Dance of the Deer Foundation

The Path of Life

Steffanie White — Sat, 01 May 2010 07:36:17 +0000

Huichol Shamanism has opened my life, and my children’s life, to the world of nature in a manner that I could never have imagined. I always wanted to find a path that gave me an ancient indigenous method to honor nature and the elemental powers, to teach me how to live as a human being on Mother Earth. The Huichol way resonates with me because it is a path of the heart. The Huichols never had a warrior class, so all their energy went towards spiritual development, and all their spiritual journeying is through the heart. Brant Secunda has taught me and my family how to open our hearts and learn to listen to the world of nature, to listen to, and internalize the forces of life that keeps us connected to the happiness, health and balance of life. One of the most incredible aspects about learning Huichol Shamanism with Brant Secunda is that he takes us on pilgrimages to sacred places of power in nature. We walk as the Huichol Indians walk on pilgrimage and learn how to leave offerings to sacred places in nature, and in exchange Brant blesses us with the power of that is brought forth during the pilgrimage.

Steffanie's husband Adam and their two children Tai and Talia in Zion National Park during one of Brant's Retreats.

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Post tags: brant secunda, family, huichol shamanism, sacred places, spiritual jounrney, world of nature

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Reflections of a Journey In

Claudia DeBorde — Sat, 01 May 2010 06:25:57 +0000

I woke up gasping for breath my heart pounding. A heavy weight sitting on my chest. These words ringing in my ears, “Get Brant!” This dream as real as the surroundings of my bedroom. It is February 17, 2008. What I remember before being startled awake was the end of a dream in which three rectangular black shapes move through the air toward me. One, closer than the others begins to form into the shape of an anvil and I know it will land on my chest and sink into me.

I have studied dreams for over twenty years and do not take them lightly. I thought I might be in actual physical danger including the possibility of a heart attack. Brant Secunda was also in the dream. The fear of the black anvil started in the dream and continued upon awaking. I could not stop this thing from coming into me.

That morning on my way to work I called Dance of the Deer Foundation. I have been attending workshops offered by Brant Secunda, a Huichol shaman, for several years. I especially appreciated Brant as my teacher, the Huichols honoring of dreams, and all of the work that the foundation does to support the wonderful Huichol tradition. Brant responded that it was not a heart attack but rather a spiritual crisis. There were some very specific suggestions about what would help at that moment. Of course, I did them.

Three months later I found I was eating everything in sight, especially sugar, sitting on my couch watching TV with no energy or enthusiasm, only going to work and home again. A friend of mine, who is a teacher and a counselor, thought it might be depression and suggested I make an appointment with my medical doctor. I did. Her diagnosis: severe depression. Her solution: medication.

I suddenly saw years of moving in and out of depression and how unbelievably tired of it all I was. I truly did want out. I finally recognized the toll that this pattern had taken on my physical, psychological and spiritual body. I understood that I had been spending over half of my life trying to pull myself out of the depression and negativity that surrounded me. Like living in an unbelievably thick fog bank.

I called Dance of the Deer again, fearing that the only way out would be drugs, which I had never taken and did not want to take now. It would be three weeks until the upcoming Dance of Deer retreat in Alaska and I was asked if I could wait until after that retreat before taking any medication. I vowed to hold out until then. For the first time I remembered the dream from February and the spiritual crisis. Was this what the dream was trying to get to my attention? How could I, by myself, change? I was too depressed and exhausted to even think about it.

Then the magical wild world of the Alaska retreat came. As soon as I set foot on that land I began to sink into it. Then the quiet, peace, calm, and beautiful practice of the Huichol traditions began. The whale, eagle, and even raven songs floating around me. The beautiful and loving Dance of the Deer community and especially for me, the children. Slowly, I began to breathe again. It felt as if I had been holding my breath for months or maybe even a lifetime. I returned home much better. As the days and images began to fade, I wondered, had a shift actually happened? Doubts returned. I was thankful that the time for the Dance of the Deer Mt. Shasta retreat would be coming up soon.

As I arrived at Mt. Shasta I saw the mountain outlined in blue smoke and the air filled with left over haze from a huge forest fire that had recently been in that area. I felt a deep sadness, not to see much of Shasta or the beautiful snow. An inner shadow reflecting my own darkness and a fear that the depression might not be completely gone.

