Guest guest Posted March 4, 2001 Report Share Posted March 4, 2001 Thanks Caroline, That explanation fits in with my assumptions and you fleshed out those assumptions so that was helpful. I have always been fascinated by this and have known others, particularly in a prayer movement that I believe had these gifts. I have wondered if some of my dreams might be pointing in that direction, especially one with many archtypal symbols that revolved around a willingness to be ritually sacrificed, my organs being rearranged, new life being released from my body and then a coronation scene. It had a profound effect on me but I have not had any sense that I have any unusual healing powers. It did seem to be connected to my own healing, though. I do believe I have a sense of discernment that has been very helpful in the therapy work I have done. Thanks for sharing. I imagine others are interested to hear more about it, too. Celeste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2001 Report Share Posted March 5, 2001 Hi, How would I know what to do with this if there was a shamanic calling? If it is, I have ignored it for too many years. I also believe I may have had a kundalini experience when I was very ill. Again, I know so little about it, I haven't known what to do with it-except to try to integrate it into my consciousness. My associations have been pretty conservative although I am considered by many in my conservative groups as " out of the box " , a description I heartily embrace. However, when I hear of others pursuits', I realize how far I have to go to fulfill my life vision. I got " on track " and then " off track " . My journey is very circuitous as opposed to linear (like my husband's). I have found a recurring energy in relational to communicating about healing centers. I have begun writing " my " book and am pursuing training in psychosynthesis. All this seems to be coming together for me at this time and it feels good. I hate to think what I may be missing, though. Thanks for the input. Celeste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 Hi Celeste: I think the path of shamanism is a certainly a specialized path, but it is not necessarily inaccessible to anyone who feels led or called to it. Many times, a person is called to shamanism by way of a physical or emotional crisis or breakthrough (don't like the word breakdown!); coming out the other side may take the form of a spiritual awakening that starts a person on the path. In other cases, there is a hereditary aspect to shamanism, or a religious/cultural one. In my case, I had a series of personally significant " breakthroughs " , including a journey in which I was symbolically dismembered and reassembled by one of my guides. This was before I knew much about shamanism except for the exotic indiginous idea of it, and did not think it was something I would naturally aspire to. What I have discovered is that most world cultures have a form of indiginous shamanism, even if it has been repressed or forgotten over time, and that there is a sort of resonance in each of us when we rediscover those roots, even if we do not carry those beliefs in this lifetime. I have been blessed to work with some wonderful Native people as well as taking several classes with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. A shaman " walks between the worlds " to help or heal; a person who is aware and conversant with multiple levels of reality risks becoming ungrounded and appearing " crazy " many times to people, and also risks taking on the issues of others if they are not skilled at clearing themselves properly. It is a more yang, masculine, assertive, whatever term you like to use method of healing than a lot of energy work, because there is a strong role for the shaman in helping the client restore lost power and soul fragments, perform divination, and remove intrusions or spiritual attachments and curses. I personally believe that the client has a strong role, that they must be willing to participate on many levels in order for treatment to be successful. I think for a general overview of shamanism, you can't beat Mircea Eliade's book " Shamanism " ; for information on Core Shamanism, which is primarily the sort of methods I use, Michael Harner's " The Way of the Shaman " and Sandra Ingerman's " Soul Retrieval " are good resources. Tom Cowan also has a book on Celtic Shamanism, " Fire in the Head " , and a personal favorite of mine on that subject is " The Way of Wyrd " . Malidoma Some, a Dagara shaman, wrote " Of Water and the Spirit " about his initiation to one form of African shamanism. I also lean more towards Native American shamanism, but that is what I am familiar with. I also think Michael Harner has done us all a great service by developing a system for journeywork that is reliable using rhythm and movement and avoiding hallucinogenic substances for trance. >celeste m sullivan <csull3 > > >Re: Solar Plexus >Thu, 1 Mar 2001 13:07:53 -0600 > >Hi Crow, > >That's interesting---thanks for sharing. I thought it must have some >personal connotation for you. It must give you a sense of empowerment and >identitiy. What a wonderful gift. > >I'd love to know more about your shamanic healing work. I've been >fascinated with it since I read a book by John Sanford called Healing and >Wholeness in the 70's. It prepared me for my first bout with treatment >for spinal tumors and set me on a new spiritual path. However, I know >little more than the average person about how one becomes a shaman. I >have always been under the impression that it is a gift that needs to be >developed. Can anyone become a shaman? I think of Native Americans >primarily and have a dream symbol of a medicine woman that is important >to me. > >It's fun to get to know each other, isn't it? > >Peace, > >Celeste _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2001 Report Share Posted March 9, 2001 Sounds like a Shamanic calling -- especially since it is