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| A Quarterly Newsletter from
the Foundation of the Sacred Stream |
ISSUE 11 | MAY
2008 |
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| Note from the General Manager |
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Welcome to our second
newsletter of 2008. With summer approaching, we are
getting ready for lots of travel. Isa
will be teaching in New England this July, and our first Destination
Studies adventure begins with Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado, in
June, and ends with the Huna workshops in Hawaii, in August.
For
anyone interested in joining us, United Airlines is driving airfares
down with their Spring Sale - making prices to Mesa Verde cheap!
 We are looking forward to
Mesa Verde and our first time teaching Ethnobotany of Mesa Verde. In this workshop, we
examine the relationship of the Ancient Puebloans to the plants and
animals of that region. The
course teaches valuable methods of creating herbal remedies and also
broaches some of the bigger mysteries of this
remarkable place. The Huna courses are among our
most popular classes. In
them, we look through the lens of the shamanic tradition of Hawaii
(sometimes referred to as Huna) to glimpse a much more ancient body of
wisdom. This work is highly experiential and
includes
visits to many remarkable places on the Big Island, including a
Buddhist monastery, and an active volcano, as well as opportunities to
snorkel and swim.
This month we’re offering
two free teleclasses, one on Women’s Spirituality (Monday, May 19th), and one on
the Shamanic Journey
(Thursday, May 29th). In August, Isa
will be offering the next in her series on Women’s Studies with a
workshop entitled, Tracking Spirit in the Birth Environment. There
are many more classes and events happening this summer in the San
Francisco Bay Area and New England, including the next in our
meditation series (June 15th) and the summer solstice drum
circle (June 22nd).
Perhaps the biggest news
of all is the addition of our newest
staff member, Simone Sandy. Simone’s
interests include arts, crafts, and all avenues of spiritual inquiry.
She is a
Reiki practitioner and has advanced degrees in creative writing and
religion. We
are excited to have Simone on our team, and we are going to do our best
to keep
up with her!
Simone will be replacing,
the almost irreplaceable, Kathy Woo, who is pursuing
her dream of
becoming a doula – go Kathy! So, it will be a new voice on the phone,
and
answering your emails, though Kathy will still be around, especially if
you’re
giving birth!
Wishing you well,
Laura Chandler, CHT
General Manager
Foundation of the Sacred Stream
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Listening to the Sacred Earth
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By Isa
Gucciardi, PhD
If we listen, the earth has much
to tell us.
When humans lived closer to the earth, they understood that great
wisdom was held in the trees, the plants, the rocks and the sea. They
communicated with the earth, and learned ways of listening to the
wisdom she had to offer. For example, the shaman of a tribe is often
described as talking to the plants to learn the nature of their
medicine. Ways of gathering this kind wisdom are still preserved by
many indigenous cultures. The vision quest and the shamanic journey are
just two examples of these processes that are accessible to us today.
The vision quest is an essential tool for gathering wisdom,
particularly among the Native Americans in North and South America. A
vision quest takes place in an isolated area in a forest, desert, or
other natural environment. Those seeking a vision purify themselves
through culturally proscribed ceremonies, isolate themselves for a
period of time, and ask nature to provide a vision. This vision holds
wisdom, guidance and direction for the one seeking the vision. The
shamanic journey is another tool used by some indigenous peoples to
access the wisdom of the earth. Journeyers use a repetitive sound,
usually a drumbeat, to alter their state of consciousness. Through the
expanded vision this altered state of consciousness provides, it is
believed that the journeyer is able to receive information directly
from the spirits of nature.
For some, visions come in times of illness. Black Elk, a holy man of
the Oglala Sioux lived in Wyoming at the end of the 19th century. One
of his earliest visions occurred during a time of great illness. Some
might interpret this as his call to be a Wichasha Wakan, or Medicine
Man. Black Elk lived from 1863 to 1950, and is a relatively well-known
Native American spiritual leader, because he allowed many of his
experiences to be chronicled by John Neihardt, who published a book in
1932 entitled, Black Elk Speaks. The following is Black Elk’s account
of a vision quest he took in order to experience a deeper understanding
of Nature and Spirit:
 This is part of a vision
quest I
was told to
share with
all who may be interested. Once, I went to pray at the top of the
sacred mountain of my ancestors.
