|
|
Shaman
At its heart, Shamanism is an ancient spiritual tradition involving the practice of energy medicine. Native American shamans spanning North, Central, and South America have practiced energy medicine for over five thousand years, perhaps even longer. The way of the shaman is a powerful pathway where the shaman is in direct engagement with the forces of Spirit within the domain of Spirit, the luminous world of infinity. In healing through shamanism, the shaman experiences a oneness with the Creator and Creation. In the luminous world of infinity there is no past or present, only the present moment.
There are many schools of Shamanism. From my own study, my discussion will be of the Inca tradition of Andean Shamanism. I chose to discuss this tradition mainly from my own visit to the ancient and holy sites of Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu in and around the city of Cusco, Peru. Andean shamanism is comprised of seven levels.
The first level is the ayni karpay, where the student comes into proper relationship with nature and is not yet considered a shaman. The second level is the pampamesayok. At this level, the apprentice becomes a mesa carrier. He has assembled his collection of medicine objects and his duty is stewardship of the earth. The third level is the altomesayok whose responsibility is to the apus, the sacred mountains, and the medicine teachings. There are three degrees within this level. The fourth level is the kurak akuyek. The word kurak means "elder", and akuyek means "to chew" or "to masticate." At this level the shaman "chews" the knowledge so the others can "digest" it. It can take a lifetime to reach this level, where your duty is to the stars. Few shamans attain it. The fifth level is the Inka Mailku, or ancient of days; the Sapha Inka, or resplendent one; and Taitanchis Ranti, or one who shines with the God-light within.
In Andean Shaminism, the Human Energy Field is called the Luminous Energy Field (LEF) and describes four layers extending outward from the body. The LEF holds the blueprint of our body just as an architectural drawing holds the design of a house. The LEF is continually informed by both positive and negative incidents which occur in our lives. Imprints are formed in the LEF when negative emotions that accompany trauma are not healed. These negative imprints can show up in the LEF months or years before they present as disease in the physical body. Generational and multi-generational imprints can also be passed on from parents or grandparents many generations removed.
Shamans use a variety of interventions to heal people. Soul retrieval involves finding missing pieces of the person's soul and journeying to bring back any pieces that want to come back to the body. The shaman then blows one piece at a time back into the body focusing so that the soul essence fills that person's body.
Shamanic extraction involves the removal of misplaced energy that does not belong in the body and maybe causing illness. Misplaced energy can come from emotional debris, energy from a physical injury, an organ transplant. No judgment is made where or why it is there, only that it does not belong in a particular body. Once located by the shaman he will then merge fully with his guardian spirits or power animals. This increases the shaman's power and allows him to remove the energy. It also protects him from taking on any of the extracted energy.
In performing healings a shaman can only assist a person if he has permission from the shaman. It is one of the most primary things a shaman is taught, that he cannot impose his will over that of another.
|
|
