Earth People Magazine

Volume 3 Number 1

Tasmanian Aboriginal Man

From the journal of the voyage of Captain Cook; a collection of engravings, courtesy of Jonathan Cohen,
Photo by David Garten.
As found in: ‘Voices of the First Day’ by Robert Lawlor (P. 73).
Note the negroid type hair and the big European type nose.
Apparently, their skin, ranged from jet black to almost white.

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Contents

 

Sitting Owl’s Editorial

How the Sacred Pipe Came to the People
The Sioux Story of White Buffalo Woman

The Runner
By: Gloria Hulk

Reader’s Letter ‘A Healing with Gratitude'
By: C/Moon

Powder Face
Supplyed By: Margret Bond

Maori Teachings
By: Rangimarie (Rose) Turuki Pere

Lone Wolf
Supplyed By: Margret Bond

Unknown
By: Lynn V. Andrews

Reader’s Letter ‘Food for Thought’
By: Flame Morning Star

Reader’s Letter ‘Yo Bro’
By: Mzzz Mary Spry

Shamanism the Course

Balance
By: Lynn V. Andrews

Excerpt from ‘Earth Medicine’
By: Jamie Sams

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Sitting Owl’s Editorial

I was thinking of putting a picture of myself here, when I get one scanned, but I would like some of the readers’ opinions first, as I feel it may look a bit egotistical, so please contact me and tell me what you think!  And anything else you are willing to share with either other readers and/or myself.

This issue is a reader’s letters special, which only goes to show that there are earth people out there, willing to share their experiences of life, their highs and lows, and their trials and revelations.

I would like to extend a humble and sincere appreciation to all the readers of ‘Earth People’, and especially to those who are willing to share.  This is what we must all do unconditionally, as we are all sharing this earth together.  I know that the Green people, the four-legged people, and all our other relations are willing to share this earth harmoniously with us two-legged people.

Anyway, just before I began distributing the last issue of ‘Earth People’ I was given another honour and privilege of sponsoring or supervising Simon’s brother Ben on a Vision Quest, where I ran a Full Moon Sweat Lodge in between Ben’s Two Vision Quest Lodges.  That means, three sweats in four days. Simon and Ben have promised me they would write something of their Vision Quest experiences, although some of them may be too personal to be worth discussing, so I have left it up to them, as to what they write, and if they write at all.

And then, almost within the week, I had a fourth Sweat Lodge, with Flame Morning Star, who had come quite a long way from home for a sweat in my Sweat Lodge. I feel honoured and humbled, to be doing this service for others in a sacred manner.

And more recently, I had the privilege of meeting a very humble Oglala Soux man, named James Cedar Face, whom wished to meet me, as he was unsure of my intentions of borrowing some of his very sacred ceremonies.  I feel that we communicated very well, and through more ways than just the English language, I feel that our hearts met in a sacred manner.

As I sit here to finish this issue, early December (Summer!), it is raining and still quite cold, and I’m not sure what to talk about now without waffling on, so I would now like to give all my readers and All My Relations:-

A SMILE

Author Unknown

A SMILE costs nothing, but gives much.  It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.  It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.  None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor that he can be made rich by it.

A SMILE creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship.  It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature’s best antidote for trouble.  Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.  Some people are too tired to give you a SMILE.  Give them one of yours, as none needs a SMILE so much as he who has no more to give.

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How the Sacred Pipe
Came to the People

The Sioux Story of White Buffalo Woman

as found in: ‘The Bear Tribe’s Self Reliance Book’.

It is almost identical to the story found in

‘The Sacred Pipe’, by Joseph Epes Brown as spoken by Black Elk.

Many winters ago, two young friends were out hunting in the time of the morning when the light first touches the earth.  As the first liquid rays descended, they touched a beautiful form and figure, standing on the path the young men would take.  It was a young woman of striking beauty, with her arms folded around a long bundle.

She beckoned to the young man who had made the disrespectful comments, and grinning back at his companion, he swaggered towards her.  As he approached, a cloud descended and covered them from sight, and when it lifted, nothing was left of him but bones, which were being eaten by snakes of a vile aspect.  The other young man shuddered, for he knew that the snakes were the desires, which would eventually eat up all those who lived for the world of the senses alone.

