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The
Practical Power of the Shaman
Shamanism brings harmony & magic into
everyday life
Shamanism is a very practical spirituality. A modern-day shaman could
live next door to you and the only clues you might have are that they get along well with
people and animals and have a green thumb with plants. Also, shamans have a knack for
putting people at ease and for saying and doing the right thing at the right time.
In his book,
Urban Shaman, Serge Kahili King defines a shaman as “a healer of relationships,
between mind and body, between people, between people and circumstances, between humans
and Nature and between matter and spirit.”
If you have a
taste of divine ecstasy, shamanism can teach you how to ground it, how to bring it into
your everyday life through using your natural gifts and talents. Shamanism can support you
in translating that experience, that creative energy, into physical form so it can benefit
yourself and everyone around you.
The essence of shamanism
is not an esoteric, mysterious, ritualistic tradition that can only be
practiced by native peoples in a tribal environment. This ancient spiritual perspective on
life is a down-to-earth,
pragmatic, realistic way of living that anyone can use anywhere, anytime, including in our
modern world.
Currently across
the planet, the sacred knowledge of the shaman or wizard is being translated into everyday
street language in order to create more healthy, harmonious and enriching lives for people.
The spirit of
shamanism is more of an open, flexible attitude and approach to living than a rigid set of
rules, formulas and techniques. Applying the basic principles of shamanism opens people to
new possibilities and options for dealing with modern daily challenges.
From Alaska to
the Andes, from Tibet to Tanzania, shamanism is a worldwide phenomenon. Virtually every
religion has its roots in shamanism, although shamanism is not a religion. It’s a
perspective—a way of seeing all things as sacred. Shamanism does not preclude any
religion. It simply says that anyone can have a direct experience of the divine without an
intermediary. By honoring the sacred essence of everyone and everything, one’s whole
life can truly become a spiritual adventure.
Omens and signs
The shaman
relates to every form of life as being alive, filled with energy and always communicating
something to us. The key is in learning how to receive the communication.
“Omens are
a way Spirit communicates with us in the physical world,” states shaman Ken Eagle
Feather in Traveling with Power. “You can decipher omens from virtually anything, but
pay special attention to unusual occurrences, whether it’s the strange behavior of
birds, or conversations in which someone says something that catches your attention in a
special way, or when a book falls off a shelf in front of you. You might find that
messages on billboards change right in front of you, so that while others are reading
an ordinary advertisement, you end up reading a message from Spirit. Be careful about being
too strict in your interpretations, though. Remember, you are looking for guidance, not
assurance. An omen might be the same for several people, or it might mean several
different things. It’s up to you to create your personal omen dictionary. This
open-ended response is called nonpatterning, and it provides the space for Spirit to
communicate with you.”
Using personal
experience as the means through which wisdom is gleaned (rather than through reading,
thinking or analyzing), the shaman presents opportunities where people begin to sense a
real, interactive
connection with everything else that exists, even those things believed to be inanimate
such as rocks, plastic, glass or metal.
Everything is energy
The basis of
shamanistic creation, healing and transformation has always been the knowledge that the
essential nature of everything is energy. Modern science, specifically quantum physics has
only recently concluded that every living thing is made of energy. The reason that walls
and rocks appear solid is because they vibrate at a low, dense rate. We know that pictures
travel invisibly through the air and arrive on our TV screens. Is it such a stretch to
open to the possibility that everything has an invisible energy within it? And that
communication can be transmitted through this energy?
Shamans utilize
the knowledge that everything is energy to create in their world by using their conscious
attention to direct the flow of energy within all forms of life. Energy flows where
attention goes.
Indeed,
scientists are now reporting that the outcome of their experiments are significantly
affected by the beliefs and thoughts of the person conducting the experiment.
Since we come to
this planet to evolve our soul within the paradox of this world of polarity (light and
dark, inside and outside, body and spirit), we must develop the skill to play consciously
and creatively with duality. If we are truly perceptive, we can see how the energies of
each opposing polarity are serving us. If we see how we are at effect of all these
dualistic energies, then we can make a choice of what to keep and what to eliminate. This
is an act of magic. True magicians are those who can influence energy, whether it is
inside them or in the world outside them. If we have learned how energy moves and behaves,
we have opened ourselves up to our true selves. This is what the paradoxes of our world
teach us. Shamans know that humans are determiners of spirit, and the choices, decisions
and priorities that we set fashion the reality of the world in which we live.
Seeing
When shaman use
their ability to “see” the underlying energy dynamics of situations and
relationships, they are able to “see” cause and effect connections and forces
that are not visible when viewing the circumstances superficially, i.e., looking only at
the outer form. Perceiving the energy dynamics of life events reveals new alternatives
and possibilities not previously apparent.
