The Wisdom of the Shamans Page 3

  For instance, let's say you are trying to make a decision about a situation and one choice may seem correct logically, but you have a nagging feeling that something isn't right. Let's say you've been offered a new job with better pay, but when you visit with your potential employer, you get a negative vibe inside that you can't explain.

  Rather than dismiss those sensations, it would be wise to recognize them as clues from the realm of silent knowledge. This doesn't necessarily mean the answer is a “no” and you shouldn't take the job, but rather that you should do more investigating before making a final decision.

  I have traveled to India on several occasions, and I love the teachings of both Hinduism and Buddhism. In India we find one of the greatest teachers of silence in the twentieth-century sadhu Ramana Maharshi. The word sadhu is from Sanskrit and means a monk or holy person, but to me the sadhu is the Indian equivalent of the shaman.

  Ramana Maharshi was probably the most famous teacher in India in the first half of the twentieth century. After experiencing a spontaneous awakening as a teenager, he went into a period of silence that lasted for years. Although he would go on to teach and speak again, he always maintained that the best teacher was silence. People would come from all over to sit with him in his ashram, many with lists of questions, but once they sat in his silent presence, the questions would dissolve or become unimportant. His story reminds me of the words of the thirteenth-century Muslim poet Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi: “Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.”

  Seen in this light, silent knowledge is one of the most powerful tools at a shaman's disposal. This is at the heart of the wisdom of the shaman, and when you are in alignment with yourself, you have much better access to this realm of knowing beyond the thinking mind.

  Silent knowledge is available to you right now, and one helpful step to finding it is to practice outer silence and meditation, as both create an environment that allows universal wisdom to emerge within us. I have included an exercise to help you begin this practice at the end of this chapter.

  Divination

  Another tool that is often talked about in shamanic circles is divination, or the ability to access what we think of as the future. Because divination also comes from a realm beyond the thinking mind, I want to take a moment to discuss it.

  From a shamanic perspective, there is no past or future; there is only the now. Everything that ever happens occurs in this universe of now, but the Dream of Time—or the idea of time, which is a construct that we humans have created—is what allows our minds to make sense of it all, to add order to it. Without the Dream of Time your mind could not comprehend all of the things that are occurring now. Divination is a tool that can allow us to glimpse sights of other things that are also happening now but the mind understands as in the “future.” Accessing these other events that appear to be in the future is the principle behind divination.

  There are many tools for this: cards, pendulums, runes, all of which can be helpful in certain situations. If you are faced with an important decision in life and you are unable to decide what path to take, using a divination tool could bring you some clarity. At the same time you must be very careful not to overuse these tools. The more we rely on divination tools, the less accurate these tools become, in part because the mind begins to take ownership of them, seeing patterns or suggestions that aren't actually there.

  I recommend that divination tools should only be brought in when you feel completely lost, even when you search the truth within yourself. Remember, one of the core principles of shamanism is that the wisdom you seek is inside you already, so a divination tool only helps you find answers that you already have, but perhaps are having difficulty seeing.

  When you reconnect with your inner knowing, you are following the path of the shaman—not the shamans that have come before you, but the shaman that you are, the messenger of love that you are in your deepest being. In order to find the truth and wisdom within ourselves, we must see all outside sources, whether divination tools, old traditions, or even other shamans, as what they are: guides to help us find the truth from within ourselves.

  We are the artists of our own lives and we can use these tools to start to create our art, but then it is up to us to put our own style and flair on the masterpiece that is our life by living from what is true for us as an individual, rather than relying on what we have been told by outside sources. The purpose of all of these tools is to help you on the greater journey, the one that leads you to the wisdom inside your own beautiful heart.

  Exercises

  What Is Your Definition of Personal Freedom?

  I'd like you to write down your own definition of personal freedom. What are the things that will free you? Perhaps some of the things included in my definition will also be in yours, but yours will still be different by virtue of the fact that it is yours and not mine. What do you want to release or let go of? What wisdom within do you want to get in touch with? Keep this definition so you can look back on it whenever you feel lost—or when you think your definition may have changed!

  What Old Dreams Are You Holding On To?

  It's often our old dreams that keep us from living in the present and enjoying a new dream that may better serve us. Do you still hold things over your own head? Do you hear yourself saying things like “If I hadn't got divorced, . . .” “If I hadn't dropped out of school, . . .” or “if I had taken that job, . . .”? You aren't letting go of an old dream of what could have been that no longer speaks to who you are.

  Take some time to think about your old dreams and what parts of them you may still be hanging on to. Write an old dream down on a piece of paper. You may have more than one old dream to work with. If so, write them on separate papers. But I also suggest working with just one dream at a time to make sure that you are feeling the full effects before moving on.

  Now, fold or crumple the paper with your old dream on it and find a safe place to burn it. As you burn the paper, say a gentle and sweet goodbye to your old dream, thanking it for all the ways that it has served you, and allow yourself to release the old dream with the smoke from the fire.

