Why act as a shaman? Traditionally, shamans do much more than go on journeys to the spirit world. They act as important, helpful members of their communities. When people aren’t feeling well, in whatever way, they come to the shaman for “healing”, which means gaining, or re-gaining energy and insights for daily life. With caring and attention, you can “hold space”, lead groups on journeys, and even journey for someone else (with their permission).

Unlike the Beginner and Intermediate courses, you will mostly be working with others and you will not necessarily rely on repetitive drumming, at least not for yourself. Instead, you will be walking the shaman’s path in trance, more closely aligned with the spirits and allowing them to work through you.

By the end, you will know how to give basic rune stone readings, help take people through simple clearing and dedication ceremonies, go on “soul retrieval” journeys to provide energy for others, act as an oracle to answer others’ pressing questions, and conduct a summoning circle, which is an opportunity for people co-create a journey with a deity or similarly powerful (and benevolent) spirit.

What does the course involve? This is a concise and comprehensive course. Each lesson carries you further on a journey of understanding and discovery.

Beyond the five hours of video lecture and demonstrations, we encourage you to do the exercises. And please do them carefully and thoughtfully, especially when they involve other people. Work with your main spirit helpers, asking them for guidance and energy, and approach the work with respect and a focused, rested attitude. You will also find pithy reading material and reference sheets that you can print and refer to at a glance. There are short self-tests to help you absorb the finer points. As always, if you are musically inclined, there are new songs.

Ideally, allow up to a month or two to absorb the course even though a week is, in theory, doable. There are many ins-and-outs. Even after you earn the certificate, you will find yourself making discoveries for months, even years, to come.

Why Norse philosophy and practices? This course goes beyond cosmology to cover philosophy and cultural practices. For example, a Norse shaman would draw rune stones as a vitki or deliver answers as a seid-worker. Underlying these practices are philosophical views about fate, honor, character, nature, and change. This is a great framework to do psychological and spiritual work, whether working alone or with others.

The course is not religious or ethnic in nature, and it does not aim to match Norse heathen or pagan beliefs or rites. For example, seidr here is quite similar in function to actual Norse seidr but is presented only for doing on-on-one work with a client and does not require a circle of singers. That said, we do our best to respect established Norse ideas.

Also, this course does is not about casting spells, referring to the occult, or pushing spirit power (might) onto others. Instead, you will learn to evoke an atmosphere of joyful “magical moments”, when the air is electric and the heart is afire. This is particularly possible when journeying with others. Consider, the “Bifrost Bridge” is a mistranslation of “Bilrost Bridge”, and Bilrost refers to life’s rare, shimmering moments.

What's shamanic work with others? A drumming journey is a core shamanic practice. Traditionally, 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 and allows in helpful material from the unconscious.

However, by the end of this course, you will likely be getting into trance in a variety of ways, including dynamic drumming with singing, visualization and breath work, or spontaneously without any aid at all. You’ll come to train your mind in a new kind of habit, to shift in and out of the spirit world at will. As always, the process is more than passive visualizing or dreaming. A shaman’s work taps his or her inner healer and inner storyteller and engages the whole self.

Each journey you take, client you help, or group you facilitate will build your confidence, capacity, and finesse. Over time, you will get comfortable relying on spirits to spontaneously evoke the results that you and others need. Thus, the work is not about “you” directing energy or calculating an effect. It is about you acting as a channel for the spirits to do the work that someone needs, even when you don’t actually know what they need. Thus, you may find yourself saying, seeing, and feeling things that you don’t recall and did not produce or decide by conscious means. Similarly, your work is not about diagnosing or fixing others. It is about working at an energetic and meaning level to help a person gain greater perceptiveness, peace, purpose, power (energy), and prosperity relative to whatever point they are in their lives. You allow people space to develop into their own ways.

Shamanism is very much about being more connected, and in this course, there is a lot of connecting with others. You will be helping others to see, hear, and feel more closely in alignment with nature, their inner selves, others in their lives, their breath and body, the divine or spirit realm, and their heritage. As you learn these new practices, know that patience, listening, openness, and asking for help are still as important as ever.

What Else Will You Get? We designed this Advanced course to act as the final 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, rock climbing, 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 private session (at no cost). 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.