“The art of
the (shaman) is to be able to guide, to be able to illuminate the path in such a way that
the person hooks on to a greater experience—that of freedom...” Eagle Feather
shares. This allows people the freedom to move beyond limits of past perceptions into the
realm of options, fresh creativity and natural magic.
A shaman would
“see,” for example, that the anger of a supermarket clerk resulted from the
clerk’s inability to express their feelings. The shaman could “see” how
these emotions were adversely affecting not only the clerk, but the people in line.
Consequently, a shaman may choose to engage the angry clerk in a friendly, relaxing
conversation in order to shift the situation into flow and harmony.
Power
We have many
powers within us that we can learn to use for our own benefit and for the benefit of
others. From the shamanistic point of view, all power comes from within. Power comes from
authorship (authority).
Shamans become
the authors of the creations in their world by freeing themselves of programmed and
conditioned perceptions. In moving beyond customs, manners, rules and techniques, the
shaman embraces
the practicality of “What works, works.”
The shaman has little concern for how
something works, only that it produces the results that one intends. Shamans are the most
flexible, utilitarian and efficient authors of their world. They take the shortest,
quickest route to their goals, even if the path tramples on their own concepts or beliefs.
One way people
can experience this power is to look for proof in their own lives. Take love, for example.
One way to increase the presence and power of love in a person’s life is to decrease
the presence and power of judgment. Shamans notice that their attention cannot be in both
places at the same time, and, therefore choose where they want to spend their energy. To
spend energy judging that they harmed someone or that another person caused them harm,
would be a misdirection and waste of energy for a shaman.
Eagle Feather
explains more about the true nature of power, “Anyone looking for power over others
or control over material processes is probably going to be disappointed by the teaching,
which essentially
define power as the ability to free oneself from one’s own perceptions and habitual
patterns. The message seems to be that once you align with the energy, you’re no
longer the master. Spirit is.”
Healing
A shaman is a
bridge between this world and the invisible world of the spirit. A shaman is very
anchored, very present in this world. Being so centered and grounded, a shaman can assist
a person to travel into dimensions and see things from a much bigger perspective. Then
people can heal
because there is more room for them to expand and open to fresh new realities. This
expanded awareness from the shaman creates a strong foundation for people to awaken to
their own healing power within. The goal of the shaman is always to support the awakening
of the soul. The shaman acts as an anchor so the
person can reach their own depth and move through their own cellular transformation.
Shaman Frederick
Wolf concurs. “People really know how to heal themselves. It’s an illusion to
think that someone is going to come and heal them. But what will happen is, when they feel
the support and safety that the shaman can hold for them, they will have faith enough to
go into that place inside of them that knows how to heal. It’s not some magical thing
that happens. It’s very natural.”
Way of Living
Shamanism is a
way of living on the altar of Mother Earth. It’s a way to live in balance on the
earth, a way of finding not only peace with yourself personally, but peace with nature and
your environment. Shamanism is bringing the two worlds together: your inner
world...“your heart” with your outer world. It’s important to be balanced,
to be grounded in both worlds. We should be able to go anywhere and be at home, whether
it’s in a cave or a big city.
Shamanism is a
pathway that can help us to realize the sacredness and magic within and all around us.
Birds that soar into the heavens, trees whose roots reach deep into the earth, everything
in nature reflects an aspect of our souls. As the poet Rumi said, “You will see stars
and moons mirrored in your being.” Shamanism is letting go of our limited ideas and
concepts of who we are. As we abandon our illusions of separateness, we open to the beauty
and simplicity of our true nature—our connectedness with all of life.
The Four Agreements of Shaman Don Miguel Ruiz
*
Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Use the
power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
*
Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others
say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to
the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
*
Don’t make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you
really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings,
sadness and drama.
*
Always do your best.
Your best is going to change from moment to moment. It will be
different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any
circumstances, simply do your best, and you will avoid
self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
Exercise for Exploring the Power of Love
For at least one full
minute, sit quietly, close your eyes, and compliment yourself unceasingly for any good
quality, characteristic or behavior you can think of. It’s okay to repeat yourself if
you can't think of a lot to say. With practice it gets easier. If negative responses or
self-criticisms arise spontaneously, don’t give them any importance; just keep on
complimenting. When you've finished, be aware of your feelings and sensations. Do you feel
better or worse? Do you have more energy or less?
Next, for at least one
full minute, sit with your eyes open and compliment any good quality, characteristic or
behavior you can be aware of in your immediately environment. Again, don’t pay
attention to criticisms. What have you just learned about focus, choice and energy levels?
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