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Spirit of Ma'at: "The Great Religions" — Vol 3, No 7 The Way of the Shaman by Jade Wah'oo Grigori
Skills for Survival As the central experience of Indigenous Spirituality, shamanism is humanity's oldest and most enduring spiritual practice. It has been disseminated into every culture, religion, and spiritual path found today. It is the spiritual path inherent in all human beings. There are many different forms of expression of shamanism, but the primal essence is one of great universality. Shamanism is the birthright of each and every human being. It's part and parcel of who we are as humans. It is a survival skill of humanity, equivalent to the ability to make fire, build shelters, feed and clothe ourselves... Shamanism is equal to these skills, providing us with ability to survive not only IN our environment but WITH our environment. This set of skills expressive of shamanism gives the ability to commune directly and perceptively with the forces of Nature at a deep, intuitive level. This communion is firmly rooted in the feeling function, rather than the visualizing function. It's a feeling modality. We're able to feel the condition of the earth, the trees, the animals, the weather — and of each other. And when we feel it, then we have an empathetic response to fluctuations, so that we can individually and communally create a greater alignment with our environment. This alignment then begins to express itself as cultural choices: the values that we prefer. Indigenous societies and practitioners of shamanism, based in this feeling modality, thus tend to be sensitive to the environment and each other, and to have a direct experience of Nature. And so we are less apt to run amok in the environment. And by environment, I mean not just the ground and plants and ecosystem, but our families, societies, and our entire relationship with Creation. Stillness and Non-Attachment The basic necessities of shamanism are, first, finding a means of moving into the stillness — the silence within — and then from there moving into a state of non-attachment. Non-attachment is different from detachment. Detachment is an emotional distancing from something, so it's a reactive state. Non-attachment is a state of being where we experience the ISness of ourselves — our thoughts, our beliefs, our feelings — free of judgment and analysis. Shamanism offers ways of moving into those states. Earth Peoples are consummate at being able to create this experience of alignment. Shamanic Drumming One of the primary vehicles for shamanic experience is drumming. Drumming frees us of the bonds of the mind and the emotions so that we're able to go into the ISness. This begins with a shamanic drum, a two-sided drum comprised of a rim, with the hide of a deer or elk, and specific proportions of diameter to height. For example, a 17-inch drum would be about 3 inches in height. The tones that are produced by a drum of such construct are unique. There is a high-pitched tone that stimulates the brain into the Alpha brainwave state: the state of deep physical relaxation which is a prerequisite for moving into non-attachment. Simultaneously, there is deeper drone produced in a shamanic drum that stimulates the Theta brainwave state, which is the dreaming state. It opens the heart so that our indwelling presence of Being, our Spirit, can rise forth in unimpeded expression. Meanwhile, the beats of the drum fixate the mind so that it goes into a state of silence and therefore is no longer interfering. The Spirit is free to express itself into that Alpha, or hypnogogic/daydream state, and the mind cannot help but pay attention to what the Spirit is expressing. When these physiological responses to the beats and tones of the shamanic drum are activated, we automatically move into a state of clarity and "awareness" rather than "consciousness" — consciousness being a word that expresses mind and emotions, whereas awareness is the pure state of Spirit that expresses the ISness. Once we have achieved a state of awareness that is not fettered by the mind, then we are resonating at the same frequency as all other Beings of Creation, and we can therefore directly perceive the state and condition of all elements of Creation in our environment. Becoming One with Nature When we're in this clear field of resonance, without the interference of mind and emotions sullying that field, then we are able to integrate the resonant frequencies of the spiritual forces of different animals, plants, stars, seasons, and so on. And as we integrate these, they become a part of our awareness. By going into a shamanic awareness, our relationship is an integrative experience of Creation, rather than one that comes from the "dominator culture" viewpoint, where we try to use Nature to enhance our lifestyle or satisfy our requirements. Instead, in this place of integration, we enhance our lives by understanding how to interact with Nature. We experience holistic interaction. For example, since everything resonates at its own frequency pattern, when we integrate into ourselves the resonance of a particular herb, a particular animal, or a particular rock, that process alters our own basic resonance so that we actually take on the consciousness of that herb, animal, or rock. We may ask whether this means that Nature is "intelligent." But the experience of resonating with the things of our environment teaches us that this integrative "knowing" is something that goes beyond intelligence. By moving out of the mind and into spiritual awareness, we communicate with Spirit on its own terms, rather than demanding that it be "intelligent" in a human mental modality. And we can learn from all of Nature. We can go into resonance with all aspects of Creation. Our Natural Teachers One of the basic perceptions of Earth People is that all of nature has something to teach us. The totem of my Sweat Lodge is Bear, so I'll use Bear as an example of how this works. When we introduce the resonant frequency of Bear into our awareness, we then take on the characteristics of awareness of a bear. In the natural environment, Bear knows where all the springs are and which herbs are good to eat or are for healing. So at the physical level, if we're out in the mountains and we're thirsty, we follow the tracks of the Bear. If we're hungry, we can look at what Bear eats, and know that it's safe for us to eat, as well. At the shamanic level, when we introduce the Spirit of Bear into our Spirit, then we move into the realm of the mythos: the topography or cosmology of the soul. Now our relationship with Bear becomes a metaphorical one. For example, springs emanate from below the ground. Herbs and plants emanate from roots beneath the ground. Symbolically, springs and herbs are things of the Underworld nature, and the Underworld is the realm of Dream. Therefore, since Bear spends a significant portion of its life in the Dream realm (in hibernation), Bear knows the Dream realm intimately. So just as we followed bear on the mountain in looking for food, when we are looking for sources of power, of life force that will sustain us, we follow the Bear into the Dream realm, and it will lead us both to wellsprings of life power (akin to the springs) and to resources of healing (akin to the roots). When we integrate the Spirit, the frequency, of the Bear into ourselves, we become aware of those hidden sources of power and healing that exist within the soul. Earth as Our Mother Linked closely with shamanic awareness, another commonality of all Indigenous Spirituality is the direct perception of Earth as our Mother. This begins with the very simple understanding that, just as a child in the womb is comprised of the physical substance of the mother, our physical bodies are comprised of the physical elements of the Earth. Even after birth, the child suckles at the mother's teat, and the child's body develops and grows from the substance that the mother has given that child. In the same way, all the food, water, and air that builds our physical bodies are gifts from this planet, this Earth. Therefore, we immediately recognize her as our Mother. And when we perceive our Mother in the feeling modality, when we allow ourselves to be embraced and gifted by the Mother, then we are no longer in need. We are not operating from lack. Rather, we are receiving the gifts that are freely given to all. No longer can we hold on to the perception that we can own the Earth or possess her resources. They are not ours, individually or collectively as societies, to claim or distribute. They do not belong to us. When we are able to relate to the Earth as Mother, then we are able to see that she is the Mother of Us All, and that she embraces us lovingly, each and every one, just as a mother will love each of her children irrespective of their particular inclinations, talents, or even behaviors. The Way of the Future What Earth Peoples have to offer the 21st-century world is a path of awareness that can insure the very survival of the planet. As we recognize that our current path of movement in the world is debilitating to us, both as individuals and as societies, we may finally come to recognize that the missing element is spiritual communion with all of Creation. And when we take the necessary steps — using whatever methods will enable us to do so — to engage the feeling function, then are we impelled to treat each and every Being with honor, love, and respect. Then will we no longer find within ourselves the capacity to harm any. Shamanism, the way of the Earth Peoples, is not only a set of survival skills for people living close to the Earth. It is the survival mechanism of the human race.
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