"Shamans" are people through whom healing and sustenance flow from helpers and guides in the Spirit World to those who come seeking his or her help. As you read this introduction and some of the other entries on this site, consider whether what I do could likewise bring you self-healing, understanding and peace. You can also visit my blog site at The 4HAWKS Blog. This blog contains over 200 of the earliest of my 800-plus shamanic journeys, but takes you out of this site. Many of my later journeys have yet to be published due to privacy concerns.
Also, please read the very first two entries (Jan 8, 2001 and October 19, 2001) before delving into the Journeys themselves..these demonstrate in great detail why I am on this Sacred Path.
Shamanism has been practiced across every pre-Western culture, and for thousands of years...and is now flourishing again across our world, as traditional religious organizations fall short in helping some people reach full spiritual health, and achieve their spiritual destiny.
Despite an apparent lack of regional connection, each shamanic culture came to essentially the same conclusions, and performed similar rituals and ceremonies, in communicating with and honoring the Spirit World. This Spirit World, although the basis of all existence and therefore life itself, is woefully unexplored by most modern cultures and religions. It is hinted at by asking one to have "faith" that it is there, but most can only hope that it is, and really have no first-hand experience of it (except for unexplained events of selves, family and friends).
A shaman has learned to visit this World at will, and to deal with and get help from spirits who live there. The spirits are always waiting to bring answers, help and healing to us who are living in this existence/reality...just one of many, by the way. Hence, "hope" and "faith" are replaced with certainty, what some shamans, myself included, call the "knowing." In fact, the word "shaman" translates to "one who knows" in its original language.
While some would argue that nothing can be universally true (to me a very disempowering and dangerous position in this existence, for there is no basis for morality if everyone can define their own ultimate truths), shamans reject that notion. Spirit and love, for example, come from the Creator Consciousness outside our energy/matter world, and are eternal...there to create and guide the universe. That last sentence is key to understanding the teachings opf all the great spirit masters, past and present. CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING! ALL THINGS COME FROM AND ARE ROOTED IN CONSCIOUSNESS, AND HENCE THE ONENESS SPOKEN OF SO OFTEN.
WHAT IS A SHAMAN?
A shaman is a man or woman who has been called to interact with the Spirit World, and thereby to bring about healing, good fortune, blessing, etc., wherever possible. This involves first adopting a centered existence in which all life and every thing are honored as sacred extensions of the Great Spirit, as opposed to being tools for one's own status-advance and wealth-building.
One learns the language of nature, through which the spirits can reach us all the time...when we listen. In fact, I have realized that all my hundreds of hours spent outside every morning early in my path trained my right, intuitive brain to be as strong as my left, ego-based side. This made journeying to the Spirit world very easy for me when the time came.
Then, the shaman trains to perform the duties required to become the "channel" or "hollow bone" for the spirit helpers to work through. For in all cases, it is not the shaman who brings healing or correction. It is the helpers working THROUGH the shaman, who serves as their intermediary, who give the knowledge to the ill person, whose healing mechanism can then be activated to achieve the all-powerful self-healing.
A shaman can: retrieve lost/forgotten/future information (i.e., fortune telling, although the accuracy is usually quite weak because chance and choice operate freely); contact deceased loved ones or friends; locate lost objects; analyze and alter energy states in those who have fallen ill physically, mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually; restore missing soul pieces; remove spiritual intruders, etc. Again, much illness and unease derives from at least one problem in a person's spiritual state, be it an intrusion of foreign energy or a loss of a part of one's soul.
In Western cultures, the predominant "seeing is believing" mentality leaves people wide open to all sorts of unseen spiritual maladies that are simply not healed by physical and/or psychological interventions. Even though the symptoms may be eased or eliminated (the cure), the root cause remains and the problem returns. Shamans, however, can see into a person's spirit body and ascertain what the root cause of illness is, and then attempt to remove it. Sometimes shamanic intervention is not allowed, though...more on that below.
WHY AM I ILL?
Shamans know that in many cases, true healing (versus curing) comes from removing spiritual dirt, damage or invasion, which often later manifests as a physical, emotional or mental ailment. Most importantly, all healing comes from within. "Miracle" or "spontaneous remission" cures of modern science are typically the result of the ill person achieving a self-induced cleansing of their spirit being, which then works its way up through the emotional/mental and finally physical states.
