When one is overtaken by the enemy of clarity one can become a petty tyrant, telling people what is good for them, what to do , what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. The power here is that of the petty tyrant who thinks he or she has clarity and now knows what is best and demands that everyone else heed that knowledge. This power stuffs up our pride and makes us puffed up with self importance and shuts off our ears and stops up our eyes so that we do not go any farther to gain any more new perceptions, to seek out new arenas or to learn anything at all new. This power makes us sit on our thrones and feel like we can command the world. But it also prevents us from ever being able to change or grow again. Why? Its because those very people that we take command over now expect us to live up to this role as commander. We are stuck now holding the bag and we will have to work very, very hard to keep up the façade of the “one who knows all.” Life becomes very hard indeed for the one who succumbs to power.
Having the ability to laugh at our mistakes and learn to grow from them is the discipline of humor. Did you use it in lesson two as a material you have to build your boat? Do you also find the intent to honor as a useful material with which to build your boat? I find that the intent to honor myself and everyone around me provides buoyancy for my boat even when the seas are rough and people are angry and shouting and afraid of capsizing. I built my boat using the intent of honor as waterproofing. With the intent to honor ourselves and others we empower everyone.
We can overcome power with an intention to honor ourselves and others as well as the discipline of humor.
To learn more about traditional shamanism visit www.shamanelder.com
To purchase my new paperback called The Shaman Speaks visit www.shamanspeaks.com
Check out this new music CD! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/billyknight
