Our week together began with an evening presentation at the Parker School of Waimea in which Dr. Wesselman spoke about "Health, Illness and Healing in the Shamanic Tradition." Here is some of what he had to say:

"Avoidance of death is not necessarily the purpose of traditional medicine. The shaman is primarily concerned with why an illness has taken root.

Each one of us is unique in our illness. To the shaman, there are three classic causes of disease:

1) Disharmony This can stem from being out of balance in one's life and/or losing a sense of belonging to and connection with the world. This is very common among persons who retire from life-long careers and no longer feel a purpose for being alive. This also happens when one individual in a deeply-connected partnership dies and the other is left alone and shattered. Statistics show that women are better survivors in cases such as this while men have a higher chance of dying within a relatively short time of their partner's death.

2) Fear The immune system cannot function at peak performance when the individual is afraid, especially when there is a chronic sense of fear growing inside. The fear of disease is more dangerous that the disease itself.

3) Soul Loss This is the gravest, most serious diagnosis, and the number one cause of illness. Soul loss is when a part of the soul actually leaves since it is unable to cope. Sometimes this happens in cases of accidents, i.e.; a severe car accident. Part of the soul departs taking the pain and loss with it. Soul loss also happens in cases of molestations, rape, combat, surgery, miscarriage, divorce, betrayal, drug abuse. Parents who are verbally or physically abusive can steal their children's souls. We diminish ourselves in order to be loved.

In our society the most common symptom of soul loss is depression. 60 million people, or approximately 30 percent of the U.S. population, are on anti-depressant drugs. Why is soul loss so devastating? Because our "cosmic pizza" becomes more like a piece of Swiss cheese and it is in these "holes" where illness comes in and takes up residence.

We all know that negative thought forms are not good for us, they are spiritual poison darts, easily picked-up by the subconscious at the mind/body level.

Given these three conditions for illness, how then does the shaman go about healing?

1) Augment the person's personal power supply. In the Hawaiian tradition this would mean giving them a good infusion of "Mana" or life-force.

2) Find the nature of the illness. Shaman will go into deep trance and journey into the person's body, looking for something that doesn't belong there. When found, the shaman does an extraction, sucking out the entity or disease and spitting it into the earth for burial.

3) Soul Retrieval. This is done in combination with plant medicine (power plants) and music. There is a high degree of placebo affect here because the perception of the patient is more important than the action itself. The body, simply through the expectation of a cure can generate powerful healing response. (For more on soul retrieval, see Sandra Ingerman's work.)"

The rest of our week was filled with numerous shamanic journeys which led us to our spirit guides and allies, power animals, secret gardens, and connection with ancestors - particularly those who were shamans of the past. We performed a sacred healing ritual on the final day of the program and at sunset, the Na Koa Warriors offered a powerful Awa ceremony as a closing to an unforgettable week together. Below are some photographs of this memorable event.

During the week, each one of us connected with a special rock which we added to our alter (photo at top of page.)

We journeyed daily, calling on our spirit guides and finding helpers for our fellow travelers...

Hiking at Pololu Valley and making new friendships...

The Na Koa Warriors offering their sacred Awa ceremony connecting us in our thread of destiny...

We dedicate the goodness and power of this week to all spirits of Earth and Sun.