PDF - Blue Deer Center

River of
Ancient Wisdom
RETREAT. DISCOVER. HEAL. IN THE CATSKILLS.
BLUE
DEER
CENTER
2012 programs
Table of Contents
5
Letter from the Board of Directors
6
The Love that Takes Care of the World
by Eliot Cowan
8
Ukilái: A Retreat for Men
with David Wiley & Mark Gionfriddo
9
Men’s Journey
10 Shamanic Healing Camp:
Five Days of Deep Change
with Eliot Cowan & Staff
12 An Interview with Tata OmeAkaEhekatl
Erick Gonzalez—on the Cosmic
Mystery of 2012
by Buffy Aakaash
13 Mayan Spiritual Teachings for the
Dawning of a New Era
with Tata OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez
2 :: www.BlueDeer.org
14 Forming Spiritual Community
in Turbulent Times
with Sobonfu Somé
15 Excerpt from Falling Out of Grace
by Sobonfu Somé
16 Connecting to the Divine Natural World:
An Introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine
and the Roots of Shamanism
with Eliot Cowan
17 Eliot Cowan Shares His Story
20 The 8th Annual PSM Conference
22 Sacred Partnership with the World:
Living with Totem
with Eliot Cowan
24 The Blue Deer Dances with Sacred Fire
by Sharon Brown
26 Sacred Fire Community REunion 2012:
Celebrating Deep Community
29 Plant Spirit Medicine Healer Training,
18 Fireball: Celebrating our Elders 19 Shamanic Healing Camp:
30 The Music of Life:
Five Days of Deep Change with Eliot Cowan, Jaime Velez & Staff
20 Advanced Plant Spirit Medicine Class
Session One
with Eliot Cowan & Alison Gayek
An Exploration of Healing
in the Sufi Tradition
with Ustad Nizami & Melissa Clare
31 Flowers of the Heart:
Sufi Master Musician Ustad Nizami
Heals with Melody
by Zan Jarvis
32 Supporting the Blue Deer Center
33Scholarships
34 Program Registration
34 Commuter Participation
34 Cancellation Policy
35 Lodging and Meals
35 Visiting Us
35 Getting to the Blue Deer Center
with Eliot Cowan & Alison Gayek
(845) 586–3225 :: 3
letter from the
Board of Directors
The dawning of 2012 invokes fear and concern amongst many who are aware of the precarious
situation of our planet. The Mayan calendar, the predictions of Nostradamus, climate change, and
presidential elections all stir the mind. The Blue Deer Center offers a remarkable space for the heart:
healing, nature, and authentic wisdom traditions. Our elders have told us that when we find the place
of stillness within, we will hear the river of ancient wisdom speaking to us and guiding us to a place of
peace. . . a place of healing.
To step onto the land is to enter a natural sanctuary where the waters, the air, and the people warm
our hearts and connecting us to one another and the Divine. Many generations ago, a river of
ancient wisdom, called Saskawhihiwine, confirmed this land’s healing energy to a traveling shaman
by forming a perfect circle in the water. Since 2005, the Blue Deer Center has offered programs of
healing, welcomed ancestral teachers to guide us in new yet ancient ways of living, and initiated the
Home Project, which will invite a set of core providers to live in residence on the land. Located in the
beautiful Catskill Mountains, we invite you to attend the many gatherings, teachings, meals, circles,
and fires that are offered throughout the year.
Our elders have told us that
if we can find a center of
silence, we can begin to hear
the river of ancient wisdom
speaking to us and guiding
us to a place of peace and
balance, a place of healing.
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2012 begins with a winter men’s retreat and then a special program of Mayan spiritual teachings with
OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez. We are blessed to have the continued presence of our teacher Eliot
Cowan, a Tsaurirrikame (elder shaman) in the Huichol tradition, and our first core provider in the
Home Project. Eliot makes his summer home at the Blue Deer Center and offers myriad teaching
and healing opportunities throughout the year. We encourage you to connect with these and other
teachings, as well as taking time to connect with the precious land. If you’ve been to the land, you
already know the gift of this place. If you’ve never been, I hope one of this year’s programs calls you
home, as the peoples of this land were called home those many years ago.
I am filled with gratitude to serve as a Board member, to work with so many others in bringing forth
a vision of healing and the voice of authentic wisdom. I look forward to seeing you here!
In peace,
Patrick Hanaway, On Behalf of the Blue Deer Center Board of Directors
(845) 586–3225 :: 5
exactly what Lungkata proceeded to do. He
killed the emu, cut it into pieces and began
to cook it over a fire he had hastily built.
No matter who you are
and where you live, you
have an indigenous soul.
Your ancestors lived
and died in the ways
of indigenous love for
thousands and thousands
of generations…
The Panpanpalala Brothers had lost the
emu’s tracks but saw the smoke of Lungkata’s
fire. They hurried over and asked Lungkata
if he had seen their wounded quarry.
Lungkata, hiding the dismembered emu,
said he’d seen nothing. The brothers
moved on.
Moments later they found the emu’s tracks
and immediately worked out what had
really happened. Lungkata, guiltily aware of
his deceit, ran towards his camp, carrying
as many emu pieces as he could. In his
hurry he dropped most of them, leaving
a conspicuous trail of lumps of meat. At
Kakaga Tjunta, literally “Emu’s Thigh,” he
dropped a huge drumstick, which remains
there in stone. He dropped other pieces west
of Mutitjulu, forming a maze of large rocks.
Love
The
that takes Care of the World
by Eliot Cowan
[Stories are much more than words. They have a life of their own, often with a sacred message
to impart. In this continuation of an article printed in our 2011 catalog, Eliot Cowan further
illustrates, through stories, the value that indigenous knowledge offers to people living in the
modern world today. —Ed.]
Here is a teaching story, a remembering of the
Anangu people of central Australia. To decode
the story, the animals should be understood as
representations of certain human traits:
Lungkata, the blue-tongued lizard, had come
from the north, burning the land on the way,
showing the people how fire is necessary
to maintain the country. The Panpanpalala
Brothers – crested bellbirds – had been out
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hunting and had speared and wounded
Kalaya, an emu. The large bird ran off
towards Mutitjulu where it intersected with
Lungkata the lizard, who was out hunting.
