Rev. Reenie Panzini is a graduate of The New Seminary, and is dually ordained by the Interfaith Temple / NYC and OUnI (Order of Universal Interfaith).   Published author of The Brightest Town…An Interfaith Holiday Story, her ministry is geared towards children of all faiths and abilities.  Along with seminars and classes where parents and children learn the similarities of the world’s religions, and that love is the basis of all of them, she also leads Meditation and Affirmation classes for Special Needs kids and classes for Sensitive/Psychic Kids.  She is the mother of three beautiful, motivating, and gifted children. She can be reached at RevReenie@gmail.com

RICHARD SHULMAN

Keyboardist and composer Richard Shulman creates music intended to be a positive influence for himself, audiences, and society.

Richard has recorded 23 of his own albums as well as more than two dozen other recordings for which he has provided compositions, performances and/or musical production. Trained in the classical and jazz fields, he has developed a heartfelt language in these genres while focussing a significant amount of his output on music for meditation, healing and inspiration. He currently divides his concert schedule between performances of his meditation music and his original jazz as personified by the Richard Shulman Trio.Shulman has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Art Park, the United Nations, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Amenia Peace Festival and a wide variety of other venues throughout North America and in Europe.

As a composer, Shulman has created over sixty pieces for jazz quartet as well as songs and pieces for chamber ensembles, choir, and symphony orchestra. In 1986 and 1987 he composed music for orchestra and jazz quartet during residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. From 1986 through 1995, Shulman was the principal composer for "Theatre of the Heart," a cooperative of dancers, singers, and musicians dedicated to fostering community and the environment. Commissions include a piece for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet, and "May Peace Prevail on Earth" for singers, symphony orchestra, three choirs, and jazz quartet, created for the World Peace Prayer Society. In addition, he has created hundreds of 'Musical Soul Portrait' recordings for individuals, couples, and groups.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, he began piano lessons at age seven. As a teenager Richard played organ at various churches, was the music counselor at a summer camp in Canada, and joined a rock band with future jazz recording artists Thom Rotella and Bobby Previte. Shulman graduated from the University of Rochester with a double-major Bachelor's degree in music (piano performance) and psychology while continuing to perform with Previte in the jazz-fusion band Thermopylae.

While at Rochester, Shulman also attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music and studied jazz improvisation with Chuck Mangione and Marian McPartland, orchestration with Donald Hunsberger and arranging with the legendary Rayburn Wright. Shulman continued his studies in jazz with Frank Foster, composition with William Kothe and Lejaren Hiller, and piano with Yvar Mikashoff while getting his Masters Degree in musical composition at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During those years he played onstage in concert with such jazz stalwarts as Thad Jones, Eddie Gomez, Pepper Adams, Jerry Dodgion, Freddie Hubbard and Al Harewood, and recorded his first jazz album, Wonder.

After moving to New York City, Shulman played in the studio as a session musician with the great jazz rhythm section of Ron Carter and Grady Tate; performed with groups such as The Richard Reiter Swing Band, Providence and Crossing Point; and recorded and performed with the acts Mr. Spats (Steve Evans, June Bisantz, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses) and Bobby Previte. The Richard Shulman Group, a jazz quartet, played regularly in the New York area and recorded the albums A Simple Gift and Open Spaces, and Richard also released the solo jazz piano album Solo Flight.

In New York City, he found himself on a spiritual search which lead him to meditation classes. While continuing his jazz performances, Shulman began playing for the meditation and healing groups which he attended. His first recording incorporating some of this meditative style was the extemporaneous solo piano album, World Peace, recorded on the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. This album had been suggested by a healer who also showed him that he could create music for individuals for healing and alignment. These recordings became known as "Musical Soul Portraits" and have been a feature of Shulman's solo concerts ever since. This work led him into creating more albums for healing and meditation, including A Higher Dimension, Light Music, Music for Magnified Healing, First Rites and Sacred Music for Healing Hands Volumes 1 & 2.

Shulman's first two album releases with national marketing were Light from Assisi and Transformation at Assisi, inspired by spiritual pilgrimages to the town of Assisi in Italy where St. Francis lived. Richard then began groundwork for the 2002 project Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled with a pair of recordings -- Ascension Harmonics and the partially-orchestral Keeper of the Holy Grail -- with "spiritual attunements" by Samuel Welsh. "Our research for 'Holy Grail' led me to the larger picture of Camelot," says Shulman, who also took a trip to Glastonbury, England in 1995 to study the area. "I feel that the energies of Camelot still reside in places like the Abbey there and the Michael Tor, the sacred hill which is pictured on the cover of Camelot Reawakened."

From 1996 through 2005 Richard focussed on the creation of the CD and DVD/video Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled. Inspired by an inner vision, this project follows the manifestation of "Dreams of the Heart" in music and words. The CD and DVD feature a 35- piece orchestra consisting of members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, a choir, soloists, and Shulman at the piano. The concert and recording session were conducted by Robert Hart Baker.

