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Next Steps Course

Exploring the Lower World

FIND YOUR HUMAN GUIDE AND TRANSFORMATION PRACTICES
(WORKING WITH FIRE, WATER, AIR, EARTH AND ETHER)

Dates: December 2024 – more details soon

  • In-depth explorations of the Lower-World
  • Advanced hollowing-out practices
  • Working with Lower-World Humans
  • How to find a genuine Lower-World Human Guide
  • The Air, Fire, Water and Earth transformation practices (burials, burnings, dismemberments, sky burials, dissolvings and water burials
  • Other transformation and healing practices such as cocooning, poisoning, and shapeshifting
  • And more…

WHY NEXT STEPS COURSES?

After completing the college’s First-Step course, these courses are the next step for those who wish to explore therapeutic shamanism and animism further. The courses focus on exploring the shamanic Lower-World practices in detail, developing a deep connection with Lower-World Guides (including Human, Animal Plant and Stone ones) and finding our own true and authentic Lower-World Soul – the person we are truly meant to be. In doing so, as well as being potentially profoundly healing and life-changing, the courses also help people develop a shamanic practice that is both deeply rooted and grounded.

IN THIS COURSE:

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MEET YOUR LOWER WORLD HUMAN GUIDE (and THE TRIBE!)

Second to your Power animal, Human Guides can become your greatest teachers. Like all Lower-World Guides, they connect you to the Lower-World and, in doing so, help heal Power-Loss.

Human Lower-World Guides are what shamans mean by Ancestors (as opposed to Middle-World individual ancestors). As such, they are representations of the Human Oversoul and can teach you about:

  • What it is to be Human, what your true Adult Soul is, and how to live accordingly.
  • How a Healthy Human Tribe can teach you to live in the right relationship with other human beings and help heal your wounds around this.
  • How to live in the right relationship with other Peoples and the other-than-human.

Read more about Human Guides: blog

AIR, FIRE, WATER AND EARTH TRANSFORMATION PRACTICES

Transformation practices use 5 elements to help us with healing and energy hygiene, hollowing out, and they also prepare us for the ultimate transformation – death.

Common to all transformation practices is the experience of being taken completely apart and reduced to something formless and then being reformed again. In a sense, they are a mini ‘death’ and rebirth.

They include various shamanic practices, including burials, burnings, dismemberments, dissolvings, cocoonings, poisonings and shapeshifting.

Read more about transformation practices: blog

LEARN ADVANCED HOLLOWING-OUT TECHNIQUES

Hollowing out means stepping aside from our middle-world stuff as much as possible, and from our own agendas and drives, beliefs and preconceptions, so our Guides can communicate and work through us without all that getting in the way.

We need to hollow out, or our journeys will be coloured, driven and distorted by our ego.

Read more about hollowing-out: blog

... AND WHAT GROWING ROOTS IN THE LOWER-WORLD
CAN TEACH US ABOUT BEING A BETTER HUMAN

DETAILS

Self-Paced Study

The course last ran as a time-limited ‘live’ course, in March 2024. Due to popular demand, we are now offering it as a self-paced course, with no specific dates, allowing you to study in your own time and at your own pace.

The course consists of six pre-recorded theory modules. These are all ‘unlocked’ and available immediately to you as soon as you register for the course. Together, the modules make up over 21 hours of teaching. In addition, there are recordings of four live sessions from when the course ran in March 2024 – a further 170 minutes of course material. 

The course comes with accompanying handouts, journey suggestions, and other resources.

The course also has an accompanying website forum and an (optional) Signal discussion group. Through these, if you wish, you can ask questions and get answers, discuss topics, share experiences and additional resources, and get support, encouragement and a sense of community to help you with your study. 

 

THE CURRICULUM

MEET YOUR HUMAN GUIDE

Your Power Animal is your primary guide, but having a strong connection with a Lower-World human teacher is also crucial. While Power Animal links you to the wider-than-human community, the human guide is the one knowing the most about being Human and how to take a healthy human place in the wider web of life.

Whether you’re still looking for a Lower-World Human Guide, are uncertain about your current one, or already have genuine Lower-World guides, this module will provide many practical tools to either initiate the relationship or deepen the bond.

We will look at three main reasons for why finding a genuine Lower-World human guide isn’t as simple as finding a Power Animal and discuss strategies to prevent these from interfering with our ability to connect with a genuine Lower-World Human.

Working with AIR

Aligned with the East, Air symbolizes inspiration and the breath of life. It encourages individuals to embrace change.

We will look at:

  • Characteristics of Air
  • How unbalanced Air influences our personality
  • Challenging emotion: anxiety and being afraid of choosing
  • Air transformation practices: sky burial and being defleshed by birds
  • Birds shamanism
  • Air dragons
working with fire

Fire element is your source of personal power, pushing you to set boundaries, speak up, and stay true to yourself. It’s the energy that fuels your enthusiasm, giving you the confidence to tackle challenges, find joy and approach life with optimism.

We will explore:

  • Characteristics of Fire
  • How imbalanced Fire influences our personality
  • Challenging emotion: anger and depression
  • Issues around personal power & healthy personal boundaries
  • Fire transformation practices: burning
  • Phoenix and Fire Dragons
working with water

Aligned with the West, Water symbolizes emotional depth and the fluidity of life. As Fire burns out, Water encourages perseverance and reflection and helps us keep going.

We will explore:

  • Characteristics of Water
  • How imbalanced Water influences our personality
  • Challenges: resentment, stagnant processes and unresolved grief
  • Water transformation practices: Dissolvings
  • Sea shamanism
  • Water Dragons
working with earth

Aligned with the North, Earth symbolizes realism, practicality, and grounding. It encourages us to embody a sense of belonging and safety.

We will explore:

  • Characteristics of Earth
  • How imbalanced Earth influences our personality
  • Challenging emotion: fear
  • Earth transformation practices: burials
  • Tree shamanism
  • Earth Dragons
deepen your connection with the Lower-World

In Module 6, we will delve into various techniques to deepen our connection with the Lower-World.

We will explore:

  • Advanced Hollowing-Out techniques
  • The Witness part of us
  • Going beyond language – working with other senses and the body
  • Focusing technique
HOW DOES IT WORK?
shamanic courses online
TEACHING ACCESSIBLE AT YOUR OWN PACE
  • Each in-depth teaching module is recorded by the Founder of Therapeutic Shamanism, Paul Francis.
  • Study in the comfort of your own home.
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SUPPORT BETWEEN MODULES
  • Course notes and other handouts are available to download.
  • Detailed instructions are given for shamanic practices for you to try in your own time and pace.
  • Ask questions, discuss, and explore through the online forums.
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YOUR SHAMANIC TRIBE
  • Connect on the website forum and (optional Signal group).
  • Join our lively and supportive shamanic community.
  • Find like-minded people. 
  • Receive support and encouragement. 

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY?

JOIN US!

To attend this course, you must have completed one of the college’s online First Steps courses

Booking for this course will open in December 2024.  

Payment by instalments. We are committed to keeping our courses as affordable as we can, and our courses are usually cheaper than most comparable ones. However, please remember that (depending on what country you are from) PayPal offers the option of spreading the payment over 3 monthly instalments. There is no fee at all for this, nor any interest incurred.

Need more information about the course?

Got a question about a course? Send us a message via form below.

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