Hello!
It’s great to see the interest in the upcoming Exploring the Lower-World Course – a big thanks to all who have already joined. With the increasing interest, as usual there have been quite a few questions about the course, so here’s my attempt to address them. I hope this proves helpful.
To jump right to a specific question, simply click on it:
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
COURSE MATERIAL:
THE CURRICULUM
(MIGHT BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
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.
We carry unhelpful emotional baggage from our past human relationships
The first challenge stems from the baggage we carry from our past human relationships. When we seek a human guide in the Lower-World, we inevitably bring along some of this baggage. It’s hard to avoid, and it can make us feel like we need to please them, worry about rejection, or anticipate problems like a bad temper. This module will dive into this issue, helping us understand our baggage better. The goal is to recognize it when it shows up and set it aside so it doesn’t mess with our ability to connect with a genuine Lower-World human.
There is no such thing as a generic Human.
While we can easily picture a generic wolf, oak tree, or dolphin that represents the whole of the species, imagining a generic human is impossible. As humans, we’re hardwired to look for differences, to look for individuality between people. Consider a generic human: What hair color, length, skin tone, eye color, voice, gender, and age would they possess? So, when dealing with Lower-World humans, we see them as unique individuals. Understanding this individuality is crucial to keep Middle-World influences from messing with our connections. This module will explore this issue, providing insights on navigating it without compromising our connections.
Our misconceptions about Hunter-Gatherers.
Many people have inaccurate thoughts about the emotional, psychological, and day-to-day lives of hunter-gatherers. This module aims to clear up these misconceptions, offering a more accurate understanding. By doing so, we can make sure these mistaken ideas don’t mess with our ability to connect with a genuine Lower-World Human guide.
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
Why do this course?
If you are relatively new to Shamanism…
If you have only taken the First Step so far, or have completed a few courses with us, you will gain a lot from this course. We offer a total of six Next Steps courses, each focusing on different aspects of Lower-World work. The two we’re running this year were formerly known as Next Steps 1 and Next Steps 2, covering key fundamental practices of Lower-World work. They are specifically designed to be the next steps after the First Steps, allowing you to deepen and consolidate your Lower-World practice.
For more experienced students…
who might be sceptical about revisiting Lower-World practices, let me say this: Learning shamanism is not a linear process. Over decades of teaching, students who repeat courses, especially Shamanic ones, consistently provide feedback that they gain a tremendous amount more each time. They develop a greater understanding, make connections they hadn’t noticed before, and absorb information on a deeper level. Learning Shamanism is not a linear process; even revisiting what seems like the basics can offer new insights. It’s akin to assembling a complex three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. When you add new pieces, not only do they make sense individually, but they also enhance the understanding of existing elements. Your practice deepens, and your comprehension grows.
So, if you already feel a strong connection with the Lower-World or have a Lower-World human guide, and if you believe you understand the four elements of air, fire, water, and earth, this course will still provide immense value.
Last time Live! Enroll now or do it as self-led later
Normally, this course would be repeated every two to three years. However, this will likely be the last time we offer the course live. Over the next few years, our plan is to convert some courses into self-directed versions that people can sign up for at any time and complete at their own pace.
There are advantages to offering courses like this, as individuals can enrol and progress at their convenience. However, the downside is that we won’t have any live components anymore because people may join at any point during the year. Therefore, this will likely be the final instance of this course with any live components. I understand that for some of you, the live component might not be a significant issue, but if it is, seize the day. This is probably your one and only opportunity to take this course with a live component.
Ongoing access
Ongoing access to the course
When you sign up for the courses, you have access to the recordings and the other teacher materials for life – life, of course, meaning for the life of the college. So as long as there’s a college running, and as long as the internet exists, you’ll have access to the recordings. So you can take as long as you want to work your way through a course, and you can come back to it and revise any bits of it as often as you want. It’s sort of like buying a book – once you bought the materials, you know, they’re yours and for as long as you want.
Free revisions
When we (re)run any course that you have done previously, you can sign up for the new version for free!
Done the NS1 course? Get this one free.
Just a reminder, if you have previously completed this specific Next Steps course (formerly known as Next Steps 1), you are eligible for a free repeat of this course. If you’re interested, simply email me at paul@therapeutic-shamanism.co.uk and I’ll send you a code for registration.
Payment in three instalments
Money, of course, can be a challenge. We try to keep the courses as low-cost as we possibly can, and all of us involved in the college live quite modestly. Remember that in terms of signing up for the courses, our website gives you the option of paying for courses in three monthly instalments at no extra interest. For this course, for instance, you can pay 150 pounds upfront or in three instalments of 50 pounds each over the next three months. I hope that helps.
