COMPARATIVE STUDIES
CS 101 Introduction to Comparative Religion.
The works of authors such as Mircea Eliade and Joseph Campbell are studied on a Journey through world religious traditions, which may lead us to better understand our personal spiritual practices.
CS 201. Comparative Shamanism (3 cr). Elizabeth Sterling
Examination of Shamanism in various cultures in relation to the attempt to recover a Celtic form of shamanic experience and practice.
CS 202. Sexuality and Tantra (3 cr).
A comparison of western sexuality and the sacred uses of sexuality in Tantrism. Practical difficulties, mystical symbolism, ethical considerations.
CS 203. Paganism and Monotheism (3 cr). Elizabeth Sterling
Study of the historical and contemporary interplay of these two major religious systems of thought and practice. Conflict management, open dialog, and common ground.
CS 204 The Medicine Wheel (3 cr). Tsis'detsi Tsigoti
The vision of the Medicine Wheel is an unfolding vision. From the wheels of the Plains Indians that we call to mind when we think of a Medicine Wheel, to the Moundbuilders of the Midwest, to the standing stones of Stonehenge, the Medicine Wheel belongs to all of Creation. It is an important tool for these times, and by learning about the wheel, we learn about the Universe and our place within it. Students will not only work with the different stones and positions of the Medicine Wheel, but will also do creative visualization with the animals, plants and stones (called ‘totems’) of the relevant positions. This intuitive work will enable the students to open to the energies of the Wheel and to open their own inner doorways. In time, in any given situation they will intuitively know what is needed and why
CS 301. Jesus the Magician and other Shamans (3 cr). Elizabeth Sterling
Taking the book Jesus the Magician as a starting point, this course examines pagan and traditional tribal figures who might be described as shamans. Including Black Elk, Pythagoras, Taliesin, Elijah, among others from Australia, Africa, the Americas, and Asia.
CS 302 Jewish Shamanism (3 cr). Elizabeth Sterling
Examination of shamism in Jewish Torah, Talmud, and Folkore.
CS 303 The Indo-Europeans
Ranging from Ireland to India, this course looks at scholarly research into the Indo-European peoples identified as the prehistoric ancestors of all the modern languages of the Indo-European group, which includes Latin, the Celtic languages, Greek, Germanic languages and Sanskrit, among others. Modern Neopaganism hearkens back to all of these pagan cultures of the past. This course will combine history and linguistics with archaeology and anthropology for a cross-disciplinary study.
CS 404 Advanced Medicine Wheel (3 cr). Tsis'detsi Tsigoti.
Prerequisite: CS 204 The Medicine Wheel. In CS 202 The Medicine Wheel, you learned how to construct and use a Medicine Wheel. Here we will put that knowledge to use, and see how it applies to ceremony, personal growth, and healing throughout the course of a year. We will work more one-on-one with the different energies of the different positions of the wheel as the year turns, and make Medicine Wheel tools to assist us in that work. By the end of the course, the student will be familiar with several different Medicine Wheel ceremonies. They will learn how to create their own ceremonies, and will have walked the Wheel and made tools to use on that journey. Note: This course runs for an entire calendar year, meeting once a month.