He saw Kalaya still moving but with a spear
through its body. Lungkata knew that the
wounded bird belonged to other hunters
and it would be dishonorable for someone
else to kill it off and eat it. Yet this was
The Panpanpalala Brothers caught up with
Lungkata as he started to climb Uluru
towards his camp. The Brothers built a
great fire beneath the slow fat lizard as he
struggled upwards. Lungkata choked on the
smoke and was burnt by the flames. He fell
down and his body was shattered in many
pieces. The smoke and ash from the fire still
coat this part of Uluru’s steep slope where
the remains of Lungkata’s body lie.
Notice that the bellbirds are moving as family,
but Lungkata the lizard is alone. This is a way
of saying the Panpanpalalas are in relationship
with the world, while Lungkata is isolated and
just looking out for number one. His selfishness
drives him to take something that doesn’t belong
to him: the emu who gave itself to the bellbird
brothers. He then abuses the gift of fire; instead
of demonstrating benefit to the whole country he
cooks the emu to benefit himself at the expense
of others. But the fire itself betrays his presence
and exposes his misdeeds. The fire that was given
to keep the country in balance destroys him and
his selfishness, and the country is kept in balance
in an unexpected way.
In addition to stories there are practices that
bring people to remembering; chief among them
are healings and rituals. Here is a Huichol story
that tells the importance of both. It is told in the
first person by an old shaman:
Late one night one of my nephews came by my
house. “Excuse me for interrupting your sleep,
Uncle,” he said, “but my baby boy has been stung
by a scorpion and I fear he will not live to see
the morning unless you can help him.” I was not
eager to go lest I fall off the path to my death in
the darkness, but he pleaded with me, so I went.
When I arrived I took out my feathers and looked
at the child. I saw a kernel of corn in his heart.
“That was not a mere scorpion that stung your
boy, it was corn. I can see you are not in a good
way with Grandmother Corn. Did you perform
the thanksgiving ritual for the harvest this year?”
My nephew admitted that he had not done the
ritual. So I said, “If you will agree to do it right
away, I’ll see if I can help the child.” He agreed,
so I sucked the corn kernel out of the boy’s heart
and placed it in my nephew’s hand. “He should
be alright now, but if you need me come fetch me
again in the morning.” The father did not return,
and his son is a healthy young man today.
The old shaman didn’t act out of ideas about love,
he acted out of experience. By contrast, Western
people today are full of high-sounding beliefs but
mostly act like Lungkata, the blue-tongued lizard,
taking what doesn’t belong to us and trying to
cover our greed with deceit. In the end we will
fare no better than the lizard unless we remember
the love that makes us caretakers of the world.
There are two bits of good news about this: First,
there are still authentic teachers of the ancient
ways of remembering, and some are willing to
show us those ways. And second, no matter
who you are and where you live, you have an
indigenous soul. Your ancestors lived and died
in the ways of indigenous love for thousands and
thousands of generations. You are descended
from them; their souls live in you. When you
hear their wisdom it will resound in you. It
will rise up in you. You will remember, and
be remembered.
(845) 586–3225 :: 7
Men’s Journey
I have lost my way. My reference point is gone.
I have lost my guiding knowledge and direction.
I feel an incessant drive that weighs on me. It
is all I can do, keeping up with my family, the
pressures of my job, earning a living to support
my family and myself. Demands placed on me by
the society and culture I live in. A world of “haves
and have-nots,” change for change sake. Why is
the world dedicated to promoting the power of
mind … at the expense of everything that lives
and breathes…at the expense of my very heart
itself?
March 15 – 19
Ukilái: A Retreat for Men
with David Wiley & Mark Gionfriddo
The Sacred Fire Community Lifeways program presents Ukilái’s Men’s Retreat. Ukilái (Uh-key-lá-ee) is
a word in the Huichol indigenous language that means “a man who has reached a level of maturity and
has taken on the responsibilities of spirit, community, and family.” A Ukilái has found his role and place
within himself, the community and in the world and therefore is a support for himself and others.
There comes a time when withdrawing in retreat is necessary to reconnect to the essential being of the
masculine, to discover the navigation of one’s heart, to clear, refresh and renew one’s direction in life.
Rather than a class or workshop, Ukilái represents a pilgrimage to one’s soul and masculine kinship in
order to bring about a restoration. Therefore participation in the Ukilái retreat provides support on an
ongoing basis to one’s vision, direction and relationship to others and the world.
$850
David Wiley is a Tsaurirrikame (Elder Shaman) in the Huichol Indian
tradition of the northwestern Sierra Madre of Mexico and is a Granicero
(weather Shaman) and healer in the Nahuatl Indian tradition of the
highlands of central Mexico. In these roles he serves his community as a
counselor, community and ceremonial leader along with being recognized
as a spiritual conduit for the elemental deity of fire known by the Huichols
as Tatewarí or Grandfather Fire.
Mark Gionfriddo began his Huichol shamanic apprenticeship in 2003
under the guidance of Tsaurririkame Don Eliot Cowan. In 2011, he
completed his initiation and graduation formalities as a Marakame. Mark
is also a Granicero, or Weather Worker, in the Nahuatl tradition and
has been working together with Don David Wiley on the Men’s Retreat
Program since its inception in 2005.
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At times I find myself isolated. I try so hard to
be the best husband, partner, father, son, and
brother that I can possibly be. No matter how
hard I try my relationships with the very people I
care so deeply for become stressed and strained,
they begin to fall apart. These stresses and strains
become so very hard to carry around, so hard
to speak about. When I look around, all I see is
the same look in every man’s eyes. When I sit
at home, I pray that I can find a way to move
through these feelings. I am ready to breakdown.
There is this feeling that the culture and society I
live in is constantly imposing itself on me. These
stresses, strains and situations fill my life! Family,
career, finances: I feel it all closing in on me.
I have the opportunity to gather
with my brothers; gather in
retreat, to take action, to move,
and reconnect, to open my
heart again, to clear, refresh and
renew my direction in life, to
renew my soul…
I recognize that something is missing. I feel
disconnected. In my heart, a spark flickers….
I feel this strong need to withdraw from the
pressure, the pressure of each day, each day’s
concerns. Where do I go to find this warmth,
to take some action, to be outdoors?
I have the opportunity to gather with my
brothers; gather in retreat, to take action, to
move and reconnect, to open my heart again,
to clear, refresh, and renew my direction in life,
to renew my soul and masculine connection
to myself, my partner, my family, and my
community. Once again, I find myself sitting in
a circle; there is a fire. I have a need to sit with
my brothers. We set aside the stress. We move
into our hearts, we open up to each other, a
place that feeds us as men.
