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Including
ECOVILLAGE DESIGN
GROUP DECISION MAKING
DYNAMIC GOVERNANCE
REGENERATIVE ENTERPRISE
INTEGRATIVE ECO-SOCIAL DESIGN
INNER ECOLOGY
INVISIBLE STRUCTURES
PERMACULTURE DESIGN
HANDS-ON ACTION-LEARNING
AMAZONION PLANT MEDICINE & SHAMANISM
SONG, CEREMONY, RITES OF PASSAGE
& MUCH MORE
Hosted By
The Paititi Institute
Instructors & Facilitators
Gregory Landua
Cynthia Robinson
Rebeccah Fresco
Roman Hanis
Course Overview
As we take our first breaths in 2013 it is time to take active steps in rethinking how we live on this planet together.
What does it look like to intentionally co-create healing human communities that are rooted in healthy relationships between humans and nature, humans and humans, and humans and spirit?
It is our experience and understanding that being deeply rooted in personal relationship with spirit and understanding of our place in the cosmos, aided and accelerated by indigenous ancestral plant medicine ceremonies, allows for transformational personal and cultural healing and empowers the emergence and creation of vibrant communities.
How does relationship with spirit, with indigenous ancestral plant medicine ceremonies and with deep commitment to healing one’s self and the planet empower the creation of vibrant communities?
Each group will have its own answer and this course explores how to develop awareness and practices that allow for the growth of functional, healthy, earth-based, regenerative, post-modern, productive communities and ecovillages.
We will explore the creative tensions that arise when designing community, living in community and committing to community. These tensions can be evolutionary forces that weave our communities together into supportive, productive, healing families, or they can tear apart relationships and destroy idealism.
We will learn from the mistakes from the past and we will allow for the dream of the future, we will stay grounded firmly in the now through body awareness, practices, and the development of authentic communication skills.
Participants will engage community governance theory and practice including consensus models, post consensus model, and community theory from monarchy to anarchy. Where does your dream fit? How do you build it?
Course Work
The theoretical framework in which we will be learning and working together will cover:
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•Group decision making and governance
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•Ecovillage history and theory
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•Right Livelihood and Regenerative Enterprise
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•Resonant field awareness
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•Permaculture Design
The work of building community is a journey into opposites — the dual nature of being true to one’s own heart and also being committed to the community. Pragmatism and Idealism, Freedom and Commitment, Scarcity and Abundance.
We look forward to creating the change we want to see in the world together.
Evening Activities
Music circles, field trips, swimming, cooking and raw food prep class, wild foraging, traditional plant medicine ceremonies, etc. Massage and Acupuncture will be available as needed.
Travel & Accommodations
Participants should plan to arrive in the city of Iquitos, Peru by the evening of January 3rd as the course will begin the morning of January 4th. The best way to travel to Iquitos is to via plane from Lima and the best prices are available once in the country. More travel details will be provided once registered and also available in the Travel Prep document which can be downloaded at the top of this page.
There are traditional houses on the property where all participants will share space. Private rooms huts may be available if not in use by patients of the Natural Medicine Hospital and/or Transformation Retreat Participants. The facilities have running water in some locations, showers and composting toilets. There is no electricity at this time, but we will run a generator (soon to be replaced by solar) once a day to pump water and students can charge electronic equipment during these times. Internet is available in the city of Iquitos and a trips will be worked into the schedule.
Once registered we will be in touch to coordinate your pick up in Iquitios and provide details on how to prepare for your trip. Feel free to contact us for travel question, concerns and advice.
What is Permaculture?
Suggested Book List
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•Creating a Life Together by Diana Lief Christain
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•Finding Community by Diana Lief Christain
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•Ecovillages: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Communities by Jan Martin Bang
More Info, Contact & Questions
To read more about this retreat please download the Info & Prep pdf;s available for download below.
Contact & Questions email: info@paititi-institute.org
(Enter Referral Code: Living Mandala - for 10% Discount!