Related albums recorded during this time include First Rites and Music to Walk the Labyrinth. The Camelot Reawakened CD won a 2003 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Visionary Award, and the DVD was a finalist in the 2006 awards. The DVD has also won an Award of Excellence and an honorable mention in the 2007 Accolade Competition.

In 2003, RichHeart Music released Shulman's duo album with cellist Adriana Contino, who for several years was the principal soloist for the Stuttgart, (Germany) Chamber Orchestra. New Beginnings explores the delicate balance between inner and outer listening in free flowing improvisations as well as upbeat and lyrical compositions. Shulman's solo piano CD, Music of Peace was released in June, 2006 and is music dedicated to and expressing inner peace.

His 2008 release, 11:11 Piano Meditations for Awakening, is a series of tranquil improvisations exploring "Wake up calls from Spirit." The 11:11 CD won a 2009 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Visionary Award for best CD in the meditational/healing music category.2009 brought the release of Sky Jazz, Shulman's first Jazz CD in many years, as well as the re-release on CD of "A Higher Dimension," a meditative solo piano album expressing qualities of spiritual realms.

After the completion of the Camelot Reawakened CD in 2002 and the DVD video in 2005, a friend sugguested a musical based on the Camelot Reawakened project.

"A Dream of Camelot" is a theatrical musical intended to portray the changing of deeply rooted patterns in the Archetype of Camelot for the sake of fulfilling dreams of the heart for individuals, society, and the planet.  Each song in “A Dream of Camelot” is an expression of consciousness in a process of maturing awareness. “A Dream of Camelot” has taken six years of writing and development to become the transformational catalyst it now is for casts and audiences alike.

2009 brought the first reading of the musical at the UR Light Center in Black Mountain, NC. The first full production, directed by Jerry Crouch, was presented at the Asheville NC Masonic Temple, March 11, 12, & 13, 2011 and the musical returned to the Masonic Temple March 29, 30, 31, and April 1, 2012, directed by Rock Eblen.

More info about the musical  "A Dream of Camelot" is available Here.

In 2013, Shulman is returning to and enhancing his own musical stream of healing and Divine Alignment with the production of a new album entitled "Bliss of Being." Although he has created eight albums of music for healing previously, these were all solo recordings, and "Bliss of Being" is his first ensemble recording with an intent of music for healing and divine connection. Shulman plays mostly piano on "The Bliss of Being" and a little synthesizer, and is joined by Adriana Contino - cello, Dielle Ciesco - vocals, Kate Steinbeck - flutes, and Bob Hinkle - crystal bowls to form The Pure Heart Ensemble. The international release date is June 21st 2013.

Richard Shulman currently lives in Asheville, NC and performs and records regionally and internationally.

LISTEN to Richard on BBSRadio. com on "Let's Find Out."

Simone Soucy, Colorado Artist, Organic Farmer, and Teacher of some of Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival Classes.

Susan Mokelke, J.D., President, FSS Faculty

"The Foundation for Shamanic Studies has had enormous impact on our world, helping to connect people all over the world with powerful sources of compassion and wisdom. The core shamanic teachings originated, researched, and developed by Michael Harner are primary and timeless. By learning these practical and remarkably effective methods, people are able to make direct contact with the helping spirits of another reality and bring back knowledge and healing to our troubled planet. When a person travels this road, he or she comes to know, as a matter of experience not of faith, of the fundamental unity of all things—an understanding that lies at the heart of an enlightened society.

"With the support of FSS faculty, students, donors, and other friends of shamanism, as President I am committed to helping to build a vital and sustainable future for the Foundation—in service to our mission to teach, study, and preserve shamanic knowledge for the welfare of our earth and its inhabitants."

Susan has worked with non-profit educational organizations since 1978: teaching, designing courses and materials, making educational presentations, fundraising, coordinating volunteer activities, writing, working with websites, and producing videos. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. She has been learning and practicing shamanism and shamanic healing since 1996.

In addition to her role as President, Susan is an FSS Faculty member. She has trained extensively in the Two Week Shamanic Healing Intensives and the Three-Year Programs of Advanced Initiations in Shamanism and Shamanic Healing – as well as teaching the Pacific Northwest Summertime Three Year program. Her articles on shamanism include Effective Core Shamanic Drumming Circles, Ethical Considerations in Shamanic Healing, and Core Shamanism and Daily Life. She developed the new FSS workshop Shamanism Practicum: Guidelines for a Healthy Shamanic Practice, and is the editor of the Shamanism Annual and the FSS E-Newsletter. She maintains an active shamanic healing practice.