As I climbed to the top, I heard voices singing
as the wind blew
the
leaves. At the top I saw, made from many stones, a large circle with a
cross inside. I knew from my teachings that this represented the
circle of life and the four directions. I sat down by the edge of this
circle to pray. I thought this is only a symbol of the universe.
"True," a very soft voice said. "Look and you will see the Center of
the Universe. Look at every created thing." As I looked around I saw
that every created thing had a thread of smoke or light going from it.
The voice whispered, "This cord that every created thing has is what
connects it to the Creator. Without this cord it would not exist." As
I watched I saw that all these threads, coming from everything, went to
the center of the circle where the four directions were one placed (the
center of the cross). I saw that all these threads were tied together
or joined here at this spot. The voice spoke again, "This is the
Center of the Universe. The place where all things join together and
all things become one. This is the place where everything begins and
ends. The place inside everything created." That's when I understood
that all of creation, the seen and the unseen, was all related. The
voice spoke one last time, "Yes, now you know the Center of the
Universe."
Read
On
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Featured
Practitioner: Alexis Cohen
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 I
think as human beings we are constantly birthing
ourselves, moving
through new doorways of our self. Sometimes the shift is very
physical, like childbirth and motherhood. Other times it is a very
internal birthing, a deep shift that only you are aware of, yet it
moves you to another level of awareness. I am dedicated to supporting
women who are empowering themselves through all of these shifts. These
births are a call to grow, and it has been an extraordinary gift to
work on such an intimate level with the courageous women who are ready
to move through these external and internal rites of passage.
I am a certified Hypnotherapist and Depth Hypnosis Practitioner
through the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and I am currently
practicing in San Francisco. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Creative
Writing and I have worked with family systems and children for over
eight years. I am also doing birth and postpartum doula work, which
informs my hypnotherapy practice. I am able to support my clients
during the pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum period by providing
practical information about their birth and postpartum options while
holding space for them to make the decisions that are right for
themselves and their families. By addressing any fears or other
blocks, the mother can be more fully present throughout the experience
of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood—establishing a deep connection
with themselves, Spirit, their new baby and entire family.
When we are tapped into truth and expansiveness we have the courage to
see patterns that do not serve us anymore. When we have the strength to
clear blocks to our life force it enables us to step into
alignment
with our highest potential. When we can stand in our power in this way
it allows us to get out of our own way so we can be a witness to our
path unfolding before us.
I am also an artist and I use visual art and writing as another way
of accessing the subconscious and knowing the deepest parts of self.
As I create I have noticed that "I work things out" on the canvas or
in a poem and that creative energy is the healer. In sessions with
clients I have noticed that it is the same energy, an intense creative
life force moving through me, which again is the healer. As human
beings it is our birthright to tap into this energy and Depth Hypnosis
provides a beautiful framework to redirect women back to this origin
of self, in whatever creative process they are in, whether it is an
artistic project or childbirth.
Alexis Cohen
Phone: (415) 307-1091
Email: info@alexiscohen.org
Website: www.alexiscohen.org
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| Sacred Stream Call for Submissions |
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We
would like to invite you to send in writing, art, & photos inspired
by your practice for consideration in our Quarterly Newsletter. We
especially need journeys for our "Journey On It" section. Submissions
include, but are not limited to:
- Articles
- Journeys
- Poetry
- Photography
- Graphics
- Drawings
Please
note that due to the number of entries, we may not be able to publish
your submission. However, everything will be considered. Please email
your submissions to info@sacredstream.org
with the subject line "Newsletter Submissions." Thanks in advance for
your contribution.
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Journey on It..."Walk On" by Irene McCalphin
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Our
purpose in offering this column is to create a forum, like those
created in our classes, where people engaged in a shamanic journey
practice may deepen their work with the journey, and their
understanding of the journey as a tool for healing. The journeys shared
here are offerings meant to shed light on the reader's own process. We
invite you to contribute a journey, or simply receive the journeys in
the sacred manner in which they are intended. To submit a journey for
consideration, please email us at info@sacredstream.org.
 Irene is a
student who took a course with Isa,
“Listening to the Sacred
Earth” (see article, “Listening to the Sacred Earth). In this course,
Irene journeyed for the first time and asked for a song from the
earth. The following is her experience.