This is accomplished through changed thinking (discharge of toxic thought patterns and/or beliefs), arrived at through an active link to the spirits, usually resulting from an exact pin-pointing of the "source wounding". Shamans can cleanse people of these spirit illnesses, allowing them to experience that spirit link This usually leads to healing in all other aspects as well.
Other illness is caused by a person's losing a part of their soul, due to a traumatic event in their baby years, youth, adult...or even a past life. These soul parts flee to a safe place in the Spirit World. The shaman goes out to find and retrieve this soul, and then restores it to the person to inspire healing and wholeness. This restored spirit state leads to healing in many more instances than people can achieve by themselves. Also, re-integration of a missing soul piece can cause temporary disorientation in the receiver's life, and the shaman watches over the results to help guide the person back to wholeness. I discuss the structure of the soul in more detail below.
Sometimes illness is caused by more simple problems, such as a messed-up chakra. At the bottom of this introduction, I discuss chakras a bit. Finally, of course, many illness and conditions are simply there as a result of viruses and bacteria, defects in our health, immune deficiencies, etc., and must be dealt with by physicians...a normal part of our earth walk. Having said that, though, it is well-established that "toxic thinking" lowers the immune response in many people.
And a shaman can deal with the spirits of the viruses, etc. as well. Shamanism is all about achieving balance. Therefore, a trustworthy shaman will NEVER tell you to avoid Western medical care...only you can decide if and when to do that.
THOUGHTS/THINKING
It's worth mentioning again here how important thoughts are. Many (AND I) )believe the Great Spirit (Christ Consciousness, The All, the Source) has thought, and continues to think, the entire universe, us included, into being. This insight is most prevalent among earlier animist and early religious cultures, but the concept shows up over and over in modern Western "self-help" books and programs as well. THOUGHT AS CREATOR is also the basis of the Tao De Ching, and I totally concur!
One's own thoughts have creative power. Whatever you think (and believe emotionally), you are right. Thoughts, tied to emotion and/or belief, become actual creations if left to "percolate" long enough. Some shamans, Jesus included, were and are able to produce objects seemingly out of thin air, or to change one object to something else. When a shaman takes on a different appearance, using this same power, it is called "shape-shifting."
If your thoughts are focused on limitation, restriction, cultural pressures, others' beliefs about you, then you are creating a life for yourself that does not express who you truly are. This is a recipe for unhappiness and even illness. Many of history's most prominent people used this "thought as creator" ability. Sometimes, they did not even know they were doing so, usually summing up its influence by saying, "I didn't know how I was going to do it...I just knew I would."
It takes GREAT dedication to empowering your thoughts to make large success happen, though, for the beliefs of your surroundings (i.e., friends, family, coworkers, movies, media, churces, etc.) are usually working just as intently against your breaking free of their dominance. Yet Jesus called this power "faith the size of a mustard seed." You don't need a lot...just IT!'
To sum up this concept: shamans have known for millennia that one can literally "dream one's world into being" with enough power of intent. Even Western culture is full of many successful people who have done just that. You can manifest into your life all sorts of either astonishing success and healing, or dismal failure and illness, with your thinking...it is quite literally "your choice."
This is why the "knowing" is so crucial. Knowing automatically generates powerful thoughts. What you think about the people, places and events of your life has an influence on them, and also on how those things effect you. I always used to tell my children, "Nothing anyone says to you can hurt you unless you let it." Accepting all things and events as invaluable teachers, as opposed to aggravants or "bad luck", is key.
Knowing of the true nature of All helps you think in ways that strengthen your spirit being and bring beauty to others through your thoughts. I once worked with a woman who was being pursued by a dark spirit, thought into being by herself in a prior life!