  Silent Knowledge Meditation

  Meditation is a powerful tool for many spiritual practices. For the Toltec, meditation is used in a variety of ways, but one of the most important benefits is that in meditation we are able to see past the mitote of the mind. Doing so creates an environment within ourselves that allows us to better connect to silent knowledge.

  For this meditation, our goal is to open ourselves to silent knowledge. To begin meditating, find a quiet, comfortable space where you won't be interrupted for the next several minutes. This could be on the back porch while the pets are inside, in the bathtub because the bathroom door is the only one that keeps the kids out, or in an armchair in the study. There is no wrong place or posture for meditation, so experiment and find what works best for you.

  Our goal will be to simply open your mind and allow universal wisdom to be present in your awareness. As you become more familiar with meditation, feel free to ask or meditate on certain questions that you need to have answered. By taking questions into your meditation, you will be bringing them to the source of all wisdom and may receive your answers in the form of silent knowledge.

  Once you find a quiet place and a comfortable position, close your eyes and take a few moments to settle in. For this meditation, I want you to just listen. Listen to any sounds happening outside of you without putting too much importance on any of them. What do you hear? The wind rustling in the trees? The hum of the refrigerator in the other room? Take it all in, it's all welcome here. Now I want you to listen to the silence that is just behind the sounds you hear. The silence is there: it's the space which makes hearing the other sounds possible. Hold that silence in your mind as you find it.

  Next I want you to bring your attention inward—listening to the silence that is inside you. Like the silence on the outside, inner silence is underneath all the
other sensations you find. The mind will wander and begin to think—because that is the nature of the mind—but when it does, gently try to release those thoughts and find the silence again, and again, and again.

  When you first start meditating, you may not be able to hold this silence for long, and that is okay. The key is to judge nothing, but just listen. When the mind wanders, you simply bring it back to listening to the outer world, then the silence on the outside, and then the silence on the inside. If you are new to meditation, begin by doing this for just five minutes at a time. If you like this practice, try to go a little longer and then a little longer each time, building up to thirty minutes or more. Your mind will still wander, but you will find it easier to bring it back to the silence the more you practice.

  If you would like to take a question into meditation, ask the question once at the beginning of the meditation and then begin your meditation listening to the outer world and then to the silence behind all the sounds, both without and within. It's important that you ask your question and then let the question go. In these moments of stillness found in meditation, silent wisdom may come to you regarding your question, or you may find through meditation that the question is unimportant and no longer needs an answer.

  CHAPTER 2

  THE RIVERMAN

  Flowing with the Cycles of Life

  Let us continue our shamanic journey together with the story of the Riverman, which has been passed down in my family for many generations.

  A long time ago, in the beginning of the second Mayan empire, there lived a young man who, as the world would have it, fell in love with a beautiful young woman.

  Unfortunately this was a time in Mayan history when many of the people harbored a great deal of superstition in their hearts, were fanatical about their religious ideas, and because of this they wrongly felt it was necessary to sacrifice other humans in order to appease the gods.

  The young man didn't care for any of that religion or superstition, so he chose to leave the religious fanatics alone and spend all his free time with his beloved. Their love was true love.

  One day he returned home to learn that his beloved had been selected to be a sacrifice for the gods and the priests had come and taken her away. The young man went running to the temple where the sacrifices were performed. But he was too late. Lying on the altar, with her heart removed, he found his beloved.

  Grief-stricken, he sank to the floor and wept. Anger grew within him. He was upset at the world, he was mad at God, he was mad at his fellow villagers. He saw they were lost in their superstition and were killing each other due to their fanatical beliefs.

  He left the village and went to live alone in the jungle. Because his anger and grief were so strong, he rarely ate or slept, and slowly he began to die.

  Finally he decided to end his life. He went to the rushing river and jumped in, swimming to the bottom in hopes the river would drown him. As he sank down, he had a vision of his beloved. Overjoyed by the sight of her, he called out, “My beloved, I have found you! I'm so sorry for what those fanatics did to you and that I was not there to protect you. I am going to stay here with you forever. I will never leave you again.”

  And then the spirit of his beloved said to him gently, “You cannot stay with me, nor will you ever see me again if you continue on this path. You are full of hate, but I am full of love. To be where I am now, you need to stop living in the pain of the past. As long as you hold resentments, you are giving your power away, and you cannot be where I am.”

  Those warnings from his beloved startled him, and he awoke to find himself on the side of the river, gasping for breath. He felt the truth of her words and realized the joy of living he had once felt was now gone. It had been replaced by fear and hate. This realization was the moment of his transformation, and he said to himself, “Freedom is within me.”

  He looked up to the moon and knew that his beloved was there watching him, guiding him. His heart began to open up once again, and he started to forgive the fanaticism of the people. He looked at the beauty of the river in front of him and saw it as a symbol of flowing love.

