The Shaman's Garden Media KitCONTENTSContact Information |
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Contact InformationContact: Joanna Crowson |
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The Shaman's Garden: A New Option for Humanity When Carlos Castaneda told Itzcoatl Papalotzin "I have to tell you personally: this is not your place..." the young man thought his world had come to an end. So many struggles to reach the Nagual, only to be given freedom that he did not want. Little did he know that when Castaneda said 'this is the place of the green apprentices and you are blue,' his destiny was set. The discovery of his lineage, what he calls the Blue Family, came as he tried to answer the question: 'what does it mean to be blue?' He shares some of his answers in his book The Shaman's Garden: Memories Stolen from the Dead Stars (A branch of Toltec shamanism), published in by School of Life Press in June (ISBN 84-609-1035-0, priced £9.99.) Itzcoatl Papalotzin (known as Agustín in Europe) is a shaman, seer and healer. In his 25 years as apprentice, and 15 as teacher, he has collaborated with American shamans (Huichol, Maya, Lakota, Apache, etc.), indigenous groups from the Amazon, Maoris of New Zealand and Tibetan monks from the Shartse monastery in India. He has trained in disciplines such as NLP, social anthropology and anti-anthropology and is the founder of Ollin Yoliztli (Life and Movement), a foundation that seeks to create a space where the best of the Western world can be combined with the best of spiritual philosophy. He began giving courses when he was 22 years old, and has been teaching his particular way of understanding reality ever since, in Mexico where he was born, the USA, New Zealand, South America, and more recently in Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. This October he comes to the UK for the first time. He bases his teachings on the tradition of the new Toltecs, which is the lineage he feels he belongs to. He is dedicated to spreading his knowledge and his interpretation of American wisdom through his writing, lectures, courses and music; reminding his apprentices that life is a marvellous, magical journey, and that we can access knowledge through joy and happiness. "My greatest ambition is to exemplify the myth, the dream of my heart: to be the impeccable warrior poet and leave a door open behind me, a new option for humanity," says the shaman. In The Shaman's Garden Agustín presents his polished personal vision of shamanic philosophy, inviting us to read, enjoy and understand life. The Shaman's Garden is three books in one: a book of knowledge, a poetic book and a book of exercises. "Each section is designed to activate a part of your consciousness and create a state of wisdom and well-being. The first part explains shamanic terms, stories and anecdotes in an accessible way, as if around a fire on a full moon night. The second part is full of the mysticism of the navigator of knowledge, taking us on a journey through the cosmic memories of our consciousness. The third part offers the reader access to a methodology that will open the doors to the experience of inner peace," says the author. Victor Sanchez, author of The Teachings of Don Carlos and The Toltec Path of Recapitulation, wrote the foreword to the book. In it he reminisces: "I have known Agustín for almost 30 years. We shared our path of growth when we were just boys with fantastic dreams in our heads and a disposition for adventure and daring in our hearts… Later I met him again, incarnating the dream that has motivated him ever since he was a boy: I found him a shaman with apprentices from all over the world. And in spite of all the success that he has had in his task, I can still see the spirit of the adventurous boy that has enormous fun and maintains his simplicity, even in the midst of the most demanding battles. His book opens the door for all those who are curious about having a first encounter with the joy of his shamanic world." To find out more about the book and Agustín's schedule of courses in Europe, visit www.school-of-life.net/shaman. #### |
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School of Life Press gives you the key to the universe School of Life Press, an initiative of the international not-for-profit School of Life (SoL) based in Spain, has released its first two books this year. SoL works towards a sustainable future for all by promoting individual work for transformation and growth on every level. "All our publications and activities start from the understanding that each individual can release personal issues and find balance within themselves. In this way we collectively influence the movement of energy on the planet. It's a powerful experience to open up to energies that until now haven't been reachable for the individual, and our books and courses are transformational!" says Silja Winther, founder of SoL. SoL works in the fields of environment, health, the arts, faith, economics and conflict resolution to inspire people to actively participate in the movement towards the creation of a positive future for the planet. "We focus on providing the education people need to make informed choices, and building a network of different organisations and individuals finding positive and innovative ways of working towards the common goal of a sustainable future," says the foundation's director, Joanna Crowson. The main educational focus