By Gilbert Ross

Re-posted from The Mind Unleashed

Shamanism is a topic that is still more prevalent in anthropologic studies than in mainstream discussions of culture and society. For the western psyche, shamanism is a thing of the past, some type of sorcery used in relatively ‘primitive’ societies and cultures. The lack of understanding inherent in this cultural bias or stereotype prevents us from appreciating what shamanism is all about and more interestingly, how it is relevant to today’s society and to our future more than ever before.

Shamanic wisdom has been partly transmitted down through the eons and fragments of it still survives in certain cultures that preserve and honor their ancient heritage. Interestingly, there are also individuals coming outside this cultural lineage who have learned and are practicing shamanism in 21st century society. These are the modern day shamans who are contributing to what Terence McKenna called the archaic revival.

I decided to find out more about what shamanism can tell us today about ourselves and about our future. I talked to Franco Santoro, holistic counselor at the Findhorn Foundation Community in Scotland and author of the book series Astroshamanism. I asked Franco a few questions in my quest to dig deeper about the role of the shaman and shamanism in our present day world. What I learned was astonishing and revealing.  I am quoting Franco’s own words ad verbatim below whenever I use the quote marks and his initials F.S.

The Role of the 21st Century Shaman is Open to Everyone:

F.S: “The role of a contemporary shaman, as I see it, is to be a living testimony of the experiential awareness of the unity of all aspects of life. This implies contributing to the release of separation, and promoting our human sense of purpose through the acknowledgment of the wider reality in which we exist. This reality also includes death and whatever lies beyond our ordinary perception, which and can ultimately provide the authentic understanding of who we truly are…

…In some way it is easy to play the shaman in nature or feel great power by emulating the ritual practices of native shamanic cultures. What is difficult is to keep this attitude in ordinary social life and the contemporary settings, and these are the places that need it most.

The world needs shamans able to function on the roads, among the electronic equipment and engines, in the squares and markets of our contemporary society.

Being a shaman, as I see it, is not about being a “shaman”. It is being whoever and whatever can serve for the purpose of healing, no matter how contradictory or incompatible it seems to be for narrow minded folks. Each identity is provisional, taken for the purpose of connecting with other identities, healing fragmentation and separation.

A shaman can shift from a “shaman” to a business man, an artist, a devoted Catholic, Hindu, or Muslim, a doctor, an architect, a gardener, you name it. Yet once a shaman becomes only a “shaman” you can be sure there is no shaman anymore.”

Memories by Asage

Direct Experience is key to Recovering our Original Unity:

The primacy of experience lies at the heart of shamanism. This means that direct experience should come prior to dogma, culturally transmitted beliefs, preconceptions and institutionalized knowledge. It is mostly the direct experience of ourselves as multidimensional beings connected to an original unity or source. Our path is to use, Stan Grof’s term ‘Holotropic’, that is, moving towards the whole – towards unity.

F.S: “I believe what most people on a quest seek today are not mere formalities, doctrines or creeds, but paths of direct experience. They search for a first-hand knowledge of their true self, their life purpose and ultimately a direct encounter and communion with God. This implies recovering our original unity, becoming whole and at one with God, which is ultimately, as I see it, the authentic essence of what shamanism pursues….”

We Need to Bust the Myth of Separation

The shaman sees the malaise and dysfunction of the modern world as arising from the disconnection from ourselves and the spiritual dimension and the disenchantment with our world. We have reinforced a perceived sense of separateness between ourselves, others, nature and between things in this world. This schism or sense of separation inherent in our psyche, is according to the shaman, the source of physical or mental imbalance that manifests both on an individual or collective level. The shamanic healing practice, for instance, addresses this energetic and psychic imbalance.

F.S: “…One of the basic experiential assumptions of shamanism is that I am not a separated physical being: I am an energy field or I am part of the whole. Actually, from a more genuine shamanic perspective, the entire notion of I, seen as separate from you and them, does not make any sense at all.

