A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SACRED LIVING

inside this issue ISSUE 18 AUTUMN 1997 £2.95

RAINBOW
TRIBE
ED McGAA
EAGLE MAN
on why we are
all one tribe.

TANTRIC TIBET
NGAK’CHANG
RINPOCHE
on the many
strange beings of
Buddhist Ritual

WALKING WITH DRAGONS

HUNGARIAN SHAMANISM with PETER AZIZ
A SHAMAN Also
IN CAMBRIDGE MEETING THE GREENWOOD ~ WORKING WITH TREE SPIRITS
recent visit of a MAKE A MEDICINE BAG H CELTIC SWEAT LODGE
Siberian Shaman
GET IN TOUCH - UK EVENTS DIARY
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What are the Lakota words for
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PAGE 4 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997

 Inside this Issue
The wisdom of living with
respect for all our relations
Pages 10 -14
The strange beings of
Tibetan spirituality
Pages 20 - 24
The Celtic Sweatlodge
Pages 28 - 29
DON'T MISS - THE ‘PEOPLE ON THE PATH’
starts page 36 - unique 'shamanic events' guide to what's happening in the UK
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
Special Features
THE RAINBOW AND THE BLUE MAN. . . . . . . . . . 10-14
The Blue man of Black Elk’s Vision is the distroyer
of balanced living. The Rainbow people are the
new tribe who fight him.
By Ed McGaa Eagle Man.
TALKING TO THE DRAGONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-17
Tethatu, is a traditional Hugarian shamanic healing
technique. Here we look at the ways it is worked, and
the special relationship of tree spirits within its tradition.
By Peter Aziz.
MEETING THE GREENWOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19
A walk in a wild wood, or even in the park among the
trees can be a wonder filled event. Here we look at
some simple things you can do by yourself or with others.
By Jan Wood.
WEARING THE BODY OF VISIONS. . . . . . . . . . . 20-24
Peacful, joyful and wrathful Yidams. The spiritual life
of Tibet is full of the strangest beings. Here we look
at what all these images mean, and how they help
us reach an enlightened state.
By Ngak’chang Rinpoche
BLESSING OF THE REINDEER CAMPS. . . . . . . . 24-25
An personal account of a blessing ceremony performed
in Cambridge by a visiting Siberian shaman.
By Karen Kelly
THE STAFF AND THE SONG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26
Part two of a feature in which one of the leading authorities
on the Shamanic journey tells us about her experience of
wise women singing circles in the tradition
of the ancient Norse sagas.
By Annette Høst
CRAFT A PERSONAL MEDICINE BAG. . . . . . . . 3 0 - 3 1
Making and beadwork decorating a small
personal medicine bag.
By Nicholas Wood
TÉACH AN ALAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29
The sweat lodge is not a stranger to these shores.
Here we look at the Celtic sweat house traditions and
how echoes of them remain today.
By Adrian Reid-Wolfe.
Regular Features
READERS OFFERS PAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
EDITORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
NEWS PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EARTH TALK : FTF NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
PAGE 5
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PAGE 6 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997


MAGAZINE
ISSN 1364 - 2219
EDITOR
Nicholas Wood
PRODUCTION
Nicholas Wood
ADMINISTRATION
Rebecca Sargent
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Jan Wood
Celia Wearing
David Stemp
Stephen Fountain
PUBLISHING POLICY
SACRED HOOP networks those
interested in the teachings of
indigenous shamanic peoples
as a living path of knowledge.
Our contents cover the integration
of old and new knowledge,
and insights that contribute
to a balanced and sustainable
lifestyle in today's world.
We honour all paths and peoples
and do not include material
from, or give support to, any
individual or group which seeks
to oppress or discriminate
on grounds of race, lineage,
age, sex, class or belief.
Nor do we knowingly publish
any material that is inaccurate.
The views expressed are not
necessarily those of the Editor.
For All Our Relations
Printed on paper
from a sustainable source by
Perfect Image. Tel (01386) 40435
FRONT COVER DETAILS
Dragon gate: by Nicholas Wood
DISCLAIMER
Whilst making every effort to be
accurate, the Editorial Team will
not be deemed responsible for any
errors, omissions or inaccuracies
appearing in Sacred Hoop.
SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE
28 COWL STREET,
EVESHAM, WORCS.
WR11 4PL, ENGLAND.
PHONE & FAX (01386) 49680
©1997 Sacred Hoop Magazine
and/or individual contributors. No
part of this magazine, either
written text or visual art may be
reproduced in any way
whatsoever without the w r i t t e n
permission of the editors.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
JAN WOOD PUTS DOWN
THE HOOP REINS.
Jan Wood who was the original founder and
editor of Sacred Hoop and has worked on all
of each issue since its beginning is taking a
well-earned sabbatical to pursue her other
interests. Jan who originally trained as a
painter wishes to concentrate on her own art
work and her shamanic work with groups and
individuals. All at Sacred Hoop wish her well
in her new ventures.
Editorial
To the many people who write in to say how much they
love Sacred Hoop, and how important it is in their lives
thank you. This is the eighteenth issue of the magazine,
and we have come to a crucial time.
The last editorial I wrote it seemed touched a lot of
people, including the producers of Radio Four’s Afternoon
shift who asked me to go on the show. In the editorial I
spoke about the need to recognise and honour the
teachings and the people sharing the teachings within the
UK. One stage beyond this, I am pleased to ask you to
read the item about the setting up of the White Horse Circle, a circle in lieu of eldership.
You will find this on the Flowering Tree page.
Hoop has for the whole of its history tried to share good medicine and the ethics of right
relationship. We have tried to do what we do with a sense of honour and respect for the
sacred teachings of the world and those who have and who still are practising them. We
hope that those of you who have been with us for sometime, some of you even from issue
one, have got something heartfelt out of reading it.
Currently Hoop is in great need of funding and investment. We are facing several paths,
Hoop can either grow in strength, it can trim its sails (sales) and become a smaller
magazine, or it can cease altogether. The latter option is my least favourite, the first option
my favourite. Therefore I am taking this time to ask you if you are able to to support us
financially.
We need to generate more income, Hoop costs £7,500 each issue to produce before
any wages are drawn whatsoever. Help with this can come in various ways.
First of all I would ask you if you are reading someone else’s Hoop, please subscribe,
your subscription fee is the life blood of our income.
Secondly, if you are able to, please consider sponsoring a page or half page. The
sponsorship of a page is a way you can make a direct involvement to us. We are asking for
£50 a half and £100 a full page. Sponsors get their names put into a special sponsors box
appearing on this page in future issue.
Thirdly, if you are able to give a gift, however small or big to the work of Hoop we would
be very grateful. Together we can strengthen the traditions and practice of Shamanism in
the UK, please add your voice to the circle, to the Sacred Hoop. Opposite is a sub form
and a help form for your convenience.
And if you can - come to our solstice party in London ~ details opposite
I look forward to the next issue and the next eighteen!.
For all my relations
Nicholas Wood
In the last issue of Sacred Hoop we ran a competition to win an elk skin medicine
drum. Congratulations to our winner R. Allen of Bath.
PAGE 7
 News from the Hoop
RESPECTED CHEROKEE DREAMTIME STORIES ON TRIAL
ELDER PASSES ON
Born in 1916, the Members of the Aranda tribe of and it is far from certain if the
traditional Cherokee central Australia are claiming their Australian legal authorities will alow
medicine man John ancestral lands back with the aid of it to take place.
Photo : Carmen Pope.

‘Rolling Thunder’ Dreamtime Stories. The Tribal lands

Pope died earlier are in possession of the Crown, and
this year. the people who lay claim to them
As a teenager, tribal BEAUTIFUL PAINTED
are telling the traditional stories to
elders recognised his special
the courts in an attempt to gain
ARROW RETIRES FROM
abilities and gave him private RUNNING DRUM DANCES
instruction and training so he could possession once more.
become a medicine man in later life. This however is causing certain The Native American visionary
At the age of 15 he built a cabin in problems. In tribal tradition, only Beautiful Painted Arrow announced his
the woods and lived completely initiated people have the right to retirement from running ceremonial
alone there for several years have dreamtime knowledge shared dances, in New Mexico in July of this
continuing his studies and learning with them. This is especially true of year.
to listen and communicate with the sacred objects, which are important He said that the Spirits who inspired
plants and animals that surrounded in these traditions. Only male elders him to run the dances had given him
him. who are initiated may see them, and permission to pass them on, and that
Throughout his long life he battled a problem has arisen because the his retirement was partly due to his
his own alcoholism and near knowing the time and date of his own
officials of the court looking at the
starvation in the Great Depression, death. He has been visiting the UK
case are not initiated.
and eventually went on to become a annually to run the Drum Dance, and
master herbalist and even a Attempts to get around this problem passed the responsibility for them in
celebrity, giving spiritual advice to are being discussed. These involve Britain to Lindsay Sutton, & Carlos Philip
the likes of Joni Mitchell and Bob the Aranda elders disclosing the Glover.
Dylan. Dylan later named a world sacred objects to the judge of the
For further information. contact: Carlos Philip
tour after him as a mark of respect - court when he is alone, after the Glover, Tel: 01803 867689 12 Broom Park,
the Rolling Thunder Review. court has been cleared. This would Dartington, Devon TQ9 6IR
Throughout his life he always gave be an unprecedented occurrence
one clear message - return to the
old ways, abolish war and pollution
and respect Mother Earth, who is LEONARD PELTIER SERIOUSLY ILL
the life source of all beings. He
was also a life long activist for Imprisoned suffered from a problem preventing
Photo : Leonard Peltier Defence Committee

Native American rights, participating since 1976 on him from fully opening his mouth.
in the 1973 stand off between the c h a r g e s Surgery was performed to correct this,
US government and rights activists considered to but now his jaw will not close all the
at Wounded Knee South Dakota. have been way, making it impossible for him to
His work can be read about in a fabricated by eat solid foods. Swelling remains along
book by Doug Boyd simply entitled the FBI, and one side of his jaw and he gets
Rolling Thunder. sentenced to frequent headaches. After over six
(Available through the Sacred Trust Tel
twice his months of fighting, Leonard's people
(01225) 852615). natural life in prison Lakota political were finally able to secure copies of
activist Leonard Peltier is seriously ill in his medical records, which are being
prison in America. His case has currently reviewed by a series of
caused long running conflict in the doctors.
USA, despite frequent calls for a re Readers are urged to write asking for a
We would like trial. In 1995 The European Parliment Presidential Pardon to : President Bill Clinton,
this page to be passed a resolution calling for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC
a regular feature clemency, but despite even this 20500 USA.
within Sacred Hoop, involvement in the case Peltier remains Further details from :
and ask readers to in prison. The Leonard Peltier Defence Committee, P.o.
send in any news Currently he is now very ill, remaining
Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044 USA.
items they feel Phone (001) (913) 842 5774.
are suitable without remedy following unsuccessful Fax (001) (913) 842 5796.
surgery on his jaw. Initially, Leonard

PAGE 8 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997

 FLOWERING TREE FEDERATION NEWS:
EARTHTALK
FROM THE POSTBAG . . .
Dear FTF, I have recently
discovered shamanism and done
two workshops which were
wonderful and really opened my
eyes to a new reality. It has been
life-changing.
Unfortunately my family don’t
want to know and treat me as if
I’ve done something wrong. They
have even suggested that I have
become unbalanced in some way.
This is a completely new
experience for me, as I’ve never
done anything like this before.
Can you help?
D.H. (Devon)
FTF REPLIES . . .
One of the perennial problems
of spiritual and personal growth
is the stress put on everyday
relationships, and how you bring
new perspectives and learning
into everyday life. Learning has a
knock on effect - all things are
connected! And this is true for
those who are in your family,
friends and work network too.
So let’s look at ‘re-entry’. We
all go through ‘evangelical’
stages when we go home so
excited about our new
discoveries that we bore the
pants off unwitting family and
friends. Result - the ‘workshop
come-down.’
Think of yourself as fitting
into your home picture like a
piece in its jigsaw; even if the fit
was bad, at least everyone knew
what the misfit felt like. Then
you suddenly change shape, drop
a lug or curve, or perhaps
everyone experienced you as a
corner piece and you return a
confirmed middle bit; there’s
bound to be pressure on you to
return to your original, familiar
shape.
Now while the one who has
grown has experienced positive
change, this has happened in a
setting which is not their
everyday life. Meanwhile, those
at home are probably wondering
if the person who left Friday will
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 17 1997
be the same one who returns
Sunday. And if the return has
been bumpy once, there will be
tension around on subsequent
occasions. I sometimes wish that
all workshops ended with a
health warning to return home
gently rather than - as I have
experienced at the beginning of
my own path - dropping back
into it, glowing with heightened
awareness like an incendiary
device.
Of course, this is slightly
exaggerating, but I know how
often I put my foot in it before
developing strategies that were
much better for all concerned.
the last thing you need is
emotional angst at what can be a
vulnerable time.
Personally I find that stopping
off somewhere on the way home
for a strong coffee and some food
helps to re-align. There’s
nothing like caffeine and a
motorway services cafe to snap
me back into the everyday!
Ask for blessings as you
journey home, for a gentle re-
entry, whatever situation you
are returning to. Remember that
if you seek change, the chances
are you will get it, and a large
part of the learning is in how you
bring it into your everyday life.
To help integrate what you
have learned, the healing
received, the new perspectives,
make a quiet ritual when you
have reconnected with your
‘normal world’, something that
will help you keep hold of and
honour the reality of the changes
you have undergone.
This might be writing a
journal or intuitive story,
making a picture or craft item in
celebration of gifts received,
planting something appropriate
in your garden, the choice is
wide.
Remember that there is no
reason why those around you
should approve or take part in
your new discoveries.
You may find support in one of
THE WHITE HORSE
CIRCLE
‘Blend with the Earth and celebrate life’
‘The members of this circle
have walked with the sweet
traditions of medicine
teachings in these lands for
some years.
We gather regularly to honour
and cherish the teachings we
hold, to grow together as a
peer group in lieu of other
forms of eldership, and give
what service we are called
upon to give, for the highest
good of all. For all our
relations.’
For all our relations
Fiona Fredenburgh, Anna Gahlin
Diana Griffiths, Jennifer Lynn-
Cline, Annie Spencer, Adrian
Reid-Wolfe, Leo Rutherford,
Duncan Wordley, David Wendl-
Berry, Jan Wood, Nicholas
Wood, Carol Youngson
In preparation at the moment are
guidelines for the safe conduct of
Sweatlodges. Details in the next
Hoop.
FLOWERING
TREE
FEDERATION
is a growing network of those
practising and learning about
earth-based spirituality and
shamanism.
It has a book loan service and
supports the creation and
maintainance of circles of
healing and celebration at a local
level.
Its members follow a simple Code
of Ethics based on respect for all
life
Further details of membership
and Code of Ethics send SAE
(first class stamp) to:
PAGE 9
Renowned for his plain speaking,
Lakota teacher and writer
Ed McGaa Eagle Man
tells us about the need to live a
life with a heart connection to
the ‘Natural way’, the way of the Earth
M
a ny of you reading this
have sought a teacher to
learn more about the
‘Natural Way’.
I think it is wise to let nature be the
foremost teacher. When choosing a
two-legged teacher, I watch for
someone who has courage and is
willing to admit that they can be wrong
or in error. One of the most profound
abilities to be found in a fruitful teacher
is their ability to admit that they do not
know the answer to most of life’s
mysteries. You must decide if the
knowledge they carry will be beneficial
to your path. Above all, allow your
teachers to be human and grant them
the freedom to make their share of
human mistakes.
cooperation among the races of the
four colours. These men were known
for holding ceremony for the healing of
Indians and non-Indians who sought
their wisdom and counsel.
I would also honour my spirit guide
in a glass house and having people
examine everything I do and I wouldn’t
care to put up with the jealousy that is
always dropped on a medicine man,
especially the successful ones.
I am just a two-legged who has
made my share of mistakes in life, and
I don’t think that will change, I’ll make
more yet. I don’t believe you have to be
a holy man to acknowledge Great Spirit.
Many people these days place the
patriarchal belief systems of the
dominant culture into their interpre-
tation of Mother Earth Spirituality. It is
important to get back to basics and ask
yourself daily, how can we keep a
strong connection to the Earth and the
sacred Four directions?