I feel reconnected, refreshed in being a man. I
feel balanced and supported. I am ready to return
home to be with my partner, my family, my
community, my work, and invite other men to
join me around the fire to experience connection
to the divine masculine, the heart, the natural
world, and to each other. To share the gifts we
have received.
I have found my way home again! I am grounded
in my place and my purpose.
(845) 586–3225 :: 9
On a friend’s recommendation and a recent cancer diagnosis [I] signed up. I
felt tremendous physical, emotional and spiritual healing from Eliot and his
team. He is the real deal, and [I’m] still feeling the blessings weeks later. [I]
wish every human could experience Healing Camp.
—Barry M., New York
The Camp provides a rare opportunity to experience a temporary village created for the express
purpose of bringing Huichol healing to you, because living even briefly within a healthy community
contributes to your well-being.
The sacred land of the Center will support the Camp, where music and celebration will light up our
days and nights, while our wonderful chef and staff ensure you enjoy the right conditions to open
yourself to healing.
$1,950
[Also offered June 25 – 30 and September 30 – October 5]
Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a fully initiated
April 10 – 15
Shamanic Healing Camp: Five Days of Deep Change
with Eliot Cowan & Staff
We all yearn to be free of illness. And we long to feel connected… to our spirit, to each other and to
the natural world, yet how often do we give ourselves time to nurture that heartfelt yearning? Our lives
have become so busy and stressful! We know the pace takes a painful toll, which we try to remedy with
healthy food, therapy, yoga classes or meditation. All these approaches help, yet still we wonder, could
there be more?
Sometimes misfortune—an accident, an illness, the death of a loved one—opens us to look in new
directions, to ask new questions:
Could the potency and mystery of ancient healing tradition provide medicine for the illnesses and
alienation of modern culture?
Healing Camp is composed of five days of Huichol Shamanic Healing at the sacred ground of the
Blue Deer Center. Through Eliot Cowan’s authentic training and apprenticeship with Huichol Indian
shaman don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, you will discover that the medicine of the old cultures runs
deep and exerts a powerful effect.
Eliot Cowan, a fully initiated Tsaurirrikame (Huichol shaman), has lead over 50 healing camps in the
past two decades. Over the years he has gathered extensive experience working with the full spectrum
of life events from birth to death.
Your stay at Healing Camp includes daily private sessions with Eliot, time for contemplation and
reflection, gathering in community around the warmth of the fire, and opportunities to connect with
the natural world under the guidance of Justin Starting and Marakame Scott Sheerin.
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Tsaurirrikame in the Huichol Indian tradition. He began
the study
and practice of herbalism in the 1960’s and completed a Master
of Acupuncture degree with J.R. Worsley in England in the 1970’s.
Eliot subsequently apprenticed with Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios,
a Huichol Indian Marakame. On the occasion of Don Guadalupe’s
retirement in 2000, he ritually recognized Eliot as a guide to shamanic
apprentices in the Huichol tradition. This was an unprecedented honor
for a person of our culture.
Scott Sheerin is a Marakame and practices shamanic healing in
Asheville, NC. He has been on the staff of Eliot Cowan’s healing camps
for 12 years. He is also a gifted musician offering healing and ritual
music. His recordings are in use around the world helping to spread the
energy of heart and fire wherever they are heard.
Justin Starting is an apprentice in the Huichol tradition. For many
years he has taught the art of building relationships with the natural
world through the practical skills of our ancestors. At camp he will offer
his program entitled “Touch the Earth”.
Linda Felch is an apprentice in the Huichol tradition and a Plant Spirit
Medicine healer. As our Healing Camp coordinator she makes sure that
everything runs smoothly in preparing for camp and while we are at
the BDC.
(845) 586–3225 :: 11
OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez,
International Coordinator and member of the
Great Confederation of the Councils of the
Principal Mayan Ajqijab of Guatemala, was
initiated into Native sacred rites over a 30-year
period with direct participation, teachings, and
guidance from various Native spiritual elders
from Mexico, North America, Colombia, Peru,
and Guatemala. He has worked with Native
Elders and Youth Councils throughout the
Americas supporting the work of international
sharing and preservation of sacred wisdom
teachings since 1979, promoting increased
cooperation and unity between diverse
communities throughout the world.
April 27 – 29
Mayan Spiritual Teachings for the Dawning of a New Era
with Tata OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez
The shift of the ages is upon us and we are being called to hold sacred space for ourselves, our families
and our world during a time of great challenge. Illuminated by the ancient wisdom of the indigenous
Maya is a path for uniting the earth with the cosmos. Revealing spiritual practices preserved precisely
for this time, OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez will share his teachings on spiritual warriorship, living
from the heart, and the Mayan medicine wheel. We will delve into the essence of the Mayan prophecies
and share a traditional fire ceremony, bringing voice to our gratitude and prayers.
$525
The fire ceremony will begin at noon on Sunday, April 29 and is free and open to the public. Donations welcome.
Interview with
BA: What does 2012 mean to the modern world
in its current state, because it seems like we’ve
already started on a downward spiral and I’m
wondering what this means in terms of 2012 and
the Mayan calendar?
EG: Well, for us it’s not new news, you know?
This has been talked about for many years. And
a lot of preparation’s been done through a lot
of the spiritual and elder circles… Nature has
already told us that some of these changes were
going to happen. And we had, several times,
opportunities to prepare for this. So, as we feel
Nature changing… it’s not just that the Maya or
anyone is saying it… but we are all witnessing
it. Most of us are experiencing some kind of
strong changes, or we call them natural disasters.
Because the observations have been at a galactic
level, not on a daily level of what we’re going to
do today or tomorrow, like a little calendar, but
an awareness that we not only have the daily cycle
of the rotation of the sun, but also seasonal. The
people are still here, they plant according to the
season, according to the rainy season, according
to the shifting of the eras, you know? … . And
so there are patterns. So, our peoples have been
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Tata OmeAkaEhekatl Erick Gonzalez — on the Cosmic Mystery of 2012
by Buffy Aakaash
talking about this and preparing as much as they
can to share to the West… Most of the humans
forgot the instructions that we belong to the
earth. The earth does not belong to us… If the
forest is halfway cut down, and these elementals
come in and they continue to destroy the other
half, then we’re in a bigger mess. So, this has been
said to the west—reminders from indigenous
people—and they have not paid attention. And
even now it’s a race to destroy the earth. So, our
people have been prepared to share what has
been called the original instructions given to us.