"Susan Mokelke, who co-leads the Foundation for Shamanic Studies with me, has superb credentials as an outstanding shamanic healer and teacher. She is an inspiring, compassionate, and knowledgeable workshop leader. Anyone who studies with her can be sure of receiving the most up-to-date and accurate results of my research, for she maintains the gold standard of core shamanism. I recommend her enthusiastically." —Michael Harner

Her students say:

“Susan is filled with stories, grace, encouragement, authenticity, humor, and a strong sense of ethics. She demonstrates a vast knowledge and experience without any judging.”

“Susan is such a grounded, clear, honoring teacher and it is inspirational to witness her obvious comfort with, depth, and commitment to the spirit world and this work. Far from acting "the guru", Susan frequently redirects our questions back to us, encouraging us to seek the answer from our own Spirit Helpers. This approach further demonstrates her respect for the process and has helped me build confidence and familiarity with my own relationship with the spirit world."
—Christobel Macdonald, Three-Year Program student

"Thank you so much for such a great workshop (Basic Workshop) this past weekend! It was absolutely wonderful to get such a good grounding in shamanic practice, so clear and eloquently explained and with so much time for practice and discussion and experience."

"Excellent information and presented so well. Clear, kind, gentle, direct. Very knowledgeable."

Susan has had a lifelong interest in creativity and the creative process. She has composed two CDs of healing songs - Teachings from the Spirits (originally produced by FSS) and Be a Light - and has written a fantasy novel, Roseheart.

Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses. She lectures and conducts workshops worldwide, bridging cultural anthropology, psychology, and comparative religions. Her work is currently used in medical, academic, and corporate environments. She is the President of the Foundation for Cross-Cultural Education and Research. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages and she has received three honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of her work.

Angeles' books include The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary; Signs of Life: The Five Universal Shapes and How to Use Them, (Winner of the 1993 Benjamin Franklin Award); and The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom, (Winner of the 2007 Nautilus Award for Best Book on Aging). Her recent book, Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life is a Gold Medal Co-Winner of the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Award) in the category of Inspiration & Spirituality.

Claudia Campos, a passionate Activist and committed Environmentalist, was fortunate to grow up in the beauty of the Andes, the world's longest continental Mountain Range. Born in Bogota, a spectacular high plateau in the Andes mountains at 8600ft above sea level, she enjoyed a subtropical highland climate and spring-like weather year-round. Claudia was fortunate to be raised with an innate appreciation for Nature by her Parents, Nohrita and Guillermo. They instilled in Claudia from an early age the value of Conserving Water and Electricity and Planting Trees for the sake of future generations. These valuable lessons became an integral part of her life and many years later led her fiercely to RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS!

Vincent Pinto, Naturalist, Ethnobotanist, Wildlife Biologist, and Wilderness Survival Instructor Vincent Pinto has been teaching people of all ages, interests, and backgrounds about the Natural World since 1987.  As a passionate Conservationist, Vincent strives to educate and inspire within a framework of Environmental Stewardship and Earth Sustainability.  He has led countless individuals and groups throughout the country on Nature Adventures & Educational Programs on a myriad of fascinating topics: Ethnobotany , Natural History, Conservation, Bird-watching, Tracking, Stone-age Skills, Wilderness Survival Skills, Astronomy, Wildlife Habitat Restoration, Earth Stewardship, Sustainable Living Practices, and much more!

Raymon Grace, a native of the mountains of Virginia, has spent the past 35 years empowering folks to gain more control of their lives. His work reaches people on wide social and economic levels.

With a unique and down-to-earth manner, he teaches in a style that characterizes his life. He is known as a dowser, consultant, author and Mountain Man.

Lecture tours have led him across North America, speaking to a wide variety of audiences.

His work and teaching have been used to reduce violence in schools, eliminate abuse of women and children as well as physical and mental benefits for indivduals.

He has been a guest on numerous radio talk shows including the well know "Coast to Coast AM Radio."

His work with energizing water is being used in several countries.

He has worked with law enforcement officers in both U.S. and Canada to successfully reduce violent crime.

He says among the compliments he appreciates the most from his students are, "You have made difficult subjects so easy to understand and use to benefit our lives.'' & "I no idea this class contained so much information, you have put me on overload.''

The Raymon Grace Foundation has been established to further his work. Visit the website at www.raymongracefoundation.org

He has authored three books.

"The Future is Yours - Do Something About It" which combines mind development, shamanism, dowsing, healing, and self-empowerment.

"Techniques That Work For Me” is an advanced dowsing manual.

"Seasons of April - How to Help Your Kids Succeed", tells how he used mental techniques and positive thinking to raise his daughter April.

He has also created a DVD for purifying and energizing water and a DVD for clearing energy in homes & schools, along with several other instructional DVDs & CDs.

His "Techniques" book has been translated into four languages and all of his books are translated into Chinese.