The reason for this months article is due to a number of people asking me where on earth do they start on the journey of Contemporary Shamanic exploration?

(This is not about how to become a Shaman. One cannot ‘become’ a Shaman just by wanting to and really if you knew what that entailed you would run for the hills. This is about the medicine path and the tools of Contemporary Shamanism that benefit anyone of interest)

So how does one integrate the wisdom and medicine from the shamanic traditions into this present modern day life respectfully?

How does one start to grow a sense of medicine within when one is part of the busy modern world where vanity, achievement, money and brain washing media seem to be more relevant?

The First Step.

Recognizing And Being Aware Of Energy

What is energy? Energy put simply is an active vibration that everything living on this planet, including this planet, emanates.

If just for a moment you view it through the mind of a scientist or a Buddhist monk you will find that when one moves deeper into to the matter of any living thing….. It vibrates.

This can be proven in things like Kirlian photography, and natural science. Scientists no longer disputes this fact. Just look up Albert Einstein if you think you know better.

Each person, each living organism, emanates a vibration. You may say ‘well an old rock from a volcano is not living’, however when broken down to its sub atomic particles….it is. It is a combination of the live elements of fire, earth and water and within that creates a living vibration.

Now……

What Kind of Energy Do You Feel You Emanate as a live being?

On a bad day you might feel quite closed off or even prickly. Others that you care about will pick that up. Even the man at the petrol station will feel it if your vibration is strong. Shutting down your energy is like trying to stuff too many tissues into a pocket that is too small. All you have is a bunch of stuffed up squished energy going nowhere.

When you are joy filled others will experience your vibration of expansion which often happens when you find people smiling at you for no reason and your not sure why. They are picking up on what you emanate. When you are calm and relaxed a baby can feel it without any words being said.

If for example you kept your eyes closed and tuned in when someone walked in the door without speaking you would be able to pick up what kind of vibration they put out if you were tuned in enough to receive.

So instead of seeing everything as physical three-dimensional dense objects, I invite you to tune into your third eye (simple take your attention up to your third eye and see a door open gently. You can choose to close this door at anytime and its good to practice opening and closing it during medicine practice) and then consciously begin to look at people, animals, and nature as living vibrating ENERGIES.

(Safety note. If you are feeling highly sensitive do not do this practice for long at any one time. You may want to gently close the door of the third eye more than open it and breath deeply into your base chakra and then into the earth)

Medicine Practice.

At night when you are at home, maybe sitting in front of the TV or similar, I invite you to mindfully watch your vibration. Tune in to how it feels sitting in front of the TV/radio/computer for a few minutes. Tune into your shoulders, your belly, how you hold your mouth, what you do with your hands, your feet, the little physical habits you might have, is your breathe shallow, or heavy? No judgment. Simply observe yourself as a living vibration. Then I invite you to consciously get up and turn the TV off at the wall (add to that your phone, laptop, stereo etc. Do not moan that you have to reset everything, if you feel you cant do that then move to another room without those things).

Now light a candle and sit back down again. Simply observe. Tap into your senses. What can you smell, see, feel, touch.  Again tune into your shoulders, your belly, how you hold your body.

Now take five conscious breaths in and five looooong slow conscious breaths out.

Just simply be present.

What do you notice arises in your thoughts that the TV or computer or whatever replaced?

Again, no judgment. Just observe.

Then when you feel ready.

It’s your choice of course.

You can turn everything back on again.

OR you may want to leave it off for a while and write in your journal or read (something not connected to any technology, worldly issues, work, or gossip) or just simply BE.

Within the next week I invite you to find an old tree to sit under. Take time and tune

into the energy of the tree. Tune into YOUR energy sitting under the tree on the earth (if you are in snow its fine to stand if you cant handle sitting). Note if there is any difference between your vibration and the tree’s vibration. No judgment, no self-criticism. Remember just observe like dear David Attenborough would. Simply observe closely.

If you wanted to connect/join your energy with the tree what do YOU feel to do? (There is NO right or wrong as long as you bring no harm)… Hug it, nestle yourself at its base and be absorbed by its roots, stare at the leaves blowing in the wind while you lie flat on the earth mother, grab a piece of fallen bark and sniff it, draw it….anything that intuitively feels right in your being.

This is the beginning.

From now on I invite you to look at everything this way. Even in an argument with your beloved or anyone. Watch what happens energetically. Become aware of how you, they, everything vibrates once you move beyond looking at everything from a dense perspective.

This is the beginning of the journey….. Observation beyond dense matter.

Medicine Tools

If you are serious about walking the Contemporary Shamans path (its not a game or a new age phase of interest, one needs to be committed to the path) I invite you to get a medicine drum (either buy one or make one with a medicine drum maker in your area) and some white sage.

Begin to drum the heartbeat of the earth and clear dense matter with burning white sage)

 

I am considering offering a ‘Safe Beginners online training in Contemporary Shamanism’ mid this year. If you are interested please email me@ (www.contemporaryshaman.net)

Please include some information about you and your walk towards this pathway and I will keep you posted. This will likely include one on one Skype sessions. Please title the message ‘Shamanic Training.’

Blessings

Odette