And these original instructions weren’t given
by humans or by some religious sect. They were
given to us by Nature.
BA: So, might this then be a chance for renewal,
and if so, how should people go about this?
EG: Good question, because that’s what we’ve
been sharing. One is that we have to become
aware that we are in a changing biological and
energetic field… There’s a new frequency that
we’re starting to live in.
And Nature’s already responding to it. We are
responding, but we keep fighting it. It becomes
stress,
it becomes unhappiness, it becomes fear.
It becomes acting on our worst fears, so we
see more wars, more destruction. We should
all be working together to create sustainable
communities, to create local environments and
industries where we don’t have to travel. Because
we don’t know where this thing’s going to stop.
If we don’t have the original things—fresh clean
water, access to water that is not polluted, land
that we can plant, air that we can breathe, and a
place to do it, then we’re in trouble. … The levels
of the hurricanes, tornadoes, the temperatures,
the flooding, the droughts, the tidal waves, the
earthquakes are increasing.
BA: According to Mayan prophesies, Nature has
been telling us for thousands of years that this
shift has been on way. What is it about the Mayan
approach to time that is so vastly different from
the modern western way where we can’t see even
a year ahead let alone thousands of years?
EG: Well, one is because we live with Nature.
Most of our living was outside. Even the temples
were not designed to enclose the human
perspective, but to enhance the energy field in
which the human can interact with the multidimensional worlds. So, in their observation…
we were able to travel and we continue to have
those experiences through dimensions. The world
is just barely discovering the use of what we call
sacraments and sacred medicines, realizing that
they’re not the center of the universe… the West
is just beginning to really realize that we’re not in
control… The ceremonies that we still have for
the expansion of the mind, the body, and for the
spiritual world is not a new thing… and so we
realize we are spiritual beings having a physical
experience for a very little moment…. And in
the west, they think more and more, stack it up,
stack it up, get more money, get more things…
and the goal is to get up as high as you can.
Without realizing when you run out of resources,
when you run out of control, when you run out
of everything you were aspiring to that didn’t
fulfill you, then the big drop comes. It’s going
to be a big drop not only in the environmental
balance, but the economic, the social, the
spiritual… It’s a natural thing, except humanity
didn’t prepare for it. So, they find themselves
in refugee camps… and we’re homeless in
a beautiful home we call Mother Earth.
(845) 586–3225 :: 13
Excerpt from Falling Out of Grace
by Sobonfu Somé
I love the desert, you
know, but I do not go into
the desert looking for
rain. I accept its dust and
heat, and when it rains, I
welcome it as a blessing.
May 18 – 20
Forming Spiritual Community in Turbulent Times
with Sobonfu Somé
In times of transformation, community becomes the olive leaf, the tool of nonviolent action that moves
people toward equanimity, peace, and ultimately a place of support for each of us to do
our work in
the world. But “community”, from an indigenous cultural perspective, is nothing new and has always
been the primary basis for the expression of everything important in life. Through ritual and ceremony,
Sobonfu Somé will guide us on a journey into the heart of what it means to form community, to be a
part of something that has the potential to extend beyond an individual human lifespan.
$525
Recognized by the village elders as possessing special gifts, Sobonfu
Somé’s destiny was foretold before her birth, as is the custom of the
Dagara Tribe of Burkina Faso. These gifts were fostered by early education
in ritual and initiation to prepare her for her life’s work. Sobonfu’s work
has moved African spiritual practices from the realm of anthropology to
a place alongside the world’s great spiritual traditions, with a message of
profound significance and practical application in the lives of Westerners.
She has written two books: “The Spirit of Intimacy” and “Welcoming
Spirit Home”, her newest offering, which draws on rituals and practices involving community, birth,
miscarriage, and children.
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Ideally, perhaps, falls from grace simply shouldn’t
occur within one’s community. Once acceptance
by the community is there, grace is there. A
person is accepted no matter how she performs.
Many of us, for example, are close to people who
are, let’s say, irresponsible. What they promise,
they fail to deliver. They are late. They forget.
They do things wrong. Why in the world would
we keep such people in our community? We do
so because they are included. Because we know
how to love them.
I love the desert, you know, but I do not go into
the desert looking for rain. I accept its dust and
heat, and when it rains, I welcome it as a blessing.
•
•
•
Communities are built on friendships, on
soul connections, and in the real world, some
friendships break down. This sometimes
happens, I think, because what we call
friendships are something else.
There were two women. They spent a lot of time
together, they went out together, they went to
movies together, they had dinner together, they
shared their stories. Then one of the women got
very busy and they couldn’t get together as often.
The friendship was still there, she said, she just
wasn’t able to act on it.
Time passed, and the other person needed help
—simple things. She needed, let’s say, a ride
somewhere. She needed to call and talk about
things that were bothering her. She needed a
companion and the other person wasn’t there
for her. There was a fall from grace.
I believe that in this case the fall out of grace
took place early in the relationship, through
dishonesty. A person wanted something at a
certain point in time. On that day the energy
was on and the next day it went off. “I’ll call you
when I need you.” In spite of what she said and
how she behaved, friendship was never there.
This story is common. Many friendships are
based upon situations, and once the situation
changes, the friendship ends. I’ve seen that
happen many times; most of us, perhaps, are
guilty. I see this as a condition of modern society.
It has no problem with people who pose, and
then hide away and fail to show up when they
are needed.
•
•
•
One thing I haven’t lost is the deep understanding
that I am still a person from the village. Wherever
I am, I don’t try to behave like I’m not from
Africa. I don’t try to pretend that I’m “modern.”
This is really bewildering to my friends who have
left the village. They can’t understand why in the
world I would live in the States and then come
back and want to be with these “old people,” as
they call them, and not hang out with the people
in the city. I tell them the reason why is that the
community is necessary for my survival and wellbeing. What would I gain by pretending to be
someone else? Whatever that is would be much
less than what I would lose.
•
•
•
So there are a few general rules that help to
keep me in a state of grace within the village
community that I am usually so far away from:
The first is to recognize the community’s
importance to my health and spirit.
Another one is not to pretend to be someone
I am not—to disown or dislike the community
that shaped me.
I also need to continually check and adjust myself
to make sure I am right with my community,
rather than expect them to understand things my
way. I have to open myself up to their needs and
ways and keep relearning, “Oh yeah, that’s the
way we do things. This is the way this community
operates.” I have to respect that and behave in a
way that works for everyone, not just myself.