Contemporary human beings have confined themselves almost exclusively to the identification with the physical body and the idea of being a fragmented unit. Shamanic experience is one way in which it is possible to perceive others, the world and ourselves in their original united forms again.

I believe we have become estranged from something of which we were once aware, establishing a mythology of separation where unity and ecstasy are the most rooted taboos. As we consider ourselves individuals severed from other people and the environment, we tend to invest much energy to exploit our fellows and the Earth.”

Transcendence by Asage

It’s Time to Shift our Consciousness: Entering the Shamanic Trance State and Leaving the Mass Trance of Consensual Reality

The most important aspect of shamanic practice is the most misconceived as it is based on fear and lack of familiarity. This is the trance or shamanic states of consciousness which shamans use to journey between dimensions or ‘walk between worlds’ and get information from higher dimensional entities or from the wisdom of the inner self.  What we refer to as non-ordinary states of consciousness are ordinary, or let’s say, familiar territory for the shaman. Surprisingly, it is also worth noting that research in neuroscience is starting to understand these states of mind under its own lens.

F.S “A typical feature of shamans is their familiarity with states of consciousness that allow visions and explorations of other dimensions. Their primary function is to navigate from one reality to another in order to operate as bridges and create healing connections. There are many dimensions and worlds, which in our separate reality are totally unknown.

Trance and shamanic states of consciousness are part of the genetic structure of mankind. Each one of us, in the past, present or future, has an inner biological need for ecstatic experience. The problem is that such experiences, in the majority of contemporary human cultures they do not find space in the official educational or scientific context and tend to be socially unacceptable. As a consequence, this unmet need often ends up being expressed through harmful addictions.

Shamanic states of consciousness represent the major taboo for the ordinary perception of the world as they cause its deceptive structure to vanish and expose to the secrets of our origin, that is where we truly come from and how and why we got to be here. In recent societies, perceptions beyond the physical body have been generally ignored or disregarded. The forms we see with our physical eyes, identified with names and specific shapes, have been extracted from their original unity and transformed into fragmented pieces. They are seen as definite configurations and separated from each other by areas termed as nothing or void.

Most mankind seems to live in a symbolic reality where only what is conventionally accepted is acknowledged as real, whereas everything else disappears from sight and dwells in a dimension surrounded by fear and mystery.

In the contemporary world what counts is the goal. To reconnect with the Earth and the Sky what matters is the present, not the destination. Trance or shamanic states of consciousness have to do with the present and with getting out of the most dangerous trance: our conditioning and daily conventions.

The fact is that on the Earth we are always in some kind of trance and the actual work consists of learning to balance such states and being aware that you cannot go into a new trance without moving out of the one you are already in. When there is unbalance we live in a state of hallucination where we perceive pain, anger and all kinds of grievances. When there is balance we choose consciously to open only to the trance states that bring love, ecstasy, peace and blessings to ourselves and others.

Opening up to shamanic states of consciousness means to truly say yes to life and be fully responsible. It means to accept becoming a conscious part of the universe, choosing to trust a divine purpose, identifying with the maximum expressions of our being and moving further to project this potential on all that surrounds us.

Despite the strong oppositions and conditioning of the consensus reality, shamanic states of consciousness are regularly experienced by all human beings. What is missed is solely the willingness to acknowledge them or consider them significant.”

Gateway to the Emerald Kingdom by asage

Looking Ahead: The Shamanic Revolution and the Archaic Revival

F.S: “As we have separated from the Earth, we have also disconnected with the dimension of the Sky. Through a blind adherence to religious and social conditionings, we have denied a direct access to God, resigning ourselves to the power of religious teachings or hierarchical structures to operate as mediators between us and the Divine.

Through shamanism each one can obtain visions and spiritual experiences without any mediation. Yet, shamanism, as I see it, is not about mounting opposition to political and religious authorities; this is what has been happened throughout history and it has resulted only in even more grievances and separation.

