The Voices and Visions of Young People for Personal and Planetary Healing
This year I was asked to appear on the Shamanism Global Summit, July 2017. The Shift Network requested especially that I speak about my shamanic work with young people again, as I did last year. My shamanic group for children, The Time Travellers, has grown “older and wiser” since 2012, when we started this work. They are all teenagers now and acutely concerned about what is happening in our world
One thing is clear: young people MIND not being asked for their opinions and visions. They will outlive us and inherit the consequences of many decisions we are making right now. Decisions about the environment and global warming, political and financial decisions and so forth.
Children have not been on the planet as long as we have. They have absorbed fewer layers of conditioning and “old energy”, the old paradigm. They have a talent for seeing to the very heart of the matter (many urgent matters) and we would do well to listen to them and take their voices and dreams into account.
To hear what young people are actually seeing and saying, please listen to this recording. I have tried to use their own words where possible. You will also hear me “campaign” for a Summit for young people – but I am not sure if The Shift Network is ready for that just yet. However, I will keep on repeating my message!!
The last thing I will say is that when children are encouraged to listen to their own spirit allies, they have the power to transcend the divisions that exist even within shamanism today (core shamanism, Western shamanism, various schools of thought). All existing cultures (including those of Europe) were preceded by earlier shamanic cultures. Shamanism is our birth right!
If this work calls you and you are looking for practical ideas and sessions plans to help you get started – please read my book!
This interview was part of the Shamanism Global Summit a free online event helping you discover ancient shamanic practices from diverse traditions to apply to your daily life and our world! For more information, please visit http://shamanismsummit.c
Imelda Almqvist, 29 July 2017
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Imelda Almqvist is the author of Natural Born Shamans: A Spiritual Toolkit For Life, (Using shamanism creatively with young people of all ages) published by Moon Books in 2016. She teaches shamanism and sacred art internationally. Imelda pioneered a shamanic program for young people called The Time Travellers. This offers safe group space for children and teenagers to develop a viable spiritual toolkit and her first book describes this work and why young people are our greatest spiritual teachers! She is currently working on her second book (about sacred art).
Imelda’s otherworld paintings can be found in art collections all over the world. Her courses take place in the fertile place where art meets shamanism. The focus is on engaging in innovative ways with both mystery school material and on creating healthy vibrant reality rather than continuing to create reality from wounded or distorted old blueprints. Our ability to do this lies at the heart of navigating the current paradigm shift successfully.
Imelda is starting a school of Norse shamanism based in Sweden called True North. She has three teenage sons and loves making art videos. The most extreme thing she has ever done is assisting with eye surgery in a field hospital in Bangladesh. One of the most life-changing things she has ever done is teaching art and design to under-privileged children and teenagers in Lima, Peru!