And then once again; prayer, song, dancing and the beautiful Dance of the Deer community arising. I settled into the depth of the land, the Huichol tradition and the majesty of that healing mountain. Brant’s teachings, the daily exercise, healthy food, the kind and loving people touched me deeply. With each breath I began to relax and let go. I knew I was better but should I stay longer and if so why?

Soon this shorter introductory time would end and another longer time would start. What should I do? We were sent out by Brant to sit, be still and just be with the mountain. This is one of my favorites among many of the wonderful exercises that Brant teaches us. I knew as I connected with Shasta that I was better, but I also got a sense that there was something more, something not quite finished yet. I decided to stay for the longer session. It was a pivotal decision.

The next ten days would take me back to the mountain twice more. The second time for an extended stay. What a rare opportunity. As I sat there on the mountain with my back against a large boulder, a creek running near by, the peak directly in front of me, I felt different, a sense of wholeness that I had never experienced before. I watched the sun, clouds, light, and wind change and flow in front of me. I felt Brant’s presence and the years of the many gatherings on this mountain. I remembered all of the ancient ones who had been there before and Brant’s words to not forget the power and gifts of this mountain. I felt as if I was on holy ground.

I know that staying for the longer group grounded and rooted the seeds of healing from depression, which had begun in Alaska and the beginning group time of Mt. Shasta. That in this process of staying I had been given the gift of a loving and caring community, something I desperately needed. I had been given the strength and courage to change my life in small yet powerful ways. I had been given the support of laughter, encouragement, and honesty so that I could actually believe my life could be different.

I am so thankful to everyone, but especially, to Brant, my teacher for his kindness, patience, wisdom and ability to hold onto his commitment to bring these teachings of the Huichol traditions into our Western world. To the Dance of the Deer community who work so hard to show us what a Western Huichol community looks and feels like.

Each morning when I pray I give thanks for my life. Such a simple thing and yet each time it brings me to deep humility and tears. Brant, Nico, Barbara, Dance of the Deer, Huichols, Mt. Shasta, Alaska, —– I thank you for my life.

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Post tags: brant secunda, Claudia DeBorde, dance, dance of the deer, Mt. Shasta, prayer, Retreats, song, spiritual teacher, workshops

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Impacts of Shamanism

Mark Allen — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:16:42 +0000

A short while ago I was asked about my life since I first met Brant about twenty years ago. The question was something innocent like “Has your life changed much because of your studies with Brant?” It took about a half second of thought for the answer. “Studying with Brant has touched every single area of my life!” This is a question I think about nearly every day and am grateful for the answer.

I met Brant at a 10-day workshop he lead in Mexico in 1990. From the first moments, from the first chant that he sang, I felt like I had found something that I had been searching for since I was a young boy. (...)
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Post tags: finding clarity, huichol tradition, life path, mark allen, mexico, shamanism, spiritual life

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Letting go of the Now

Adam White — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:52:09 +0000

It seems to me that, as Americans, we want everything NOW. Shamanism, however, has taught me patience and the investment in learning is paying off with big returns. True, I knew that from the start my path in Shamanism would be that of slow and steady growth. I had to get accustomed to the gradual process of learning but I genuinely appreciate both the grounding and visionary aspects of the steady growth. Brant has taught me to go up with my energy- to the upper world. The steady process of growth – with my heart guiding me upwards – has made me a happier and wiser man. I don’t think wisdom comes easily, no doubt, there is work involved. It has occurred to me that it would be nice and lazy-like to simply enjoy the comforts of material wealth and the fruits of modern society without seeking higher learning. Sure, I wouldn’t need to make an effort… but I’m not sure if I would feel fulfilled as an individual. More than that, sheer intellectual curiosity drives me towards the answers to questions about the nature of this world and the upper world.

Maybe one of the greatest rewards of Shamanism is clarity. Modern life allows us financial, practical, psychological, physiological, theological, phenomenological, epistemological, and other philosophical perspectives on our lives. Yet, Shamanism provides its own way of viewing and living reality – one that I find is the most primordial and presuppositionless of any that I have found. The old Shaman in the Huichol villages have such incredible depth and mental clarity…. the nonverbal communication is incredible. Brant has shown me this world and opened the doors to levels of understanding I would not have otherwise had access to.

