The Heart of the Shaman

We’re living in an amazing time, a time when prophecies offered throughout the ages are finally coming to pass. Today, we are witnessing and participating in the collective, transpersonal remembrance that we are so much more than flesh and blood; that the true nature of ourselves and the universe is more than has been dreamt of in our science and philosophies. It is an age of throwing off historic shackles of mind control, tearing down energy fences that separated us from galactic neighbors, and obliterating spiritual oppression to reclaim our birthright as Children of God. This is the time that the psychics, seers, lightworkers, and pathfinders of the past century foresaw, dreamt of, and worked to prepare for us. This is the age of our coming into Power.

A lot of the people I meet – as with many of you readers out there – are excited about the potentialities we are discovering and the manifestations we are experiencing. And well you should be. It’s truly exciting stuff! As a spiritual guide, however, I want to share my concerns that so much of this “awakening to power” appears to be taking place apart from true psychological and spiritual development.

In the “old days” when I was coming up, there was strong resistance in every quarter toward anyone finding their power. Science wasn’t talking about quantum realities, as it is now, but Newtonian physics. Medical centers didn’t believe in Healing Touch, or even the power of Prayer; they promoted the “unholy trinity” of drugs, radiation and surgery. And people like me, who questioned consensus reality and bucked the status quo, were considered flakes, quacks, and heretics. There were no schools for spiritual development, nor best-selling shamans with programs to be accessed for training. If you really wanted to find out what was “out there,” you had to learn the hard way: through disciplined, individual trail and error, or by finding the rare opportunity to become a real shaman’s apprentice. Such apprenticeships involved a deep commitment of seven to twelve years, during which time one was not only taught a model of the universe and how to access power but, more importantly, was put through a rigorous process designed to heal emotional wounds and purify the intentions of the heart. In short, apprenticeships honed people to be pure vessels for power, not just wielders of it. Today, training programs by “commercial shamans” focus on indigenous cosmology and certain healing skills but do very little in the way of helping students develop as wise, loving, spiritual beings – qualities which were abundant in shamans of old. Just as I found some of the most dysfunctional people in training programs for psychotherapists, I’ve also found some of the most fearful, insecure, jealous, and wounded people in these shamanic programs.

This is not to criticize other urban shamans or any program out there that teaches shamanic healing techniques. These programs have their place and are needed in the world today. And people who have been deeply wounded often make the best shamans, once they find their healing. What concerns me, though, is that people are coming out of these programs calling themselves “shamans,” while often lacking that requisite wholeness and balance that title deserves. They are healers, yes. But not shamans in the classical sense.

So what is the point of this little trip down Memory Lane? To point out that, though we are witnessing an unprecedented access to trainings on how to wield power, we are seeing diminishing guidance and apprenticeship on heart-based, compassionate living and being. And it is from this place that all power should, ideally, emerge.

“Without Love Ye are Nothing.”

We are incredible beings with access to Infinite Power. We can travel through time and space, heal with a thought, leave our bodies and travel the stars. We can control the weather, create perfect health, attract wealth, and – dare I say it – manifest world peace…with nothing more than the energy of our thoughts, channeled through focused intent.

But what is seldom discussed and oft overlooked is the fact that we can just as easily use these newfound powers to destroy as to create. If we are empowered to affect reality through Intent: if we learn how to move objects at will or manifest Something from Nothing -- with just a thought -- then don’t you think our thoughts had better be pure? Do you want someone burning alive when you burn inside with anger? Would you like nuclear missiles to go off, or an earthquake to erupt, because your fear is triggered over global events? Do you want to see someone against whom you harbor unforgiveness become chronically ill? Sounds like a Stephen King novel, doesn’t it? Surely none of us would want that! Yet, all potential – for both creation and destruction – resides within that Power toward which we now draw near. It happened in our distant past. That is why it is crucial that we understand, in an age when we are developing command of our Potential, that nothing less than total, absolute, complete and unconditional love for all beings will allow us to craft the world of Light we so desire. This is not a game folks. We’re not here just so we can feel energy buzzing, get psychic hits on lottery numbers or command a parking space to open up. We are here to become gods. Not petty, jealous, and cruel gods. But participants in the Supreme Love that created all things and holds all things together.

Love is the force that turns on the Light. It is the battery, the powerhouse, the generator that ignites and sustains the higher vibrations. That is why the Ascended Master Jesus taught that we should love our enemies and bless those who curse us. Well how many of us do that!? Heck, we have enough trouble just loving our parents who made some mistakes, or the neighbor with the loud music or barking dog. Don’t we now? How many of us can send a bubble of love and light out to surround the terrorist or rapist? Yet these are the tasks that we’re here to do, lightworker. Think about it. We don’t need lighthouses where everyone can already see. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. No, we need the light where the world is dark: in the dangerous places, devoid of hope. Can you love people who don’t believe the same as you? Can you love people who think you’re crazy for believing you have 12 strands of DNA, or that you get messages from angels? Can you love people who say you’re a heretic, an apostate; an insane person? Can you love people who pollute the planet when you hear Gaia crying out to you? SEND LOVE to these people. They are the ones who need it! There’s no one here who doesn’t need love. Our very DNA responds to it. It goes down into the Earth, creating a repository that assists the Mother to vibrate faster, then comes back up in a feedback system designed to enlighten the planet. Your loving a stranger in New York City could help someone forgive their enemy in the Middle East. All around the world love surfaces from the wellspring you help feed. So don’t be afraid; get your love out there!  

