Dear Sisters and Brothers in Humanity,

The council of the Circle of Wisdom of the Union of Ancestral Traditions came together on November, Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th.

The violent events in France provoked a response from government which decreed the state of emergency. This has for consequence a ban of all public demonstrations taking place outside of protected enclosures. However, police commissioners can allow an event under condition of drastic security measures.
Our Shamanism festival which welcomes thousands of visitors each year takes place on several hectares in an open nature does not meet the exceptional security requirements! The police commissioner for the department therefore can not allow our event.
On our side, we can't wait for the end of the state of emergency to launch our organization and logistics for the festival, especially as this situation might be extended by the government.

Several alternatives were presented to us:

Cancel our meeting and postpone it until next year,
Find another place (where we would be faced with the same requirements),
Do the festival in another French-speaking country,
Maintain our meeting in an enclosed space, like a congress hall.

Our wisdom was tested. After lengthy interventions from all present council members and after the celebration of a ceremony in the night of November 24th, the council could take its decision unanimously on the next day, November 25th.
Inspired by the Ancestors of our lineages the sisters and brothers decided to maintain the 9th Gathering of the Shamans from the five continents, exceptionnally without public participation.

It seemed essential to us to get together and unite for four days to celebrate Peace and Love.
This frazzled and tired world is counting on our strength and our consciousness. The planet is worn out by the human thoughtlessness, consciences wounded by fundamentalists of thought await an awakening of humankind. Fear which nibbles at each cell of our humanity has to be transformed into trust.

The Shamans, carriers of their traditions, have always been symbol of a free spirituality, free from all dogmas all the while remaining connected to the forces of nature. Their primary function is to participate in the world's balance with the powers behind it. The urgency requires us to fulfill together our primary function.

The time has finally come to find ourselves united in order to share our wisdom, our teachings and our ceremonies in the interest of our suffering humanity.

So we have decided to maintain our gathering on the same dates.
All planned guests of the 9th Festival program are invited to this gathering to demonstrate our peaceful but voluntary determination to restore Peace, Love and Wisdom to this dying humanity.

The time for benevolence is no longer a luxury but a vital necessity! Love becomes a political act, socially and economically which can reverse the inevitability of destruction and death.

Many shamans from the five continents alert their brothers and sisters before the impending environmental, humanistic and spiritual disaster.
The latest dramatic events in France and Africa generate cries and tears.
Some, in the streets of Paris, were singing "get your weapons, citizens ...."
We beholders of Ancestral Traditions sing "Peace, Love and Wisdom."
May this Medicine song resonates with determination!

From Thursday, April 28th to Sunday, May 1st, 2016 will take place in France, the largest Shamanic Ceremony known to date.
Greater by its universality and by the gathering of 150 representatives of Ancestral Traditions.
A film of the event in English, French and Spanish will be produced by our Circle to carry the word of the shamans present. It will be directed by Yann Le Flochmoën.
An international press conference will be held on Sunday, May 1st, to testify of our wisdom, as for our words to reach far and high.

We lack the financial means to carry out this project, no public no money! Therefore we will appeal to your participatory generosity. May you largely relay this appeal for donations within your networks ! A presentation film is posted online.

My sisters and brothers in humanity we need your help and it is together with great enthusiasm that we will put all our strength at the service of the Work and the success of this extraordinary event! Which is, moreover, in the greatest selflessness, the whole organization team volunteering at 100%.

These 40,000€ represent a huge and yet insufficient amount (actually more than 60,000€ would be necessary !) to meet the logistics costs and charges incurred by the travel and the accommodation of the 150 participants from the 5 continents. Therefore we rely on your generosity to widely surpass this 40,000€ threshold! If funds remain available afterwards, they will be used for the 2017 shamanism festival.

We are at a crossroads in the evolution of our humanity
our union is even more necessary than ever.
In traditional culture there is always an exchange,
Here is the one we're proposing eventhough we guess that your support is selfless.

Spiritual and fraternal friendship!

Patrick Dacquay
Customary Chief of the Circle of Wisdom of the Union of Ancestral Traditions

Participants to the 9th Gathering

AMERICA

CANADA : Paul Corriveau, Cori Derrickson, Plume d'Aigle Blanc, Jade Chabot
UNITED STATES : Brooke Medicine Eagle
MEXICO : Ulises Osorno Bozano, Manu Tlaloc, Marakame Andres Carrillo Bautista, Marakame Antonio Carrillo Bautista, Hauli Santiago Alonso Gonzales, Acamapixtli, Kiahuitlquetzal
ECUADOR : Jipi Japa
COLOMBIA : Angela Varela
BRAZIL : Matsini Yawanawa, accompanied by Solen A.M.K.
PERU : Tupaq Sonqo

AFRICA

CONGO : Élimâ Ngando, Célestin Mukanda accompanied by Celeste Lagioia, Nè Nkondo Kiananua
GABON : Gue Kiene N’douan, Etincelle Divine accompanied by Gnygone Mebague, the Universal Mother, Makondja, The Messenger, Quoindoi, the Whirlpool
MALI : Tiegniery Diarra
MOROCCO : Abdellah Akharraz, accompanied by Si Mohamed Akharraz, Ismail Akharraz, Rachid El Ayoubi, Rabiaa Lassoued
TUNISIA : Sagal Adel Ben Romdhane Ben Slimene

CENTRAL AND NORTH ASIA

MONGOLIA : Ayangat accompanied by 16 shamans, 3 assistants and 3 musicians
REPUBLIC OF BURYATIA, RUSSIA : Nadia Stepanova
REPUBLIC OF TUVA, RUSSIA : Vera sazhina
TCHOUKOTKA, RUSSIA : Olga Letykai accompanied by Zoia

ASIA

JAPAN : Kaz Ogawa
SOUTH KOREA : Sung-Mi-parck
NEPAL : Bhola Nath Banstola

OCEANIA

AOTEAROA - NEW ZEALAND : Iris Waimaania Davis, Ojasvin Kingi Davis

EUROPA

SWEDEN : Anja Normann
ITALY : Costanzo Allione & Anna Saudin
HUNGARY : Marianna Varady
SWITZERLAND : Line Sturny, Jean-Mary Grezet, Frédéric Roure, Alain Remy, Groupe Yamaël, Jeanmichel Capt, Pierre Billeter
BELGIUM : Minthé, Zunthi, Charles-Henry Massa
FRANCE : Abuelita Tumulti, Didier Rauzy, Pascal Gautrin, Hervé Estival, Marie Dominique Linder, Arundhati & Vasistha, Elvire Clev, Marc Leblet, Jean Jack Baudry, Martine Cros & Yann Le Flochmoen, Ozegan, accompanied by a troupe of 'Sonneurs' (players of traditional music), Jean Luc Mordret, Audrey Lecorgne & Julian Cuvilliez, 30 Déos (Celtic healers), Patrick Dacquay, Marc Vella, Yves Fouillat, Laetitia Very, Anne Givaudan, Toumaï, Jean-Pierre Meyran , Philippe Bobola, Gabriel Oko, Claudine & Serge Ravnich, Cœur De Soha, Laetitia Merli, David Paquin

Some links and videos from the 8th Shamanism Festival

Sacré Planète N° 71
Gilles Ray (Télélim) - international Festival of "Shamanism and ancestral Knowledges" in Black Périgord
Shamanism : 8th congress
Khar Sono, Mongol shaman
Philippe BOBOLA : Shamanism and quantum physics

Laëtitia MERLI, anthropologist : Shamanism in modern societies