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WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
⫸ Therapist and coaches who do individual medicine sessions with clients
⫸ Yoga teachers who want to bring more depth to their classes
⫸ Breathwork facilitators who want to use ceremony tools for greater healing with their participants
⫸ Psychedelic medicine carriers and other psychedelic professionals who want to host high integrity circles for deep client healing
⫸ Somatic practitioners and body workers who are ready to integrate ceremonial healing techniques into their sessions
⫸ Those who feel a spiritual calling to lead ceremony
⫸ Those who want to live ceremonially, not just ‘do ceremony’
⫸ New and experienced practitioners alike who want deep integrity and power woven into every ceremony they offer
WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?
⫸ Maturity and capacity for leading ceremonies of all types
⫸ Ability to lead with integrity, power, and luminosity to stand out in a saturated market
⫸ Marked improvement in your comfort and competency as a leader
⫸ Deeper understanding of the purpose of ceremony and when one is needed
⫸ Abiity to craft impactful, effective ceremonies for various occasions
⫸ Local and national colleagues for ceremony collaboration
⫸ And more!
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
⫸ 3 months of in-depth teachings offered in person at Sakala Community Space in Denver, live on Zoom, and recorded with presentation slides for later viewing
⫸ 6 two-hour modules covering core teachings, multi-modal learning, Q&A, and direct engagement with peers and facilitator
⫸ 6 practica ‘homework’ for you to try your new skills, available as downloadable PDFs and audio
⫸ 3 one-hour individual mentorship calls for personalized support with an option to add more for $100
⫸ 3 Teachings from guests instructors who use different ceremony and therapeutic techniques
⫸ 12 weekly emails to keep you on track and tapped into the course
⫸ Journaling workbook to complete while taking the course to discover your unique ceremony style and medicine
⫸ Private online forum to collaborate and share with your course colleagues and communicate directly with Rev. Cindy and other instructors
CLASS DATES
Location: All classes will be offered in-person at Sakala Community Space in Denver, virtually via Zoom, and recorded for later viewing.
Monday October 7th 6-7:15pm MT (Zoom only)- Meet your classmates and start collaborating!
Monday October 14th 6-8pm MT - Module One: Your Seat of Power
Monday October 28th 6-8pm MT - Module Two: The Tools of Ceremony
Monday November 11th 6-8pm MT - Module Three: Crafting a Container
Monday November 25th 6-8pm MT - Module Four: What Happens During Ceremony
Monday December 9th 6-8pm MT - Module Five: Tending to Participants
Monday December 30th 6-8pm MT - Module Six: Logistics of Ceremonial Work
We strongly urge you to come in peson if you can for hands-on practica opportunities and to meet other ceremonialists in Denver. If joining remotely, we’ll provide you with a list of supplies and encourage you to connect with your local communities.
MODULES + PRACTICA
In each module we’ll cover the subject material, do some in-class practice, leave time for Q&A, and discuss the assigned practica. I’ll also share all the ways I’ve done it wrong so you don’t have to! That alone is worth the price of admission.
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Learning to be a commanding, healing presence inside and beyond ceremony
Leading through embodied spiritual fitness
Identifying your personal allies and teachers; your ‘medicine’
Discerning needs for future training in specialized fields
Honing Scope of Practice and personal limits
Honoring personal capacity and avoiding burnout
Using your lived experience for ‘nutrient-dense’ leadership
Cultivating personal courage and resilient strength as a ceremony leader
Daily practices and ongoing preparation for ceremony
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Drawing on your unique spiritual root and being grounded in authenticity
Central altars and what to include
Smokes, scents, whistles, bells
Prayer and speaking directly to Spirit
The role of instruments and individual/group singing (Hint, hint! It’s not a performance!)
Cofacilitators and shared roles
Kairos and Chronos - Invoking ‘ceremony time’
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Discerning the right ceremony; who and what is called for?
