The Practical Power of the Shaman
From: The Dream
Spirit of shamanism brings harmony and magic into
everyday life
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 which 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
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?
About
Keith Varnum and The Dream
Keith Varnum has 30 years of practical success as an author, accupuncturist, personal coach, filmmaker, vision quest
guide and international seminar leader, and is the owner of http://www.TheDream.com and http://TheCareerDoctor.net.
Keith@thedream.com
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