Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit 2015

The second annual Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit 2015 (GIWS) is a powerful 3-day no-cost event taking place November 17-19 -- online and on the phone -- where thousands of Indigenous brothers and sisters and their kindred relations from around the world are gathering to learn how the human family can overcome our challenges and walk a unified path of healing and sacred action.

Some of the world's most esteemed Indigenous voices will share prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings and pathways to healing. They'll also highlight concrete examples for birthing a new era -- one in which ALL beings are treated with respect, understanding, compassion and justice.

On Day 3, the summit will be hosting an exciting "Festival of the Americas" Video Day, featuring interviews conducted at The Indigenous Summit of the Americas in Panama. Through these powerful interviews, Indigenous leaders are able to share their sacred wisdom with our global community and ignite entire generations to launch a culturally and spiritually-based movement of unprecedented, unified action.

When you sign up for The Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit, you'll be inspired by the many positive and constructive aspects that are coming to fruition based upon sacred Indigenous principles. You'll also discover why NOW is the time to start co-creating a harmonious world that can fully realize the unlimited potential of the human family -- both individually and collectively. And it's all absolutely FREE! Get all the details, and sign up here: www.indigenouswisdomsummit.com.

Ritual Healing and Spiritual Experiences

Dr. Michael Winkelman, a leader in neurotheological perspectives on shamanism, traditional healing practices, and altered states of consciousness, will give a presentation at the University of Oregon on Monday, November 16, 2015, 3:30 pm in the Browsing Room, Knight Library. In this presentation, Dr. Winkelman examines the cross-cultural features of shamanism involving specific healing rituals and alterations of consciousness that reveal an underlying biological basis. He explores how these features reflect adaptations that occurred in the course of hominine evolution that enhanced our capacity for social bonding, extra personal cognition and symbolic modulation of emotions. Shamanism reflects aspects of our evolved social psychology that still has relevance for understanding healing processes, spiritual experiences and our propensity for seeking to alter consciousness in community rituals. These perspectives bring new approaches to the treatment of current health conditions, especially contemporary problems involving addictive behaviors. His books include Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing; Supernatural as Natural (with John Baker), Pilgrimage and Healing (with Jill Dubisch), and Altering Consciousness (with Etzel Cardena). 

How to Live a Joyful Life

Most people want to live a happy life, but it can be bewildering. Our culture teaches us to strive after so many things that don't lead to happiness: money, status, power, fame, instant gratification, material possessions, the perfect body, and on and on and on. And so each of us is on a journey to discover how to live a joyful, meaningful life. We try to figure out how to shed the conditioning that has proven to be so shallow, and do things differently. But what does that look like to do things differently? Shamanic practitioner Kris Abrams offers five lessons from shamanism about "How to Live a Joyful Life."

The Reindeer Riders

Dukha Shaman

Some of the world's greatest secrets and mysteries can be found beyond the boundaries of human civilization. With globalization encroaching more and more on those that try and maintain their unique ways of life, it's incredible to observe those that persevere. This is what makes the Dukha people of the Mongolian outback so fascinating. The nomadic tribe has lived in remote forests in northwestern Mongolia for centuries. During that time, they have developed a distinctive relationship with wild animals that is quite amazing. Through their own brand of animal husbandry, the Dukha people have learned to use reindeer as a means of transportation over the treacherous terrain they call home. They ride them into the deep snowy forests to hunt for food and collect antlers they can sell to nearby villages for basic supplies. Photographer Hamid Sardar-Afkhami recently documented them in a series of stunning photographs.