Stepping forward, she said to him, “Always remember what you have seen on this day!  I have come to speak with your chief, Standing Hollow Horn; go to him and say that I have words of great importance for him.  He is to prepare a great lodge, and to gather all the people within.  There you and your people will wait for me.”

Some of the young men stationed themselves near the door of the tipi where they could keep watch, and shortly excitement rippled through them as the one at the door called, “There is a beautiful movement in the distance!” and then, suddenly, she was there.

Entering the lodge, she walked sun-wise around the fire, and stopped before Standing Hollow Horn.  She pulled forward the bundle which she had slung on her back, and holding it extended in her two hands, said, “Behold this and always love it!  It is very sacred medicine, and no one who is not holy and pure must be allowed to touch it.  Within is a pipe, and with this pipe you and your descendants will send your prayers to the Great Spirit.”

She then unrolled the bundle and removed the pipe and a small stone, which she placed on the ground.  Uplifting the pipe to the sky, she said, “In this way with this pipe shall you walk upon the Earth, your Grandmother and Mother.  Every step should be a prayer, and always remember that She is sacred!  The bowl of this pipe is of her blood and bones; it is a red stone, as red as the blood of your heart.  Carved in the stone and facing the centre is a buffalo calf, who stands for all the four-leggeds of the Earth.  The twelve Eagle feathers hanging here where the bowl joins the stem are from the Spotted Eagle, and thus are all the people of the air represented here also.  The stem, which is wooden, stands for all that grows upon the Earth, and so, when you join your voices with the smoke of the pipe, do all these things pray with you.  In this joining of all your prayers will your voices reach Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, and so you will pray with and for everything when you smoke this pipe.

She then reached downward and touched the foot of the pipe to the stone which lay on the ground, and said, “This pipe joins you to all your relatives, your Grandfather and Father, your Mother and Grandmother.  This round red rock which is also given to you by the Great Spirit is the good red earth upon which you shall flourish and multiply.  The Earth is red, and the two-leggeds are red… you have a red day and a red road.  Those who walk in the Path of the Great Spirit will walk the good red road from the place of the source of Life to the place of Wisdom, which are represented by South and North.  Only those who are interested in Material gains and in gratifying their senses will travel the black road of destruction, which runs East to West, and goes nowhere.  To travel in the Circle of Life you must always strain to travel upwards, and not to be content with travelling the level path.  Do not forget, for all this is sacred!  Every dawn is sacred, and every day… all who move upon the Mother are sacred… you must remember this!”

“Onward from this day will the pipe stand upon the earth, and with it will the people send the sweet smoke with their songs and prayers upward to the Great Spirit.  Remember and be grateful, Standing Hollow Horn; you must be good to your people and to these gifts.  Remember always that you have seven days with which to pray to the Great Spirit as long as you live.”

She turned to leave, but turned back and said, “Behold this pipe!  Never forget that it is sacred.  In me are four ages, and I will look back on my people in each age, and in the end I will return.  Always remember how sacred the pipe is, and treat it as such, for it will carry you to the end.”

And walking sun-wise, she departed from the lodge.  After walking a little way she sat down, and the people rubbed their eyes, for where she had been was now a young red and brown buffalo calf rising from her place.  After a few more steps, the calf lay down and rolled on her back, and rose up a white buffalo.  Once more she walked a few steps and rolled, and this time she became a black buffalo, which walked a few paces, bowed to the four winds of the world, and disappeared over the hill.

The same article http://earthpeople.com.au/articles/65-25-pipe has an extra story of another tradition of how those people came to have the Sacred Pipe; of course these are stories and like mythology in general, they have more teachings of life; layer after layer, depending on your ability to understand the universal symbolism.

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The Runner

By: Gloria Hulk

(Also found in ‘The Self Reliance Book)
 
When the old shaman dies the chosen one receives his gift through a vision from his animal.
To learn of this spirit, the young shaman must go to the forest must wait hungry for knowledge.
He runs in the dark wood, following the mule deer’s narrow trail, wearing a necklace of white bones and a magic bag at his throat.
He runs to meet his pain, he runs to meet his power fasting enduring, chanting, invoking sacred names.
He runs forward into the forest, until the light catches him, holds him.
There his wild animal leaps upon him, and throws him to the ground granting him power, forging in him strength.
The runner becomes shaman all white bones and magic.

