"Intimate Apprenticeship" with Paula Denham on May 24 "Why Shamanism Now?" Radio Show

RHINEBECK, NY, May 19, 2011 (Press-News.org) Streaming live on the Co-Creator Radio Network (www.co-creatornetwork.com) on Tuesday, May 24, at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?: A Practical Path to Authenticity," shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt talks to Paula Denham, founder and Director of the Sacramento Shamanic Center, who tells listeners, "It is your commitment to be in your highest level of integrity, to teach what you are and not what you want to be." This statement outlines Denham's covenant with the Spirits to teach. Denham continues, "This means that you teach authenticity by being authentic. While you may speak of your aspirations, you are true to where you are in your approach to them."

In this episode of "Why Shamanism Now?" titled "Intimate Apprenticeship", Denham shares her experience with local and intimate apprenticeship. Working with the guidance of her helping spirits, Denham has cultivated an ongoing system for teaching and apprenticeship that steps out of the workshop format and back into the power of the circle, of community, and of the personal growth and accountability inherent in authentic shamanic practice. Denham talks to Pratt as part of a series of "Why Shamanism Now?" episodes sponsored by the Society of Shamanic Practitioners (SSP). Throughout this series, Pratt explores how contemporary shamans are meeting the challenge of their world where the relations of things--the living and the dead, the humans and nature, and the technological world and the spirit world--are profoundly out of balance. It is the ancient role of the shaman in all cultures to tend the balance of things, and the question is asked: how are these shamans meeting this extraordinary need today?


Christina Pratt is an authentic, non-traditional contemporary shaman. In practice since 1990, she specializes in mending the soul and transforming the parts of life that feel impossible. A teacher of exceptional clarity, humor, and inspiration, Pratt brings the power of shamanism into the practical grasp of anyone willing to take responsibility for improving the quality of their life. Her well-received book, An Encyclopedia of Shamanism (Rosen), is an 800-page, two-volume set with over 750 in-depth entries that clearly discuss the basic concepts of shamanism, methods, and traditions of over 50 different shamanic peoples. Pratt is the founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing in Portland, OR, and New York, NY, creator of the original Foundations of Shamanism and Shamanic Healing course at the University of Minnesota, and a frequent and honored speaker for the American Holistic Medical Association.

Paula Denham, CSC (Harner Method Certified Shamanic Counselor), has been practicing shamanism for 19 years. She is a founder and Director of the Sacramento Shamanic Center, and a Minister of the Circle of the Sacred Earth Church. She is a Foundation for Shamanic Studies Three-Year Apprenticeship Program graduate (1996). Denham also studied with Carol Proudfoot-Edgar in her first Bear Medicine Circle (1995-2001), Tom Cowan in the Celtic shaman's ways and perspective, and with a number of indigenous shamans internationally. She says, "This work is the great joy of my life. It fills my heart every day." http://www.sacshamanic.org

"Why Shamanism Now?", a live internet talk radio with host Christina Pratt, airs Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time http://www.co-creatornetwork.com/hosts/shamanism/host_bio.htm. Each week host Christina Pratt, and guests explore the practical application of shamanic skills in our contemporary lives to create robust well-being, strong and clear community connections, and life enriching spiritual maturity. Listeners can ask questions by calling (512) 772-1938 or via Skype. Prior episodes from "Why Shamanism Now" can be downloaded for free from the iTunes library. Pratt also talks about Shamanic Healing on YouTube.

For more information on Christina Pratt, the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing, and workshops and classes with Pratt, or to order An Encyclopedia of Shamanism at a special discounted rate, visit http://www.lastmaskcenter.org. Upcoming classes with Pratt include "Cultivation of Personal Power" on June 17-18; Shamanic Journey Circles the third Tuesday of every month; Wisdom of the Shaman talks every third Friday; and Qigong classes every Wednesday, all in Portland, Oregon. A new session of Pratt's Four-Year Cycle of Transformation Training begins July 10. For additional information or to arrange an interview with Pratt, please contact Linda Woznicki, 845-417-8811, lwoz@frontiernet.net.