Also on Saturday, February 11, from 2- 8 p.m., Kinney and Eckmann will facilitate a workshop titled "Journey to the North Position on the Medicine Wheel Mandala. In this experiential workshop, attendees will learn a special journey technique developed by Kinney specifically for mapping the shamanic reality of the medicine wheel Mandala, and will then journey into the North position to explore the landscape there, and to seek a teaching from Wolf, a shamanic North animal.
The final workshop of the weekend, "Meeting the Shamanic North Goddess "Nurturing Mother/Warrioress Woman", is for women only. Attendees will encounter this powerful goddess archetype, and awaken it within themselves, beginning to learn how to integrate this energy into one's sense of oneself as a powerful woman unafraid to find and express feminine authority. Kinney says of this workshop, "In spite of all the work women have done over the past century to liberate themselves from patriarchal oppression, concepts, and descriptions of femininity, many women still fear to discover and express their natural feminine authority within their families and within their communities. This workshop will point the way towards how one can begin to do so."
According to Kinney, "Nurturing Mother/Warrioress Woman is a North shamanic goddess archetype who personifies both a nurturing and an authoritative aspect of the feminine psyche. On the one hand, she is the "Great Mother" who nurtures all things equally, yet who has the power to bring civilization to a halt by withholding her bounty. On the other hand, she is a spiritual warrioress who holds a chalice in one hand and a sword in the other. The chalice contains the deepest needs of her soul, and she protects its contents with her sword, which she wields with the emotionless clarity of a samurai.
Kinney will teach participants in the last two workshops her special techniques for safely journeying into and returning from the archetypal reality of the Medicine Wheel Mandala. She will also teach shamanic meditation, movement, and a song that can be used for calling upon "Mother Light", the protective light and energy contained within the Earth. She will be available for private sessions in Camden on Monday, February 13. To schedule a private session, please call Kristen Eckmann at (207) 299-4015.
Workshop participants will be asked to contribute something delicious to share at potluck meals during the Saturday and Sunday workshops. There is a fee for each workshop. Those taking more than one workshop will be offered a discount. Pre-registration with a deposit is required for all workshops. Registration is limited to twelve persons per workshop. For more information and to register, contact Camden registrar Kristen Eckmann in Camden at (207) 299-4015, or Scarlet Kinney in Surry at (207) 667-4772. To learn more about The Standing Bear Center for Shamanic Studies, you can visit the Center's web site at
www.thestandingbear.com.