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HOOP ISSUE 101 2018www.sacredhoop.org1
© Sacred Hoop Magazine 2018
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THE FOUNDING INSPIRATION FOR SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE IN 1993
“Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all,and
around and about me was the whole hoop of the world... I was seeing
in a sacred manner the shapes of all things inthe spirit and the
shapes of all shapes as they must live togetherlike one being. And
I saw that the Sacred Hoop of my peoplewas one of many hoops that
made one circle, wide as daylightand as starlight and in the centre
grew one almightyflowering tree to shelter all the children of one
motherand one father, and I saw that it was holy.”
(From the vision of Nicholas Black Elk Lakota Holy Man: 1863 -
1950)
EDITOR, DESIGN AND PRODUCTION:Nicholas Breeze Wood
DESIGN AND EDITORIAL CONSULTANT:Faith Nolton
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SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE 101TEXT ONLY PDF
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HOOP ISSUE 101 2018www.sacredhoop.org
CONTENTSA JOURNEY TO DARKHADThe shamans of the remote North
ofMongolia are considered to have the bestpreserved
traditions.Eugene Johnsontook a trip to work with them.
A LIFE WITH THE MEDICINERoss Heaven, who died earlier this
year,was well know for his books andteachings. Brett Lothian
interviewed him,before his death, about his life and viewson
shamanism.
RISING FROM THEEARTH LIKE MAIZEThe Maya people of Central
America arecustodians of an ancient tradition. GeralBlanchard, with
Mayan ‘Day Keeper’Victoria Murcielago, shares a little
aboutthem
DOLLS AND RITUASome of the oldest items from ourancestors are
effigies, and dolls andeffigies are used all over the world
inmagical traditions. Nicholas BreezeWood looks at the
tradition.
KOREAN HEALING DOLLSIn Korean shamanism effigy dolls hold
animportant place. Traditional Koreanshaman Jennifer Kim shares
some of theways of working with them in her tradition.
WHEN SPIRIT HELPERS MANIFESTShamanism is full of stories that
teach andinspire people. David Kowalewski looks atwhy the
developing Western hamanism hasneed of them, and shares a few
himself.
ORDEAL MEDICINESOne Native Amercan proverb goes; ‘fairweather
never makes strong timber.’Travis Bodick looks at why we need
totoughen up in our sacred practice and ourlives.
MENDING THE SACRED HOOPMaking stone Medicine Wheels on the
landis a lovely and simple thing to do, for ourown learning and as
a sacred act in itsown right. Shima Maria Yraceburuexplains.
BOOK AND MUSIC REVIEWSPEOPLE ON THE PATH EVENTS DIARY
EDITORIALIssue 101. The term is often used for abeginner’s guide
- an introduction to something- and of course it’s also the
infamous torturechamber where Winston is finally taken in
GeorgeOrwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ -a place of
ordeal.
I had crazy thoughts of making this a 101-style introduction
issue to shamanism, butlife (and the vagaries of what articles
appearout of the ether) thought otherwise.
But all new experiences are a ‘101’ ofsorts, so we start with an
account of oneman’s experience in the wilds of NorthernMongolia,
and follow it with the 101experiences of the late Ross Heaven, as
hefollowed the path which led him to his life’swork.
We have a 101 on the use of ritual dollsand effigies in healing
work, and articlesabout the need for stories - which arealways good
101 experience, as they oftengiven people traveller’s tales of
adventuresnew.
And then we turn towards the othermeaning of 101, the place of
ordeal, withan article about how we need to facethings and toughen
up, because it is onlythrough that, that we reach the centre -which
of course brings us to the final articleof this issue, the making
of medicinewheels, in which the centre is essential.
On the medicine walk of our lives, ourown serendipitous life
journey of newexperiences and ordeals, the centre of allthings is
the place all of life orbits.
To quote from Geral Blanchard’s articleabout Mayan traditions in
this issue, thecentre of everything is the: ‘axis mundi,the Maya
cosmic centre. From here, theancestors are summoned, intentions
arepresented, petitions are offered, and atransformative fire is
ignited for those whoare in discomfort, and desiring ofblessings,
or a life renewal.’
So blessings on your individual lifewalk,our lives are always a
101 - in both sensesof the word - and all we can do is traveldown
the road before us and seize theadventure.
Blessings to all BeingsNicholas Breeze Wood
A JOURNEY TODARKHAD
The Darkhad people of theNorth of Mongolia are thecustodians of
perhaps thepurest form of Mongolianshamanism remaining.Living in
such a remote place,they were affected less thanother Mongolian
peoples, firstlyby the influx of TibetanBuddhism into the country
inthe C18th - which tried toeradicate shamanism - and thenby the
ravages of Communismin the C20th, which almosttotally destroyed
shamanism inthe country
With his Darkhad udigan, hiswoman shaman teacher,
Eugene Johnsontravelled up to Darkhad Valleyto work with elders
of theDarkhad people, and receivesacred objects of shamanismthey
had prepared for him
IMongolia is not always an easy place totravel in, and when I
arrived in Ulaanbaatar,a friend there said these words to me,which
would eventually sum up my wholeexperience of the country and my
timethere: “If one can accept a certain amountof the unexpected,
even chaos, things willusually work out in the end.”
My trip to the country was to be centredaround receiving my
shaman’s ritual tools -once they had been blessed by my
udigan[woman shaman] teacher - and then for meto receive an
initiation into ‘full armourshamanism1’ by her own teacher, who
livedin Darkhad valley, a remote valley in the northof Mongolia,
some two long, hard days travelaway from Ulaanbaatar, which
everyone callsUB for short.
The shamanic tradition in the Darkhadhas remained pure and
resiliently vital andvibrant, despite the long period of
Sovietdomination in the earlier parts of the C20th,which did great
damage to Mongolianshamanism and Mongolian culture ingeneral.
2
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The evening after my arrival in the city,after sunset - which is
the time for ‘fullarmour’ shamanic ceremonies, according
totradition - I came to the home of myteacher, my udigan, and her
assistants formy first ceremony.
They had prepared an altar, placingsmall bowls of milk, milk·
tea and vodkaonto it, as well as more offerings oftobacco, sweet
biscuits and a bottle ofvodka.
Her shaman’s drum was placed in frontof this altar, and her
shaman’s robe wasdraped around it, as if the drum was thebody of a
shaman; then her shaman’sfeathered and fringed headdress wasplaced
on top of the drum, and hershaman’s boots put in front on the
tiledfloor, as if the shaman’s legs werecrossed.
When it was all finished, it looked for allthe world like there
was a person, ashaman, sitting there - the drum hadbecome
alive.
The assistants then burnt small juniperbranches - the Mongolian
form of smudge -to purify everything, and started a small firein a
special round metal pot-like fire basketcalled a tulaga, which is a
small portableshaman’s fire place. Then they helped theudigan into
her armour, dismantling thedrum figure they had created.
When she was dressed in her ritualclothes, she stood in front of
her altar,beating her drum and making special soundsand cries to
call to the spirits. The ceremonyto bless my shamanic tools
began.
But, things did not go as planned; asshortly after she went into
her shamanictrance, the metal plates, fixed to theoutside of her
shaman’s robe, between hershoulder blades, broke in half and fell
off.These metal plates, which protect theshaman’s back, are
considered theshaman’s main protection against attacksfrom hostile
spirits.
My udigan began shaking withconvulsions, and was in obvious
pain,crying out from time to time, while herassistants quickly
placed burning juniper inher mouth to help expel a hostile spirit
-which they were sure had come into her -and help to safely return
her own spirit.
She slowly recovered, and spent a goodwhile trying to figure out
where this attackcame from. It later came out that thissurprise
attack was from a wrathful lu(naga) spirit which was attached to
me, andwhich had come with me to Mongolia. Thiswas later dealt with
so it wouldn’t cause anymore problems.
This initial setback was taken in ourstride however, and the
next 48 hours were
largely spent preparing for our trip to visitmy ugidan’s teacher
in the Darkhad Valley. Ialso took this time to becoming familiar
withthe tools which had been empowered forme, especially my khuur -
my shaman’sjaw-harp - which had been made especiallyfor me by a
special blacksmith shaman.
THE ROAD TO THE NORTHWe laid in food supplies, gifts for the
eldersand others in the shaman’s camp, and evenchains to pull our
car out of difficulties incase we got stuck - which would soon
proveto have been a good idea.
It was to be a two-day long trip, the firstday’s objective being
to make the 500 miledrive on proper asphalt roads, up to asmall
town called Mörön, which is aprovincial capital of the part of
NorthernMongolia, where the Darkhad valley is.There we planned to
spend the night,before setting out on the second day ofthe
journey.
But once again, things did not quite goas we planned, due to a
unexpected snowstorm that hit us as we travelled North,making the
journey long and hazardous.An 800 km road trip and all four
seasonsin one day, but eventually we arrived inMörön safe and sound
and retired for thenight.
The next morning we left the snow-covered city - thick in a
morning haze - andwe also left the asphalt road, replacing itwith a
bone-jarring 300 km journey overrough terrain. This next dirt road
had nopaved roads, no sign-posts, and sometimeseven the tracks left
by previous travellersdisappeared under the unexpected
snowfall.
At first it seemed we were merelytaking a short-cut across a
field, in orderto save us some time - or perhaps avoid apotentially
dangerous spot in the ruttedtrack - but it was to be like that the
wholejaw-rattling day, and I’m sure the insideroof of the car we
used still bears theimprint of my skull from the numerousimpacts
which, both it and I, suffered.
