Day 66 The Four Enemies of the Shaman Part 4: Old age

Each of us truly believes that we are somehow never going to die. We are somehow immortal. No one thinks about their death, no one thinks that maybe today is the last day on earth. But it could just be true that right now some Iranian who’s job it is to watch over the launch pad button for their nuclear missiles just bumped the fire button with his foot as he was getting up to go to the john and right now those nuclear missiles are headed straight for your country and will be here in less than ten minutes. We don’t know that this isn’t true, do we? So what are you doing believing that you will still be here tomorrow? Are you fooling yourself? Do I hear you saying, “ I am never going to die!!! I have all the time in the world! I can put this off till tomorrow. I can build my boat tomorrow. I have lots of time! Lets watch that TV show now! And the next one and the next one!” No I tell you that your time here is short . You do not have a lot of time to build this boat. In fact if you don’t have it built by the end of this course then you are not going with me to the other side. I say this to keep you from procrastinating.

Now there is another side of this enemy that says, “Oh you are too old to even begin to build a boat now! Why not just give up and go watch TV”. And there is a side to this enemy that says, “You are too tired to build your boat today, and today, and today, and today.” And there is a side to this enemy that makes sure you are just too busy to build your boat, too much going on, too many places to go, run the kids to activities, work overtime, make dinner go to scouts, etc, etc.  Am I saying that you might have to rearrange parts of your life to be able to build this boat? I sure am saying that! Just how hungry are you to reach that other shore?

You see this enemy is definitely here to keep you from walking  any closer to your spiritual freedom. This enemy is the worst one of all I think,. Every one here has felt the claws of this enemy already in these courses. It is so easy to succumb to this more powerful enemy, old age, tiredness and death.

But if you accept the gifts you receive in taking responsibility for balance in your life (Course 101, lesson two) and you act on the discipline of humor, your spiritual self can dance with joy at the fact that, in this moment, you CAN build your boat! You can work on you! You can give this moment to adding another plank or weaving another rope for your own journey to the land across the huge lake where Creator will reward you for your efforts.

Every shaman has to make this journey. It is not easy. It is called an initiation in some cultures, a test in some cultures, a blessing and gift in other cultures. But you must build this boat and sail it across this wide lake if you want to get to the place where Creator bestows shamanic gifts on those who are willing to dedicate themselves to this great work.

Old age/death is fought by having the discipline of humor and the responsibility for balance in your life.

There you are!

Aho

Shaman Elder Maggie

www.shamanelder.com

Day 22 – You are Perfect Just the Way You Are.

I have had the honor to sit at the feet of many of the worlds greatest teachers and one time I asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche, “ What is our main problem?” The lama answered, “It is that we think, "I am the worst person in the world. I am full of hatred, desire, and ignorance." These concepts are totally negative, and you have been carrying around this self pitying view all your life. Cry, cry, Fear, Fear, emotion, emotion. Obsessed with your own shortcomings, you put tremendous pressure on yourself. You punish yourself by regarding yourself as ugly and worthless. Other people may think you are beautiful, but still  you project yourself as ugly.”

“Right now just stop whatever you are doing and visualize a beautiful blue light, which is like clear blue sky all around you. See yourself just being in this clear blue sky color with nothing else but the color blue around you. As you just experience this beautiful blue light notice how your dualistic thoughts start to break down. You no longer believe in those self deprecating dualities. They no longer exist, really. This radiant blue light helps us to touch reality, which is the most important thing in the world. This is no longer an fantasy world of projections and self deprecating thoughts and judgments. This place you are experiencing in this sky blue light is inner and outer reality. There is no self judgment in this place. Can you feel it? See yourself as a being of sky blue. You are perfect just as you are. You only need to realize it. “

Lama Zopa knows this truth and we need to know it too so that we can experience our own natural perfection.

Aho
Shaman Elder Maggie

Why not take the correspondence course called Shaman Apprenticeship 101 about the teachings traditional shamanism. Its only $135 and you get 18 weeks of lessons and unlimited mentorship by Shaman Elder Maggie, One on One! You can start today at www.shamanelder.com

Day 20: Your Beliefs Are Not My Beliefs

I believe what I believe. I believe many things. These beliefs started when I was born. First, my parents gave me beliefs. Don't sleep in your clothes, stay clean, don't crawl out your bedroom window or we will kick your butt. And as I got a bit older they started using fear beliefs so they could control me. If I don't clean my room I will be punished. If I don't do my homework I will not be able to watch TV. So on. And then school gave me beliefs. You must go to school. You must go through 12 grades. And fear beliefs became more prevalent for me. I must get good grades or I will be held back. I must be quiet or I will be sent to the principal's office. I must not pass notes or I will get detention. By the time I finished school almost all my beliefs were given to me by parents, school and religion. Give your money to the church or go to hell. You are a sinful ingrate. But at the same time, we begin to wonder what we really believe. It’s a natural thing to challenge beliefs given to us by others. 

