This training is for those who already have a ritual healing practice who wish to broaden or deepen their scope of practice to include the forms of spirit-mediated healing work described below. Participants will grow their skills in the areas of ritual containment, psychopomp work, soul-part retrieval, energy body clearing, energy bind unraveling, and compassionate depossession. These methods comprise a core set of methods that support personal sovereignty, freedom, connection to the True Self, and creative resourcing.

Participants will be introduced to these practices in a progressive series developing technique, relationships with the healing spirits who facilitate the work, relational cosmologies, and confidence while working within the cohort. Each technique will be introduced in a three-day core training followed by a variable number of intervening practicums.

Module 1: Ritual Container Development and Self-Care

The External Container – A practitioner’s ritual container includes ritual boundaries, relationship with protective spirits, energetic resources, as well as functional elements that enable the work to happen with more ease and efficiency. The strength of your ritual container determines your capacity as a practitioner. In this module participants will work with refining and expanding their ritual healing containers in preparation for the work ahead.

The Internal Container – Ritual healing can be a path of spiritual initiation for clients as well as practitioners. Who we are has direct bearing on what we can do. Over the course of this training we will explore how the practitioner’s relationship with the work, personal cosmology, and state of consciousness influences what happens in the ritual healing context. Participants will be introduced to ways to increase core strength, clarity of perception, and personal and ancestral alignment.

Self Care – For a practice to be healthy and sustainable practitioners need to maintain boundaries with the work and have a regimen of self-care. This training will offer perspectives and methods for practical boundaries and self-care including tending patterns of overextension and dynamics derived from common archetypes expressed in the healing professions like the Rescuer and Martyr.

Module 2: Psychopomp Facilitation

The term “psychpomp” is a Greek term meaning a “conductor of souls”. The term is used more broadly in ritual healing practices to refer to any situation in which a spirit transitions to another place or dimension of consciousness by crossing a threshold. This applies to deceased humans or other formerly corporeal beings who have not crossed the threshold of death, as well as non-corporeal spirits who need assistance relocating to their home dimension or location. Psychopomp work is the foundation of compassionate depossession and a common element of curse unraveling and soul-part retrieval. Practitioners will form relationships with the spirits who specialize in the psychopomp role and will be inducted into the practice of facilitating this sacred threshold work.

Module 3: Soul-Part Retrieval, Energy Body Work, and Sound Healing

Sometimes in the course of life we can become dissociated from aspects of ourselves often due to factors such as trauma, family of origin issues, accidents, and substance abuse. This state is called soul-part loss as those aspects of ourselves, in this context called soul parts, are experienced as missing from present life. Symptoms of soul-part loss include lack of vitality, creativity, personal empowerment, and sense of self. Soul-part loss can also contribute to patterns of addiction and some illnesses. The soul-part retrieval process helps re-associate the client with these aspects of self, making the qualities of the soul parts available for reintegration. Practitioners will learn how to return a client’s essential energy to them and clear non-self energy from the physical and energetic bodies. Practitioners will also be introduced to methods of using sound for these purposes.

Module 4: Energy Bind Unraveling: Curses, Soul Contracts, Thought-forms, and Ancestral Themes

Energy binds are persistent energy constructs that can have positive or negative effects on our lives depending on their intended effects and match with current circumstances. Energy binds act as curses when they generate negative conditions. Energy binds in the mental body lead to repeated thought patterns called thought-forms. Curses and thought-forms are common factors contributing to limiting conditions in life such as bad luck, illnesses, dysfunctional and recurring family patterns, and lack of personal power. Past life or ancestral vows, oaths, contracts, and beliefs can also be factors that limit personal freedom, well-being, and abundance. Participants will learn a process for unraveling such patterns.

Module 5: Compassionate Depossession

Possession, or overshadowing, is a state in which a person’s experience is influenced by another conscious being who is sharing their physical and energetic space. Possession can be intentional or unintentional and can be the result of trauma, soul-part loss, soul history karma, insufficient boundaries with our ancestral dead, and incidental circumstances. Possession is a natural, if often undesirable, occurrence that can lead to or be a factor in a number of issues including some chronic illnesses and physical pain, addictions, obsessions, depression, anxiety, identity confusion, and suicidal tendencies. Depossession, when indicated, can be the most effective component of a treatment, helping to resolve issues that are resistant to other forms of healing work. Participants will learn the method of compassionate depossession developed by Betsy Bergstrom. This method is a humane therapy that benefits both the clients and possessing spirits, working in harmony with the structure and principles of natural order.