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Reader’s Letter -

'A Healing with Gratitude'

By: C/Moon

Dearest Sitting Owl

The following pages are written with gratitude and sincere thanks; for your help when I recently visited for a week; and for your continuous and untiring advice at all hours on the phone.  I have given you permission to print this letter to a), acknowledge my decision to be less secretive, as this was a major cause of much of my self-destructive problems; and b), so that my story may help others.

Although I’m now aware that everything in my life has had its effect, my story mainly started about 11 years ago, when my baby boy, Joshua, died after only a very short life.  From that time on I have struggled with depression, negative self-talk and the so-called professional counsellors; a psychologist, and a psychiatrist who was a waste of time as he typed while I was talking to him.  And as a result I had been on anti-depressants for about a year when I first met Sitting Owl.  I had actually unintentionally been off the tablets for 4 days, and realising that they were of no benefit, and only gave me more unpleasant side effects and stopped my creativity, I decided to stay off them.

I actually first met Simon, Sitting Owl's apprentice, at the weekend workshop where he gave a talk about the sacred pipe and conducted a pipe ceremony.  Simon was a very attentive listener as he listened to my complaints of just living, if you call breathing without a purpose or goal in mind “living”.

I now know after looking back that our Creator has been trying to tell me that I’ve been running and racing around trying to fit in so as to feel good and help others.  “Fit in” is a good statement because I was not happy with whom I was; and I was therefore trying to fit in to society’s standards.  Sometimes the stress of this illusion would make me go wild and child-like, and I would throw myself in the local swimming pool fully clothed and then roll all over the bowling green.  This was all I could do to feel the freedom and joy of life, a form of release.  I still hear a little gossip about myself and sometimes I can laugh, but other times my subconscious mind rambles on about what people think of me.  Some of it is utter rubbish.  No wonder I feel so exhausted.

After feeling very comfortable talking to Simon and Sitting Owl, and after considering it for a while, I decided to stay with Sitting Owl for a week.  During this time I was convinced that his motives for helping me were genuine.  At times my old habit of running away from my problems became apparent and I am now glad that I didn’t have a car, because Sitting Owl prodded me and pushed many buttons that I now know needed to be pushed.  But at the time I just wanted to run away.  If I had a car, I would not have given him the chance, and I must now thank Creator for that.

Sitting Owl has given me trust and an understanding that there is always another way to do anything.  He has been kind, as he cared for me in his home without wanting or expecting anything in return for his care and counselling.  He has encouraged me and taught me about life; such as how my mind talk can be changed; and he has helped me with emotional blocks that have been clouding my judgements.  His teaching is genuine and his motive is to help others to heal and to find a better life with the Creator.

While I was staying with Sitting Owl several ghosts from my past were discussed, and he prodded me and asked questions that were painful and that I didn’t want to discuss.  I kept blaming myself for the reasons behind my actions.  Sitting Owl has the wisdom to see and to feel not just what I say as truth, but to see and feel the causes behind my wanting to blame myself for the past.  He has bought out and helped me with very painful beliefs that none of the so-called professionals have come close to.  For example, I believed that I was responsible for killing my son since I had left him in a heated room, I had given him Gaviscon, maybe too much, and not enough milk.  He was bound up and constipated by Gaviscon.  This is how my mind rambled on with all manner of negative self-talk.  Sure I had done all that I could to relieve him of his misery, and my conscious mind knew he had been properly cared for, but my subconscious rambled on with blame and guilt like I did for most of my life.

I’m sure that when I went to see Sitting Owl, I thought he would give me an easy answer to get rid of those feelings, but I have found that these feelings need to be recognised before I can let them go.  And I have found that it will be a long road to recovery and a complete healing.  My understanding of this is at lest it will be a healing and not a cover-up.

Sitting Owl lives and teaches a lot of Joseph Campbell’s stuff, and I’m sure it will help others as it has helped me.  His main saying is to FOLLOW YOUR BLISS:
“The realisation of your bliss (your true being) comes when you can live every passing moment without being influenced by fear, desire, or social duty to live any particular way.”

With the knowledge about the workings of the unconscious mind that Sitting Owl has given me, I may be able to live my bliss.  The quote above is important to me because I’ve previously been so busy worrying about unnecessary garbage, that I had forgotten what living is.