Still I know I will keep falling from grace with my
village. Over and over the community sees this,
and then they reach out to bring me back again…
(845) 586–3225 :: 15
May 22 – 27
Connecting to the Divine Natural World: An Introduction to
Plant Spirit Medicine and the Roots of Shamanism
with Eliot Cowan (for Eliot’s bio, see page 11)
Since the beginning of time, shamans looked to nature to understand the realms of wisdom and
healing. Drawing on that wisdom today, Plant Spirit Medicine and the ancient shamanic practices give
us the tools we need to bring healing to our spirits, bring healing to others, and find our paths for our
own soul’s journey.
This course is for those who wish to explore the natural world and discover themselves. You may be a
beginner or a veteran. You may be a healer. You may have no interest in healing. You may consider
yourself talented or dense, spiritual or mundane. It doesn’t matter. Whoever you are, you are a child of
the world, and your Mother has much to share with you.
In this largely experiential course we will delve into:
• Believing is Seeing and
What You See is What You Get
• The Voice of the Seasons
• The World Forces: Sun, Soil, Mineral,
Rain, Growth
• Plant Wisdom and How to Hear It
• Emotion—How Do I Touch the World?
How Does the World Touch Me?
• Ancestors, Soul and Spiritual Path
$1100 ($875 commuter rate)
Since the beginning
of time, shamans
looked to nature
to understand the
realms of wisdom
and healing.
• Learning Plant Spirit Language
• Dream and Reality
• Time Around the Fire
Eliot Cowan
Shares
Story
His
In 1969, when I was a graduate
student in in Los Angeles, I expected to
have a glamorous career in cinema. One time,
tiring of the pace and the pollution, I spent a night
in a backcountry canyon, surrounded by silent
trees and glowing stars. I was surprised to discover
something that should have been perfectly
obvious: I knew nothing about the world I lived in.
I felt unrelated to plants, animals, sun, dirt, wind
and rain, which I suddenly recognized were the
support of my life.
Had you asked me then I couldn’t have even said
what the season of year was for planting seeds, for
I was ignorant of ordinary practical things. But
this night the world whispered of a mysterious
wisdom inside the ordinary and practical.
Eventually I would find out that seeds were planted
in the spring, but how could I know what the seeds
and the springtime know? How did they bring
forth the sprout from the soil, or my life from my
mother’s womb?
16 :: www.BlueDeer.org
Suddenly it felt urgent to discover the world, to
find my place and my belonging, to find who I
was, and where I was, and what there was to do. I
left graduate school and the journey I took led me,
in time, to re-discover and re-introduce an ancient
path of healing I
call Plant Spirit
Medicine.
Since that time
many have
explored the Plant
Spirit Medicine
path. They learn
to speak to the
world and they
learn to listen.
The world, they
find out, provides
purpose, direction and healing just as it provides
food and shelter. The explorers discover they
belong to everyday wisdom and magic: the divine
natural world.
(845) 586–3225 :: 17
June 2
Fireball: Celebrating Our Elders
We have come to take this time to remember a few important things. To celebrate our
accomplishments. To approach our purpose in life with joy, humor, and love. To dance to our heart’s
content. And last but not least, to honor our elders, without whom none of this would be possible.
Through this exchange of honoring and celebrating our elders, we find our true purpose, and the
wisdom can continue to be passed down.
We invite and welcome to our Center a variety of elders who are dedicated to maintaining their
traditions. We’ll be featuring the music of Blue Paradox, whose rhythms will echo against the ancient
hills and down through the river valley, in sync with our own inner rhythm. There will be time to
connect with Saskawihiwine, the great river; to immerse yourself in her wisdom. We will take delight
in great “home-cooked” food the Center has become known for. Then, of course, we will gather ‘round
throughout the evening and see the flicker in each other’s eyes that begins and ends with the fire.
Join us for this special time… and invite your friends and loved ones.
See our website for cost & updated information
June 25 – JuNE 30
Shamanic Healing Camp: Five Days of Deep Change
with Eliot Cown, Jaime Velez & Staff (for presenters’ bios, see page 11)
See page 10 for program description. This Shamanic Healing Camp will also offer Mayan massage
by Jaime Velez.
$2,015
[Also offered April 10 – 15 and September 30 – October 5]
Jaime Velez is a Marakame in the Huichol tradition and resides in
Tepoztlan, Mexico. On rare and momentous occasions, such as this one,
he makes his way to Healing Camps at the Blue Deer Center to offer his
skilled hands in the art of Mayan massage.
18 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 19
July 2 – 5
Advanced Plant Spirit Medicine Class
with Eliot Cowan & Alison Gayek
Just as no two seasons are the same, there are no two people in need of healing who are exactly alike.
Discover and exercise your abilities to provide your clients with the healing they need. Have those
pressing questions about how this work weaves through your life answered in a collegial format, with
time also for individual study and contemplation in the natural surroundings of the Blue Deer Center.
Scheduled to coincide with the Plant Spirit Medicine Conference, you will be able to make your travel
plans to allow attendance at both programs.
$770 (
$635 commuters)
Prerequisite: Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner Training Course
July 6 – 9
8th Annual PSMA Conference
This medicine called you. The seed of your practice has been germinating. How do you augment your
knowledge, and grow your healing practice so that it becomes the way you earn your livelihood?
Cultivating, maintaining, and nourishing the necessary elements that make up a successful practice is at
the heart of this conference. Gain some practical tools to propel your practice forward. You will learn:
how to structure and create a PSM presentation, put into action ways to manage your daily practice, how
to branch out and promote the medicine, identify yourself as a healer…and more.
See our website for cost & updated information
Eliot Cowan, author of Plant
Spirit Medicine and a fully initiated
Tsaurirrikame (shaman) in the
Huichol Indian tradition, began his
study and practice of herbalism
in the 1960s and completed a
Master of Acupuncture degree
with J.R. Worsley in England in
the 1970s. Eliot subsequently
apprenticed with Don Guadalupe
Gonzalez Rios, an Huichol Indian
shaman. On the occasion of Don
Guadalupe’s retirement in 2000,
he ritually recognized Eliot as a
guide to shamanic apprentices in
the Huichol tradition. This was an
unprecedented honor for a person of our culture.
