Born in Luxemburg in 1947, I studied Oriental Languages, specifically Kurdish and Persian, at the Ecole Nationale des Langues Orientales and Cultural Anthropolgy at the Sorbonne. Later, I spent two years in Iraqi and Turkish Kuridstan studying the oral tradition of the Kurds, recording their fairy tales and music. My attention then turned to India, where I became closely acquainted with the Dhrupad style of classical music. A turning point occurred at the age of 40 when I became, for several years, a student of the Hungarian Joska Soos, shaman and artist. My stays in the Autonomous Republic of Tuva in southern Siberia allowed me to work with the local shamans among the Tuvans, deepening my knowledge. For the past 20 years I have been giving workshops in the Netherlands and France. At present I am based in Amsterdam.
Programme for Sunday 29 July:
Shamanistic Ritual.
1. General lecture about shamanism from an anthropological and geographical angle: origins, methods, aims and common principles and characteristics in different places and cultures.
2. Explanation of the specific variant of shamanism which I practice. It is essentially based on sound and is typical of northern Eurasia but also occurs in a place like Nepal and south-east Asia. Next I shall give some instructions about the technique of this variant which will enable the audience to participate actively in the ritual.
3. The ritual itself is an active sound meditation in which people will experience the affects of sound on the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. At this time, I sing, drum, play Tibetan bowls and other instruments. The participants are invited to produce whatever sound comes up in them spontaneously. In this way it becomes possible for them to distance themselves from everyday reality, the ways of thinking and feeling. Specifically, the sound enables them to journey with their astral body into other dimensions.
4. After the conclusion of the ritual the participants can share their experiences. I shall be available to answer other questions they might have or whatever points they might want to raise.