Why deepen shamanic practice? Shamanic work provides energy and insight for daily life, and practicing the basics teaches a lot. That said, there is far, far more to learn! So why not get a big preview?! With guidance and diligence, you can open wide the whole amazing landscape of the psyche and also start turning outward to empower others.

Like the Beginner course, you will be going on drumming journeys, though often with special instructions that leverage the rich Norse cosmology. Who is your patron deity? How can you find and climb the World Tree? Are you ready to join a spirit tribe or meet a romantic spirit partner? What if a joten dismembers you!? What does the rune stone say? You will be finding your unique place as a shaman in a cosmic picture.

By the end of the course, you will have greatly expanded your shamanic “bag of tricks” and you will feel more at home in the spirit world. For example, maybe you want to meet the Norse god Freyr to get help regarding a romantic partner. You can journey to Freyr’s hall in Alfheim. You’d better have a good cloak and staff, know the customs, and have a song or dance to fully participate. And if a joten comes along, you’ll know what kinds of questions to ask it to uncover what it specifically represents as a life challenge for you.

By the end, you will be more in touch with various facets of your psyche and the archetypes. You will also learn how to retrieve and share energy with others through music and conduct group drumming journeys. You may well start to get interest from others around you as you plant the seeds of a community.

What does the course involve? You will get a concise and comprehensive course. Each lesson takes you on a journey of understanding and discovery.

Beyond the six hours of video lecture and demonstrations, we encourage you to try the many exercises. Draw a rune stone, don a mask, do breath work, try Swedish snus, and so forth. Find your spirit tribe! Fly to the moon. Say hello to Odin. Each of these takes time and openness to manifest. You will also find pithy reading material and reference handouts that you can print and refer to at a glance. There are short self-tests to help you absorb the finer points. Also, if you are musically inclined, there are new songs, and there is an exercise that you can do with a friend.

Ideally, allow up to a month to absorb the course content even though a week is, in theory, doable. There are so many options. Even after you earn the certificate, you will find yourself making discoveries for many months, even years, to come. With each option, you will benefit by returning to the relevant lecture to freshen your knowledge.

This course does is not about casting spells, referring to the occult, or pushing spirit power (might) onto others.

Why the Norse cosmology? The Norse cosmology is incredibly rich. Its themes and stories reflect universal human concerns, making it a great framework for psychological and spiritual exploration. In this course, we go deep into that cosmology. Of course, you don’t need to learn every one of dozens of deities or all the ins-and-outs of every world in Yggdrasil’s boughs. More likely, you will find a handful of deities—Freyja, Odin, etc.—as central patron spirits. You may add a joten in there too!

The course is not religious or ethnic in nature, and it does not aim to match Norse heathen or pagan beliefs or rites. That said, we do our best to respect established Norse ideas, and we do not shy away from darker themes or “shadow work”. The Norse were not necessarily a peaceful, egalitarian people in either the Bronze age or Viking age, and their revered ancestors (their gods) weren’t always either.

This course leads into the Advanced course, which delves into working with clients and community though practices such as Norse seidr. Everything you learn here will serve as a resource when learning to work with other people later.

By the way, some students discover a different cosmology calls to them. Know that the techniques you learn here are portable and often parallel other shamanic traditions around the world. So if on a journey you find yourself in the Amazon jungle in a maloka, you are still doing the work.

What's shamanic journeying? Going on a drumming journey is a core shamanic practice. By following the repetitive sound of a rattle, drum or chant, and focusing on a select memory and mission, you enter an altered state of consciousness. This relaxes the ego, which can get stuck in an unsatisfying mood and mindset. Once relaxed, the process allows in helpful material from the unconscious. It is far more than visualizing or dreaming. A shamanic journey taps your inner healer and inner storyteller and engages your whole self for therapeutic benefit.

Each journey you will take will build on the others or opens new vistas. Over time, you will gain spirit allies that bring greater perceptiveness, peace, purpose, power (energy), and prosperity into your life. Among these are powerful and wise deity spirits and shadowy, difficult joten spirits. When you do more challenging work, you likely find these Norse spirits particularly helpful.

As always, shamanism is about getting more connected. You will learn to see, hear, and feel more closely in alignment with nature, your inner self, other people in your life, your breath and body, the divine or spirit realm, and a rich ancestral and cultural heritage. Along the way, as you try many options and build skills, remember that patience, listening, openness, and asking for help are as important as ever.

Anyone can deepen their practice. If you find a techniques challenging, know that practice and patience will pay off. And if at any point you are skeptical, consider the spirits as unconscious elements that are taking on a relatable form in your conscious mind. For example, you can think of deities as busy, powerful, and inspiring CEOs. Like real-life CEOs, connecting with them likely takes time, clarity of purpose, and openness in your approach. The payoff: With their help, you can transform many aspects of your life.

What else will you get? We designed this Intermediate course to act as the middle third of a full-fledged university course. Your lead instructor, Dario, is an award-winning university teacher of the year. Moreover, his, Avi’s, and Judah’s backgrounds span multiple cultures and, taken together, include neuroscience, psychological assessment, coaching/counseling, game design, video production, martial arts, reiki, and military service. Our backgrounds inform what we bring to you.

Shamanic practice is probably as old as humanity itself. It brings together the wonder of nature and life’s powerful moments to remind us we are spiritual beings. You too can experience a connection to that total timeless experience.

How do we use the slides? For your convenience, most of the lectures have an on-screen visual guide (slides) to what content is being covered. The same slides are attached as a PDF to the course. Thus, if you wish, you can either pause and zoom in to the visual guide or you can download the slides and have them handy to follow along with the lecture. Alternatively, since the slides are summaries, you can ignore them.

Bonus Certificate:When you complete the course, you can get an additional, official certificate from Radiance House (in addition to the Udemy certificate). This requires you attend at least one of our live (and usually free)group sessions along with a brief interview. Contact us for details.

Disclaimer: Shamanic work is not intended as — nor can it replace — a proper medical, psychological or therapeutic diagnosis or treatment from a licensed healthcare professional. We encourage individuals with a history of psychological concerns to seek professional guidance as they normally would. Also, in the event that shamanic practice evokes challenging psychological material, we encourage seeking such services.