DISTANCE DEGREES IN
SHAMANIC STUDIES
validated by Calamus International University
Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degrees
Distance learning – approx.
completion time 15 to 18 months or less. Enrolment at any time of
year.
This leaflet should be read in
conjunction with the Calamus prospectus (catalogue) and the Calamus
Course Unit List, both available from our
downloads page.
Bachelor's Degrees
Bachelor’s degrees: Although
there is no Bachelor’s degree specifically in shamanic studies,
interested students can make shamanic studies a part of a joint
degree or include it in most holistic-related Bachelor’s degree
plans, for example the following majors: Holistic Studies, Religious
Studies, Contemporary Spirituality, Metaphysics, Parapsychology,
Personal Development. The Calamus Bachelor’s degree is
normally an accelerated programme with 50% of degree credit being
allowed for previous education and training (in any field) and the
reminder taken by following an individually agreed syllabus based
upon Calamus distance units (ongoing or future trainings with
external trainers or schools can be incorporated in the plan.) This
accelerated programme allows students to finish a Bachelor’s degree
within 18 months or less.
M.A. SHAMANIC STUDIES
This degree is made up of three
main elements. The concentration of each element is decided
individually by each student when planning the degree route. The
three elements are:
(a) Studying works on
shamanism from different perspectives (including anthropological and
instructional works and memoirs of personal experience and travel.)
(b) Incorporating a
practical element consisting of external workshops or field trips, a
journal of one’s ongoing shamanic or neo-shamanic practice, or a
comprehensive write-up of training & experience already taken.
[Calamus does not provide practical training but we can suggest
groups and teachers].
(c) Electives drawn from
the fields of transpersonal psychology, parapsychology, psychic
studies, religious studies, contemporary spirituality, regression
and reincarnation studies, and personal development.
The syllabus for the MA Shamanic
Studies is negotiated individually according to the student’s
interests and prior relevant education/ experience. Credit can be
given for certain shamanic training programmes. 45 credits are
needed to attain the MA degree. (15 x 3-credit units or equivalent;
a personal project worth up to 9 credits may be included).
The MA in Shamanic Studies gives
the student an opportunity to study, through textbooks and written
assignments, some of the published work of authors such as Leo
Rutherford, Kenneth Meadows, Michael Harner, Sandra Ingerman, Mircea
Eliade, Ross Heaven, Caitlin and John Matthews, Max Freedom Long,
Wolf Moondance, Gabriel Horn, Amber Wolfe, A.P. Elkin, Serge Kahili
King, Alberto Villoldo, Fred Allan Wolf and others. In addition,
you can take some units from areas such as transpersonal psychology,
regression and reincarnation studies, metaphysics, contemporary
spirituality, parapsychology, Jungian studies, religious studies,
etc.
The taught components of the
distance learning degree comprise academic study and do not in
themselves include fieldwork of any kind. The degree may be taken
for personal interest, as a way of gaining intellectual knowledge to
supplement shamanic training or practice, or as a way of learning
more about the subject before deciding whether to commit yourself to
a shamanic or neo-shamanic training.
Once you start the course, you
may apply for further credit for any shamanic work you do after
enrolment: for example, courses, workshops, retreats, field trips.
Calamus does not arrange such events but we can suggest course
providers and event organisers. If the student has not done so
already, it is strongly recommended that he or she finds a group or
teacher with whom he or she can learn some forms of shamanic
practice, whether in a traditional or in a Western setting.
The MA in Shamanic Studies is
not a training in shamanism or a route to becoming a shaman: that is
why it is titled “Shamanic Studies” and not “Shamanism”. Students
may just have a personal interest in the area, or some relevant
education such as religious studies or anthropology, or they might
already regard themselves as shamans and be practising some form of
shamanic work. Students need to use their own personal judgement,
combined with any appropriate advice from their shamanic mentors, as
to when and if to call themselves a “shaman”. However this course
does not in itself confer the right to call oneself a shaman – it is
not the purpose of the course to convey such a right. Therefore
people should not claim that they have been trained to be a shaman
by Calamus International University. The course may be taken for
interest only by people who may incorporate some shamanic elements
into their work or lifestyle but do not necessarily want to style
themselves by the title "shaman".
What is shamanism? The word
“shaman” is an anthropological term for native or indigenous people
who function as healers, spiritual leaders, seers, and conductors of
sacred ceremonies. The word comes from the Tungus tribe of reindeer
herders in Russia. The root of the word is thought by some to be
“sa” – meaning “to know” as in the French word savoir. Likewise, the
words witch and wizard come from another root meaning “to know”.
