Special Trance Event

Greetings again,

This message is just a brief addendum to upcoming classes. Deborah Milton, whom I have worked with in the past and whose work I treasure, is offering a weekend of Trance Postures in Helena.

See details below and take advantage of this great opportunity.

Warm regards,

Patrick

Remembering our Native Roots

A Workshop on European Ecstatic Wisdom Postures

A complex tradition utilizing trance journeying, carried by the sounds of drum and rattle, while holding ritual postures discovered in the artwork of indigenous societies around the world. With certified teacher, Deborah J. Milton, Ph.D.

Workshop dates: Friday through Sunday, April 18th -- 20th

• Friday: 7 – 8:30pm. - Presentation at St. John’s Law Library (You are welcome to attend this presentation even if you’re not taking the entire workshop -- $10 at the door)
• Saturday: 9am to 5pm 111 Alfalfa Road, Helena MT 59602 (the home of Joan Bird and Max Milton)
• Sunday: 10am to 3pm 12 CEUs approved for LCSWs and LCPCs
• Cost: $175

Potential Participants: This workshop would be useful to addictions counselors, psychotherapists, open-minded medical doctors, sacred activists, anthropologists and noetic scientists, as well as practitioners of energy medicine, yoga, meditation, bodywork, shamanic counseling, deep ecology, and creative pursuits . . . as well as those wishing to deepen personal spiritual wisdom.

The practice: When we imitate a posture found in an ancient artifact and hold it while listening to a drum/rattle, we stimulate the nervous system so we can enter highly specific expanded states of consciousness, reliably and safely. The specific body posture provides the focus, the rhythm carries us, and the combination is like a locked door that opens with the right key. This makes it possible to engage the body’s natural ability to heighten brain activity and to expand the body’s energy field, balancing our brain hemispheres, empowering our body’s mind, nourishing aliveness and offering a grounded path to healing.

Teaching Methods: This is experiential work grounded in scholarship. Deborah responds intuitively to the needs of every group and offers a combination of instruction, handouts, explanation and stories to ground the information, as well as facilitation so that everyone feels free to participate. Depending on time and interest, Deborah will provide a power point presentation with more historical and anthropological information. Everyone will experience the Posture process together, then have an opportunity to affirm her own experience individually through journaling, drawing, and/or moving. To conclude each session, we will take turns witnessing and sharing our sacred stories in the communal circle.

Brief bio and credentials: Deborah, in addition to being a mother and grandmother, earned a Ph.D. in Human Development from Bryn Mawr College and served as a psychotherapist in Missoula before becoming an artist, spiritual mentor and inspirational teacher. She was certified to teach Ecstatic Wisdom Postures in 1996 by the Cuyamungue Institute near Santa Fe, NM. She has thirty years experience facilitating groups and exploring expanded states of consciousness through spiritual work, exploring wilderness landscapes and creativity. In 2001, Deborah founded Athanor Arts – a Haven for the Creative Spirit.

What to bring: Journal, pen / pencil, a drum or rattle if you have one An object that reminds you of your ancestry, your roots (it doesn’t have to be human ancestry, since roots can be of earth as well) Blanket, cushion, yoga bolster, or camp chair if desired (we’ll have some extras available) Wear comfortable clothes Lunch and snacks: We will provide a couple of big pots of homemade soup. We ask that workshop participants bring something to share for lunch and snacks -- some fruit, some cheese, some good bread, a salad . . . . perhaps chocolate! . . . . whatever sounds good to you. We’ll eat communally. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Please see www.athanorarts.com or call Grace Hodges at 449-5541 if you have any questions.

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Registration Form: Due by April 7, 2008 Name:____________________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Phone(s):_________________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________

The registration fee of $175 is due with registration unless other arrangements are made in advance. Please make checks payable to Grace Hodges and mail with this form to: Grace Hodges, 14 S. Raleigh, Helena MT 59601