Leo Rutherford

[DavidHDD]

Anyone know if this guy is real or not?

[Barnaby_McEwan]

Hello David

If you mean ' is he an actually-existing person' then yes, he's real.

If you mean 'does this person teach a modern version of a timeless pre-industrial spirituality called shamanism', then no he's not, because there's no such thing.

[educatedindian]

There was a post at another group that described him pretty well, below.
Hope you didn't pay him for any "ceremonies". Is someone you know a follower?

-----
I think this individual deserves special mention -
It is my pleasure to nominate

Sacred Bear (Mato Wakan) aka Leo Rutherford!
King of the British Shame-men

He runs the Eagle's Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism

He got a MA in 'Holistic Psychology' at Antioch University in San Francisco CA.
Before that he was managing director of a manufacturing company that made cans and drums, so you can see how well qualified he is to
teach Euros how to be spitchul.

He even refers to his own theories as bullsh*t.

He's the author two books of complete horsesh*t

Your Shamanic Path Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century and The Way of Shamanism

In his books he describes a five step process to becoming a 'shaman'
1. "Erasing personal history"
2. "Facing your death and making death your ally" (this is some scary stuff and reminiscent of the Nazi occult)
3. "Stopping the world"
4. "Controlling the dream and finding new vision and purpose"
5. Being an "Impeccable warrior of the Spirit"

He claims that Shamanism is a blanket term for all indigenous spirituality.

Surprise surprise! He is a strong proponent of the use hallucinogens to enter an altered state of consciousness. He gives his followers "Ayahuasca", made from the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis
Caapi) and the leaf of the Chacruna plant (Psychotria Viridis). Remember, Ayahuasca overdoses killed several people in Southern
Ontario a couple of years back.

Leo claims that "Most Amazonian shamanic traditions teach that the ayahuasca spirits will transmit their power and knowledge only to
those willing to undergo a long and stringent initiation process involving a strict diet and sexual abstinence."

He claims to have studied with Black Elk and an Inca Shaman. I assume he means the well know fraud Wallace Black Elk. He also studies with fraud Harley Swift Deer Reagan.

He's retired now and running the Eagle's Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism in the UK with Don Eduardo Calderon who is well known to the National Council of Health Fraud in the U.K.

http://www.shamanism.co.uk/
(The second from the left - the little old man with the white hair)
http://www.conts.com/shamanism.htm

Right now, Leo is charging 995 English pounds to participate in the Firebird Trance Dance
http://www.shamanism.co.uk/trance_dance.htm
995 English pounds is 1,829.01 USD or 2,307.84 CAD
I think this clown deserves to be the twink of the month for May 2005!
Baamaa
Heather

[Barnaby_McEwan]

http://www.shamanism.co.uk/
(The second from the left - the little old man with the white hair)

That's my favourite twinkdork photo!

[AlaskaGrl]

There is a link here  

http://www.healthyconcerts.com/reviews/?x=|action=add_review|Artist_ID=310|Artist_Name=Leo%20Rutherford

to submit a review.....  

Linda

[Defend the Sacred]

Rutherford is now offering Ayahuasca tours (includes "relaxation in luxury Three star Hotel"), sweats, and "Heyeokah" trainings.

On this page we learn how he's taking people to the rainforest after telling them to stop taking all their meds:

"The most important things to avoid are pork, red meat, fat, salt, sugar, alcohol, drugs - including medicines - and sexual activity."

Reminds me of that Spalding Gray story where they wound up having to spend their fact-finding mission to Central America taking care of the guy who went off his meds and had a psychotic break. Good luck with that one, Leo. And what about those who, desperate for healing and enlightenment, go off their meds needed for things like heart conditions, cancer and diabetes? Another James Ray in the making? 

Like many other frauds, he's learned to avoid saying "Native American" on his website, instead substituting "shamanism" or "global spirituality". Whatever. He's still using proper names and fake ceremonies ripped off from his fantasies of Native American cultures.

ETA: Whoops, I spoke too  soon; he's still selling what he claims are NDN ceremonies: http://www.shamanism.co.uk/shamanism-2009/shamanism-sweat-lodge-2.html

"Sweat Lodge Ceremony
November 22nd, Sunday Afternoon-Evening - South Bedfordshire
With Leo Rutherford

The ancient purification ceremony in the style of the plains Indians."

[TimberlineWarrior]

At one time one of his disciples used to run drum groups in London and may still do so. LR is well known in the UK as somebody to avoid even though he advertises in most of the magazines.

^. .^

[NDN_Outlaw]

"Right now, Leo is charging 995 English pounds to participate in the Firebird Trance Dance"

They dance around a 69 Pontiac Firebird  

[Defend the Sacred]

"Right now, Leo is charging 995 English pounds to participate in the Firebird Trance Dance"

They dance around a 69 Pontiac Firebird 

Hey, I've been to that ceremony. There was lots of white people, and they were listening to Bad Company. Or maybe it was Foghat.