Once I identify a possible teacher, I

must determine whether the teacher is
authentic. It is important for you to test
the teacher. Ask yourself a few
questions, Do they want to control you
or things in general? Are they loaded
up with superstitions or strange rules
that restrict sincere prayer and
ceremony. Are they purposefully
making the teaching difficult so that
you will have to keep coming back to
them? Are they warning you to avoid
other people’s ceremonies or other
knowledge? If their rules or procedures
can be used in a practical way to
restore harmony, then by all means
respect them. I know a teacher who is
fairly strict, but underneath he
emanates a deep harmony along with
some very worthwhile wisdom.
The teachers I respect include some
of my fellow Native Americans who
have come forth to offer knowledge
and their experiences. Over a half
century ago, Black Elk met with a white from the world beyond whom I have Setting your intention to getting
man to tell of his deep and powerful come to know as Charging Shield. I back to nature is the key to living in
vision. Later, he sat with another non- regard his force or mystery as having harmony on the Mother Earth. The
Indian to expand upon the seven allowed me numerous adventures and earliest Americans considered every
sacred ceremonies. These men were experiences in the Natural Way. day a spiritual association with nature,
writers1. Black Elk intended that the Charging Shield's spirit has also been a every step a connection to Great Spirit.
knowledge of the Natural Way be driving force behind my writing. The culmination of this association was
preserved and passed on for the I also remember Plato's thought, ceremony. Ceremony is a beseechment,
benefit of all two-leggeds, tribal and “each of us has many teachers who thanks-giving, or acknowledgment to a
non tribal. alter the course of our lives. Some of higher power, a higher force. If you are a
Frank Fools Crow and Bill Eagle these people may cross our lives for a traditional Sioux Indian, ceremony is directed
Feather, two venerable Sioux holy men moment and leave an indelible mark in toward Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, the
who rebirthed the Sun Dance, followed our memories”. Great Mystery, the Great Unending Circle,
Black Elk’s example. Their ceremonies I want to make it clear that I do not through the Six Powers of the universe, the
did not exclude anyone because of regard myself as a medicine man, it’s six powers that Black Elk’s powerful vision
gender, colour or bloodline. Both holy tough enough just being a writer, just describes. The function of vision, ritual and
men spoke out for unity and having the courage to call a few perceiving intellect is to allow us to experience
spades, spades! I want to avoid living our spirituality here and now.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997 PAGE 11

PAGE 11 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997

 We are a manifestation of the Six
Powers physically, and they are clearly
visible today and every day. They are a
direct manifestation of the Great
Mystery and are contained in all life.
Most Native Americans do not attempt
to describe the Great Spirit. We believe
it is rather foolish to attempt description
of the Creator of time and space-things
our two-legged mind cannot
comprehend.
I practise the Mother Earth
ceremonies as a natural part of
my daily living. We use the pipe
2
in the seven sacred
ceremonies 3. Some of these
ceremonies, including the Sun
Dance and the Keeping of the
Soul Ceremony, were banned
by the U.S. government.
Unlike the ceremonies of the
dominant culture in the
America’s, Sioux ceremonies
are very balanced. When a
woman is present, it is she who
will be the first to enter the
Lodge. A great deal of power
and harmony manifest when a
woman is allowed to take her
equal place in ceremony.
Probably more important, a
great deal of wisdom is lost
when a woman is not allowed
her rightful voice in spiritual
leadership. We are seeing a
significant rise in numbers of
those who choose to participate
in the international Sun Dance.
This seems peculiar to me since
the prayers we make are very
old and require a deep
commitment to the old ways.
I find it difficult to fault the
respectful and well meaning
use of objects for ceremonial
purposes by a person who has
a healthy respect for those
objects and sincerely uses
them to connect to the Great
Spirit and who is of course
concerned about the health of
our Mother Earth. I hope
however that you will be
respectful in the use of your
ceremonial tools. My teachers
insist that to properly conduct
ceremony, absolutely no
alcohol or other chemicals
were to be consumed, and this
included the cactus bud called
peyote. Bill Eagle Feather
PAGE 12
once told me, "We get our visions
from our own juices." Both holy men I
mentioned were total abstainers, and
it is my strong recommendation that if
you are considering taking a
leadership role in ceremony, you
abstain from all alcohol, drugs, or
mind-altering substances.
For the novice wanting to bring the
power of ceremony into your life, practise
smudging yourself and making a simple
beseechment to the four directions (or
“A great deal of
wisdom is lost
when a woman
is not allowed
her rightful voice
in spiritual
leadership”
what some refer to as the Medicine
Wheel).
Indian names, or natural names, are
being sought after by many non-Indians.
People are seeking a natural identity to
become more aligned and related to the
natural forces that flow in harmony. It is
comforting to have a natural name. It is also
a good feeling to have a stone, a stone that
conveys a special meaning to you and has
come to you in a special way. Open your
heart to the rising sun while holding
your Wotai stone and recognising
that new knowledge can result
from each new day is a form of
ceremony. Your Wotai may be
your teacher, protector and friend,
a piece of our Mother Earth.
You may someday
participate in a Sweat Lodge
for purification, and in time a
Vision Quest for one's lone
beseechment. It is my belief
that spiritually balanced people
with good intentions should be
welcomed to conduct
ceremony, and that they
should not be fearful. I think
it is better for this ailing world
that non-Indians have the
opportunity to experience
these ways since it will make
them a better people. That is
how powerful these
ceremonies are and we do not
have much environmental time
to be arguing over who may
participate in ceremony.
You must remember by living
the Natural Way, the Native
Americans lived in environmental
tranquillity and in an intrinsic
relationship with nature as
dependent servants - not
polluting, self-destructing
masters.
Unchecked industrial growth
has caused perilous pollution,
massive over-population and
has changed all of that for the
inhabitants of Mother Earth.
The red people had no need to
consider changing their nature-
based system. Their land was
kept pure and clean. It was
productive and had a balanced
population. History shows that
my people were kind and
generous peoples. We kept the
Pilgrims alive and sheltered the
runaway black slaves. We even
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
taught the Pilgrims Thanksgiving and
how to plant and fertilise the right way.
These people did not place price tags
on spiritual gifts and their expressions
of gratitude could not be bought by the
dominant culture.
The ‘blue man’ of Black Elk's 4
vision is seen as a symbol of those
who have harmed Mother Earth and all
her creatures. The blue man, the great
violator, symbolises greed,
corruption, dishonesty and
selfishness. Mother Earth,
represented by the four
directions, has fought back
against the one who has made
the grass and animals sick and
the streams and air unclean.
I see the Blue Man as an
untruthful, greedy and
destructive being. Lying is a
part of their customs. We
don't have to look very far in
the modern world to see the
consequences of amoral
leadership.
Although a person may be
able to get away with his
schemes and untruths, in the
spirit world truth won’t be
bought or sold and memory will
be for an eternity. Natural
justice will wreak its balance. It
is said that in the very early
days, lying was a capital offense
among us. Believing that the
deliberate liar is capable of
committing any crime behind
the scene of cowardly untruth
and double dealing, the
destroyer of mutual confidence
was put to death.
We don't have to look far to
see the blue man in the tobacco
industry, or the self-serving
politicians who protected their
secrets. I will expose many of
these people and institutions in
a future book about the Blue
Man.
But we must not lose sight
of those people who have
integrity. Amongst those I have
come to know are the rainbow
people described in my book
Rainbow Tribe 5.
The rainbow is a symbol of the
Great Spirit and the many colours,
ways, and races unifying. Black
Elk said the Rainbow people
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
(Lakota: Wigmunke oyate) would become
the spreading flames for a unifying force
of good. The rainbow symbolises fresh
spirit life, and from the rainbow little
flames of knowledge fall. Where they
land, flowers grow.
The rainbows are searching to bring
forth that ancient tribal gene link that
cultivates an innate spiritual
consciousness, a natural flowing
guidance that led native peoples to
personal and collective enjoyment for
“the rainbow
people practise
Mother Earth
spirituality or
simply follow
the Natural Way,
whatever it
is called”
thousands of years. These enlightened
ones are the Rainbow Tribe, a person
who allows nature to touch into his or
her own inner source of wisdom - one’s
own heart.
Their passion has led to an
international resurgence of the Sun
Dance 6.
There is a strong relationship
between the 'matriarchal' Rainbow
Tribe and the Celtic people.
Some historians and archae-
ologists believe the Bering
land bridge existed 200,000
years ago and suggest a
nature-deity connection may
have existed between the
British Isles and the Western
shores of the Atlantic. I have
observed a deep respect for
the Mother, (Lakota : Ina
Maka), by the Rainbow people.
They are opening new
freedoms for the female and
are ahead of many of their
modern Native American
counterparts, who I suspect
have been unconsciously
influenced by the patriarchy of
the missionaries. Could the
matriarchal respect being shown
by the Rainbows be a reaching
back to the best facets of the
Druidic spirituality that obviously
held a powerful connection to the
Creator endowed extension of the
natural entities?
My personal lineage
continues to draw me back to
the British Isles. A few years
ago, I had dinner with Phillip
Carr-Gomm, chief of the Order
of Bards, Ovates and Druids 7. I
discovered there were many
startling similarities between
native American and Druid
teachings and practice. The
Spirit of the Circle, the Spirit of
the Stones, and related stone
circle (medicine wheel)
ceremonies suggest a possible
common past.
Like the Native
Americans, both the Celts
and the Druids practise
teaching in the oral traditions.
Bards keep the identity and
history alive for their people,
creating a communal
imagination that weaves
PAGE 13
together threads of the past, present
and future. Had the Celtic tribes
endured the political tides, even if
continued on some kind of
reservation system as were the
native North Americans, then a vast
reservoir of natural, connecting
knowledge would have been available
in our time.
Unfortunately, the modern two-
leggeds of European lineage, the
Romans and the English Kings, the
‘anti-Mothers’, destroyed the
truthful records of the Celtic Earth
Knowledge. I am among the many
who walk amongst the stone circles
looking for clues of a people and
way of life which is pure.
In part, my own interest in the Celtic
traditions draws from my bloodline. I am
part Scotch-Irish, almost as much as I am
Native American. It certainly is a nature
based combination. I am not a full-blood,
nor do I claim a famous chief as an
ancestor. There are many non-Indians with
no traceable Native American lineage who
declare all sorts of relationships with past
tribes. Do not be untruthful to yourself.
You are what you are and I am what I am.
People are people, and almost everyone in
the world is a mixture. I understand it
makes for healthier genes.
There are many Rainbows who
believe they once lived as Native
Americans. I cannot discredit their
reincarnation theory, but neither can I
substantiate it. This subject is definitely
a mystery, but I have found little
supportive evidence to verify such
things. The most important gift we have
in life is ‘this day’ and the opportunity to
be with those we love one more day.
Relationship is at the heart of all
‘Mother Earth’ ceremonies and the Sweat Lodge, the Vision Quest, the
Sundance, the making of relatives, the keeping of
beseechment. the Soul, the womanhood ceremony, and the
After these pages, I hope you will throwing of the ball. These ceremonies are
keep your present vision and simply go described in detail in the Sacred Pipe by Joseph
Epes Brown, and also are covered in Mother
your own path strengthened in a deeper Earth Spirituality By Ed McGaa.
respect and understanding for our 4: The ‘blue man’ was part of of Black Elk's
Mother Earth. It is certain that Great vision and can be found in Black Elk Speaks by
Spirit is at work in all of this and I’m John Neihardt.
sure it’s all much larger than any of us 5: Rainbow Tribe, Ordinary People Journeying on
the Red Road, Harper San Francisco, 1992.
are able to imagine.
6: See the feature on the Sundance in Sacred
Hoop issue 17.
7: See the article by Phillip Carr-Gomm, chief of
This article was presented to answer the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in Sacred
the questions I am most asked when Hoop issue 12.
teaching. I dedicate it to all my
relations… Mitakuye Oyasin!
Ed Mc Gaa, Eagle Man, is an Ogala Sioux lawyer,
writer, and lecturer who has introduced thousands
to Native American spirituality, ceremonies and
rituals. His two best known books are :
Mother Earth Spirituality, Native American Paths
to Healing Ourselves and Our World, Harper San
Francisco, 1990.
Rainbow Tribe, Ordinary People Journeying on
the Red Road, Harper San Francisco, 1992.
Ed Mc Gaa, Eagle Man will be returning to Britain
in October where he will be teaching two
workshops together with his friend Jennifer Lynn
Cline. For more information, please contact :
Xenon Centre, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
Tel: 01592 644060 (October 10, 11, 12)
Teddington, London. Tel: 01923 219199
(October 17,18,19)
Sacred Hoop wishes to thank Jennifer Lynn-Cline
for her great help in obtaining this article. We also
wish to thank Ed McGaa’s publisher for their
contributions.
PHOTOS
Photo of Ed McGaa thanks to Four Directions
Publishing.
All other photos © Nicholas Wood 1997.
NOTES
1: Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt (Publishing
details unavailable at the time of this article). The
Sacred Pipe by Joseph Epes Brown. University of
Oklahoma Press ISBN 0-8061-2124-6.
2: See features on the Sacred Pipe in Sacred
Hoop issue 4.
3: The seven sacred ceremonies of the Sioux are
“It is certain that
Great Spirit is at
work in all of this
and I’m sure it’s all
much larger than any
of us are able to
imagine.”
 ethatu is the name of the

