in a way that nourishes inspires and expands our awareness.

1st journey – personal journey – free style drum journey
Going on a journey to ask my spirits how they understand sacred activism and how I can best approach it

2nd journey – personal journey – acted out journey
If you know of a local or bigger issue that calls to you
Going on a journey to ask my spirits what is my part in defending / supporting / working with / advocating for …..

If you don’t now of a local or bigger issue that calls to you
Going on a journey to ask my spirits to be shown an issue I can support and to ask what is my part in defending / supporting / working with / advocating for …..

Third Journey – paired work
Ask the spirits for a blessing for the work (insert partners name) was shown
swap over

4th journey – group ceremony
Everyone in the group sending power using song / rattle / drum etc to the area they are working with

End with song
Earth, please make me a sanctuary 
Pure and holy, tried and true
And with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you

Run by Shenoah and David face to face

Information that was circulated
At this meeting we will explore the wonders that Kew Gardens has to offer by working with different ways of connecting with nature. As we open ourselves to the wisdom of the plants and trees we will deepen our connections to receive guidance as to how we can work in reciprocity with nature

1st Journey – walking journey
Walking journey to meet the Spirit of Kew Gardens to ask what I need to know about working in Kew Gardens.

2nd Journey – at the Treetop walkway
For those who go to the top of the walkway – ask the top of the trees for a teaching
For those who don’t want to go to the top – find a tree that is showing roots and ask for a teaching from the roots of the tree

3rd Journey – connection / walking journey to the lake crossing and down the Syon Vista
Journey to the spirit of the cold to ask for a teaching about the transition from winter to spring

4th Journey – connection journey in the palm house
Connect to a plant you do not know and ask for a teaching about itself

5th Journey – Princess of Wales conservatory
Find the zone / area you feel most connected with and ask either the place or a plant within the place for a teaching to support you at this time

6th Journey – Walking journey from Alpine area to the front of the lake to find a tree
Asking a tree for a teaching to support you in the coming season (spring)

7th Journey – connection journey – under the trees next to the palm house
Connect to the gardens and ask for a blessing from the gardens for yourself, offer a blessing from yourself to the gardens

run by Shenoah on Zoom

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There is much written and discussed about the power of forgiveness. At this meeting we will ask our spirits what power forgiveness holds for us and how, if at all, coming into a different relationship with ourselves and others can support us in our lives

1st Journey – Drum journey free journey style
I am going on a journey to see the power of forgiveness and the effects of not forgiving through my teachers eyes

2nd Journey – Drum journey free journey style
I am going on a journey to ask my spirits what would be in my highest good to forgive and to ask for my next steps to move towards a place of forgiveness

3rd Journey – short rate journey
Journey to be shown a personal Ceremony of forgiveness
can be a general one or for what you were shown on the previous journey
collect together if there is anything needed to do the ceremony

4th Journey – journey drums play while everyone does their own ceremony – which could be on a journey or in ordinary reality or a mixture of both

run by Shenoah & David face to face

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Wassailing is an ancient tradition that promotes a good harvest in orchards by blessing the trees for the coming year. It is a few years since we were able to wassail the fruit trees in Vauxhall Park and we look forward to honouring them with song, cider soaked toast and general merriment.  As well as supporting the fruit trees to bear fruit we will also ask for help to bring our own gifts into fruition by exploring the gifts we carry to bring into the world in the coming year. 

1st Journey – Partnered Journey – drum journey but can also support self with a rattle
Going on a journey to ask what gifts does (insert partners name) carry to bring into the world in the coming year?
One person did the journey out loud as it happened so their partner could hear.
swap over

2nd activity – Wassailing Ceremony blessing the fruit trees in Vauxhall Park
You had to be there but there was singing, rattling, blessings and waking up and putting cider soaked toast in trees and apple juice and warm mulled cider to drink. The song we used was Who Will Stand.
Who will stand, who will stand for the bees and the trees and the spirits and the land?
We will stand, we will stand for the bees and the trees and the spirits and the land!

3rd Activity – Personal Journey
Journey to ask what would stop me bringing my gifts into the world. Then asking for a healing for what stops me.
Other intentions were used where you don’t ask to find out what stops you
What needs to happen for me to be able to bring my gifts into the world
A healing for what stops me bringing my gifts into the world

4th Activity – Blessing for the gifts
Everyone wrote down the gift/s they were shown on a small colourful tag. These tags were attached to a ‘prayer doll’ which was placed in the middle and we all offered blessings for the gifts. The doll and tags will be put on an altar for the coming year.

run by Shenoah on Zoom

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As we approach the end of the year we can look back on a wonderful year of meetings. They offered new ways of working, deepening connection and meeting friends old and new both on line and face to face.

In our final meeting of 2022 we will come together to work with the spirit of the winter to ask for help to be in the flow of the season. This is not the commercialised season that has become the norm, but seasonal flow of nature and the gifts that deepening our relationship to it can bring.  We will also be having our annual winter feast. 

