Wind and Stars, Blood and Bone: Deepening Relationship with the Earth, Ancestors and Spirit Realms through Trance Practices

In our nine months together we will connect to the inner pulse and weave of our personal and collective lives and how we then relate from that boundless, changing tapestry to the greater landscape of life by cultivating multiple, reliable ways of forming relationships with the spirit world. We will do this in various ways of encountering and relating to both embodied beings of the Earth and Cosmos as well as to compassionate beings of the spirit realms—-nature spirits, elementals, tutelary deities and guides, Shining Ones, animal helpers and detritivores, Great Ancestors and others who value our true humanity, its place in the web of life and who offer guidance, healing, balance and a deep ability to help us remember our original nature so as to navigate and live from the fullness of that in ways that honor the dreaming that called us into being and the needs of the world we now inhabit.

Through sound and dreaming; movement and stillness; with curiosity, kindness and unraveling for our blind spots and conditioned beliefs; with passion and daring for our most hidden desires and aversions; relaxing into our sensuality and yearning as well as into our grief and abiding we will each learn to include in our explorations practices that induce an intentional light trance, whether through sound which can include drumming, rattling, chanting, toning, whistling, singing, keening and more; through movement which includes walking, dancing, rocking, authentic movement,  breathing and more. And we will also explore making these spirit connections through increasing our subtle awareness of all our sensory perceptions--touching, scenting, seeing, listening, tasting and belly knowing. Relationship with what we call the spirit realms is not limited to the notion of the standard shamanic journey practice of lying down, closing one’s eyes, listening to a repetitive drumbeat and being absolutely still. Our relationships also need to grow from our bodies and all the sparkling perceptiveness, feeling and wisdom gained over vast evolutionary transitions, as well as encompass the many diverse ways we live our lives.  

To be fully human includes the felt experience of ourselves as a wave-form species who lives both as psyche and soma; both in the world of carbon-based atoms as well as in the landscape of the dream-time. To honor our intrinsic nature by learning how to move effectively and collaboratively in response to current life circumstances and to track ourselves well within these possible realms of experience, which to our conditioned nature seems separate and conflicted but which is not, isn’t the easiest dance to do amidst the insanity of modern culture and from our inherited ancestral patterns. But to sincerely attempt to do so is a recognition and courageous act that is increasingly needed during a time of great planetary transition, which includes experiences of great beauty, love, courage and wonder as well as unfathomable chaos, enmity and loss.

This gathering is suitable for those who have never tried to connect with a spirit being through any means, including a shamanic journey, as well as for those who have a reliable practice of their own but who would appreciate pushing their edges and deepening that practice, especially in the context of critical themes within a committed community. We’ll explore inquiries of interest both individually and in groups through our relationships with each other and the spirit realms for how to become more fully human and reimagine how we might live sanely with care on this Earth and, in working together, create tangible, practical ways of integrating the inspiration and guidance received into our daily lives, all while evolving our skill in navigating the landscapes of these non-rational, non-linear beguiling realms of consciousness. We will also create ceremonies for healing and blessing for the living, the dead and the descendants of humans and other than humans and for the land; we will form partnerships with the Ancestors to acknowledge and encounter what is needed by the dead as well as what we so greatly need from them; we will gain clarity about our cosmologies, hidden beliefs and silenced voices and how they shape who we are and we’ll explore what is being called for now on and by the Earth and how to respond to the oceanic heartbeat of that call courageously, ethically and honestly from a deep well of Beauty with our vulnerability, warmth, humor, creativity, grief and joy in flowing presence while sharing our gifts in service of the web of life.

And we will likely fall more madly in love with the pure gift of being here.

This is a 9 month course beginning October 30, 2021 and concluding June 25,2022. All zoom sessions will be recorded in case you miss a session or for general review.

Time each monthly session is from 11am-2pm ET. Individual month dates are:

Oct. 30

Nov. 20

Dec. 18

Jan. 29

Feb. 26

Mar. 26

Apr. 30

May 21

June 25

--There will be one 3-hour interactive instructional and experiential Zoom meeting per month 

--I’m including 1 two-hour private mentoring session with me for each person per month to address, explore and refine whatever is needed for you to receive the greatest benefit from this endeavor; which could include personal healing sessions along with precisely tailored suggestions for strengthening your personal medicine and spirit connections.  

--At each session I will offer inquiries(journey topics and other) and opportunities for you to work with during our Zoom session either singularly, in dyads or as a group, as well as on your own for the following month, that will tend to build upon the previous month’s work and also ask you to get together with others in the group in order to practice together and share your experiences, either in person when possible or remotely.  if there is sufficient interest, I will schedule some extra zoom sessions on topics of interest for those who can attend. This will rely on class members initiating what captivates them.

--There will be a shared document during the 9 months of all the specific work we cover to assist how you move forward and for you to be able to refer to later without having to keep copious notes, other than for remembering your own experiences. 

--There will be a private page where you can post questions and comments that I will address and where you can receive feedback from others, when appropriate(there will be standards for this including being able to refuse), as well as share what you consider to be relevant discoveries you’re making. 