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Post tags: learning, material spiritual wealth, philosophical perspectives, shamanism, wisdom

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Building Community

Steffanie White — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:56:49 +0000

Brant takes people to Mount Shasta annually to do ceremony, learn the traditions of the Huichols, and to go on pilgrimage to the sacred and magnificent mountain, Mount Shasta. All the participants build a spiritual community for the duration of our visit at the base of the mountain. We sit in circle in a pristine meadow, we learn the ancient exercises and practices that help us feel the powers of the four directions, experience the truth in the fire, water, earth and air, we celebrate life in the circle when we dance the Huichol Deer Dance and pray for our lives and the lives of all living things. What is unique about Brant Secunda’s seminars is that you are in nature experiencing genuine Huichol Indian traditions as they have existed for thousands of years. I feel deeply grateful that I am able to bring my children to the Dance of the Deer’s spiritual retreats, and they can learn and feel and see and dance in the circle of the Huichol traditions. There is nothing more fulfilling for them to connect with nature and learn how to honor life in this way. I look forward to sharing this beautiful path with my family for many years to come.

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Post tags: connect with nature, dance of the deer, huichol traditions, mount shasta, Mt. Shasta, pilgrimage, retreat, spiritual community

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Remembering to Live

Terri Anderson — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:25:44 +0000

Over and over again I have heard in the last months what a difficult winter this has been for people. It certainly was for me with the loss of a close loved one and a serious physical injury. At times it felt as if I was holding on by a thread, or drowning in a stormy sea. I got so lost in this turbulent time that I could hardly believe in the change of season, the coming of spring and return of the light.

(...)
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Post tags: Crete, greece, personal healing, spiritual living, Terri Anderson

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Crete – A Special Place

Mats Allen — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:08:55 +0000

I have been to Crete several times with my dad and it is always a special place for me. The land is very rugged and wild, yet it has a gentle vibe. When you go to Crete you know when you have arrived because all your senses are overwhelmed. The place where we stay is not only one of the most visually stunning places on earth, with flower covered mountain ranges and crystal clear oceans, but it is the other things that set it apart from so many other vacation destinations. It is how the air is dominated by the smell of wild herbs that grow where we meet everyday, how the food is some of the best I have every eaten ( I eat about twice as much as I do at home), and the people are so courteous and kind. Crete is simply a place where you can go and enjoy a land that is so different from your own, yet comforting and strangely familiar.

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Deep Blue Mediterranean

Mark Allen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:12:57 +0000

Imagine a place where the earth is carpeted with wild sage, thyme and oregano, where at the end of a long hike your shoes smell sweet from the scent of these herbs. Picture yourself drifting to sleep with the soft sound of the ocean in the background. Try to feel what it might be like to have your lungs breathing in fresh warm air that has travels miles and miles across the deep blue Mediterranean Sea and to have every cell blend with the energy of rocks and mountains that surround you singing their ancient wisdom into your heart. Rest assured there is a place where your soul is soothed. It’s called Crete, and these simple but deeply touching experiences are what I felt being with Brant and his family at his yearly retreat in this magic land.

For the last ten years Brant has opened up his ceremonies and pilgrimages on Crete to everyone who wants to come. It has become one of the rights of springtime in my life each year since. It’s spiritual luxury to be able to walk through this land that was the birthplace of western civilization, taking part in pilgrimages and Deer Dances that honor the season of awakening and growth. It fosters clarity for me, giving me the chance to reflect on the important things about life and in my life. This retreat reminds me of what it must be like to be a bulb in the ground that germinates in winter, pushing up until it finally breaks through the surface to be warmed by the sun. I feel like that bulb, and Crete is where I finally break through the ground of winter feeling alive once more to reach for the sky.

This is a must do retreat at some point if you have yet to come. It will recharge your batteries. It will bring your life to a point of positive focus. It will soften the rough edges that can build up over time when the commitments of daily life build up. It will align your inner being with a sense of wonder.

Hope to see you there next year!

Mark

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Post tags: brant secunda, Crete, greece, ocean, retreat

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The Huichol Sierra

Nico Secunda — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:36:31 +0000

The Huichol Indian Sierra is a window into the past. This place is a mirror of the modern world. It is a peaceful and harmonious reflection of the stressful world in which I often find myself. And when I become overwhelmed by life, I look to this reflection in search of tranquility and a sense of serenity. It is this place that puts everything else into perspective.

Huichol village in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.

To come to this place, I must journey into the past. Leaving the modern world behind, I cross over into the depths of an ancient region filled with a hidden culture. Each time I journey to the Huichol land it is mirroring my father’s first 5-day trek into this uncharted territory. It is only because of his arduous journey, almost 40 years ago, that I find myself there.

