Conversations with the Invisible World
Divination Practice of the Dagara People

Many traditional cultures have developed sophisticated systems for peering into the unshaped world of what is to come. The Dagara of West Africa have a highly articulated method of divination that is deeply intuitive, sacred and profound. With the blessing of Malidoma Some, the original teacher of this ancient practice, we are offering instruction in this ancient practice that is based on the rich cosmological vision of his people.

This two-part series training is designed for those interested in developing the skills of divining with an eye towards personal and community welfare. The purpose of divination is to discern the patterns of the world and the intersections with spirit as they relate to our lives. By cultivating the ability to see the way things connect, we are able to extract meaning from the apparently arbitrary movements of the world around us and to incorporate the newfound learning to serve the greater good. Divination is one way in which to focus our attention on the speech coming to us from the “other world” and to orient our lives to move more in accord with the ways of Nature and Spirit.

This two-part series training will focus on the basic skills necessary for successful divination: Interpretation, application, prescription, and practice. Most essentially, to develop the art of divination we must become fluent in the language of Spirit, the language of images, metaphors, symbols and relationships. Our task is to “read the signs” as they are presented to us in the divination and to come to trust our sense of what is being addressed by the spread. This form of deep consultation with the unseen world is a powerful way to address the multiple challenges we face in living a life rooted in Spirit. This exploration is for those with serious interest in utilizing divination as a tool to foster a deepened connection with Spirit and as a means of aiding others in bringing greater meaning into their lives.

Curriculum:

• Create your own divination cloth.
• Invocation, creating reading space, knowledge of the five elements
• Instruction in basic meaning of shells and the different icons.
• Opportunity to witness and participate in interpreting spreads throughout the training.
• Learn to recognize how the “critic” obstructs your capacity in hearing and seeing the “other world”
• Learn to dis-engage from the “critic”
• Divinational Prescriptions

Led by
Ted Duncan and Rowena Pantaleon

Dates
October 21-24, 2004 (First session)
March 17-20, 2005 (Second session)
Both sessions will be held in Chico, California

Fee
$350.00 per session plus food and lodging
If we can find local hosting, we would be glad to do so. Otherwise, we can arrange lodging at a reasonable cost in a nearby hotel. Let us know if you wish to share a room to cut cost down.

We highly recommend you to attend both sessions to complete the full training. There are 15 seats available for this program. Please send a non-refundable deposit of $100.00 to reserve your space. If you do not attend, your deposit will be forwarded to a fund for scholarships in schools in the Philippines.

To register, or for more information
Rowena Pantaleon, (530) 343-1883.