Medicine Societies as an alternative to the village shaman
posted by CHEN CHO DORGE | May 24, 2010
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IcerocketIn the emergent culture we wish to evolve to what do we wish to see? Do we wish to see the same political and social structures continue over and over? Do we wish to see the ego rain supreme with dynamic power structures that are not in any way empowering of the people but of perhaps one or a few individuals?
Currently the trend in "neo-Shamanism" based on notions that the shaman role is for those rare unique individuals that are some how special compared to the rest of us. In my experience this is a convenient way to get people dependent upon you so that you can keep being supported in doing what they could be doing for themselves. In some traditional societies this same dynamic is easy to identify, not all cultures live within a relative level of synergy with each other or the world around them as we well know of our own societies. Yet in other cultures the single village shaman was a necessity and it was important to maintain that dynamic due to the complexity of the various demands placed upon that specific community of people.
Around the world however there are many examples of more egalitarian relational dynamics involved with shamanic practice to the point where shamanic practice itself was not role based. The role of the village shaman was spread out through the entire community, and all where encouraged to learn as much as they could. Gaining knowledge that would be in some cultures the soul work of the village shaman or shaman's was encouraged by the entire community within each and every member. In this effect every man and woman was their own shaman, the word shaman etymologically actually means one who knows. These men and women became ones that knew not about basket weaving and such but ones who knew about the world they lived within, their cosmology, the mysteries of life, they learned to be animists not shamans, because the community had no role for shaman, it was completely diffused through out the people. Those that had the talent or the desire to learn more did so and they had the responsibility to teach and nurture those that sought to learn more and thus be able to do more, to offer more of themselves. The Midewiwin society, as well as many others act as examples of this relational dynamic within animist societies. We See this dynamic also among the Kung! people in Africa and among specific tribes in South America who traditional worked with ayahuasca. All around the world we see that there are alternatives to the village shaman that at the same time is inclusive of what it means to be a village shaman, or one who knows.
In a time when we need a near guerrilla effort to solving the worlds problems does it make any sense to participate in a relational dynamic that does not empower the largest number of people possible to evolve, to live to their maximum potential, does it do us any good to hold onto the role of shaman for our own self importance? I really do not believe so, and neither did many traditional peoples.
Ralph Metzner in his book on Ayahuasca had a brilliant concept he sent our way, perhaps it was just an observation, but he discussed the appropriateness of the entheogenic circle work groups. Dale Pendell also speaks well of this model, and those not aware of this work I suggest reading either authors works. I however wish to take it a step farther. The establishment of animist/shamanic medicine societies, spiritual schools where the entheogens and nature itself are the head masters, supported by people who wished not to sit above another but beside them. I believe that it is possible for these societies to be created, I believe that these societies can be created via evolver and through spore events. I believe that it is possible for us to learn from another model then the village shaman, we need more then just one special person who knows...
Step one I believe it is important to learn our cosmology. I believe that Brain Swimme and his universe story does one of the best most inclusive stories of who we are and what we are... this then gives us a frame of reference for what we can do, and how to live our lives. A very nice video series exists that he made, and a very nice example of his videos I posted previously.
http://www.global-mindshift.org/memes/swimmeseries/step1-1.asp
But however your particular group decides to form and function is society I think its time we begin doing so. If we go to any entheogen forum or forum on "shamanism" ( one who knows ism?) we find so much ego, so much fighting, so much conflict. There is simply no need for that, but we have bought into that dynamic, because it is what is being sold to us. A society that is formed with the soul intention to learn directly from the earth, and from spirit and that lends mutual support to its membership, builds its own tradition of mutual support and guidance. No longer creating a dependence on teachers and traditions from other cultures. We can do this n our own with support from the earth and from spirit if we support each other in that process. the ways that we discover with each other and the process of learning will create bonds and healthy levels of communication instead of alienating debates over the internet between people with vast differences in traditional perspectives borrowed from other cultures.
We have a choice as to how we wish to co-create the future. What do you wish to co-create?