At key places along the way, andespecially at the entrance to
DarkhadValley, we made offerings at ovoos - sacredpiles of rocks
with tree branches and polesin them, all covered with blue cloth
khadagoffering scarves. These mark sacredplaces, and we would get
out of our carand circle them three times clockwise - thedirection
the sun travels across the sky -and throw rice into the air to show
respectto the powerful guardian spirits, and to askthem for safe
passage and blessings.
As we jarred further and further north,the crossing of the many
small streamsand innumerable boggy areas became aparticularly
delicate affair, the risk of
getting bogged down and stuck out in thewilds was very high, and
the possibility ofpassers-by being there who could come toour aid
if we did, was very low.
Despite the expertise of our two drivers,who shared the miles,
the inevitableeventually happened, crossing aparticularly boggy bit
of ground our wheelsgot stuck. We were - it seemed - not likelyto
be going anywhere fast.
As we stood around wondering what wewere going to do, we saw a
herdsman, witha troop of horses, but in the end, even hewas not
able to be of much help to us andwe felt forlorn in the empty
expanse.
Then fortune smiled upon us, a passingmini-bus saw our
predicament from a greatdistance away, and took the time andtrouble
to make its way across to us - foroften people make their own roads
acrossthe vast openness, and their road was notour road. Our chains
were attached, andwith effort, the minibus pulled us out. Itwas a
moment of great relief, and theunwritten code of mutual help
wasillustrated anew.
At sunset we finally made it to theelders camp, located next to
a stunninglybeautiful snow and ice-covered lake; butnot before a
flat tyre made it necessary tocompletely unload our car, in order
to getat the spare one which, as it turned out,was also flat,
THE HOME OF THE SHAMANSThe next few days were mainly spent inand
around the home of my udigan’steacher - whom I refer to as Elder
One inthis article to keep their actual nameprivate.
Elder One has now sadly passed intospirit, but he was, I
believe, one of the lastshamans in Mongolia who made all theregalia
and tools himself, and even huntedthe animals whose skin are used
forvarious ritual purposes. He hunted themhimself, the better to
honour them andensure their blessings. He was also trainedand
recognised as a blacksmith shaman,and therefore - although rather
advancedin age at the time I was with him - wasalways quite busy
tanning hides, rollingsheep’s wool into long cylindrical strips,and
covering them with cloth to makemanjig - the cloth snakes shamans
havehanging on their ritual clothes.
His passing was greatly mourned by theDarkhad people and by
others around theworld who knew of him - he was a greatshaman.
The ritual clothes of a shaman arecommonly called the shaman’s
armourbecause they protect the shaman - andsome manjig snakes were
being made forthe armour which was being put togetherfor me, as
well as the finishing touches be
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made for a shaman’s drum which wasbeing made for me.
Visitors from within the camp droppedin regularly - neighbours,
and peopleseeking help from the shaman, as well aswell-wishers.
The lack of a fixed, closeable orlockable door, and the
spontaneouspopping in of strangers - all speaking awayin a language
I did not understand - was, Imust admit, a bit unsettling in
thebeginning, but I soon overcame my initialunease, and went with
the flow.
In the afternoon of the first day of ourvisit, another highly
respected andpowerful shaman - whom I will call ElderTwo - came to
do a divination for me,using his toli - a bronze mirror.
The wrathful lu - naga - spirit, whichapparently had come from
the dwellingplace of one of my ancestors, and whichwas a rather
greedy spirit, had beenfollowing me around, and that, togetherwith
some unresolved issues from my past,were found to be blocking my
progress andpreventing the realisation of my potential.
Elder Two was able to trap the negativeenergy I carried - as
well as the greedy luspirit - inside a shaman’s mirror, althoughto
this day I do not know if, or how, he gotrid of them again
afterwards.
A thorough cleansing would have tobe done on me the next day,
using oldhorse manure, in a kind of fumigationtechnique, in order
to chase away anyremaining negative spirits and energy.This was to
prepare me for my initiationceremony.
I was told it was also important to ‘feed’the big flightless
birds which live in theland of my ancestors - and I could
onlyimagine this to mean turkeys.
DONNING THE ARMOURThe next day was a Saturday, whichaccording to
Darkhad tradition is a day ofthe week on which no shamanising
isdone; as it is instead idevoted to purely‘human’ activities.
So, it was not until the Sunday that wedrove out - early in the
morning, in brilliantsunshine, over non-existent roads, forwhat
seemed like hours - up to a sacredhill, where my initiation
ceremony was totake place.
But first the purification ritual I hadbeen told about had to be
done. Old, dryhorse dung was placed in a specialcontainer by Elder
One, who then lit it, andbegan praying and asking the spirits
forblessings.
I was instructed to cleanse myself withthe horse dung smudge
smoke, using myhands to bring the smoke over my wholebody.
During this time, Elder Two put on thearmour which had been made
for me byElder One, which comprised of shaman’sboots, a long blue
deel coat with metaljingle cones, cloth snakes and a
metalprotective plate between the shoulderblades attached to it; as
well as aheaddress with feathers, and with morecloth snakes
attached to that.
His putting on of my armour was toavoid the spirits from
recognising meafterwards, it was to protect me, to stopthe spirits
coming to me uninvited.
After putting on my armour, Elder Twopicked up the drum which
had been madefor me, and began singing, asking forblessings from
the spirits. As he did this, alarge eagle flew overhead, which
everyoneagreed was an auspicious sign. Thisapparently often happens
when heperforms rituals.
Elder One supported the ritual, and hetoo sang his shaman’s
song, while tossingspoonfuls of milk offerings into the air,
andcircling round me with the smoking dung.
And then Elder Two went into a deeptrance still playing my new
drum, untilsuddenly - as he played it - the drum’sskin split open
in two places. This ofcourse was a dramatic thing to happen,and not
really a good sign.
Elder Two was then very quicklyundressed by others who were
assisting,and the armour was immediately put onme, in order for the
spirits to accept andbless me after having been called in byElder
Two during his ceremony. And yet theskin of the drum was
irreparably split, and itwas impossible to go further in
theceremony.
It was indeed an unfortunate setback, asthis drum had been made
by Elder Two overseveral weeks, during which time he hashunted the
deer, cleaned and dried the skin,carved and formed the wood for the
frame,and made all the protective metal work andother objects which
had been attached to it.
So, we sat about talking, and figuringout the reason it had
happened, andseeking the best solution to the problem.The
interpretation given about the drum’ssplitting was that it had
taken on all mydifficulties, my past experiences, etc. It had,in
effect sacrificed itself, in order to free mefrom my past, so I
could go forward.
It so happened that my udigan was alsoto receive a new drum
during this trip tothe valley - made for her by Elder One -and it
was therefore proposed that I inheritmy udigan’s old drum, which I
felt to be agreat honour.
It took a good while for this new drumto be fetched, and for
Elder One to attachthe jingle cones, manjig snakes and other
items onto, what was to be my new drum,and then bless it. He
drummed andchanted for a while, while Elder Two wasagain dressed in
my armour, and the wholeprocess began again.
At the end of his trance, the shaman’sarmour and drum were again
quicklytransferred onto me, and it was now up tome to ask the
spirits for acceptance andblessings.
In all truth, I really don't remember muchabout this part of the
ceremony, it issomewhat of a blur, and only snippets ofimages and
sounds remain to me. Iremember ‘waking up,’ lying on my back onthe
ground, my udigan and Elder One lookingdown at me smiling.
For hours afterwards it seemed like mysensory perceptions were
heightened, andmy impressions intensified. It also seemedas though
I could register what was goingon around me, but that it took
longer forme to process these impressions insidemyself. It was as
if I was functioning at twospeeds - one which connected me to
theoutside world, and an internal one, whichtook longer to
integrate these impressions.
Needless to say, sleep and rest werethe program for the rest of
the day, alongwith offerings of rice to my drum.
THE ROAD OF RETURNThe next morning we drove about twelvemiles
over bumpy paths, and throughstunning countryside, to reach a
sacredmountain that is particularly important toDarkhad shamanism,
because of theextremely powerful spirits who live there.The
atmosphere indeed felt other-worldlyand uncanny, and it was
important to treadlightly, and in silence, in order to show
duerespect to these spirits.
Strips of white cotton cloth had beenprepared beforehand, and we
tied these tothe branches of a pine sapling, which wasto be used as
a place for making offeringsat the altar we set up for the spirits
of theplace and the ancestors spirits there -collectively called
the ongods.
When cups of milk, milk-tea and vodkahad been poured and a plate
piled high withsweet biscuits had been set upon the altar,Elder Two
sat down, holding the pine saplingin front of him, and, waving it
back andforth, began to humbly call and to makeofferings of purity
to the spirits.
At one point another shaman steppedforth and - while whistling
and makingsmacking sounds with his lips - madeofferings of vodka as
well. Then heremoved the sapling, and Elder Two wentinto a deep
trance, chanting and twirlingaround a manjika - a mirror with
clothsnakes attached.
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Afterwards I was given four strips ofwhite cotton cloth to
attach to a tree, whilemaking a request of the spirits, and
then,when this had been done, we all sat arounddrinking tea,
consuming the offerings andpartaking of vodka in a sort of
post-ritualcelebration.
Elder Two then did a divination aboutsome health issues I have.
He sat behindme, playing his khuur, in order to call tothe spirits,
and then did some kind ofhealing work on me. I couldn't see what
hewas doing because he was behind me, butI felt warm energy
diffusing through mybody.