T highest initiation one can reach

in the healing traditions
practiced by the Magyar people, and
roughly translates as ‘one who talks
with the Dragons’. Dragons are our
strongest helpers, and the last ones we
meet on this spiritual path.
These traditions have three parts or
bridges, and each part has it’s own
specific helper spirits.

The first helpers we work with are the

tree spirits. These give us the first bridge,
the bridge of death. This is so called
because at this stage the shaman must
experience his or her own death in order
to release all of their resistance to the
inner worlds. Our normal doorway into the
next world is through physical death and it
is our fear of death that keeps us bound
to this world. Once we have faced death,
we have easy access to the next world,
the unconscious or underworld.
The healing work done at this level is
similar to the shamanic or underworld
journey. This healing is done to retrieve
lost fragments of the soul 1, release
entities, solve conflicts in the
unconscious mind and break down the
elemental energy of past traumas,
suppressed emotions, negative patterns
and habits.
The reason why tree spirits act as our
allies here is that it is considered they
have their main existence in the astral
plane. Having no physical movement, the
physical tree is just a centre for the spirit
which has an active life on other planes.
Tree spirits have a far greater mastery of
the underworld than we can ever achieve,
and this makes them powerful allies in our
Talking
journeying work.
When a tree spirit wishes to work
with a person, it will subdivide, in a kind
to the
of fission form, like an amoeba, so that
a separate spirit can live in a single
branch. This spirit is not like a child, but
has all the wisdom and experience of
the original tree spirit. It then calls the
shaman to cut that branch from the tree
Dragons
and use it. The size of the branch can
vary. To produce a wooden bead
wearable around the neck, or to make a
full sized staff both require different
amounts of wood. Tree spirits are not
Peter Aziz
limited to space, a large spirit can be introduces the
within a very small branch.
A shaman usually has a number of tradition of Tethatu
tree spirits carried on their person, and a little known European
communicates with them continually
while working. They help to guide the shamanic art from Hungary
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997 PAGE 15
shaman when he visits other worlds on
a shamanic journey, also each species
of tree has particular specialities in the
kind of healing they give.
These traditions work with thirteen
different trees : Birch, Rowan, Ash,
Alder, Willow, Whitethorn, Oak, Holly,
Hazel, Apple, Blackthorn, Elder, and
Yew. These thirteen trees represent our
growth from conception, to birth,
infancy, adolescence, adulthood, and
finally death.
The second bridge we cross is the
bridge of chaos . This is so called
because we have to go beyond logic
and reason and stop trying to make
sense of the universe. There is a great
deal in the universe that is not logical or
rational, and if we demand things make
sense, we cannot enter the next realm;
the imaginal realm.
This realm does not fit anywhere in
our picture of the three shamanic worlds;
the lower, middle and upper world; rather
it is a place of ‘wild unharnessed
creativity’. Here imagination imagines
itself. When you enter this realm, you will
find your vision is clearer than ever
before, with everything in brilliant
technicolour. This is because it is not you
who is imagining, but imagination it’s self
communicating with you.
When we give healing from this
level, we are no longer concerned with
the past, but with the future, because
we can see that the cause lies in the
future. In the normal creation process,
we first decide the effect, and then go
back in time to add the cause. We tend
to forget that we created the cause,
because of the consensus belief that
cause is in the past. Once we are
outside of time, we can see through the
illusion of this belief. Intent is the most
powerful creative force here. It is intent
that makes us hold on to the causes.
We are what we are now, not because
of the past, but because of the future
we are becoming. This perception is
agreed with by quantum physics, which
sees every experience as a double
quantum wave between here and the
future .
If something did not have a future we
could not experience it. Healing consists
of weeding and cultivating futures. We
can see many possible futures effecting
a person, all competing for attention. All
forms compete for food so they can
grow, futures exist as astral forms that
feed on the mental energy of the
PAGE 16
attention you give them. Whatever
forms get your attention, feed of your
mental energy.The ones that win grow
stronger until they manifest physically,
while other futures die and never
manifest. The healers work here is to
destroy negative futures, redirecting the
energy to the positive futures, and
helping them grow. The effect of this is
felt immediately as it effects who you are
now.
Our allies at this level are herb and
flower spirits. These spirits live outside
of linear time and therefore move in
touch with future causality. Like tree
‘We are what
we are now,
not because
of the past,
but because
of the future
we are
becoming’
spirits, the healer allows the herbs and
flowers to call to them, so that when he
takes them they still contain the spirit.
The healer then dries the plant and
wraps it in small pieces of cloth with a
mark drawn on it to remind him of which
plant it is. He can then carry the herbal
charm bags, ready to use in his healing
work.
The third bridge is call the bridge of
belief. This is because nothing here can
ever be proven, and only the strength of
our belief can carry us on. All the helpers
here are entirely non-physical and
unprovable. Traditionally they would be
Elves, Fairies, and Dragons. Many
people who learn this system without the
limitation of it’s original tradition find
other non-physical helpers such as
Angles, Devas and the gods of various
religions,
Dragons rule the primeval forces of
creation and destruction, and protect
the divine plan of evolution. Fairies
provide joy, pleasure and sensitivity and
give our lives more depth. The two
balance each other, providing a well
balanced happy life, with emotional as
well as spiritual well being.
These beings influence our lives
without us knowing it and becoming
aware of it enables us to enhance our
experience of life.
The realm this bridge leads us to is
called the Ginnungagap, or magically
charged void. It is hard to describe but
contains all potential and all form.
From this plane we see all beings as
simply patterns of energy, and by
working with the Fairies and Dragons,
we can destroy negative patterns and
rebuild the light matrix of a persons soul,
re-weaving patterns that seem to be
faulty or distorted.
When working in this way, the healer
often does not see the physical body of
his patient, as he is in a trance seeing
only the changing energy patterns.
Observes who are present however
sometimes comment on impressive
physical changes in the patient, such as
large lumps of calcification quickly
dissolving or hernias drawing back in
place and healing.
This work also produces subtle
changes in the patients personality, but
its real value is more mystical: it puts
people in touch with their true will and
purpose.
Peter Aziz is a hereditary healer from a Hungarian
bloodline, but was born in England. The tradition
was passed to him by his maternal Grandmother.
He has also studied North American Pueblo
Indian and Kahuna Shamanism, as well as
homeopathy, accupunture, kinesinology and
Iridology. He also has a degree in physics. He
lives in Devon, where he practices as a healer,
and runs courses in shamanism.
Notes
1 See Coming Home - the shamans work with
soul-loss by Jonathan Horwitz (Sacred Hoop
Issue 13) for more information on the Shamanic
concept of the loss of the soul and it’s recovery.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
 The thirteen trees of
the Tethatu tradition.
1 : B i r c h Represents conception, and
provides new ideas and creativity.
When a soul experiences difficulties with
conception, it tends to have difficulties
1
conceiving anything new. Birch can help 13
provide this
quality if it is lacking.
2 : R o w a n Is the tree of quickening
and provides the drive to follow
any idea through.
3 : A s h Is linked to parenting, and
provides intuition and the courage to
2 follow that intuition.
4 : A l d e r Represents birth, and
provides discrimination and
trust in nature to support you.
5 : W i l l o w Gives the child the
ability to dream. 12
6 : W h i t e t h o r n Protects the
innocent against any harm.
7 : O a k Gives self confidence while
controlling ego, enabling one to
interact efficiently with 10
the outside world.
8 : H o l l y Gives a true sense of
sacrifice, going beyond a picture
of one’s selfish needs, to
3 encompass a larger more
complex picture; a picture
which meets other needs
as well as one’s own.
9 : H a z e l Provides the flexibility
and endurance to meet the challenge
of the extra needs.
1 0 : A p p l e Provides the ability
to give and receive.
1 1 : B l a c k t h o r n Puts one in touch
with one’s power (not illustrated).
1 2 : E l d e r Provides wisdom 9
to use that power well.
4
1 3 : Y e w Helps us let go of the
physical illusion of life to
encompass a greater reality.

7 8
5

SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997 PAGE 17

 Few of us bout 5,000
years ago
today have the wild
the chance wood that
covered this
to live land began
to change
in close irrevocably under the effect of
contact increasing human farming activity.
By the time of the Domesday Book
with only a sixth of the wildwood remained.
woodland. Further losses ensued as timber
became a prime source of fuel, for
industry and for ship building. By 1980
Trees are only about 7% of Britain remained
wooded.
a deep It is very easy to see the logical
part of sense of re-forestation, with the mind:
but to feel with the woodland is a
this different matter. In shamanic spirituality
worldwide, this sense of heart-felt
land’s connection is passed on through an
sacred attitude, a daily sense of kinship and
inter-dependence. In such communities
being. tree names often refer to the people’s
relationship with the tree: ‘the one that
soothes,’ ‘winter fuel-giver,’ and so on.
In searching back to find out where
my own deep love of trees came
from, I was surprised to find it was my
father who passed this on to me in a
very simple way. He was not a
countryman himself, although he
loved and respected all things in
creation.
We climbed trees. I remember walks
with him in a patch of woodland as yet
untouched by developers at the edge of
our raw new post-war housing estate.
He taught me how to plan routes that
would take me up - and more to the
point - back down the tree. How to
look for trees where the way they
branched would make an easy climb;
how to assess the weight-bearing
capabilities of branches. And once in

EETING THE the tree, I would sit quiet, gently rocked

M
in the arms of the living being, listening
to sounds around, feeling the texture of

