Ariadne Green author .....

 

Those who gather in her dream circles and shamanism workshops recognize Ariadne Green as a profound shaman and mystic. She never tires of listening to a good dream stating that a dream is like an intriguing mystery waiting to be unraveled and understood.

Her story is a remarkable one and offers us an example of how a woman in western culture with seemingly no indigenous roots could become a recognized shaman. She began her spiritual development with a profound spiritual awakening in 1987 after she had prayed for the salvation of humanities children. Her prayer was answered almost immediately. Like most shamans she had a near death experience which included dreams and visions. What was catalyzed was a deep soul transformation and healing crisis, an initiatory experience sparked by internal forces that lay dormant for most.

Her healing gifts emerged and she opened to a non-ordinary reality called the Dreamtime. This state of awakened awareness sees every event and moment as meaningfully connected and is considered an enlightened state by most mystical traditions. Ariadne says that in Dreamtime life becomes meaningful, innocent and a magical transcendent experience where you are guided step by step towards your authentic purpose. At this juncture, she left her home and practice as a psychotherapist in California and headed to the high dessert of Taos New Mexico where the land still holds a rich Native American spiritual legacy. There she made a true reconnection to earth based spirituality. She began a period of deep inner work, catharsis and purification, met kindred spirits with a shared vision and renewed her certainty that God's grace exists. She began channeling a spirit guide she calls Elvis, a Lakota Indian whom she refers to as her most profound spiritual teacher. From the spirit world, Elvis used his humor and gentle prodding to help her gain mastery as a shaman and healer. He opened her eyes to many worlds with many dimensions where nature interacts in harmony with the individual. He taught her how to create sacred space and ritual and demonstrated to her how nature could be coaxed magically through ceremony.

Ariadne considers her second most important teachers to be children. "Children have always and will continue to be an inspiration to me," says Ariadne. "Their active imaginations and innocent understanding of life is a pure joy to witness." She comments that children see the world in a more real way than we do, more like a shaman does. They expect miracles. They only fall from grace when their parents demand it.

She began to explore children's myths and fairytales during her years at Cal State Hayward where she received a Masters degree in Educational Psychology. These fairytales held great mythological value to Ariadne and directed her to a more in depth study of comparative mythology. Her own mythology became of central importance towards discovering her own authentic path and purpose. The myth of Ariadne and the Labyrinth tells of an ancient woman of wisdom who guides her lover to slay an imprisoned archetype of the self, the Minotaur, at the center of a labyrinth. This story foretells of the return of mystical knowledge and wisdom to the consciousness of humanity as well as, the slaying of our ignorance. Ariadne's thread guides the journey and leads us to an enlightened life.

In 1994, Ariadne entered Saybrook Institute pursuing doctoral studies in Philosophy of Psychology and conducting research in the area of dreams, mythology and shamanism under the mentorship of Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Although academic studies were interesting they were not fulfilling personally or professionally. She realized that nature and the inner teacher fulfill us more and that our minds can be best served by our hearts. She concluded her studies after 3 years and directed her interests to serving her clients again. Ariadne like many who have been called to a spiritual life was forced to make many sacrifices in order to surrender to the path of a shaman. "This is loves way," she says. The condition of others suffering became her selfless service and she met it with a great deal of compassion and humbleness. She has assisted thousands to heal, to learn the value of their dreams and to quest for truth and wholeness on the shaman's path. "It is a humble profession to be a shaman, which requires a great deal of faith. Faith, when there seems to be no end to the suffering. Then just in the nick of time you fall to grace."

Through The Art of Shamanism a training program for individuals inspired by the shaman's path, she has for over a decade trained hundreds in shamanic healing practices. Shamanic Dreaming, a transformational workshop and creative and expressive journey through dreams and dreamtime is also sponsored in major cities around the world. Along with writing now, Ariadne is developing multimedia projects on dreams and shamanism, which include a video project and an online game for children. She is the founder of DreamThread at dreamthread.com.

In Ariadne's Book of Dreams: A Dictionary of Contemporary and Ancient Symbols, published by Skylight Press and Warner Books she brings meaning to the everyday symbols which we often witness without understanding. She is authoring a complementary book to the first, which will teach the reader how to view life as a dream more directly through practice. She views dream work and shamanism as the clearest and most direct way of tapping into the wealth of wisdom and healing potential within the subconscious. She holds the vision of transforming culture through dream work and shamanism.

Purchase Ariadne's Book of Dreams, Warner Books 2001 on Amazon.