Applicants should be in alignment with the following prerequisites and approach:

This is an advanced training. To participate you should already have some form of ritual healing practice and an ethos of tending to your personal healing and self-development. At least two years of experience in practice is recommended.

This work can take mettle. Participants should be in stable and reasonably good mental health. Check with your helping spirits and ancestors as to whether this training is in alignment with your highest good, health, and well-being at this time. If you have chronic health issues check with your ancestors about how that might interact with the training and how you might best manage your health should you participate.

Ancestral Lineage Healing – Participants will be required to have completed the healing of at least two (and ideally all four primary lineages) of their own ancestral lineages in the Ancestral Lineage Healing process developed by Daniel Foor. As this work can take some time to complete, it is recommended that applicants start this process a few months in advance of applying. Maris facilitates these sessions and there are online classes and other practitioner options available through ancestralmedicine.org. We will be working with the ancestors periodically as part of this training.

Participants must be able to do drum/rattle journeys. Have a rattle to use for journeying in your space. A moderate sound that is not too harsh or too soft – or one that has a range – is recommended. Drums are optional but we will be using rattles for energy clearing, soul-part retrieval, and for the energy bind unraveling module.

This training is initiatory and not just about following procedures.  Attendance is required for all core trainings and practicum except in the event of illness, emergencies, and major life events. Participants are expected to otherwise plan around the scheduled dates. This includes not traveling or being in new and unpredictable locations during the core trainings and practicum. Substantial absences, including missing any of the core trainings, may result in an inability to complete the program. In this case how to proceed will be considered on a case by case basis.

Participants are expected to be mindful of the energy needed in particular for three-day ritual trainings and to do their best to show up as fully as possible. This can mean not over-extending prior to the event.

Recordings are not guaranteed and are provided only for review and in the event of valid absences; recordings are not a substitute for attendance. Recordings are non-downloadable and available for a limited time. Participants are expected to take notes rather than rely on recordings for information retention.

Participants must be willing to receive the work themselves as cohort members will practice on each other as part of the training. Having personal healing experiences in these domains will also deepen the participants’ relationships with the work.

This is a path of personal and professional development. Participants must be willing to receive constructive feedback and engage in personal reflection.

We will be not be working within the archetype of the rescuer or heroic healer. This work is about about aligning with and getting movement within natural processes, it is not combative or heroic. The warrior element in this work is channeled into the ability of practitioners to stay centered and steadfast in alignment with intention.

As practitioners we will cultivate neutral and compassionate views in order to see bigger picture perspectives. We work only with the most wise and compassionate spirits to facilitate healing for the benefit of all beings.

Participants will be developing relationships with compassionate helping spirits both within and outside their ancestral cosmologies. In psychopomp and depossession work in particular, knowing psychopomp spirits from different places in the world increases the range of people who can be assisted and is an important aspect of this work.

This course is designed to be taken in full and in the order presented. If you already have a background in any one of these areas it is always possible to go deeper with the work. The teaching spirits will work with everyone’s personal growth edges. As this is a small group training and space is limited, if you register it is with a good faith intention to prioritize and complete the entire training.

2023 Schedule: The program is currently running and not taking applicants. Next offered TBA.

All three-day core training intensives are from 9:00am – 4:00pm Pacific Time. All practicum are from 1:00pm – 4:30pm/5:00pm Pacific Time. End times will need to be somewhat flexible as the time it takes to do practice sessions can vary.

Module 1: Ritual Containment and Self-Care

Core Training: January 6-8

Module 2: Psychopomp Training
Core Training: February 3-5
Practicums:
February 17
March 3
March 17

Module 3: Soul Retrieval and Energy Body Clearing

Core Training: March 31 – April 3
Practicums:
April 14
April 28
May 12

Module 4: Pattern Unravelling: Curses, Contracts, Thought-forms, and Ancestral Themes

Core Training: July 14 – 16
Practicums:
July 28
August 11
August 25

Module 5: Compassionate Depossession

Core Training: September 8 – 10
Practicums:
September 22
September 29
October 6
October 13
October 27
November 3
November 17

Closing Weekend

December 2 – 3

Payment Schedule:

$675 USD to register. This deposit covers payment for Module 1 and the closing weekend.

Subsequent payments in USD:
February 1st: $500
March 29th: $500
July 12th: $500
September 6th: $400
November 1st: $400

There is a limited number of sliding scale positions or extended payment plans available for those in countries with unfavorable exchange rates (if the full rate is financially prohibitive), who come from disenfranchised demographics, who have economic hardship, and who are on fixed and limited incomes. Contact Maris with a payment plan proposal in USD.

Class Limit: About 15 participants