"Our contest is not against flesh and blood; rather, the authorities of the world and the spiritual hosts of wickedness." - Paul, Ephesians 6:12
Whether it is the daisy, the shark, the porcupine, the thunderstorm, the rainbow or the caterpillar, every being of nature is '"of itself so." In other words, everything in nature spontaneously expresses itself without apology, artifice or self-consciousness. Nature always remains true to itself; it never turns on itself or denies itself what it yearns for or what is good for it. Every nature-being serves and contributes to the collective by simply being exactly as it is, and the overarching energy of nature is an ecstatic and celebratory intention to simply create itself further.
Human beings are also beings of nature.
But instead of living unencumbered in our authenticity, embodied in our truest expression, joyfully celebrating our individuality, and living lives of creative engagement, we have been domesticated by an over-culture of conventionality, binary thinking, and moral judgment. From the moment we are born, the spark of our divine singularity goes through a systematic process of eradication as we learn from society, family, and the media to adhere to a matrix of rules, social conventions, armchair morality, and mistaken beliefs that are not, and never were, our own.
This mass surrender to the "institutional authority" is not just a sociological phenomenon, but a spiritual crisis.
In this provocative, transformational, experiential, and mind-bending workshop, we will begin the process of "re-wilding" ourselves back to our true nature. Through lecture, group sharing, shamanic journeying, as well as meditative and somatic practices, we will turn away from the oppressive over-culture and move inward toward the wildness of our soul's becoming.
Topics and experiential practices will include:
Using Nature as a template to excavate our wildness
Exploring the masculine/feminine and the human/bestial polarities within us
Understanding the non-binary as an emerging evolutionary and spiritual force
Merging your mind with the fifth-dimensional consciousness of the shaman
Exploring the Freudian “superego” as a psychological trap that impedes wildness
Understanding Jung's concept of “libido” as the wellspring of our creative source
Healing Mother/Father/Cultural complexes that impede our wildness
The Earth Chakra and the Dark Mother- connecting to our true belonging-ness and the “darkness” of unmitigated truth
Note: This workshop addresses some themes around sex and sexuality as it relates to aligning with our inner creative source. There is nothing in this workshop about specific sexual acts of any kind. That said, those who are uncomfortable with discussion around sexuality or those with sexual trauma may want to exercise discretion about attending.
FACULTY:
Jonathan Hammond
Jonathan is a Maui-based Author, Spiritual Teacher, Energy Healer, Shamanic Practioner, and Spiritual Counselor. He is a graduate of Harvard University and The University of Michigan. Jonathan is a certified Master Teacher in Shamanic Reiki, Usui and Karuna Reiki. He is on the Advanced Graduate Studies Advisor for Shamanic Reiki Worldwide and an ordained Alaka'i (teacher/guide) in the Hawaiian Shamanic tradition through Aloha International. He teaches classes in Shamanism, Energy Healing, Reiki, Huna and Ho'oponopono at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, The One Spirit Learning Alliance and other major venues around the world. Jonathan has completed four years of training in Inter-Spirituality and Spiritual Counseling at the One Spirit Learning Alliance and was ordained as an Interfaith Minister in 2008. He is now a faculty member at One Spirit, and the founder and facilitator of the One Spirit Shamanic Circle. He has training and certifications in Cherokee Bodywork, Huna (Hawaiian Shamanism), he has completed all core curriculum with the Foundation of Shamanic Studies, and he has trained in the therapeutic facilitation of psychedelics with Inward Bound in Ireland. Jonathan has also been initiated through the Minoan Fellowship in Wicca. Internationally, Jonathan has facilitated spiritual retreats in Costa Rica, Bali, Nicaragua, Peru, and Mexico. He has studied shamanism, meditation, energy healing and the chakras with some of the most prominent teachers and healers in North and South America; as well as apprenticeships with shamans of Brazil, Bali, Nicaragua, Mexico and Hawaii. Before moving into his work in holistic health, Jonathan had a successful career as an award-winning actor appearing on Broadway and Television. Jonathan is deeply committed to empowering and healing people by bringing indigenous earth-wisdom and Aloha into the modern world in practical and usable ways. His first book about contemporary shamanism and the spiritual traditions of Hawaii called The Shaman's Mind - Huna Wisdom to Change your Life is available where books are sold. Jonathan lives on Maui and maintains his private practice in Kihei, Hawaii and online.