Animists know that not only is everything around us sentient, but everything around us is a teacher, even the things that modern-day humans mistakenly regard as non-living things: the freedom and power of the wind, the persistence of water and its ability to change, the joyfulness and cleansing of a waterfall, the stillness, silence and patience of stone.
Building relationships with other-than-human beings is crucial if we’re to truly understand ourselves as humans and reclaim who we were always meant to be – an interconnected part of the wider ecology.
Learn:
- What Plants, Animals and Stones really are – stalking unanimist modern stories that we bring to the process.
- Peoples’ teaching and healing gifts, and how to work with them – building your Medicine Bundle.
- Find out what understanding the Other-Than-Human People can show us about what Humans really are and should be.
- How to take our healthy place again in the Web of Life.
This is a self-paced course. You’ll get immediate access to the teaching modules once you book. More details here.
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IN THIS COURSE:
LEARNING TO CONNECT TO GENUINE LOWER-WORLD PLANT, ANIMAL AND STONE PEOPLE
While journeying to meet other-than-human beings might seem straightforward, the truth is that much of what we experience is deeply filtered through the lens of our modern-day thinking, which distorts the clarity of the messages we receive. Remember, the shamanic journey is a co-created process. The shamanic realms, in their raw form, are completely unintelligible to us, and to make sense of them, we have to fashion them using imagery, symbolism, and metaphors. To really grok and work with true Lower-World Animals, Plants and Stones, we need to stalk what we bring to the process.
If we are going to truly learn animism and shamanism – not some kind of tame, domesticated, upper-world heavy, human-centric version of it – we must become aware of the unconscious beliefs, stories, and attitudes we carry, many of which are far from animist. This involves a process of unlearning and relearning in terms of our relationship to the other Peoples.
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WORKING WITH ANIMAL, PLANT AND STONE PEOPLE
In our shamanic practice, we work with Animals, Plants and Stones in different ways:
- Helpers in Our Journeys: During a journey, you can encounter various Animals, Plants, and Stones, all of which can assist you with tasks such as extractions, de-possessions, disentanglements, burials, and burnings. This isn’t overly complicated; it’s something most people can begin to explore early in their shamanic journey.
- Creating a Medicine Bundle: As we learn from the teachings of these beings, we discover valuable lessons. The courage of the lion, the quick-wittedness of the Fox, the balance and patience of the Heron, the steadfastness of Turtle, and the vision of the Eagle – all contribute to what is often referred to in shamanism as our medicine bag or medicine bundle. These are the Animals, Plants, and Stones we come to know and work with in our shamanic practice, helping as our teachers and guides.
read more - Understanding Our Humanity: Unfortunately, many people find that their shamanic practice remains limited to the level of working with People in journeys, which is merely scratching the surface of what the Animal, Plant, and Stone peoples can truly offer. To access this vast reservoir of deeper teachings, we must move beyond our human-centred perspectives and our tendency to anthropomorphise. It’s essential to shed the un-animist beliefs and stories we unconsciously carry into our practice. By doing so, we begin to experience these other beings as they truly are, allowing us to tap into their profound teachings, wisdom, and healing gifts. This deeper understanding can guide us in remembering who we are meant to be as human beings, addressing our questions about our true nature, purpose, and place in the larger tapestry of life. As the poet Mary Oliver beautifully puts it, this is about living our “one wild and precious life.”
- Re-establishing Right Relationship: Perhaps most importantly, this journey allows us to live in right relationship with the other-than-human People once again. Cultivating this relationship is at the very heart of what it means to be animist.
WHAT ANIMAL, PLANT AND STONE PEOPLE REALLY ARE
On the course, we will start unlearning the often wonky stories our modern culture have about People. The process then involves about learning who Animal, Plant and Stone People really are:
- Working with Animals. We are Human and we are also Animal. Knowing what Animal is like and how it differs from Plant and Stone helps us to know what to step away from, and what we need to step into, when it comes to understanding and working with the non-Animal Peoples. Animal People are dynamic, driven, and highly social beings. Unlike plants, animals must actively seek out food, which creates a predator-prey dynamic at the heart of their existence. They are expressive, forming deep bonds, communicating through complex language and behaviours, and displaying a wide range of emotions—from fear and rage to joy and affection. Their restlessness and need to adapt make them curious, inventive, and ever-moving, shaping the energetic, busy nature they bring into shamanic journeys.