Sitting Owl has also helped me to understand the messages in my dreams better.  For example I had a dream where I was holding onto something and I asked if I had to let it go.  I was holding a fox in a plastic bag.  It was trying to get away.  With a small amount of guidance from Sitting Owl I realised that the dream was telling me to let go, let go of subconscious mind clutter and replace it with rationality.  Suffocation, from plastic bag, symbolised death of myself – of my being – running away from fears – not caring if I lived or died.  These irrational thoughts needed to be rationalised.  I needed to stay centred like a fox; who camouflages herself to observe the surroundings and protect her family.  I needed to let go of Joshua.

It has been a few weeks since I stayed with Sitting Owl.  I left school last week because it was dragging me down more each time I went.  After talking to Sitting Owl on the phone, I discussed the conflicting feelings of being dragged down and of doing what I had had so much pleasure doing before Joshua’s death; aged care.  Ten years ago this was my bliss, and now I wanted to pick it up where I had left off; I wanted to be that same person, but I finally realised that that person was lost years ago, along with my son.  The course was NOT my bliss; it had been a hindrance to me.  It helped fog my days even more.  It kept me busy, but I was still running from depression, trying to be someone I wasn’t.  I was sleeping in and even a while ago drinking was a problem.  I was using it to help me feel better, but it only made me feel worse.

So now, thanks to Sitting Owl, I have some knowledge to solve my problems.  All I have to do now is the hard work of practicing to be kind to myself, to love the beauty that is within this God like creature, and now I can learn to love myself and all God’s creatures.

I will sign off now.  Thanks again for your continuous advice and friendship.

C/Moon

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Powder Face

Supplied By: Margaret Bond

Armadale W.A. Ph: (08) 9497 4616
 
Powder Face was an Arapaho Chief, Arapahos are also known as the Southern Cheyenne.  Powder Face was a member of the Arapaho Spear Society, who were warriors, that were expected never to retreat in battle, because they were the most courageous of their tribe.  Not much is known about this warrior, but here are some of his words:

When I was a boy, still a little child, the country which the Southern Arapahoes claim as theirs was north of the Arkansas River, from there to the Republican River and back to the Rocky Mountains.  That was the country my father lived in...  Then the whites came into our country.  The whites wronged us, they were the first to commit a wrong, before we had ever injured them...  They crowded us out from the country we had been roaming in most, and moved us down towards the heads of the South Platte and the heads of the Republican.  Then the white people crowded upon us again, and gave us a reservation in the Purgatoire country and told us that was to be our home.  But afterward we were taken away from there and brought here, and told that this was to be our reservation.

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Maori Teachings

By: Rangimarie (Rose) Turuki Pere

Turangawaewae – Whenua – Placenta, land, country, ground.

The placenta, embracing and cherishing the child in the womb is called Whenua.  The land, which is also called Whenua, offers one the same feeling of warmth, security, nourishment and sustenance, a feeling of belonging.

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Lone Wolf 1820 – 1879

Supplied By: Margaret Bond

Armadale W.A. Ph: (08) 9497 4616
 
Lone Wolf was a Kiowa chief who was active at the time the U.S. Army was fighting the Indians in Texas.  He was generally opposed to the peaceful policy of Kicking Bird and in favour of the sometimes belligerent, independence of Big Tree, Satank, and Satanta.  Lone Wolf became the principal chief of the Kiowa living around Fort Sill.  He was regarded with great respect, for it was known that he had considerable medicine power, that came during a tremendous lightning storm, when his tepee was struck by a bolt of lightning which killed his wife and child, but left Lone Wolf unharmed.

He made two trips to Washington, to talk peace, and although he was exposed to the city and its resources, he was not impressed either by the government’s power, or its treaty guarantees.  But he was able to gain the release of Satanta and Big Tree from prison, by promising that his tribe would remain at peace.

That same year his son and nephew were killed by a party of raiding Texans, so Lone Wolf led a group of warriors south to recover the bodies and to avenge their deaths.  He was feared throughout the Southern Plains.  He joined Quanah Parker and his Comanche in their attack on Adobe Walls, and he engaged in several running battles with the Texas Rangers, and the order went out for his arrest, at all costs.  In the spring of 1875, General R.S. Mackenzie began a cat and mouse chase that succeeded in forcing him to surrender.  His long imprisonment left the chief in poor health, and he died in 1879, just a year after his release, and he was buried on Mt. Scott, in Indian Territory.