GREENWOOD the tree’s bark and leaves, enjoying the

JAN WOOD
explores how to make deeper connection with our tree relatives
sense of camouflage if other people
passed by. I encountered the many
creatures for whom the tree was home
ground, their webs and holes. I
imagined that I was a bird, a brigand, a
branch.
The trees themselves taught me by
physical contact, without my realising,
about the greenwood, its diversity, its
community. Nine-year-old me - I was
just having a good time.
I suggest below some starting points,
some ideas to help deepen contact with
the tree people. They are not aimed at
increasing factual knowledge, although
you may be curious to find out more about
the new beings and situations you meet.
They are aimed at pleasuring the child
within, who knows its rightful place in the
greenwood, for we are of this land.
I hope you enjoy them, expand and
improvise, and meet with wonder and fun
that will be unforgettable even in the most
un-green situations.
STILL HUNT
Find a place in natural surroundings
where you feel welcome, comfortable.
Sit there as motionless and silent as
possible - not even turning your head.
Become part of the place. This can last
for a few minutes or an hour or two.
It creates a real stillness and serenity;
even the most restless can enjoy it, as
one’s attention should be engaged all the
time to note the sounds, colours, smells
going on around us. A group may choose
to still hunt in an area at the same time and
then share their experiences afterwards.
SILENT WALKING
Walk (single file if others are with you)
through woodland and see how little
noise you can make. Start as slowly as
you need, you will get quicker as you get
into your own rhythm. It is easier if you
put the weight on the outside of each
foot as it first comes into contact with the
ground - a stalker's trick. You will have to
observe carefully where your feet are
planted and plan a route that avoids
branches that may rustle.
Ask the animals that stalk prey to
show you their skills, or pretend to be
one and see how your perception
changes.
CARETAKING
This is done on a regular basis. Select
a tree or small area of land that you
can visit regularly, at least once a
week. ‘Adopt’ it and if you wish you
can make a formal pledge to the spirit
of the place. At least ask that spirit’s
permission first and explain that you
wish to protect it and give it care.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
Bring it gifts of water, compost, song,
dance, prayer. Take a bag with you to carry
away any litter. Who knows what gifts
these may turn out to be for you -
remember the Wombles? I heard of
someone who, retrieving a screwed-up
piece of paper from her ‘patch’ found it to
be a fiver!
You can caretake any piece of land, a
road or car park verge or a tree in the park.
After a short while a real sense of
connection and dialogue develops with
your special place, and over a year you will
see all the minute changes that weather
and season bring.
BOWER BUILDING
Take a walk with the express purpose of
celebration and collect decorative items -
feathers, stones, sheep's wool, fallen
bark, bones or weathered wood. This is
‘in-shore sandcastle making’! Call to a
place which wants your bower, in
celebration of life, the day, Mother Earth,
a friend’s birthday - the reason may come
to you as you walk. Create simple
patterns and shapes on the ground;
introduce hand-formed clay shapes;
hand-spin or twist wool or plant fibres;
use different colours from local chalk or
ochre, leaves or berries. Honour and
respect the homes of those who live in
the place and keep the bower small and
discrete, so that it blends with the
environment. Explain to younger builders
that the forest dwellers will also make
their mark on the bower when you have
gone. It is often very interesting to revisit
at intervals and see just what gets carried
away.
GARLANDS
A variation on daisy chains which has a
very ancient flavour. Take a walk and
gather a few lengths of pliable foliage,
such as ivy or honeysuckle. Twist them
together so that ends are staggered and
form a circle about the size of a large
dinner plate that will fit on your head.
Once the base ‘crown’ is firm you
can easily decorate it with feathers,
blossoms ferns and berries. Wear it as
you continue your walk or still-hunt.
Hang it in a tree as a beauty offering to
the place as you leave, or wear it home
and keep as a remembrance of the
place.
MEETING A TREE
This is done in pairs, in a place where
there are quite a few trees. One person
is blindfolded and led a short, but
roundabout way to a tree. The leading
partner then encourages the one
blindfolded to make a minute exploration
of the tree by asking such questions as
‘Is this tree alive?’ ‘What does it smell
and feel like?’ ‘What shapes do the
roots make as they enter the
ground?’ ‘What patterns and textures
can you feel on the bark?’ ‘How tall
do you think the tree is?’ ‘Is there a
warm side where the sun is falling?’
‘What sounds can you hear?’ and so
on. They are then led back to the
starting place, (maybe by another
route), the blindfold is removed and
they are asked to find ‘their’ tree.
Once they are re-united it is time
for the partner to be blindfolded
and meet their own tree.
Jan Wood is a painter and shamanic
counsellor. She leads groups exploring creative
connection with shamanic reality and works
with individuals one-to-one and by
correspondence. She is founder and co-
ordinator of the Flowering Tree Federation, a
network for connecting individuals and circles
for celebration and personal development.
She can be contacted on (01386) 446552.
Photos © Nicholas Wood 1997.
PAGE 19
 Tibetan art
is populated by
strange beings.

In the first part

of this feature
Ngak’chang
Rinpoche
explains these
‘visionary identities’
who show us how
to reach our own
enlightened state.
W
e are all symbols of
ourselves; we are not the
real thing. That is to say:
we do not experience ourselves to be
the enlightened beings we actually are.
Rather, we experience confusion and a
variety of problems. So how can we
relate to our innate enlightenment - our
non-dual state?
Let begin with ‘the banal’. In
everyday life, people dress in certain
ways in order to accomplish certain
ends. If they lack confidence in the
business world they ‘power dress’ - if
they lack sexual confidence, they might
present themselves provoca-tively.
Banal as these dress codes may be,
there is a link with the Tantric method
of yidam1 or awareness being.
A yidam is a visual description of our
own enlightened state, as well as a
method of reaching, under-standing
and experience that state. A yidam
arises as a method to reach
enlightenment, in the ‘heart-mind’ of an
enlightened yogi or yogini. Because
they have realised their own
enlightened nature, and reached this
level of awareness, they can manifest
at the level of vision, compassionate
methods, through which others can
also arrive at the enlightened state.
This is, perhaps, similar to a
shamanic vision, in which the whole
tribe ceremonially acts out the
shaman’s vision. However, there is a
distinction I should make. In Tibetan
Buddhist tradition these methods
arise in the visionary practices of
enlightened masters for the
purpose of entering the non-dual
state. There are very few such
masters. With regard to
shamanism, it is my impression
that the shaman may, or may not
be, enlightened in the Buddhist
sense; and that the visions he or
she receives may not be directed
toward the realisation of non-
duality.
USING YIDAMS
WITHIN TANTRA
There are many different methods
of working with yidams within
Tantra. It might be helpful, as an
inadequate analogy, to make a
parallel with developmental
psychology.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
To an infant, Mother is God. She is
everything. ‘I and mother are one’, or,
‘I am one with God’. After this stage
there comes a time where I am
separate from God, ‘I have lost God.’
As the child grows older, so the parents
diminish in their godlike form, until
hopefully at some point parent and child
are equal, and the child becomes a
parent.
One level of practice, kryra tantra is
where the yidam is seen as an external
god, a deity, from whom we receive
wisdom. One prays to the god, one
makes offerings, one performs ritual
activities which might actually be quite
familiar to people in the West. At this
level, when one approaches the yidam,
one has to be in a pure state. This is
because krya tantra views the
practitioner as defiled: the dualistic
state is somehow regarded as ‘filthy’.
So in order to make contact with the
yidam, one needs to be pure.
Because of this, in this form of tantra
WEARING there is great emphasis on cleanliness
and reverence.
For Western people the whole
THE BODY OF concept of external deities can be
problematic. One either believes in
VISIONS them, or disbelieves. Both beliefs
have problems.
The level at which Khandro Dèchen
and I teach Tantra is called Anu yoga.
At this level one identifies oneself with
the yidam. One spontaneously self
arises as the Yidam, this is known as
‘wearing the Body of Visions’.
THE NATURE OF A YIDAM
A yidam is not an archetype.
There have been a number of
Western people who have who
started describing yidams in this
way, but it is neither accurate nor
helpful. An archetype arises out
of the human psyche, whereas a
yidam arises from the primordial
emptiness of mind. Yidams do
not arise from concept
consciousness - no matter how
extraordinary that consciousness
may be.
However some yidams were
living enlightened beings who took
form in the world, but who have
since moved into other dimensions.
Padmasambhava and his spiritual
wife Yeshè Tsogyel are examples
PAGE 21
of this form of yidam. Yidam, embodiment of a deity on
in this sense, refers to the earth.
many facets of compas- THE THREE
sionate activity which the FORMS OF YIDAMS
person displayed. In the middle of the so called
‘Tibetan Wheel of Life’, more
In a small way, we are all accurately known as the
used to having many facets of ‘Wheel of Cyclic Experience’,
personality within our lives. we see a circle within which is
One is a mother or father, a a rooster, a pig, and snake.
son or daughter or policeman, The rooster signifies attraction,
contract killer, cook, cowboy, the snake signifies aversion,
artist, rock star, etc. But a and the pig represents
rock star is not just a rock indifference. These three
star, he or she is everything states generates the energy
else too - maybe not a which power dualism.
contract killer, but possibly a Dualism is the habit of
daughter, a wife, a mother, a attempting to divide ‘that which is
cow-girl etc. indivisible’, and then relating to a
Take John Lennon for part of the whole as if it were the
example. There is the ‘long- whole.
haired bearded’ yidam form, The twin aspects of reality
and the ‘short-haired-boiler- could be called by many
suited’ yidam form. You could names: emptiness and form,
look at his styles throughout chaos and pattern, intuition
his whole career, and see that and logic, intangible and
they were different versions of tangible, lateral and linear.
the same thing. But theses Dualism is the illusion that it is
images can come to have a possible to relate to form
life of their own in terms of rather than the non-dual play
how we relate to them. I of emptiness and form.
realised them as manifestations of
could decide to buy a white suit, grow Or to put it another way, ‘this’
Padmasambhava.
my hair long and wear round glasses - I substantiates my perception of being
could try to be ‘that’ John Lennon, but I ‘solid, permanent, separate, continues
Not all yidams have had incarnation
would not be the whole person, I would and defined’, ‘that’ threatens my
as people, but some people are
just be myself manifesting what Lennon perception of being ‘solid, permanent,
considered manifest-ations of Yidams.
reflected at that moment in his life. separate, continues and defined’, and
Such a person is the Dalai Lama who is
The difference between such hero the ‘other’ is neither here nor there.
considered to be a manifestation of
or heroine worship and Tantra is that The peaceful, joyous, and
Chenrèzig. To say that someone is a
John Lennon is not necessarily a wrathful awareness beings equate
manifestation of Chenrèzig, simply
visionary reflection of one enlightened with these three states. Peaceful
means that they manifest the quality of
nature. With yidams like yidams transform indifference,
unquenchable compassion of everyone
Padmasambhava, there are many joyous yidams transform attraction,
and everything every-where. These are
manifestations, each reflecting one of and wrathful yidams transform
the qualities of the yidam called
his many facets, but each one also aversion.
Chenrèzig.
reflecting his entire being in terms of
This is obviously a very different idea
the non-dual state. Each manifestation PEACEFUL
to that of the ‘God King’ -
reflects a method according to the AND JOYOUS YIDAMS
enlightenment which he has displayed Peaceful yidams can be male or
of different people at different times. female; they sit calmly and smile
As I have said, Padmasambhava “For Western people the serenely. Examples of these are the
was an historical person, and so some whole concept of external Buddha, Tara, Chenrèzig and
of the methods were those he Dzambala.
displayed during his human life;
deities can be problematic. Joyous yidams can be seen in
whereas others were displayed after he One either believes in them, several forms. There is the dancing
left the world. These others visionary or disbelieves. Both beliefs dakini form, such as Vajra yogini, who
forms would have arisen as have problems” is always solitary and female. There is
‘compassionate appearances’ to an also the yab-yum or ‘father-mother’
enlightened master, who would have form, where the male and female
PAGE 22 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
yidams are in sexual union. of dualism. There are swords, lances,
Joyous male awareness beings are axes, spears, flaying knives, daggers -
never seen on their own. If I was being “The Devil might well a vast array. It is not that dualism has
ever so slightly facetious, I could say to be destroyed in all these different
men are not joyous without women, but
be a great figure in ways, simply that we all need different
women can be joyous by themselves. Tibetan Tantra, because ways to destroy our own illusions of
But when I say that males are not he could easily be seen duality.
joyous by themselves, this is not a as a wrathful yidam” Our illusions take many different
statement about human beings, but forms; so, paradoxically, many
rather a statement about the nature of illusory methods are needed to
emptiness and form. destroy illusion. At the ultimate
enlightened state. Tantra proclaims
In Tibetan Tantric traditions, level, the weapons held by wrathful
that everything can be transformed - it
maleness is seen as ‘form’ and yidams all perform the same ultimate
is impossible to be too bad or too good.
femaleness is seen as ‘emptiness’. function; whether it is a spear, a
This is an enormously powerful stance,
When you see a female yidam on her lance, or a dagger - duality is
because if such a practice can even
own, she is emptiness because she is murdered.
transform the Devil, then it can
female; but, you can also see her - so Maybe if a Western Tantric master
transform anything - even this wretched
she has form. Because of this tantric realised a yidam now, one of the
Ngakpa Chögyam.
view, femaleness is always both weapons might be called ‘nuclear
emptiness and form; and, for that overkill’. Such a ferocious method of
Wrathful Yidams all hold weapons
reason, is seen as being complete in transformation might also be armed
and sometimes scorpions who have
herself. with machine guns, revolvers, rifles,
their own weapon. The scorpion is a
In Tantra, as I have said, maleness land-mines, and all manner of
beautiful wrathful example. It is said to
is seen as form. A male yidam then is implements of death. But remember,
be the only animal who will kill itself, or
form, so we have to describe his this would not be a human creation, the
anything else for that matter - on
emptiness in some other way, because yidam would arise out of the vision of
immediate impulse. The weapons held
of this he is shown in sexual union with an enlightened yogi spontaneously. I
by wrathful yidams destroy the illusion
his consort; and in am not a gTèrtön2,
that way his so I will never give
emptiness is also rise to such a
depicted. vision. But one
day there may be a
WRATHFUL Western gTèrtön;
YIDAMS so it is not out of
The Devil might well the question.
be a great figure in W r a t h f u l
Tibetan Tantra, imagery describes a
because he could high level of
easily be seen as a energy. Tantra is
wrathful yidam. intrinsically
Wrathful yidams shocking. Shock
can be male or was the major
female, solitary or in theme of Tantra in
sexual union. A the context of
wrathful yidam is ancient India,
simply a description where Tantra was
of everything horrific juxtaposed against
one could ever the dominant
imagine. Brahmin culture.
This is a Tantikas 3 had low
demonstration of cast sexual
the fact that no consorts, they
matter how evil I gambled, drank
am, no matter how alcohol, and - they
vile or unpleasant, were not
or vicious, I might vegetarian. This
be - these was horrendous to
distortions are still a Brahmin. Maybe
connected to the it is still horrendous
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997 PAGE 23
to a new-age Buddhist type who make
a codified moral stance out of
vegetarianism.
It may be useful to consider that
Tantra is not influenced by concepts of
political correctness. Perhaps today
we think of swords as romantic, and
inoffensive, but it is important to
understand that Tantra is not merely a
methodology dredged up from some
ancient world. It might be offensive to
the P.C. among us to encounter a
wrathful yidams replete with a machine
gun, chain-saw, and the freshly flayed
skin of a baby. But somehow, even
though ‘that’ might not be considered
‘spiritual’, it might point to something
far kinder in essence than the tightly
structured ‘goodness’ which cannot
tolerate human diversity.
In the next issue of Sacred Hoop, Ngak’chang
Rinpoche will describe how, by working with a
yidam, we can make the change in our lives
which ultimately leads to enlightenment.
This article was taken from the transcript of a
recorded conversation between Ngak’chang
Rinpoche and Nicholas Wood in Dec 1996.
Ngak’chang Rinpoche is a lama of the Nyingma
school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is a Ngakpa, a
non monastic Lama. He was born and educated
PAGE 24
in the West and currently lives in Wales. He is
the incarnation of Aro Yeshè, the son of an early
20th century female gTèrtön called Khyungchen
Aro Lingma. Together with his sang- yum
(spiritual wife) Khandro Dèchen he is the current
holder of the Aro gTèr lineage.
For further details of retreats and Tantric
empowerments given by Ngak’chang Rinpoche
and Khandro Dèchen contact:
Sang-ngak-chö-dzong.
Po box 2318, Bridport,
Dorset. DT6 5YP. UK
NOTES
1: Yidam is a Tibetan word meaning ‘oath-bound
mind’
2: Before Padmasambhava left this world, he hid
various spiritual treasures to be found at a later
times. These treasures known as gTèrma are in
the form of sacred objects, texts and yidam
practices. A gTèrtön is a person who finds these
hidden gTèrma.
ILLUSTRATIONS :
Page 20 ~ Top : Yamantanka - the Lord of
Death. Brass statue H 475mm.
Bottom : Yeshè Tsogyel painting (Thangka),
paint on cotton cloth.
Page 21 ~ Padmasambhava, the Tantric Buddha.
Page 22 ~ Tröma Na’kmo.
Page 23 ~ Yab-Yum (mother-father) couple in
sexual union. The couple are Padmasambhava
(appearing as the Medicine Buddha Ögyen Men-
lha) and Yeshè Tsogyel.
Page 24 : Senge Dradog, a wrathful Yidam
wrapped in swirling flames.
All line drawings by Khandro Dèchen.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
I
sit on the floor at the front of the
lecture theatre in Cambridge.
Perhaps fifty people are sitting
behind me on the tiered wooden
seating, but I feel utterly alone - there
seems no-one else there except for Jo
and the two people on the low stage in
front of us. One of them, an older man
with black hair and piercing eyes is
sitting on the floor on a fur rug whilst
the other: a young woman, unpacks
the skin and canvas bag beside him.
From the bag come wonders - skin
boots, heavily embroidered with beads,
and a long reindeer skin coat much
hung with fur tassels, ribbons, metal
mirrors and bells. And the drum, oval,
covered in skin, alive.
Slowly with dignity the woman takes
off the older man's shoes and replaces
them with the boots, helps him into the
coat and places a fringed mask over
his eyes. Even as she dresses him,
already he is setting his feet on the
path that leads to the world of the
spirits. He yawns, begins to hum and
mutter a wordless song. Deep within I
feel the urge to sing too, to join him in
calling to the spirits. I feel a drawing, a
thickening of the air the same feeling I
have when my own teacher calls his
spirit helpers into the room.
The woman and a younger man - a
Yakut anthropologist are warming the
drum over a barbecue. Strange
incongruities - the drum, the barbecue,
the shaman, the lecture theatre.
Already the shaman is ready, his
helpers are calling him onwards. The
plan to drape the fire detectors with
plastic and to open the windows is
suddenly abandoned. The plan to
smudge the room with herbs is
dropped. For the shaman is rapidly
moving into trance.
His assistant lights a cigarette, and
hands it to him. Still singing the
shaman begins to smoke with his spirit
helpers. Gradually his assistant takes
up the song until they're singing
together. The song seems familiar and
it speaks to me of a far land, of a cold
and icey wind, of a bird flying above a
harsh landscape. Between the strands
of his fringed mask, the shaman's
eyes gleam in the low light. Fierce,
animal like. He is looking between the
worlds, into the land of the spirits.
And still he sings, still he is calling
 THE
BLESSING OF
THE
REINDEER
CAMPS
UPON MEETING
A YAKUT SHAMAN.
BY KAREN KELLY
them here, to the room, to this place
far, far from the reindeer camps of his
home. It comes to me that I should call
my own helpers. And silently I call
them, call out to my spirit kin, to the
spirits of Cambridge, this old, old city.
And they come.
He's staring at me now, at me and
Jo beside me. His eyes piercing, bright
and he sees through us, beyond....
Deep in trance now. Still sitting there.
Singing. And he turns the cigarette,
offers it in our direction. And our spirit-
kin breathe the smoke. Now he's taking
up the drum and the spoon shaped beater
and he begins to drum. Flat sound from
the unheated drum, but not dead, never
dead... And he's moving further and
further from this lecture hall reality. Flying.
Suddenly he rises and begins to
dance and spin. Whirling the metal
ornaments and mirrors clash and sing.
An unearthly accompaniment to the
drum. On and on he dances until all at
once the assistant offers him a cup of
water, begins to talk into his ear.
Calling him home.
And she takes up the coat, pulls it
gently from him, pulls the drum from
his trembling fingers into her own. She
leaps up and begins to dance and the
coat is singing with her. And the
shaman slumps to the floor by her feet.
As he falls quite suddenly I hear my
Grand-mother's voice in my ear telling
me to offer the shaman something - a
gift from the spirits of this land. And I
finger the pierced flint I wear around
my neck - the Raven-stone. And I
shiver.
Now the assistant pulls off the coat
and she almost throws it to the
anthropologist and turns to the
slumped shaman. Whispering,
whispering. And the drum urgent
calling him homewards.
Now the coat is pulled in turn
from the anthropologist and they
call for a local. Quickly, quickly.
And a young woman rises from the
front row. Puts on the coat. Drums
and dances.
At last the drumming falters to a
close. The assistant and the
anthropologist whisper more with the
slumped shaman. The young
anthropologist takes up the coat, heavy
with ribbons and fur and ornaments,
heavy with power. He walks to the
front row of seating. Drags the coat
over us. The ornaments, the fur are
waterfalls of power. I sit and the power
is poured over me. I am blessed.
And I give the Raven-stone to Piers
who organised the day, to give to the
shaman. Not a gift from me, but a gift
from the spirits. And carrying the
blessing I walk home.
Karen Kelly is the editor of Spirit Talk, a Core
shamanic news letter.
This account is based upon a Yakut shamans
ceremony she took part in that was arranged by
the anthropologist Piers Vitebsky at Cambridge
University in the summer of 1997.
 the
Staff Song & the

