One Coin, Two Sides
As we have already seen, shamans interact with the spiritual world or non-physical world. They interact in order to bring about change, healing, transformation, not only in their own lives but in the lives of others, in the lives of the whole community. Community is important as we are all part of the sacred hoop of life. When one hurts, we all hurt; when one is blessed, we all are blessed. The river of life runs deep through each and every one of us, all entitled to the same respect, all endowed with the same spirit of love. Shamans are catalysts, drawing things to them, instigating change, bringing what is under the surface to the surface, linking the physical world to the spiritual world. Shamans create balance and health from imbalance or disease, but their work doesn’t just stop with the people. They are caretakers of the animals, the plants, the whole of creation whether seen or not seen; they bring healing to the world, and to the earth. Their aim is to positively impact the physical world by bringing rain when it is necessary, leading hunters to the bison, healing bodies but not just the bodies of the two-leggeds. They work extensively to bring about harmony, balance and peace in a world that is often hostile with hurts and deep pain.
In today’s culture we tend to view the physical realm and the spiritual realm as two completely separate places unaffected by one another. How wrong that is! It couldn’t be any further from the truth. Many of us think, ‘How can beating a drum, shaking a rattle, singing a song, chanting, praying, dancing, performing ceremonies bring change? Surely they can’t really make a difference? Surely it is only in the minds of those that believe?’
We can look to science for the answer, but it does not have the answer; and how could it? How could science know how spirit, ritual and ceremony can affect the material aspect of life? How it can affect matter? But these questions and their answers are elementary to the shaman, to shamanic cultures worldwide. When we stand at the edge of a lake and look into the stillness of the water, we can see all that is around us; the sky, the trees, the birds, even people, and it is said that that is how it is in the spiritual world. The physical world is the lake and it reflects back to us the spiritual world, if only we would take time to see, if only we would take time to listen and hear the message that nature has for us. But we must not listen with our ears for we will miss the message. We MUST listen with our heart, our soul.
When we look at a coin we see one coin, one coin that has two sides. When we look at the world we must see one world, one world that has two sides; neither side is bigger or better than the other. They can’t be, because they are both equal parts of the same coin, the same world. It is impossible to have one side bigger than the other, for then we would have created an imbalance. If the coin or the world is not balanced, it will not spin as it should upon its axis point. Balance is key to all things and key in all things. By delving into the spiritual realms and requesting help and assistance from spirit, the shaman acts to create harmony. Where there is harmony there is health, no matter which realm we are in; harmony is the key to true health and well-being.
As traditional holistic practitioners, shamans recognize the oneness of all life. They recognize how the body and mind are connected but not just at an individual point, but interconnected to other souls. They recognize that although we all live within our own small matrix with our families, that we are still part of a greater matrix, a matrix that includes the natural environment, the thoughts and intentions of others, as well as a host of other elements, all of which can and does affect individuals in different ways. So when you go to a shaman for healing, they look at the condition of your body, mind and spirit, they look at your personal matrix and whether it supports you. They look at all things, but they also listen. They listen to what you say and what you don’t say, they listen to what your consciousness permits you to speak whilst hearing the voice of your unconscious.
So do the shamans actually do the healing? Some will say, ‘Yes, with the help of the spirits.’ Others will say, ‘No, they are only vessels, they are instruments within themselves and that healing is always from spirit, from God.’ I feel there is truth in both. The shaman is definitely a vessel and an instrument, and ultimately the healing does come from God, but he/she still is required to follow intuition and at times use physical techniques such as extraction. In the least, I would say the shaman is partaker of the healing. The shaman acts as a portal for the healing energy to flow through, and she accesses the portal in order to be able to fly to other realms.
Shamans are not orthodox doctors. They do not treat the heart, the liver, the lungs etc. They do not treat the disease as such. They treat the cause behind the illness. They track it back to its roots, they work with the root cause to deal with the problem, recognizing that sickness in the body is still a reflection of a sickness or imbalance in the spirit. They recognize that there is a problem in part of the physical body, but that is not what they treat. Orthodox medicine isolates body parts to the extent that at times the patient no longer has a name but a condition. Shamans do not isolate any part of the patient. How could they when they know that each part is part of the whole? What affects one part will have a ripple effect on other parts.
In Hawaii, their traditional medicine believes that cures are said to be most effective when people are engaged physically, mentally and emotionally in their own healing process, and I couldn’t agree more. I purposefully engage the patient in brief counseling in order to put them back in touch with their mind, their body and especially their emotions. I have found that as soon as we hit the emotions that is the best time to start the deeper healing practice. Whilst they remain in touch with their emotions, they find it easier to feel the pain that needs to heal, feel the pain that they avoided or have buried, feel the wounds that require healing, but without reliving the trauma. My client or patient’s beliefs, attitudes and willingness to cooperate with me, the extent of their engagement on all levels of the healing process is indeed one of the most important aspects of their healing. It is definitely crucial to the success or degree of success of their treatment. Healing must be tailor-made to the individual because we are all different, and even if two patients had the same complaint, their treatments would still need to be different. Why? Simply because we are all different and all have different needs.
In an ideal world, with ideal habits and good mental health, we would all be preventing illness.