Comments
Flatland
— May 25, 2010
It is extremely difficult to discuss the differences between a shaman who walks a specific talent-path which is illuminated throughout their lives and who is called to serve the tribe as a whole with his/her talent AND shamanry or a group of techniques, skills or uses of medicine to attain a healing and or walk in a more traditional manner connected with the earth and the allies of spirits, plants etc. What I am seeing here Wilber called flatland. Trying to extend one amazingly unique set of techniques, shamanism, into all quadrents and all depths of life.... such that monovision dominates. This is an inheretance from our modern societal structure (the foreigh installation) of the power hierarchies like the church where the few dominate the many and the takers run rough sod over the givers. It is easy with this vibration to reject the necessity of the shaman when we confuse his role with that of the priest, psychotherapist or doctor.
Okay... with that said... let me expand a bit on what FW noted at the end of her statement. Medicine.... our own personal medicine. Tribal societies were not tribal structures of shamanism. They were a diverse set of individuals living in organic relationship to one another and to the earth. They gave their talents (medicine if you will) for the good of the tribe to survive and live, prosper and pass along knowledge and awareness down generations. To live in a tribal society meant moving through initiations and points in life when you become more of the talent, "medicine", that was given to you from birth by the spirits (great spirit). These initiations have been lost or bleached down to nothing in our modern culture, thus the drive backwards to rediscover this necessary process - a human process. The essential role of the shaman was to guide people/initiate through the territory beyond the tribed first attention awareness, connect them to themselves and to heal them if needed... also to place punctuation on those periodic moments in life when we cross the certain lines... like from childhood to adulthood, or into marriage, or into deeper awareness of the dream, or death. These puctuations are "little deaths" along a long road of life. The shaman practices and travels these as his talent and knows the territory and holds the map (and they know it is filled with vast areas of the unknown).... point in fact, he does this not for himself or for power (that would be the foreign installation) but for the good of the whole tribe, people etc that he serves and they respect him and care for him (her, always note that this is included in my statemens) to hold that for the tribe.
My elder shared with me that everyone has medicine.... wakan in his language. Not everyone is a medicine man (woman). Everyone's path is to come to know their own medicine first, then through practice and training share this with others for the good of the whole. He was careful to note that the quest (fasting on the mountain as he called it) was the critical first step in any person's life to come to discover their own personal medicine. The faster did not go on the hill alone... they went with the full participation and support of the tribe. They went to die to their old selves and connect to their path. As a 13 year old my elder had his first major vision. He had been questing for 4 years carefully guided by his elder and uncle. It was obvious from an early point that he was going to become a holy man/healer. But it took years to come fully into this role in the tribe. He was not, and let me make this clear, his own shaman/medicine man.
Second to this... the medicine man/shaman/elder is crucial for real change.... As my elder noted, his role is not to tell the individual that his vision is wrong... not to tell the individual what the vision or his medicine is... rather to guide them away from the pitfalls of the mind which can be very ego-centric and "confused" by the intensity of the experience. Let's take for instance the vision of Crazy Horse. If he had not had Sitting Bull as his guide he may have just run into the middle of flying bullets (his vision was that he would never be hit by bullets and killed... he would lead his warriors and work to protect them from the bullets...and he always wore a power stone behind his ear as protection)... He could have just run right into the middle of a battle to try and proove this vision (EGO!), but Sitting Bull reminded him that to become a leader of men, he had to start small, take a few men and practice his bullet avoiding tactics and wear the stone behind his ear. The elder made sure he did not risk all with ego, practiced his medicine and bring it forth for the good of the whole tribe with time. Crazy Horse's vision came true he became a holy man/warrior. He was never struck by a bullet. He became a master stalker and warrior for the tribe... he was reminded every battle with his stone behind the ear that he was not working for himself but for others. The elder thus guides us so we become our whole selves, not just our selfish selves. He does not say that the vision is wrong, but to walk it with patience into the world. You see he is critical... he has walked his own vision into the world... he has become wakan living fully... He became Crazy Horse... he was born with the wakan... but he nurtured it with help of his elder into Crazy Horse.
Thus the shaman/medicine man helps each person become their own medicine. Not everyone can be the shaman... but everyone can use shamanic techniques to become who they really are. My elder was clear about this teaching. For the fire tenders they know fire and can bring it forth and protect the fire for the tribe. It is sacred medicine... and the are medicine people of fire. For the herbal healers, they know the plants and that knowledge serves the tribe... they are medicine men of herbs... for the Holy Men (shaman) as he would call it, they walked in the spirit world and the light world at the same time.... and they are the medicine men of shamanism (or the holy ones, holy=wakan)....
