Dance of the Deer Foundation

Dance of the Deer Foundation Find Your True Nature Renowned shaman and healer Brant Secunda is the founder and visionary leader of the organization. Join us to discover your true nature.

Since 1979 the Dance of the Deer Foundation has been organizing life-changing spiritual retreats around the globe, providing people opportunities to connect with their true nature through the ancient practices of Huichol Shamanism. Originally born in New York, Brant left the big city the day after his 18th birthday to journey to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico where he eventually found the Huichol tribe and was adopted by the revered shaman and elder Don Josรฉ Matsuwa. Brant was put through an arduous 12-year apprenticeship through which Don Josรฉ taught him the way of the shaman. After completing his training in Mexico, Brant was told by his teacher to share the wisdom and teachings he had gained with people in the modern world. He has been traveling the globe ever since and has touched the hearts of thousands through his teachings, ceremonies, pilgrimages, retreats, and seminars. All the work of Brant Secunda and the Dance of the Deer Foundation not only helps inspire and empower those in the modern world but also helps to provide sustainable economic and cultural support for the Huichol tribe. Brant has also founded the Huichol Foundation, Shaman Organic Chocolates, and Fit Soul Fit Body, Inc., all of which aid in the support of the indigenous Huichol people. Today we continue in our mission to share the ancient wisdom of shamanism and sustain the cultural preservation of the people who have carried these traditions for thousands of years.

02/11/2026

Mt. Shasta โ€“ a place of peace

Since 1982, our annual retreat at Mt. Shasta has provided a getaway for individuals and families from across the globe. Many return year after year to experience the wonder of this land within a warm community of individuals from all walks of life.

Step away from your everyday and join us in the sacred circle.

Learn more โ†’ shamanism.com

02/05/2026

๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ’ซ๐Ÿ’งThank you, mother earth, for our life.

01/30/2026

To be human is to be at home on the landโ€ฆto walk freely on the Earth
๐ŸŒŽ๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ”ฅโœŠ๐Ÿฝ

01/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us around the world this past year. Thank you to all the places of power for the blessings, and to our collective good luck to gather in ceremony and sacred community.

Set your intentions for the year ahead and sign up by the end of the day on January 1st to save on our 2026 events. We look forward to many more shared memories in the year ahead.

10/24/2025

The sea cleanses the soul, allowing us to find clearer vision for our life.

Join us along the shores of the Monterey Bay for our Autumn Workshop to celebrate the autumn season in ceremony and learn rituals to empower your everyday.

๐Ÿ“† NOVEMBER 7 โ€“ 9, 2025 โ€ข Santa Cruz, CA
โœจ ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐ž โ†’ ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ

๐€๐œ๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐–๐ข๐ฑรก๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐š, ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐š ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฌ. ๐“๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž, ๐ฐ๐ž ๐œ๐š...
10/09/2025

๐€๐œ๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐–๐ข๐ฑรก๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐š, ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐š ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฌ.

๐“๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž, ๐ฐ๐ž ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐œ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ.

๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐š๐ ๐ž๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž-๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐š ๐ฌ๐š๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ž๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐š๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ.

๐ŸŒฟ๐Ž๐‚๐“๐Ž๐๐„๐‘ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ โ€“ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž โ†’ ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ This October at Mar de Jade, we are honored to welcome ๐•๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐š ๐‘รญ๐จ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐ž๐...
10/03/2025

๐ŸŒฟ๐Ž๐‚๐“๐Ž๐๐„๐‘ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ โ€“ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“
๐‹๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž โ†’ ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ
This October at Mar de Jade, we are honored to welcome ๐•๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐š ๐‘รญ๐จ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐ž๐๐ซ๐š๐ง๐จ, Keeper of the Temple and Ceremonial Assistant of her tribe.

Virginia is the daughter of ๐ƒ๐จ๐ง ๐‰๐จ๐ฌรฉ ๐Œ๐š๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐š and ๐ƒ๐จnฬƒ๐š ๐‰๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐Ÿ๐š Medrano. She carries forward the ceremonial lineage of her family, supporting sacred gatherings while also practicing as a skilled artisan known for her beautifully embroidered medicine bags, each one infused with sacred prayers.

