Shamanism
is a spiritual path that leads toward complete enlightenment if followed to the
end. Shamanism is a path of personal power; this means direct experience of
Spirit and direct perception of all its varied forms are seen as the
foundational tenets of the path.
By
focusing our attention on directly perceiving the energies of the universe we
release the limitations of our programmed existence and immerse ourselves in
the infinite mystery that is our birthright. This immersion eventually leads us
to the non-duality of the Nagual, that which is beyond all experience, pure
awareness without separation.
Shamans
are extremely practical by nature. This means the tools and techniques they use
are always an eclectic blend of what they have discovered actually works to
resolve limitations and open perception. Regardless of the origin of tools they
are incorporated because they have proven themselves to be functional in
creating spiritual growth for the shaman and/or their apprentices. Dogma is the
antithesis of a shaman, it is up to each practitioner to validate for
themselves the truth of anything, while also trusting in the model the teacher
is presenting to them until such a time as they can validate its truth for
themselves.
The
blessings of this path are that as we release our self imposed limitations the
world becomes a magical place, full of amazing beauty, joyful play with the
spirits all around us, perceptions so far beyond words they leave us with a
constant feeling of wonder and excitement at being alive. We also experience
incredible depths of feeling, a richness to life that stretches each moment out
into infinity, coupled with the paradoxical poignancy of knowing we will only
be alive in this body for a short period of time, too short to experience the
infinite variety life has to offer us.
The
shamanic worldview encompasses the known, the unknown, and the unknowable.
It challenges us to move beyond an intellectual understanding of the world
into a direct experience of it, and then to let go of even that, expanding
into the infinite of the unknowable.
By
understanding that everything we think about the world is a fundamentally a
limitation we are imposing on it we can open into the limitless potential that
is our birthright. This requires great courage, will, and openness as we
challenge our programmed beliefs about “the way things are.” We must move past
concept and into what is really true for us individually, what we can actually
validate for ourselves as the truth through our direct experience of it.
The
transformation of our limiting beliefs is hard work, we have spent many years
believing the world is a certain way. We unconsciously poured our energy into
our belief structure to the point that we can’t experience anything beyond what
our past has dictated as the truth. We filter everything through our personal
history, confining reality to what we have been taught to believe.
In
the West the focus of this unconscious belief structure is a fixation on the
mind, on concepts handed down to us by our parents, peer groups, and society in
general.
To
undo this fixation requires (among other things) processes involving the mind.
We must use the tool that has trapped us, re-orienting it to be a tool of
awareness rather than a tool of defining and limiting reality. We have to
analyze what we believe, sorting through our thoughts and past actions in the
world to understand how we have trapped ourselves.
Next
we must reclaim the energy we have invested in the strategies of the mind, the
energy we gave to the mind in an attempt to have a sense of security. These
include all the ways we seek attention from others, compete for love and
acknowledgment, plus all our beliefs in scarcity around money, time, love, and
all the fears we have about physical safety, abandonment, emotional hurt, and
our death.
Finally we must take new actions in the world that counter the beliefs we have held so dearly. We must challenge them directly, letting our new experiences dictate the truth rather than our fixated attention of what has happened in the past. Our goal is complete trust in the natural unfolding of life, a deep connection with our Divine nature that will allow us to rest into the fascinating mystery that is life.
About
the Author
Raven has spent many years inquiring deeply into the nature of reality. His
favorite tools are honesty, ruthlessness and compassion. Combining these with
a strong emphasis on working energetically, he works to facilitate a direct
and personal connection with Spirit for each person he works with.
"The deep understanding that everything we know is a false reflection
of the Truth is the fire that keeps us on the path toward truly BEING the
Mystery that stands at the core of our being. Without commitment to questioning
what is real, the illusion soon begins to creep in yet again, pacifying us
with its boring substitutes of drama, stimulation, and knowledge. These substitutes
hook our attention and keep us from standing in the EXPERIENCE of The Great
Mystery that is our birthright."
- Raven