Then, taking a pair of pine cones whichhad grown into one, he
dipped them invodka, had me break them apart, and throwone in the
direction of my birth-place, andthe other in the direction of the
place I nowlive, thereby releasing me of all negativeenergy causing
these health issues.
On our way back to the camp, we cameacross several motorcyclists
who had stoppedfor lunch in a clearing. It was somehow
verysurprising to come across Westerners on amotorcycle trip in
such a remote part ofnorthern Mongolia, and it turned out theywere
French, and on their way to try to lookup some Durkha herders who,
by definition,move from place to place and are thereforenot easy to
locate.
The Durkha are another tribal group inMongolia, often called the
Tsaatan, whichmeans ‘Reindeer People, although theydon’t like this
name. Mongolia is made upof many tribal groups, the Darkhad and
theDurkha being just two of them.
It was quite strange and funny to meet upwith these fellows and
their support team - acouple of guides, and a very impressive
vanfull of equipment, food and spare motorcycleparts. Le monde est
petit!
That evening a ceremony was held inorder to bless my udigan’s
new drum,made for her by Elder One. Elder Two puther armour and
headdress on, as the drumwas passed around to several shamanswho
had gathered for the ceremony, inwhat felt like it was a kind of
welcominggesture.
A make-shift altar was set up, with allthe traditional offerings
we had placedbefore on the altars, and Elder two begandrumming and
chanting. This went on forwhat seemed a very long time.
Elder One led the ceremony, chanting,spooning offerings of milk
into the air,circling around with burning junipersmudge for
purification - there was somuch, the air of the small dark hut
wasthick with it.
At one point another shaman placed acup of vodka to Elder Two’s
lips - who was
by now in a deep trance - makingsmacking and kissing noises all
the while,to facilitate the possession by the spirits.And then all
of a sudden, Elder Two wentas completely stiff as a board. His
bodystretched out and his muscles tensed.Elder One then quickly
used burningjuniper to bring him back, blowing thesmoke into Elder
Two’s nostrils and throat.
At this, the birthing of the new drumwas considered successful,
and theceremony was then concluded by anothersmall
‘celebration.’
The major objectives of our trip toDarkhad Valley being fully
achieved, weset out the next morning, after a warmround of
good-byes, on the long journeyback to UB.
Lake Khövsgöl was still partially frozen,and the melting snow
and ice made thesoil of the taiga’s dirt roads
treacherouslymuddy.
Despite the driving expertise of ourcolleagues, we ended up
stuck in the mudfor a good long while, sinking deeper anddeeper,
despite every renewed effort topull the car out. We were saved by
abrilliant flash of Mongolian ingenuity andgood common sense.
The rest of the trip was done in brilliantsunshine and when we
finally came backonto the blacktop highway, it felt as thoughwe
were driving on silk.
After sundown on the evening of mylast day in Mongolia, my
udigan performeda ritual to bless my shamanic tools and mybinding
to my spirits. The traditionalofferings were made at the altar, and
I wasgiven my khuur manjika2, made by theblacksmith shaman. This is
used fordaytime - or walking - shamanism, as wellas ‘light’
interventions such as divination,prayers for blessings. In
Darkhadtraditions, full armour is reserved for‘heavy’ work,
involving negotiations,struggle, and even battle with the
spirits,which is always done at night.
I was then instructed to shamanise atthe altar of my udigan, in
order to receiveblessings from the spirits. I remembercalling them
for quite some time with mykhuur, which I hadn't yet really
mastered,and then feeling a kind of diaphanouspresence hovering
above and around me.
The life-long journey into traditionalMongolian Shamanism had
indeed begun.Eugene Johnson has lived most of his adult
yearsabroad, mainly in France and China. Cross-culturalties have
always been central, both professionallyand personally, to his
life. A follower of Buddhism,then core shamanism, for many years,
he isfortunate to have found a traditional Mongolianshamanic
teacher. This article was written tohonour the path he is on, and
to share his
experience with readers interested in the power andtruth of
Mongolian shamanism.
Sacred Hoop is grateful to Kate Smith for herpermission to use
the photo of the ovoo at theentrance to Darkhad valley.
NOTES:1: The armour of a shaman is their ritual clothingand the
metal work fixed to it. Armour includes acoat, boots and a
feathered crown with fringed facemask. A shaman’s armour is
considered to be aliveand a house in which the shamans ongods
(helperspirits) live.
2: Khuur Manjig are important Darkhad ritualobjects. They
consist of a jaw harp (khuur) with abundle of cloth snakes
attached. These are stuffedwith wool from a special sheep, chosen
because ofcertain markings on the sheep’s fleece.The manjig has
other objects attached to it too, suchas an arrow head which has
taken a life, a driedwolf’s paw, a bear claw, a weasel’s skin and
otherobjects. The khuur has to be made by a specialshaman
blacksmith with metal taken from a horse’sbit - the part which goes
into its mouth.When completed the khuur manjig it is blessed
andawakened, and the lu spirits and the shaman’s spiritare bound
together. Shamans use them during theday in ‘walking shamanism,’
because it is easy totravel with a khuur manjig - than a full set
of ritualclothes, which generally do not leave the shaman’shome and
which are only worn for big night timeceremonies.A khuur manjig
gives the shaman as much protectionas their full armour.
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A LIFE WITHTHE MEDICINE
An interview with the lateRoss Heavenby Brett Lothian
How did you discover shamanic plantmedicine?
I learned about it as a child. I lived in thecountryside, so I
grew up with plants andmy first medicine was mushrooms, which
Ipicked myself. But then I got distracted fora while with jobs, and
making money, so itwasn’t until 1998 that I first went to Peruto
drink ayahuasca. This, in turn, led me toSan Pedro, which led me to
Salvia[divinorum], which led me back tomushrooms.
What qualities must one have to be ashaman?
What is a ‘shaman’? Well, my personalopinion is it’s a job -
like any other job. It’slike being a plumber, and just like any
job,you get on with it. It’s no great mystery.
I’m sure you’re as bored as me with allthose ego-stuffed Western
buffoons whowrite new age books called ‘The Shaman’sLast
Apprentice’ or ‘The Chosen One inHigh Heels,’ documenting their
wildadventure, which apparently qualifies themto be the next chief
shaman of some tribeor another. Why do they need to be thelast or
chosen anything? Are they so dulland uninspiring in themselves?
Just look at what they’re asking you tobelieve about them - or
about shamanism -and how special they are. The effectwouldn’t be
quite the same would it ifthey’d called it ‘The Plumber’s
LastBlocked Drain’ or I Was the Chosen ToiletCleaner?
But the thing is - if they actually had anyidea what a shaman
really is - they mightas well have given their books titles
likethat because shamanism is just a job, nodifferent from
plumbing, cleaning toilets orshovelling shit in a factory.
The job I had - marketingpharmaceuticals - was literally killing
me, aswell as my customers, so I went to Peruand drank ayahuasca to
find out what Ishould be doing instead. Then I begantraining in
shamanism, including a four yearapprenticeship with San Pedro in
Peru andSpain, running an ayahuasca healing centrein Iquitos, and
travelling to Mexico for Salviaand mushroom ceremonies with a
disciple
of the Mazatec curandera Maria Sabina,who lived in the Sierra
Mazateca ofsouthern Mexico
I suppose I worked at it because I caredabout shamanism - the
job I’d chosen formyself - not just about having a ‘shamantrophy’ I
could hang next to my MichaelHarner books, Sandy Ingerman
relaxationtapes, my Simon Buxton Bee Maidendiploma and my Munay Ki
- or, as I call it‘Money Key’ - ‘Master of the
Universe’certificate.
As for what a shaman is and thequalities you need to do it: I
thinkshamanism is everything that Harner,Ingerman, Buxton and their
like are not.
Shamanism is a way of being, aworldview, a belief system which
is theantithesis to the exploitative, misleading,money-grabbing
capitalism, which many inthe modern western new age shamanicscene
stand for. It has integrity, authenticityand honesty in a way they
don’t.
How has following the shamanic pathimproved your life?
For the most part it hasn’t. As manypeople discover when they
wake up to thetruth of this world, the new awareness andawakeness
they find can be far morepainful and frustrating than
liberating.
But it’s also the only honest thing to doif you want a life of
integrity so you can bereal and face the world you’re living in
andfind your own solutions to it.
But don’t coming looking for quick fixesand improvements from
shamanism,because you won’t find them here - or ifyou do it’s a
good indicator that you haven’tfound true shamanism, but have
wanderedby mistake into a new age, weekend warriorseminar
instead.
Do you have a personal favouriteshamanic plant medicine to work
withand if so, why?
If I do, I suppose it would have to be SanPedro. In a way, my
four-yearapprenticeship to San Pedro never trulyended, because
every plant I work withsomehow falls under the umbrella of
SanPedro, so that the cactus dieta surrounds ittoo.
San Pedro is the plant of the Earth - itteaches us how to be
‘the true human’ -so I guess that’s the lesson I most neednow. I
do, however, very much enjoymushrooms - los ninos - and they still
havea great deal to teach me, which is alwaysfun: to find a new
teacher with plenty toteach, not just the same old lessons to
belearned again, over and over.
Are all shamanic plant medicines
equal and able to be used in the sameways?
Every plant has its own unique personalityand ways of teaching,
but what they teachis in many ways similar. They very quicklyshow
us the lies we have been fed andaccepted, including those we’ve
fedourselves, and the true nature of humanlife.
If this is what you mean when you talkabout ‘enlightenment,’
then this is what allteacher plants also provide us with.