We would all be living our lives from a preventative perspective; but we don’t live in an ideal world where we can always maintain perfect health, and with so much pressure on us in today’s world, there is no wonder people fail to maintain a healthy, happy body and prevent illness.
If we look back at the last time we visited an orthodox doctor, I am sure we will all remember the experience of the orthodox way of care. We all realize and have learnt to accept that the cure often comes in tablet form, and then when we have side-effects to the medicine, we take more medicine to help with the side-effects, and then more to help with the next set of side-effects and on we go. Lifestyle, obesity, hormonal imbalance, age, stress, these are all factors that are often used to explain away the difficulties we are having which often isn’t really helpful at all. Changing these factors for some will make a huge difference, and for some it will make a minor difference and for the rest, there will be no change at all and they will often be left to their own devices.
When shamans look for the cause of illness they look to the spiritual, for it is recognized that physical manifestations of illness or injury are usually due to a spiritual imbalance. This doesn’t prevent them from addressing the signs and symptoms but it does mean that they are going to look for the deeper meaning in the imbalance. They will look at the past and the present, they will look at what led to the illness or injury as well as what you may be doing consciously or unconsciously to hold onto or cause the illness. When we intend to bring healing to another we must be willing to work with their energetic body, knowing that spirit affects matter; in other words, tangible things are impacted by intangible forces and both coexist. We also have to look at the rest of the personal matrix in order to address imbalances and disharmony on all levels.
This in-depth shamanic healing method helps with the cure and with prevention of further illness. When we can prevent unwanted illness or injury from occurring, we can continue on in balance. When the shaman journeys to find the answer, it may not be what we want to hear, it may not be what we thought it was and it may be on a deeper level than what we currently understand. If we are willing to see the journey that the illness or injury took, we can often see at what point the reality of it kicked in. If we have a chill today, it may not be because it is cold but because three days ago we were caught in the rain and remained wet for four hours. Upset intestinal activity may not be the extra piece of chocolate cake you ate today but may be the burger you ate yesterday. We can’t just assume that what is today is to do with today. We must be willing to travel back in time to source the problem. The burger you ate yesterday may be because you were stressed or feeling anxious, so the stress or anxiety would need to be dealt with to realign and rebalance the entire energetic system on all levels. Everything we do we are doing for a reason and sometimes it is just a question of being mindful and aware of what is going on at all times within our body, mind and spirit. So often we spend our days rushing here, rushing there, grabbing this to eat, grabbing that to eat. We fail to notice our needs, and when we do notice them, we are so often too busy with life, so we fail to make time for those needs; and then we wonder why we become ill, why our body parts break down. Many of us would never treat our cars how we treat our body. We would never treat another like we treat ourselves. We go through life acting as if our body is this indestructible vehicle when the reality is that it is a finely tuned instrument which needs treating with respect and care.
When we are born, we are usually born in our natural harmonious state without disease, and interference of any kind can impact that same harmonious state, eventually bringing disease. It matters not what the problem is; what matters is that it is dealt with as soon as possible. Interference could be on a physical, mental or spiritual level. This could be spiritual intrusions – whether of the individual or the place they live, cultural pressure and expectations, loss of aspects of our soul, old hurts, our lifestyle, a poor diet, poverty, the list could go on. It is all relevant to our health and wholeness.
Building a solid foundation for health and engaging in regular practice in such things as meditation, yoga or tai-chi as well as building and maintaining a relationship with the Divine, God, the Source, even with our Mother Earth, will help in keeping us on the right track to freedom, freedom from ill health and injury. The Ojibway culture includes the observance of rituals such as taking a bath, making offerings to spirits, acting ethically, nurturing others as all part of their healthy lifestyle; these are all practices that we could all include into our daily lives. We just need to make that choice. The Ojibway and many other Native cultures ensure they are respectful to the animals they eat, often praying for the animal spirit and only taking as much as they require; this is a common thread that tends to run right through the shamanic world. Lack of respect in these areas could be seen as one reason for illness, and most illnesses are considered to have a physical, psychological and emotional aspect. If we want to heal the whole person we must start to look at all levels and resist the temptation to look at only one level of existence.
In all forms of medicine, when a patient comes with a problem a diagnosis must be made before therapy or medicine is prescribed; and for a shaman, this is no different. Usually, this phase of treatment involves talking with the patient about their physical symptoms, as well as their emotional and/or psychological state of being and making observations of any signs. This way of treating is often akin to today’s holistic practitioners and can also include talking about family history and any significant circumstances of their lives.
So what is the difference between a shaman and an orthodox doctor? Apart from the obvious differences such as training, etc., the key difference lies in their approach to diagnosis and treatment, which also includes a more in-depth discussion about symptoms, psychological and emotional health and of course, their spirituality. The shaman also discerns the energetic aspect of the condition or person, remembering that many physical manifestations arise from energetic or spiritual issues. This discernment is often, but not always, gained whilst in an altered state of consciousness; in other words, whilst journeying, and the ability to enter this altered state and travel into other dimensions to engage with spirits is crucial to the shaman’s success in healing.
We are The Quantum Warrior, The Master Architect of our life – Braveheart