The old Nordic form of shamanism called seidr was practiced mostly by women called Volvas. They
used ecstatic song as a means for journeying to the otherworld.
Part one of this article focused on the seidr tradition’s magic chanting, then and now.
Part two ~ reawakening the ancient tradition by Annette Høst

o let the seidr today, the

T reveal its secrets

and inherent qualities,
we have started out with only the
necessary background information.
This is to avoid shaping the result and
experience. However two main
conditions have seemed indispensable in
practising the craft of seidr.
There are many missing pieces in
the old written information about seidr
from the Edda and the sagas. But a
basic physical framework for a seidr
seance is consistently mentioned in the
literature, that is : the song, the
highseat, the staff and the circle of
singers.
In my experiential work with different
groups of people I have found that this
unique ceremonial form is indispensable
for practising
PAGE 26
the craft of seidr. It seems to
strongly influence the quality and flow
of power, for example it seems to
facilitate embodyment of spirit helpers.
From the sources it is clear that seidr
is a shamanic practice, and so I have
emphasised that it is done in a
shamanic way. Both the volva and the
singers have a clear mission. The volva
lets the song transport her into a
shamanic state of awareness and close
contact with her spirit helpers, and then
she journeys in trust.
When we begin a seidr seance
volva steps out of the
old myths and into this
reality. Modern women
take their place on the seat and they
change in front of our very eyes. They
sit, with a glow, with the authority of a
mountain. And as the song grows in
power it does happen that the volva
experience embodiment, she merges
with the spirit source of her knowledge,
she becomes her spirit helper. When
the song dies out the volva is still
between worlds, in a state to prophesy
and answer questions, and she talks to
us with a voice as from far away, or
with the licence of an irreverent old
hag. 1
THE STAFF
The staff must be part of the core of
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
seidr, as it has given the volva her name:
She who carries the magic staff, or just
staff carrier. But we are never told how
this magic wand is used. In the account
of Thorbiörg Lillvolva 2, her staff is
adorned with stones and metal. That is
on the outside, but what is inside? What
is the staff for?
When the people I have worked with
have chosen or cut their staffs, their
guidance has been this scanty
information plus spirit instruction or
intuition. It is peculiar, how most of the
staffs turn out being the same length.
Off they go on the journey, holding
onto their staffs. What do they tell upon
returning? That the staff is a power
antenna, it is a lightningrod, it grows hot,
it comes alive and vibrates, it moves like
a snake in the hands, it keeps the focus
and direction of flight clear, at the same
time as it grounds. It is the tree of life,
connecting the lower world and the sky
world, power flowing through it. 3
THE SPIRITUAL
ROOTS OF THE SEIDR
The seidr had its roots in the fertility cults
around the goddess Freya. Frey and
Freya were members of a clan of gods
and spirits called the Vanir. The earth
centred Vanir-religion is a spirituality of
peace and plenty, including sexuality and
magic in the sacred realm. It is much
closer to animism and non-duality 4 than
the later Viking gods. The Aesir, most
well known are Odin, Thor, Balder. The
Vanir goddesses and gods of fertility are
inseparable from a vast omnipresent
population of nature spirits, elves and
gnomes powers of fruitfulness, and
elemental forces. People of that time
were always aware of these beings. They
were in daily communication and
exchanged help with their spirit
neighbours, to ensure that the land, the
spirits and the humans would prosper 5.
This is the spiritual foundation of the
seidr, and obviously the volva works in an
intimate relationship with nature: it is from
there she draws her power. Thus the
volva represent the world view of this
(older) fertility and earth oriented
spirituality, and this shows in her seidr.
The saga accounts often depict a
conflict between the old volva and a
young man representing the newer
militant Viking culture. The written
sources testify that the men of the Viking
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
age, even before Christianity, experienced
more and more difficulty with the value
system personified by the volva, in fact it
provoked them and enraged them.
Whereas women were the keepers of the
old cult and spirituality, since it allowed
them more power and freedom.
It is tempting to read this conflict
exclusively as ‘male verses female’
values, or men verses women, but if we
do we are likely to miss the point. The
heart of this conflict is the choice
between staying in harmony with nature,
or trying to conquer and dominate it. It
was a vital choice then, it is a vital choice
today, and it will show in our shamanic
work.
SEIDR TODAY?
One of the questions that arises for a
modern practitioner of shamanism or earth
modern Women
‘Modern women
take their place
on the seat and
they change in front
of our very eyes.
They sit, with a glow,
with the authority
of a mountain’
modern Women
spirituality is: How much of the ancient
seidr is inseparable from its specific time
and place? What aspects can we use of
the seidr tradition today in a genuine way
without becoming wanna-be-Vikings? The
key here is to take inspiration, from the
content of the seidr, rather than imitate the
form of the ceremonial details.
This is closely connected to another
issue. How much knowledge does it take
to do a complete seidr ritual respectfully
and safely? In this introductory article
there are still many important elements of
the craft of seidr not touched upon. I
think it is sound advice that you read the
literature on seidr, are familiar with its
spiritual roots, and have a firm basis of
practical shamanic experience before
jumping into the deep water of a full seidr
ritual.
But the heart or the essential lore the
seidr tradition is a heritage for all of us, to
take inspiration from, and start using
here and now.
This heart of seidr shows first of all,
that song has an incredible potential for
healing and empowering, in our daily life
and spiritual practice in so many ways.
For example, you can sing yourself or a
partner on a journey instead of using a
drum, or a circle of people can bathe
someone in the centre with healing song.
Also, the seidr tradition teaches us as do
native shamanic traditions from other parts
of the world, the importance of staying in
harmony, in good relationship with the land
and its spirits - the source of power. Finally
the story of the volva makes a female
shamanic tradition visible, adding more
depth and colour to our knowledge of North
European shamanism. Hearing her story,
and maybe even picking up her work, helps
us build up a native shamanic identity and a
spiritual sense of belonging.
We stand more firmly planted
on our soil now, the song
flowing through us with voices
we didn't know we had. The
song changes us, it touches
and heals and changes the
world around us - as it has
always done.
NOTES
1: The volva's oracular or prophetic soothsaying is a
long story in itself to be told another time. However
it has strong links to the Celtic prophetic tradition.
See Matthews in Sacred Hoop issue 15 and 16.
and Davidsson: "Myths and Symbols in Pagan
Europe"
2: See Brian Bates decription of the seance of
Thorbiörg Lillvolva in Sacred Hoop Issue 15.
3: See also Karen Kelly: The World Tree. Sacred.
Hoop. Issue 12.
4: See also Jonathan Horwitz on Animism Sacred
Hoop Issue 12
5: Therefore there are so many specified names for
nature spirits, both in my land and in yours, see
fairy lore in Sacred Hoop Issue 15.
Annette Høst has practiced and studied shamanism
for more than ten years with a special focus on
Nordic shamanic tradition and the power of Natures
cycles. She and her partner Jonathan Horwitz run
Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies in
Copenhagen. They teach workshops in shamanism
and frequently visit UK. October 3-5 Annette will
teach a course in London on shamanic singing. For
details of this and other workshops contact -
Kathy Fried, 29 Chamber Lane,
London NW10 2JR.
Tel : (0181) 459 3028
Illustration © Jan Wood 1997
PAGE 27