Of course ‘enlightenment’ is not aprocess of addition or
multiplication - not away to add more happiness tour lives, orsound
cleverer at dinner parties - it’s aprocess of subtraction. It is
the shreddingoff of all you know, while having yourarmour ripped
off. So, whetherenlightenment turns out to be ‘all you everhoped
for’ is a whole other matter.
Working with teacher plants is likejoining an academy of
advanced learningand - like the professors in any academy -each
plant has particular skills, talents andareas of expertise.
Salvia shows us the nature ofexistence, for example, while
ayahuascateaches us about the creative possibilitiesof the
universe, and San Pedro educatesus in how to be human.
But that is not all that plants do. Theybelong to the plant
kingdom as well - justas every professor - no matter what
theirspeciality, is also a human being andshares characteristics in
common witheveryone else through his humanity.
Plants are the same, so everyoneknows something about all the
others, andcan teach us about them as well as itself.
Finally, all plants are aware - as much assome humans, and even
some professorsmay be - that they are ultimately part of the‘mind
of God’ - or, in quantum language,one expression of the same energy
thatmakes up the entire universe - so they canall open doorways for
us into a widerunderstanding of life.
Can you explain how shamanic plantmedicine works?
Sure. There are basically four levels ofhealing with every
plant:
The first one is: the plant as a‘medicine.’ It can be used in
the same waythat any herbalist might use a plant. Salvia,for
example, can treat stomach problems,rheumatism and depression,
among otherconditions. Pharmaceutical drugs, derivedfrom the plant,
could also be used tocombat diseases including Alzheimer’s,AIDS,
leukaemia and diabetes. In this waySalvia addresses the ‘nuts and
bolts’ ofthe body; the material stuff that modern
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medicine and medical herbalism alsoconcerns itself with.
Modern medical treatments, however,are based on rather primitive
ideas ofcausality and cure - i.e. that ‘A leads to B,’or that
giving a patient ‘Medicine X’ willclear up a disease in 96.4
percent ofcases.
But this is different to shamanism, asshamanism also pays
attention to theattitude, motivation and psychology of thepatient,
and to the spirit of the plant. Thenotion of magical illness and
cure is anexample of this, and raises, again,questions about the
nature of reality anddisease.
For example, panzón de Borrego is ablockage in the stomach. It
is seen as astone, put there magically by a rival, and itmay arise
because of mal d’ojo - givingsomeone the ‘evil eye’ because you
arejealous of them in some way.
The person who receives such anattack is, of course, a victim of
sorcery -but that does not mean that they areentirely innocent,
since they might in facthave provoked their misfortune bybragging
about their wealth or success toothers, and making the other person
feelbad. Even though they are on the receivingend of negative
energy, therefore, theymay also be part of its cause.
Orthodox medicine or herbalism mightwell be able to cure the
symptom of thedisease, but by ignoring the ‘magical’component of
the illness, it would leavethe cause untreated, and so invite
arecurrence.
Nor would it offer suggestions for thepatient’s continuing good
health byrecommending - for example - that theyact in a more
dignified manner in future, soas not to provoke the ill-will of
others.
Used shamanically, however, Salvia candivine the cause of a
problem, and find anongoing solution to it, as well as animmediate
cure.
Even from a purely herbal perspective,then, the medicinal use of
Salvia is morefar-reaching and holistic than orthodoxtreatments,
and includes aspects ofpsychology, counselling and
pastoralspirituality.
The idea of magical illnesses and cures- even from this more
psychologicalperspective - is often met with cynicism byWestern
doctors and sceptics.
But ‘magic’ itself is used extensively inmodern medicine, they
just have a morescientific -and, therefore, more seeminglyvalid -
name for it: the placebo effect. Inmodern usage, the placebo, which
is Latinfor ‘I will please’, is a medically ineffectualtreatment,
given to patients to deliberately
deceive them into wellness. Common placebos include inert
tablets,
sham surgery or false procedures, basedon what the medical
profession calls‘controlled deception.’
In a typical case, a patient is given asugar pill, and told that
it will improve theircondition, and because they believes
this,there is often a real improvement, despite- or, rather,
because of - the lie they havebeen told.
The researchers Wampold, Minami, etal, in their paper, ‘The
Placebo is Powerful’[Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2005]conclude
that placebos - the power of beliefalone - can, in fact, exceed
theeffectiveness of ‘real’ treatments by 20percent in some
cases.
The use of placebos by generalpractitioners is widespread, in
fact. A studyof Danish doctors found that 48 percent ofthem had
prescribed a placebo at least tentimes in the past year. One
Americansurvey of more than 10,000 physiciansshowed that 24 percent
would, or did,prescribe placebos, while a 2004 study ofphysicians
in Israel found that 60 percentused placebos.
The point is that they work. We arecapable of magically curing
ourselves.
Brain imaging shows that placeboshave real organic effects too,
causingchanges to the brain in the anteriorcingulate, prefrontal,
orbitofrontal andinsular cortices, amygdala, brainstem andspinal
cord, among other areas - which isanother way of saying that belief
- a non-material ‘substance’ - has an effect on ourmaterial selves.
In terms that a shamanmight use, the condition of the bodydepends
on the condition of the soul.
The second level of healing a plantmedicine gives is the role
the plant has asa spirit ally.
Beyond their purely medicinal uses,plants can teach us about
ourselves,reality, existence, and the wider patterns ofour
lives.
To some extent this comes down towhat shamans call ‘intention,’
or ‘focus,’or ‘having a good concentration’: enteringinto a
committed partnership with theplant, with the express intent that
it willreveal certain information to us or pass oncertain
powers.
For our part, we need to pay closeattention to the signs that
the plant sends us- and the changes it makes to our bodies -
inorder to receive its messages and gainmastery of the new
abilities it gives us.
In Amazonian traditions the dieta, theshamanic diet, is likely
to be part of thisarrangement. The shamanic diet involvescertain
actions and inactions, includingrestrictions on the behaviour of
the dieter,
so they can learn from their plant spirit ally.Foods such as
pork, fats, salt, sugar,
spices, condiments and alcohol areprohibited, leaving the
apprentice with abland menu, so the apprentice is notoverwhelmed
with flavour, and can morefinely sense the plant.
It also weakens the apprentice’sattachments to routines, some of
whichrevolve around meal times and foods. Forthe same reason there
is a prohibition onsexual activity, since sex is another
worldlydistraction, and during orgasm we can alsogive away the
power that has been buildingwithin us during the diet - which would
bea pointless waste.
Breaking these taboos can lead theplant to turn against us, so
that it takesfrom us not only the power it has given,but any
similar power we may already havehad.
In the case of Salvia, for example, sincethe plant’s intention
is to teach us aboutthe nature of true reality, breaking the
dietbefore it is complete can lead to theopposite of expanded
awareness and aclear perspective on life - that is, tomadness,
according to warnings fromMazatec shamans.
The third way a plant works with us isas a guide to the spirits
of other plants.
Once it is a part of them, the plant allybegins to teach the
shaman about itself,about other plants, and about how to heal.As I
said, since all plants are part of thesame plant kingdom, they have
an affinitywith all other plants, and know somethingabout the
specific powers of each one.
San Pedro as an ally, for example, ismore than just a healer in
its own right, itbecomes, for the shaman, a guide to thespirit
world in general, and an ambassadorwhich will act on his behalf and
introducehim to other plants.
In one of my books, I talk about a longshamanic diet I did with
San Pedro, andhow, during an ayahuasca ceremony tomeet its spirit,
it introduced me to anumber of other plants that it wanted meto
diet, including tobacco, rose, and theAmazonian plants jergon sacha
and chancapiedra.
In this way the shaman becomesknowledgeable about a range of
plants andtheir healing uses, and has a guide thatthey can call
upon, to lead them to thosethey might need, in order to heal
anypatient who comes to them - even if theshaman is unfamiliar
themselves with thepatient’s illness, or the plants they mightneed
to help in the healing.
And the last level of working with plantsis that the plant is a
‘gateway to the void.’
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We can learn the deepest secrets throughworking with them.
Perhaps the greatest teaching of theseplants is that there is
nothing to theuniverse except what we make of it. In thissense, we
are God ourselves.
Healing then often comes back to thesame message: that there is
no absolutereality, that our life stories are exactly that -stories
- and that the first essential forpositive change is to make new
choices,based on greater awareness, and a decisionto embrace love,
rather than fear. None ofwhich is impossible for a God.
Do you think that modern psychedelicdrugs like LSD, MDMA etc,
can have aplace in modern shamanism?
The Mazatec curandera Maria Sabina triedsome of Albert Hofmann’s
syntheticPsilocybin once, and declared that therewas no difference
between it and hermushrooms; and the American biochemistand
pharmacologist Alexander Shulgin dida lot of good therapeutic work
usingMDMA, which is effectively syntheticPeyote or San Pedro.
Personally however, I think there is adifference between
synthetic drugs andnatural plants, but useful results can stillcome
from using synthetic drugs.
What is of no use to anyone in thiswork however, is science.
Science is ourfavourite new religion which - perverselyand
paradoxically - asks us to accept itsfindings as a matter of faith,
and treat itand its ministers - the research-fundedwhite-coated
priests of our age - as almostlittle dictator-gods themselves. The
entirehistory of science is one of arrogant know-it-all dabblers,
and dangerous interferers innature, being proven wrong, wrong,
andwrong, over and over again.
When science enters, soul leaves, and noeffect of value
results.
The psychiatrist Rick Strassman wrote inhis book ‘The Spirit
Molecule’ how hebecame disillusioned with DMT a substancehe was
doing research into, because despitepeople’s reports of major
insights, theynever did anything to actually change theirlives.