What if I cannot join the live sessions?
You do not have to be able to attend the live sessions to sign up for the course, and to get a huge amount out of doing it. At the moment, probably around 50% of our students don’t attend live at all and of the 50% that do, probably half of those only attend some of the live sessions, so you do not have to attend the live sessions, to sign up for the course.
Having said that, obviously, the live sessions add even more and the people that do attend them tend to really value them and love them, which is why we keep doing, offering them really the live sessions. The feedback we get is that people love the experience of journeying together. They love the sharing of journeys. they learn a huge amount from listening to other people’s journeys, but more than anything, they value the discussion time and the sense of community and support and things that come with that. So the live sessions are great and they do add a lot. On the other hand, we have loads of people who don’t attend the live sessions and still keep booking on our courses, and still, we get fantastic feedback from them too. So don’t let not being able to attend the live sessions put you off.
Finding a Human Guide can be tricky!
Finding a genuine Lower-World human guide isn’t as simple or straightforward as finding a Power Animal, and there are three main reasons for that.
The unhelpful baggage from our past human relationships:
The first challenge stems from the baggage we carry from our past human relationships. When we seek a human guide in the Lower-World, we inevitably bring along some of this baggage. It’s hard to avoid, and it can make us feel like we need to please them, worry about rejection, or anticipate problems like a bad temper. This module will dive into this issue, helping us understand our baggage better. The goal is to recognize it when it shows up and set it aside so it doesn’t mess with our ability to connect with a genuine Lower-World human.
There is no such thing as a generic Human:
While we can easily picture a generic wolf, oak tree, or dolphin that represents the whole of the species, imagining a generic human is impossible. As humans, we’re hardwired to look for differences, to look for individuality between people. Consider a generic human: What hair color, length, skin tone, eye color, voice, gender, and age would they possess? So, when dealing with Lower-World humans, we see them as unique individuals. Understanding this individuality is crucial to keep Middle-World influences from messing with our connections. This module will explore this issue, providing insights on navigating it without compromising our connections.
Our misconceptions about Hunter-Gatherers:
Many people have inaccurate thoughts about the emotional, psychological, and day-to-day lives of hunter-gatherers. This module aims to clear up these misconceptions, offering a more accurate understanding. By doing so, we can make sure these mistaken ideas don’t mess with our ability to connect with a genuine Lower-World Human guide.
Working with the 5 Elements
In shamanism, the five elements – Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether – are the fundamental building blocks of the universe, each embodying distinct qualities contributing to the composition of all matter.
Earth symbolises realism, practicality, and grounding. It encourages us to embody a sense of belonging and safety, providing a sense of permanence in the ever-changing world.
Water symbolises emotional depth and the fluidity of life. As Fire burns out, Water encourages perseverance and reflection and helps us keep going.
Air symbolises inspiration and the breath of life. It encourages us to embrace change and new ideas,
Fire is our personal power, pushing us to set boundaries, speak up, and stay true to ourselves. It brings enthusiasm and the confidence to tackle challenges, find joy and approach life with optimism.
WORKING WITH THE 5 ELEMENTS:
- Transformation practices: Shamanic practices where we work with the elements to experience being taken completely apart and reduced to something formless and then reformed again. In a sense, they are a mini ‘death’ and rebirth. They include weird and wonderful things such as burials, burnings, dismemberments, dissolvings, cocoonings, poisonings and shapeshifting. It’s what we will be learning on this course. Read more
- Wheel of Life. To come to life, everything must go through the elemental cycle – air for potential, fire for action, water for reflection, and earth for closure. Each stage contributes to growth. When feeling stuck, the Wheel helps us identify our place in the cycle and what’s needed to move forward. Read more
- Tree of Life. Our energy system is also closely connected to the five elements. Understanding the different energy bodies (spirit, soul, mental, emotional, and physical), chakras, and their interconnectedness with the 5 elements is a key building block of any grounded shamanic practice. Read more
I hope to see you on the course!
The ‘Exploring the Lower-World’ course consists of 6 pre-recorded theory sessions and 4 two-hour long live sessions.
Theory pre-recorded sessions
will be released released weekly between March 24th and April 28th.
The live (experiential/community) sessions:
March 31st, April 7th, April 21st and April 28th
They will be 2 hours long, and start at 2pm (UK time).
Recordings (minus the break-out room discussions) will be available for anyone who cannot attend the sessions live.
The closing date for enrolment is Saturday 24th of March. This will likely be the last time we offer the course in this format, so please do take this opportunity to book (remember, once booked, you can always work through the recordings at your own pace, and with no time limits).