Spirit Hollow

An Intensive Training in Core Shamanism
Taught by Tracey & Emery Forest with Robert Patton assisting

For those serious about deepening their spiritual life, understanding the universe & the natural world more fully, and accessing power & guidance for healing self & others.

Described as a “life-altering course,” this on-going training offers leading-edge instruction in shamanic techniques and spiritual development in a circle of dedicated people and meets one Saturday each month for 8 months (for 1 to 3 years) on sacred land in the beautiful mountains of southwestern Vermont. The focus is on learning ancient shamanic techniques blended with contemporary approaches. In a spiritual community, through hands-on methods, you will learn:

• to “journey” into non-ordinary reality
• to connect with power animals, ancestors and teachers for guidance and healing
• to understand and participate in the way of council
  
• to clarify your soul’s purpose and work toward manifesting it in the world
• sacred creative expression through song, movement, drumming and/or art
• to construct and perform sacred rituals to honor, heal & release
• to incorporate shamanic practice into everyday life
• techniques of working compassionately with those who have died or are dying
• techniques of divination to use with self and others
  
• methods of working with nature spirits and spirits of place in a respectful and cooperative way
• to retrieve soul’s voice and learn how to express it effectively
• extraction healing to remove the spiritual causes of blockages and physical illness

The first half of the first-year course is intended to help participants learn the fundamentals of shamanism and then to work on personal healing and spiritual growth. The second half is intended to teach participants highly effective techniques for helping and healing others and the planet. Most students continue into a second and third year of study, learning soul retrieval and other intermediate and advanced techniques.

A NEW APPROACH:

With our ninth year of Seeing With the Heart, beginning with the Fall session in 2008, Spirit Hollow decided  to offer the course  by donation only.  The economic crisis and general fear and uncertainty pose growing obstacles to attending workships of this nature.  This ancient work of Love, Transformation and Community becomes ever more precious and necessary in times such as these.  Because we at Spirit Hollow believe no one should be turned away from this work by money or fear, tuition will be on a pay-as-you-can-afford basis.

To give you an idea of how much to donate, in 2007, the tuition was $70 per session, about $600 total for the year. Some of you will not be able to pay nearly that much, while some of you may actually have the means to pay more. We ask that you please consult your heart when deciding how much to pay. We are dedicated, as a non-profit, to offering this work to everyone interested, regardless of ability to pay. If you have the desire and the commitment to learn these incredible, life-changing techniques and really wish to be part of a spiritual community, YOU ARE WELCOME even for the smallest fee or for work exchange.

Facilitated by:

Tracey and Emery Forest, Founding Co-Directors of Spirit Hollow. We have been teaching shamanic healing for over 15 years and are both graduates of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies’ three-year program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing, under the direction of Dr. Michael Harner, considered the world’s leading authority on shamanism. Emery is also a graduate of Sandra Ingerman’s (author of Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth) two-year Teacher Training. Tracey has  200-hour Teacher Certification in Prana Vinyasa Flow Yoga from Shiva Rea. Tracey and Emery live and work at Spirit Hollow with their three awesome kids, two big black golden-rottie dogs, nine chickens, twelve adorable ducks, a happy hive of honey bees, a 5,000 sq-ft vegetable garden, barred owls, black bears and tons of trees and flowers.

Robert Patton, Spirit Hollow Board vice-president and Dreamkeeper, was one of the original Seeing with the Heart students, with the class beginning in 2000 . His learning has included Sandra Ingerman’s Medicine for the Earth workshop and Greg Besek’s work on death and dying, both of which set his path of further explorations and study.  His walk between a full-time job in the mundane world and the shamanic view of the Universe has deepened his understanding of the shamanic role in community as psychopomp, not only to the disembodied, but to the living and the environment as well. He continues his studies in ritual theory and world mythology. He believes in the journey toward personal, spiritual authority in one’s own life that Seeing with the Heart can begin for individuals and he continues to offer his assistance to the Seeing with the Heart classes.

All classes meet at SPIRIT HOLLOW in Shaftsbury, Vermont (Click here for directions).

Application Deadline for new first- year class is September 15st .  Download the Application here.  Check Calendar for class dates; 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM for most sessions. Bring a vegetarian dish to share for the potluck lunches at each session. Coffee, tea and drinks are available throughout the day and, if you are traveling from a distance, you can request to camp in one of our yurts or in your own tent on the land.

Call us at (802) 447-3895 or register online. You can also email us at .  

Registration, Cancellation and Refund Policy:

A non-refundable deposit of 20% of program cost is due at the time of registration; in some cases (such as special outside presenters), the required non-refundable deposit may be a larger percentage of program cost.  This deposit is required to hold a place in any given program.  All monies, less deposit, will be refunded in full if you cancel 30 or more days prior to program’s start date.  if you cancel between 30 days and 1 day in advance, a non-refundable credit (less deposit) will be held for one year from the date of issue.  No credit or refund is available if you canel on program start day, do not show up or leave a program early for any reason.

Spirit Hollow reserves the right to cancel any program at any time.  In this event, you will be given a complete refund.

Seeing With the Hear Policy:

Although this course is on a donation basis, it requires a commitment.  The following guidelines apply:

SWTH is not a drop-in course.  It has a set, yearly curriculum.  The donation you commit to is for the tuition for that curriculum as a whole (i.e. for the entire year).  Our preference is that you make this full donation prior to the start of each year’s work.  However, because we recognize this may be difficult for some participants, we are willing to permit people to make their donations in monthly installments; we must still require that these installments be made whether or not you are able to attend in a given month.  To do otherwise makes it extremely difficult for us to budget for the operating costs of Spirit Hollow, which remain the same whether you attend or not.

Should you decide after the first meeting that the course is not for you, you may choose not to continue with your pledged donations.  If, however, you decide to remain in the course beyond the first meeting, we must ask that you honor your full, pledged donation whether you make a later decision to discontinue the program.  Again, to do otherwise makes it extremely difficult for us to honor our commitments we must make to keep the lights on at Spirit Hollow.

We thank you for your understanding.