Then I got a job. And more beliefs were given to me, very much based on fear. I can't be late or I will lose my job. And culture and government and society gave me fear beliefs as well. Pay your taxes or you will go to jail. Get a car. Get insurance. Get more bills. Pay your bills or go to jail. Wow! Getting a bit overwhelming here! And now you have the picture of Joe America!A whole bunch of beliefs given by other people that are making Joe feel terrible and he isn't even taking the time to look at what he believes and to see if those beliefs are even working for him! 

Many sages throughout history have told us that what we believe creates our reality. If we believe that elevators are dangerous, we cannot ride in an elevator. If we believe that we are less than wonderful, then we are less than wonderful. If we believe that old religious belief that we are going to hell, then we are going to hell. We create our reality with what we believe. And if you look at how people live you can actually sometimes see what they believe. Take the homeless person on the street. Look at their reality. They may honestly believe they cannot have a home. And so they don't. You can stop here and think of other examples.

Now each person has their own set of beliefs. And they base their judgments on their beliefs. But that has nothing to do with your belief system. 

It is a little microcosm, a person’s beliefs create his or her reality, create his or her judgments, create his or her choices based on beliefs. 

Well, that homeless person may be convinced that he cannot have a home but I am not convinced of that. So his belief system does not work for me. And that's OK. That's called the right to choose, free will choice. Even if it is messed up, it is still his free will choice. But what if he told me that I cannot have a home because he believes he can't have a home so no one should have a home. How valid is that judgment for me? Not very valid at all. I don't believe what he believes. And how valid is any judgment he makes about me? Not very valid at all, as he is judging from his own belief system, not mine. And how valid is my judgment of him? Not very valid at all, because I would be judging him based on my beliefs which may or may not be his. So what is the point of judging someone else? There is none. And what is the point of being affected by someone else's judgment of you? None. It is not based on what you believe so it has little to no bearing on you. So relax! 

Understand that people walk around within their own microcosm; their own belief system, their own reality. We are like a million unique snowflakes. The good thing is that you can change your reality by changing what you believe.

I can help you eliminate negative beliefs and end the struggle in your life if you want.  I have been doing this work for over 40 years. Just email me at shaman@shamanelder.com

Shaman Elder Maggie

www.shamanelder.com to visit my site and read more wonderful articles and take the course I teach online.

Day 14 My Shaman Grandmother

I come from a long lineage in this lifetime as my grandmother immigrated to America from her Ukrainian clan to evade persecution as a young girl. Imagine her mother and father trying to scrape up the money needed to buy her a ticket on an ocean liner ( in the lowest part of the boat) so they could send her away to a place they had never been and never see her again. That is how much they loved their daughter. That is how badly my people were being persecuted. Imagine this young girl spending 4 weeks huddled with sick strangers going somewhere she knew nothing about. She clung to her knowledge and heritage of traditional Shamanism. It became hugely important to her life and to her well being. Even there on the ship she used her skills to bring healing to the other passengers who spoke many foreign languages and came from many other countries.

I watched my Grandmother practice traditional shamanism all my life. I heard the knock on the door from those who needed her help and the freshly prepared meal that would come with it. My grandmother always gave her healing away. She never charged anyone and would only graciously accept whatever offerings grateful patients would donate. She was not rich but she was never left in need.

She always was laughing. Everything was such a joy to her and her grandchildren were her precious jewels. She would spend hours twirling my long hair into beautiful curls. As she twined her hands through my locks she would tell me the stories, the metaphors that were the key to understanding the ways of the Shaman. She taught me traditional Shamanism as I practice it and teach it today.

Later she would let me observe her work with her clients and help her in preparation. I watched her keen sense of observation as she would look at a person not just with physical eyes but with her "other" eyes that could see beyond the words being spoken into the heart of the truth. I remember listening to the plights of her patients and watching my grandmother take a totally different kind of healing path that seemed unrelated to what the patient said. My grandmother explained to me that what we think we want on the outside may be a long way from what our spirit needs.

Later as I studied with my friends who are Native Americans I learned that the totem animals of the medicine wheel also show a hidden spiritual quest behind the conscious wish. In my studies I found many things that my grandmother taught me were actually identical to the Shamanic practices of other cultures throughout time. The Celtic Shaman, The Native American Medicine, the Gypsy Shaman, the Inuit Shaman, the Japanese Shaman, the Incan Shaman all have the same core truths! I find that amazing considering the separation of time and distance.

My grandmother put my feet firmly on the path of Traditional Shamanism and I have spent the last 50 plus years studying and teaching this path. I have travelled around the world and sat at the feet of some of the most important Shamanic healers of our day. I have learned that nothing is ours without knowledge, intent and emotional control. This is what I teach. This is what my Shaman Grandmother taught me. She was a wise and incredibly loving woman. And I think the most precious thing she taught me was where love fits into Shamanism. Love is the key to Shamanic healing in any culture.

You are welcome to take the online course that I offer.

 Just go to www.shamanelder.com  to read about it and to start today.

Aho

Shaman Elder Maggie