Shamans are usually adept at entering other states of consciousness
at will, for purposes of healing, prophecy, communication with
spirits, discovering knowledge, or bringing a new song, dance, story
or ritual to the community. One view is that the essential skill of
the shaman is to be able to leave the body to go on trance journeys.
Two questions frequently arise
in discussions of shamanism: who is a true shaman and is it
appropriate for shamanic thought and methods to be spread in
so-called advanced societies? There are no clear answers and we
encourage open-minded thinking about these questions. Traditionally,
shamans know who they are and so do members of their tribes.
This course does not support the
extreme view, held by certain non-European tribal writers, that only
tribal shamans can use the term “shaman”. It is ironic that such
critics may adopt use the term “shaman” to describe themselves even
though it is a term of European origin and they are not
European, so it could be argued that by their own logic, they have
no right to use the term. “Shaman” is a word whose modern usage
transcends time and culture.
Most of the old knowledge has
died or is preserved by a few. Some traditions are only known
second-hand, or are blends of knowledge from different sources. Like
gurus, not all native shamans on the “New Age” workshop circuit are
what they seem. Various Western authors have presented versions of
an eclectic shamanism, rooted in tribal wisdom, suitable for
teaching to Westerners, and styled “contemporary shamanism”, “urban
shamanism”, “neo-shamanism” or other terms. Yet the non-tribal world
has its own forms of work in other realities. There are techniques
of energy healing, sensing the powers of flower essences, mediumship,
channelling, mesmerism and hypnosis, and deep guided inner journey
work and dreamwork as found in various schools of psychotherapy.
There are dowsing and remote viewing. There are Wicca and the
Western Mystery Traditions. Then we have astral projection,
near-death experiences, past life regression and past life healing,
spirit releasement and depossession, techniques of psychic
protection, and healing of homes, sites and the planet using a
variety of techniques including dowsing, Feng Shui, and radionics.
In the world of therapies we have shamanism combined with NLP, and
shamanism combined with EFT and energy therapies, presented as
unique integrated disciplines. Turning to other parts of the world,
we can find the remarkable feats of advanced yoga practitioners and
the trance possession, healing and other manifestations of African
and Afro-Hispanic religions. And we have modern neo-shamanism as
evidenced in trance dance, shamanic postures, the later work of
Castaneda, and perhaps even chaos magic. From Hawaii, we have
various modern variations of Huna taught by different trainers.
Countless blends of some of these practices and traditions exist
under different names. Some 20th-century practices, such as LSD
psychotherapy, have disappeared though interesting records remain
for the student. To complement the shamanic studies in this degree
course, the student can take a number of electives focusing on
Western and other paths to altered reality and consciousness.
Eligibility
Master's applicants should
normally have a Bachelor’s degree; in some cases alternative
qualifications will be considered (please send CV/resume for
evaluation if necessary). Students should also show a strong
interest in shamanism and have previous relevant personal experience
which might come from psychic, healing or esoteric work, academic
study, or other relevant knowledge or experience.
Pre-course reading
Although we do not insist on
pre-course reading, the following introductory works will be helpful
for people new to shamanism:
Drury, Nevill. The Elements of
Shamanism. Element, 1989.
Harner, Michael. The Way of the
Shaman. HarperSanFrancisco, 1992.
Ingerman, Sandra. Shamanic
Journeying: A Beginner's Guide. Sounds True Inc. 2008.
King, Serge Kahili. Urban
Shaman. Simon and Schuster, 1990.
Meadows, Kenneth. Shamanic
Experience. Element, 1991.
Rutherford, Leo. Principles of
Shamanism. London: Thorsons, 1996.
Rutherford, Leo. The Shamanic
Path Workbook. Arima, 2006.
Scott, Gini Graham. The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Shamanism.
Walsh, Roger. The World of
Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition. Llewellyn, 2007.
Doctoral studies
Please contact us if you are interested in
doing a Ph.D. by research and dissertation.
You may also be interested in a taught
doctorate such as the Doctor of Metaphysics or Doctor of Religious
Studies which can be taken with a focus on shamanism.
Further advice
This is an abbreviated brochure
and further advice is available on enquiry. For individual guidance
in strict confidence, please
send us a copy of your curriculum vitae or resume with details of
your particular interests in spirituality or religious studies and
any trainings done, workshops attended, etc.
To see our prospectus and course
unit list, and also to download an application form, please go to
www.unicalamus.org/downloads.htm
To see our tuition fees on-line
please go to
www.unicalmus.org/tuition.htm
If you have any
queries please contact us, preferably by email on
info@unicalamus.org
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