C R A F T
F E A T U R E
A PERSONAL
MEDICINE BAG
Wearing a medicine bag containing symbols
of who you are is a good way of keeping
the sacred with you all the time.
Bags can be worn around the neck or tied
onto belt loops or other parts of clothing.
Nicholas Wood
describes their construction and gives
instruction on how they can be
decorated with glass beads
PAGE 28
S
ince I started being involved in
these traditions, I have had a
number of personal medicine
bags. The first one simply wore out,
the second went ‘walk about’, and now
for the last five or six years, I have had
one which I wear at times around my
neck, and when not worn, I hang it up
above my bed.
To have a bag like this is a way I
can feel connected to my medicine
when I need to. It is not ‘magic’, it
doesn’t make me bullet proof, but
when I wear it, I know I am trying to
live in a sacred manner.
There is no right way to make a
bag, this is just one simple method. It
is not tied to any one Native tribal
tradition; it’s just a bag.
MATERIALS
Soft leather: thin buckskin
or chamois.
Strong sewing thread.
Glass seed beads for decoration.
Two large holed glass beads
for the drawstring.
Bead and leather needles.
Scissors.
Pen for marking leather.
CONSTRUCTION
Begin by cutting a strip of leather wide
enough for the bag and long enough
so that when it is folded in two it is tall
enough to make the bag’s front and
back (fig 1)
The bag will be sewn up inside out,
so decide which surface of the leather
you wish to show ( surface a ), and
make sure it is folded as shown in the
illustration (fig 1).
Using the pen, mark with a series
of dots the curved shape of the
finished bag. This will be your sowing
line (fig 2). Sow up the bag. The bag
is now finished and can be turned
inside out (to make the right side out).
THE DRAWSTRING
To complete the description of the
bag’s construction, I will here explain
the drawstring, but when you come to
make your bag remember it is best to
leave this part of the bag’s
construction until you have done the
bead work.
The draw string closes the bag and
also makes a cord for you to wear it
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
around your neck. If you do not want to
wear the bag, it does not need to be so
long. The drawstring can be one single
piece of leather or plaited (fig 3).
Once it is made, cut six holes in the
front of your bag (a hole punch is
useful here), and six holes in the back
(fig 4). The drawstring is threaded as
shown. Remember to put the two large
glass beads on the drawstring before
you tie its two ends together behind
your neck.
THE BEADWORK
There are several ways to decorate the
bag you have just made.
The simplest way is to put a line of
beadwork down the length of the seam.
This can be one colour or a series of
colours.
Begin at the top of the bag. Using a
beading needle thread a few (6-8)
beads and lay them down onto the bag
so that they will be in the position that
you wish them to end up in. At the
point where they end, stick the needle
into the leather, but not right through it,
and bring it out somewhere about the
midpoint of your beads (fig 5).
Then carefully pass the point of the
needle back through all the beads
ahead of this point and out through the
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
last bead. Once this is done, repeat the
process, and keep on repeating it until
the whole of the seam is covered in
beads.
The second beadwork method
begins with this line of beads as its
starting point. Once you have the line
of beads, other beads can then be
hung in tassels from it. This can
produce a very pretty bag.
Begin inside at the top of the bag,
pass a needle and long thread through
the seam, and also through the top
bead in the line.
Once done, thread on the beads
you want to make up the tassel,
including a few which will make a loop
at the end, then pass the needle back
along the beads beyond the loop, and
all the way down to the line of beads at
the seam (fig 6).
Take the needle inside the bead
line, and out four beads down and
repeat the whole procedure, and keep
on repeating it until you have tassels
hanging from the bead line all the way
round the bag.
The third method is to cover the
bag’s seam with a line of lazy stitch.
To do this thread the needle and
pass it through the leather from the
back to the front. Seven beads are
strung upon the thread. Let the beads
lie flat along the leather at 900 to the
seam. Where they end, pass the
needle back through the top layer of
the leather.
The thread is now pulled tight,
fixing the beads in place. The needle
should come out beside the first row of
beads, so you can thread the same
number of beads again and sew them
down parallel to the previous row (fig
7). By repeating this action, eventually
a whole band of rows of beads will be
stitched to the leather.
Beads can vary in size; reject any
which are much larger or smaller, as
they will spoil the evenness of the
finished work. Smaller variations can be
compensated for by increasing or
decreasing the number of beads if
necessary - your eye will be the best
judge of this. It also helps to use quite
small beads as irregular spacing is less
noticeable.
Lazy stitch is basically quite a simple
stitch practiced by many Native
American tribes. Don't be put off if your
first attempts are a little uneven, as the
spacing and technique quickly comes
with practice and the beadwork will
become neater the more you do.
PAGE 29
 r eek legend records sweat

G houses amongst the

'Hyperborei' and, historically,
the ‘sweat house’ was known in
Ireland until the end of the 19th
Century. There is evidence that similar
sweat houses were known throughout
Celtic lands and the Römisch-lrische
Bad (Roman-lrish Bath), believed to be
the continuation of these, is still part of
German sauna culture. These are
rooms with stone benches, usually of
marble with a central fountain
producing steam, scented by herbal
extracts.
Further corroboration comes from
ancient sites on the Orkneys where a
number of holes filled with burnt
stones and surrounded by the
archaeological remains of light wooden
frames, set out in line with the cardinal
points of the compass, have been
found. These resemble, in astounding
parallel, the Sweat lodges of the plains
tribes of north America.
Finally there is the well known
Sauna of Finland, though not strictly
Celtic, research shows parallels
between it and the historic fragments
of the Celtic sweat house.
We in the west, being the remnants
of long denied cultures, find ourselves
in a paradoxical position. On the one
hand, it becomes daily ever more
evident that we must, in order to
survive recover our lost ancient
knowledge. Yet on the other hand we
cannot recreate the past, with all its
intricacies and nuances. This leaves
us with the uphill struggle to dig out of
anecdote, conjecture and
experimentation the strands of the
'truth that liberates’. Taking all of the
above into account, I make the
following suggestion for a
reconstruction of the Téach An Alais,
the Celtic sweat house. Those familiar

TA ÉACH A N
with Native American Sweat lodges will
be aware of similarities.

The lodge may be built either of

stone or timber, similar to a modern
LAIS
sauna, or of a hazel frame covered
with a natural material. Hazel is the THE CELTIC SWEAT
tree of knowledge in Celtic tradition, HOUSE
bringing wisdom through stillness
and meditation. The door faces BY ADRIAN REID-WOLFE
east, as this is the direction of the
sunrise. The fire would be placed The use of the sweat house to cleanse the
in the south, the direction associated spirit, mind and body is ancient, and its
with fire in the celtic traditions. An
reintroduction to western Europe could
altar may be built in the house
help heal both man and nature. When
PAGE 30 SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
opposite the door in the west, the
direction of guardianship.
As to the actual ceremony, I have
drawn heavily on the Finnish sauna
tradition as it is the only remaining truly
European sweat house and still
contains enough ritual to deduce a
sacred origin. For this reason I have
included in brackets the appropriate
Finnish names.
My research shows three main
types of ceremony, a shamanic sweat
to enable soul travel, various forms of
healing or health sweats and a religious
or celebratory sweat. The following is
a suggestion for a celebratory sweat.
Experimentation will show if it is
effective, however it is important to
show proper respect at all times!
The structure used is first physically
cleaned. If it is a stone or timber
building it can be washed down. Then
smoking herbs are used to psychically
cleanse the area. Appropriate herbs are
frankincense, myrrh, meadowsweet,
lavender, sage or pine.
The fire is built using wood and its
products only. In a sauna type fire
made in a box within the sweat house,
the stones (Koti Maa) are placed on
top of the fire box, alternatively they are
placed outside in a sacred fire until they
contain enough heat to be transferred
to a pit in the floor of the sweat house.
In this tradition all implements used in
the house must be of wood or horn the
only permitted exception would be a
copper ladle (no iron or steel or plastic
is permitted).
The Téach An Alais is an ‘entering
into the earth’ so combining all the
elements, the life giving powers of the
Earth, the Air, the Water and the Fire
(Sun).
The atmosphere created in the
ceremony should be humourous,
earthy, soft, sacred, clean and
cleansing, full of spirit and compassion,
happy, warm and joyous. This is a living
and life giving ceremony. When
everything is ready the participants
remove their clothes and are smoked
clean with sacred herb smoke. They
then line up. The leader ( Loylyn
Heittaja ) is first and any who suffer
from heat or claustrophobia are at the
end of the line as they will be the
nearest to the door during the
ceremony. They are followed by the
door keeper.
Then the presence of the Eagle
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
( lolair) is invoked in a simple circle
dance around the sweat house. Iolair
represents the renewal of wisdom.
The leader begins the entry to the
sweat house by stepping to the door
and, taking the ladle (Kauha) in both
hands, welcomes the spirit of the
sweat ( Saunahenki or Saunapukki ).
They then show honour to the
“The Téach an Alais is
an ‘entering into the
earth’
so combining all the
elements, the life giving
powers of the Earth, the
Air, the Water and the
ancestors, all beings, the elements
and spirits of the earth. Handing the
ladle to the next person they in turn
welcome the spirit before going in,
and so forth until the last person is
in the sweat house. The door keeper
remains outside and having placed
the implements needed into the
lodge before the ceremony, now
closes the door.
In the case of a pit in the sweat
house for the stones the leader now
calls the doorkeeper to bring as many
hot rocks as the leader feels are
needed. Then invoking the Otter
(Belgair), the healing protector, begins
the first round.
The first of the four parts of the
ceremony (normally known as rounds)
THE FOLLOWING
ASPECTS ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH
THE FOUR ROUNDS.
FIRST ROUND ~ THE EAST,
The Path of opening the way. The
Otter (Balgair) protection and healing.
State of Passing Within.
SECOND ROUND ~ THE SOUTH
The Path of coming into being, the
Hawk ( Aracos ) companion on the
inner journey. State of Inner Fire.
THIRD ROUND ~ THE WEST
The Path of passing within. The Stag
( Abhach ) guide to the Otherworld.
State of Guardianship.
FORTH ROUND ~ THE NORTH,
The Path of finding wisdom. The Salmon
is an entering into the spirit of the
sweat. No water is used as it would
disturb the total silence which is kept in
this hot time. The participants
contemplate the reasons for being
there. The round ends when the leader
asks for the door to be opened at
which time all leave to either shower or
bathe with cold water or cool down
outside. If you do have a cold bath or
shower, remember it is very important
to start with your feet; in this way your
blood circulation will be stabilised, and
their will be no shock on your body
When called by the leader all again
enter the sweat house, touching the
ladle to show respect. This starts the
second round. Bundles of twigs of
birch, pine, rowan or juniper ( Vihta )
have already been placed, by the
doorkeeper, in a bucket of warm water
by the leaders place. When all are
settled again, the leader hands a vihta
to each participant, then begins telling
sacred stories. During these stories at
times indicated by the pouring of water
on the stones, the participants all rub
themselves vigorously with the twigs
which themselves have an
envigourating and healing effect. This
round is a time of deepening one’s
contact to the energies and cleansing.
Again this ends with the opening of the
door and the chance to cool down. The
vihta are replaced in the water and
removed by the doorkeeper, who
hangs them up to dry.
The third round is one of chanting.
The wealth of both traditional and and
new-age chants and sacred songs
makes this a matter of personal
choice.
Following the same pattern the
fourth round is one of prayers of
thanks. At the end of this round the
leader reminds all present that wisdom
dreams during or after the sweat are of
special portent. This is followed by the
final exit and a period of cool down.
Adrian Reid Wolfe has run workshops all over
Britain and Europe on Earth awareness and
survival skills. He is a member of the white
horse circle (See the Earth Talk page (Page 9)
this issue), and has worked for many years with
native teachers. He is an experienced
Sweatlodge leader. Currently he is setting up
ITACOR, a charity to further the work of
conflict resolution world wide.
For further information as well as information
on his workshops in the uk, send an sae to:
Adrian Reid Wolfe
28 Oberon Wood Beddgelert Gwynedd
LL55 4YW Tel (01766) 890454
Illustration by Jan Wood ©1997
PAGE 31
Reviews . . . . . . . . . .
GIG NA GIG
Global
Seventh Wave
GLISS CD003
68.17 mins.
CD: (Full price)
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
If you are a regular Sacred Hoop reader,
you will know by now we like Seventh
wave music. We like them because they
are fun people, and perhaps more
importantly we like them because they
are bloody good, fresh and interesting
musicians.
This is globals third dance music album,
and for the six musicians who make up
the band it is their strongest album by
far. Driving rhythms, Sythersisors,
guitars, drums, didj and Carolyn Hillyers
beautiful vocals come together in a
heady mix.
The track ‘Small Stone’, a song
extolling the virtues of a medicine stone
is superb. Release it as a single, I want
to see the video on my TV!
Available from Seventh Wave Music, and see our
special readers offer on Page ?????
DREAM
CATCHER
David Lowe
Mango Music
CIDM 1118/524
311 - 2
53.37 mins.
CD: (Full price)
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
David Lowe the composer is a BBC
sound engineer and got to visit exotic
people in exciting places all over the
world. So, this album was recorded in
amongst other places, Kenya, South
Africa, India, Thailand, Tibet, China,
Australia, Russia, France, the USA and
Malvern!
Perhaps there is a growing fashion to
take a DAT sound recorder on holiday
rather than a camera. When you come
back you don’t bore your friends with
holiday pics, you put the sounds in
another sort of album. Possibly even more
boring.
What a relief! David is not just a sonic
tourist. He has combined sounds and
instruments with the help of a few
PAGE 32 SACRED HOOP
friends and hey presto you have an tunes, and these have the atmosphere of
album well worth hearing. On the new some of the warrior dances played on
age side, but with more than enough wailing bagpipes (first catch your goat),
heart soul and backbone to work. from Macedonia. Men’s music.
Sound wise it is superb and creative. Both CD’s are equally superb, perhaps
One track in particular (seventh the Celestial Harmonies wins a few points
Heaven) gives me goose bumps. as it is longer, but big deal, so what! Buy
Available from High Street record shops one or if you can both.
Available from High Street record shops
FREE
RADICALS YATRA
Michael Askill David Parsons
Black Sun Music Fortuna Records
15027 - 2 18072 - 2
56.58 mins. 123.43 mins.
Double CD:
CD: (Full price)
Reviewer: (Full price)
Nicholas Wood Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
Music composed for the Sydney Dance
Ambient music
Company. A mixture of percussion, voice,
composed as a journey through India and
bells, and didjeredoo. Can’t say why I like
into Tibet (Yatra is Sanskrit for journey).
it, but I do. You could dance to it; you
Original street sounds and musical snippets
could paint to it, write to it, or even listen to
have been sampled by Parsons and added
it. It’s interesting, it’s good and it’s very
to with a bank of synthesisers. He uses the
different. A kind of Gaberiel Roth out of
Kodo Drummers out of Stockhousen out samples of Indian percussion instruments to
of traditional Aboriginal. very good effect, they are employed in
several pieces to give a foundation. This is
Available from High Street record shops
not mushy newagemuzak, it is thoughtful,
SPIRIT highly creative music reminiscent of the
ambient work of Brian Eno, but perhaps with
OF THE more structure and direction.
MORNING The work begins with a looped sample of
WIND street sellers in an Indian railway station and
Trio Livdvig Garibian ends with a piece inspired by Tibet’s Mount
Oreade Music
ORW 5207 - 2 Kailash: quite a journey indeed.
61.19 mins. Available from High Street record shops
CD: (Full price)
DIYE
MUSIC OF Takadja
ARMENIA VOL 3 Black Sun Music
15025 - 2
Celestial Harmonies
53.47 mins.
13117 - 2
CD: (Full price)
71.35 mins.
CD: (Full price)
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
West African trad
For me this music is pop fusion at it’s
a song of the deep Earth. Both best. Lots of drums,
recordings are music of the Duduk, a Kora, traditional
traditional Armenian folk oboe. The flutes, superb vocals and the odd bit of
duduk is accompanied on drones (other guitar. Good time music, some of it robust
duduk) and occasional drums. I cannot and gutsy, some of it so etheric that it
easily describe the sound of this music, it makes you glide and soar. Beautiful stuff.
is haunting, sad, intense, passionate, Available from High Street record shops
proud, gentle, melodic and quite quite
unique. Some of the pieces are dance
ISSUE 18 1997