I entered the Lower World from a place where I
feel connected to the
earth. My guides appeared beside me. They sat upon my shoulders and
whispered things that I could not understand. Their words became a
rhythm. They moved in front of me crossing each other, red over black,
black over red, and as I followed them the rhythm became a drive. The
drive became stronger and stronger and I was suddenly afraid of it.
They stopped, turned their heads, and looked at me. "What am I to
do?" I called out. My own voice, wrapped in theirs, answered me,
“Walk on, walk on, walk on.” And I did.
And the walk became a dance upon the earth. “Walk on, walk on, walk
on.” The dance became a drive, the drive became a rhythm, and the
rhythm became a song. It uncoiled itself within me, stretched out
before me, created a path, created change, created me. It was wild and
fresh. I was feral and free. It was poignant and powerful. I was
naked and shaking, trembling and dancing, and completely overtaken. All
the while, the song was singing in my soul. It was still singing
loudly within me when I returned. My hands shook as I wrote it down. My
body shook as I struggled to make tangible that which the earth had
given me. I could not stop writing until the last of it was marked
across the page. Only then did the tremors subside, only then did the
wave of sound cease to crash into me and instead became a gentle hum
that will forever reside inside of me.
Walk On
Walk on, my daughter
Walk on, my daughter
Walk on, my daughter
Walk to the Mother
Feet, find your path
Feet, find your path
Fear not, my daughter
This life is not your last
Come home my child
Seek ye the wild
Come home my child
Seek ye the wild
The wind and the rain
Earth, fire creates change
Walk on, my child
Your steps creating change
You are, you are, you are
We are, we are, we are
All are
The same
Walk on, walk on, my child
My child, walk on
Seek ye wisdom - speak my Name
Seek ye wisdom - speak my Name
I have looked to the path of the Shaman for quite
some time, and have
always felt that it is a journey one does not take lightly. The more I
sing the song, the more I listen, and the more certain I become that
this path is indeed the right place to set my feet. Thank you for
showing me how to listen to the earth.
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Summer Reading: Recommendations by Sacred Stream
Staff
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The
Sacred Stream staff would like to offer a few ideas for summer
reading. These recommendations cover a range of genres and are
not necessarily recent releases. Happy reading!
Fiction:
General
Fiction
Blue Water
(Manette Ansay) Ansay is quite simply a beautiful writer, with an
astute understanding of human relations. This story is at once
complex and easy to read. (Laura)
Mama Day
(Gloria Naylor) Best known for her first novel, The Women of Brewster
Place, Naylor takes her readers to the mysterious Geechee Islands off
the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. (Laura)
Tropic of Orange (Karen
Tei Yamashita) Diverse characters with interweaving stories, in
contemporary LA and Mexico, presented with humor and magical realism.
(Simone)
Mysteries
The Bee Keeper's
Apprentice (Laurie King) The first in her series
of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Laurie King brings the great detective
out of retirement. She also introduces a new sidekick in the form
of a
young independent woman. Fans of the original Sherlock Holmes
mysteries will not be disappointed. New adventures collide with
old
characters and previously unexplained situations. (Laura)
Prayer
of the Dragon (Eliot Pattison) The latest in Eliot Pattison's
mystery
series involving a former police inspector from China who joins forces
with a group of exiled Tibetan monks. Throughout the series they
encounter mysteries that reveal the clash of culture and politics.
If
you're new to the series, start with The
Skull Mantra. (Laura)
The Shadow of the
Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon) This tale involves the lengths people
will go to in order to
keep their secrets and the distance other people will go to uncover the
truth--as well as forbidden romance, the aftermath of the Spanish Civil
War, and eerie
coincidence. (Simone)
Non-Fiction:
 Anger (Robert
Thurman) A Buddhist scholar’s thoughts on anger and what it has to
teach us. (Isa)
The Cosmic Serpent
(Jeremy Narby) An unorthodox take on shamanism, as this contemporary
anthropologist steps out of the observer role, and into the
experiential realm of shamanism in the Amazon. (Laura)
Mysteries of the
Middle Ages (Thomas Cahill) Cahill’s usual flair and interesting
perspectives on religion, politics, and early feminism in the Middle
Ages. (Laura)
Through a Glass
Darkly: The US Holocaust in Latin America (Thomas Melville)
Melville has spent much of his life helping the disenfranchised
indigenous people of Latin America. His latest book focuses on
the work of fellow priest, Ron Hennessey, and his fight to help the
indigenous peoples of Guatemala caught in the crossfire of the
government forces and the guerillas in the 1970s and 80s. (Laura)
Species of Spaces
and Other Pieces (Georges Perec) Ruminations (on space and what
fills it) that invite us to look more closely at ordinary things.