Determining time frame; one hour to multi-year
Determining the purpose of each ceremony and your ceremonies as a whole (who, why, when, what, etc)
Ongoing/repeating ceremonies and deepening relationships
Identifying the right physical space
Working with regular spaces; indoor, outdoor, and guest spaces
Clean ceremonies in your home
Shared ceremony spaces and how to protect your work
Clearing and protecting brand new spaces, plus what to avoid
The Big Picture: Living ceremonially and nesting your ceremony containers
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Ceremony as a temple and how to build it together
Starting with the sacred pause and coming into present time
How to open and close ceremonies with clarity and intention
Honing personal intuition and tools for reading the room
Creating a felt sense of safety in spiritually challenging situations
What elements to include in your ceremonies - healings, prayers, shared candles, cleansing fire, etc.
Formats for personal and group prayer
Spontaneous experiences and leaving room for Spirit
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Participant rights and group agreements
Understanding why people come to ceremony
Getting free of social ‘shoulds’ in ceremony space
Discussion of how different psychedelic medicines impact people and the ceremony
Letting participants lead; what kind of ceremony is called for and why?
What happens when someone’s having a big process and how to use mirror neurons and neurological grounding
Honoring differences amongst participants while still holding a clear container
Involving participants for maximum effectiveness
To follow up or not? Different perspectives
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Chop wood, carry water: Spiritually grounded ceremonies and tending to your own ego
Identifying spiritual bypassing in your business and financial structures
Financially clean ceremonies; balancing priceless work and your earthly needs
Some suggestions for price structuring and financially accessible ceremonies
Marketing through clear + specific communication that honors your ceremonies and participants
Feeling inspired by competitors and opening to collaboration
Separating from difficult personalities and letting go of ‘fixing’
The power in taking full responsibility for your ceremony practice
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Six guided 'homework' assignments for you to practice what you're learning in class that will include a combination of the following:
6 different kinds of spaces (indoors, outdoors, new, familiar, etc>)
6 different groups of participants including family, solo, anonymous, and the beings of Nature herself
One year-long ceremony
Lunar, solar, or otherwise seasonal ceremony
Life milestone ceremonies such as a marriage/renewal of vows, birth, memorial/death, graduation, etc.
Movement and body based ceremony
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
REV. CINDY PINCUS, M.DIV
Minister, Teacher, Healer
I’m an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister, Pastoral Counselor, Hospice Chaplain, and trained Clairvoyant Psychic. I’m passionate about people who are committed to strong spiritual growth and I help them learn how to do so with grace, speed, and ease.
I work with clients and other ceremonialists one-on-one, and I teach larger groups about effective practices for spiritual power and growth.
I have been officially leading ceremonies for over 12 years including hundreds of church worship services, candlelit vespers, breathwork circles, prayer medicine ceremonies, weddings, memorials, baptisms, and custom ceremonies for individuals and families.
It is my pleasure to offer these teachings to you, fellow ceremonialists
Lead Instructor for How to Lead Ceremony
GENIE HOBBS, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Coach, Workshop Facilitator
Genie has decades of experience as a psychotherapist, shamanic practitioner, and ceremonialist. Having worked extensively with healers from the Wixárika tradition in Mexico and the Shipibo tradition in the Peruvian Amazon, she incorporates their healing modalities into her practice. Genie skillfully integrates contemporary clinical methods with ancient indigenous wisdom to help you connect with your heart, inner wisdom, and personal power.
Course Offering: Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between Therapy and Ceremony
MARY OLIVAR
VP of Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, Cermonialist, Song Circle Leader
Whatever it is, thMary's professional adventures have all been founded on promoting healing plants, vibrant healthy living, and a higher awoken consciousness. Dubbed the “Healthy Eating Guru” for Whole Foods Market, she inspired people to take charge of their health through the natural tools and resources available to them. Mary also volunteers as a leader for Shamanism without Borders, the global response network of shamanic practitioners who tend to traumatic events.
When not espousing the virtues of plants and deepening one's connection to Mother Earth, Mary can often be found in Austin, Texas, singing, joyfully dancing, gardening, or happily cooking for her family, friends, and three well-fed children.
