About Us

Founder of Shamanka

Eliana Harvey (20/05/1930 -18/09/2024)  

Eliana was a gifted Shamanka, Medicine Woman and Healer. She was considered to be the leading teacher of women's Shamanism and the recovering of the Feminine Principle. She founded her training school in the early Nineties, beginning with the Mystical Journey and followed by the Wise Woman workshops for six years. The Shamanka School of Women's Shamanism was established in 1990.

Eliana had a Celtic inheritance, she was steeped in Celtic lore from childhood. Her father was a noted pioneer of osteopathy in the UK, and was also a medical 'psychic', her mother was a healer and early Bach Flower practitioner.

The personal quest for Eliana began with Yoga which she has practiced and taught all her adult life. Apart from her original training in Acupressure and Chinese Medicine, she is also an initiate of the Western Sufi Healing Order with Hazrat Inayat Khan. However in the eraly nineties the Shamanic Path then became her major quest, beginning with Harley Swiftdeer of the Deer Tribe. Brooke Medicine Eagle, the Crow Blackfoot Medicine Woman, gave her permission to pass on some of her ceremonies. Her other significant teachers were Arwen Dreamwalker, Victor Sanchez from the Toltec tradition, Marilyn Tunneshende, from the Castaneda and Curendera path, and O'Shinnah the Cherokee crystal healing medicine woman. Eliana was honoured by John Twobirds, a Native Elder medicine man, who initiated her as a ceremonial pipe carrier and sweat lodge leader.

More recently Eliana had explored the Inka Traditions where she found a number of teachers including Inti Cesar Malasquz and Dr Alberto Villoldo of the Four Winds Society. She  found this Andean cosmology to be a deeply feminine way of life and spirit. Recently she trained with the Andean Master Shaman Kurak Akulleq and Mystic Don Juan Nunez Del Prado and was initiated 4th level Paquo (Shaman).

 

Shamanka staff

The energy which is emerging for these times is one of enthusiastic group cooperation and support, so Shamanka has formed a team of wise, gifted and dedicated teachers of Shamanka who have fully trained with Eliana and explored other spiritual paths.
They have their own practices, shamanic healers and teachers. They have a passionate commitment to helping other women to discover their true essence by reclaiming the beauty and potency of their deep feminine.
They will be fully supporting each other and in turn know that each student deserves personal care on their journey, so are at the end of a phone or email.
The Training offers enriching and transformative processes, ceremonies and authentic initiations. All the processes are for personal growth and healing, then form part of the repertoire of the full range of shamanic healing practices for those who are called to become shamanic healers.

This Training is certificated and officially recognized for insurance purposes.

STAFF PERSONNEL:

Samantha Flounders

 

Samantha's journey has been one of vision, growth, and connection. In 2007, while trekking the Inca Trail, she had a vision of a new home where every window viewed the horizon, symbolizing limitless possibilities. After months of searching, that vision led her to Dorset, where she found her place on the same lane as the Shamanka School. Little did she know, this would be the beginning of a life-changing path. Over the years, Samantha became friends with her neighbour, Eliana, the founder of Shamanka. She began offering bed and breakfast to Shamanka students, and the connection deepened as she became a student, evolving into an assistant. Eliana eventually invited her, nearly two decades after the vision, to teach the main training.

Samantha's dedication to nurturing and preserving the land extends beyond spiritual teachings. Samantha's life story is a testament to the power of vision, service and connection. Through her journey, she meditates on the humble embodiment of the spirit of giving back and creating positive, lasting change and hoping that we may channel ancient indigenous practices of this land.

 

Aimee Smith

 

Aimee’s transformative path began in Peru in 2004, where she experienced the first stirrings of her spiritual awakenings. Upon her return to the UK, she faced profound personal loss. This grief, though deeply painful, became the impetus for her dedication to helping others. That same year, she began training as a mental health nurse, channelling her loss into compassionate service. Over the next seventeen years, Aimee honed her skills in empathy and adaptability, travelled widely, and deepened her commitment to personal and spiritual development. A pivotal moment arrived in October 2019, when Aimee returned to South America. This journey amplified her spiritual awareness and gifts, preparing her for an even greater awakening in 2020. Returning home, she felt drawn toward a new, spiritually focused chapter in her life.

As her experiences intensified, she found herself seeking guidance, reaching out to Eliana Harvey in 2021. With Eliana’s mentorship, Aimee learned to navigate spiritual dimensions and draw meaning from her dreams and visions. Later in 2021, Aimee left her job to devote herself entirely to her calling. She immersed herself in transformative shamanic trainings and teachings putting all she learned into practice through her own personal healing work, grid work and one to one personal healing sessions with others. She began the Shamanka teacher training in 2024 and is set to graduate in October 2025, joining the team as a Teacher/facilitator in 2026. In parallel, Aimee became a heartfulness meditation preceptor January 2025, co-facilitating group sessions and inspiring others through her journey of healing and transformation.

Rowena Hillier

 

I have been on this shamanic path for over 20 years, initially going to workshops and sessions before undertaking my training at Shamanka. After many years of studying at Shamanka I gained my master’s Certificate in Healing and the Shamanic Arts. Ten years ago, I was invited to become part of the teaching team at Shamanka, alongside Eliana Harvey founder of Shamanka. With Eliana’s passing over the rainbow bridge last year I have stayed on this last year to assist this transition. Shamanka now has a strong teaching team and I have stepped back from teaching the the two-year training program.

I am now putting on additional new weekend workshops for Shamanka to enhance the training or to enable people to have a taste of Shamanic work before undertaking the full training. Other training and opportunities that I have embellished over the years are making my own drum down with Carolyne Hillyer on Dartmoor and using this within my healing practice, and attending workshops with her. I have been on retreats with The Way of the Buzzard. I have been following an online course with Puma Fredy Quispe Singona and the Andean Shamanic Way, I love this gentle way of working. Last year I went on a retreat in Columbia with Anthar Kharana Tribal Sound Healing Retreat, which was amazing. I have my own practice in Okehampton where I offer Shamanic Healing to individuals and put on a variety of shamanic workshops. I also run a drumming circle at Okehampton Community Gardens. I participate in some of the local Mind Body and Spirit Festivals which I thoroughly enjoy. I am also qualified counsellor and a member of the BACP.