But then, when you look at the settingfor their experience, is
it any surprise thatthey got so little from it. A
clinical,emotionless injection of drugs in a sterilehospital
setting, administered by soullessautomata-humans, who did nothing
toguide or support their ‘subjects.’ I can tellyou that people who
come to myayahuasca ceremonies - unlikeStrassman’s DMT experiments
- go on tomake all sorts of positive changes to theirlives - they
write books, open healing
centres, give up crappy jobs and sadrelationships. And I’m not
unique in that.
Precisely because shamans are notscientists, their participants
benefit. Somodern psychedelics, yes, maybe they canhave a role in
healing and therapy, butscience can’t - ever under
anycircumstance.
Can shamanic practice coexist, and orcompliment, modern western
medicineand vice versa or are they mutuallyexclusive?
Western medicine certainly has a lot tolearn from shamanic plant
medicine, butthe reverse isn’t true because Westernmedicine has
next-to-nothing of value toteach.
For example, around 80% of Westernpharmaceutical medicines are
derived fromrainforest plants, yet we have so far onlyinvestigated
about 3% of plant specieswhich live in the forest.
One thing modern science could dothen, to advance our knowledge,
is to stopapplying itself to the destruction of theforest, and
instead make an inventory ofplants that can heal.
That’s about the limit of what I’d ask it todo. Every time
pharmaceutical science getsinvolved with plants - developing a new
pillfrom a jungle species for example - it endsup with a
watered-down version, whichexists not to cure anything, but to
create asteady flow of still-suffering customers. Thatis the
fundamental proposition of Westernmedical science - create
customers notcures. There is nothing useful that it canpossibly add
to the curing knowledge of areal healer like a shaman.
Are there limits to what a shaman andshamanic plant medicine can
heal?
I don’t think so. Or, rather, since all healing- even modern
hospital medicine -ultimately comes down to faith healing,exactly
what can be achieved depends onhow much belief, passion and
intentionyou are prepared to invest in the medicineand your own
recovery from illness.
But, for example, I have seen peoplecured of cancer from
drinking San Pedro, aswell as diabetes, paralysis, MS,
ME,Parkinson’s… pretty much you name it.
Then there are stories like this one... Idecided to go from
Mexico to Perubetween December 2014 to January2015, but just before
I got onto the plane Iheard that one of my co-workers -Fernanda, a
23 year woman - neededemergency heart surgery within the nextfour
months, or she would die. But the
surgery would cost $350,000 US, whichneither her, or her family
could afford. Andon top of this, the Mexican peso had justhad a big
depression, compared to the USdollar, so for Mexicans that was a
really bigsum of money. And yet, it was a matter oflife or
death.
I was really concerned, but I wasn’tsure if I could do anything.
I knew I had tohelp, but I didn’t know how. So I took myplane to
Cusco and I drank San Pedro,and I literally talked to God.
I felt an immense kind of joy, anorgasmic one, during our
conversation. Godtold me that I had to make a fundraiser
forFernanda, that this situation would also bean exceptional gift
for me, and that all thejoy I was feeling in that moment
wouldremain with me during the whole process offundraising.
I got pretty scared, I felt overwhelmedand very dizzy, but then
God told me to havefaith in myself.
But He also told me that I had free willand could say “No” to
His proposal, and Iwas about to, but then He told me “Forthis cause
I will put an Army of Angels atyour service; many people will
embrace thecause because of you, and the army ofangels who are
about to come into yourheart, if you open it now and say “Yes.”
I ran to Mark - the shaman at theceremony where I drank the San
Pedro -and told him what had happened, and thatI just couldn’t do
what San Pedro and Godwere asking of me. He just said; “Well,sorry,
but if San Pedro tells you to dosomething you must do it!”
Then I looked up, and I saw an army ofangels commanded by four
bigarchangels. They were dancing in the skyand flying towards me.
So I said “Yes.”Then I began to panic at my commitmentto God, and I
asked myself a lot ofquestions, like how should I start? Whatshould
I do? Because I had never raisedmoney for any cause before.
Through San Pedro, God answered me.He told me to keep my eyes
and heartopen, and that ideas would pop into myhead, amazing people
would enter my lifeand help make it happen, and the army ofangels
would remain with me until March20; and on that day I would have
all themoney that Fernanda needed.
So I got back to Mexico, excited but stillwith no idea how to
start.
I told some friends - Michelle, Georgina,Macarena and Rosy -
what had happened,and invited them to help me, and withoutblinking
an eye, or asking any questions theyall said “Yes.” I understood
then that theywere the four archangels I had seen on SanPedro day,
and they were leading otherangels. Yet out the four of them,
only
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Macarena knew about fundraising.The first days were difficult,
we didn’t
know how to start; no one in the campaignknew how to do it. So
on January 22, Iwent and saw Fernanda, and I took apiece of paper
and wrote a prayer on it. Iwrote: ‘I want her heart to keep
beating.Please help us.’
I asked a girl from our office to take ourpicture with the sign,
and the girl wasreally moved, so after taking our picture,she said
she also wanted a picture withFernanda, and that sign to put on
herFacebook page.
So that’s how everything began,suddenly all the office was
taking pictureswith my sign and Fernanda and uploadingthem on their
Facebook pages to help usraise money. That was the first time I
sawthe army of angels in action.
Then, one day, we got a phone callfrom an important guy in
Mexico who musthave seen this. He promised us a bigdonation, but he
wasn’t able to meet us fordays, and I became so disappointed
andtired after going every day to his home totry to see him.
We were already in February, and Godhad told me in the San Pedro
ceremonythat the army of angels would only remainwith me until
March 20, and the campaignwould end then; and so far we had
onlyraised $22,929 out of the $350,000 weneeded.
That night I cried in anguish, and Idared to tell God: “I am out
now, I’mdone!”
But, once more, on the next day I wentagain to try to see the
guy who hadpromised to give a big donation, saying tomyself all the
time; “This is the last time youtry with this guy”.
And guess what, it really was the lasttime, because on that day
he saw me, andhe gave me $60,000!
But the most exciting thing of that daywas still about to
happen. After giving methe donation, he invited me into one of
hisfavourite rooms. It turns out that he was anangel collector. The
room he showed mewas a beautiful room with figures of
angelseverywhere; archangels, angels, cherubs,on tables, on walls,
on shelves, everywhere.
The experience of the San Pedroceremony in Peru came back to me,
and Ijust felt the same amazing joy again. It wasa pretty clear
message to me: “There is anarmy of angels behind you; do not
giveup!”
So a lot of angels came into thecampaign, we called them ‘urban
angels.’There were still some very difficult days, aswe all felt
the stress. There were fights,tears and dramas, but every time I
nearly
said again; “I am really done with this now,I am out!,” God sent
me help.
National TV shows came knocking tointerview Fernanda about her
condition,newspapers got interested. One time anational paper
actually used the headline‘An Army of Angels are doing
everythingthey can to save Fernanda.’ I told nobodyabout the army
of angels that I saw inCusco, so it was clearly another messagefor
me. Keep going.
Then God sent me another gift. Afterthree really bad days we got
a call from theMexican rock band Molotov - my favouriterock band of
all time. They joined thecause, and began doing concerts
forFernanda, and from the stage they askedtheir fans to buy little
heart-shapedkeyrings we’d had made. As an extra giftfor me, I even
got to meet the band, myheroes, several times.
In Cusco God had told me the truth,that during the campaign I
would feel thesame orgasmic joy that I felt at the SanPedro
ceremony, without even taking anysubstance at all. That feeling is
so amazingthat I do not have words in English or inSpanish to
describe it.
Then came March 20, and just as Godhad promised, we made it. In
fact we crossedthe goal and on that day we had $361,214US! Fernanda
had her surgery and she isalive. Her last words to me before she
flew tothe Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical practiceand medical
research group based inRochester, Minnesota were; “You are
asuperhero, thank you for saving my life.”
I felt it for real then - because I reallydid. Me, I had saved
someone’s life. Herfather’s words to me were: “Thank you forbeing a
sister and mother to my child.”
Other than doctors very few peoplehave the grace to save a human
life, and Iam so grateful to San Pedro, because itshowed me how I
could, and it cleanedand revived my relationship with God onsuch a
level that I could trust in His plansfor me and follow His
instructions.
Nowadays, many of us have lost ourconnection to God, to our
Mother Earth andeven to our humanity. For me, San Pedrowas the key
to opening the door to wheremy humanity was hidden, and to
realisingthat I am an important piece in the world. If Ilisten to
God, and the divine, in myself I willbe free, and infinitely happy
- as I am rightnow. San Pedro showed me that nothing
isimpossible.
What are the potential dangers ofshamanic plant medicine?
In general, pretty much zero, unless you’rean idiot.
In 2005, for example, the British MedicalJournal warned that ‘in
England alone,reactions to drugs which led tohospitalisation,
followed by death, areestimated at 5,700 a year, and couldactually
be closer to 10,000.’
By comparison, between the year 2000and August 2004, there were
just 451reports of adverse reactions to herbalpreparations, and
only 152 were consideredserious. And there were no fatalities.
That statistic equates to just 38problem cases a year resulting
from plantmedicines, compared to perhaps 10,000deaths a year as a
result of acceptedmainstream medicine. Reviewing thesefigures the
London Independentnewspaper concluded that, ‘Herbs may notbe
completely safe - as critics like to pointout - but they are a lot
safer than drugs.’