According to shamanism, I believe the true revolution consists of taking the courage to face the spiritual or inner world, for it is from this world that all that seems to be outside emanates. This does not mean that life should be limited to shamanic journeys or states of consciousness. These experiences are important, yet we also need to take physical actions.

The best physical actions are those which allow the ecstatic experience of unity and love derived from shamanic states of consciousness to be grounded on earth. This can happen by promoting healing relationships with ourselves and the environment, by creating works of arts and doing whatever can make this world a better place.”

Evolution by Asage

Featured artwork credits: Limbic Resonance by Asage

Gilbert Ross - Author

Gilbert has been writing about personal growth topics for a number of years on his blog Soul Hiker and on various other media. He is passionate about researching, writing, practicing and teaching people how to achieve positive life transformations and unleash the limitless potential of their mind. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and his blog Soulhiker and more importantly you can take his course at Udemy here: http://goo.gl/BsO7sm

Head in the Sand, Ass in the Sky

By

Greg Calise

There are far too many people that refuse to question or investigate the world around them with a clear, logical and rational mind. They don’t want to know. Most of them are gripped by fear of knowing the truth. They would prefer to listen to what their authorities tell them, no matter how absurd it is, rather than question or expose the deceptions that are presented to them as facts. Wouldn’t you want to know if someone is lying to you?

Take, for example, the collapse of the World Trade Center, on Sept. 11, 2001. To this day, many people refuse to look at the piles of evidence pointing to the truth. They believe whatever the mass media and the government tell them. Such people are seriously programmed to believe whatever the authorities tell them without question. Many have been sufficiently programmed to become angry whenever the subject is brought up, and ridicule those that try to expose the deception. People have become so deeply programmed, that they can’t even acknowledge the chemtrails that hover above their heads daily. That is serious denial. Don’t you think that something is seriously wrong with this picture?

You would think that if the government, the politicians, the banks and the corporations are not only corrupt, but are also robbing the people blind and poisoning them with chemically tainted food, fluoride and vaccines; well, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Don’t you want to know why or what they are spraying over our heads? What kind of person would rather pretend that it’s not happening? This is major denial. It is completely devoid of any rationality. What they are ignoring has the power to crush them, yet somehow they believe that if they just pretend that everything is fine, then there’s nothing to worry about.

If there were ferocious animals in the forest that you were going to walk into, wouldn’t you want to know about it? This is exactly like the ostrich that sticks his head in the sand to evade danger. Remember, if your head is in the sand, your ass is sticking up. If a tiger is attacking you, do you believe that if you just close eyes and think of unicorns, that the tiger will disappear? Because this is exactly the mindset of a person that refuses to question or investigate the world around him. This is the mindset of a person that believes his authorities without question and conforms to the many programs that control him. Think about that.

If you don’t know what is really happening in the world around you, how can you navigate through life properly? You don’t even know which direction to take or where you are going. You will steer from one storm to another, never reaching safe harbor.

This is the plight of humanity. They have been sufficiently programmed to believe whatever they are told, no matter how absurd it is, to obey the authorities, be politically correct, follow the script and conform. They have been sufficiently programmed to have tremendous fear of the truth. Neither do they have the psychological tools to deal with the truth. Such people become easily angered at anyone that speaks the truth, and ridicule and attack him. This is a very serious plight that humankind seems to be lost in. They have reached a point where they are completely incapable of coping with the truth.

Now that alone is a scary situation. Think about it. You are living in a world where the majority of people have been deeply programmed to believe the most absurd, illogical things without question, causing all kinds of havoc. They have allowed themselves to be hypnotized to believe just about anything. This is the world you are living in. Even if you try to explain the most obvious defects in their script, they cannot grasp what you are even saying. They think you must be crazy.

In Star Trek, The Next Generation, there was a species of half biological, half machines called the Borg. They are a collective of a hive mentality, and they travel around the galaxy looking for species to conquer, so they can assimilate them into their collective. That pretty much portrays the world today, with so many people that have been assimilated into the collective, to become an automaton.