THE ILLUSTRATED
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
DIVINATION
Stephen Karcher
Element Books
HB 256 pages
ISBN Number
1-85230-876-1
£18.99
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
What a beautiful book! Every page
illustrated in full colour, and a decent
size too, not a pocket encyclopedia this
one.
The book spans the world’s divinatory
systems, a subject of which I am no
expert, but if you want to Tarot, Mo
(Tibet), Runes, I Ching (China), Ifa
(Nigeria) and many others as well this is
the book for you. The hundreds of
illustrations clearly show the methods
and even encourage a hands on
approach where possible, the text not
only describes the major divinatory
methods, it covers such areas as dream
incubation, reading signs and omens in
natural phenomena, spirit possession
and trance, and is very shamanically
friendly.
Available from good new age book and High
Street bookshops.
BLESSING POWER
OF THE
BUDDHAS
Norma Levine
Element Books
PB 156 pages
ISBN Number
1-85230-305-0
£8.99
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
I have read this
book about four times since it arrived in
the Hoop office a few years ago. I love
it.
The author Norma Levine has
travelled extensively in the Tibetan
Buddhist countries around Tibet, and
is an expert on Tibetan objects, in
fact she runs her own company ‘Wind
Horse’ in Hay on Wye which import
objects.
This is a fascinating book, devoted in
the main to the miracles of gTèrma; the
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
. . . . . . . . . . Reviews
teaching and objects left by
Padmasabhava when he left this world.
Tibetan traditions are full of miracle
happenings; cliffs which have natural
sculptures of a yidam in them, tiny
statues of yidams discovered inside the
bones of great yogis when they have
died and the discovery of magical
objects and teachings left as gTèrma by
‘the lotus born one’.
This book is so clearly written and
accessible I would recommend it to
anyone remotely interested in Tibetan
traditions or to anyone interested in the
wondrous things that slip through the
cracks in the worlds and appear as
miracles in this one.
Available from good new age book and High
Street bookshops.
TWILIGHT
OF THE
CELTIC GODS
David Clark with
Andy Roberts
Cassell Books
HB 176 pages
ISBN Number
1-7137-2522-2
£16.99
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
I have to say I got
annoyed with the writing style of this
book as it does tend to repeat itself a
lot. Now having got that out off my
chest, I can turn to the book itself
which I found quite fascinating.
The authors have, so they claim made
contact with living ancient pagan
traditions (most often in Derbyshire),
and have spoken to living ‘guardians’ of
the traditions who have explained some
of the traditions to them.
It is a well researched book, covering
such subjects as the ‘cult of the head’,
the painting of stones, bane fires and
many other examples of the ancient
traditions of these lands, all of which the
authors demonstrate are still happening
today, and not as any new age revival.
There is a wonderful section about a
glen in Scotland where three stones
have been used for hundreds of years
as a shrine to the triple goddess, and
who have a house in which they spend
the winter to be brought out in the
spring. The authors relate how even
though the glen is now not lived in, the
roof of the house is re thatched every
year, and the stones moved to and from
the house.
This is just one example from the book,
which really is full of the most
fascinating stories and instances, and
despite its writing style, a book well
worth a read.
Available from good new age book and High
Street bookshops.
WHITE EAGLE
MEDICINE WHEEL
Wa-Na-Nee-Che
& Eliana Harvey
Connections Books
Cards & Book (PB)
ISBN Number
1-85906-008-0
£17.99
Reviewer:
Julie Pembridge
Compared to the
other cards sets
that I have looked
at and used, this one differs in the way
that it is visually presented. Most tarot
or medicine cards have a painted
picture to represent a symbol or
concept; these cards have stunning
photographs of medicine objects in an
appropriate background.
This in itself is a treat for the eyes, as
not many people get the chance to see
the beauty, craftsmanship and variety of
these objects.
The authors of this pack are
Ojibwa/Lakota teacher Wa-Na-Nee-
Che and therapist, writer and workshop
leader, Eliana Harvey. Their combined
wisdom and teachings are presented in
the beautifully detailed accompanying
book. The cards are split into three
parts: Animal, Grandmother and
Grandfather, and Totem, each
corresponding respectively to the levels
of Apprentice, Student and Elder. The
teachings in the book take the pupil
through the levels one by one, so the
learning of the cards and the spreads is
an on-going and accumulative process.
The sincerity and learnedness of the
authors is undeniable. In using these
cards I found myself absorbed by their
beauty. Generally, this pack is well
PAGE 33
Reviews . . . . . . . . . .
thought out and well presented. A good
buy, as long as you have the patience
to proceed through the levels as the
authors intend.
Available from good new age book and High
Street bookshops. See also our competition on
page 5, we have 10 sets to give away as prizes.
THE HOPI SURVIVAL
KIT
Thomas E Mails
TOUCH
THE EARTH FOUNDATION
HB 376 pp
ISBN Number
1-55670-517-4
£12.95
Reviewer:
Adrian Reid-Wolfe
Techqua Ikachi ,
‘blend with the land
and celebrate life’.
These words are
the central message
of this amazing
book, if we accept
what is written in it
as true then there is
NO option but to act, to act swiftly and
to act by following the detailed
instructions contained therein!
The author is an American Lutheran
pastor, with a string of acclaimed books
on Native American individuals and
cultures to his name. This one is
different in that it is written by him for
all peoples of the Earth because of
what he discovered in writing the
previous Hotevilla, Hopi Shrine of the
Covenant, Microcosm of the World.
Although Survival Kit is written with the
express blessing of Chief Dan
Evehema, Spiritual Leader of the
Greasewood Clan of the Hopi at
Hotevilla and includes requests for our
help for the Traditional Hopi way, it is
actually an appeal to us all to return to
the original teachings of how to live
properly on this our Earth Mother. Here
the very clear instructions are as given
to the Hopi a thousand years ago by
one they know as Maasaw, however if
you have read ‘The Findhorn Garden’
by The Findhorn Community you will
find the most astonishing parallels in
PAGE 34
the instructions that they record. Upon
occasion there are identical words!
To a British reader Mails style and
Americanisms sometimes grate, he also
tends to haul out a bit wide (though he
does explain why) and yet I believe no
one could have written a better book
given his vast knowledge of Native
America.
If you are concerned about our future
and the way the most dangerous animal
on the planet is treating the Earth
Mother then you should read this book.
Meanwhile please excuse me I’m off to
pray and to sing to my garden.
Available from the Sacred Trust. Tel: (01225)
852615
A MAGICAL JOURNEY
WITH CARLOS
CASTANEDA
Margaret Runyan Castaneda
Millenia Press
PB 186 pages
ISBN Number
0-9696960-1-9
£12.95
Reviewer:
Nicholas Wood
I have done the
unusual thing of
only including a tiny
part of the whole
book cover with
this review,
because I thought
you might like to
see the face of the man who launched
a thousand legends - Carlos himself
(taken in 1964).
A very interesting book, written by his
exwife. A real insight into the man
himself, how he writes his first few
books, managed to get them published,
became a celebrity and spun a web of
stories and counter stories around
himself.
Are the beans spilt, is the illusion
shattered, is the truth upheld - read the
book, you won’t regret it ... I must stop
writing this review now, a big black
crow has just come and sat on my
window sill and is looking at me in a
funny way!
A CIRCLE OF THIRTEEN
Carolyn Hillyer
Seventh Wave
PB 128 pages
£13.00
Reviewer:
Jan Wood
This book is a
double treat of
words and images,
beautifully produced
in spiral bound A5
format. The pages
are sturdy and the
colours of the
t h i r t e e n
‘grandmother’ images glowing and
clear. There is a section for each
grandmother archetype with their own
‘story’ and song.
The book holds a strong presence both
of Carolyn, her responses to the natural
world of her beloved Dartmoor, and of
the archetypes themselves.
The language is both poetical and gutsy
and Carolyn skillfully communicates the
experiences so that we see through her
eyes, hear through her ears, share her
senses and process.
It had me on the edge of my seat,
sitting right there on the moor, feeling
the weather, seeing the figures as they
reveal their forms, each a with a distinct
quality and purpose. This is the
dreamtime, the threshold where
ordinary reality and the spirit world
meet. Through this book you really
meet these archetypes.
A beautiful gift to give yourself, your
daughters, friends. And if you get the
tape too (‘Grandmother Turtle’) you will
have a real treasure, a sacred
landscape to immerse your senses in.
Available from Seventh Wave Music, Po Box 1
Totnes, Devon TQ9 6UQ. See also our special
offer on page 5, we have copies of this book for
sale at only £10.50 including P&P.
SACRED HOOP ISSUE 18 1997
 Sept 21

- Dec

SEPT 19 - 21 (Dartmoor) An experiential weekend working in the

THE HERON HOUSE
A weekend journey for women, to meet
our ancient foremothers of this land who
travelled close into its rhythms and
secrets. With Carolyn Hillyer. Contact
01822 880301.
SEPT 19 - 21 (Dorset)
EQUINOX DRUM DANCE
A residential weekend of drumming, 5
rhythms dancing and sweatlodge With
Chris Southall. Contact 01297 560342.
SEPT 20 (East Sussex)
THE SACRED LANDSCAPE
An indepth coverage of ley lines and
power points, history, folklore and magic.
With Philip Carr-Gomm. Contact 01273
473388.
SEPT 20 - 21 (Glastonbury)
HEALING OUR WOUNDS -
AWAKENING OUR MAGICAL CHILD
A weekend for women. Contact 01458
833933
SEPT 20 -21 (London)
JOURNEY TO PERU
A weekend inspired by Andean teachings
to explore our shamanic creative potential
through myth, ritual and sound. With Peter
Cloudsley. Contact 0181 8064916.
SEPT 20 - 21 (Derbyshire)
DANCING THE STORMS
5 rhythms dancing, sharing and ritual at
the autumn equinox. With Cora Greenfield.
Contact 01433 630759.
SEPT 23 (London W8)
SHAMANIC DANCE
No need to book just come. Dance the 4
elements, power animals and the allies
and enemies of a warrior of the spirit. With
Leo Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171 435 8174.
SEPT 27 - 28 (Exeter)
WOMEN’S MYSTERIES
sacred circle. With Pamela Woods, Annie
Aris, and Eleonor Lind. Contact 0181
8064916.
SEPT 27 - OCT 4 (Italy)
FIRE EARTH AND SPIRIT
A week long retreat for men in a wonderful
location. With Chris Southall. Contact
01638 741280.
SEPT 28 (Glastonbury)
RITES OF PASSAGE - MENOPAUSE
With Lesley Kenton. Contact 01458
833933
OCT 3 -5 (Glastonbury)
NATIVE AMERICAN WEEKEND
With Blue Spruce Standing Deer. Contact
01458 83393
OCT 3 - 4 (Derbyshire)
SACRED DANCE IN
SACRED SPACE
5 rhythms dancing and movement indoors
and outdoors, exploring sacred
connections between body, breath, earth
and ancestry. With Cora Greenfield.
Contact 01433 630759.
OCT 3 - 5 (London)
SPIRIT VOICE - SHAMANIC SINGING
Magic chanting and song as tools and as
sources of power and transformation. With
Annette Høst. Contact 0181 459 3028.
OCT 4 - 5 (Lake District)
SOUL RETRIEVAL
Advanced workshop. With Howard G
Charing. Contact 0181 5674061
OCT 5 (North Yorks)
BASIC SHAMANISM (Part 1)
Learn how to use drumming and dancing
to enter shamanic consciousness. With
Jane Shutt and Christine Mark. Contact
01751 417795
OCT 6 (East Sussex)
FENG SHUI COURSE