Course Offering: The Challenges and Joys of Community-Wide Ceremonies and Song Circles
Jamie is a shamanic practitioner with 30+ years of shamanic study, intensive work with the spirits, and practice with a variety of teachers from several cultures. He’s an author who has published Drumming the Soul Awake (1999), Healing with Shamanism: Practices and Traditions to Restore and Balance the Self (2020), 15 plays produced in various cities across the the USA, and innumerable articles.
Jamie is a former playwright, director, improvisational street theater performer, and (not all that good) magician with a Masters’ Degree in Theology and the Arts from United Seminary of the Twin Cities (1998). He is also the president of the board of directors for the International Society for Shamanic Practice.
Finally, Jamie has been leading drumming circles and ceremonial events around Minneapolis-St. Paul for 20 years, including the annual Winter Solstice Blessing event, attended by hundreds of people each year.
PATRICIA CHOATE
Healer, Teacher, and Co-Facilitator of Drumming the Soul Awake
Patricia holds a Masters Degree in Applied Anthropology, with a focus on Women and Spirituality. She is a licensed Alcohol and Addictions Counselor with 17 years of counseling experience at addiction healing centers, including Hazelden Foundation and Nuway Alliance.
She is a long-time student and practitioner of the intensive “Living in Process” work – a modality of spiritual development and healing developed by Anne Wilson Schaef, PhD.
She is a former director, choreographer, actress, stage singer and voice coach with a devotion to Shakespeare, including a year-long intensive study of Shakesperean text, voice and movement with Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts which became for Patricia an initiatory expansion of healing skills.
I am a devotee of the divine feminine spirit, which is rooted in the divine mother earth. In “stories that sprang from the ground beneath our feet…women were the guardians of the natural world, the beating heart of the land, the bearers of wisdom, the root of spiritual and moral authority of the tribe” as Sharon Blackie says.
Joint Course Offering: Pilgrimage as Ceremony and Being Humble Guests of the Land
THIS COURSE IS NOT…
⫸ Comprehensive training for providing/serving any kind of psychedelic medicine, somatic treatments or body work, or therapeutic counseling, etc. We’ll discuss how to pursue these valuable trainings, but don’t offer it in this course.
⫸ A substitute for personal psychological healing or crisis support. You do deserve that healing and we can work together separately or I can refer you to a good resources for that support.
⫸ Teaching you to be just like me. I can show you the path I’ve walked and then I expect you to bring your own medicine, skills, and authentic self.
⫸ A certificate or credentialing course, but your instructors can point you in the right direction!
FAQs
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No experience is required. You will find this to be a dynamic, supportive, expansive course whether you've never even heard of ceremony, have attended one a few times, or are an experienced leader yourself.
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That's great news! It means you have an opportunity ahead to craft your unique ceremony style in the company of your peers and practitioners (i.e., your instructors and the other students in this course). I'll teach you everything I know about how to authentically lead ceremony and get started with all the tools you need.
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All sessions will be recorded and available to you on the course page for up to three months after the course ends. After that you can purchase continued access for a membership fee of $35/month.
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That's totally normal and completely understandable. It might have more to do with out culture's 'pressure to perform' than your ability as a ceremonialst. We'll address this, and other fears of inadequacy in the course.
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There will be up to 25 students in-person due to space restrictions but an unlimited amount virtually.
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First, I am so sorry you experienced that. Ceremony is a profoundly sacred birthright of each human and I know the wounds from a bad ceremony or leader can go very very deep.
Learning about how to run ceremony may bring some much needed healing to that experience, but this course is primarily educational. If you're in need of deeper healing, any one of our practitioners can offer individual healing sessions or connect you with the resources you need.
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No refunds or cancellations after purchase, so be sure before you pay. If you have any questions about the course before you enroll you can always book a Complimentary Intro Call with me.
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I'd love to hear what's on your mind. Please book a Complimentary Intro Call with me to discuss your question, curiosity, concern, or desire for this course.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
I'd love to hear what's on your mind. Please book a Complimentary Intro Call with me to discuss your question, curiosity, concern, or desire for this course.