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Unknown

By: Lynn V. Andrews

We are all pilgrims on the path to the unknown.  We sit in awe and wonder at the architecture of power.  Ripen the receptive void within you, like a womb accepting a seed.  Open yourself to the unknowable, to what is unfamiliar to you, so that the energy of what you need in order to be whole can flow into you.  When you think of yourself as an entity separate from power, you will obstruct the current, and power will defeat you.  Identify the form of power you want – what you want to accomplish, build, create, or be – and become that, so that there is no separating you.

The Self represents the essence of who you are as a person.  It is a wild card, because it can become anything that you can dream.  Here the pilgrim on the journey toward knowledge is sitting in front of the great pyramids, meditating on higher consciousness.  The pyramids come from an unknown source of power.  Because this source is unknown, a great power is retained within the structure: power is born from the unknown.  Wholeness is represented by spheres.  This is a symbol of the natural human looking out into the universe of power and the mystery of the unknown.

Printed with permission from:

‘The Power Deck’

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Reader’s Letter - 

'Food for Thought'

By: Flame Morning Star

There will be many Shamans coming “out” but all different in their fields, and also at many different levels.  Each one of us is unique, each one has special talents and gifts, as there are many drops of rain that fill the bucket.

But the connection will be one of communication and learning between all of us.  It will be the coming together of the ancient knowledge shared openly and lovingly through all of us.  And the exchange of knowledge is only the way to get us all together, to rekindle our togetherness, the Oneness of Love and Spirit; of Brother to Brother, Sister to Sister, Uncles and Aunts, Grandmothers and Grandfathers.

There will be many tests we face and one of the hardest is to come across an elder who may give the impression that they are not agreeable to “One” becoming a Medicine Person or a Pipe Carrier.  We may be given the impression that this would not be the right thing to do, but my dear one’s, through my own experience, with the greatest respect for all of my elders, I have come to this conclusion.

Would our Elders not be Elders if they did not press this button in us?  They are the “Wise Ones'’, they make us work hard; really make us turn to our hearts; and to make us ask our true Selves to find our real answers.  To take the stand of what you really feel, need, and want deals with truth, courage, discussion making, and hard work.  If you are coming from that special place of love and humility, with love as your guide, and if it is the right path for you, everything will just happen, fall into place.

And take it from me, if something is not for you, of it is not your path; and if you are still working these paths, most times it won’t happen.  Great Spirit, your own heart, wisdom, and Soul are your best teachers.

It takes a lot to face an Elder for counselling, and a far lot more to stay in tune to thy self if you think the Elder does not agree.  This is where they are our great teachers, but it is not only our elders that do this, at this very time the true essence of Spirit is in each one of us.  So every brother – sister, child and uncle can and will at sometime do this to us.  Do not project your heart and pain out on them, for if you are really truthful to your self, look within and every time you will find something that is in side of you, that is wanting to change for the better, greater you.

Understand please, this has and is happening to me, so I am sharing my experience of life – of spirit, love, joy, pain, hurt, and frustration, but also the person I was yesterday is not here to day, for a new person is always emerging like a beautiful butterfly.

Flame Morning Star

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Reader’s Letter - 'Yo Bro'

By: Mzzzz Mary Spry

Hello Sitting Owl!

Thank you so much for the loan of the videos.  I would like to have them copied.  Joseph Campbell was the most amazing man – I think he’s scrumptious.  I’ve enjoyed all of the videos immensely, and would watch them over and over.  Thank you.

Wow!  Your Resume is really something.  What can I say – you’ve got the job!  Better keep your hat on bro’, otherwise your head may swell because you’re really quite impressive.

I have remembered the Native American saying we spoke of:
TELL ME – AND I’LL FORGET
SHOW ME – AND I’LL NOT REMEMBER
INVOLVE ME – AND I’LL UNDERSTAND
How true is that!  [Very!  Editor.]