Alison Gayek has been teaching Plant Spirit Medicine with Eliot Cowan since 2002. She began
studying with Eliot Cowan in 1997 and graduated from the PSM course in 1999. Since then, Alison
has maintained a strong effective PSM practice. Alison teaches the PSM Practitioner Training Course,
graduate clinical and skills courses, and also works to teach, mentor, and support new graduates as they
start their own practices. Alison has continued her healing work through various pilgrimages with Eliot
Cowan and David Wiley. She is a Granicera—a Weather Shaman—in the Nahuatl tradition indigenous to
Central Mexico
“The Advanced Class reminded me of
the complete joy that the Plant Spirits
brought into my life. It was a wonderful
way to deepen my connection to
colleagues and to the endless wisdom
of this medicine. It gave me more
confidence in my abilities to tend to my
clients on the levels of heart and spirit.
I’m so grateful!”
—A 2003 Graduate
20 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 21
July 28 – August 2
Sacred Partnership with the World: Living With Totem
with Eliot Cowan (for Eliot’s bio, see page 11)
“The modern view is that human beings
are the most highly evolved form of life
and that other life forms... are inferior to
us human beings. The more traditional
view is, rather, the other way around...”
—Eliot Cowan, from the video, “Animal Totems,
Part 2: Forming Practical Relationships”
What if the natural world knew you perfectly well? What if it longed for your particular gifts even
before you were born? What if it had arranged to give you what you need to bring forth those gifts?
What if the animals were in on this? What if they were wise and aware? What if some of them were
interested in helping you? Could Snake be waiting to make your movements more fluid? Might Owl
want to help you see what is dark and hidden? Maybe Jaguar can make you fierce when you need to be.
Honoring animals as wise elder brothers and sisters, our distant ancestors lived in sacred partnership
with the world, receiving what they needed and offering back their gratitude. You can live that way too,
for your soul is connected to certain animals waiting to help you. In this class you will identify and
cultivate your animal totems, following respectful tradition. You will form partnerships to last you the
rest of your life. And you will discover a source of health, relationships, work and self-knowledge
you need.
$950
Honoring animals as wise elder brothers and sisters,
our distant ancestors lived in sacred partnership
with the world, receiving what they needed and
offering back their gratitude.
22 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 23
The Blue Deer
dances
with Sacred Fire
by Sharon Brown
In each of our lives, there are times when we need
healing, times when we must step back from
the day-to-day to gain guidance from elders or
to explore our relationship with nature’s spirits.
Blue Deer Center offers retreat, repose and sacred
space to nurture these personal journeys.
When we return home, we may find things have
shifted for us, and that we feel a sudden craving
for the warmth of community. We may need the
support of others to help us hold the changes
coming into our lives. We may feel compelled
to be around those who share our growing
awareness of subtle energies and of the necessity
of connecting with nature.
This longing to connect with others can find
expression through participation in the Sacred
Fire Community, a sister organization to
BDC that offers monthly fire circles in over 65
communities around the world. These gatherings,
rooted in the experience of the timeless,
generous, sacred quality of fire, offer a way to
augment the healing and learning brought forth
by time spent at Blue Deer Center.
It’s been said that one can’t have a spiritual life
without community. Sacred Fire Community
(SFC) offers a transformative crucible, a place
where inner work becomes externalized as
we expand our sense of self and of the sacred
through our relationships with others. By
participating in Community fires and Lifeways
programs, rituals and ceremonies that enhance
the flow and cycles of life, we discover lives of
meaning and purpose.
The journey to wholeness expands beyond
self and community into global cultural and
environmental healing through Sacred Fire
Foundation, the third member, along with
BDC and SFC, of the Sacred Fire family
of organizations.
24 :: www.BlueDeer.org
Sacred Fire Foundation (SFF) visions a world
in which all people live in a sustainable,
spiritual relationship with our Earth. This is the
indigenous worldview, which SFF introduces to
a wider audience through Sacred Fire magazine
and the Ancient Wisdom Rising gatherings of
elders and wisdom keepers. The Foundation
demonstrates the relevance of ancient ways to our
lives today by offering a fresh outlook on modern
culture, calling us to connect with each other and
the natural world.
The activities of the three organizations are
grounded in the wisdom and teachings of
the Original Peoples, a way of life that is
almost extinct in its original state. Sacred Fire
Foundation supports the preservation and
continuation of these traditional ways at their
source, through small grants and honoraria that
acknowledge the necessity of maintaining the
teachings as well as the gratitude and respect we
owe these wisdom keepers.
The Sacred Fire family of organizations nurture
each other. Many people arrive at the doors
of Blue Deer Center because they learned
of a workshop while attending a Sacred Fire
Community fire; many people arrive at a
Community fire because they read about it in the
Foundation’s magazine; the Foundation and BDC
share ideas and information about elders whose
work is important to the world.
Together, we encourage people to experience the
healing heart opening and connection that arises
from the powerful truth and beauty of living life
in creative partnership with Divine.
(845) 586–3225 :: 25
August 10 – 13
Sacred Fire Community REunion 2012:
Celebrating Deep Community
Where can you celebrate, dance, play, eat great food…and deepen your connection to the sacred
world? At the Sacred Fire Community’s annual REunion, where we rekindle our connection to nature,
each other, and our purpose, and then we bring those sparks of joyful, transformative deep community
alive as we return home.
Open to old friends and brand new ones, this event is your chance to warm up with community in
action and to discover the sacredness that provides the deep taproot of the Blue Deer Center and its
role in the world. The Center has a special relationship with the Sacred Fire Community, so it’s fitting
for the 2012 REunion to be at home, right here at the BDC.
The theme, Celebrating Deep Community, showcases the reasons that people can’t get enough of what
Sacred Fire has to offer. Beyond the distractions of gadget upgrades and shop-around culture, there’s a
strength of relationship that only deep community offers. Are you ready to dive in?
celebrating deep community
Guided by elders and the natural world, enriched by a diversity of lineages and personalities, and
committed to wisdom, spontaneity and joy, the Sacred Fire Community has much to offer. Are you
longing for something, a connection to Nature and the world around you that’s hard to find in today’s
world? Ignite your deep community experience at our 2012 REunion. Play, laugh, eat, dance, touch
the sacredness of the world. Dance with all of the emotions of life...together. In this time of great
transformation in our world, remember: gathering together changes everything.
