Shamanism: Use and Misuse of Power

[RiverSnake]

I recently began reading a book on Shamanism by Caitlin Mathews: Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Wisdom for Every Day. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1859061036/ref=oss_product

 

I'm about a quarter through the book and found a passage that i really enjoyed and wanted to share it with the forum. This is my first book to read on Shamanism and have found it to very well written and would highly recommend it.

 

 

Use and Misuse of Power

 

 

"Shamans believe and work with the power of the Spirit, which sustains, changes and flows through all things. This power of Spirit is the vital energy of the universe - it is life. Shamans bring life by reconnecting the broken links of power by removing blockages which impede its flow.

 

Like Spirit, the word 'power' has problematic associations in or language. It bears the connotation of 'authority', usually of the dictatorial or censorious kind. In this book, i am talking about the shamanic power of life, the vital energy of Spirit which runs through all that is. At no point am i talking about power as a mode of violence or tyranny.

 

In the Amazonian culture of the Desana Indians it is believed that the quantity of energy or power is fixed and that 'man must remove what he needs only under certain conditions and must convert this particel of "borrowed" energy in a form that can be re-incorporated in the circuit'.

 

By misappropriating power for manipulative ends, our society has lost its aspirational authenticity. By taking power for selfish ends, we can cut ourselves off from the reciprocal circuit of Spirit and power. It is no wonder that we are spiritually gasping for breath.

 

Power flows through all of us: it does not 'belong' to us, but is a vitality common to all. It comes into us, passes though our being and moves on again. It is always entering and leaving us, like our breath. To speak of 'possessing power' is as ridiculous as trying to own the air in our lungs, if you can: you will only succeed until your next exhalation!

 

Through this metaphor, we begin to understand how it is futile to hoard our share of power. When the pathways of the Spirit are blocked, power cannot flow. Those who have kept the pathways open are feared by those who have not, the latter often harboring jealousy of any creative skill.

 

The cosmic web which connects all life is like an electrical grid: each part of it hums with power. Wherever disconnections and blockages occur, the power cannot flow. No one being distributes this power, all beings are responsible for keeping it flowing.

 

We each share in it in the same way that everyone is swimming in the sea shares in the water: some bodies displace more than others. It is not apportioned equally, but is available to all.

 

Those who are spiritually are are generally perceived to be 'powerful' in the sense of being livelier, more integrated and less unbalanced than others; they may achieve more in a shorter time, be more open to ideas and therefore be more resourceful.

 

Being a 'powerful person' does not neccessarily make you stronger, healthier or more successful than others; but it will make you better aligned, assured and humbly part of the universe. The more pathways we walk through the worlds, the more power-cables connect us. But to whom more is given, more is also required.

 

Our power, our vitality, derives from many sources: from the light of the solar system, from the nourishment of foods, from having a secure environment, from supportive and loving relationships, from cultural and creative nourishment of our souls, from spiritual engagement with the universe. When any of these channels is fractured, we begin to lose power.

 

We can choose to relinquish them through neglect or unclear motivation or by giving away or share to others. This happens, for example, when we unhealthily abrogate our self and our needs for the sake of someone we wish to impress.

 

We may unwillingly relinquish our share of power to someone who is coercive or dominating, who has discovered how to play with our emotions. We can lose power by being threatened, cajoled, invaded, overwhelmed, whether by people, accident or trauma. In all instances, our natural power-cables connecting us with the cosmic web are fractured and power begins to leak away.

 

The resulting power-loss may lead to illness, soul-fragmentation or sometimes death. A person lacking power will be dispirited, tired, frustrated, and generally disengaged from daily life. Only by re-sourcing the power of the universe can she build up her resistance.

 

A song often sung in spiritual circles tells us that 'where there is fear there is power' Our power is often locked up by fear, which causes blockage illness and disruption to our lives. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote that our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure.

 

Dealing with fear requires forthright courage. Many people feel it is easier to live with the self-imposed controls of fear than to experience liberation of the power that lies beneath fear. Shamanism cracks through such restraints and puts us in touch with our power treasury.

 

There is much talk of 'empowerment' and 're-empowerment' in esoteric training circle, as though this were the end product of such training. Many people are drawn to shamanism because it seems to offer them instant empowerment.

