Become A Lake

Be A Lake  (Source Unknown)

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.
"How does it taste?" the Masterasked.
"Awful," spat the apprentice

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake.

The two walked in silence to the nearby lake
and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake,
the old man said, "Now drink from the lake

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked,
"How does it taste?"
"Good!" remarked the apprentice.
"Do you taste the salt?"  asked the Master.
"No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said,

"The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less.
The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same.

But the amount we taste the 'pain'
depends on the container we put it into.

So when you are in pain, the
only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things .....

Stop being a glass.

                                          Become a lake!

Day 72 Freedom

Let me tell you about fear.

We are taught fear from birth. Our parents use fear to control us. If you have raised children yourself you know that you may have used fear to scare the kids into doing what you wanted them to do. Then fear is the controller in school. You will be punished if you do not do things the way they want, stay after school, detention, principal's office, failing grades, its all about fear.

So by adulthood, we are totally controlled by fear and it is the biggest part of our lives. Then we go to work. We learn to fear coming in late, displeasing the boss, not doing a super job every day, taking too long a lunch break, all kinds of things. So fear dominates our work life. Then we get married. And we use fear to control each other. “I won't love you if you ....( displease) me in any way.” “Get that supper on the table in time or I will be angry.” “Mow that lawn or I will shame you to the neighbors.” More, more, more. Fear of anger becomes the control in a relationship many times.

Wow! We are fear based people aren't we! How sad! At what point do we get to breathe??? No wonder we are unhappy. What a crumby way to live!

And who has time now to unravel 30 or 40 years of fear based thinking? It seems easier to take Prozac than to go to a counselor and work on the psychological factors for months or years. It seems easier to medicate than to break the chain. And it takes breaking the chain to find freedom, happiness and power.

What would you like to do? How precious is your freedom to you? How badly do you want to be happy? How much is your personal power worth to you?

Taking my course in Traditional Shamanism requires one to accept his or her own power. It teaches you where it is and shows the way. The course teaches you how to be a hunter, a warrior and work with the tools that have been given to you already but that you are afraid to use (because everybody told you not to). Why did they say that? Because, if you learn to use your God given tools they will no longer be able to control you with fear.

When we truly take back our power, no person can have power over us again.

When we truly take back our power, we become responsible for everything that happens to us. We can make wonderful things happen in our lives. We are no longer under the influence of other people’s poor plans for our lives.

Who knows you better than you? Why do you let others decide what is best for you? Only you know what is best for you. Step up and make your choices, take responsibility for your choices and watch those fear based controllers run for the hills. Those who were controlling you will leave. Why should they stay if they can't touch you anymore! Believe me it a very freeing feeling and all it take is a choice, a different way of living.

Traditional Shamanism teaches you to reclaim your power; that you are strong and yes, you do create your own reality. Traditional Shamanism also expects you to accept responsibility for yourself and for your actions and consequences. But that is not as bad as sitting back saying, "Well, they made me do this." What is that??! It is wonderful to be in charge of your own life! It is great to know that whatever you want in life is yours with the proper knowledge, the sincere intent and the correct emotional control. Traditional Shamanism gives you the skills. It is a great thing!

Should you fear studying Traditional Shamanism? Fear is a choice you can make. The other choice is freedom. Let someone control you, fear; or take control of yourself, freedom. My course in Traditional Shamanism will teach you how to take control of yourself and experience the freedom to have anything you really want out of life.

To become a student of Traditional Shamanism with Shaman Elder Maggie just go to http://www.shamanelder.com and begin today!

To get a copy of Shaman Elder Maggie’s new book The Shaman Speaks go here http://www.shamanspeaks.com

To contact Shaman Elder Maggie, Email: shaman@shamanelder.com)

[All work by Shaman Elder Maggie is copyright protected. If you would like to use this article, please contact  shaman@shamanelder.com for permission.]

Day 65 The Four Enemies of the Shaman Part 3 Power

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

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Day 39 How Can I Manifest More Quickly?

Can I tell you the difference between slowly and quickly?

There are actually two things that determine the rate of manifestation. One is whether you have any unconscious blocks holding back what you want to manifest. They are usually non benefitting beliefs that you have ahd for a long time and aren't even aware that they are there anymore. so if you can find them and replace them with benefitting beliefs, things will be able to manifest more quickly.

Second is impeccability. The more impeccable you are with yourself, the faster things manifest. Impeccability means doing your very best each day, each hour, each minute. It does not mean being perfect. No human being is perfect. But getting straight with your life, doing what you need to do as best you can all the time, not being lazy, not procrastinating, being honest with yourself and others.

So keep walking and working with beliefs. Some of my students are now finding that they are manifesting their wishes almost instantly and to their dismay if their wish is for something bad, it manifests just as quickly as a wish for something good. Energy is energy and cares not what you decide to manifest. So the old slogan, be careful what you wish for, you just may get it, is so very true.

Watch your thoughts. Think deliberately. What you think is what will manifest quicker and quicker as you go along in the course I teach at www.shamanelder.com

Aho!

Shaman Elder Maggie

Day 17: The Hunter in the Forest

Here is a truth for you to consider. When you finally see your mission on this earth and you decide to stand up and do it, to shine your light, there will always be those who hate the Light and who will try to put it out. Guaranteed.

I teach you Traditional Shamanism using the allegory of the hunter in the forest. He knows his skills, he uses his power, his awareness, his balance, his good aim, his heightened senses, his patience, his knowledge of game, all his skills to achieve his mission which is to feed his people. And he knows that there is danger in the forest. He knows that if he does not remain aware and balanced he could fall out of the tree and be killed by a bear or moose. The danger is there for all of us. But it is not so dangerous that a skilled and practiced hunter should withhold food from his people because he is afraid of the bear!