For specific questions about REunion 2012, contact Paige at
[email protected] | www.sacredfirecommunity.org
ACCOMODATIONS / MEALS
Adults
Teens (13–17)
Children (4-12)*
Double Room with Private Bath
$440
—
—
Dorm
$400
$260
$145
Camping
$310
$190
$75
Commuting
$225
$125
$65
Saturday with lunch, dinner,
camping, and Sunday breakfast
$110
$80
$40
Saturday only
with lunch and dinner
$80
$60
$25
*Children under 4 are free.
...igniting our world.
26 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 27
“My training and years of
August 31 – September 7
clinical work have convinced
Plant Spirit Medicine Healer Training, Session One
me that the overwhelming
majority of our health
problems, of all kinds – our
physical health problems and
our mental and emotional
health problems – are caused
by pain in our hearts, our
spirit, and our soul.”
— Eliot Cowan
with Eliot Cowan & Alison Gayek (for Eliot & Alison’s bios, see page 21)
It is easy to recognize that plants offer us food, oxygen, and medicines, but less known today is that
plants have spirits with wisdom to nurture and heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ancient
cultures and shamans have known for millennia that the medicine of plant spirits can bring us into
balance and harmony, but much of this tradition has been lost in the West.
This course brings together shamanic techniques with the ancient Chinese medical philosophies of the
Five Elements. As the course progresses, you will
• Learn the Chinese Five Element Worldview
• Study Pulse Taking
• Practice Household Shamanism
• Make direct relationship with plants through Shamanic Journeying
• Engage in intensive clinical work to hone your Assessment/Treatment skills
$2,210 (includes tuition, meals and lodging for week 1 of the course,
plus a one-time non-refundable $300 registration fee).
$1,895 (Commuter Rate for week 1, includes a non-refundable $300 registration fee)
28 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 29
September 21-23
The Music of Life:
An Exploration of Healing
in the Sufi Tradition
with Ustad Nizami & Melissa Clare
How do we find balance and healing in today’s world?
The teachings of the Sufis remind us that there are
spiritual resources available for everyone, if we only
take the time to enter into a peaceful state. This
weekend we come together as a group to enter into a
deeper awareness of healing in our lives. Meditation
practices will be interwoven with music, stories and
teachings about healing.
With practices using breath, sound and light we will
purify and magnetize our being. Drawing on the
energy of the Universe, we will increase our healing
capacity while recognizing that the source of healing is
Spirit. Exquisite music of generations of Sufis will open
our hearts and carry us into meditative states.
Friday evening’s introductory program will be open to the public on a donations basis
An optional third day with Ustad Nizami (Monday, September 24) will be offered for musicians as
a special orientation to healing through music: “Healing the Human Heart with our Music”.
This program for musicians will include information about the way Sufi music scales correspond
to different times of the day, and also interact with our emotions. This is a very big subject!
$645 (for entire weekend, including Monday’s “Healing the Human Heart”)
$475 (for Friday through Sunday’s The Music of Life, without “Healing the Human Heart”)
$325 (“Healing the Human Heart” Monday program with overnight lodging and meals from
Sunday evening through Monday afternoon)
$250 (commuter rate for “Healing the Human Heart” on Monday)
Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami, a Chishti Sufi and seventeenth generation
musician, is one of the foremost musicians and music instructors of
Pakistan. He masterfully presents a vast array of styles including classical
Indian, ghazal, geet, qawwali, bhajan, Pakistani folk and Sufi music. His
principal instruments are sitar, vocals, tabla, and harmonium.
Melissa Clare met her Sufi Teacher (Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan) in 1971, and
then emigrated to the US to live in a Sufi Community, where for 17 years
she immersed herself in the teachings, becoming a retreat guide, minister,
and senior teacher. From 1987-1994 Melissa directed the Sufi Healing
Order of North America, and later became a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer
and a Firekeeper under the auspices of the Sacred Fire Community.
30 :: www.BlueDeer.org
Flowers of the Heart:
Sufi Master Musician Ustad Nizami Heals with Melody
An interview by Zan Jarvis (with permission from Sacred Fire magazine)
Master Sufi musician Ustad Nizami calls on 600 years of musical history when he plays and
sings the classical music of India on sitar, tablas, harmonium and other instruments. He is
the 17th generation of a musical family line that started with a court musician who played for
Moghul Emperor Akbar the Great. Nizami has played for presidents, kings and queens, but
says his music is for all human beings to share in the spirit of healing, love and peace.
ZJ: You are doing a workshop at the Blue Deer
Center in September. Talk a little about what will
go on there.
UN: People want to know about this healing
music and people want to learn. This music is
for humans and I teach them that if they sing a
certain line everyday they will feel different. I also
describe Sufi poetry. I talk about the instrument,
tempo, rhythm. It is like medicine for humans
I teach. When people feel a headache, they
say, “I need Ibuprophen. I need aspirin for my
pain.” Well, I play a scale. Maybe Ibuprophen
and aspirin have side-effects, but my music has
no side-effects. It’s natural and organic. So, in
our workshop, Melissa will talk about the brain,
kidneys, the heart, the mind from her way then
I will play a scale for (healing of) each organ and
teach a line to sing for its health.
ZJ: What does it mean to you to play for God,
to speak for God?
UN: If I am talking without greediness,
if I am talking pure and with
knowledge to everyone equally,
I’m talking a God-given
message that you make your
peace in the world. You don’t
kill. You don’t make enemies
between humans. This is the
main message of all religions.
I don’t know of any religion in
the world that doesn’t have that
thought. You make peace and
love and provide hospitality
to poor people without food
and medicine. If you are rich
with knowledge, you provide
knowledge. If you are rich with
money, you provide money for other people.
If you are rich in food, you eat a little and
provide food for other people. You know music?
So you play good and nice music for humans.
ZJ: How did you learn to play healing music?
UN: I have seen it all my life. My father
would play, my grandfather would play and
people would be healed. Some people who are
arrogant would give a challenge from their
ego, but when the music would start, they
would be healed completely, tears in their eyes.
Or sometimes it would be a child. I would
see my grandfather make ablutions, tune his
instrument. He would say, “Close your eyes
and just feel while I play this music.” Then five
minutes, thirty or forty minutes after that I saw
they were completely cured. Then they started
teaching me the scales for healing. Now I have
44 years of my music life, my experiment.
First my heart connects with my music and I
feel cured. Then my audience feels cured.