- Working with Plants. Amongst other things, Plant teaches us how healthy beings are deeply rooted, and shows us the value of slowing down and being less aggressive and more content with what we have. They operate at a much slower pace than animals. To really understand Plant medicine, to get inside them and grok them, you need to slow right down. To do that, we will look into their kind of consciousness – collective consciousness.
- Working with Stone People. The Stone People are the closest thing to Mother Earth herself, they are Mother Earth manifest and made physical. In turn, the Stone People go on to form everything else in the physical universe, including the stars, the planets, the Plant People, the Animal People, and us Humans. Stone People embody stillness and patience, moving at a pace almost incomprehensible to humans. Unlike the restless Animal or the growing Plant, they follow the rhythms of the Earth, unhurried and timeless. Their existence is marked by structure, order, and predictability, grounded in the laws of physics rather than emotions or agendas. Detachment is their gift, offering a calm, steady presence that helps us step back from human concerns and see the bigger picture. They remind us that in the grand scheme of things, many of our worries fade into insignificance.
- Working with Fungi and the Small People. The main focus of the course is the Animal, Plant and Stone People, as these are the main other-than-human People that usually feature in shamanic (Lower-World) journeys and in most peoples’ shamanic practices. In addition though, on the course we will look at the Fungi People, their nature, and how we may work with them in journeys too. In top of that, we also spend some time looking at the Small People — microorganisms such as virus and bacteria — their role in the web of life, and the challenges involved in doing shamanic journeys with them.
DETAILS
Self-Paced Study
The course last ran as a time-limited ‘live’ course, in November 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 are around 14 hours of teaching.
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
Module 1: Overview. How to get over ourselves and really meet the other-than-human. The Animal People – like humans, but with important differences too!
Module 2: The Plant People – a very different kind of consciousness.
Module 3: The Standing People (Trees). Great teachers of animist spirituality.
Module 4: The Stone People. Not just crystals and rocks, but the Sea, the Wind, Mountains, and even the chemical elements.
Module 5: The Fungi People in shamanism. Also, some discussion about the Smalls or Small People (micro-organisms, including viruses and bacteria) from an animist perspective.
Module 6: What all the above teaches us about how to be Human, our nature, and how to live in right-relationship with the other-than-humans.
OVERVIEW & THE ANIMAL PEOPLE
How to get over ourselves and really meet the other-than-human. The Animal People – like humans, but with important differences too! We are Human and we are also Animal. Knowing what Animal is like and how it differs from Plant and Stone helps us to know what to step away from, and what we need to step into, when it comes to understanding and working with the non-Animal Peoples. Animal People are dynamic, driven, and highly social beings. Unlike plants, animals must actively seek out food, which creates a predator-prey dynamic at the heart of their existence. They are expressive, forming deep bonds, communicating through complex language and behaviours, and displaying a wide range of emotions—from fear and rage to joy and affection. Their restlessness and need to adapt make them curious, inventive, and ever-moving, shaping the energetic, busy nature they bring into shamanic journeys.
Module 2: The Plant People – a very different kind of consciousness.
Module 3: The Standing People (Trees). Great teachers of animist spirituality.
Module 4: The Stone People. Not just crystals and rocks, but the Sea, the Wind, Mountains, and even the chemical elements.
Module 5: The Fungi People in shamanism. Also, some discussion about the Smalls or Small People (micro-organisms, including viruses and bacteria) from an animist perspective.
Module 6: What all the above teaches us about how to be Human, our nature, and how to live in right-relationship with the other-than-humans.
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?
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.
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.
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 the Animal, Plant, Stone course, you need to have completed one of the college’s online First Steps courses.