I hope you enjoy reading ‘Self Reliance Book’, Sun Bear shares the same vision as us, the coming together of a clan or tribe, with gatherings, sharing, and helping each other.  I realise you can’t grow your own vegies and what not, however I hope you enjoy the book.  I’ve often thought of a communal veggie garden on the block.  In fact, I see people happily tending the garden, people dancing -–now that's a funny thing – the men were gardening, women and children were dancing and singing – must have been Mother’s Day.  Ha!  You’re there too, (Ah!  The beauty of the imagination!)  There are many people standing around you, listening to you talk, Jacob and Buster are most content, taking it all in as well.  Joyous occasion!

Regarding seeing the negative, your are right in every guess you made.  I have seen two auras.  One was a golden glow around a lady – she was sitting, and the glow was around her head and shoulders, and her negative was as strong as…  Perhaps we can talk more about this, when I go on my “adventure”.  Last week, everything in the room I was in, had a negative – all things are both pairs of opposites.  It’s quite a weird feeling, spacey I guess.  The colours I see, well, I just thought my chakras are getting a good work out.  It just happens.  Often when my eyes are shut mostly.  Sometimes I just rub my eye and I have colours shooting off in all directions, and they're still there for a short time when I open them.  I first noticed this about 4 years ago making love.  It was like – holy shit, wow!

Oh yes, sex is pretty good too.  Colours going off!  It usually starts with intense bright green, then blue never ending into space, and the purples are all strong, and finally, swirls of orange, yellow and red.  This has been most helpful through all the painful procedures with my back – the colours are simply there.  One day at the physio, I was having a wonderful time with my colours, the more pain the more intense the colours, it was great.

The Physio Therapist told me to tell him when it hurt too much.  After a while he stopped and said that it must be hurting.  Well, I thought I might as well tell him the truth.  He just said I was a character.  I guess I thought all people who started visualisations or simply did chakra balances, easily saw colours.  Yes well, I’m not really into pain, simply colours.  It’s not that I take things I see for granted, I just thought everyone else saw them too.  I started to wonder about this, and asked a few friends – and now I realise that I’m pretty lucky.  Maybe it’s from my back injuries!  Do you see colours?  [No, I have enough trouble seeing the occasional colourless aura.]  I have noticed from having medical procedures there is more intense colours in certain spots on my back – I’m babbling now.  Goodnight.

Love Mary.

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Shamanism - The Course

Question 3.  Do you think witch is another word for shaman? If so, why?  If not, why not?

No, I don’t think witch is another word for shaman.

Shamanism existed prior to the earliest civilisations, before our ancestors took the first steps down the long journey to the present.  From these primitive beginnings arose all magic and religion including Wicca.  Witches were probably never as important in their societies as shamans, nor their duties so varied, although their beliefs and practices were undoubtedly along similar lines, including the use of hallucinogenic substances for healing and trance.  European witchcraft represents the survival of archaic shamanic practices of earlier civilisations, and it might be questioned to what extent the soul-journey of the witches, known all over Europe, were related to Shamanism

The traditional shaman is a master of soul, and is the only member of the community who knows the way to come back and forth from the other worlds.  And he has the ability to dislocate his soul from his body safely, and return with revelations from gods, sacred information for the benefit of the clan or society.  Shamans were the first humans with knowledge who created, discovered, nurtured and used this knowledge obtained or collected through ecstatic trance, and shared this knowledge told through stories or myths, largely archetypal linking with people deep within our unconscious.

Shamanism involves a “going forth” of the spirit, whereas witches invoke or a “coming in” of the divine force.  Of course, this can be argued as well.  There are many similarities; as both were originally regarded by their community as the wise ones, both traditionally live humble ordinary lives, but are able to feel and experience the extraordinary.  The witch and the shaman are both healers and diviners.  However I see the shamans as higher, more important to the community, as traditionally the shaman was a combination of priest, poet, magician, medicine man, psychopomp or leader of souls, healer, therapist, spiritual warrior, spirit controller, medium and powerful communal leader.

