The Irish Centre for Shamanic Studies was set up by Martin Duffy to promote and research traditional and contemporary Shamanism and it is part of the Oaktree Charitable Trust based at Dunderry Park. Shamanism is the oldest spiritual and healing practice on the planet dating back 50,000 years. This tradition has grown out of humanity’s experience of evolving out of the earth and our intimate connections to our mother. When we journey into the inner realms through the doors of perception using our minds eye to explore the wondrous world of imagination, we can tap into the greater store of wisdom that our ancestors have accumulated throughout the milenia. This ancient wisdom can help us heal ourselves each other and the earth. The way of the Shaman is the way of the “wounded healer”, to be human is to be wounded. Shamanic experiences are part of everyday life, the cycles of birth, death and re-birth are an intrinsic part of our reality. This pattern is repeated throughout our lives as we are continually being born into new experiences and dying to old habits, behavior patterns and belief systems. The shaman uses ecstatic techniques to enter the shamanic state of consciousness (SSC) travel out of the body, make contact with spirit guides and power animals and therefore effect changes in ordinary reality, working closely with nature and the elemental forces. Shamanic practice and techniques help us reconnect to ourselves, each other, the Earth and to the great mystery that we are all a part of. The Centre is based at Dunderry Park in the historic Boyne Valley, close to the sacred sites of Tara, Newgrange, Sliabh na Cailleach and Uísneacht.
