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Shaman
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While
mystical “madness” appears to be spontaneous and ingenuous,
the “madness” of the shaman is more calculated. The shaman
voluntarily enters the world of the spirit through dance, chant, plant
medicine, drumming and/or rattling. Some like to claim that the master
shaman is not controlled by the spirit world, but rather controls it.
Like the path of the mystic, however, the shamanic path is also not
easy. Initiation often involves physical, emotional, mental and/or spiritual
crisis; it means being torn asunder and painfully reassembled. Apprenticeship,
whether it be with Spirit or a human taskmaster, is rigorously demanding,
requiring one to master the laws of energy and to journey into the sometimes
dangerous territory of an alternate reality.
In Andean (Peruvian) shamanism, the mesa (personal altar, medicine wheel)
is vertically divided into the field of the magician on the left, the
field of the mystic on the right and the field of the master healer
in the middle. The left section is used by the shaman to not only identify
the source of problems, but to energetically counteract them. Some may
call this “sorcery” since a sorcerer knows how to “magically”
change the nature of the physical world by manipulating energy. (NOTE:
Sorcery can be evil or good depending on the intent of the practitioner.)
The right section of the mesa is an alignment with the spirit world.
Matthew Magee in his book, The Pachakuti Mesa, states that the “mystic
is a master of transparency, possessing the ability to allow Spirit
to flow through him or her unhindered. The mystic path is one that requires
surrender and abandonment of personal agenda. It is a path of complete
service and devotion to the greater good.” The center section,
the “place of safety,” is where the master healer emerges
after s/he has learned to balance the magician with the mystic.
Some people like William Blake seem to be born mystics, whereas others
like myself come to it in other ways. My own journey into shamanism
began with a sudden ability to heal others. After that I was led to
become a student of magick or energy manipulation. And now I'm standing
on the threshhold of mysticism. I'm very much looking forward to
experiencing the oneness, of having the spirits become more audible
and visible, of becoming a dreamwalker – even of surrendering my
ego for the greater good. For many years I have had a fear of water,
so it is not surprising to me that Neptune, god of the sea, is offering
me 18 years of upcoming healing on many levels.
Judy
Winters practices Peruvian-based urban shamanism. For groups and private
sessions or a schedule of monthly activities, contact her at 770-391-0991
or singingshaman@aol.com
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Shaman