Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00779)

My experiences of and with Shamanism are like my experiences with anything else
in that I've learned what it is about and see its application in the big
picture.  My experiences with control dramas are extensive, however, in that
I've met countless individuals using and misusing their power over others --
doesn't matter if they are parents, teachers, bosses, witches, shamans or
anything else.  That's probably why I practice on a solitary basis.  It seems
to me that for every person who has their heart in the right place, there is an
individual who is in it for the wrong reasons. I suppose this is part of
"cosmic polarity".  Problem is, when it comes to dealing with highly delicate
people like the mentally ill, it can have disastrous results.

At 05:59 PM 5/10/96 -0400, you wrote:

>A couple of days ago I made a comment to Alexis -- "The
>shaman/healer/teacher/leader who can do her duty correctly and without the
dynamics of control dramas is a rare find".  By control drama, I mean the
dramas or processes we put ourselves and others through when engaging with the
ego.  Shamans, healers, teachers, and leaders are all   in a position of
control .. they gain energy from what they do.  It is a lot of responsibility,
and the temptation of misusing that power over others is quite alluring in of
itself.

Donna:
It's pretty obvious to me that our experiences of and with Shamanism have been
through entirely different approaches to Shamanism. I won't even pretend to
assume what "schools" of Shamanism you have had your experience with because I
only know the one with which I work. I have spent a great deal of time and
thought, along with my co-shaman and lover in trying to make sure there is no
ego manifestation in what we do. People come to me for healings and to him for
"spirit quests", we do what we do for free as we have material sources of
income. To every person that comes to us we explain carefully that neither of
us does anything at all, we only serve as conduits to the spirits. Then as I
said the other night, I place my hands on their shoulders or head, open my
mouth and take a deep breath and begin to chant. I am not the controller of the
chant, I am just the vocal cords. I have done
chants that Cherokee Indian People present have told me they learned as
children, on the other hand occasionally I do Hawaiian Chants (about which I
know absolutely nothing at all) and quite regularly I do chants of an Arabic
flavor. I neither gain nor lose energy in the process I simply "pass it
through", though I do believe my own health is maintained by passing the cosmic
harmonic through me. I can easily live with this being my Dharma, but to me,
unfortunately "Duty" has far too judeo-Christian a "ring" to it. Most native
Americans I have met say that what I do reminds them of what their own Shamans
do, but I make no claim to knowing what I'm doing. This is equally true of my
partner.

You have a nice weekend too.

alexis