is the creation of an innovative one-year full-time training programme which will train a new kind of professional - the Sustainability Designer, capable of measuring the impact of human activity on all areas of human culture and promoting sustainable values such as awareness, responsibility, creativity, integrity, etc. School of Life Press will focus initially on books in the area of personal and spiritual growth, and starts their list with the publishing of The Key to the Universe - a Toolkit from the School of Life (ISBN 84-607-9107-6, priced £16.99.) and The Shaman's Garden: Memories Stolen from the Dead Stars - A Branch of Toltec Shamanism (ISBN 84-609-1035-0, priced £9.99). The toolkit consists of a book (153 pages) written by Joanna Crowson and Silja Winther and 53 full-colour oracle cards, painted by Katrina Vrebalovich, packaged in an attractive box. "The Key to the Universe is a contemporary women's expression of ancient esoteric principles, retold artistically through oracle cards and a luminous text that informs and guides the seeker with ideas and suggestions that make sense. A work of love," says Vicki Noble, one of the authors of the well-known Motherpeace Tarot. In The Shaman's Garden - A Branch of Toltec Shamanism, Mexican shaman Itzcoatl Papalotzin, known in Spain as Agustín, presents his personal vision of shamanic philosophy, inviting us on a voyage of discovery to learn how to enjoy and understand life. With a preface by Victor Sánchez (author of The Teachings of Don Carlos and The Toltec Path of Recapitulation) The Shaman's Garden is three books in one: a book of knowledge, a book of poetry and a book of exercises. Each part is designed to activate one aspect of consciousness and create a state of wisdom and well-being. The books are now available in the UK, as well as on-line from the Foundation's web page. Visit www.school-of-life.net to find out more about the charitable foundation and the activities and publications it offers, and to support SoL by buying either of the books. #### |
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Foreword I have known Edgar (or Agustín as he is known in Europe) for almost 30 years. We shared our path of growth when we were just boys with fantastic dreams in our heads and a disposition for adventure and daring in our hearts. While very young we founded 'The Other Sorcery' and its later manifestation, 'The Art of Living Purposefully'. In this organisation we offered activities and gave workshops in which the joy we found in nature blended with our love for indigenous knowledge and our passion for human development. Whilst I liked magic but was passionate about research, Edgar liked research but was passionate about magic. From 1983 to 1993, within the dream called The Art of Living Purposefully, we walked the path together, exploring, learning, teaching and enjoying ourselves in river, jungle, forest, desert, sea and mountain. Together we led many people on this new path towards personal and spiritual growth. Then we separated. We each had to continue alone, developing the specific aspects of our dream. My passion for research led me to become a writer, researcher, speaker and developer of methods of personal growth. Edgar's passion for magic led him to become a modern day shaman, within the western world. Ten years later I met Edgar again, incarnating the dream that has motivated him ever since he was a boy: I found him a shaman with apprentices from all over the world. And in spite of all the success that he has had in his task, I can still see the spirit of the adventurous boy that has enormous fun and maintains his simplicity, even in the midst of the most demanding battles. His book opens the door for all those who are curious about having a first encounter with the joy of his shamanic world. Víctor Sánchez |
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About the book The Shaman's
Garden: Memories Stolen from the Dead Stars From the back of the
book: "This book opens the door for all those who are curious about having a first encounter with the joy of Agustín's shamanic world. " Víctor Sánchez, author of The Teachings of Don Carlos and A Toltec Path of Recapitulation From the right hand inner
flap From the left hand inner
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Author's Preface It is my desire to sow a seed of consciousness. I hope that as my readers meet my particular beliefs about knowledge, they will realise that they are just one more way of understanding reality. When I started writing this book I thought that I was doing it for myself; now I see that I am only a channel for Spirit, so that this knowledge can be spread in a poetic way. I haven't written the book in a linear way and I don't expect it to be read in a linear way. A large part of what I offer here has been adapted so that it will be understandable to those people who haven't been my apprentices; for those who have worked with me it is a good way of recovering those long conversations that we have had, as well as a beautiful memento of the marvellous moments we have shared. I'm not trying to say that everything that appears here happened exactly as I have written. That wouldn't be true, just as it wouldn't be true to say that it is the fruit of my imagination. For me, this book is like a legend, a myth; half real and half fantasy, transfigured by my own interpretation of events and by the need to write something that would be a payment for everything that I have read and that has enlarged my soul. As I read what I have written, I recognize the influence of José, of my family, of the Nagual, of Mariví and of Victor, all of them shamans. I'd like to make it clear that I have taken their concepts, modifying them to my own beliefs and experiences. I have reused their words because they were the ones they used with me; they are my memories. I give thanks for their devastating influence on my apprentice soul and for all the confusion that it implies: I no longer know when I am thinking, or when I am thinking what they were thinking. Nor do I know if I am writing or if it is their consensus in my soul that dictates the words. Be that as it may, thank you. There are
