This workbook is intended for the serious shamanic and spiritual studies student who is ready to gain the necessary knowledge and tools to become a competent spiritual worker in the modern world.The book has arisen out of three online courses that Mary Shutan has taught over the years: An Eight-Week Course in Spiritual Herbalism focused on Clearing and Cleansing Practices, a Five-Week Discernment Course, and a Four Week Ancestral Course.

The Clearing and Cleansing Course focused on Spiritual Herbalism is the first serious foundational step that any spiritual student should take. It teaches energetic hygiene including spiritual bathing, house clearing, and protection practices.Discernment is not taught to the depth that is necessary in the modern world, and should be the foundation of any spiritual practice. Knowing what we are interacting with is the essential first step in knowing how to properly work with it.

Our Ancestors should be the first spirits we engage with. They are deeply concerned with daily matters as well as our general well-being, and offer protection and guidance that serves the spiritual practitioner well. Learn how to work with your Ancestors, how to build an Ancestral altar, as well as about "original", or more than human ancestors.

All of Shutan's courses and books are focused on depth teachings, embodiment, as well as balance. A Spiritual Worker is someone who is grounded in this reality, and can commune with the natural world as well as the Other with compassion and clarity. Recognizing how our modern way of living may be preventing us from fully accessing the spiritual layers of reality is essential if we are looking to receive gnosis and work in concert with the spiritual realms.