The situation in America is very similar.There, orthodox medical
treatment itself isnow the leading cause of death, ahead ofheart
disease and cancer. Infections,surgical mistakes and other medical
harmcontributes to the deaths of 180,000hospital patients a year
and another 1.4million people are seriously hurt by theirhospital
care.’ [Consumer Reports online:www.consumerreports.org].
Other studies reveal that adverse drugreactions are
under-reported by up to 94percent, since the US government doesnot
adequately track them. Death, as aresult of plant healings,
meanwhile remainnext to zero.
With teacher plants specifically, as longas you approach them in
a grown-up andresponsible way, they are as safe as anyplant. In
fact, in perhaps the last five yearswe have heard of just three
deathsconnected to ayahuasca ceremonies inEcuador and Peru, and,
while themainstream media like to have a frenzywith stories like
these’ and to dwell on thedangers and the exoticism, three deaths
infive years is nowhere near 10,000 deathsa year from
pharmaceutical drugs, which iswhere the real danger lies.
What is your opinion of the modernrecreational use of shamanic
plantmedicine?By definition, there can never be arecreational use
of shamanic plantmedicine; there can only be a recreationaluse of
drugs.
In plant medicine ceremonies a numberof factors are at play: the
ceremonialspace and the healing energy invokedthere; the ceremonial
setting and context -which focuses the mind on healing - thehealing
work, and the curanderismoperformed by the shaman; and also
ofcourse the medicine plant you take.
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All of these contributes to the healing,and is part of the
respectful, responsiblecontext to healing that is created. It
goeswithout saying that this is quite differentfrom dropping a few
tabs at a party.
There may be nothing wrong with thelatter either, if that’s what
you’re into, and,once again, you take responsibility for
yourexperience and well-being, but it won’t be amedicine ceremony,
so there’s no pointpretending it is, or that you’re doinganything
very useful or sacred.
Has the role of the shaman changed inour modern society and if
so, how?
Well, firstly I’m making a distinction, whenwe talk about the
role of the shaman,between ‘authentic shamans’ and ‘coreshamans’
who are generally a wishy-washy, weekend warrior brand of
ego-ledspiritual interference, which hasunfortunately come to be
seen as ‘modernshamanism,’ when it isn’t.
In terms of authentic shamanism, theprinciples of healing
haven’t changed at all- shamanism is, and always will be,
faithhealing in the true sense of the word.
But the application of those healingprinciples - their method of
delivery, if youlike - may have changed to make thathealing felt
and understood. In otherwords, as the modern world becomesmore
faithless - and more diseased as aconsequence - the shaman must
dowhatever new thing is required toreactivate faith in his patients
andreconnect them to God.
But then, shamanism has always beena creative force, which works
uniquely witheach individual patient, so maybe at itsroot,
shamanism hasn’t really changed inthe modern world, not at its
basis.
Can shamanic plant medicine changeour modern world for the
better?
Absolutely not; it can do nothing at all.One of the first
lessons you receive
from the plants is about responsibility: thatno-one is going to
do it for you, so youneed to stand on your own two feet andget it
done for yourself.
Be the change. No-one is interested inyour cry-baby whining
either, when thingsdon’t go your way - not even as youimagined -
you either get busy living andcreating the world you want, or,
well,you’re just getting in the way of others andwasting oxygen
your kids could be using.
So it’s like this… plant medicine can,and will, expand your
mind, give you freshideas, bring you beneficial insights,potentials
and possibilities, but the thing is,
a good idea never did anything to changethe world.
A potential remains a potential, and apossibility a possibility
until you make astand and do something practically in thereal
world, with everything you’ve beenshown and taught. So no, plant
medicinecan’t change our modern world at all. Youcan.
If there was one piece of advice youcould give to someone
beginningalong the shamanic path, what wouldit be?You must do this
with commitment, withintegrity and authenticity. The shamanicworld
- or what passes for it these days -already has enough con men,
jokers andcore idiots; we don’t need any more. Whatwe do need is
new, creative thinkers andgenuine healers who are prepared to put
inthe work.
The late Ross Heaven was a shaman, psychologist,author, healer,
workshop facilitator and presenter.From early childhood he trained
extensively in theshamanic, transpersonal and
psycho-spiritualtraditions. From the late 1990s he apprenticed
tothe Ayahuasca healing traditions of the PeruvianAmazon, and the
San Pedro traditions of theAndes. He also working with the
curanderos ofMexico, the houngans [shaman-priests] of Haiti,and
with other indigenous shamans.He wrote over 20 books, as well as
many articlesfor Sacred Hoop magazine and others, about
onshamanism, empowerment, plant medicines,teacher plants and
healing.Ross passed into spirit in January 2018.
Brett Lothian is an Australian ethnobotanist,researcher and
writer. He is a regular contributor toNew Dawn Magazine, Dragibus
Magazine and is theauthor of the Tricho Serious Ethnobotany blog.
He isalso the creator and administrator of ‘The San
PedroTrichocereus Appreciation group’,the ‘Peyote Appreciation
group’ and the‘Ethnobotany Appreciation group,’all on Facebook.
RISING FROM THEEARTH LIKE MAIZE
The Mayan Way ofSelf-Realisation
Geral Blanchard withVictoria Murcielago
There are several profound and enduringconcepts which always
find their way intoany discussion about the Maya worldview.They
include: the foundational ideas ofseeds, and the importance of
maize, thecardinal directions, multiple cosmicdimensions, honouring
the ancestors, unitywith the divine, and the mathematicalordering
of the universe(s), with a relatedcyclical perspective of sacred
time thatoverlays ordinary time.
In ancient Mayan cosmology, a person’sbirthdate is the starting
point from whicheveryone can unravel our very personaldivine story,
whether we are from Antiguaor Atlanta.
Our birth date determines who we are,and our preordained
destiny. In this way,Nature can be understood as a
mathematicalgenius. She works from a complex set ofmathematical
computations. It is a science ofHer own, far superior to anything
humanscould ever contrive, even with the help ofcomputers. The
origins of the rules are notfully known. They help to partially
unravelmiracles humans can’t fully comprehend.What remains is an
elegant and enticingspiritual mystery.
OUR SEED AGREEMENTThe Holy Seed that rests inside us has
acountenance before it is born. An identitytoo. It comes with a
life script that iswritten into our spiritual make-up, onewhich can
be announced and interpretedfrom the day of our first breath.
The natural beauty of who we are meantto be is present and, much
like the seed ofa plant, we open to the world on that firstday, we
begin to sprout, and start on thepath created for us by the
Divine.
This natural expression constitutes oursoul. Once our life’s
purpose is understood- and if we are faithful to its meaning -
wecan embark on a soul-making journey.
All of us enter the world with anunspoken agreement with Nature
-a sacredtrust - to live out this divine expression, orpurpose, to
its full fruition. In doing so, weare rewarded with a sense of
wellbeing, afeeling of being at home, wherever we maybe, or whoever
we are with.
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Following this path never requires us toinvent an image of
ourselves, or to reinventourselves with changing
circumstances.There is an authentic part of us encodeddeep inside
awaiting our full discovery.Who we are is good. After all, it is
divinelyinspired and therefore perfect.
It is beautiful, or as Victoria would say,“Delicious.”
Along with revelations computed by thedaykeepers, Victoria
believes there is anobligation to develop into an even moreadvanced
being - to personally transformourselves.
It is important to avoid repeating thesame way of life, the same
patterns.Knowledge is gleaned from the sacredcalendar [Cholq’ij],
which form 260energies - guided by Fire, Water, Earthand Air - and
the pulsing of our blood,which is used to guide our growth.
With this information, we can advanceto new and higher spiritual
dimensions.
This process is the evolution of the soul,or the growing of the
seed. It is an ongoingsacred process, and every person, at
thecentre of the cosmos, is responsible fordoing their part to keep
creation going. Thisisn’t simply about self-centred growth asmuch
as it is about a far broaderperspective - about growing the
universe.
The seed can be regarded as aneverlasting spiritual force. With
humanbirth and death this spirit - or energy -which moves through
us. It unites us withall sentient beings, whatever their formthat
appears as matter.
From this Mayan perspective, the rocksupon this earth are kin to
the water, thewind, the animals, and to you and me. Justwhen we
feel lonely and alienated, a walkin the forest, a dip in the ocean,
a glanceat the evening sky, all can foster acomforting feeling of
belonging, andhealing too. Simply by looking upward,many of our
small personal problems caneasily feel insignificant and fleeting
in thegrand scheme of things.
The Maya are intensely focused onenergy and time, and they
remind us theuniverse has plenty of both. In the grandscheme of the
universe, there will alwaysbe time for personal attunement,
whetherin this dimension or the next.
We are not to waste this existence. It isimportant to always use
our knowledge tomotivate personal growth. For each of us,it matters
not where we are on ourevolutionary path, it simply matters that
weare on our path, otherwise, like beanswithout water, we wither on
the vine.
Maya belief is that we are integral andimportant co-creators of
this existence,and finding our place in this interlocking
energy system is vital to the sustenance ofall life forms. After
all, everything inexistence is the child of stardust, thereforeall
of us have arisen from a sharedheritage.
With these insights we are left towonder, who and what is the
father andthe mother who spawned all thismagnificence?
THE SACRED TREE OF LIFEThe shamans and daykeepers of thisancient
culture serve many functions.These men and women explain
theoverriding order of the universe, theintricate patterns that we
are intertwinedin.
Shamans organise knowledge, blendingthe old and the present-day,
to facilitate acooperative alignment of all the energysystems.
