Note: These are educational lectures and seminars. Sacred ceremonies are not listed here, are not offered for "sale", and some are not open to the public.

Lectures and seminars are offered at conferences, workshop centers, universities, churches, museums, book stores, and for Native American health centers and communities. To schedule an event, contact Kenneth Cohen's office at P.O. Box 1727, Nederland, CO 80466, U.S.A. Phone: 303-258-0971.

Calendar

Lecture and Book-signing Description

HONORING THE MEDICINE:
NATIVE AMERICAN HEALING

In this dynamic, information-packed, and entertaining talk, Kenneth Cohen will share cross-cultural perspectives on the principles, ethical values, and practice of Native American medicine. He will explore Native American medicine not as a thing of the past but as a living and still evolving tradition. He will discuss common misconceptions and stereotypes promoted by media, Hollywood, and the highly "imaginative" New Age Movement. Information will be presented from traditional and modern perspectives. Interspersed with songs and stories, Ken will attempt to answer: How do Native Americans understand health and disease? What is the purpose of common healing methods, such as counseling, herbs, vision-seeking, and ritual? He will also explore the connection between western and indigenous science, looking at what can and cannot be measured. At the end of the talk, Ken will sign copies of his book Honoring the Medicine, winner of the national health and wellness book award.

Workshop Descriptions

NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINE:
PRINCIPLES, VALUES, AND PRACTICES OF THE LIVING TRADITION

Note: In addition to the educational program described below, there will be an evening Public Healing Ceremony and pot-luck dinner. Everyone is welcome, and there is no charge for this event. Donations will be gratefully accepted and 100% given to an indigenous charity.

The medicine is in us and around us; it is the beauty and sacred power of nature. It is also our sense of life-purpose and direction. Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen, a traditional healer with more than 30 years teaching experience, will explain how discovering and honoring the medicine creates health, harmony, and happiness. Although focusing on Native American healing, Ken will also share effective and complementary practices from other ancient cultures, including Africa and Siberia. These traditions can teach us about living in harmony and beauty and how to heal our bodies, souls, and planet. Learn:

• Native American/ First Nations values: respect, courage, generosity, and humor
  
• Native American meditations to find life-purpose
  
• Breathing exercises to awaken healing energy
  
• The role of the voice in healing self and others
  
• Principles of diet and plant medicine
  
• An introduction to Native American energy medicine, including the early history of acupuncture in North America!
  
• The practice of silence, presence, and prayer
  Through discussion, story-telling, song, and experiential exercises we will awaken our indigenous hearts.

THE EAGLE AND THE SERPENT:
HEALING WISDOM OF THE AMERICAS

With Kenneth Cohen
and Grace Alvarez Sesma

In this dynamic exploration of indigenous traditions, you will learn about the culture, values, and healing practices of North America and Mexico. Discover how to soar like an eagle, to see from a wider, spiritual perspective, and how to be close to the earth, like a snake, aware of earth energy and the healing power of nature. You will experience the use of prayer, song, and dance in healing; learn about the role of herbs in indigenous medicine; practice subtle energy healing techniques; and, through discussion and story-telling, learn about the ancient values that are the key to a whole and happy life. We will also explore such important topics as cultural appropriation-- that is, what are the appropriate and respectful ways to learn about the original healing ways of the Americas? As indigenous calendars, such as the Mayan, come to a turning point, it is time to break down barriers formed by small-mindedness. Opposites are brought to unity and harmony: eagle and snake, male and female, mind and body. We merge with El Gran Silencio, the Great Silence of Spirit. Join Ken and Grace for a weekend of traditional teachings, prayer, ceremony, dreaming, and healing.

Bio Sketch

Kenneth Cohen, winner of the 2003 Elmer and Alyce Green Award for Innovation in Energy Medicine, is the author of the critically acclaimed classic Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing (Random House, 2003), and more than 200 journal articles. A health educator and practitioner of indigenous medicine, he has trained with Native American and other indigenous elders for more than thirty years. Cohen is a member of several medicine societies, and his work is strongly endorsed by his adoptive Cree Indian family and elders from several Native nations. Cohen was one of nine "exceptional healers" studied by the Menninger Institute and is considered a world leader in the dialogue between ancient wisdom and modern science. His lectures have been sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, the Canadian Ministry of Culture, and many universities.

Grace Alvarez Sesma (www.curanderismo.org), from Mexican Yaqui Indian roots, has for more than 7 years practiced traditional ceremony, philosophy, and medicine as an apprentice/practitioner to Yaqui-Maya medicine man, Tezkalci Matorral Kachora of Mexico. She has lectured on Curanderismo at San Diego State University, UCSD, and other institutions. In May, 2006, she was privileged to attend and participate in ceremonies during the International 13 Indigenous Grandmothers Council in Huautla de Jimenez, Oaxaca, Mexico. Grace is a 1993 Fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, a collaborative leadership project with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Calendar of Lectures, Workshops & Courses