In modern medicine, this knowing shows up as the "placebo" effect. Emotionally-driven thoughts can literally change your genetic expression, resulting in "miracle" or spontaneous: healings. The field of epigenetics has grown tremendously, and thre placebo effect works even when medicianes are used...so is it the medicine or the faith in the medicine at work? :)
CONSCIOUSNESS
At the very "center" of all things (energetic, material, mental, emotional, spiritual), thinking, and even "nothingness", lies Consciousness. My recent journey experiences have revealed that there is a Source "Flower" whose "petals" are made of some sort of colored plasma, at the center of which is what I call an "IS Loop" (as in, it is what it is). This central zone, if you will, is such that if you enter it, as I have, you loop right back to where you were. This "eternal circle" is pure love and the Source of all, including the many universes of which we are one, as well as the void these universes exist in (where true nothingless lies).
So the "Is Loop", pure conscious love, produces all that is outside itself. Here in our universe, we have an aspect of this "Love/Is" consciousness that I have named "Great Mother". Her face is female but only in outline, and her eyes are portals to the universes in our neck of the woods and of course beyond the the "Flower". Her face forms out of a white stream of consciouness that maintains our existence. So "God" is, after all, indeed female. :)
This female conscious being gave me the great honor of experiecing the whole of the universe at once...all the "good" and "bad" mixed together...and the result was pure joy. Hence, the concept that the present moment is always perfect rules supreme. If you think of the Now as a puzzle where billions of pieces come together perfectly, with the next moment another puzzle with slightly different pieces all fitting perfectly, you can see the Now really is always perfect...and the Now is all we really have.
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, etc.) has made great strides in teaching us that we have two aspects to ourselves: the thinking, mental self with both subconscious- and awake-mind traps and limitations...and the conscious self, the True Self, that one feels and experiecnes simply by shutting the thinking stream off. This shut-down can be done by concentrating on breathing, and then you realize that you have not been thinking during this period.
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Meditation is of course the formal practice of this. This conscious self is tied directly to the universal (Great Mother) conscious stream, and beyond that to the Source. So for example when Jesus teaches "the kingdom of heaven is within", he literally means it, in terms of our always-on connection to the Source. We separate humans, animals, trees, etc., truly are all one being at the level of deepest consciousness.
Which of course reveals the illusion of the 3D hologram we call reality. Yes, our world we hold so dear exists only in our brains, which have evolved to let in only select energies to produce in our heads what we can use to navigate the world. But when you close you eyes, it all goes away... With your eyes shut, all that lies around you is a very complex field of energy and spirit... Our lack of realization of this fact is what makes us so vulnerable to attack, and what makes the shaman, who can see into this field, so valuable.
THE THREE WORLDS/ASTRAL PLANE
The Upper World is the place of guidance/future, the Higher Self...and many high shaman spirit ancestors (including our spirit parents) masters who know much and also us. It houses the Upper World soul (genealogical in nature...links to blood ancestry) inbetween lifetimes and is called the Ami (pronounced "em") in Mongolian-based shamanism. We have a link, through our uppermost "crown" chakra, to our higher self which also resides in this world.
The Upper World soul reincarnates over and over as we progress spiritually through succeeding lifetimes. My visits to this world have also revealed that there are numerous other universes living aside ours, and that each of us has a set of spirit "parents" that have been guiding us through each of our lifetimes. Buildings in this world, when there are any, tend to be outlined in and/or made of gold, a high spirit color.
The Middle World is where we live now, and our soul piece here is called the Suld ("soold"). It is unique to this lifetime and exists only for it...no reincarnation. It remains here after death to help those left behind, and eventually merges into nature as a helper spirit. There are many such spirits here (sometimes referred to as "ghosts") in the Spirit World version of our world. There are also many shaman helper spirits here as well.
Unbeknownst to most westerners, animals, trees, rivers, mountains and stones also have their own spirit essences that have much to offer. Our world is FILLED with spirits, helpful and otherwise, and yet how few of us accept this as reality...and pay the price. Some have witnessed that the "spirit" Middle World runs parallel to ours, with quite a few variations at play. This would explain dreams we have in which things seem almost right, but then have weird morphings ongoing. Most of my visits with deceased loved ones involve visits to the Middle World, for this is where the essence of this life remains strongest.
The Lower World is the place of empowerment/the past and houses the soul part known as the Suns ("soons"), which carries past-life information. This soul also reincarnates. This world also houses peoples' "Power Animals", actual spirit beings who take the form of an animal to bring to you the strengths and abilities of that particular animal, that you may be weak or lacking in. Everyone receives a Power Animal at birth, but in Western cultures most people lose them...because they don't even know they are there.