IMPORTANT NOTICE
FOR PEOPLE ON THE PATH LISTINGS
Sacred Hoop can no longer continue this as
a completely free service. From the next issue
(issue 19 - Dec 1997) POP will only be free
to all those who advertise in that issue
with a standard box or larger.
For non advertisers there will be a charge of £10.00 per entry.
Please send cheques made out to SACRED HOOP
when you send in your your details (address above)

PAGE 36 PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE WHEN YOU REPLY TO ADVERTS ISSUE 18 1997
 Please send your

People on the Path

entries to:
Celia Wearing,
47 Pamington Fields,
Fitzhamon Park,
Ashchurch,
Tewkesbury, Glos.
GL20 8LH
Tel: (01684) 299982

Start of a weekly course. With Jane

Buttler-Biggs. Contact 01273 473388
OCT 9 (London W8)
SHAMANIC DANCE
No need to book just come. With Leo
Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171 4358174.
OCT 10 (St Albans)
PATHS OF WISDOM
Evening talk. With Howard G Charing.
Contact 01727 843 733.
OCT 10 - 12 (Glastonbury)
NATIVE AMERICAN WEEKEND
With Blue Spruce Standing Deer.
Contact 01458 83393.
OCT 10 - 12 (Fife - Scotland)
ED Mc GAA WORKSHOP
A rare chance to work with this
respected Lakota teacher. With Ed Mc
Gaa Eagle Man. Contact 01592
644060
OCT 12 (London)
HEALING WITH ANGELS
Practical ways of calling on this help to
heal and clear away old patterns. With
Diana Cooper. Contact 0171 287
6711.
OCT 17 - 19 (Teddington London)
ED Mc GAA WORKSHOP
With Ed Mc Gaa Eagle Man. Contact
01923 219199
OCT 17 - 19 (Glastonbury)
NATIVE AMERICAN WEEKEND
With Blue Spruce Standing Deer.
Contact 01458 83393
OCT 18 - 19 (London)
PRINCIPLES OF SHAMANISM
An introductory exploration into the
worlds of the shaman and the teachings
of the medicine wheel. With Leo
Rutherford and Howard G Charing.
Contact 0171 603 6843
OCT 21 (London W8)
SHAMANIC DANCE

PLEASE NOTE:
Whilst it is hoped that
organisers and leaders of
events shown in People on
the Path practise according to the
ethics of respect and
right relationship with all
aspects of creation,
inclusion in the listing does
not imply endorsement
by SACRED HOOP
or its editors.

ISSUE 18 1997 PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE WHEN YOU REPLY TO ADVERTS PAGE 37
 No need to book just come. With Leo
Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171 4358174.
OCT 24 - 26 (Dorset)
THE SHAMANS DREAM BODY
An experiential introductory weekend
into altered states of perception. With
Howard G Charing. Contact 0297 560
342
OCT 25 - 26 (St Albans)
WISDOM OF THE CRONE
Goddess healing workshop. With Gill
Holland. Contact 01442 246407
OCT 25 (Hitching)
TURNING ENEMIES INTO ALLIES
Day workshop on medicine wheel
teachings. With Leo Rutherford.
Contact 01462 459 020
OCT 31 - NOV 2 (Glastonbury)
MENOPAUSE MYSTERIES
Journeying through the change. With
Tina Redpath and Kathy Jones. Contact
01458 83393
NOV 1997 - JULY 98 (London &
Wales)
SHAMANIC HEALING COURSE
Intermediate and advanced shamanic
healing and soul retrieval course. With
Leo Rutherford and Howard G Charing.
Contact 0171 435 8174 or 0181 537
9312.
NOV 1 (York)
BASIC WORKSHOP IN
SHAMANISM
Learn how to use drumming and
dancing to enter shamanic
consciousness. With Jane Shutt and
Christine Mark. Contact 01751
417795
NOV 1 (Kent)
FOR ALL MY RELATIONS
Story telling, Dream walking, through
the medicine wheel, rattling and make a
dance feather. With Lin Rowden Allen.
Contact 01474 568780.
NOV 1 - 2 (Dorset)
BEAST AND BELOVED
Weekend for men, dedicated to naming
clearly what it is to be a man. With
Malcolm Stern. Contact 0171 287
6711.
NOV 1 - 3 (London)
SHAMANIC TRANCE POSTURES
A weekend to explore shamanic trance
postures for healing, divination, shape
shifting, celebration and other ecstatic
experiences. With Howard G Charing
and Juni Pankhurst. Contact 0181 567
4061.
NOV 6 - 8 (Lake District)
THE SHAMANS DREAM BODY
Experiential introductory weekend into
altered states of perception. With Howard
G Charing. Contact 016973 20966
NOV 7 (London)
JUPITER TRUST
With Leo Rutherford. Contact 01865
407490.
NOV 8 (London W6)
14TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATION
Liberate the magical child - no need to

PAGE 38 PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE WHEN YOU REPLY TO ADVERTS ISSUE 18 1997
book - just come! With Leo Rutherford.
Contact 0171 435 8174.
NOV 8 - 9 (London)
TRANCE DANCES
OF THE CANDOMBLE
Stuck in therapy/spiritual unfolding?
Trance dance can take you through the
blocks. Fun not Struggle. With Leo
Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171603 6843.
NOV 7 - 9 (Buckinghamshire)
THE FACES OF WINTER
A chance to make new masks and to
work with existing ones, using drama,
dance, music and ceremony to explore
winter with traditional imagery and new
ideas. With Gordon MacLellan. Contact
0161 226 8127.
NOV 13 (London W8)
SHAMANIC DANCE
No need to book just come. With Leo
Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171 4358174.
NOV 13 - 16 (Gloucestershire)
SOUL RETRIEVAL TRAINING
A thorough experiential introduction to the
heart and practice of shamanic soul
retrieval. With Jonathan Horwitz. Contact
0181 459 3028.
NOV 17 (Eastbourne)
MEDICINE WHEEL WORKSHOP
With Leo Rutherford. Contact 01323
643819
NOV 20 (Kent)
HEAVEN ON EARTH
Evening of music and clairvoyance All
proceeds to ‘Children in need’. With Lin
Rowden Allen. Contact 01474 568780
NOV 21 (East Sussex)
URBAN SHAMANISM
Evening talk on the medicine wheel
teachings. With Leo Rutherford. Contact
01273 473388.
NOV 21 - 23 (Glastonbury)
CREATIVE PARENTING FOR MEN
With Helena Eastwood. Contact 01458
83393
NOV 21 - 23 (London Kew)
THE SHAMANIC JOURNEY
Experiential introduction to the shamanism
universe, techniques and spirituality
through shamanic journeying, drumming
and dancing. With Jonathan Horwitz.
Contact 0181 459 3028.
NOV 22 - 23 (Bedford)
WORLD-A-GENDER
Explore the power of Gender. A workshop
for men and women. With Val and
Lawrence Randle. Contact (01234)
309636
NOV 22 - 23 (East Sussex)
INTUITION : AWAKENING TO YOUR
OWN INNER TRUTH
A workshop to enhance creative intuition
to gain the very best from life. With Dr
Christine Page. Contact 01273 473 388.
NOV 22 - 23 (East Sussex)
URBAN SHAMANISM
A weekend of medicine wheel teachings,
ceremony, dancing, chanting, drumming
and playing. With Leo Rutherford. Contact
01273 473388
ISSUE 18 1997 PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE WHEN YOU REPLY TO ADVERTS
NOV 25 (London W8)
SHAMANIC DANCE
No need to book just come. With Leo
Rutherford & the N’Goma Kundi
Drummers. Contact 0171 4358174.
NOV 28 - 30 (Glastonbury)
INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA
With Helena Eastwood. Contact 01458
83393
NOV 30 (East Sussex)
SELF HEALING & SELF CHANGE
A day to help heal emotional pain,
overcome fear and blossom into our full
potential. With Celia Crawford. Contact
01273 473388
DEC 1 (Kent)
SPIRITUAL TEACHING CIRCLE
Start of a 12 week awareness course
with award holding spiritual medium:
clairvoyance, colour, trance etc. With Lin
Rowden Allen. Contact 01474 568780
DEC 3 (Guildford)
THE MEDICINE WHEEL
Evening Talk. With Leo Rutherford.
Contact 0483 810843
DEC 6 (North Yorks)
BASIC SHAMANISM (Part 2)
A follow up day for those who attended
the last basic day. With Jane Shutt and
Christine Mark. Contact 01751 417795
DEC 17 - 21 (Milton Keynes)
CREATIVE WINTER SOLSTICE
RETREAT
Drumming, dancing, art, mask making,
ritual drama and letting our hair down.
With Chris Southall. Contact 01638
741280
DEC 20 (London WC1)
SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE
SOLSTICE PARTY
A day of wonder, fun and much more
besides. Come and support your favorite
shamanic magazine. With lots of amazing
people doing lots of amazing things.
Contact 0171 435 8174. Full details on 3
and on page 6.
DEC 23 (London)
WOMENS FULL MOON
WRITING CIRCLE
With Zannie Volpe. Contact (0171) 706
7421
DEC 29 - JAN 3 (Devon)
AWAKENING THE DREAM BODY
This workshop will include gazing, walks
of attention, trance dance, journeys,
sweatlodge, stalking and dreaming. With
Leo Rutherford and Howard G Charing.
Contact 01822 615261
People on the Path
Issue 19 COPY deadline : NOV 1st
PAGE 39
 Ongoing

Groups
ABERDEENSHIRE
Laura Davison - % (01224) 593305.
AVON
Jo Protero - % (01225) 723622.
Alex - % (01272) 557220.
Simbana Please - % (01225) 859860.
Drum Doctors - % (01373) 831171.
Annie Wildwood - % (0117) 941 1557.
BEDFORDSHIRE
Val Randle - % (01234) 309636.
Anne Sears - % (01223) 242577.
BERKSHIRE
Sue Nennemann - % (01734) 791818
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Eileen Haines - % (01733) 204102.
Sean Wright - % (01553) 840806
CORNWALL
Roger Croxson - % (01822) 832653.
Lynn Lane - % (01736) 793285.
Marjorianne Rowland - % (01209) 843194
DERBYSHIRE
Cora Greenhill - % (01433) 630759.
DEVON
Sue Jamieson - % (01803) 868057.
Tribal Mind - % (01288) 356676.
Eleonore Lind - % (01884) 881229.
Bethlehem Taylor - % (01884) 881467.
Roland - % (01803) 762255.
DORSET
Eliana Harvey - % (01963) 23468 .
Michael - % (01297) 60342.
Willy Lone Bear - % (01202) 481333.
DURHAM
Liz - % (0191) 373 5109.
ESSEX
Paulette & Rolf Johnson - % (01279) 433
247
Gary Davidge - % (01279) 863 160
GLAMORGANSHIRE
Mary - % (01639) 730052.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Linda - % (01242) 674937.
Ama - % (01453) 751858.
Nick Twilley - % (01453) 763713.
Ade Borrelli - % (01452) 383759.
Carolyn Finlay - % (01242) 528363.
GWYNEDD
Ashera - % (01766) 762462.
Andy & Sue - % (01341) 280255.
HAMPSHIRE
Steve & Carrie Hounsome - % (01962)
864022.
HEREFORDSHIRE
Keith Brocklehurst - % (01531) 670477.
Peter Terry - % (01885) 400352
HERTFORDSHIRE
Christine Owen - % (01923) 261464.
Sheena Barnes - % (01923) 220426
KENT
Alawn Tickhill - % (01304) 381614.
LONDON
Heather Campbell - % (0181) 399 8156.
Michael Berman - % (0171) 328 7827.
Leo Rutherford - % (0171) 435 8174.
Trisha Mulholland - % (0171) 609 4956.
Howard Charing - % (0181) 567 4061
Kathryn Player - % (0171) 236 6268.
MIDDLESEX
Earthsong Drumming - % (0181) 977
4282
Circle of Sound - % (0181) 898 2877
NORFOLK
Michèle Brown - % (01328) 711168.
Sean & Trisha Wright - % (01553)
840806
OXFORD
Steven Cartwright - % (01865) 511851.
POWYS
Sharon Forrest - % (01686) 412328.
SOMERSET
Dee Robertson - % (01460) 52924.
SURREY
Terry Wilkes - % (0181) 773 0827.
SUSSEX
Paddy Mooney - % (01424) 433035.
TAYSIDE
Suzy - % (01764) 679525.
WEST MIDLANDS
Eve Lung - % (0121) 449 0877.
YORKSHIRE
Carol Youngson - % (0114) 274 7522
Ron Pyatt - % (01274) 499910.
WARWICKSHIRE
Frances Ommanney - % (01926)
881772
WORCESTERSHIRE
Nick & Jan Wood - % (01386) 49680.

MOTHER EARTH
Two special workshop with
Ed Mc Gaa Eagle Ma n
& Jennifer Lynn Cline
Follow the Rainbow
Mother Earth Spirituality
The Natural Way
Scotland ~ The Xenon Centre : Kirkcaldy :
Fife
01592 644060
England ~ The Avenue : Teddington : Middx

PAGE 40 PLEASE REMEMBER TO MENTION SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE WHEN YOU REPLY TO ADVERTS ISSUE 18 1997
Fine Shamanic Tools
& Medicine Objects
Commissions by
Nicholas Wood

Gourd & Rawhide

Rattles
Shamanic Drums
Medicine Bags
Feather fans
and a fantastic range of
Beads and Other
Craft Materials
Full details send A5 SAE to