Rewilding Yourself by Paul Francis

Rewilding Yourself by Paul Francis

Many people these days feel a sense that something is missing from modern-day life. They feel a yearning for something that is not met by money, possessions, human interactions or even by religions. Alongside this may be a disenchantment with consumerist culture, and concerns about the impact that we humans are having on the natural world. If this in any way describes you, then this book is for you.

For many centuries, earth-based spiritual practices have been persecuted and suppressed all over the world. They have been replaced by materialism, the myth of human supremacy, and with ungrounded religions. We have lost our connection with nature, our spiritual connection with the natural world. We have tamed most of the Earth to the extent that little true wilderness is left. We have destroyed indigenous cultures who lived in harmony with the environment for thousands of years. We have domesticated not only the world around us but ourselves too. In doing so, we have lost our way. We have become uprooted and adrift and are killing the ecosystems to which we belong.

The ancient practice of shamanism cultivates a deep spiritual connection to the Earth. It is not a religion. There is no dogma, and no belief is required. Instead, it offers practical methods that can heal our sense of disconnection and provides a template for living in a healthy relationship with the Earth. Therapeutic Shamanism is rooted in these ancient practices and shows us how we can take them forward and make them relevant to modern-day life.

Following on from the highly-acclaimed first volume in this series, Rewilding Yourself' (Volume 2 in the Therapeutic Shamanism Series) is an in-depth and comprehensive guide, uniquely dedicated to shamanic lower-world practices. Eye-opening and full of life-changing insights, it also provides a practical, step-by-step guide to reconnecting to the sacredness of the earth and to (re)discovering the deep, wild and connected roots of your own, true soul.

Praise for The Shamanic Journey, the first book in this series. 'The best book about shamanism that I have ever read'. Practical, compassionate and wise. Clearly and intelligently written from a firm foundation of knowledge and experience. Intelligent and 'down to earth. A fantastic book . Absorbing and fascinating. A very special and important book. Un-put-down-able. Life-changing. A clear map to an ethical, peaceful, grounded way of being. Very relevant and necessary for contemporary society. Full of profound wisdom and practical guidance. An instant classic. A beautifully crafted book. Thoughtful, accessible and practical. Warm, grounded and encouraging. Intelligent, beautifully written, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and deeply engaging..

Francis, Paul: - I was born and grew up in the north of England. At the age of eighteen I went to Lancaster University where I studied philosophy and anthropology, primarily studying tribal (shamanic) cultures. After graduating I found there were not many jobs in that field! So, I worked for a few years in a hospital, teaching sign language, and in my spare time studied complementary medicine, various spiritual traditions, and psychotherapy. I set up in private practice as a complementary medical practitioner and psychotherapist in the early 1980s. Apart from a few years heading up a counselling department at a Further Education college, I have been self-employed as a therapist ever since. As well as one-to-one client work, I have also been a teacher, trainer, and supervisor for nearly thirty years. I had several intense shamanic experiences in my early life, although at the time I did not know what to call them. At university, I was drawn to studying shamanic cultures, although at the time the word 'shamanism' was still not used that often in academic circles (at the time they were generally still referred to as 'primitive cultures'). I first consciously come across shamanism in my 20s, attending workshops that various teachers were running at the time. Although I found it interesting, I was also training as a psychotherapist at the same time, and I found the lack of ethics and abuse of power that I saw going on in the shamanic workshops to be disturbing. So, I gave up actively pursuing it (although with hindsight it never actually left me). In my 30s, a series of events completely took me apart mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and literally nearly killed me. It was during the slow process of emerging from that crisis that shamanism burst back into my awareness. Over the next few years of healing, shamanism felt like a very private part of my life; an intensely private practice just between me and my guides, and something I discussed with very few people. Although I was a teacher, the idea of teaching shamanism felt out of the question at that time, as shamanism felt like something that I would always only be a beginner at. Again, with hindsight, I certainly would have been nowhere near capable of teaching it, really teaching it, at the time. It was not until my early-forties that my guides started to nag me about teaching it. I resisted for years. My guides persisted, and quite reluctantly I began to weave bits of shamanic work into the other teaching that I was comfortable with. What astonished me was the way some people took to it and thirsted for more of it. It did though, take another near-death experience for me to finally give in, and stop being the reluctant teacher. These days I am filled daily with a deep gratitude (and still with some astonishment) that I can devote my life to practising and teaching shamanism, and that people want to learn with me. Otherwise, I lead a quiet life. A couple of years ago my partner and I were fortunate enough to be able to move to North Wales, to live a life more in contact with nature. I am an introvert, and after teaching I need a lot of solitude and quiet to re-charge. I spend most of my days writing, walking on the beach or in the hills, watching clouds and sunsets, gardening, cooking for my partner, holding her hand, reading, researching on the internet (there is so much I still want to learn and study!), thinking, feeling, occasionally wrestling inner demons, doing nothing in particular, talking to my guides, and gazing adoringly at my cat. Paul Francis, 2017.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780995758650
ISBN 10	0995758654
Title	Rewilding Yourself
Author	Paul Francis
Series	Therapeutic Shamanism
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Paul Francis
Year published	2018-12-17
Number of pages	304
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.