  In that moment he became known as the Riverman, the wise person of the jungle.

  At about the same time and thousands of miles away across the ocean, a great man of integrity lived in Spain. A soldier by trade, he was known as the Good Conquistador, because he had devoted his life to the queen of Spain and service to his country. He was a faithful, loyal subject who always acted with integrity and never abused his power, and that was why all the people, including the queen, loved him so much. She honored him and asked him to travel to the New World.

  When he arrived in the New World, he saw right away that the other conquistadores had gone mad with greed and were abusing, torturing, and killing the Mayans in their search for gold. This included killing many of the family and friends of the Riverman.

  The Good Conquistador was horrified by their actions. A pious man, he tried to talk to his fellow conquistadores, to convince them to act honorably, but they would not listen. Finally, he said, “This is not the will of God, this is the abuse of God, the corrupting of God, and I will take no part in it.” So he laid down his sword, took his armor off, and fled into the jungle. Before long he was captured by the Mayans. They began torturing him, punishing him for the sins of the other soldiers, and kept him as their captive.

  The Riverman, who would often come to the village to help take care of his people, came upon the imprisoned conquistador. Although they could not speak the same language, the Riverman felt the vibration of this beautiful man and knew his heart was pure. The Riverman freed the Good Conquistador and brought him to his home in the jungle, fed him, and they began to learn each other's languages.

  The Good Conquistador was astonished by the Riverman's kindness and inner peace. Once they had been together long enough to understand each other, he asked, “How did you learn all this knowledge? I can feel God in you.”

  “God is in everyone,” the Riverman responded, “but sometimes you have to look harder to see Him.” He told the conquistador the story of his beloved, her sacrifice, and what happened to him in the river. The conquistador said to him, “Teach me to be like you.”

  “It begins with understanding,” the Riverman explained. “When you look at both our peoples, they are the same. They want happiness, but they create suffering instead. We have found peace between us, you and me. We have communicated heart to heart. When every action we take comes from the heart, we end the suffering in our lives.”

  This beautiful story holds many lessons central to the shamanic path: the importance of forgiveness, the dangers of fanaticism, recognizing the addiction to suffering, and the power of unconditional love. One teaching in this story that can often go overlooked regards the cyclical nature of life and time.

  Many of us have grown up in a culture that sees human progress as linear, each generation as “better” than the previous one, and ourselves as “evolved” and therefore more intelligent. But that is not how the ancient shamans viewed the world.

  In the introduction I explained that the shamans were dream masters. This also means they understood the illusion of time and knew time to be cyclical rather than linear.

  Nature abounds with cycles. Day turns to night and night to day. The seasons cycle from one to the next, the earth cycles around the sun, as the moon cycles around the earth. Waves rise from the ocean, crash and cascade, and return to the ocean again.

  The shamans saw these great cycles and realized that time also runs in the same way. For instance, the Toltecs believe that we are living in the fifth world age. What this means is that the world has been built and destroyed four previous times and we have gone through a cycle of both destruction and recreation each time. Everything in the world—from trees to oceans to people—has been destroyed and recreated four times. What's incredibly interesting to note is that halfway around the world in India, the ancient Vedic tradition also teaches that we are now in
the fifth world age. What a strange “coincidence” it is for two different cultures in different hemispheres to come to the same conclusion!

  Whether or not you believe this is literally true isn't as important as understanding the deeper truth this worldview is pointing to: all of life, not just the seasons and the tides, runs in cycles.

  When we view life as cyclical rather than linear, we can see the futility of trying to control the tides of life. When we are aware that all things will collapse, alter, and change, we don't try and hold on to them as tightly. Trying to control things and keep them as they are only causes suffering.

  The shaman knows that things come, and you let them come, and things go, and you let them go. This doesn't mean that the shaman doesn't work to change things when he can, but it does mean we don't fight or needlessly spend energy on things we cannot change. Instead, the shaman goes with the flow and cycle of life.

  Both the Good Conquistador and the Riverman experienced the cyclical nature of time and reality, or what is commonly called the triumphs and tragedies of life. The Riverman began his story by falling in love, but then losing his beloved to violence. The Good Conquistador would also experience triumph and tragedy in the cycle of his life, as he left his well-respected position in Spain and ended up a prisoner of the Mayans.

  In both cases, when they finally accepted and dealt with the collapse of their old dreams, it allowed room for a new life grounded in wisdom. Their experiences changed them for the better, but it wasn't until they surrendered to life rather than fighting it that they received the benefit.

  Of course, this is easier said than done, and that is what makes the Riverman story so powerful. Almost all of us have experienced loss in our lives, even if few of us have experienced that loss in such a traumatic way. Because of this, we can understand the Riverman's initial reaction of anger, hatred, and grief, as many of us would have reacted in a similar fashion.