About Shamanism
For thousands of years our ancestors all over the world discovered how to maximize the human abilities of the mind and Spirit for healing. Today we know this as shamanism. It is said that shamanism is the oldest type of medicine on the planet, yet today, it is more relevant than it has ever been. Its origins can be traced back to over 40,000 to 50,000 years ago and it is still practiced all over the world using the same basic principles.
The word “shaman” originates from Siberia and means “him or her who travels to other realities for information or medicine for their community”. Being a shaman in an indigenous tribe or community is a big responsibility as the people rely on them for guidance on all aspects of life such as the weather and when to sow their crops for example. As a result, not everyone wants the burden of this responsibility.
A basic belief of shamanism is that everything is connected and that everything has a spirit or life force energy. The tree, the stone, the mountain, the water, the animals all have spirits, all have soul. All things and beings are part of the shamanic medicine wheel, the wheel of life. This wheel has four directions North, South, East and West, each of which are linked to specific archetypes from that direction.
Shamans that follow the laws of spirit do not try to dominate the earth or its animals, they strive to live in harmony and balance with all.
Shamanism to us is a connection of the deepest kind, to the medicine of life, the web of life and the oneness of Great Spirit. It has the power to connect us to the Spirits all around us and to the multidimensionality of our being. It has the ability to show us our darkest fears while holding our hand as we move through them. To us it could be described as empowering “God/Goddess in the here and now!”.
Shamanism is Love, Love of Great Spirit in all the directions, it is the power of the Ancestors lined up to help you, it is the connection to the Mother Earth, the Creator, the water, the fire, the Air and all our relations. Shamanism helps train us to re-establish our relationship with the Divine Spirit within and the helper Spirits all around us. It helps us to deepen our relationships to the plants, the animals and the nature spirits, to the star beings so we can do the work that is needed now on Earth.
You will hear and feel the call in your heart, you may not recognise it at first but it gets clearer and clearer until you can longer turn back. Shamanism will lead you home to the true Presence that you are.
About the Pathway teaching School of Shamanic Studies
Grey Elk (Paul O’Halloran) was guided by Great Spirit to set up a shamanic school as such the Pathway teaching School of Shamanic Studies was created. It is made up of Grey Elk (main teacher), White Feathers Woman (Medicine Woman Melanie O’Halloran-Gomes) and Sarah Cohen (Sacred Medicine Bead Carrier).
It is our passion to help others to heal and empower themselves and to share the ancient knowledge and sacred practices from shamanism that has changed all our lives so profoundly. We are based between Galway, Eire (Ireland) and São Miguel, Azores and also work online.
Most of the work we teach has come directly to Grey Elk from Great Spirit although there is some that we pass on that we have had permission to share from our teachers.
Aims of the Pathway teaching School of Shamanic Studies:
To help people move from their heads into their hearts to allow Great Spirit/Source in, to embrace their own sacred medicine from their own individual lineages.
To help people to heal and empower themselves, including the healing of their Ancestral lines, Soul issues and any other issues that are holding them back from fully walking their Divine soul path.
To help people to allow themselves to open to the power and Spirit of the Medicine Wheel and Shamanic Ceremony.
To help people to connect to their true being, to why their soul came here i.e. their divine soul purpose. This sometimes is revealed with time as you gently peel away the layers and allow your true Spirit to shine.
To help people from our hearts to their hearts in whatever way Great Spirit Guides us!
“All courses, workshops and retreats with Pathway teaching & our School of Shamanic Studies are accredited by the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (IPHM).”
We use the word shamanism loosely as it is easy for people to understand. Specifically a “shaman” comes from the Siberian lineage although it is very helpful to people to speak simply sometimes and not to over complicate things, hence the reason why we use the words shamanic or shamanism to apply to all shamanic cultures and the training we give. We love keeping it simple!
Please bear in mind that it is our aim to help those we can, occasionally there are people we cannot help for one reason or another. This is why there is now an application to apply for all courses as we need to know people can emotionally and mentally process the deep healings that come up for them especially during the shamanic practitioners medicine wheel.
We reserve the right to cancel any of our courses or your enrolment in any course if we feel it is not in your best interests to do it. Thank you for your understanding.
“Be Brave Enough to Heal Yourself Even When it Hurts.”