(845) 586–3225 :: 31
Scholarships
The Center established a scholarship fund in 2011 to help those in need attend our programs. As
donations earmarked for scholarship are received, the funds are allocated. For the 2012 program
season, a limited number of scholarships are available to cover up to 50% of program fees
(tuition+room+board). Programs with scholarship funds available are noted on the event pages on our
website. Priority for awarding scholarships goes to those who have not previously attended a program
at the Center.
Scholarship Application and Requirements
• Submit a 1-page letter detailing your interest in the specific teacher/tradition and program for which
you are applying. Include a brief statement of your financial need.
• In exchange for receiving scholarship funds, we ask recipients to submit a written reflection of their
experience following the program and the impact the program has had on their lives. Excerpts from
this written summary may be utilized by the Center in grant applications and in our marketing
materials.
Please send your scholarship request to: [email protected].
If you would like to make a donation to the Scholarship fund, please visit our website.
supporting the
Blue Deer Center
All our efforts have taken root in establishing a home for ancestral traditions. With our current annual
giving, Tending the Plants, we have readied ourselves as people return to help us carry on the ancestral
ways. This year, the Center staff and volunteers are very focused on reaching out to the region and the
world to bring forth the dream that is the Blue Deer.
In Tending the Plants, we join together for a common future, in search of a shared understanding of
where we are going and how. Our people have a need for sustenance that we can only get from the
land. The Center is on the verge of making a very large step into the world. We are tending to the land,
facilities, and you—our donors, supporters, volunteers, program participants, and elders—to be part of
this undertaking.
Program fees only cover a portion of the costs to operate, and the Center needs your help. To learn
more about the possibilities for taking part in the Center’s giving programs, please go to our website
and click on “GIVE.”
In deep gratitude, we would like to thank all of the people from over the years for their unwavering
support in providing a home for ancestral traditions.
Making a one-time donation, a monthly pledge, or a planned gift is an easy and simple way to
demonstrate support for the Center’s offerings. This year, we look forward to working with you to
bring the Blue Deer’s offerings into the world.
To add your support and learn more, please go to https://www.bluedeer.org/give.
Thank you,
Peter Brown, Fundraising Director
32 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 33
Program Registration
Lodging & Meals
Please register for your program on our website or give us a call at (845) 586–3225.
The program fees noted in the catalog and website are allinclusive and include tuition, accommodations, and meals
during your stay. Accommodations in either our Main House
or Guest House are shared, with two to four people per room
in comfortable beds and shared bathrooms. Please bring sheets
and a pillowcase for a twin bed and a towel. Please note that
linen service fees are $25 for sheets and a pillow case and $15
for towel and washcloth.
The programs listed in this catalog may not reflect recently scheduled events. We reserve the right to
cancel any program.
For the most up-to-date program calendar, registration information and deadlines, please visit our
website. For specific questions and inquiries, please email Linda Felch at [email protected] or call
(845) 586–3225, ext. 4.
Commuter Participation
You will dine on fabulous gourmet fare each day, lovingly
prepared by our chef extraordinaire. During registration you
will have the option of selecting regular meals or vegetarian
meals. With advanced notice, and for a small additional fee,
our staff will do its best to accommodate any special dietary
needs such as gluten-free meals. Coffee and tea service will
be available. Feel free to bring your own snack foods, though
with our chef ’s great cooking you probably won’t find yourself
hungry! Dinner is usually served at 7pm on the first night
of each program, although mealtimes may vary for each
individual program.
Many programs offer participants the option of commuter participation. Please visit our website to
see if commuter participation is available for your program. Should you choose this option, please be
aware that you are expected to participate fully in the program and that you are responsible for your
own transportation to and from the Center. Pricing for commuters includes both lunch and dinner,
but not breakfast.
Cancellation Policy
Certain programs have their own cancellation policies that supersede our general policy. These can
be found under individual program descriptions on our website. In the absence of any mention of
cancellation, the following policy applies: Cancellation of your reservation more than 14 days prior to
arrival entitles you to a full refund less a $50 processing fee. If you cancel 2 to 14 days prior to arrival,
your program fee, less a $50 processing fee, will be held for you to use in another future program for
up to one year. No refunds or credits will be issued for cancellations received less than 48 hours before
a program’s start date.
Visiting Us
Would you like to make a special personal visit to the Center?
Please call to make arrangements before your trip or plan to
visit during one of our monthly open houses.
Getting to the Blue Deer Center
We are located in the beautiful Catskills of New York. Please let us know about your travel plans so that
we know your arrival and departure times.
Driving Directions: See our website for best driving directions from the Albany International Airport,
New York City, and Oneonta.
Air Travel: The closest major airport is in Albany. Albany International Airport is two hours by car or
3 1/2 hours by bus. LaGuardia and Kennedy in New York City are two other options but require a
longer commute. For programs ending before 2pm, we advise taking flights after 6pm. For programs
ending after 2pm, we recommend flying the following day. You can reserve a room for an extra night
and take the bus to the airport in the morning.
Public Transportation: Available from Albany International Airport and New York City Port
Authority. We provide free shuttle service to and from the Trailways bus stop in Margaretville, NY.
TRAILWAYS (800) 858–8555
• Albany International Airport: Take the Trailways bus (leaves daily at 12:25pm) to Kingston, NY for
transfer to Margaretville, NY.
• New York City Airports: Take Airport Shuttle to the Port Authority and then the Trailways bus
directly to Margaretville.
If you would like to carpool or have a ride to offer, please contact Kristina at 845.586.3225 ext 4 or
email us at [email protected].
Blue Deer Center: 1155 County Route 6 (also known as County Hwy 6 and New Kingston Rd.),
Margaretville, NY 12455.
34 :: www.BlueDeer.org
(845) 586–3225 :: 35
Margaretville, NY 12455
For the most current program information and to receive
our monthly E-newsletter, including articles and interviews,
please visit our website — www.BlueDeer.org.
N ONPR OF IT ORG
U .S . P OS TAG E
PAID
D EN V ER , CO
P ER MIT N O. 3280
Blue Deer Center
PO Box 905
Grounded in the wisdom
held by the elders, programs
offered at the Blue Deer
Center enable you to
connect more deeply with
nature, community, and
the heart. The ancestral
traditions provide a
timeless pathway to
emotional, physical, and
spiritual wellbeing.
BLUE
DEER
CENTER
Blue Deer Center is a charitable organization that is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3)
Blue Deer Center | P.O. Box 905, Margaretville, New York 12455 | www.bluedeer.org