Ross Heaven of the Four Gates Foundation has announced the following workshops for 2010. Ross is the author of the book The Hummingbird’s Journey to God: Perspectives on San Pedro; the Cactus of Vision.

April 3 – 16 2010 SHAMANIC PRACTITIONER AND HEALER DIPLOMA

This unique course condenses a whole year of normal practitioner training into a two-week residency, saving you time and money and ensuring that you qualify more quickly. It is ideal for those who wish to learn shamanic skills so they can incorporate them into their lives and/or those who would like to act as guides and healers for others, helping them to find their own soul pathways.

It begins with an introduction to shamanism, its methods and practices, including little-known and seldom-taught techniques from a range of shamanic cultures, and builds to a deep and detailed exploration of shamanic healing including soul retrieval, spirit extraction, energy balancing, shamanic counselling, future-seeing and Earth and community healing using specialist techniques which are not taught on any other shamanic training programmes.

A Diploma is awarded on completion and graduates have the opportunity to add their names to The Four Gates healer referrals list.

April 28 – May 2 2010 TRIBAL SPIRIT

Shamanic Skills, Medicine Plants and Survival Arts
The prophecies of many cultures speak of a time of coming change when our current ways of living will no longer serve us. More recently scientists and economists have been giving us the same message and some have calculated that the world’s energy resources will be depleted within 30 years, impacting our ability to grow food, to transport it and even to cook and to heat our homes. James Lovelock, the renowned earth scientist and originator of Gaia Theory, writes that the world is now entering a period of “unprecedented change” and to prepare for it we must become ‘tribal’ people again and learn the skills and medicine ways of our ancestors.

This workshop gives you some of the skills we may all need in this changing world. Participants are shown how to connect to nature through methods of special shamanic consciousness in order to find allies, medicine plants, food and shelter, and how to understand the signs of the natural world. Instruction is also provided in how to track for medicines and foods, including the key methods used by shamans to find edible and healing plants. Practical arts are also taught including camp and shelter-building, making fire, and creating tools and utensils from natural materials.

At the end of the course participants will have a better understanding of nature and its allies, be more at one with the land and its bounty, and know the key elements of survival and tribal community life.

May 8 – 12 2010 THE RETURN OF THE SERPENT

Plant Spirit Shamanism and the Vine of Souls

On this workshop we explore our connection to nature and the folkways, medicines and wisdom of our ancestors as we restore balance to our souls through the healing and visionary powers of one of the world’s greatest teacher plants.

Participants learn practices of plant spirit shamanism, including methods for connecting to and working with our guides and allies in nature, how to recognise and prepare healing plants, give and receive blessings, and aspects of soul healing and retrieval using plants, herbs and flowers. Two sacred vine ceremonies are included.

For more information visit www.thefourgates.com