(Simone)
When Things Fall
Apart (Pema Chodron) A contemporary classic by this respected
Buddhist nun. (Isa)
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| ASK ISA: This Month’s Q & A Addresses
“Self Inquiry on the Path of Service” |
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I just graduated from
massage school and I am ready to open my own practice. I am having
trouble getting my practice going because I feel like I still have so
much work to do on my own issues. What advice can you give me?
 I think it is
a mistake to feel
that you have to have all your issues figured out before you start
working with other people. In fact, as a healer, entering a path
of service is in many ways just the beginning of your own healing and
learning, no matter how much academic or vocational schooling you may
have achieved. Academic and vocational training is very
important, because it gives you the tools to work in a given
field. However, it is in the application of those tools that a
deeper learning occurs. Engaging in the work brings greater
understanding of yourself and your motivation to be of service.
Few of us ever arrive at full mastery of our profession. We may never
entirely understand how our choice of work reveals our place in the
universal scheme of things. The best we can do at any moment in time is
to relax into a disciplined process of self-inquiry. The people you
serve will always offer you an opportunity to deepen this process.
In the end, the only danger in not having it “all figured out” while on
a path of service is in believing that it is necessary to have it all
figured out. The minute you try to separate yourself from those you
serve, by believing you have all the answers and they don’t, you have a
problem. The minute you feel that you are not subject to the same kind
of inquiry you ask of those you serve, you have a problem. The minute
you think the letters after your name indicate mastery and you have no
more work to do, you have a problem. These are the issues that would
keep you from engaging in your practice of serving others from a place
of integrity.
Lack of experience is far less detrimental to the capacity to heal than
the belief that there is nothing more to learn or experience on the
path of service. The patient is your teacher. They will always
challenge you to deepen your professional or vocational knowledge in
order to meet them. And most of all, they will always teach you
about yourself and your approach to healing. Your job is to stay open
and continue learning.
Do you have a question
you'd like to ASK ISA?
Email info@sacredstream.org
with ASK ISA in the subject line and we will select one question each
month to include in this column.
Isa
Gucciardi, Ph.D., is the Founding Director of the
Foundation of the Sacred Stream and the primary teacher for the
Foundation's training programs in Depth Hypnosis, Applied Shamanism,
Huna, Buddhist Psychology and Integrated Energy Medicine.
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| Upcoming Classses, Community News & Events |
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Free Events: 
Summer Solstice Drumming Circle (San
Francisco)
June 22 (Sun); 6pm
Free
For directions, please RSVP to info@sacredstream.org
Destination Studies:
The Ethnobotany of Mesa Verde (Mesa Verde,
Colorado)
June 4 - 8
$1195
Huna I: The Spirits of Hawaii (The Big
Island, Hawaii)
August 21 - 27
$2100; Early Registration: $1950 by June 15
Huna II: Manifestation (The Big Island,
Hawaii)
August 29 - September 4
$2100; Early Registration: $1950 by June 15
San Francisco Training
Programs & Workshops:
Late Spring Meditation Retreat
June 15 (Sun); 6am - 6pm
$75
Buddhist Psychology Studies, Level 2
June 21 & 22 (Sat & Sun); 10am - 4pm
$295; Early Registration: $275 by May 31
Introduction to the Shamanic
Journey
June 28 & 29 (Sat & Sun)
10am – 4pm
$240; Early Registration: $225 by June 7
This course is a prerequisite to most of our
training programs!
Tracking Spirit in the Birthing Environment
August 2 & 3 (Sat & Sun); 10am - 4pm
$295; Early Registration: $275 by July 11
Summer Meditation Retreat
August 10 (Sun); 6am - 12pm
$40
 Free Teleclasses:
Teleclasses are interactive distance learning courses similar to a
conference call, and taught by Isa Gucciardi, PhD. Each participant can
just listen and absorb, or engage in the discussion. You do not need a
computer to participate in a teleclass. All you need is a telephone and
you can call from anywhere!
