“The sweat lodge ceremony has existed for thousands of years. One of the mountains has been recognised by the Dalai Lama as one of the world’s holy places.The highlight of the weekend is the “sweat lodge” ceremony, when the novitiates build a makeshift sauna from branches, and cover it with blankets and animal furs, while the ceremony leader places hot stones inside and sprays water on them. As interest spreads in shamanism, he organises weekend retreats in the Pilis mountains, north-west of Budapest. Everyone has a spirit helper; its equivalent in Christianity is a guardian angel.”uAT WEEKENDS Solyomfi-Nagy can devote more time to this creed. Everything also exists in a parallel spirit world, and a shaman can contact that world through his spirit helper. Shamanic culture respects all kinds of life, and says that everything has a life, trees, grass, the sun, the moon, light, rivers, and of course human beings.

“A shaman is a priest, a healer and leader of ceremonies,” he says, “a keeper of wisdom who knows the old songs and dances. Such things are not a miracle, they are very simple, very old.”Solyomfi-Nagy radiates the kind of inner peace that is rarely encountered in a modern urban society. He can find the answer to the problems of his life and get on a better life path. Shamanistic work can bring back the parts of the soul, so that it becomes whole again, and the person’s life improves. Weekday mornings are reserved for shamanistic practice and rituals, sometimes involving healing.With its emphasis on spirituality, shamanic healing is particularly helpful for treating depression, says Zoltan Solyomfi-Nagy “Depression is the most important healing work Depression means somebody’s soul is not whole.

I light a smoke circle, which helps protect me, and I try to keep the essence of the smoke circle around me all day, as a guard.”uDURING THE week, Solyomfi-Nagy works part-time as a teacher of art and physical education. I light sweetgrass, and call on my spirit helpers, and sing a simple song. He says: “Every morning I start the day with a simple ceremony that helps me clear my mind, heart and body. Shamans such as Zoltan Solyomfi-Nagy are reviving those lost traditions.Budapest-born Solyomfi-Nagy, 36, studied shamanism with native Americans on reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska. A little over a thousand years ago, before their arrival in Europe and conversion to Christianity, the Hungarians too were an Asian nomadic people, who followed the old shamanic ways.
In a region in transition between communism and capitalism, where many are dazed and confused by the rapid pace of change, a return to Hungary’s original Asian roots is attractive for many. A SHAMAN, in the ancient languages of the nomadic tribes of Siberia and inner Asia, means “the one who knows”: how to contact the spirit world, how to heal sicknesses, both spiritual and physical, and how to live in tune with nature.

Travellers between Birmingham and Penzance will have to pay an extra pounds 45.. Low-price tickets are being removed from sale, leaving Supersaver fares as the cheapest available. The rail company has more than doubled some rail fares to the South-west for the week of the eclipse. If successful, the resulting company would become the UK’s market leader.t Virgin Trains is cashing in on the total eclipse in south Devon and Cornwall on 11 August. It has warned its nearest rival, Airtours, that it will cut holiday prices if necessary.Airtours, meanwhile is considering a bid for another big tour operator, First Choice. Simply Tuscany & Umbria, a villa specialist recently taken over by Thomson, has cut prices in half to fill flights and accommodation in Italy during the first half of May.Thomson is determined not to lose in the battle for market share, even if this means slashing prices still further. If last summer’s pattern is repeated, the move will milk an extra pounds 4m from 400,000 last-minute holidaymakers.Upmarket operators have also been left with unsold holidays.