three souls in my soul: Nothing disturbs
this harmony. Everything
begins when consciousness awakens From the second book of Memories Stolen from the Dead Stars |
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About School
of Life Press
School of Life (SoL) is an international charity registered in Spain, working in the fields of environment, health, the arts, faith, economics and conflict resolution to inspire people to actively participate in the movement towards the creation of a positive future for the planet and ourselves. SoL focuses on providing the education people need to make informed choices, building a network of different organisations and individuals finding positive and innovative ways of working towards the common goal of a sustainable future. The main educational focus is the creation of an innovative one-year full-time training programme which will train a new kind of professional - the Sustainability Designer, capable of measuring the impact of human activity on all areas of human culture and promoting sustainable values such as awareness, responsibility, creativity, integrity, etc. For more information about the project, please visit the web page at www.school-of-life.net. SoL's initiative, School of Life Press, furthers the work towards a sustainable future for all by promoting individual work for transformation and growth on every level. The annual list is selected from the understanding that each individual can release personal issues and find balance within themselves and in this way we can collectively influence the movement of energy on the planet. School of Life Press will focus initially on books in the area of personal and spiritual growth, and starts their list with the publishing of The Key to the Universe - a Toolkit from the School of Life (ISBN 84-607-9107-6, priced £16.99.) and The Shaman's Garden - A Branch of Toltec Shamanism (ISBN 84-609-1035-0, priced £9.99). |
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Questions and Answers Where did you get the title of your book? During my process as apprentice I kept a dream diary, and in it I wrote down all the teachings I rescued from my dreaming experiences, and collected them together in poetic form, calling the manuscript "Memories Stolen from the Dead Stars." This is what appears as Book Two in the final format and is the title I gave the book when it was first published in Spanish and in German. Book One consists of my memories of my own apprenticeship in Mexico, together with the conversations I have held with my apprentices in Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and Book Three offers shamanic strategies for personal development, for hunting joy, happiness and plenitude. How long have you been working as a shaman? I was lucky enough to meet my first teacher when I was 14, and just a dumb, shy, awkward, deaf teenager. That first teacher was Mariví, who was a pupil of Carlos Castaneda, and she became my energetic mother. Later I met other shamans, including José, my benefactor, Víctor Sánchez, who wrote the foreword to the book, and Carlos Castaneda himself. I also spent time travelling and working with shamans from many lineages and countries, including the indigenous peoples of Mexico and North America, New Zealand and Tibet. Tell us about your experiences with Carlos Castaneda. It was always my dream to work with the Nagual, and one of the main incentives to help me overcome my Mexican poverty mentality - you can't get to LA without money! I worked hard and got close, only to have my dream destroyed when the Nagual told me I didn't belong. He gave me my freedom telling me I was blue not green. I escaped to Europe to lick my wounds, and to discover what exactly he meant by that. What brought you to Europe? My benefactor José was responsible. He saw Europe as my destiny, and set me the task of coming, finding my place and leading groups, teaching Europeans about shamanism. How do you suggest using the book? My aim with the book has been to give my apprentices a kind of manual covering the most important issues in a shamanic path of growth, to remind them of the work we have done together and to inspire them to create their own personal manual. For other people I have wanted to offer a taste of the work we do, and some useful strategies as well as inspiration for them to explore their own dreams. Really the book is a kind of workbook, though many of the exercises are presented indirectly and need to be rescued (or stolen!) from the text. Where can I buy the book? The book is available in bookshops in the UK, or you can buy it on-line from www.school-of-life.net. Tell us about the Foundation Ollin Yoliztli. I founded Ollin Yoliztli (Movement and Life) in support for humanity and our beautiful world. It is a registered charity, based in Spain, which works to combine the best the western world has to offer with the best of the spiritual world. Our love for Spirit and humanity, our desire to learn and search, our efforts towards building a bridge between consciousness and knowledge, between happiness and perception, our efforts to improve ourselves, all lead us to growth and to help others to grow. We are not here in this beautiful life only to receive; we also need to give to those who - like us - are hungry for knowledge. As a Foundation, our efforts are channelled into finding new and better ways of serving humankind, and we are always looking for volunteer help and financial support. A percentage of the profits from the book go to support Ollin Yoliztli, as well as School of Life, so buying the book is one way to help, or you can come and stay at the Shamanastery at Armenteras, or attend a course. To find out more about Ollin Yoliztli, and the activities offered, please visit the website www.ollinyoliztli.org. What is the Shamanastery at Armenteras? Armenteras is a big old house in the wooded countryside of the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees, about an hour's drive from Barcelona. You could say it's the home of the Blue Family. I bought it with the help of a lot of people, and it was a ruin on four floors! Now it offers basic accommodation and workshop space for up to 80 people. Amongst the family it is affectionately known as La Casita, and still needs a lot of work doing. You've heard of a monastery? Well, at Christmas, Easter and in the summer months, La Casita is open to people who want to spend some time experiencing the innovative concept of the 'Shamanastery'. This concept of 'active rest' in a beautiful rural environment involves paying a small amount for your food and accommodation, working in service to the house in the mornings, with talks, walks, drumming, fires, energy work etc, in the early mornings, afternoons and evenings. To find out more visit www.armenteras.com or send a mail to shaman@school-of-life.net. What is the Blue Family? When Castaneda told me I was blue, not green like the rest of his apprentices, he gave me the name of my lineage: the blue lineage, or the blue family as I prefer to call it. If you are a person who sighs deeply from the sadness in your soul that fuels your spiritual search… or if you have ever felt or believed that somewhere you have another family that you belong to but you don't know quite how to find them or recognise them… if you have ever asked yourself why you were born in this world, at this time and with this body, and your soul feels out of place while your spirit has pushed you to grow as a human being, looking for the right way to live and making your life something worthwhile… if mysticism shines in your eyes and you don't know how to explain what you know with absolute certainty to the people who surround you, and who love you… if you identify with some of this, then you will be able to understand what the blue lineage, the blue family, is. What are you up to this summer? I will be in Armenteras, at the Shamanastery for July, August and half of September. I have several courses myself, and also Víctor Sánchez will be there for a couple of weeks offering courses, one of which will be offered with English translation. Tell us more about your courses in Armenteras. In our lineage, perhaps the true doorway to the path of knowledge is offered in the work we do in La Casita de Armenteras. These intensive courses offer the flavour of plenitude, beauty and energy. A unique state of consciousness is created through joy and the resurgence of the soul, body and mind. Each intensive course covers a specific theme and the exact dynamics, exercises and rituals vary according to the energy of the people who participate. What happens in these intensive courses is difficult to explain with words: it is a pure experience. The courses take place in Spanish, but translation is offered into German and/or English, depending on demand. Do you run any workshops in Britain? I have been running workshops in Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the US and Mexico, as well as occasionally in the UK. The workshops in Andalusia have been translated into English, and that's where I have come into contact with most of the English apprentices mentioned in the book. We will be organising our next weekend workshop in England on 17th/18th January 2010, in Bristol. The workshop is both an introduction to shamanism, and an initiation into life and a meeting with your warrior. I will also signing books and giving a talk about shamanic philosophy entitled 'The Path with a Heart,' as well as doing aura readings. For more information you can contact my organiser in the UK - Francesca Vandelli (fran@school-of-life.net, tel.07821 414004). Have you written any other books? I have published another book in English, called Daughters in Flower, which is a boxed set of oracle cards for women and girls, as well as another two books that are currently being translated into English. Has being deaf helped or hindered you? It often happens that when you lose one sense, another is enhanced. I think it is because of my deafness that I have always been able to see auras, and also my sense of smell is much more sensitive than most peoples'. Deafness is my challenge and I