We are deeply grateful to share this space with her, as she brings the heart of Wixรกrika culture to our gathering on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

๐๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž. ๐‡๐š๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ. ๐๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž. ๐Ÿชถ These words represent a state that we as human beings naturally yearn for throughout our live...
09/22/2025

๐๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž. ๐‡๐š๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ. ๐๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž. ๐Ÿชถ
These words represent a state that we as human beings naturally yearn for throughout our lives. The positive feeling we have when we find ourselves in a state of utter tranquility. When the push and pull fall away, and the tension and stress of opposition disappear, what are we left with?
๐žยท๐ช๐ฎ๐ขยท๐ฅ๐ข๐›ยท๐ซ๐ขยท๐ฎ๐ฆ
โ€“ a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
Today, we find ourselves amidst this state. The equinox is a natural time of balance and harmony. Embrace itโ€ฆembody it, and allow the equilibrium of this day to transmit its power into your life.
Over the weekend, our Wixรกrika brothers and sisters celebrated the harvest and the seasonal balance in ceremony. As they have for thousands of years, the shamans chanted ancient songs to honor the spirits of nature and the people gathered to give thanks for the sustenance of ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ-๐˜ ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ข (Mother Earth) and ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ช-๐˜•๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ข๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ (Grandmother Growth). The young children and their mothers received special blessings so that the youngest amongst the tribe may receive the transmission of growth and good health from the fresh harvestโ€ฆso that they may grow to become strong and healthy to carry on the wisdom of their people.
Thank you for this sacred day! Thank you for the balance of the equinox. May we all learn to live in balance with all of creation. Aho!!!

Although the Wixรกrika live in the midst of a Spanish speaking country, there are few Mexicans who can understand them. T...
08/08/2025

Although the Wixรกrika live in the midst of a Spanish speaking country, there are few Mexicans who can understand them. Their language is in the Uto-Aztecan family of indigenous languages. It is related to the language of many tribes from as far south as the Maya to as far north as the Hopi.
We are excited to be hosting a transformative retreat along the Pacific coast of Mexico and offer an opportunity to connect with the origins of the Wixรกrika shamanic traditions.
Click the link for more details:
https://www.shamanism.com/programs/mexico-shamanism-retreat
๐ŸŒฝ๐ŸฆŒ๐Ÿชถ
Aunque los Wixรกrika viven en medio de un paรญs de habla hispana, son pocos los mexicanos que pueden comprenderlos. Su lengua pertenece a la familia de lenguas indรญgenas uto-aztecas y estรก emparentada con la lengua de muchas tribus, desde los mayas en el sur hasta los hopi en el norte.
Nos emociona organizar un retiro transformador en la costa del Pacรญfico de Mรฉxico y ofrecer la oportunidad de conectar con los orรญgenes de las tradiciones chamรกnicas wixรกrika.
Oprime el link para mas informacion.
https://www.shamanism.com/programs/mexico-shamanism-retreat

"Today we are continuing to discover how ancient wisdom from indigenous cultures can help us in the modern world. โฃโฃ๐ŸชถFro...
07/08/2025

"Today we are continuing to discover how ancient wisdom from indigenous cultures can help us in the modern world. โฃ
โฃ๐Ÿชถ
From sustainable multi-crop agricultural systems to more comprehensive understandings of our environment and our universe, scientists are finding themselves reaching into the past to discover the breakthroughs of the future."โฃโฃ
โ€” Nico Secunda

Address

820 Bay Avenue Suite 128
Capitola, CA
95010

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18314759560

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Our Story

Since 1979 the Dance of the Deer Foundation has been organizing life-changing spiritual retreats around the globe, providing people opportunities to connect with their true nature through the ancient practices of Huichol Shamanism.

Renowned shaman and healer Brant Secunda is the founder and visionary leader of the organization. Originally born in New York, Brant left the big city the day after his 18th birthday to journey to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico where he eventually found the Huichol tribe and was adopted by the revered shaman and elder Don Josรฉ Matsuwa. Brant was put through an arduous 12-year apprenticeship through which Don Josรฉ taught him the way of the shaman.

After completing his training in Mexico, Brant was told by his teacher to share the wisdom and teachings he had gained with people in the modern world. He has been traveling the globe ever since and has touched the hearts of thousands through his teachings, ceremonies, pilgrimages, retreats, and seminars.

All the work of Brant Secunda and the Dance of the Deer Foundation not only helps inspire and empower those in the modern world, but also helps to provide sustainable economic and cultural support for the Huichol tribe. Brant has also founded the Huichol Foundation, Shaman Organic Chocolates, and Fit Soul Fit Body, Inc., all of which aid in the support of the indigenous Huichol people.