CENTER HERE AND NOW / WORKSHOPS / February 2021 / 18.02.22 - 20.02.22

NEPALI-DHAMI-JHANKRI- SHAMANISM

For the first time in Poland, we have the opportunity to participate in workshops conducted by the Nepali Shaman Bhola Nath Banstola, a valued teacher of Nepali-Khasa Himalayan Shamanism. He is a Nepali shaman of the 27th generation of shamans. He is a graduate of cultural anthropology, he has spent many years in the shaman community of Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet. The knowledge he gained there, allowed him to become a "bridge" between the ancient, shamanic culture and the modern world. Founder and President of the Nepalese Shamans Association.

This time-tested long-lineage knowledge and skills are helpful both for beginners and experienced practitioners. The Transmission includes incorporating Shamanic active journeying by playing the drum and singing the sacred Mantras and songs, part of the enormously powerful techniques used by our earliest ancestors to access wisdom beyond the range of ordinary senses. There is no use of any mind-altering plants or substances in this tradition.

As humankind's oldest spiritual healing practice, Shamanism helps us address past events, enrich the present moment, and envision the future. Universally recognized, spiritual healing supports our emotional and psychological health.

For millennia, Dhami-Jhankri Shamans have been using their gifts and sacred tools to heal emotional trauma, relieve anxiety and depression, reduce physical pain and help communities live whole lives with more security and confidence. Shamanism still today is a living tradition of the people of Nepal. The different levels of transmission and empowerment help aspirants (students who aspire to develop these skills) connect to profound power sources and tap the soul's infinite potential. Thus it opens ways to solve today's challenges and help us feel more fulfilled, confident and joyful. Participants will also learn how to use time-tested methods to effectively receive guidance, visions, insights and healing tools for self-empowerment and helping others through rituals, dances, sacred songs, active journeying, mantras chanting, drumming.

Of course, the necessary understanding and practice are essential to proceed to deeper levels of training and experience. Therefore, aspirants and curious persons are recommended to attend the Introductory Transmission of Laying the Foundation.

Bhola Banstola's message includes Shamanic Journeys with the sounds of drums and the chanting of sacred mantras and songs, teachings about the extremely powerful shamanic techniques of our Ancestors. The aim of these practices is to open access to the wisdom which is beyond our human senses.

Dhami-Jhankri-Chinari: Laying the foundations of Nepali Himalayan Shamanism

• Introduction of what a Dhami-Jhankri-Shaman is and their role in society today. Creation of a sacred shamanic space (Thaan) and preparation of ritual offerings (Chadaunu) according to the traditional methods
• The Jhankri's spirit realm and Transmission on five gross natural elemental spirits and our relationship with them.
• Transmission of forms of active shamanic trance states by rhythmic drumming and sacred chants
• Invocation of Jala Devi(the water spirit) for self-healing and healing others
• Creation of a sacred shamanic healing Mandal using flour to represent different realms. (Rekhii)
• Causes of disharmony and diseases from the traditional shamanic perspective and a group healing ritual
• Bhumi-Devi (Mother Earth) empowerment and Transmission of sacred Mantra
• Protection, individual empowerment and conclusion.

INTRODUCING NEPALI-KHASA SHAMANISM. THE ANCIENT AND PROFOUND SHAMANISM OF NEPAL HIMALAYAS

- BHOLA BANSTOLA

My name is Bhola Banstola. I am a Nepalese Jhankri shaman and I come from a shamanic family. My greatest desire is to preserve the shamanic tradition and pass it on to the next generations and people who practice shamanism. I support the traditional line of knowledge (param-para). I help poor and needy children learn by enabling them to attend school regularly. I believe shamans should always serve their community in the best way they can.

In Nepal, shamanism is based on animistic belief that honours Mother Earth, the elemental beings, and respects the Spirit that is in all living beings. This universal worldview is essential for ecological balance and for bringing peace to human relationships, building Sisterhood and Brotherhood in our communities in a visible and invisible way.

The shamanic sources of power come from honouring the Ancestors, the lineage protectors , teachers, Mother Earth, and the Spirits. At the site of the ceremony, the shaman must call the Guardian Spirits of the Earth, who become partners in the ceremony. In the rhythm, vibrations, and the cold and heat in the body, the hidden and sacred speech of the Earth and the Spirits is manifested. Understanding this message, the shaman always honors the spirits and deities of the place where the ceremony takes place and asks for their permission and blessing.

The Elements in the body and those of the land are strongly connected to each other. This connection is an integral part of the Shaman's work.

Dhami and Jhankri are the generic terms used throughout Nepal by Shamans, Healers, women and men. Dhami and Jhankri are the only traditional consultants who bring harmony back, heal the mind and body. These Shamans are central figures in their communities. They not only heal, but also are advisers, plant healers, soul guides, storytellers, dancers, artists, musicians.

