Ritual Approaches to support the Lamented
This training provides as a solid foundation for service-oriented work for the troubled dead and will also assist in strengthening your intuitive acuity and skills for holding connective ritual space for personal and collective healing.
Many of us have experienced unexplained phenomena in our lives, occurrences often caused by spirits whose transition into the afterlife was interrupted at the time of death due to trauma on this plane, or because of unfinished business that kept the soul anchored to the Earth.
Caught in earth-bound patterns indefinitely, these corporeal spirits need help to progress with their transition. Until help is received, they persist in making their presence known, creating disturbances in our everyday waking life.
The Essentials of Cohort 8
Foundations of Psychopomp Practitioner Training
What is a Psychopomp?
What is a Psychopomp?
A psychopomp's (from the Greek word ψυχοπομπός, psychopompós, literally meaning the 'guide of souls') responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. In Psychopomp work, the practitioner works directly with these souls in non-ordinary reality, guiding them compassionately through the process of transitioning on to their next journey.
In order to locate these disincarnate spirits, the psychopomp journeys to their helping spirits to assist in locating the soul in the non-ordinary reality. Once found, they will communicate with the unwell spirit to determine why they are trapped in their current state.
In most cases, the spirit is happy to move on when given the chance to do so. Some may need mediation due to fearing persecution because of the choices they made in life or feeling unworthy of an elevated state of being. Some may be locked in their own story of trauma, replaying itself over and over, and need convincing that there is another way.
Often, working from a place of compassionate action, establishing trust, and reminding them of the love that is available to everyone, will be sufficient in bringing them to a place where they can begin to transition. There are others who are more anchored in, invested in staying on the Earth, causing harm to the living, in which the psychopomp may utilize other rituals to remove the spirit.
The role of the psychopomp is to ensure the boundary walls between the living and the unwell dead are delineated and secured. Once a spirit is ready for elevation, often the gates through which they pass are made available by a higher ancestral being on their blood lineage, or other helping spirits where they will move into an elevated state of being.
The Foundations of Psychopomp Practitioner Training is based on years of training and tending in these ways and seeks to support others enhancing their natural gifts, learning new ways of engagement, and strengthening current practices as they related to the unwell dead.
I'm most grateful to be co-weaving this community of psychopomps with fellow skilled ritualists, and now to welcome the 4th gathering of deepening potent skills in assisting the nonblood lineage lamented.
What to Expect.
What to expect
Our intent is to learn how to assist non-blood lineage ancestors to wellness. In order to do this, you will develop a working knowledge the various obstacles that the troubled dead encounter and the ritual antidote to support their process of elevation.
As a participant in this training you will be introduced to these practices in progressive succession, with each acquired skill supporting the next stage. Through this you will be developing ritual etiquette by establishing relationships with helping spirits who accompany you in the facilitation of the healing process, Each ritual skill will be introduced in the one day core training, enhanced in the 2nd Friday core teaching and implemented in a monthly practicum with your fellow cohort members.
Foundational to this training is the personal transformation that results from partnering with the bigger powers as mentors and colleagues. During the training you will deepen your capacity and skillfulness as a ritualist, and develop practical healership skills.
In addition, you can expect:
Focused training on how to hold boundaried protective space in non-ordinary reality to support the work for others.
An immersive learning experience that utilizes a blend of self-paced teachings, live experiential practices, peer exchanges, and spaces for network-wide teachings and discussions. Teachings are rooted in our Psychopomp Collective Community Ethos
A rigorous curriculum anchored by 3 Fridays of live curriculum and experiential practices anchored by Shannon and Guest Presenters, a monthly practicum anchored by a mentor within the community collective, and pre-recorded lessons which are delivered bi-monthly.
Engagement throughout the training with Shannon in 3 private personal support mentorship meetings, and direct observation, and feedback critical to refining ritual facilitation skills by a trained practitioner in the collective.
Monthly Continuing Education teachings featuring guest teachers on topics related to the field of psychopomp work and death and dying.
