The New Earth Gateways to Embodied Enlightenment
“To be Born as the Earth is not the same as being born. It is to realize that these Mountains and Rivers and the whole Earth itself is your true human body.”
- Zen Master Daido Roshi (1931-2009)
Born as the Earth Zen Academy, NPC (BEZA)
Your Journey of Transformation through Three Training Tracks
Guest Track
The Guest Track offers an introduction to our curriculums, teachers, and community. Engage any of these Gateways and progress on to Novice or Advanced Training.
DIVINATION SESSIONS
Divination is an ancient healing craft which has been used for centuries to connect with the ancestral realm and make the invisible world, visible. By way of your ‘ask’ of the invisible world for guidance (to make visible) as to what hidden energies are constellating in your life, you discover how to open the way for inter-generational healing.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
Between 1pm-5pm (SAST)
HEART MENTORING SESSIONS
Together we will work with a Medicine Wheel, Buddhist Wisdom, modern myths and dreams, the 4 Agreements and the Protocols of Council to offer you holistic, practical remedies to support the totality of your being. The psychic, physical, mental and emotional attunements become everlasting, self-empowering tools to craft a life of authenticity in a rapidly changing world.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
1pm-5pm (SAST)
SHAMANIC MENTORING SESSIONS
These private training sessions are a unique opportunity to learn various shamanic practices. It is recommended for you to plan for ongoing weekly or monthly personalized training sessions.
The first session would be to discern where your particular inclination lies in the realm of shamanic practices: Dreamwork; Divination; Rituals; Healing; Intuition; The Medicine Wheel; Myths; Spirit Work etc..
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
1pm-5pm (SAST)
Novice & Advanced Training Tracks
Know Thyself ~ The Way of the Wisdom Keeper
Journey around BEZA’s Medicine Wheel composed of 5 Elemental Bodies ~ Fire, Water, Earth, Nature, & Stone.
BEZA’s Medicine Wheel
There are 5 essential Elements, or Medicines in the BEZA Medicine Wheel. These Elements are the foundational energetic building blocks of all life. Seekers, Initiates, Apprentices & Students devote their activity and attention to the power of one of Mother Earth’s Elemental Bodies at a time. Each Elemental Module lasts approximately two months. It takes one year to complete the journey.
How would you like to begin your deep journey into Truth?
Studying the Self through an ancient African & Asian Elemental Medicine Wheel you will learn what it really means to Know Thyself. By making visible the invisible world (bringing to light the hidden medicine within) you’ll begin to understand the deep mysterious nature of the Self and its relationships within the Human, Nature and Spiritual Realms.
By selecting either of these monthly subscriptions: The SEEKER or The INITIATE in the NOVICE TRACK; or The APPRENTICE or The STUDENT in the ADVANCED TRACK, you will receive various levels of engagement and guidance from the experienced mentorship of Initiated Elder and Senior Zen Monk Ekan Nangaku.