There really isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, except to try to wake people up. But that is becoming a dangerous activity these days. No, this is the world we find ourselves in. A stranger in a strange land.

Somehow humankind has chosen a very irrational life:

“Man has found it more satisfactory, and believe me, this is irrational, but nevertheless, he has made this irrational decision – As irrational as it is, he has made the decision, to submit to external forms of tyranny, external forms of control, which are partly punitive, but also partly permissive; I mean the slave is going to have food, and he’s going to have some shelter, he’ll be told what to do, he’ll have the camaraderie of other slaves and so on. So the slave mentality, the man that submits, has in fact, chosen to submit to external authorities, regardless of how tyrannical they are, rather than face the journey on the Siddhartha Road towards an understanding and attainment of his own Selfhood.”
– Michael Tsarion

“Here is a man that has committed, within his subconscious, to not live an authentic life. Then he wants to cluster around people that have made this similar decision. And that’s what we have in societies, is an inauthentic collective. But it’s based on people that would rather submit to the external tyrannies of Big Daddy, who would rather cling to the handrails, who would rather lean on one another, than to face the anxiety that arises, when you have to go on the inner journey of Truth, where you have to discover what you’re really here for on this planet, and who you are yourself.”
– Michael Tsarion

“As soon as I hear that someone is thinking that another authority, another person, has the rights over their mental and emotional and attitudinal and psychic life, I’m worried about that person. Because I know that that person has some very serious psychological and existential problems, right off the bat. Then that person is going to be a part of a herd, or will be a controller of a herd, or be manipulated by the herd, or whatever you want to call it. But you will never find that person doing any good in the world. Not any real necessary good at all. It’s a contradiction of terms. They may be sold the illusion, or delusion that they are doing wonderful work, because they gave to Live Aid or the next stupid charity that pops up out of the woodwork. [They are] the people’s champions that lead you away.”
-Michael Tsarion

So why is it that mankind would make such an irrational decision to submit to external authorities? It’s the path that they know, the path that was programmed into them since birth. Most people are incapable of deviating too far from the status quo. They fear the unknown, that which deviates from the accepted norm. Also because it’s the easy path, the path of least resistance. Consciousness is like water, which always chooses the path of least resistance, which is a downward path. It takes effort to raise one’s consciousness, just like it takes effort to move water upwards. The world is laid out for the child, with all of his authorities telling him what is real, and what is expected of him. It is not easy for a child to rebel, as he is scolded into submission. The child is always facing punishment for not accepting the status quo. Once the state schools, the media and religions get hold of the child, he is forced to conform even more, with the fear of being drugged into submission if he chooses to rebel against the system. By the time the child becomes an adult, he is completely programmed by the state, the society, the media and the religions. Is it any wonder that everyone is lost and so fearful to know the Truth?

They refuse to even entertain the truth, because it stirs up a lot inside, and they are unable to cope with it. They were never given the tools of rational, critical thinking or logic. They were only taught to memorize what they were told and to conform and follow authorities. All of the various programs create a person’s false beliefs. He then uses these false beliefs as his support and stability in life. His entire life story and perception of the world hinges upon these false beliefs. If they are shaken, it causes disturbances to the individual, which he is incapable of dealing with. Therefore he remains caught in the grip of the matrix, and is extremely fearful of the truth. He will fight and kill to protect the prison which he is bound in chains.

This is the predicament that we find ourselves in. Each of us must choose which direction on the path of life he wants to take. Most people follow the herd, to remain trapped in the matrix, but the person who wants to know the Truth is traveling in the opposite direction. This is his choice, no matter how difficult it is, that an authentic person takes. Why? Because he is tired of living a lie. He is intelligent enough to see that there are many things wrong with the world, and has decided not to become a member of such insanity. It is a difficult path, but for one who has focused his attention on traversing such a difficult path, there can be no other way. Such an intelligent, sincere and authentic person will not submit to tyranny in any form. For him, it is much more difficult to walk the path of the herd, to submit to authorities and to live a life of lies and deceptions.

– Greg Calise