From atop the temples, on 2-3000 yearold pyramids, their
predecessorsmeticulously observed and recorded thevast ordering of
life, the unfolding ofpredictable patterns.
When Mayan shamans conductceremonies, it is often at volcanoes
-depicting a fiery birth from the underworld -or within ancient
ruined cities, such asIximche, where Victoria frequently
leadshealings.
Visiting these locations one will noticeisolated trees towering
above largemounds of earth, often with sacred altarsat the base.
This signifies what Mayanscall ‘The Tree of Life,’ a portal
forcommunion with the divine. It symbolisesthe centre of the
universe, or the naval ofthe world.
Whether this is understood from the oldteachings of the Lakota
Holyman NicholasBlack Elk, or from the Mayans of today, thesymbols
are instructive and far ranging.
On one hand, the elevated treeepitomises the three worlds -
upper,middle, and lower, and it also connects allthe worlds, all
the dimensions - fromwhere life originates. It links the
everydayworld around us, and the unlimited reachesof the
cosmos.
It can also be described - as Black Elkregarded Mount Harney in
the Black Hills -as a place where everything is joined,everything
converges; a place of unity,where all things exist without
separation.
In many respects the lofty trees andmountain tops can help
modern peopleanchor themselves in deeper truths thanthe day-to-day
trends of modernexistence.
At the base of such a tree sacred altarsare artfully created by
Mayan shamans.They symbolise and become the axis
mundi, the Maya cosmic centre. Fromhere, the ancestors are
summoned,intentions are presented, petitions areoffered, and a
transformative fire is ignitedfor those who are in discomfort,
anddesiring of blessings, or a life renewal.
What we focus on, we can become, iswhat some refer to as a
‘destiny retrieval.’Swept away in ritual, vibrational change,brings
about a restoration of spirit, health,and of overall wellbeing.
The high-rising tree points skyward,while firmly rooted in the
earth below. Itcan be regarded as the stable central axisof our
world, and it reminds us that we areall fruit of the same tree.
Other culturessymbolically liken the tree trunk to a spinalcord
with energy moving along its main lineof physical support.
People - like trees - carry afundamental kundalini energy up and
downtheir spines. This transmission, whileinvisible, can become
apparent when wequiet our lives and meditate.
Still other worldviews regard thesepillaring trees as suggestive
of an innerworld that looks beyond the traditional fourcardinal
direction of north, south, east, andwest, and directs us inward -
the fifthdirection.
Being at the centre of the universe isnot to be interpreted in
the Western ideaof being singularly important. Unlike ourchants at
sporting events, we are not‘Number One,’ rather, all of us
areessential parts of a unified whole, notranked by importance, but
equally valuedfor reverent service to a greater good.
With our outward signs of diversity, themetaphorical tree
reminds us that internallywe are individual branches arising from
thesame life source, subtle variants of asingle, unified creative
force.
When a Mayan shaman makesreference to centrality, they are
usuallyreferring to being consistently rooted in -and faithful to -
the sustaining authorityof this ancient knowledge. Yet, on thatsame
day, the shaman may be seentyping their thoughts into a
computer,and emailing them to a friend, absorbingand utilising the
gifts of today’s timeperiod too.
Beyond the sacred, a shaman can be asfluid as water. Similarly,
with the cyclicalpassage of time another thing remainssteady,
namely humility, which can functionlike a moral compass. The shaman
has onefoot planted in the past (which cyclically alsoexists in the
present) and another positionedin the shifting dynamism of this
modern era.
When a fire is lit at the base of thesacred tree - the centre of
the universe - it
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is the symbolic equivalent of reigniting theoriginal first fire
that sparked all existence- what today’s scientists often refer to
asthe ‘Big Bang.’
Aromatic smoke rises to the heavens,connects with the unseen
Otherworld, andpleases the ancestors.
Ceremony brings spirits together and,paradoxically, ‘grounds us
in the sky.’ Saidanother way, the sky is like a consolingblanket
laid upon the earth. Our smallworries dissolve into insignificance
whenpositioned inside this vast and eternalworldview. How can I
worry about this year’staxes while situated in the sublime?
MYSTERY OF THE MAYAN CROSSThe Mayan Cross symbolises the
fourdirections that intersect at the centre ofour being, which is
the fifth and finaldirection.
East is represented by the colour redand the energy of fire,
west by black andthe energy of the earth and minerals, northby
white and the energy of air or wind, andsouth by yellow with energy
coming fromwater.
Although unspoken, two additionaldirections are incorporated, by
lookingskyward to the heavens, and bysupplicating ourself. while
bowing our headto Pachamama and kissing the altar.
At the centre of the cross is our day ofbirth and below the
centre point is ourdestiny sign, which points us in thedirection of
growth.
Above it, are the conception sign, theforces of energy and the
ancestralimprints, which influenced our conception.
To the right are the physical or materialsigns and, to the left,
our emotional andspiritual elements.
Combining the five signs, it can bedivined what our personal
strengths andweaknesses are, those which can beencountered on our
path of spiritualevolution.
If we wander away from ourresponsibilities to Creation, and
ourcommunity, a higher force will likely comealong and reset our
course -perhapssomewhat agonisingly.
A person’s individual sign is called anawal. There are 20 such
signs. It willhave an energy force attached, and with itthere will
be a guardian animal.
The assigned nawal provides a directionfor the life purpose we
will pursue - suchas doctoring, farming, or matters of justice- and
additional behaviours we shouldemploy to develop ourselves
further.
RITUAL - INFUSING WITH SOULTo continue the analogies, the
Mayacosmovision is about time, the therepetitions and cycles of
life energies.
A healthy life is one which is lived inharmony with the larger
rhythmssurrounding us. Falling into disharmony isthe same as
falling ill.
Similarly, rituals that are embedded inceremonies are enacted
cyclically,repetitively. These sacred activities carryancient time
forward into today’s world.And we can find comfort in
theirpredictability.
When someone feels ‘out of sorts,’ aceremony can be orchestrated
by ashaman. They are the organiser ofceremonies, and the carpenter
of ritualswhich return much needed balance.
Whether seeking a cleansing or ahealing, being immersed in
ceremonialaromas, ritual chants, and the transfixinglight of the
fire, people are more easilytransported to new physical and
emotionaldestinations.
In this way, it can be said that ritualscreate magic in the
moment. Rituals mayalso produce altered states, which lift usup and
remove us - at least momentarily -from the discomfort and confusion
of oureveryday existence. They reenergiseparticipants and change
internal vibrations,so that a shift in wellbeing can occur.
Rituals also reconnect us to our past,reminding us of the life
supporting andenduring cycles that are integral to us.
An altar must be infused with soul andtradition before a
ceremony cancommence. Preparation requires that weimagine a three
tiered foundation uponwhich we are about to conduct aceremony.
At its base is the sacred. All shamanicactivity must be
spiritual and reverent,filled with prayer and petitions. Never is
itabout show or motivated by money.Otherwise no good results will
beforthcoming.
The second foundational block isknowledge. Shamans provide
insightsgathered from cultural and ancestralinsights, the teachings
of elders andmentors, personal readings, dreams, andtheir’ own
silent intuition. This collectivewisdom further energises the
sacredspace.
Finally, and just as important, there is anartistic element.
Beauty and sweetness arealways incorporated.
This may entail the careful arrangementof various coloured
candles, copal resinincense, flowers, cigars, liquor or cologne,and
sweetness - often in the form of rawsugar, spices, chocolate, nuts,
and seeds.
It is customary to offer three kisses toevery one of the dozens
of candles beingplaced on the fire, and prayerful words canalso
provide additional warmth andsweetness.
Combining all these elements is notonly essential and proper, as
Victoria says,it is should also be artistically delicious.
Before ceremony a female shaman willadorn herself in her finest
formal clothing.She dresses in colourfully woven attire thatmay
display symbolic embroidery revealingbirth signs, or hold other
significant meaning- perhaps the sign of lightning, a serpent,
orthe jaguar.
A finely woven cortes - a belt which isyards-long - is cinched
around their waist;and a headband is added, just as theceremony
commences. This too may havemeaning hidden in designs that are
foldedinside.
THE DEAD ARE NOT DEADAll people are an echo of an earlier time
inhistory, from the time of creation onward.Life never ends, it is
ongoing. After all, weare energy. Even plants will compost
andtransform into new life. No person fullydies, or as one Maya
tried to clarify, “The‘dead’ are not dead.” A two million year
oldperson still lives in all of us in an unbrokenchain of energetic
life that some callgenetic memory.
We continuously manifest energymasked as matter. It is as if we
are tinypackets of energy, dropped into the vastocean of life. We
continuously createripples which extend outward, until the
nexthuman version of life arrives and does thesame. Our prior way
of existing, and ourfuture way of being, is one never-endingform of
life, intermingled with all otherforms of vibrant spirits emanating
fromCreation.
Those who have come before us,forever remain our teachers. Some
peoplerefer to the ancestors as the ‘pool ofsouls.’ They permeate
this reality. Theirspirit is always carried forward and is alivein
us, but periodically needs to be renewedin ceremony.
The wisdom of the ancestors - ifsummoned, respected, and
understood - canadvance our personal evolution. All of us, ourhuman
and animal predecessors, and ourincarnations of them, have fallen
from thesky like rain, and have also risen from theearth like
maize.
All, in a cosmically attuned manner,reside in the middle world
in an ongoingmultilayered existence.