Many of the techniques of Wicca are shamanic in origin.  I believe Shamanism has provided a wider context in which to understand and celebrate “raising energy”.  It is extremely effective as a way of altering consciousness and is used, along with other shamanic techniques to prepare for the real work.  Wiccans can also be initiated using the shamans’ tools, drums and rattles in place of verbal invocations and chants.  The Craft attracts people because of it’s shamanic content, combining the honouring of nature, with the techniques for self exploration, exploring identity, relationships with the earth, and growth towards personal responsibility.  Believers in Wicca worship a God and Goddess deity, with the emphasis being on the Goddess, as woman gives birth, but the duality of deity is the reason for total balance.  Reincarnation is the major belief, and the Law of Three, that whatever we do, good or ill, is returned to us threefold.  Clergy are known as High Priestess and High Priest, and worship takes place monthly at full moon.  To be a Witch or Wiccan, an in depth study, training and initiation is necessary.  Pagans follow a similar belief system, but have not been initiated.

Starhawk writes:  “Witchcraft is a shamanic religion and the spiritual value placed on ecstasy is a high one.  It is the source of union, healing, creative inspiration, and communion with the divine – whether it is found in the centre of a coven circle, in bed with one’s beloved, or in the midst of the forest, in awe and wonder at the beauty of the natural world.  There are now a number of traditions calling themselves, Shamanic Wicca, Shamanic Craft and Wiccan Shamanism.”

Gordon MacLellan says:  “The future of the shaman lies in the road camps, or in city centre celebrations of people and place; a Tree Dressing day, a Kite Festival on Chinese New Year, a Beltane Dance in a country park.  Shamanism works with and for the people; it does not belong in High Magic Lodges or in a Witches Coven; it is rooted in people, land and spirit.”

Sitting Owl’s comments.

Very good discussion, but witches at one time where a particular society’s shamans with the same importance.  Witches now have evolved into trendy would-be shamans with fanciful protocol of hierarchy for the same reason that politics and economics has a hierarchy.  You must remember that there is no hierarchy in spirit, as there is only the one Great Spirit.  However there is a hierarchy within all the divisions of the Great Spirit.

The traditional shaman was not always the ONLY member to know the comings and goings of spirit, but was the master of spirit and soul.  Yes a shaman can be all those things, but be careful of modern terminologies and meanings.  Medicine Man is a translation, into English, from the Native American word that is equivalent to the Tungusic word Shaman.  Regarding the rest of the discussion on Wiccan; yes, yes, and yes, but, belief, belief, and belief.  Traditional shamans and witches don’t need belief, they have experience and teach the methods that their experiences have shown them that work, and they teach that when others have the dedication to understand their experiences, they will adapt their teachings to evolve into their own unique methods.

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Balance

By: Lynn V. Andrews

The structure of your daily spiritual life must be built on a strong foundation in the physical world.  Take care of your body through diet and exercise.  Express your strength in acts of power.  Protect and nourish your family, and express your integrity by bringing balance into society and nature.  Then you will be prepared in the physical for higher spiritual learning.  Your being is like a spirit lodge, the foundation of which is rooted in physical manifestation – strong against the storms along the trail of higher consciousness.  To take power, make your spirit available.  Take your power and bring your physical and spiritual natures into balance.

Shaman’s vision is about balance, with the shaman standing in the centre of his world, choreographing the energies of his universe.  He is rooted in balance and harmony, with the sphere of the universe and higher knowledge coming into him.  The universe is in balance.

Whether you know it or not, you chose to come into this physical dimension to become enlightened and to learn its lessons.  Many of us want to throw away these lessons.  We do not want to understand the exchange of material things, because we consider it a non-spiritual pursuit, when in fact it is a greater part of our spiritual lessons.  We must learn in the physical dimension to give away to the physical world and bring spirit and harmony into our daily commerce and everyday life.  Bring awareness to your understanding of money and physical things.  Bring the integrity of spirit into your business.

Balance shows that you need to balance your endeavours in the physical world with spirit.  To take power in the world, you must be in perfect balance.

Printed with permission from:

‘The Power Deck’

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Excerpt from 'Earth Medicine'

By: Jamie Sams

(Printed without permission from the publisher, I tried hard, but with permission from God.)

Clan Mother of the First Moon Cycle ‘Talks with Relations’

A Matter of Opinion (P.6)

Grandmother Cradle Song was walking through the woods with her grand-daughter.  When they came to a sun-filled clearing in a stand of alder trees, they decided to rest, allowing the little one to play.

Buffalo Robe occupied herself at the roots of an alder.  She was digging a hole while Grandmother sat with her eyes closed, taking in the warmth of the sun.  When Grandmother finally noticed what Buffalo Robe was doing, the hole was very large.  A pile of earth sat off to the side with the digging stick the girl had been using.  Buffalo Robe was nestled inside the hole.

