This course is the prerequisite for the Psychopomp Practitioner Training — learn more and register here.
Welcome to Forces of Nature, a sacred apprenticeship rooted in elemental wisdom, ancestral guidance, and ritual arts. Here, we gather to remember the language of fire, stone, wind, and river to listen deeply to the spirits who walk with us and the land that holds us. This is a space where ritual becomes a daily practice, where devotion shapes belonging, and where we grow the courage to stand as tenders of culture, healing, and mystery. Together, we apprentice to the living Earth and the unseen allies who call us into deeper service.
Holding a protective sacred vessel for our work as animist healers is contingent upon our relationship with the forces of nature, land and the helping spirits with whom we are in alignment.
Honing our ritual intention Is a nuanced craft of meaningful connection with these elemental forces of nature and the bigger powers who are fed by them.
When we call them in, it is not by name alone but through our direct connection and trust, Our established commitment to return to them as allies in the work we’ve agreed to do together.
who is this course for?
Animists who wish to work connectively and reciprocally with their ancestors, and with the bigger powers that guide their destiny, and the helping spirits of the land, and elemental forces.
Healers who care to strengthening their ability of holding protective and deeply connective space for themselves and others.
Ritualist that desire to learn pathways for holding energetic and boundaried space in ritual for circles and larger intensives.
Anyone who hopes for heightened intuitive abilities, deeper connection to the wider web of relations and increased ritual stamina
Lesson Content
Lesson One: Introduction to Invoking the Powers
- Establish a safe and embodied ritual space by learning the foundational elements of sacred container-building.
- Connect with your primary helping spirit, a central guide for propitiation and ongoing spiritual practice.
- Engage in guided and self-led journeywork, with audio support and tools to deepen your ritual skills
Lesson Two: Cosmology of Sacred Space ~ East
- Explore the liminal field of non-ordinary reality and deepen your relationship with sacred space as an animist practitioner.
- Connect with the cardinal directions, the five life-sustaining elements, and the “gatekeepers” who guide each direction.
- Engage with guided teachings and optional solo journeywork, using provided audio tools to support your ritual practice.
Lesson Three: Cosmology of Sacred Space ~ South
- Deepen your connection with the South, exploring its associations with fire, the sun, the root chakra, and the energy of summer and adolescence.
- Reflect on the physical and life-affirming qualities of this direction, and how it supports vitality, embodiment, and transformation.
- Access guided teachings and journeywork with optional audio tools to support your ritual drop-in and personal practice.
Lesson Four: Cosmology of Sacred Space ~ West
- Explore the wisdom of the West, connecting with the element of water, the season of autumn, and the life stage of adulthood.
- Reflect on themes of release, transformation, and the journey from ignorance to wisdom as you prepare for the path of elderhood.
- Work with guided teachings and solo journey practices, supported by optional audio tools to deepen your ritual experience.
Lesson Five: Cosmology of Sacred Space ~ North
- Enter the wisdom of the North, aligned with the Earth element, the season of Winter, and the life stage of Elderhood where reflection, discernment, and fulfillment reside.
- Engage with themes of stillness, death, ancestral connection, and inner transformation within the liminal space of the dark season.
- Meet the gatekeepers of the North and work with guided practices and audio tools to support deep personal and ritual exploration.
Lesson Six: Cosmology of Sacred Space ~ Ether
- Explore Ether as the element of spaciousness, stillness, and spirit where all other elements converge and where soul and intuition dwell.
- Reflect on Ether’s role in the life cycle as the realm of the soul between incarnations, and its power to hold, connect, and harmonize.
- Deepen your relationship with the unseen through guided teachings, journey practices, and audio tools designed to support ritual spaciousness.
Lesson Seven: Synthesis
- Integrate all elemental and directional practices into a cohesive, ritually safe healing space in non-ordinary reality.
- Actively invoke your helping spirits to co-create a sacred container for deep spiritual work and connection.
- Engage with guided and self-led practices to anchor your synthesis through embodied ritual and intuitive presence.
What's Included
- Opening Call: Thursday, July 31, 2025 ~ 11am PDT
- 1st lesson released Saturday, July 26, 2025 ~ 11am PDT
- 7 Live calls In this space we will gather for deeper connection to the work at hand, leave spaciousness for questions and drop into ritual space to further the work as a community.
- Course Work Each lesson is self-directed, consists of a pre-recorded video which will share wisdom with a guided experiential practice. Also in the lesson will be journaling prompts and additional reading resources to deepen your understanding.
- Private Community Space A private connection space where we will gather virtually to deepen our connection with the work and each other. No public social media or additional login is required.
Meet and develop connection with a primary helping spirit.
Build Ritual Skills of protection.
Meet and develop a connection with spirits of place in connection with each elemental direction local to the lands you inhabit.
Cultivate skills of holding ritual space for both individual and group service.
Hone an invocation to call these powers to you by envisioning and committing to your shared service to the world.
Investment
WE’RE HAPPY TO OFFER 3 PRICING OPTIONS IN CONSIDERATION OF THOSE WHO ARE IN FINANCIAL NEED.
Generating: For those folks with comfortable financial means to contribute more, we are deeply appreciative of your generosity which assists in making this accessible for those who may otherwise not be able to attend.
Sustaining: This is the actual cost for us to offer this program and sustain what we do. We are grateful if you are able to enroll at this rate.
Supported: We invite folks with leaner financial means to enjoy programs at a reduced cost and are delighted you are here.
If you need a reduction beyond what is provided or a payment plan, please reach out directly to shannon@redearthhealing.org
Generating
Sustaining
Supported
Facilitator
Shannon Willis, M.Ed
Shannon will be your guide for this immersive. Her work lives at the wild confluence of dream midwifery, oracular listening, ancestral reverence, and ritual arts. She’s the Ritual Director at Ancestral Medicine, and an initiate in the Òrìṣà tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa, she has also apprenticed herself to the dreaming wisdom of her own bloodlines and to teachers of Jhanki Shamanism.
Shannon writes and weaves spiritual accompaniment for emerging leaders and cultural edge-walkers—those drawn to the holy work of remembrance, repair, and rooted resistance. She dwells with her son and their furred companions near the mist-kissed shores of the Salish Sea, on the ancestral and living lands of the Twana-Skokomish people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course for me?
I offer this course to everyone regardless of spiritual background in earnest hope of bringing clarity and healing for personal and collective harmony.
What is the Schedule?
The calls will be every Thursday beginning July 31st, 2025 and ending on September 11th, 2025. Times for the live calls are 11am PDT.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like – across any and all devices you own.
Are there pre-requisites to enroll in this course?
Prior experience with personal healing work and spiritual practice is recommended and includes skilled experience with navigating interpersonal terrain through journeying and having a deepening relationship with spiritual allies (such as helping spirits, elevated ancestors, deities and other unseen sources of support, If you’ve yet to have this requirement and would like support with this, please reach out and we can book a session together before the course begins.
What if I can’t make the live Zoom calls?
All Zoom calls will be recorded and made available within 48 hours.