He took me asside one day and shared with me that there are many warriors, many hunters, many gatherers, many teachers.... but there are few medicine men and fewer holy men. These highly trained people were not there because of some limitation, like only the few had the power and control... no way... they were there because they had mastered their talent, a talent given by the creator to serve the tribe. These people gave many things up to be who they are. Holy Men could not kill in his tribe, so they were dependent on the hunters for food. Holy men could not do the same things as warriors so the relied on the warriors to protect them. Holy men lived often on the edge of the tribe, so they could wander off and be in touch with the spirits... My elder was the holy man of the sacred mountain. Often he sat for days on that place with no one around. When someone came, he served them.... he put them up on a fast, he shared lodge, pipe etc. But he went further to explain that even amoung the holy men there are different taltents, medicines, which they all do not hold in common. If someone came to him and they needed lightening power and healing, he would get them in touch with the heyokah to help that person. He did not do heyokah things just because he was a holy man. No that would offend the spirits. He could only help those who needed his talent... and guide others to where they could find that thing. That was part of his commitment at a holy man... to help people find the right person to help them.
He was very clear... do not try to be a fire tender and a water pourer at the same time... and a pipe carrier, and a healer and a warrior... Just follow your vision (to your own medicine)... There in lies the problem. In our modern day we want to flatland all of shamanism and shaman into one defined package and then expect that if they are a shaman they should know it all. Or that we can buy it all through some certificate resulting from the completion of some deed... Even if you complete everything, this still does not make one a shaman. Nope that would be bad. The whole tribe is not shaman... the shaman was the shaman and the tribe had healers, fire tenders, ceremonialists, cheifs and leaders, warriors and many more things. We have lost this with our obession with the university (the universality of all knowledge) ... As though everyone can have and do everything the same.... come on that is so not true. The territory of shamanism is broad and deep. IT requires knowing elders, studying with them, working with guides and helpers... being humble and accepting that the layers, levels, initiations are a necessary process to that depth and breadth. Accepting that there are things that you cannot do as much as there are things you can.
My elder has pass on to the spirit world. I was fortunate to work with him for over 10 years. Before that I worked with 5 other elders... they guided me on medicine, quests, healings, pathways and walks... but always they guided me to come to know my own medicine and what I have to share with the world. They warned me about my ego... they warned me about flying before I had practiced being on the ground. And they helped me to become.... I am infintely grateful to them. I repay them by doing my best for others when I can. No not everyone is a shaman... everyone can access shamanic techniques.... but the whole structure of the tribe is necessary for our survival, not just the return to one thing or set of techniques. Shamanism will not save the world and all the humans in it. This is not a salvationist path, not a dominator taker mentality... it is a giver mentality and a sharing path. Do not try to become a shaman, try to become yourself. Others will call you what you are by the very act of your being it. My elder never called himself a holy man (wacasa wakan)... he was just this every day of his life. He called himself a healer of people, and always hoped he could do more when people asked him for help. But when he could not, he guided people to others that could, or sent them on their way. He was an amazing shaman....
So beware of flatland... there is more 'tween heaven and earth than are included in your philosophy....
Peace and Creation
http://www.ravencircle.mosaicglobe.com/
PS I could be completely wrong....
'PS I could be completely
— May 25, 2010
'PS I could be completely wrong...."
me too I love that!
Lots of great points there.
I tend to think that its such a huge subject that it makes it difficult when we speak from it being in a more macro sense to the micro sense in communicating from a specific cultures way of relating to shamanry. The way that some socieities relate to the role is that there is no role of shaman, and that every one has the oppertunity to learn that role... others socieites have totally different ways of relating to it.
My intention was to dirrect our attention to cultures that worked with the role of shaman in a totally different stand point.
AHO!
— May 27, 2010
AHO!
I had really similar thought on the subject...
And now I'm also involved in building a medicine community.
So, I also see the more global picture. Circle work is a very powerful technology, but it doesn't suit just anyone...some people need more sturctured work like S.D. Anyway I agree this is the future, at least my future ;)
thanks for writing this blog
OM
b
AHO! Thank you
— May 27, 2010
AHO!
Thank you belbelleza~!
