Last weekend, 17 participants gathered at Voll Gård in Trondheim to enter the course Deeper Connection to the Directions. Over the course of three days, the participants got to move into a space where drums, silence, sharing, learning and deepening merged into a whole that many described as meaningful, moving and powerful.
The course was led by forstander Gunnar Steinholm, with assistance from Kyrre Franck. The helpers Sonnie Konrads and Jim Flatjord from Sjamanistisk Forbund Midt-Norge also contributed actively throughout the course, and they took part as qualified support persons while being trained in how the course is to be held. The participants experienced that the four present from Sjamanistisk Forbund created safety, openness and a good framework for the process.
From the very start it became clear that this was not a course meant to be understood with the head alone. It was meant to be experienced. Many of the participants described the course as a deep dive into each direction, with a balanced alternation between theory and practice, and with room to enter into what happens when one truly listens inward.
Drum journeys with depth
There is one element that recurs in almost all the feedback: the drum journeys. Several describe them as the strong core of the course, and as something that made it possible to enter into experiences in a way that was meditative, opening and effective.
For many it was precisely the depth of the journeys that made an impression. One participant said that the length of the drum journeys allowed one to go into the depths, while another described the journeys as a path onward, where old layers could be worked through and new connections became clearer. Several also expressed that they wished to use this further in their own meditation and in everyday life, which shows that the course did not only provide experiences in the moment, but also left traces that can be carried forward.
A community that carries
Many of the participants highlighted the community as one of the most important reasons the course became so powerful. They described a good circle with sharing and listening, lovely people, openness and good energies. For several it was meaningful to be in a space with people who shared interests, a worldview and a common search for meaning.
One participant wrote that it was valuable to be "in a drum-journey bubble" for an entire weekend, and to meet people with a somewhat similar view of the world. Another said that the course gave a feeling of belonging, and that it created peace of soul, calm and joy. Such feedback points to the course being not only a professional or practical offering, but also a human meeting point where one can feel seen, met and included.
It was also noted that the atmosphere was lovely, and that the course leaders met the participants with respect for each person's individual process. This is an important part of the course's quality: that participants are given room to be in their own rhythm, while at the same time being part of a larger community.
Learning that comes home with you
Several participants expressed that they took away more than just experiences. They took away insight, tools and new perspectives. One participant wrote that she became more aware of the directions and what they can be used for in everyday life, and another said that she now understands the connection between the directions, the medicine wheel, the worlds, the elements and power animals better than before.
This is an important point about the course: it is not only about experiencing something special in the course room, but about gaining something that can be integrated into life afterward. Several wished to use what they had learned in art, meditation, personal development and daily practice. Some also wished for more deepening going forward, especially in the understanding of the worlds, the medicine wheel, the elements and various power animals.
One participant phrased it as the course giving more clarity, healing and understanding of the medicine wheel, and that it opened up good energies and power for the benefit of oneself. Another wrote that the course gave motivation and inspiration for further work, and many described a clear experience of coming closer to themselves.
Quality in leadership and execution
The feedback also shows a strong appreciation of Gunnar's work. Several wrote that the course leader was very available for questions and support, and that the leadership of the course created safety and room for the process. It was also highlighted that the structure, knowledge and insight of the leaders made an impression.
That the course was led by forstander Gunnar Steinholm, with assistance from Kyrre Franck, and with valuable contributions from Sonnie Konrads and Jim Flatjord, appears to have been an important part of the whole. The participants experienced not only the content as good, but also the execution as thorough and professional.
One of the pieces of feedback underlined precisely this by highlighting the structure of the course, the execution and the good community as especially valuable. It gives a clear picture of a course that is more than a series of exercises; it is a holistic process in which relationship, structure and experience play together.
An experience that leaves traces
Many of the participants described a strong personal effect after the course. Some felt more at home in themselves, others experienced deeper contact with the spiritual, and several spoke of a feeling of having gained new clarity, calm or direction. One participant described it as a kind of rebirth, while another wrote that the course had opened up renewed understanding and the working through of old layers.
This is precisely what makes such courses so meaningful: they can awaken something in people that lasts beyond the gathering. When someone goes home with greater respect for the drum, more humility in working with energies, or a clearer understanding of how the directions can be used in everyday life, then the course has done more than convey knowledge. It has contributed to movement.
Several of the participants also expressed a wish to return, or to take other courses in the same vein, including deepening in the elements, the medicine wheel, power animals and related themes. That says something about the course becoming not just a finished weekend, but an opening toward something further.
Thank you for the trust
We wish to thank all 17 participants who shared their experiences and reflections. It is a gift to receive such honest and vivid feedback, and it provides valuable inspiration going forward. We also wish to thank Voll Gård in Trondheim for the setting around the course, and everyone who helped make the weekend possible.
When people meet with openness, depth and respect, something lasting can arise. The course Deeper Connection to the Directions showed exactly this: that knowledge becomes stronger when it is lived, that practice becomes deeper when it is shared, and that community can be a path into clarity, calm and new direction.
It was a weekend of drums, stories, insight and presence. And for many it became a turning point, or at the very least an important step forward.