Extensive resources in the field of psychopomp, opportunities to join future advanced trainings, and opportunities through Red Earth Healing for client referrals
Training Schedule
Training Schedule
Each month we will focus on a specific set of ritual skills to assist the dead.
1st Friday of each month will be a full day of experiential learning and practice.
These calls are from 11am - 3pm Eastern (New York)
2nd Fridays of Each month, we will continue with the focus of the month for follow-up.
These calls are from 3pm-5om Eastern (New York)
3rd Fridays are dedicated to your practicum experiences where you will be working with a fellow cohort peer and a mentor who will observe you applying what we have learned. These calls times may vary depending on participants schedules and time zones but I ask that you reserve the 3rd Fridays for this practice. The session will be for 2 hours.
4th Fridays are reserved for our Guest Presenters. These calls are typically from 3pm-5pm but subject to change based upon the presenters location.
Monthly Focus
OCTOBER: Protection and Ritual Embodiment
We will begin by strengthening your personal ritual container through which you will do your healing work.
This session will include establishing ritual boundaries & honing your relationship with your Psychopomp Guide.
You will strengthen pathways of connection through meaningful ritual invocation and processes which bring clarity to perception and ritual potency.
You will also further develop and enhance ritual protection strategies and self-care techniques necessary for psychopomp work.
NOVEMBER: Helping Spirits and Landscapes of the Dead
In this module we will be developing relationships with our core council of helping spirits who assist us in navigating our healing sessions and the terrains of deathscapes in which we do our work. We will:
Learn differing Cosmologies of the Realms of the Dead and their corresponding landscapes.
Connect and strengthen our guidance from a personal helping spirit who will assist you with navigating the Middle World protection.
Hone your tracking ability via tracking helping spirits to assist in your work.
Develop your Clare's and learn divination through dreams of the dead and how to navigate liminal these terrains.
DECEMBER: Obstacles of the Troubled Dead
In this month's module we will explore how to work with the varying degrees of the unwell dead, through soul retrieval, curse unraveling, and extraction. The endeavors of a Psychopomp often include the liminal workings of depossession, curse unravelling and soul retrieval and therefore it is necessary to understand and work within these domains. We will:
Explore soul loss and its impact to the troubled dead The soul retrieval process helps interage soul parts which are necessary for the soul to become fully integrated to bring about elevation.
Participants will learn about the obstacles and obstustruction brought about through curses or soul contracts and learn pathways of tracking and clearing their impacts.
Possession occurs when a person’s experience is influenced by another conscious being who is sharing their physical and energetic space. This occurs in both the living and the dead and therefore it is necessary to how to recognize and apply the appropriate remedy to support all incarnate beings. Participants will learn how to skillfully perform rituals for the defunct and the living who are experience these symptoms.
JANUARY: Rituals for the Dead
In this month's gatherings we will continue to explore obstacles to the troubled dead elevating and hone ritual skills to assist the living in and the dead through the journey of the dead and dying. We will:
Establish your unique ritual you will use to cross over the dead and variations
Learn rituals of appeasement and forgiveness to assist the troubled dead
Explore grief through ritual practices
FEBRUARY: Death and Ethics
In this module we will examine the End of Life Cycle from the unique perspective of Conscious Elderhood and Dying Rites. You will:
Engage in ritualized Death Rites through visioning practices.
Explore topics in the Death Doula realms such as living wills, Death with Dignity, memorials, home funerals, dying at home, organ donation, lying-in-state, grief, end-of-life visions, life reviews, rituals to support the dying, obituaries, wills, and other cultural perspectives on death.
Explore best practices in terms of the guidelines and ethics in which you do your work.
MARCH: Rituals for the Collective Dead
In our last month's gatherings we will:
Explore the terrains of rituals for collective unwell dead, the forgotten, and populations en masse including land clearings
Explore what happen's next in our practice
Participate in a closing ritual
Price & Scholarships
The Price & Scholarships
The cost for this six month professional training and certification is $ 2800 USD if full payment is made before April 1st of 2024
Afterwards the cost of the training is $3500 USD
Payment plan options for 6 or 12 months are available, and participants are required to confirm a payment plan upon acceptance into the training.