I agree circle work is not for every one I think that there are many ways... I have seen lodges built and societies started. The people who know more elevate the rest of the community but there is no need for the role of a centralized shaman, it is evenly distributed through out every one else. This emulates many animist peoples around the world who also do not have a centralized role of shaman.
I posted this to just inspire people to look out side of what is currently being sold to them. Animist people had others ways of working that we can model new ways from that may be more benifical to us and our communities then the one example of a centralized village shaman, or village shaman on the outskirts of town... As well as an alternative to a church model. Medicine socieities I beleive are a great way to approach the work that needs to get done!
Looking forward to checking out your site Bel!
Would any one be interested
— May 27, 2010
Would any one be interested if I put together a little guide on how to start a medicine society? Just to give ideas not some recipe. I think it would be interesting for people who wanted to include this in spore events....
Any one interested?
Sounds like a good project
— May 27, 2010
Sounds like a good project for the weekend or in a few minutes!
Here are just some thoughts
— May 27, 2010
Here are just some thoughts on starting a medicine society:
Set your intention. What is the work that you wish to accomplish over a long period of time with a group of people? You can do this on your own as to manifest the group of people you wish to work with, or if you have a group of people you are goign to work with do it collectively. Either way decide upon a way to open your self to intuiting the collective intention the group will all resonate with. Include the land, the dirrections, all of the "other than human persons" around you in your life place in this group, include them in your group intention, include your human community as well. How will they impact your group, how will your group impact them? Will the medicine society stay large or will it increase in size adding new members?
What responsabilities will members of the society take on, what structure will it take?
Allow a sense of syngery to guide the process, all members and all parties invloved spiritually in this process are working WITH each other for mutal benifit. There are no power structures or hierarchies in the medicine socieity. All are working cooperatively, taking on equal responsability to manifest the group intention. Allow your selves to work with the spirit of your life place in making all of the decisions possible, if your foundation, the very ground you sit upon, the grounding force itself is worked with synergisticly then the work itself will be grounded allowing for actualization to occur. It will not just be an idea if you include the land, the land will make it possible through you. Find your own way to make this possible... all of this... find your socieities intention, and find your socieities synergistic flow, by holding the intention and allowing the whole that you are work AS you to make it possible.
Work from a multiphasic space... you are intigrating medicines into your society, these medicines are people, powerful people, how will you respect them, and the powerful altered states they provide? Allow your self to co-create with your socieity members and the medicine itself the ways in which you will show that respect, how you will commune with each other with the medicine, with spirit... which states may be focused on that will work best for your socieities collective intention. Which medicines will you work with, all, some, one?
~Create a space together, pool your resources, every one provides some thing to create the space and maintian it. This place, your lodge, house, circle of stones... how ever it will manifest is a person, a powerful person born of your collective intention and the collective intention of the spirit of place, how you care for it will reflect how it will care for you.
~Make time to give what you recieve in your socieity to the larger community, share your blessings.
~Co-create saftey, security, and openess in this space, this is a school, where you are all the teachers, this is a place of healing where you all are the healer, this is a place of respect and spiritual practice where you are all the masters and the initiates, you are all the spiritual leader in this place... it is cooperative, it represents your unity, your oneness will all that is, starting right there in the heart of your universe, your life place.
~For some the inside of the socieity will reflect their inner process. the inside of the lodge will be their inside, it will reflect the cosmology the universal world view and process the members resonate too. intigrate this cosmology into your work in the socieity. As I suggested above I beleive that the universe story by brain swimme, is a great place to start... some may choose to allow the cosmological story to slowly emerge as part of the socieities intention... some may choose to work with a cosmology that is anceint... hindu, buddhist, or straight form the imagination of gaia herself... But the cosmology will be your glue, it will allow for social and spiritual progress and cohesion in the work to come. It will be the boat for your intention to sail in.
These are loose ideas... just intuitions... just an opening...
not your decision to make,
— May 27, 2010
not your decision to make, what other people do world wide. what are you, a bilderberger? lol
"Life's a garden, dig it"
Just worry about your tribe
— May 27, 2010
Just worry about your tribe and let those cats do the whole global thing...unless you want to actually do something about those criminals, then I'm with you. hands down.
"Life's a garden, dig it"
I am sorry but I have no
— May 27, 2010
I am sorry but I have no clue what you are talking about...
Just sharing inspiration and ideas... people can do what they will with that.