Shamanic Ecovillage Design
Embodying Authentic Community
January 4 - 16, 2013
Peruvian Amazon Rainforest - The Paititi Institute
Contribution
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•$1625 for the full 13 day retreat.
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•Partial participation is not permitted for this retreat.
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•Cost includes all course work, ceremonies, food and lodging.
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•Cost does not include international or national airfare, transiting hotel, meals, or transport (e.g. taxi, etc.) in Lima, Peru.
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•Couples and group discounts available. Individual with financial difficulties are welcome to contact us directly to discuss your situation.
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•Package deals are available for participants who would like to participate in additional retreats during the fall/winter season. Please contact us for more info, such as the Shamanic Permaculture Design Course directly following from Jan 19 - Feb 2, 2013.
10% Off Through Living Mandala!
The Paititi Institute is offering a special discount of 10% off for participants who register through Living Mandala. To receive the discount, enter referral code: Living Mandala
Universal Wisdom: Amazonian Plant Medicine & Shamanism
As part of the course the participants will have an option to partake in ancient Amazonian indigenous ceremonies of Ayahuasca and Andean culture of San Pedro. The ceremonies will be lead by local Shamans, who have followed the path of Amazonian tradition of Ayahuasca and other healing plants for all of their lives. They are our long time teachers and have an incredible ability to channel the wisdom and the healing power of nature. Participation in traditional ceremonies is optional. Both of these plants have been declared to be a national heritage and cultural treasure of Peru.
The ceremonies associated with these sacred plants have been known for thousands of years to reconnect people with Mother Nature, heal from all ailments and clear all confusions, doubts and obscurations of consciousness. We encourage our participants to connect with Nature inside out and this is a very beneficial way to tap into the source of life in the universe as we know it. We will learn to use awareness and truth to guide the process of evolving an authentic healing community.
Plants are teachers and the spirit of these plants can support us in connecting to deep subtle energies of our body and the interwoven reality surrounding us. The indigenous amazonian cultures have an extensive and deep knowledge of the medicinal and sacred plants of the rainforest through abiding uninterruptedly for 1000s of years in the jungle and creating synergetic relationship with this organism of which we human beings are an integral part. The intention of our work is creating a global community of individuals who remember this ancestral heritage.
In addition to traditional ceremony we will have wild herb walks in the rainforest surrounding our retreat space, exploring the medicinal plant and superfoods of the Amazon.
Ecovillages & Intentional Communities
Over thee last 50 years, the international Ecovillage and Intentional Communities movement has birthed communities all over the world and connected together communities that already exist or have existed for thousands of years. Some of these communities include eco-towns like Auroville in South India, the Federation of Damanhur in Italy and Nimbin in Australia; small rural ecovillages like Gaia Asociación in Argentina and Huehuecoyotl in Mexico; urban rejuvenation projects like Los Angeles EcoVillage and Christiania in Copenhagen; permaculture design sites such as Crystal Waters, Australia, Cochabamba, Bolivia and Barus, Brazil; and educational centres such as Findhorn in Scotland, Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, Earthlands in Massachusetts, large networks like Sarvodaya (11,000 sustainable villages in Sri Lanka); EcoYoff and Colufifa (350 villages in Senegal); the Ladakh Project on the Tibetian plateau; and many more.
Site Details - The Paititi Institute
The Paititi Institute for the Preservation of the Amazon Rainforest & Indigenous Culture is a Peruvian based non-profit actively working with communities in Peru and the U.S. The institute is based on 100 acres in the Peruvian Rainforest between the city of Iquitos and the village of Nauta, and is the base for their cornerstone projects — Natural Medicine Center, Institute for Indigenous Studies and Permaculture Education Center. In the United States the institute participates in many community building projects and assists communities in the grounding of their spiritual base in collaboration with the Planetary Spirit Native American Church.
The center has been established as a model community incorporating permaculture restoration and reforesting projects, forest gardens, a living library of medicinal plants, department for Indigenous studies and a traditional Amazonian healing center.