Shamans journey to retrieve peoples' lost Power Animals and restore these needed strengths to people. This Lower World looks very much like ours. There are "walled-off" areas of the Lower World where the darkest of souls are kept, for they wreak too much damage in their earth lives and are not allowed to return to earth again after leaving a trail of pain and death. The worst of souls, who have gone totally "negative" (farthest from love and their true soul purpose), are simply eliminated (this is confirmed in Egyptian spirituality) .
This also tracks with Christian metaphor, in which the seed that falls on dry ground is simply destroyed. Yet we have to accept that even these beings are manifestations of the same Great spirit who has manifested as everything and everyone else.
All three worlds are mainly beautiful and lush...I have seen is no evidence of the fire/torture-driven Hell promulgated by some Western religions in my journeys.
Trouble occurs when Middle World souls from people who have died, or Lower World souls that come back up here illegitimately (or refuse to "go home" in the first place), attach themselves outright to "our world.". These spirit invasions can occur when either the after-death Middle soul or Lower World soul latch onto a person or place where it does not belong. The invasions can be by either relations souls, or total stranger souls. Shamans will intervene to ask these spirits to stop their interference, and in isolated cases actually force their removal for the client's sake. All this is done, however, in peace, love and caring for the spirit involved.
There is also an "Astral plane", where raging, confused and temporarily dangerous earth souls go to cool off, or await eventual extraction and healing by a shaman...an in-between place wrought with danger. I try not to go there unless absolutely necessary. This is probably close to the concept of "purgatory" in Christian thinking. It is not a place earth souls want to be, and I have retrieved at least one suicide-soul from there.
Troubles can also arise if people offend spirits living in their area with actions that dishonor nature. During a journey, the shaman sees these souls and tries to right their path. There are also those dark entities that must be dealt with, some quite dangerous. The worst of all dark spirit beings are usually "dissolved" prior to becoming threats again, as I mentioned just above.
THE SACRED BALANCE/YIN YANG
In manifesting itself, the Great Mother has generated "opposing" forms (from light to dark, "good" to "bad", "positive" to "negative"), in an effort to achieve sacred balance (also called Yin/Yang) while experiencing All That can Be. This illsuion of separation and "the other" allow us to attempt to do likewise. A shaman will work with an out-of-balance person to enable a return to living with normal, manageable and balanced amounts of "good and bad". This balance is the key to a successful life.
No-one is perfect, but striving to cancel a debilitating "darkness" with the empowering "light" is the goal. The shaman is skilled at "transmuting" dark energy...that is, removing it and returning it to the spirit world for conversion to good energy. Peruvian shamans view this interplay of energies in terms of "heavy" (Hucha) and "light" (Sami). They see Hucha as being the product of humans exclusively. We also have the power to remove this Hucha...once it is all gone, the person lives in joy and total balance. This does not mean life goes with no challenges or sorrow...but it does mean the person can deal with these issues with love and inner joy, without anger, frustration or need for revenge.
Events in this or a prior life that were very emotionally challenging can also "imprint" into one's spirit body and become a source of illness. Villoldo (see the book section at the bottom) goes into this with great detail. Our energy bodies (the aura) easily absorb energies from any source, so if one is unaware of an intrusion of negative energy, one can liken this imprint to rubbing your eyes after touching a germ-infested doorknob...the illness manifests in secret. These events can also cause partial soul loss, and the shaman journeys to bring this piece back to the effected person. These are closely related to chakra problems.
SHAMANIC TOOLS
The shaman's journey, one of many "tools", involves using, in many cases, a steady drum- or rattle-beat to reach AND REMAIN AT the brain-wave levels (lower-Alpha, Theta) where the spirit of the shaman can leave his or her body and venture out into one or more of the three spirit worlds (Upper, Middle and Lower) for guidance (one intent per visit only).
Most people pass through these brain-wave states on their way to and from sleep, and so many spirit appearances occur at this these times. Shamans have learned to stay at this intermediate level for minutes, indeed hours on end. Dancing and drumming together are also employed, especially in the cultures of old.