Be Not Afraid

You can love as much or as little as you like. The choice is yours; there is no judgment. But let’s get one thing straight: you can give and give all day long if you want and you will never run out of gas. The biggest reason we don’t give more is because we’re afraid. Fear, not hate, is the opposite of love. In the 1980’s a concept called “codependency” became popular, changing our cultural consciousness around giving. People – even therapists and counselors – began teaching that a lot of the ways we were loving were unhealthy, that we shouldn’t give and give; that there’s something wrong with us if we do. Well, here’s the truth: YOU CAN NEVER GIVE TOO MUCH OF YOURSELF. If there’s such a thing as codependency, it is giving out of fear so that someone will return the favor. When we seek something in return, we are clinging to ideas of separation and limitation; operating from a belief that we need to get “our own” reward or our well will somehow run dry. And in the ‘80’s, they were actually telling us this would happen! But our well will never run dry. How can you run out of gas when your tank is running on God, hmm? Pure Living Waters flow out of the spigot all the day long, day and night, and will never, ever stop. The Source is always there; it’s us who turns off the spigot. So turn it on and leave it on and you will find a never-ending flow of love bursting through for yourself and others.

Where’s Your Heart At?

You may be saying about now, “Oh yeah, I have love. My thoughts are pure.” Or you might be thinking, “Gosh, gee. I didn’t really think this all the way though.” If you’re really honest with yourself, power will scare you at least a little bit. The best shamans and healers I know were often the most reluctant ones. We spent more time running from our power than longing for it because we understood the ramifications of it all too clearly. The old saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely” is true. And the only counter – the only thing that can gird us against that corruption – that can save our society, transform our world, and create what we really want in the deepest parts of our heart -- is love.

So while you’re working to develop all your skills, while you’re bringing forth your abilities, celebrating and dancing with joy at your own magnificence and experiencing your power, take the time, also, to ask yourself some hard questions:

• Is there anyone at all, in the entire world, who I have not forgiven?
• Is there any person against whom I hold any grudge; any anger?
• Is there anyone I blame for any of my pain?
• Is there anyone I envy?
• Is there any person, thing, or situation that elicits within me jealousy?
• Is there anything I am afraid of?
• Do I harbor any beliefs that I am anything less than 100% responsible for how I feel?
• Do I understand that I am as happy as I choose to be?
• Am I in any way careless in my caretaking of the earth and her creatures? Do I control or manipulate it/them for my own benefit or amusement?
• Am I lax in recycling, conserving energy, and other things that can protect Gaia?

If you can answer any of these questions in the affirmative, it’s time to do more work on getting clear. Make a list and keep adding to it. Every day, pay attention to yourself. Like Sherlock Holmes, stalk your every thought and feeling for clues to your own hang-ups and triggers. Do not be dismayed if the list grows long. The more honest you are, the better. If we want a world full of light, that is truly IN-Lightened, then it must start with the person in the mirror, as they say: with our own purity of thought and intention. Then, use that list to go back and systematically remove every imprint, rewrite every story. Forgive every person, including yourself, who you think caused you pain. Face your fears, be gentle with the earth. Some people go to healers like me to facilitate the removal of imprints, a few practice Recapitulation, others go into therapy, while still others use ritual or bodywork to release their inner demons. However you choose to do it, whatever technique(s) you prefer, just to do it. Take the time; commit yourself to the process of purification.

The Place of True Giving

True giving comes from an expanded heart, a place of unconditional love, and occurs so that others -- and the world itself -- can expand. Love does not expect praise, thanks, acknowledgement or anything else in return. The only thing love wants is to see its effects brighten the world. The result of giving is its own reward.

If you can love every day like that, you’re going to be shining a very bright light indeed: on the world, on your own body, on places of darkness you’ve never even been. Perhaps you’re saying, “But how do I do that? If I’m honest with myself, I notice that I do want something back when I love. When I’m nice to someone, I want them to be nice in return. When I do something good, I want to be thanked or noticed. I want someone to tell me I’m good and nice and beautiful. I want to be loved. How do I get away from that?” The answer is in connection with Spirit.

There is no substitute for experiencing the love and the light that is there for you personally. When you taste that Living Water, you’ll have no need for payback from others for no one could give you anything so sweet. But to get there, you must make the time to go within yourself, asking Spirit to pour that love through the interdimensional layers of your DNA up into every part of you. Visualize the Pure Light flooding every layer of your being, coming through the Void that is in your DNA, expanding far out past the edges of your aura. Feel it permeate you, saturating your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Make your desire and intentions to be a pure vessel known, and the love will come. It will. It won’t happen overnight, but you will experience a growing awareness of your short-comings and witness them as they easily fall away according to your intent.

Bountiful Benefits

Once you do this work, I guarantee you will feel lighter and freer. You will have less compulsion to overeat or drink. You will cease to attract the wrong kind of lovers, or to attract them for the wrong reasons. You will stop creating a role for yourself as a victim. You will use your skills and powers more naturally and easily, and, most importantly of all, more beneficially to yourself and the planet. As you consciously release all dense energies from your being and invite in Pure Love, you’ll be more comfortable in your skin, whether alone or in a crowd. You’ll be free of the need for attention, of any drive to feel important; free of any agenda at all except to bring love to this planet. You will know pure joy and deep satisfaction. And that is true freedom, my friend, and that is why we are here.

Copyright Ashandra-Aah 2008. May not be copied, sold, or reproduced without author's permission.