Canoes sloshing onto the shore under the cover of night marks ones arrival into Huichol territory. We have crossed the river that separates the Cowboys from the Indians. Hiking up the steep slopes towards the guiding light quiets the mind and creates a sense of intense awareness. Soon enough we arrive at the burning fire, the blood red heart of the village. Greeting faces lit dimly by the jumping flames with eyes shining brightly with the reflection of this central light creates a mysterious sensation. Keiyaku (hello), we say to one another.

Then the ceremony begins and carries everyone through the night and into the sunrise. As the darkness fades and slowly the surrounding mountains appear to the chorus of cockaduldledoing roosters and chirping songbirds, the sun is pulled higher in to the now glowing sky. And as the bright ball of fire rolls over the distant peaks, the corn silk lining the vivacious green hillsides sparkles and the stalks stretch as they welcome a new day.

Throughout the day everything else I may do in the village is interspersed with people watching. Watching the archaic lifestyle unfold in front of me is incredibly impressive and impacting. From the children playing with dragonflies to the elders sitting in the dirt, with the sound of a completely foreign tongue echoing from their lips. Each one of these simple, everyday occurrences gives birth to complex thoughts of human nature within the depths of my mind. The men climb the nearby slopes in search of firewood, while the women gather water from life-giving springs. Another day passes.

In this place, this day could have been yesterday, a year ago, a decade ago or even a lifetime ago. The fast paced changes that so drastically alter my life in the modern world have little affect on this distant land. Many would jump to the conclusion to call such a lifestyle “disconnected.” I, however; see it as far more “connected.” Connected to the life sustaining land, both spiritually, as well as physically.

As the day continues, the western mountains above the village reach into the sky and thus shade the villagers from the sweltering heat. The slow gentle breeze is a welcomed relief to the heat of the day and as day turns to dusk, the wafting air carries heavy clouds swiftly inland toward to the surrounding mountains. No sooner than I get comfortable and begin to drift to sleep under the starry sky, the clouds begin to test the land. I awaken to beads of water running down my face. And just as I find refuge in one of the small thatched roofed huts, the clouds release their torrential cargo onto the land. And whereas in many places around the world, people would be complaining of the “nasty” weather, here in this “disconnected” land, everyone is grateful for the blessings of this rain. The people are content and rejoice at the prospect of the fertility, which the precipitation brings to the land.

As the rain subsides, the primordial cycle begins once again. Darkness gives way to light and the rising sun leaves less and less place for the shadows to hide. Now I must leave one home for another and begin my journey back the place that I left and shall leave again.

It is this village that is usually so far from me, which stays close to my heart. The village is a home and the villagers are family. Having known the place and it’s people since I was born, I have grown to cherish the importance of it’s meaning. It is the symbolic place of both power and peace in my soul – the reflection, the mirror, the guiding light.

I have traveled to this Huichol village many times and each and every time I go there, my view is from a slightly different perspeactive. People reveal a new side of themselves and the landscape offers a new fruit with which to quench my thirst for understanding. It is impossible for me to imagine my life without my deeply rooted connection to this place. My life revolves around this very connection and to sever those binding roots would be like stealing the rain from fertile land.

Many people hunt for such a place all their life and others are haunted by the mere thought of such an isolated setting. In reality, in a Huichol village it is near impossible to find isolation. There is no privacy. Every aspect of life revolves around community. A family of five or ten sleeps in one overly modest hut and the teenagers watch over the ten years olds, who take care of the three year olds. It is partially this deep sense of kinship, which resonates in me. When I look around in the modern world, I often see that this communal support system is missing. I hope that as the ancient cultures of the past inevitably learn from us, that we also can find the humbleness to learn from them.

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Post tags: huichol indians, mexico, Nico Secunda, sierra madre mountains, spiritual jounrney, travel

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Dreamers of the Sun: Huichol Shamanism

Brant Secunda — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:19:21 +0000

In 1970 at 18 years old, intrigued by the books of Carlos Castaneda , I set out an overland trip to Ixtlan as a tourist in search of Don Juan. Enroute, I met a Huichol school teacher, who gave me the name of his family village – a 5 day walk away. Early the next morning, with the sun blazing down on me in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Central Mexico, I set out on a narrow deer trail leading toward the village. My night’s lodging quickly disappeared form view, my feet tracing deer foot prints up the steep path.

(...)
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Post tags: apprenticeship, brant secunda, Don José Matuswa, huichol indians, power of dreams, shamanism, visions

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