The Austin Alchemist
Loving Austin's Awakening Community
Gerry Starnes, M.Ed., has been a shamanic practitioner and teacher since the 1990s, building on previous training and experience in a variety of healing modalities. His current healing and counseling work draws upon both traditional and alternative practices and techniques. Gerry offers shamanic healing, mentoring, and classes to help clients and students restore balance and connect with Spirit through ancient and modern practices.
As a fictional story set in a pivotal historic time, Druid Twilight: The Loom of Destiny is an epic journey to first century Roman Britain. It's an allegorical tale of our times: an age of transition in which ancient powers conflict with the emergence of a new way, a new system of beliefs that may either engulf the archaic ways or force their unexpected evolution. A love story at heart, it's a tale of the clash of enormous powers, of betrayal, retribution, and rebirth.
Wednesday - November 26th, 2025. This Meetup of the Shamanic Community of Austin is created to support the ongoing health of those attending, their families, friends, and the community at large.
This book is the second in a series intended for the beginner or those relatively new to the shamanic journey practice. It contains answers to the most common questions asked about Power Animals and Spirit Guides, as well as suggestions and insights gained by the author over the years. Working with animal guides is a fundamental aspect of shamanic practice.
Wednesday - November 5th, 2025. Shamanism is a very practical and powerful practice that is relevant to ordinary life experiences and decisions. In this circle, we focus on fundamental shamanic practices and exploration of the shamanic journey experience. Join us!
Spirit Paths: The Quest for Authenticity emerges as a fundamental guide to authenticity by Gerry Starnes, M.Ed.. The book was developed over a six year period from the live workshop series, which began in 2008. Each chapter of Spirit Paths is to be used as handouts to complement the 6-month long workshop series.
These feel like difficult times, and yet difficult times are great opportunities to do some deep and powerful personal work. I found some useful reminders and thought I might pass some ideas along to you. In these times, it serves to do your very best to take care of YOU with some of these ideas. Thank you for listening.
Wednesday - March 20th, 2024. With Gerry Starnes. Spring Equinox is here! Please join our Austin Shamanic Community in celebrating this changing world and the joy of witnessing the flowers blooming and the birds chirping! We are expanding our weekly circle for this special event to celebrate the Spring Equinox. We will have finger foods and treats, time for community drumming and dance, and a ceremony to welcome in the new year.
By Gerry Starnes, M.Ed. The Shamanic Journey: A Beginner's Guide to Journeying is written for the beginner or those relatively new to the shamanic journey practice. It is drawn from the wisdom gained through my own experiences with the journey, plus more than a decade of teaching individuals and groups, and in workshops. It contains answers to the most common questions asked, as well as suggestions and insights gained over the years.
Shamanism is a worldview – a way of perceiving and living in the world. It shares many traits with other forms of prayer and energy work, but not all forms of such practices are “shamanic.” We can identify eight characteristic ways of working in shamanic practice that most can agree make practice shamanic.
Journeying in the Spirit World is very much about creating and exploring an experience that is mythological. Encounters in that world are “larger than life” and have an all-encompassing scope. Humans have gone on such journeys for thousands of years. In doing so, our ancestors have built a cohesive and reliable structure for the experience – the mythology of the shamanic journey. Read more...
Monday - March 7th, 2022. This class on shamanic practice was designed for those new and relatively new to shamanism and shamanic journeying. It will serve as an excellent introduction for you to begin and enhance your shamanic practice.
It may be surprising to think about the “technology” of a spiritual practice. After all, by definition, technology refers to the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, or the machinery and equipment designed to facilitate doing so. However, shamanism, in general, is a kind of “spiritual science.” Read more...
Featured Author Highlight! Gerry Starnes, M.Ed. is a spiritual transformation coach, best-selling author, and shamanic practitioner in the Austin, Texas area. He has published two books in print, seven ebooks, and more than 17 videos as a YouTube Partner. Check out his work in our Austin Alchemist Author Feature!
Wednesday - January 1st, 2020. In this circle, we will explore possibilities available in the coming year, and we will explore how to plant our hopes and dreams into the rich soil of the coming year.
Monday - July 1st, 2019. This is a beginning class on shamanic practice for the Austin Shamanic Community. It is designed for those both new, and relatively new, to shamanism and shamanic journeying.
Saturday - May 4th, 2019. Please join us for this evening of sound healing meditation facilitated by Melissa Grogan and Gerry Starnes. A variety of instruments plus channeled vocals are used to produce a meditative sound field within which to do meditation or journey.
Saturday - August 25th, 2018. Gerry Starnes and Melissa Grogan come together for this series of meditations designed to support conscious evolution using channeled vocals, bowls, and percussion. Join us for this evening of supported journey as we learn to navigate through ambiguity with support. New beginnings are special times, filled with opportunities for excitement and uncertainty.
Saturday - May 26th, 2018. The Soul Contracts workshop derives from working with trauma survivors but is applicable to many other life situations. In this workshop, learn how contracts are created and agreed to, identify one or more contracts that need to be addressed in your life, and learn a simple journey to help you change or cancel bad contracts.
Saturday - September 16th, 2017. With Gerry Starnes M.Ed. The Shamanic Community of Austin (Austin Shamanism) offers community ceremony/celebration for solstices and equinoxes. This year we have a large enough venue to accommodate people not in our community. It's about socializing as well as ceremony.