The Paititi Institute is a lighthouse. It exists as a space of healing and service guiding us to the light of our true nature and true potential to live in symbiotic harmony with our fellow human beings and the mother of us all, planet Earth.
Facilitators & Instructors
Gregory Landua
current work and service in the world
Gregory is a founding member of the Terra Genesis International permaculture design firm, Director of Regenerative development for Nova Monda Cacao and Chocolate., and an advisor for Gaia University International. His teaching emphasizes social and economic facets of Permaculture design. Gregory embraces the practical aspects of regenerative ecological design by being a permaculture farm owner, member of local and multi-local intentional communities and seasoned permaculture designer.
Lead Instructor
Cynthia Robinson
Initially Cynthia got her BA Degree a the University of Michigan School of Art and Design with a focus in Design, Communication and creative problem solving. After graduation she pursued her passion to bring deeper values for nature and humanity into the world working as a brand strategist and designer supporting both Fortune 500 as well as smaller companies to implement Permaculture thinking into their infrastructure, product designs and marketing.
Working in Corporate New York City lead her to discover a more profound passion to support herself and others in establishing deeper connection to nature, the ancestral values and unlocking our highest potential as human beings. She traded in the corporate board rooms for 100 acres in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest where she co-founded the Paititi Institute for the Preservation of the Amazon Rainforest and Indigenous Culture.
At the Paititi Institute she is working along side her partners to create a platform that integrates ancient wisdom into practical applications in our modern world, building intercultural bridges for healing on physical, emotional and spiritual levels for all people from all cultures and all spiritual traditions. She currently works to develop and facilitate holistic experiential education models weaving together our inner and outer landscapes through nature awareness, traditional Permaculture education, health education and indigenous Amazonian teachings and practices integrated with ancestral wisdom from all around the planet.
In addition she serves as the Director of Permaculture at the institute where she is in charge of establishing tropical permaculture models at the grounds of the institute, while establishing an intentional community, that implements many ongoing outreach projects in the local native villages and tribes. The projects focus on appropriate technology for sanitation and clean water, fair trade exports, and cultural healing exchange programs which establish natural medicine clinics.
At the same time she is currently in the process of being initiated into the Indigenous Amazonian Healing practices to become a medicine woman and carry on an ancient lineage of healing wisdom.
Assistant Instructor - Co-Founder of Paitit Institute & Director of Permaculture
Roman Hanis
Seeing the vital role that ancient cultural practices can play in today’s world, Roman honors and shares their value and wisdom through his work in community projects, healing retreats and educational workshops in both Peru and the U.S.
He is a certified Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) practitioner in Peru, and studied the fundamentals of TCM and acupuncture as an apprentice under the director of the Open International Institute of Oriental Medicine, Myriam Hacker, in Iquitos, Peru.
In 2002, Roman was fortunate enough to be cured of a terminal, genetic illness. In 2004 he was pledged as a healer-curandero by the Whitoto tribe and has served the international community as a medicine man ever since. He has also practiced physical trauma rehabilitation, medical massage therapy and eastern bodywork, having earned his AOS degree from New York’s Swedish Institute of Health. With these tools and concentrated efforts, he has been able to help numerous individuals overcome many health issues and pathologies on physical, mental and spiritual levels.
Since 1999, Roman has also practiced the Eastern spiritual disciplines of Tibetan breathwork & meditation, QiGong, Yoga, Shaolin physical therapy and Toltec practices as well as the perspective of these disciplines from Jungian psychology. He speaks Spanish, Hebrew, Russian and English.
Roman looks forward to eradicating suffering in the world and its cause — ignorance — by promoting education on the possibilities of more sustainable, harmonious relationships with nature, and to simultaneously create supportive, self-sustaining and nurturing communities.
Director of the Center for Indigenous Medicine; Ando-Amazonian and Chinese Medicine Man
Hosting Organization
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