FAQ

Here are a few commonly asked questions and their answers.

If you can’t find the answer to your question, please email louise@dreamingawake.co.uk

I've been a Shamanic Practitioner for a number of years already. Do I really have to come to the Foundation Course before I can do anything else with you?

Yes. The Foundation weekend will introduce people who have no shamanic background to the tools of the practice, but it also introduces everyone to the medicine wheel we work with, and the fundamental principles of what we understand to be safe ways of working.

How quickly can I do all the courses?

After each gated course you need 6 months to process and integrate your experience, and then a further 6 months to begin to turn your focus to the next gate. We run an online gathering around the time of the winter solstice to help you do this, and there are non-gated courses that you are welcome to attend at any time after coming on a Foundation Course. You are also welcome to re-visit any gate you’ve already been through at any time.

More information (including the order of the courses) is on the ‘Courses’ Page HERE

Do you have a minimum age to attend?

You need to be aged 21 or over.

Can I have a single (private) bedroom?

Our venues do offer a few single occupancy rooms. Some of them require a supplemental payment, and all are on a first come first served basis by email request.

Can you cater for my food allergies?

All of our courses are catered vegetarian. We ask you to declare any dietary requirements at the point of booking and our wonderful retreat centres will do their best to cater for genuine allergies and most intolerances. Sometimes this will incur a supplemental payment depending on the venue. There will always be an option for bringing some of your own food if you need to ensure your particular dietary requirements are met. 

I have access support needs, can you meet them?

We are keen to make our courses as accessible as possible. Email louise@dreamingawake.co.uk before you book so we can talk about what it is you need and how we might achieve it.

Do we take hallucinogens/drugs on the courses?

No. In fact, please don’t book at all if you’re taking or have recently taken (within the last six months) recreational or prescribed psychoactive drugs. This includes any form of psilocybin, ayahuasca, and marijuana. We also ask that you don’t drink alcohol for at least three days before and after a course, and recommend that you don’t drink caffeine for the same amount of time.

Will you teach me how to talk/connect with my recently deceased relative/friend?

All of the Dreaming Awake training is centred around making safe, authentic connections. Ancestral work happens within our training by invitation only about 6 years in, when we have learned to discern between things that come with the sole purpose of our Best and Highest Good, our own projections, and things that have their own agendas. Periodically we offer a ‘Life and Death’ course which also covers the role of the psychopomp, but until you have a guide you would trust with your sanity and your life we actively discourage work that involves dead people.

Online training specific questions

Will I be able to do every course that Dreaming Awake offers if I start the training online?

Yes. As with everyone else who trains with us, you can do the first four gates (East, West, South, North in that order) and then the 5th Gate (Centre). Thereafter, whether you’re online or in person, continuation round the wheel is by invitation only. Periodically, we offer residential only retreats in the UK like Basic and Advanced Healing, and Life and Death, but these are not essential to attend. You must have attended a Foundation Course either in person or online to come to any other course.

Is it OK to take work calls/do emails/cook dinner for my family in the times we're not in session online?

It’s not ideal, no. Insofar as you are able it’s better to create a space for yourself where you won’t be disturbed, as if you were on a residential course. Some people hire a cabin for the weekend so they can guarantee themselves some peace to engage fully, others have a dedicated private space in their home. Whatever works for you, but please don’t work in-between sessions. It stops you from being fully present for the course and that’s simply a waste of your time and money. 

The course is listed as 'USA friendly times'. I'm in Australia, can I still come?

This time difference will be particularly tricky for you and isn’t recommended. Please email louise@dreamingawake.co.uk to be added to a waiting list for an Australasia friendly timed course.

Can a group of us all share one screen for the course?

No, please have your own screen – we need to be able to talk to you individually when giving feedback. 

I can't make all the sessions. Will they be recorded so I can catch up in my own time?

If you can’t make all of the sessions, then please do not book onto the course – you need to be able to attend the entire thing live. The courses respond to the needs of each group. They are never recorded, not least for reasons of privacy.

“Intent. Integrity. Integration. These three are the pillars on which a shamanic spiritual life stands. We hone our intent, we check our integrity, we integrate our authentic selves into a life which reflects our clarity in every waking and sleeping moment.”

Manda Scott

Contact Louise

If you have any questions, do get in touch with Louise:
louise@dreamingawake.co.uk

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