Dana Robinson

Dana Robinson, B.A., C.S.C.

When still a little boy, I felt drawn to the spiritual. I remember feeling connected to a "higher power" that was aware of everything. As I grew older, I became interested in different paths, including the internal martial arts, ecstatic Christianity, Eastern religions and philosophies, and meditation. All the while, I yearned for the kinds of experiences Carlos Castaneda described in his first five books. Then I met Michael Harner, taking the Basic workshop in 1981, and felt that I had found what I had been looking for: a spirituality that offered direct experience, promoted intimacy with the natural world, enabled one to help others, and demanded personal freedom.

Teaching for the Foundation is very important in my life: there are always new things to learn and new people to meet. I also work privately with people as requests arise.

The shamanic path has taught me to enjoy life more: I think that it is a wonderful way to awaken one's awareness. Besides running and swimming daily, and writing occasionally, I also play golf, a game with a spiritual component, and derive particular pleasure from the birds and squirrels in the woods behind my house and the thousands of other miracles that surround all of us daily.

Dana Robinson has taught over 600 workshops for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies over the last 30 years. Dana's students say:

What an incredible weekend! Words cannot describe how alive and how wonderful I feel. The playfulness, the joy and laughter have been awakened deep within my spirit. I feel so alive and so extraordinarily centered and grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I want to thank you for a wondrous weekend....since then all this seeming magic has happened.

I feel like have slipped through the wardrobe into Narnia as a result of the weekend – I will never look at or interact with the natural world in the same way again.

My partner and I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful workshop you had this past weekend. It was an amazing experience—with a plus that we learned SO much and still had SO much fun in the process. Today, we are still talking about the great weekend we just had, and are both truly looking forward to the next one. What an amazing gift you share with people!

A graduate of the University of Maryland, he has explored several spiritual paths culminating in his work with the Foundation. He has studied extensively with Michael Harner and FSS, including participating in the Foundation’s Three-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing and various 5-day trainings exploring the work of the Brazilian Spiritists, the Tuvan shamans, and an Ulchi shaman. Dana is a Certified Harner Method Shamanic Counselor (C.S.C.) and has taught the Harner Method Shamanic Counseling Training. In addition to his shamanic knowledge, Dana brings humor, good listening skills, a solid sense of timing, and a deep love of the work to the Foundation workshops he teaches.