Ask Isa, Q & A: Women's
Spirituality
May 19 (Mon); 6:00pm PST, 9:00pm EST
Ask Isa, Q & A: The
Shamanic Journey
May 29 (Thurs); 6:00pm PST, 9:00pm EST
Ask Isa, Q & A: What is Huna
June 18 (Wed); 6:00pm PST, 9:00pm EST
To register, contact info@sacredstream.org
or
415-333-1434.
Free Talks:
Free Talk: Introduction to the Shamanic
Journey at Elephant
Pharmacy
August 9 (Sat); 3pm
4470 El Camino Real (near San Antonio Road), Los Altos, CA 94022
New England Classes:
Free Talk: Healing Techniques in Shamanism
at All That Matters
July 17 (Thurs); 6:00pm – 7:00pm
315 Main Street, Wakefield, RI 02879
Introduction to the Shamanic Journey at
All That Matters
July 17 - 18 (Thurs & Fri)
$225
Integrated Energy Medicine I and II at All
That Matters
July 19 - 20 (Sat & Sun); 9am - 9pm
$795
Depth Hypnosis Supervisory Group
July 16 (Weds); 5:00pm - 10:00pm
$150
For more information on upcoming classes, please
visit our calendar page.
Please visit our websites for more information:
www.sacredstream.org
www.depthhypnosis.com
www.hunaspirit.com
Community News & Events
CAM and IAART Annual
Conferences: Isa Gucciardi to Present
The California Association of Midwives Annual
Conference "Circle of Life, Center of Light" will be held May 16-18 in
Occidental, CA and is open to anyone interested in birth work. Isa
Gucciardi will be teaching "Tracking Spirit in the Birthing
Environment" on Friday, May 16. CEUs are available for LMs, CPMs and
RNs. For details or to register, please visit the CAM website.
The International Association for Regression
Research and Therapies Annual Conference will be held May 30 - June 1
in Millbrae, CA. The conference theme: "Reincarnation, Karma and
Forgiveness: Soul Evolution" will be explored by two keynote speakers
and 17 experiential workshops. Isa Gucciardi will be teaching "What is
Depth Hypnosis" on Saturday, May 31. For details or to register, please
visit the IARRT website.
The Foundation of the Sacred Stream
Announces the Formation of the Space Clearing Society
The Space Clearing Society is a group
of people who have been trained in shamanic healing practices
ranging from power retrieval to spirit releasement. The members of the
Society are
dedicated to providing space clearing services to the community. The
Society’s particular focus is to work in spaces where the healing arts
are practiced or where healing is needed. The Society meets once a
month. If you would like to engage the services of the Society, please
contact info@sacredstream.org.
Bay Area
Practice Group Forming
Here's a new opportunity for students in the
Depth
Hypnosis practitioner training program to get together for meditation,
journeying, and fellowship. If you are interested, please contact Kara
Earls at karallyn@earthlink.net.
On-Going Practice Group
in Rhode Island
An
opportunity to share experiences, get support and feedback as well as
practice what we have learned in the Foundation training courses. Next
meeting is on February 12, 2008. If you are interested, contact
Katharine Rossi at redmoonelf@hotmail.com.
The
Prophetic Realities Portrait Project
As you know, The Foundation of the Sacred Stream
supports artists whose
work and vision we feel reveals the mystic stream that runs through
through all healing and artistic endeavors. Evan Bissell, a young
artist has been working on an important project which opens May 17.
Here is his invitation
to the opening. For more information, contact
artist Evan Bissell at 415-686-2079 or at evanbissell@gmail.com.
Herbal
Education in Southern Rhode Island
A year-long,
twelve-session herbal
apprenticeship program has just started in Southern Rhode Island and
it's not too late to join. Students will follow the cycle of the
seasons, the plants which present themselves, and the way we innately
move in, through and around the natural world. The next class meeting
is Saturday, June 14, 10am - 4pm. Tuition is $540 for six months and
$1080 for the year. For more information, please contact Susan
Clements: herbgoddess@msn.com.
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