"He is a being who goes into trance and at that time voices speak through his body which allow him to diagnose illnesses and sometimes to cure them, to give advice concerning the future and to clarify present facts in the light of the evidence which took place in the past. He is, therefore, at the same time a priviledged intermediary between spirits(which give and cure sicknesses) and men; between the past,  present and the future; between life and death and, in another perspective, between the individual and a certain social mythology. He can, it seems, be of any jat(caste) and he can take as pupil, in order to trans-mit to him his knowledge and his techniques, a person of any other jat”.

(A.W. Macdonald: Essays on the Ethnology
of Nepal and South Asia, Kathmandu,1983).

1) Encounter with Shamans/Pilgrimage, participation and experiences:
Nepal: a fascinating country, rich in antiquities, extraordinarily beautiful, medieval cities conserved with incredible past histories, where the temple bells, perfume of incenses, knock the pilgrims consciousness recollecting the memories of the past. The sacred Vedic chants of the Brahmins, the mantra recitations of monks in gompas and the night long ceremonies of the master shamans with drums, dances and invocations under the benevolent eyes of the gods is the highlight of this journey. This is the journey to know the Himalayan Kingdom through the eyes of the shamans which a normal traveler never comes across.

As the participants arrieve in Kathmandu ,they will be accommodated in the best hotel in Thamel area followed by a group welcome Nepali dinner. All the mornings are devoted visiting the religious and cultural centers and power places and the evenings are devoted to experiential workshops and learning from various master shamans. Having spent three-four days in the Kathmandu valley, the group heads for Pokhara, a lake city with lush green hills and terraces. The group stay for three days in Pokhara where the participants will have time to participate in the healing rituals and get healings from three Tibetan shamans whom the organizers know since 1990. A short walk to Sarangkot, White pagoda visit and boat ride in Fewa Lake are the other highlights.

The group spends three days in Bhaktapur where they will be meeting some extraordinary shamans: Raj Kumar Newar( Newari Ajima Shaman) and Hari Bahadur Khadka ( Chetri Shaman) who is known as ‘an egg shaman'.

While in the valley the participants will visit all the three durbar squares; Dakhin Kali Temple; Vajra Jogini, Pashupati Nath temple; Boudha Nath; Budhanilakantha; the temple of Jala Ganesha where the singles are rewarded with partners; etc. All the visits to these sacred places are accompanied by the organizers who also facilitate in participating in some of the temple prayers and ceremonies and sometimes some ceremonies are sponsored for the peace and prosperity of the planet.

The final days will be spent in Kathmandu when the master shamans give initiations in a Nepali traditional way. In this initiation ceremony, the participants will have an opportunity to dance and sing with the ‘invisible' which may actually bring an unexpected results in the near future.

Conducted in July, August and October

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A JOURNEY TO BECOME A SHAMAN BUT TO ENRICH YOUR UNDERSTANDINGS AND VISIONS OF LIFE.

NEPAL, Through the Eyes of the Shamans
AN EXPERIENTIAL, CULTURAL JOURNEY INTO THE ETHNO-INDIGENOUS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF NEPALESE SHAMANS
September 17 to October 1, 2006

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