And while I have never tried, or had to try, certain sacred plants known to Amazonian, African and other shaman cultures to reach this altered state, some people can only do it with these plants. As these consciousness-shifting/freeing substances are illegal in the US (wonder why?), many people travel to countries where these shamanic practices, having occurred for millennia, world-wide, are still legal and state- protected in order to have these special experiences.
Many journey results come in metaphor form, and are therefore best interpreted by the one being helped working with the shaman. Keep in mind, then, that EVERY image produced has been designed for the seeker, not the shaman. Sometimes the events are not shown as they happened exactly..or even close, but the underlying wounding that resulted IS really depicted.
The reason for the inaccuracy is that people tend to try to block out and disown the memories of such events. However, when the shaman investigates, the wounding energy presents itself in a different but still interpretable form. So even though key events from earlier in life may come in a bit hazy, they are accurate in essence.
I have never received erroneous info from the helpers. It is up to the helped one to try to decipher the true meaning of the information, but the shaman is there to help with a lot of the imagery which may not be readily understood in our culture.
Beyond the journey, other tools include sacred stones, feathers, crystals, coins, die, herbs, Arshaan fluid, Intent oils...even breath and hands in ritual healing work. Some of the other tools I use include antique Mongolian "Toli" (brass shaman "mirrors"); Tarot cards and the Sabian Oracle. I aso recently acquired some Peruvian Chumpi stones for chakra cleansing.
Shamans can move through time and space instantaneously, going into the "future" or past, and change (shape-shift) into other types of beings, such as birds. In fact, in the center of existence where shamans go to at the journey's beginning, all of time and space, from all realities and universes, meet at that one point. This point is known in physics as a "Singularity" and in Mongolian shamanism the "Gol" (pronounced "goal").
From there, the shaman can go anywhere in space or time, again nearly instantly. Fire from a candle is usually the main physical representation of the Gol, and so we always have one lit while working.
If a shaman happens to end up alone in a bad situation while in the Spirit World, he or she calls for help immediately...and it always arrives. Shamans always journey with at least one guide or "Power Animal" for such strength and protection. I have at least five I rely on and honor. I recently came very close to being taken from here while rescuing someone's soul piece. My main helper pulled me to safety in the nick of time!
It is WELL WORTH THE RISK, though, to restore someone to their intended personal beauty. It is VITAL that anyone who wishes to learn to journey to the Spirit World likewise cultivate spirit helper-protectors before doing anything else. Trust me...the feeling of sinking toward death in the Spirit World is quite fast and weakening...and without these helpers standing by to rescue you, I would think one might never return to their body.
ANOTHER KEY CONCEPT: SACRED PATH
Because we are comprised of soul parts that reunite for subsequent lives, we each come here with a spiritual plan. This plan may involve a wonderful life...or a life filled with suffering and early death. The goal is to be a stronger spirit when leaving than when we arrived. However, we forget this plan at birth and spend the rest of our lives either trying to remember...or not. Many never do, and live with an incompleteness that can be added to by spirit illnesses, either inherited or obtained while in this life.
Even if we hear that inner voice calling us to the truth about ourselves, we can be dazzled by the culture we live in and go after its rewards instead. We still have choice in life, and the series of choices we make helps determine whether we approach, find or move away from the plan. Vital to remember: It is not all sweetness and light in this life even if we are exactly on our spiritual path...just ask people like Jesus...
I learned this sacred path concept most strongly in my study of Cherokee spirituality, who try to maintain it as a major societal dictum. Of all the shamanic concepts I have learned, this one flies most strongly in the face of Western culture, where interfering with another for their own good ("we know better"), without their permission, is almost the number one social tenet. It is nearly impossible to live in the West and follow this precept to the letter, for everyone else around the situation will demand to know why you did not intervene when you had the chance, and then excoriate you for failing to do so.
So we must use our judgment in each case as to how best to deal with the need for or temptation toward interfering for good in another's circumstance. This does NOT mean we are to never do anything for anyone in life...obviously. we are here to advance ourselves spiritually and in the process everyone around us can be uplifted by our actions. We must still fulfill all our commitments and responsibilities to our very best effort..and we have to be able to live with the choices we make concerning others as well. But sometimes the lesson for the other in the choice they have made is more important than our "saving them from themselves."