A $500 dollar deposit is required to hold your placement in the training once you have been accepted. Deposits are non-refundable after June 30th, 2024
We’re deeply committed to fostering a network that’s globally, economically, and culturally diverse. As such, the standard cost of the program enables room for financial assistance for less economically advantaged applicants. This supports ongoing sustainability for a balanced Network. If you’re economically advantaged (employed in the Global North, own property or land, expect some sort of inheritance, have investments, etc.) and you’re not comfortable with the rate you’ll pay supporting access for others, this probably isn’t the right program for you.
Scholarships
Need-based scholarships are typically reserved for BIPOC, those who natively speak a language other than English, LGBTQ+ folks and applicants from economically disadvantaged nations or backgrounds. All who are interested and meet the prerequisites are encouraged to apply.
We do our best to find mutually agreeable solutions for all, and please understand that in order to sustain our business, the livelihoods of our employees, and the health of our network, we cannot accommodate every single request and we do our best and can often work something out, so err on the side of letting us know what you may need.
Prerequisites & Requirements
Eligibility, Requirements, Prerequisites
We ask that applicants be grounded in their own psychological and spiritual well-being prior to application.
Qualities we value in applicants:
Ongoing commitment to personal healing and wellness
Vocational calling to serve others through ritual arts and spiritual practice
Experience with ancestral reverence and ritual
Commitment to cultural equity
Established practice in some kind of healing art or work for cultural change
Historical and cultural literacy
Earth reverence and ecological awareness
Openness to learning and being part of an international community
Those interested in psychopomp come to this foundational course with a few requirements to participate:
Be skilled at journey/drop-in meditation with a solid group of helping spirits already sourced. (A minimum of 2 years of journey work for self and others). We will be working with drums and rattles and other mechanisms of sound, please come prepared with these ritual tools.
This work is initiatory and therefore brings us through a process of dismantling in order to allow us to expand to meet the bigger powers and realms we will be working within. Participants should be in stable and reasonably good mental and physical health, as well as have the dedicated time and attention to devote to the training. Check with your helping spirits and ancestors as to whether this training is in alignment with your highest good at this time.
Experience with Ancestral Healing work is required. Please ensure sure that your matrilineal and patrilineal ancestors are well in spirit. If you are looking for a resource for that you read more here, book an assessment, or go the the online ancestral healing course offered here
Have taken the foundational course, Forces of Nature (Starts March 25th, 2024)
Have good ritual hygiene, meaning, you come to the work knowing how to anchor in solid protection for yourself and also know how to show up well in communal space.
Are willing to commit to 6 months of lessons and dyad (pod) group work.
Participants must be willing to receive the work themselves. As cohort members, you will practice on each other as part of the training.
LOGISTICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION
Access and comfort being online.
The training is held online using Ancestral Medicine’s course portal, connection space, and tools like Zoom for live teachings. Applicants need a reliable internet connection, a relatively quiet space during teachings and practice sessions, the ability to use and/or install applications for accessing documents and recordings, and an openness to engage in online spaces.
Availability for scheduled teachings and peer exchanges.
The weekly Friday Calls and peer exchanges on the 3rd Friday are important and you are required to attend live.
Time commitment.
This training equates to 15-20 hours a month of dedicated time. As this training is initiatory, attendance is required at all core pieces of training and practicums.
Details of the Training
Below are the many ways we will commit to the vessel of learning in community with one another. This includes ways we will connect, dates of engagement, and approximately how many hours of commitment you will engage in should you decide to join the practitioner training.
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6 live classes. There will be 6 days of instruction/ritual meet-ups via the zoom platform~ 1st Friday’s of each month for 6 hours each beginning in October through March. These sessions are 6 hours in length from 11am-5pm.