[E.P. Grondine]

At one time one of his disciples used to run drum groups in London and may still do so. LR is well known in the UK as somebody to avoid even though he advertises in most of the magazines.

^. .^

What are the magazines' titles? Any idea how are they distributed?

[uktena]

"Right now, Leo is charging 995 English pounds to participate in the Firebird Trance Dance"

They dance around a 69 Pontiac Firebird

While listening to Stravinsky?    Frankly, I'd do a Sacre du Printemps Trance Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjX3oAwv_Fs

...and follow the link to Part 2

At least this one has some kind of distant link to actual shamanism.   

[TimberlineWarrior]

One such magazine is Kindred Spirit, usually availabe from many sources, health orientated shops, Nu-age, crystals, etc. Rutherford can usually be found advertising in the back section.
http://www.kindredspirit.co.uk/

^. .^

[NDN_Outlaw]

Some of these characters are so pathetic it's almost laughable.The sad part of it is so many people are attracted to this gibberish. Engaging this nitwit in a debate would be like entering into a battle of wits with an unarmed man.

[TimberlineWarrior]

Apart from his school he also is a prolific author and promotes his books to also part people from their money.

The View Through the Medicine Wheel: 'Shamanic Maps of How the Universe Works'

Shamanic Path Workbook by Leo Rutherford
This book takes you down both the red and the blue roads and offers many practical exercises and ceremonies to help and guide you on your way.

The Way of Shamanism

and
'ADAM & EVIL: THE GOD WHO HATES SEX, WOMEN AND HUMAN BODIES'   by Leo Rutherford writing  as The Heyeokah Guru
This one is particularly interesting, presumably the sudonym he has chosen is a take on Heyoka (NDN) and Guru Budhism!
But one claim he makes
EXPOSED - "JESUS CHRIST" IS A MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE, NOT A PERSON
I happen to know that in his book Principles of Shamanism he mentions Jesus Christ and compares his journey into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights as to a Vision Quest and names JC as the Shaman of Nazareth. Yet now he can prove he is ficticious, maybe he can also prove that every claim he makes about himself as fake too, or at least should!

^. .^

[morgain]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post my contribution re LR.

I attended one of his weekends and came away angered and distressed.

1. I asked him if he tithed to the reservations as I'd travelled in the USA and knew the levels of poverty can be quite bad. He tried to duck it and then admitted he did not tithe.


2. At various points in the weekend LR appeared delighted that people had been stimulated to go into intense emotional states of distress. He made approving comments about how 'powerful' this was.

At the time I was a practising therapist (now retired). I had no objection to people going into intense states. Catharsis for anger or grief can be deeply healing, especially for inhibited Brits!
Sometimes this happened in my own work one-to-one, sometimes in a group setting. Sometimes it happened spontaneously, sometimes I deliberately provided conditions to encourage it for that person.
However this has to be done with meticulous care as to safety and trust. My method was to build a relationship of trust over time as a container to carry this experience. Also, crucially, I would ensure that the person had careful support during the experience and abundant time after it to be supported and return safely to 'norma' states.

None of this preparation or support afterwards was in place. People simply exploded under LR's delighted gaze.
It tended to happen towards the end of a session after mounting pressure from drumwork, trigger images etc to intensify emotion.
At the pre-set time to go into class break for coffee people were left literally on the floor in heaving sobbing heaps with no provision made to care for them.


3. Many of the women present were therapists, counsellors or co-counsellors.
We swung into action to hold, care for, soothe, stroke, sing to, validate and listen to these sobbing shaking people. This took a great deal of our time and energy until everyone was supported.
Meanwhile LR and his associates relaxed in the refectory.

I resented it greatly that I went there as a guest, not a facilitator, yet I together with many others, was forced to take on the burden of their thoughtless and cruel mess. Had it been a contract to run the event cooperatively, sharing the methods and the results together that would have been different. Possibly even if we had been asked to help even.
But LR just commented that this was wonderful because it was so powerful. He and assistants just walked out of the room leaving people in deep distress on the floor.


5. It was noticeable that this was a very gendered and exploitative situation.
A male wannabe shaman used shamanic techniques to induce intense states of painful emotion in the members of the group.
He took strong pleasure in the power he wielded to do so. It clearly fed his ego.
He then left the women in the group to do the caring and support work his victims needed. By doing so he invaded the victims and hurt them (mostly women) and exploited the other women present who did the emotional housework his hooliganism generated.
Needless to say LR was well paid for his role but the women were unpaid for theirs.


This was some years ago but I have never forgotten it. It made a big impression on me about copycat shamans.
Nothing I have heard of LR since has suggested he has changed.

Please move this if it fits better somewhere else.