Grandma Cradle Song asked the child what she was doing.  The little girl said she had made the hole to allow her to smell the Earth Mother’s breath.  Grandmother then told Buffalo Robe that she would have to find a new home for the earth that she removed.  Buffalo Robe had not thought about that.  The little one said she did not think that the soil minded being moved.  Grandmother sighed, and then explained.

“Every living thing has a Sacred Point of View, a place where it observes the world.  Buffalo Robe, you moved that earth out of its home without permission.  You may feel that the soil does not mind, but it is a matter of opinion; every living thing has a right to its Sacred Point of View.”

The Clan Chief of Air (P.11)

Oh, Clan Chief ruling the currents,
Of breeze, and wind, and air,
Fly me through the up-drafts,
To soar, where my spirit dares.
Show me the Ancient Spirits
That ride upon the breeze,
Let me learn their wisdom,
To set my heart at ease.
You, who cast the clouds about,
Who bring the tropical storms,
Gusting winds to send me home,
Where I’ll be safe and warm,
How is it that you are invisible?
And how do you speak to me?
Is it through feeling your caress,
Or is it the whispers…
You blow through the trees?

Have you ever considered the sacredness of your breath?  Without it, we die.  It is the only thing that humans cannot live without for more that a few minutes.  Is it time to count the breath of life as a blessing?

The Clan Chief of Earth (P.12)

Sacred Guardian of the Earth,
Of sandy loam and clay,
Keeper of seeds and trees,
And of flowers’ display,
You, who guard the Sacred Stones,
And the legends that they keep,
Watching over the Creatures and
The Mountains while they sleep,
Sing to me your secrets,
Of canyons, hills, and plains,
That I may know the mysteries,
Of why the land remains…
A constant source of beauty,
That feeds every Child of Earth,
Nurturing all weary travellers,
Teaching them of their worth.
Healing our bodies, made of dust,
With the Medicine plants that grow,
Reminding each human to honour,
The earthly vehicles of the soul.

Is it time for you to honour the energy you receive from the Earth Mother?  That life force feeds your body.  Are you aware of the physical renewal your body feels when you walk in nature?

The Clan Chief of Water (P.13)

The shimmering waters reflect
The face of you, who knows,
The feelings of every being who
Has come to Earth to grow.
The water Spirits sing the song
Of rivers, seas, and rain,
Of cleansing tears and watery births
That bring new life again.
Clan Chief of Sacred Waters,
You take each flowing form,
You’re reflected in the dewdrop,
You dance in the thunderstorm.
You quench the thirst of deserts,
You travel from clouds to sea,
Only to return to the heavens,
As nature’s sacred trustee,
You teach us many lessons,
Of how to go with the flow,
Never fighting the currents
That direct the ways we grow.

Have you given thanks for the tears you shed, the water you drink or shower in?  The cleansing properties of water allow us to embrace our next level of growth – organically, emotionally, and externally.

The Clan Chief of Fire (P.14)

You are the molten lava that
Gives the Earth new forms,
You are the lightning bolts,
Crashing through thunderstorms.
You are the human passion
That sets each heart on fire,
Teaching us to create from
Our visions and our desires.
Compassionate fire of Creation
You keep the Eternal Flame,
That Great Mystery planted
And forever will remain
A constant source of solutions,
For the tests of earthly life,
Teaching each weary pilgrim
That love overcomes the strife.
Your fire lights the Sacred Path,
Allowing our spirits to see,
The constant fire of Creation,
And our infinite longing… To be.

Have you been thankful for the sun’s warmth, the fire in your heart, or the electric bursts of inspiration that come to you?  These are some of the blessings of passionate, fiery creation.

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I am also available 24 Hrs For:

Life and Energy Counselling.
Dream and Vision Interpretations.
Shaman Stone and Medicine Card Readings.
Shamanic Studies.
Mythology Studies.
Spirit Journeys.
Vision Quests.
Stone-people (Sweat) Lodges.
Meditation.
Chakras and Auras.
Healing the Healer.
Understanding Vibration, Manifestation and Quantum Physics.
All manner of spiritual cleansing, making sacred space, and sacred ceremonies.

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