The Tao De Ching expresses this concept most beautifully. It maintains, and I agree, that we share creation duties with the loving consciousness that some call God. Since we are co-creators of our "3-D hologram" called life, we should never act against it or attempt to change it...exceot out of pure love. You, as Tao at your core, already know (even though your ego-mind does not) that what is happening is following the Tao's, and therefore the universe's, constant striving for perfect evolving.
My favorite line from the TAO is, "the master accomplishes everything by doing nothing..." Nothing TO INTERFERE with the perfection of the present moment. Hence, we are always called upon to act or not act in the Now...but our actions must come out of conscious awareness, not ego.
So no matter how "bad" something gets, it is the loving teacher needed for you to advance closer to your spirit destiny, and to a more perfect life expression. Eckhart Tolle sums this viewpoint up succintly: do not react, do not judge, do not attach. Tao says love EVERYTHING, for everything came out of Tao, which is love (or God, if you like)...so if you hate something in your life, you are literally hating love. The core concept here: recirculate Tao energy...that is, since the world you live is was created for you by love, you must love it back in order for the best results in your life to manifest. Thanks to Naoto Matsumoto at TaoDeChing Decoded for these brilliant metaphors.
It is worth noting here that I use the word "love" not in the egoic sense...but as the unconditional acceptance of a thing without judgment.
Bottom line: Unless it is your sacred path to live with a certain illness or situation, a shaman can fix it IF YOU are willing to be helped: remember, all healing comes from within. The shaman merely serves as the "go-between" for the spirits with the help, and you, the one who puts that help into practice.
In most cases, shamans do not journey for people unless the shaman is asked...we do not want to interfere with the sacred path of the individual until they themselves recognize something is amiss. I have, however, been allowed to journey for some folks out of love, and been given valuable information to try to heal them with. However, since the person does not know of this help, they do not "own"and incorporate it, and the effects of the journey may therefore be considerable watered down...again, it depends of whether or not the person's sacred path included a behind-the-scenes intervention by a shaman or not.
In late 2012, I was given permission by my Helpers to perform journey works for any reason at any time, without permission...but that brings with it the need for great wisdom to know when an intervention will violate the path of the other...so I use this very infrequently.
Finally, a shaman does not share by-name information with others unless the person being helped allows it.
Also, please read the very first two entries (Jan 8, 2001 and October 19, 2001) before delving into the journeys themselves..these demonstrate in great detail why I am on this sacred path.
KEY SOURCES:
Ken's over 1000 journeys to the Spirit World; The many protector, helper and Teacher Spirits he'smet there; 9-plus years of experience; and these Readings, with an "*" indicating essential readings (Ken reviews many of these works on my Books&DVDs page on this site):
- Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth"*
- Hillary webb's "Exploring Shamanism"*
- Tom Cowan's "Shamanism as a Spiritual Practice for Daily Life"*
- Sarangerel's "Chosen by the Spirits" and "Riding Windhorses" *
- Alberto Villoldo's "Shaman, Healer, Sage", "Mending the Past and Healing the Future with Soul Retrieval" and "The Four Insights" *
- Kenneth Meadows' "Shamanic Experience: A Practical Guide to Psychic Powers" and "Where Eagles Fly" *
- Joan Parisi wilcox's "Masters of the Living Energy"*
- Heaven/Charing's "Plant Spirit Shamanism"*
- Mary Dean Atwood's "Spirit Healing (version with Indian Story is more rewarding)"
- Jamie Sams' "Medicine Cards" and "Sacred Path Cards"
- Sandra Ingerman's "Soul Retrieval"
- Michael Harner's "The Way of the Shaman"
- John Perkins' works on Shamanism
- Ted Andrews' "Animal Speak", "Animal-wise", "Nature Speak", and "How to Read the Aura" *
- Piers Vitebsky's "The Shaman"
- Stevens and Stevens' "Secrets of Shamanism"
- Eliot Cowan's "Plant Spirit Medicine"*
Plus about 50 other works..
