Stewart Blackburn 12-7002 Lahela St. Pahoa, HI 96778
the soul of the shaman
This course is designed for the spiritual adventurer who wants to understand the mechanics of conscious creation whether for healing or for personal exploration.
Shamanism, the world’s oldest spiritual philosophy, is concerned with healing relationships: relationships between people, between the mind and the body, between a group of people and their gods, between any two or more entities in general. And while all shamans work for healing with the aid of spirit in some fashion, they don’t all do it the same way. For instance, some shamans use their power to fight demons or evil spirits in the inner world. Other shamans prefer to present offerings to the spirits in supplication. Still others work in concert with spirit or spirits to heal with love and compassion. This latter one is the style of Heart Centered Shamanism.
In Heart Centered Shamanism there is no need to build up protection. There is no need for ways to prevent “negative energy” from getting in. These kinds of ideas are based on fear – the fear that something in the inner realms can hurt us. From a Heart Centered Shamanism perspective, it is only the fear itself that can hurt us. When we stay in a loving space where fear doesn’t reach us, then there is nothing that can harm us.
There are many forms of shamanism which effectively heal with the aid and support of spirit, without venturing into the fight/protect paradigm. This shamanism is one that draws both inspiration and techniques from the Huna of Serge Kahili King. There are many other influences involved here, as well, much the way a good musician draws on the styles of different masters. The primary focus is on coming back into harmony with our own natures and healing by loving all those parts of ourselves that we have neglected or pushed away from us.
The rationale is that all disease or illness is primarily a function of stress. Certainly there are other factors at play, but none of these other factors can take a hold unless we are vulnerable in some way. Stress and tension weaken us and thus allow parts of us to become vulnerable. In a general sense, stress and tension arise from conflicts within our being: conflicts of thoughts, conflicts of emotions and feelings, conflicts of desires. Bringing those conflicts into harmony is the first step towards any healing in shamanic terms. There may be other tools that are brought to bear for more healing, but nothing happens if the stress is not removed and replaced with love.
Central to this philosophy is the notion that you create your own reality, or the world is what you think it is. This idea has been around for as long as man has been contemplating life, but the ramifications of this are startling. Essentially, what we experience is a reflection of the energies, thoughts, feelings, desires, and attitudes that we hold within us. Thus, we are responsible for everything we find in our lives. There’s no one to blame; destiny and fate are of our choosing; and the future isn’t written until we write it. This doesn’t mean that we said we wanted all that we’re facing. What it does mean is that what we are allowing, nurturing, and imagining on the inside is showing up in our outer everyday world. If we like that, great; if we don’t like it, it’s up to us to do something about it.
With this in mind, Heart Centered Shamanism works primarily with modifying how we are creating our reality to be more effective, loving, and joyous. Sometimes this involves changing how we tell the stories of how we became who we now are. Sometimes this involves discovering beliefs that we hold that are in conflict with other beliefs that are more life affirming. Sometimes this healing work requires us to look for parts of ourselves that we couldn’t face at some point and sent away or hid from and inviting them, lovingly, to come home. And sometimes this work is simply about learning how to love ourselves deeply and give up old habits of beating ourselves up.
This is also about letting our hearts lead the way. The mind is magnificent and a marvel of creation. But it is the heart that takes us to the great experiences of life, like love, ecstasy, joy, compassion, even enlightenment. Without that guidance, all the great thoughts in the world mean nothing. Life is about experience and most of experience is feelings. When we give the heart free rein to explore what it is to be a human being, then we get to know both ourselves and All-That-Is. We need the mind to help us stay focused and to be aware of all that is around us. But it needs to be in service to the heart for us to genuinely thrive.
When we think with our mind only, we can think and choose very quickly. But when we learn to think with our heart as well as our mind, it takes a little longer. There is more to process and feel. But it is only in learning how to use our heart and our mind as one that we can act in our wholeness.
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This class is now filled and under way. I am happy to start a new one when I have 2 or more interested participants.