- 6 Monthly Continuing Practice Calls. We will meet via zoom as a group on the 2nd Friday of each month to continue to explore psychopomp practices and deepen our skills, share insights and provide an opportunity for Q & A. These will be 2 hours in length from 3 pm to 5 pm.
- 6 Continuing Education Calls. We will meet via zoom as a group on the 4th Friday’s of each month to explore fields related to psychopomp work with guest teachers. These will be 2 hours in length from 3 pm-5 pm Eastern.
- Group Application. Once a month we will meet in our practicum experience. Here you will meet in dyad pods for experiential practice. These calls will be the 3rd Friday of each month and will be three hours in length.
- Group Pod Gatherings. Additionally, there will be 3 scheduled group meet-ups with a larger pod for entrainment, connection, and Q&A. These group meet up will be facilitated and scheduled by a graduate of the Foundations of Psychopomp training. They are to be at least one hour in length, but often folks chose to hang out and deepen their connection with one another.
- Personal Mentoring. 3 personal mentoring sessions with Shannon to resource you around your work as you progress through the training.
- Learning Resources. Additional course content will be dropped each month to review, material covered in both the classrooms and continued practice experience. They will also provide resources for further exploration and provide exercises for you to do on your own.
- Private connection space. This is the space where we will gather virtually to deepen our connection with the work and each other. There will be a feed to ask questions about content, connect with other participants, and share experiences as you navigate through the material. No public social media or additional login is required.
Our Team
Facilitated by Shannon Willis, M.Ed
who is a dedicated animist and ritualist, helping others achieve clarity, connection and rootedness through the exploration of liminal landscapes of the seen and unseen. Through heart-centered ritual aimed at re-establishing balance and personal sovereignty, and through deeping the pathways of connection within the wider web of relations, her work is found at the intersection of dream midwifery, psychomping, and ancestral reverence.
For over 30 years she has committed her life to partnership with others in transforming trauma and cultural wounding for both the living and the dead. She has a Masters degree in Professional Leadership and Counseling with a focus in Jungian and Gestalt modalities, is the founder of Red Earth Healing, a student of Yoruba culture as an initiate of Ọbàtálá, and Ọ̀ṣun, in the lineage of Olúwo Fálolú Adésànyà Awoyadé from Òdè Rẹ́mọ. making pilgrimages to work with elders in West Africa. She is also a devotee of Nepali shamanism, and other diverse indigenous paths of her ancestors. She is a certified practitioner and teacher of Dr. Daniel Foor’s Ancestral Lineage Healing method.
Her recent and older people of blood and bone hail from the British Isles, France, West Africa and Cherokee and Kaskaskia/Illini nations. Committed to collective healing, she holds grounded, empathic, non dogmatic, heart-centered ritual space which supports presence, trust, and community rooted in the ancient ways of being of service to the Earth. your
Mentors
Shobhana Mason is a certified ancestral lineage healing practitioner, psychopomp practitioner, diviner, ritualist, and astrologer whose horoscope columns have been featured online and in magazines worldwide. She views the celestial bodies as divine beings who have the power to influence our lives, and offers astrology as a tool to come into harmonious relationship with these powers. She enjoys helping her clients cultivate relationships with the unseen, whether they be planets, deities, ancestors, or other benevolent forces. She hosts a bimonthly tarot study group for tarot enthusiasts. She currently resides on the lands of the Piscataway and Susquehannock with her 9 year old chihuahua, Magnus. You can find out more about Shobhana here
Sidhaeg MacLeod is a ritual artist and musician who keens for the earth. In sacred partnership with wise ancestors and ancestral land spirits, Sidheag makes art in service, uplifting the ancestral dead. She is a practitioner of oracular and divinatory healing arts who is dedicated to serving elders, artists, and LGBTQ+ folks in weaving their life path with destiny. Her lineage repair practice includes helping folks embody ancestral gifts while exploring the creative inspiration to express them in the world. Sidheag celebrates belonging with her older lineage ancestors among the Gaelic speaking nations, Norse, Germanic, Slavic, and Baltic Sea peoples.