turn it to my advantage: that is the task of the warrior. I am not totally deaf anyway, I hear low sounds quite well, so I can dance in time to drumming, for example. And as it is my task to turn my deafness to my advantage, I don't hear what I don't want to hear! Now my brother Pablo, he's really deaf. He has to dance by watching other people's movements. And does he let it stop him? No! He's a great dancer, a fantastic example of a warrior. You offer aura readings, can you tell us something about them? During the reading of the electromagnetic field surrounding the body I go into a light trance and interpret the quality, colour and density of the energy, as well as the main blockages or areas of power, and the special characteristics of the energetic, spiritual, mental, emotional or karmic configuration of the person. The aura reading, or shamanic interpretation, is a perfect tool to help you enter the wonderful world of self-knowledge, confirming where you are in your life process and the steps you need to take to achieve your potential. Usually the whole thing lasts about an hour, and within this hour I will talk about the first four layers of the aura and the energetic configuration of the physical and energetic body, always with reference to specific aspects of every day life, as well as answering any questions the participant has. Although the aura reading is given in Spanish, there is always an interpreter present who translates it into English, and the whole session is recorded. |
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Author's Bio Itzcoatl Papalotzin is writer, poet, painter, musician, dancer, businessman, speaker and Man of Knowledge. He has trained in Social Anthropology and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. He has worked with many American shamans, among them Huichol, Mayan, Lakota, Apache and indigenous peoples of the Amazon, as well as with Maoris of New Zealand and Tibetan monks from the Shartse Monastery in India. He is the founder of Ollin Yoliztli (Life and Movement), a foundation that seeks to create a space where the best of the Western world can be combined with the best of spiritual philosophy. His life has been about finding balance between his mysticism and the beliefs of the western world, achieving plenitude and inner peace, relating in harmony and love with each of the people who share his social environment. He began giving courses when he was 22 years old, and has been teaching his particular way of understanding reality ever since, in Mexico, the USA, New Zealand, South America, and more recently in several countries in Europe, among them Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Born in Mexico, he prefers to think of himself as an inhabitant of the third planet of our solar system. He has had many names: Edgar, Agustín, Bear Foot, Efren, but his name within the Nahuatl tradition of Mexico is Ce Acatl Topinzin Itzcoatl Papalotzin, the name José gave him the day he told him that Spirit had signalled him as an apprentice. The name means Two Canes, Pebble, Obsidian Snake, Lord Butterfly; but he prefers to call himself Obsidian Butterfly Snake. Agustín, as he is known in Europe, considers himself to be a servant of Spirit: he lives by Spirit, for Spirit, in Spirit, and he has taken care to have the most upright life possible, always offering an example, both in acts and words. Itzcoatl Papalotzin offers you a path that enables you to walk through your life in a state of happiness and inner struggle, a way of achieving the correct way to live, where magic combines with well-being. Translator's Bio Joanna Crowson was born in Yorkshire. She spent much of her childhood in Canada before returning to the UK in her teens. She is a graduate in English Literature and History of Art, from the University of Kent at Canterbury. She has had many jobs in the UK, from teaching home maintenance to women, to running a wholefood shop, to standing for the Green Party in local elections. 14 years ago, in a spirit of adventure, she left Britain with her partner and their 2 children aged 1 and 5 in an ancient land rover called Lilly. They bought land on the Costa de la Luz, founded a cooperative language school and self-built Casa Gaia, their ecological home. Her varied life experiences have led to her involvement with School of Life where she is Director and Member of the Board. She lives in Cádiz with her family, which now includes various dogs, cats, chickens and voluntary workers. She is a writer, co-author with Silja Winther of The Key to the Universe: A Toolkit from the School of Life, a translator, and teacher within the Blue Lineage of the Toltec shamanism, offering joy as a path of knowledge and wisdom. |
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Interviews with Author The author is always happy to be interviewed, either in person, for press, TV or radio, or by e-mail or phone. Please contact joanna@school-of-life.net to arrange interviews. During the thrid week of January 2010 he will be in the UK with his translator for a promotional visit and to give a course, and so will be available for interview in person at any time. Please contact joanna@school-of-life.net to arrange interviews, or telephone Francesca Vandelli on 0782 141 4004. If you are interested in arranging author signings, a talk, meditation or workshop, please contact joanna@school-of-life.net. |
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