1. Novice Training Track
The SEEKER
Seekers enter the Novice Track through the Essential Meditation Gateway. This monthly membership of only R100 (€20) offers you the following:
- SEEKERS receive a 2.5% discount on all In-Person Retreats
- Intro to ZAZEN (1x guided recording)
- Daily ZAZEN meditation (live online)
- One Indigenous tree planted for every new Sangha Member
- Nangaku’s Spiritual Journey: A Memoir (Ebook)
- Free BEZA’s Monthly Newsletter
- *R100 off every time you register for any of the sessions listed below:
- *50min Heart Mentoring Sessions (R500 to R400)
- *50min Shamanic Mentoring Sessions (R500 to R400)
- *50min Divination Sessions (R900 to R800)
- *Monthly Subscription & Registration required
R100/€15 monthly member payments
The INITIATE
Initiates enter the Novice Track through the Introduction to Shamanism Gateway. Begin your Journey around the Medicine Wheel. This monthly membership of R500 (€75) offers you everything in The SEEKER (see above) plus the following:
- INITIATES receive a 5% discount on all In-Person Retreats
- Shamanic Training (10hrs+ of recordings for each of the 5 Elemental Modules – a module lasts 2 months)
- Elemental Manual (step-by-step Shamanic Training E.Workbook)
- Elemental Meditations (5x guided recordings – 1 per Elemental Module)
- A Sunday-long ZAZENKAI per month ~ a Meditation Immersion (live online with training)
- A Zen-&-Nature Dharma Talk per month (live online during Zazenkai)
- *Monthly Subscription & Registration required
R500/€75 monthly member payments
2. Advanced Training Track
The APPRENTICE
Apprentices enter the Advanced Track through the Holistic Gatekeeper Apprentice Gateway. By combining Meditation with Shamanic practice you deepen your understanding of Self. This monthly membership of R750 (€100) offers you everything in The Initiate (see above) plus the following:
- APPRENTICES receive a 7.5% discount on all In-Person Retreats
- Holistic Communication Training (1x 2hr Community Council Training recording)
- 1x 3hr Community Council gathering per month (live online)
- 1x 50min Heart Mentoring Session per Elemental Module (live online)
- 1x Ango per year (a 3 month at-home Mindfulness Practice Intensive)
- 1x 50min Divination Session per year (live online)
- *Invitation to undergo Divination Training (10x 2hr sessions per month; minimum 5 people required; additional costs apply)
- *Completion of 2 Elemental Modules to receive a Divination
- *Completion of all 5 Elemental Modules required for Divination Training
- *Monthly Subscription & Registration required
R750/€112.50 monthly member payments
The STUDENT
Students enter the Advanced Track through the Lineage Student Gateway. Students enter into a committed relationship with the Teacher – Ekan Nangaku – as his formal Student and of the Lineages he carries. This membership is by invitation having first displayed your dedication to your spiritual evolution through The Apprentice Track. This monthly membership of R1000 (€125) offers you everything in The Apprentice (see above) plus the following:
- STUDENTS receive a 10% discount on all In-Person Retreats
- 1x 50min STUDENT Mentoring Session per month (live online)
- 2x 50min Divinations per year (live online)
- 1x 2hr Zen Buddhist Studies class per month (live online)
- 1x 2hr Zen Buddhist Precept Training per month (live online)
- *Invitation to Zen Buddhist Initiation in Japan (2 weeks; min 5 people required; additional costs apply)
- *After completing 2 Elemental Modules of being an Apprentice, a ‘Letter-of-Asking’ is required to become a Student
- *Initiation Ceremony into Student Sangha required (live online)
- *Monthly Subscription & Registration required
Gatekeeper Student Training is by invitation.
R1000/€150 monthly member payments
Earthen Zen
The Elemental Journal
Sacred South African Plant Spirits: Healing, Protection, and Spiritual Connection
Discover the sacred wisdom of South African plants—explore their medicinal and spiritual uses, learn how to cultivate them at home, and deepen your connection to these plant spirits through mindful practices like plant dieta and meditation. Embrace the healing power and ancestral guidance these remarkable herbs offer.
Forest Bathing as a Shamanic Practice: Rewilding Your Spirit Through Nature’s Medicine
Discover forest bathing as a shamanic practice that rewilds your spirit through nature’s medicine. Learn sacred techniques to deepen your connection with the living forest and awaken authentic transformation.
Nature Spirits in Shamanism: Guardians and Guides of the Natural World
Discover the role of nature spirits in shamanic traditions worldwide. Learn how to connect with these elemental guides for healing, guidance, and authentic spiritual growth.
Plant a Tree for €10 (R200)
Regenerating generosity
The first schools formed under the shade and generosity of trees. Your *first entry through any of the branches or BEZA gateways is a commitment to regenerating your personal, internal wholeness. Accordingly, we mirror your commitment by regenerating our collective, external environment by planting an indigenous tree on your behalf.
*When you register for any of our offerings please indicate whether it is your first entry into the Academy’s training matrix.
*Additionally, you will also be asked if you would like to double your regenerative efforts by planting a second tree on behalf of another for €10 (R200)