The bear is as natural to the forest as the hunter. They both belong in the forest and they both are a danger to each other. Everything has danger. It is dangerous to breathe, all the pollution in the air but more dangerous not to breathe, methinks! LOL!

You saw your mission and agreed to it before you ever set foot on this planet. You saw that you would have all the abilities and tools and opportunities to accomplish this mission. In fact you saw that if you just be impeccable as a human being you have already accomplished this mission, fete accompli! So being born into this mission is like being put into a tree stand in the forest. Be impeccable and you will not fail. Do not fear.

Please ask me anything. I offer free counseling to anyone by email to shaman@shamanelder.com

Or take the course I offer at www.shamanelder.com You can start today!

Day 15: Death

I have learned:

Impeccability means doing your best in every way and every day. Impeccability doesn’t mean being perfect, it means working to the best of your ability. An old Yaqui shaman who was my teacher in Mexico taught me that death walks on our left side all the time, close enough to reach out and touch us at any moment. He taught me this not to scare me, but to point out that we don't know how long we have here. We may not have years to find our mission and walk our path. We need to live each day as though it is our last. We need to hug our parents as though we may never hug them again. We need to leave our rooms as clean as we would want them if the mortician was the next one to come in to it. We want to smell the flowers like we may never smell them again. I want to leave my house clean each day in case I never come back here. I keep around me what I need. I don't keep a lot of stuff I don't need. I treat each person I encounter as though I am looking at their spirit and not their body. I salute and honor their higher self even if they are not. Everything I do this day is done with impeccability. I do my very best at mowing the lawn, taking the dog for a walk, grocery shopping, talking to people, studying my spiritual reading, even sleeping impeccably, in other words getting enough rest. I also play and laugh and express joy as though it is the last day I will get this chance to do so. My life is very much joy filled!

When you start living your life impeccably, the very best you can, and you realize that you have no time to waste, and you become aware and balanced so you can reach the higher state of the causal body, and you start dialoguing with your guides and teachers, then Wow! Life suddenly is not the thing you are living right now! Your path becomes known to you. Your purpose becomes clear, You start to walk your path and things just blossom along the way and gifts and real world opportunities are given to you and your efforts are rewarded one hundred fold and you know you have purpose and you receive thanks and money and joy and peace and that inner happiness. My goodness it is all worth it!

This is what I teach in my course, exactly. I teach this because no one else is. I teach this because it is the universal way of the Shaman. I teach these universal truths that all Shamans from all cultures and all times throughout history have known and have practiced in their own lives. This is not some secret recipe! It is just that humans concentrate on being a member of the status quo. And the status quo today is about getting a job, finding a mate and having babies. Not much of a mission is it! And it is indeed not a mission at all. Just the way the status quo live. It is a physical existence and that is all.

The traditional Shaman is all about living in the 100%. I can show you how.

Aho

Shaman Elder Maggie

www.shamanelder.com to find out more about the course I teach. You can  begin today!

Day 12: Gaining Confidence

Obviously your spiritual self, your soul, your spirit has more confidence in you than you do consciously! Isn't that something to think about! That there is a part of you, that eternal part of you that knows you can accomplish what you were sent here to do! And if that is true, is not that path worth finding and nurturing? Would you not like to walk the path that you chose for yourself, that you know you can walk, that is unique to you and that will heal and bless the world? I found a lot of encouragement in this awareness. To know that there is a part of me that knows I can do this! That wants me to do this, for the benefit of myself and the entire world.

Think about that. You are connected to this part of yourself. Give this greater part of yourself a welcome and let him or her walk with you. You do not have to do this alone. That greater part of you knows where to go and how to get there. He or She is represented by your totem animals, your guides and elders, teachers, Spirit. Welcome this Higher Self in all its many faces and let it guide you safely every step of the way.

Shaman Elder Maggie

Ask me anything by sending an email to shaman@shamanelder.com

Find more at www.shamanelder.com

Day 4: Sacred Space

Some people by Sacred Space mean opening a medicine wheel and leaving it open in their living space or work space. The medicine wheel is a prayer. So to leave a wheel open is like getting to the middle of prayer and then changing the subject! Not very good intention methinks.

Some people by Sacred Space mean building an altar and making a location that has energy through the items they place there.

But when I think of Sacred Space I think of you! You are a sacred space, a big one if you will recognize it. And you get to bring your sacred space everywhere you go. And you offer your sacred space to others when you are in their presence whether they feel it or not. You are the church, you are the holy ground, you are the embodiment of energy and when you come into contact with other people they are also in contact with this energy. So it is your job to bring the energy of Creator into you and shine it through you wherever you are. You, yourself create a Sacred space wherever you are. Do you doubt it? Then think about it some more. Really realize it.

Those that need to create a Sacred Space by building something or doing some kind of energy work are in my opinion not confident within themselves and their own power to realize that they themselves are the most sacred space.

Now sometimes I feel that I need to wear a certain kind of stone to balance out my Sacred Space when I am feeling sick or tired or just out of balance in some way, or when I am going into a certain situation outside the home, visiting a hospital for example, I take a green stone with me to enhance the heading qualities of my sacred space. Here is where awareness and balance again play such an important part in a Shaman's work. Intent too. What is your intention for your sacred space? And what are you doing to your sacred space when you are in a "poor little me" attitude?

Realizing that you are Sacred Space and that you share this sacred space with every other person on the planet, yes, this is a way to experience daily activity from a higher perspective! 

Shaman Elder Maggie

www.shamanelder.com