If we forget who we are at the deepestand most ancient levels,
we will wonderaimlessly in the modern world. So,connecting with the
ancestors is a way ofrealising, sustaining, and following the
truedirection of our energetic life. Ourremembrance of the
ancestors brings asacred quality to this current moment inthe life
cycle. In so doing, we reconnectwith the grand and the grandeur,
and feel
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a consoling embrace. It is the priestly shaman who serves as
a mediator between the spirit world of theancestors and this
Middle World existence.It is their skill at propitiating the
ancestralspirits and channelling their energy whichgives the shaman
a unique role in theMayan culture. Additionally, they
interpretancestral wisdom to her people.
INDIGENOUS HEALINGMartin Prechtel, the author of many bookson
the Maya, has helped us realise a moreaccurate interpretation of
the term‘indigenous.’ Its Latin roots, ‘Inde’ and‘genous’, are
understood to mean “inside” and“born,” not simply an idea of
geography.
When individuals are healed - at asacred altar in Guatemala, or
apsychotherapy office in Wyoming -we mustunderstand that what is
most important isour natural or indigenous soul. Itscosmological
origins fills everyone withbeauty at the time of birth.
This soul makes them a part of the‘sacred whole,’ a place of
belonging,sweetness, and love. Trauma can defilethat natural
feeling of greatness,ceremonial healing can restore it.
The Mayan way of understanding what isnative, takes us back to
an ancient creativeforce which brought each of us into thisworld,
as a small, but magnificent part.
The duty of healers is to helptraumatised individuals return to
theiroriginal sweet beauty, a beauty which mayhave been temporarily
stolen from them.
A soul retrieval can occur at the sacredaltar where a powerful
force of goodnessovertakes hurt and fosters a homecomingto our
original indigenous splendour.
Explaining the Mayan way, the authors are humbledin the
knowledge that there are manyconceptualisations of this ancient
cosmovision. Wedon’t pretend to believe our description is
thedefinitive one.What we do assert, however, is that
Mayanphilosophy is a proud tradition; a cultural way ofbeing in the
greater world that extends far beyondmere self. It is not a
religion. It is a way of personalevolution.
Geral Blanchard, LPC, is an indigenous-inspiredpsychotherapist
serving people in a private practice.He is the author of several
books on indigenoushealing including Ancient Ways and Ancient
Ethicsfor Today’s Healers. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa,and can be
contacted at [email protected]
Victoria Murcielago is a Mayan daykeeper orceremonialist - what
many people call a shaman.She lives in the Highlands of Guatemala
in thecommunity of Tecpan, near the site of the ancientruins of
Iximche, where she conducts many of herhealing
[email protected]
DOLLS AND RITUAL
The Use of Human Effigies inShamanism and SorceryNicholas Breeze
Wood
Many shamanic, and other magicaltraditions across the world use
dolls of onekind or another in their practices. Their useis
ancient, with evidence for their usegoing back at least 3,000 years
to ancientGreece, China and India. Examples arefound in most other
cultures too, such asthe ancient Egyptian ushabti -
magicaldoll-like figures buried in tombs alongsidethe dead, who
come alive in order to actas servants in the afterlife.
Magical dolls are well known in westernculture too, and have a
long history in manyplaces in Europe, but more recentlyCaribbean
voodoo dolls have become thestuff of popular fiction and horror
stories,and so many people now think of magicaldolls as being a
primarily Afro-Caribbeantradition.
In Britain such dolls are called poppets,which comes from a
medieval word for smallchild, and the word has a double meaning -as
it not only refers to the magical doll, butis also a term of
endearment for a youngchild, mostly a young girl.
A doll may represent a person or a deityor spirit. When it
represents a person, itmay be made to help protect them, help
intheir healing, or help in their cursing. Inshort, a doll, in this
form, is a surrogate,representing the person for whom themagic is
intended, in lieu of the personthemselves.
When it represents a spirit or a deity itis an idol or fetish
figure.
Idolatry - the worship of idols - has abad name because of
strong prohibitionsfound within the three dominant
Abrahamicreligions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism -but I would
argue that idolatry is importantand natural, part of the animistic
mindset,which I think human beings are hardwiredwith.
DOLLS AS ACTUAL PEOPLEProbably the most important form of
dollfound in shamanistic and animisticpractices around the world,
are dolls whichrepresent ancestors. These are verycommon, and they
can take the form ofsmall amulets, right up to large statues.
The modern West tends to see largefigures as sculptures, pieces
of art, whichare dead, we have a ‘dead-matter-thinking’ culture and
so it’s natural for usto think a statue representing a dead
person is just a lifeless image - a ‘keepsake’ of some sort, or
a figure toremember and honour them.
For most indigenous cultures howeverthat is not the case, as, of
course, a carvingis ‘alive’ and ‘awake’; it ‘is’ the person, or
atleast acts as a focus for that person, beinggiven offerings and
taken care of, as itguards and advises or watches over
itsdescendents.
In Mongolian shamanism, such a figure iscalled an ongon. These
are figures - often,but not always, in human form - whichrepresent
important shamanic spirits, mostoften ancestral shamans within
theshamanic lineage.
The shaman will be taken over by thesespirits during a shamanic
trance, and thespirit - also called an ongon [plural: ongod]will
come into the shaman’s body and advisemembers of their community
who ask forinformation, or give healings using theshaman’s body as
their own.
A physical ongon is a house for theongon spirit to live inside
of, and once madethey are ritually brought alive and the
spiritinvited to live within them. Then the ongodis given offerings
and cared for in culturallyprescribed ritualistic ways. These
ongonfigures - and the whole concept of ongods -is a vitally
important aspect of Mongolianand Siberian shamanism.
The ritual clothing of a shaman can bethought of as being an
ongon - or acollection of ongods - itself, as each part isalive and
contains a spirit helper, as are alltheir other ritual objects,
such as their drumand drum beater.
The same thing can be found in TibetanBuddhism in a slightly
more formalisedmanner. The statues of the Buddha or anyof the
beings of the Buddhist cosmology -such as protector beings - are
also seen asbeing alive and hiding the quality - the spiritor
essence - of the being they represent.
When a statue is put on an altar, it isnot a statue in the
Western sense, it isalways empowered and ‘brought alive’ in aritual
way, by the recitation of mantras andspecific spell-like prayers,
and by theofferings made to the being - which is nowsitting on the
altar.
DOLLS AND MAGICAL WORKThere are many ways in which dolls areused
for magical work - both helpful andharmful - across the world.
Knowledge ofhealing is also knowledge of harming, thetwo are the
different faces of the samecoin and if the one is done, the other
canbe done equally easily. Anyone who knowshow to heal could - if
they so wished -instead seek to harm someone, theimportant thing is
the intent of the practice.
There are two main ways of workingwith dolls, one is to bring
something to the
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person they represent, and the other is totake away something
from it.
In the next article in this issue of SacredHoop, the Korean
shaman Jennifer Kimdescribes a doll tradition from her
culture,where a person’s illness is taken up in adoll, which is
then ritualistically removedfrom the sick person, so the illness
leavesthe person and goes into the doll.
I recently took part in a similar ceremonyperformed by a
Nepalese shaman friend.During this ceremony we each made smallclay
dolls which represented us. Once thedoll was made, we filled it
with our hair andsome toe nail clippings, and then our
illness,attachments, defilements, pollutions etc,were ceremonially
put into these clay dolls.Once this had been done, the dolls were
putout in the wilds - so the harmful spirits wouldattach themselves
to the dolls and eat them- not us.
After the ceremony was performed, andwhile the dolls were being
taken outsideinto the wilds, we all had to change ourclothes, so we
became ‘ a different cleanperson’. This was done to confuse
theharmful spirits, and it is the reason whypeople wear black at
funerals - an oldtradition, the black clothes confuse thespirits
and stop them following the livingback to thier homes.
These kind of ceremonies are oftencalled 'ransom ceremonies' and
theyoccurs in lots of animistic and shamanictraditions. In many
ceremonies the personnot only changes their clothes after
thedefilements have been taken, they alsohave to change their name,
so the harmfulspirits can not find them and continue todo harm. In
effect they become ‘newpeople’ - and the ‘old person’ is left out
inthe wilds to be eaten by the spirits whichare allowed to feed
upon it.
Here, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, aTibetan Bon lama, recalls a
ransomceremony (Tib: glud) he witnessed,performed for his
mother:
‘I remember when my mother had been illfor a long time we tried
to heal her by meansof different medical treatments, but
nothinghelped. We then performed several minorrites, but these did
not work either.
So finally we invited some shaman monks,who performed a big
ransom rite, in whichthey prepared a large effigy of her (in
fact,people often make life-size effigies), and wedressed it in her
clothes, so it was very lifelikeand resembled her closely.
Then we performed the ritual, offeringthe effigy in her place to
repay her karmicdebt to the spirits.
She was given a new name, YeheLhamo, in place of her old name,
Drolma,as a kind of new birth into the world, andshe recovered from
her illness.’
The Korean, Nepalese and Tibetanpractices above, are all
examples of takingaway something from the person.
Ways of bringing something to theperson would include the
archetypalsticking of pins into a wax figure to doharm, or other
ways of bringing healing orprotection. Remember you needpermission
from the person you areworking for - or in the case of a child
theirparents - before you do this or any otherform of healing work.
You don't just 'do it'on people - that's unethical.
I use dolls quite often in my ownshamanic practice, and the way
I do it issimple. It can easily be adapted by anyonereading
this.
To represent a person, I generally use asmall figure, either a
small cut-out made ofleather, or a small bronze figure. The
bronzefigures I use, of which I have several I keepspecifically
fo