 

By walking between the worlds we may indeed enhance our vitality and power, but we do well to remember that this is only and incidental effect, that shamanism is not a therapy and that deeper commitment and responsibility are required.

 

A true appreciation of how we receive and give out power in accordance with the laws of the universe only comes when we live in alignment with those laws. The realization that neither we nor our species are the mainspring of the universe will keep our practice ethical, as will the necessity for thankfulness and proper reciprocation.

 

Like Spirit, power is non-dual: it is itself, but it can be misplaced. The shamans duty is to reconnect and restore broken power-lines, as well as to remove and re-circuit inappropriate accumulations of power. Such work is not done indiscriminately or without recourse to the cosmic web of power: the circumstances surrounding any shamanic action are first investigated in both physical and subtle reality to discover whether a course of action is appropriate.

 

It is only by consulting the whole universe through the networks of Spirit and power that healing connections can be -re-established. Wherever one part of the comic web is healed, power is restored to the whole web, benefiting all."

 

Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Wisdom for Every Day

Edited November 26, 2010 by Tao Apprentice

[rex]

Excellent excerpt and kudos to you for tapping it all in. Anything by Caitlin and John Matthews is well worth the trouble to read. Cheers!

[RiverSnake]

Excellent excerpt and kudos to you for tapping it all in.

 

Thanks, it did take a bit of time typing this.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Tao Apprentice

[3bob]

Thanks for typing out that great excerpt Tao Apprentice!

 

No one really owns the power for the power really has and works through them.

 

Om

[Birch]

Thank you!

[Sloppy Zhang]

GREAT stuff!

[RiverSnake]

Glad you fellas enjoyed it.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Tao Apprentice

[manitou]

LOL. Well shut my mouth! That's so good it's hard to find things to comment on. It's more of a spiritual springboard than it is an excerpt.

[RiverSnake]

LOL. Well shut my mouth! That's so good it's hard to find things to comment on. It's more of a spiritual springboard than it is an excerpt.

 

Yeah, its certainly and insightful piece. I especially enjoyed the Dragon and fear metaphor.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Tao Apprentice

[RiverSnake]

Bump.....

 

I flipped through this book again today because i felt it was time to me to pick it up again. I have always been on the fence in regards to doing healings as is done in my neigong system....but reading this over again has really showed me the value in the practice of healing oneself, others and the cosmos as a whole.

 

A very good book, there is a lot of depth here and i highly recommend it.

 

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

Edited November 14, 2012 by OldGreen

[GrandmasterP]

Which neigong is that OG?

We offer healing at our centre as per website at my profile.

The healers are always busy, it's free, donations accepted for charity.

Always on the lookout for extra strings to the bow as it were.

[RiverSnake]

Which neigong is that OG?

 

Stillness Movement

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

[Cat Pillar]

Glad you bumped this, I wasn't around when it was originally posted.

 

Enjoyed the excerpt.

[GrandmasterP]

 

 

Stillness Movement

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

 

Many thanks.

[Tom Lin]

Wow thanks for this.

 

It is true, only when we are able to remove those blockages created by fear may we be able to re-connect to the way we truly are..which is love. Spirit=love=knowledge=light. They are all one.

 

Fear=evil....they are merely a facade.

 

I am so thankful for the spirit everyday and the lessons the universe provides me....take your daily struggles as a gift from the creator. And go out into nature frequently, listen to the winds, animals, and trees as it speaks it own language for you too enjoy and to heal.Here the spirit is communicating with you. Ask it questions and you shall know.

 

Reflect on your life daily. What lessons have you been taught by the spirit throughout your life? There are plenty, and do not discount their importance.

[RiverSnake]

Bump, because Caitlin is a badass. 

[doc benway]

Bump, because Caitlin is a badass. 

 

Very interesting to read this excerpt.

I share that perspective and experience of power and it has informed my cultivation practices for years.

It is at odds with the approach of many practitioners and has gotten me criticized at times.

Nevertheless, it is most consistent with my personal experience and makes the most sense to me.

Thanks for bumping this, I must have missed it the first time around. 

[RiverSnake]

It's funny, i made this post 6 years ago. Man.....how many power lines have been connected, blockages dissolved and dragons slain since then. Internal work, it's revelatory.   

Edited October 24, 2016 by OldWolf