1st Journey – drum journey
Going on a journey (with a known helper) to meet the spirit of winter to ask for insights into the essence of this season

2nd Journey – in pairs – rattle or drum self on journey
I am going on a journey to ask my spirits for a journey to help ….. deepen into the natural flow of the winter
Practitioner rattles or drums themselves on the journey. Once journey is completed they sing or sound (without words) the essence of each part of the journey to their partner who listens and receives. Client shares, practitioner shares. Swap over
format of journey inspired by the work of Daan Van Kamenhout

3rd Journey – acted out drum journey
Journey to the lodg altar to take part in the winter feast and to receive a gift that will support me through the winter  (receive something from altar  and put something on it)

4th activity
Thank you song to spirit of Winter, each other, our helpers

Face to face on 12th – run by Shenoah and David face to face
Zoom on 13th – run by Shenoah on Zoom

Information circulated
November will be our annual meeting working with Seidr.  Seidr is an oracular tradition that uses the staff, the song and a raised seat as key elements in its ritual.  It is a Viking shamanic tradition which was practised in this country so also belongs to the ancestors of this land. Journeying on song with a staff is a focussed and power filled way of working that offers a different experience than journeying with the drum.   At this meeting we will explore how to use the song and the staff in our personal practice. We will also work together in a community seidr ceremony. Although the seidr tradition uses song being able to sing in tune is not important.  

1st Journey – singing self on journey with staff

If you have not journeyed with a staff before – go with one of your known helpers

Going on a Journey to ask who will be my teacher in seidr – ask how the staff and I can work together
or
If you have journeyed with a staff before and have a seidr teacher choose from below
Journey to ask to be shown what has previously been hidden from me about working with seidr
Journey to the spirit of song to ask how to work with it in seidr work
Journey to the spirit of the first volva to ask for an insight into the qualities of the seidr hjel
Journey to the world tree to ask for a deeper understanding of the staff in seidr

2nd journey in pairs – the client sings the seidr worker on the journey at the start and back at the end of the journey then swap
Going on a journey to ask for the help (insert partners name) needs at this time

3rd journey – community seidr – 3 seidr workers took the hjel to answer a question agreed by the community and then answers personal questions
face to face seidr –How can we make seidr relevant for the modern world
zoom seidr – How do we make seidr practice relevant for our modern communities

Run by Shenoah on Zoom

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Imagery in all its forms can play an important part in healing. At his months meeting we will be receiving healing images as well as exploring how imagery can support the healing process and deepen our understanding of our shamanic landscapes and helpers.

First Journey – Acted out journey
Going on an acted out journey to experience the healing images in my shamanic landscape that I have not yet fully received

Second Journey – Drum journey
Going on a journey to ask my spirits what in my life to I need to transmute and to receive the healing image
Once what needs to be transmuted and the healing image has been received come part way back so you are between the world back and draw the image.

Third Journey – partner work – rattle and sung journey
Journey to ask for a healing image my partner needs at this time.
First person rattles themselves on the journey and describes the journey and the healing image out loud while their partner listens and perceives the journey as it is happening.
Swap.

Run by Shenoah and David face to face

Information circulated
The full Moon is often seen as particularly potent and magical and this months LODG coincides with the September full moon which is often called the Harvest moon. We will explore how the qualities of the moon can deepen our connection to the cycles of nature and support our own cycles. We will also be doing some work in Vauxhall Park.

First Journey – drum journey
Journey to the moon to meet its spirit to ask for a teaching about its cycles.
Spend some time connecting to the energy of the moon

Second Journey – connection journey in Vauxhall Park
Connect with the moon to ask for a personal teaching about the autumn
Share the teaching with partner
Partner does a walking journey to find an object to help keep connected to their teaching

Third Journey – drum journey
Journey to the moon to ask for help to be in balance with the cycles of nature

Group Blessing
In two groups – first group sit in the centre facing out. Second group ask for a blessing from the moon for those sitting in the centre and deliver it. Swap over.

Finish with a song – By the light of the moon.

Link to ‘The Ways of the Moon’ article by Annette Høst including a moon cycle diagram https://www.shamanism.dk/article-ways-of-moon

run by Shenoah on Zoom

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As the year continues to turn the start of August brings the festival of Lughnasa which celebrates the start of the harvest season. At this meeting we will look at the reciprocity between the harvest and ourselves and what within ourselves may be ready to be harvested.

First Journey – drum journey
Going on a journey to ask my spirits to show me the reciprocity between the harvest, abundance of nature, and myself

Second Journey – acted out embodied journey
Journey to ask my spirits what is ready to be harvested in myself 

Third Journey – Blessing in partners
I am asking for a blessing for what  …….  (Insert partners name) is ready to harvest (can also put what it is that they are ready to harvest from the previous journey)
One person received the blessing and one receives then swap over.