TENDING THE BROKEN PATH

As most of us in settler culture walk broken spiritual paths, we cannot claim animistic or shamanic traditions that went before us as our own. Neither can we claim the titles of those paths. We can, however, respond to our own calling and ethically create our own way, authentic to how and where we live and engage, without disparaging ancient paths, the people or practices of traditional shamanism, or indigenous cultures. We can ethically soul tend where we stand. Through The Spirited Path teachings and community, we remember direct relationship with Nature, and embody ourselves as relationship builders in soul tending.

That said, I don’t teach a brand of soul tending. I don’t teach a path of shamanism. I don’t even teach you my path. I teach you how to find your path of soul tending, through your cosmology and rituals, to ground the skills you learn into everyday life with sustainable passion and wisdom, in community. This coursework implements a thorough experiential curriculum to form your own approach to modern soul tending and bring it to the world. It facilitates your ability to apply your agency through soul tending. Through intimate relationship with your rituals and cosmology in this Intensive, you accept and engage the collective calling to be a fit, embodied elder, and to upon death become a wise, capable Ancestor.

In my years of teaching soul  tending and working with others, what’s missing in the modern path are clear rites of passage into elderhood and support within community–-learning soul tending and sustaining that work, in community. In that lack, shamanism is often taught as a self-healing modality, which it is not.

In order to stand in service to community, to determine our duty to all of life on this planet and each other, we must complete our personal initiations, so that we understand our calling, which is not for ourselves. Our calling is for others. This Intensive fosters nothing less than orienting Self to serve community. As such participation in the Intensive community is required. This means following rules of group conduct, as well as agreeing to basic principles of our community.

This coursework begins with locating self in animism and culminates in intentional soul tending. Soul tending is embracing the fullest range of the human-person experience among the infinite network of other-persons doing the same, and committing to be a custodian of the network. It teaches you how to show up for all of Life on this planet. Through direct relationship with the soul allies of Nature, this Intensive provides not only an approach to ground your personal experience and teaching into a unique soul tending path, it does so through deepening your relationship with Nature, and with the support and insight of community.

This coursework is intended for those driven to work in some capacity of service to community in the role of soul tender. It is not intended as self-work or animistic study.

This coursework comprises developing personal soul tending relationships while respecting world approaches to shamanism, engaging responsible animism, working with others as a facilitator of soul awareness, deathwalking, Ancestor tending, fostering elderhood, sacred activism, energetic hygiene, personal duty, and planetary responsibility. As such, this coursework continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of our time. If you want to study a set methodology in shamanism, this is not the approach for you. I am not the mentor for you. Candidates for this Intensive are confident in learning techniques that draw on bringing their innate wisdom to the world in a way that is ethical and unique to them, and are driven to bring that principle forward for others to do the same.

INTENSIVE CURRICULUM

Coursework takes places in two seasons, which encompasses an extended immersion in both coursework and community (which takes most students about two years–timing can be adjusted with special arrangements), with continued peer and supervisory support following indefinitely. This Intensive consists of regular studies in a hybrid classroom, personal mentoring, group interaction, and homework with the intention of building skills to work with others. Candidates for this work are comfortable with live online classes and mentoring sessions, pre-recorded material, turning in assignments online, and keeping themselves on task with the rest of the group.  The time commitment will be strict, with topics building on each other month-to-month.

The time commitment is broken into two Seasons of study:

TIME COMMITMENT

Expect to devote 24-28 hours a month to studies. Plan for 1-2 hours in class/mentoring sessions per month (depending on how you pace yourself); 1-2 hours in Sharing Sessions (2-4 hours for Second Season Initiates), and at least 4-6 hours per week exploring on your own, engaging our community, and fulfilling assignments.

Initiates are expected to participate and engage with the community regularly in and outside of class to complete assignments, and to provide support for each other. The ability to share openly and deeply of your personal experiences is required. Our ability to do the work we’re here to do relies on the medicine of community. Without that intimacy, our personal lives are challenged, and our work is limited. Inability to engage the community will result in being asked to step out of the Intensive, and to finish studies in one-on-one mentorship, where appropriate. 

If you have taken classes on this work with Soul Intent Arts prior, you will still be required to complete them again, for your own benefit, and because co-Initiates will benefit from your experience with various techniques.

This Intensive encompasses for the first four classes, in addition to wider community interaction. Mentoring includes helping you frame the work in the way that helps you progress along your personal path, not just the Intensive requirements. Mentoring comes in the form of witnessing and supporting, and giving you ways to engage the work in a way that best suits your needs and path. Soul tending work done with me is beyond the scope of mentoring, and Initiates will receive 20% off all private sessions with me for the duration of the Intensive.

Contact Kelley to discuss participating in The Spirited Path Intensive.

 FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

The Intensive fee is $200/mo. Please don’t hesitate to discuss suitable financial arrangements with me, beyond how I’ve broken them down here.  If you need to take longer to pay or a reduced rate, that’s fine. You still receive personal mentoring for the first four classes, intermittent mentoring throughout, and Sharing Session access, regardless of payment approach taken. Contact me for details.

[Post-Intensive] The Spirited Path Visioning Community $240/year (sliding scale), which includes:

• Easily accessed intentional community
• Regular Sharing Sessions
• Participate in seasonal community-offered rituals
• Live group sessions with guest teachers of other cultural approaches and focuses in soul tending
• Ability to re-take any Intensive classes, with the current cohort
• 20% discount on Soul Tending sessions with Kelley

Classes already taken -$50.00 each class, for Season One, only. These discounts do not apply to subsequent seasons or The Spirited Path community.  Contact me to verify previous classes taken.

If you decide this work isn’t for you no refunds are given on amounts paid. Likewise, should you not be able to meet the requirements of the Intensive, you will be asked to leave without refund, or to transition into private mentoring sessions, if appropriate. 

LOGISTICAL REQUIREMENTS

• To be actively involved, engaged, and supportive of self and other initiates, in and out of class
• To openly and deeply share your personal experiences
• Multi-year commitment to self, me, and other initiates
• Accountability to self, me, and other initiates
• Technical accountability on systems used
• Daily homework, including journaling and ecstatic journeying
• Regular homework, including artwork, essays, and interaction with classmates outside class
• Pleasantly serving as client for advanced initiates, and willingness to practice techniques with other initiates

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability and willingness to:

• Turn in assignments weekly via email
• Upload scanned items, or upload photos taken with a mobile device
• Communicate in community via mobile apps
• Engage in live video teleconferences, or in-person sessions, and possibly with other students outside class, as needed

Feel free to contact me with questions.

No refunds are given.

Contact me to set up a consultation to discuss whether this coursework is right for you, and for information on hardship rates for this coursework.