They acquire these talents, spiritual power and wisdom through their training and experiences working with spirits, ancestral deities, elemental spirits and guides. They can freely modify their state of consciousness to heal people and bring harmony to their community.

THE SHAMAN PATH - BHOLA BANSTOLA

I grew up in a shamanic family. I learned from my grandfather, father, from both human and spirit teachers, from dream instructions. I also drew from my own experience and of course from the powerful knowledge and signs of Nature.

All our group or individual ceremonies, rituals and practices are adapted to the chosen places, situations, times as well as specific materials related to a given place. It all contributes to maintaining the tradition and authenticity of the process.

According to Nepalese initiation shamanism, the call to the shamanic path (Deuta-Aunu) can be done in four ways:

The first method is the calling of blood, call the ancestors. The initiation may take place already in childhood, or the shamanic gifts may appear later in life.

The second call is through a sudden illness that can arise in childhood as well as in adulthood. The strange disease does not respond to the treatment, and sometimes the sick person experiences kind of the battleground during which he has to choose following the spiritual path or succumb to illness.

The third type of Shaman initiation, the most common, is dream visions and transmissions that lead the chosen person to seek the human teacher.

The fourth possibility is to be kidnapped by the primirdial Shaman, Banjhankri (in the mountainous regions of Nepal. Banjhankri is also called Banaskhandi or Ban-Deo - the one who inhabits the plant kingdom. From this being comes one of the most common shaman words - Jhankri.

Shamanism can be understood and viewed in many ways. When the availability of specific supplies changes, ceremonies and rituals can also be adapted, songs, chants, dances, and rhythms can change. The formation of sacred geometric diagrams, the ways in which rituals are conducted, may also vary. Our shamanic tradition is dynamic.

So healing ceremonies can be conducted in a variety of styles and forms. Important in shamanism is the evolution and development of singing based on the intimate relationship between the spirits and the Shaman. Each Shaman builds a powerful bond with his personal spirits as well as with those of the ancestral lineage.

Traditional shamans sing songs about events related to the life and migration of ancestors from one place to another place on earth. These chants always refer to such events, but the manner in which they are performed may differ.

The Nepali shamanic worldview is so complex that there are myriad descriptions of people we consider to be Shamans. For a neophyte called within a family lineage, the support of the elders and shamans from the same clan is a must. However, for all types of empowerment, it is essential to associate with a human teacher and mentor to reach a successful conclusion.

Moreover, Nepal is a small country. It is home to various ethnic groups with many traditions and cultures. Nepal is one of the richest sources of shamanism in the world. All these groups cultivate the oral tradition, passing on the knowledge of their ancestors, human teachers and spirits. Most people still visit shamans and spiritual healers before reaching the conventional medicine, because the main cause of the disease is the loss of spiritual connection and dissipation of energy. Therefore, we focus first on the spiritual aspect, and only then - if there is such a need, we engage conventional medicine. (Shamanic techniques do not replace traditional medical therapies, but can work in harmony with them).

As part of our ancestral lineage, ancestral deities are a source of protection and power for Nepali shamans of any tradition and group. Bloodline ancestors, both on the part of the father and mother, are very important. Without the blessing and help of ancestors, it would not be possible to heal as well as maintain a balance in our daily lives.

My wife Mariarosa Genitrini (Mimi) has influenced my shamanic life a lot. From the moment I have met her, we started sharing and strengthen the knowledge of Nepali shamanism. We soon expanded our mission to cover the entire European continent, North America and the entire world. We did this to create a bridge between ancient healing techniques and the modern world. We not only share the wisdom during weekend workshops, conferences, and retreats, but we also escorted and lead groups to Asia, especially Nepal and the Himalayas, so that students have the opportunity to learn directly from different teachers and sources.

As Shamanism is a process of empowerment and spreading knowledge rather than teaching, all weekend workshops, lectures, retreats, and one-on-one sessions are designed to empower the student and deepen their knowledge through travel, ceremonies, rituals, and healing processes.

Our ancestors have left behind deep-grounded and authentic practices in the form of stories, sacred songs, chants, mantras, rhythms, dances, rituals, ceremonies, plant and mineral medicine, sacred geometry and geomancy that honour Nature and her rhythms and changes. We wish to preserve this living tradition for future generations.

May you all be benefitted from this Path of a Jhankri lineage Nepal Himalayas!

Sarva Mangala Shuvam

(my all be auspicious)!

Bhola Banstola

The Nepalese Shamanic Path BOOK by Bhola Banstola

Following the devastating earthquake in 2015, Rysdyk and 27th-generation Nepalese shaman Banstola decided to safeguard the ancient spiritual traditions of Nepal with this guide. They include authentic Himalayan techniques for physical and spiritual healing, shamanic journeys, advanced ceremonies, exercises to meet your ancestors, and practices for negotiating the spirit world safely.

Details of the workshop