RHINEBECK, NY, September 26, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Streaming live on the Voice America Network (www.voiceamerica.com) on Wednesday, September 30 at 2 p.m. Pacific time/5 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?", shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt asks the question: What would it be like to live in a culture with 8 genders or even 64 rather than the two male/female genders many people assume are that exist?
According to Pratt, in shamanic cultures your biology, gender, and sexual preference are not necessarily linked. They can be, but its not a given. They are all variables that are experienced as an expression of Spirit moving through the individual. They are not only varied in shamanic cultures, but they may change in one person over the course of a lifetime.
In this episode of "Why Shamanism Now? A Practical Path to Authenticity" titled "Gender Transformation in Shamanism", Pratt explores gender variance and transformation in shamanism, as the transformed shaman is often considered the most powerful. In a variety of shamanic cultures around the world including Siberia, Africa, and North America, many male shamans have become women to follow their call from spirit. These changes are culturally sanctioned and expected. Some male shamans begin the transformation very young, and progress into functioning as both a shaman and a woman after initiation. Pratt will also make note of an even bigger mystery: why women don't have to become men to be shamans.
Christina Pratt is an authentic, non-traditional contemporary shaman. In practice since 1990, she specializes in mending the soul and transforming the parts of life that feel impossible. A teacher of exceptional clarity, humor, and inspiration, Pratt brings the power of shamanism into the practical grasp of anyone willing to take responsibility for improving the quality of their life. Her well-received book, An Encyclopedia of Shamanism (Rosen), is an 800 page, two-volume set with over 750 in-depth entries that clearly discuss the basic concepts of shamanism, methods, and traditions of over 50 different shamanic peoples. Pratt is the founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing in Portland, OR, and New York, NY, creator of the original Foundations of Shamanism and Shamanic Healing course at the University of Minnesota, and a frequent and honored speaker for the American Holistic Medical Association.
"Why Shamanism Now?", a live internet talk radio with host Christina Pratt, airs every Wednesday afternoon at 2-3 pm Pacific time/5-6 pm Eastern time on http://www.modavox.com/7thwavenetwork/. Prior episodes from "Why Shamanism Now" can be downloaded for free from the iTunes library (www.iTunes.com). Some of Pratt's teachings and interviews are also posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXEjkOzkkTo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MxA4Pb3Gw, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKSfs3dj_QM.
For more information on Christina Pratt, the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing, and workshops and classes with Pratt, or to order An Encyclopedia of Shamanism at a special discounted rate, visit http://www.lastmaskcenter.org. For additional information or to arrange an interview with Pratt, please contact Linda Woznicki, 845-417-8811, lwoz@frontiernet.net.
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