recurring. @ Namaste and Makia The Reiki Lady North Texas and South West Oklahoma ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2001 Report Share Posted March 13, 2001 Celeste: I am realizing that I have not responded to you in writing, although I have been ruminating on this for several days :-) I have always been of the opinion that it is our responsibility as healers (and we are all healers) to work on ourselves first... after all, " charity begins at home " . The words of Jesus in the " 11th commandment, that we should love others as we love ourselves, make it clear that we must love ourselves first. Unconditional acceptance of self, warts and all. I think of it as, motherloving myself. Everyone knows, that the most beautiful child belongs to every mother! We all have such a history, such stories and such baggage. Imagine that the true you is a beautiful golden statue that has drifted to the bottom of the sea... over time, algae, barnacles, seaweed, sand, and other drifting objects may obscure your true nature. You may come to believe that your coat of coral, your mussel fringe *are* the real you. It will take a discerning eye, and perhaps some elbow grease, to restore you. This is what happens when you have a healing vision of the type you describe; some kind of wise guidance sandblasts you out of your somnambulistic state of comfort, buried in the barnacles, and exposes your golden self to the light. To use another analogy, like a wound, you must be cleaned before you can be repaired; you have to be aligned before you can come together properly; you have to be sutured before you can mend. In some cases, if you have " healed wrong " , you must be rebroken or opened up, realigned. Then you will be straighter, stronger. Though we are capable of doing this work " alone " , it helps when we access our higher power and our guidance (both internal and external) for perspective and assistance. I know personally I have not always appreciated the interventions of God or anyone else in my life <LOL> I have cursed a lot and stamped my feet, and felt like a fool afterwards when I realized how narrow my vision of reality was. Like a child, I'd rather live on chocolate and skip the brussel sprouts, but my higher self knows that I won't live to have cake as an old woman if I don't behave with more balance ;-) You can use conscious dreaming to re-explore your vision in more detail, or you can also use the techniques of self-hypnosis or journeywork to explore the experience more deeply. I never quite know what to expect when I do journeywork, and often I have the work of interpreting some cagey guide's cryptic remarks or a set of symbols, just like dream interpretation. What fun to explore our own dark caves! Blessings, Crow >celeste m sullivan <csull3 > >Thanks Caroline, > >That explanation fits in with my assumptions and you fleshed out those >assumptions so that was helpful. I have always been fascinated by this >and have known others, particularly in a prayer movement that I believe >had these gifts. > >I have wondered if some of my dreams might be pointing in that direction, >especially one with many archtypal symbols that revolved around a >willingness to be ritually sacrificed, my organs being rearranged, new >life being released from my body and then a coronation scene. It had a >profound effect on me but I have not had any sense that I have any >unusual healing powers. It did seem to be connected to my own healing, >though. I do believe I have a sense of discernment that has been very >helpful in the therapy work I have done. > >Thanks for sharing. I imagine others are interested to hear more about >it, too. > >Celeste _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2001 Report Share Posted March 13, 2001 Celeste: Me again <LOL> I don't believe it is ever too late to explore our gifts. Since there are " shamans " in every culture, and I believe that includes some of the Christian mystics, we do not have to feel that we are rejecting our roots in order to explore our personal mysticism... as a matter of fact, we may actually be *finding* our roots. I have a suggestion for you; one of my " bedtime reading " books (I have a stack by the bed) is Joan Boryzenko's " A Woman's Journey to God " . It is a praiseworthy exploration of spirituality, and how we can all find our own way where we need to go. So many of us reject our upbringing and create some sort of dogma from our pain, that we neglect the fact that we need to go back and heal those injuries, embrace that shadow and perhaps bring back some of the comforting aspects of ritual that we have left behind with our spurned childhood religions. Your samadhi may come in the desert, in a mosque, on a mountain or in a church. Where you go from there is up to you, and Spirit. Blessings, Crow >celeste m sullivan <csull3 > >Hi, > >How would I know what to do with this if there was a shamanic calling? If >it is, I have ignored it for too many years. I also believe I may have >had a kundalini experience when I was very ill. Again, I know so little >about it, I haven't known what to do with it-except to try to integrate >it into my consciousness. My associations have been pretty conservative >although I am considered by many in my conservative groups as " out of the >box " , a description I heartily embrace. However, when I hear of others >pursuits', I realize how far I have to go to fulfill my life vision. I >got " on track " and then " off track " . My journey is very circuitous as >opposed to linear (like my husband's). I have found a recurring energy >in relational to communicating about healing centers. I have begun >writing " my " book and am pursuing training in psychosynthesis. All this >seems to be coming together for me at this time and it feels good. I >hate to think what I may be missing, though. > >Thanks for the input. > >Celeste _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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