Narrye Caldwell, MTCM, LAC
My shamanic path began in childhood. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, where I spent hours nestled among the sturdy limbs of the great Copper Beech tree in our front yard. It was to this tree, with my face pressed against its rough grey bark, that I whispered my dreams, cried out my sorrows, and confessed my fears and deepest secrets. I always thought of this majestic tree as my grandmother, though I kept this sacred relationship to myself, fearing no one would understand the truth of the matter.
Forty years later I had the good fortune to discover the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. After taking the Basic Workshop I knew I had found my spiritual home and true work. The methods I learned through the Foundation’s programs over the next 15 years changed my life.
Before that turning point, I had graduated from college with a degree in journalism, gotten married and had two children, gone back to school for a graduate degree in Chinese medicine, devoted myself to the study of Chinese martial arts, and developed a private practice as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Despite of this rich life, there was always a missing piece. It is only with hindsight that I now see that piece so clearly; the deep connection with nature and spirits that was so vivid for me as a child was absent. As I gradually restored those lost connections through my work in Core Shamanism, I knew that this path was not only key to revitalizing my own healing practice and spiritual life, but was also crucial to the work of saving our endangered planet.
I have been studying Core Shamanism through the Foundation for the past 20 years, and have twice completed the Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensive and the Three Year Program of Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing. I currently have a private shamanic healing practice in Santa Cruz, CA, and am honored to be an FSS faculty member, teaching the full complement of in-person and online workshops. For the past several years I have been part of the teaching staff at the West Coast Two Week Intensive, as well as the West Coast and Pacific Northwest Three Year Programs.
I have known Narrye for nearly two decades. Personally, she is an excellent and active listener, giving useful feedback when asked, without any judgment. As a teacher she provides a clarity and depth of knowledge of shamanism and shamanic healing methods, gained over years of study, teaching, and shamanic practice. The shamanic power of the helping spirits that she is able to call in to a group, through long engagement with her helping spirits, creates a powerful container for transformation. She is both firm when needed and kind. Add to that her communication skills and compassion, and you have an ideal guide to the profound initiations of the Three Year Program.