--If there is sufficient interest and enough participants able to be in the Cleveland Ohio area, I’ll be open to sponsoring 2 extra in-person weekend gatherings over the 9 month period, with a modest surcharge. 

—for those of you who were interested in the long-term training Poets of Consciousness that began last year but who didn’t have quite enough experience, this would be excellent preparation for the next one beginning fall of 2023.

This course is offered to accompany you in re-enchanting daily life with the active and consistent companionship of the intelligence and deep beauty of the spirit world, of your own spirit nature, coupled with heightened sensory comprehension of your body life and of the inspiritedness of all the life around you. Granted, beauty and intelligence isn’t the entire make-up of the spirit realms and we will look into our beliefs and experiences about that and how to relate to what we discover. But our primary focus will be in establishing, growing and tending the most benevolent reciprocal relationships needed to help us become a more sane, competent and loving presence on the Earth in ways that reveal and enhance our own particular affinities.

To commit to a practice like this can and should be a life-changing experience and in this culture we are in the very early stages of re-connecting to this orientation, so there will be mistakes made, doubts and misunderstandings will ensue and yet it is a fertile, expansive field to explore that needs our courageous loving attention, sense of humor and good will, and especially our willingness to encounter the unknown and unknowable with humility, honesty and power---and to actually allow ourselves to change so that we can fulfill the best nature of our humanity.

Yesterday I was asked by someone who is a friend what would happen to our friendship if she took this course, addressing the implicit complexity of dual relationships, i. e. power dynamics. This is my response:

I consider myself a fellow traveler with those in any groups I facilitate, in any private sessions I hold. Imagine it this way; I’ve told you about this beautiful path through the woods I know and am curious if you’d like to experience those woods with me and we agree to go on a walk together. So there we are, walking along a path of great beauty and aliveness, breathing in the scents of the air, noticing with great curiosity how the light shifts and dances and how our bodies respond to the changing elements. We share our felt experience of this with each other and perhaps relate it to other experiences in other contexts, with one not better than the other.

The path we’re on is one very familiar to me but not to you and so you approach it with all the benefits of new seeing since you have few assumptions and expectations which helps open your clarity. As I’ve been on this path before there are certain characteristics and landmarks quite known to me so as we’re walking along I might say to you, “there is a sharp rock jutting out of the ground coming up soon that is hard to see from this angle and it will be near where your left foot lands so you might want to watch for that.” and so you pay more attention and subtly change direction when needed. You might soon say to me, “there was an owl sleeping in that spruce tree we just passed on our right. Even though you’ve been here many times I don’t think you noticed it, but I felt a surge of joy as we passed and it reminded me of a dream that I had recently.” And I listen intently as you share that dream. Later I might say to you as we approach a sparkling stream, “ I’ve heard the singing in this stream before, and the melody is constantly changing yet underneath the surface tones there is a thrum that never changes and that you can count on. This is what I take away from the music it shares with me and here are what my experiences have been from taking the song of the stream seriously as well as depending on that reliable thrum.” And then I might ask you to hold my hand and help me across the stream as I’m afraid of slipping on the moss-covered rocks. And you do and I feel and appreciate your strength, generosity and knowing. And we continue our walk together, laughing, paying attention, sometimes crying, dreaming our dreams together and sharing our experiences without pretense or guile.

So I tell my friend I believe we will understand, appreciate and love each other even more after sharing this course exploration together, and that this is how true power actually works.

No pre-requisites needed.

Accomplished practitioners very welcome.

Cost: $150.00 deposit at sign-up; then $125.00 per month for 9 months beginning with the first month. Sign up, questions and deposits can be made on Contact/Payment page of www.damarischrystal.com. Monthly payment portal TBA.

Course size is limited.

I tend to give people involved with this work considerable personal attention and for this reason I would like to schedule a brief phonecall with everyone who signs up, in order to be introduced/renew our acquaintance and hear your reasons for wanting to participate; your needs, goals and desires.  

Thank you-- Damaris Chrystal

Testimonial:

Knowing and working with Damaris has been one of the most important and pivotal experiences of my entire life. I literally could not have fully discovered, understood and embodied my spiritual calling in this lifetime without her healing work, support, and guidance. As a scholar and long-time practitioner of multiple spiritual modalities, I’ve encountered many spiritual teachers and healers; Damaris stands apart. She understands and navigates the spirit world with tremendous sensitivity, awareness, beauty, commitment, depth, and knowledge. She’s loving and compassionate, and able to maintain deep intimacy as a healer and teacher, while also telling important truths when needed. She’s brave and powerful, soft and funny, caring and strong, creative and intelligent, and just brilliant and shining on so, so many levels. She understands that the deepest mysteries can be felt, explored, and engaged intelligently and effectively, while accepting that they can never fully be understood. She is a true medicine woman in the most profound sense, including all of the spirit power and sacrifices that her calling entails; a rarity exceedingly necessary, though too often undervalued, in these times that are both perilous and full of opportunity. If you feel called to engage with the multidimensional magic that is shamanism, let Damaris be your healer and your guide.

— Elizabeth E. Meacham, PhD, eco-psychologist, shamanic teacher/healer and author of Earth Spirit Dreaming ; Cleveland, Ohio